Great Yan Dynasty begins filming! A dynasty utterly unlike a golden age / Great Yan's power struggles: if you can spot the signs, it is a low-level move

"... I've got it." Ling nodded. Hearing about the role, she realized that she really needed to do something for the family. She would just ride on her thirteenth brother's coattails to show her harmlessness and impress the suspicious Emperor of Great Yan.

Also... she needed to have a good heart-to-heart talk with her two younger sisters. Looking at the two sisters she was holding, a rare sternness flashed in her eyes. She planned to discipline them, something she hadn't done in a long time.

Chapter 272: Filming Begins for the Great Yan Dynasty! A Dynasty Completely Different from Its Golden Age

After Nian and Xi were taken away by Ling, they didn't return to the film set all night. Chen Qi didn't even see them the next day. He only saw Ling, who was drunk all day, come to the film set and explain to Chen Qi:

"Yesterday I was in a good mood, so my sisters and I drank a few extra cups. I never expected that this Great Yan wine would be so smooth on the palate but so potent in the long run. Even I slept until noon, and my two sisters, who can't hold their liquor, naturally slept until the sun went down."

"I'm afraid I'll continue to feel dizzy for the next few days. It seems that because of my enthusiasm as the older sister, my two younger sisters won't be able to help me for the time being. As compensation, let me, as the older sister, do my part on behalf of my two younger sisters."

Although that's what Ling said, Chen Qi wouldn't believe her just because Ling was their older sister—after all, Nian and Xi both had the physique of Feranmut, so how could they get drunk after drinking a few jars of mortal wine? Even someone like Ling who loves to drink isn't really drunk; she's just deliberately letting her Feranmut physique not work, keeping her in a semi-drunk, semi-awake state.

Chen Qi didn't believe it and didn't ask further, after all, he believed that Ling would never harm his two younger sisters. Now it was good to let Nian and Xi rest for a while, anyway, there wasn't much they could do to help with the Great Yan Dynasty drama.

During this week, Chen Qi also spent his time supervising the set design and arranging the scenes for the main actors. Under Chen Qi's guidance, all the main actors who participated in the first episode gradually understood their character settings and how they should play their roles.

The Emperor of Great Yan also found the actors who Chen Qi most wanted to play the roles of "Gao Gong" and "Zhang Juzheng". Because these two were both members of the Grand Secretariat, they held equally important positions and their roles were very demanding in terms of acting skills. Although their roles did not have a lot of screen time, they still needed to be able to handle them well.

Among them, the role of Gao Gong was assigned to "Celestial Master Bai" by the Emperor of Great Yan. This Celestial Master Bai was Lin Qingyan's senior martial brother, who had been living in seclusion in Shangshu. His actual task was to supervise the seclusion order at any time. This time, when the order came to the capital, Celestial Master Bai also returned.

This Celestial Master Bai also happens to be a righteous and hot-tempered man, which is quite similar to Gao Gong's image in the Great Yan Dynasty. He is a member of the Purists Faction, and if we're talking about who has a more righteous image, then it can only be Gao Gong.

To Chen Qi's surprise, the Emperor of Great Yan originally intended to cast the Grand Commandant of the court to play the role of Zhang Juzheng, but Madam Wen Yue stopped him halfway through.

"Although filming 'The Great Yan Dynasty' might greatly help in reforming the officialdom of the Great Yan, since the Grand Tutor has already come to help, wouldn't sending the Grand Commandant as well be neglecting state affairs? Filming should not harm the country."

"Coincidentally, besides taking care of Yenwu and Little Chen, I have nothing else to do. You can leave Zhang Juzheng to me. I quite like the name; it suggests a person of integrity."

Madam Wen Yue had actually taken on the role of "Zhang Juzheng," which surprised even Chen Qi, let alone Wei Yenwu and the Emperor of Great Yan. Moreover, the reasons Madam Wen Yue gave were irrefutable. Seeing their hesitation, Wenyue then spoke up:

"It is said that 'women are not inferior to men.' There are certainly women officials in our Great Yan who hold high positions. Or is it that His Majesty and Yenwu both believe that I, an idle person, am not capable of handling this role? And that we must trouble the busy officials of Great Yan?"

"--Wen Wenyue (the Empress's sister-in-law) is absolutely right." X2

However, after hearing Wenyue's very clear signal, the two brothers almost simultaneously chose to agree. Wei Yenwu's henpecked nature was already deeply ingrained in everyone's minds, while the Emperor of Great Yan was more aware of how formidable his sister-in-law was.

