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

The 24th scene begins with a dialogue between Li Shizhen and Hu Zongxian. Li Shizhen is inquiring about the Jiajing Emperor from Hu Zongxian.

When Li Shizhen received Hu Zongxian's reply, saying that the whites of Emperor Jiajing's eyes were slightly red and the area around his eyes was somewhat bluish, he sighed and made his conclusion.

[If one continues to take the elixir daily and maintains good health, one should live for three to five years.]

These words were truly earth-shattering. Not only was Hu Zongxian in the script shocked, but the audience outside the script was also stunned. They never imagined that the Jiajing Emperor, who controlled the court as if it were the lines on the palm of his hand, who could flatten and manipulate those old foxes, and who stood at the pinnacle of power, was actually about to die.

The direct cause of his death was reportedly mercury poisoning from excessive consumption of elixirs? This is undeniably ironic for Emperor Jiajing, who spent his days cultivating Taoism and dreaming of ascension to immortality. This has sparked considerable discussion among viewers.

"Three to five years shouldn't be enough time for Hai Rui to rise from a local county magistrate to the capital, right?" "Sigh, does that mean we won't see Hai Rui directly confront Jiajing?" "It's a pity. I was really looking forward to seeing if Hai Rui would be so assertive when facing Jiajing. It seems that's not going to happen." The screenwriters and Guo Gang behind the scenes showed expressions of "I knew it" when they saw this design. Guo Gang breathed a slight sigh of relief, a hint of disdain in his expression.

"Hehe, I thought Chen Yu was really going to write that Hai Rui was going to rise through the ranks, and that he would clash with the Jiajing Emperor as soon as he arrived in the capital, and even scold the Jiajing Emperor."

"If he really wrote it like that and it still works out, I'd be completely convinced." "Now it seems he knows that such a plot development is impossible, so he's laying the groundwork in advance." "I thought he was something special, but he's just like that." Just then, a staff member from the Screenwriters Association who was responsible for compiling statistics on various changes in the domestic screenwriting industry, especially certain milestone records of special significance, hurriedly found Guo Gang.

"President, we just discovered that Chen Yu's 'The Ming Dynasty' is approaching a record." Guo Gang frowned, looking displeased. "What is it now?" "What record?" The staff member asked seriously.

"Currently, Chen Yu's 'Da Ming Dynasty' ranks 72nd on the list of top-rated dramas, and he is 21 years old." "This has broken the record for the oldest actor to appear on the list of top-rated dramas."

"At the same time, if 'Da Ming Dynasty' can break into the top 032, Chen Yu will break the record in the screenwriting industry in China, and he will become the youngest screenwriter to break into the top 033 of the divine drama list."

"And the last screenwriter to break this record was... Xiao Tuo." Upon hearing this name, Guo Gang, who had initially been somewhat dismissive, suddenly changed his expression.

At this time, the staff at the "Creator Competition" also discovered this and informed the audience that Chen Yu was about to set a new record.

When the audience heard the name Xiao Tuo, there was a stir. Those who came to watch the "Creators Competition" were generally familiar with prominent figures in the screenwriting industry. Xiao Tuo was undoubtedly one of the brightest new stars in the screenwriting world a decade ago. From his debut... His first work earned him a place on the God List. His second work entered the top fifty of the God List. Absolutely phenomenal talent.

However, this rising star only shone briefly in China's screenwriting industry before losing his luster. It wasn't because Xiao Tuo had run out of ideas, but because he publicly declared that China's film and television industry was too backward, and that staying there wouldn't allow him to learn anything new.

Therefore, Chaut went to the United States, acquired American citizenship, and worked in Hollywood with famous screenwriters.

Now, he is a well-known Hollywood screenwriter, Chris Shaw. If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad; Chinese audiences aren't that narrow-minded.

However, after Chautau joined the U.S. nationality, his scripts repeatedly contained elements that insulted China, and he even made fun of China's past wounds, which caused a huge uproar and was publicly boycotted by Chinese movie fans.

This is why the records Xiao Tuo set in recent years have been ignored and selectively overlooked. It's hardly a glorious thing that such a morally corrupt person left behind records that no one can surpass in China.

But now, if Chen Yu breaks Xiao Tuo's record, it will definitely be a momentous event! The audience, who never expected this, immediately became excited.

Guo Gang and the top executives of the leading film and television companies behind the scenes frowned deeply. If Chen Yu succeeded, relevant department leaders would likely take notice of him and even praise him highly. They certainly didn't want Chen Yu to receive that kind of recognition.

