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

Duke Protector of the Nation!

When those three words were uttered by the emperor who had risen from the ashes, the entire Forbidden City, and indeed all of space and time, fell into a deathly silence!

Duke!

During the Ming Dynasty, only members of the imperial family could be granted the title of king.

That dukedom is the pinnacle of military nobility!

Since the founding of the dynasty, apart from the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign, who in the past hundred years has been able to be ennobled as a duke based on military merit?

What's more, the person who received the title was the adopted son of a eunuch, a household slave regarded by the world as a "castrated man"!

What a blessing this is!

What an unprecedented event!

Cao Qin's burly body trembled violently, and hot tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes, which he could no longer hold back.

He wasn't crying because of the title.

He cried because his wretched life, which had almost been mistaken for that of a traitor, had finally gained the king's approval!

He wept because his unwavering loyalty, which had not been betrayed, was true!

"This servant...this servant would rather die than accept this title!" Cao Qin kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the cold gold brick with a dull thud.

"If I say you can endure it, then you must endure it!"

Zhu Qizhen's voice was unquestionable. He stepped down from the steps and personally helped Cao Qin up.

Those eyes, once filled with confusion and regret, now held only the decisiveness and ruthlessness of an emperor.

"Not only will I bestow upon you the title of Duke, but I will also make you witness firsthand how these treacherous officials are brought to their doom!"

His gaze swept over Sun Jizong, Li Xian, and others who were pinned to the ground, their faces ashen.

"The execution will be carried out at the Meridian Gate; I will personally oversee the execution!"

"I will show the world what the consequences are for betraying me and betraying the Ming Dynasty!"

……

At this moment, countless emperors across all realms and timelines were moved!

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh and burst into laughter, which made the entire Fengtian Hall vibrate!

"Excellent! What a fine Duke Protector of the Nation!"

"Our great-great-grandson has finally acquired some of our former ruthlessness!"

"To deal with these corrupt civil officials, we must use swift action! We must slaughter them until heads roll and blood flows like rivers! Only then will they know fear!"

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di looked at the younger generation in the sky who resembled him somewhat, but with a more sinister air, and slowly nodded.

His eyes revealed undisguised approval.

"Through this battle, he will be transformed and become the emperor."

"With swift and decisive action, he swept through the court; with extraordinary rewards, he won over the hearts of the people. Indeed, this is the style of an emperor."

Xuande Time and Space.

Zhu Zhanji's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at his son, who had not repeated the same mistakes in another time and space. His clenched fists finally loosened, and a smile of extreme relief appeared on his face.

"Well done, town boy..."

"This is my son, this is the true ruler of the Ming Dynasty!"

However, just as everyone was immersed in this exhilarating reversal, Zhu Dijun's voice from the sky was like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone's hearts.

"Family members, it's awesome, isn't it?"

"Watching the treacherous officials be executed, the loyal ministers be rewarded, and the emperor stage a comeback."

"But I must tell you a cruel truth."

Zhu Dijun's tone became extremely heavy.

"Everything that just happened was a miracle that occurred in a parallel universe because of my appearance."

"In the real course of history, there was no rice price list, and there was no defection of the people."

"The true history is that Cao Qin was defeated in battle, threw himself into a well and committed suicide, and his body was dissected and his head was cut off."

"The true history is that Zhu Qizhen was completely sidelined and treated like a prisoner. Two years later, he died suddenly in the Qianqing Palace in humiliation and indignation."

The scene shifts, and the triumphant Zhu Qizhen, who had successfully turned the tables, has disappeared.

Instead, history records the image of a lonely, desperate, and ultimately tragically short-lived emperor who died at the young age of thirty-seven.

The stark contrast caused the previously excited audience from all realms to feel a sudden tightness in their chests, as if a giant boulder were blocking their throats, leaving them with an indescribable discomfort.

Zhu Dijun picked up his water glass, took a sip, and moistened his somewhat dry throat.

His voice rang out again, pulling everyone's thoughts from that beautiful "IF line" back to the cruel reality.

"Family members, in history, after the 'Cao Qin Rebellion', Zhu Qizhen did indeed lose all power and became a puppet."

But, a turning point did come.

"On the fourth day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Tianshun, that wicked woman Sun Ruowei ended her sinful life on her sickbed."

"With the removal of this greatest shackle, power once again returned to Zhu Qizhen's hands."

Upon hearing this, countless people across all realms and timelines were invigorated!

Although it was a few years late, we finally got it!

They eagerly awaited to see how this humiliated emperor would carry out his revenge!

"but!"

Zhu Dijun abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming extremely serious.

"The first things this great war god of the Ming Dynasty did after returning to power made countless historians in later generations break out in a cold sweat!"

Two lines of striking characters appeared on the sky.

[Firstly: Men Da, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the guard's affairs.]

[Secondly: An investigation of the Ministry of Personnel resulted in the dismissal of over a thousand civil officials, including Minister Wang Ao!]

boom!

These two pieces of information were like two bombshells, exploding across all time and space!

Who is Menda?

A eunuch!

Another eunuch!

Having just experienced the chaos caused by Wang Zhen and Cao Jixiang, Zhu Qizhen once again handed over the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which represented the emperor's eyes and ears and held the power of life and death, to a eunuch!

That's not even the worst part!

The second one is the scariest!

An investigation into the Ministry of Personnel revealed that over a thousand employees would be laid off in one go!

What does this mean?

The Ministry of Personnel was the head of the Six Ministries, in charge of the appointment, evaluation, promotion, and demotion of civil officials throughout the country!

To move the Ministry of Personnel is to shake the very foundation of the entire civil service!

And he not only moved, but also chopped off more than a thousand heads with a single stroke!

This isn't just settling scores; this is flipping the table! This is a fight to the death with the entire civil service of the Ming Dynasty!

[Modern Live Streaming Room]

The barrage of comments exploded instantly!

"Holy crap! War God Bro's going on a killing spree!"

"Just came out of the ICU, and then went straight to a karaoke bar? That's incredible!"

"I'm starting to panic... Appointing a eunuch to control the Embroidered Uniform Guard... This move seems so familiar. Is Wang Zhen's script about to be repeated?"

"Stop your blatant slander! This time is different! Last time they were deceived, this time they're taking the initiative! It's obvious they want to use their trusted servants to deal with that clique of civil officials!"

"But... wouldn't laying off over a thousand people at once paralyze the government? That's too extreme!"

"I understand he wants revenge, but isn't this way of doing things putting all the civil officials on the opposite side? He's just regained power and he's already doing this; his foundation is unstable!"

"Oh no, oh no, I'm starting to break out in a cold sweat for War God. What if he's just escaped one danger only to fall into another?"

The concerns expressed by netizens are also the concerns of countless people across countless worlds.

The civil officials, in particular, turned pale upon seeing the message displayed on the sky, their faces contorted with grief as if they had lost their parents.

They seemed to have foreseen that a bloody storm targeting the entire scholar-official class was about to break out!

This emperor, having been suppressed for too long, has gone mad!