Without the Spoilers, Who Would Think Jiajing Couldn't Become a God? / Could Theresa Become the Next "Prime Minister" in the Future?

P. S.: Chapter 2 today! (Readers who took the college entrance exam have probably already finished their first round of exams, while I'm still fast asleep... I'm exhausted... I hope everyone will support me and vote for me!)

Volume 1: Chapter 314: If it weren't for the spoilers, who would think that Jiajing couldn't become a god?

"I still can't understand how Jiajing, who was so wise throughout his life, could have made such a foolish mistake at this time?"

"Could he really believe what Prince Yu's Consort said? That my elder brother would become the first fragment to reappear in the world, and that she would help him at this critical moment, something as foolish as exposing his own identity? How could my elder brother possibly do something like that?"

"How could Jiajing believe such obviously false nonsense?"

However, in the Great Yan, Xi is now sitting with everyone in the world of the painting. They are watching the effects presented on the videotape. If there are any details that are not handled well, they can make up for them and strive to present the best possible result to the people of Great Yan.

At this moment, after obtaining the Blood Scripture, Jiajing in the drama not only spared Qi Dazhu, played by Huai Tianpei, but also held a grand banquet on the first day of the Lunar New Year, gathering all the Celestial Masters of the Celestial Masters' Manor to assist him in his seclusion and cultivation. He also had all the officials present congratulatory messages to praise his achievement.

"Hehe, I think it's quite easy to understand." Ling, however, wasn't surprised and immediately replied:

"After all, according to the plot, the Blood Scripture left behind by the eldest brother seems to be real, right? If it is real, it will be incredibly attractive to the Emperor Jiajing, and it is what he needs most right now."

"That's right." Wei Yenwu, who was resting and reflecting on his performance after the acting had temporarily come to an end, replied while smoking, "I... I mean, I think Jiajing probably figured it out himself. The origin of this Blood Scripture is unknown, but the important thing is that this Blood Scripture is real."

"According to Director Chen Qi, the pills he took used the Blood of Sui as a catalyst. His blood was constantly being consumed, and given his mortal body, even Mythical Race would inevitably be unable to withstand the power of the Blood of Sui."

"But if he really does Heart Scripture as an aid... to be honest, if Director Chen Qi hadn't already said that Jiajing's path to godhood was bound to fail, given his current momentum, I would doubt whether he could actually succeed."

"It's not just that one reason." At this moment, Wenyue, standing beside Wei Yenwu, promptly added her own understanding, saying to everyone:

"Jiajing's belief in becoming Feranmut persisted for over twenty years. Now, with the aid of the Heart Scripture, the probability of him truly becoming a god in the eyes of his officials has increased even further. This will also greatly help him strengthen his imperial rule."

"That's why he wanted all the officials to submit congratulatory memorials. He's now even more feared by them, and he wants to test whether his imperial power is still unchallenged."

After speaking, Wenyue and the others cast questioning glances at Chen Qi, seemingly inquiring whether their analysis was correct. Even Chen Qi, the screenwriter, had to commend their analytical abilities—"You've thought of even more than I have!"

However, everyone's analysis is not wrong. Obviously, the Terra version of Jiajing's absurd actions can be explained by the special circumstances, and are not as forced as those in Chen Qi's world history—after all, if that weren't history, it would be hard to believe, given so many examples of emperors who failed in their attempts to cultivate immortality. How could someone as intelligent as Jiajing be so obsessed with secluded cultivation?

In Terra, the source of all of Jiajing's absurd behavior was found. However, under Jiajing's thinking, the congratulatory messages from the officials in the play caused problems.

All the congratulatory messages from the Clear Stream Faction were presented, but strangely enough, the Yan Faction, which was always number one in flattering Jiajing, did not submit a single one.

This resulted in nearly half of the court officials not submitting congratulatory memorials. This sent a dangerous signal to everyone: the Yan Faction's power was so great that it could now truly overthrow the court!

"What is Yan Song planning to do? Is he blackmailing the emperor?" Although she had seen the filming, Chen Huijie was still utterly bewildered by Yan Song's actions when this scene was presented to her, muttering to herself:

"Moreover, half of the censors joined him in not submitting congratulatory memorials. His behavior... is no different from rebellion, is it? Is Yan Song that stupid?"

"He had no choice." Wei Yenwu nodded, then explained Yan Song's actions to Chen Huijie, saying, "Little Chen, do you remember the charge Yan Song initially brought against Qi Dazhu? Colluding with the Church of the Deep. They planned to use this charge to attack Hai Rui, and then attack the Clear Stream Faction from Hai Rui. After all, it's almost impossible to escape responsibility for such a charge."

