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

These contestants, somewhat distraught, sent messages to top-tier screenwriting teams questioning, "Seriously, guys, are you even capable?"

"Didn't you say you'd shown your true skills? How come it's still no use?" The top-tier screenwriting teams were originally proud of the exciting climax they had written, and were confident that they could steal a lot of popularity from "Ming Dynasty".

They were caught off guard by this news, and were momentarily stunned and bewildered. "This shouldn't be happening. We've already made our move, how come Chen Yu's momentum is still so strong?" "Could it be that all of us screenwriting teams combined, writing such a good script, could be overshadowed by 'The Ming Dynasty'?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" After much deliberation, they finally reached a consensus. "It must be that these contestants' livestreams simply didn't have enough viewers to spread word-of-mouth." "Even with such a good storyline, they still couldn't gain popularity from 'The Ming Dynasty.'" "In that case, we'll have to manually drive traffic to these dramas." "Besides, everyone knows these contestants are signed to our company, so as seniors, it's only right that we recommend their scripts, isn't it?"

Immediately, members of these top-tier screenwriting teams posted on Weibo, promoting the scripts of the contestants their companies had signed. It must be said that as established top-tier screenwriters in the industry, they have quite a few loyal fans. After their Weibo posts, their fans quickly left comments below.

"The teacher actually recommended a script?" "Wow, to be recommended by the teacher, it must be a really good script." "As a loyal fan of the teacher, I have to watch it!" "Although I don't watch the 'Creator Competition,' I have to check it out just because the teacher recommended it!" Soon, this kind of traffic generation also showed results.

In the live streams of the other contestants, fans of these top screenwriters flooded in, and the popularity saw an immediate surge compared to before.

Although it's still worlds apart from Chen Yu's live stream, it's much better than the previous dismal situation. Furthermore, the viewers who were recommended to watch the stream were full of praise for the contestants' scripts.

"No wonder it was a script recommended by the teacher! It's amazing, incredibly well-written!" "The first mini-climax was absolutely brilliant!"

"They're already showing some of the teacher's flair, excellent!" This gave the contestants and their team of top-tier screenwriters ample confidence, further solidifying their previous judgment.

"It wasn't very effective before because the audience base was too small." "Now that the audience has increased, the effect is immediate, isn't it?"

"Just wait, our script will soon be all the rage and will bring down the popularity of 'Ming Dynasty'!" The contestants and the screenwriter behind them looked on with anticipation.

In their view, with the popularity brought by these new viewers, it will be just around the corner to attract the popularity of "Ming Dynasty"!

On the other side, Chen Yu was unaware that the others had pulled off such a trick. But even if he had known, Chen Yu wouldn't have cared. He might even have wanted to laugh a little.

Trying to steal the spotlight from "Ming Dynasty" is wishful thinking. The new viewers who have just been drawn in haven't finished watching the scripts yet, so they're still watching the contestants' livestreams. But once they've finished watching those scripts, if they want to watch more, they'll definitely come to Chen Yu's livestream to watch "Ming Dynasty."

After all, the popularity of "Ming Dynasty" is undeniable. These viewers didn't watch the "Creator Competition" before, but now that they're watching, there's absolutely no reason for them to miss it.

As a result, it's easy to imagine what will happen in the end.

These newly attracted viewers will undoubtedly create a large number of fans of "The Ming Dynasty," contributing to Chen Yu's popularity. If things go wrong, all their actions might just be doing Chen Yu a favor!

Chen Yu had to thank the contestants and their scriptwriting team who had orchestrated this situation! However, at this moment, Chen Yu's entire focus was on the script for Act Seventeen. The imperial audience in this act was still ongoing, the silence thick with a suffocating sense of oppression. Jiajing's reprimands had silenced Lü Fang, Yan Song, and Prince Yu. At this moment, Hu Zongxian suddenly looked up, breaking the silence and stating his position.

Now that I have assumed command of this region, all my actions will be solely in accordance with the Emperor's and the court's orders. I will not obey the instructions of anyone else, nor can anyone sway my will.

Then, he took all the blame upon himself, pulled out the resignation letter that Yan Shifan had made him copy, and asked Jiajing for his permission. Everyone was taken aback by Hu Zongxian's words, and Jiajing stared at Hu Zongxian for a long time.

At this moment, Jiajing did not send Lü Fang to receive the resignation letter, but instead turned to Prince Yu and said...

"Did you hear that? Hu Zongxian is trying to exonerate Tan Lun. Get up." With Jiajing's words, the suffocating atmosphere in the hall was finally broken. Chen Yu typed a note beside him.

[Hu Zongxian's reply matched the previous exchange between Yang Jinshui and Jiajing, indicating that Hu Zongxian had passed Jiajing's test this time.]

Upon seeing the annotation Chen Yu had written, some of the more astute viewers suddenly realized what was happening and gasped in shock. "Hiss... a test... this is actually Jiajing's test?"

