Chapter 396: This is a Masterpiece!

As one of the top fans in the 【Mo Sheng Ren】 group, the up-and-coming Drama Critic Xiao Cai naturally kept a close eye on the situation of *Nirvana in Fire* at all times.

Last night, she spontaneously wrote a drama review of over a thousand words for *Nirvana in Fire*, lavishly praising the texture of this series.

At the same time, she also got into an argument with some peers in a group chat for drama critics.

"It's infuriating; I feel like my chest is about to explode from anger."

Harboring such thoughts, she looked down at the chest beneath her JK Uniform, which the buttons couldn't put the slightest pressure on, and suddenly thought: "Exploding actually seems like a good thing."

She hadn't expected that the reputation of *Nirvana in Fire* would be polarized on its first day of airing.

She felt that as long as everyone had a little more patience, they would definitely be able to feel the charm of this show.

"In terms of acting, Luo Mo has clearly made great progress. His stage play tours weren't in vain; having so many veterans from the National Team guiding him, he must have learned a lot," Xiao Cai remarked.

In the scene where Mei Changsu meets the Grand Empress Dowager, she felt that Luo Mo's performance was fluid, natural, and very moving.

He expressed that kind of suppressed emotion exceptionally well.

Whether it was the familial affection for the Grand Empress Dowager or the Romance with Nihuang, he acted it all out very well.

As a fan, she felt a sense of pride.

Looking at the entertainment industry, which traffic star is willing to spend time and energy to settle themselves down like this?

For traffic stars, time is money.

Because you don't know how long you can stay popular, of course, everyone takes advantage of being in their prime to race against time and cash in.

Long-term fans are actually in the minority; nowadays, many people can be said to love a new star every time they see one, changing "husbands" with every new drama or variety show they watch.

Xiao Cai had seen the state of fan circles; in her view, many so-called "wife fans" are fluid.

You might fan another male star and still be able to meet some old acquaintances in the fan group...

After meeting, everyone would laugh and say: "My breakup with my ex-husband was a mutual separation!"

"But with him, it's true love!"

Luo Mo's approach of settling himself down like this is undoubtedly risky. But looking at the final result, the outcome is good.

This star, who came from an Idol audition show, has never made fans feel that they are fanning a pure Idol.

We are fanning a powerful Singing talent, a genius of lyrics and composition, and even... a true Actor!

Now, we can also proudly say that we are fanning 【Actor Luo Mo】.

At this moment, Xiao Cai's phone rang a few times; it was many friends telling her that *Nirvana in Fire* had updated and she should hurry up and watch it.

She immediately opened Penguin Video, wanting to see if Luo Mo would have any more highlights of acting in the next two episodes.

At the same time, what she was more concerned about was in what direction *Nirvana in Fire* would continue to develop amidst this controversy.

As mentioned before, generally, big-budget dramas will reserve a sum of funds to serve as marketing expenses and Reputation Maintenance Fee after the premiere.

Yet, Luo Mo Studio and the Penguin side didn't seem to have any action, which appeared incredibly strange.

Have they given up the struggle?

That's not realistic.

It's a big production; so much money has already been thrown in, they wouldn't skimp on this last bit.

Or is it that... they have incomparable confidence!

Yes, if you are confident enough, then don't spend money on reputation maintenance; doing so would actually be a lower-tier move.

Once you spend money to manipulate it, there will be traces to follow, and even if the reputation rises later, it won't look as good.

So-called 【organic fans】 are the strongest 【paid shills】!

Xiao Cai clicked on the third episode of *Nirvana in Fire*; as soon as it started, she saw the foreshadowing being laid.

Mei Changsu and Nihuang were strolling and chatting in the palace, then they ran into Prince Jing and a eunuch who was disciplining a little servant in 【Night Quiet Court】—Tingsheng.

Nihuang drove away this presumptuous eunuch with an imposing posture.

Mei Changsu walked over, lowered his body, looked gently at the little servant kneeling on the ground, and asked him his name and age.

Just looking at the tone and expression, it was clearly not the kind of idle chatter to make conversation, but had deeper meaning.

Especially when Tingsheng said he was 11 years old, Mei Changsu even murmured: "Eleven years old..."

At this moment, he had actually already guessed that this Tingsheng was actually the posthumous son of Prince Qi.

This youth looked like an old friend, his age matched perfectly, and Prince Jing Xiao Jingyan was also a bit too concerned about him.

