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

The Cining Palace was as silent and desolate as a grave.

The moment Zhu Dijun stepped through the palace gates, the live broadcast room on Tianmu exploded with excitement.

"??? Am I seeing things? He really came? He actually came to pay his respects to this old hag?"

[“What’s going on, streamer! You were all menacing a second ago, I thought you were going to stage a ‘bloodbath in the Cining Palace,’ but you turned around and started kowtowing? Got scared?”]

"The guy upstairs doesn't know anything! This is called a strategic retreat! Didn't you see the streamer's current physical condition? He's poisoned, powerless, and without troops. How can he fight them? Charging in headfirst is just suicide!"

"That's right, I want to see what the streamer is up to. He's definitely not one to suffer a loss!"

The debate among modern audiences did not affect Zhu Dijun in the slightest.

With his head down and back hunched, he walked very slowly, step by step, supported by Xing'an, as if each step had exhausted all his strength.

Anyone who saw his distraught and grief-stricken appearance would think he was a pitiful person completely crushed by the pain of losing his child.

In the main seat, Sun Ruowei, dressed in a phoenix robe, stared at her nominal "son" with a complex expression.

Zhu Jianji's death also unsettled her.

She feared that Zhu Qiyu would completely side with Zhu Qizhen of the Southern Palace, and she also feared that he would go mad and disrupt the power balance that she and the civil official group had worked so hard to establish.

Seeing Zhu Qiyu's lifeless state, half of the weight that had been hanging over her heart quietly lifted.

It seems that this emperor has had his spine completely broken.

"Mother..."

When Zhu Dijun spoke, his voice was hoarse and dry, as if two pieces of sandpaper were rubbing together.

His knees buckled, and he knelt down, his forehead slamming heavily against the cold, hard gold brick.

boom!

A muffled thud made the hearts of all the palace maids and eunuchs present tremble.

"Your son... is unfilial..."

"Your son failed to protect Ji'er... Your son... is guilty!"

He raised his head, and two lines of tears silently slid down his cheeks. His face, already pale from the poisoning, was now filled with endless sorrow and despair.

Sun Ruowei's lips moved, and she was about to say a few words to appease him.

A sudden change has occurred!

"Aaaaaah—!"

Suddenly, Judy Jun went berserk and let out a shrill roar!

He suddenly pulled his hand out of his sleeve, and everyone was horrified to discover that he was tightly clutching a sharp piece of broken porcelain in his right hand!

Blood had already stained his palms and cuffs a dark red!

"Ji'er is gone! What's the point of my life now?!"

He was acting like a madman, and he actually picked up the shard of porcelain and slashed it viciously at his own neck!

"His Majesty!"

Xing'an was terrified and rushed forward without thinking, grabbing his arm tightly!

The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids were in chaos, with screams and shouts rising and falling!

"Release me! Let me die! Let me go and keep Ji'er company!!"

Zhu Dijun struggled frantically, his strength so great that even several young and strong eunuchs almost couldn't hold him down.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face was covered in tears, snot and blood, and his expression was twisted and ferocious, like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair, making a final, meaningless struggle.

This scene completely stunned Sun Ruowei.

She watched Zhu Qiyu rolling and roaring on the ground, completely disregarding imperial dignity. Her gaze slowly shifted from initial wariness to disdain, and finally, even a hint of pity.

crazy.

This emperor has completely gone mad.

A madman poses no threat whatsoever.

She waved her hand, signaling the eunuchs to release him.

After being released, Judy did not attempt to harm herself again. Instead, she collapsed on the ground and cried like a child.

The cries were heart-wrenching, enough to break the hearts of anyone who heard them.

His desperate wails echoed throughout the entire Cining Palace.

In front of the backdrop, the audience who had been questioning just moments before were now completely silent.

"...I take back what I just said. His acting deserves an Oscar."

"It's so realistic... I almost believed it. If I hadn't known beforehand that it was an act, who would have thought it was a killer in disguise?"

["Holding the porcelain shard wasn't for assassination, but for acting! By self-harming, he completely dispelled the last shred of suspicion from Empress Sun! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"]

After crying for a long time, Judy Jun's voice gradually subsided, turning into intermittent sobs.

He lay on the ground, panting heavily like a fish out of water.

Sun Ruowei looked down at him and finally spoke, her tone gentle with a hint of condescension: "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. The dead cannot be brought back to life. You must take care of your health. The Ming Dynasty... still needs you."

"The Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Dijun raised his head, his eyes vacant, and muttered to himself.

"Do they still need someone like me... who has no heir?"

He suddenly let out a few nervous, dry laughs, which sounded even worse than crying.

"Mother, I have figured it out."

He struggled to kneel down again and kowtowed heavily to Sun Ruowei once more.

"Your Majesty, I am an unlucky man, having killed my own son. I am neither secure nor worthy to sit on this throne."

Sun Ruowei's pupils suddenly contracted!

He wants to abdicate?!

No! This is a feint! He wants to take back Zhu Qizhen?!

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and the heart that had just been put at ease instantly jumped into her throat again!

However, what Judy Jun said next completely exceeded her expectations.

"However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a single day, much less without an heir."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you make the decision."

Zhu Dijun raised his tear-streaked face and, in an almost pleading, humble tone, said, word by word:

"I hereby adopt my elder brother's eldest son in the Southern Palace, Zhu Jianshen, as my son."

"He is hereby appointed Crown Prince!"

boom!!!

These words struck Sun Ruowei like a thunderbolt from the heavens!

Instantly, it ignited the entire Sky Screen live broadcast room!

"Holy crap!!!!"

"Holy crap! This is outrageous! They can do this?! Make Zhu Qizhen's son the crown prince?!"

"This is insane! The streamer has completely lost it! What kind of incredible move is this?! My brain has shut down!"

"I get it! I completely get it! This move is too vicious! It's practically a strategy to destroy someone's spirit!"

["He's telling Empress Sun: Look, I'm even willing to make your own grandson the crown prince. I completely surrender. From now on, I'll be your grandson's servant, guarding the empire! Can you finally rest easy?!"]

["Not only that! He's trying to sow discord! Yu Qian and his group of civil officials would never agree to reinstate Zhu Qizhen's son! This has put Empress Sun and the civil official group on opposite sides!"]

"The most brilliant move was that once Zhu Jianshen became the crown prince, he became Zhu Qiyu's shield! Anyone who dared to touch the emperor was trying to kill the new crown prince, and Empress Dowager Sun would be the first to object! Using the enemy's son as her own shield! Brilliant! This move was absolutely brilliant!"

A deathly silence fell over the Cining Palace.

Sun Ruowei stared intently at Zhu Qiyu kneeling on the ground. For the first time, her dignified and noble face revealed an undisguised, extreme shock and horror.

She looked into his eyes, red and swollen from crying, and saw only humility, pleading, and a deathly desolation within them.

There was no scheming involved.

He has no guile whatsoever.

It was as if he really was just a pathetic wretch, completely crushed by reality, who just wanted to find someone to rely on and eke out a living.

But the more this happened, the more turbulent the waves of emotion surged within Sun Ruowei's heart!

This offer was too tempting for her!

It was so big that she couldn't refuse!