Chapter 69 (069) - Lively Premiere
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Before the broadcast of "The Powerful Minister", Lin Yuan went home, not his home, but the original owner's home.
This year's Spring Festival falls in late February, which is particularly late. The crew of "Major Cases" gave the actors a short break. Lin Yuan had nowhere to go, and it was hard to ignore the voices on his phone calling him to come home for the New Year. So he boarded a plane home.
Once he got back, Lin Yuan realized that his anxiety and unease were unnecessary. The original owner's family was very kind, and he naturally blended into the family atmosphere without feeling awkward at all.
The time was just too short.
After Lin Yuan finished his vacation, "The Powerful Minister" began its pre-release promotion, and as a result, more and more voices began to predict its failure.
At first, the criticisms were simply that historical dramas were unpopular / Lin Yuan had no experience carrying a drama / the director's previous drama had just flopped / Xia Guang TV was a bad platform, but now—
Just the day before, someone posted, "Is there anyone who doesn't know what Shao Jing is really like?", and today there are two new posts in a row. One post states that "Shao Jing is actually a super scumbag," and the other says that "Shao Jing is not worth making into a TV series."
Lin Yuan: "..."
"The Powerful Minister" hasn't even aired yet, so why are you making such a hasty conclusion?
Logically speaking, "The Powerful Minister" shouldn't pose much of a threat during this time slot, so why is the phrase "Shao Jing is actually a super scumbag" being used?
Would you consider this a personal attack on the character?
Lin Yuan said it was an eye-opening experience.
As the broadcast date approached, these comments not only failed to subside but intensified.
The publicity budget for "The Powerful Minister" was limited, and the production team didn't use major platforms, so the budget was spent wisely. The production team tried to delete some of the posts online that were bad about Shao Jing, but the next day, similar posts not only didn't decrease, but actually increased.
Cheng Yiyuan shrugged: "Obviously, they're in the same industry."
The director also wondered: "Who exactly can 'The Powerful Minister' threaten?"
There are several dramas airing in the same time slot, and which one doesn't have a stronger cast and platform than "The Powerful Minister"? Why are you only focusing on "The Powerful Minister"?
The negative posts couldn't be removed, and the production team was powerless to do anything about it, so they could only let them stay there. Presumably, after a while, the threat posed by "The Powerful Minister" will disappear, and these posts will naturally disappear as well.
As a result, to everyone's surprise, the situation took a sudden turn for the better—
Those posts suddenly disappeared one by one.
Cheng Yiyuan was very curious: "Who did it?"
Everyone in the crew opened their eyes and silently shook their heads.
Fortunately, remnants of some posts are still intact.
After clicking through, the crew learned the truth.
At first, the poster enthusiastically "educated" on how awful Shao Jing was, of course, the sources were all unfounded anecdotes or remarks made by one of Shao Jing's political enemies to slander him. After "educating" a few floors, the poster gradually turned to his true intentions - in short, the drama "The Powerful Minister" is not worth watching at all.
He could have simply said that "The Powerful Minister" wasn't worth watching, but unfortunately, he used some infuriating language towards Shao Jing himself.
In post #25, a passerby commented: "Shao Jing isn't that kind of person, is he? Later on, he and the Emperor had a major falling out, and even the Emperor didn't give him such a bad review."
The poster responded: "What do you know? If you don't understand, don't spout nonsense."
One sentence ignited the anger of the person on the 25th floor.
From that moment on, the entire post suddenly became lively.
It's unclear who was called in on the 25th floor, but according to incomplete statistics, at least 260 replies from the 25th floor to the 300th floor were from the 25th floor's friends and supporters.
"Are you sick? We will make our own decisions if 'The Powerful Minister' is not well made. We will not agree to your nonsense about Shao Jing."
"Do you really know anything about the historical figure Shao Jinglou? Illiterate people shouldn't post randomly."
"The original poster is definitely an idiot."
