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[Oh my god, after finishing this drama, I really couldn't watch anything else lately. It was so damn good! My dad slapped his thigh and said it was incredible after watching it. This drama was seriously amazing. Highly recommended!!!]

Chapter 46

[Friends, have you still not watched Jinbai Entertainment's "Imperial Authority"? I recommend it—go watch it now! The plot is tight, without a single wasted line. If you zone out even a little, you might miss a key plot point and fail to understand what comes next. Every second is packed with details, especially the actors' performances. Absolutely incredible, just too good!! Veteran actors truly deserve their reputation—the phrase "powerful minister" was brought to life perfectly.]

[More than just powerful ministers—the characters in this show each have their own souls. Who would've thought that one day I'd become "obsessed" with middle-aged men? Hahaha. The old Minister of Rites, the Chancellor, General Xiao, and whoever the biggest mastermind behind everything is—I guess it's...]

[No, I think the Chancellor still retains a shred of kindness, so it can't be him. I think the Empress is more like the ruthless person pulling the strings behind the scenes.

The assassin actor in the first episode was such a badass, but because he accidentally let his target escape, the person behind the scenes made him commit suicide as punishment. By the usual rules, that assassin actor was pretty good-looking, so I thought the plot would have him escape, find a wiser master, and then join that master in taking down his former master. But! This assassin was actually so obedient—he killed himself the moment he was told to. He slit his throat cleanly, and blood sprayed all over the screen. I was completely stunned when I saw it. Wait, you just died? I'd been waiting for some later twist, like him faking his death, but there wasn't one. Dead meant dead. You were so handsome, and that was all the plot you got? But I have to admit, the plot became much more coherent and believable after the assassin died.]

[Haha, exactly. I was stunned too. It's my first time watching such a fresh, unpretentious drama. Every development is unexpected, and there are too many twists. Now I don't even dare miss a single minute for fear of falling behind. Whenever a new episode comes out, I squat in front of my phone with a bowl in my hands.]

This drama became so popular that countless discussion posts appeared online, all fervently debating where the plot would go next.

From

the very first episode, every actor with even a little screen time drew attention. Take the actor playing the assassin, for example—netizens never expected him to kill himself just because he was told to, and they stayed shocked all day.

So netizens dug up the actor's Weibo and left all kinds of creative comments beneath it.

That relatively unknown rookie actor unexpectedly gained a little fame through the assassin role, and that role had only a small amount of screen time in the drama.

Du Ru played the Chancellor in this television drama. He had many scenes and portrayed the calculating shrewdness of a powerful minister, as well as the grace and backbone of a scholar. He had once placed first in all three levels of the imperial examinations, and now wielded immense power at court. His thoughts ran deep, he had countless students under him, and his presence could be found in every matter at court.

Hao Sumei played an Empress Dowager in the drama. So far, the Empress Dowager had appeared only a few times, but Hao Sumei had portrayed her majesty to perfection.

Even the arrogant and domineering Empress had to humble herself before her, which was immensely satisfying to watch.

There were many female characters in this drama as well. They no longer existed merely as accessories to men; they had their own schemes and thoughts.

The director handled this aspect extremely well. Even the overbearing Empress had a deeply unfathomable mind, because her arrogance was merely a protective disguise. Given her background, and the fact that she could become Empress and hold that position so steadily, how could she possibly be a simple person?

When the Empress's character underwent its reversal, netizens who had initially thought she was just a simple-minded character were thoroughly proven wrong.

[Who would've thought that the idiot was actually me? I'm dying of laughter. If someone like me got transported to ancient times, especially to a man-eating place like the imperial palace, I'd never survive a single day. Even the palace maids have more cunning than I do. After living this many years, I found out for the first time that I'm actually a naive fool too.]

[After watching this drama, I've never felt so strongly that my IQ doesn't even reach a passing grade. The plot completely crushed me. I can't predict anything, and whatever I predict turns out wrong. I even bet a good friend that the next part would definitely go this way and that way. In the end, my face got slapped swollen.]

[I have to say, this script is incredible. After watching this television drama, everything else feels bland. Their plots always seem so childish—you can tell what will happen next after watching just a little, and every guess comes true. I'll name names: a certain xianxia drama. Its costumes, makeup, and sets aren't bad either, but "Imperial Authority" clearly has much more texture, and its color palette is far more comfortable to look at. Then when you turn back to the xianxia drama, those gaudy special effects practically stab your eyes.]

[I can't watch xianxia dramas anymore either. By the way, I don't even know what episode Starlight's drama has reached lately.]

As soon as "Imperial Authority" came out, the xianxia drama that had originally been viewed favorably was immediately overshadowed. Good things had to be compared to stand out. Before watching "Imperial Authority," you might have thought that drama was pretty well made too, with decent acting, costumes, makeup, and production design across the board.

