[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor":3,"chapter-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-51":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wanli, the Enlightened Emperor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321873,4542,"Chapter 51: Three Rivers Commentary — Subscription Launch Next Wednesday","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>I was halfway through typing when I suddenly felt like saying something, so I’ll just give this preview commentary early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One: About the author.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To cut to the chase: I’m not some big-name pseudonym; this is my second novel, my first being a brain-dead, trend-chasing xianxia story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wrote four hundred thousand words; though the performance was decent, I was forced to abandon it due to health issues, and by the time I looked back, my loyal readers had all vanished, so I indefinitely halted updates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, I began plotting this historical novel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve been reading web novels for a long time—I forget which year I started, but the first one was called Tian Chen; I was stunned when it opened a harem and collected concubines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came Doupo Cangqiong; back then, I trembled all over, feeling for the first time the charm of web novels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, I read nearly every blockbuster novel, and historical fiction became my favorite for a while—from Xin Song, Zai Zhi Tian Xia, Lin Deng, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that during university, I seriously considered writing a novel myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, I was busy preparing for the transfer exam, then later chasing GPA points, and never actually started writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until these past two years, after gaining more work experience and undergoing changes, that I became much more idle—besides attending meetings, I had little else to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m also someone with a strong urge to express myself, and when I happened to mention my disdain for brain-dead novels, I wrote a beginning that night and submitted it internally to Qidian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was impulsive, but it opened a door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I halted my last novel, I was still in the hospital, and I resolved that my next book would be something I truly loved—even if it had no gimmicks, it didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When my previous book went on hiatus, I was still in the hospital, and I thought that for my next book, I’d write something I truly enjoyed, even if it had no gimmicks at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m delighted so many readers have come to like it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two: About performance and gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never imagined this book would achieve its current success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, my internal submissions kept getting rejected—criticized as lacking gimmicks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who read my first single chapter knows: back then, during trial submissions to the library, two recommendations only gained me a hundred favorites; over four rounds of recommendations, each round attracted only half the average traffic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, later came intelligent recommendation, which began precisely pushing my novel to readers who liked this genre, and the data slowly improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the fourth round of recommendations, my editor said there was a chance for a strong push, so I kept delaying the subscription launch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came this week—finally, I made it to Sanjiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is thanks to all readers who followed from the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the seedlings followed—poor you all (laughs).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three: About the plot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, regarding character designs: many still don’t accept or even question them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me clarify: once I’ve set the historical figures’ personalities, there’s no room for debate—I won’t change them midway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you dislike it, don’t force yourself to keep reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, questions like: Was Gao Gong really that powerful? Was Zhang Juzheng truly so selfless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have a crucial creative philosophy:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the perspective of communication theory, characters with strong willpower earn genuine, heartfelt recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if their outward behavior appears stubborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, you’ll see Gao Gong is more formidable than in history, Zhang Juzheng more perfect, and the protagonist still acting superior at age ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this stems from that principle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Key characters must have their own beliefs, ideas, motivations, and above all, unshakable will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether these figures truly behaved this way in history? I don’t care—I’m writing fiction, and my first priority is crafting an engaging story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, I want them to be these kinds of people, not puppets bowing obediently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The upcoming characters—Hai Rui, Xu Jie, Li Zhi—will be the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether good or bad, even Xu Jie will have reasons supporting his actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These may not be the historical figures themselves, but at least they’re the historical figures in my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This volume depicts the protagonist’s entry into politics; the next volume will largely cover his role in the Grand Secretariat, where he drives incremental reforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The process will be slow, the actions small, so the timeline will accordingly stretch longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Hai Rui’s last memorial alone spanned the entire duration of this volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four: About updates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, I regret not splitting chapters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I post one chapter daily, four thousand words counts as one chapter, six thousand words also counts as one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, others write two thousand words per chapter, posting two per day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among new books released at the same time that haven't been subscribed to yet, nearly all use two thousand words per chapter—regular readers should be aware of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I feel quite wronged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could split each chapter into two thousand words; then these past few chapters could be split into three each, and I could claim a burst update.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, there’s no turning back: from the start, to preserve narrative integrity, I wrote each chapter to complete one plot point before publishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether four thousand or six thousand words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I’ve learned my lesson—my next book will use two thousand words per chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for after subscription launch:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I write this book slowly; my last brain-dead novel, after subscription, I posted over ten thousand words daily with no pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this one, I revise each chapter three times: write it once, show it to those who understand history, show it to those who don’t, then revise again before posting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I still need to work during the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though my office rarely has visitors, the environment isn’t ideal for creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My typing time is also relatively limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for post-subscription update volume:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early phase, I’ll post more, since I have some backup drafts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But later, it’s hard to say—either two three-thousand-word chapters, or one six-thousand-word mega-chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this is about earning money; I’d love to be a writing machine like an eagle posting twenty thousand words daily, but I simply can’t, hands up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I forced word count, I could post fourteen thousand words daily like my last brain-dead novel, but quality would inevitably drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fully understand why this book made it to Sanjiang and earned readers’ favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fully understand why my book made it onto the Three Rivers list and why readers like it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I won’t sacrifice quality to rush word count—that’s suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much you criticize me for being slow, it can’t be helped—human effort has limits; respect objective reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I beg you all to be merciful in your words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five: About the reader group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, new readers have asked again about the reader group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me apologize once more: due to unavoidable circumstances, it’s very difficult for me to establish a group, so I must temporarily put it on hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I apologize again—due to force majeure, it’s very difficult for the author to set up a group, so it must be temporarily put on hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this Q&A section, I’ll sneak in replies during my upcoming meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this round of Q&A, the author will sneak in a reply during the upcoming meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1233,"2026-06-20T16:31:33.303Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b810c8b4f096cc15861323c072f8517272e901988ae4efb314792a408f330b22","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-52","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-50",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwanli-the-enlightened-emperor-cover.jpg"]