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

[Hai Rui! Fabricating lies and falsely accusing your superior! Do you even know how the Ming Dynasty law convicts such crimes?!] The sharp words couldn't mask the underlying guilt and fear. Hai Rui simply sneered.

[I am a mere instructor from Nanping, Fujian, and I've only been in Zhejiang for three days. Did I fabricate the story of the Xin'an River breaching its banks in nine counties? Did I also fabricate the story that last year's dike repairs cost 2.5 million taels of silver?]

He stepped forward, and Zheng Bichang's previous imposing presence vanished without a trace. He subconsciously took a step back and slumped back into his chair.

Hai Rui stopped looking at him and instead looked at Gao Hanwen, as if he knew everything.

[Prefect Gao, this proposal only has six articles and a little over two hundred words, but the matters following those two hundred words, if they were to be written into a case file in the future, would probably pile up like a mountain!]

No matter what happened to you yesterday, it was your own business. If you were wronged, your name will eventually be cleared, and if you made a mistake, there is always a way back.

"But if you sign this document, one wrong step and you will be doomed!" Hai Rui's voice echoed.

The hall was even more silent than after Wang Yongji's speech. It was as if everyone was dead, their faces grim and somber.

Looking at Hai Rui was like looking at an unbelievable madman, a desperate fugitive! They couldn't understand how such a person could exist in officialdom! As Chen Yu wrote this, he let out a soft breath, his eyes shining brightly. But this was Hai Rui, an unyielding sword!

Today, here, is the first time the divine sword has unleashed its power, shattering the dignity of Zhejiang's officialdom and leaving everyone bowing their heads in fear and unease!

At that moment, countless viewers in the live stream finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Only then did they realize that, without realizing it, they had subconsciously stood up, their fists clenched tightly, their faces flushed with excitement.

At that moment, it was as if a series of magnificent fireworks exploded in the live stream room. The barrage of comments piled up like a sea, sweeping across the sky.

In every single comment, the name Hai Rui is repeatedly mentioned!

The hashtags "[Great Ming Divine Sword]" and "[Hai Rui]" instantly topped the trending lists on almost every platform. Hai Rui's famous moment was like a depth charge, exploding into an unprecedented uproar online! It surpassed the grand court debates, the flooding of fields, the imperial audience, and even Wang Yongji's earlier remarks. At this moment, centered on the "Creator Competition" and Chen Yu's livestream, a surging, vast wave swept across the entire Chinese internet!

At this moment, the "Creator Competition" program team looked at the popularity curve in the background. They saw that the popularity, which had jumped sharply after Wang Yongji's lines, suddenly soared into the sky at a nearly 90-degree angle, reaching more than twice the record of Chinese variety shows five years ago!

The show's director stared blankly at the scene.

Even this record-breaking level of attention couldn't mask his shock and awe upon witnessing Hai Rui's performance. Isn't this level of attention expected? After all...

"Such a memorable scene will never be seen again in any historical drama about power struggles in China!" "He's gone mad with killing! Hai Rui has gone mad with killing! This scene is destined to be recorded in history!"

At this moment, on the Chinese internet, almost every major forum and community is buzzing with discussion about this episode of Hai Rui's story. How many people have dreamed of wandering the world with a sword, upholding justice, and drawing their swords in protest against injustice to bring fairness to the world?

Just look at how many children in kindergartens tell their teachers they dream of becoming police officers or soldiers. Justice and fairness are things even children yearn for and find cool! But in the torrent of worldly affairs, simply standing firm is already incredibly difficult. To hold onto dreams and seek fairness and justice is harder than climbing to heaven! Thus, past dreams gradually dim, and the sharp edges of youthful exuberance are smoothed out. Those who once wanted to reform the workplace find themselves unknowingly assimilated by it.

I used to hate leaders who fawned over their superiors and bullied their subordinates, but after I climbed up the ranks myself, how many people became the same? My yearning for justice and fairness gradually turned into a desire for power and wealth.

