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

The Hall of Supreme Harmony has become a huge tomb.

Graves for the living.

Yu Qian's downfall was like an invisible pillar being pulled away, causing the spiritual world of the entire civil service group to collapse.

This man, whom they revered as a moral exemplar and regarded as their last hope, was now kneeling there like a dog with its spine removed, his eyes empty and lifeless.

It’s over.

Only those two words remained in everyone's minds.

Even Yu Qian is "not clean".

Even Yu Qian's achievements could be analyzed by the emperor from another perspective as a series of "transactions" that were bought with human lives.

What about them?

What are people like them, whose hands are more or less stained with dirt?

Fear was no longer an invisible net, but had transformed into tangible ice water, soaking them from head to toe, chilling them to the bone.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhu Dijun coldly observed all of this.

He looked at Yu Qian, who was kneeling on the ground, his mind in turmoil.

Looking at Chen Xun, who lay unconscious in a pool of blood not far away.

Looking at those pale, desperate, numb faces.

There was not a trace of pity in his eyes.

Zhu Qizhen stood beside him, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He looked at his younger brother, the brother he once thought he could control, but now he felt utterly unfamiliar, utterly...terrified.

If we hadn't had a thorough heart-to-heart talk beforehand, we would have doubted whether we would be next.

In the deathly silence, Judy Jun finally moved.

He didn't look at the "sinners" who had already collapsed, but instead turned his gaze to an inconspicuous figure in the corner.

He was a tall, stern-faced military officer who always kept his head down but his back ramrod straight.

"Menda".

The emperor's voice rang out calmly.

The military officer whose name was called jolted violently, abruptly raising his head with disbelief written all over his face.

He, Menda, was merely an unknown commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Because he was not born into a noble family and did not know how to scheme, he was ostracized in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. After more than ten years, he was still a minor military officer.

How could the emperor know his name?!

"Your subject is here!"

Menda almost instinctively shouted those two words with all his might.

Zhu Dijun looked at him, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

"From this moment forward, you are the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

boom!

One sentence, like a thunderbolt from the sky, struck everyone's head!

Menda was completely stunned. His mouth was agape, his mind blank, and he couldn't understand what he had just heard.

Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

I?

Is this...is this a dream?!

The noble military officers, on the other hand, looked bewildered and envious.

Who is Menda? They've never even heard of him!

A mere commander of a thousand households rose to the top in one step, directly becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in the Imperial Guard Commandery.

What does Your Majesty mean by this?!

Zhu Dijun gave them no time to think. His cold gaze swept over the group of trembling Jiangnan officials.

"My first order."

"Remove all officials from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian in the hall, except for Peng Shi!"

"Half of them, imprison them in the imperial prison!"

"Send the other half to the Eastern Depot!"

After the initial shock, a surge of fervor instantly overwhelmed Menda's reason!

He got it!

The emperor is promoting him!

This is an immense blessing! This is the grace of being recognized and appreciated!

He didn't need to think about why; he only needed to execute! He would repay His Majesty's trust with the most thorough and relentless execution!

"My lord! I obey the order!"

Menda's eyes were bloodshot, and he slammed his head against the gold brick with a loud bang!

Immediately, he stood up abruptly, turned around, and his resolute face was filled with a ferocious murderous aura!

He drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist, pointing the blade directly at the group of Jiangnan officials who were already limp as mud, and let out his first and most ferocious roar since taking office!

"Where are the Embroidered Uniform Guards?!"

"Take it down!!"

Outside the hall, the Jinyiwei captains, who had been waiting for orders, rushed in like wolves!

Cries, pleas for mercy, and curses instantly filled the hall!

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"I'm innocent! I didn't do anything!"

"You tyrant! You deserve a terrible death!"

However, none of this could stop the ruthless Imperial Guards.

They dragged and pulled, pulling one by one the once high-ranking court officials out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony like dead dogs.

Those officials who were not from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, or Fujian felt a surge of pent-up resentment finally released as they watched this scene!

happy!

So happy!

Amidst the chaos, Judy Jun's voice rang out again, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Xing'an".

