Directing in the Ark, Success if Not Banned Chapter 29

At this moment, in the sewers of Londinium, Alda watched the television still playing in front of her, slowly stood up, and faced all the Self-Rescue Army members, saying with a firm tone:

"We can't wait any longer."

"I agree." The small unicorn commander Clovicia, at this moment, affirmed Alda's judgment. Even though she was so young, she felt the immense threat Chen Qi brought to all of Victoria!

"He must die. Even if he doesn't die, he must never be able to write or speak again. Otherwise, Londinium... no, Victoria, will be torn apart by the blade forged by his pen, just like stacking building blocks!"

"We must take action. We absolutely cannot let Londinium fall into the hands of the Sarkaz, absolutely not!"

Chapter 48: "Yes, Prime Minister" Banned Worldwide

"Yes, Prime Minister" had exploded in popularity once again, and this time, its popularity had not only spread within Victoria but had even reached other countries.

The reason was the sixth episode of the political satire comedy "Yes, Prime Minister," which had aired the previous day and was beloved by the people of Victoria. The episode's portrayal of the inaction of Victoria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was arguably the highest quality and most densely packed with jokes to date.

Although "Yes, Prime Minister" had been airing two episodes a week since its debut, maintaining a consistently high quality with each episode being quite engaging, it was from the sixth episode onwards that the television series truly caused a nationwide sensation in Victoria.

After all, as Humphrey had said, "Political satire is the second most boring genre in the world." The residents of Londinium, having watched too many old shows during the Sarkaz's rule, coupled with Theresis's extensive promotion of "Yes, Prime Minister," had made it widely acclaimed within Londinium.

Subsequently, Theresis, by manipulating the television station personnel in Londinium, authorized the broadcast of the show throughout Victoria. While the new series "Yes, Prime Minister" attracted a large audience, the viewership ratings from various mobile cities indicated it was only at a level that could compete for the highest ratings, nothing too surprising.

After all, couldn't Victoria produce a few good shows a year? Moreover, this was authorized for broadcast by the capital, Londinium, so they must have conducted a professional review internally.

If they blocked it, they might have to take responsibility. Since Londinium had given its approval, they didn't need to worry about it anymore and just broadcast it.

This was almost the thinking of all television station staff and ministers in charge of this sector in Victoria. However, under this peculiar tacit understanding, none of them could have imagined that this television series would suddenly cause such a huge disruption one day.

The "Four Steps of Victorian Diplomacy" in the sixth episode directly struck a nerve with some politicians and civil servants who were also watching "Yes, Prime Minister." They didn't even have time to laugh before they efficiently informed the dukes of their respective territories about the news, asking for their decisions.

Upon receiving the news, the dukes, almost immediately after hearing the term "political satire," reacted swiftly, hastily instructing their subordinates to replay that segment...

Thus, after watching the "Four Steps of Victorian Diplomacy" in "Yes, Prime Minister," all the dukes, without exception and at the same time, ordered a nationwide ban on the television series!

On that day, Victoria's civil service system had never been so efficient. From reporting the situation, the dukes being informed, issuing orders, to executing them, it all happened within ten minutes. "Yes, Prime Minister," the immensely popular television series in Victoria, vanished from all Victorian televisions except Londinium overnight, as if it had never existed.

However, the residents of Victoria would not simply forget. They all remembered that they were happily watching this television series, unable to stop laughing at Victoria's satire and criticism, only to find it suddenly taken off the air.

Instantly, the synchronized actions of several dukes caused "Yes, Prime Minister" to erupt with an unprecedented fervor within Victoria, even elevating it to a status it didn't deserve.

The next day, not just in one mobile city, but across Victoria, citizens of all walks of life—workers, teachers, doctors, respectable or not—who were not involved in politics, gathered in front of the parliaments and television stations of their respective mobile cities, holding up signs and protesting their actions.

"We demand the resumption of 'Yes, Prime Minister'!"

"Victoria cannot treat us like this! We pay taxes not to be exploited from on high! You're even depriving us of our entertainment!"

"Can't Victoria even tolerate an excellent comedy?!"

"What is Victoria afraid of? Or is everything said in this comedy true?"

"Reality is more absurd than comedy! Victoria's officials have proven this with their actions!"

The slogans were continuously shouted by the public. Protests erupted in front of parliaments and television stations, and even in multiple mobile cities across Victoria. Many local security officers even had to deploy the city defense forces for suppression, resulting in casualties on a certain scale.