In the old case of the Red Flame Army years ago, it wasn't just Mei Changsu's family and comrades who died, but also the son whom even the Emperor of Liang felt wary of—Prince Qi.

The Character Relationships in *Nirvana in Fire* are intricate and complex, with each character having mutual connections.

To put it simply, Mei Changsu's original name was Lin Shu, his father was Lin Xie, whose father could be said to have had merits so great they threatened the master, holding the power of the army in his hands.

Lin Xie's younger sister was Le Yao; although she didn't like the Emperor of Liang, she was forcibly married by him, and the son she gave birth to was Prince Qi.

At the same time, Lin Xie also married the Emperor of Liang's younger sister, Jinyang, and then gave birth to the male lead, Lin Shu.

Yes, these two men married each other's sisters!

—How wonderful!

It can be said that they were relatives marrying relatives.

So, Lin Xie naturally stood on Prince Qi's side; after all, this was his own sister's cub.

But precisely because of this, it later triggered the Emperor of Liang's wariness.

His own son had high prestige, the maternal relatives were marshals like Lin Xie, and many times the performance of both seemed very uncontrollable.

In the end, the Emperor of Liang laid out a plan. The story's main thread of revenge was thus created.

As for Prince Jing Xiao Jingyan, he was Lin Shu's close friend; his mother, Consort Jing, was originally a physician who had been saved by Lin Xie and had a secret crush on him, but in the end, she was also taken by the Emperor of Liang...

This Emperor of Liang... hmm... hmm... I don't know whether to say he's lucky or miserable.

So, the male lead and the royal family members are actually all blood-related; they are all relatives.

When he and Prince Jing were young, they both followed Prince Qi; Prince Qi was equivalent to their Boss.

Therefore, Xiao Jingyan and Mei Zhangsu will certainly both be extremely concerned about Tingsheng, this posthumous son of the Prince of Qi.

In this episode, Tingsheng is disciplined by a eunuch precisely because he really wants to read, and then he is caught stealing books.

Mei Zhangsu then informs him that he is willing to teach him how to read.

Xiao Jingyan says from the side: "Master Su probably doesn't know, but Tingsheng is a person of Ye You Ting; even when he reaches the age to be released, he will still be sent to an outer manor to serve as a slave."

The reason he is called Master Su here is because Mei Zhangsu has put on another mask; he entered Jinling Cheng under the mask of Su Zhe.

So the first few episodes feel a bit tiring to watch.

As for Xiao Jingyan's brain... he is probably thinking about having Tingsheng sent to his own manor later so it would be convenient to take care of him; this is the limit of his imagination.

But what Mei Zhangsu wants is not just this.

This is not enough! Not enough at all!

The son of the Prince of Qi, how can he be like this?

He looks at Tingsheng and says: "You don't need to think too much, just tell me, are you willing to let me teach you how to read?"

"Yes." Tingsheng nods.

It must be said that people who love to read never have too bad of luck.

——《Reading Utility Theory》.

Mei Zhangsu looks at him and says: "You go back first; in a few days, I will find a way to get you out."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyan cannot help but raise his eyes to look at Mei Zhangsu.

Princess Nihuang smiles and explains: "Master Su may not know, but the servants of Ye You Ting are not ordinary palace attendants; if there is no special amnesty from His Majesty, they cannot leave."

"Moreover, His Majesty has never liked anyone pleading for these servants; otherwise, with His Highness Xiao Jingyan's status as a prince, he would have already requested this child."

Mei Zhangsu lowers his brow and smiles, using a very gentle tone and a gentle smile to say: "There are many things that, if you don't do them, how would you know the result?"

"Let me try, what harm is there in that?" He raises his eyes and looks at the two of them.

Xiao Cai sees this scene and cannot help but start screaming in her heart: "So handsome!"

He is clearly a person with an extremely weak body who endures the torture of illness, yet he uses the calmest tone to speak words with great power.

Xiao Jingyan begins to suspect Mei Zhangsu, asking him why he cares so much about this child, saying such things after only one meeting.

Nihuang smiles on the side and instead asks Xiao Jingyan in return: "I would like to ask you, you are so concerned about this child, is it really just because of sympathy?"

Ah, this couple with a marriage arrangement has started to join forces to bully the not-so-bright Xiao Jingyan.

——You crude martial man!

You are very easy to expose, you know that?

