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

In the scene depicted on the sky, agents from the Eastern Depot and the Inner Depot, like vicious dogs released from their cages, rushed towards the southwest, carrying the stench of blood.

Inside the live stream, Zhu Dijun put away his extremely sarcastic smile.

He looked at the camera, his eyes revealing a rare seriousness and emotion.

"Family members, let's stop and think about this carefully."

How old was Zhu Houzhao in the second year of the Zhengde reign?

Sixteen years old!

"What are sixteen-year-olds doing in modern times? Most of them are still skipping classes and playing video games in high school, some are in their rebellious phase and hate studying, and some may have just entered the workforce and are doing odd jobs."

Zhu Dijun tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"But what about Zhu Houzhao?"

"With his frail sixteen-year-old shoulders, he shouldered the mess of the entire Ming Empire!"

"He not only had to contend with the venomous women in the harem who might kill him at any moment, but also with the combined efforts of the entire court to eliminate him, and even more so with the deeply entrenched corruption in the local areas!"

"Perhaps some of you still dislike Zhu Houzhao because of those unofficial historical accounts and fictions, thinking he was absurd, lecherous, and neglecting his duties."

"but!"

Zhu Dijun suddenly raised his voice, which was as loud as a great bell.

"As long as you start from the standpoint of 'the world belongs to everyone,' and as long as you look at it from the perspective of a normal country."

"This sixteen-year-old emperor has already reached the limits that most adult emperors of his age, and even most of them, cannot achieve!"

In the vast expanse of time and space, countless people fell silent.

The era of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin looked at the young man sitting in the Leopard Chamber on the sky, his eyes filled with arrogance and loneliness.

He sighed.

"At sixteen... When I was sixteen, I was still fighting alongside my father in Jinyang, surrounded by countless fierce generals and strategists."

"But he could only fight alone in the darkness, battling those man-eating wolves."

The era of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty.

As Zhu Houzhao listened to Zhu Dijun's evaluation on the sky screen, his eyes involuntarily reddened slightly.

Since he ascended the throne, what he has heard most often are reprimands from the cabinet and impeachments from censors.

They said he was unruly, unfilial, and violated ancestral rules.

The whole world is cursing him.

Only this descendant from hundreds of years in the future, through the layers of historical fog, saw the deepest struggle and anger in his heart.

"The world belongs to all..."

Zhu Houzhao murmured these four words and suddenly gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist.

"For the sake of justice for the Ming Dynasty, what does it matter if I bear eternal infamy!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun's tone suddenly turned cold, carrying a chilling and murderous aura.

"Family members, Emperor Wuzong's methods are far more ruthless and cunning than you can imagine when facing these utterly shameless corrupt officials!"

"Regarding the recovery of embezzled funds from the 273 corrupt officials in Yunnan, Zhu Houzhao issued Liu Jin an extremely cold-blooded, yet extremely swift, death order!"

On the screen, footage appeared of Liu Jin torturing prisoners in the imperial prison.

The sizzling sound of the branding iron and the screams of the prisoners intertwined to form a hymn to hell.

"Zhu Houzhao's order was very simple."

"If you've embezzled money from the imperial court, you must return it!"

"During this swift and decisive crackdown on embezzled assets, many corrupt officials on the list succumbed to torture and died in the Zhenfu Division's prison."

"Logically speaking, according to ancient laws, death is the end of all things, and many cases would end there."

But Zhu Houzhao said: No!

Zhu Dijun's eyes were fierce as he spoke each word slowly and deliberately.

"A person may die, but their debts remain!"

"Even if you die in prison, the Eastern Depot and the Inner Depot will come storming into your hometown with their ledgers!"

"Notify his family to immediately sell all their property, land, and ancestral home!"

"The debt will be repaid generation after generation!"

"This matter will not be considered finished until all 68,000 taels of silver, with interest, are returned to the Ming Dynasty's treasury!"

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Yuanzhang was so excited that he jumped up from the dragon throne.

He strode to the center of the hall and vigorously waved his fist.

"Well done! That was great! That was so satisfying!"

"This is the ultimate weapon against corrupt officials!"

"Debts are forgiven upon death? That's letting those beasts off easy! They use their ill-gotten gains to buy land and property so their descendants can enjoy a life of luxury. There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"We want to bankrupt them! We want their descendants to be begging on the streets!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the sky and roared at his court officials.

"Did you hear that! From today onwards, our Great Ming Dynasty will also establish this rule!"

