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

The atmosphere in the live stream room was extremely tense.

Judy Jun's face, which usually carried a hint of mockery, was now so gloomy it looked as if it could drip water.

He didn't rush to speak.

Instead, it's their fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard.

A top-secret document, long buried in the Ming Dynasty's imperial archives, was projected onto the sky.

The cover of the file prominently displays the words "Northwest Military Affairs in the Third Year of the Hongzhi Reign".

Next to it was a large red seal of the Ministry of War.

"Family members."

"Many people just called Zhu Youcheng a coward and a piece of trash."

"He's being criticized for not being able to protect even his own uncle, and for not even having the courage to start a group."

"Actually, that's not entirely true."

Judy Jun's voice was low and deep, carrying a calm before the storm.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone an emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

"After being suppressed by the civil service for three whole years."

"Zhu Youcheng actually made one attempt to turn the tide."

"He tried to pick up the sword that the Ming Dynasty had discarded and to regain control of the army."

"But what was the outcome of this attempt?"

"It's a hundred times worse than his uncle being sentenced to death!"

"It was this incident that completely broke Zhu Youcheng's backbone, making him willingly become a puppet in the hands of civil officials!"

The images flow.

The timeline goes back to the third year of the Hongzhi reign.

On the map, a raging fire was burning on the northwestern border of the Ming Dynasty.

The Mongol prince Huoshai led tens of thousands of cavalry, moving through the land as if it were empty.

They breached the defenses of Guyuan and Ningxia.

They committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities.

Urgent dispatches from the border arrived in the Forbidden City like snowflakes.

"What was Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War, doing at this time?"

"He wept bitterly in the court, saying that this was a warning from Heaven, because the emperor's virtue was lacking, which had brought about foreign troubles."

"He suggested that the emperor reflect on his actions and issue an edict of self-reproach."

"But notably, no mention is made of deploying troops to meet the enemy!"

A certain parallel spacetime.

Zhu Jianshen looked at the sky and sneered repeatedly.

"Self-reflection? An edict of self-reproach?"

"The Tartars have their knives to our throats, and you're still spouting nonsense!"

"What practical things can these civil officials do besides talk?"

On the sky.

Zhu Youcheng finally couldn't sit still any longer.

The young emperor paced back and forth in the Qianqing Palace, looking at the blood-stained battle reports, and for the first time, anger flared in his eyes.

He thought of his father, Zhu Jianshen.

It reminded me of the glorious years during the Chenghua era, when the Ming army chased and fought the Mongols.

"I cannot just wait here!"

"I will fight back!"

Zhu Youcheng avoided the cabinet and the Ministry of War.

He secretly summoned someone late at night.

A military general who was sidelined by the civil service and retired to the capital.

Zhou Xi, a subordinate of Wang Zhi, the former director of the Western Depot during the Chenghua reign!

When this name appeared on the sky.

Zhu Jianshen of the Chenghua era suddenly stood up.

"Zhou Xi?"

"That's one of my mighty generals!"

"Back then, I followed Wang Zhi in sweeping through Liaodong, striking fear into the hearts of the Jurchens!"

"After I died, I thought he had been purged, but I didn't expect him to still be alive?"

In the celestial display.

Zhou Xi, who was over forty years old, knelt before Zhu Youcheng, wearing old armor.

His temples were gray, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's.

"His Majesty!"

"Give me 30,000 elite troops, and I will surely drive Huoshai out of the Great Wall!"

Zhu Youcheng held Zhou Xi's hand, tears streaming down his face.

"My dear minister, I entrust the fate of the Northwest entirely to you!"

It's a big gamble.

Zhu Youcheng bypassed the Ministry of War and directly issued an imperial edict appointing Zhou Xi as the military commander to lead the army on an expedition.

He wanted to silence the civil officials with a resounding victory.

To reclaim the military power that belongs to the emperor.

"Family members, doesn't this feel inspiring?"

"Don't you think Chu Yu-cheng finally stood up for himself?"

Zhu Dijun gave a cold laugh, shattering everyone's illusions.

"You've seriously underestimated the limits of the civil service."

"When Ma Wensheng learned that Zhou Xi was going to war, he did not stop him."

