The only sun in Huayu

"Yay! Shen Shandeng and I are awesome!"

China Film.

With the box office success of "Jiajing", Han Sanping, the primary producer, was naturally all smiles.

Of the three films in the series derived from "The Eunuch," namely "Jiajing," "The Embroidered Uniform Guard," and "The Eunuch 2," "Jiajing" had the smallest budget.

But it is also the one with the highest probability of failure.

After all, the other two are real action blockbusters, while this one focuses on drama and political intrigue.

Nobody knows how well the market will accept it.

Now the facts speak louder than words; the film stands on its own merits without him having to exert any more effort.

The total investment in "Jiajing" was less than 20 million yuan, and the box office revenue in the first weekend directly covered the cost, and it was all net profit after that.

Han Sanping, in a good mood, called Shen Shandeng, with a hint of hindsight regret.

"In hindsight, we were too conservative. There were too many films in the Lunar New Year season this year, and we didn't give enough initial copies of 'Jiajing'. If we had given a few hundred more, the opening week's box office could have been even higher."

Shen Shandeng sounded optimistic on the other end of the phone: "It's already very good as it is now."

For Shen Shandeng, the success of "Jiajing" signifies that Dengfeng Pictures has gained a foothold in the most competitive Lunar New Year film season.

This is more meaningful than an extra ten or twenty million in box office revenue.

"We lost! Well done!"

Gongzhi Songci looked at the entertainment section of the newspaper and, far from being upset by the high box office of "Jiajing", he slapped his thigh in delight.

I couldn't wait to call my friends and share it.

"The box office failure of this kind of film, which idolizes and vulgarizes feudal emperors, is inevitable! It is a historical inevitability! It is a manifestation of the awakening of the people!"

His friend on the other end of the phone was confused by his nonsensical words.

"Old Song, you didn't read that wrong, did you? The news says that 'Jiajing' grossed over 50 million yuan in its opening weekend, a huge success! Where did it fail?"

Song Ci scoffed: "The failure I'm referring to is compared to Shen Shandeng's previous films, 'The Eunuch' and 'Lost in Thailand'! The box office growth has slowed down!"

"What does this mean? It means the audience is getting tired of his style! That's a failure!"

Ah, this?
My friend remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, not knowing what to say.

A movie with an investment of less than 20 million yuan, which raked in more than 50 million yuan in its opening weekend and is sure to break 100 million yuan, is actually considered a failure?
Then there probably won't be many successful movies on the market.

Moreover, the director of this film is Wu Jing, not Shen Shandeng himself.

Respect and blessings.

He was too lazy to argue with his old friend who lived in his own world, so he gave a vague reply and hung up the phone.

It is no coincidence.

In the editorial office of Southern Weekly, editor-in-chief Zhang Mingyuan was gritting his teeth as he looked at the box office figures.

"We've lost! This is a failure of cultural guidance!"

"Quickly! Write an article criticizing 'Jiajing,' focusing on its glorification of feudal imperial power, advocacy of rule by man, and poisoning of the historical perspective of young people! It has to be done quickly!"

However, once the draft was finished, it was stopped by his boss.

The leader rejected his proposal: "The critical draft of 'Jiajing' should be shelved for now and not published."

Zhang Mingyuan, his neck stiff with righteous indignation, argued: "Leader! This movie has a very problematic message! It portrays the Jiajing Emperor as a hero and Yang Tinghe as a powerful minister who violates human ethics. This is completely turning black into white and confusing the public!"

“We must make our voices heard,”

The leader impatiently interrupted him: "Alright, Mingyuan, I know your point of view. But now is not the time. The feedback from all sides is good, and the market recognizes it. Calm down first."

Zhang Mingyuan returned to his office, his face ashen, seething with anger.

He knew that the production company, or Shen Shandeng's side, must have put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of money!
He knows this well because he accepted it too.

But accepting it doesn't mean he approves of it!
His heart was bleeding!

This phenomenon of "bad money driving out good money" is what he finds most intolerable!
Can't he even speak a "fair word" in the media he edits himself?
How can this spread rumors all over the world?

During lunch, he overheard the cultural columnist next door discussing arranging an interview.

The target is Wu Jing, the newly minted director of "Jiajing" with a box office exceeding 100 million yuan.

Zhang Mingyuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately found a reporter he knew.

