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

"But...Brother..."

Zhu Qizhen's voice carried the last trace of struggle and worry.

"You might succeed by doing this... but what will history say about you?"

"Inciting riots, abandoning Confucian traditions, associating with corrupt officials, and implementing the cruel policies of Shang Yang and Chao Cuo... you will be condemned as a tyrant, a ruler like Jie and Zhou! The reputation of our Zhu family will be ruined because of you..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because he saw that Judy Jun smiled.

It was a smile that transcended all emotions, a smile of utter tranquility.

"History books?"

Judy Jun repeated it softly, then spoke in a voice that was almost a murmur, yet incredibly clear.

"I don't care."

Zhu Qizhen froze abruptly.

Only Zhu Dijun's voice continued to drift in the evening breeze of the ruins, each word carrying an undeniable resolve.

"I only care about the survival of Han civilization!"

"I've said it before: during the Little Ice Age, one wrong step could lead to the destruction of a nation and the extinction of its people! I've used the tragedies of the late Tang and late Han dynasties to prove this to you!"

"Your Majesty, compared to that ephemeral personal reputation, compared to those few cold lines in the history books, what is more important: the lives of hundreds of millions of people under heaven, the spark of Chinese civilization?"

His gaze suddenly sharpened, as if piercing through a thousand years of time to see another lonely yet magnificent figure.

"It's just like... Emperor Xin."

When the words "Di Xin" came out of Zhu Dijun's mouth, Zhu Qizhen was struck dumb as if by lightning!

Emperor Xin?

King Zhou of Shang?!

That debauched and tyrannical ruler who tortured loyal ministers with torture, indulged in wine and women, and ultimately burned himself to death on the Deer Terrace—the greatest tyrant of all time?!

My own brother actually compared me to him?!

"you……"

Zhu Qizhen pointed at him, too shocked to speak.

Judy Jun simply looked at him calmly, a hint of pity in her eyes.

"Brother, what you saw was Emperor Xin as recorded in the history books."

"But have you ever considered who writes history books?"

"It was written by the victors, the Zhou people! It was written by the old slave-owning aristocracy who were suppressed by Emperor Xin! It was written by Wei Ziqi, the traitor and ancestor of the so-called sage Confucius."

"They say that Emperor Xin was cruel, but he vigorously promoted generals from commoner backgrounds, breaking the aristocracy's monopoly on power!"

"They say that Emperor Xin was licentious, but he abolished the cruel practice of human sacrifice, freeing countless slaves from the slaughter of sacrificial animals!"

"He reformed, he challenged the old order, he wanted to give the common people a way to survive! Therefore, he offended the entire aristocratic class! In the final Battle of Muye, traitors within the Shang royal family, such as Bigan, Weizi Qi, and Ying Zaofu (the founder of the Zhao royal family during the Warring States period), colluded with the so-called King Wen of Zhou, Ji Fa, and the sage Duke of Zhou, to attack the Shang capital, which was weak in defense. Therefore, he was defeated! Therefore, he became the infamous tyrant in history books… a figure constantly vilified!"

Zhu Dijun's voice echoed in the silent night, like a key that unlocked a forbidden door that had been sealed for thousands of years.

"And what I am about to do is so similar to what Di Xin did?"

"I will uproot the gentry of the land, and I will distribute the land they cherish as their lifeblood to those they consider peasants!"

"I'm going to smash their millennia-old iron rice bowl!"

"What do you think I will look like in their historical records?"

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Zhu Dijun's lips.

"I will be even more brutal, more insane, and more despicable than Di Xin!"

"But I don't care!"

His voice suddenly rose, filled with the resolute and heroic spirit of "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me!"

"There will always be someone who understands why I do this!"

"Future generations will know that on this night in the fourth year of the Jingtai reign (1457 AD), there was an emperor named Zhu Qiyu who, in order to prevent his people from succumbing to natural disasters a century later, and to fight for a glimmer of hope for his civilization..."

"He willingly chose to bear the infamy for all eternity!"

"He willingly became the most wicked person in history books..."

"Demon King!"

Zhu Dijun finally paused and said:

"Life may be as insignificant as grass, but its brilliance shines like a galaxy."

……

[Sky Screen Modern Live Broadcast Room]

At that moment, the comments section completely disappeared.

Everyone was utterly shocked by this monologue, which could be described as "divine".

After a long while, the barrage of comments, like a volcanic eruption, finally completely flooded the entire screen!

"I hereby declare that from today onwards, Jun-ge is my father!!!"

"‘I voluntarily become the Demon King’... Holy crap! I, a grown man, cried like an idiot in my bed! It was so damn inspiring! So damn tragic!"

