Slowing Down the Impact of the Sky Curtain

"Alright, family."

Above the sky, a slightly relaxed smile appeared on Zhu Dijun's face, as if he had not just overturned a three-thousand-year-old altar of thought, but merely finished telling a somewhat exciting story.

"The amount of information today is truly overwhelming."

"Let's take a break and give our friends, family, and even our ancestors who might have seen the sky curtain some time to digest and reflect."

"After all, the imprint of an idea is not forged in a day, nor can it be broken in a day."

"See you next time."

As soon as the words were spoken, the enormous sky, like a monitor that had lost power, quickly dimmed and finally vanished into nothingness, as if it had never existed.

However, the intellectual storm it left behind has only just begun to sweep across eternity.

Modern time and space.

The online buzz has reached a boiling point.

[Phew...it's finally stopped! My CPU was going to burn out if it kept playing! This isn't watching history, it's a class on reshaping our values!]

[Today's episode was phenomenal! It completely ripped away the facade of Confucianism! Confucianism has no loyalty, only flexibility! Holy crap, that summary is absolutely brilliant!]

No wonder there were so many traitors and collaborators in ancient times, who were quicker to kneel down than anyone else when dynasties changed. It turns out their ancestors had provided them with "theoretical guidance"! Wei Zi Qi, the Three Benevolent Men of Yin? Bah! The greatest traitor in history!

[I used to think some experts and professors were sarcastic and insincere, but now I understand—aren't they just modern-day versions of the "Duke Yansheng"? All talk of principles, all they care about is business! "Discretion is the better part of valor," right?]

Fortunately! Fortunately, we didn't follow that old path! Fortunately, our teachers and their generation of great leaders saw through it all from the very beginning! They chose a path that truly belonged to the people and was loyal to the country!

[That's right! It's terrifying to think about. If our national spirit is built on "benevolence" that can be betrayed, then what kind of cohesion can we talk about, and what kind of resistance against foreign aggression?]

Although the sky has darkened, the flames it ignited burn fiercely in everyone's hearts.

For those in ancient times, this was an earth-shattering upheaval that determined the fate of the nation.

Without the guidance of the sky, they had the clearest direction!

The Qin Dynasty, Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng stood in front of the palace, gazing at the empty sky, and remained silent.

But the entire palace behind him was operating at an unprecedented, frantic pace!

"Order Meng Tian! All officials in the northern army who are Confucian scholars must undergo a new examination! The examination will only cover one article of the Qin Law! Those who fail will be dismissed!"

"Order Li Si! Rewrite the *Records of the Grand Historian*! No, I want a new history book, called the *History of Qin*! Write down the deeds of Emperor Xin, E Lai, and Fei Lian in their entirety! Also, record the despicable acts of Ji Zhou, Wei Zi Qi, Confucius, and their ilk, stroke by stroke!"

"I want future generations to know who the heroes are and who the traitors are! Who are the friends of my Great Qin, and who are the mortal enemies of my Great Qin!"

"Teach by law, and learn from officials! My empire has no need for 'benevolent' rulers who might betray us at any moment!"

Ying Zheng's voice was cold and resolute.

What he wanted to do was to completely eradicate the hypocritical moral system of Confucianism from the body of the Qin Dynasty! He wanted to use strict and just laws to forge a truly loyal and iron-fisted empire that was loyal to the country and the monarch!

The Great Han Dynasty, Weiyang Palace.

Liu Che's expression shifted between light and dark.

He had just implemented the policy of "dismissing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism," intending to unify thought and consolidate imperial power.

As a result, the sky directly told him that the "state religion" he had chosen was fundamentally flawed!

This is tantamount to planting a time bomb in the foundation of his meticulously constructed Empire State Building.

Dong Zhongshu knelt on the ground, his body trembling like a leaf.

"Your Majesty, please calm down... This was not the original intention of the sages' teachings..."

Liu Che didn't even glance at him, but spoke coldly.

Where is Sang Hongyang?

A capable-looking official immediately stepped forward: "Your subject is here!"

