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

"Family members, in the last chapter we mentioned that in April of the sixth year of the Jiajing reign, the Sitian Rebellion broke out in the Liuzhou and Gutian areas of Guangxi. The court urgently needed a capable commander to quell the rebellion."

Zhu Dijun stood in front of the large screen and roughly swiped several portraits of military generals into the computer's recycle bin. Immediately afterward, he slammed his hands down on the keyboard and typed heavily.

A portrait of a Ming Dynasty civil official wearing an official hat with a half-smile suddenly took center stage on the screen.

The live stream chat exploded instantly, filled with a dense barrage of question marks and exclamation marks.

Zhu Dijun grabbed the laser pointer, and the red dot of light was fixed firmly in the center of that face.

"That's right! We have no choice but to drag this great master of Neo-Confucianism, the 'perfect man of all time' praised to the skies by later generations—Wang Yangming, also known as Wang Shouren—back into the political meat grinder of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Dijun's lips curled into an extremely mocking sneer.

"Previously, we've discussed how Wang Yangming silenced witnesses, burned the smuggling ledgers of Jiangnan officials, and betrayed his close friends during the Ning Prince's Rebellion. You might be wondering, couldn't the exceptionally intelligent Jiajing Emperor see through Wang Yangming's true nature?"

"He saw through it! Jiajing not only saw through it, but also felt utterly disgusted with this hypocrite!"

"But let's look at the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of Ming' and see how this eighteen-year-old Taoist priest emperor manipulated imperial psychology, used Wang Yangming's sword until it was dull, and then kicked it into a cesspool!"

The large screen instantly split into three.

Three different editions of the "Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of Ming" from different years are highlighted.

"Phase One! May of the sixth year of the Jiajing reign! The initial act of flattery to kill!"

Zhu Dijun struck the first file heavily with his pointer.

"Faced with the Sitian Rebellion, the imperial court decided to appoint Wang Yangming as the governor-general. At that time, a large number of officials in the court submitted memorials impeaching Wang Yangming. How did the Jiajing Emperor respond?"

"Original words: [Wang Shouren is highly accomplished and respected by the public; his talent and reputation are well-established. He should be appointed as the Governor-General of Military Affairs, and should not be swayed by empty rumors!]"

"Four words! Highly regarded for their achievements, respected by public opinion, renowned for their talent, and free from unfounded rumors! What trust! What high regard!"

Zhu Dijun turned to face the camera and let out an extremely grating sneer.

"Is this true love? Wrong! It's because Jiajing simply doesn't have any capable commanders left to fight tough battles in the southwest! He needs someone to wade through the muddy waters of the south. Isn't Wang Yangming highly respected among his fellow townsmen in Jiangnan? Doesn't he like suppressing rebellions and making a fortune? Fine! Go to Guangxi and suppress the rebellion for me!"

In a parallel universe, during the sixth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Inside the West Garden Abode, wisps of pale green smoke rose from the incense burner.

The young Zhu Houcong sat cross-legged on a futon, listening to the analysis of future generations on the sky, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Those who understand me are my descendants."

Zhu Houcong picked up the jade ruyi and played with it.

"Just a bloodstained knife. Using it to kill barbarians is called making use of waste. As for saints? They're nothing but rubbish."

On the sky, Zhu Dijun's speech suddenly quickened, raining down like a barrage of bullets.

"But! Once Wang Yangming finished his work, Jiajing's attitude changed faster than turning the pages of a book!"

The laser pointer moved down and pinned it to the second file.

"The second phase! In the intercalary tenth month of the seventh year of the Jiajing reign! Wang Yangming pacified Duanteng Gorge, and the news of his victory reached the Forbidden City!"

Faced with this military achievement, Jiajing's imperial edict instantly changed its tone: "[This victory borders on boasting and deception, lacks credibility, reverses the order of kindness and severity, and may harm the overall situation!]"

Four words marked with bloody red crosses exploded on the screen.