But after a moment, their furrowed brows slowly relaxed. "There's still a huge gap between the top fifty and the rest of the Divine Drama Ranking." "Going from seventy-second place to the top fifty is several times harder than going from the rest to here." "Even if Chen Yu has the talent, he'd need at least another ten or twenty scenes to have any hope, right?" "But now, our plan is almost ready, and we'll launch our attack in three to five scenes at most."

"With only three or five acts of events, what kind of flying plot could Chen Yu possibly write? Impossible!" But a ruthless glint appeared in the eyes of this group. It has to be said that Chen Yu's talent is truly somewhat abnormal. So, since they have already chosen to be enemies with Chen Yu, the next step is for Chen Yu to either sign the most stringent contract with them, obediently become their dog, and have his talent drained and then discarded.

Either we should completely kick Chen Yu out of the screenwriting industry, ruin his reputation, and block all channels for him to speak out, so as to eliminate any future troubles!

Otherwise, if Chen Yu were allowed to develop further, who knows how far he would go.

Perhaps, like Xiao Tuo back then, several of his works will top the list of masterpieces, overshadowing all other screenwriters of the same era!

That would be a real problem.

Fortunately, this time they were confident they could ruin Chen Yu's career forever in one fell swoop. After all, no matter how powerful or monstrous Chen Yu was, he couldn't possibly come up with a modern anti-corruption drama in a few days to resolve the crisis at Xiangyu Pictures, could he?

Even so, their eyes remained fixed on the screen.

The audience watched the screen with anticipation, wondering what memorable scene Chen Yu would present next. Under their watchful eyes, Chen Yu typed out the ensuing dialogue between Li Shizhen and Hu Zongxian. After predicting that the Jiajing Emperor would not live more than three to five years, Li Shizhen criticized the prevailing trend in the court of writing flattering edicts in support of the emperor.

Then, his gaze fell on Hu Zongxian.

Minister Hu, I have a question for you, but please don't take it personally.

"You are talented, and you care about the country and its people. Why did you choose to attach yourself to Yan Song?" While Hu Zongxian stood there stunned, Li Shizhen recounted the evaluation he had heard of Hu Zongxian while treating patients. "You are good at recognizing and employing talent, and you are sincere in your work. By employing Qi Jiguang, you drove the Japanese pirates out of the country's borders, bringing peace to the southeast. You repaired the sea dikes, reduced taxes, and encouraged silk spinning and commerce, ensuring the people's well-being. For these reasons alone, your name, Hu Zongxian, should be included in the biographies of famous ministers for generations to come." "That's the good. You know the bad things without me saying them." "I'll give you a piece of advice from an outsider: Yan Song, especially Yan Shifan, fell from power within the last year or two. Those who uphold righteousness can even kill their own relatives! You should stand up and expose their heinous crimes to the Emperor!"

Li Shizhen was filled with righteous indignation and wanted to persuade Hu Zongxian to put aside his own family ties and take the lead in overthrowing Yan Xishan and his faction. The reasons he gave were also quite righteous and awe-inspiring.

Yan Song couldn't control his faction. Yan Shifan had gathered a group of greedy people who embezzled and amassed wealth, causing widespread suffering in Zhejiang. Everyone could see that the Yan faction's days were numbered.

Hu Zongxian could have become a renowned minister, his name etched in history; there was no need for him to sink with such a dilapidated ship! This statement already considered all aspects. Anyone in his position would likely be moved. But unfortunately, Li Shizhen encountered Hu Zongxian. Chen Yu's eyes brightened as he typed out Hu Zongxian's reply.

"Anyone can overthrow the Grand Secretary, but I, Hu Zongxian, cannot." When Li Shizhen urgently asked why this was unacceptable, Hu Zongxian replied, word by word. "I may not be a renowned minister, but I cannot be a villain!" These two sentences immediately silenced the live stream. Then, a deluge of comments erupted!

The moment Hu Zongxian uttered those two memorable lines, the live stream chat exploded. "Anyone can bring down the Grand Secretary, but I, Hu Zongxian, cannot?" "I may not be a renowned minister, but I cannot be a villain!" "Minister Hu, your righteousness is truly admirable!" Since ancient times, the Dragon Kingdom has revered those who uphold righteousness. This era is no exception. What, then, is righteousness?

If someone has shown you profound kindness, you should repay them even through fire and water—that is righteousness. Of course, some often speak of upholding righteousness even at the cost of family ties. Just like Li Shizhen's advice to Hu Zongxian this time, for the sake of righteousness, one should report one's mentor, thus initiating the downfall of Yan Xishan.