Countless people have become accustomed to and silently accepted these things. When they see those who dare to fight against injustice, they will secretly sneer and wait to see the day when they are assimilated.

But at this moment, seeing this scene with Hai Rui, the fire in so many people's hearts has been rekindled. What they couldn't have or dared not pursue in reality, Hai Rui did for them! The sky collapsed, but he held up the sky with his backbone! As a county magistrate, he confronted a provincial governor, delivering a powerful speech that left everyone in the audience ashamed and terrified! "Hai Rui, awesome!" "I've never admired any characters in dramas, those supposedly unparalleled wits, those supposedly brilliant strategies—I know they're all fake and can't stand up to scrutiny."

"But Hai Rui's courage is real."

"Perhaps I will never possess such courage and integrity in my lifetime, but that does not prevent me from expressing my respect for Hai Rui."

"Perhaps such courage doesn't sound commendable to students who haven't yet entered society, but the more you struggle in society, the more you realize how difficult it is to stand up to power and demand justice!"

"Hai Rui, truly worthy of being called the Great Ming Swordsman! This scene alone will make me remember this character forever!" "Damn, that's exciting! Facing injustice and darkness, we must rise up and fight back! I plan to follow Hai Rui's example tomorrow and give my boss a piece of my mind!"

Many netizens share the same idea and are itching to rush to the office of the leader they dislike and, like Hai Rui, give him a thorough and satisfying scolding.

But at this point, some netizens quickly stopped them. "No, use your brains!"

"You don't really think that Hai Rui could have insulted his superiors, Tonghe and all those high-ranking officials, just because of sheer courage, do you?"

"If you were to emulate Hai Rui now, you'd be bombarded with criticism until you couldn't even open your mouths!" At this moment, a big shot began to analyze in detail.

"To do what Hai Rui did, first and foremost, you need a fundamental quality: fearlessness in the face of power." "When facing power, you must remain steadfast, articulate your thoughts clearly, and think coherently. Otherwise, if the big shot opposite you glares at you and your legs start trembling, are you going to confront him or go to your death?"

"Ask yourself honestly, do you ever get nervous when you're giving a report to your boss? If you get nervous and stutter when you give a report, do you really expect to criticize your boss? Don't just throw your life away!"

"Secondly, currently reading: Chapter 62 The whole internet is in an uproar! One drama makes me a legend! My name is on the list of top dramas! The latest chapter is available here. Hai Rui has made ample preparations; he is by no means acting rashly."

"Just by looking at Hai Rui's citation of the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you can see that he was thoroughly familiar with them and could intimidate his opponents at any time by citing them."

"The Great Ming Code is his weapon, and what about you?"

"Have you memorized the Labor Law? You should also memorize the company's employee handbook. Otherwise, if loopholes are found, you might not be able to stand up for yourself at all."

"And most importantly, Hai Rui had already disregarded life and death before he came here, and was prepared to die in Zhejiang."

"Let's not even talk about that. Before you get carried away, think about whether you're prepared to lose your job." Seeing these big shots' analysis, the previously hot-headed audience members immediately calmed down. The three of them took their leave.

There are still car and mortgage payments to make; they can't afford to lose their jobs. It seems only a powerful figure like Hai Rui could pull off something like defying his superiors. While they couldn't emulate Hai Rui, they could still show their support and respect. The next moment, a vast stream of donation messages flooded Chen Yu's livestream. This time, it even surpassed the donations generated by Wang Yongji's previous remarks. One anonymous viewer even donated five million yuan in one go, along with a heartfelt message.

"I was once a greenhorn, full of a righteous heart, trying to fight against injustice." "But I lost, lost without any chance to fight back, and could hardly recover. The justice in my heart was shattered and left in ruins."

"I've become the kind of person I used to despise and hate the most."

"For power and wealth, I will stop at nothing. I embezzle, I bribe, I operate in the gray area, doing things that are ambiguous yet highly profitable."

"I've become arrogant and look down on people who claim to pursue fairness and justice. I'll even trample on them and utterly destroy their sense of justice."

