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

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

Water splashed onto the keyboard.

"Family members, in the same situation, let's compare it with another emperor."

"The Great War God of the Ming Dynasty, the Gatekeeper Emperor, Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again here."

Upon hearing this name...

Zhu Qizhen of the Tian Shun era immediately sat up straight.

He straightened his dragon robe, a smug look on his face.

It's my turn to make an appearance once again.

Later generations have already evaluated him, but Zhu Qizhen didn't mind being recognized by posterity.

"During the Zhengtong era, the Three Yangs served as regents."

"Yang Shiqi held immense power in the court, while his son Yang Ji committed all sorts of evil deeds, including murder and robbery, in his hometown."

How did Zhu Qizhen handle the situation after he found out?

"He did not show leniency to Yang Shiqi just because he was a veteran of four dynasties."

"He immediately issued an order to investigate thoroughly!"

"In the end, Yang Ji was sentenced to death, and Yang Shiqi was also disgraced because of this incident and died in despair."

"Zhu Qizhen used the case of Yang Shiqi's son to overthrow the powerful minister Yang Shiqi in one fell swoop and regain imperial power!"

Zhu Dijun stared directly into the camera, as if piercing through the barrier of time and space, fixating intently on Zhu Youcheng.

"And look at this Hongzhi Emperor, Zhu Youcheng, who's been praised to the skies!"

"His own uncle filed a complaint with the emperor, and the three judicial departments sentenced him to death."

"He didn't even dare to utter a sound!"

"They were forced to retract their order by the civil service!"

"Even Zhu Qizhen, during the same period when he was a puppet ruler, knew how to use others' strength against him and maintain the dignity of imperial power and the law."

"Zhu Youcheng is a complete and utter waste!"

The universe follows the natural order.

Zhu Qizhen nodded in satisfaction, then said disdainfully:

"This Zhu Youcheng has utterly disgraced the Zhu family!"

Zhu Qizhen drew his sword from his waist and slashed it at the pillar.

"If that good-for-nothing grandson stood in front of me, I would beat him to death!"

"Keeping such spineless cowards is an insult to my imperial family's genealogy!"

The Chenghua Era.

Zhu Jianshen had already collapsed to the ground.

His eyes were bloodshot.

He devoted his entire life to suppressing the civil service.

He thought that even if his eldest son, whom he disliked, couldn't be half as good as him, he wouldn't be so incompetent. But he never expected that his son, Zhu Youcheng, wouldn't even dare to kill a murderous second-generation official.

He didn't even dare to help his own uncle when he was wronged.

"waste……"

"How could I have given birth to such a useless son!"

Zhu Jianshen suddenly burst into wild laughter.

The laughter was so chilling it sent shivers down your spine.

He suddenly stood up, drew his long sword, and strode out of the Qianqing Palace.

"Wang Zhi!"

"Your subject is here!"

Wang Zhi, accompanied by elite guards from the Western Depot, knelt outside the hall, exuding a murderous aura.

"Issue my decree."

"Ma Wensheng, Wang Shu, Liu Daxia."

"And all the civil officials who spoke up for them in court today."

"The entire family will be executed!"

"Leave no one alive!"

Zhu Jianshen's eyes were bloodshot.

"Since my son is a good-for-nothing."

"Then before I die, I will slaughter all these treacherous officials!"

"I will make the capital of the Ming Dynasty flow with rivers of blood!"

The imperial guards of the Western Depot readily accepted the order.

The sound of the Embroidered Spring Blade being drawn echoed throughout the entire Forbidden City.

Hongzhi Era.

Zhu Youcheng has completely broken down.

He huddled in the corner of the dragon throne, his hands covering his head, his body trembling like a leaf.

The civil officials below also panicked.

They saw on the sky, through the power of the sky, a scene of Zhu Jianshen going berserk and drawing his sword in a parallel Chenghua timeline, which was specially selected.

They knew that their colleagues in a parallel universe during the Chenghua Dynasty, and even themselves, were doomed.

And they themselves, whether in the present, the past, or the future, are utterly nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

Ma Wensheng lay sprawled on the ground, a yellowish stain seeping from his crotch.

He knew that his reputation was completely ruined.

From this day forward, Ma Wensheng will be the greatest traitor and the most shameless beast of the Ming Dynasty.

He will be infamous for eternity.

Modern live streaming room.

The barrage of criticism in the comments section grew louder and louder.

"Chu Yu-cheng is truly hopeless!"

"Even his own uncle couldn't protect a commoner; this emperor is more pathetic than a puppet!"

"It's unbelievable that a scumbag like Ma Wensheng could die a peaceful death! Heaven has no eyes!"

"Jun-ge has completely torn away the fig leaf of the civil service group!"

As Zhu Dijun looked at the screen filled with anger, his tone turned extremely cold.

"Family members, this is the Hongzhi Restoration in your eyes."

"This is the benevolent ruler you all admire."

"A dynasty that couldn't even uphold the law, a dynasty where even murderers could go unpunished."

"Whom did it actually revive?"

"The answer is already obvious."

"It only revived those civil officials who were sucking the blood of the Ming Empire!"

The light in the sky gradually faded.

Only that folk song remains, transformed into blood-red characters, imprinted on the retinas of every Ming Dynasty citizen.

A jinx in the sky.

Tatar soldiers on the ground.

If you want to go between these two places...

Ma Wensheng must be killed!

Zhu Dijun sat in front of the computer.

The red text on the screen gradually faded away.

He picked up his water glass to moisten his throat and adjusted the angle of the microphone.