"At least the movie 'The Powerful Minister' is called 'The Powerful Minister,' which acknowledges Shao Jing's status. In the original poster's description, what's the difference between Shao Jing and a sex fiend?"
"I only acknowledge the pairing of Shao Jing and the Emperor. We don't support any other pairings. As for the original poster, he's only suitable for pairing with a cesspool."
The user on the 312th floor cooked all night and created a 1600-word CP (couple) story for the original poster, which contained countless lewd and offensive words. Even though it was blocked several times, the user on the 312th floor still worked incredibly hard.
Later, the original poster was forced to delete the post due to the backlash, but his long post about the CP (couple pairing) was still posted in a newly opened thread next door.
In short, netizens represented by the 25th floor do not support "The Powerful Minister". If "The Powerful Minister" is not well made, they will definitely criticize the main creators of the production team from beginning to end.
However, it's unacceptable to post negative comments about Shao Jing like the original poster did, it's unacceptable to fail to give Shao Jing an objective evaluation, and it's absolutely unacceptable to use the ratings battle to criticize Shao Jing and cause viewers to dislike him.
Lin Yuan: "..."
The crew: "..."
After climbing the stairs, their only impression was that the fighting power was incredible.
However, it must be said that since these netizens made a fuss, most of the posts warning against watching "The Powerful Minister" have indeed disappeared. The main actors, Lin Yuan and He Xun, will be put to the test, but there isn't a single post criticizing Shao Jing.
The production team of "The Powerful Minister" was even praised—
"Finally, they found a handsome guy to play Shao Jing, not an old man."
"I'm touched. Last time, in 'The First Case in Jiangnan,' there was a young Shao Jing, but they ended up casting a plastic surgery guy with a crooked mouth and eyes. Let Shao Jing go!"
"Judging from the trailer alone, Shao Jing in 'The Powerful Minister' is definitely the most pleasing to the eye. If that crooked-mouthed, slanted-eyed guy were to actually play the role, I wouldn't be able to ship the two characters."
"+1 for agreeing."
"I'll wait and see. Xiaguang TV will air the first two episodes on the night of the 16th. If it's not good, I'll just drop it."
...
On March 16th, "The Powerful Minister" was released as scheduled.
Although "The Powerful Minister" has generated some buzz online, the most anticipated shows during this time slot are Tianfeng TV's "Linlang" and Mercury TV's "Kindness and Hatred." However, "Linlang" is aimed at a younger audience, while "Kindness and Hatred" targets a middle-aged audience, so their target audiences do not overlap.
Online, there is undoubtedly the most promotion for "Linlang".
Following the poignant farewell scene between Qi Yejue and Zhou Linlang, "Linlang" released another stunning scene: Qi Yejue unveiling his mask, as well as the scene where Qi Yejue turns to the dark side for Zhou Linlang.
#Qi Yejue's Strongest Character Design in Ancient Romance Novels#
"Is there really a better male lead than Qi Yejue? He is affectionate and loyal. Even though he can't recognize the female lead after losing his memory and turning to the dark side, he still loves her and can't bear to hurt her at all."
#Qi Yejue is the number one protector of his wife#
"Qi Yejue has been sensible since he was a child. He knows to protect his wife and not let her run away. He wants to protect the best Qi Yejue in the world."
Ye Liuchuan's agency doesn't follow DA Entertainment's brainwashing approach, which hypes up things that don't exist. However, Ye Liuchuan is currently very likely to achieve a major career leap with "Linlang," so the agency naturally wants to support him.
Moreover, "Linlang" was filmed before Zheng Mian became a big star, and her agency didn't put in much effort for it. If they want to use Zheng Mian to promote Ye Liuchuan now, the price will be much higher.
"Linlang" is a genre that Zheng Mian is good at. It features a general of a new dynasty and a princess of a fallen kingdom. Although the ending is a happy one, there are many heart-wrenching love stories that are hard to put down.
