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

The unveiling of the sky was like a sharp scalpel, precisely cutting through the ornate cloak of Confucianism called "benevolence and righteousness," revealing its bloody core of "the victor is king, the loser is villain."

Emperors of all time and space, especially those with great talent and ambition who were wary of Confucianism, felt an unprecedented shock at this moment.

What shocked them was not the truth of history.

What's remarkable is that this method of distorting history and reversing right and wrong has been able to continue for three thousand years!

What does this tell us?

This shows that the Confucian school of thought has formed an incredibly powerful interest group that can monopolize the "right to interpret history"!

They can define who is a hero and who is a tyrant.

They can decide what future generations see and what they forget.

This is the most terrifying power!

In the Spring and Autumn Period, on the platform of the apricot tree.

Confucius's students were in complete turmoil.

They looked at their teacher, the usually gentle and patient educator, who was now deathly pale, his lips tightly pressed together, and he remained silent.

Silence itself is an answer.

Could it be... that what Tianmu said was true?

The "rites" they learned and the "way" they pursued were built on a huge lie from the very beginning.

Zigong, the disciple most skilled in rhetoric, mustered his courage, stepped forward, and asked in a low voice, "Master, what Tianmu said... about Emperor Xin, is it true?"

Confucius slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

His voice was tired and hoarse.

"...The conquest of Jie by Cheng Tang and the conquest of Zhou by King Wu were both in accordance with the will of Heaven and the will of the people, in order to save the people from their suffering, not for their own selfish interests."

Instead of answering directly, he invoked the most classic Confucian theory of "Mandate of Heaven".

However, this feeble explanation appears utterly powerless in the face of the stark truth revealed by the heavens.

On the sky, the AI ​​patriarch of the Kong family seemed to have heard his words and let out a soft laugh.

"Ancestor, are you still using 'destiny' as an excuse?"

"Alright, let's talk about 'destiny' then."

"Let's talk about our Confucius family, this innate, unchangeable 'destiny'!"

Behind the AI ​​patriarch, the scene shifts again.

This time, a man dressed in fine clothes and with a respectful expression appeared.

His background is Chaoge, the capital of the Shang Dynasty.

Wei Ziqi was the half-brother of Emperor Xin.

[Due to his dissatisfaction with Emperor Xin's reforms, which threatened the interests of his noble family, and his repeated attempts to remonstrate with him failed, he harbored resentment.]

On the eve of the Battle of Muye, seeing the overwhelming strength of the Zhou army, Wei Zi Qi secretly contacted King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, offering to act as an inside agent!

[When the nation is in peril, instead of uniting to fight foreign enemies, they betray their country for personal gain!]

After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou, to honor his "achievements," enfeoffed him in the land of Song to continue the sacrificial rites of the Shang Dynasty.

The final shot freezes on the moment when Wei Zi Qi kneels before King Wu of Zhou to receive his investiture.

His face held the relief of surviving a disaster, and a hint of barely perceptible... flattery.

Many people are still not quite there when they see this.

Wei Ziqi is a traitor, so what does he have to do with the Confucius family?

However, what the AI ​​Kong family head said next made everyone's eyes widen!

"Family members, do you know?"

"This Wei Ziqi, who betrayed his country during its time of crisis and let the enemy in..."

"He is our direct ancestor of the Confucius family in Qufu!"

"Our ancestor, Confucius, was a descendant of Wei Zi Qi!"

What?!

Confucius was a descendant of a notorious traitor from the Shang Dynasty?!

This news is even more shocking than the revelation of the truth about Emperor Xin!

Everyone's eyes were instinctively drawn to Confucius from the Spring and Autumn Period!

The last trace of color drained from Confucius's deathly pale face in an instant!

He staggered back a step, as if all his strength had been drained.

This is the part of his background that he least wants to be mentioned!

Although he never denied his lineage as a descendant of the Shang Dynasty royal family, he always emphasized that he was a descendant of a "benevolent person," but deliberately obscured exactly how this "benevolent person" was "benevolent"!

