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

Zhu Dijun's gaze suddenly sharpened, dispelling all weariness and signs of aging, as if he had instantly returned to that bloody night twelve years ago.

He stared at Zhu Jianshen, his voice not loud, but every word was as firm as iron.

"Jian Shen, what your uncle is about to say will be very harsh and unpleasant, but you must listen to it and carry it out carefully."

Zhu Jianshen's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lowered his head, respectfully replying:

"Yes, Uncle."

"Go, send the most reliable people to make copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia, the Rural Survey Report of Jiangnan during the Jingtai Period of the Ming Dynasty, and all the books on medicine, agriculture, physics, chemistry, and philosophy that we have collected and compiled over the years. Make at least dozens of copies and hide them away."

Zhu Dijun spoke slowly, but with an unquestionable commanding tone.

"Some of them were hidden deep in the mountains of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, in the most secluded caves, and sealed with tarpaulin and paraffin wax."

"Some of them are hidden in the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi, where they were stored in a secret chamber built hundreds of feet underground."

"And another part is hidden in your father's tomb."

"The rest is up to you. In short, disperse them, keep them hidden, and make sure that no one, no natural disaster or man-made calamity, can destroy them all at once!"

Zhu Jianshen was completely bewildered, his face filled with incomprehension.

He raised his head and asked cautiously:

"Uncle, why is this? At present, our Great Ming Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, the world is at peace, universities are flourishing, and modern learning is thriving... Why is this the case?"

In his view, the new order established by his uncle was unbreakable.

With popular support and military loyalty, the "Hammer Party" has penetrated deep into the grassroots. The old gentry group has long been swept into the dustbin of history. Why would they need to make such preparations that seem like the end of the world?

"Foolish!"

Zhu Dijun slammed his hand on the armrest of the soft couch and shouted sharply.

This sharp shout, like a thunderclap, made Zhu Jianshen tremble all over.

He saw that the warmth of the past was gone from his uncle's eyes, replaced only by a bottomless coldness and disappointment.

"You're being lulled into a false sense of security by this success!"

Zhu Dijun stared intently at him and said, word by word, "I ask you, do you know how the Northern Song Dynasty fell?"

Zhu Jianshen dared not be negligent and immediately replied, "The humiliation of Jingkang: the Jurchens marched south, and the two emperors were captured..."

"Bullshit!" Judy Jun interrupted him rudely. "It perished because of its own wealth! It perished because of its self-righteous civil servants!"

"During the late Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) reigned, and the country reached its zenith in terms of territory, wealth, and culture! But what was the result?"

"The result was that those bloated, traitorous officials and gentry who occupied the court colluded with the so-called 'Langya Wang Clan,' impersonating the Later Jin Jurchens, and through inside and outside cooperation, they plundered all this immense wealth overnight! And they pinned all the blame on Zhao Ji alone!"

"Take another look at our dynasty's 'Rule of Benevolence and Prosperity'!"

"Those three scoundrels, the 'Three Yangs,' whitewashed the truth and fabricated a so-called unprecedented golden age! But what were the treatments like for the border troops back then? What was the situation like for military households? What were the taxes levied on the people? You saw all of these in the files I had you check at the Ministry of Revenue!"

Every word Zhu Dijun said was like a heavy hammer blow to Zhu Jianshen's heart, making him pale and covered in cold sweat.

His uncle had made him read through these dark aspects of history, scroll by scroll, so that he would understand that the so-called "prosperous age" was nothing more than a dream written by civil officials for the emperor to see.

"I, your father, and our generation can rely on this indomitable spirit to resist those demons and monsters."

Zhu Dijun's voice conveyed a profound weariness and sorrow.

"But what about the next generation? And the generation after that?"

History always repeats itself!

"Qin Shi Huang was a man of great talent and ambition, desiring the Qin Dynasty to last forever. But what happened? Just fourteen years after his death, the empire collapsed!"

"Our Great Ming Emperor Taizu was such a heroic figure. He learned from the lessons of the previous dynasty and used the harshest laws to restrain his officials, but what was the result?"

"From him to your father, which emperor truly died a peaceful death? They were either poisoned, worked to death, or murdered by their most trusted ministers! They all died young!"

"Jianshen, you must remember that whether governing a country or being a person, you must always plan ahead!"

"I even..."

Judy Jun took a breath, a terrifying glint flashing in his eyes.

"I'm even mentally prepared for the immediate and furious backlash from the feudal remnants we've overthrown, the descendants of those gentry!"

"They will rewrite history, they will slander us as tyrants, as butchers!"

"They will burn our books, destroy our factories, and shut down our universities!"

"They will turn the people who have finally managed to stand up back into kneeling tenants and slaves!"

"They want to drag this world back to the old era when they could lord it over everything and exploit everyone!"

"At that time, the world will once again be plunged into darkness."

Zhu Jianshen felt ice-cold all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The future his uncle described was so terrifying that it sent chills down his spine.

He never imagined that such turbulent undercurrents lurked beneath this thriving land.

"So..." Judy Jun's voice became distant and heavy.

"The books we left behind are the spark."

"As long as this knowledge and these ideas remain, even if the Ming Dynasty falls, even if the world remains dark for another hundred or a thousand years, someone will eventually find them again from the corners where we have hidden them."

"He will know that there was once a group of people like us."

"He will know that the people are not born to be enslaved."

"He will know that this land once had a dream called 'equality for all'."

"Then, he will reignite that fire and burn that corrupt world to ashes once again!"

After Zhu Dijun finished speaking, he coughed violently.

Zhu Jianshen rushed forward to pat his back and soothe him, but his eyes were already red.

He finally understood.

What his uncle wanted him to do was not simply to collect books.

Rather, it is leaving a final backup for the entire civilization. A backup of hope.

"uncle……"

Zhu Jianshen choked back tears and kowtowed heavily to the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold gold brick.

"Jian Shen... I understand."

"Jian Shen, I swear to Heaven!"

"In my lifetime, I will certainly make this the top priority of national policy!"

"Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will leave behind this...inextinguishable flame for my China, for all the people of this world!"