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

Zhu Dijun's voice, like a judgment from the deepest hell, echoed in the deathly silent Taihe Hall.

A threat, a blatant threat.

But at the same time, it also gave them a way to survive.

He voluntarily surrendered to the law, leaving his body intact.

Those who harbor侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality) will be remembered with infamy for eternity.

Inside the hall, the group of Jiangnan officials who had been named knelt on the cold gold bricks, their bodies trembling like leaves.

They looked at each other.

In everyone's eyes, there was fear, struggle, and a sliver of... faint hope.

Nobody wants to be the first to step forward.

The first person to stand up is admitting their guilt and is certain to die!

What if... what if His Majesty is just bluffing us?

The law doesn't punish everyone!

With so many of us, how could he possibly kill us all?

As long as we remain silent, he has no evidence and what can he do to me?

This is a tacit understanding that is both pathetic and laughable.

They silently formed a defensive alliance with their eyes.

No one moved.

No one told anyone.

Time, under extreme pressure, slipped away second by second.

The air seemed to freeze, and even breathing became cautious.

On the imperial steps, Zhu Dijun looked at this group of "clever people" who were still struggling in their death throes, and the corner of his mouth grew colder and colder.

He didn't urge him.

He didn't even show any impatience.

He stood there quietly, like an experienced hunter watching his prey fall into his trap and make its final, futile struggle.

His silence was more terrifying than any thunderous rage.

Zhu Qizhen stood beside him, his palms already sweating.

Looking at the disgraceful behavior of the officials below, he had only one thought in his mind.

kill!

Kill them all!

One minute.

Two minutes.

A full incense stick's time has passed.

Still, no one stepped forward.

Among those officials from Jiangnan, the glimmer of hope in their eyes grew even brighter.

They felt they had made the right bet.

The emperor has no evidence! He's just bluffing!

Just then.

A figure slowly, yet with unwavering determination, rose from the kneeling crowd.

Not those trembling officials from Jiangnan.

It was Yu Qian!

The Minister of War still felt a dull ache in his ribs, but he stood ramrod straight, like a javelin that would never bend.

His bloodshot eyes didn't look at anyone, but were fixed on Judy Jun on the steps of the palace.

"His Majesty."

His voice was hoarse, yet it clearly drowned out all the whispers.

That is incorrect.

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared at Yu Qian in astonishment.

Those officials in Jiangnan, who were on the verge of collapse, saw a savior and their eyes instantly shone with ecstatic joy!

Yu Shaobao!

It is Junior Guardian Yu!

He's going to speak up for us!

Zhu Dijun's gaze finally shifted from the group of "smart people" and landed on Yu Qian's face.

His eyes were very calm.

"Oh?"

"What insightful opinion do you have, my dear minister?"

Yu Qian met his gaze without flinching, speaking each word with a voice as firm as metal and stone.

"Your Majesty denounced the officials for corruption, and your words were so forceful that I dared not refute you."

"But may I ask Your Majesty?"

"In the past, in order to change the heir apparent, Your Majesty spared no expense in bribing court officials. The former Crown Prince Zhu Jianji, seriously ill, died suddenly. Wasn't this also a transaction made with human lives and money? A bribe offered for the throne?"

Yu Qian's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like a thunderclap!

"Your Majesty seized power at the cost of your own son's life, which can be described as 'the ruthlessness of the imperial family'! Then what right do you have to stand here and judge our crimes of corruption in the name of morality?!"

Dead!

The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony fell into an unprecedented deathly silence!

If the emperor's words were a knife, then Yu Qian's words were an incredibly precise dagger that pierced straight into Zhu Dijun's heart!

This is a judgment that attacks the heart!

This is a comeback from the brink of defeat!

You accuse us of being dirty, but what about you? You even "sacrificed" your own son for the throne; you are the dirtiest one!

You lack even the most basic human ethics, so what right do you have to judge us?!

Zhu Qizhen's face turned deathly pale instantly!

Indeed, the death of his own nephew and his brother giving money to ministers are undeniable stains!

He suddenly looked at his younger brother, his eyes filled with panic.

Finished!

This is my brother's only, and also his biggest, "stain"!

To have Yu Qian expose this in front of the entire court of officials... how is this supposed to be resolved?!

Those officials who had just been preparing to surrender instantly shut their mouths, their eyes rekindling with renewed hope as they watched this scene with excitement.

Fight!Fight!

