The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 57 Zhu Houcong's Beastly Intuition (44, 11,000 views, requesting monthly votes)
“Yesterday, I was discussing a scene with our female lead, and some discord arose within the crew. After thinking about it, I realized there was indeed a problem, and I would like to offer my apology here. The crew was busy with various matters while in Hengdian, and made a mistake that caused a misunderstanding.”

"After we finish filming, if time permits, we will hold a life meeting for each group to enrich everyone's life on set and strengthen communication."

Shura field?
nonexistent!

Crew trouble?

Suppressed with a single hand!

Shen Shandeng's idea was simple: the film crew was a small society, and if the director got involved with the female lead, it would ruin the creative atmosphere.

As it turns out, Shen Shandeng's weakness is not weak at all; it can still be sharp.

Therefore, he stopped testing himself and instead established a mechanism.

Fan Bingbing couldn't understand Shen Shandeng's actions. What did an occasional clash matter?
Anyway, the two have been rumored to be dating.

If people gossip, then so be it.

Isn't that how all film crews operate?
"it is good."

Chen Daoming couldn't help but applaud; even someone like him, born in the 50s, still values ​​social norms.

At least on the surface, don't let things become chaotic and disorderly.

The production team of "The Eunuch" gave him a very professional impression.

Chen Daoming suggested, "Why not do it today? How about we discuss filming tomorrow?"

Tomorrow there will be a scene featuring Huang Xiaoming, marking the beginning of the great etiquette dispute, which will be used to anchor the timeline.

Chen Daoming shared his understanding of Yang Tinghe: "He was the teacher of the Zhengde Emperor. After the Zhengde Emperor's death, he and the court officials selected the Jiajing Emperor. He should not be a powerful minister. If he were, he could have chosen a younger one instead of the already mature Jiajing Emperor."

Shen Shandeng first affirmed Chen Daoming's understanding, and then said: "For Yang Tinghe and Zhu Houcong (Jiajing), their personal character was actually not important. Their social attributes far outweighed their personal attributes."

Chen Daoming nodded, appearing to understand.

Huang Xiaoming took out paper and pen; he didn't want to think about it anymore, he just wanted to write it down.

Shen Shandeng is a director who can give specific requirements: "Whether Yang Tinghe was a powerful minister or not is not determined by his motives, but by reality."

"First of all, Yang Tinghe was not capable of making decisions unilaterally, and choosing Zhu Houcong to succeed to the throne was the least controversial option. Once the issue of imperial succession is confused, it will lead to turmoil."

"Emperor Zhengde had no sons or brothers. Prince Xingxian was Emperor Zhengde's uncle, and in terms of relationship, Prince Xingxian's lineage was very close to the current emperor. According to the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precept of succession by the younger brother, Zhu Houcong was the most qualified to succeed to the throne."

"Furthermore, Yang Tinghe was the teacher of Emperor Zhengde, and Emperor Zhengde died under mysterious circumstances, so he was at fault. He was also one of the key forces in choosing Jiajing to succeed to the throne. When Zhu Houcong succeeded to the throne, Yang Tinghe, as the former emperor's teacher, had the merit of making decisions and supporting the current emperor. He was a powerful minister, if not a powerful minister."

"The conflict between Zhu Houcong and Yang Tinghe was a struggle over a line. At this level, political struggles don't consider motives, good intentions or bad intentions; they only look at the direction, and even the outcome, but rather at the participants' perceptions."

"For example, if the motive is good, but the effect is bad, then it's still bad. Because if you hesitate, you've handed the knife to the other party. Only by making a firm decision first can you take the initiative."

"After Sima Yi, even a powerful ruler like Li Shimin would want to see Li Jing die first. With that kind of power and the precedent set by Sima Yi, even if Li Jing didn't do it, there would still be people who wanted to claim credit for supporting the emperor."

"From this perspective, Zhu Houcong, who was only fourteen years old, had a beast-like intuition. Whether Yang Tinghe did it intentionally or unintentionally, he revealed a flaw: the imperial edict did not clearly specify the method of succession."

"If Zhu Houcong softens, Yang Tinghe, whether unintentionally or intentionally, will turn the ambiguous imperial edict into a symbol of his power."

"Jiajing had to retreat again and again, and inexplicably recognize his father. At the same time, he left an eternal stain on his filial piety, and he was also subject to the birth mother of Emperor Zhengde. As the crown prince, he succeeded to the throne, which meant that he recognized Zhengde's mother as his mother, and his mother was no longer his mother."

"Zhu Houcong's father is dead, but his mother is still alive."

"Since the celestial dog cannot eat the sun, Zhu Houcong wanted to seize power, so he started with the Grand Rites Controversy, which was the key to making it legitimate."

"You cabinet ministers have inexplicably given me a father, even though the Zhengde Emperor's edict clearly stated that I was to succeed to the throne directly. Of course I don't acknowledge it."

"The whole world will support him; the right to rule is in his hands."

"The key is whether he can withstand the pressure, and in fact, he did."

Chen Daoming stopped pretending and started taking notes. He had done a lot of homework, but he was still struggling to keep up.

Chen Daoming thought for a moment and asked, "If we don't carry out the Grand Ceremony, what if we ease things over for six months first? Because of the Grand Ceremony, Jiajing and Yang Tinghe have been at odds for three years, which has also affected the court?"

Shen Shandeng shook his head: "The path is wrong, the more effort you put in, the more wrong it will be. If Jiajing retires, he won't have any real power for thirty years, and he might not even live past thirty."

"Moreover, this struggle itself also demonstrates Jiajing's sense of responsibility. He was an emperor who could handle things, so naturally, his ministers would flock to him."

"Theoretically speaking, the imperial power of the Ming and Qing dynasties reached its peak, but theory is just theory and is far from practice."

