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

Zhu Dijun paused, giving the myriad worlds enough time to process the information.

He knew very well that the revelation about Zhu Jianshen's childhood and the policy of opening up the sea had completely overturned everyone's perception of this "love-obsessed" emperor.

Now, it's time to bring this upheaval to its first climax!

"Family members, let's start with the ascension of Zhu Jianshen, the Ming Dynasty version of a domineering CEO."

"In history, in the eighth year of the Tianshun reign, Zhu Jianshen, who was only eighteen years old, ascended the throne, and the following year he changed the reign title to Chenghua."

"What kind of situation does a newly adult emperor face?"

Zhu Dijun's tone became serious.

"It's a civil service group that was purged by his father, yet remains deeply entrenched, like a centipede that dies but doesn't fall down!"

"It is a court that has endured the Tumu Crisis, the Coup of the Gate, and the Cao Shi Rebellion, and has long been riddled with holes by various forces!"

"He was like a child walking on a tightrope, with a bottomless abyss beneath his feet and wolves eyeing him from all sides!"

"Therefore, from the first day of his ascension to the throne, Zhu Jianshen inherited the unfinished strategy of his father, Zhu Qizhen—"

"Use eunuchs to monitor civil officials!"

"By the eighth year of the Chenghua reign, he had further consolidated the power of the Directorate of Ceremonial to completely suppress the Grand Secretariat!"

"From this point on, a completely new model of 'civil officials governing the country, eunuchs governing officials' was established in the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly rose in pitch!

"So, what caused this young emperor to completely lose faith in his court of civil and military officials?"

"What is it that makes him prefer to believe a group of physically disabled servants rather than those scholars who spout the words of sages?"

"The answer lies in the first empress he married after ascending the throne!"

The images on the celestial screen shifted and then settled on the majestic Fengtian Hall.

A grand but rushed wedding is taking place.

"In July of the eighth year of the Tianshun reign, less than half a year after Zhu Qizhen's death and the mourning period had just ended, Zhu Jianshen married his first empress at the 'advice' of Empress Dowager Sun and the cabinet."

"Wu Jun, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission, is the daughter of Wu."

"However, just one month after being crowned Empress Wu, she was abruptly deposed!"

Zhu Dijun's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Family members, let's first take a look at how the History of Ming, which was compiled under the supervision of the Manchu Wild Boar Skin for nearly a hundred years, records this event."

A line of text appeared on the sky.

The Empress (Wu) was chosen by Emperor Xianzong. At that time, Consort Wan was already over thirty years old and enjoyed the most favor in the harem. The Empress frequently reprimanded her. One day, she had Consort Wan flogged. The Emperor was furious and issued an edict: "The Empress's behavior is rash and lacks proper etiquette; she is unfit to serve the ancestral temple. She is hereby dismissed and sent to another palace."

"Did you see that?"

"In their writing, this is a melodramatic soap opera about vying for favor in the imperial harem."

"The hot-blooded Empress Wu couldn't stand Wan Zhen'er, who was over thirty and still arrogant because of the emperor's favor, so she picked a fight and beat her up."

"As a result, the love-struck and foolish Emperor Zhu Jianshen, in a fit of rage to avenge his old lover, deposed his newlywed empress!"

"How simple! How perfectly it fits the persona of a 'love-struck genius'!"

Judy Jun's voice was full of sarcasm.

"But is that really the truth?"

The chat in the [Modern Live Room] has exploded!

"Damn it! It's that same trick again! I smell a conspiracy!"

"Deposed as empress after only one month? That's too fast! It's definitely not as simple as just jealousy!"

"I understand! What Jun-ge means is that this isn't a palace intrigue at all, but a political struggle! Empress Wu is just a pawn pushed to the forefront!"

"Damn it, these civil officials are utterly despicable! They're taking advantage of the fact that someone's father just died, his body barely cold, and they're already eager to stuff women into her harem!"

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were terrifyingly gloomy.

He has figured it out.

He knows this trick all too well!

The emperor's relatives, civil officials, and eunuchs colluded to turn the new emperor into a puppet!

"That brat!" Old Zhu's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "We'll see if this great-grandson of ours has any of my blood!"

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice boomed like thunder, unveiling that tender veil!

"Family members, the real reason Wu was deposed was never because she hit Wan Zhen'er!"

