The Underlying Logic of Civil Service Group Histories

The background music in the live stream became somber and solemn.

A huge mountain of books appeared on the screen, made up of historical books from all dynasties.

Zhu Dijun stood before the mountain of books, like a judge.

"It began when Emperor Xiaozong of Ming was completely stripped of power in the thirteenth year of the Hongzhi reign."

"Until that wicked old witch, Empress Dowager Zhou, died."

"For the entire four years, Zhu Youcheng became a complete rubber stamp."

"His daily task was to sit on the dragon throne like a clay idol, watching the civil officials below divide up the national interests."

"Watching his two brothers-in-law, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, run rampant in the capital, forcibly taking women from the countryside."

"For the civil service and their relatives, these four years have been a 'spring' that they could dream of."

Zhu Dijun's fingers swept across the mountain of books, and he pulled out a copy of "History of Ming".

"Therefore, these civil officials who controlled the pen gave Zhu Youcheng a very high evaluation in the history books."

"Eight large characters: [Political integrity, diligence, and benevolence]!"

"They even elevated him to the status of 'the greatest emperor of all time'."

"Family members, don't you find this absurd?"

"How can a spineless emperor who can't even protect his own wife and children, can't hold onto military power, and has the lifeline of the nation stolen be called a great emperor of all time?"

Throughout countless worlds and timelines, countless emperors pricked up their ears.

This has been their long-standing question.

Zhu Dijun slammed the copy of the History of Ming onto the table.

"Because there exists an extremely disgusting, yet irrefutable, underlying logic in our traditional historical records!"

"Anyone who is good to the powerful families and the civil service, and who is willing to relinquish imperial power to them."

"The historical evaluations of him are absolutely top-notch!"

"They will be packaged as Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, and praised as wise rulers throughout the ages."

"And on the other hand?"

Suddenly, a series of majestic and imposing portraits of emperors flashed across the large screen.

"Anyone who dares to threaten the interests of powerful clans, anyone who insists on centralized power, and anyone who takes ruthless measures against the civil service."

"No matter how great your achievements are, no matter how well you govern the country."

"All sorts of fabricated charges will be dumped on your head like swill!"

Zhu Dijun pointed to the first portrait, which depicted King Zhou of Shang.

"Emperor Xin!"

"He promoted commoners, suppressed slave-owning nobles, and expanded into the Eastern Yi."

"And what was the result? History records say he was a tyrant who indulged in debauchery, disemboweling his subjects and ripping out their hearts—a truly heinous villain!"

The scene shifts to Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin.

"Ying Zheng!"

He standardized the written language, the gauge of carts, weights and measures, abolished the feudal system, and completely centralized power from the nobles of the six states.

"And what was the result? History books condemn him for burning books and burying scholars alive, for his tyranny and cruelty, and for the rise of Chen Sheng as king of the Great Chu!"

The scene then changes.

"Old Bangzi Liu Bang! Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che!"

"One killed all the kings of different surnames, the other used the Edict of Grace to reduce the princes to dogs, and also used cruel officials to severely crack down on local powerful families."

"And how did the history books portray them? They said Liu Bang was a rogue and a scoundrel, and that Liu Che was a warmonger who issued an edict of self-reproach in his later years!"

Finally, the image freezes on two portraits of people wearing Ming Dynasty dragon robes.

"Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang! Emperor Chengzu of Ming, Zhu Di!"

"These two gentlemen are even more ruthless. They directly deposed the prime minister, trampled the civil service group underfoot, and killed corrupt officials in droves."

"And the result?"

"In the writings of scholars, Zhu Yuanzhang was portrayed as a bloodthirsty peasant, and Zhu Di as an illegitimate usurper!"

"Their appearances were all depicted in historical records as having long, narrow faces!"

Zhu Dijun's voice echoed throughout the hall, resounding and deafening.

"Family members, do you understand now?"

"It's no use being good to the common people; they won't write history."

"You have to be good to the civil officials and the powerful families, otherwise they won't leave you with a good reputation!"

"Zhu Youcheng earned the empty title of 'Hongzhi Restoration' only because he served as a perfect puppet for four years, allowing the civil service to leech off him!"

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly, his laughter filled with endless sorrow and disdain.

"Excellent! What a profound underlying logic! Well said by future generations!"

"We saw right through these literary charlatans!"

"They call us tyrants? They call us bloodthirsty?"

"We don't care!"

"As long as the people of this land can have enough to eat, and as long as the Ming Dynasty doesn't fall into the hands of these parasites!"

"History books? Let them write them! We don't need their judgment on our merits and demerits!"

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di suddenly drew his long sword from his waist and shattered the screen next to him with a single blow.

"A usurper?"

"So what if I usurped the throne!"

"I have led five expeditions to the northern deserts, compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia, and dispatched Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean."

"My achievements are etched in stone, and they are etched into the spines of the Mongols!"

"They think they can erase my prestige with just a few broken pen holders?"

On the sky, Zhu Dijun's tone suddenly changed.

The long-suppressed atmosphere finally cracked.

"but."

Even a clay figure has a touch of earthiness.

"Zhu Youcheng was, after all, Zhu Jianshen's son, and he still retained some of the Zhu family's spirit in his bones. Especially after being humiliated and losing his eldest son and daughter in these four years."

The timeline on the screen jumped to the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign.

Inside the Forbidden City, white sails were hung everywhere.

The death knell tolls.

A chilling smile curled at the corners of Zhu Dijun's lips.

"In this year, a major event occurred that changed the course of the Ming Dynasty."

"The biggest mountain weighing on Zhu Youcheng's head was that wicked old witch who outlived two emperors—"

"Empress Dowager Zhou has finally died!"

boom!

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding across countless worlds and timelines.

on the screen.

Zhu Youcheng, dressed in mourning attire, stood outside Qingning Palace.

He watched as the Empress Dowager's coffin was slowly carried out, without a single tear on his face.

His hands were hidden inside the wide sleeves of his robe, clenched into fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh.

Zhu Dijun's voice carried a suppressed feeling of impending explosion.

"With Zhou's death, the iron triangle of the harem has completely collapsed."

"The Zhou family, relatives of the emperor, lost their biggest backer, and the civil service group also lost a super weapon that could control the emperor at any time—filial piety."

"The tight band around Zhu Youcheng's head has finally broken!"

The scene switches to the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youcheng stood alone in front of the huge bronze mirror.

He pulled off the white cloth from his head and took off his mourning clothes.

In the mirror was a face of a thirty-five-year-old.

Although he looked somewhat aged due to years of repression and hard work, a fire was rekindled in his eyes.

A raging fire big enough to start a prairie fire!

"Family members."

Zhu Dijun slammed his hand on the table, his voice impassioned.

Thirty-five years old!

"This is the prime of a man's life, when he is at his strongest and most energetic!"

"It's also the age when a ruler's political skills are at their most mature!"

"He acted like a subservient grandson for four years, enduring four years of humiliation."

"Now, the old hag on the throne is gone."

"He can finally stop worrying about that damn filial piety!"

"Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, who has been oppressed to the extreme, is finally about to reveal the fangs he has hidden for four years!"

"The Ming Dynasty's court is about to face a bloody counterattack!"