Xiao Cai screams like a marmot in her heart: "She's protecting her husband! She's protecting her husband!"

The bullet comments also fill the screen at this moment: "She's already protecting him?"

"Ah, I'm dead!"

"They must get married in this Drama! And it would be best if Fake Acting Becomes Real!"

At this time, Mei Zhangsu gives a casual explanation, and Xiao Jingyan is also afraid of Princess Nihuang pressing further, so he only asks Mei Zhangsu: "What way could you possibly have?"

Mei Zhangsu smiles and says: "As long as one wants to do it, there is always a way."

Xiao Jingyan feels this scholar is just posturing, and in the end, only says: "Fine, then I will wait and see."

After saying this, he leaves with Tingsheng.

"I will also wait and see." Nihuang raises her eyes and smiles at Mei Zhangsu.

Immediately after, Mei Zhangsu is about to leave the palace.

But while leaving the palace, he runs into Meng Dahuiling, Meng Zhi.

Meng Zhi had previously crossed swords with Feiliu, and the feeling he gives the audience is that this Dahuiling seems to have no Kindness toward Feiliu and Mei Zhangsu.

As a result, when the two pass each other, Meng Dahuiling says deeply: "Twelve years, a full twelve years, you have finally returned."

Xiao Cai cannot help but open her mouth wide: "Ah! He recognized him! He was recognized!"

Having one's identity discovered can still bring immense excitement to the viewing experience.

Undoubtedly, the Drama is starting to head toward a high-energy point.

Many viewers, after finishing "Nirvana in Fire", call Meng Dahuiling "Meng Dahuiling" (Cute Commander).

In this Drama where the abbreviation of the title is LYB (Old Yin B), he is one of the few characters whose intelligence is not online, and he is also a... crude martial man.

Many people say that his intelligence dropped to zero when he recognized Mei Zhangsu's identity in the first few episodes.

In reality, this is overestimating him.

Because he recognized Mei Zhangsu purely because they have been exchanging letters all these years; this was clearly stated in the third episode, and it wasn't that he was sharp-eyed and guessed it.

You think he is crude?

No, this martial man is even cruder than you imagine.

Meng Dahuiling expresses his worries; he cannot imagine that Mei Zhangsu dared to enter the capital, and even dared to live directly in the manor of his enemy, the Ning Kingdom Marquis Xie Yu!

Living in the home of one of his great enemies, Xie Yu, right in front of his face!

This kind of plot undoubtedly provides the audience with an excellent viewing experience.

This makes the audience feel that every time Mei Zhangsu sees Xie Yu, the gentle and elegant smile on his face is very evocative and very compelling!

——Look at me, how much do I resemble the past?

As the plot develops to this point, the main line, sub-plots, and hidden lines are intertwined, and Xiao Cai feels that the more she watches, the more hooked she gets.

As a member of the 【Mo Xu CP】, she is very concerned about Princess Nihuang's martial arts competition for a husband.

At this time, a person from the Northern Yan Kingdom named Baili Qi has a momentum of being invincible.

The Emperor of Liang also states that Princess Nihuang must absolutely not be allowed to marry into Northern Yan!

Very good, the difficulty has appeared.

The Emperor of Liang did not want her to marry into Northern Yan, and as for Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, they naturally wanted to win over the power held by Princess Nihuang.

Therefore, someone had to be found to resolve this matter.

Xiao Cai was very simple-minded.

She did not want this Baili Qi from Northern Yan to win for only one reason.

"He looks so ugly."

However, Xiao Cai was a Drama Critic, and a very talented one at that.

Thus, she quickly and keenly thought of something.

"Wait! Wait!"

"Northern Yan? Is he someone sent by the Northern Yan envoys?"

"The reason Mei Changsu is famous throughout the world and sought after by both Prince Yu and the Crown Prince is precisely because this Qilin Talent helped the weakest prince of Northern Yan seize the position of Crown Prince!"

At this thought, Xiao Cai's eyes grew even brighter.

"Main plot, subplots, hidden threads... several of them are intertwining and overlapping all at once!"

"There must be a Cat involved here, there must be a layout by the Qilin Talent!"

At this thought, she trembled with excitement.

"I really am a genius in the human world!" She puffed out her chest.

Never mind, let's just say she puffed out her ribs.

"The Drama is starting to go wild. Even though it is being told slowly, because of the intertwining of multiple plotlines, it still gives one a sense of compactness."

