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

On the sky, Zhu Dijun casually clicked on a list of concubines in the Ming Dynasty's imperial harem.

The entry for Emperor Chenghua, Zhu Jianshen, is densely packed with entries, including his two sons who were killed by the civil official group, as well as his twelve princes.

But when it came to Emperor Hongzhi, Zhu Youcheng, he was all alone, with only Empress Zhang.

"Family members, this is what later generations of literati loved to praise as 'one life, one love, one couple'."

Zhu Dijun had a cold smile on his lips, and his eyes revealed a profound insight that seemed to see through the fog of history.

"Do you really think Zhu Youcheng is a romantic? Do you really think he doesn't want to have children like his father?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Every emperor understands that offspring are the continuation of imperial power, and the more offspring, the more stable the throne."

"In August of the third year of the Hongzhi reign, Han Ding, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Rites, could no longer stand it."

A ghostly image of a memorial appeared on the screen, the handwriting vigorous yet conveying a sense of urgency.

Han Ding submitted a memorial suggesting that Zhu Youcheng take in more concubines to increase the number of male heirs.

"He even invoked the ancestral rules of the Ming Dynasty: the minimum standard for the imperial harem was twelve concubines!"

"And the result? Zhu Youcheng refused."

The sound of Zhu Dijun tapping the table echoed dully across the myriad worlds.

"The historical records say that Zhu Youcheng replied with deep affection: 'I get along very well with Zhang, and I don't need anyone else.'"

"Pah!"

Zhu Dijun suddenly leaned closer to the camera, his tone becoming extremely sharp.

Do you believe that?

"An emperor who is firmly pinned down in bed by the civil service and the Zhang family, his maternal relatives—would he dare say he wanted other women?"

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang's anger, which had subsided somewhat, was reignited.

He stared intently at the solitary name "Empress Zhang" on the sky, his eyes twitching violently.

"A plan to wipe out the family line...this is a plan to wipe out the family line!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Our Ming Dynasty's territory must be protected by our descendants."

"These beasts not only want to seize power, but they also want to sever the lineage of the Zhu family!"

"Zhu Youcheng, you good-for-nothing! You even listen to them on things like this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his palm on the dragon desk, causing the inkstone to tumble.

He recalled how hard he had worked to have children back then.

A large family with many descendants is the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty's long-term stability and prosperity.

But during the Hongzhi reign, a group of civil officials and relatives of the emperor managed to force him to have only one son!

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di snorted coldly, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

"What do you mean 'getting along well'? It's clearly that shrew Zhang who forbids it, it's clearly those pedantic scholars who won't allow it!"

"They're afraid. They're afraid of another Consort Wan, another Wang Zhi, and a prince who won't obey their commands!"

"Zhu Youcheng, you're not an emperor, you're clearly a breeding boar they're raising, and the kind they're not allowed to breed with indiscriminately!"

Zhu Di's assessment was so scathing that it silenced all the officials accompanying him.

On the sky, Zhu Dijun continues to reveal that bloody truth.

"Actually, Zhu Youcheng did make some moves behind the scenes."

"He had some concubines around him, who were palace maids who had not yet been given official titles and were to serve him in bed."

"Zhu Youcheng wanted to give them a legitimate status and to allow them to legally have children for him."

"But what was the result?"

"The cabinet and the harem joined forces to completely block these women's official status!"

"They disappeared into the shadows of the palace without even making a ripple in the history books."

"By September of the third year of the Hongzhi reign, Zhu Youcheng could no longer wait."

"Han Ding submitted his second memorial, and this time, Zhu Youcheng nodded in approval."

"He's figured it out. He needs his son, and he needs help from outside the Zhang family."

"But he underestimated Empress Zhang's ruthlessness, and he also underestimated the insane nature of the civil service!"

The scene suddenly changed.

It was a pitch-black night in the fourth year of the Hongzhi reign.

Suddenly, flames shot into the sky inside the courtyard of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty!

Thick plumes of smoke, swirling with flames, illuminated half the sky in a ghastly white light.

"This fire could have been set at the perfect time."

Zhu Dijun's voice sounded eerily cold against the backdrop of the firelight.

"What does the Ministry of Rites do? It's in charge of royal etiquette and the selection of imperial concubines!"

"Who started the fire? Grand Secretary Ma Wensheng and Grand Secretary Xie Qian, in collusion with Empress Zhang in the inner palace!"

"They cried wolf, and before the fire was even extinguished, the impeachment memorial had already been delivered to Zhu Youcheng's desk."

On the screen, Ma Wensheng's upright and dignified face now appeared ferocious and ghostly in the firelight.

"They impeached Geng Yu, the Minister of Rites, Ni Yue, the Vice Minister of Rites, and Zhou Jing, saying that their mismanagement led to the fire at the Ministry of Rites. This is a warning from Heaven, indicating that the Emperor taking a concubine is an ominous sign!"

"Family members, have you seen this combination of moves clearly?"

