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

"The one wielding the knife?"

"the wicked?"

Zhu Qizhen's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition enveloped his entire mind like a dark cloud.

He looked at the calm yet tragic smile on Zhu Dijun's face and found it incredibly irritating.

"Brother, what...what exactly do you want to do?!" he asked in a trembling voice.

Zhu Dijun did not answer directly.

He turned his head and glanced at Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, who was being held tightly in Empress Qian's arms, his brows still furrowed in his sleep.

At that moment, his eyes revealed a rare tenderness and pity.

"Brother, I have no children."

Judy Jun's voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh.

"Zhu Jianji's death made me realize that being born into an imperial family is sometimes not a blessing."

"Therefore, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty can only be seen as impending doom in the future."

"But he is still too young."

Zhu Dijun's gaze sharpened and hardened once more.

"If we allow him to ascend the throne now, he will only become the next puppet, manipulated by the new powerful ministers and the new gentry, repeating the mistakes we made."

"And you, my brother,"

Zhu Dijun looked at Zhu Qizhen.

"Although you have been reinstated, this battle will inevitably lead to open and covert resistance and vigilance from the entire civil service. It will be extremely difficult for you to implement any new policies."

Zhu Qizhen's face turned deathly pale.

He knew that every word Zhu Dijun said was a stark reality.

In the eyes of the civil officials, this emperor who had "come back from the dead" was the biggest destabilizing factor.

They would never allow themselves to possess absolute imperial power again.

"so……"

Zhu Qizhen's voice was already tinged with sobs.

"Therefore, I will play the villain."

Zhu Dijun picked up where he left off, his tone eerily calm.

"I will volunteer to go to the Southeast in the name of 'Crown Prince' or even 'Emperor Emeritus'!"

"Let's go to Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang!"

"Go and thoroughly investigate the truth behind that five-year-long rebellion in Southeast China!"

"Go to the local areas to survey the land, and implement a system where officials and gentry pay taxes and perform corvée labor on an equal footing!"

"I will personally plunge the knife into their fattest flesh! I will personally dismantle the foundations they have built up over hundreds of years!"

Boom!

It was as if countless lightning bolts exploded simultaneously in Zhu Qizhen's mind!

His whole body trembled violently from extreme shock and fear!

"No!!"

He let out a piercing roar!

"You're insane! Qi Yu, you're insane!!"

"You're going to die! You're absolutely going to die!!"

Zhu Qizhen understood perfectly well!

Go to the southeast, to those territories that the gentry and powerful have built up like an ironclad fortress, and to touch the land and privileges that they cherish as their lifeblood.

That's not an investigation!

That's suicide!

Those people dare to fund even armed rebellions; what else wouldn't they do?

They will do everything in their power to make Judy Jun die "accidentally" in office!

It could be due to "acclimatization issues," "encountering bandits," or "accidentally falling into the water!"

They have a million ways to make a prince die quietly and "reasonably"!

This is no different from voluntarily walking to the guillotine!

"I am not insane."

Faced with Zhu Qizhen's breakdown, Zhu Dijun's face showed only a calmness that transcended life and death.

"Brother, on the contrary, I am more clear-headed than ever before."

He looked at Zhu Qizhen and, word by word, revealed his insane, ultimate plan.

"If I go to the southeast, I'm just going to my death."

"I am the biggest target, the biggest magnet for hatred!"

"I will draw all the attention and anger of the gentry and powerful families in the southeast to myself!"

"If I die there, whether by assassination or by the 'rebels' they've driven to revolt..."

A cold, bloody smile curled at the corners of Zhu Dijun's lips.

"Brother, you now have the most legitimate reason to avenge me!"

"Then you can raise high the banner of 'Avenging my brother and wiping out the rebels,' and sweep across the southeast with thunderous force!"

"You can win over the civil and military officials in the north, such as those in Huguang, the Central Plains, and Shaanxi, and tell them that this is an opportunity to eliminate traitors and serve the country loyally! It is also the best time for them to fill the power vacuum in the southeast and seize benefits!"

"At that time, the resistance you encounter will be minimal!"

"Because I risked my life to clear the biggest obstacle for you, and to secure for you the most just pretext for sending troops!"

"By sacrificing myself, I can achieve a complete purge of the entire gentry class in the southeast, ensure the smooth implementation of the new policies, and extend the Ming Dynasty's national fortune by at least another hundred years!"

Zhu Dijun's voice echoed endlessly in the silent hall.

Every word was like the sharpest carving knife, deeply etched into Zhu Qizhen's soul.

"Brother Emperor."

"This is the last and greatest gift I bestow upon you, upon Jian Shen, and upon the Zhu family's empire..."

"The Warlords"

Zhu Qizhen was completely stunned.

He opened his mouth, making a "hoarse" sound in his throat, but couldn't utter a single word.

Tears, like a burst dam, gushed from his once proud, yet once humiliated, eyes.

He looked at his younger brother in front of him.

Looking at his young and calm face.

Looking into his eyes, which burned with a mad flame yet were crystal clear.

He finally understood what Judy meant by "realizing."

That wasn't some sudden enlightenment about the art of political maneuvering.

But...

I suddenly understood the true meaning of sacrifice.

He thought of Shang Yang, Wu Qi, and Chao Cuo...

Those sages who, for the sake of reform and the country, were willing to sacrifice themselves to the point of being crushed to pieces.

And today, his younger brother is also embarking on such a tragic path, one from which there is no turning back.

"No...don't..."

Zhu Qizhen's body slumped to the ground, and he clung to Zhu Dijun's legs, crying like a helpless child.

"Brother...don't go...I beg you...I'll give you the throne, I'll give you everything...please don't go and die..."

At this moment, he cast aside all notions of the throne, power, and suspicion.

All he wanted was to keep his younger brother.

This is my only younger brother, whom I just "lost and found again".

Zhu Dijun lowered his head, looking at his brother who was crying bitterly at his feet, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He slowly squatted down, reached out, and gently wiped away the tears on Zhu Qizhen's face.

"Brother Emperor."

"From the moment my son, Zhu Jianji, died."

"I have already died once."

"I am now just a ghost that has crawled back from hell."

"With this broken body, I can pave the way and clear away obstacles for my Great Ming, for you and Jian Shen..."

His voice was incredibly soft, yet it carried an undeniable resolve.

"A worthy death."