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

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, it was as if a giant beast named "Greed" had awakened in everyone's chest, emitting a silent roar.

That enormous map of Jiangnan, laid out on the cold gold bricks, was like a red-hot branding iron, scalding everyone's eyes.

The rest...can be divided up as you like?

Come up here yourself... and paddle?

What absurd, and what... seductive words these are!

Zhu Dijun slowly walked back to the dragon throne, sat down, and coldly gazed at the group of "loyal ministers" below who were about to lose control.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

Use the blood and flesh of the gentry of Jiangnan to feed this pack of northern wolves that have been starving for too long!

Make them your most loyal and fiercest dogs!

"quiet!"

Judy Jun's voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads.

The argument abruptly stopped.

Everyone knelt down again, but their bloodshot eyes and rapid breathing betrayed their inner fanaticism.

"My esteemed ministers, the traitors who have brought disaster to the Ming Dynasty have now had their influence in the central government eliminated."

"But locally, the roots of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian remain."

Zhu Dijun's voice was devoid of any emotion, yet every word was piercing to the heart.

"I have a bold proposal: to re-plan the land of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian."

He looked down at the crowd, his voice carrying a devilish allure.

"How should it be divided? I have a few rules here."

"First, all large ships with three masts or more capable of going to sea, as well as all wharves in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, shall be nationalized and centrally allocated by the imperial court!"

"Secondly, abolish all exorbitant taxes and unreasonable corvée labor levied on the people of these three regions! Every household of my Great Ming will be granted twenty mu of land, to be inherited forever!"

Peng Shi, Li Xian, and the others were shocked!

Acquiring ocean-going vessels is a way to control the nation's most powerful assets and set our sights on overseas markets!

Distributing land is a way to win over the hearts of the people and stabilize the foundation of the nation!

What a grand scheme! What a brilliant tactic!

Just as they were awestruck by the emperor's foresight, Judy Jun's next words instantly consumed everyone's reason with a wildfire called "greed."

"Besides these two things..."

A cold smile curved the emperor's lips.

"As for the rest, the farmland, shops, salt fields, mines, mansions, gold and silver, antiques... you can divide them as you please."

He paused, looking at the faces contorted with utter shock, and continued:

"How should we divide it? Let's discuss it right here and make a preliminary division."

"Then, my esteemed subjects may further coordinate."

Judy Jun's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a chilling murderous intent.

"I'm giving you one month!"

"Within a month, devise a strategy, and then take action!"

"During this period, keep a close watch on any remaining officials from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian!"

He emphasized his words, emphasizing each one:

"Don't let them transfer away the wealth that belongs to us!"

Our wealth!

These four words, like the most potent aphrodisiac, instantly seeped into the depths of everyone's soul!

It defines this impending bloody plunder as a just war to "take back what rightfully belongs to us"!

A burly military officer could no longer contain himself. He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "Your Majesty! I am willing to be the vanguard, to pacify Suzhou Prefecture for Your Majesty, and to take the head of that old traitor Chen Xun!"

"Bullshit! Suzhou is a land of fish and rice, the most lucrative place, why should it be you! Hangzhou! Wang Wen's hometown! I'm going to go there!"

"I, Old Zhang, will take over the ports of Fujian and all the businesses owned by those maritime merchants!"

"Me! Me! And me!"

crazy!

Totally crazy!

The civil officials' reserve and the military generals' discipline vanished at this moment!

They were like a pack of wild dogs that hadn't eaten for three days and three nights, who had spotted a mountain made of fresh meat!

A white-haired vice minister from one of the Six Ministries suddenly shoved aside his colleague and crawled on all fours toward the map on the imperial steps, muttering, "Songjiang Prefecture... the cotton fields of Songjiang Prefecture are mine..."

"Get out of here, you old bastard!"

A young censor, having dropped his pretense, kicked the old vice minister aside and pounced on the map, picking up a piece of charcoal from the ground. Trembling, he frantically marked out his own territory on the map.

A circle represents immense wealth and countless fertile fields and beautiful houses!

"Splash!"

The power of example is endless.

In an instant, everyone moved!

They pushed, cursed, and pulled, doing everything they could to get closer to the map.

The solemn and majestic Hall of Supreme Harmony was transformed into a chaotic marketplace, a slaughterhouse where spoils were divided!

Peng Shi, Li Xian, and the others did not move.

They knelt on the spot, staring blankly at the bizarre and grotesque scene before them, feeling a chill run through their bodies.

They watched as their former colleagues, who used to spout "benevolence and morality," now revealed their ugly side for personal gain, becoming no different from street thugs.

Then look at the young emperor on the dragon throne, who coldly observes everything, with even a hint of amusement on his lips.

A fear originating from the depths of their souls gripped their hearts.

This is the new emperor's method!

He used the most direct, brutal, and effective method to bind everyone's fate to his warship.

Once you get on this ship, there's no getting off.

Because every penny they divide in Jiangnan will become a noose around their necks, and the other end of the rope is in the emperor's hands!

betray?

As long as the emperor makes today's events public, they will be immediately drowned in the spittle of the people and torn to pieces by the Jiangnan gentry who have lost everything!

They could only become the emperor's most loyal hounds, tearing and plundering for him!

Zhu Dijun looked at the group of "key ministers" of His Highness who were behaving so disgracefully, and felt a chill in his heart.

What he wanted was for them to completely drop their pretense.

What he wanted was for their hands to be stained with blood.

Only in this way will they completely forget the so-called "orthodox tradition," forget the so-called "reputation among scholars," and remember only one thing—

Who is their master?

Who can bring them all this?

Looking at the frantically drawn lines of ink on the map, Zhu Dijun slowly stood up.

"very good."

His voice instantly silenced the hall.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, panting heavily like a pack of vicious dogs being scolded by their master, looking at him with greedy yet awe-inspiring eyes.

"I await your good news."

After saying that, he didn't look at these people again, turned around, and the hem of his dragon robe drew a cold arc in the air before disappearing behind the main hall.

All that remained was the hall filled with greed, and the map of Jiangnan that had been divided up beyond recognition.

A new era has begun, in the ugliest yet most real way.