You were asked to write a political intrigue drama, but you wrote "Da Ming 1566".

After a soft sigh, Teacher Shuping's gaze eagerly returned to the screen, anxiously awaiting the next development of the plot.

Gao Gong's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

At worst, we'll just lose our positions! After reading your draft proposal yesterday, Grand Secretary Xu and I have already considered this—we can't handle this job at the Ministry of Revenue! Whoever you think is capable should take over this mess!

As soon as Gao Gong uttered this line, the audience in front of the screen immediately felt a burning hatred.

"Oh no, here it comes again! They're using that trick again!"

"Gao Gong isn't exactly a saint either! His words are practically implying that the Grand Secretary can select officials for the Emperor, putting whomever he wants into office. Isn't that a blatant accusation that the Grand Secretary is selling official positions?"

"To kill someone is to destroy their spirit; this is yet another blatant act of destroying their spirit!"

"Bah! How could the young Grand Secretary possibly engage in such a thing as selling official positions? This is all a fabricated slander!"

As expected, Yan Shifan flew into a rage on the spot, but Yan Song's next move left all the viewers sighing.

Seeing Yan Shifan's uncontrollable rage, raising his hand to slam it on the table, Yan Song uttered a low shout.

[Yan Shifan, this is an imperial council meeting.]

Yan Shifan, his face full of grievance, blurted out: "Father!"

Yan Song's face was ashen, devoid of any personal feelings: "There is no father here, only subjects of the Ming Dynasty."

When discussing matters before the Emperor, one must allow everyone to finish speaking.

[Minister Su, please tell us what difficulties the Ministry of Revenue is facing in refusing to sign the draft proposal from the Cabinet.]

The audience was completely stunned when Yan Song said these words.

To their utter surprise, Yan Song not only did not favor his own son Yan Shifan, but instead stopped him from continuing his attack in a fit of rage.

Even though Yan Shifan looked aggrieved, he remained strictly official, forbidding Yan Shifan from addressing him as father and son, stating bluntly that only the emperor and his subjects of the Ming Dynasty were present. He even reprimanded Yan Shifan on the spot, telling him to keep quiet, as discussions before the emperor should allow for free speech.

What surprised the audience even more was that Yan Song not only did not favor his own son, but he was also so kind and gentle to Gao Gong, who had been so aggressive and wanted to kill him and his son.

He addressed Gao Gong as "Suqing," which was Gao Gong's courtesy name. This single form of address clearly demonstrated his attitude—he showed no anger whatsoever and did not take Gao Gong's earlier attack to heart at all.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Song calmly allowed Gao Gong and others to state their difficulties, effortlessly overcoming the tense situation from before, and even readily accepted the challenge from Xu Jie and Gao Gong.

As viewers examined each and every one of these incidents, Yan Song's image as a gentle and kind elder became deeply ingrained in their minds, an image that would never fade away.

"Lord Yan is truly a great boss! His magnanimity and broad-mindedness are something everyone should learn from for a lifetime!"

"Sigh, to be honest, I had some reservations before. I thought that Yan Shifan, the son of Grand Secretary Yan, was able to reach such a high position without taking the imperial examination. It must have been Grand Secretary Yan who pulled some strings behind the scenes."

"But looking at how upright and impartial Grand Secretary Yan is now, perhaps he was just helping Yan Shifan out of the blue. Yan Shifan got into the cabinet entirely through his own talent and ability!"

"To recommend someone for a position without regard to kinship—this is the true spirit of the ancient sages!"

"Moreover, Gao Gong was already making trouble here, threatening to resign, but Grand Secretary Yan smoothed things over with a few words, turning the tense situation around."

"What is this? This is called being tolerant of dissent! I think he clearly cherishes Gao Gong's talent, which is why he protects him in every way!"

"Waaaaah, I'm totally devastated! So impartial and selfless, even when we disagree on politics, he still cherishes the younger generation—Grand Secretary Yan is practically a living saint!"

"Gao Gong, Gao Gong, wake up! Instead of following Xu Jie, who always closes his eyes and plays dead at the first sign of trouble, why not abandon the darkness and join the fold, becoming a disciple of Grand Secretary Yan?"

"All your talents should be used in the right way! Assisting Grand Secretary Yan and the young Grand Secretary in upholding the Ming Dynasty—that is the true right path!"

While feeling moved, many viewers also sighed.

They just felt that Yan Song was getting old, too kind-hearted, too indulgent towards the younger generation, and too tolerant of others.

"Grand Secretary Yan is just too honest; he's a complete and utterly kind-hearted person!"

"The kindest people are the easiest to be bullied!"

Just as all the audience held their breath, waiting to see how this increasingly heated court debate in the Golden Palace would end, Chen Yu suddenly stopped writing, no longer describing the veiled exchanges and the silent, pervasive tension in the hall.

In any other script, such a memorable scene would be confined to the contemporary court. Like a debate, it would end once the debate is over, without involving anything else.