"I became insatiable, as if there was a black hole inside me. My heart was empty, and only by constantly acquiring wealth and power could I find temporary satisfaction."

"But when I see Hai Rui, even though I know he is a fictional character and a fictional story, it's like seeing my past self."

"I can never go back, but I hope Hai Rui can keep going and not lose, just to make up for some of my past regrets."

On fan donation channels, the total amount of donations for "The Ming Dynasty" began to climb at an astonishing rate. When the numbers finally stopped, the figures that came into view made everyone gasp.

Twenty-two million!

The script, which is not even finished yet, has already received more than 22 million in tips, which is simply unimaginable! The total tips received by the winning works of the first two seasons of the "Creator Competition" are less than a fraction of those of "Da Ming Dynasty"! Since popularity is also related to the revenue of the live broadcast room, the popularity of Chen Yu's live broadcast room has soared to an alarming level due to this wave of tips.

It's already more than 2.5 times more than the final night of The Voice of China five years ago!

It's no exaggeration to say that today, "The Ming Dynasty" is so popular that everyone in the world knows it! At this moment, the screenwriters from top-tier film and television companies behind the scenes are almost numb. "What...what have we been targeting?"

"This level of hype, it's monstrous, it's absolutely monstrous!" The top screenwriters from these companies subconsciously twitched their numb lips, a hint of resignation creeping in. "So what if it's trending? It was already high enough before, this is just a little higher, breaking the record again." "Looking at it the bright side, it's about the same as before, our situation hasn't worsened." "...How much worse can it get?" Such weak self-comforting words surprisingly received unanimous agreement from the screenwriters present. Just as psychology mentions, when faced with incomprehensible phenomena, when unable to confront them, people subconsciously choose to escape.

No matter how absurd the reason, they would still embrace it, finding a sense of security in it. The impact of "The Ming Dynasty" on them had reached a point where they were unwilling to accept it! However, sometimes you can't escape just because you want to.

As they comforted themselves with this flimsy excuse, a message appeared on their phones, causing their pupils to contract sharply.

That was a message about an updated online ranking list.

This ranking list is practically a household name in the screenwriting world. Countless screenwriters aspire to have their works listed on it. Because this ranking list is called the "Top-Tier Drama List"! Only the most outstanding films and television dramas can be included on this list.

It can be said that the top 100 on the list represent the essence of China's film and television industry over the past 20 years!

Most top screenwriters never have a single work that makes it onto the list of best-of dramas. But now, the list of best-of dramas has been rewritten!

The last name slowly refreshed, and it was none other than "The Ming Dynasty"! When they saw this, the screenwriters of these top film and television companies, including the few top screenwriters, all stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"A list of legendary TV dramas?"

"The Ming Dynasty is on the list of 'divine dramas'?" The list of "divine dramas"? "Impossible, how could this be?"

"How could the 'Divine Drama Ranking' include a script that wasn't even made into a film or television series, and only has twenty scenes?" Then, their faces suddenly turned pale as they realized a possibility. "Unless, the vast majority of the judges qualified to participate in the 'Divine Drama Ranking' have reached a consensus on one thing." "Twenty scenes—just filming these twenty scenes is enough for 'The Ming Dynasty' to be on the 'Divine Drama Ranking'? Uncle!" "It's guaranteed to be a masterpiece?!"

At this time, news of the updated ranking of top dramas spread like wildfire.

Countless viewers, and even the seasoned judges at the Creators Competition, gasped in astonishment as they stared at Chen Yu on the screen, who was still deep in thought about the plot.

On Professor Shuping's face was one of shock and amazement. "I've always said that 'Ming Dynasty' has the potential to become a masterpiece." "But I never expected this day to come so soon." "Just twenty scenes, only twenty scenes, and 'Ming Dynasty' is already on the list of masterpieces. I don't know what the final ranking will be when the script is finished and it's filmed."

"But I can say one thing with absolute certainty now..." "Chen Yu's ascension to godhood is not in the future, but right now!"