usatvline Chapter 1: The Celestial Curtain Approaches, Shaking All Dynasties
Chapter 1: The Celestial Curtain Approaches, Shaking All Dynasties
In the early spring of the fifth year of the Hongwu reign.
In Yingtian Prefecture, it was the season when the spring chill was still in the air and the plants were just beginning to sprout.
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the imperial palace was oppressive, like the calm before a storm.
Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, stood in the Fengtian Hall, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.
"Has the person still not been found?"
The majestic voice echoed in the hall, sending a chill down one's spine.
"Your Majesty, I have thoroughly searched the entire Yingtian Prefecture, but I still haven't found the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei's mansion, and His Highness the Prince of Yan is also nowhere to be found."
"Where has he/she gone?"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and looked at Ye Mao, the deputy envoy of the Imperial Guard, who was prostrate on the ground. His voice was as cold as the winter wind.
"Two living, breathing people, a legitimate daughter of a duke's family and a prince of the Ming Dynasty—could they have simply vanished into thin air?!"
"Seal all gates and launch a city-wide search. We're giving you three more days. If you still can't find him, you'll all come back with your heads!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
The generals of the Yiluan Division lowered their heads and hurriedly left the Fengtian Hall.
"Chongba, have you still not found Miaoyun and the Fourth Prince?"
An urgent voice came from outside the door.
Then Empress Ma hurriedly came from outside the palace.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's previous hostility vanished instantly.
"Girl! Don't try to persuade us this time. If we find Fourth Brother, I'm going to break both his legs!"
"We swallowed our pride and went to great lengths to get this marriage arranged for him by our old buddy Xu Da, and this brat, not only is he ungrateful, he even dares to run away from the wedding!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was also extremely disappointed in his son.
Just three days ago, Zhu Yuanzhang personally hosted a banquet for Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, with his son Zhu Biao as the host, solely to arrange for Xu Da's eldest daughter, Xu Miaoyun, to marry Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.
He said a lot of nice things, and his lips were practically worn out, before he finally managed to get his old friend to agree.
Who would have thought that Zhu Di would run away from the engagement on the very day it was to be arranged!
Zhu Yuanzhang originally intended to secretly find the person and bring them back, but after turning the entire Yingtian Prefecture upside down, he still couldn't find a single person.
With such a commotion, it's impossible for the Duke of Wei's mansion not to know.
That very night, Xu Miaoyun, the eldest daughter of Duke Xu Da of Wei, mysteriously disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.
Even then, rumors circulated that Xu Miaoyun had run away from home because she couldn't bear the humiliation.
Empress Ma sat on a stool to the side, her face full of worry.
"How did such a joyous occasion turn out like this?"
"This has even caused Xu Da's daughter to run away from home. If we find her, that's fine, but if something happens to her, how will we face our old brother in the future?"
Zhu Yuanzhang reluctantly stepped forward and patted Empress Ma on the back.
"Don't worry, sister. We've already dispatched the Imperial Guard Commandery, the Imperial Guard Division, and the Five Cities Garrison. Even if we have to turn the entire Yingtian Prefecture upside down, I'll definitely find her for you."
Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept outside the Fengtian Hall, followed by lightning and thunder, and a moment later a panicked scream rang out.
"Oh no! The sky... the sky... the sky has cracked open!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma were slightly startled, then got up and walked out of Fengtian Hall.
The wind howled fiercely, as if cutting with a knife.
To everyone's astonishment, the dark, thick clouds seemed to be cleaved in two by a single sword!
The next moment, a dazzling light curtain flashed continuously in the sky, stretching across the heavens like an abyss!
Such earth-shattering phenomena were not limited to the Ming Dynasty!
Throughout China's millennia of history, countless eras have witnessed similar turbulent clouds overhead.
221 BC, the first year of Qin Shi Huang's reign.
Having just completed the great feat of unifying the six kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang gazed intently at the churning clouds above. Beside him, the swordsman Gai Nie had already drawn his sword, Yuan Hong, and stood in front of him.
In 90 BC, the third year of the Zhenghe reign of the Han Dynasty.
The mystery of the witchcraft incident still lingered over Weiyang Palace. Liu Che, the 66-year-old Emperor Wu of Han with a full head of white hair, stared intently at the crack in the sky with his cloudy eyes.
626 AD, the first year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty.
The stench of blood on the ground at Xuanwu Gate had not yet dissipated, and Li Jiancheng's eyes were still open. Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back in front of the main hall, letting the wind blow the hair at his temples.