"The Imperial Academy must be reformed!" Liu Che said, emphasizing each word. "Classical studies are necessary, but not just classical studies! Make the *Legal Canon*, *The Book of Lord Shang*, and *Han Feizi* compulsory readings for me! I want the students of the Imperial Academy to know that governing the country requires more than just words!"

"Furthermore, when recommending candidates for the civil service examination, reputation alone is insufficient! Add another criterion: assess their familiarity with the laws and regulations of the Han Dynasty, and their mathematical abilities! I need capable and competent officials, not useless individuals who spout empty words of benevolence and righteousness!"

"And another thing!" Liu Che's gaze turned north. "Where are Wei Qing and Huo Qubing?"

"Tell them to fight with all their might! Fight to show the might of the Han Dynasty! Fight to reclaim the territory of the Han Dynasty!"

"Use military merits, use real achievements, to tell the world what the greatest 'loyalty' to the Han Dynasty truly means!"

The national policy of exclusively respecting Confucianism was not abolished.

But its core has been quietly replaced.

The Legalist school's bones and the military school's soul were unhesitatingly reinjected into the backbone of the Han Dynasty by Liu Che!

The Great Tang Dynasty, Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji and others, and slowly said, "You have all seen what happened today."

"Confucianism can be used, but it should not be believed entirely."

"After much deliberation, I believe there are only three things that can secure the stability of my Great Tang Dynasty."

"Firstly, in the imperial examination system, 'virtue' is paramount. What is virtue? Loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and benefiting the people—these are the greatest virtues! Anyone who is two-faced or whose words and deeds do not match will never be employed!"

"Secondly, the Fubing system must never be abolished! Soldiers' families must enjoy honor! Military merit must become the most glorious medal for every man of the Tang Dynasty! Neither civil nor military affairs should be neglected!"

"Thirdly..." A deep glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, "I will personally oversee the compilation of history! The historical records of the previous dynasty must be re-examined! The historical records of this dynasty must be compiled with utmost care! We must never allow the historical pen to fall into the hands of treacherous officials, distorting the truth!"

This emperor, who ushered in the Reign of Zhenguan, used his calmest mind to build three solid ideological patches for his dynasty.

Meanwhile, in the Ming Dynasty, at the Hongwu Palace...

The atmosphere was beyond just oppressive.

That was a deathly silence, like mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at the civil officials kneeling below, silent and trembling, his face expressionless.

He did not kill anyone else.

Because he understood that killing was merely a means, not an end.

What he wanted was complete, absolute control, both mentally and physically!

"Biao'er," he said calmly.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao immediately stepped forward: "Your subject is here."

"From today onwards, you will have one more task added to your daily routine." Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Go to the Imperial Prison, to the Jinyiwei's torture chambers, and observe for an hour."

"Go and see how those scholars who betrayed us and the Ming Dynasty were skinned alive and stuffed with straw."

"Go smell the blood there, go listen to their screams."

"We want you to remember this: mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself! Forgiveness to traitors is betrayal of loyal subjects!"

Zhu Biao's face turned deathly pale instantly, but he still bowed and accepted the order: "Your subject... obeys the decree!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in satisfaction and glanced at all the ministers.

"We know you're not convinced and think we're just uncouth brutes who don't understand the teachings of sages."

"It's okay."

"Today, we'll give you, and all scholars in the world, your first lesson!"

"deliver an imperial order!"

"Transport the entire Kong family of Qufu, from the oldest to the youngest, to the capital!"

"The Duke Yansheng? I think it's the Duke Yansheng!"

"Aren't they the most adept at 'being pragmatic'? Aren't they the best at 'siding with the victor'?"

"Let's give them a good 'performance' for the whole world at Caishikou in Beijing!"

"We'll show everyone what happens to traitors in the Ming Dynasty!"

"The name of this lesson will be..."

A cruel smile spread across Zhu Yuanzhang's lips.

"Peel and stuff!"

boom!

In the entire Hongwu Hall, and in the minds of all the civil officials, it was as if a thunderbolt had exploded!

They knew that the founding emperor was not joking.

A thorough and bloody purge and transformation targeting the entire scholar-official class is about to begin!

A brand new Ming Dynasty, rebuilt by Zhu Yuanzhang with iron and blood, is slowly rising from the horizon!