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

But flattery is fine, you should at least offer some tangible benefits, right? Even the ancients knew how to raise loyal followers; you had to pay them enough to ensure they had no worries. To this, Zhang Juzheng simply chuckled. Want benefits?

Come on, let's get the pancakes ready!

If Gongguo died for his country in Zhejiang, then his mother was truly the mother of all people! His daughter was truly the daughter of all people!

[Who says Haimen has no descendants? Your incense and the name of Haimen will surely continue in the temple for thousands of years to come!] These words, at first glance, stirred a sense of fervor in some viewers outside the script. To leave a mark on history! So inspiring!

But soon, some worldly-wise viewers started to curse.

"Damn it, Zhang Juzheng is such a shameless bastard." "Brothers, if you see anyone flattering you and asking you to do something that's suicidal, but giving you no real benefits, don't even think about it, just spit in their face."

"Just look at the bullshit Zhang Juzheng said. Damn it, if you, Hai Rui, were to die, your mother would be the mother of all people, your daughter would be the daughter of all people, and you could go down in history."

"Heh, that sounds inspiring, but the problem is, will the people of the world really go out of their way to pay for Hai Rui's mother's care and raise his daughter? We're not three-year-olds, everyone knows that!"

"If Zhang Juzheng had such intentions, you, a mere Vice Minister of War already in the cabinet, with Prince Yu behind you, would it be so difficult to arrange for Hai Rui's elderly mother, wife, and daughters?"

"Even if you just mentioned that if Hai Rui died, his elderly mother, wife, and daughters would be cared for by people sent by Zhang Juzheng or Prince Yu, and that an orphan would be adopted to carry on the Hai family line, wouldn't that be much better than all this empty talk?"

"Why did Zhang Juzheng write all this nonsense? It's because this guy didn't want to do anything at all. He used Hai Rui as a tool, and if the tool broke, then Hai Rui was useless. What did he care about what happened afterward?"

When these viewers understood the true meaning behind Zhang Juzheng's letter, those who had previously felt a sense of righteous indignation immediately gasped in shock, their faces filled with horror and indignation.

"Holy crap, can anyone in this world really be this shameless?" "Zhang Juzheng? A reformer?" "Pah!"

"Clean your mother's head!"

"Nothing is more poisonous than a righteous person's mouth, nothing is more wicked than a righteous person's heart!"

At this moment, the audience held a thousand, ten thousand disdain for the so-called "pure stream".

Who the hell would like someone who sends people to their deaths under the guise of righteousness, yet offers them no real benefit while reaping the rewards of power and profit?

At this moment, Chen Yu's script focuses on the perspective of Yan Shifan's faction. The young Grand Secretary Yan Shifan is meeting with Gao Hanwen, the newly appointed prefect of Hangzhou, whom he has chosen.

This man was a newly appointed third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations, and his articles in the Hanlin Academy were quite renowned. The seemingly obvious method of "resolving the dilemma by combining reform and disaster relief" was proposed by Gao Hanwen.

It was because of this article, and because although Gao Hanwen did not curry favor with Yan Shifan's faction, Yan Shifan was certain that Gao Hanwen could not endure the hardships of the Hanlin Academy and would want to make a name for himself through trials and tribulations. Therefore, Yan Shifan selected Gao Hanwen to go to Zhejiang to continue promoting the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields.

This was the moment when Yan Shifan and Gao Hanwen bid each other farewell.

Unlike the Qingliu group, who were stingy and refused to give any benefits, the young Grand Secretary's actions were extraordinary. His offerings were rare and precious.

For example, a set of five calligraphy brushes made of rhinoceros horn, Lantian jade, and extremely rare red weasel hair were given to Gao Hanwen, a scion of a scholarly family, as a family heirloom.

There's also ink from Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty, an inkstone from Huang Tingjian of the Song Dynasty, and swallow-patterned stationery from Li Qingzhao of the Song Dynasty... Such a set of the Four Treasures of the Study is an irresistible temptation for scholars. Not to mention Gao Hanwen, even the audience outside the script was repeatedly astonished.

"Good heavens, although I've never heard of these people, I can tell just by listening to them that what the young Grand Secretary sent must be something really good." "Didn't you see Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing over there looking on with envy, acting like they're playing along? It must be something good."

