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

The night was as dark as ink, spilled onto the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, reflecting not a single ray of light.

Zhu Dijun emerged from the nauseating stench of blood from the imperial prison and stepped once more onto the stone path of the palace. The cold night wind dispelled the slight stench of decay that clung to him.

His steps were steady, neither hurried nor slow.

Not far ahead, several eunuchs were pushing a heavy cart together, creaking and groaning, trying to disappear quickly around the corner of the palace road.

The wheels rolled over the gaps in the stone slabs, causing a bumpy ride.

A corner of a tattered straw mat covering the cart slipped off, revealing a pale arm hanging limply, its fingertips drawing a broken line on the ground.

One drop, two drops... Dark red blood seeped from the cracks in the car floor, dripping onto the ground where Judy Jun was about to step.

The eunuchs were terrified and frantically tried to cover the straw mat back up.

Zhu Dijun's gaze did not linger for a moment, as if it were not a human life, but merely a piece of trash about to be cleared out of the palace.

He calmly walked around the small pool of blood.

Perhaps some of them were wrongly accused, or their crimes did not warrant death.

But now that things have come to this, he can't afford to worry about that anymore.

To ensure the safety of his palace, Judy Jun had to be ruthless and didn't need to distinguish the origin of each speck of dust.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the lights were on.

Zhu Qizhen did not rest. He changed out of his ordinary clothes and stood in front of a huge map of the capital's defenses, his eyes focused and sharp.

That face, once etched with despair and numbness, now held only a cold, resolute determination.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Zhu Dijun walking in.

"Is everything taken care of?"

Zhu Qizhen's voice was still hoarse, but it had gained a sense of composure.

"Um."

Zhu Dijun nodded, walked to his side, and his gaze fell on the "spoils contract" that had just been brought back from Fengtian Hall and was covered with handprints.

"The affairs of the court are also over."

He briefly recounted how the pack of hungry wolves from the north tore at each other, fought over the spoils, and ultimately reached an agreement driven by greed in the Fengtian Hall.

Finally, he picked up the contract as if it were a worthless piece of waste paper.

"Seven days later, the army set off."

Zhu Dijun's gaze slowly shifted from the capital city on the map to the distant southeast.

"I will go with them to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian."

His words, spoken casually, struck Zhu Qizhen like a thunderclap.

Zhu Qizhen turned his head sharply, staring intently at his younger brother, his face full of shock and confusion.

He remained silent for a long time, seemingly processing this crazy news.

After a long while, he finally found his voice and asked with concern:

"Brother, is it really necessary for you to go in person? My Tumu Fortress serves as a cautionary tale."

"I have to go."

Zhu Dijun's answer was calm yet resolute.

His eyes were deep, as if he could already see the Jiangnan region thousands of miles away, its prosperity, and the undercurrents surging beneath that prosperity.

"If I don't go, those hungry wolves might be able to snatch the meat, but they won't be able to gnaw on the bones."

"If I don't go, the gentry in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian will only think that Shi Heng and his gang of military men are greedy and that the court is forcing them. They will resist and outwardly comply but inwardly defy, but they won't really be desperate."

A cold smile curled at the corners of Zhu Dijun's mouth.

"What I want is to drive them to desperate measures."

Looking at his puzzled brother, he slowly and deliberately revealed his true plan.

"I will abdicate and return the throne to you, and then, as the retired emperor, I will tour the Jiangnan region."

"Tell me, what will they do when they realize that by killing me, the 'culprit,' they can not only save their family fortune but also welcome back you, their 'benevolent ruler'?"

"When they discover that you, the new emperor, seem to sympathize with and tacitly approve of their 'righteous act'..."

"【Killing the Emperor】".

"A perfect excuse that would allow me to rightfully uproot the entire Jiangnan gentry without incurring the wrath of the world."

Zhu Qizhen listened blankly, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He finally understood.

The younger brother wasn't going to supervise the army or to get a share of the spoils.

He was going to personally become the most dangerous bait!

He would risk his life to lure out all the resentful venomous snakes of Jiangnan, and then burn them to ashes with a single fire!

"After I leave the capital, I will leave this place in the care of my elder brother, the Emperor."

Judy patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother, you must guard against arrogance and impetuosity. Remember, we have only won over a pack of hungry wolves, not loyal dogs. They may turn against us at any time."

"Control the base in the north, and defend the capital. The worst-case scenario..."

Zhu Dijun's gaze returned to the map, to the route from Beiping to Nanjing.

"...It's about reenacting the Jingnan Rebellion."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen swayed, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

The Jingnan Campaign.

Fifty years ago, his great-grandfather, Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, as the Prince of Yan, started a rebellion in Beiping, marched south, and seized the throne from his nephew, an event known in history as the "Jingnan Campaign".

Fifty years later.

His descendants, his two brothers, are plotting a new "Jingnan Rebellion" targeting the entire Jiangnan gentry class.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

The cycle of history is so ironic, yet so... inevitable.

"Your Majesty, please get some rest in Qianqing Palace. You must be tired these past few days."

Zhu Dijun's voice pulled him back from his daze.

"Furthermore, be vigilant in all matters. Whether it's the Imperial Hospital or the Imperial Kitchen, we must be extra careful with everything we put in our mouths. We must also be careful with the imperial physicians; if they are not trusted confidants, it's better to choose a folk doctor than these scheming fellows!"

Zhu Qizhen nodded heavily. He understood that from now on, this palace would also be a battlefield for him.

"I'm going to Kunning Palace."

Zhu Dijun turned around, preparing to leave.

"Is the Emperor's younger brother going to depose the Empress?"

Zhu Qizhen suddenly spoke, his tone somewhat complicated.

"But...those 'slender horses' from Yangzhou are not good matches."

He thought that his younger brother dealt with the Empress so quickly in order to make room for the beauties from Jiangnan who were about to arrive.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Dijun paused, turned around, and gave him a look as if he were an idiot.

"That's for Jian Shen."

"That wicked Empress Sun must be very skilled at this to have her father completely bewitched. Let Jianshen learn from her so that he won't be manipulated by women in the future."

"When Emperor Taizu chose a woman from a commoner family as his empress, it was certainly to prevent the emergence of powerful maternal relatives, but it also gave the civil service group room to maneuver. Were these so-called 'good girls' truly good girls, or were they brainwashed and trained?"

Zhu Qizhen was taken aback, and then his old face turned red.

"As for me..."

A rare hint of tenderness flashed in Zhu Dijun's eyes. "Hang Shi has shared hardships with me. This position as empress is what she deserves."

"As for the Wang family,"

His tone returned to its icy edge.

"She's a smart woman. I'll give her a divorce agreement so she can leave with dignity. If she's not smart, then let her go to the underworld, and let her whole family continue to serve that vixen, Sun, so she won't be too lonely."

After saying that, Zhu Dijun didn't linger and turned to walk into the deep night.

Zhu Qizhen was left alone, standing under the lamplight, watching that resolute figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

His younger brother is the Demon King.

And he will be the jailer who guards the human world for the Demon King.