"First set fires, then label people, and finally arrest them!"

"Geng Yu, Ni Yue, and Zhou Jing—these three high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Rites who supported the concubine's appointment—have all been imprisoned!"

"Each person was given twenty strokes of the cane and fined for six months before being released."

"From that day forward, no one in the entire Ministry of Rites, or even the entire Ming Dynasty court, dared to utter the words 'taking a concubine' again!"

In the modern live streaming room, the comments section has gone completely crazy.

"Holy crap, this isn't the imperial court, it's a mafia operation!"

"That old bastard Ma Wensheng set fire to the Ministry of Rites, why doesn't he go and burn down his own ancestral graves?"

"Zhu Youcheng is such a coward, really, it makes my blood pressure rise."

"Even taking a concubine can get you flogged and your house burned down. This emperor is worse off than a village chief!"

"The civil service is really good at this 'physical elimination' tactic; whoever mentions selecting a concubine is doomed."

The Chenghua Era.

Zhu Jianshen trembled as he looked at the raging fire at the Ministry of Rites.

That was because he was angry.

"Geng Yu... he was an old minister whom I left to him!"

"Ni Yue and Zhou Jing, they are both loyal and upright men!"

"How could they humiliate us like that, those beasts?"

Zhu Jianshen suddenly looked at Wan Zhen'er beside him.

He was truly grateful that his older girlfriend, Wan Zhen'er, didn't have such malicious intentions.

"Zhen'er, did you see that?"

"In order to control my son, they're even willing to burn down the very foundation of my empire!"

Wan Zhen'er was also pale. Although she was vying for the emperor's favor, she never thought of causing the Ming Dynasty royal family to die out.

This is no longer about vying for favor; this is about plotting against the state!

Hongzhi Era.

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youcheng looked at the raging fire in the sky and at the scene of Geng Yu and the other two being beaten to a bloody pulp.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh.

He remembered that fire.

Ma Wensheng told him at the time that it was due to dereliction of duty by officials of the Ministry of Rites.

Xie Qian told him that it was the ancestors' intervention, preventing him from indulging in lust.

He believed it.

He not only believed it, but also personally issued an edict to punish the three loyal ministers.

"So... it was you guys..."

Zhu Youcheng turned his head and looked at Ma Wensheng and Xie Qian, who were kneeling outside the hall with pale faces.

For the first time, an emotion called "hatred" appeared in his eyes.

That was a hatred powerful enough to start a wildfire.

"Your Majesty, I...I am innocent!"

Ma Wensheng is still wailing, still trying to cover up his crimes with his set of benevolence and morality.

"Your Majesty, you must not believe these celestial pronouncements!"

"Shut up!"

Zhu Youcheng let out a roar like a trapped beast.

He stood up abruptly, swaying slightly from the sudden movement.

"Where are my chosen concubines?"

"Where have my missing concubines gone?!"

No one answered him.

Only Judy Jun's mocking voice continued to echo from the sky.

"Zhu Youcheng asked where the concubine had gone?"

"Family members, I'm telling you."

"Some of them fell into the water for no apparent reason, some were beaten to death for 'theft,' and some simply disappeared in the cold palace."

"And the mastermind behind all of this was Empress Zhang, whom Zhu Youcheng doted on!"

"She not only wants to control Zhu Youcheng's body, but also the future of the Ming Dynasty."

"She wanted to become the second Empress Dowager Zhou and make the Zhang family the most powerful maternal relatives in the Ming Dynasty."

"Even if the price is the decline and decay of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family!"

Zhu Dijun picked up his water glass and looked at the lines of red text scrolling on the screen.

"This is what is known as the Hongzhi Restoration."

"An era in which even the emperor's right to procreate was taken away."

"An era in which even loyal ministers had their houses burned down."

"Family members, do you think there's any hope for the Ming Dynasty?"

The image freezes on the ruins of the Ministry of Rites.

Although the fire had died down, the smell of burnt food seemed to have traveled through time and space, lingering in the nostrils of every Ming Dynasty resident.

That was the ashes of imperial power.

That was the tragedy of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youcheng coughed up another mouthful of blood and slumped onto the dragon throne.

His eyes were fixed on the sky, and he muttered to himself:

"I...I am a sinner..."

"I have failed my father, I have failed my ancestors..."

Meanwhile, in the live stream, Zhu Dijun was already preparing to start the next, even more exciting topic.

"Since we've brought up Empress Zhang and the Zhang family, let's see how this number one maternal relative of the Ming Dynasty treats the national treasury like her own ATM!"

"And how did Zhu Youcheng, the so-called 'benevolent ruler of all time,' personally clean up the mess left by the Zhang brothers after they committed murder and arson!"

Upon hearing Zhu Dijun's words, the blood pressure of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, the God of War Zhu Qizhen, and Zhu Youcheng's good father Zhu Jianshen rose. Could it be that something had happened to upset the Zhu family again?