Chapter 92
The side stories of "Starting with a Bowl" have attracted many readers, but at the same time, many rational readers have also come forward to explain, and even a reader who read it very carefully wrote a long analysis post.
[Analysis of the side story of "Starting with a Bowl"]
Let me be clear from the start: I personally really enjoy this part of the extra content, so those of you who just want to see me lose my temper and rant about Eryuetian can leave now.
Okay, here is the main text.
First of all, I have to say that I was actually a little surprised when I first saw the extra chapter of "Starting with a Bowl".
Because the author portrays the male protagonist as very upright from beginning to end, which is a common trope in novels. The protagonist must conform to this kind of glorious and righteous image widely recognized by society.
However, in the extra chapters, February Sky shattered readers' stereotypes about the protagonist, so it's no wonder that everyone was so emotional.
But let's be honest, despite the strong emotions, do you really think February Sky's writing is terrible?
I don't think so.
On the contrary, in my opinion, these four extra chapters are a stroke of genius. In just four short chapters, the male protagonist's character is portrayed as more realistic and three-dimensional.
You must understand that Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor of a country. He held the highest power in the country. In the dead of night, did he not feel any fear or worry? Was he not afraid of losing all of this?
If you look closely at these four cases, you will find that Zhu Yuanzhang was definitely not acting impulsively; there were reasons behind all his actions.
Let's start with the Hu Weiyong case.
What was Hu Weiyong's status? Hu Weiyong was the Left Chancellor. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the head of the civil officials, second only to the emperor. When Zhu Yuanzhang eliminated him, he implicated so many people. Wasn't that a heavy blow to the civil officials? Wouldn't the civil official group then have no choice but to follow his lead from then on?
Let's talk about Lan Yu in the Lan Yu case.
If Hu Weiyong was the head of the civil officials, then Lan Yu was the core of the military officials.
Regardless of whether Lan Yu truly intended to rebel, his arrogance and disrespect for superiors were undeniable, and based on this alone, Zhu Yuanzhang could not tolerate him.
Why?
Because he's worried!
Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive, so he can certainly keep Lan Yu in check. But what about after he dies? It's hard to say whether his successor will have the ability to control this powerful general.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to get rid of Lan Yu, as eliminating him would be equivalent to removing the potential threat that the general's power posed to the imperial power.
Lan Yu must die.
Then there are the Guo Heng case and the Empty Seal case. By now you should have noticed that these two cases are completely different from the previous two. If the Hu Weiyong case and the Lan Yu case were aimed at civil and military officials, then these two cases were aimed at cracking down on corruption and embezzlement by officials.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang's words were entirely purposeful.
He was genuinely governing the country, and incidentally eliminating any potential threats to imperial power for his descendants.
Who says Zhu Yuanzhang was a butcher anymore?!
You can say he's ruthless, but don't forget, he's an emperor. All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor; he controls the entire country, not just your family's little fortune. It's much harder for him to protect his legacy than for you.
How could he not be ruthless!
All I can say is that the side story brought Zhu Yuanzhang to life.
In the main text, his every move was too perfect, so perfect he seemed like a mannequin. Now, with his contradictory and complex nature, his ruthlessness tempered with genuine emotion, he becomes much more vivid.
-OP, your analysis makes a lot of sense, but I disagree with your statement that Zhu Yuanzhang in the main text is as perfect as a mannequin. Have you ever seen a perfect male protagonist with a long, narrow face?
-Pfft, do you have to make me laugh in such a serious setting?
- *Facepalm* Whose male lead has such a long, narrow face? February Sky, you really dare to write like that! Only we book fans would spoil you like this...
Don't go off-topic.
Hahaha, actually the original poster's analysis is quite accurate, it's just that everyone seems to have had all their attention drawn to that shoehorn-shaped face...
-In a daze.
- I'm giving a shout-out to the original poster! I initially thought that February Sky had gotten too cocky after making money, but now I realize I was too naive. Enzyme can understand the deeper meaning of the extra chapter.
Even if there are reasons, it's still hard to accept. Wouldn't it be better to just leave the ending of the book at the end of the main story? Why did they have to create such a controversial side story just for the sake of making the characters more vivid?
- I still can't accept it. I just like things simple. Don't give me that nonsense about writing intentions or character development. All I know is that the extra chapters gave me a heart attack. I just want to curse Eryuetian, that old scoundrel!
-If you want to curse, go to the forum's dedicated group. There are a bunch of people there who agree with you. What are you yelling about in the comments section of the analysis post? Can't you tell the difference between the king and queen? I'm really speechless.
*
Thanks to increasing commentary and discussion, the reputation of "Starting with a Bowl" has improved significantly since the release of the spin-off, and its popularity has remained high on the list of completed series.
The staff at Fei Hong's editorial department were amazed.
"What a turn of events! Congratulations, Moon Shadow!"
"I'm so envious! I think February Sky is not only an outstanding writer, but she's also incredibly lucky, haven't you noticed? Every time something happens, she always manages to escape unscathed, and sometimes even turns misfortune into good fortune..."
