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

Xuande Era, Fengtian Hall.

"waste!"

A thunderous roar shook the entire hall!

Zhu Zhanji's eyes were bloodshot. He slammed his fist hard on the imperial desk, and the hard Phoebe zhennan wood groaned under the weight.

"A bunch of cowardly, ungrateful scum!"

He stared intently at the sky, his chest heaving violently, his usually gentle and refined face now filled with a ferocious murderous intent.

He couldn't understand it!

Zhu Zhanji did not consider himself a harsh ruler. Over the years, he had fought in the north and south, quelled rebellions, and promoted many noble families!

These people, who enjoy the privileges of the emperor and the titles of marquises, all owe their glory and wealth to the Zhu family.

Why?!

Why did all these people become cowards when his son needed support the most?

"Where is Zhang Yi, the Duke of England?!"

Zhu Zhanji gritted his teeth and roared out the name.

"The town personally granted him permission to inherit the title and take charge of the capital garrison. Shouldn't he be grateful to the town and utterly loyal?"

"Why didn't he stand up during the 'Cao Qin Rebellion'?"

"Why did he have to watch my son have to rely on a bunch of eunuchs to fight against that wicked woman and her brother!"

"Did the Battle of Tumu Fortress break all their bones?!"

"Have they all been trained into obedient dogs?!"

Zhu Zhanji's questions struck the hearts of people in every era like heavy hammer blows.

Yes, why?

It wasn't just Zhu Zhanji who thought this way; even Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di thought the same. Chen Mao, mentioned earlier, an 80-year-old veteran, dared to risk his entire family to participate in the coup. What about the others? Where did they go? Don't tell me that these noble families didn't have armed guards.

Why did the Jingnan nobility and the Xuande nobility, who should have been the most steadfast allies of the imperial power, fall silent at the most critical moment?

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun seemed to hear the roar of Emperor Xuanzong from the depths of his soul.

A cold smile curved his lips.

"Family members, you may be wondering why the nobles aren't taking action, especially Zhang Yi."

"Zhang Yi, doesn't that name sound similar to Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying, who died in the Battle of Tumu Fortress?"

"That's right, they are brothers."

"But he is only a brother; he inherited the title of Marquis, not the title of Duke of England."

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly turned sharp, filled with undisguised contempt!

"Zhang Fu was a battle-hardened general who fought alongside Emperor Taizong (Zhu Di) through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His title was earned with his life! His loyalty was etched into his very bones!"

"And what about Zhang Yi?"

Above the sky, the scene shifts to a middle-aged man in fine clothes and with a fair complexion, fawning over a group of civil officials.

"He was the lucky one who inherited the title by resting on his elder brother's laurels."

"After the Tumu Crisis, the reason why he was accepted by the civil official group led by Yu Qian and Chen Xun, and even remained in a high position during the Jingtai reign, was not because of his military achievements or his abilities."

"It all comes down to obedience!"

"He witnessed firsthand his brother's tragic death, and he witnessed firsthand how the Imperial faction's military heroes were jointly crushed by the civil officials and the border troops!"

"Fear had long since smoothed out all his rough edges!"

"He learned how to fawn over civil officials, how to pledge loyalty to the new emperor Zhu Qiyu, and how to behave like a mascot, staying obediently in the Shenji Battalion as a figurehead commander without real power!"

"What he inherited was only the title of marquis, not the loyal backbone of the Zhang family, the Duke of England!"

"Do you expect someone like that to stand up and risk the lives of his entire clan for some so-called 'gratitude' when the emperor is at war with the civil service and the maternal relatives?"

Stop dreaming!

Zhu Dijun's words were like a bucket of ice water, poured over everyone who wanted to know why the emperor and the others were asking.

His furious heart instantly cooled down.

Zhu Zhanji understood.

It's not that his son lacks the ability to judge character.

Instead, the pack of hungry wolves he left behind had been castrated and turned into... a bunch of pleasure-seeking watchdogs by the time his son got his hands on them!

"Holy crap! The truth is this! Zhang Yi isn't Zhang Fu! The new generation of meritorious officials are terrified!"

"That's the most terrifying thing! The civil service group isn't just killing people; they're killing the courage and integrity of the entire military class!"

"I understand now. The Tumu Crisis was a 'sterilization surgery' targeting the Ming Dynasty's military leadership! Those who survived were either obedient or useless!"

"How tragic! The God of War, Zhu Qizhen, looked around and discovered that all the dragon-slaying warriors his father had left him had become the pets of evil dragons!"

As Zhu Dijun watched the uproar in the live chat, his voice grew increasingly somber.

"Family members, Zhang Yi is just a microcosm."

"A 'post-Tumu Crisis era,' a microcosm of the decline of the entire Ming Dynasty's aristocratic class!"

"The Tumu Crisis caused a fatal gap in the Xun Gui Group. The older generation of battle-hardened generals were almost all killed or wounded."

"And those who survived, and the newly emerging second and third generations, grew up in fear and trembling under the shadow of the civil service!"

"They witnessed firsthand how Yu Qian wielded immense power in the court, and how Yu Qian, Chen Xun, and Wang Wen manipulated events."

"We also saw how Zhu Qizhen dealt with Shi Heng and his nephew Shi Biao."

"They knew very well that military power was poison! A death sentence!"

"Anyone who dares to approach imperial power, anyone who dares to oppose the civil officials, will be the next Shi Heng!"

"So, they chose the safest route—"

"Give up military power, hand over your henchmen, and turn yourself into a wealthy old man who poses no threat to the civil service, a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and be merry!"

"Only in this way can one preserve wealth and status, and prolong one's life!"

Zhu Dijun's words revealed a bloody scar that had been deliberately covered up by countless people!

Zhu Qizhen in the fourth year of the Tianshun reign was not unaware of this!

He knew better than anyone that these so-called dukes and marquises were nothing but a bunch of useless clay puppets!

The reason he still appointed Zhang Yi and others to take charge of the Beijing Garrison after the coup was not because of trust!

It was a test!

A desperate, hopeless political stance!

He wanted to see if these domesticated dogs would grow fangs again after their former master returned!

As a result, he was utterly disappointed.

These people would rather watch the Sun family relatives and the civil official group gradually erode the Imperial Guard than dare to cross the line!

"So, family members, do you now understand Zhu Qizhen's predicament?"

Zhu Dijun's voice was filled with endless sorrow.

"He spent a year declaring war on the entire bureaucratic system, leaving himself isolated."

He looked around the court, at the civil officials, who all wanted him dead.

"He looked towards the harem, and his mother wanted him dead."

"He placed his hopes on Xun Gui, the descendant of the loyal and brave men left by his father and grandfather, but they had long since had their claws worn down and become a bunch of groveling good-for-nothings!"

"He has no reinforcements!"

"He has no allies!"

"He doesn't even have a single, truly sharp knife that he can hold in his own hand!"

"The entire Forbidden City, the entire Ming Dynasty!"

"When he decided to launch the final assault, those he could rely on, those he could trust, those willing to die for him..."

"Only that group, despised by everyone, and called 'castrated dogs' by civil officials..."

"House slave!"

boom--!

The last two words, like a mournful cry of blood, resounded throughout the world!

At that moment, everyone understood.

The impending "Cao Qin Rebellion" was not a political contest between evenly matched forces.

It was not a meticulously planned, swift and decisive strike.

It was an emperor driven to the edge of a cliff, leading his last few loyal servants in a doomed, suicidal charge against the overwhelming darkness!