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

As the sky gradually darkened, the figure of the young man from later generations, named "Judy Jun," disappeared into the end of the light and shadow.

However, the tremors in all realms and timelines have only just begun.

Inside the modern live-streaming room, although the screen was black, the frantically jumping bullet comments were like a never-ending downpour.

"After watching this, I immediately threw the History of Ming Dynasty into the trash can."

"This kind of emasculated, distorted, and whitewashed garbage by the civil service is better left unwatched!"

"Zhu Jianshen and Wang Zhi, this is the true spirit of the Ming Dynasty, yet they have been vilified like coal."

"Brothers, let's storm those expert comment sections that are still praising 'Liu Daxia as a wise minister'!"

Countless viewers were still savoring the memory of Zhu Jianshen's final, decisive sword strike in the darkness, as if they themselves were in the Forbidden City shrouded in conspiracy, wielding their swords to sever those corrupt tentacles.

Meanwhile, in different dimensions of history, those men standing at the pinnacle of power were plunged into unprecedented panic and contemplation.

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat listlessly in the main hall, his imperial brush already broken in two.

He looked at the empty hall, his mind filled with Zhu Jianshen's last words: "Even if I die, I will entrust them to meet the King of Hell."

"Girl, we were wrong."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice carried a hint of dejection.

"We thought that by killing all the corrupt officials and eliminating all the powerful and wealthy, we would leave behind a clean and peaceful world for the fourth brother and his ilk."

"But we've forgotten that the roots of these scholars aren't in the imperial court, but in the local areas, in their deeply entrenched family ties!"

He suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"Issue the order: investigate!"

"Investigate the marriage alliances between officials in the capital and powerful local families; investigate the nepotistic relationships among those from the same hometown, those who graduated in the same year, and those from the same school!"

"If collusion is discovered, there's no need to wait for evidence; prosecute them directly for treason!"

However, Zhu Biao, who was sitting to the side, sighed softly, his eyes filled with bitterness.

"Father, you can't kill them all."

"They have intermarried for over a thousand years, with daughters of one family marrying sons of another, and nephews of one family becoming disciples of another."

"Killing one is like stirring up a hornet's nest for the whole world."

"This is an unsolvable dilemma."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. For the first time, this founding emperor felt a sense of powerlessness.

Marriage alliances, the most stable form of alliance of interests since ancient times, are like an invisible spider web, tightly strangling the neck of imperial power.

The Great Han Dynasty.

Liu Che paced frantically in Weiyang Palace, thinking of his secret love affair and the rise of the Wei family.

He originally thought he had everything under control, but the sky showed him the ending a thousand years later.

"Arranged marriages... powerful families..."

Liu Che stopped and looked at the starry sky outside the palace with a cold smile.

"If I could resolve the issue of the feudal lords with the Edict of Grace, why can't I resolve the issue of these scholar-officials?"

"I will enact a new law that prohibits high-ranking officials from marrying into local powerful families within three generations!"

"Those who disobey will be stripped of their official titles and exiled to the frontier!"

He spoke with absolute certainty, but Sang Hongyang, standing beside him, lowered his head and dared not reply.

Because Sang Hongyang knew very well that such a law was almost a dead end in terms of enforcement.

There are policies from above and countermeasures from below; those civil servants have plenty of ways to circumvent regulations.

The Tang Dynasty Era.

Li Shimin looked at the sky, his palms sweating profusely.

He understands this feeling all too well.

As a powerful ruler who ushered in the prosperous reign of Zhenguan, he spent his entire life engaging in a battle of wits and courage with the five prominent families and seven powerful clans of Shandong.

He wanted to marry his princess to them, but they looked down on his Li family's bloodline and preferred an intermarriage within the family.

"Auxiliary machine, did you see that?"

Li Shimin turned his head and looked at Changsun Wuji.

"Zhu Jianshen was not facing a Xiang Zhong, nor was he facing a Liu Daxia."

"He was facing a entrenched 'shadow government' that was tightly bound together by blood ties and interests."

"Now I finally understand why Emperor Yang of Sui established the imperial examination system and why he wanted to improve it."

"We wanted to leave a way out for those from poor families, but these powerful clans have turned the imperial examination system into a legitimate tool for dividing up their spoils!"

Changsun Wuji remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Your Majesty, we must remember the lessons learned from the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Western Depot... these institutions may have bad reputations, but they are indeed the emperor's only eyes."

"Without them, the emperor is just a blind and deaf man sitting on the dragon throne."

In a short time, emperors of all dynasties began to follow suit, and secret police, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Bad People, and other special agencies authorized by imperial power sprang up like mushrooms after rain in various times and spaces.

They were all trying to use the most extreme violence to fight against the gentlest, yet most deadly, marriage alliance.

But nobody was sure.

Can this net really be torn apart?

----split line----

Zhu Dijun turned off the live streaming equipment and let out a long sigh of relief.

