Chapter 224: “The King’s Plan” Comes on Strong
“Caring Love” didn’t have any promotion, as money was an issue.
Her being the nation’s top in the entrance exam was the best promotion she could give for “University Dream.” Han Jing went to the variety show herself, letting Yun Xiangxiang film without worries.
Lin Jialiang gave her special treatment and didn’t force her to come for the promotional work of “Justice and Selflessness.” She was also overseas back then.
For “The King’s Plan,” Wu Zhao wanted to keep that veil of mystery. If she made an appearance, everyone would know who played Madam Xi.
Quoting Sun Qiluo, “Yun Xiangxiang’s life is a great one.”
Whenever He Xingzhou and the others complained, Sun Qiluo would retort, “You don’t have Yun Xiangxiang’s luck.”
At the same time, the filming for “Jiu Se” started smoothly. The case was finally cracked when traced back to Du Changrong.
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t ask further about it when He Wei said it involved some of Du Changrong’s personal privacy.
He Wei also found out everything about the fake prop. It was an attack by Huan Yu’s business competitors.
He Wei went back after finishing the investigation and making sure that the crew didn’t miss anything else. Yu You also went back after Ai Li made a full recovery.
The events suddenly made Yun Xiangxiang think she should get some insurance plan for herself. She would go on to buy several plans for herself and her family, delighting the agent.
A week after He Wei’s departure, a single news story took over every headline. The president of a known public company was exposed to be a pedophile and had violated countless children.
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t give it any attention when the news first came out. But she then inadvertently found out an entertainment company was the public company’s subsidiary.
Yun Xiangxiang guessed that the president probably had some ties with the fake prop incident.
Yun Xiangxiang trusted He Wei didn’t know about this evil before he investigated.
He must have only found out about it recently. This human filth even tried to make enemies everywhere. He must have a death wish.
Yun Xiangxiang was upset when she saw the violated children. Animals like him should be shot.
She saw a lot of the industry’s dark side in her past life’s turbulence. But it was still rare to come into close contact with evil like this.
When Labor Day was upon them, Song Meng and Li Xiangling said they would come over for a visit and a tour around Shanghai for a few days.
With the film’s premiere in selected cinemas on the last day of April came the reviews.
Known film critics praised “The King’s Plan” like so:
It’s been a while since I saw such a contradictory historical film. Why is it contradictory?
Because it follows actual history almost perfectly. Everything from the scenes, the outfits, the conversations, even every move, follows the era’s culture. This is a top-notch, quality work.
If I have to pick its weakness, I can only say the film’s protagonist is too perfect. He claims the throne too easily, is daring, meticulous, and has great ambition.
I don’t think this is the historical figure we had in mind. History has mixed opinions about King Wen of Chu,
This man lived every man’s dream as a legend. He had everything in his hands. His only regret was probably dying before fulfilling his ambition. But then the film portrays his death as one on the battlefield, inevitably praising him further.
I went and looked up King Wen of Chu, skeptical of such flawlessness. And yet I could find the evidence for the contradicting perfection in historical records.
Take the case where King Wen of Chu had no interest in lust, and only had Madam Xi as his queen for his whole life.
Monogamy was supposed to be unrealistic for men with ambition. But when I tried to look it up in history, there was not much on King Wen of Chu’s harem. He only had one wife: Madam Xi. She was also the mother of both their children.
Given that, weaving a story where he only stayed with one partner for his life was reasonable.
To put it simply, King Wen of Chu was a perfect man envied by other men and desired by all women.
Yun Xiangxiang had already noticed that when she went through the script. Historical dramas must include the interpretation of historical figures. King Wen of Chu was a perfect figure.
It might not be how he really was, but for the most part, it was loyal to actual history. Enough to be called an ideal representation.
Xiong Ao wrote it so boldly because he knew there was a hole in King Wen of Chu’s story.
The records couldn’t find out his date of birth. If they didn’t even know when the man was born, how could they be sure the denigrations in the records were true?
Most critics played along with the film’s element of mystery. They praised Madam Xi as a true stunner, along with her character and the actress who played it. They never revealed who the actress was, urging the public to watch it if they wanted to know.
They piqued the interest of everyone who read the reviews, tickling the curiosity in their hearts. She was impressed with Cao Chi’s public relations skills, which could even make these reviewers keep a secret for them.
The pre-order for the film tickets soared. The numbers broke a hundred million by eleven at night.
This was Yun Xiangxiang’s first time seeing a film breaking one hundred million in box office before it was even released in theatres.
Yun Xiangxiang knew that the He Xingzhou saga played a part in this. Many who misunderstood him before would support the film as a sign of apology. It might be inconsequential, but at least it would soothe their conscience.
Add that up with Wu Zhao’s reputation, Lu Jin’s fame, the star-studded cast, and the desire to unveil the mystery of Madam Xi.
The result would be a sky-high pre-order figure. She was surprised it broke a hundred million. Yun Xiangxiang had to double-check to make sure it was not just ten million yuan.
“Take a day off tomorrow. Go watch your own film,” Du Changrong was understanding
He knew Yun Xiangxiang played Madam Xi, the female protagonist, from his good friend.
“I’ll watch it at midnight today. It will be hard to recognize me with how few people there are. And I can support myself first,” Yun Xiangxiang already had her plan made.
“You will still have the day off for resting up,” Du Changrong waved her down. “The ticket’s on me tonight. Let’s go together.”
“You’re treating, Director Du? I’ll come too,” Yi Yan immediately came over.
“To think Xiangxiang even looked after you so much. You’re going to leech off of me instead of support her?” Du Changrong glanced at him in disdain.
“I’ll make a giveaway on Weibo tomorrow and treat my fans to the film,” Yi Yan wasn’t someone who easily gave in.
Du Changrong couldn’t find any good retort. Naturally everyone there was invited. He treated most of the crew and reserved a hall for them.
The great thing about reservation was the absence of disturbance. This was Yun Xiangxiang’s first time watching her new film so early in its release.
“The King’s Plan” opened with a magnificent war that fired everyone up. It would not lose out to the gunslinging in military films. Following the end of two big wars was the game of thrones, and would follow with King Wen of Chu falling for Madam Xi.
Lu Jin’s acting was impeccable. Every transition was natural.
Two great wars then ensued.
The film’s pacing was great. It wasn’t chaotic, and the plotline continued seamlessly, immersing the audience.