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

The live stream chat was still flooded with comments, everyone feeling aggrieved by the bizarre fire and the sacrifice of the loyal minister.

But Judy Jun didn't give the audience a chance to catch their breath.

His pointer slammed against the screen, producing a dull, unsettling sound.

"Family members, I know what you're thinking."

"You're thinking, even if those women in the harem are ruthless, all they can do is cry and make a scene. How could they possibly drive Zhu Youcheng, who holds power over the Western Depot and the border troops, to a dead end?"

"How could you force him to sign that edict ordering the murder of his trusted confidant?"

Zhu Dijun sneered, his eyes revealing a chilling insight that seemed to see through everything.

"Because you're all too naive!"

"You think this is just a palace woman throwing a tantrum?"

"wrong!"

"This was a meticulously planned military coup!"

"Because standing behind Empress Zhang and Empress Dowager Zhou were not just a few palace maids and eunuchs, but a massive, powerful group of armed relatives of the empress, large enough to overwhelm imperial power!"

The screen image suddenly changed.

A huge black table, like a spider web, instantly covered the entire sky.

Every name is like an iron nail driven into Zhu Youcheng's coffin!

"Come on, open your eyes wide and look carefully!"

"This is the 'real culprit' who pinned Zhu Youcheng to the dragon throne, rendering him immobile!"

Zhu Dijun pointed to the very top of the table, where three large characters were prominently displayed: "[Zhang Family]".

"One of the key relatives of the empress, the Zhang family!"

"My father, Zhang Luan, although he died, was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Changguo, and his students and former officials were all over the capital."

"But that's not the worst part."

"These two are the most dangerous!"

The red circle tightly encircled the two names.

[Zhang Heling: Marquis of Shouning, Deputy Commander of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard.]

[Zhang Yanling: Marquis of Jianchang, Vice Commander-in-Chief, Grand Protector.]

"Family members, do you understand the official titles?"

"Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Deputy Commander-in-Chief!"

"These two positions mean they command the most elite garrison troops in the capital and have the privilege of direct access to the palace!"

"This isn't the emperor's brother-in-law; he's clearly two swords hanging over the emperor's head!"

Hongzhi Era.

Zhu Youcheng stared at the two familiar names on the sky, his face ashen.

He recalled how Zhang Heling would run rampant in the palace when he was drunk.

He recalled how Zhang Yanling had flirted with palace maids right in front of him, and even dared to wear his crown for amusement.

At that time, he could only force a smile and say, "We're family, so let's not talk like strangers."

That was fear!

That was a deep fear of the military power held by his two brothers-in-law!

On the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice continued to bombard the heavens.

"Besides the Zhang family, who else could it be?"

Look here!

"[The Zhou Family]: Zhou Yu, the Earl of Changning, is the younger brother of the Grand Empress Dowager Zhou!"

"【The Shao Family】: Shao Hui, the younger brother of Empress Dowager Shao!"

"【The Wang Family】: Wang Yuan, the Marquis of Ruian, is the younger brother of Empress Dowager Wang!"

"Even top nobles like Duke Dingguo, Xu Guangzuo, are colluding with them!"

Zhu Dijun suddenly turned around, facing the camera with a ferocious expression.

"Family members, do you understand now?"

"When Empress Dowager Zhou set fire to the Qianqing Palace, this group of relatives of the empress dowager, along with their household guards and assassins, were stationed at various intersections of the imperial city!"

"When the civil service group used fake account books to pressure the emperor, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling's Imperial Guards were outside the palace 'protecting' him!"

"This is a dead end!"

"The women in the harem are responsible for stirring up trouble inside, the powerful relatives and military officers are responsible for containing it from the outside, and the civil officials are responsible for wielding the moral cudgel in the court!"

"These three forces are locked in a fierce struggle, forming an impenetrable iron net!"

"Zhu Youcheng?"

"He's nothing but a tiny insect struggling desperately in a web!"

"Would he dare not sign?"

"Would he dare not kill Li Guang?"

"If he had dared to utter a single word of 'no,' the fire that night wouldn't have burned the beams of the Qianqing Palace, but his own imperial bed!"

boom--!

The Hongwu Era.

Zhu Yuanzhang trembled as he looked at the dense network of relationships.

The system he was so proud of, the nobles and imperial guards he designed to protect the imperial power, had actually become a cage to imprison his descendants!

"We...we've killed corrupt officials and powerful ministers our whole lives."

"Be wary of these relatives of the mother-in-law!"

"But why is it that in later generations, the Embroidered Uniform Guard... the Governor's Office... all became the private armies of the imperial relatives!"

"Zhu Youcheng! You piece of trash! Don't you have Wang Zhi under your command? Kill them! Fight them!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's roar echoed in the Fengtian Hall, but it could not conceal the deep-seated sorrow within him.

He knew it was too late.

Once this net is fully woven, unless one possesses the military prowess of Zhu Di, anyone who comes will be sent to their death.

On the sky, Zhu Dijun displayed an even more ironic scene.