"Now that Jiajing has released Qi Dazhu, it means that the charge of Qi Dazhu colluding with the Church of the Deep is not established, and the Purists faction cannot be overthrown. However, given the huge criminal record of the Yan Faction in the Zhe City case, Yan Song can see that Jiajing definitely intends to overthrow the Yan faction. Moreover, there is nothing for the time being that would force Jiajing to allow the Yan Faction to continue."

"He had no choice but to take a gamble; this was his last chance. He either had to prove the Blood Scripture was fake, or that its origin was false. 'Deceiving the Emperor' was a crime punishable by death."

"... But, Jiajing wouldn't kill his own son, would he?" At this point, Chen Huijie still didn't quite understand Yan Song's actions and couldn't help but ask:

"Besides, wasn't that his only son? And there was also a grandson of the emperor. Jiajing even said before, 'Could it be that his son also colluded with Seaborn?'"

"--That's true, but the problem is, Yan Song and Yan Shifan don't know that."

However, Wei Yenwu smiled slightly and smoothly resolved the doubts of Chen Huijie and the other young people from Yan. This was also one of the methods that Emperor Jiajing had always used to tease his officials—the information gap.

Jiajing possessed unparalleled access to information, maintaining a firm grip on the fate of all officials through the Directorate of Ceremonial, intermediaries in various local governments, and his own accounting teams. Chen Huijie and others, with their omniscient perspective, naturally understood Jiajing's and others' thoughts, but there was an information gap between the characters in the drama.

"Jiajing always adhered to the principle of 'two dragons never meet,' rarely communicating with Prince Yu's family. Even Prince Yu himself was terrified of Jiajing, walking on thin ice. It was really hard for outsiders to see any affection between the father and son."

"No, rather, aside from Jiajing and those around him, how many people actually believed that Jiajing had any feelings for Prince Yu? In the eyes of Yan Song and other officials, Jiajing was always a ruthless 'political robot'."

Having analyzed the situation to this point, Wei Yenwu took a rather smug puff of his cigarette. It could be said that the more Wei Yenwu portrays Jiajing, the more he understands many aspects. No matter how capable Jiajing was, he was helpless in the face of such a grand situation.

The only thing he could do was strengthen imperial power, so that all the officials in the court would only obey his orders. Only then could he ensure that the overall situation wouldn't fall into chaos, and that... his own power wouldn't be undermined, and that he wouldn't be overthrown by the officials.

Now, whatever the Yan Faction's motives may be, they have touched Jiajing's sore spot. A Yan Faction that no longer listens to him is not what Jiajing wants.

However, Yan Faction was completely unaware of this. They only sensed an impending disaster through Qi Dazhu's release. This time, Yan Song personally took charge, investigating all the information and calculating every single detail.

"You must see Chen Hong (Lin Qingyan) these next few days. The Emperor has been in seclusion for the past two weeks, and only she and Lü Fang have been able to see him. Tell him the truth about the origin of the Blood Scripture, and the news that it might be fake. Have him find a way to leak this information to the Emperor."

"Tell him that finding the prostitute (Yun Niang) leads to finding Shen Yishi, and finding Shen Yishi involves Yang Jinshui, who in turn is Lü Fang. This must be thoroughly investigated. Lü Fang's position is his."

"Father's move was brilliant." Yan Shifan, played by Lin Yuxia, also understood her father's actions and said:

"That old fox Lü Fang has long been unreliable. According to my spies in the palace, Feng Bao from the Prince Yu's Residence often visits him. It seems he's betting everything on the next generation."

"After Yang Jinshui went mad, Yang Jinshui Chen Hong tortured him terribly to test whether he was truly insane. She had already offended Lü Fang and was worried about being punished; Lü Fang must be involved in this."

"If this gets out, Chen Hong will be the Grand Minister of Directorate of Ceremonial, and she will definitely join forces with us this time!"

However, making so many arrangements wasn't enough. Yan Song tried his best to handle every detail perfectly, ensuring that each matter was seamlessly connected. The faster things were resolved, the lower the probability of Jiajing changing his mind, and the higher the survival rate of Yan Faction. And once people were arrested and cases were settled, Jiajing, who valued his reputation so much, certainly wouldn't go back on his word.

Yan Song's entire plan was based on Jiajing's desire to save face. Therefore, he believed that if Jiajing knew that he had been deceived by Prince Yu's Consort and others, he would definitely settle accounts with the Clear Stream Faction.