"If you've already given away a complete set of the Four Treasures of the Study, then I doubt you can even mention other material possessions or money. How could you possibly skimp on those?"

"And did you hear what Yan Shifan said? If you do a good job, there are important responsibilities waiting for Gao Hanwen in the court. This is clearly a promise to Gao Hanwen that as long as he does a good job in converting rice paddies to mulberry fields in Zhejiang, he will be able to advance further and achieve great success when he returns!"

This reminded viewers of the bargaining chips used by Qingliu to coax Hai Rui into going to his death—just a letter and a bunch of empty promises, with no real benefit given.

This made them look strange.

Previously, viewers harbored deep hatred for the Yan Party because of the incident of the dike breach and flooding of fields.

But now, with the Qingliu faction, which also treats ordinary people like dirt, as a contrast, viewers suddenly feel that doing things under the Yan faction seems much better than under the Qingliu faction.

Following this, Chen Yu describes the procession arranged by Yan's faction for Gao Hanwen's journey to Zhejiang to assume his post. Four riders escorted him in front, and another four behind, with two attendants on either side of the carriage—a truly magnificent display! Such a procession was far too extravagant for the prefect of Hangzhou, a complete overreach. But Yan's faction wanted it this way, firstly to let Gao Hanwen know that he had their support, so he shouldn't be afraid of anything; as long as he successfully converted the rice paddies to sanggan, he had nothing to worry about.

Secondly, they also wanted to use the ceremonial procession arranged for Gao Hanwen to demonstrate their unwavering determination to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields! This description left the audience in awe.

"The tasks assigned by the Yan faction are indeed difficult, but they truly offer real benefits!" "Forget about the money and treasures, this job guarantees an official position and a promising future. Many people probably dream of such an opportunity!"

"And not only did they give you plenty of benefits, but they also gave you the utmost treatment and openly stated that they would support you from behind. What a great leader!"

"No wonder the Yan faction has been able to hold power in the court for so many years. They are willing to give benefits. As for the Qingliu faction, they only know how to make empty promises." "Qingliu? They only give water but not food. They can't even support small fish and shrimp. Is this what they call Qingliu?" At this moment, the perspective of the script shifts to Hai Rui's side.

Compared to the lavish and grand farewell ceremonies of Yan Dang and Gao Hanwen, Hai Rui's farewell was truly impoverished. Gao Hanwen was highly praised by Yan Shifan, Luo Longwen, and Yan Maoqing, who all said he was a rare and promising young scholar of Neo-Confucianism, an invaluable talent, and perfectly suited for such an important task.

In short, it was all sweet talk.

Regardless of their ulterior motives, at least they were treated with the utmost courtesy and respect. But what about Hai Rui?

A letter arrived from the upright officials, showering him with praise and implying that Hai Rui should be sent to Chun'an as magistrate to his death. Even Hai Rui's elderly mother, who no longer held office, pointed out the obvious.

[Why would those high-ranking officials refuse to step forward and fight for it, instead letting a mere county magistrate go head-to-head?] This couldn't be more blunt. The grand pronouncements the upright officials usually spout seemed utterly meaningless now. And what about the treatment they received? Along with the letter of appointment came not a penny for travel expenses, not even a decent gift. It wasn't like Yan Shifan, who would offer a set of rare and priceless writing implements; this was clearly sending someone into a perilous situation, and they wouldn't even offer a token of appreciation? Even the travel expenses and personal belongings were all cobbled together by Hai Rui himself. A few changes of old clothes, an oil-paper umbrella for rain protection, and some coarse rice cakes wrapped in fresh lotus leaves—that was all Hai Rui had to carry.

Compared to the treatment Gao Hanwen received, it was like comparing heaven and earth. As for the pomp and circumstance of his travels, it was simply not worth mentioning.

Gao Hanwen had the support of Yan's faction, and his lavish attire and fine horses accompanied him on his travels. His entourage far exceeded the bounds of propriety, reaching the point of usurpation and violation of regulations. But what about Hai Rui?

There was only a skinny donkey, wearing coarse cloth sandals, bowing goodbye to his wife, daughters, and elderly mother, before setting off alone on his journey. As the script reached this point, Chen Yu couldn't help but take a deep breath, as if he could see that figure with his own eyes—that figure who knew the road ahead was fraught with danger, yet still went forward without hesitation, knowing it was impossible yet still doing it. His expression gradually became solemn and dignified.

