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

Inside the studio, Chen Yu sat upright at his computer desk, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the table, his heart pounding in his chest. This wasn't just any ordinary variety show; it was clearly the highest-level competition stage in the country, second only to the Spring Festival Gala! Just the five judges alone—any one of them was a pillar of the Chinese film and television industry—Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Li Xuejian, Siqin Gaowa, and Wang Jinsong—weren't they all masters who command the audience's collective respect?

Not to mention the names of Wu Jing, Li Youbin, and Chen Baoguo sitting in the audience. Everywhere the camera panned, there were veteran actors of high moral character and artistic talent. Even the stagehands held their breath when handing out water, afraid of disturbing this hall full of stars. "This scene... am I in the wrong awards ceremony?" Chen Yu's throat tightened, but his face remained taut, suppressing the turmoil in his eyes.

He looked up at the stage, just as Xiao Sa raised his cue cards to continue hosting: "Next up is the national finals! Today is the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and the grand finals. The ultimate champion will receive a prize of millions and a huge package of film and television resources to help their dreams take flight!"

"The competition will get more intense as it progresses, so I need to explain the rules first." Xiao Sa's voice was clear and strong. "This round of scoring consists of three rounds: scores from the live audience, scores from the public jury, and scores from the five judges. The final ranking will be determined by the median score. The list of those advancing and being eliminated will be based on this, and the production team reserves the right to the final interpretation."

He paused, then added, "Scriptwriting is a slow and meticulous process. The production team has given us limited time, so there's no need to strive for perfection. Just complete the work within the time limit and showcase the core concept."

"However--

We sincerely hope that you will do your best to create a story that is well-made, not perfunctory, and truly outstanding – only in this way can you truly showcase your talents and abilities!

This is very important!

To enhance the script's appeal, feel free to unleash your creativity: develop well-rounded characters, design meaningful dialogue, devise unique storyboards, and even write a complete novel—after all, if the script is chosen by investors or a director after the competition, it will require repeated polishing and refinement. As long as the screenwriter has the ability to transform the story blueprint into a film or television script, there's no need to be bound by the initial format. It's important to understand that while scripts and novels are different literary forms with their own methods, to present the story's brilliance and completeness to the fullest extent, there's no need to be confined by formatal limitations at this stage.

This competition encourages diverse styles and encourages everyone to express themselves freely!

Well said!

All five judges agreed.

"The third and most crucial point is that creation is no child's play; never take shortcuts just to grab attention!"

Xiao Sa's tone suddenly turned serious, and his gaze swept across the entire room.

"Please be sure to avoid creative pitfalls! Content that violates public order and good morals or breaks the law is strictly prohibited. You must adhere to the principles of being reasonable, legal, and positive. If any inappropriate tendencies are discovered, we will promptly remind and warn you; if you insist on not changing, you will be disqualified from the competition. Please remember this!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the contestants were all shocked, and those who had originally harbored wicked intentions had no choice but to abandon their thoughts.

……

Chen Yu scoffed at this—the scripts he was about to exchange were all "qualified products" that had been tested by both the market and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in his previous life, so there was no need for him to risk crossing the red line.

At this moment, what he cares about most is what kind of question the production team will pose—this is of utmost importance to him!

"Next, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome Mr. Chen Daoming, who will officially reveal the competition topic for this round of the national top 8 to top 4 competition!"

Amidst thunderous applause, Chen Daoming, with a warm smile and refined demeanor, strode to the center of the stage. He calmly took the cue card handed to him by a staff member, and his deep, magnetic voice slowly rang out: "It is an honor to represent the program team in announcing the topic. Now, I officially announce—the topic for this round of the top 8 qualifying competition is…"

Before Chen Daoming could finish speaking, Chen Sicheng had already unfolded his cards and loudly announced, "Educational!"

As he spoke, he showed the audience the cue cards, which prominently displayed two keywords: "Educational"!

"This term is extremely broad and can encompass meanings such as political maneuvering, professional expertise, popular science, and intellectual battles. Contestants are free to interpret it as they see fit."

The moment the theme was announced, the audience at the scene and those watching on television applauded and cheered, bringing the atmosphere to a climax.

Become!

I've long been fed up with those idiotic TV dramas; they practically trample on the audience's intelligence. This script truly lives up to its reputation—it's a game-changer from the start!

"This brain teaser theme is brilliant—it can cover science fiction, suspense, and biographies, and it truly tests the contestants' abilities!" The other seven finalists' eyes lit up when they saw the theme.