That was a street scene during the Hongzhi era.

Zhang Yanling, accompanied by his servants, forcibly abducted women in the street and beat to death those who resisted.

When the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture passed by, he not only dared not interfere, but also had to get out of his sedan chair and kowtow.

Meanwhile, our "benevolent ruler" Zhu Youcheng was in the palace, smiling obsequiously at Empress Zhang, cleaning up the messes of these beasts.

"Family members, this is the 'Hongzhi Restoration' that is praised in history books."

"These are what are called 'sage rulers' and 'virtuous empresses'."

"An era where relatives of the emperor humiliate us, and we still have to laugh and say 'It smells so good!'"

Was Zhu Youcheng's monogamy truly due to deep affection and loyalty?

A cruel smile curled at the corners of Zhu Dijun's lips.

"No."

"It's because he can't!"

"As I mentioned before, the harem colluded with the cabinet and the maternal relatives to suppress him completely. The reason why Emperor Xiaozong's son and daughter died was because they were not Zhang's daughter and son. It's that simple!"

The atmosphere in the live stream was so oppressive it was suffocating.

That vast network of maternal relatives was like a tombstone, weighing heavily on the hearts of all the Ming emperors.

Zhu Dijun took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

His gaze pierced through the screen, seemingly fixed on Zhu Youcheng, who sat trembling on the dragon throne.

"Family members, history always repeats itself."

"Do you remember the 'Cao Qin Incident' we mentioned when we talked about Emperor Yingzong (Zhu Qizhen)?"

The screen image split in two.

On the left is a scene from the Tianshun era, where Cao Qin led his family troops in a bloody battle in the capital, attempting to help Zhu Qizhen regain military power, and ultimately died tragically in the street.

On the right is a scene from the Hongzhi era, depicting the Qianqing Palace engulfed in flames, Li Guang's body swaying on the roof beams, and Zhu Youcheng trembling as he signs the document forcing the emperor to abdicate.

"At this moment, the souls of Zhu Youcheng, his father Zhu Jianshen, and his grandfather Zhu Qizhen overlapped in time and space."

"The so-called 'Hongzhi Coup' is essentially exactly the same as the 'Cao Qin Coup'!"

"These were all attempts by the emperor to use his household servants (eunuchs/confidants) to counter the out-of-control civil officials and the powerful relatives of the empress."

"It's all because the emperor wants to reclaim the sword that rightfully belongs to him!"

"But what was the result?"

Zhu Dijun's voice became low and hoarse.

"Zhu Qizhen lost because Sun Ruowei was too ruthless and the Sun family, her maternal relatives, were too powerful."

"Zhu Youcheng also lost because he faced the Grand Empress Dowager Zhou, Empress Dowager Wang, and Empress Zhang. They were too vicious, and the Zhang brothers were too tyrannical."

"The only difference is—"

"Zhu Qizhen lost spectacularly; at least Cao Qin actually drew his sword and beheaded several people."

"And Zhu Youcheng lost miserably!"

"He didn't even have a chance to draw his sword before those women and civil officials suffocated him to death in his bed, using 'filial piety' and 'ancestral rules'!"

Yongle Time and Space.

Looking at the scenes on his left and right, Zhu Di's anger had subsided, replaced by a sense of powerless desolation.

"Reincarnation..."

"Is this reincarnation?"

"The Sun family...the Zhang family...the Zhou family..."

"How could my Ming Dynasty be destroyed by these imperial relatives and women!"

He turned his head sharply and looked at the Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi and the Grandson Zhu Zhanji behind him.

"This is the wonderful daughter-in-law you chose!"

"Is this what you call governing with benevolence and righteousness!"

"In the end, even the most benevolent and righteous people can't protect their own grandchildren! They can't even control their own empire!"

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down their faces, not daring to utter a single word.

The father and son had seen the future; Zhang, the future wife of Zhu Gaochi, and Sun Ruowei, the future wife of Zhu Zhanji, had both done the exact same thing.

On the sky, Zhu Dijun did not stop his finishing blows.

"Family members, what was the price Zhu Youcheng paid for this compromise?"

"It's not as simple as losing a few trusted confidants and losing military power."

"This coup d'état has completely severed the last breath of the Ming Dynasty's revival!"

"From then on, Zhu Youcheng was completely subdued."

"He stopped making trouble, stopped auditing accounts, and stopped mentioning any reforms."

Even though he knew that the Zhang brothers had seized thousands of acres of fertile land, he pretended not to see it.

Even though he knew that the civil officials were frantically seizing land, he could only nod and say yes.

"He became a perfect 'puppet'."

"The civil officials were delighted, the imperial relatives were satisfied, and the historians wrote with great strokes of their pens—'Hongzhi Restoration, a Great Emperor for All Time!'"

"hehe."

Judy Jun let out an extremely harsh, cold laugh.

"This is hardly ZTE!"

"This is clearly a countdown to the demise of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Here, I must mention that something similar to what happened during the Hongzhi period also occurred in the Song Dynasty. Let's look back at the timeline to the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties."