Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

"Dear family members, we will use AI technology to simulate Zhu Qizhen's coup d'état, returning our perspective to the Tianshun era."

On the surface, it is an AI-simulated video, but in reality, it is a coup that occurred in a certain timeline of the Tian Shun era!

Fengtian Temple.

The magnificent palace, which had hosted countless grand court assemblies, was now filled with the chilling aura of blood and iron.

The torchlight cast flickering light on everyone's face inside the hall.

Clad in heavy armor, the raiders stood like silent statues, their weapons stained with blood. Their armor was still stained with snow and freshly congealed blood.

In the center of the main hall, a group of civil and military officials knelt, trembling with fear.

They stared in horror at the figure sitting upright on the dragon throne.

Zhu Qizhen!

He is back.

It was still the same face, but the youthful spirit of the past had long been eaten away by the hardships and hatred.

All that remained was a desolate expanse of ashes, and beneath those ashes, a raging inferno powerful enough to consume everything.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne; each tap was like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart.

Inside the hall, even the sound of breathing had disappeared, leaving only the faint sound of armor plates rubbing against each other and the howling wind and snow outside.

"Shi Heng".

Zhu Qizhen finally spoke, his voice hoarse and devoid of any emotion.

"Your subject is here!"

Marquis Shi Heng of Wuqing, the victor of this high-stakes gamble, knelt on one knee, his voice booming like a bell.

"deliver an imperial order."

Zhu Qizhen's gaze slowly swept over the faces below, some terrified and others feigning kindness.

"Minister of War Yu Qian, Grand Secretary Chen Xun, Grand Secretary Wang Wen..."

With each name he uttered, a suppressed gasp filled the hall.

The person whose name was called turned ashen-faced and trembled violently.

"Intending to install a foreign vassal state is treason and rebellion, a crime for which no one may forgive!"

"Immediately, seize him! Throw him into the imperial prison!"

Before he finished speaking, the fierce-looking officers of the Imperial Guard pounced on him!

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent! Your Majesty!"

Chen Xun was the first to break down, tears streaming down his face, and he kowtowed desperately.

Wang Wen was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground and was dragged by the captain, leaving a shameful water stain on the gold brick.

Only Yu Qian suddenly raised his head, his face showing no fear, but rather a twisted, self-righteous "righteousness"!

"Your Majesty! Our actions are all for the sake of the Ming Dynasty! After the Tumu Crisis, the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day! Our support for the Prince of Cheng is an act in accordance with Heaven and the people! What crime have we committed!"

He shouted loudly, trying to defend himself by using the word "state".

He thought he was still the Minister of War, whose word was law and who could scare away the Oirat army!

He thought that the person sitting on the throne was still the emperor who could be manipulated at will by them using "righteousness"!

["Hahaha! Still being stubborn! That old dog Yu Qian, even on his deathbed, is still trying to manipulate the emperor!"]

"Who does he think he is? A national hero? Laughable! He's just a traitor who pushed the emperor out as cannon fodder and then stole state power!"

"Baozong! Stop wasting time talking to him! Kill him! Now! Immediately!"

"That's right! Any trial is superfluous for this kind of person! The crimes he has committed are too numerous to count!"

Before the celestial screen, the emotions of the audience from all realms had been completely ignited!

On the dragon throne, Zhu Qizhen looked at Yu Qian, who was still roaring, and finally a stiff, unsmiling smile appeared on his lips.

He slowly stood up and walked down the steps of the imperial palace.

The cold dragon boots stepped in front of Yu Qian.

He looked down at the culprit who had ruined his life, killed his brother, and harmed his nephew.

"The state?"

Zhu Qizhen's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling edge.

"You want to discuss the state with me?"

He suddenly raised his foot and kicked Yu Qian hard in the face!

boom!

Yu Qian was kicked to the ground, his mouth full of teeth mixed with blood and foam, and his "righteous" face instantly swelled and deformed.

"ah--!"

He let out a painful scream.

"Tumu Fortress—who was it that advocated for a personal expedition, only to be stabbed in the back!"

Zhu Qizhen's voice suddenly rose in pitch!

"It's you guys!"

"When my younger brother Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, who usurped imperial power and turned him into a mere puppet? Who even tried to seize control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, rendering him blind and deaf?"

"It's you guys!"

"Who was it that found my poor nephew, the five-year-old Crown Prince Zhu Jianji, in the way, and cruelly murdered him, causing his sudden death in the palace?!"

"It's you guys!"

"And my younger brother, the Jingtai Emperor! Who was it that, when he wanted to reclaim power, tortured him day by day with a slow-acting poison, causing him to 'die of illness' in his bed?!"

"It's still you guys!"

Zhu Qizhen's questions, like thunderclaps, resounded throughout the Fengtian Hall!

With each sentence, Yu Qian, Chen Xun, and the others turned a shade paler!

They looked at Zhu Qizhen in utter terror.

How did he know?!

How could he know so much?!

These are their most closely guarded secrets! How could someone imprisoned in Nangong for years possibly know all this?

As if seeing through their doubts, Zhu Qi-zhen raised his hand and pointed into the void.

That was the direction where the sky was located.

"Heaven is watching!"

"Every evil deed you commit will not escape the judgment of this bright and clear world!"

"Yu Qian, don't you like to use 'the state' as a shield? I'll tell you that today!"

A murderous intent surged in Zhu Qizhen's eyes!

"I, Zhu Qizhen, am the ruler of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Those who murder their rulers! Those who betray their country! Those who kill their princes! Those who poison the emperor!"

"You, and the 'Kingslayer Alliance' behind you—every single one of you!"

"They all deserve to die!"

He turned away, no longer looking at the puddle of mud on the ground.

"Issue my decree!"

"Yu Qian, Wang Wen, and Chen Xun are guilty of treason; the evidence is irrefutable!"

"Three days later, at noon!"

"Abandon the market!"

"Exterminate their entire clan!"

The cold, merciless voice echoed throughout the hall, bringing the first, bloody period to this reckoning that was eight years overdue!

The 22nd day of the first month of the first year of the Tianshun era.

Only three days had passed since the coup.

Yu Qian and Wang Wen were beheaded in the marketplace.

Yu Qian, who was once praised by scholars as the "savior prime minister," showed no composure at the last moment of his life.

He simply watched the executioner's blade fall, consumed by endless fear and regret.

He died without understanding why, why the young emperor who had once been at their mercy had become a vengeful demon who had returned from hell!

Blood stained the execution grounds of the capital city.

This also signifies the complete end of an era.

After dealing with these ringleaders, Zhu Qizhen's gaze passed over the many palaces of Fengtian Hall and landed on the northwest corner of the Forbidden City.

That place is the Cining Palace.

It was the place where his "good mother," Empress Dowager Sun, lived.

His face was expressionless.

But those who know him well know that the calmer he is, the more intense his murderous intent is.

For Qian and the others, he chose the quickest and most direct death.

But as for that woman...

The one who pushed him into the abyss, the one who used his throne as a bargaining chip, the one who tacitly approved and even orchestrated all this tragedy—that wicked woman.

Killing her directly would be too lenient.

Zhu Qizhen's lips curled into a smile colder than the Siberian wind.

He wanted her to slowly rot and die in endless fear and despair.