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

As Zhu Dijun's explanation deepened, the atmosphere in the myriad worlds and timelines became extremely tense.

Everyone realized that the fifteen-year-old emperor was using extremely violent methods to complete the ultimate harvest of the core power of the Ming Empire.

"Emperor Wuzong's sword gradually approached the innermost circle of power in the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Dijun's tone suddenly became low and somber.

"The time has come to August of the second year of Zhengde's reign."

"After a series of personnel upheavals, a momentous event occurred in the imperial court."

On the screen appeared a top nobleman with white hair and beard, dressed in a python robe.

"The Duke of England, Zhang Mao."

"This old man, Deng, has been in charge of the Central Military Command of the Ming Dynasty for a full thirty years."

"This is the number one figure in the powerful and influential group that led the pacification of the capital of the Ming Dynasty."

"This veteran who commanded a large army and was regarded as the pillar of the court by all the officials and ministers was a veteran of four reigns."

Zhu Dijun tapped the table, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"He suddenly submitted a memorial requesting to retire and rest!"

This news was like dropping a nuclear bomb on the courts of every dynasty.

The Yongle Era of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di's eyes narrowed sharply.

Zhang Maona was Zhang Yu's great-grandson and a descendant of the Duke of Yingguo.

Having been in charge of the Central Military Command for thirty years, the depth of this old man's influence in the military is unimaginable.

"How could he possibly be willing to retreat?" Zhu Di muttered to himself.

On the sky, Zhu Dijun provided the answer.

Why did Zhang Mao retire?

"Because he was scared!"

"Emperor Wuzong kept more than 6,000 warriors in the inner court and appointed loyal border generals like Mao Lun in the outer court."

"What's even more critical is that Zhang Mao has been too close to the civil service group over the past thirty years."

"He has seized countless farmlands and imperial estates, and has been impeached by censors countless times."

"In the past, they had the protection of the Hongzhi Emperor and the cabinet."

"But now, sitting on the dragon throne is a living Yama, a ruler who could overturn the table and kill at any moment!"

"Emperor Wuzong established the Eight Tigers and put Zhang Yong and Wei Bin in charge of the regimental camps, which was to undermine the Five Military Commissions."

"Zhang Mao is a smart man. He knows that if he doesn't hand over his military power while he can still retire unscathed, his family, the Duke of Ying, might be the next to have their property confiscated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

"Got it! A wise man knows when to yield; the old man is cutting his losses to survive!"

"Emperor Wuzong's oppressive aura is too strong; he forcefully resigned the military leader who had served for thirty years."

"This is like boiling a frog in lukewarm water. By the time Zhang Mao realized what was happening, the army was already full of eunuchs and the emperor's spies. He had no choice but to retreat!"

Zhu Dijun raised his chin, his expression full of admiration.

"Emperor Wuzong didn't even pretend; he immediately approved Zhang Mao's resignation with a stroke of his pen."

"Furthermore, no new British duke has been appointed to take over."

"The power vacuum accumulated over these thirty years was swallowed whole by the Leopard Chamber military system personally established by Emperor Wuzong!"

The map of the Ming Dynasty's power structure on the screen instantly turned a glaring deep red.

"Now, my family!"

"August of the second year of Zhengde!"

"The capital of the Ming Dynasty".

"Apart from that inner palace occupied by the empress dowager's relatives and the old empress dowager."

"All the Imperial Guards, the Three Great Camps, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Western Depot, and even the Inner Depot, which stands above all of them!"

"They were all firmly in Zhu Houzhao's hands!"

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat heavily back on the dragon throne and let out a long sigh.

Looking at the red map belonging to the Zhu family on the sky, he finally showed a smile of extreme satisfaction.

"Good grandson...good grandson!"

"In just a year and a half, he went from being a puppet to a truly isolated individual."

"That skill, that cunning, that ruthlessness!"

"He's a million times better than his spineless father!"

On the sky, the soaring background music suddenly changed, replaced by a light and even slightly comical suona sound.

"In the same month that military power was completely unified, the Leopard House in the northwest corner of the imperial city was declared to be completely completed."

"Out of extreme disgust for the civil officials and eunuchs in the Forbidden City, and out of concern for my own safety."

"Emperor Wuzong wasted no time. He packed his bags overnight and moved into the military fortress immediately."