"That's right. Given Jiajing's shrewdness and suspicious nature, how could he possibly believe everything Yang Jinshui said?" "Yang Jinshui expressed his judgment on Hu Zongxian, but Jiajing still needed to verify it personally to understand Hu Zongxian's position, which is why there was this step-by-step probing."

Fortunately, Minister Hu had no ulterior motives and finally gave Jiajing a satisfactory answer.

"I was terrified! My back was almost soaked with cold sweat!" But in Chen Yu's opinion, this audience with the emperor was even more sophisticated than the third act's court debate in the Golden Palace. After all, Yan Shifan and Gao Gong, who were there at the time, significantly lowered the level of the audience. Jiajing didn't really speak much either.

But this time, when the emperor presented his memorial to the emperor, Jiajing was the main force. The others, Yan Song, Lü Fang, and Hu Zongxian, were all top-tier figures.

Although Prince Yu is somewhat incompetent, he is, after all, the Crown Prince and possesses considerable knowledge. His average level is far higher than that of the deliberations in the Golden Palace.

What followed was merely a test; the real, crucial question was about to be addressed! Only then did Jiajing inquire with Hu Zongxian about the inside story of the Xin'an River breach, and his questions went straight to the crux of the matter Hu Zongxian had mentioned.

The river embankment was newly built, and it cost twice as much money as other places.

Is it really true that everything else is safe and sound, but the Xin'an River embankment has breached? Didn't you, Hu Zongxian, have any prior knowledge of this?

The moment this question was posed, the atmosphere, which had just eased inside the hall and outside the script, became tense again, like a drawn crossbow.

The audience instinctively lowered their voices in astonishment. "Holy crap, wait, is this ever going to end?" "I feel like I haven't even had a chance to breathe since this scene started!"

"My goodness, this scene is far more shocking than the one about the breached dike and flooded fields." "Jiajing's oppressive aura is truly overwhelming!" In the script, however, Hu Zongxian insists that the dike was in disrepair and that he too was guilty of negligence. As Jiajing continued to press him for answers...

To everyone's surprise, Hu Zongxian produced the confessions of Ma Ningyuan and others. This was like a bombshell exploding in the Yuxi Palace.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Prince Yu was practically bursting with joy.

He thought Hu Zongxian had pulled out his trump card, intending to crush the Yan faction on the spot. Because some things, once weighed, are incredibly significant. If Hu Zongxian truly revealed the truth about the Yan faction's destruction of dikes and flooding of fields, Jiajing would no longer be able to protect them. But Lü Fang was almost paralyzed with fear.

If this gets out, it involves palace affairs; the palace is involved too. It will damage Jiajing's reputation!

If such a thing were to happen, Lü Fang and Yang Jinshui would both be in deep trouble! Not to mention Yan Song. He's eighty-one.

Just because he's dead doesn't mean he wants to die right now! Even Emperor Jiajing was terrified.

Damn, he just wanted to give everyone a warning, then continue pushing for the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields to make money for himself. Besides, Zhejiang couldn't be allowed to fall into chaos.

Could this be a case of Hu Zongxian pulling out a trump card and ruining things? If Hu Zongxian really revealed the details of the breached dikes and flooded fields on the spot, Jiajing wouldn't know what to do. In the end, Jiajing himself read this confession, without even letting Lü Fang handle it; he picked it up from Hu Zongxian's hands.

At this moment, Jiajing was taken aback, his expression softened, and he called out to Yan Song. Yan Song, now quite old, feigned hearing loss, pretending not to hear. So Jiajing called out to Lü Fang instead, and told him.

[This is full of details about the dilapidated river embankment!] Upon hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. However, most of the audience outside were somewhat bewildered. "What does this mean?" "Why doesn't Minister Hu reveal the truth about the breached embankment and flooded fields?" "What's going on?" Some audience members, however, had a sudden flash of insight, exclaiming, "Wow, that's really brilliant!"

"Directly exposing the destruction of dikes and flooding of fields sounds satisfying, but what's the difference between that and suicide?" "You should know that the destruction of dikes and flooding of fields was done by Yan's faction, and Yang Jinshui in the palace was also involved. In other words, it involved both Yan's faction and Jiajing."

"If Hu Zongxian exposes this, the Yan faction is doomed, and Jiajing's reputation will be tarnished. But think about it carefully, how is this any different from Zhou Yunyi, the Director of the Imperial Observatory who was beaten to death in the very first scene?"

"Hu Zongxian, facing the wrath of Yan's faction and the emperor, is doomed to die!"

"And Prince Yu will definitely not fare well either. His imperial reputation will be damaged, and Jiajing will be furious. He will definitely believe that Prince Yu was the one who orchestrated all of this. Hu Zongxian has completely sided with Prince Yu, which may even directly trigger Jiajing's purge of Prince Yu and the Qingliu faction!"

"Therefore, Hu Zongxian did not directly expose the details of the dike destruction and flooding, but instead presented a confession of the dike's disrepair. This protected Jiajing, Yan Song, Lü Fang, and Prince Yu, preventing the situation from collapsing all at once, and the matter of the dike destruction and flooding was thus resolved."