"Don't reveal your secrets too early. Before the fifteenth of the first lunar month, creditors won't come looking for you, and the authorities won't arrest you."

"Tell him that it would be best to reveal the origin of the true scripture to the Emperor when he emerges from seclusion on the fifteenth of the first lunar month." Yan Song, supported by Yan Shifan, walked unsteadily, his tone languid yet carrying a chilling murderous intent, and said:

"Gao Hanwen and that prostitute are being kept under surveillance. They can't be allowed to die, nor can they be allowed to escape. Only the prostitute's testimony can confirm all of this."

Yan Song didn't know if he could win, but if he didn't take this gamble, the Yan Family would surely suffer a bad end. Taking this gamble might give him a glimmer of hope.

After all, Yan Song had protected Jiajing for so many years. Even if Jiajing was a heartless political animal, the value of Yan Faction and the solid evidence they had collected made Yan Song feel that he had a better chance of winning this time.

However, the mind of an emperor is so unpredictable. Yan Song was old after all, and he did not realize that his actions had also offended Jiajing, who had obtained the Blood Scripture and held a grand banquet.

The scene shifts to the Lantern Festival, where Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, helps the newly emerged Jiajing wash his hands and feet. Just as Yan Song had predicted, Chen Hong shows the Jiajing a memorial detailing the origins of the Blood Scripture- related sutra.

"Is there an explanation for not sending me a congratulatory letter on the first day of the Lunar New Year?"

However, Jiajing was holding two pieces of Songjiang cotton cloth in his hands and applying a hot compress, also looked at Chen Hong, who was presenting him with an unopened memorial, with a displeased expression—if it had been Lü Fang, she would have already shown it to him. This was one of the reasons why Jiajing had always disliked Chen Hong.

However, Jiajing's hot compress soon ended, and upon seeing the memorial from Yan's Yan Faction, his expression underwent a dramatic change. His face turned ashen, and he smashed the memorial box in his hand, letting out a hoarse and indignant roar:

This is outrageous!

"... He's so meticulous. I didn't realize it while filming, but now that I see it, even in his rage, the Emperor Jiajing doesn't forget to conceal his thoughts. He's truly shrewd."

At this moment, even Chongyue couldn't help but sigh. Facing Xi and Nian's puzzled expressions, Chongyue explained calmly:

To Chen Hong, the phrase "deceiving Heaven" was entirely a response to the news sent to Jiajing by Yan Faction. However, with Yan Faction's support, Chen Hong naturally assumed that Jiajing's rage was the same as Yan Xishan's—anger directed at the Purists Yan Faction, an expression of "deceiving the emperor."

"However... 'Deceiving Heaven' also has another meaning: 'Insulting the Emperor.' Jiajing certainly knew that the Blood Scripture were of dubious origin. The real reason he was enraged was that the Yan Faction had clarified the origin of the Blood Scriptures, thus insulting his face as the monarch."

"But Chen Hong couldn't tell, and putting himself in the emperor's shoes, no one could tell that this Emperor Jiajing... was truly meticulous to the extreme."

No sooner had Chongyue finished his reflections than Jiajing gave his order without hesitation, turning to Chen Hong beside him. "Go, mobilize the Imperial Pacification Office of the Garrison Command, divide them into three groups, and arrest them immediately after the fifteenth of the first month!"

"Yes..." Lin Qingyan, playing Chen Hong, saw that Jiajing, just as Yan Shifan had said, was furious upon seeing the news. He was secretly pleased, but then, seemingly to confirm again, he cautiously asked:

"Your Majesty, this humble servant reports... who were these people arrested?"

However, Jiajing clearly saw through Chen Hong's little scheme and did not tell Chen Hong the answer, only saying that he would tell him at midnight.

Not receiving a clear answer, Chen Hong became nervous again and immediately asked tentatively, "Should I report this matter to Lord Lü?"

However, this question brought a strange smile to Jiajing's face. He stared at Chen Hong for a long while before suddenly speaking:

"Should we let Lü Fang know about this?"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving Jiajing's reply, Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, was overjoyed and immediately went to carry out the task, unaware of the profound and knowing look in Jiajing's eyes behind him, a look that suggested he had everything under control...

"... It was this sentence that caused Chen Hong to misunderstand again. She believed that she had finally gotten the chance to succeed Lü Fang, but the Emperor Jiajing intended for Chen Hong to do something wrong that would offend people, while only intending for Lü Fang to do the right thing."

