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

Zhu Dijun walked to the whiteboard and wrote "Dark Interpretation".

"First, the two were in a community of shared interests. The reforms threatened the interests of large landowners and nobles, and there was huge opposition in the court. They had to rely on the Eastern Depot and the power to approve imperial edicts controlled by Feng Bao to suppress the opposing officials. Corruption and bribery were the cost of maintaining the alliance."

"Second, they deliberately left evidence of each other's corruption to check and balance each other. Zhang and Feng each had evidence of the other's bribery and overstepping of authority, so neither dared to betray the other, forming a binding check and balance to ensure that the ten-year alliance would not break down."

"Third, the civil service group used this as a black mark to smear Zhang Juzheng. Later generations of the Donglin Party denigrated Zhang Juzheng, deliberately exaggerating the stain of bribing eunuchs to prove his misconduct and deny the legitimacy of the Wanli Reforms."

He stepped back and looked at the contents of the whiteboard.

"The fourth category. Derivative related unofficial histories—connecting the rumors of 'the corrupt prime minister sleeping on the dragon's bed'."

In a parallel timeline of the fifth year of the Longqing reign in the Ming Dynasty

Emperor Muzong of Ming, Zhu Zaiji, clenched his fists, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent. He hadn't forgotten seeing the reason for his death in the celestial canopy, nor had he seen the mockery directed at Zhang Juzheng—"Emperor Regent of Ming."

"What a Ming Shezong! What a Feng Bao! What a Li Caifeng! The three of you conspired to kill me, usurp my power, and murder my teacher! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

"Guards, convey my decree: bring that vile woman Li Caifeng and Feng Bao to me. At the same time, inform Grand Secretary Gao that martial law is to be declared in the capital!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Let's return our focus to the [Modern Live Streaming Studio]

Zhu Dijun drew a logic chain on the whiteboard.

"The common people linked three things together in their stories: Zhang Juzheng's attempt to win over Feng Bao, Feng Bao's frequent visits to the Cining Palace to deliver messages, and Empress Dowager Li's excessive trust in Zhang Juzheng. This led to the rumor that 'Zhang Juzheng secretly met with the Empress Dowager late at night through Feng Bao's connections.'"

"Rumored details: Feng Bao broke through the palace's security gates and lured Zhang Juzheng into the Cining Palace late at night for a private meeting, dismissing all palace maids and eunuchs. They publicly claimed to be discussing the princes' education and state affairs, but in reality, they were having an affair."

After writing this down, Zhu Dijun crossed it out next to the text.

"The official history is very simple to refute. The Ming Dynasty's inner palace had extremely strict access control. When officials from outside the palace entered, they were always accompanied by multiple eunuchs and historians who recorded the entire process. It was impossible for them to meet privately alone. When Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao were investigated, all the officials listed their crimes, but not one of them mentioned illicit affairs with the inner palace. If it were true, it would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their family, and their political enemies would never have let it go."

He tapped the whiteboard.

"Conspiracy Theory Analysis—Political enemies orchestrated a series of rumors to destroy the power triangle in one fell swoop. First, they accused Zhang Juzheng of colluding with the eunuch Feng Bao, corrupting the integrity of civil officials. Then, they fabricated a story about an affair with the Empress Dowager, accusing him of committing a capital offense of adultery in the palace. This two-pronged attack of public opinion simultaneously undermined the trust between Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Juzheng, and Feng Bao, ultimately leading to the abolition of the reform policies."

Judy took a sip of tea, and 50-hime refilled the teacup from the side.

"The fifth type. Personality rifts and backlash. Alliances may appear strong, but in reality, they harbor mutual suspicion and hidden dangers."

Three items are listed on the whiteboard.

"First, in the tenth year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Juzheng fell seriously ill. Feng Bao secretly sent people to monitor Zhang's residence, take stock of his property, record the officials who came and went, and collect evidence of Zhang Juzheng's crimes in advance, intending to seize power both inside and outside the palace once Zhang Juzheng died."

"Secondly, Zhang Juzheng also secretly arranged for his trusted confidants to monitor the Eastern Depot, record evidence of Feng Bao's corruption and usurpation, and guard against Feng Bao turning against him."

"Thirdly, before his death, Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial to the Empress Dowager, requesting her to restrain Feng Bao's power, implying that Feng Bao's power was too great, which foreshadowed Feng Bao's later exile."

Zhu Dijun put down his pen.