Once the emperor's moral high ground is breached, all his previous words become a joke!

[Sky Screen Live Stream]

"Holy crap!!! Holy crap!!! Holy crap! Yu Qian! That scoundrel actually turned the tables at the last minute!!"

"A counter-attack! This is the ultimate counter-attack! I'm completely stunned! They directly attacked Brother Jun's fundamental weakness!"

"Oh no! Barbie Q is dead! How do I answer this question? Admit it? Admitting it means admitting to being cold-blooded and ruthless, sacrificing my son for the throne! Don't admit it? Who would believe that! Zhu Jianji died too conveniently!"

"General! This is a killer move! Yu Qian's move has completely slapped Jun Ge in the face! How dare you say we're dirty? You're the dirtiest one!"

"A dead end! This is absolutely a dead end! All the prestige and momentum that Brother Jun has built up could collapse at this moment! Quick! Think of a way to break this deadlock!"

"Damn, my palms are sweating from nervousness! This is more thrilling than any suspense movie! Jun-ge, you absolutely have to hold on!"

Under the watchful eyes of countless people.

In Zhu Qizhen's anxious gaze.

Amidst the anticipation of the entire court.

Zhu Dijun smiled.

He looked at Yu Qian, and in his eyes there was no anger, no panic, only a bottomless...disappointment.

"Minister Yu, you are right."

boom!

Judy Jung's answer left everyone speechless!

He...he admitted it?!

Yu Qian was also taken aback. He had anticipated that Judy Jun would be furious and try to argue, but he never expected that he would admit it so easily!

Zhu Dijun walked up to Yu Qian, the two of them standing no more than three feet apart.

He looked at Yu Qian's face, which was filled with shock and confusion, and spoke in a calm and deep voice.

"When I changed the crown prince, I gave money to you ministers."

"But what was the result?"

A real, cold pain flashed in Zhu Dijun's eyes.

"My son has only been dead for three days."

"I acknowledge my sins."

"I have already paid the price."

His voice suddenly turned cold, like a knife chilled to ice.

"But my dear minister, you are not so clean!"

Yu Qian's pupils suddenly contracted!

All he heard was Zhu Dijun's voice, which struck his heart like a heavy hammer!

"During the reign of the Retired Emperor Zhengtong, you, my dear minister, were on patrol in Shanxi and other places, right?"

"Let me ask you a question!"

"Why did the border granaries repeatedly catch fire during your patrol in Shanxi?"

"Why did the people my elder brother sent to investigate die so mysteriously, leaving no trace of their remains?"

"Why are so many military households living near the border wall fleeing, leaving nine out of ten houses empty?!"

Zhu Dijun pressed closer, his voice growing louder and more stern!

"Minister Yu, you know these things, but for the sake of the so-called 'greater good,' you've kept them hidden!"

"Or are you saying that you were in cahoots with those corrupt officials, leading to the Tumu Crisis?"

Yu Qian's face instantly lost all color, turning as white as paper!

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but it felt like there was a fire stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word!

He knows about these things... these things...!

Of course he knows!

However, in order to stabilize the overall border situation and avoid causing greater turmoil, he chose to suppress the issue and take a long-term approach.

But he never expected that these old cases would be exposed by the emperor in such a sharp way, in front of the entire court!

Seeing his distraught state, Judy Jun delivered his final judgment.

"I only have one matter to resolve regarding my son Jianji, and even that came at a price!"

"Then, Minister Yu!"

Zhu Dijun pointed at him, speaking slowly and deliberately, his voice resounding throughout the hall!

"And what will be the price you pay?!"

"Is it the grain that was burned, the grain that was supposed to be delivered to the border troops?!"

"Those loyal investigative officials who were silenced?!"

"Or are they the soldiers who couldn't survive, were forced to abandon their homes, and ultimately died on the road?!"

"The heroes who died at Tumu Fortress, and the so-called 'Battle of Beiping'."

"You traded their lives for your clean reputation as an official!"

"Now, tell me!"

"How much cleaner are you compared to those corrupt officials?!"

"Thump!"

Yu Qian could no longer stand.

His pride and the beliefs he held dear throughout his life were utterly shattered at this moment.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

This hero who saved the Ming Dynasty was now ashen-faced and had empty eyes, as if all his soul had been taken away.

It’s over.

In everyone's heart, only these two words remained.

Even Yu Qian has fallen.

Who else can withstand this emperor's thunderous judgment?