Now, Chen Huijie and the other young people are finally beginning to understand Jiajing's arrangements and all the foreshadowing for the subsequent plot twists...

And this was once again a stark reminder of the cutthroat nature of officialdom. It was incredibly difficult to fathom the emperor's will, and a single miscalculation could lead to utter ruin... In this officialdom, one wrong step could mean the end of your life.

Thinking of this, Chen Huijie, Zuo Le, and Lin Yuxia couldn't help but shudder. These three young people, already navigating the dangers of officialdom, had begun to consider retreating for the umpteenth time...

PS: Chapter 3 today! (Ah, finally finished writing today's chapter. I'm completely exhausted and can't type a single word... I'm paralyzed...)

Volume 1: Chapter 315: Is Theresis the potential successor to the position of "Prime Minister"?

"To be honest... if we hadn't already seen the rest of the story and were only looking back now, who would have known that Jiajing was going to overthrow Yan Xishan instead of arresting the Clear Stream Faction?"

"Furthermore, they split their forces into three groups to arrest Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng —all three of them could be arrested at once. Anyone who came here would be confused."

Watching the drama unfold, it's clear that Yan Shifan, played by Lin Yuxia, has received a signal from Lü Fang, played by Lin Qingyan. Full of confidence, he leads soldiers from the Ministry of Justice to completely surround the residence of the three Clear Stream Faction on the night of the Lantern Festival. Nian and Xi, one after the other, mutter with lingering fear:

"The Great Yan has been embroiled in internal strife for thousands of years. It's unbelievable that five hundred years later it's still the same, showing absolutely no progress..."

"Oh, the fighting is getting fiercer and fiercer. Even those of us who have lived for countless ages sometimes have to admire these people. Kung Fu Hustle thousands of years, they have cultivated 'fighting' to a level that we can't even comprehend."

However, Nian and Xi's back-and-forth conversation made the Yan people, led by Wei Yenwu, quite embarrassed, especially when they noticed the younger generation's obvious apprehension. Wei Yenwu didn't sit idly by; after a dry cough, he explained to the "Sui" group:

"Don't misunderstand, the officialdom of the Great Yan is indeed turbulent, but it hasn't reached that point yet."

"Rather than saying that the officialdom of the Great Yan is cruel, it's more accurate to say... that Chen Qi has imagined the Great Yan officialdom to be too dark. His drama has exaggerated a bit. The people of the Great Yan are still very simple and honest."

... Well, even Wei Yenwu himself didn't quite believe the last sentence. Even Wenyue looked at him with disdain. Clearly, Wenyue, a Higashi, knew that the Great Yan was the epitome of riddle-solving in this land full of riddle-solving people.

Now, the drama "The Great Yan Dynasty" has solidified the stereotype that the Great Yan Dynasty is full of enigmatic people. It is a drama that requires a country to mobilize its strategists to decipher even a rough outline, which will definitely make other countries "look at the Great Yan's officialdom with new eyes".

At that time, they probably won't even have the idea of sending spies into the Great Yan government... After all, "The Great Yan Dynasty" has already given them a reference. To be an official in Great Yan requires so many classical references and so much knowledge. Everyone who can enter the government is an absolute dragon among men. For these foreigners to cultivate their espionage skills to that level, it will probably be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

And now, just as everyone in the Great Yan had thought, neither the Londinium, who only had the chance to see the Theresis siblings now because of official duties, nor the Ursus Emperor and others who had seen them long ago, had initially expected that Jiajing's intention was to overthrow Yan Jing, rather than to take action against the Purists faction.

Now that the troops have been dispatched, Jiajing's intentions can be considered quite clear. On first reading, who could analyze Jiajing's meaning so thoroughly?

In the drama, Yan Shifan, played by Lin Yuxia, led soldiers from the Ministry of Ministry of Justice to surround the home of Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le.

It's no wonder Yan Shifan took it so seriously, because the origin of the Blood Scripture could only be confirmed by the testimony of Gao Hanwen's wife, Yun Niang. Whether Yun Niang admitted that the Blood Scripture -Blood Scripture was fake or that it was part of Shen Yishi's dowry and not some "suspected gift from Feranmut," this "crime of deceiving the emperor" could crush the Clear Stream Faction.

However, Yan Shifan was a petty person. Now, upon seeing Gao Hanwen again, he confronted him directly, offering sarcastic remarks:

"Lord Gao, what is the meaning of the phrase 'repaying kindness with enmity'?"

