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

On the dragon throne.

Zhu Dijun watched the group of civil and military officials tearing each other apart because of greed below, as if watching a wonderful monkey show.

His face showed no impatience whatsoever, not even a trace of emotional fluctuation.

The commotion in the entire Fengtian Hall nearly lifted the glazed tiles from the roof.

Shi Heng's spittle was almost spraying onto the face of the civil official opposite him.

He then slowly raised his hand.

No sound.

It's just a simple action.

But the clamor in the entire hall suddenly ceased, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

Everyone stopped arguing and stiffly turned their necks toward the steps.

They saw the emperor's calm eyes.

There was no anger, no majesty in those eyes, only a bottomless, cold emptiness.

This is more heart-stopping than any thunderous rage.

"Are you done arguing?"

Zhu Dijun's voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Shi Heng and the others trembled. Their arrogant demeanor, which had been like that of fighting cocks, vanished without a trace. They all lowered their heads, not daring to meet that gaze.

"I thought you were all intelligent people."

Zhu Dijun's knuckles tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, producing a dull sound, one tap after another, striking the hearts of everyone present.

"What you're fighting over here is just a place name on a map."

"But do you really know how much wealth and how much profit there is in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian?"

This single sentence stunned all the officials from the northern faction in the hall.

They only knew that Jiangnan was rich, but the extent of its wealth was mostly hearsay and a vague concept.

Judy Jun's gaze slowly moved, finally landing on the figure who had remained silent but was at the center of the storm.

"Peng Aiqing".

Peng Shi was startled and immediately stepped forward.

"Your subject is here."

"My esteemed ministers, I fear you do not yet have a clear understanding of the wealth of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian."

A playful smile curved at the corners of Zhu Dijun's mouth.

"When it comes to this matter, among all the civil and military officials, I'm afraid no one knows it better than Minister Peng."

"after all……"

He drawled out each word.

"Peng Aiqing was also from Jiangxi."

boom!

This statement is no longer an insult, but a form of authorization!

This is an authorization that allows Peng Shi to expose the true nature of "one of our own" as "one of our own"!

All the eyes of the northern civil and military officials suddenly focused on Peng Shi, their gazes burning as if they wanted to devour him alive!

Peng Shi took a deep breath.

He knew that this was the emperor's pledge of allegiance to him, and also his best chance to completely break with the past and pledge allegiance to the new master.

From the moment he accused Chen Xun in court yesterday, there was no turning back for him.

His family, his relatives, and his future are now inextricably linked to the young emperor on the dragon throne.

Fellow townsman? Comrade from the same hometown?

When they put themselves out of work for five years because they refused to compromise their principles, bringing shame to their families and disappointing their relatives, those so-called fellow villagers were already dead!

Today, he will personally dig the deepest grave for his deceased fellow villagers!

"Your Majesty, and all the officials."

Peng Shi's voice no longer carried the grief and indignation of yesterday; only a cold calm remained.

"You all know that there are fertile fields in Jiangnan, but you don't know that there are even more gold mines beyond the fertile fields."

He held up one finger.

"Firstly, salt. The salt fields of Lianghuai are the best in the world. A salt permit, issued by the government, costs only a few hundred coins, but when it is resold to the people, it yields ten or even dozens of times the profit! And ninety percent of these salt permits end up in the hands of powerful families in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian. They can simply sit at home and have millions of taels of silver rolling in!"

hiss--

A collective gasp filled the hall. The eyes of Shi Heng and the other military officers instantly turned red.

Peng Shi did not pause and extended his second finger.

"Secondly, the sea. Fujian and Zhejiang both have maritime trade offices. However, the imperial ships do not leave the sea, and not even a single plank can go to sea. This is false!"

"Countless maritime merchants, colluding with local powerful families, used their private fleets, laden with silk, porcelain, and tea, to sail to Japan and Southeast Asia, bringing back ten or even a hundred times their initial investment in silver, spices, and precious objects! These goods were neither reported to the imperial court nor deposited in the national treasury; they all went into their own pockets!"

"Thirdly, the mines. Fujian has silver mines, and Zhejiang has copper mines. By law, both are state-run. However, local gentry reported 'depletion of the mines' to the authorities, but secretly recruited large numbers of refugees to illegally mine them. The silver and copper produced flowed into private treasuries, were cast into silver ingots, copper coins, and even... privately manufactured weapons!"

Fourthly, people!

As Peng Shi spoke, his voice grew increasingly cold.

"The 'slender horses' of Yangzhou are famous throughout the land. A seven- or eight-year-old girl can be bought for only one or two taels of silver, trained for several years, and then sold for thousands or even tens of thousands of taels! The profits are staggering! Even worse, tens of thousands of female slaves are trafficked throughout Jiangnan. They are called slaves, but in reality, they are commodities, and their value is no less than that of fields!"

……

With each sentence Peng Shi spoke, the breathing of the northern officials in the hall became heavier.

After he finished speaking, the entire Fengtian Hall fell into a deathly silence.

All that remained were heavy breathing and countless eyes that had turned blood red with extreme greed.

They discovered that the land they had fought over was nothing more than a pile of worthless mud compared to the wealth empire Peng Shi had described!

This is hardly a mission to quell a rebellion.

This is clearly like going to a treasure mountain with its doors wide open, where gold is everywhere, and picking it up to your heart's content!

Judy looked at all of this with satisfaction.

The wolves have been completely ignited.

He then spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable determination.

"I don't need any of these."

"Silk, tea, mines, salt fields... I don't want any of them."

"I only want one thing."

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

What does the emperor want?

"From this day forward, the system of female slavery in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian is hereby abolished."

"All registered government prostitutes, private prostitutes, and 'thin horses' will be stripped of their slave status and restored to their free status."

"What I want is people."

Zhu Dijun's voice was cold and clear.

"I want these women."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Immediately, all the civil and military officials exclaimed in realization, "Oh—!"

That's it!

They "understood" it instantly.

This young emperor had just forced the Empress Dowager to her death and was also at odds with Empress Wang, leaving the harem empty.

This is... he's taken a liking to a beauty from Jiangnan!

Come to think of it, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman!

Besides, as long as we can obtain the huge profits from those salt fields, mines, and maritime trade, what do a few women matter?

Even if this batch is gone, they can still train more people in the future when they have money.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Shi Heng was the first to react, and immediately knelt down and shouted.

"How can a few women compare to Your Majesty's great achievements! We, your subjects, obey Your Majesty's decree!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Everyone tacitly reached a consensus.

Emperors loved beautiful women, but they also loved their empire (wealth).

perfect!

Judy looked down at the group of self-righteous fools, a barely perceptible hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

He offered no explanation. Nor was there any need to explain to these greed-blinded fools.

He stood up and looked down at the eager ministers below.

"In that case, I will give you one day."

"Right here in the Fengtian Hall, distribute the wealth of those three provinces to me cleanly!"

"A written agreement, a signed pledge, a pledge made in writing!"

"Once it's divided, head south and reclaim what's rightfully yours!"

"If we can't get it back, or if we regret it later, we'll end up fighting each other..."

A cruel smile spread across Zhu Dijun's lips.

"I will personally escort you down to keep Yu Qian and the others company!"