But Chen Yu's heart sank. In this life, he was a legitimate online novelist, inheriting the writing skills of online novelists. It's well known that online novels excel at evoking emotions, but the word "intellectual"...

"Intellectual stimulation?" He scratched his head. "What intellectual stimulation? What kind of intellectual stimulation?" In this lifetime, he hadn't written many characters that required him to use his brain!

"What should we do?"

When Chen Yu saw the "educational" theme, he was completely dumbfounded. If anything, suspense or science fiction would be the most fitting—the profound reflections on the universe, time, and space in *Interstellar*, along with the advanced physics knowledge, could be more educational? Even if he had seen the movie in his previous life, he couldn't possibly incorporate all the professional knowledge from it into the script!

And then there's *The Three-Body Problem*. The premise of "the universe will shine for you" is indeed brilliant, but Chen Yu only knows that line. If he were to explain the quantum theory and various waves behind it? Uh... goodbye! Hard science fiction is out of the question—without that knowledge, writing it would just be a poor imitation, failing to achieve the original's impact and instead making him look like a clown.

What about suspenseful scripts? Murder cases and locked-room murders are also suitable, as they can make the audience use their brains to deduce the murderer.

Back in Chen Yu's previous life, suspense dramas weren't popular anymore. Even those that were popular were often criticized for their logical flaws. Not to mention the foreshadowing and suspenseful plot twists—he found them thrilling, but trying to replicate them? He'd guarantee they'd be riddled with holes. The charm of a suspense script lies precisely in these details, plot twists, and foreshadowing. Without them, even if he managed to replicate the plot, it wouldn't be "intellectual" at all; instead, it would make the audience feel like their intelligence was being insulted.

For a moment, Chen Yu was lost in confusion. Meanwhile, the other seven contestants had already entered their competition rooms and started their live streams, writing furiously—some outlining plots, others refining their characters. Only Chen Yu remained on the stage, seemingly still hesitant.

The audience and judges laughed at the sight: "Look who's here! Everyone else is having fun, but he's worried and hasn't even entered the competition room yet!" "If it were someone else, they might be looking for the camera, but for Chen Yu, it's understandable." "Speaking of which, he's definitely the only unlucky one this round—a web novelist. Everyone knows web novels don't require intelligence, so this theme is really tough on him." "If he were writing about love and hate, chivalry, or urban entrepreneurship, he would definitely perform well, but an intellectually stimulating theme is definitely beyond his creative scope." "It seems the first contestant to be eliminated from the top eight is already decided."

Just then, as Chen Yu was deep in thought, a sudden inspiration flashed through his mind—wait, does intellectual stimulation necessarily have to focus on science and suspense? Think about it, this is the Dragon Kingdom! Although it's a parallel world, the Dragon Kingdom's traditions certainly haven't been lost—officialdom culture, drinking culture, workplace culture… there are plenty of areas that require brainpower! As the saying goes, "Understanding the ways of the world is knowledge, and being adept at human relationships is literature," isn't this a ready-made intellectual stimulation topic?!

The next moment, his mind clicked, and his eyes lit up—he remembered the masterpiece he had devoured word for word in his previous life, *The Ming Dynasty*! Set against the backdrop of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the fictional "conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields" event vividly portrayed the various aspects of officialdom, from the local to the capital. Especially the power struggles depicted were considered the pinnacle of political maneuvering—every named character possessed their own survival wisdom, worthy of study by everyone. How many people in his previous life joked that watching *The Ming Dynasty* made them smarter? This was a bible for workplace battles! Who dares to say it wasn't an intellectually stimulating drama?

Immediately, the confusion on his face disappeared, and a look of joy appeared.

"bite--"

At the same time, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind, startling him so much that his eyelashes trembled.

"Ding! The Ultimate Creator System has been activated!"

The voice was like a bucket of ice water in winter, instantly extinguishing all distracting thoughts. Chen Yu's pupils contracted sharply, then surged with ecstasy—the cheat system from his previous life's online novels had actually landed on his head! "This system couldn't have come at the perfect time!" He clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The system interface unfolded before him, and Chen Yu quickly scanned the instructions: As long as the creation process evokes emotional fluctuations in the audience or judges, he can gain emotion points. These emotion points can be exchanged in the shop for original scripts from parallel worlds, screenwriting skills, and even mysterious props.

"Ding! New player gift pack has arrived, would you like to open it?"

"Open!" he said without hesitation.

"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining 1 Script Exchange Coupon, which can be redeemed for any unreleased script in the shop! Friendly reminder: All scripts are original works from parallel worlds, with absolutely no risk of duplication!"

