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

In the modern live stream room, the chat was completely ignited by the fact that the people of the Ming Dynasty had hoarded a massive amount of silver.

The screen was filled with vulgar language, all of which was insulting the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty's Jiangnan smuggling groups and civil officials and gentry.

"So, the 7000 million taels of silver that Li Zicheng squeezed out of officials in Beijing during the 17th year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign—all of it came from this!"

"70 million taels is definitely a conservative estimate! These bastards colluded with the Qing Dynasty for 300 years, and historical records have long been modified and embellished. The real number is probably much more terrifying!"

"I knew Emperor Chongzhen was always complaining about being poor and couldn't even pay the army's salaries. The officials were donating money like beggars. But as soon as the city fell, they were all rolling in gold coins!"

"Wait a minute, since the country was short of silver, Zhang Juzheng, who was later hailed as a paragon of virtue, implemented the 'Single Whip Law,' forcibly converting all taxes into silver for remittance. Was this a lifeline for the Ming Dynasty, or a noose around its neck? Didn't this essentially hand over all pricing power at the grassroots level to wealthy merchants who controlled silver?!"

The era of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youjian sat blankly under a big tree on Coal Hill, staring at the huge number "7000 million taels" on the sky. His eyes cracked and oozed terrifying blood vessels.

Seventy million taels... Back then, he only wanted a mere one million taels to pay the Guan Ning cavalry. He knelt down and begged those officials, but they were only willing to give him a few dozen or a few hundred taels!

"A bunch of traitors...good riddance...good riddance to Li Zicheng for torturing them!"

Zhu Youjian, like a maddened lone wolf, gripped the soil tightly, letting out a heart-wrenching, miserable laugh.

In the sky, Zhu Dijun watched the rapidly refreshing barrage of comments, but instead of answering the questions about Zhang Juzheng, he grabbed the blackboard eraser and roughly wiped all the writing off the whiteboard.

"Family members, we'll settle Zhang Juzheng's score during the Wanli reign. The mess we were talking about earlier regarding the border defenses spanned a long period, and we've strayed from the topic without realizing it."

Zhu Dijun grabbed a red marker and drew a straight timeline in the center of the whiteboard, then wrote five large characters on it.

[The 15th year of the Jiajing reign!]

"Let's turn our attention back to the Jiajing reign. The fifteenth year of Jiajing's reign was a pivotal moment in the history of the Ming Dynasty, a period brimming with intense tension and arguably the decisive turning point that shaped the latter half of the dynasty's trajectory!"

Zhu Dijun placed his hands on the podium, his eyes scanning the camera like searchlights.

"In this year, Emperor Jiajing's control over powerful ministers reached an extremely terrifying new level; economically, in order to cope with the bottomless pit of border and coastal defense, salt reform was quietly implemented in local areas; and militarily, not only did a crucial tactical victory be achieved in the north, but the border crisis in the south also officially surfaced!"

He emphasized three red dots on the whiteboard. "But most importantly, the top power monsters of the Ming Dynasty completely finalized their positions this year!"

On the big screen, a portrait of a withered, gloomy old man wearing a crimson official robe with crane embroidery appeared like a ghost.

"The first major event of the fifteenth year of the Jiajing reign—Yan Song's entry into the political arena!"

Upon hearing these four words, all the Ming Dynasty officials in the myriad worlds, except for those from the Jiajing era or later, held their breath. Even those former officials who didn't recognize Yan Song could smell the intense stench of bloodshed and power struggles emanating from his name.

"Who is Yan Song? At this time, he was not the powerful minister who could control everything; he was just a Nanjing Minister of Personnel who had been marginalized for many years."

A mocking sneer tugged at the corner of Zhu Dijun's mouth.

"What kind of place is Nanjing? It's the Ming Dynasty's retirement home, a dumping ground for power. But Yan Song was incredibly patient! In the fifteenth year of the Jiajing Emperor's reign, he finally stepped into the Forbidden City under the pretext of a trip to Beijing for an audience with the emperor!"

