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

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice carried a chilling indifference that seemed to pierce the heart.

"Family members, here comes the most ironic part."

"Who exactly is Xiang Zhong, the one who spearheaded the coup and clamored, 'If Wang Zhi isn't removed, the safety of the realm is uncertain'?"

On the screen, Xiang Zhong's resume is clearly displayed.

"In the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, during the Tumu Crisis, Xiang Zhong, who was then the Director of the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of War, accompanied the emperor on the expedition."

"In that national calamity that buried the nobles of the Ming Dynasty, he was one of the few survivors."

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly turned shrill!

"A man who crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood!"

"A firsthand witness who saw how the civil officials' misguided commands and the nobles' inaction led to the king's capture and the nation's demise!"

"Logically, he should be the one who hates this corrupt system the most!"

"But what was the result?"

"For personal gain, for his position as Minister of War, and for the prestige of the entire civil service!"

"He chose to cooperate with his former enemy, even going so far as to threaten the emperor with a new 'coup'!"

"Because he knew very well that once the emperor's sword fell, the next to be purged would be a high-ranking official like him, who held great power in the Ministry of War but was entangled in corrupt dealings with border generals!"

"Therefore, he must resist! He must make the emperor understand that harming us is tantamount to shaking the very foundation of the nation!"

These words struck the hearts of everyone in the myriad worlds like heavy hammer blows.

The universe follows the natural order.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar name on the sky and trembled with anger.

Xiang Zhong!

He remembered this subject!

He was the very minister who returned from the Oirat Mongols and was reinstated by me after my coup d'état!

He believed that this was a capable person who had experienced national calamity and understood the meaning of loyalty!

Little did he expect that this person he had personally promoted would later use the greatest humiliation of Zhu Qizhen's life to threaten his own son!

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood suddenly spurted from Zhu Qizhen's mouth, staining the dragon table in front of him red!

"Shameless! Traitor!!"

……

The Chenghua Era.

The Ministry of War's Office.

As Xiang Zhong sat in his study, he felt a chill rise from his spine and instantly spread throughout his body.

The descendant on the sky seemed to strip him naked, exposing his deepest, darkest schemes to the light of day!

He was afraid.

He sensed a deathly aura emanating from the emperor's seemingly calm retreat.

That's not admitting defeat, that's the tiger lying in wait before it pounces!

"No... we can't stay in the capital any longer!"

A thought began to grow wildly in his mind.

He immediately spread out paper and pen, and with slightly trembling hands, wrote a memorial to the throne.

"Your Majesty, I am old and my old illness has relapsed. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to retire and return to my hometown to enjoy my remaining years..."

He wanted to run away.

He felt that if he left the center of this power struggle, the emperor might let him go.

"Hehe, you're overthinking it."

Above the sky, Judy Jun let out a sneer.

"The moment he threatened the emperor with the 'Cao Qin Incident,' his fate was sealed."

"How could Zhu Jianshen possibly let a mad dog that might bite at any moment return to the mountains?"

In the scene, Xiang Zhong's memorial is sent into the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen didn't even look at it, but simply uttered two words.

"Not permitted."

Then, he looked at Wang Zhi, who was standing by with his hands at his sides, and spoke in a calm but authoritative voice.

"I have waited long enough."

Wang Zhi's body trembled, and a bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes.

He knew that the emperor's patience had run out.

That ferocious beast, which has been temporarily put back in its cage, is about to be released!

[May, the thirteenth year of the Chenghua reign.]

[The Western Investigation Depot has been re-established!]

There was no public announcement, no fanfare.

Just like that, without a sound, the terrifying organization that had disappeared for less than a month has once again bared its fangs!

Wang Zhi, too, returned from the Imperial Horse Administration to the throne of power that fascinated him!

The first thing he did was to promote his trusted confidant, Captain Wu Shou, to be a henchman of the Western Depot!

"go."

Wang Zhi's voice echoed in the gloomy lobby of the West Factory.

