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

Inside the live stream room.

Zhu Dijun looked at the screen filled with scrolling, indignant comments.

He picked up the folding fan on the table, snapped it shut with a sharp "snap".

The sound traveled through the microphone across the entire world, drawing everyone's attention back to the screen.

"Family members, don't think that this version of the Tumu Crisis of Emperor Wuzong of Ming is over."

"The methods of the civil service group are always a series of interconnected, relentless killings."

Zhu Dijun's eyes were filled with deep mockery.

"After the defeat at Yutailing, the new emperor was frightened with the blood of three thousand border soldiers."

"This group of regents, led by Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian, are what we often call the 'Three Beasts of the Hongzhi Era'."

"They turned around and colluded with Empress Zhang in the inner palace."

"They joined forces to present the young Zhu Houzhao with a gift that was enough to completely lock up his imperial power."

On the large screen, a bright yellow imperial edict slowly unfurled.

It was stamped with a bright red jade seal.

"This is a will."

"Or to be more precise, this is a political shackle forged in the name of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, Zhu Youcheng, by civil officials and his relatives!"

Zhu Dijun's finger swept heavily across the screen, extracting the core content of the will and magnifying it before everyone's eyes.

"The core demands of this forged edict are only three extremely malicious points."

"First, the new emperor must be absolutely filial to the Empress Dowager, and all matters concerning the harem must be decided by the Empress Dowager."

"Secondly, it requires the new emperor to be close to virtuous ministers, that is, these civil officials, and all government affairs should be drafted by the cabinet."

"Third, and most importantly."

"Dismiss the eunuchs stationed throughout the land!"

Upon hearing these three points, the emperors of all realms and timelines all changed their expressions.

During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered repeatedly, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"What a clever scheme."

"The first rule is to use filial piety to suppress the emperor, so that the wicked Zhang can rightfully rule from behind the curtain in the inner palace."

"The second point is to strip the emperor of his decision-making power and turn the Ming Dynasty into the private property of his civil officials."

"As for the third point..."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his crown prince, Zhu Biao, who was standing beside him.

"Biao'er, do you know what it means to dismiss the garrison eunuchs?"

Zhu Biao's face was pale, and his voice trembled.

"This means... the emperor will completely lose control over the local areas and the army."

"The garrison eunuchs were the emperor's eyes and ears in the provinces, and the last line of defense to check and balance the local civil and military officials."

"Once abolished, the emperor will be truly blind and deaf!"

On the screen, Zhu Dijun's commentary confirmed Zhu Biao's judgment.

"Family members, these three edicts are practically designed to skin Zhu Houzhao alive and turn him into a puppet to be manipulated at will!"

"There was intimidation from the border mutiny in front, and pressure from the late emperor's edict in the back."

"If it were any other ruler who maintained the status quo, or a weak emperor who was born in the deep palace and raised by women,..."

"Faced with such an impenetrable dead end, they would probably have been terrified long ago and obediently begged for mercy from the civil service."

Zhu Dijun's tone suddenly changed, becoming extremely high-spirited and filled with fervent fighting spirit.

"but!"

"They were facing the most unruly and unruly devil in the history of the Ming Dynasty!"

"He was Zhu Houzhao, the Ming Wuzong Emperor, born with a rebellious spirit and an unyielding nature!"

On the screen, the back view of a young man wearing a dragon robe appeared.

He stood on the steps of the Qianqing Palace, facing the dark mass of civil and military officials kneeling below.

His back was ramrod straight, like a spear piercing the sky.

"Zhu Houzhao was definitely not a fool."

"As the only son of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, he was all too aware of the filth and bloodshed hidden within this palace."

"His father had told him in this palace how his elder brother and sister, whom he had never met, had died tragically in a conspiracy within the harem."

"He watched as his father, because of a moment of leniency, was sent to his death by a bowl of poison."

"In Zhu Houzhao's heart, the civil officials of the cabinet and his so-called mother, Zhang, were already sworn enemies, bound by an irreconcilable blood feud!"

Zhu Dijun placed his hands on the table, his eyes blazing.

"compromise?"

"Back down?"

"These two words simply don't exist in Zhu Houzhao's dictionary!"

"Since you won't give me a way out, then we'll all die together!"

The timeline jumps rapidly across the screen.

It was frozen in September of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign.

"Family members, only four months have passed since Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne."

"This fifteen-year-old emperor had no control over the military, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been infiltrated by civil officials."

"He brazenly drew his butcher's knife!"

"He did not choose to endure or to wait and see."

"He directly targeted the most powerful and arrogant group of maternal relatives with his first blow!"

On the screen, a bright yellow imperial edict slammed down in front of the Zhang brothers' mansion.

"Zhu Houzhao issued his first iron-fisted imperial edict since ascending the throne."

"Completely abolish all salt permit privileges held by the Zhang brothers, namely Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, and the two maternal uncles of the Empress Dowager Wang!"

"Reclaim all salt monopolies from the Ming Dynasty and return them to the imperial court!"

The moment this imperial edict was issued, the live stream chat exploded with comments.

Netizens were shocked by Zhu Houzhao's crazy actions.

"Holy crap! Brother Zhao, don't be reckless! You're no match for them yet!"

"That's right! You don't even have military power now, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't listen to you. You're courting death!"

"What are salt permits? They're like ancient money printing machines! If you cut off the financial lifeline of the imperial relatives, they'll absolutely fight you to the death!"

"That's awesome! That's a real man! But this game starts at hell difficulty, how am I supposed to play?"

As Zhu Dijun watched the rapidly scrolling comments, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The viewers are right."

"Salt permits were the most profitable business in the Ming Dynasty."

"Whoever controls the salt permits controls the key to the world's wealth."

"Zhu Houzhao's strike is tantamount to wiping out the entire Zhang and Wang families!"

"He has offended not only the civil service."

"Furthermore, it completely pushed his nominal mother, Empress Dowager Zhang, and his nominal grandmother, Empress Dowager Wang, to the opposite side!"

"The fact that he attacked his relatives so ruthlessly as soon as he came to power is simply a reckless, mad dog-like approach."

Zhu Dijun picked up his water glass, his eyes becoming extremely deep.

"Family members, guess what it is."

"Besides the hatred of killing my father, sister, and brother."

"What exactly drove this fifteen-year-old emperor to risk his life and forcibly overturn the table in just the fourth month of his reign?"

The emperors of all realms and timelines held their breath.

They are also thinking about this issue.

The worst thing you can do in a political struggle is to act too hastily.

Zhu Houzhao's actions completely defied the common sense of imperial strategy.

Unless, he has been forced to the edge of a cliff, where taking a step back would mean falling into an abyss.