Not only Ye Liuchuan's side is optimistic, but Tianfeng TV also believes that "Linlang" will be a hit.
"What about 'The Powerful Minister'?"
“It’s impossible to surpass ‘Linlang’,” the agent said. “I’ve found the ratings data for Xiaguang TV for the entire year last year that you requested. The data is very clear.”
"Don't pay too much attention to 'The Powerful Minister'. Lin Yuan is just good with words. The ratings will teach him a lesson."
Agents generally don't interfere much with Ye Liuchuan's actions. Ye Liuchuan has always been very opinionated, and even participating in the "Tomorrow's Star" talent show was his own decision.
Their company mainly focuses on actor management and has no tradition of cultivating idols. Before "The Rise of Stars", Ye Liuchuan's situation in the company was not very good.
Although he is not the top star yet, his popularity has increased, and the company cannot afford to leave him unused and instead promote newcomers who are less famous than him.
Ye Liuchuan nodded slightly, but still carefully looked through the ratings chart from top to bottom.
Last year, the highest-rated drama on Xiaguang TV was actually lower than the lowest-rated drama on Tianfeng TV.
The difference between the platforms is too obvious. Tianfeng TV has variety shows specifically for promoting dramas, but Xiaguang TV does not. Even if some dramas are broadcast, they are just ineffective broadcasts.
...
Lin Yuan's family didn't originally have a TV, but he bought one specifically for "The Powerful Minister." However, on the day the show premiered, he wasn't even at home—He Xun knocked on his door and showed off his preparations for watching the show.
Everything from snacks to drinks was available, including braised food. Lin Yuan immediately sent a motorcycle emoji and headed straight for He Xun's house.
Both of them certainly had concerns, but as actors, they had already done their part, so worrying was useless; they could only trust the director.
When Lin Yuan arrived at He Xun's house, He Xun was still wearing his pajamas.
"You just lay there all day?"
"That's what happens when there's no work." Seeing Lin Yuan standing still, He Xun pointed to himself, "Don't worry, my pajamas are clean, I wash them every day."
Lin Yuan: "...That's not what I meant."
At 8 o'clock, after the commercial break, "The Powerful Minister" began airing.
Lin Yuan and He Xun simultaneously changed from lying down to sitting up. He Xun drew the curtains, and both of them stared intently at the screen.
The opening sequence is simple and doesn't reveal too much of the plot. The theme song is "Poetic Landscape" sung by Tian Yi. The scenes change constantly and finally settle on the majestic palace.
Tian Yi's voice is a perfect match for this song. Lin Yuan and He Xun understand the entire script, so they know what this song is about. Viewers will probably have to wait until most of "The Powerful Minister" has aired before they understand the meaning of this song.
The first episode of "The Powerful Minister" features a meeting between the emperor and his minister.
Shao Jing was a scholar from the Central Plains. His family lived a good life, but in recent years, the Central Plains had been frequently hit by disasters. On his journey north, he witnessed the hardships of the people.
Even students who haven't entered the academy can say a few words about where the problems lie in the court. Scholars, with their aspirations, also want to do something for the country.
The same goes for Shao Jing.
When the imperial edict was announced, he was personally selected by the emperor as the third-ranked scholar, thus beginning his eventful life.
In the imperial court, the emperor would ask questions and the ministers would answer. Shao Jing's answers would satisfy the emperor. However, before Shao Jing and his batch of successful candidates could be assigned to their positions, they were implicated in a cheating scandal in the imperial examinations.
Although Shao Jing was not involved, he witnessed the powerful minister's absolute power. Even the most admired scholars who made it onto the imperial list were nothing more than servants of the powerful minister once they arrived in the capital.
They didn't even have the right to have a proper conversation with their servants.
Choosing sides is the most important thing.
The young Shao Jing is already facing choices.
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Author's Note: [doge][doge][doge] Update!
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