"Because he knew that when a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders."

"But the grain supplies are controlled by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue!"

The scene changes.

The northwestern battlefield was bitterly cold.

Zhou Xi's army struggled to advance through the wind and snow.

The soldiers' cotton-padded clothes were thin, and many of them lost their toes due to frostbite.

Even worse, the supplies were taking forever to arrive.

The civil officials in the rear, citing "an empty treasury and difficulty in allocating funds," abruptly cut off supplies to the front lines.

"This is driving Zhou Xi to his death!"

"This is a scheme to use the Mongols as a weapon to kill the emperor's general!"

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he trembled all over and kicked over the imperial desk in front of him.

"brute!"

"Our Ming soldiers are fighting desperately at the front, and they're stabbing us in the back!"

"This is no civil official, this is clearly a traitor!"

"Kill! Kill them all! Skin these corrupt officials in charge of grain supplies alive!"

however.

Even in such a desperate situation.

Zhou Xi still displayed the demeanor of a famous general of the Chenghua era.

He ordered the horses to be killed for food.

He led this starving and freezing army in a suicidal charge.

The classic "ploughing the court" tactic from the Chenghua era was once again being played out in the Northwest.

The Mongols were stunned by the attack.

They never expected this Ming army to be so reckless.

Huo Si fled in disarray, abandoning his armor and weapons.

Zhou Xi wins big!

When the good news reached the capital, Zhu Youcheng wept with joy.

He thought he had won.

He thought he finally had the confidence to challenge the civil service.

"but."

Zhu Dijun's voice turned icy cold.

"Zhou Xi's victory has completely touched the sore spot of the civil service group."

"A military general who obeys the emperor actually won?"

"How will the Ministry of War control the army after that?"

"Will the emperor still listen to them after that?"

"Therefore, Zhou Xi must die!"

On the celestial screen, a series of shocking memorials appeared.

Just before Zhou Xi was about to return to the capital in triumph.

The censors from the Censorate pounced on them like mad dogs.

"Impose impeach Zhou Xi for his aggressive military campaigns and provocations on the border!"

"Impose impeachment against Zhou Xi for killing innocent people and falsely reporting battle achievements!"

"Impose an impeachment order on Zhou Xi for allowing his troops to plunder and harm the people!"

Some even wrote to the emperor, saying that Zhou Xi was a powerful military commander with rebellious intentions!

Zhu Youcheng panicked once again when he saw the table full of impeachment memorials.

He wanted to protect Zhou Xi.

But he dared not offend the public.

Just as he was hesitating.

An even more alarming piece of news followed.

The fourth year of the Hongzhi reign.

Zhou Xi, who had just achieved an unparalleled feat and was as strong as an ox.

On the way back to Beijing, he suddenly "died from a sudden illness"!

He died at the young age of forty-seven!

boom!

When those four words landed, all realms and time fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately following was an overwhelming rage.

In the modern live streaming room, the barrage of comments exploded instantly.

"Holy shit! This is murder! Blatant murder!"

"Forty-seven years old? Died of illness right after winning a battle? You're kidding me!"

"Just like Yue Fei! A fabricated charge! This is the Fengbo Pavilion of the Ming Dynasty!"

"The civil service is too corrupt! They'll even kill national heroes for power!"

Zhu Dijun stared at the screen, a cruel smile curving his lips.

"Family members."

"The history books only wrote four words: died suddenly from an illness."

"But when I checked the records of the Imperial Medical Academy at that time, I discovered an astonishing coincidence."

"Zhou Xi's symptoms before his death."

"His entire body turned black, he bled from all seven orifices, and he was in excruciating abdominal pain."

"These symptoms are exactly the same as those experienced by Consort Wan Zhen'er when she died suddenly during the Chenghua reign!"

A certain parallel spacetime.

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Jianshen's mind went blank.

Wan Zhen'er!

The woman he loves most!

According to Zhu Dijun, a descendant of Tianmu, Wang Zhi died first, then Wan Zhen'er, and finally himself. He was killed by the imperial physician Liu Wentai, his own mother Zhou, and the nominal empress Wang.

it is good!it is good!it is good!

Without eliminating the harem, he would never have a peaceful life.