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

On the sky, Zhu Dijun put down his coffee cup.

He stared at the screen, his eyes revealing a sense of melancholy that comes with having seen through the passage of time.

"Family members, Wang Zhi has disappeared."

"That young man who once wielded his sword across the desert and swept away enemy strongholds in Liaodong, has now completely disappeared into the mists of history on that official road leading to Nanjing."

"Zhu Jianshen lost his sharpest knife, and he also lost his eyes to see the world."

AI simulation screen enabled

In the picture, the Forbidden City in the twentieth year of the Chenghua reign appears particularly gloomy.

Zhu Jianshen sat on the dragon throne, his back already somewhat hunched. Years of consuming elixirs and engaging in intense political struggles had made him look much older than his actual age.

"After Wang Zhi left, Zhu Jianshen became even more silent."

"He no longer trusts anyone except the woman who stood by him through his darkest years—Wan Zhen'er."

Zhu Dijun's voice became low.

"But in that same year, an idea that drove the entire civil service group crazy arose in Zhu Jianshen's mind."

"He wants to depose Crown Prince Zhu Youcheng."

boom!

Throughout the myriad realms and timelines, anyone familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty is deeply shaken.

Hongzhi Era.

Zhu Youcheng, who had already ascended the throne, was sitting in the Imperial Study.

He looked at the sky, and his hand holding the vermilion pen trembled violently.

Behind the screen behind him, several white-haired cabinet ministers turned deathly pale instantly.

That was the truth they were trying so hard to cover up.

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun let out a cold laugh.

"In historical records, Zhu Youcheng is described as a 'benevolent and kind' sage ruler and the founder of the 'Hongzhi Restoration'."

"But have you ever wondered why the civil service loves him so much?"

"Why did the entire cabinet, and even Empress Dowager Zhou who had been living in seclusion, jump out to fight when Zhu Jianshen wanted to depose the crown prince?"

Screen switch.

Inside the Eastern Palace, the young Zhu Youcheng was studying the classics and practicing standard Confucian etiquette under the guidance of various civil officials.

His eyes revealed a restraint, a rigidity etched into his being.

"As we mentioned earlier, Zhu Youcheng was an emperor 'nurtured' by the civil service group!"

"He received the purest Confucian education from a young age. He listened to his teachers, respected the privileges of civil officials, and even believed that the emperor should rule by doing nothing and hand over power to the scholar-officials."

"For the civil service, Zhu Youcheng was the perfect puppet!"

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"And what about Zhu Jianshen?"

"He established the Western Depot, he heavily relied on Wang Zhi, he purged more than 8,000 officials, and he even embezzled the money of civil officials!"

"In the eyes of civil officials, Zhu Jianshen was a 'tyrant,' a 'foolish ruler,' a nightmare that had to be ended!"

"Therefore, they absolutely will not allow Zhu Jianshen to depose Zhu Youcheng and install Xing Wang Zhu Youyuan, who inherited Zhu Jianshen's will!"

The Chenghua Era.

cabinet.

As Grand Secretary Wan An listened to the analysis on the screen, cold sweat soaked through his official robes.

He glanced at his equally pale-faced colleague beside him and lowered his voice.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is looking at the sky."

"Our entire plan has been revealed by our descendants!"

What they fear is not the abandonment of reserves.

What they fear is that if Zhu Jianshen really succeeds, the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty will once again overpower the power of the prime minister, and all the benefits they have gained over the years will have to be given back!

Above the sky, Judy Jun continued to ruthlessly tear away the fig leaf.

"In the twenty-first year of the Chenghua reign, this controversy over the abolition of the crown prince reached its climax."

"Zhu Jianshen discovered that he was no longer facing a few ministers, but a vast net that covered the entire Ming Dynasty and even infiltrated his harem!"

"His birth mother, Empress Dowager Zhou, and his nominal wife, Empress Wang, sided with the civil officials and used filial piety to suppress him."

"His cabinet ministers threatened him with dismissal."

"Even the eunuchs around him were secretly passing messages to the Crown Prince."

"And there is also this record in historical books: ['Mount Tai shook, and the omen appeared in the Eastern Palace. Emperor Xianzong had the intention to depose the Crown Prince, but stopped because of the earthquake in Mount Tai, and ultimately did not carry it out.']"

Zhu Jianshen sat in the Qianqing Palace, watching this scene, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

He turned to look at Wan Zhen'er, his voice hoarse.

"Zhen'er, look, not a single one of the civil and military officials in this court is my subject."

Wan Zhen'er held his hand tightly, her eyes filled with determination.

"Your Majesty, since they won't let us live, then let's drag them down with us!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun took a deep breath and delivered a conclusion that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Zhu Jianshen did not live to see the day of reckoning."

"Because the Ming Dynasty's unique method of 'killing the emperor' has been activated again."

"This time, they're targeting the only woman who can give Zhu Jianshen warmth."

"Wan Zhen'er".

The light and shadow in the sky dimmed.