Wenyue's current abilities are comparable to her elder brother's political skills, and she possesses the only "perfected" Lion's Roar Technique in the entire Great Yan, which even her brother has to think twice about. Even the Emperor of Great Yan is intimidated by this sister-in-law. So who would dare to stop Wenyue now?

Therefore, under these circumstances, the role of Zhang Juzheng was played by Wenyue. With the completion of the renovation of the Western Garden Palace, a week quickly passed, and filming for Chen Qi and others finally officially began.

"The Great Yan Dynasty 1566, Act One! Everyone to your positions! Actors in place—Action!"

At Chen Qi's command, everyone, who had memorized their lines over the past week, changed into their costumes and put on their makeup, and began to throw themselves into this epic drama!

The opening scene, however, did not immediately focus on the protagonist. Instead, it used a single scene to reveal an era so different from the prosperous Great Yan Dynasty, thus setting the tone for the story.

On the 29th day of the twelfth month of the 39th year of the Jiajing reign (1550), at the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace, only a disheveled official of the Great Yan could be seen, his official hat missing. Two rows of guards stood beside him, each holding a large red staff. Before this official stood a rather young Inspectorate of the Inspectorate, dressed in a red robe, who asked with considerable arrogance:

"One last question... Why didn't it snow this December?"

The official of the Inspectorate is named "Feng Bao". And the actor who plays him is Ah from the Lee's Detective Agency. Fortunately, due to the decision of the Emperor of Great Yan, the original "Directorate of Ceremonial of Ceremonial" was changed to "Inspectorate". Ah did not know that the character he was playing was originally a rootless person, otherwise he probably would not have agreed to play this role at all.

Standing before A was a disheveled official of the Great Yan named Zhou Yunyi, the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. When asked this question, Zhou Yunyi clearly knew that a wrong answer would mean being caned, but he remained unfazed and spoke each word clearly:

"The imperial court's spending is excessive, and officials are rampant with corruption... The people are suffering, and the heavens and the people are filled with resentment."

Against this backdrop, with the year-end approaching, the imperial treasury was depleted, leading to arrears in officials' salaries, an inability to support the front lines, and heavy taxes on the people. As a result, there was no auspicious snowfall last year and this year, causing many rumors unfavorable to the Great Yan and the emperor to spread.

The Emperor Jiajing ordered Zhou Yunyi of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to review historical records, hoping to provide an official explanation based on similar situations in previous dynasties. Zhou Yunyi's remarks at this juncture were undoubtedly disrespectful to the emperor.

In just a few words, he revealed to everyone an era completely different from the Great Yan Dynasty. But before he could finish speaking, two large sticks came from behind and struck Zhou Yunyi hard in the back of his knees. Zhou Yunyi was in pain and was immediately knocked to the ground.

Instantly, red staffs from all directions blocked Zhou Yunyi's body, while Feng Bao, played by A, slowly stepped forward, his tone turning cold, and immediately asked:

"--Who taught you to say such things to the Emperor?"

"... I am an official of the Great Yan, doing my duty. I don't need anyone to teach me."

However, Zhou Yunyi displayed the unyielding spirit of a Great Yan civil official, for whom there was no shortage of ministers willing to die for their principles. But Zhou Yunyi's sudden realization only earned him a glare from A'di, who coldly addressed the guards beside him:

"Let them flogging."

"Bang!"

With a shout of "Ah!", the punishment of caning began on Zhou Yunyi. Facing the cane, which was as thick as a large bowl, one blow after another, with the strength of the Great Yan Court Commandant, ten blows would definitely kill a person.

"That's terrible..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, no other scenes have been filmed yet, and everyone is gathered in a palace that has been converted into a rest room, waiting for their scenes to begin.

On the big screen, everyone witnessed the power of the court rod. Lin Yuxia, seeing this, felt a sense of dread and couldn't help but say:

"In some dramas I've seen, government offices often handed out fifty or a hundred strokes of the cane. How come this twenty strokes of the cane seem like it could really kill someone?"

"The caning in court is a very general punishment." At this moment, Wei Yenwu, who was sitting with everyone waiting for his turn to appear, promptly offered an explanation, saying:

"It all depends on the emperor's mood. If the emperor only wants to give a symbolic punishment, then let alone twenty strokes of the cane, even two hundred strokes would only cause superficial injuries, and he would still be able to walk."

"But if the emperor wants you dead... he can kill you with a single blow. Clearly, the Feng Bao, played by A, believes the emperor wants him dead, and twenty strokes of the cane would be enough to kill him."

