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

Zhu Dijun unscrewed the marker cap and wrote two names on the whiteboard—Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao.

"Family members, we just talked about the unofficial historical speculations about Empress Dowager Li Caifeng from the Iron Triangle. Now it's the turn of these two. Some things are only truly appreciated when compared."

He drew a line between the two names and wrote the character "盟" (alliance) on the line.

"The unofficial histories of these two are even more exciting than those of Empress Dowager Li. There are five main categories: palace power struggles, corrupt exchanges of benefits, framing of Wang and ministers, rumors stemming from private affairs, and smear stories from later generations. We'll break them down one by one, providing historical refutation and dark conspiracy theories for each one."

Zhu Dijun took a sip of tea, and 50 Ji pushed the teacup two inches further in.

"The first category is the most important unofficial history. The two had a secret alliance and joined forces to forge an imperial edict and launch a palace coup to expel Gao Gong."

A line of small characters was written on the whiteboard—Source: Gao Gong's "Last Words on His Sickbed" and a compilation of notes from late Ming Dynasty literati.

"The full version is as follows. At the end of the Longqing reign, Emperor Muzong fell seriously ill. Zhang Juzheng frequently sent his confidant Yao Xiao to deliver sealed letters to Feng Bao through the Donghua Gate late at night, avoiding the other two regents. The two secretly agreed that once Emperor Muzong passed away, they would immediately join forces to seize power."

Zhu Dijun held up two fingers.

"The second step was to tamper with the imperial edict. The late emperor verbally entrusted his son to only the three ministers of the Grand Secretariat, not to any eunuchs. Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng secretly altered the text of the edict, adding 'Feng Bao was entrusted with the regency and was in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs' to approve it, thus stripping Meng Chong of his power overnight."

The bullet comments section was scrolling by incredibly fast.

[Isn't this a forged imperial edict? A crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of a family during the Hongwu reign.]

As mentioned earlier, Zhang Juzheng and Empress Dowager Li Caifeng were aware of and involved in Feng Baoqian's scheme.

"Step three."

Zhu Dijun tapped the whiteboard.

"He betrayed Gao Gong. Gao Gong discussed with Zhang Juzheng the reduction of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and said, 'How can a ten-year-old crown prince govern the country?' His intention was to express concern that the young emperor would be unable to govern. Zhang Juzheng then secretly reported the whole thing to Feng Bao, who altered the meaning and told Empress Dowager Li that Gao Gong disrespected the young emperor, intended to usurp imperial power, and plotted to seize the country. The Empress Dowager immediately issued an edict to expel Gao Gong and forbid him from staying in the capital."

He put down his pen and leaned against the podium.

"The fourth step is the most brilliant. After hearing the imperial edict dismissing Gao Gong from office, he collapsed to the ground. Zhang Juzheng pretended to help him up and showed sympathy. Only afterward did Gao Gong realize that he had been tricked by the two of them from beginning to end."

Zhu Dijun drew a triangle on the whiteboard, and wrote Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao, and Empress Dowager Li on the three corners.

"What does official history say? Four points. First, when Emperor Muzong was seriously ill, Gao Gong did indeed suppress Feng Bao. Feng Bao had a real motive to cooperate for self-preservation, and their private correspondence is true. Zhang Juzheng's collected works respectfully refer to Feng Bao as 'Yuan Weng,' a courtesy far exceeding that of ordinary court officials. Second, the original edict did not mention any eunuchs acting as regents. Feng Bao obtained joint regency authority through the Empress Dowager's support, raising suspicions of forgery, but there is no direct evidence that Zhang Juzheng personally altered the text. Third, Zhang Juzheng did leak the news of Gao Gong's impeachment of Feng Bao, which was political opportunism, but official history does not record that the two had pre-arranged a complete plan to 'expel the chief minister.' Fourth—"

He tapped the whiteboard.

"Gao Gong's 'Last Words on His Sickbed' is filled with strong personal resentment and is a one-sided accusation after losing power. It cannot be completely equated with objective historical facts."

Zhu Dijun walked in front of the camera, his voice low.

"But how do you read conspiracy theories?"

The words "Dark Interpretation" appeared on the whiteboard.