"Did you understand?! In the official document, Jiajing directly criticized Wang Yangming's victory report as boasting! He accused him of being untrustworthy in his military tactics! He criticized his inappropriate methods! In the end, he only gave a perfunctory remark, 'His efforts should not be forgotten,' and rewarded him with a mere fifty taels of silver and four bolts of silk!"

"Is this how you treat a beggar?! This is the price Jiajing Emperor set for this grandmaster of Neo-Confucianism!"

The live stream chat was flooded with "Holy crap!" comments.

"The Taoist priest is too adept at using someone and then discarding them!"

"I can still hear Jiajing's scheme today: he bought a Grandmaster to quell a rebellion for fifty taels of silver."

Zhu Dijun kicked the live broadcast platform, making a loud noise.

"That's not all! The most damn ruthless finishing move is yet to come!"

The third file on the big screen suddenly magnified, as if a five-fingered mountain had crushed all the light.

"The third stage! On the Jiaxu day of the second month of the eighth year of the Jiajing reign (1544), Wang Yangming passed away in Nan'an, Jiangxi!"

"Once a person dies, their fate is sealed! Jiajing completely tore off all pretense and ruthlessly killed the corpse!"

Zhu Dijun opened his throat and roared at the top of his lungs, reciting the "Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of Ming".

"First offense: [Departing from his post without authorization, which is extremely unbecoming of a minister to serve his sovereign!] He was reprimanded for leaving the front lines without imperial decree, which is tantamount to disrespecting one's sovereign!"

"The second crime, and the most devastating one: [Speaking recklessly and arrogantly, slandering ancient Confucian scholars, rallying followers, blindly echoing their opinions, using deception and acting on impulse, corrupting people's minds. The heretical doctrines that scholars have been spreading in recent years are all advocated by him]!"

A huge cross was drawn on the whiteboard with a red cinnabar pen.

"Heretical doctrine! Emperor Jiajing, directly in the name of the Ming Emperor, labeled Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind as a cult that poisons people's minds and forms factions!"

"Final disposition! [The Earl shall be granted lifelong leave. No posthumous honors or allowances shall be granted. This decree shall be posted throughout the land to prohibit heretical teachings!]"

"No hereditary titles! No posthumous honors! Nationwide public criticism via large-character posters! Strictly prohibit anyone from studying Wang Yangming's philosophy!"

Zhu Dijun exhaled a heavy breath, his cold gaze piercing the camera.

"His talents were used in life, but his heart was condemned after his death! His achievements are acknowledged, but his scholarship is denied! His merits can be recorded, but his crimes are unforgivable, and his scholarship must be banned! This is the final verdict that the Jiajing Emperor delivered to this pseudo-sage!"

Outside Nanchang City in the fourteenth year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Shouren, who had just raised the banner of suppressing the rebellion and was preparing to destroy the evidence, was now riding a tall horse.

When he heard the edict from the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, which sounded like a slow, agonizing death, read aloud from the sky, his vision went black and he nearly fell off his horse.

"Heretical doctrines...evil intentions..."

Wang Shouren gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white. He meticulously planned and even went so far as to betray his friends and destroy irrefutable evidence of smuggling to curry favor with the civil officials of Jiangnan, all for the sake of being remembered in history and for elevating his philosophy of mind to a divine status.

As a result, the next emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not even grant him a posthumous title, but directly labeled his ideology as a heresy and repeatedly trampled on his reputation in the mud!

Inside the modern live-streaming studio, Zhu Dijun casually tossed aside his teaching pointer.

"Family members, why do you think Emperor Jiajing went to such extremes?"

He wrote three names on the whiteboard.

[Zhu Houzhao], [Zhu Chenhao], [Prince of Anhua].

"Jiajing was a purely political creature. His extreme aversion to and thorough purge of Wang Yangming was definitely not just due to academic differences, nor was it because Wang Yangming failed to report military intelligence in a timely manner."