However, these were not the most troublesome issues for the dukes. For them, as long as "Yes, Prime Minister" could be banned and no leaks occurred, this level of unrest could be suppressed within a few months and slowly forgotten, just like everything else in the past.

After all, it wasn't the first time Victorians had protested. Just as one line in "Yes, Prime Minister" stated, "Victorian workers are lazy and only think about getting rich quick, unwilling to work honestly for a day."

Although this was a sarcastic remark, it was also the view of a significant portion of Victorian officials towards the Victorian workers. This was because Victorians frequently protested and caused trouble, as this method was very effective. They could avoid work, get a de facto break, and their interests would increase, with no major repercussions most of the time.

The dukes' plan was to weather the storm for a few months, but what troubled them was that they found "Yes, Prime Minister" had already spread too widely!

After all, none of them had paid attention to this television series before, nor had they been informed that a political satire comedy had been circulating domestically in Victoria for three weeks. By the time they noticed, the influence of "Yes, Prime Minister" had expanded to a degree they found unacceptable.

Even if they activated their cybersecurity teams to block all news related to "Yes, Prime Minister" online, some more radical dukes even issued orders: any urban network platform found with any information about this television series would have its account and videos blocked together.

In this way, hundreds and thousands of accounts were banned across various mobile cities. However, the people from Victoria's cybersecurity team were astonished to find that related news not only did not decrease but was actually increasing!

It was even spreading to places beyond their reach! The cybersecurity team realized that many Victorian residents had long anticipated that this television series would eventually be banned, so they had prerecorded it and saved it on tapes or discs for easy playback!

Their blocking efforts were futile; the upload speed was faster than their blocking speed.

Furthermore, realizing that Victoria's cybersecurity team was taking action, the Victorian people displayed their ingenuity. Soon, "Yes, Prime Minister" spread beyond Victoria's borders through various means...

Thus, within a few days, "Yes, Prime Minister" appeared on the public network platforms of nearby places like Columbia and Leithania.

As for farther places... it had even reached countries in the eastern region, such as the Ursus Empire.

A few days later, an Ursus girl with red streaks in her hair was cautiously looking around. After confirming that no one was nearby, she slipped into a hidden school warehouse.

"Finally, I found an opportunity. No one checks here at this time, and I can finally finish watching the fourth episode of 'Yes, Prime Minister'!"

"The school strictly prohibits us from watching this show. They clearly don't want us to be exposed to this. I want to see what they're hiding!"

"I, General Winter, will know nothing that cannot be known. Since it's a show where Victoria satirizes its own government, I must watch it!"

The Ursus girl, who called herself "General Winter" and appeared to be only middle school age, was also hiding in a disused school warehouse. As the leader of several school clubs, she wasn't worried about being challenged, but she was worried about her actions being used against her by someone she had defeated, leading to trouble...

Recently, the soldiers and police in the city had been exceptionally diligent, and many people had already suffered because of it... While Winter wasn't afraid of being caught, she feared implicating her family, so she never watched these things at home—things that Ursus officials strictly prohibited them from watching.

Soon, Winter took out her earphones, connected them to her phone, and opened the fourth episode of "Yes, Prime Minister," which she had downloaded through special channels, and began watching.

—This episode was the most strictly banned episode of "Yes, Prime Minister" in Ursus, even to the point of arresting anyone who dared to broadcast it. Winter knew the risks involved, so she specifically chose a place that was usually not frequented by people.

Soon, with a bit of excitement from challenging the forbidden, Winter, who had only a superficial understanding of politics, enthusiastically watched the masterpiece she considered her "enlightenment," but which the Ursus authorities had deemed "forbidden material" in recent days.

For some reason, even though Winter herself had only a partial grasp of many things, she was passionate about watching this television series, even going so far as to learn Victorian language for it.

As an Ursus native, Winter's Victorian language skills were not very good. After all, in Ursus, it was a taboo, and no one dared to translate for this television series.

So, Winter could only watch a segment alone, try to translate a sentence herself, and then write it down in Ursus language in the notebook she carried, making it convenient for her to understand later.

Slowly, time ticked by. Winter had watched half of the sixth episode. As she wrote, she murmured:

"Infected... are our country's... benefactors, hmm... benefactors."

"Alright... I'll take a look. This episode seems to be about products made by the Infected. I'll read it first."

Winter put down her pen and phone, feeling a little tired. She picked up her translated work from the notebook and began to read it line by line. When she encountered parts she didn't understand, she skipped them or made revisions.