"This was a peaceful coup d'état orchestrated by both the inner and outer courts. The Ming dynasty's ancestral system allowed the Grand Secretariat to suppress eunuchs, and civil officials to despise eunuchs. Zhang Juzheng broke the bottom line of the scholar-officials by actively colluding with powerful eunuchs, aiming to remove Gao Gong, the biggest obstacle to reform, and seize sole power as Grand Secretary. Feng Bao, on the other hand, used Zhang Juzheng's influence among civil officials to completely break free from the restrictions imposed on the Directorate of Ceremonial by the civil official group. Each got what they wanted."

He paused.

"Empress Dowager Li was fully aware of, tacitly approved of, and even secretly supported the whole process. She was wary of Gao Gong's strong and autocratic rule and worried that he would sideline her and her son. The Zhang-Feng alliance was just right to check the powerful cabinet, and the three parties formed a stable power triangle, sacrificing Gao Gong in exchange for a ten-year stable ruling environment."

Zhu Dijun drew an arrow on the whiteboard, pointing from the sixth year of the Longqing reign to the tenth year of the Wanli reign.

"This process of seizing power is a template. The subsequent purge of Feng Bao and confiscation of Zhang Juzheng's property by Wanli Emperor was essentially the emperor's revenge for the ten years of shared rule that had usurped imperial power. An eye for an eye, imperial power never forgets."

In a parallel universe of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun sat on the dragon throne and listened to this passage.

He didn't speak, but tapped his fingers lightly three times on the armrest of the dragon throne.

Ten years. From age ten to twenty, a full ten years, he was merely a rubber stamp in the hands of this iron triangle. Mr. Zhang reviewed memorials, Feng Bao stamped them, and the Empress Dowager nodded. What did he do? He did nothing.

"Back then, even leaving the palace required Feng Bao's approval," Zhu Yijun said softly, his voice barely audible to the eunuch beside him.

"I wanted to see how my father's tomb was being built, but Feng Bao said, 'Your Majesty is too young to leave the palace.' I wanted to keep a cat in the palace, but Mr. Zhang said, 'Your Majesty should be accompanied by the classics and should not associate with beasts.' I don't even have the right to keep a cat."

He paused, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"They call this regency. I call this imprisonment."

Zhu Dijun's live stream is still ongoing.

"Category Two. The Case of Minister Wang."

The words "Minister Wang" were written on the whiteboard, with the year marked next to it—the winter of the sixth year of the Longqing reign.

"A man named Wang, a minister, broke into the palace with a knife and was arrested. The case itself was strange enough—how did an ordinary citizen manage to sneak into the palace? But what happened next was even stranger."

Zhu Dijun drew the division of labor between the two people on the whiteboard.

"Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng secretly discussed the matter overnight, planning to force the ministers to confess that they were instructed by Gao Gong and his son to enter the palace to assassinate the emperor. They would fabricate a serious charge of treason, execute Gao Gong's entire clan, and eradicate the threat permanently."

Someone started swearing in the comments section.

This is an attempt to wipe out the entire family!

[They've already sent Gao Gong back to his hometown, why aren't they letting him go?]

This is not a repeat of Yan Song and Xu Jie, only this time it's Gao Gong's turn.

"The division of labor is very clear."

Zhu Dijun pointed to the whiteboard.

"Feng Bao used torture to extract confessions and fabricated statements at the Eastern Depot. Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial to the court requesting a thorough investigation, creating public opinion to confirm Gao Gong's treason. Just when it came time for the final conviction, several censors and nobles saw through the trap and desperately tried to stop it, so the case was hastily closed. Gao Gong's life was spared."

He put down his pen.

"What does the official history say? The incident of Wang Dachen breaking into the palace did happen, and Feng Bao did indeed want to use the opportunity to implicate Gao Gong. Zhang Juzheng initially agreed to a thorough investigation, but after strong opposition from officials, he voluntarily withdrew and did not insist on putting Gao Gong to death. According to the Wanli Yehuo Bian, Zhang Juzheng knew in his heart that the evidence was fabricated and was afraid of getting burned, so he gave up halfway."

Zhu Dijun walked in front of the camera.

How do you pronounce "conspiracy theory"? Three.

"First, the two originally planned to eliminate the threat completely. With Gao Gong dead, there was no one in the court to check the Zhang-Feng alliance, and reforms such as the performance evaluation system and land survey were implemented without any resistance."