"Yes, yes, I noticed that too. The last time she was trending on social media for negative reasons, it caused quite a stir. I really thought she was finished, but a clarification video resolved it. She has a really good audience appeal. Someone like her would be very successful as an actress."
Several editors started discussing it enthusiastically.
Yueyin sat at her workstation, smiled, and remained silent. Ultimately, the novel's positive reception was due to the author's own talent.
If "February Sky" is truly written haphazardly without any structure, even the most discerning reader cannot save it.
Thinking about how she had been writing the book "Starting with a Bowl" since the beginning of the year in February, she took out her phone and sent her a message.
Yueyin: You've worked hard. Now that your new story is finished, you can take a good rest for a while.
February Sky: Yes, I do plan to take a break for a while.
She is now not only an author on Feihong Novel Network, but also a screenwriter in the entertainment industry. She hasn't stopped working since the beginning of the year.
She had just finished filming "Code Name: Dodder Flower" when "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" aired during the summer vacation. In the meantime, she was also continuously serializing "Starting with a Bowl". To be honest, with so many things distracting her, she was indeed a bit tired.
The thought of "Code Name: Dodder Flower" going to be broadcast on satellite TV soon, while Zhou Xingyun was simultaneously preparing for the production of "Starting with a Bowl," gave her a headache.
She had already made a decision in her heart that she did not want to do two things at the same time, going to the film set and writing the novel every day, until the filming of "Starting with a Bowl" was completed.
Of course, this shouldn't be said too absolutely, lest she be proven wrong later. All she can say is that if she really can't resist starting a story, she'll start one that's simpler and easier to manage.
Upon learning that February was planning to take a break, Yueyin couldn't suppress her gossipy nature; she was genuinely curious about the subject matter of February's next book.
Moon Shadow: Have you thought about what type of story you want to write next?
Moonlit Shadow: I didn't mean to rush you, I was just asking casually.
February Sky: It's probably related to the Ming Dynasty.
Now that she's already written about the Ming Dynasty, Xu Ying decided to strike while the iron is hot and continue writing about the Ming Dynasty in her next book. She'd been thinking about "Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty to Take the Imperial Examination" for a long time but hadn't been able to start writing it yet, and now it was time to put it into action.
Yueyin was somewhat surprised. Was it related to the Ming Dynasty?
The story has already been written about Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. What else can be written about the Ming Dynasty? And no matter what is written in February, it's impossible to surpass "Starting with a Bowl" in terms of excitement and plot twists...
Yueyin: Are you sure you want to write about the Ming Dynasty? Writing about the same dynasty makes it easy for readers to make comparisons.
This was unavoidable.
February Sky: Don't worry, although it's set in the same dynasty, it's actually a story with completely different themes.
Xu Ying wasn't worried about that at all.
Imperial examination novels and warlord novels are two completely different styles, neither of which is better or worse. In fact, readers who like warlord novels are generally more accepting of imperial examination novels because the farming and infrastructure building content included in imperial examination novels usually also appears in warlord novels.
Moonlit Shadow: Trust your judgment.
*
Not long after "Starting with a Bowl" ended, news broke that a film and television project had been approved, which stirred up another storm on the Taxue Forum.
Everyone has witnessed how well February Sky has fared in terms of copyright protection.
Even so, the smooth process of writing one book, selling one book, filming one book, and making one film a bestseller still makes many authors green with envy.
In an anonymous thread, quite a few authors have already started discussing this matter under pseudonyms.
Although I know it's because of Eryuetian's own abilities, I still can't help but feel a pang of sadness every time I see news about her being adapted into a film or television series.
Who isn't?
-I'm so envious. What could I possibly do to experience a life like that?
-Have you guys seen the project approval announcement? This time, the producer she's working with is Zhou Xingyun again, and the director is Zhang Botian, oh my god!!!
-What's wrong? I don't quite understand what's wrong with these two? [Schadenfreude]
- "Wu Zetian" was a collaboration between the three of them, does that make sense now?
-！ ！ ！
-Not only that, Zhou Xingyun is also the producer of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty". I heard that they also planned to hire Director Zhang for this drama, but Director Zhang was not available, so they hired Director Zhou instead.
- It seems that Zhou Xingyun really likes Eryuetian; she has bought the film and television rights to most of Eryuetian's novels.
-Actually, I suspect she is the number one fan of February Sky, 'Lucky Come Come Come'. Isn't it a coincidence that both of their names contain the word "lucky"?
- Holy crap, that's very possible! Maybe Zhou Xingyun stumbled upon Er Yuetian's novel on a website, which sparked his interest in buying the rights. The more I think about it, the more plausible this guess seems!
If that's the case, then February Sky is even more enviable! She hasn't done anything, yet everyone's eager to come to her.
Holy crap, now that you mention it, I'm absolutely insanely jealous!
-I can't take it anymore! Why does her life have to be so smooth? Can't you give her a little setback, God?!
- Get into a car accident.
- He should have died. Such a wonderful life should have ended abruptly, that would have been fitting for the end of the story.
-.......Please watch your words, everyone.
Anonymity is not a reason to do whatever you want; please be aware of this.
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