Undoubtedly, Yan Shifan was mocking Gao Hanwen's actions in Zhe City. Gao Hanwen was Yan Shifan's protégé, yet he betrayed her Zhe City. And Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le, calmly replied:

A virtuous the Gentleman possesses moral character, while a petty person lacks it.

"You're a despicable person!"

Faced with Gao Hanwen's retort, the hot-tempered Yan Shifan finally couldn't hide his gritted teeth. Lin Yuxia's face contorted in rage as she looked at Zuo Le's still-stern face and said sternly:

"You, a mere sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy, was recommended by me to be the prefect of Zhe City. Yet you colluded with others to sabotage my strategy, causing the imperial policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields to fail. Before the new year, you even conspired with those people to create some kind of 'true scripture' to deceive the emperor."

"Ha! You're taking my bowl and smashing my pot. What face do you have to talk to me about being a gentleman or the Gentleman?"

"... This is probably the most I've ever swore in a row. Looking back now, it actually feels pretty satisfying."

However, now that filming has wrapped, Lin Yuxia still feels a little embarrassed when she looks back at her scene. Although she was born into the underworld, she received an elite education from a young age. The Rat King strictly forbade her from associating with gangsters. Therefore, although Lin Yuxia is willful, she is never arrogant and would never curse like Chen Huijie and the others.

But this time, playing Yan Shifan really allowed Lin Yuxia to unleash all the swear words she'd ever used in her life. Now that filming has wrapped up and she's become an official, she needs to be mindful of etiquette, so she's actually feeling a bit reluctant to leave.

In the drama, her character Yan Shifan continues her mockery. Gao Hanwen clearly distances himself from Yan Shifan. As a scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice, he is unwilling to associate with Yan Faction, who only cares about interests and not the people, both from his current standpoint and moral perspective.

"What utter nonsense about being listed on both the imperial examination and the provincial examination!" After a burst of laughter, Yan Shifan's expression was so ugly it defied description, and he immediately retorted sarcastically:

"You married a geisha who's already been used by a businessman, treating her like a treasure! You've completely disgraced your Gao family for eighteen generations!"

Yan Shifan's words were so disgusting that even Gao Hanwen didn't know how to refute them and chose to remain silent for the time being. However, the figure blocking their way did not retreat an inch.

Seeing Gao Hanwen remain silent, Yan Shifan smiled smugly to himself. He then began to use a conciliatory approach, trying to get Gao Hanwen to bring Yun Niang out himself. After all, the longer the situation dragged on, the more likely it was to change.

Yan Shifan's ultimate goal was to get Yun Niang to reveal the truth about the origin of the Blood Scripture- stained scriptures, so that they could use this charge of deceiving the emperor to crush the Clear Stream Faction.

However, at this moment, Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le, remained unmoved by Yan Shifan's threats and inducements, and uttered a truly "manly" statement in an incredibly resolute tone:

"I have no geishas here, only my wife."

"As for the true scripture that Lord Yan mentioned, I, Gao, know nothing about it, and it has nothing to do with my wife. The Feranmut reappeared in the world and entrusted the true scripture to Prince Yu's Consort to present to the Emperor. All the officials have submitted congratulatory memorials. If Lord Yan has another explanation, he can ask Prince Yu."

Don't give me that Prince Yu thing!

However, Gao Hanwen's words clearly rejected Yan Shifan's good intentions, which greatly angered Yan Shifan. But he was still rational and knew that this matter absolutely could not involve Prince Yu and Prince Yu's Consort. The two were the future emperors of the Great Yan, and falling out with them would not be good for his Yan Family.

"Let me tell you, Prince Yu and his consort were also deceived by you! Ha, the crime of deceiving the emperor won't be investigated against the prince and his consort! You and your people behind you think that by bringing up Prince Yu and his consort, we won't dare to investigate you? You're wrong!"

"Let me tell you, the Imperial Directorate of Ceremonial and the Pacification Office are already waiting! At midnight, none of Xu Jie Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, or any of those people will be able to escape!"

"No arrests on the fifteenth of the first lunar month? Let me tell you! I killed someone on the first day of the first lunar month!"

Yan Shifan was aggressive and showed no sign of backing down. The ultimate goal of the Yan Faction was simply to overthrow Purists Qingliu faction and ensure that no force in the Yan Faction could ever oppose them again.

However, Yan Shifan did not realize that while he thought this matter would not involve the future emperor, his actions were sending an extremely dangerous signal.

"... If the Purists falls, it means that the support forces around Prince Yu will also be gone." At this moment, Theresis seemed to finally realize that something was wrong, and muttered to herself: