Zhao Zhenji's Moment in the Spotlight; Old Wei's "Sacrifice" to Capture the Performance's Spirit

"Your subordinate is here..." Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, was startled by the deranged Jiajing, and his voice was somewhat weak in response, but he still mustered up the courage to reply.

"Seize him!!" At this moment, Jiajing was almost possessed by a demon. On the screen, his pupils were completely filled with blood red, as if he had completely lost his rationality. He roared with undisguised power as True Lung:

"Grab this man—don't let him get away!"

"Yes!"

Chen Hong responded and left, but was forcibly stopped by Huang Jin. Whether it was due to taking too many pills or his anger, the Feranmut blood in Jiajing's body began to backfire. Jiajing ripped off his Daoist robe, revealing the only white long garment he was wearing underneath.

However, what made everyone's scalp tingle even more was that the layers of dragon scales covering Jiajing's exposed skin seemed to have come alive and began to spread further.

Even Jiajing's hand was so deformed that it was no longer recognizable as a human hand. Instead, it resembled a dragon claw covered in scales, but it was extremely distorted. The dragon scales writhed like worms, making everyone who saw it feel extremely uncomfortable at first glance.

Huang Jin was a staunch supporter of Jiajing. Seeing Jiajing in this state, he only wanted to calm Jiajing down as soon as possible, rather than escalate the situation further. He immediately said:

"No matter how important the matter, nothing compares to His Majesty's relocation of the palace! If His Majesty does not move the palace today, the whole country will surely be in turmoil!"

"He's just a minor official; he can't run away, and he won't run away."

However, it was precisely this one sentence from Huang Jin that allowed Chen Hong, who had long wanted to eliminate Huang Jin as the last obstacle, to immediately seize upon Huang Jin's weakness and shout, "How do you know that Hai Rui can't escape? He won't run away?!"

"--I know!"

Huang Jin's heart belonged only to Jiajing, and he utterly despised Chen Hong, a man who professed loyalty but was inwardly utterly disloyal, a man who would become the sword of whoever gave him power. Facing the delusional Jiajing, he showed no regard for the consequences and immediately said:

"That Hai Rui from the Ministry of Revenue, he sent his family away a few days ago and even bought a coffin. He's risking his life to remonstrate with the Emperor!"

However, faced with Huang Jin, who was loyal and had told everything, both Zhao Zhenji, played by Ling, who was responsible for taking Hai Rui's congratulatory letter and was already guilty of an inescapable crime, and the officials of the Great Yan outside the drama, all sighed from the bottom of their hearts— Huang Jin's words were honest advice, but it was honest advice that was hard to hear.

When an emperor is enraged, corpses float for miles. Especially for an extremely suspicious emperor like Jiajing, who was always ruthless towards anyone who challenged his authority, Huang Jin's words undoubtedly meant certain death.

As expected, Jiajing, now insane, deaf to everything, and unable to trust anyone, was filled with intense vigilance and murderous intent upon hearing Huang Jin's words. He was a far cry from the gentle demeanor he displayed when with Huang Jin in previous episodes, and roared:

How did you know?! How did you know?!

Seeing that Jiajing had even become suspicious of Huang Jin, Chen Hong seized the opportunity to fan the flames, constantly provoking Jiajing's suspicious nature, and immediately said:

"Your Majesty, this was premeditated; someone instigated it!"

"Your Majesty, how did you learn about the Ministry of Revenue's affairs? And if you knew, why didn't you report it?!"

Without a doubt, Chen Hong's provocation was extremely successful. Jiajing's defenses were completely breached at this moment, and he no longer trusted anyone. His blood-red beastly eyes suspiciously scanned his surroundings, as if countless swords and spears were secretly aimed at him.

"It was premeditated... someone instigated it... it must be investigated!"

Tell me... who ordered Hai Rui to do this?

"No one instructed Hai Rui." Huang Jin, foolish and blindly loyal, still chose the worst answer when faced with Jiajing's suspicious question.

Now, Jiajing certainly couldn't believe that Hai Rui was acting without anyone instructing him... or rather, he simply didn't believe that a mere minor official in the Ministry of Revenue would dare to do something that was destined to be a capital offense for the sake of the people.

For the sake of the Great Yan dynasty, Jiajing had heard this excuse countless times during his more than forty years in power, but every time the investigation ended up with the same conclusion: self-interest and instigation. This made him completely distrustful of any official who would plead for the people, and even less of any absolutely loyal or virtuous ministers.

"Who ordered Hai Rui to do this?!"

"His subordinates were unaware that anyone had instructed Hai Rui."

"--I won't hold you accountable, just tell me!"

"His subordinates only knew that Hai Rui had dismissed his family and prepared a coffin; only then did they realize that he was preparing to die in remonstrance!"

