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

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the moment Zhu Jianshen issued the imperial edict to abolish the Western Depot, the entire court celebrated with joy.

They seemed to have achieved another great victory over imperial power.

However, looking at this scene from above, Judy Jun's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Family members, do you really believe this is a victory for the civil servants?"

"Do you really think that our Emperor Xianzong has simply admitted defeat?"

He spoke softly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly resonated throughout all realms and time.

"Do you know what the most original and vicious sentence in the memorial submitted by Grand Secretary Shang Lu, together with Minister of War Xiang Zhong and others, to impeach Wang Zhi was before it was embellished by later historians?"

The scene shifts to a yellowed rubbing of a memorial to the throne, magnified to its maximum size!

A line of shocking calligraphy, like a poisoned blade, pierced everyone's eyes!

The Cao Qin Rebellion was all caused by Lu Gao. I believe that without removing Wang Zhi, the safety of the realm remains uncertain!

silence.

A deathly silence.

Throughout countless worlds and timelines, many people stared at this line of text, initially somewhat bewildered.

But Zhu Dijun's subsequent explanation plunged everyone into an icy abyss!

"What does this mean?"

"Let me translate this for my family!"

"The 'Cao Qin Rebellion' refers to the mutiny launched by the eunuch Cao Jixiang and his nephew, the general Cao Qin, which nearly breached the Forbidden City and killed the emperor at the time, namely Emperor Xianzong's father—the Great Ming Dynasty's war god Zhu Qizhen!"

"Lu Gao was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the time, Zhu Qizhen's sharpest blade, specifically used to deal with civil officials!"

So, the meaning of this sentence, when put together, is...

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like the heavy hammer of judgment!

"They are clearly telling Emperor Zhu Jianshen!"

"Your father, Zhu Qizhen, was killed by the cabinet and the empress's powerful relatives and nobles because he heavily relied on cruel officials like Lu Gao in an attempt to seize power. Your father's loyal subordinates, Cao Qin and Cao Jixiang, were killed, and your father ultimately died in a palace coup!"

"If you don't get rid of this mad dog, Wang Zhi, today, and let him continue to bite people indiscriminately..."

"Then what happened back then will happen again!"

"We, the civil and military officials, will rebel again!"

"When that time comes, the world will be in chaos, and everyone will perish. You, as emperor, should consider your own fate!"

boom!

This is not a deathbed remonstrance!

This is a threat!

This is a blatant ultimatum to the reigning emperor, using the entire nation as a bargaining chip and the country as a stake!

The modern live stream room exploded instantly!

"Holy crap!!! Have these scholars gone mad?! This is practically threatening a rebellion!"

"This is utterly shameless! They're willing to drag the entire world down with them just because their own interests are harmed? Have they no shame at all?!"

"So it's perfectly acceptable for you to embezzle and break the law, and if the emperor wants to investigate you, it'll cause chaos in the world? These bastards' logic is utterly absurd!"

"I finally understand why Zhu Yuanzhang used the 'skinning and stuffing' method. You can't deal with these bastards using normal methods!"

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was no longer crimson, but a bluish-purple.

He didn't roar, but slowly, word by word, spoke to Zhu Biao:

"Biao'er, write this down."

"From now on, in the historical records of our Great Ming Dynasty, whenever the words 'die for remonstrance' are mentioned..."

"Check them one by one!"

"Anyone who dares to threaten the emperor or father with the 'safety of the nation,' regardless of loyalty or treachery, and regardless of the reason..."

"Exterminate their entire clan!"

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di's eyes turned incredibly dangerous.

He thought of his own Jingnan Rebellion.

He knows best how terrifying the energy the civil service can unleash when they are determined to oppose you.

And now, they dare to use the same methods to threaten his descendants!

The universe follows the natural order.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

"Bang!"

A teacup was smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces!

Zhu Qizhen's chest heaved violently, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face, which was once full of arrogance and naivety, was now filled with endless humiliation and rage!

The Cao Qin Rebellion!

He wanted to seize power, but his good mother, the wicked Empress Sun Ruowei, colluded with his good uncle to kill his confidants, leaving him as a powerless emperor.

He never imagined that this past event, which he considered a great disgrace, would become a political weapon used by the civil service to threaten his own son!

"Traitors...a bunch of traitors and villains!!"

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood.

At that moment, he hated his own incompetence even more, and hated even more this group of so-called "loyal and virtuous" people who manipulated the laws of the country!

"So, family members, do you understand now?"

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice was full of sarcasm.

"Zhu Jianshen abolished the Western Depot not because he was afraid, nor because he had a change of heart."

"It's because he successfully tested the limits of these civil servants through the 'Yang Ye case' fabricated by Wang Zhi."

"Their bottom line is—rebellion!"

"Can you really expect to reason with a group that's rotten to the core and willing to resort to treason to protect its own interests?"

"cannot!"

"Therefore, Zhu Jianshen chose to temporarily back down. He withdrew his fist so that next time, he could strike more accurately and fatally!"

In the scene, the imperial court, after the abolition of the Western Depot, seems to have returned to calm.

But an even more turbulent undercurrent is brewing.

"The cabinet is pushing its luck."

Zhu Dijun's tone became flat, as if he were recounting a predetermined ending.

"They thought the emperor was truly afraid, so Xiang Zhong, the Minister of War, along with the other ministers from the Six Ministries and Nine Courts, submitted another memorial demanding that Wang Zhi be executed to prevent future trouble!"

"But this time, Emperor Xianzong did not agree."

"He knew very well that the Western Depot could be withdrawn, but Wang Zhi's influence must be preserved!"

"Thus, a precise counterattack against the civil service began."

Zhu Dijun's finger lightly touched the sky.

Two portraits appeared.

It was Huang Ci, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Chen Zusheng, who had been implicated earlier.

"First step, clean house!"

"After Zhu Jianshen transferred Wang Zhi back to the Imperial Horse Administration, he immediately issued an edict to demote these two eunuch traitors, who had colluded with the civil official group in the 'Li Zilong Case,' to Nanjing!"

"This is a message to everyone, especially to those opportunists in the palace: I will not tolerate traitors by my side!"

"And the second step is to target that loudest-shouting...the one that sticks its neck out!"

The scene shifts, and the portrait of Xiang Zhong, the Minister of War, is enlarged to the center!

"Xiang Zhong is the one who clamored to kill Wang Zhi and to clamor for the 'Cao Qin Rebellion'."

"Zhu Jianshen wanted to kill him for two reasons."

"First, make an example of him! Let everyone see what happens when you threaten the emperor!"

"Secondly, and most importantly!"

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly turned serious!

A complex web of relationships unfolds across the sky!

Xiang Zhong's name was prominently listed!

And the lines extending from his name are densely packed, connecting one border general after another who held military power!

Li Zhen, the Earl of Xingning!

Earl of Zhangwu, Yang Xin!

Zhuang Rong, the garrison commander of Jingzhou!

Liu Wenning, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Gansu!

"Family members, do you understand now?"

"A key cabinet minister is colluding with a general on the border!"

"This familiar recipe, this familiar taste..."

Zhu Dijun's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, landing on Zhu Qizhen in the orthodox era.

"Isn't this just a repeat of how your father, Zhu Qizhen, was sent to that dead end at Tumu Fortress?!"