Chapter 55

Since Yueyin had mentioned it to Xu Ying that day, she hadn't brought up the company or the novel's copyright again. Xu Ying guessed that the matter had fallen through, which was why there had been no further developments.

The facts were indeed as she thought.

The company that came to Fei Hong to inquire about the copyright of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" was just trying to take advantage of the huge success of the TV series "Empress Wu Zetian" and didn't genuinely care about the original work of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty".

For such buyers, it's easy to be deterred by Fei Hong's high copyright price in the early stages of negotiations, and unsurprisingly, the company backed down.

Yueyin felt very apologetic.

She shouldn't have been so talkative; she revealed things before everything was confirmed, causing Er Yuetian to be overjoyed for nothing.

Xu Ying responded that Yue Yin was overthinking it.

She never had high hopes for the sale of the copyright to "Legend of the Qing Dynasty".

According to her, if the copyright of this novel were to be sold, the best buyer would be Zhou Xingyun, since the two of them had indeed had a very pleasant experience working together on the set of "Wu Zetian".

Thanks to Zhou Xingyun's delegation of authority, she was able to have a full say in the production team.

Being able to freely control her own script is very comforting. She doesn't believe any other company could offer the same treatment as Zhou Xingyun.

well.

I just don't know what Zhou Xingyun is thinking.

Xu Ying decided to take the initiative. Opportunities are earned, and for the sake of her novel, she felt it was necessary to give Zhou Xingyun a proper encouragement.

"Filming 'Legend of the Qing Dynasty'?!"

Zhou Xingyun was surprised and even a little tempted, but when she thought about the bloody reality, she tried her best to restrain her eagerness.

"I'm afraid that's not an option now. As you know, all the money I have is tied up in 'Empress Wu Zetian,' so where would I find the extra money to buy the rights to 'Legend of the Qing Dynasty,' not to mention the subsequent filming? This drama looks incredibly expensive!"

It might cost even more money than "Empress Wu Zetian".

Zhou Xingyun is also a reader who follows "Legend of the Qing Dynasty". She has a general idea of ​​the potential for this novel to be adapted into a film or television series.

She admitted that the novel was a lucrative opportunity.

But now is really not the right time. Let's wait and see when she receives her share of the profits from "Empress Wu Zetian" so I can recoup some of my losses before thinking about the rest.

However, Xu Ying's words instantly disrupted her plans.

"Oh, that's such a pity."

I only contacted you because I heard from the editor that someone had inquired about the copyright of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty". If we're talking about collaboration, you're definitely the first person I think of.

We're old acquaintances, and our last collaboration went very well... Oh well, we'll just have to find another opportunity to work together in the future.

"etc!"

Zhou Xingyun was indeed anxious; things had taken her somewhat unexpectedly.

Her original intention was simply to save some money, relax, and have some fun for a while; she didn't really intend to give up on buying the copyright to this novel!

When it comes to producing TV series, she would definitely choose to collaborate with Xu Ying first, since Xu Ying's novels always hit the nail on the head.

"Someone asked about the copyright. It didn't sell, did it? How did it go so fast?!"

The novel isn't even finished yet.

Xu Ying silently apologized in her heart, but said in a teasy tone, "Yes, that's why I contacted you as soon as possible. If you're interested, then contact our copyright department. If not, then it doesn't matter."

She wasn't exactly lying; at most, she was selectively stating certain facts.

Zhou Xingyun hesitated for a while, but ultimately couldn't put the notebook down.

“You wait here, I’m going to find my dad. He said I did a good job with this ‘Wu Zetian’ drama, and he’ll definitely give me the money if I ask him for it.”

Zhou Xingyun hung up the phone just like that, and Xu Ying almost didn't react.

She just wanted to give Zhou Xingyun a push, hoping she would feel a sense of urgency, but she didn't expect the other party to be even more anxious than her, and immediately offered to buy it.

Xu Ying felt a little embarrassed, so she sent Zhou Xingyun a message: If you need money, I can lend it to you.

After posting it, she found it a little funny. So, was she lending money to someone to sell the copyright to her novel...?

For a moment, Xu Ying felt a little fortunate.

Fortunately, she only signed a five-year contract with Fei Hong; otherwise, if she wanted to adapt her novel into a TV series in the future, she would have to pay a large sum of money to them first.

Zhou Xingyun replied to her very quickly.

Zhou Xingyun: No need.

Zhou Xingyun: My dad also thinks highly of your script. Our company has decided to buy it directly, so I don't have to pay anything, hehe!

Xu Ying: That's good.

*

"Empress Wu Zetian" is still airing.

Mo Yun invited Yang Hui to her house to watch TV that evening.

Her parents went on a trip, and it was so hot that she was too lazy to go with them, so she chose to stay home alone. This made it convenient for Yang Hui to come over, watch TV, and stay overnight.

"I'm here!"

Yang Hui didn't stand on ceremony at all. She had known Mo Yun for many years, and coming to Mo Yun's house felt like coming home.

She carried a large watermelon through the door.

Her mother asked her to bring this watermelon over as a snack for the two of them. She thought it would be perfect to eat it while watching TV, so she carried it all the way here without finding it too much trouble.