"Such a loyal minister, just like that, killed?" Chen Huijie, who plays Hai Rui, hasn't appeared yet, so she hasn't seen the script. The conversation between Lin Yuxia and Wei Yenwu is something she finds hard to accept, and she can't help but say indignantly.

However, Chen Huijie's words did not elicit a response from the Grand Tutor and other senior officials of the Great Yan, because when they watched this scene, they actually thought of another possibility—that is, who prompted Zhou Yunyi to offer such advice?

The Great Yan was not lacking in ministers who would die for their principles, but Feng Bao, played by A, was just a minor official in the Inspectorate who dared to speculate on the emperor's will and kill a high-ranking official. It is possible that in the Jiajing era of the script, the Inspectorate was extremely close to the imperial power, but since A dared to gamble, it is possible that the emperor had realized that Zhou Yunyi was indeed appointed by some court force.

After all, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was a special department; its officials were not censors and, strictly speaking, had no right to offer advice.

However, this is merely a dark speculation. But considering the background of the script and the constant power struggle Yan Faction and the Purists, it is indeed highly likely that Zhou Yunyi was instructed by someone. But with his death, the truth of all this has been lost to time.

"Click! That's a pass. Thank you for your hard work, sir. Miss Ling, now I'll trouble you and the staff of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to make the weather around the palace area cloudy and then add some snow, is that alright?"

"Let me know~"

After filming this scene, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau official playing Zhou Yunyi quickly finished his scene and left. With the combined efforts of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Originium Arts and the order, the weather in the Imperial Palace soon changed, becoming overcast and snowflakes began to fall...

In the script, after Zhou Yunyi's death, the Emperor Jiajing issued an edict of self-reproach, and just a few days after the edict, auspicious snow began to fall, thus dispelling the rumors.

This good news gave Feng Bao, played by A, a golden opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor. Seeing his subordinates in the Inspectorate over the joyful snowfall, A immediately silenced them, saying:

"Let's see who dares to shout! This is an extremely auspicious omen! I'll report this to the Emperor right away! And then I'll go to the Inspectorate..."

"--Listen up, you lot!" Ah immediately remembered something, turned to the group of clerks from the Inspectorate, and warned, "Before I report this auspicious omen to the Emperor, if any of you dare to spout any more nonsense, I'll beat you to death!"

Having said that, A also quickly left, facing the trembling officials. This scene amused the Great Yan Emperor, who quipped:

"All you do is try to be clever... to please me, thinking that if I'm pleased, you can get promoted and enter the Directorate of Ceremonial?"

"That's quite possible, if he's really happy." Wei Yenwu, however, smiled and contradicted his brother, teasingly saying, "Haven't you ever been emperor for so many years, and in a moment of joy, rewarded your servants with gold, silver, jewels, or cushy jobs?"

However, after Wei Yenwu uttered these words, the Emperor of Great Yan fell silent. Although such things happened frequently within the palace, now, observing this scene from an omniscient perspective, the Emperor of Great Yan realized that the fates of these petty, clever people could indeed be changed simply by a casual remark from him, the emperor.

This also served as a small wake-up call for the Emperor of Great Yan. No matter how pleased he was, he should be more cautious when it came to rewards and punishments... lest he act impulsively and appoint unworthy people to important positions, thus becoming parasites on Great Yan.

In the scene, Feng Bao, played by A, is the first to announce the good news. However, while he can control his own subordinates, he cannot control others. Soon, an official from the Directorate of Ceremonial of Inspectorate enters with a joyful expression. However, the way he addresses them makes the high-ranking officials of the Great Yan feel uncomfortable.

"Congratulations, Ancestor! Congratulations to all ancestors! Heaven has sent down auspicious snow! What a heavy snowfall!"

"... Your Majesty, you are virtuous."

However, as the person referred to as "Ancestor" slowly turned around, Lee's familiar face reappeared on the big screen, along with many other familiar faces.

That's right, the actor who plays "Old Ancestor," the Grand Seal Officer of the Directorate of Directorate of Ceremonial, and also the most favored old minister of the Emperor Jiajing, Lü Fang, is none other than Lee. In addition to him, the other Grand Seal Officers of the Directorate of Directorate of Ceremonial include Tai He and Lin Qingyan, two former members of the Inspectorate.

Tai He plays the character Huang Jin, Lin Qingyan plays Chen Hong. But now, their status in the drama, as evidenced by the address of "ancestor," is enough to show that their status is much higher than in reality.