However, soon, as she gazed at the lines of text she had translated, Winter's expression gradually shifted from relaxed to serious. The many statements made by "Humphrey" within caused her pupils to contract slightly.

"How could they do this..." Involuntarily, Winter slowly realized what the content of this episode was. For the first time, she was shaken by the message it conveyed.

"It would be best to maintain the current mortality rate!"

"Originium tax accounts for one-third of public healthcare funding!"

"Those Infected voluntarily sacrificed themselves to save their non-Infected compatriots!"

Line after line of text, and the canned laughter that came with the TV show was gone. This Ursus girl slowly realized how terrifying and cold these words were without the embellishment of humor.

Lost in a state of confusion, Winter suddenly heard a loud noise. The door in front of her was violently kicked open, and several burly figures in black rushed into the small, abandoned warehouse.

"Open up! Ursus Provost Department! Someone reported you for watching a prohibited TV series, which is a serious illegal act! Come with us!"

Before Winter could even react, two Ursus strongmen grabbed her and roughly carried her outside.

What they were carrying away was not just Winter's body, but also the Ursus girl's trust in her own country...

Chapter 49: Ursus's Plan to Hunt Chen Qi

A few days after Winter was taken away by the Ursus Provost Department, a message was issued within the Ursus Empire: "Yes, Prime Minister is hereby classified as a forbidden work. Any Ursus national who watches, disseminates, or privately possesses content from Yes, Prime Minister within Ursus territory will be severely punished as a traitor."

This order originated from Ursus's capital, "Holy Steed Castle," the most sacred place in all of Ursus, where the Ursus Emperor resided.

However, merely banning the TV series Yes, Prime Minister was not enough. Two more commands followed from the Ursus Imperial Palace.

"First, Ursus will dispatch an ambassador to Londinium to issue an international condemnation regarding the political interference, insinuations, and deliberate dissemination of content targeting Ursus by the TV series Yes, Prime Minister. We also hope that the Victoria authorities will provide a timely response and a diplomatic reply concerning the Infected policy."

"If Victoria's explanation is insufficient, the Ursus Empire, in the name of the Emperor, will define this incident as Victoria's 'diplomatic provocation.' If necessary, we will retaliate with military deterrence!"

In essence, the Ursus government was implying that Victoria's attitude towards the Infected was no better than theirs, and they questioned who had the right to judge whom.

They argued that the Infected in the Ursus Empire did not feel oppressed, so why were a group of Victorians pleading for them? They should deal with their own internal Infected issues first!

However, the Ursus Imperial Palace was also aware that this was merely a diplomatic stance aimed at stabilizing the hearts of the Ursus citizens. Ursus had always maintained a tough stance in diplomacy, often resorting to military threats to boost the confidence of its citizens.

In this regard, the attitude of the Ursus Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quite different. After all, most countries' foreign ministries shared a common trait: foreigners perceived their foreign ministries as tough, while their own citizens felt they were too weak.

Only the Ursus Empire was perceived as having an extremely strong diplomatic stance by both its own people and foreigners. And this time, the Ursus Empire was continuing its usual practice.

After all, they knew that it wasn't even certain if Aslan was in charge in Londinium. It was almost impossible for them to get a response—unless Theresis got drunk and publicly declared that they were in Londinium and would fight any Ursus legion that dared to come.

Another command, however, was not made public but was the result of discussions among several nobles within the Ursus Imperial Palace.

The problem had to be solved at its root. No matter how much they banned Yes, Prime Minister, it had already spread across the land. Even if Ursus enforced stricter measures, who could guarantee that countries like Victoria, Leithania, and Columbia would not be as tough in their methods?

On this point, the nobles in the Ursus Imperial Palace reached a consensus for the first time: "Don't be ridiculous. These countries are completely untrustworthy when it comes to internal matters."

But there was no other way. No one could have imagined that a TV series would be so daring. Ursus was remote, and for a TV series filmed in Victoria to spread to them, given the internet conditions on this continent, the possibility was extremely slim.

How many cross-country network sharing platforms would it take to reach them! The people in the Ursus Imperial Palace couldn't figure it out, but they were certain that if such a thing happened once, it would happen again in the future.

They could no longer stop Yes, Prime Minister from spreading on Ursus's network platforms, but they had to do their best to mitigate the damage. Therefore, after much discussion, they decided to solve the problem at its root!

"Chen Qi, a Yan person, does he still have those members who originally belonged to the Infected terrorist organization, Reunion Movement, by his side?"