"The highlights are pulled to the max, and the anticipation is through the roof!"

"All the foreshadowing from before was actually for the sake of these multiple lines converging, so that starting from the third episode, it could enter the climax!"

"Amazing!" Xiao Cai felt she had been satisfied.

You must know, just last night she was in a group chat with other Drama Critics, arguing endlessly with many peers until the early hours of the morning.

Like many others, after an argument, she would be so angry she couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, start reviewing the content of the argument, and then curse to herself: "There were several points I didn't handle well!"

But now, it seemed that no longer mattered.

Because Luo Mo was undoubtedly going to help her slap those people in the face!

And it would likely be a hard slap!

"As long as this small plot segment is told well and the audience finds it satisfying, the word-of-mouth will definitely start to explode!" Xiao Cai's sixth sense was very accurate.

She couldn't wait to click on the fourth episode.

She saw that at the banquet, Baili Qi was still exchanging blows with Xiao Jingrui, and in front of the Emperor of Liang, he soundly defeated his opponent.

Even though this scene was meant to make one feel stifled, what were Nihuang and Mei Changsu doing at their table?

They were actually whispering to each other, sharing secrets!

The audience naturally felt that the Drama was giving out sugar, feeling it was so sweet, and feeling they had "shipped" it.

The Emperor of Liang, however, was furious.

He asked what they were chatting about at such a time.

Nihuang immediately explained: "Master Su was merely commenting on the battle just now, nothing else."

Hearing this, the Emperor of Liang immediately became interested.

He wanted to slap the faces of the Northern Yan envoys and Baili Qi more than anyone else right now.

Nihuang immediately stood up to explain, saying that Mei Changsu had said that although Baili Qi's martial arts appeared rigid, in reality, as long as one found the flaw, a few children could easily knock him down.

Oh, the taunting has begun.

The Northern Yan envoy immediately stood up laughing, displeased: "A few children could defeat him? If you are truly a master, sir, please enlighten us."

Who would have thought that a Reader would be so smooth with words.

Mei Changsu stood up and said with a smile: "It was my presumptuous remark. It is truly not easy for the warrior Baili Qi to have trained his martial arts to such a level; how could I ruin his future?"

"I hope the two of you will not take it to heart."

Xiao Cai laughed out loud listening to this: "Luo Mo, you are so snarky!"

But as she laughed, her smile suddenly stiffened.

"A young child could defeat him."

"Tingsheng... isn't he just a young child?"

At this thought, Xiao Cai's body trembled violently.

"It's starting!" she shouted in her heart.

She saw the Northern Yan envoy acting as if he couldn't stand the insult, insisting that Mei Changsu find someone to have a match with Baili Qi.

Mei Changsu then began to say: "Even if I could find a few children, I would at least need to train them for a few days, right?"

"Alright, alright, let's just say I was talking nonsense. You two have come from afar as guests, it wouldn't be good to damage the harmony."

He started to advance by retreating.

Baili Qi then began his own performance.

"My lord, you might be able to stomach these words, but I cannot," he said to the Northern Yan envoy.

The Northern Yan envoy immediately indicated that if he really needed to train people, they were not in a rush for these few days.

With the Northern Yan side finished with their performance, next, one could enjoy the Singing and harmonizing between Mei Changsu and Princess Nihuang.

Mei Changsu continued to advance by retreating, saying he had just arrived in Beijing, was unfamiliar with the place, and was merely a commoner, so he didn't know where to find children.

The Northern Yan envoy suggested that there were so many martial arts schools, weren't there plenty of children learning martial arts?

Nihuang immediately raised her hand and said: "Eh! The children in the martial arts schools—they are too strong."

"I am Afraid the warrior Baili would suffer a loss."

Mei Zhangsu immediately said, "Ah, the Princess is still the most thoughtful."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cai directly revealed an auntie-like smile.

It was both interesting and felt like she was hooked on the Drama.

Immediately following, the conversation between the two took a turn, letting Xiao Cai know the main point was coming.

Nihuang began to mention the criminal slaves imprisoned in Ye You Ting.

Mei Zhangsu immediately said as well, "Criminal slaves are indeed more suitable than children from ordinary families."

This sentence seemed to be said casually, but in reality, it was the key.

Emperor Liang saw Northern Yan being arrogant and was already displeased.

This was not just as simple as losing face; it was also a loss of national dignity.