"Di Xin... he even foresaw his own end! He knew how much the historians of later generations would vilify him, but he still went ahead and did it! What kind of spirit is that!"

"He's not playing Zhu Qiyu; he's playing a guardian of civilization! A lonely hero carrying everything forward!"

"Life is as insignificant as grass, yet brilliance shines like the Milky Way; Brother Jun is referring to the warriors of the Boxer Rebellion."

"A masterpiece! This passage is absolutely divine! No one in the online novel world can surpass it in the next hundred years!"

……

The long river of time and space.

Great Qin.

Xianyang Palace.

"Excellent! What a wonderful saying: 'History is written by the victors!'"

Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, slammed his hand on the bronze table in front of him. For the first time, his domineering tiger eyes revealed emotions of "appreciation" and "resonance"!

"I burned books and buried scholars alive to unify thought and extinguish any thought of the six former states restoring their rule! Those damned Confucian scholars have already cursed me as a tyrant!"

"I built the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu and to establish an eternal barrier for China! Yet they say I'm wasting resources and causing widespread suffering!"

"They don't understand!"

Ying Zheng's voice carried a sense of loneliness and isolation, as if he were at the top of a mountain.

"And this young man... he understands!"

"He not only understood, he also dared to do it! He was even prepared to be cursed by future generations!"

Ying Zheng slowly stood up, walked to the center of the hall, stood with his hands behind his back, looked at the sky, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.

"This child... resembles me!"

……

Ming dynasty.

The Hongwu Era.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, his entire being immersed in a complex and incomprehensible emotion.

Looking at the resolute descendant in the sky, he recalled how he had killed countless corrupt officials and powerful gentry in his efforts to rectify official corruption.

In the imperial court, everyone felt insecure.

Outside the imperial court, countless scholars wrote articles behind his back, denouncing him as a "butcher emperor" and a "beggar emperor."

He didn't care, because he knew he was doing the right thing! It was for the sake of the poor people of the world!

But he still hoped that he could have a good reputation.

But this descendant didn't even care about his reputation!

"Girl... Biao'er..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was choked with emotion.

"Our descendant... he... he's even more ruthless than us!"

"We only killed those who bullied the common people."

"He's... trying to personally transform himself into the biggest 'villain' in the eyes of the people, and then use that infamy to protect them..."

"Our...our Zhu family...how come we only produced one like this..."

He wanted to say "monster," but the words wouldn't come out.

In the end, it all turned into a long sigh, filled with pride and heartache.

"Good...good lad!"

Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, Zhu Shuang, and other descendants of the Zhu family all looked at their fourth brother (or younger brother). Was Zhu Dijun, a descendant of the fourth brother, really his descendant? This kind of scheming, this kind of awareness, this kind of wisdom, doesn't seem like that of the fourth brother (or younger brother) at all.

Zhu Di felt a chill run down his spine. His descendants were too crazy. Even he, their ancestor, was suspected of not being their biological son. What a tragedy!

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di stared intently at Zhu Gaosui, and not only him, but also Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaosui, Zhu Zhanji, and Yao Guangxiao.

"Third brother, could this be an ancestral precept you inherited?"

"No, Father, I don't know!"

Several people couldn't help but inwardly complain.

[They really got incredibly lucky!]

……

Ruins of Nangong Palace.

Zhu Qizhen slumped to the ground, staring blankly at his younger brother.

He looked at his young and calm face, at his eyes that burned with a mad flame, yet were crystal clear.

Zhu Qizhen finally understood completely.

What throne, what reputation, what tradition...?

None of that mattered in the younger brother's eyes.

What he wanted was for the people on this land to survive.

Live on, at all costs.

"Royal brother..."

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

He slowly got up from the ground and straightened his disheveled clothes.

Then, he bowed deeply to Judy Jun, performing a gesture of respect between a ruler and his subject.

"Your subject, Zhu Qizhen..."

His voice was extremely solemn, carrying an unprecedented resolve.

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty and rule this land under the light of heaven."

"And all the sins in that darkness..."

He raised his head, and for the first time, his eyes held the same frantic and resolute light as Judy Jun's.

"We brothers will bear this burden together!"

Judy Jun looked at him, at the new flame in his eyes, and finally, a genuine, relieved smile appeared on her face.

He reached out and helped Zhu Qizhen up.

"it is good."

There is only one word.

Yet it weighs as much as a thousand pounds.

At this moment, atop the ruins of the Southern Palace, the two emperors of the Ming Dynasty, past and present, reached an agreement that was enough to overturn the entire world and would be debated for millennia to come…

The Devil's Contract.