"Secondly, stopping midway is a matter of weighing the pros and cons. The officials of Xun Gui and the Censorate collectively resisted, and if they were to forcibly frame him, it would expose the inside story of collusion between insiders and outsiders, shaking the very foundation of their own power. They had no choice but to give up for the time being."

"Third, this case confirms the close ties between civil officials and eunuchs. In order to consolidate their power, they did not hesitate to fabricate a major case of treason and frame the former chief minister, completely breaking through the moral bottom line of Ming Dynasty scholar-officials."

He tapped the whiteboard.

"Note this detail—Zhang Juzheng stopped halfway through not because of a change of heart, but because of fear. He wasn't afraid of Gao Gong, but of the backlash from the officials that would turn against him. This man was shrewd; he weighed his own gains and losses at every step."

One commenter summarized: "Zhang Juzheng: It wasn't that I didn't want to kill, it's that I dared not."

Zhu Dijun didn't reply, but unscrewed the thermos, took a sip of tea, and continued on his way.

"The third type. Corrupt transactions. This type is the most widely circulated, has the most details, and is the most intriguing."

Three items are listed on the whiteboard.

"The first point is the transfer of huge sums of money. According to unofficial historical records, Zhang Juzheng bribed Feng Bao with a large sum of money in one year, giving him 30,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels of silver at one time, as well as seven ancient zithers, nine luminous pearls, and five pearl curtains. When Feng Bao's mother passed away, Zhang Juzheng personally wrote a eulogy and ordered his son Zhang Jingxiu to pay homage to Feng Bao as a 'father-in-law,' thus currying favor with him as a son."

Zhu Dijun drew a line under "two hundred thousand taels".

"What does 200,000 taels mean? Taicang's total annual revenue is only a little over 2 million taels. Zhang Juzheng sent away one-tenth of that at once? Where did he get so much money? This figure is most likely from the exaggeration of the charges against Censor Feng Baoshi, but there's no smoke without fire."

He continued.

"Feng Bao reciprocated. All personnel appointments, royal rewards, and imperial edicts were all biased towards Zhang Juzheng. Whenever Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial, Feng Bao would approve it first. If the emperor had the slightest objection, Feng Bao would report it to Empress Dowager Li to exert pressure."

"The second issue was the sale of official positions and the sharing of spoils. Local officials bribed Feng Bao heavily to secure lucrative posts such as salt commissioner and governor. After receiving the money, Feng Bao recommended them to Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng, knowing the officials were corrupt, still granted them substantive positions, and the two split the bribes. Zhang Juzheng explained to the public that 'there was no choice but to make deals between the palace and the government.' He used a small amount of corruption to gain the full support of the inner court for reforms."

Zhu Dijun copied the sentence onto the whiteboard and drew a circle around it.

"Everyone, think about this sentence: 'There's no choice but to make deals between the palace and the government.' To put it simply—I give money to the eunuchs in order to do things for the country. Sounds reasonable, right? But think about it, where does this money come from? It all comes from the people; ultimately, the common people pay the price."

The comment section exploded.

Good heavens, reforms still rely on bribing eunuchs to get through; how clean can such reforms possibly be?

Zhang Juzheng: I wasn't greedy; I was greedy for the sake of the country.

This logic is exactly the same as the defense arguments used by some corrupt officials.

No wonder the Wanli Emperor later slaughtered Zhang Juzheng's entire family; it seems that besides the Single Whip Law's dehumanizing nature, this other factor also played a role.

Zhu Dijun ignored the comments and continued with the third point.

"They jointly built residences and privately enjoyed imperial artifacts. It is rumored that the two jointly purchased land in the capital and built adjacent giant mansions, almost in the style of a prince's palace. Feng Bao privately possessed dragon-patterned artifacts, and Zhang Juzheng tacitly approved without impeaching him. Zhang Juzheng used a python robe that exceeded the regulations, and Feng Bao helped him cover it up in the inner court. Neither of them pursued the other's overstepping of authority and corruption."

He put down his pen and began to summarize.

"Compare with official historical records. Three points. First, it is true that the two exchanged gifts and had a close relationship, but there is no firsthand historical evidence to support the huge bribe of 200,000 taels. Second, Feng Bao did accept bribes and place his cronies in positions of power, and Zhang Juzheng deliberately tolerated Feng Bao's mild corruption in order to maintain harmony within the palace. Third, the mutual worship of sons and brothers and the writing of eulogies were common practices in official circles at the time for winning over eunuchs, and were not an exception."