"Anyone who dares to embezzle the imperial court's money, even if they die, we'll crush their bones and squeeze oil from their bones to pay off their debts!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun picked up his teacup and gently blew on the floating tea leaves.

"Family members, there is no hatred without a cause, nor is there love without a cause."

Why did Emperor Wuzong crack down so hard on the civil service? Why did he resort to such extreme methods in recovering stolen goods?

"Because he was too poor! The Ming Dynasty was too poor!"

Zhu Dijun slammed down his teacup with a thud.

"Regarding this matter, I must reiterate the so-called 'Hongzhi Restoration'."

"The textbooks extol it to the skies, calling it the golden age of the Ming Dynasty."

"fart!"

"This is a shocking scam orchestrated by a group of civil servants!"

On the screen, the map of the Ming Empire was divided into countless sectors representing interests.

"The national treasury and the internal treasury are both empty shells."

"The state's monopolies on salt, iron, and tea, upon which its survival depended, had long been sieve-like infiltrated by these civil officials and their families."

"The army's warhorses, provisions, and pay were all sold off by border garrison commanders and Ministry of War officials, becoming their tools for personal profit."

"What's most terrifying is the set of rules they established for officialdom!"

Zhu Dijun typed on the keyboard and pulled up a shocking file from the Ministry of Personnel.

"During the Hongzhi reign, even if an official was dismissed and investigated for committing a crime, there was nothing to be afraid of."

Why?

"Because as long as his family is willing to pay, and as long as he can maintain good relations with the cabinet and the six ministries."

"In a few years, he'll be transferred to another place, reinstated to his original position, and might even get promoted and make a fortune!"

"Corruption is rampant at all levels; it has become thoroughly institutionalized and legalized!"

"What Emperor Wuzong (Zhu Houzhao) was left with was a complete mess, riddled with debts and unresolved accounts!"

Suddenly, Zhu Dijun changed the subject and gave the camera a meaningful smile.

"Of course, family."

"What I'm talking about here only happened during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. Please don't make any connections or apply it to other eras."

"Let's just talk about history; those who know, know."

The live stream chat instantly filled with hilarious emojis, each one seemingly understanding the implication.

"Yes, yes, Brother Jun is right, this could only have happened in the Ming Dynasty!"

"I swear I absolutely did not make any connections; my moral compass is purer than water!"

"The case is solved! It turns out history really is a giant cycle!"

"I'll fight anyone who dares to make that connection! Jun-ge, watch out, they'll check your water meter!"

Zhu Dijun ignored the teasing comments in the live chat and continued to advance the historical timeline.

"To fill this enormous hole, to get back the money that belongs to the country."

"In the second year of the Zhengde reign, Zhu Houzhao was forced to introduce an extremely severe nationwide policy."

On the big screen, four large, blood-red characters crashed down.

[Everyone ransacks the house!]

"Anyone found to have embezzled the imperial funds or grain, regardless of their official rank or who stands behind them, will be punished."

"All properties will be confiscated; there will be absolutely no leniency!"

"Driven by this iron-fisted policy, in the third year of Zhengde's reign, a case occurred that left a deep impression on the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Wuzong of Ming,' yet was extremely absurd."

Zhu Dijun's eyes flashed with an extremely sharp light.

"A contractor named Yan Jie undertook a national project for the imperial court."

"It turned out that he had been in arrears on construction payments to the imperial court."

"When Emperor Wuzong found out, he was furious and immediately ordered Yan Jie to be imprisoned."

"Zhu Houzhao even personally declared: as long as he pays the money he owes the court, he will be released immediately."

"Subsequently, Zhu Houzhao handed the case over to the Ministry of Justice, the highest judicial organ of the Ming Dynasty, and put them in charge of confiscating the property and recovering the stolen goods."

"And guess what happened?"

Zhu Dijun gave a cold laugh, his laughter filled with disbelief.

"The people from the Ministry of Justice went to Yan Jie's house for a visit, and then came back to submit a memorial to the emperor."

"They told Zhu Houzhao with great grievance: Your Majesty, we went to confiscate their property, but..."

"Yan Jie's family is dirt poor; we can't even find this debt!"

"So, exactly how much money does Yan Jie owe the imperial court?"

Zhu Dijun held up two fingers and gestured in front of the camera.

According to the written records of the Ming Wuzong Emperor, the foreman in charge of this large-scale national project owed the following amount of money:

"Eighteen taels!"

boom!

This number stunned not only viewers in modern live-streaming rooms, but also emperors throughout history.

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di stared wide-eyed, picking at his ear in disbelief.

"How much? Eighteen taels?"