"I recall our people having contact with them on the snowfields before. Wasn't that Talulah... the adopted daughter of that old black snake Koschei?"

"Damn it, when they escaped from the snowfields back then, we should have let the 'Emperor's Blades' annihilate them all! I never expected it to lead to such a disaster now..."

Within the Ursus Imperial Palace, several nobles were discussing the negative impact of Yes, Prime Minister. However, whenever the Reunion Movement, which had struggled to survive on the Ursus snowfields, was mentioned, they had only paid some attention to this organization because of Talulah and Patriot.

But who would have thought that Chen Qi would suddenly appear from nowhere and lead this terrorist organization astray, forming some kind of Art Troupe, and causing such a huge mess!

Why did they have to film Yes, Prime Minister? Could politics be something that ordinary civilians should know about?

"This guy is too bold, daring to bring political satire to the big screen, and even mentioning diplomacy and the issue of the Infected!"

"We need to make that guy disappear. At the very least, we need to let these artists know that controlling their mouths and pens is the most important thing for them!"

Finally, several Ursus nobles in the Imperial Palace decided Chen Qi's fate. However, they soon noticed another problem.

"But... these people are all in Londinium now. Even if we send the 'Emperor's Blades' to assassinate them, they still can't get past those Sarkaz Confessors, right?"

"Theresis needs this organization to help him film Yes, Prime Minister. He himself and several of his generals have even acted in it, which shows how much he values this person."

"They even have a Drac there... named Talulah? Koschei's adopted daughter. What if Theresis supports Talulah as the new Emperor of Victoria to please Chen Qi?"

As soon as this was said, the Ursus Imperial Palace fell into silence. They suddenly realized that what they thought was an easily eliminated organization had now become as troublesome as a stubborn piece of meat.

Firstly, they were no longer just a violent organization composed of Infected. They had transformed into an Art Troupe, and their works had even been successful. Everyone subconsciously ignored that the entire troupe was composed of Infected. They had gained social recognition and were not struggling to survive.

Secondly, their crew had high combat power. With Talulah and Patriot alone, who would dare to say they could take them down without at least five 'Emperor's Blades'?

Moreover, they were currently in Londinium, and Theresis protected them more fiercely than himself. How could he allow his people to come into contact with Chen Qi?

"—I don't believe they can stay in Londinium forever. As long as there's an opportunity, we'll make our move."

"Keep an eye on them and observe their movements for the next period. If an opportunity arises, immediately chop off that guy's head—or at the very least, pluck out his tongue and chop off his fingers so he can never write anything he shouldn't again!"

"Agreed."

Meanwhile, in the Yan nation, not far from Ursus, the imperial palace was also in a frenzy, appearing even more bustling than Ursus.

High-ranking officials, all first-rank ministers, were poring over stacks and stacks of thick ledgers in their respective offices. Officials who would normally hold significant power, even those of third-rank, were reduced to mere "porters" at this moment, responsible for compiling these documents and transporting them to higher-ranking officials.

"The financial statistics for Shangshu are all here, remember to label them."

"This is the financial data for the Gouwu region!"

"And here are the financial reports submitted from Yumeng!"

Officials were frantically busy, and soon, a third-rank official, anxiously clutching a pile of documents, hurried in one direction. At that moment, a voice filled with authority called out to stop him.

"Those are financial reports from the Imperial Calendar Bureau, don't mix them up. We are still in the process of compiling the finances for each mobile city."

"Ah, yes! My apologies, Grand Tutor."

It was only then that the third-rank official realized he had mistakenly mixed up the Imperial Calendar Bureau's reports. He immediately set down the documents in his hands and picked up another stack.

However, the third-rank official clearly didn't quite understand the current situation and couldn't help but turn to the Grand Tutor and ask:

"Grand Tutor, I still don't understand... Why has His Majesty suddenly decided to conduct such a thorough review of the finances of the mobile cities and the Six Ministries?"

"This is something that the Ministry of Revenue is supposed to compile and report to His Majesty at the beginning of every year. Why is His Majesty suddenly reviewing these financial situations today?"

"...His Majesty naturally has his reasons." The Grand Tutor, who clearly knew some inside information, showed a rare expression of distress. However, he maintained his air of inscrutable wisdom, revealing no further details as he said:

"Focus on your work. His Majesty attaches great importance to this review, so there must be no mistakes. Inform the Minister of Revenue that all accounts must reconcile. If there are any discrepancies, they must be marked and not concealed!"

"Yes!" The third-rank official immediately nodded and then, carrying the documents, walked away again.