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

The screen in the live stream flickered with a cold, eerie light.

Judy pulled a map covered in vermilion marks in front of her, her eyes filled with the coldness of a judge.

"Family members, before we delve into that terrifying abyss, let's talk about why young people today are so obsessed with Zhu Houzhao?"

Zhu Dijun tapped the table with his long, slender fingers, the sound echoing in the quiet live-streaming room.

"Because he lives like a real person!"

"In an era when people's minds were filled with cannibalistic ethics and they were shackled by those same ethics, Zhu Houzhao was the only one who went against the tide."

"He was unconventional, genuine, and rebellious; he was even willing to trade his life for the entire civil service for freedom."

"Isn't this exactly the kind of spiritual sustenance we're looking for, trapped at our workstations and drained by the cutthroat competition?"

Zhu Dijun's voice was slightly low, "So, in order to protect this 'truth,' in the third year of Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao, along with Liu Jin, made the bloodiest first cut."

On the big screen, the image suddenly froze on the misty, rainy landscape of Hubei and Hunan.

That place was known as the Ming Dynasty's granary.

"In October of the third year of the Zhengde reign, Liu Jin, with the absolute authorization of Zhu Houzhao, plunged the first knife into the heart of Huguang."

"Inspection, begin!"

As Zhu Dijun finished speaking, a set of shocking red characters exploded like a thunderclap.

[Huguang: From the first year of the Hongzhi reign to the second year of the Zhengde reign, the cumulative amount of tax grain owed was 627 million shi!]

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at that number, and his already gloomy face instantly filled with murderous intent.

"Six million...two hundred and seventy thousand shi?"

He stretched out his hand, his fingers trembling violently in the air, as if he wanted to strangle someone across time and space.

"Back when we were conquering the country, the annual rations for a million-strong army amounted to nothing more than this!"

"That good-for-nothing Zhu Youcheng, what kind of empire is he trying to protect?!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun once again presented the data conversion of the dimensional reduction attack.

"Family members, you may not have a concept of 'stone'."

"Based on current grain prices and purchasing power, these 627 million shi of grain are equivalent to RMB 28.2 billion!"

boom!

The entire universe was deathly silent.

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di kicked the crackled porcelain vase in front of him, shattering it.

"With wars raging on two fronts and disaster relief efforts underway on three sides, I begged and pleaded until I could scrape together a few hundred thousand taels of silver."

"In the entire Hubei and Hunan region, they dared to conceal 627 million shi of arrears in grain over a period of nineteen years?!"

Zhu Di's eyes burned with a tyrannical red light. "How many border troops can this grain feed? How many people can be spared from having to sell their children?!"

The comments section in the modern live stream room had also spiraled out of control.

"Holy crap! 28 billion! And this is just one province, and it's only what's owed!"

"Is this what they call 'a court full of upright officials'? Is this the 'Hongzhi Restoration'? I think it's more like the 'restoration of corrupt officials'!"

"No wonder Emperor Wuzong wanted to implement reforms; without them, the Ming Dynasty would have died on the spot!"

"These bastards in the civil service are playing us again. What do they mean by 'the Ming Dynasty fell because the Wanli Emperor didn't hold court for thirty years'? If Emperor Wuzong hadn't investigated and recovered the funds, the dynasty might have collapsed during the Jiajing era."

Zhu Dijun sneered, but he did not stop this horrific purge.

"The best is yet to come."

"Who created this 28 billion yuan hole?"

On the screen, a list half a meter long hung down like a white silk ribbon.

"Officials involved: from former Governor of Huguang and Censor-in-Chief Zheng Shi, down to the lowest-ranking clerk."

"Total—1182 people!"

"Complete participation led to systemic corruption!"

Zhu Dijun pointed his finger at the two characters "Zheng Shi".

"This Lord Zheng is praised in historical records as a capable minister who is 'upright, prudent, and resolute'."

"Now do you understand why 'fire dragons burning granaries' frequently broke out in various places when the eunuch Wei Xing came to Huguang to investigate?"

"That wasn't a natural disaster; it was a blaze of evil started by 1182 officials themselves to cover up this 28 billion in dirty money!"

The Hongzhi Era of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youcheng could no longer kneel steadily. He slumped onto the gold bricks, staring at the name "Zheng Shi".

Those were his trusted advisors whom he had personally promoted and whom he believed he could entrust with the reins of the empire.