Zhu Dijun's voice was lowered to an extreme, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"The year was the eighth year of the Jiajing reign. Through the bloody battles of the Great Rites Controversy, the clashes in the Li Fuda case, and the factional infighting in the provincial prisons, this exceptionally intelligent man who had climbed from a prince to the throne, after poring over countless top-secret royal archives, had completely pieced together a chilling truth!"

The three names on the screen were connected by a red bloodline.

"He deduced why his cousin, the strong and robust Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, had died in a small puddle!"

"He deduced why princes like Zhu Chenhao of Ning and the Prince of Anhua would rebel against seemingly impossible circumstances!"

"He knew that the deaths of these two kings and one emperor were not at all as absurd as described in the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Wuzong of Ming.' Behind all the bloodshed stood an extremely large and extremely greedy group of civil officials from Jiangnan and smuggling rings from the Northwest!"

Zhu Dijun pressed his hands firmly against the table.

"And in the Ning Prince Rebellion, a reshuffling of power that should have been led by the emperor, what role did Wang Shouren play?"

"He was a white glove who destroyed irrefutable evidence for the Jiangnan smuggling ring! He burned the ledger that could have uprooted the civil officials! He used Zhu Chenhao's head to gain his status as a Grandmaster and the unwavering support of the Jiangnan gentry for his philosophy of mind!"

Myriad Realms and Spacetime

Fengtian Hall, during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Upon hearing Tianmu's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes revealed a murderous intent.

Zhu Houcong investigated thoroughly. That grandson understands everything!

"Jiajing knew all too well! This kind of pseudo-saint, who dared to betray even the emperor and cover up the truth of his rebellion in order to protect his fellow townsmen in Jiangnan, must not be allowed to live! This kind of ideology that calls on disciples and undermines imperial power must not be passed down!"

"But he couldn't bring up the old grievances of the Zhengde era, and he couldn't directly launch a massacre against the entire Jiangnan gentry. Because he was following the system, he still needed these civil officials to collect taxes for him and do things for him."

"So he used an extremely disgusting, but also extremely effective, method of revenge."

Four large characters were written heavily on the whiteboard: "[Digging up graves and excavating roots]!"

"You, Wang Yangming, crave fame? You want disciples? I won't give them to you! As the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty, I condemn you as a traitor and your doctrines as heresy!"

"Jiajing was using this method to sound an alarm to the entire civil service group in Jiangnan: I know perfectly well what dirty things you've done in the past! Don't push your luck!"

As Zhu Dijun roared, the portrait of Wang Yangming on the big screen shattered and scattered into countless black powders.

"Wang Shouren has fallen. Jiajing was making his plans in the south with great fanfare. He thought that by taking advantage of his military achievements in the Sitian Rebellion and the suppression of the Duanteng Gorge, and by suppressing the prominence of the Jiangnan gentry, he had completely taken control of the situation in the Ming Empire."

Zhu Dijun's tone suddenly shifted, and an extremely cruel light flashed in his eyes.

In the background, a muffled cannon boom suddenly rang out.

The map on the big screen instantly zoomed out from the humid Guangxi region, landing firmly on the snow-covered pass of the Great Wall in the northwest.

The red coordinates resemble a bleeding eye—[Datong].

"However, this Taoist emperor, who was infallible in his plans at court, ultimately underestimated the extent of corruption within the feudal border army."

Zhu Dijun sneered, pointing at the Datong defense line on the screen.

"In order to preserve the Xuanfu forces, he compromised and let Zhu Zhen and Ye Zong, those warlords who refused to come to his aid, go. This compromise was seen by the border troops and servants of Datong, and was completely translated into two words—'weakness'."

"In the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, just as the Jiajing Emperor had issued an edict to ban Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind and was preparing to enjoy the pinnacle of imperial power."

"On the northwestern defense line, Anda and his brother Jinang have risen to power, and their raids on the border, as well as the security problems caused by smuggling and salt administration corruption along the coast, are becoming increasingly serious and are beginning to threaten the security of the Yangtze River basin."