But once "Imperial Authority" began airing, the xianxia drama was immediately trampled underfoot. Its trending searches dwindled and sank away, while videos posted by marketing accounts and bloggers also decreased drastically, replaced by enthusiastic discussions of "Imperial Authority."

Starlight wanted to spend money to buy trending searches, hire online trolls, and get marketing accounts to promote it.

But they had already used those tactics before, and now they had no effect whatsoever against Jinbai Entertainment's drama.

"Imperial Authority" was unstoppable in its popularity.

A netizen filmed a video of leaving home. While walking down the street, they could hear people discussing the drama everywhere. On buses, subways, in stores, and in public places, there were people watching it on their phones. It was clear just how wildly popular the drama had become.

People had originally thought Cai Jinbai would suffer a huge loss by investing in a drama focused solely on political intrigue.

Now they saw what it meant to have foresight, what it meant to have an eye for investments. President Cai was exactly that.

To make things even better, during the hit run of "Imperial Authority," the drama "Family Matters" also won awards, including Best Screenwriter and Television Drama of the Year. Cai Jinbai was actually invited to present the awards, and viewership during that time period surged dramatically.

Some television dramas saw soaring ratings early on, only to lose steam in the later stages, with their ratings declining more and more.

But "Imperial Authority" went against the trend. Not only did its ratings not decline at all later on, they actually rose even higher.

Because the further the drama went, the more climactic moments it had. One side finished singing and another took the stage; conspiracies, open plots, traps, and all sorts of tactics emerged one after another.

It was only in the later stages that netizens learned that the Empress Dowager played by Hao Sumei was actually the original mastermind behind everything. No one had expected it.

They had originally thought the Empress Dowager concerned herself with nothing and simply worshipped Buddha every day. Yet while she was absent from court, the court was filled with her spies.

They had originally assumed someone was this person's subordinate or that person's confidant, only to discover that they were a double agent whose true loyalty belonged to the Empress Dowager.

By the later stages of the plot, the situation became increasingly clear, like a taut string, waiting to see which side would loosen first and deal the enemy a fatal blow.

Starlight's xianxia drama had been crushed so badly that its ratings were too embarrassing to look at.

Gao Su was so anxious that ulcers broke out on his lips. He hurriedly had that historical political intrigue drama brought forward, planning to air it alongside this drama. Since the subjects were similar, maybe it could ride a wave of its popularity.

Someone advised him to wait a little longer. Otherwise, not only might it fail to benefit from the hype, but the drama's ratings could end up disastrous as well.

But Gao Su refused to listen. He had become stubborn and fixated on his own ideas, wanting only to do things his way and fully prove himself.

After repeatedly losing to Jinbai Entertainment and Cai Jinbai, the outside criticism and netizens' mockery had left Gao Su with no face to show.

That was why his temper had become so explosive that no one could persuade him.

So not long after, Starlight's historical political intrigue drama was brought forward as well.

But the result was obvious. With the sumptuous feast that was "Imperial Authority," how could anyone stomach bland porridge and side dishes afterward?

[Uh... I watched one or two episodes of Starlight's so-called political intrigue drama. No, it would be more accurate to call it a historical romance idol drama. This is political intrigue? Such childish, low-level political intrigue. Isn't it still just the male and female leads falling in love? The female lead is like an accessory, serving the male lead the whole time and helping him devise plans. And the male lead? He furrows his brow and puts on a show, but I haven't seen what he actually does. Yet a whole bunch of people fear him and call him a cold-faced asura. Oh my god... the secondhand embarrassment is killing me.]

[Starlight's two dramas flopped again after running into Jinbai Entertainment. Honestly, if they hadn't aired during "Imperial Authority," their ratings might have been pretty good at any other time. But after watching "Imperial Authority," this really feels like children playing house. I just can't get into it.]

[I advise them to pull this drama while it hasn't been airing for long and choose another time to broadcast it. I really can't watch it. Its quality isn't even in the same league as "Imperial Authority." And what is that color grading filter? The tones are so gray and dark. Don't tell me you think dark color tones automatically mean quality?]

Once the drama began airing, netizens refused to buy into it. Some people couldn't stand it after just one episode and quit, saying outright that it couldn't compare to Jinbai Entertainment's drama.

As a result, this drama's premiere ratings were actually worse than those of the xianxia drama that had aired first.

And later on, it was mainly about handsome men and beautiful women falling in love, with some political intrigue on the side, followed by an ascension to the throne, leaving the male and female leads ruling the world.

But netizens whose tastes had already been spoiled by Imperial Authority had no desire to watch this kind of subject matter at all.

It was like having just eaten a spicy, fragrant, intensely flavorful dish, only to be served something bland afterward without even a hint of salt. There was no flavor to taste—how could anyone swallow it? They simply stopped eating. The drama's costumes, makeup, and sets had clearly been made with care, though, so at least viewers hadn't flipped the table.

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