From her cowardly, love-struck image in the fourth episode, to her feudalistic moralist image in the sixth episode, and then to the recently aired eighth, tenth, and twelfth episodes, Princess Pingzhao has been given new labels such as "more trouble than she's worth," "a fence-sitter," and "a ruthless opportunist."
Although after each episode airs, netizens post lengthy reviews arguing that Princess Pingzhao's actions have ulterior motives, most viewers have gradually grown tired of this charade, viewing it as fans trying to save face and entertain themselves. After all, so many episodes have passed; if Princess Pingzhao were truly as shrewd as her fans claim, she would have revealed her true intentions long ago.
Of course, some netizens have unwavering faith in the drama reviews and analyses, maintaining a "I'm the only one who's sober while everyone else is drunk" mentality, and persistently arguing with other netizens.
Before you can brainwash others, you must first brainwash yourself. This principle applies everywhere.
Both groups were extremely firm in their positions, leading to escalating conflicts. In the process, many people who were initially just casual viewers gradually became staunch fans of Princess Pingzhao through the daily emphasis, arguments, and infighting.
The trajectory of Princess Pingzhao's character is directly related to their dignity and legitimacy; Princess Pingzhao's persona and positioning are related to their right to breathe on the internet!
Without anyone urging them, this group of original fans of the character spontaneously formed a small group to control comments, like and share posts, and generate data, doing their best to prove the importance of Princess Pingzhao to the production team of "Yun Qing Ji".
It's strange, but although everyone criticizes Princess Pingzhao, the dramas featuring her always have slightly higher ratings than those without her. Not by much—around 0.2 or 0.3. The numbers may be small, but the value they represent is significant. With such a vast audience in China, behind those fractions of a percent lies millions upon millions of dollars!
What's even more peculiar is that in the episodes where Princess Pingzhao appears, the climax of the plot often occurs when Princess Pingzhao makes an important decision!
Episode 4 is the moment Princess Pingzhao reveals her face and goes to see the Emperor; Episode 6 is the moment Princess Pingzhao asks the Emperor why he hasn't executed Consort Yue; Episode 8 is the moment Princess Pingzhao, on behalf of an innocent commoner, sues a prince but accidentally takes the wrong case file...
The audience seemed to harbor a strange sense of morbid curiosity, simultaneously condemning this stupid and wicked woman while eagerly anticipating what other foolish and wicked things she might do. Once their desire was fulfilled, they would then subject her to even harsher insults and ridicule.
On the vast internet, Princess Pingzhao's devoted fans live like lonely pica sufferers and widowed Xianglin's wife, repeatedly telling passersby, "Princess Pingzhao isn't like that... She's a very, very good, ambitious character... Her shrewdness and scheming need to be appreciated through careful reading..."
The audience responded with even harsher ridicule: "Xianglin's Wife, you're having another bout of hysteria!"
At this crucial juncture, Ye Chu, the actress who played Princess Pingzhao, landed a leading role in another film. Given her limited experience and the history of casting in films like "Xiao Feng Que" that favored those with connections, accusations of favoritism abound. Furthermore, Ye Chu herself has faced backlash from a large number of fans of the original novel due to her role as Princess Pingzhao.
Princess Pingzhao in the drama was constantly being criticized, and Ye Chu, the actress who played Princess Pingzhao, was also being criticized because of her. For the first time, fans of the character, who were known as "March drama fans," felt empathy and pity for the actress Ye Chu.
At this point, Shang Yechu only needs to stand up and express that she is on the same side as Princess Pingzhao's fans, and she can easily win over a large number of fans of the character.
However, Shang Yechu did not.
Shang Yechu continued to dedicate herself to filming "Xiao Fengque" on set. Because she had the most scenes and almost all of them were completed in one take, the production was progressing rapidly. According to Yi Tianzhao's estimate, filming would be finished before the planned date.
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