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

"The Ming Dynasty is doomed!"

"The world must not perish!"

"The Han people must not perish!"

"The civilization of the Han people must not be severed!"

When these four resounding and outrageous words were calmly and resolutely uttered from Zhu Dijun's mouth.

The ruins of Nangong seemed to have stopped burning.

The whole world fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately following was a cataclysmic spiritual tsunami that swept across all of the past five thousand years!

[Sky Screen Live Stream]

After a long, half-minute-long blank period where even the comments section had completely disappeared.

【"…………………………………………"

"I...I fucking...I don't know what to say..."

"I'm insane! I'm insane! Jun-ge is insane too! Is this something an emperor would say?!"

"‘The Ming Dynasty may perish, but the Han civilization must not be severed’... My scalp tingled! It really tingled! I got goosebumps all over my body!"

"I used to think Jun was a strategist, then I thought he was a martyr, and now I realize, damn it, he's a guardian of civilization!!"

"Perspective! What the hell is perspective! This is perspective! He has transcended the struggle for the throne among one family and one clan; he is on the fifth level! No! He is on the atmosphere!"

"I'm moved to tears, truly moved to tears. For the sake of passing on the flame of civilization, he was willing to see his own dynasty perish... What a noble spirit! What a tragic heroism!"

……

In the long river of time and space.

If Zhu Dijun's previous remarks about "sacrificing himself" brought shock and respect to emperors throughout history, then...

At this moment, this declaration that "dynasties may perish, but civilizations are immortal" brought them a kind of collapse of faith and a subversion of their values!

Great Qin.

Xianyang Palace.

For the first time, the First Emperor Ying Zheng's tiger-like eyes, which once looked down upon the world, lost their focus.

He stared blankly at the sky, repeatedly chewing on that sentence.

"The Ming Dynasty may perish... but the Han civilization must not be severed..."

He recalled how much effort he had put into burning books and burying scholars alive, building the Great Wall, and conquering the Baiyue tribes for the sake of the Qin Dynasty's eternal prosperity, and how much infamy he had borne.

Everything he did was for "Qin"!

But this descendant actually said that the "Ming" he was protecting could be sacrificed!

"To sacrifice one family and one clan in exchange for the continued existence of China for ten thousand generations..."

Ying Zheng's voice was deep and hoarse as he slowly walked to the huge map of the world.

"This deal... if it were me, would I... have made it?"

He asked himself the question, only to find that he couldn't give an answer.

The Great Han.

Weiyang Palace.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

He recalled how, in his efforts to fight the Xiongnu, he had exhausted the country's resources and halved its population.

Everything he did was for the Han! For the territory and glory of the Han Dynasty!

But this successor placed the very vessel of this glory—the dynasty itself—in a position that could be discarded.

"If we can use this method to completely eradicate internal troubles, gather the strength of the entire nation to repel external enemies, and usher in an era of lasting peace..." A terrifying glint flashed in Liu Che's eyes. "I am willing to do it!"

At this moment, his ambition was ignited into a completely new dimension, one that even he himself found terrifying!

Datang.

Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin's body trembled slightly.

He looked at the lone figure in the sky, but the blood-red morning at Xuanwu Gate flashed through his mind.

For the sake of the Li family's rule, he killed his elder brother and imprisoned his father.

His blood-stained hands held up the empire of the Tang Dynasty.

But that descendant was willing to offer up his Zhu family's empire as a sacrifice to a more ethereal and magnificent "civilization".

"Guanyinbi..." He subconsciously called out the Empress's name, his voice carrying a hint of shame that he himself was unaware of.

"I... have lost."

At that moment, this emperor, who was considered one of the greatest emperors in history, felt his own insignificance from the bottom of his heart.

……

Ming dynasty.

The Hongwu Era.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's raging fury was instantly extinguished upon hearing these words, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

He released his grip on Zhu Di's collar, as if all his strength had been drained away. He staggered back two steps and slumped back onto the dragon throne.

On that weathered face, there was no anger, no roar, only an extreme sense of bewilderment and... shock.

What was Zhu Yuanzhang's motivation for rising from a beggar to conquer this empire?

Isn't it all so that the descendants of the Zhu family can sit peacefully on this dragon throne for thousands of generations?

But this descendant, this young man whom he once thought was a spendthrift, told him that the empire he valued more than his own life could be abandoned!

"Fourth brother..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

He looked at Zhu Di, who was also in a daze, and asked in an almost dreamlike tone.

"You tell me...were we wrong from the very beginning?"

"We only think about leaving a strong and secure country for our descendants... but we've never considered what would happen if this country became a prison for the people, a burden on the nation..."

Zhu Di was stunned and unable to answer.