But "The Ming Dynasty" is different.

Inside and outside the palace, from the Golden Palace of the Forbidden City to local prefectures and counties thousands of miles away, the game of power is everywhere; truly, a single move can affect the whole situation.

At this moment, the audience must be watching the court discussion in the Golden Palace with rapt attention.

But that wasn't enough; he wanted the audience to know what was happening outside the imperial court.

For example... the commotion inside the Prince Yu's residence.

Then, amidst everyone's expectant gazes, Chen Yu typed a line of text heavily.

[End of Act III, Part II]

If the first part of the third act sketches a portrait of the cabinet members, each with their own factions and hidden agendas, then the second part ignites the conflict, bringing the characters to life through a fierce verbal battle.

The third part will describe another, higher-level arena of competition, outside of the Golden Palace battlefield!

Before the audience could even utter a sigh of disappointment, Chen Yu immediately continued writing.

Act III, Part III

[Scene: Prince Yu's Mansion]

[Characters: Prince Yu, Princess Yu (née Li), Tan Lun]

Princess Li, the wife of Prince Yu, was in obvious pain as she was about to give birth.

Prince Yu, however, was distracted, his face filled with anxiety and unease.

Tan Lun, the Grand Tutor of Prince Yu's residence, strode closer. Prince Yu immediately inquired about the situation at Yuxi Palace, asking Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng if they hadn't yet emerged from the palace.

After a few words, Tan Lun, with a solemn expression, slowly uttered a sentence.

Zhou Yunyi died a worthy death; Your Highness need not dwell on it.

[The Princess Consort, already on the verge of a difficult childbirth, mustered her strength to softly reassure the Prince: "Don't worry about me. Lord Xu, Lord Gao, and Lord Zhang will all be safe and sound."]

【…】

The midwife rushed in to report that the princess was having a difficult childbirth. Tan Lun immediately said that he would go and fetch the imperial physician to the palace.

Prince Yu, however, stopped him, saying that the imperial physician could be summoned by someone else; the most important matter at hand was the financial meeting before the emperor, and he instructed Tan Lun to wait outside the palace for news from the meeting.

Inside the Jade Palace, in a secluded chamber beside the main hall, the Jiajing Emperor sat on his throne, the echoes of the argument between Gao Gong and Yan Shifan still reverberating in his ears.

But what kept echoing in his mind were Zhou Yunyi's words that day, directly criticizing the imperial court.

[End of Act III, Part III]

When this short script of Act III, Part III came to a close, most of the audience were stunned, unable to shake off the intense court debate in the Golden Palace for a while.

But at that moment, Yan Ning suddenly realized what was going on and, before the big shots present could speak, she took the lead in giving her analysis in the live broadcast room.

"I guessed right! All the clues planted in the first act of the script matched up! Zhou Yunyi really does have a powerful backer; his backer is Prince Yu!"

"Zhou Yunyi dared to speak frankly against the court that day, which was clearly at the behest of Prince Yu's faction!"

"Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet are all Prince Yu's men!"

"The cabinet only has a handful of ministers, and Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng are all Prince Yu's confidants, which shows just how ambitious Prince Yu really is!"

"Moreover, Prince Yu's personality can be clearly seen from the details of this scene."

"His wife was about to give birth, but he had no worries at all. All he could think about was whether Xu Jie and the others would get into trouble."

"Even though the princess was having a difficult childbirth, he wouldn't even send his own trusted confidant to fetch the imperial physician. Instead, he wanted his confidant to do what he considered more important—to keep watch over the news of the imperial meeting."

"This is enough to show that in his heart, power always comes first, and his wife and children have to take a backseat."

"It's confirmed! Prince Yu is the mastermind behind the plot to usurp the throne; he's a complete and utter schemer!"

"Looking at the end of this section, there's a shot of the Jiajing Emperor, which clearly shows that he has become suspicious."

"This shows that Jiajing's political maneuvering skills were already quite high, but Prince Yu's skills are probably only higher, and most likely have already surpassed Jiajing's!"

"Now it seems that Prince Yu is the biggest villain in 'Ming Dynasty,' the true pinnacle of political intrigue!"

After hearing Yan Ning's reasoning, the viewers in the live stream exclaimed that it was amazing.

So far, the plot developments revealed in "Ming Dynasty" are exactly as Yan Ning had previously guessed. Now, everyone is completely certain that Prince Yu is the biggest villain who is hiding the deepest secrets.

The image of Prince Yu instantly aroused the disgust and aversion of countless viewers.

"His wife was about to die in childbirth, and he didn't care at all. All he could think about were the cabinet ministers he'd won over—it was all about power struggles!"

"He truly is a cold-blooded and ruthless schemer; no wonder he could commit such a heinous act as plotting to usurp the throne!"

