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

"Family members, it wasn't just Zhou Xi who was murdered. Besides the officials we mentioned before who were appointed by Emperor Xianzong, some died and others were dismissed. Even the appointment of officials in the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not actually controlled by Emperor Xiaozong."

Zhu Dijun's voice echoed in the live broadcast room, carrying a chilling calmness.

A diagram of the official system during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty appeared on the screen.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard, which should have been independent of the outer court and directly responsible to the emperor, was now tightly bound to the Ministry of War and the Cabinet by a thick black thread.

"They were all suppressed by Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War who was known as a 'gentleman,' and replaced by people from the civil service."

"The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was no longer the emperor's confidant, but rather 'one of their own' recommended by civil officials."

"Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard's arrests and interrogations required the approval of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate."

"Family members, what's this called?"

"This is like the mouse becoming the cat's housekeeper; who the cat catches depends on the mouse's mood!"

boom!

These words struck like a thunderbolt, directly hitting the crown jewels of the Ming Dynasty's ancestors.

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stood up, his movement so forceful that it overturned the dragon throne behind him.

"You bastard!"

"Utterly despicable!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently, as if a fire was burning inside him.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is my eyes and ears! It's the sword hanging over the heads of corrupt officials!"

"I established the Embroidered Uniform Guard precisely to monitor those civil officials who spout benevolence and righteousness while harboring wicked and immoral intentions!"

"That unworthy descendant Zhu Youcheng actually handed my sword into the hands of those corrupt officials?"

"This is blinding himself! This is cutting off his own limbs!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he paced back and forth in the palace, smashing the jade belt in his hand to the ground, breaking it into several pieces.

"Ma Wensheng...what a true gentleman!"

"If I were alive, I would skin him alive, stuff his skin with straw, and hang him at the Meridian Gate for public display for three hundred years!"

"But it doesn't matter. If we can't kill your descendants, can't we at least kill your ancestors? Just you wait!"

Yongle Time and Space.

With a "hum," Zhu Di's sword was drawn from its sheath, exuding a chilling aura.

"waste!"

"They're utterly useless!"

Zhu Di pointed at Zhu Youcheng on the sky and began to curse.

"Without the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how will you check and balance the officials?"

"Without the imperial guards, you're practically blind!"

"You can only listen to whatever those civil officials in the court say, because you have absolutely no way to verify the truth!"

"No wonder you didn't know Zhou Xi was murdered, no wonder you didn't know the border battle reports were falsified!"

"Your eyes are blindfolded, your ears are plugged; you're like meat on a chopping board, at the mercy of others!"

Xuande Time and Space.

Zhu Zhanji helplessly covered his forehead.

Although he also heavily relied on civil officials, he was aware of the importance of the secret police and maintained a balance.

Unexpectedly, future generations were so foolish that they completely disrupted the balance and tilted the tide to one side.

The orthodox timeline.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the sky and felt a sense of superiority.

"Tsk tsk tsk, although I went to study in the desert, I was still decisive and ruthless after I returned to the country, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard still obeyed me."

"This Zhu Youcheng is even worse than me!"

The Chenghua Era.

Zhu Jianshen was so angry that he couldn't speak.

He heavily relied on Wang Zhi and established the Western Depot in order to counter the suppression by the civil official group.

As a result, his son not only abolished the Western Depot, but also sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard away.

"The traitor..."

"Are you trying to hand over my empire to those pedantic scholars?"

On the sky.

As Zhu Dijun watched the Emperor of All Realms' fury in the live chat, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Family members, don't be angry right away."

"They controlled the outer court, the army, and the intelligence agencies."

"The network of the civil service is more intricate than you can imagine."

"They not only want to control Zhu Youcheng's court, but also his—bed!"

"Of course, aside from the civil service group seizing power, the interference of the harem in politics was also indispensable."

Zhu Dijun tapped his fingers lightly on the keyboard.

A portrait of a graceful and elegant woman appeared in the center of the sky.

She was Empress Zhang, the only wife of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, Zhu Youcheng.

"First, let's talk about Empress Zhang, the wife of Emperor Xiaozong."

"Historical records say that she was virtuous and kind, and that she and the emperor were deeply in love."

"But let's look at her background."

Zhu Dijun pulled up a family tree and heavily circled several names with a red laser pointer.

"Her father was Zhang Luan of the Imperial Academy."

"Her uncle, Zhang Qi, was the former Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Zhejiang, Censor-in-Chief, and concurrently Governor of Liaodong!"

"Family members, do you understand now?"

"This isn't some Cinderella-and-prince fairy tale at all!"

"This is clearly a typical example of someone from a bureaucratic family!"

"The civil service group chose her to use Zhang to control Emperor Xiaozong of Ming!"

"This is a complete political marriage!"

Zhu Dijun's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Zhang entered the palace not to produce offspring for the royal family, but to represent the civil service and monitor the emperor's every move!"

"She helped control Emperor Xiaozong, and naturally, she also received enormous benefits."

"When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!"

Her father, Zhang Luan, was granted the title of Duke of Changguo!

Her younger brother, Zhang Heling, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Shouning!

"His other younger brother, Zhang Yanling, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Jianchang!"

Two portraits of men with grotesque faces and greedy eyes appeared beside Empress Zhang.

It was during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty that the infamous "Zhang brothers" came to be.

"These two brothers are notorious in the capital; they forcibly abduct women, seize land, and even dare to assault government officials!"

"But no matter how serious their crimes, as long as Empress Zhang whispered in his ear, Zhu Youcheng wouldn't dare utter a single word!"

"Even the civil service group turns a blind eye to these two brothers."

Why?

"Because they share a common interest!"

"The Zhang family is the biggest spy planted by the civil service group right beside the emperor!"

Hongzhi Era.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youcheng stared blankly at the sky.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of the harem.

The woman he loved deeply his whole life, the woman he thought was the only one in the world who understood him.

So... it was all a scheme after all?

"No...no way..."

Zhu Youcheng's lips trembled, "The Empress loves me...she loves me..."

However, the official titles and ranks displayed on the sky were like slaps to his face.

If it weren't for the tacit approval of the civil service, how could the Zhang family have risen so quickly?

If they weren't colluding with each other, how could those censors who usually couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing have allowed the Zhang brothers to act so recklessly?

It turns out that the love he was so proud of was nothing more than a move on someone else's chessboard.