"In the Ming Dynasty, only two or three people could understand what imperial power was, where it came from, how it was used, and where its boundaries were. They were able to fully grasp imperial power."

"Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Houcong."

"Emperor Zhengde wanted to take control, but he didn't know how, so he was like a headless fly. The Great Rites Controversy was also Zhu Houcong's political enlightenment. He not only regained power, but also learned to a large extent how to control the court."

"Only in this way could the Jiajing Restoration have occurred." Huang Xiaoming wrote his reflections on the script, in four characters: Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Speaking of which, he and Chen Daoming also worked together in this drama. Chen Daoming played Dongfang Shuo, and he played Emperor Wu of Han.

It's just about being an emperor. Emperor Wu of Han was a pretty good one; he's played that role before.

The positive atmosphere on set was maintained.

The next day.

Outside Liangxiang, outside Beijing, on the day the succeeding Emperor Zhu Houcong visited the palace.

Huang Xiaoming, who plays Zhu Houcong, wears a plain robe with a black winged crown, which is the standard mourning attire worn by princes or heirs during the mourning period for the late emperor (Zhengde).

Zhu Houcong was not wearing ordinary white mourning clothes, but rather coarse linen fabric of excellent quality and clear texture. Even within the regulations for mourning clothes, it was carefully tailored.

Although it is loose and unfitting, the lines are still smooth, making it appear particularly rough, heavy, and oppressive, while allowing the natural texture of the linen to present a primitive and powerful beauty under the light.

This prevents the clothes from appearing dirty and tattered, but rather conveys a sense of solemn sorrow and a dignified sense of ritual.

A glimpse of the same plain-colored collar and cuffs of the inner garment peeks out from under the coarse linen coat. The material is relatively soft cotton, creating a subtle contrast in texture.

A similarly coarse hemp belt was tied around his waist.

The stylist deliberately ensured that Huang Xiaoming's superior physique was not completely concealed; even under the oversized linen clothing, his upright shoulders and waistline could still be vaguely discerned.

His hair was not adorned with a crown, but simply tied with a hemp rope. His sideburns were not disheveled, and his face showed no signs of fatigue from the journey; instead, he appeared handsome and sharp.

The lighting made those eyes appear even deeper, brighter, and sharper than a knife, filled with a calmness, vigilance, and unwavering will beyond their years.

In 07, Huang Xiaoming was at the peak of his good looks, while Shen Shandeng's control over color and texture was unparalleled.

This was the first conflict in the Grand Etiquette.

The officials in charge of rites suggested that Zhu Houcong honor Emperor Xiaozong as his father and change the title of Prince Xingxian to his uncle. They cited the precedent set by Cheng Yi of the Northern Song Dynasty regarding the rites for the Prince of Pu, but Zhu Houcong refused.

Based on the advice of the court officials, Zhu Houcong was asked to inherit the throne with the rites due to a crown prince.

However, Zhu Houcong did not accept this. He told his Right Chief Secretary Yuan Zonggao, "The imperial edict designated me as the successor to the throne, not as a prince."

Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe and others requested that Zhu Houcong follow the rites provided by the officials in charge of rites, move into the Wenhua Hall through the Dong'an Gate, and ascend the throne on a chosen day, but Zhu Houcong disagreed.

Neither side would compromise, and finally the Empress Dowager ordered the officials to submit a memorial urging Zhu Houcong to ascend the throne. Zhu Houcong received the memorial in the suburbs, entered through the Daming Gate, and then took the throne in the Fengtian Hall.

The play is called "The Eunuch", not "The Restoration of the Jiajing Emperor", so it only has a few lines of dialogue.

The final scene shows Zhu Houcong wearing a ceremonial robe with a black upper garment and a red lower garment, along with twelve embroidered patterns, during his enthronement ceremony at the Fengtian Hall.

The upper garment is a deep, solemn black with a hint of red, while the lower garment is a noble, warm crimson with orange-red hues.

The colors are strikingly contrasting. Under carefully arranged lighting, the black is like the dark night sky, while the crimson robe is like the rising sun, creating a visually stunning effect.

The Twelve Ornaments are patterns woven or embroidered with gold or colored threads on clothing, including the sun, moon, stars, dragons, pheasants, ancestral vessels, algae, fire, rice grains, and embroidered patterns.

These patterns are extremely exquisite, intricate, and clear, shining brightly in close-up shots, symbolizing the emperor's supreme power and virtue.

The crown is a twelve-tassel crown, secured with a jade tassel, with twelve strings of colorful jade beads hanging from the front and back.

This single shot represents the first struggle, which ended in Jiajing's victory.

A pair of bright eyes peeked out from beneath the crown, and a slight smile played at the corners of her lips.

Clear, sharp, and resolute, burning with the indomitable flame of youth and the determination to control everything.

fighting!

Cool!
Zhu Houcong emerged victorious in his first encounter with Yang Tinghe.

Struggle, through effective means of struggle, strengthened authority.

After filming, Huang Xiaoming would hover around Shen Shandeng whenever he had free time, constantly asking him questions.

Chen Daoming was quite direct: "It's a bit of a pity, there's a lot that could have been explored."

Chen Daoming spoke up, and Huang Xiaoming followed suit, saying, "After 'The Eunuch' became a huge hit, I think it would be great if the director could make another film about the Jiajing Emperor."

Chen Kun, who was studying the script, paused slightly.

Shen Shandeng felt the rhythm was somewhat familiar; why were male celebrities more anxious than female celebrities?

　Four consecutive days of writing 10,000 words a day, brothers, I've reached my limit. I can't write anymore, I'm dizzy and my eyes are blurry. Please vote for me with your monthly tickets, everyone! The more you vote, the higher your chances of winning. The draw is on the 7th.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)