Since we can't publish a direct article criticizing him, let's ask our colleagues to help us teach this smug martial arts director a lesson during an interview!
Fortunately, this colleague shared his views, and they hit it off immediately!
the other side.

Wu Jing finished a day of promotional roadshows.

Lin Yueru, the person in charge of publicity and distribution, was also full of energy and communicated with Wu Jing, Zhou Qifeng and others about the next publicity and distribution strategy.

Lin Yueru said, "Brother Jing, if we can establish a foothold in the first week, the second week will be crucial."

She handed the document to Wu Jing, saying, "Besides the usual publicity, my idea is to strike while the iron is hot and add fuel to the fire by doing several rounds of historical interpretation and discussion around the Jiajing Emperor in the movie."

Wu Jing took the document and asked, "Historical interpretation? Isn't this too deep? Do audiences like this kind of thing?"

“After the Olympics, the audience’s sense of pride has also increased, and our films can withstand scrutiny and have interesting perspectives. Next, ‘If You Are the One’ will be released. Our film is a historical thriller, and we need to further segment our audience.” Lin Yueru specifically reminded Wu Jing: “Brother Jing, there may be some rather pointed interviews later, discussing historical perspectives or systemic issues.”

"While we are not afraid of controversy, because discussion generates buzz, we must be careful of traps when giving interviews."

She could sense that Wu Jing was a bit of a talkative person.

The perspective of the Jiajing Emperor may be unacceptable to some.

Of course, Lin Yueru also comforted her, saying, "Don't be too careful with your words. Just say what you think. The key is to express yourself clearly."

If Wu Jing can withstand the online attacks, she actually wants to take the initiative to provoke a fight.

When "The Eunuch" was released, Shen Shandeng stirred up a storm, which she witnessed firsthand.

Controversy generates topics, and topics generate sustained attention.

The reason why Little Steel Cannon likes to fire is because there are benefits to it.

However, the public pressure he faces is too great, and Wu Jing might not be able to withstand it.

After the meeting, I returned to my room.

Although physically exhausted, Wu Jing was unusually excited and couldn't help but text Xie Nan to share his thoughts. Xie Nan quickly called back, teasingly saying, "Director Wu, you've really leaped over the dragon gate! You've become a director in the 100 million yuan club. From now on, the actresses who want to work with you will probably be lining up from Beijing to Tianjin!"

Without a second thought, Wu Jing blurted out, "No way! What female celebrity? I just like someone like you!"

These words were his most genuine thoughts at that moment.

Xie Nan on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, then felt her cheeks burning.

the next day.

Wu Jing gave an exclusive interview to Southern Weekly.

The reporter sitting opposite him wore a professional smile.

He was very dissatisfied with the naturalized Han Chinese in front of him.

When promoting "The Eunuch", he even shouted "Those who offend our Great Ming will be punished no matter how far away they are". Although Shen Shandeng stole the limelight, he did not forget.

Now, he has become famous overnight with a movie that "advocates imperial power".

We already have Shen Shandeng; adding another one definitely won't work.

The first half of the interview went relatively smoothly, with discussions about the hardships of filming and understanding of the characters. The conversation then circled back to the film itself and its box office performance, and the atmosphere remained relatively harmonious.

However, as the conversation deepened, the reporter gradually steered the issue toward points of contention.

"Director Wu, your film 'Jiajing' depicts the workings of the Ming Dynasty's imperial power. What are your thoughts on the historical role of the 'imperial system'?"

Wu Jing didn't think much of it and answered according to his own understanding: "I think that the imperial system in ancient times had one great advantage, which was that it could concentrate resources to accomplish great things."

"When power is centralized, the efficiency of allocating resources and mobilizing manpower and material resources is high. For example, when disasters occur, such as earthquakes, water conservancy projects are repaired, and foreign enemies are defended, which is beneficial to the development of the entire country."

The reporter was speechless. "You're defending your ancestors, do you even know that?"

That's a bit like you've forgotten your roots!

Wu Jing continued, "We must look at historical facts objectively. The imperial system existed for so many years, so it had a certain degree of rationality."

"To put it bluntly, the system was able to operate effectively, and to some extent, the elite class and even ordinary people also benefited."

The reporter seized on the point and emphasized, "But this system lacks effective constraints! In the end, it all depends on the emperor's personal morality and self-discipline, lacking a rigid mechanism to guarantee it. Once the emperor is incompetent or tyrannical, the consequences are unimaginable."