"Ding! Congratulations on acquiring Master-level screenwriting ability!"

Before he finished speaking, a vast amount of screenwriting knowledge flooded into his mind. Camera movement, character arcs, dialogue rhythm... all sorts of techniques seemed innate, instantly transforming him from a novice into a master screenwriter.

Chen Yu suddenly remembered that this variety show was being broadcast live in its entirety. The exclamations of the audience judges, the comments in the live stream, the sighs from the judges' panel... all these emotional fluctuations would be converted into his emotional value.

Without further hesitation, he went to the system's script library, faced the virtual screen, and silently made his selection—"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the script memory file for 'Ming Dynasty 1566'!"

He strode into the last competition room, started the live stream, and immediately began typing furiously: "The opening scene of 'The Ming Dynasty'—Location: The Forbidden City, outside the Meridian Gate. Characters: Feng Bao, the Grand Eunuch of the Eastern Depot; Zhou Yunyi, the Director of the Imperial Observatory; and several junior eunuchs. Feng Bao, the Grand Eunuch of the Eastern Depot, smiled and looked at Zhou Yunyi, who was bound hand and foot, and asked: 'One last question for you: why didn't it snow in the twelfth lunar month this year?'"

As Chen Yu's fingers flew across the keyboard like butterflies, the screen of the official live stream room #8 for "The Strongest Script" was simultaneously scrolling with the words he had just typed.

When the camera panned across the title he had given the script, "The Ming Dynasty," the viewers who had just flooded into the live stream were all stunned, some even rubbing their eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Isn't Chen Yu a writer of fantasy web novels? How come he suddenly switched to writing historical dramas?"

A burst of laughter floated across the screen.

"I guess they couldn't make it in the online novel world, so they're trying to ride the coattails of historical dramas?"

"But the problem is, historical dramas have to be related to the theme of 'education'! Is he going to write ancient murder cases in an alternate history?"

"That's a crooked approach—after all, fictional settings don't require such rigid adherence to details."

"Wow, this kid's got a quick mind!"

"But writing a historical setting isn't that easy! What if it turns out to be a hodgepodge, completely lacking any historical flavor?"

As soon as Chen Yu finished writing the first two lines of the script, the comment section exploded.

"Why are we outside the Meridian Gate right from the start?"

"Eastern Depot Commander Feng Bao is interrogating Imperial Observatory Director Zhou Yunyi? This plot twist is too bizarre!"

"I thought they were interrogating a corrupt official, but the first question they asked was, 'Why didn't it snow in December this year?'"

"Pfft—this question is ridiculous! If it's not going to snow, it's not going to snow, why make such a fuss?"

"Come on, with Chen Yu's skill level as an online novelist, he simply can't handle this kind of subject matter!"

The moment Feng Bao's question appeared on the screen, it immediately drew a wave of ridicule.

But to the surprise of the onlookers, several history enthusiasts suddenly appeared in the live stream and immediately retorted.

"You guys are the real comedic relief, aren't you?"

Do you know what the Imperial Observatory's status was in feudal dynasties?

"It's no joke if it doesn't snow in the twelfth lunar month! There's a lot more to it than meets the eye!"

One viewer directly posted a long article explaining the topic:

"In ancient times, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was specifically responsible for observing celestial phenomena and predicting the climate. The emperor called himself the 'Son of Heaven,' and his power came from the 'divine mandate,' so any unusual changes in celestial phenomena were attributed to the emperor's virtue."

"For example, a solar eclipse, which we now know as an astronomical phenomenon, was called 'the heavenly dog ​​eating the sun' by the ancients, a sign of the emperor's moral failings!"

"Some emperors even had to write 'edicts of self-reproach' to reflect on their actions!"

"Chen Yu's description of 'no snow in the twelfth lunar month' is no small matter—it foreshadows potential insect infestations, reduced grain production, or even famine in the coming year!"

"How the Director of the Imperial Observatory explains this matter directly affects the Emperor's prestige. A poor answer could cost him his head!"

"Look at the way Feng Bao questioned him, and look at Zhou Yunyi tied up outside the Meridian Gate—he definitely said something fatal!"

"Chen Yu's script has a hidden danger from the very beginning. You guys don't understand it, yet you dare to laugh?"

"You really should have studied more before trying to make a living!"

As soon as this explanation was released, the audience who had been laughing just moments before were completely dumbfounded.

???

How can such a simple statement as "no snow in the twelfth lunar month" be interpreted in so many ways?

Is this what you call "a murderous aura"?

real or fake?

However, some readers still hold prejudices against online novel authors and continue to question them.