A mischievous smile crept across Zhu Dijun's lips.

"Family members, historical records say that the Leopard Chamber was full of palace maids and was a place where Zhu Houzhao was licentious and immoral."

"Even a fool would know that this is nonsense."

"This is a headquarters staffed with the most elite personal guards."

"This is not a place with three thousand concubines in the imperial harem."

Zhu Dijun suddenly changed the subject, his eyes filled with mockery.

"Moreover, even if there were palace maids..."

"Emperor Wuzong will not be like one of his later cousins."

"They drove the palace maids to strangle the emperor with ropes in the middle of the night."

These words immediately caused an uproar among the viewers in the live stream.

[Hahaha! Jun-ge is starting to whip the corpse!]

["Emperor Jiajing: Just give me my ID number!"]

"What the hell, my cousin? The Renyin Palace Coup, huh?!"

Zhu Dijun cleared his throat, and a folding fan appeared in his hand. He shook his head and recited a limerick that was circulating on the modern internet.

"How did this poem go again?"

"Practice until your body resembles a crane, and you won't be afraid of palace maids strangling you."

"I have come to ask you this question, but there is nothing more to say. Does my son also collude with the Japanese?"

"The gathering of three flowers at the top is but an illusion; I only received one million."

This limerick was broadcast clearly and without missing a single word through the amplification system of the live broadcast room, reaching all corners of the universe.

The Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty.

West Garden, inside Yongshou Palace.

The young Zhu Houcong, who was still meditating and cultivating immortality, suddenly opened his eyes.

His original dignified and otherworldly appearance was completely gone, and his face turned a deep liver color.

"presumptuous!"

The young Zhu Houcong swept the incense burner in front of him away, scattering scalding hot ash all over the ground.

He pointed at Judy Jun, who was still grinning on the sky, and started cursing.

"You descendant of my third great-uncle, what kind of bastard are you!"

Who are you insulting?

"What does 'a palace maid strangling someone' mean?"

"What do you mean by saying that even my son is colluding with the Japanese?"

"What do you mean I only received one million?!"

"Explain yourself to me! I cultivate the path to immortality, how could such an absurd thing happen!"

Meanwhile, in another timeline during the late Jiajing era...

The elderly Zhu Houcong who had already experienced the "Renyin Palace Coup," in which he was nearly strangled to death by more than a dozen palace maids while pinned to the bed.

He was leaning weakly against the dragon bed at that moment.

Upon hearing this doggerel, he was so angry that his whole body trembled violently as if he had malaria.

That was the biggest shadow of his life.

As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, to be nearly strangled to death by a few frail palace maids with ribbons was an utter disgrace.

"A rebellious son! This is a rebellious son of the Ming Dynasty royal family!"

The elderly Zhu Houcong was so angry that he jumped up, not even bothering to put on his shoes, and stomped around the main hall barefoot, cursing loudly.

"His descendants, Judy Jun!"

"You are also a member of the Ming Dynasty's Zhu family imperial family. You eat the food of the Zhu family, yet you dare to publicly ridicule your ancestors' shameful deeds!"

"Do you really think I can't bully you, or defeat your future self?!"

"Summon Huang Jin here! Proceed with my decree: go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and throw out the memorial tablets of the Prince of Zhao's lineage!"

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

The Hongwu era.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been cheering for Zhu Houzhao, froze with a smile upon hearing this doggerel.

He turned his head and stared intently at Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

"Biao'er".

"Just now, the sky said... that our descendants will have an emperor."

"Was he... strangled by a palace maid?"

Zhu Biao swallowed hard, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

"Father...it seems that's what he said."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face instantly turned from red to white, then from white to black, and his chest heaved violently.

"He's completely disgraced the Zhu family!"

"deliver an imperial order!"

"Go find him! No matter which lineage this beast named Zhu Houcong belongs to, as long as he was born in this time and space, drown him in a chamber pot immediately!"

"Well, Father, he is from the lineage of my fourth brother. Wasn't he mentioned by Zhu Dijun, a descendant of Emperor Xianzong, in the previous scene? He is the grandson of Emperor Xianzong, Zhu Jianshen."

"I'm so angry! I want to see what Zhu Houcong has done. He was even strangled by a palace maid. Let's see if we can give him a good beating down there."