Shang Yechu knew long ago that only by solving Su Ge's problem could she truly get the role and screen time she wanted.
As expected, Zheng Bohan kept his promise and sent the script for the agreed-upon role to Shang Yechu that very evening.
It's called a script, but it's really just some drafts and outlines. Shang Yechu still needs to figure out most of the content himself.
This wasn't Zheng Bohan intentionally making things difficult. In the film and television industry, this kind of situation is not uncommon. There's even a specific term for it: "flying pages"—the script is written as filming progresses, and the actors improvise.
Shang Yechu nestled in her warm, thick quilt, using an electric blanket to keep warm, while reading the script outline sent by Zheng Bohan. As she read, she sat up from under the covers.
Heavens have mercy! Zheng Bohan is so generous this time!
Shang Yechu could hardly contain her excitement because Zheng Bohan had given her the role of an empress!
Shang Yechu could hardly believe her eyes. She read the mere three pages of the script over and over again, six or seven times, until she had even memorized every single punctuation mark!
The story's framework is simple, maintaining the episodic structure. Shang Yechu's character is initially a princess. As the emperor's first child, born to his most beloved first wife, she naturally receives boundless love and favor from a young age.
But this eldest princess was an absolute schemer. She hated her father for professing love for her mother while fathering children with other women in the palace. She was even more jealous that her brothers, being men, had the right to compete for the throne, while she herself was kicked out of the race from the very beginning.
As the story comes to an end, the eldest princess exploits her father's feelings for her mother, plots to kill her father, and then murders more than a dozen of her brothers. Stepping over countless bloody bones, she ascends to the throne of the emperor.
The storyline of the Eldest Princess reveals the utter alienation of people by the feudal system and imperial power. The father is no longer like a father, the son no longer like a son. Even without a complete plot, only a rough outline, Shang Yechu can imagine what a magnificent character she will be!
No wonder Zheng Bohan wanted her to learn how to play an emperor...
Shang Yechu stroked the phone screen, her fingers getting slightly warm from rubbing it.
The character of the Eldest Princess cannot have a lot of screen time, as this is, after all, an ensemble drama. However, like the Emperor and Empress, she is a hidden thread running through the entire series. Regardless of screen time, her importance alone is absolutely comparable to that of the Emperor and Empress.
From this perspective, this eldest princess can be considered the second female lead.
From extra to second female lead...
No, it's too early to say that now.
If Shang Yechu performs well enough, she can naturally secure the position of the second female lead; but if she acts like a larger version of Su Ge, then say goodbye—Zheng Bohan will definitely cut all her scenes out. Forget about being the second female lead, she won't even be as popular as the eighteenth female lead, and she might even be criticized by the audience for being a nepotism hire.
Shang Yechu simply climbed out of bed, went to the store and found several books related to emperors and history, and brought them all back to her pillow.
Ninety percent of the roles Shang Yechu played in her previous life were comedic or comedic characters. While these roles provided her with a wealth of experience, they also severely limited her acting range. Shang Yechu had very little experience with serious drama roles. She could handle minor roles like a pharmacy owner or maids with ease, but roles like princesses or empresses were something she wasn't confident about.
What should an emperor be like?
To regard the world as one's private property and the people as worthless weeds? That's the behavior of a tyrannical ruler. What about a wise ruler?
What kind of princess would want to seize the throne?
To want something, yet not to show the slightest interest in it; even more so, to act as if one genuinely feels that this thing is not meant for them.
Shang Yechu first turned to the biographies of female emperors in the "General History of China." There were three female emperors in Chinese history, each with a different way of ascending to the throne. Shang Yechu planned to find some inspiration from their life experiences. Although "The Tale of Yun Qing" is a fictional drama, emperors are all the same.
Shang Yechu wasn't the only one staying up late. On the other side, Zheng Bohan was also burning the midnight oil. Having decided on the path he wanted to take, Zheng Bohan no longer hesitated and began to create with great enthusiasm.
The initial plan for "Yun Qing Ji" is forty episodes, exactly half the length of "Qing Yun Zhuan". There's no other way; the budget is limited, and also, forty episodes per season already represents a kind of implicit limit for episodic dramas—any more and the audience will get tired of it.
As a screenwriter who came from the golden age of the film and television industry, Zheng Bohan's writing speed and efficiency are unparalleled. He wrote detailed outlines for three episodes and a complete script for one episode in just one day.
But that's still not enough. Every day the production crew starts filming, they're burning through cash. What Zheng Bohan wrote isn't even enough to fill a gap in their teeth.
Zheng Bohan was very tired and wanted to sleep, so he quickly washed up and prepared to watch TV for a while.
The hotel's TVs offer on-demand dramas, and Zheng Bohan watches one or two episodes every night before bed to keep up with the times and avoid being left behind.
Today was no exception. Zheng Bohan soaked his feet while squinting wearily, searching for something interesting among the rows of TV dramas.
I don't know if this hotel is stingy or what, but the TV on-demand service only had a bunch of low-rated, terrible dramas on display. Zheng Bohan was practically exasperated from pressing the remote control, but he still couldn't find a single watchable show.
Zheng Bohan was bored and about to randomly pick a show to watch when a flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind!
Zheng Bohan threw down the remote control and jumped up!
Zheng Bohan didn't even bother to wipe his feet or put on his shoes before rushing to the table and grabbing his phone!
Zheng Bohan opened WeChat, intending to send a message, but then thought it was too slow, so he simply dialed the phone number directly!
The phone rang a few times before being answered. Zheng Bohan eagerly said, "Old Liu, it's me, Old Zheng..."
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