"Daily reports and monthly reports were submitted, detailing the affairs of officials in the capital. That day's report listed the situations of dozens of officials, including the matter of Hai Rui sending his family back and preparing coffins."

"His subordinates were foolish, thinking that Hai Rui had returned from disaster relief work in a famine-stricken county and was worried he had contracted a serious illness, so he prepared a coffin for himself—never imagining that he was preparing for today's events!"

"This is my dereliction of duty, my fault. Your Majesty, if you wish to execute me, I will have no complaints!"

"But Your Majesty, please do not let a foolish and straightforward person like Hai Rui harm your health!"

However, Huang Jin's loyal answer failed to move Jiajing's heart, and instead seemed to cause Jiajing's last shred of rationality to completely collapse.

In Jiajing's eyes, Huang Jin's answer was tantamount to protecting Hai Rui to the death, just like countless similar incidents that had occurred before. This completely shattered the last shred of security in Jiajing's heart.

With it all vanished the last vestige of trust he once had as a human being. Now, he has become a political animal, seeing enemies everywhere and everyone around him.

"Hahaha--I understand everything!!"

"The people of the world have waited for many years, haven't they?"

"I'm just waiting for that one person to come out and criticize me! Then—force me to abdicate..."

"I was completely kept in the dark by you all— Huang Jin!!"

"Tell me, who is the mastermind behind this?!"

At this moment, madness, paranoia, and even demonic possession... all these traits were revealed in Jiajing's expression and words. Although Jiajing's expression wasn't particularly distorted, his madness instilled fear in everyone, making them more directly aware of Jiajing's unapproachable paranoia.

At that moment, the officials even forgot that this was Wei Yenwu; they only felt that this was Jiajing, an Emperor Jiajing who, if he were to appear in the future, would surely have this face!

Wei Yenwu's superb acting left a deep impression on everyone at that moment. It can be said that if the future Jiajing did not look like this, it would certainly be Jiajing's fault.

A suspicious, tyrannical, and crazy emperor. Now, his ferocious face will be deeply imprinted in everyone's heart, making every official feel fear from the bottom of his heart when he thinks of this king...

PS: Second chapter today! As usual, there will be another update tonight! (I'm so tired, I'm really exhausted, I can't type a single word anymore, sob sob sob... cat emoji shedding tears)

Volume 1: Chapter 326: Zhao Zhenji's shining moment, Wei Yenwu's "sacrifice" for performing Shen Yun

"How could he be so insane... How could such a monarch not inspire fear?"

"Won't Jiajing go crazy and start eating people later on? I remember some really brutal Feranmut do eat people..."

"Fortunately, fortunately, I was born hundreds of years too early, and I'm now serving as an official in the Great Yan Dynasty, with His Majesty being a wise and benevolent ruler. If I had been born later, during the reign of Jiajing... I probably wouldn't even know how I died."

Now, everything that Jiajing has shown in the drama has sent chills down the spines of all the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty. Regardless of their rank, where they hold office, or whether they are civil or military officials, they all show a hint of fear when faced with Jiajing on the screen, who is half-human and half-beast, exuding the aura of Jiajing True Lung, with a human face and beastly eyes.

The more powerful or older ministers could withstand the imperial aura emanating from the screen and manage to sit back down. However, the weaker and younger ministers could only kneel on the ground, trembling as they watched everything unfolding on the screen.

It's understandable that they were so terrified, given how difficult the filming of this scene was for Chen Qi and the others. Wei Yenwu, in order to escape smoothly, wanted to portray Jiajing's madness and obsession to the extreme, and for this, he put in a tremendous Kung Fu Hustle on himself.

"It seems that your special request for Little Tal and Little Chen to write down those vicious, scathing words has actually been quite effective."

Wenyue naturally knew how this scene of Wei Yenwu's madness was portrayed. Rather, thinking about the scene at the time, even if Wei Yenwu wasn't crazy, Wenyue would go crazy just watching these two children racking their brains to say what they most wanted to say to Wei Yenwu... no, what they wanted to say was curses.

Because Wei Yenwu himself demanded that they write whatever they wanted as long as they could portray the ferocity and madness of this scene. After more than ten takes without achieving the desired effect, the sisters finally gave up and blurted out their most vicious words—about their parents.

Wenyue didn't want to go into the specifics of the conversation. But she could only say that Wei Yenwu perfectly portrayed Jiajing's madness and the loneliness of seemingly having no close relatives by his side, using violence to protect himself. Talulah and Chen Huijie's vicious words, which they had wanted to say for a long time, were largely due to his performance.

"But after you finished filming that scene, you coughed up blood and fainted. You almost scared Little Chen and Little Tal to death."