The intense commentary he delivered for several consecutive hours left his voice sounding noticeably tired.

He stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders.

As I stepped out of the live-streaming room, the motion-sensor lights in the corridor turned on one by one.

Li Jiujiang was leaning against the wall by the door, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his eyes so deep they seemed to hold the weight of an entire era.

"Jiujiang? Why haven't you left yet?"

Zhu Dijun was somewhat surprised.

Li Jiujiang straightened up, looked at Zhu Dijun, and a complex smile appeared on his lips.

"Leave? After such a wonderful show, how can I possibly walk?"

He twirled the cigarette between his fingers, his voice low and deep.

"Dijun, I have to say, what you talked about Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Yingzong of Ming in today's live broadcast really shattered my worldview. Even though I am a descendant of Li Jinglong and my family has some information about the history of Ming, none of it is as detailed and eloquent as this."

Zhu Dijun walked to the water dispenser, filled a glass with cold water, and took a big gulp.

"What, you also think I'm trying to exonerate the 'tyrant'?"

Li Jiujiang shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"No, I'm lamenting that we've all been living in a daze for hundreds of years, immersed in something called 'Mongolian-Han medicine'."

Zhu Dijun paused slightly in the hand holding the water glass.

"Mongolian and Chinese medicine?"

"That's right."

A sharpness, unlike anything he had ever shown, flashed in Li Jiujiang's eyes.

"This is the medicine that the Manchu Qing dynasty used to poison our entire nation, in combination with the surrendered Han Chinese officials."

"They destroyed Zheng He's archives, smeared Wang Zhi's achievements, and portrayed Zhu Jianshen, an emperor who attempted to revive the dynasty, as a good-for-nothing who only knew how to live off women, cultivate immortality, refine elixirs, and favor bewitching concubines."

"They not only want to rewrite history, they want to castrate our backbone!"

Li Jiujiang walked to the window and looked at the neon lights of the modern city outside.

"Look at those period dramas nowadays, whenever the Ming Dynasty is mentioned, it's all about eunuchs causing chaos in the government and emperors being bizarre."

"But who told us that the Ming Dynasty's firearms were the most advanced in the world at that time? Who told us that the Han people dared to sweep through Liaodong?"

"This 'Mongolian-Han medicine' is still poisoning us to this day."

"It makes us feel that our ancestors were born weak, born to fight amongst themselves, and born to be ruled by those horse-riding barbarians."

Zhu Dijun remained silent.

Looking at Li Jiujiang, he suddenly felt that this ordinary "security guard" had an indescribable sense of gravitas about him.

"Jiujiang, these words don't sound like something an ordinary security guard would say."

Li Jiujiang turned his head, the sharpness in his eyes instantly disappearing, and he reverted to being that somewhat carefree middle-aged man.

"Hey, I'm just a gatekeeper. When I'm free, I like to browse through old books on the street stalls and do some random thinking."

He chuckled and pointed to Zhu Dijun's live stream.

"However, your final summary today was good; the history of the Ming Dynasty must be read backwards."

"Those who are criticized the most are often the heroes who have touched the interests of certain people."

"Those 'virtuous ministers' who are praised the most are often traitors who sold the country for a good price."

Zhu Dijun nodded and walked to Li Jiujiang's side.

"Yes, sometimes the truth is more absurd than fiction."

"But now that I've got this opportunity, I have to dig out these bones that have been buried in the dust, one by one."

Li Jiujiang patted Zhu Dijun on the shoulder with great force.

"Alright, with you saying that, my job as a security guard is worthwhile."

"However, Dijun, you have to be careful."

Li Jiujiang's tone suddenly shifted, becoming somewhat strange.

"You disturbed those people's ancestral graves, and those modern-day 'Liu Daxias' won't let you off easily."

Zhu Dijun frowned slightly.

"You mean those so-called Ming Dynasty history experts?"

Li Jiujiang sneered, offering no direct answer.

"There will always be people in this world who want us to keep drinking that bowl of 'Mongolian and Han medicine'."

Who are you planning to talk about in your next live stream?

Zhu Dijun remained silent for a moment, and an image of someone indulging in debauchery in the Leopard House, yet personally leading an expedition at a crucial moment, making the Mongol prince question his existence, came to mind.

"Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youcheng, was a useless emperor who was comparable to Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Qiyu."

When Li Jiujiang heard this name, his eyes lit up.

"Good! Yet another emperor who's been praised to the skies by the civil service!"

"Once Emperor Xiaozong's true colors are revealed, I'll be waiting to see how you'll slap those old scholars in the face this time!"

Li Jiujiang waved his hand and turned to walk into the shadows at the end of the corridor.

"Leave the security to us. You focus on the live broadcast. Many experts and scholars investigating the history of the Ming Dynasty have already encountered 'accidents.' You are the one who publicly protects others; we won't let some scoundrels ruin it. Mr. Shang Chuan's so-called 'misdiagnosis' will not happen a second time!"