"Wow, why did you bring a watermelon?!"

"My mom asked me to get this. Since you've finished eating, I just picked the biggest one."

"Hehe, shall we cut it in half and each get half?"

"Yes, of course."

It's so much more satisfying to eat it like this, scooping it up with a spoon.

The two went to the kitchen, cut the watermelon in half, and then each of them sat in front of the TV with one half and a spoon in hand.

There was a pile of snacks on the table in front of the TV, all bought by Mo Yun from the supermarket. Her parents weren't home, so she became unruly and bought snacks one bag after another.

Seeing this, Yang Hui couldn't help but advise her: "Eat less snacks and more proper meals."

"Don't worry, I'm not a child anymore. I'll eat properly and watch TV!"

Mo Yun turned on the TV, and the opening theme of "Empress Wu Zetian" started playing. Yang Hui immediately forgot what she was going to say to her and focused on staring at the big screen.

The plot of "Empress Wu Zetian" has progressed to the point where the emperor and empress begin to scheme against and guard against each other.

The empress here refers to Wu Zetian.

When Li Zhi first made Wu Zetian his empress, the two spent a period of deep affection. However, as time went by, Li Zhi gradually realized that his power was being quietly taken away by Wu Zetian.

He became uneasy and found a pretext to imprison Wu Zetian's important officials. At the same time, he consulted with Chancellor Shangguan Yi about how to deal with the Empress.

Shangguan Yi was deeply influenced by Confucianism and harbored a strong aversion to women in power. Upon hearing the emperor's news, she did not hesitate to suggest deposing the empress.

The emperor was immediately tempted upon hearing this.

However, Wu Zetian was no longer the same person she once was.

When she first returned to the palace, she could only rely on Emperor Li Zhi. But now, she has gathered a group of court officials around her, as well as countless palace maids and eunuchs who are her spies.

So, at the critical moment when the emperor and prime minister Shangguan Yi were plotting to write the edict to depose the empress, Wu Zetian rushed in just in time.

She loudly questioned the emperor: "Why are you so heartless?!"

"We've been husband and wife for many years. I've given you our children; even if I haven't done anything particularly meritorious, I've certainly put in a lot of hard work..."

Faced with Wu Zetian's tearful complaint, the already somewhat guilty emperor directly shifted the blame onto Shangguan Yi.

Wu Zetian was furious at the emperor's ruthlessness, but since the emperor had shifted the blame onto Shangguan Yi, she had no choice but to go along with it and deal with him.

......

The hall was empty.

With the emperor gone, only Wu Zetian remained in the hall.

After the intense argument, Wu Zetian was exhausted. She slowly collapsed onto the stone steps, her expression sorrowful.

She thought that becoming empress would mean a life of ease...

In the end, she discovered that everything was still in the emperor's hands. With just one imperial edict, she could instantly end up like Empress Wang.

She seemed to understand something, and after a long silence, she suddenly murmured to herself, "No, I will not be the empress!"

She cannot simply be an empress.

"Ahhhhh, this is so exciting!"

Mo Yun, with a spoon still in her mouth, couldn't help but scream incoherently when she saw this.

This is so exciting! It's not the kind of simple, brutal visual stimulation, but rather an unparalleled sense of stimulation brought about by a spiritual awakening.

"Oh my god, Wu Zetian is amazing..."

Yang Hui was speechless.

Wu Zetian was truly the most ambitious female protagonist I had ever seen. Although she had a girlish side, she would not let herself indulge in it. She was always very independent and opinionated. She realized the importance of power earlier than any other woman.

So impressive.

Mo Yun and Yang Hui were not the only ones who were shocked.

Meanwhile, Old Cat, who was holed up in his studio watching videos and recording, was also shocked by the female lead in this episode. He would call this episode the moment of the female lead's awakening.

In the feudal dynasty era, it was almost impossible for a woman to seize power and rule the country.

Patriarchy, husband's authority, son's authority—each authority is a mountain weighing down on women. Throughout their lives, how many women realize that these are constraints and burdens?

Even if people realize this, how many can actually change the status quo?

Looking at modern society, there are still a considerable number of people who are hesitant to move forward, let alone in the feudal era where men were superior to women. Therefore, in Lao Mao's opinion, the production team of "Wu Zetian" wanted to create an empress, which is too far-fetched.

But that was just his initial opinion.

Ever since he started watching "Empress Wu Zetian," he knew he was making a huge mistake.

This drama is surprisingly good. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns, putting the female lead through hardships, but she always manages to overcome them with her resilience and wisdom.

As the female lead gradually became empress, second only to the emperor, he wondered, "Isn't the female lead already in a high enough position? Why did she suddenly have the idea of ​​wanting to become emperor?"

Now he knows.

It was a sense of crisis, a fear of imperial power.

Even after becoming empress, Wu Zetian remained the same Wu Zetian who was always mindful of potential dangers. As long as she did not reach the very top, her inner fears would never disappear.

It is that fear and desire for power in her heart that has led her to where she is today, and she will continue to do so in the future. Perhaps only when she sits in that position one day will she find true peace.