"Family members, when we get to this point, I'm sure some of you will try to clear Zhu Youcheng's name."

"They would say that the civil service was very powerful at the time, and that people like Ma Wensheng and Wang Shu were all in control."

"Zhu Youcheng had just ascended the throne, and his power base was unstable. For the sake of the country, he had no choice but to compromise."

"That's utter nonsense!"

Zhu Dijun's voice boomed in the live broadcast room.

"I'm putting my words here today."

"During the Hongzhi era, Ma Wensheng and his group were definitely not a monolithic entity!"

"There are indeed civil officials in the imperial court who are loyal to the emperor."

"The local areas have no shortage of loyal and devoted military generals!"

"How could the foundation of royalist factions built up over a century since the founding of the Ming Dynasty be completely wiped out in just a few years?"

"Don't forget his grandfather, the God of War Zhu Qizhen, and his father, Zhu Jianshen, both relentlessly suppressed the unruly and greedy civil official group in their efforts to restore imperial power!"

"Both sides have had their wins and losses, but many people have benefited from siding with the royal family, such as the Kōbō Group and the Tōbō-gō, etc."

"They were suppressed and exiled, all waiting for an opportunity—waiting for Zhu Youcheng to lead the group—but what was the result..."

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang had a cold face.

He stared at the sky, his hand crushing the teacup into pieces.

Tea mixed with porcelain shards pierced his palm, but he didn't even glance at it.

"We know what our Zhu family has left us."

"If the emperor dares to draw his sword, there will be plenty of people in the world willing to charge into battle alongside him!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was chillingly cold.

"What is Zhu Youcheng afraid of? He doesn't learn from his grandfather Zhu Qizhen, nor from his father Zhu Jianshen. He truly is a good puppet chosen by the civil officials."

Zhu Dijun opened a map showing the distribution of power in the imperial court.

The mouse circled several key locations in red.

"Everyone, look carefully."

"At that time, there were many officials in the court who disapproved of Ma Wensheng's factionalism and corruption."

"Those founding nobles who were sidelined, and those upright officials who were suppressed, were all watching in secret."

"As long as Emperor Zhu Youcheng dares to stand up."

"As long as he dares to publicly express his opinion in court."

"This power can instantly coalesce into an invincible sword!"

"In modern gaming terms, this is called 'initiating a raid'!"

"The emperor is the tank who initiates the attack. As long as you dare to charge in and withstand the first wave of damage, the subsequent damage output will absolutely turn the civil official group into sieves!"

"What can be done?"

Zhu Dijun sneered repeatedly.

"Zhu Youcheng is a complete and utter waste!"

"He wouldn't dare start a group purchase!"

Zhu Dijun slammed his hand on the table.

The vibrations made the microphone buzz.

"He encountered a better opportunity than Zhu Qizhen!"

"His own uncle, who was also Zhu Jianshen's younger brother, was framed by local officials and appealed all the way to the capital."

"During the joint trial by the three judicial departments, those civil officials, in order to establish their authority, actually sentenced this prince to death!"

"Family members, this is the Emperor's own uncle!"

"This isn't just a slap in the face to the princes, it's a slap in the face to Zhu Youcheng!"

"This is a slap in the face to the Ming Dynasty's imperial family!"

"At that time, all the royalists in the court were watching Zhu Youcheng."

"As long as he says 'there are doubts about this case,' as long as he shows even the slightest attitude of upholding the dignity of the royal family."

"The royalists will rush forward immediately and tear those presiding judges to shreds!"

"And the result?"

Zhu Dijun's eyes were full of disdain.

"Zhu Youcheng didn't dare utter a single word!"

"He watched helplessly as his own uncle was sentenced to prison."

"He did this to curry favor with the civil officials and for the empty title of 'a benevolent ruler for all ages'."

"He backed down!"

The Yongle Era of the Ming Dynasty.

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

"coward!"

"He has utterly disgraced the Ming Dynasty's royal family!"

"When a prince breaks the law, the Imperial Clan Court will handle the matter."

"Since when has it become the turn of the civil officials of the Three Judicial Offices to decide life and death!"

"This is a test!"

"This is the civil officials testing the limits of imperial power!"

"By withdrawing, Zhu Youcheng was essentially handing over the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty to those treacherous officials!"

In a modern live streaming room.

The comments section was flooded with messages.

"This is so damn frustrating! Reading this part of history is enough to make you want to vomit blood!"

"He started off just like Zhu Qizhen, but he couldn't even copy the homework properly. Zhu Youcheng really thinks he's a mascot for civil officials!"

"If even his own uncle doesn't care, what's the point of being an emperor?"

"The royalists are probably completely disheartened. Following a leader like this will only lead to their downfall sooner or later."

"Is this what they call a benevolent ruler? Kind to civil officials, cruel to his own people!"

"They don't even dare to start a group buy; they deserve to be sidelined for life!"

"No wonder Brother Jun said to tell some unofficial history; if he didn't, his blood pressure would skyrocket and he'd be furious!"

Hongzhi Era.

The Qianqing Palace was filled with a deathly atmosphere.

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

He looked at the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet kneeling below.

Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian.

These three ministers, whom he usually relied on most, did not even dare to raise their heads at this moment.

Zhu Youcheng's lips trembled violently.

He recalled the scene when his uncle was sentenced.

He was genuinely terrified.

The entire court was pressuring him, using ancestral laws to suppress him.

He thought that as long as he took a step back, he could achieve harmony between the ruler and his ministers, and bring peace to the world.

But the sky mercilessly tore away his fig leaf.

He was not a benevolent ruler.

He's just a coward who can't even protect his own family.