On the screen, Yan Song is kneeling on the bluestone slab of the West Garden, kowtowing repeatedly to the figure behind the alchemy furnace.

"The Jiajing Emperor took a liking to this middle-aged man at first glance—who was extremely humble, obedient, and possessed exceptional talent in writing official documents! He immediately decided to keep him in the capital! He appointed Yan Song as Minister of Rites and concurrently as a Hanlin Academy Academician!"

Zhu Dijun grabbed the pointer and lashed it hard across the four characters "Minister of Rites".

"Those of you who are familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty know just how incredibly prestigious the position of Minister of Rites was during the Jiajing reign!"

"What did Jiajing rely on to rise to power? The Great Rites Controversy! What he valued most in his life was rites, music, and sacrifices; this was the source of his legitimacy in ruling the country! Whoever controlled the Ministry of Rites was Jiajing's most trusted spokesperson in court! What's more, he also held the position of Academician of the Hanlin Academy, which was a super stepping stone to becoming a Grand Secretary with a clear price tag!"

"With this step, Yan Song completely stepped into the very core of the empire's power. From then on, he opened up channels for frequent contact with the emperor, laying the most solid foundation for his later monopolization of state affairs and control of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet for nearly twenty years!"

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

Yan Song, who had just received the imperial edict and changed into the official robes of the Minister of Rites, knelt down in his own courtyard with a thud, his whole body already soaked in cold sweat.

The Heavenly Curtain had so blatantly exposed his trump card for ascending to the throne, even directly predicting that he would monopolize power for twenty years. His own emperor was inherently suspicious; with the Heavenly Curtain's intervention, how many more days could his head remain on his neck?

Ignoring the fear of parallel universes, Zhu Dijun suddenly waved his hand, and Yan Song on the screen disappeared, replaced by raging flames and countless golden Buddha statues being melted in the sea of ​​fire.

"The second major event of the fifteenth year of the Jiajing reign—the persecution of Buddhism and the explosion of gold coins!"

A series of question marks flashed across the live stream screen.

"Family members, do you think that Emperor Jiajing's daily pursuit of immortality and alchemy was merely a personal hobby? Do you think his veneration of Taoism and suppression of Buddhism was simply a matter of religious belief? You are so naive!"

Zhu Dijun slammed his fist on the table, his eyes revealing a coldness that saw through the art of ruling.

"In May of the fifteenth year of the Jiajing Emperor's reign! The Jiajing Emperor issued an extremely brutal imperial edict—to forcibly demolish the Great Benevolent Buddha Hall within the Forbidden City! All Buddha statues and ritual implements, not a single one, were to be smashed!"

A list of data, reeking of blood, unfolded on the screen.

"One hundred and sixty-nine gold and silver Buddha statues were burned and melted down on the spot! So-called Buddha relics, ivory, and other valuable artifacts weighing over thirteen thousand jin were confiscated!"

In a parallel Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin, who had been feeling frustrated and disappointed with the Ming army, suddenly brightened up at the sight. He stroked his beard and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"One hundred and sixty-nine gold and silver Buddha statues? How many gold bricks and silver ingots would that take to melt down? Although Zhu Houcong was no good at fighting, he was ruthless enough at making money."

On the sky, Zhu Dijun coldly revealed the answer.

"See that? This isn't just a simple promotion of Taoism and suppression of Buddhism! This is a full-scale official plunder disguised as religion! The Ming Dynasty's treasury has been emptied by the warlords of the nine border regions and smuggling officials. Jiajing has no money to repair his Western Garden, no money to pay his soldiers. What to do? The powerful don't pay taxes, and the people hoard silver, so the only option is to take down these fat monks!"

"Throw all the gold and silver Buddha statues into the furnace, refine them into gold bars and silver ingots, and stuff them into the imperial treasury. Jiajing used the most extreme methods to prove an extremely realistic truth—in the face of the fiscal deficit of feudal imperial power, no deity could save you; they would all have to churn out gold coins!"

The live stream chat was flooded with "Holy crap!" and "Jiajing was a ruthless man!"

