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

The light and shadow on the sky flickered slightly, casting an unpredictable expression on the faces of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Dijun sat in front of the camera with his hands crossed on the table.

His gaze pierced through the screen, striking directly at those scheming dogs hiding in the dark corners of history.

"Family members, the civil and military officials selected by the civil service are merely the first step in their power grab."

"In order to prevent the new emperor Zhu Youcheng from becoming too powerful and developing rebellious thoughts, they must carry out a more thorough purge."

"They want to strip the emperor of the last vestige of resistance."

"The first to suffer were the officials personally promoted by Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen during his lifetime."

Portraits of officials flashed rapidly across the sky, eventually turning into a blinding blood red.

"From the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers to local officials, all those left behind by the late emperor were to be purged."

"Those who were dismissed from office were dismissed, and those who were demoted were demoted."

"As for those die-hards who refuse to bow down and swear to be loyal to the imperial power to the death..."

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly turned cold, revealing a chilling and murderous aura.

"Their fate was exactly the same as that of Wang Zhi, the former director of the Western Depot."

"History records only contain two cold words—'missing'."

boom!

These two words crashed into the myriad realms of time and space, stirring up a colossal wave.

The Chenghua Era.

Zhu Jianshen gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, his fingernails snapping off, and blood dripped down the golden nanmu wood.

Missing?

How could a living, breathing official of the imperial court, a close advisor to the emperor, disappear without a trace in the capital?

This is clearly a clandestine and ruthless attack by the civil service to eliminate any potential threats!

"What ruthless methods!"

Zhu Jianshen gritted his teeth, letting out a beast-like growl.

"My subjects, my inner circle, were slaughtered like chickens!"

On the screen above, Zhu Dijun's commentary continued, growing increasingly brutal.

"Not content with purging the court, the civil officials finally extended their reach to the lifeblood of the Ming Empire—the army!"

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun; these intellectuals understand this principle better than anyone else."

"In the first year of the Hongzhi reign, Yuan Lu, the Marquis of Guangping, who was in charge of the five most elite military camps of the Ming Dynasty, mysteriously disappeared one night."

"Just one month later, Li Jin, the Marquis of Rangcheng who was in charge of the capital garrison, also vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead."

Images of two heavily armored generals appeared on the screen, then were marked with a heavy black cross.

The Hongwu Era.

The air pressure inside the Fengtian Hall was extremely low.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared intently at the sky, without uttering a word.

Standing beneath the throne, Duke Lan Yu of Liang was already seething with rage.

He took a sudden step forward, his armor clanging loudly.

"His Majesty!"

Lan Yu's voice was hoarse, filled with endless frustration and rage.

"The Marquis of Guangping and the Marquis of Rangcheng were both descendants of founding nobles who fought their way up from the bottom alongside Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu!"

"They didn't die under the Tartars' swords, nor on the battlefield."

"He actually died because of his own people's schemes!"

"How dare these pedantic scholars insult us military generals like this!"

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and other founding veterans all clenched their fists, their eyes brimming with murderous intent.

The country they fought so hard to build, the military power they risked their lives for, were later treated like fish on a chopping board by a group of civil officials who couldn't even hold a knife properly!

On the screen above, Zhu Dijun's revelations continued to escalate.

"With the capital's army under control, how could the civil service group possibly let go of the local generals who hold significant military power?"

"General Lu Jian, who is stationed in Yansui, and Deputy General Jiang Shan, who is stationed in Xuanfu."

"These two fierce generals, who had guarded the border for many years and were feared by the Mongols, were impeached repeatedly by Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War, on trumped-up charges."

"He was eventually forced to relinquish his military power and left the army in disgrace."

"Even worse off was Wang Xi, the general who was stationed in Gansu."

"On the eve of receiving the imperial decree to return to the capital to report on his duties, this veteran general suddenly died in his military tent!"

"Even the coroner didn't dare to examine the body, and the burial was done hastily."

"By the fourth year of the Hongzhi reign, Liu Jing, the Marquis of Anyuan who was stationed in Guangdong and Guangxi, was attacked by a group of censors, stripped of his title, and imprisoned for questioning!"

In the modern live streaming room, the chat is completely ignited with anger.

"This is treason! This is absolutely treason!"

"Civil officials command the army, military generals have disappeared—is there any hope for the Ming Dynasty?"

"If we kill off all the capable fighters, what will we do when foreign enemies invade? Are we supposed to rely on these civil officials reciting the Analects on the city walls to repel them?"

"Even Zhao Gou would have to admit he was an expert. Twelve gold tablets were nothing compared to this; he could just physically vaporize you!"

"Zhu Youcheng is truly a useless piece of trash! His own general was killed, and he didn't dare utter a single word!"

Hongzhi Era.

The Qianqing Palace was deathly silent.

Zhu Youcheng slumped on the dragon throne, his face ashen.

He looked at the three Grand Secretaries kneeling below, and at those ministers who usually spoke of benevolence and morality.

He suddenly felt that these people were even more terrifying than the most vicious Tatars.

"I...I don't know..."

Zhu Youcheng's voice trembled.

"They told me that Yuan Lu fled to avoid punishment, and that Wang Xi suddenly fell seriously ill..."

"They said it was all for the sake of improving military discipline..."

Nobody cared about his explanation.

Across countless worlds and timelines, countless disdainful eyes are fixed on this emperor, who is known as the "benevolent ruler of all ages."

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di kicked over the imperial desk in front of him.

The memorials were scattered all over the ground.

"idiot!"

Zhu Di pointed at the sky and cursed loudly.

"Military generals are the emperor's henchmen! They are the emperor's protectors!"

"You've pulled out all your henchmen and sent them to those civil officials as a pledge of loyalty!"

"You're not a benevolent ruler, you're a ruler who will bring about the downfall of his kingdom!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun pounded heavily on the keyboard.

A shocking map of the Ming Dynasty's military strength distribution has been revealed.

The red line, which originally belonged to the emperor's direct control, was torn to pieces by the black line representing the civil service group.

"Family members, look carefully."

"The new cabinet not only controlled the Beijing army, but also took full command and personnel control over the local armies."

"From then on, during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, the meritorious officials and military generals of the Ming Dynasty were completely sidelined."

"They became appendages of the civil officials, their watchdogs."

"The civil officials tell them who to attack, and they have to attack that person."

"If the civil officials want them dead, they don't even have the right to struggle!"

Zhu Dijun picked up his water glass, but instead of drinking it, he slammed it heavily onto the table.

Water splashed everywhere.

"The cabinet simultaneously controlled both the government and the military, truly achieving absolute control."

"But what will be the price?"

Zhu Dijun's gaze became incredibly sharp, as if trying to pierce through the historical filter that whitewashed the truth.

"The price was that during Emperor Xiaozong's reign, the Ming Dynasty experienced a comprehensive decline in its military, political, and economic strength!"

"Political corruption and economic collapse were ruthlessly whitewashed in history books by the civil service group using their pens."

"They wrote 'Hongzhi Restoration' and 'A Court Full of Righteous Officials'."

"Laymen who read history books really think it was a peaceful and prosperous era."

Zhu Dijun sneered, his tone full of mockery.

"but!"

"Military decline cannot be hidden!"

"In our modern times, there is a profound saying that I would like to share with all our ancestors, and also with those officials who think they can deceive the heavens!"

On the sky, a line of blood-red characters suddenly appeared, accompanied by a deafening sound of metal clashing against metal.

Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines won't!

These ten words, like ten sharp knives, pierced deeply into everyone's hearts.

At this moment, all realms and timelines fell completely silent.