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

Zhu Dijun's body temperature slowly evaporated in Zhu Jianshen's hands.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, there was no mournful music, no wailing.

There was only deathly silence.

Zhu Jianshen knelt there, like a petrified statue, until the temperature of his palms completely cooled.

He slowly stood up.

The boy's grief and dependence were completely severed at this moment, leaving only a will forged in steel.

He turned around and pushed open the heavy palace door.

Outside the door, Grand Secretary Li Xian, Minister of Personnel Peng Shi, and all the key officials in the capital had been waiting for a long time.

They saw the calm on the new emperor's face, a calm after the storm, a calm that was unsettling.

"Issue my decree."

Zhu Jianshen's voice rang out, no longer possessing the clear tone of a young man, but instead carrying a hoarseness and majesty incongruous with his age.

"The late Emperor Zhu Dijun reformed the old and established the new, recreating the world. His achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and his virtue exceeded that of the Five Emperors. He brought peace to China for generations to come and laid the foundation for the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of millions of people."

"My decree: bestow upon him the temple name 'Zhongzu'!"

"Posthumous title: Emperor Qiyuan Shengwu Wenming!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell into dead silence!

Zhongzu!

Throughout history, only the founding emperor of a dynasty has been called "Taizu" or "Gaozu".

What is "Zhongzu"?

It means "the ancestor of the restoration"!

This places his uncle's achievements alongside those of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang as the founders of two eras of the Ming Dynasty!

An elderly minister with white hair and beard subconsciously stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say that ancestral rites and laws should not be abandoned.

But as soon as he looked up, he met Zhu Jianshen's cold eyes.

There was no murderous intent in his eyes, yet they were more chilling than any blade.

That was the look in my uncle's eyes.

The old minister trembled, swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and silently retreated back into the crowd.

Li Xian and Peng Shi exchanged a glance and knelt down without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The thunderous roar heralded the beginning of a new era.

Zhu Jianshen didn't look at them again and walked straight to the side hall.

There, two young men, not much younger than him, were waiting anxiously.

They are Zhu Dijun's biological children: Zhu Jianyuan, born to Tang, and Zhu Jianyang, born to Hang.

"Brother!"

Upon seeing Zhu Jianshen, the two immediately came forward, their eyes bloodshot.

"Father..."

"Uncle...is gone." Zhu Jianshen's voice softened slightly.

The three remained silent, and sorrow filled the air.

After a long while, Zhu Jianshen took out two letters that had been prepared in advance and sealed with sealing wax from his bosom.

"This is what your uncle left for you."

Zhu Jianyuan and Zhu Jianyang accepted it with trembling hands.

On the envelope was that familiar, strong, and powerful handwriting.

[To my son Jianyuan]

[To my son Jianyang]

The two opened the letter and read it quickly, skimming through it.

The letter was short, but every word carried immense weight.

"...The land of China is both a cradle and a prison. For thousands of years, dynasties have risen and fallen, all due to internal strife. I have opened the cage doors for you. Go, go to a wider world, and create a new living space for my China."

"...I hereby enfeoff Jianyuan as the Prince of Yan, with the fief of Annam; and enfeoff Jianyang as the Prince of Han, with the fief of Mana. This is not an exile, but an entrustment of important responsibilities to you."

"...Take your mothers, your loyal generals, your university scholars, your factory artisans, and your millions of people who are willing to follow you. Go there and establish a new nation of our own."

"Remember, you and Jian Shen are two sides of the same coin. He is the guardian of China, and you are its pioneers. If one day, China falls into darkness, your land will be the last hope, the last spark of our civilization!"

The letter slipped from their fingers.

Zhu Jianyuan and Zhu Jianyang raised their heads, their eyes filled with tears, but even more so with a resolute sense of being entrusted with a sacred mission.

"Your Majesty!" The two knelt on one knee. "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Zhu Jianshen helped them up and patted their shoulders heavily.

"My uncle's arrangements are also my arrangements."

"From this day forward, the Royal Bank of the Great Ming Dynasty, along with all state-owned shipyards and arsenals, will support you regardless of cost."

"The people you need, I will provide!"

"The ships you need, I will build them!"

"The weapons you need, I will provide!"

"I have only one request," Zhu Jianshen said, looking at them and emphasizing each word.

"Plant your uncle's banner on every piece of land you can see!"

……

Summer of the 24th year of the Jingtai reign.

An unprecedentedly large fleet set sail in batches from the ports of Tianjin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

It was no longer the treasure ship that flaunted national power during the Yongle era.

Instead, they were steel behemoths powered by steam engines, with hulls covered in iron armor and massive cannons lined up on their sides.

The ship was filled with immigrants with dreams, skilled craftsmen, learned scholars, and... a new army fully armed to the teeth.

They will travel to the hot south, to that legendary unknown continent.

They will bring with them the laws, writing system, ideas, and artillery of the Ming Dynasty.

They were the pioneering army of Prince Yan, Zhu Jianyuan.

They were the expeditionary force of Zhu Jianyang, the Prince of Han.

Zhu Jianshen stood on the Nanjing Star-Gazing Platform, using the telescope left by his uncle, gazing at the billowing smoke disappearing on the horizon.

he knows.

The two most crucial pieces have been placed in the chess game that Uncle laid out for the entire civilization.

One heart guards.

One attack.

"Uncle, did you see that?"

"Your era has not ended."

"It's only just begun!"