That was the ninth day of the first month of the twenty-third year of the Chenghua reign.

The north wind howled, fluttering the prayer flags in the palace.

Zhu Dijun's voice trembled slightly.

"Family members, historical records say that Consort Wan died because she beat a palace maid, which caused her to suffer from a heart attack and phlegm."

"Do you really believe this nonsense?"

In the scene, Wan Zhen'er is lying on a sickbed.

Her once beautiful face was now covered with unnatural bluish-purple bruises.

There were no trusted physicians by her bedside, but a group of eunuchs with shifty eyes.

"Wan Zhen'er died at the perfect time."

"Just as Zhu Jianshen was preparing to forcibly depose the heir apparent again, and just before Wang Zhi's remaining troops were preparing to return to Beijing to report, she suddenly died."

"With her death, Zhu Jianshen's spiritual pillar completely collapsed."

The chat in the live stream room had completely gone crazy.

"It was definitely poisoning! These civil officials dared to burn Zheng He's blueprints, what wouldn't they dare to do?"

"Kill Consort Wan first, then kill Zhu Jianshen. I'm familiar with this routine; it's a traditional skill of Ming Dynasty emperors!"

"Zhu Jianshen was so tragic. He spent his whole life fighting, and in the end, he couldn't even protect the woman he loved."

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly overturned the dragon table in front of him.

"Kill your lord!"

"These beasts dare to resort to such despicable tricks right under my nose! Fourth Prince, grandson Gao Chi, great-grandsons Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Qiyu, and now Zhu Jianshen!"

He looked at his great-grandchild, who had already lost all will to live, on the sky, and his heart ached.

What kind of dynasty did he leave to his descendants?

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di stared intently at the sky, his hand pressed on his sword, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Zhu Jianshen, stand up for me!"

"You are the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty! Take your sword and kill all those treacherous officials!"

However, Zhu Jianshen on the sky could no longer hear his ancestor's roar.

In the scene, Zhu Jianshen is kneeling in front of Wan Zhen'er's coffin.

He didn't cry.

He just stared blankly at the coffin, the last glimmer of light in his eyes extinguished.

"Zhen'er is gone, and I... will soon follow."

Zhu Dijun's voice was filled with sorrow.

"Just seven months after Wan Zhen'er's death, Zhu Jianshen passed away on August 22 of the same year at the young age of forty."

According to historical records, he died of "illness due to depression".

"But in his last official report before his death, it was recorded that he had taken a 'miracle drug' recommended by the cabinet."

"Another elixir of immortality."

"It's that 'miracle drug' again, which has no verifiable evidence but can rapidly weaken a middle-aged emperor."

Zhu Dijun sneered and pointed the camera at the group of civil officials kneeling in front of the coffin, weeping bitterly.

"They cried bitterly because they had finally won."

"Zhu Jianshen died, his Western Depot was abolished, and his official post was dismissed."

"The 'sage ruler' Zhu Youcheng, whom they have trained, is finally about to ascend the throne."

"From then on, the Ming Dynasty never had an emperor who dared to stand up to the civil service."

"In its place came the so-called 'Hongzhi Restoration'—a 'golden age' in which a group of civil officials could take whatever they wanted, land annexation reached its peak, and the national treasury grew increasingly empty!"

The camera suddenly zoomed out.

The entire Forbidden City was shrouded in a thick shadow.

Zhu Dijun stood up and bowed deeply to the camera and to everyone in the myriad worlds.

"Family members, the story of the Chenghua reign is now finished."

"Zhu Jianshen, this emperor who has been vilified for five hundred years, used his life to show us how a lonely pioneer struggles in the darkness."

"He was not a tyrannical ruler; he was the last cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty in an attempt to plug the breach."

"And after his death, the great ship of the Ming Dynasty finally veered completely off course and slid into the abyss called 'destruction'."

The images on the sky gradually faded away.

What remains is the image of Zhu Jianshen in his youth, gazing into the distance from the city wall with Wang Zhi.

The setting sun, as red as blood, cast their shadows long and long.

The Chenghua Era.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Jianshen slowly stood up.

He looked at Wan Zhen'er, who was still alive and well beside him, and at Wang Zhi, who was kneeling on one knee.

His eyes no longer held weakness and escapism, but a murderous aura he had never seen before, one that was capable of destroying the world.

"Since my fate is already sealed."

"Since all the officials in the court want my life."

Zhu Jianshen drew the precious sword hanging on the wall; its blade gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

"Then I will send you on your way!"

"Wang Zhi!"

"Your subject is here!"

"Summon all the officers of the Western Depot and surround the Grand Secretariat, the Zhou family residence, and every single residence in the capital with the surname 'Wen'!"

"Before this celestial curtain disappears, I will let the blood of the Ming Dynasty wash away the ashes of the Qianqing Palace! Even if I die, I will send them to meet the King of Hell! What talk of chaos in the world? Let's see who's afraid of chaos!"

"yes!"