"Hehe, it's alright, I don't blame them." Facing Wenyue's resentful gaze beside him, Wei Yenwu didn't seem to care about his previous ordeal, nor did he hold a grudge for spitting out blood. In fact, he seemed to be in a much better mood, and said calmly:

"In fact, I should say... these are things I was meant to bear anyway. Now that Little Chen and Little Tal can take this opportunity to vent, it's just a small compensation from me as their uncle."

"Even if they curse me to death, I'll take it... If it can bring their mother back... I'll be willing to do it."

However, this wish could not be fulfilled. Wei Yenwu closed his eyes with a hint of pain, silently took another drag of his cigarette, and forced himself not to think about those things, but to focus his attention on his performance on the screen.

Faced with Jiajing's questioning, Huang Jin, who had a clear conscience, was at a loss for words. He was certain that there was no mastermind behind him, and Huang Jin was sure that Jiajing knew this, knew that his loyalty was only to him.

However, at this moment, the Jiajing Emperor, who was paranoid and suspicious of everything, no longer trusted anyone. Just as the "Great Rites Controversy" and the assassinations and fires he had suffered made him distrustful of anyone in the palace, he no longer believed that anyone truly possessed the four virtues of "loyalty, righteousness, integrity, and shame" or that they truly acted for the sake of the people and the country.

In particular, Hai Rui was merely a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, and his life was far too "cheap" for the Clear Stream Faction, which now held absolute power.

Moreover, Hai Rui was recommended by the Clear Stream Faction to participate in the Zhe City incident. Therefore, in Jiajing's view, Hai Rui was undoubtedly a member of Prince Yu's faction, which is why he said that he was "forcing me to abdicate."

Now, Jiajing felt that all the court officials had sided with Prince Yu. All of this was done by them in concert, in order to expose his true colors and allow Prince Yu to ascend the throne as soon as possible.

Given the current situation and these actions, everything aligns with the suspicions of the suspicious Jiajing. In Jiajing's view, even Huang Jin, the only person he could trust, had colluded with Prince Yu to cover for Hai Rui here.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhenji, also realized that she could no longer sit idly by and wait for her fate. Hai Rui's congratulatory letter was brought under her urging, and it was handed over to Jiajing without prior confirmation. She would definitely not be able to escape responsibility.

Now, it's time to be a "non-stick pan" again. Hai Rui is now a stubborn pest, and he can only fight to the death to survive!

"Your Majesty! Minister of Ministry of Revenue Zhao Zhenji has a memorial to present!"

It could be said that Zhao Zhenji's decision to step forward in this almost certain death situation surprised everyone who knew her character. But Jiajing, at this moment, didn't care about such things. Upon hearing that someone had arrived, his madness intensified, and he immediately said:

"Finally, someone has come forward to take responsibility!"

"With four virtues, Henry Yuan, and four people in the cabinet, I know that the word 'Zhen' cannot be missing. Zhao Zhenji, I did not misjudge you!"

For Jiajing, it didn't matter who stepped forward, since behind everyone in the court was only Prince Yu. The important thing was that this act of stepping forward would confirm his own thoughts.

However, Zhao Zhenji's situation was different. Because Zhao Zhenji's entry into the cabinet was decided by Jiajing, and the price was that Zhao Zhenji had to replace Yan Song and take the blame for the emperor. Therefore, Jiajing was somewhat comforted by Zhao Zhenji's actions, feeling that he at least had one "loyal minister".

However, no one expected that Zhao Zhenji's visit this time was not to admit his mistakes, but rather to distance himself from the situation, dispel Jiajing's doubts, and direct Jiajing's anger solely at Hai Rui.

Therefore, this time Zhao Zhenji immediately distanced himself from the situation, but he didn't use Huang Jin's dry approach; instead, he said:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you allow me to first examine the congratulatory letter sent by Hai Rui."

"--A congratulatory message?"

However, upon hearing this, Jiajing immediately revealed a strange expression, staring at Zhao Zhenji kneeling before him. He naturally understood Zhao Zhenji's meaning and immediately said:

"You still insist that Hai Rui wrote a congratulatory letter?!"

"Are you saying that you had no prior knowledge of what Hai Rui wrote?"

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know!"

However, Zhao Zhenji's answer completely extinguished any remaining hope that Jiajing, who had been clinging to the hope of using Zhao Zhenji to Purists those in the Qingliu faction who opposed him and then shift the blame to the "treacherous ministers," and thoroughly enraged him.

"Hahahaha! You all saw that, right?! Each one is more amazing than the last!"

"You've cleaned yourself up first, and now you dare to challenge me? Zhao Zhenji! Haven't you heard the saying, 'The devil may be one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall'?"

"Zhao Zhenji! If you're a hero, then dare to admit your mistakes!" Chen Hong wasn't afraid of how many ministers Jiajing would kill. In fact, the more Jiajing wanted to kill people, the more secure Chen Hong's position as the newly appointed Director of the Directorate of Directorate of Ceremonial would be, and the higher her prestige would be.