Li Shizhen's persuasion was indeed based on the greater good.

But whether many people's so-called "righteousness over family ties" is truly for the greater good or for their own advancement, only they themselves know the answer.

Don't forget that the greater good is based on the lesser good.

If a person cannot even uphold basic righteousness, then how can we guarantee that their greater righteousness is correct and true? Hu Zongxian knew where the greater righteousness lay while upholding basic righteousness. He would rather perish with Yan's faction than betray his teacher's kindness! These two sentences moved countless viewers to tears.

"When the dike was destroyed and the fields were flooded, Ma Ningyuan told Hu Zongxian that he did it knowing it was impossible." "Hu Zongxian asked him what his original intention was in doing it knowing it was impossible? It means that he did things without asking whether they were possible, but only whether they were right or wrong."

"This time, Hu Zongxian proved that his words were not empty talk. He also knew that Yan Song's party was about to sink, but he could not betray the kindness of his teacher. He could not let down Yan Song's deep kindness to him, so he did it even though he knew it was impossible."

"This act truly embodies righteousness!" Many viewers typed in the live chat.

"If, as Li Shizhen said, your name, Minister Hu Zongxian, is not included in the biographies of famous ministers for all time, then those of us outside the script will remember you, Minister Hu Zongxian!"

Looking at Chen Yu's young face on the screen and then at Hu Zongxian's lines, Director Zhao of the relevant department was filled with mixed emotions.

He thought of that young screenwriter named Xiao Tuo from back then, who was just as talented. At that time, he was already a department head, with a bright future ahead of him.

Upon seeing the exceptional talent of Xiao Tuo, he was given significant support, persuading his superiors to grant him numerous opportunities. However, unexpectedly, Xiao Tuo, barely rising to prominence, decisively betrayed China and joined the United States. Director Zhao only learned of this on the day he announced his American citizenship. Throughout the entire process, Xiao Tuo hadn't mentioned it a single word to Director Zhao. When Director Zhao questioned him about why he had immediately switched sides after receiving so many resources from China, and whether this was worthy of his support, Xiao Tuo only replied with one sentence.

"People strive for higher positions. China is too small; my talents cannot be fully utilized." "As the ancients said, righteousness can even transcend family ties. Pursuing the pinnacle of scriptwriting is my righteousness, and I am willing to sacrifice everything for it." Xiao Tuo's twisted righteousness of sacrificing family ties, coupled with the fact that his scripts written after joining the U.S. nationality contained numerous elements that insulted China, has ruined Director Zhao's political future. He has remained stagnant here for ten years.

Upon seeing the two lines Chen Yu had written, Director Zhao's eyes lit up.

It seems that my efforts to persuade my superiors to include "Da Ming Dynasty" in the main selection list have finally paid off this time.

The fact that this young man, Chen Yu, could write such lines and create a character like Hu Zongxian shows that he is different from Xiao Tuo! Director Zhao also clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and looked expectant.

"I, Zhao Zhong, was blind back then; I misjudged people and raised such an ungrateful wretch. But this time, I'm certain I haven't made a mistake."

"Chen Yu, break that heartless bastard Xiao Tuo's records and completely shatter all the shameful records he left in the screenwriting world of China."

At this moment, thanks to the reminder from the production team and Hu Zongxian's two lines, countless viewers were reminded of Xiao Tuo, the once equally brilliant and talented screenwriter.

Because of the Shauto incident, so many people are seething with hatred. You can betray the nurturing grace of China and throw yourself into the arms of the US in pursuit of your future. If that were all, some people would criticize you, but it wouldn't warrant such widespread condemnation.

But the most disgusting thing Chaut did was that after becoming an American citizen, he immediately tried to please the American market by using elements that insulted China, and he actually managed to quickly gain a foothold in Hollywood and become a favorite of many investors.

He's climbing the ladder by stepping on China! Such behavior is truly infuriating. It's one thing that no one could approach Xiao Tuo's record before, but now Chen Yu has suddenly appeared and has a good chance of breaking these despicable records.

Viewers flooded the live stream with comments and donations. "Chen Yu, smash that ingrate Xiao Tuo's record!"

"Let all traces of such ingratitude in the Dragon Kingdom vanish!"

"I've spent all my allowance on 'Ming Dynasty' this month. If you can't beat me, I'll send you razor blades!" With such support from the audience, the trending topics on all platforms across the internet were all dominated by these two lines from "Ming Dynasty" and Hu Zongxian.