"I...I gave them prestige, I gave them status, and I didn't even say a harsh word to them..."

Zhu Youcheng covered his face and wept, his cries filled with anguish.

"Why are they treating my children like this?!"

Judy Jun's voice sounded like a death knell from hell.

"Family members, Huguang is just the prelude; let's see what Liaodong is like!"

The screen changed to depict the Liaodong defense line amidst wind and snow.

"In November of the same year, the hooves of horses from the Neihang Factory broke through the snow in Liaodong."

"The problems discovered here are even more horrifying: misappropriation of military funds and misuse of public funds have led to insufficient winter clothing for the garrison and the starvation of warhorses!"

The list popped up again, and this time, every name carried immense weight.

[Zhang Nai, Wang Zongyi, Zhang Sheng... a host of provincial governors and censors!]

[Han Wen, Gu Zuo, Lü Zhong... three former Ministers of Revenue!]

Ma Wensheng... former Minister of War!

The mere mention of these names sent shockwaves through the entire world!

Korean? That "loyal minister" in history who almost died by crashing into the Golden Palace to persuade Zhu Houzhao to kill Liu Jin?

Ma Wensheng? That saint who served four emperors and was hailed as the pillar of the Ming Dynasty and the greatest contributor during the Hongzhi reign?

Zhu Dijun stood up, placed his hands on the table, and the mockery in his eyes reached its peak.

"Family members, look at these names!"

"Which of them wasn't a 'great Confucian scholar' who appeared dignified and respectable in court, constantly spouting ancestral precepts and sage tales?"

"In their memorials, they criticized Zhu Houzhao for indulging in frivolous pursuits and Liu Jin for being greedy and insatiable."

"But what is the truth?"

"The account books that Liu Jin investigated showed that all the deficits in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty were personally crossed off by these 'famous officials'!"

"During Ma Wensheng's tenure as Minister of War, 3,000 warhorses were lost in Liaodong, and their whereabouts are unknown!"

"While serving as Minister of Revenue, Han Wen embezzled 120,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury to purchase vast tracts of fertile land in his hometown!"

"They killed Liu Jin not for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, but because Liu Jin had obtained irrefutable evidence that allowed them to execute his entire family!"

The chat room was buzzing with excitement.

"They're insane! They're all lunatics!"

"This is what they call a 'famous minister'? He spouts platitudes about benevolence and righteousness, but his heart is full of malice!"

"I finally understand the suffocating feeling Emperor Wuzong had. Looking around, all he saw were thieves!"

Zhengde Era.

The air inside the Leopard Chamber seemed to freeze.

As Zhu Houzhao looked at those familiar names, his initial anger transformed into a profound sense of powerlessness.

He turned his head and looked at Liu Jin beside him.

"Daibatsu... when you presented this evidence to me, I thought you were framing loyal officials."

"I almost killed you because of them."

Liu Jin, her face streaked with tears, shook her head frantically.

"Your Majesty, I am not aggrieved. I just feel sorry for you. This world should have been yours, but it has been divided up and eaten by these scholars."

Zhu Houzhao threw his head back and laughed loudly, but his laughter was full of desolation.

"Very well! Since they like playing with fire, I'll play a big game with them!"

"Liu Jin!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Take these lists and investigate them for me! Whether he's a minister or a grand secretary, whether he's alive or dead!"

Zhu Houzhao gritted his teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Take their hearts out and let me see if they're red or black!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun struck the gavel once again.

"However, family members, the strangest thing happened."

"Just when Liu Jin found this key evidence and was preparing to wipe out these civil officials in one fell swoop."

"Within the Ming Dynasty, those 'disaster victims' who should have been farming in the fields suddenly began to rebel in a large-scale and organized manner, as if by prior arrangement!"

Zhu Dijun's eyes were cold and brooding.

"And the weapons these rebels were carrying were actually high-quality muskets that the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of War had just sealed off, weapons that even the Liaodong garrison couldn't obtain!"

"Guess who supplied these rebels with weapons?"

"Who is secretly instigating these rebels to storm the governor's office, which is conducting an audit?"

At that moment, everyone felt that despairing darkness emanating from the depths of history.

The civil service group has finally unleashed their ultimate weapon:

—Since I'm going to audit the accounts, I'll plunge the Ming Dynasty into complete chaos!