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

The chilling malice lurking in Emperor Jiajing's words was so obvious and undisguised that it was completely unmasked.

Even the audience, separated from the script by the screen, felt a chill creep up their spines and a wave of nausea wash over them. How could Yan Song, who was in front of the emperor and facing the emperor's wrath, not feel the overwhelming malice and murderous intent that was about to crush him?

Immediately afterwards, Yan Song, whose body was already soaked in cold sweat, knelt straight down on the ground. The audience, watching this scene through the screen, felt their hearts sink and let out a long sigh.

Although everyone knew that Yan Song was never a benevolent person with the world in his heart, the difficulty of sitting in the position of Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty was truly immense. Especially with Emperor Jiajing, who was known as the greatest riddle-solver of the Ming Dynasty, this job was practically impossible to do; he was just too difficult to serve!

"Judging from this situation, it seems Grand Secretary Yan's reign is truly over." "The Jiajing Emperor's rage and undisguised murderous intent are clearly aimed at Yan Song himself." "When your superior is determined to find fault with you and convict you, how can you possibly resist?"

Just when everyone thought the dust had settled, Yan Song, kneeling on the ground, slowly spoke. Every word he uttered stunned everyone watching the screen, their faces filled with astonishment. [The Book of Documents states: Three years of plenty, three years of scarcity, six years of minor disaster, twelve years of major disaster.]

[The celestial phenomena were like this during the reigns of Yao and Shun. It was our duty as ministers to store grain in years of plenty to prepare for famine, and to provide relief to those in years of famine.]

Just moments before, Emperor Jiajing's words were icy cold, each one pressing Yan Song to see if he considered the unusual weather in the capital region—the lack of snow and wind—to be entirely his fault as emperor. But instead of defending himself, Yan Song abruptly changed the subject, citing a thousand-year-old record from the Book of Documents.

Even the ancient sage rulers like Yao and Shun, who have been praised by later generations for thousands of years, still experienced alternating periods of plenty and scarcity during their reigns. Every few years, they would encounter various natural disasters and unusual phenomena.

Even sage rulers like Yao and Shun experienced such things, which is enough to show that these unusual celestial phenomena and frequent disasters have absolutely nothing to do with Emperor Jiajing's moral character, cultivation, or the successes and failures of his governance.

If the people of the land are displaced and suffer greatly as a result, and if the Ming Dynasty suffers immeasurable losses, then it is all the fault of ministers like Yan Song who served as regents. They failed to fulfill their duties, failed to stockpile grain and provisions during years of plenty to prepare for famine, and failed to open granaries and distribute grain to disaster victims when calamities struck. They failed to do these things that were their responsibility.

These simple words were impeccable, completely shifting all the blame and criticism onto the Jiajing Emperor, placing it firmly on his own head, and refusing to let the Jiajing Emperor bear even the slightest bit of stigma or criticism.

To be able to come up with such a flawless response in that split second when life and death hung in the balance, Yan Song's composure and shrewdness in the face of danger truly astounded the audience in front of the screen. They were so amazed that they forgot to breathe.

"Huh? You managed to make that work out?"

"How did they manage to pull this back from the brink of death?"

"My goodness! I thought Grand Secretary Yan was on his deathbed, about to kick the bucket. Who would have thought that at 81 years old, his quick thinking and resourcefulness would be so remarkable?"

Even the seasoned officials and social climbers in the live stream pondered Yan Song's words repeatedly, finding them increasingly unfathomable. "Anyone with eyes can see that what Emperor Jiajing just said was a deliberate attempt to make things difficult and deliberately cause trouble. The malice hidden in it was almost overflowing. Yan Song has been in the emperor's court for twenty years; how could he not have noticed this?"

"But from beginning to end, he didn't utter a single word of protest or make a single defense to exonerate himself. Instead, he took the initiative to step forward and take all the blame upon himself. It was precisely this step that gave him a glimmer of hope."