"What does official history say? There is no direct historical evidence to prove that the two were monitoring each other. However, after Wanli took power, the core memorials used to purge Feng Bao revealed a large amount of evidence against him, which came from officials who had previously been loyal to Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng did indeed subtly advise Feng Bao to curb his arrogance during his lifetime."

He walked in front of the camera.

"So how do you interpret this conspiracy theory? First, their alliance was purely based on mutual interests, devoid of any affection, and they were constantly on guard against each other. The moment one lost their usefulness, the other would immediately discard them. Second, Zhang Juzheng had already foreseen that the emperor would purge the old guard after his death, and thus secretly restricted Feng Bao in advance to reduce future accountability from the court. Third, the foundation of the iron triangle relied entirely on the young emperor and the empress dowager; once the emperor came of age and assumed personal rule, the alliance would collapse instantly, and both of them would be unable to escape retribution."

Zhu Dijun wiped the whiteboard clean and rewrote two sets of content.

"Finally, let's summarize. There are historically based rumors that have been exaggerated by the public: In the late Longqing period, they secretly corresponded to join forces against Gao Gong; in the Wang Dachen case, Feng Bao intended to implicate Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng initially agreed with him; they exchanged valuable gifts, and Zhang Juzheng tolerated Feng Bao's corruption; Zhang and Feng cooperated internally and externally to form a unified ruling structure of the palace and government."

"Completely fabricated and unsupported by historical records: Zhang Juzheng bribed Gao Gong with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in one go; the two conspired to completely exterminate Gao Gong's entire clan; Feng Bao led Zhang Juzheng to a secret meeting with Empress Dowager Li late at night; the two built private residences of princely scale next to each other and divided the huge bribe money."

He took two steps back and put his hands in his pockets.

"The official historical assessment is that Zhang Juzheng's alliance with Feng Bao was a pragmatic choice under the unique political circumstances of the Ming Dynasty. With a young emperor ruling and the empress dowager living in seclusion in the palace, the civil service alone could not suppress the opposition forces in the court. It was necessary to unite with the Directorate of Ceremonial to control the power of imperial approval and supervision in order to implement reforms such as the Single Whip Law and the Performance Evaluation Law. The two did have political deals and tolerated each other's private moral flaws to a certain extent, but there were no extreme acts of treason, scandalous behavior in the palace, or deliberate massacre of political enemies. Unofficial histories are mostly smears by political enemies and popular embellishments."

Zhu Dijun paused.

"Dark Conspiracy Theory Review—The Zhang-Feng Alliance was a complete power monopoly plan. Taking advantage of the window of opportunity presented by Emperor Muzong's death and the ascension of the young emperor, they conspired to oust the powerful chief minister and divide the highest power within and outside the court. Under the guise of reform, they bound themselves together with corrupt interests, controlling personnel, oversight, and finances, effectively stripping Emperor Wanli of his power for ten years. All their cooperation was solely for the purpose of dividing the court's discourse; they were mutually suspicious and prepared for contingencies to protect themselves. Seemingly partners in restoring order, they were in reality power-hungry opportunists. Their subsequent purges after their deaths were a complete revenge by the imperial power for 'collusion between internal and external forces and the division of imperial power.'"

He picked up the thermos and found it was empty. Princess 50 had already handed him a freshly brewed tea from the side.

"Alright. We've finished dismantling the unofficial histories of Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao. Next, let's discuss an even more exciting topic—how much money did Zhang Juzheng actually embezzle? Was the stuff confiscated from his home after his death enough to support the Nine Garrisons for three years?"

Zhu Dijun nodded at the camera.

See you in ten minutes.

The live broadcast signal was cut off. The studio lights dimmed. Zhu Dijun pulled up a chair and sat down, rubbing his eyes. An encrypted message popped up on his tablet—there's new progress in the interrogation of the academic clique by the National Security Bureau. One of the three upstream nodes has revealed a complete chain of fund flows, from overseas offshore accounts to domestic academic funds, all connected.

He glanced at it, then placed the tablet face down on the table.

Using the power granted by the Grey Wolf template, he has created the artificial intelligences [Xihe], [Moon Shadow], and [Red Queen] this month, specifically to clean up and investigate the internet, and to be responsible for those transmitting signals via network data both domestically and internationally. They are also responsible for monitoring the Terminator army secretly manufactured by Judy Jun.

He didn't distrust the PLA's combat capabilities, but rather worried that his kindness might lead to a repeat of past mistakes.

Questioning Bai Qi, understanding Bai Qi, becoming Bai Qi, and then surpassing Bai Qi!