I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

When watching their historical dramas, viewers don't feel mindless romantic entanglements, but rather the weight and warmth of history, and the complexity and diversity of human nature. This is why Cheng Sheng's historical dramas always stand out and become benchmarks in the hearts of viewers.

Princess Pingyang Zhao is a historical figure who is familiar to almost everyone who knows a little about the history of the Tang Dynasty.

Many history enthusiasts are very familiar with her life and deeds—everyone knows that this Tang princess was a female general who was in no way inferior to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. Her military talent and overall planning ability were among the best in the entire Sui and Tang Dynasties.

The clock slowly turned, and soon it was eight o'clock in the evening. The highly anticipated "Princess Pingyang Zhao" officially premiered.

As the series begins, the theme song "Princess Pingyang Zhao" slowly rises. The lyrics and music were specially commissioned by Cheng Sheng Company from top industry professionals. The melody is powerful and resonant, and the line "In red makeup, she holds the golden drum and repels the enemy outside the Great Wall" in the lyrics strikes the heart directly, highlighting the core character and heroic spirit of the series.

Many audience members couldn't help but exclaim in amazement upon hearing this lyric: "What a heroine! Her spirit is absolutely amazing!"

After the opening credits, the main drama jumps straight into the theme without any unnecessary setup or lengthy background introduction. The opening scene unfolds the turmoil and desolation of the late Sui Dynasty: Li Yuan raises an army in Jinyang to rebel against the Sui Dynasty. When the news reaches Chang'an, Princess Pingyang Zhao and Chai Shao, who are husband and wife, urgently discuss the matter in a secret room.

Ultimately, the two reached a consensus—Chai Shao would personally lead men to Jinyang to support Li Yuan's uprising; while Princess Pingyang Zhao would remain alone in Chang'an, waiting for an opportunity to escape and secretly plot for her husband's and father's great cause.

This drama doesn't have any tedious exposition or deliberately depict Princess Pingyang Zhao's daily trivialities. Instead, it directly presents the audience with the sense of urgency of the chaotic world. It starts from the key moment when Princess Pingyang Zhao, after escaping from Chang'an, did not choose to go directly to Li Yuan, but stayed in the Guanzhong region to secretly contact anti-Sui forces, build an armed team, and support the uprising in Jinyang. The pace is tight and suspenseful.

"So handsome!"

When Tong Yaya, playing Princess Pingyang Zhao, appeared on screen in a striking outfit with sharp eyes, she instantly attracted the attention of countless viewers, and the comments section was filled with such exclamations.

The words "handsome" and "cool" seem to be more inclined to describe men, but they are perfectly fitting for Princess Pingyang Zhao at this moment. Dressed in a neat and tidy outfit, with a firm gaze and upright posture, she showed no trace of feminine softness and displayed the heroic spirit and decisiveness of a female general.

Kyoto, at Yang Mi's home.

At this moment, Yang Mi and her best friend Tang Yan were sitting around the TV, intently watching the premiere of "Princess Pingyang Zhao".

"Secretly, give me an objective evaluation, how is Tong Yaya's acting?" Tang Yan suddenly turned to Yang Mi and asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Yang Mi pondered for a moment, her gaze still fixed on the television screen—Tong Yaya's acting was decent, showing solid skills and her lines were also solid, but compared to her previous cameo role in Cheng Sheng's film, she was still a bit immature and lacked the refinement that comes with experience.

"It's alright!" Yang Mi said thoughtfully. "After all, she graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, so her acting skills are still good. She also brought out the heroic spirit of Princess Pingyang Zhao. It's just that the details can be polished a bit more."

"Honestly, I really envy the artists signed by Shengli Film and Television." Tang Yan's tone was full of envy, and her voice dropped a bit: "Everyone has no shortage of resources. Tong Yaya debuted later than us, but now she is more popular than us, and her resources are far ahead of ours."

"What's there to envy!" Yang Mi patted her arm with a smile. "Manager Cai treats you very well. I heard she's arranged a lot of resources for you this year. There are TV dramas like 'The Long Song of Zhenguan,' 'Spring Comes Early to the Grassland,' and 'Modern Beauty,' and movies like 'Parting Is Also Love,' 'The Sharpshooter and the Wise Man,' and 'The Stick, the Tiger, and the Chicken.' That's quite a lot." Actually, Yang Mi herself was a little envious when she said this—her film and television resources this year were indeed not as abundant as Tang Yan's. Thinking about Tang Yan's list of resources, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

“We have plenty of resources, but none of them are leading roles.” Tang Yan sighed helplessly. “We can’t compare to the actresses signed by Shengli Film and Television. Have you seen Shengli Film and Television’s official website? Every female artist they signed this year has at least one leading role in a film or television work. On the other hand, we are still struggling to get supporting roles.”

"Sigh, I wish I had signed the contract later," Yang Mi couldn't help but sigh. "Maybe I would have had a chance to sign with Shengli Film and Television."

She knew very well that Jiao Junyan and Zhang Xiaofei had signed with Shengli Film and Television at the same time. If she had gone with them back then, with her looks and abilities, she would definitely have done better than them.

But it's too late to say anything now. She heard that Victory Film and Television has been signing very few new artists recently, and even when they do, the requirements are extremely high.

If you miss it, you really miss it.

Meanwhile, inside Shengli Film and Television Company, in Xing Aina's office.

After the two episodes finished airing, Xing Aina, looking somewhat nervous, turned to her assistant and asked, "Have the ratings come out yet? What are they?"

She knew better than anyone that the initial ratings of a TV series almost determined its success or failure. Although there were examples of shows that started poorly but later became wildly popular, such cases were rare. Most shows were decided from the start.

"President Xing, it's broken 2! The ratings have broken 2!" After checking, the assistant's voice was filled with undisguised excitement, and his tone was even a little trembling.

Upon hearing this, Xing Aina breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.

In today's film and television market, a premiere rating of over 2 is already considered a very good start.

It's worth noting that even the highest-rated show this year, "Golden Wedding," failed to break a 2% viewership rating during its premiere.

If this trend continues, as long as the quality of the subsequent plot remains stable and there are no negative reviews, the ratings will definitely continue to rise, and it may even break the 13% rating record of "Golden Wedding" and become the annual ratings champion.

"Great!" Xing Aina's eyes lit up, and she immediately ordered, "Pass the word down. From now on, launch a full-scale promotion for 'Princess Pingyang Zhao,' both online and offline. In the next few days, I want this drama to become the hottest topic on the entire internet, known to everyone!"

"Yes, Mr. Xing, I'll arrange it right away!" The assistant nodded, immediately turned and quickly walked out of the office. (End of Chapter)