"What is most remarkable and demonstrates his skill is that, even at such a critical moment of life and death and when his mind was in great turmoil, Yan Song was still able to remain calm and cite classical texts to support his words. He not only completely preserved the Jiajing Emperor's imperial authority without any loss, but also calmly accepted all the blame without leaving any flaws."

"Think about it the other way around. If Yan Song didn't use the classics and just said in his own words that the celestial phenomena had nothing to do with Emperor Jiajing, then he would be making irresponsible remarks about the emperor, which is a major taboo for a subject. Whether Emperor Jiajing governs the country well or not, whether his virtue is sufficient or not, whether or not there is any connection between the unusual celestial phenomena and his own actions, is not something that a subject like him can arbitrarily judge or criticize."

"Secondly, saying that would only make Emperor Jiajing think that he was just deliberately flattering and fawning, and that he was just spouting empty words." "But Yan Song brought up the records in the Book of Documents about the ancient sage kings Yao and Shun, which was completely different. He perfectly avoided the minefield of criticizing the emperor and overstepping his duty as a subject, and without showing any trace of deliberate flattery, he naturally and logically took all the blame."

"This skill of taking responsibility and shirking blame can't be developed without decades of experience navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom. It's been honed to a level of unparalleled mastery!"

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace within the script, Emperor Jiajing was clearly moved by Yan Song's impeccable words.

In this situation where he himself had a knife to his throat, Yan Song not only showed no resentment, but was also drenched in cold sweat. He devoted all his energy to upholding his reputation as a sage ruler, and from beginning to end, every word and action he took adhered to the duties of a subject, without the slightest transgression.

This is enough to show that Yan Song was able to distinguish between what was important and what was not, and to understand the proper roles of ruler and subject.

Therefore, the previous incident in Zhejiang where Yan Song used the lanterns of the Imperial Textile Bureau to buy up farmland from the people at low prices was definitely not Yan Song's own idea.

Thinking of this, Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but recall the hardships Yan Song had endured for the past twenty years, serving him faithfully and protecting him from harm. His usually cold and hard imperial heart softened for a moment, and he simply lowered his eyes and remained silent.

In that instant when Emperor Jiajing fell silent, Lü Fang, who stood by his side, seemed to possess an innate ability to read his mind. Without Emperor Jiajing uttering a single word, Lü Fang accurately detected the change in his attitude and immediately turned to Yan Song, who was kneeling on the ground, and spoke gently, "Grand Secretary, His Majesty did not order you to kneel. After all, you are eighty years old. Please rise and reply."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lü Fang stepped forward slowly and carefully helped the elderly Yan Song to his feet. Then she raised her eyes and looked at the Jiajing Emperor on the throne without making a sound.

Emperor Jiajing merely glanced at the small, low mound that had been removed not long ago, and Lü Fang immediately understood. She quickly stepped forward, carefully moved the mound over, and placed it beside Yan Song.

"Your Excellency, the Emperor has granted you a seat."

Lu Fang's series of smooth and precise actions sent chills down the spines of even the most discerning viewers, who could see the script perfectly.

Many young viewers who have just entered the workforce and are still struggling are filled with emotion as they watch the scenes on the screen, and can't help but sigh.

"Ever since I entered the workplace, I've heard people say the same thing every day: 'observation skills.' My boss criticizes me for lacking observation skills, and my senior colleagues also say that I lack observation skills. I've never understood what this thing means."

"Having witnessed Lü Fang's actions today, I finally understand completely." "Even without the Jiajing Emperor uttering a single word, Lü Fang could accurately gauge his changing attitude. With just a glance from him, Lü Fang immediately knew what to say and do." "So this is the legendary keen insight!" "If I had even a tenth of Lü Fang's insight, getting promoted and receiving a raise at work would be a piece of cake! What leader wouldn't like a subordinate with such keen insight? They're so easy and efficient to use. If I were a leader, I'd like one too!"