1141 AD, the eleventh year of the Shaoxing reign of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Inside the Dali Temple prison, Yue Fei was enduring torture. Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, stared at the crack in the sky, his body trembling. Beside him, Qin Hui and Wan Qixie frantically directed the chaotic imperial guards.
1407 AD, the fifth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty.
Zheng He's fleet was sailing the Western Ocean, while in the imperial palace of Shuntian Prefecture, Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di), who had just experienced the grief of losing his wife, gazed into the distance.
1542 AD, the 21st year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty.
Having just survived the Renyin Palace coup, Emperor Shizong of Ming, Zhu Houcong, disregarded the advice of the eunuchs around him and rushed out of the gate of Yongshou Palace. Looking at the churning dark clouds in the sky, there was no fear in his eyes, but he shouted.
"Hahaha, I've succeeded, Daoist Master!"
For thousands of years, through countless dynasties, the same crack has appeared in the sky at this moment.
Like an eye in the sky, overlooking all living beings and this vast land!
Zhu Yuanzhang protected Empress Ma behind him, and he rose from humble beginnings to establish his dynasty! He drove out the Tartars and restored China!
Nothing has ever been able to defeat him, and nothing has ever been able to knock him down.
"The sky has cracked? Could it be that I have done something wrong and angered the heavens?"
Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was deep in thought, Empress Ma, who was hiding behind him, was suddenly startled. She covered her mouth, her hand trembling as she pointed to the sky and exclaimed.
"Chongba, look, it's...it's that little girl Miaoyun! That little girl Miaoyun is in heaven!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. He looked in the direction Empress Ma was pointing, and the expression on his face froze instantly.
The enormous canopy looked like a window hanging in the sky.
Inside the window, a young woman sat gracefully at a desk, her hair styled in a cloud-like pattern and her eyes sparkling with phoenixes, exuding composure.
She clearly resembled Xu Miaoyun, but she had grown up considerably from the girl he remembered, and her features now exuded the dignified air of a well-bred young lady.
"Is this Miaoyun? She...how did she grow up so much? And what's with these clothes?"
Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak. His gaze fell on the characters that were jumping around the edges of the frame on the screen. They were neither characters nor words. There were also constantly changing numbers and a line of small text that read "Xu Miaoyun's Live Stream Room".
Although the meaning is unclear, the person in the picture is undoubtedly the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei's mansion.
At the same moment, in the Shuntianfu Imperial Palace, Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) suddenly stood up from his dragon throne, his eyes wide open.
He knew that face in the sky all too well. It was his wife of thirty-one years, the person he loved most in the world.
Three months ago, he personally escorted her to Changling, crying so hard he almost fainted.
"Miaoyun..."
Zhu Di's voice was hoarse, and his eyes instantly turned red.
"It's Miaoyun! She's still alive! She's in heaven!"
Xu Miaoyun in the sky seemed much younger than when she passed away; she was in the prime of her life.
Just as Zhu Di was trembling, thinking he had regained what he had lost, the screen suddenly shook, and the figure of a young man squeezed into the frame.
He was dressed in strange clothes that Xu Miaoyun had never seen before, with a lazy smile in his eyes, and he reached out and gently patted Xu Miaoyun on the head.
"If you're going out to have fun, just have fun. Why do you have to do a live stream? Don't you get tired?"
Xu Miaoyun wasn't annoyed at all. She simply tilted her head slightly, letting the hand land on the top of her head, and even curved her lips into a smile.
"Brother Liu Yan is Miao Yun's husband, and Miao Yun wants to record every day she spends with Brother Yan."
This scene, when it came into Zhu Di's view, was like oil being poured onto a raging fire.
"Brother Yan, my husband," every word he uttered exploded in Zhu Di's mind like a thunderclap.
"who is he?!"
Zhu Di's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaved violently, and his voice was almost a roar.
"Who is that man! What right does he have to touch my Miaoyun!"
He turned around abruptly, staring intently at the kneeling guards and eunuchs, pointing towards the sky, his veins bulging.
"Investigate! Find out who this man named Liu Yan in the heavens is! I want him torn to pieces!"
All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground, and no one dared to respond.
Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi forced himself to kowtow.
"Your Majesty, that person... that person is in heaven, we have no way of investigating..."
Just as Zhu Di was gripped by impotent rage, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ding dong! Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) has joined Xu Miaoyun's live stream."