Chapter 206

The fact that he could only vent his emotions on paper—what a profound tragedy that is.

Fang Yang sighed again. "Everyone, think about it: what kind of state of mind must Yue Fei have been in when he read the *Chu Shi Biao*?"

"We all know the *Chu Shi Biao* was written by Zhuge Liang. He dedicated his entire life to the Northern Expeditions, yet they were unsuccessful. In truth, Zhuge Liang knew that success was unlikely, but he had no choice but to press on."

"If he hadn't launched those expeditions, the Shu Kingdom would have fallen even faster. You could say this is a historical tale of doing what one knows cannot be done."

"But let's look at Yue Fei back then. Isn't it the same story unfolding? Yue Fei actively launched Northern Expeditions multiple times, yet he was constantly opposed by treacherous officials in the imperial court. In the end, he was recalled by twenty-four golden plaques and died at Fengbo Pavilion."

"He could fully empathize with Zhuge Liang's state of mind at the time; he could be considered the person in the world who understood the *Chu Shi Biao* best. So, when he wrote his own *Chu Shi Biao*, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was as if Zhuge Liang had possessed him."

【Popularity】 +1+1+1+1...

—【Damn it, I'm a grown man, and hearing this story makes my nose sting and makes me want to cry. I really feel it wasn't worth it for Yue Fei, running into such a foolish emperor. It was truly the worst luck in eight lifetimes. Even though Zhuge Liang failed his Northern Expeditions, he was defying the heavens; he had no choice. At the very least, the emperor trusted him. Even if no one had caused trouble back then, I still think he would have struggled to succeed. But Yue Fei was different; it was too stifling. I want to curse.】

—【That's why, even though Yue Fei has been dead for so many years, we Chinese people have always remembered him. But if Zhao Gou weren't mentioned in relation to Yue Fei, I wouldn't remember him at all. I used to think the biggest reason for Yue Fei's death was Qin Hui, but the more history I learn, the more I realize the root cause was simply that the emperor at the time thought Yue Fei was disobedient and wanted him dead.】

—【This is the kind of idol young people should follow; their spirit and faith are great. Ever since I started listening to Fang Yang talk about these cultural relics and history, I feel like I've fallen in love with historical research. There are so many pasts waiting for me to uncover. Every time I learn about a piece of the past, it's like discovering a secret. This feeling is truly joyful.】

—【Ordinary people doing great things—I don't think I could do what they did. In all these years of Chinese history, the number of people who have died is immeasurable, yet only so many are remembered by history. Sometimes I think that at the end of a person's life, all that remains is a name.】

Some netizens were filled with indignation, while others felt a deep sense of empathy.

But they were all, without exception, standing up for Yue Fei.

I believe that all Chinese people in this world share the same consensus regarding Yue Fei.

The audience at the scene, needless to say, felt the same.

One by one, they didn't even have the heart to record videos anymore.

Even the most thick-skinned person would feel a sense of sorrow upon hearing of Yue Fei's experiences.

Yet everyone was still waiting; they knew Fang Yang hadn't finished speaking.

Sensing everyone's gaze, Fang Yang smiled and continued his explanation: "Many people in modern times say Yue Fei was foolish. Knowing that returning meant death, he still resolutely went back. Why go back? Couldn't he have just stayed away?"

"In reality, this is exactly where Yue Fei's greatness lies. Of course he could have not gone back. If he hadn't, he and his Yue Family Army could have occupied any piece of land and lived quite prosperously!"

"But he was a patriot. He would rather die than betray his country. Moreover, if he had defied the order and not returned, he would have had the crime of treason hanging over his head."

"You must realize that the Yue Family Army under his command were people who had gone through life and death with him. How could he bear to let them all be branded with the crime of treason? It would inevitably have led to the scourge of war."

"Therefore, he took the initiative, willing to die so that the common people would suffer less disaster."

Many girls at the scene burst into tears upon hearing Fang Yang's interpretation.

Yue Fei was too great, and it was precisely because of his greatness that people felt such injustice for him.

Chen Feng kept shaking his head and sighing on the side: "If Yue Fei had the good fortune of Huo Qubing and an emperor like Emperor Wu of Han, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Even the fellow worker next to him nodded: "What kind of shitty emperor is that? Killing such a great general—did he have water in his brain? What happened later? Did the country fall?"

Fang Yang had been feeling quite heavy-hearted, but upon hearing this, he nearly burst out laughing.

"After he returned, the officials in the imperial court who tried him used all sorts of torture, wanting him to confess. But Yue Fei wasn't even afraid of death; how could he possibly confess?"

"But when the officials finally opened Yue Fei's clothes, they saw the four large characters left by his mother on his back."

"'Loyalty to the Country!'"

"Seeing these words, even the officials presiding over the trial couldn't help but shed tears and refused to judge Yue Fei. In the end, Yue Fei was killed, and even that official couldn't escape death."

"After Yue Fei died, even the jailer couldn't bear it and secretly buried him in the suburbs, keeping the secret. It wasn't until 20 years later that Yue Fei was exonerated. If I had to describe Yue Fei with one character, I personally feel the character 'Ren' (Benevolence) is the most fitting!"

With that, Fang Yang's story was completely told.

