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

Inside the secluded courtyard, isolated from the bloody revelry at the Fengtian Hall outside, an eerie and tranquil world was formed.

The messenger sent by Zhang Ni has already left.

Only the two brothers remained in the large hall.

There was also Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, who was already asleep in his mother's arms, but whose brows were still furrowed.

She was the one who met the Duke of Ying and then took the initiative to return. For Qian, her husband was her everything. If he died, there was no point in her living. So she brought Zhu Jianshen with her to the Duke of Ying's mansion.

Zhu Qizhen stared intently at his younger brother.

His chest heaved violently, and his breathing was as heavy as a broken bellows.

From the fire at Nangong Palace to the brawl among civil officials at Fengtian Hall, and then to the bloodshed that Shi Heng was about to unleash.

Each scene, each incident, was like a heavy hammer, striking his heart and shattering all his understanding of the world.

He looked at his younger brother, whose face was familiar but whose eyes were completely unfamiliar.

An absurd and terrifying thought, which could no longer be suppressed, began to grow wildly from the deepest part of my heart!

"Royal brother..."

Zhu Qizhen's voice was dry and hoarse, each word sounding as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.

"Are you... really my younger brother, Zhu Qiyu?"

He asked that question.

He used all his strength.

The air froze completely in that instant.

Empress Qian tightened her grip on the child Zhu Jianshen's arm, looking at her husband and uncle in horror.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were bloodshot.

He was nine months older than Zhu Qiyu; they practically grew up together.

The younger brother in his memory, although he ascended the throne, still retained a certain indecisiveness and even some cowardice.

He would unconsciously lower his head in front of himself.

He would suffer from sleepless nights due to pressure from his court officials.

He is definitely not the one in front of him... this devil who stirs up trouble with a laugh, treats human life as worthless, and manipulates the entire court of officials...

"That's not his personality!"

Zhu Qizhen's voice suddenly rose, filled with suppressed trembling and fear.

"My brother, he could never be so cunning! Never so ruthless! Where...where has he gone?!"

"Who are you?!"

The final question was almost a scream.

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"Holy crap! It's here! The person in question is personally debunking it!"

"After waiting all night, the real battle has finally begun! How exciting!"

[The elder brother's soul-searching question: My dear brother, where are you?!]

"There's no way around it, the change is too drastic. Even Yu Qian, let alone Zhu Qizhen who grew up with him, would be completely bewildered. A good-for-nothing suddenly transforms into the ultimate evolved version of Cao Cao + Sima Yi—who could stand that?! It's inevitable that people will suspect him of possession or being haunted."

"Good question! How will Brother Jun answer? Should he just lay it all out and say, 'Hello, I am your unworthy descendant from hundreds of years in the future, here to help you set things right'?"

"Stop messing around, upstairs! That'll turn this into a fantasy drama! Just watch what Brother Jun does!"

[To clarify, strictly speaking, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu were sons of Emperor Xuanzong (Zhu Zhanji), but Jun Ge was a descendant of Zhu Gaosui. If he appeared during the Jingtai or Tianshun reigns, he would be Zhu Qizhen's cousin or elder brother. The relationships are a bit complicated, but in any case, they were very close.]

"So, Brother Jun's soul has transmigrated into the body of his ancestor's cousin, and he's currently conning another ancestor? This relationship... is exciting!"

Faced with Zhu Qizhen's near-collapse-inducing questioning, Zhu Dijun's face remained completely calm.

He didn't even answer immediately.

Instead, he leisurely refilled his empty teacup with hot tea.

"Gulp..."

Boiling water is poured into the cup, and the tea leaves unfurl and release a refreshing aroma.

This calm demeanor contrasted sharply with Zhu Qizhen's hysteria.

Zhu Dijun finally raised his eyelids when Zhu Qizhen was almost suffocating.

His gaze calmly fell on Zhu Qizhen's face.

That look contained no deception, no guilt, and not even a hint of reassurance.

There is only one kind of absolute indifference... having seen through the cycle of life and death.

"Brother Emperor."

He spoke, his voice eerily calm.