At the same time, this also made the Emperor of Great Yan lower his eyes. Just this one scene made the Emperor of Great Yan realize that this "Directorate of Ceremonial," which did not exist in Great Yan at present, obviously had the Emperor's support and possessed enormous power.

But this power... is clearly too great. Of course, he still remembers that these people, though not explicitly stated in the drama, are actually a group of eunuchs. Could it be that eunuch interference in politics will really happen again in the future of the Great Yan?

Chapter 273: The Power Struggle in the Great Yan – Seeing Through the Clues is Just a Low-Level Tactic

"Director Chen Qi, you mentioned the Directorate of Ceremonial before. In your conception, the Directorate of Ceremonial was a department staffed by eunuchs who acted on behalf of the emperor. Did they have so much power that they could do things for the emperor?"

At this moment, the Emperor of Great Yan promptly inquired about this matter with Chen Qi, who had orchestrated all of this. His concern stemmed undoubtedly from the fact that the historical stigma of "eunuchs" had reappeared in Chen Qi's script. Furthermore, the fact that the drama "Great Yan Dynasty 1566" was set in the future made the Emperor of Great Yan even more worried that eunuchs would interfere in politics in the future.

In particular, everyone knows Chen Qi's identity. As Feranmut, the power he now wields is unknown to the Great Yan. Moreover, many of Chen Qi's works have a prophetic nature—such as "Yes, Prime Minister" and "The Witch King Is Back"—which have brought some influence and changes to the political systems of the two countries.

Therefore, the Emperor of Great Yan now somewhat believes that Chen Qi's power and "prophecy" are related... In addition, the background of the Emperor Jiajing, who came after him and Wei Yenwu, makes the Emperor of Great Yan even more worried that Great Yan will repeat the same mistakes in the future.

"That's not entirely true. Whether the Directorate of Ceremonial is effective or not depends entirely on the emperor's ability."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qi naturally knew that the Directorate of Directorate of Ceremonial was probably a first for Terra, and he explained Directorate of Ceremonial function.

"In my original conception, the Directorate of Ceremonial was also a type of supervisory department, but it was entirely managed by eunuchs. They were responsible for supervising etiquette, punishments, and internal promotions within the palace. Their power was limited to the palace, and they only carried out the emperor's orders."

"The extent of their power depends on how much authority the emperor delegates to them. For example, in the drama, the Emperor Jiajing was devoted to Daoism and was very averse to the complicated affairs of state. Therefore, the Directorate of Directorate of Ceremonial held a great deal of power, and could even wear the imperial robes on behalf of the emperor."

"However, their power was also granted by the emperor; they were acting as agents to exercise imperial power. Therefore, no matter how powerful the Directorate of Directorate of Ceremonial was, or how weak and incompetent the emperor was, the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial could not directly depose or install the emperor, and were ultimately always subject to imperial power."

"If I really had to use an analogy, it's like the position of the Grand Secretariat Secretary in my book 'Yes, Prime Minister.' Although they can influence the Prime Minister's thoughts to a great extent, if the Prime Minister is really determined to do something, the Grand Secretariat Secretary can only reluctantly comply."

Chen Qi also explained the significance of the Directorate of Ceremonial of Ceremonial in the drama. After listening to Chen Qi's explanation, everyone basically understood what kind of institution the Directorate of Ceremonial was. It was said to be harmful, but it all depended on how it was used and the ability of the person in charge.

The Directorate of Ceremonial represented the emperor's interests, and thus could indeed check and balance the officials in the court. After the Emperor of Great Yan understood this, he would not comment on whether the department was good or bad, since Chen Qi had made it clear that this double-edged sword depended entirely on the user's skill.

"It's perhaps an inevitable consequence of the times," Wei Yenwu remarked with a sigh. "With so many wise rulers in the Great Yan, it's hard to say that every generation will be wise. The Directorate of Ceremonial of Ceremonial, which exercises imperial power... perhaps it really will appear in the future."

Returning to the drama, now, Lü Fang, played by Lee, is planning to go with several officials from the Inspectorate Directorate of Ceremonial reporting the news told them that Feng Bao had informed them in advance.

"Well, he reported an auspicious omen, but the Emperor was pleased and replaced us with Feng Bao."

Lin Qingyan's portrayal of Chen Hong was clearly pointed, and the sharp retort in his words was obviously not only directed at Feng Bao, but also at the Lee in front of him.

This put Lin Qingyan and his Tai He in a difficult position. Lee had never been an official, but he was born into a prestigious family and, being a seasoned traveler, was adept at playing the fool or feigning profundity. However, Lin Qingyan, Taihe, and several other members of the Inspectorate appointed by the Emperor of Great Yan were filled with worry.