This issue was beyond his comprehension as a prince and a vassal king.

He looked at Zhu Biao, who also shook his head, unable to make a judgment. Emotionally speaking, Zhu Dijun was a traitor who betrayed the Ming imperial family, but in terms of national righteousness and the future of the nation, Zhu Dijun was a saint in all right!

On the other side...

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di stared intently at the sky, his anger, which had just dissipated, replaced by a deeper emotion called "awe".

For the sake of the throne, he did not hesitate to launch the Jingnan Campaign, turning against his own nephew.

He understood better than anyone how alluring imperial power could be to a man.

But Zhu Dijun's descendant regarded it as worthless!

"Amitabha."

The black-robed monk Yao Guangxiao had somehow appeared beside him.

Those eyes, which seemed to see through everything, were now filled with an indescribable shock and... fervor!

"His Majesty,"

Yao Guangxiao's voice trembled slightly.

"Did you see that?"

"He is no longer a king, nor a hegemon."

"He is practicing the Bodhisattva path, sacrificing himself to save the world, offering the dynasty as a sacrifice, to sever the cycle of rise and fall and the suffering of the people that has lasted for thousands of years!"

"What he wants to sever is 'attachment to self,' 'attachment to the law,' and the empire that the Zhu family owns!"

"Such magnanimity, such enlightenment... This humble monk wishes to venerate him as... the future Buddha of this human world!"

……

Just as all the heavens and myriad realms were shaken.

Eastern Han Dynasty.

Luoyang, Changle Palace.

A woman dressed in plain clothes, without makeup, yet still exuding natural majesty, was ruling the court.

She was Empress Hexi, Deng Sui.

When she heard the future emperor in the heavens mention her name and regard her as a model in dealing with natural disasters, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of this powerful empress.

After listening to Judy Jun's theory about the Little Ice Age and the survival of civilizations, her expression became more solemn than ever before.

"Someone come here."

Her cool voice rang out.

"By my decree, all the policies I have implemented since assuming power, including 'borrowing public land from the people,' 'opening granaries for disaster relief,' 'reducing the size of palaces,' and 'abolishing tribute,' shall be meticulously recorded and stored in the stone chamber of the Imperial Archives. A copy shall also be made and distributed to all prefectures and kingdoms throughout the land!"

"Later rulers, though they may act tyrannically, possess hearts worthy of pity and aspirations worthy of praise!"

Deng Sui's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, landing on the young emperor.

"He lit a warning for future generations, and I, too, should leave behind a way to break the deadlock."

"This is my echo with you, Deng Sui, across a thousand years!"

……

In front of the ruins of Nangong Palace.

Zhu Qizhen's mind remained blank.

He couldn't understand or accept his brother's outrageous theory at all.

He acted purely on instinct, seizing upon a logical flaw he could grasp, and asked in a trembling voice:

"But...Brother...but what about those civil officials! Those gentry! Whether from the north or the south, they...they would never want the people you speak of to receive land!"

"You're making an enemy of the entire world!"

Judy Jun slowly turned her head to look at her still innocent older brother. There was no mockery in her eyes, only a deep and unfathomable calm.

"I know."

His voice was soft, yet it was like a cold knife, cutting open the cruelest reality.

"Therefore, I must not only divide their land among myself."

"I also want to teach the people of the world what to do when those high-ranking scholars don't give them a way to survive."

Zhu Qizhen froze abruptly.

Then Judy Jun spoke slowly in an almost chanting tone:

"For example, tell them that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a folk song that went: 'Don't say that the stone man has only one eye, it can stir up the Yellow River and the world to rebel.'"

"For example, tell them that in the hometown of Emperor Taizu Gao, there was once a song that went: 'Heaven sent demons to kill the injustice, the injustice kills the injustice, the injustice kills the injustice, and when all the injustice is killed, there will be peace!'"

Boom!

Zhu Qizhen was struck dumb, completely stunned!

He pointed at Judy Jung, his lips trembling, his voice distorted by extreme fear.

"You...Royal brother...you..."

"You're teaching people to rebel!"

"You are instructing the people of the world to rebel against the Zhu family!!!"

This piercing roar shattered the deathly silence of the ruins.

However, Zhu Dijun's face remained completely expressionless.

He looked at Zhu Qizhen, who was on the verge of collapse, and even a hint of pity appeared in his eyes.

"Brother, don't you understand yet?"

His voice was cold and clear.

"When people really can't survive, they will 'rebel'; they don't need anyone to teach them."

"What I did was not to teach them to rebel."

"I just want to give them a better option than 'exchanging children to eat' or 'selling their children'."

Zhu Dijun's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"One who can direct their anger precisely at their true enemy, instead of letting them die needlessly in internal strife..."

"choose."