"Your younger brother, Zhu Qiyu, has already 'died' once."

Zhu Qizhen was suddenly taken aback.

"What...what did you say?"

"On the very day that Ji'er... my son Zhu Jianji died of illness."

Zhu Dijun's voice remained calm, yet it seemed to carry a chilling edge.

"I held his cold body and kept vigil all night. That night, I thought about many things."

"I think, I am the Son of Heaven, and I possess the wealth of the whole world, yet I cannot even protect my own flesh and blood."

"I think, I was appointed to this critical mission and saved the Ming Dynasty, but in the end, I am still just a shadow of you, Zhu Qizhen, a puppet of the entire court!"

"I believe that this very palace, this small space, is my lifelong prison!"

His gaze slowly shifted from Zhu Qizhen's face to Zhu Jianshen, who was sleeping restlessly in his arms.

"Looking at Ji'er, I thought to myself, how innocent he is! Born into an imperial family, yet he ends up like this. And your son, my nephew Zhu Jianshen, he was deposed as crown prince—is he truly content with that?"

"Brother, you suffered endless humiliation during your northern hunt in the desert. After returning to court, you were imprisoned in the Southern Palace, treated like a cripple. Are you truly content with this?"

Zhu Dijun stood up and slowly walked step by step to Zhu Qizhen.

His height was actually slightly shorter than that of Zhu Qizhen, who had lived a life of luxury for many years.

But at this moment, the aura emanating from him caused Zhu Qizhen to involuntarily take half a step back.

There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart.

A smile, neither mocking nor sorrowful, curved at the corners of Zhu Dijun's mouth.

"When a person is no longer afraid of death, and has lost the things he cherishes most, he will 'realize' the truth."

"I understand now."

"I've realized that in this world, there is no such thing as benevolence or morality, only the victor reigns supreme!"

"I understand now. The only way to avoid being used as a pawn is to become the one making the moves!"

"I understand now. To protect those you care about, you must be more ruthless, more vicious, and more unscrupulous than your enemies!"

Every word he uttered was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Zhu Qizhen's heart.

Zhu Qizhen's lips trembled, and his face turned from red to white, then from white to green.

He wanted to argue, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Because everything Zhu Dijun said was true!

The death of my son!

He himself was imprisoned in the Southern Palace!

The hindrance of civil officials!

A threat to the retired emperor!

All of this was a mountain weighing down on the original Zhu Qiyu!

To drive a normally gentle person into a madman, a demon... logically, this makes perfect sense!

"so……"

Zhu Dijun's gaze became incredibly deep, as if it could see right through people's hearts.

"Your Majesty, what you are seeing now is Zhu Qiyu, who died once and crawled back from hell."

"Zhu Qiyu, who would stop at nothing to survive and to reclaim everything that belongs to us."

He reached out and gently patted Zhu Qizhen's shoulder.

"I did this not just for myself."

"It's also for you, for the Crown Prince, and for the Zhu family's empire."

"Now, do you still think that I... am not your younger brother?"

Zhu Qizhen's body trembled violently.

Looking into Judy Jun's calm, unwavering eyes, for the first time, he read a trace of... mad warmth from the depths of those cold eyes.

It was a fanaticism for power, a thirst for revenge, and also... a "promise" to his brother.

He believed it.

Or rather, he is willing to believe it.

Because he had no choice but to believe.

"Royal brother..."

Zhu Qizhen's voice finally stopped trembling, but it still had a strong nasal tone.

His fear was replaced by a more complex emotion.

There was guilt, regret, and also a trace of... a sense of reassurance from being guided.

"It's me...it's me who has wronged you..."

Zhu Dijun withdrew his hand, his expression returning to its usual icy coldness.

He turned and looked out the window at the still-dark night sky.

"There's no need to dwell on the past."

His voice carried an undeniable decisiveness.

"It's almost dawn."

"The farce at Fengtian Hall should come to an end."

"It's time to deliver Shi Heng's pledge of allegiance."

"Brother, let's get ready."

"It's time for us 'dead' to step in and clean up this mess."