If even young criminal slave children in the palace could defeat Baili Qi, that would be the greatest humiliation to them!

This was far more shameful than having children from ordinary families win against him!

But Emperor Liang was not the type to take the bait in just a few words; when encountering a problem, he would certainly ask a professional, such as the Commander of the Imperial Guard who possessed extremely high martial arts and ranked at the top of the Langya List—Meng Zhi.

Fortunately, Meng Zhi's intelligence was online at this moment; he indicated it was feasible, and since martial artists look at one's natural talent, it would be better for him to go and pick the children.

Tingsheng was thus brought out of Ye You Ting!

Xiao Cai's hands, which were pressed hard against her thighs, grabbed the pleated skirt of her JK Uniform with force, feeling incomparably excited.

"It really is so, it really is so!"

"It not only helped with the side plot of Princess Nihuang's martial arts competition for a spouse, but also settled the hidden thread of Tingsheng, and at the same time, the main revenge plot has advanced a step—taking the opportunity to showcase his own abilities in front of Emperor Liang and the princes!"

"Ox! Ox!" She was just short of shouting directly that Luo Mo was awesome.

Xiao Cai thought she had guessed the most thrilling part of this little Drama, but in fact—it was far from it.

Mei Zhangsu's manipulation of the human heart was not limited to just this.

Seeing Mei Zhangsu bring several youths back to his residence for training, Nihuang came to visit, asking him what his chances of winning were, and expressing that her current situation was difficult with no way out, hoping the gentleman would not be careless.

Seeing Mei Zhangsu exchange a glance with her, he then lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Princess, please rest assured; Su will certainly resolve this matter properly."

Seeing this, Xiao Cai started to squeal like a marmot again.

Your marriage, I will naturally resolve well.

At the same time, she felt a pang of heartache, because she discovered some details: when Mei Zhangsu and Nihuang communicated, he was often in a state of having his eyes lowered.

This was suppressing his own emotions; sometimes he even had to pretend to lower his status as a mere commoner, not daring to look at her!

"He seems to have everything under control, but his heart must be in turmoil too," Xiao Cai thought to herself.

Seeing Nihuang take a look at Mei Zhangsu, she said, "I don't know why, but I actually trust you."

Xiao Cai really couldn't hold back and posted a bullet comment, saying, "Because he is your Lin Shu brother, naturally he has to protect his wife."

As the person involved, after Princess Nihuang came to visit, Prince Jing Xiao Jingyan, being so concerned about Tingsheng, certainly had to come and see as well.

——The Big Fish has taken the bait.

The biggest high-energy famous scene in the early part of this show also kicked off from here.

Xiao Jingyan said to Mei Zhangsu that he had inquired about his news and learned that the gentleman had friendships with both the Crown Prince and Prince Yu; heh, that really is disrespectful.

With his character and personality, he naturally did not like the Crown Prince and Prince Yu.

The two were fighting for the throne, engaging in open and secret struggles, with schemes emerging one after another.

Prince Jing had always been out of favor with Emperor Liang, and his mother was currently only a Jing Concubine, not even considered a consort.

Mei Zhangsu directly stated, "The Crown Prince and Prince Yu are not my friends; they only want to recruit me to become a staff member."

Prince Jing smiled, his tone slightly mocking as he said, "I heard from the Princess that the Jiangzuo Meilang possesses extraordinary talent, but I didn't expect him to be willing to be a mere strategist."

"What is wrong with being a strategist? To be relied upon by others and to build a career," Mei Zhangsu laughed. "If one succeeds, one can also enjoy a position in the imperial court and leave a name for posterity."

"Then, sir, do you want to choose the Crown Prince, or choose Prince Yu?" Prince Jing set down his teacup, still looking disdainful.

He had joined the military and had always disliked such conspiratorial strategists.

But Mei Zhangsu's next sentence made him turn his head abruptly, his eyes wide open.

"I want to choose you."

"Your Highness Prince Jing."

Seeing this, Xiao Cai's eyes opened wide, and her facial features were almost scrunched together.

——The young girl has great facial expressions!

She felt that watching this scene, her little head was about to explode!

(PS: To keep the reading coherent, I didn't split the chapter; it's a two-in-one, six thousand words. Asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month to boost the ranking! Currently fourth, let's see if I can stay in the top five for a few more days.

Also, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I wish everyone a Happy New Year~)

(End of this chapter)