Yet when he finished, the scene remained deathly silent, as if they were still unsatisfied and waiting for Fang Yang to continue.

By this time, it was already 11:30.

Fang Yang had been talking all morning; his mouth was dry, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

He had no leisure to sit here and be sentimental with them.

He turned his head and looked at Director Chen with a grin: "Um... Director Chen, I'm hungry. Look... there are so many people here, could you do me a favor and get a police car to take us to eat?"

Director Chen rolled his eyes at him: "You reap what you sow. You figure it out yourself; I'm only responsible for maintaining your safety!"

"Cough, cough~~ I stayed in your security room last night, and I suddenly felt like there might be a national treasure beneath it. I'll go back and apply with Dean He to dig a few shovelfuls at your place!"

As soon as these words were out, Director Chen's scalp went numb; his hair almost stood on end.

"Fine, fine, fine, you ancestor, you're ruthless! I see it now—you're treating our police station as your security and drivers, right!"

Fang Yang chuckled: "That's not how you put it. You're fulfilling your duties as police officers; how great is that!"

Director Chen couldn't be bothered to talk anymore; if he kept going, he'd be angered to death.

He immediately arranged for two officers to take Fang Yang to eat.

Fortunately, this place was indeed remote enough in the morning, and after the number of fans stabilized at over 500, only a small number joined later.

Moreover, almost everyone who came had driven themselves.

Taxi drivers weren't willing to come at all; business in the city was booming, and they could pick up several passengers at once.

If they didn't earn that money and ran out to the suburbs instead, they'd have to be out of their minds.

But this also resulted in over a hundred private cars being parked near Fang Yang's construction site.

In this desolate wilderness, it looked quite spectacular.

When the fans saw Fang Yang was leaving, they all wanted to go over for photos, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.

Director Chen panicked and hurriedly led his men over to block the crowd.

Fang Yang shouted out: "Brothers, I'm too handsome! I'm afraid you'll feel inferior if we take photos together! I'm taking off now!"

The scene was left with only a chorus of laughter and sounds of disdain.

117. Program Team Meeting, The Empress's Seal! (Please subscribe!)

To avoid being surrounded, the officers specifically got Fang Yang a mask to wear.

The cameraman teased from behind: "Usually, it seems only big stars go out all covered up. You're starting to look a bit like one now!"

"Get lost. Do you think I want to be like this? I'm annoyed to death!"

The officer in front also smiled and said: "People fear fame like pigs fear being fat. Who told you to be so hot right now! Our police station's workload has been several times higher than before lately. We haven't complained, yet you are!"

This sentence left Fang Yang speechless.

This whole situation really did seem to be of his own making.

But the problem now was that wherever he went, he felt like a thief, which was just too uncomfortable.

Meanwhile.

In the conference room of the program team's office building.

The manager was listening to the supervisors below report on the work of the past few days.

"Manager, our cooperation with the recorded broadcasts and television stations has achieved very obvious results. Now, over a dozen TV stations are negotiating with me, all wanting exclusive broadcasting rights. Some prices have even reached ten times the initial amount!"

As soon as these words were out, everyone gasped.

Ten times! This price shocked everyone.

You have to know that their program was recorded in installments, one episode per week.

The first recorded broadcast was just to test the waters; they hadn't expected to sell it for such a high price.

But once the program aired, it exploded in popularity.

Now, the other TV stations couldn't sit still anymore and were all offering high prices to poach the subsequent cooperation projects.

Just like that, the price kept getting pushed higher and higher, which actually left him a bit at a loss!

The manager thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Spread the word: from now on, our recorded programs will be sold episode by episode. We will absolutely not give exclusive broadcasting rights to any single TV station. Furthermore, they must be bundled with the contestants from the 26th and those around them; no individual sales!"

"Understood, Manager!"

Immediately after, the second supervisor stood up to report: "Recently, at least over 100 advertisers have contacted me, many of whom were the ones who caused trouble last time. Those who didn't ask for refunds before and agreed to be moved to other contestants' live streams all made a killing. According to market feedback, for the same amount of money, the advertising effect here is twice the normal amount! Now those people can't sit still and all want to come back to invest in ads!"

"I estimate that the advertising fees alone will exceed the previous sponsorship fees by more than five times!"

Once the supervisor finished speaking, a wave of exclamation erupted below, followed by a series of sighs.

"Before, we asked them to move to other contestants, and they wouldn't do it. Now they have the nerve to come crawling back?"

"If you ask me, don't bother with those fence-sitters; only cooperate with high-quality merchants."

"It's so satisfying; just thinking about it is funny."

The manager thought for a moment and said calmly: "It was only natural for them to want their money back when that incident happened. But now, we welcome them to invest in ads, but the prices must be different for different people. Those who were easy to talk to before will be charged the normal rate, and for those who were difficult, just double it. Take it or leave it; we aren't lacking merchants now!"

"Understood, Manager!"

It could be said that the manager's words provided everyone with a great deal of satisfaction.

A few days ago, they had been calling everyone, begging for help, and some people even went to sue them, resulting in a lot of breach-of-contract penalties.

How stifled they felt back then is exactly how secretly satisfied they felt now. ===== CHAPTER 207 =====