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

The Ming Dynasty, in a parallel world during the Yongle reign.

The atmosphere inside the Fengtian Hall was solemn.

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun, playing Zhu Qiyu, was clumsily playing shuttlecock with his nephew. The scene, which was both joyful and somewhat comical, left the princes present looking at each other in bewilderment.

"This...this is outrageous!"

King Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He looked at his "good-for-nothing" descendant in the sky, his face full of exasperation and disappointment.

"His own son has just died, and instead of thinking about revenge or seizing power, he runs to the Southern Palace to play and frolic with the deposed crown prince, who is also his own brother and son!"

"To even appoint his elder brother's son as crown prince is tantamount to cutting off his own arm and destroying his own Great Wall!"

"Father, is this descendant Judi Jun perhaps an idiot?"

He became increasingly angry as he spoke, as if he himself was the one who had made a fool of himself on the sky.

Prince Zhu Gaochi, standing nearby, also curled his lip in disdain. In his view, such cowardly behavior was a disgrace to the Zhu family. A true man should wield a sword and fight to the death, not engage in such childish tricks!

Only Crown Prince Zhu Gaogao frowned, seemingly lost in thought, but remained silent.

"Snapped!"

A loud bang shook the entire hall.

Zhu Di slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and stood up abruptly. His tiger-like eyes, filled with murderous intent, stared intently at his third son, Zhu Gaosui.

"idiot!"

A thunderous roar startled Zhu Gaosui so much that his legs went weak and he almost knelt on the ground.

"You don't know anything!"

Zhu Di pointed to the sky, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger, but even more so with the excitement and admiration of discovering a gem!

"Watch closely, all of you! This is what true imperial strategy looks like!"

Why did Judy Jun go and play shuttlecock? Because in that environment, every word he said and every action he took was being watched by countless eyes and could be misinterpreted in countless ways! This most outrageous and inappropriate "playing around" was the perfect disguise!

Zhu Di's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed throughout the hall.

"Firstly, feign weakness to the enemy!"

"With this mad, indifferent, and playful demeanor, he was telling Sun Ruowei, Yu Qian, and all his enemies: I, Zhu Qiyu, am finished! I have been utterly crushed by the grief of losing my son and am no longer a threat! This was to lull them into a false sense of security and buy myself time and space to breathe!"

Secondly, winning hearts and minds is paramount!

"What was that child named Zhu Jianshen in his eyes? The son of his enemy! A potential threat! But what did Zhu Dijun do? He humbled himself, played games with him, embarrassed himself in front of him, and even praised him! He was using this most direct and pure method to break down a child's defenses! A child who grew up in fear and indifference had never seen an emperor uncle treat him like this before? That kick of the shuttlecock shattered Zhu Jianshen's heart wall and planted a seed called 'closeness'!"

Thirdly, it kills three birds with one stone!

Zhu Di's eyes grew sharper, as if he had already seen through the game that his descendants would play hundreds of years later!

"His proposal to make Zhu Jianshen the crown prince seemed like an admission of defeat, but in reality, it put Sun Ruowei in a very difficult position! If Sun Ruowei wanted her own grandson to be the crown prince, she had to protect the life of her 'adoptive father,' the emperor! Zhu Jianshen instantly transformed from a hostage into Zhu Qiyu's strongest shield!"

"His kick was meant to reassure Sun Ruowei, to make her feel at ease, to ingratiate himself with Zhu Jianshen, and most importantly, to show Zhu Qizhen, who was secretly monitoring him! It was a message to him: Your son is in my hands, and I treat him like my own child. You'd better think carefully about what you should do!"

"Using the most humble posture to set up the most ruthless scheme! Using the most innocent game to carry out the most vicious plan! That's what you call a calculated strategy! That's what you call manipulating people's hearts!"

Zhu Di became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Good! Good for you, Judi Jun! Good for my descendants! Gao Chi, Gao Xu, Gao Sui, all three of you, kneel down before me! Take a good look and learn from me! It's not shameful to learn from your descendants' excellence!"

The three princes looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, under Zhu Di's unquestionable gaze, they all knelt down, their faces filled with shock as they looked back at the sky.

……

The scene shifts back to Nangong.

After a round of shuttlecock kicking, Zhu Dijun was already out of breath. He was holding his knees, coughing violently, and his face was even paler than before.

But the boy named Zhu Jianshen had a radiant childlike glow on his face that he hadn't seen in a long time.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Judy had changed from pure fear to curiosity, sympathy, and even a hint of secret admiration.

"Uncle... Uncle, are you alright?" he asked timidly.

"Cough cough... It's nothing..."

Zhu Dijun waved his hand, slowly straightened up, walked to Zhu Jianshen, and without saying a word, simply reached out and gently straightened his somewhat disheveled collar.

This sudden intimate gesture made Zhu Jianshen stiffen, but he did not dodge.

He could feel that his uncle, the emperor, had very warm hands.

"Jian Shen, eat well and grow taller."

Zhu Dijun's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable gentleness.

"Your uncle will come to visit you often from now on."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and, with Xing'an's help, walked unsteadily out of the palace.

That figure, hunched over, desolate, looked as if a gust of wind could blow it over.

Even after the figure completely disappeared outside the palace gates, Zhu Jianshen stood there blankly, his small hand unconsciously touching his collar, as if savoring the lingering warmth.

Wan Zhen'er walked to his side, looking at the complex expression on his face, her eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

This emperor was completely different from the one in the legends...

What exactly does he want to do?

……

Qianqing Palace.

The palace doors were closed tightly, cutting off all outside prying eyes.

The weakness and exhaustion on Zhu Dijun's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a calm and chilling aura.

He took the hot towel Xing'an handed him and slowly wiped his hands, as if he were wiping away not sweat, but some kind of filth.

"Your Majesty, why are you doing this to yourself..."

Xing'an looked at him, her eyes filled with heartache.

"It's not bitter."

Zhu Dijun tossed the towel into the copper basin and said calmly.

"To gain the enemy's contempt and the heart of a future emperor through a harmless performance, this is a very worthwhile deal."

He walked to the window, looked in the direction of Cining Palace, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"The first step is done. Sun Ruowei's mind is in turmoil. All she can think about now is how to persuade Yu Qian and the others to let her precious grandson sit on the throne of the crown prince."

"An alliance that is beginning to tear apart from within is nothing to fear."

Zhu Dijun's gaze then turned in another direction, towards the location of the Cabinet's office.

His eyes became deep and sharp.

"Sun Ruowei is driven by selfish motives and is easy to deal with. But Yu Qian... is the so-called 'pillar of the nation'."

"Ordinary tactics are useless against this kind of person."

Xing'an's heart was in his throat:

"Then... what should we do?"

Zhu Dijun did not answer, but slowly uttered two words.

"Popular support".

He turned around, looked at Xing'an, and said, word by word.

"By my decree, summon Yu Qian, Chen Xun, Wang Wen, and all civil and military officials to the palace for an audience."

"Just say..."

He paused, a shrewd glint of calculating brilliance flashing in his eyes.

"I, the Emperor, hereby grant a general amnesty for Ji'er!"