Now, the sky has torn all of this apart, leaving a bloody scar!

The AI-generated voice of the Kong family head was filled with an air of self-righteousness.

"Do you see that, ancestor?"

"From the very source of our bloodline, the Kong family has always been guided by the principle that 'a wise person submits to circumstances'!"

"Our ancestor, Wei Zi Qi, did not choose the foolish path of dying for his country when the Shang Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. Instead, he wisely chose to surrender to the victors, thus not only preserving his life but also laying a solid foundation for his descendants!"

"Isn't this the greatest 'benevolence'? The greatest 'benevolence' towards oneself and one's family!"

"And what was your opinion on this, Confucius?"

On the sky, a line of large characters from the Analects of Confucius, "Wei Zi" appeared.

[When Wei Zi left, Ji Zi became his slave, and Bigan died remonstrating against it. Confucius said: "The Yin dynasty had three men of noble character."]

"The Yin dynasty had three benevolent men!"

The AI ​​patriarch's voice suddenly rose in pitch!

"You personally listed Wei Zi Qi, who betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy, Ji Zi, who willingly became a slave, and Bi Gan, who remonstrated with his life, as the 'Three Great Benevolent Men'!"

"By using your status as a 'saint,' you have provided the most authoritative endorsement of the word 'betrayal'!"

"You have told the world, and you have told us, your descendants:"

"Loyalty is foolish! Dying to defend oneself is brainless!"

"Only those who, like Wei Ziqi, decisively abandon their former masters and pledge allegiance to a new ruler at crucial moments, are truly 'benevolent' and 'wise'!"

"So, what's wrong with us in later generations surrendering to the Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties, and even welcoming the Japanese?"

"We are merely faithfully carrying out the 'ancestral laws' that you, our ancestor, established for us!"

"We are the children and grandchildren who understand you best and are the most filial!"

"puff--"

In the Spring and Autumn Period, on the platform of the apricot tree.

Confucius could no longer bear this scathing rebuke. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell straight backward!

"Master!"

"teacher!"

The entire academic community was in complete chaos.

The disciples frantically pinched Confucius's philtrum and fed him water.

But everyone's hearts were filled with endless confusion and unease.

So... that's how it is?

So, the "Three Benevolent Men of Yin" praised by Confucius actually concealed such a shameful truth?

So, the "benevolence" they've always believed in can be interpreted as "betrayal"?

Their faith began to collapse violently at this moment!

Inside the Hongwu Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the self-righteous AI patriarch of the Kong family on the sky, and then at the unconscious Confucius. He felt no sympathy, but instead let out a cold laugh.

"Excellent! What a wonderful concept of 'bloodline inheritance'!"

"We finally understand!"

"These scholars never even considered how to write the character for 'loyalty'!"

"Their patriarch was a descendant of a traitor, who then elevated another major traitor to the status of a 'benevolent man'!"

"If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too! If the roots are rotten, what good things can grow out of it!"

He abruptly waved his hand, then turned to Zhu Biao beside him and said sternly:

"Biao'er, you better remember this!"

"From now on, the history books of our Great Ming Dynasty must be revised!"

"Rewrite this story of Emperor Xin for us! Merit is merit, and fault is fault!"

"And this Wei Ziqi, what kind of 'benevolent man' is he! He's just a shameless traitor! Let's carve him on the pillar of shame so that he can be cursed for eternity!"

"As for the Kong family..."

In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, murderous intent was fully revealed.

"Duke Yansheng? I think it should be 'Duke Yansheng'! The redundant one!"

"By imperial decree, the title of 'Duke Yansheng' of the Confucius family of Qufu is hereby revoked! All their land holdings shall be subject to taxation! They shall never be employed again!"

A single imperial edict utterly shattered the glory that had been passed down for hundreds of years!

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that this was not enough.

What he needs to do is to eradicate this malignant tumor from its very root!