"Bring out everything that Minister Xiang has done over the years, one by one... to our family!"

"yes!"

An invisible net has been cast targeting Xiang Zhong, the Minister of War!

Xiang Zhong was completely engulfed in unease and fear.

He noticed that there were always suspicious figures loitering around his residence.

His trusted confidants would always mysteriously disappear.

It seemed that every secret conversation he had with his colleagues would be known to the emperor the next day.

He felt like a flying insect caught in a spider web, struggling in vain!

He had not yet received the official document from the court approving his retirement.

But what they received first was the West Depot's "evidence of their crimes"!

[June, the thirteenth year of the Chenghua reign.]

Censor Guo Tang and Imperial Censor Feng Guan jointly submitted a memorial impeaching Xiang Zhong, the Minister of War!

The charges are shocking!

First, his son Xiang Jing committed heinous acts! He forcibly seized farmland from the local people and disregarded human life!

Second, he colluded with eunuchs! He had a close relationship with Huang Ci, a eunuch who had been demoted to Nanjing, and accepted huge bribes from him!

Third, the border generals! They formed cliques with Li Zhen, the Earl of Xingning, Yang Xin, the Earl of Zhangwu, and other border generals, harboring treacherous intentions!

Each one of them could be fatal!

The entire court was deathly silent!

Everyone understands that this is not a simple impeachment.

This is the emperor using the Western Depot to launch a purge against the entire civil service!

This is a formal response to that "declaration of rebellion"!

Zhu Jianshen sat upright on the dragon throne, his face expressionless.

"deliver an imperial order."

"Minister of War Xiang Zhong, imprison him immediately!"

"Order the three judicial departments, together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to conduct a joint trial in court!"

On the golden palace.

The interrogation began.

Xiang Zhong was stripped of his official hat and forced to kneel in the center of the main hall, dressed in prison clothes.

He continued to argue, his voice hoarse, yet filled with resentment.

"Injustice! I am innocent! This is the eunuch Wang Zhi, who fabricated charges to frame loyal officials! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

His gaze swept over the officials on both sides of the main hall.

He swept his gaze across those "colleagues" who had once drunk with him, submitted memorials with him, and pressured the emperor with him.

He hoped that someone would stand up and say a word for him.

Even just one sentence!

However, no.

Everyone had their heads down, eyes downcast, like clay statues.

They were scared.

When the West Depot's executioner's blade was truly hanging over their heads, they realized how ridiculous their so-called "shared destiny" was.

Better to die than to die, my fellow Daoist.

This is the eternal truth of officialdom.

Xiang Zhong's heart sank little by little, turning into boundless despair.

He saw that not far from the front of the palace, the effeminate eunuch, Wang Zhi, was quietly watching him.

There was no anger, no smugness in those eyes, only a cold indifference.

It was as if I were looking at a dead person.

Ultimately, the verdict was delivered.

[Minister of War Xiang Zhong is hereby stripped of his post and reduced to commoner status, never to be employed again!]

His son, Xiang Jing, should be beheaded immediately!

[Earl of Xingning Li Zhen and Earl of Zhangwu Yang Xin have been stripped of their titles and imprisoned!]

The eunuch Huang Ci was executed in Nanjing!

A precise and brutal political purge orchestrated by the emperor has come to an end.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen looked out the window at the setting sun, which had dyed the entire Forbidden City a blood-red color.

He won the first round.

But he knew that this was just the beginning.

The behemoth known as the "Civil Officials Group" only had one tentacle severed.

Its true form remains entrenched deep within the empire, watching with predatory intent.

And he, Zhu Jianshen, will spend the rest of his life fighting this monster to the death!

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice rang out softly.

"Family members, Xiang Zhong has fallen."

"But do you think that's the end of it?"

"No."

"A much bigger storm, a political earthquake that will shake the entire Ming Dynasty, has only just begun."

"Because our factory beauty, Wang Zhi, discovered a shocking secret while investigating Xiang Zhong's case—a secret that even he himself found chilling!"