A eunuch who was standing in the corner, equally inconspicuous, trembled and crawled out to his knees.

"Yes, sir!"

"From this day forward, you will be the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Director of the Eastern Depot."

Xing'an suddenly looked up, his still relatively young face instantly filled with ecstasy and disbelief!

Director of the Eastern Depot!

This is the pinnacle of power within the inner court!

He... he was just a lowly eunuch who followed the Empress Dowager and was responsible for serving tea and water!

"This servant...this servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!!"

Xing'an was so excited that he trembled all over and kowtowed repeatedly to Zhu Dijun until his forehead was bleeding.

"Work with Menda to keep a close watch on the man for me."

"I want to know from which people every single bite of meat they've eaten over the past fifty years has been taken!"

Zhu Dijun's voice was icy and chilling.

"Yes, ma'am! I will dissect these traitors one by one for you to interrogate!" Xing'an's voice became shrill with excitement.

A new, vicious dog, belonging only to the emperor, was born.

After a brief period of chaos, the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony quickly became empty.

Only those who had been promoted and the surviving officials remained, kneeling on the ground, not daring to even breathe.

Finally, Judy Jun's gaze fell on the woman who had been sitting not far away the whole time, her face pale.

Empress Dowager Sun.

He walked over slowly.

Upon seeing this, Cao Jixiang quickly followed, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

"The Empress Dowager seems to have been frightened."

Zhu Dijun's voice was devoid of emotion.

Looking at the puppet she had personally supported, Empress Dowager Sun felt only unfamiliarity and fear.

Her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"Cao Jixiang".

Judy didn't even glance at her again.

"This servant is here."

"The Empress Dowager is tired; let's take her back to Cining Palace to rest."

"No one may visit without my decree."

Cao Jixiang's heart pounded; he instantly understood the meaning of the word "rest."

This is house arrest!

Even the Empress Dowager and the Emperor could place someone under house arrest at will!

This master is truly determined to turn this world upside down!

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Cao Jixiang bowed in agreement, then straightened up. The fawning smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a condescending indifference.

He walked to Empress Dowager Sun's side and made a "please" gesture, but his voice was not respectful at all.

"Your Majesty, please."

Looking at Cao Jixiang's face, which changed faster than flipping through a book, and then at her son on the imperial steps, who was as cold as a god, Empress Dowager Sun's last bit of spirit completely dissipated.

She knew that her era had come to a complete end.

She stood up dejectedly, and with the "support" of several eunuchs, staggered out of the palace that had allowed her to taste the pinnacle of power and also witnessed its collapse.

[Sky Screen Live Stream]

[“Holy crap!!! It’s here! It’s here! The great purge is here! Jun-ge is awesome!!”]

["One step at a time! The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! The Director of the Eastern Depot! The two fastest swords were instantly replaced by their own people! This execution speed is off the charts!"]

"Menda! Xing'an! I checked, and they were both staunch confidants of the Jingtai Emperor in history! Brother Jun has already built up his own faction ahead of time!"

"'Sending the Empress Dowager to rest,' hahaha! I'd call this the best slang of the year! Isn't that just house arrest?! Brother Jun is so ruthless to his own people! I love it!"

"Awesome! So satisfying! After all that buildup, all that psychological warfare and confrontation, it's finally time to reap the rewards! Watching those corrupt officials being dragged out like dead dogs, I can eat three extra bowls of rice at dinner!"

"The line, 'I want to know which people each bite of meat they eat came from,' is brilliant! Brother Jun is going to dig deep and uproot it completely!"

"An era has ended! An era of iron and blood, belonging to Brother Jun, has begun! I'm already looking forward to the house raids! Those fat pigs in Jiangnan must be rolling in money!"

[“Upstairs, your vision is too narrow! Confiscating property is just the first step! Next, there will definitely be a nationwide overhaul of the officialdom! Then there will be reforms! Strengthening the nation! Fighting the Oirat Mongols! Just thinking about it gets me excited!”]

"Jun-ge! You're awesome!!"