Therefore, Chen Hong, standing to the side, added fuel to the fire, saying, "Even a lowly clerk under you knows to prepare a coffin. You, the official in charge, are even less capable than him!"

However, Zhao Zhenji, played by Ling, completely ignored Chen Hong's provocation and even responded to Jiajing with disdain, "Your subject disdains to answer such treasonous words from Lord Chen."

Zhao Zhenji knew very well that there was only one way to clear his name completely: to convince Jiajing that he was neither Hai Rui's man nor Hai Rui accomplice. But how could he shift the blame when Jiajing was so furious?

The only option is to convince Jiajing that he truly doesn't know the contents of the congratulatory message. The "ignorance is no excuse" principle doesn't work with Jiajing, but at least she needs to convince Jiajing that she "doesn't know" to have a chance of survival.

Zhao Zhenji's mind worked extremely fast, considering how to respond, and soon she delivered a perfect answer.

"Hai Rui is my subordinate. His deception of the emperor is tantamount to my deception of the emperor. This is my first crime."

"This document written by Hai Rui was personally taken by me and presented to Your Majesty. The writer and the one who presented it are equally guilty; this is my second crime."

"The words Hai Rui submitted were so outrageous and treasonous that I cannot escape blame, whether I knew them or not. Since Hai Rui has already prepared his own coffin, I will simply prepare mine as well and accept my execution."

In just a few words, Zhao Zhenji perfectly expressed his thought process, "Your Majesty, whether you believe it or not, it's the same. I, who submitted this memorial, am definitely going to die. I'm not even afraid of death. Whether you believe what I say or not is up to you. I certainly have no reason to lie."

The implication was that Zhao Zhenji really had nothing to do with it. She seemed to be taking all the blame, but in reality, she wasn't responsible at all.

"Lord Chen (Chen Hong) asked me if I am a hero, and I will answer Lord Chen's question now."

"Hai Rui was arrogant and rebellious. Why does Lord Chen call him a hero? If Hai Rui is not a hero, why does Lord Chen call me a hero?"

"Lord Chen's words are utterly treasonous. I humbly request Your Majesty to order Lord Chen to retract his statement before I may proceed with my memorial."

In short, if you believe me, it means you acknowledge that I have nothing to do with this matter. Only then can I do my best to help you investigate whether Hai Rui was the mastermind behind it, and only then can I tell the truth to Your Majesty.

But if you don't trust me, I'm afraid you won't believe the results of my investigation either. In that case, there's no point in me conducting the investigation. Your Majesty, you don't even trust me, this "non-stick pan," so in this situation, who could possibly give you the results of their investigation?

It must be said that Zhao Zhenji's words impressed all the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty. Although most officials looked down on Zhao Zhenji, who was known for her independence, they had to admit that she was truly capable and talented to have reached her position.

For example, this debate can be said to have defused a potential upheaval that could have easily affected both the government and the public.

In the drama, even Huang Jin admires Zhao Zhenji's intelligence and his perfect dialectic. However, just when everyone thought that Jiajing could calm down, Jiajing showed everyone with his actions that he was not so easily fooled.

"--Are you impressed?" Jiajing noticed Huang Jin's actions, but his words made Huang Jin lower his head again.

Zhao Zhenji's words did nothing to dispel Jiajing's suspicions, nor did they make him give up his distrust of everyone. As an emperor, Jiajing had experienced so many assassination attempts and schemes, and had fought with his ministers and officials. His paranoia was not so easily cured.

"He must be thinking to himself right now, 'This is what a true hero is,' right?!"

"Chen Hong, you have a good eye! Hai Rui is a hero, and Zhao Zhenji is also a hero! You're absolutely right, absolutely right!"

"You don't know, do you? I've always admired heroes and valiant men!"

"Including your so-called mentors, patrons, allies, and even (Prince Yu)—all heroes and valiant men, step forward! I'll welcome them all!"

Jiajing paused at the mention of "Prince Yu," clearly not wanting Prince Yu to be involved, but he ultimately made up his mind.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jie, who was playing the role of Grand Tutor, almost convulsed and fainted outside the study. He thought Zhao Zhenji had failed, and Jiajing's words undoubtedly meant a thorough investigation. In order to protect his own position, Jiajing could now even drag Prince Yu into the investigation!

The Purists faction had placed all its bets on Prince Yu. If Prince Yu were to be punished, then the momentum that the Purists had painstakingly gained in overthrowing the Yan Faction would be completely lost.

This was clearly a dead end. However, Zhao Zhenji, who played the role, had no choice but to resort to the riskiest move—dragging someone else down with him.

But the goal isn't to drag Xu Jie or anyone else down with her, but to drag Jiajing down with her! Only by making Jiajing believe that she, Zhao Zhenji, is on his side can they escape danger!