"But at the same time, Hu Zongxian, the only person in the entire audience who knelt down, served as a reminder to everyone present that he held a nuclear bomb in his hands, and that they should not be too reckless. His attitude also needed to be considered. This was a wake-up call!"

"If things go as expected, Hu Zongxian's predicament will finally improve somewhat, and he might even be able to extricate himself from the situation."

As these experts analyzed the situation, the previously confused viewers finally understood, and a series of comments flooded the screen: "Damn, that's incredibly impressive!" "So that's the subtext?"

"Minister Hu, the only one kneeling in the entire arena, won?!" "Minister Hu is awesome!" And just as the audience had predicted, Jiajing was clearly satisfied with Hu Zongxian's move.

Furthermore, Hu Zongxian's move also proved that he was different from Zhou Yunyi before him; he was mindful of the overall situation and would not target Jiajing.

This is loyalty!

Just as Hu Zongxian had said, he wouldn't be manipulated by others! Emperor Jiajing, for the first time ever, praised Hu Zongxian. [He understands the big picture and prioritizes the overall situation.] [He is willing to work diligently.] Yan Song finally realized that Hu Zongxian hadn't truly sided entirely with Prince Yu; in fact, he was still protecting him. After Jiajing asked whether to approve Hu Zongxian's resignation, Yan Song, discerning Jiajing's meaning, offered his suggestion: ["I believe he should resign from his concurrent post as Governor of Zhejiang, and only retain the position of Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili."]

At first glance, this statement seems to be targeting Hu Zongxian, since it removes Hu Zongxian from his position as Governor of Zhejiang. But in reality, it is the best course of action for Hu Zongxian.

Because the position of Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili was higher than that of the Governor of Zhejiang, Hu Zongxian's rank remained unchanged. Moreover, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili was responsible for military affairs, while the Governor of Zhejiang was in charge of people's livelihood. In other words, Hu Zongxian could no longer get involved in the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields, and could extricate himself from this quagmire to focus on the war and fight against the Japanese pirates on the front lines.

Although it's impossible to completely escape this chaotic situation, things are still much more relaxed than before.

Therefore, when Jiajing looked at Hu Zongxian again, Hu Zongxian looked up and was already in tears. He felt Jiajing's protection of him and kowtowed to thank Jiajing for his imperial favor.

As for Tan Lun, Jiajing allowed him to remain in Zhejiang because he needed Tan Lun to keep an eye on Yan's faction for Hu Zongxian. At this point, Chen Yu let out a long sigh, rubbed his throbbing temples, and typed out the final lines of Act Seventeen. [After everyone left, Jiajing and Lü Fang sighed, lamenting Hu Zongxian's predicament.] [Jiajing said quietly, "Tan Lun is to keep an eye on Yan's faction, but there aren't enough people. Secretly send a message to Prince Yu and the others; if they want to request anyone else to go to Zhejiang, approve it immediately."]

After a moment's thought, Chen Yu started a new line and wrote a voice-over.

This audience with the emperor opened a crack in Zhejiang, a region previously firmly controlled by the Yan faction. To protect Hu Zongxian and the overall situation of resisting Japanese pirates in the southeast, Jiajing decided to send the upright officials (清流) to Zhejiang to counterbalance the Yan faction. The power struggle between the upright officials and the Yan faction in Zhejiang was about to begin.

So, what kind of figures will the Qingliu faction send to Zhejiang to confront Yan's faction? And what methods will Yan's faction use to seize land and convert rice paddies into mulberry fields?

[The Seventeenth Act of the Ming Dynasty, End!] As this act concluded, Chen Yu let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes bright. He already knew in his heart who the Qingliu faction would send to Zhejiang. The true protagonist of the Ming Dynasty, Hai Rui, was finally about to make his appearance after the groundwork laid in these seventeen acts.

The Great Ming Divine Sword will reveal its brilliance in Zhejiang! At this moment, as Chen Yu typed the words to end the seventeenth act, all the viewers in the live broadcast room seemed to have been holding their breath for a long time before letting out a long sigh of relief.

Immediately, as if to make up for the barrage of comments that hadn't been sent out before, an overwhelming barrage of comments, far denser than before, suddenly erupted.

"Act Seventeen: I hereby declare myself a god!"

"This scene perfectly showcases the oppressive power of the Jiajing Emperor and reveals Hu Zongxian's cunning." "The political maneuvering reached its peak in this scene." "Whether it was the confession that Hu Zongxian produced or Yan Song's suggestion to dismiss the Zhejiang governor and appoint him only as the governor-general of Zhejiang and Zhili, this kind of operation has reached a point where it is impossible to replicate."

"A scene like this will never happen again. I already considered the previous imperial court debate to be the pinnacle, but this seventeenth scene, the audience before the emperor, I would call the pinnacle of historical political intrigue, an insurmountable peak!"