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

Yan Shifan's words, "I'll hurt your mother's head," and the scene of him grabbing an inkstone and smashing it down, truly stunned the audience outside the script.

In an instant, the number of comments on the screen surged again. "Holy crap?"

"He's broken down! The young Grand Secretary has completely broken down!" "He's getting anxious, hahaha!" Some people frowned slightly, their eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

Just as Chen Yu previously analyzed in his character analysis, Yan Shifan was indeed reckless, but in addition to part of it being due to his innate personality, part of it was because he was in a desperate situation and had no choice but to act recklessly.

Converting rice paddies to mulberry fields was his only chance of survival. Yan Song was already eighty-one years old, frail and nearing the end of his life, with few days left to live.

But Yan Shifan still has a long life ahead of him to endure. If the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields ultimately fails, he probably knows better than anyone how miserable his future will be.

This explains why Yan Shifan was so furious with Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian's plea to postpone the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields was tantamount to digging up Yan Shifan's ancestral graves!

"It's easy to imagine just how critical the situation of the Yan Party has become, for Yan Shifan to lose his composure and break down like this." The script then continued.

The gatekeeper relayed Yan Shifan's instructions to Hu Zongxian, who stood there stunned, his eyes filled with sadness.

This scene brought tears to the eyes of many viewers. "Minister Hu, this is too difficult!" "Alas, the difficulty lies in the fact that Minister Hu cannot let go of this kindness from his teacher. Otherwise, turning to Prince Yu would have a much brighter future than staying here."

"But the more this is the case, the more he is caught in the dilemma between the people and his mentor, the more it shows that Minister Hu is not the kind of person who would abandon his conscience for power."

Just as Hu Zongxian was being stopped at the door by Yan Shifan, the scene abruptly shifted to Yan Song. At this moment, Yan Song sat upright in his hall listening to Luo Longwen read the *Tao Te Ching*, specifically the passage that Jiajing had just recited during the day: "When the government is dull and inflexible, the people are honest and simple; when the government is overly discerning, the people are cunning and deceitful."

As soon as Luo Longwen finished speaking, he asked him a question.

[You tell me, when the Emperor said those words, did he hear rumors somewhere about destroying the dikes and flooding the fields?] When Yan Song raised this conjecture, the audience outside the script also felt a sudden jolt, and couldn't help but gasp. As viewers with an omniscient perspective, they naturally already knew from various sources that the Jiajing Emperor had indeed uncovered the entire inside story of destroying the dikes and flooding the fields.

But Yan Song, trapped in the script, had no way of knowing what Jiajing Emperor knew, except for this vague riddle. In such a fog of information, how could Yan Song possibly guess that Emperor Jiajing already knew the inside story behind the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields? This level of political maneuvering, and his precise grasp of Emperor Jiajing's mind, truly amazed the audience. However, Luo Longwen quickly dismissed this conjecture.

His reasoning was that neither Lü Fang nor those in Zhejiang would dare to leak a word. Luo Longwen had previously been praised by Yan Song for his understanding of the overall situation and the big picture, but this clearly demonstrates that Yan Song's judgment of people wasn't always accurate. Obviously, Luo Longwen hadn't grasped the interdependent relationship between the emperor and the eunuchs, nor did he understand what the eunuchs relied on for their livelihood.

Immediately afterward, Yan Shifan stormed in, launching into a tirade of accusations against Hu Zongxian. When Yan Song asked if Hu Zongxian had come, Yan Shifan insisted that Hu Zongxian had not come and would never come again.

While writing this scene, Chen Yu felt a pang of melancholy. This script clearly revealed Yan Song's political acumen and keen sensitivity to the political situation. But the more shrewd he became, the more a sense of profound sadness arose within him. Yan Song had truly grown old.

Even if their inherent political acumen remains, their energy has long since waned, and they no longer have the mental capacity to attend to every detail.

As people age, their decisive and ruthless spirit diminishes. Luo Longwen easily persuaded Yan Song with just a few words of explanation. Even the entire Yan household was already firmly under Yan Shifan's control. Yan Shifan prevented Hu Zongxian from seeing Yan Song, and Yan Song truly heard nothing of it. Ten or twenty years ago, things would never have come to this. The entire script exudes an atmosphere of decline and impending collapse.

Although Yan Song could not be called a righteous hero, in this turbulent arena of power struggle, his current appearance did exude a sense of endless sorrow, like a hero in his twilight years.

In contrast, the atmosphere at Prince Yu's residence was completely different from that at Yan's residence. The melancholy of a hero in his twilight years was nowhere to be seen; instead, there was a vibrant energy poised for growth.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng held differing opinions. One insisted on not seeing Tan Lun, while the other believed that avoiding him would only give others grounds for accusations of guilt, and that they should openly and generously receive him.

While the two were arguing fiercely, even Princess Li, the wife of Prince Yu, showed extraordinary insight and perspective, and even suggested that Feng Bao invite Tan Lun over.

She spoke each word carefully.

[Father and son are one; there's nothing to hide.] This single sentence reveals a level of insight far beyond that of an ordinary woman. The contrast between the two situations is stark. Clearly, from these two scenes alone, one can see that Yan's faction is already stagnant and doomed to defeat.

Chen Yu sighed softly, his fingertips tapping the keyboard to type a line of annotation: 【As the ancient saying goes, "From small things one can know the big picture."】【This shows the predetermined rise and fall of the two forces.】 However, Chen Yu immediately took a deep breath, the slight sigh in his heart dissipating, replaced by a brighter, more expectant look in his eyes.

The reason is also very simple.

The second memorable scene of the young Grand Secretary in this drama, which later earned him many joking nicknames such as "Weightlifting Champion of the Ming Dynasty" and "First Baturu of the Ming Dynasty," is coming soon.

Chen Yu closed his eyes, silently gathering his emotions. Meanwhile, the aftershocks of the infamous "I'll hurt your mother's head" scene from the earlier incident involving the young Grand Secretary Yan Shifan were still spreading online. In just a short time, the phrase had already gone viral, becoming a wildly popular meme.

Many chat groups have started to see memes created by netizens, and all sorts of jokes are also circulating everywhere.

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Moreover, the contrast between the scenes at the Yan Mansion and the Yu Prince's Mansion—one thriving while the other is in decline—evoked a sense of melancholy in many viewers who had followed the story all the way to this point, as if they could already foresee the inevitable collapse of the Yan faction.

"Chen Yu is really good at writing screenplays."

"Although the Yan faction is indeed not a good thing, I still can't help but feel a little sorry for Yan Song." "This description is not quite right, but it really gives me the feeling of seeing a hero in his twilight years. If Yan Song were ten or twenty years younger, perhaps the situation would be completely different."

"He certainly wouldn't have fallen to such a state of being sidelined. This also shows that Hu Zongxian's previous worries and sympathy for Yan Song were justified. At the age of eighty-one, he was manipulated and sidelined by the people around him, who used his name to do whatever they wanted, and in the end, he ended up with a disgraceful end."

Discussions about the matter spread rapidly online. Some sympathized with Yan Song's later years, while others condemned his lifelong abuse of power and harm to the country; some cursed Yan Shifan for his arrogance and domineering nature, while others felt some understanding for his hysteria in dire straits.

Countless bullet comments, reviews, and even lengthy analytical articles written by netizens have continuously fueled the popularity of "Ming Dynasty." Since the show's premiere, its popularity has never waned in the slightest.

Because all viewers firmly believe that every scene Chen Yu writes is absolutely brilliant and worth savoring repeatedly. As long as Chen Yu continues to update, they cannot possibly turn their attention elsewhere. For a purely text-based script yet to be adapted for the screen, to generate such astonishing popularity and audience engagement is truly astonishing for the entire film and television industry…

As for the other contestants, with the guidance of the behind-the-scenes writing team, each of them wrote a new storyline.

But the situation has hardly changed at all.

Their live streams remained quiet and lacked viewership.

It was as if a blazing sun was shining brightly overhead, completely obscuring their tiny, flickering light; hardly anyone cared. Behind the scenes, the screenwriting teams of top-tier film and television companies, upon hearing that their meticulously crafted new productions still hadn't managed to wrest any attention from "Ming Dynasty," and that "Ming Dynasty's" popularity was only rising, couldn't hide their astonishment.

They now have to admit that Chen Yu's "The Ming Dynasty" seems to have real substance and cannot be easily suppressed.

Just by looking at their expressions, you could tell that they only took "Ming Dynasty" a little more seriously and thought it was indeed quite good. Deep down, they didn't think they could overshadow the show at all.

After all, these screenwriting teams are all led by well-known, top-tier screenwriters in the industry. How could they not be able to suppress a second-tier screenwriting team like Xiangyu Pictures?

Meanwhile, within Xiangyu Pictures, members of the screenwriting team, including Ma Yingkui, watched as the popularity of "Da Ming Dynasty" remained undiminished, seemingly unaffected by the slightest suppression from top-tier film and television screenwriting teams.

A look of surprise appeared in their eyes.

"It seems Chen Yu really has some talent? Those top-tier screenwriting teams should have already entered the competition. The scripts of the contestants next door have improved significantly, but they really can't suppress the popularity of 'Da Ming Dynasty' at all."

The team members all turned to look at Ma Yingkui. "Boss, what do we do?" "If Chen Yu's 'The Ming Dynasty' stays this popular and we don't even need to help, wouldn't he just be able to grab that lucrative contract and put it on our shoulders?"

Ma Yingkui shook his head, his expression completely calm.

"What's the rush? Those top-tier teams all have award-winning screenwriters at the helm, and they work as a team. Do you think a newcomer can handle that?"

"I admit that Chen Yu has some talent, but once those top-tier teams really step up their game, a large portion of the popularity of 'Da Ming Dynasty' will definitely be diverted away."

"We'll make our move then." His eyes narrowed slightly, a calculating glint in them.

"Back then, we were cleaning up the messes of the people President Qin hired at a high price. Shouldn't their contracts and benefits be increased again?" Ma Yingkui then revealed a smug, expectant expression, as if he were watching a show. "Let's see how long Chen Yu can hold out, how long he can stubbornly endure this."

At this moment, Chen Yu let out a soft breath, having completely composed himself, his fingers flying across the keyboard. After the script depicted the scene at Prince Yu's residence, the perspective shifted back to Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian was alone in the Temple of Worthies, calming himself to sort out his chaotic thoughts. He had made up his mind to go directly to the palace at dawn, to confront the unfathomable will of Heaven and the impending court confrontation with sincerity.

This also shows just how high Hu Zongxian's political acumen and wisdom were.

Lu Fang specifically instructed Yang Jinshui to tell him everything and not to hide anything. This was because Lu Fang had served Jiajing all his life and knew the emperor's personality very well. Moreover, eunuchs were supposed to serve their masters with utmost sincerity, which was the foundation of their profession.

After a heated debate, the group from the Qingliu faction finally decided to be honest with the Emperor and never conceal anything. This was partly because they frequently had contact with the Emperor and had some understanding of Jiajing's temperament.

Hu Zongxian was a high-ranking official stationed in a remote region, and he rarely had the opportunity to meet Jiajing. Yet, he was able to make the exact same decision based entirely on his own wisdom and vision, which shows how brilliant his mind and perspective were.

Immediately afterward, Hu Zongxian's door was flung open, and Yan Shifan stormed in, his anger palpable. Chen Yu's eyes shone even brighter, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

The iconic moment of the Ming Dynasty weightlifting champion is coming!

Chen Yu's fingers continued tapping on the keyboard, completing the final build-up to yet another peak moment for the young Grand Secretary. Upon entering, Yan Shifan was immediately aggressive, demanding to know if Hu Zongxian possessed a confession regarding the breaching of dikes and flooding of fields.

Hu Zongxian's reply was: "Young Grand Secretary, I have no such testimony here."

As Chen Yu typed this sentence, a hint of surprise appeared on his face. Because this sentence could be considered half true and half false. Hu Zongxian possessed the confessions from Ma Ningyuan and others.