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

Wang Zhi knelt outside the palace gate, motionless, like a lifeless stone statue.

"This servant is here."

He heard the emperor's gentle voice, and heard the words "Make arrangements."

I didn't ask what the arrangements were.

There's no need to ask.

He knew that the "fire" the emperor spoke of referred to was the Cining Palace.

The "water" mentioned by the emperor refers to the Kunning Palace.

That wasn't a request, that was a verdict.

It is the prelude to revenge.

Wang Zhi kowtowed deeply, his forehead touching the cold gold brick.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As he rose, he kept his head down, his figure retreating like a ghost, silently merging into the darkness outside the hall.

From this moment on, the Ming Dynasty's palace will never have a peaceful day again.

However, just when all the viewers thought a bloody purge of the harem was about to take place, Judy Jun above the sky shook his head.

He took a sip of water to calm his turbulent emotions, and his eyes became incredibly deep.

"Family members, a revenge against the harem is certainly gratifying."

"But if you think that Zhu Jianshen established the Western Depot merely to settle personal scores, then you are underestimating this iron-fisted emperor."

What you see is just the tip of the iceberg floating on the surface.

"But beneath the surface lies an even more shocking truth, completely erased from history by the civil service!"

Zhu Dijun's voice made everyone's hearts jump to their throats.

Is there an even deeper story behind this?

"Besides revenge, the Western Depot was founded on a more important mission!"

"That is, to recast a weapon for my Great Ming Dynasty, a weapon that was castrated and broken by the civil official group themselves..."

"The Sword of the Empire!"

The scene above the sky changes!

No longer a cold and gloomy harem, but a vast martial arts arena!

Countless soldiers in military uniforms are practicing archery and horsemanship, their movements as vigorous as dragons and tigers!

A line of large characters, shining brightly!

[Martial Arts of the Ming Dynasty's Capital Guards!]

Zhu Dijun's voice carried a solemn sense of reminiscence.

"Fellow family members, many people do not know that our Great Ming Dynasty is not only about civil officials taking the imperial examination."

"Emperor Taizu Gao established the national policy of 'governing the country with literature and suppressing rebellion with military force' at the very beginning of the dynasty!"

"Standing alongside the Imperial Academy was the Capital Garrison Military Academy! And running parallel to the imperial examination system was the three-tiered military examination!"

"This is what a complete and healthy empire should look like!"

The Hongwu Era.

As Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the scene on the sky, a hint of relief appeared in his cloudy old eyes.

"Our plan was correct..."

He muttered to himself.

With both civil and military affairs in place, and both wings flying together, this is the powerful empire he wanted to leave to his descendants, one that could enjoy lasting peace and stability!

However, what Zhu Dijun said next made the relief on his face freeze instantly!

"A beautiful wish has become, in the eyes of some, the most deadly threat!"

"Family members, do you know what happened to this system that was supposed to guarantee the strength of our Ming Dynasty's military?"

In the scene, the timeline begins to jump rapidly!

In the first year of the Zhengtong reign, Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne at the age of eight. With the Three Yangs (Yang Zhiqiang, Yang Xun, and Yang Yong) as regents, the cabinet decided to abolish the martial arts schools in the capital and at all levels in the provinces!

In the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, Emperor Yingzong assumed personal rule, overcoming widespread opposition and restoring the Imperial Guard Military Academy!

In the same year, the Tumu Crisis occurred, Emperor Yingzong was captured, and the capital was thrown into chaos. Yu Qian was appointed to lead the defense of the capital in this critical situation. Also in the same year, the capital's military academy was abolished once again!

[In the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, the Tumu Crisis occurred, Emperor Yingzong was restored to the throne, and the Capital Guard Martial Arts Academy was opened for the third time!]

[In the first year of the Tianshun reign, the Cao Qin Rebellion occurred, and Xun Gui rebelled. The Capital Guard Military Academy was abolished for the third time!]

"Did you see that?! Family members!"

Zhu Dijun's voice was like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's hearts again and again!

"Open it once, ruin it! Open it again, ruin it again!"

"Every time an emperor's power declines, every time the civil service gains control, the imperial guards and military academies—the hilt of the empire—will be severed without hesitation by them!"

"Why?!"

"Because the civil service groups of the Song and Ming dynasties understood this better than anyone else!"

"Once an emperor possesses a loyal and powerful army, the next target of his executioner's blade will undoubtedly be these bloated, self-serving beneficiaries!"

"They want security, they want to control the government forever, they want to turn the emperor into a mere figurehead. Therefore, they must, and inevitably will, abolish martial arts, suppress military generals, and limit the emperor's control over the army!"

boom!

The truth is laid bare!

Yongle Time and Space.

The murderous aura emanating from Zhu Di almost burst through the roof of the palace!

He spent his life in the military, valuing military achievements above all else!

He could not imagine that the empire he had fought with his blood and lives, and the army he was most proud of, would be manipulated by a group of weak and corrupt scholars in later generations!

"These... damned... parasites!!"

He squeezed out those words through gritted teeth, the hilt of the knife in his hand creaking under his grip!

"Therefore, the timeline moves to the Chenghua era."

"The young emperor Zhu Jianshen, through his outstanding military achievements in the 'Chenghua Plowing the Court,' wrested back a portion of military power from the civil officials."

"But when he wanted to promote truly capable generals and rebuild the military, he discovered in despair..."

"The entire military system of the Ming Dynasty is rotten to the core!"

"The Imperial Guard Martial Arts Academy has long since become a dead name, a retirement home where the sons of nobles and officials collect salaries in name only!"

"The generals in the border towns are either protégés of civil officials or incompetent fools who only know how to exploit soldiers!"

"I can't trust him! I can't trust a single one of them!"

"He needs a knife that can bypass the entire civil service system, bypass the corrupt Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions, and plunge directly into the heart of the army!"

"A weapon that can help him monitor generals, cut off the black hands reaching into the army, and promote those buried and suppressed military families' sons again..."

"Sharp Blade!"

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly rose, pointing towards the sinister figure in the center of the sky!

"And so, the Western Depot was born!"

"Its primary mission was not to investigate the secrets of the harem, but to reorganize the empire's army!"

"Why did Wang Zhi's power surpass that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Because he monitored not only the officials, but also all the generals, deputy generals, adjutants, and guerrillas of the entire Ming Dynasty!"

"This is the real reason why the civil service group truly fears the Western Depot and is willing to go to great lengths to smear Wang Zhi as a treacherous villain in the history books!"

"Because he touched it; they controlled the army, and undermined the very lifeblood of imperial power!"

At this moment, all the emperors in all realms and timelines gasped in shock.

They finally understood Zhu Jianshen's true intentions!

How can this be considered a personal grudge?

This is clearly a war to reclaim the sword of the empire!