Without pausing, Zhu Dijun picked up a marker and drew an arrow to the south of the whiteboard.

Having just robbed the monks of their money, Jiajing was in an extremely good mood. That winter, the palace sent him even more exciting news!

On the screen, accompanied by a loud cry of a newborn baby, the name of the eldest prince, Zhu Zaiyi, appeared.

"That is, the later Crown Prince Ai Chong! Jiajing was overjoyed, believing it to be a blessing from heaven for his successful Taoist practice. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Rites to draft an edict to announce this joy to the whole world, and even planned to send envoys to the various vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, urging them to bring gifts to Beijing to offer their congratulations!"

At this moment, Judy Jun's expression became extremely strange, and he suddenly clapped his hands.

"But! When the Ministry of Rites checked the records, they found a major problem!"

"Annam, the core vassal state of the Ming Dynasty in the south, is present-day Vietnam. Their king has not come to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty for several years!"

Four red characters were slammed onto the map of Annam: "[Mak Teng Dung usurped the throne]!"

"A coup d'état occurred in Annam, with the powerful minister Mạc Đạn Dung seizing power and becoming a local tyrant. Feeling guilty, he dared not report to the Ming Dynasty and simply cut off all tribute!"

"The Jiajing Emperor was furious! 'I just had my eldest son born, and I'm preparing to hold a grand full-moon celebration and collect the money from the guests,' he thought, 'and you, this southern barbarian, don't even bother to greet me? What is this? This is called disrespecting the suzerain state! This is called repeatedly rubbing salt into the wounds of the Ming emperor!'"

In a parallel Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, his eyes blazing with murderous intent: "These barbarians from beyond the Great Wall dare to think that our Ming Dynasty has no one to rely on? They cut off tribute and usurped the throne; we should send troops to destroy their country and exterminate their clan!"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun tapped the blackboard.

"Not only was Jiajing furious, but Xia Yan, the Minister of Rites and a key figure in the Grand Secretariat at the time, also stepped forward and submitted a memorial to the emperor: Annam is disloyal and must be punished!"

Without hesitation, Emperor Jiajing made the decision: "Fight! We must regain the face I've lost!"

On the screen, a portrait of a civil official clad in armor was pushed to the center.

Mao Bowen!

"Jiajing immediately appointed Mao Bowen as Minister of War, giving him full authority over military preparations for Annam! My family, pay attention to a detail that extremely demonstrates Jiajing's autocratic nature!"

Zhu Dijun zoomed in on the camera. "At that time, Mao Bowen's father had just passed away. According to feudal etiquette, officials were required to observe a three-year mourning period and return home to observe filial piety. Mao Bowen quickly submitted a memorial to decline, saying that he had to go back to attend the funeral."

"What was Jiajing's reply? No! He immediately revoked the posthumous title of 'Reinstatement after mourning'!"

"The country needs to fight a war, and I need to establish my authority. What does it matter if your father dies? Even if you die in office, you'll have to take down this tough nut of Annam before you die!"

Zhu Dijun grabbed a half-full bottle of mineral water and drank it all in one gulp, then casually threw the empty bottle into the trash can.

"Family members, have you understood the terrifying start to the fifteenth year of the Jiajing reign?"

"Yan Song's entry into the Ministry of Rites marked the beginning of an extremely bloody reshuffling of power within the cabinet; the transformation of gold and silver Buddha statues into liquid demonstrated that the emperor had no scruples when it came to making money; and the handover of the Ministry of War's seal to Mao Bowen for the southern expedition to Annam directly triggered the most incredible foreign power struggle in the mid-Ming Dynasty!"

The large screen went dark instantly, leaving only the breathtaking sight of swords flashing and shadows along the Annam border.

"Jiajing wanted to use a war in the south to rebuild the military might of the Ming Dynasty that had been trampled by the Mongols. But this was the Ming army that was a mess that couldn't even cut off the heads of four hundred Tartars."

Zhu Dijun's voice echoed faintly in the dark live broadcast room.

"Guess what kind of earth-shattering drama this grand plan to conquer Annam ultimately turned into?"