After all, the power of the Inspectorate in this drama is clearly too great, which makes them very worried. Will this scene arouse the Emperor's suspicion, making him think that the Inspectorate has ulterior motives?

They were all loyal and diligent in their service to the Great Yan! Lin Qingyan and the others felt bitter, but the only way was to perform well during filming and express their loyalty to the Emperor.

"Then let's wait and see."

No sooner had Lee finished speaking than Feng Bao, played by Ah, strode over, completely unaware of what the old foxes had discussed. He immediately knelt down excitedly and said:

"Godfather! Your son congratulates you! With this heavy snowfall, the Emperor is pleased, and your duties will be even more successful."

Lee treated Ah Ben like his own father, but Lee never expected that the "godfather" he had never heard would come out of Ah Ben's mouth in this way.

Even so, a hint of tenderness appeared in Lee's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and asked, "Does His Majesty know about the auspicious snowfall?"

"Replying to my godfather, I have already reported the auspicious omen to the Emperor on your behalf."

"My son reported this while kneeling outside the palace gates; he didn't even get to see the Emperor. We only heard a single chime from inside, which means the Emperor already knows."

A didn't even notice that when he said those words, Tai He, Lin Qingyan, and several "veterans" from the Inspectorate couldn't help but chuckle. They seemed to be laughing at A's petty cleverness, thinking that others couldn't see through his little scheme.

Having spent a long time in the officialdom of the Great Yan, Lin Qingyan and others knew very well that if a subordinate stole the limelight from his superior, but the other superior, whom he was trying to please, didn't give him any promises, then his fate would likely be to suffer humiliation.

And as expected, the next moment, the smiling Lee looked at his godson in front of him and, in a teasing tone, uttered a warning-like statement:

"I thought the Emperor was so pleased that he would let you into the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"Yes, it's time for us to move around." Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, also chimed in sarcastically. Although Lin Qingyan disliked factional strife, it would be a joke to say she didn't understand it.

The warning in their words, spoken one after the other, was immediately understood by A. Meanwhile, Chen Huijie, who had little experience in this area and was completely incapable of flattery, couldn't help but shudder.

Chen Huijie has never been one to flatter anyone, after all, her uncle is Wei Yenwu. Although Chen was able to rise all the way to the position of Senior Superintendent of Lungmen Police Station, her own abilities were absolutely worthy of the position, but without Wei Yenwu's support and coupled with Chen Huijie's fearless personality, it would have been impossible for her to rise so quickly.

Therefore, Chen Huijie had never experienced flattery, nor had she ever received it from others. In addition, given her status, no one would be foolish enough to oppose her. She had bypassed the most troublesome aspects of officialdom.

On the screen, Feng Bao, realizing his mistake, slapped himself and pledged his loyalty, but was ultimately ignored by Lü Fang and her group. Kneeling in the snow, refusing to get up, he muttered to himself:

"Is this what power struggles are like? One wrong step, and you can never recover... The officialdom of the Great Yan is just as dangerous."

"This is nothing!" Chen Qi, who was listening nearby, also found it amusing. Chen Huijie's knowledge in this area was somewhat lacking, so he gestured for Chen Huijie to continue reading, saying:

"The warnings you can discern aren't really power struggles; they're downright blatant. The Great Yan is far more insidious in its power struggles than most other countries."

"Using violence and assassination are the least effective methods, and the consequences would be unimaginable. The officials of the Great Yan are masters at using the rules to eliminate those they want to eliminate without breaking them. You'll see later."

As he spoke, Chen Qi picked up the walkie-talkie again and promptly relayed his message to the film crew, saying:

"This one's done. Rat King, Yuxia, I'm counting on you all!"

"Then, it's my turn to go on stage." Wei Yenwu smiled upon hearing this and slowly stood up. He knew that the next scene would be the real highlight.

The constant probing and clashes between the Yan Faction, the Clear Stream Faction, and the Directorate of Ceremonial of Ceremonial, which represents the emperor's power, make this drama absolutely captivating!

Amidst a blanket of snow, a fleet of cars slowly arrived. A group of people, dressed in Great Yan red robes befitting their high rank and power, stepped out one by one.

The five people who came were members of the Grand Secretariat of the Great Yan Dynasty, representatives of the Yan Faction and the Clear Stream Faction, and also the most powerful figures in the Great Yan. Now, only they were qualified to represent all officials and discuss all matters in a unified manner.