"They're all birds of a feather, just like Xu Jie, the most cunning old fox of the Ming Dynasty, Gao Gong, who spouts nothing but fallacies, and that Zhang Juzheng!"

"I really feel sorry for Grand Secretary Yan and the young Grand Secretary. How can two such honest people possibly outmaneuver Prince Yu and his group of schemers?"

"Sigh, I'm starting to feel sorry for the Jiajing Emperor."

"How could such a benevolent emperor, who practiced asceticism and prayed for snow for the sake of the people, and who loved his people like his own children, raise such an unfilial son?"

"Judging from this, the Jiajing Emperor will probably die at the hands of Prince Yu in the end, and Grand Secretary Yan and the Junior Grand Secretary will probably not escape this calamity either."

"Sigh, good people never live long!"

……

After finishing writing this paragraph, Chen Yu rubbed his sore and stiff fingers and stretched his stiff neck.

It has to be said that even though every plot point and every line of "Da Ming Dynasty" was clearly etched in his mind, writing it down word by word into a script and typing out so many words was still exhausting.

Chen Yu decided to take a break and relax.

After all, having finished writing the two acts of the script, he had gained access to read comments and research online. He also wanted to see how the audience would react to the currently released script for "The Ming Dynasty."

After all, "Da Ming Dynasty" is different from those suspenseful murder and action dramas. The information conveyed in it is all hidden beneath the surface. Those thrilling confrontations are all hidden behind every line of dialogue. You have to savor them carefully and slowly to appreciate their flavor.

The power struggles and intrigues within the imperial court, the unpredictable events outside the court—everything requires careful consideration to understand. Viewers in the previous generation spent a full ten years truly grasping just how brilliant this drama was. Will the audience of "The Creators Competition" buy into it this time?

Chen Yu had to confirm it himself.

As soon as Chen Yu turned on his phone, he saw a series of message notifications.

All the messages were from his original friends, former editors, and others, all congratulating him on the phenomenal success of his script for "The Ming Dynasty." Several film and television companies had even contacted him, hoping he would sell the rights to "The Ming Dynasty" to them immediately.

In response, Chen Yu only gave a brief reply to a few of the original owner's friends, ignoring the rest.

Film and television companies making offers? Right now, all the top film and television companies in the industry are sitting at the recording site of the "Creator Competition." Those who come knocking with offers are mostly small, third-tier companies. Chen Yu would have to be crazy to sell the script to them in advance.

Moreover, it's not the right time to discuss the price of the script for "Ming Dynasty" yet!

The opening scene of the imperial court debate hasn't even reached its climax yet. Not to mention the grand drama of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields that swept through Zhejiang, which hasn't even shown a hint of yet.

The famous scene of the breached dikes and flooded fields hasn't been written yet, the plot of Shen Yishi's self-immolation hasn't appeared, and the famous scene of Yang Jinshui feigning madness hasn't even been mentioned. Not to mention the later scene of Hai Rui going to the capital and submitting that famous memorial, the most outspoken in the land, vehemently criticizing Jiajing!

So many plot points from the Investiture of the Gods series haven't been released yet, let alone the classic lines that have been passed down to this day.

Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle.

Some things are nothing on the scale, but once they're on the scale, they weigh a ton.

One or two counties are nothing; what the Emperor cares about is the entire country.

The death of 10,000 people is just a number, the death of 100,000 people or 1 million people is still just a number, and neither you nor I can stop it.

My money!

And then there's the line that Chen Yu finds most divine: "The robes of civil officials are embroidered with birds, while the robes of military officials are embroidered with beasts. Wearing these official robes, aren't we all hypocrites?"

With so many memorable scenes and legendary plot points yet to be presented, Chen Yu doesn't believe that anyone who can truly understand the script of "The Ming Dynasty" is of any real value.

Ignoring the miscellaneous news, Chen Yu clicked on the trending topics on various platforms, especially the official discussion area of ​​the "Creator Competition".

In the first two seasons of the "Creator Competition," the official comment section was always brimming with talent. Often, before a contestant had even begun writing their script, the commenters had already predicted the entire plot. The expressions on the contestants' faces when they saw these comments were priceless.

Chen Yu was also somewhat curious, wondering if any viewers could predict the plot of "The Ming Dynasty" in advance in this lifetime.

But after he finished reading the selected top comments, the expression on his face instantly became incredibly interesting.

On the one hand, he really didn't expect that "The Ming Dynasty" would cause such a big stir when it had only been written up to the third act.

Teacher Shuping and the other judges were full of praise, last year's champion Yan Ning provided analysis and discussion throughout the process, and countless viewers flooded the screen with comments. This is enough to show that, so far, the script of "Da Ming Dynasty" has achieved complete success.

The adjustments he made to make the show easier for the audience to understand worked. This put his mind at ease. It seemed that in this life, "The Ming Dynasty" would surely avoid the fate of being silenced for ten years due to its profoundness in the previous life. He could present the full charm of this masterpiece without any worries.