"It was Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen who discovered a grand conspiracy that had been attempting to completely control him since the moment he ascended the throne!"

"A vast and inescapable net, woven jointly by veteran eunuchs of the inner court and newly emerging nobles of the outer court!"

boom!

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines!

"In this controversy surrounding the deposition of the empress, the first person to fall was neither Empress Wu nor her family."

"But it was an old eunuch who seemed completely unrelated—Niu Yu!"

On the sky, the image of an old eunuch with white hair and a sinister look appeared.

"Niu Yu! A high-ranking official in the Directorate of Ceremonial who served under seven emperors: Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, Zhengtong, Jingtai, and Tianshun!"

Zhu Dijun's voice carried a chilling undertone.

"At the same time that Empress Wu was deposed, this veteran of seven reigns was directly exiled to Fengyang by a single edict from Zhu Jianshen to guard the imperial tombs of Emperor Taizu Gao!"

"His two children, his nephew Niu Lun, who was a vice minister in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and his nephew Yang Zong, who was an assistant minister in the Ministry of Personnel, were both dismissed from their posts and investigated!"

"Family members, think about it carefully!"

"Why would a new emperor, upon ascending the throne, be so ruthless towards an old eunuch from the previous dynasty?"

"Because this old eunuch represents the old power structure of the palace officials who are trying to control the palace!"

"And in the imperial court, echoing Niu Yu from afar, was Empress Wu's father, the newly appointed father-in-law of the emperor, Wu Jun!"

"And, Empress Wu's maternal uncle!"

Zhu Dijun paused here, his gaze sweeping across countless worlds and timelines, before uttering, word by word, that name that sent chills down everyone's spine!

"Sun! Tang!"

"That's right! It's Sun Tang, who stood firm like a roly-poly toy during the Tumu Crisis, the Coup of the Gate, and the Cao Shi Rebellion!"

"The shadowy figure that orchestrated all the conspiracies of Zhu Qizhen's reign has once again appeared beside the new emperor!"

"And this Sun Tang happens to be related to the deposed old eunuch Niu Yu by marriage!"

In an instant, all was silent!

Emperors of all time and space felt a chill rise from their spines straight to the top of their heads!

A familiar script!

Exactly the same recipe!

Eunuchs, relatives of the emperor, and military generals formed an impenetrable interest group through marriage!

Isn't this just a carbon copy of Yu Qian and Yang Hong?!

Isn't this just a replica of Sun Ruowei's maternal relatives' group?!

Even before Zhu Qizhen's body was cold, they attempted to control his son once again using the same methods!

Xuande Time and Space.

"puff--"

Zhu Zhanji coughed up a mouthful of blood and swayed precariously.

"Beasts...a bunch of insatiable beasts!"

He finally understood.

This is not a conspiracy targeting any particular emperor.

This is a never-ending war against the Zhu family's imperial power!

The Chenghua Era.

Zhu Jianshen's hand was held tightly by Wan Zhen'er, her knuckles turning white from the force.

He could feel her body trembling.

It was a mixture of lingering fear and anger.

Zhu Jianshen grasped her hand in return, his eyes devoid of any emotion, only a deathly coldness.

He already knew.

From the moment he sat on the dragon throne, he knew what kind of evil spirits he would be facing!

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice was like a final judgment!

"Now, family, let's connect all the clues!"

"Niu Yu, an old eunuch deeply entrenched in the inner court!"

"Sun Tang, a seasoned nobleman who wields military power and harbors treacherous intentions!"

"They formed an alliance through marriage!"

"Then, they joined forces and placed the Wu family's daughter on the throne of Empress!"

"Their plan was flawless!"

"Empress Wu and others will control the emperor's bedchamber!"

"With the old eunuch Niu Yu in charge, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is undermining the emperor's power!"

"With Sun Tang and Wu Jun outside, they will control the military power of the capital garrison, thus intimidating the court!"

"If this scheme succeeds, the eighteen-year-old Zhu Jianshen will become a second Zhu Qizhen, a complete puppet!"

"Unfortunately..."

A smile of admiration appeared on Zhu Dijun's lips.

"They miscalculated one thing."

"They thought they were facing a child who had been terrified in the cold palace."

"But what they got in return was a vengeful demon who crawled out of hell!"