This is Hai Rui!

After taking a deep breath, Chen Yu's fingertips fell, and he typed a line of text on the keyboard. 【The Ming Dynasty, Act 18 - The Divine Sword is Drawn, End!】 By the time he finished typing this last word, the night outside the window was already deep, and it was past two in the morning.

Chen Yu had been writing non-stop for almost a whole day before finally getting to the scene where Hai Rui makes his official appearance.

As for the turbulent waves that Hai Rui stirred up in the Zhejiang officialdom afterward, and the famous scenes that have been passed down through the ages, such as "It's all recorded" and "Does my Great Ming still have a sharp sword?", etc.

Not to mention the later scene where Hai Rui went to the capital alone and presented that unparalleled memorial, the most outspoken in the world, which made Emperor Jiajing so angry that his blood boiled and his nose bled. Even though these scenes were so vivid in Chen Yu's mind that they seemed within reach, even if he had an iron body, he simply couldn't bear it anymore and couldn't write anymore.

A wave of overwhelming weariness instantly swept over his body. Chen Yu spoke slowly to the live-streaming camera in front of him.

"Dear viewers, that's all for today. The story of 'The Ming Dynasty' will continue tomorrow." He then turned off the live stream, got up to stretch his stiff and aching shoulders, neck, and back, quickly washed up, and went to bed. However, the viewers, who were already used to Chen Yu's insane typing speed and non-stop writing, were all suddenly stunned. "Huh?"

"Is that all?"

"No, I'm really into it! I'm waiting to see what happens after Hai Rui arrives in Zhejiang! What makes Hai Rui so special that you call him the 'Divine Sword of the Ming Dynasty'?"

"Teacher Chen, don't stop! Keep writing!"

"You cut this off like that, I'm definitely not going to be able to sleep tonight!" In the live stream room, which had already stopped displaying its content, rows and rows of densely packed donation messages immediately appeared. In just a few minutes, the total amount of donations related to "The Ming Dynasty" surged by over two million, bringing the cumulative total to nearly six million!

Meanwhile, even after Chen Yu had turned off the live stream and gone offline, the discussion and comments about "Ming Dynasty" in the live stream room were still overwhelming like a tide. Every minute and every second, countless long reviews of the drama were being refreshed rapidly in the comment section, and the related terms of "Ming Dynasty" still firmly occupied the top of the trending search lists on various platforms.

This gives a glimpse into just how terrifying the popularity of "Ming Dynasty" is right now! However, behind the scenes, the screenwriters who have been hoping for "Ming Dynasty" to collapse in reputation and popularity have all flashed a shrewd glint in their eyes.

Chen Yu suddenly stopped writing, and this action, in their eyes, meant that Chen Yu's creative inspiration had temporarily dried up. Otherwise, this was the perfect opportunity to reach the peak of popularity, and anyone in his position would desperately seize the moment to capitalize on the hype. How could he so easily stop writing?

"The only possibility is that Chen Yu hasn't even figured out how to continue the story." The top screenwriters from several leading film studios all wore confident expressions. "Chen Yu probably already realizes he's written himself into an inescapable trap." "Hai Rui was just a mere county magistrate; how could he possibly contend with the deeply entrenched officialdom of Zhejiang?"

"Let alone competing with the entire Zhejiang officialdom, what can he possibly offer compared to Gao Hanwen, the newly appointed prefect of Hangzhou?"

"They have the background, the connections, the money, and the power. What makes Hai Rui think he can compete with them?"

"Based on his upright and incorruptible integrity? Don't be ridiculous. In officialdom, what use is such an intangible thing?"

"Could Hai Rui really win against Gao Hanwen with just his integrity? And could he possibly outmaneuver those old foxes like Zheng Bichang and He Maocai with just his integrity?"

"Even if he manages to get through this hurdle, can he still rise higher? Can he outmaneuver the powerful Yan faction, or compete with those cunning and virtuous officials?"

"No matter how capable he was of fighting and arguing, the matter of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields was something that Emperor Jiajing personally approved. Emperor Jiajing was the dark force hidden deep within the Ming Dynasty."

"If he were really that capable, could he possibly have scolded the Jiajing Emperor to death?!" The top screenwriter became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting everywhere.

The plot of "Da Ming Dynasty" is doomed to collapse. I'm telling you, even a god couldn't save this mess!