Wu Jing frowned, feeling that the other person was being a bit pedantic: "You can't say that. Every system has its advantages and disadvantages. The imperial system could concentrate power, and under the conditions at the time, it allowed everyone to unite and work together, and most of the time the common people benefited. You can't just focus on the downsides."

The reporter quoted historical examples, saying, "Director Wu, the lack of checks and balances in the imperial system is fatal. It can easily lead to tyranny like that of Qin Er Shi, widespread corruption like that of the late Qing Dynasty, or succession crises like the War of the Eight Princes in the Western Jin Dynasty. These are all bloody lessons."

Wu Jing was a little annoyed by his series of examples, feeling that the other person was just arguing for the sake of arguing.

"These examples you gave actually show that the imperial system itself wasn't so bad, right?"

"Huh?" The reporter was taken aback, not following the logic.

Wu Jing shook his head and counted on his fingers: "Think about it, in the five thousand years of Chinese history, just talking about the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, how many emperors were there? But the extreme negative examples you just mentioned, there are only a few of them, what percentage do they represent?"

"What does this show? It shows that most of the time, this system is stable and effective, and can maintain the operation and development of the country! We can't say that the whole system is worthless just because of a few special cases, can we?"

The reporter said, "You can't say that. There were quite a few emperors with minor flaws."

Recalling some of the views that Shen Shandeng would occasionally mention in casual conversation, Wu Jing said, "Doesn't Britain have a queen now? The United States doesn't have an emperor, but they have a president, who has considerable power."

Upon hearing this, the reporter was first taken aback, then became furious.

Your emperor is not worthy of being compared to a queen.
"The British have a constitutional monarchy, while the Americans have a democracy; they're better than us."

Wu Jing disagreed: "I think every country has different historical traditions and actual situations. We can't simply say that the external system is necessarily good and our historical traditions are necessarily bad."

"The key is whether it suits you. What suits you is good. I think that under the conditions of ancient times, the imperial system was able to maintain such a large country for thousands of years. There must be a reason for it."

The reporter got a little carried away and pressed on: "Director Wu, are you saying that the imperial system was superior and effective for most of history? Even comparable to contemporary Western constitutional monarchies or presidential systems?"

Wu Jing felt that his understanding was a bit twisted and emphasized: "I don't think we can say that things are good outside and that we are not good enough. We can't just belittle the things of our own ancestors."

The interview has ended.

The reporter returned to the editorial office, and Zhang Mingyuan was overjoyed after reading the interview transcript.

"Just report as usual." Zhang Mingyuan didn't ask the other party to do anything.

They have a set procedure for setting the pace, and their own units cannot get involved.

However, once the interview video and transcript were released, Zhang Mingyuan took Wu Jing's words out of context.

He, along with several well-known public figures and influential bloggers, acted like sharks smelling blood, reinterpreting Wu Jing's interview content.

The fire ignited by Zhang Mingyuan quickly spread within a specific circle.

Newly minted director Wu Jing publicly praises the imperial system: its centralized power has obvious advantages, far surpassing Western democracy?

"Wu Jing's Historical Perspective: Is Centralized Imperial Power Superior to Modern Democracy?"

Shocking! Wu Jing claims that most of China's hundreds of emperors were good, and tyranny was merely accidental.

From actor to director, where does Wu Jing's "loyalty to the emperor" mentality come from?

Wu Jing bluntly states: Most of the hundreds of emperors were wise and virtuous; tyrants and incompetent rulers were only a very small minority!

As a result, reports with sensational headlines and out-of-context content quickly took shape.

It spread like wildfire on blogs and forums.

They distorted Wu Jing's objective arguments into "a mindless admiration for the imperial system" and "a denigration of the Western democratic system."

The statement that "we cannot blindly denigrate the things of our own ancestors" has been interpreted as "narrow nationalism and a theory of historical regression."

This move quickly transcended the realm of film, rising to the level of "historical perspective" and "values".

Once the fire started, Zhang Mingyuan had several influential online figures criticize him, and then he reposted it.

"It's done!"

Actually, there was nothing wrong with what Wu Jing said from beginning to end, but after a series of twists and turns, he managed to create something out of nothing and get the rhythm going.

As the fire blazed, Zhang Mingyuan's gloomy mood finally lifted!
But soon, he was dumbfounded.

Hmm! Something's not right! (End of Chapter)