"A contractor in charge of a government project, couldn't possibly have eighteen taels of silver in his home?"

"These bastards from the Ministry of Justice, they can't even come up with a decent number when they're lying!"

On the sky, Judy Jun slammed his fist on the table and loudly questioned.

"Family members, do you believe it?"

"In the mid-Ming Dynasty, eighteen taels of silver would probably be enough for a middle-class family in the capital to cover their expenses for a few months."

"A contractor who can monopolize national projects and manage a large number of craftsmen, can't even come up with eighteen taels of silver in cash?"

"I just don't believe it!"

"Even Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, who was sitting in the Leopard Chamber at the time, didn't believe it!"

On the screen, fifteen-year-old Zhu Houzhao kicked over the documents handed over by the Ministry of Justice.

He felt that his intelligence had been severely insulted.

Zhu Houzhao instantly understood: this wasn't just a case of being destitute; it was the Ministry of Justice blatantly protecting someone!

"These civil officials would rather offend the emperor than let this contractor, who's making money for them, slip through their fingers!"

Feeling deeply deceived, Zhu Houzhao completely lost his temper.

"He bypassed the cabinet and the Censorate directly, and used the absolute power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Depot."

"check!"

"Who is in charge of this case?"

"After investigation, it was found that it was Lu Zhairen, an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Justice."

"And this Lu Zhairen, after handling this case where 'no money was found,' actually got promoted and was sent to Guangxi as an official!"

With a cold look in his eyes, Zhu Dijun made a decapitation gesture.

"Zhu Houzhao simply doesn't play by the rules."

"You got promoted, huh? You were sent on a foreign assignment, huh?"

"Arrest him across provincial borders!"

"The Imperial Guards rushed to Guangxi with the utmost urgency, immediately chained up the newly appointed Lord Lu in the yamen, and dragged him back to the capital like a dead dog!"

"Charges: Harboring a criminal, bending the law for personal gain!"

"Send him directly to the imperial prison and subject him to severe torture!"

"As for Yan Jie, the contractor who couldn't even 'pay' eighteen taels of silver."

"Zhu Houzhao was even more ruthless."

"They put a hundred-pound iron shackle on him!"

"One hundred pounds, folks! Even a normal person couldn't walk properly wearing that!"

"Zhu Houzhao made him wear this heavy shackle and publicly display him on the busiest street in the capital for three whole months!"

"Three months later, you will be directly exiled to the frontier to serve in the army, relegated to the lowest social class, and never allowed to set foot in the capital again!"

This swift and decisive action made corrupt officials throughout history involuntarily touch their own necks.

It's too cruel.

For a construction foreman, he directly arrested a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Justice who had been promoted, bringing him back from thousands of miles away and imprisoning him.

Emperor Wuzong was absolutely intolerant of even the slightest imperfection!

however.

Just when everyone thought the case was over.

Zhu Dijun suddenly stopped typing.

He leaned forward, his face filling the entire screen, his eyes staring intently at everyone with an extremely deep gaze.

At this moment, the background music transformed into a suspenseful bass that made hearts race.

"Family members, Wu Zong's methods are certainly satisfying."

"But as people who came after us, when we revisit this history, haven't we discovered an extremely terrifying logical flaw?"

Zhu Dijun's voice was extremely suppressed, carrying a sense of dread as if he were about to uncover an ancient mystery.

"Who is Wu Zong?"

"He was a ruthless character who dared to send men to slaughter 273 officials in Yunnan for 68,000 taels of silver."

"He was a martial emperor who built the Leopard House, trained the Imperial Guards, and dared to overturn the table with the entire civil official group."

"Do you really think...?"

Zhu Dijun's finger tapped heavily on the cover of the "Veritable Records of Emperor Wuzong of Ming".

"Such a cunning and ruthless emperor."

"Would they be so enraged as to travel across provinces to arrest a mere 'eighteen taels' of silver?"

"Would they really put a contractor in a hundred-pound shackle and parade him for three months for a mere eighteen taels of silver?"

The entire live stream room was deathly silent.

"Family members!"

Zhu Dijun suddenly roared, his voice booming like thunder.

"This is the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Wuzong of Ming,' compiled by the civil service group after Emperor Wuzong's death!"

"Is the amount of embezzled silver recorded above really only this ridiculous eighteen taels?"

"The true figures that the Ministry of Justice desperately covered up and that civil officials relentlessly erased..."

"Is it exactly eighteen taels?"

"Or... a staggering 180,000 taels of silver that threatens the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty!"