May, sixth year of Chongzhen.
Zijing Liang, also known as Wang Ziyong, succumbed to the compounded effects of wounds and illness after being struck by a stray arrow during a battle in Henan against Deng Qi, the Grand General of Sichuan.
With Zijing Liang's death, the rebel forces once again lost their leader.
After brief internal wrangling, command of the rebel army fell into the hands of Chuang Wang, Gao Yingxiang.
Once Gao Yingxiang assumed leadership, he immediately adopted the strategy proposed by Chuang Jiang, Li Zicheng.
The plan was simple in concept, yet ruthless in execution: cross the Yellow River.
The rebels first staged a feint, spreading rumors and movements that suggested a withdrawal toward Shanxi. Imperial forces took the bait, reinforcing western defenses and shifting troops accordingly.
Then, without warning, the rebels revealed boats and bamboo rafts that had been prepared long in advance. At a ferry north of Kaifeng, they crossed the Yellow River en masse.
In one decisive maneuver, the strategic balance shifted.
Early that same morning.
Li Daoxuan rose with the sun.
After stretching lazily, he ordered breakfast through a food delivery app: fried dough twists soaked in soup.
Sitting at his table, he ate while scrolling idly through his phone, feeling rather content.
Just then, QQ Messenger flashed.
Queen of a Thousand Faces M:
"Xuanzi! We made money! Hahahaha! We really made money!"
Li Daoxuan paused mid bite and replied:
"Huh? I haven't checked on that short series in days. Was it successful?"
Queen of a Thousand Faces M was practically vibrating through the screen.
"A massive hit! Not number one overall, but we exploded in our niche. Excellent reviews, strong ticket sales. After settling accounts with the platform, total profit comes to 3.32 million yuan!"
Li Daoxuan nodded.
"Mm. Not bad."
Having seen far larger sums flow through his diorama projects, three million did not particularly move him.
For Queen of a Thousand Faces M, however, it was a historic victory.
"As per the contract," she said quickly, "I take twenty percent, you take eighty. I'll transfer 2.656 million to you shortly. Remember to declare it for tax on your phone!"
"Alright," Li Daoxuan replied casually.
There was a pause.
"That's it?" Queen of a Thousand Faces M said. "You don't sound excited at all."
Li Daoxuan sighed.
"I see other short dramas. Revenge fantasies. Soldier kings returning. Domineering CEOs falling in love. They pull in hundreds of millions. We only made a little over three million. What's there to celebrate?"
"That's completely different!" she protested. "Our Mu Guiying project is based on an old story. Everyone already knows the plot. The only reason it made money at all was because the fight scenes felt real."
"Oh," Li Daoxuan said.
"If we want bigger money," she continued, "we need a better script. Let me give you an example."
Li Daoxuan felt a bad premonition.
"You're actually the son of the world's richest man. One day, you decide to experience life as a commoner, so you go work as a car washer at a tiny subsidiary of your family's conglomerate. Then—"
"What kind of lunatic rich kid does that?" Li Daoxuan interrupted.
"Listen first!" she snapped. "A stunning heiress drives up in a Ferrari. While you're washing the car, she gets a call. Her parents pressure her to marry. If she doesn't, her inheritance goes to her cousin."
"What kind of parents are those?" Li Daoxuan muttered.
"So she looks at you," Queen of a Thousand Faces M continued, unfazed, "and suddenly gets an idea. She grabs your arm and says, 'Handsome, want to make some quick money?'"
"No," Li Daoxuan said flatly.
"That's not your line!" she snapped. "You're supposed to look confused and ask how. Then she says, 'Let's get married. We'll sign a prenup. My money is mine, yours is yours.'"
"Are you insulting the audience's intelligence?" Li Daoxuan asked.
"Anyway," she barreled on, "you get married. She thinks you're poor. She brings you into high society. Then her cousin shows up, furious because you stole his inheritance, and pressures the car wash to fire you."
Li Daoxuan raised a hand.
"Stop. I know the rest."
"I reveal I'm insanely rich. I humiliate him. She's shocked. Then she worships me. I teach her how to run a company. Her business skyrockets. She becomes obedient and devoted. End."
Queen of a Thousand Faces M cheered.
"Yes! Exactly!"
"Please give me ten minutes," Li Daoxuan said calmly, "to recover from that."
"Hey, don't be like that," she said. "Cringe doesn't matter. Money does."
"No," Li Daoxuan replied firmly. "I'll stick with action films."
"Fine," she conceded. "Honestly, I'm already thrilled. My share is over six hundred thousand. I haven't made that much in twenty years. Xuanzi, film something else. I'll handle editing, effects, marketing."
"Alright," Li Daoxuan said. "I'll contact you once I've shot something."
He closed QQ.
Leaning back, he felt equal parts amusement and despair.
Are all popular short dramas like this now?
That was truly horrifying.
Thinking of short dramas made him think of the Stars Performing Arts Agency.
While finishing his soup, he opened the interface and switched his view to Puzhou.
The perspective descended.
He activated the focus function.
Inside the Stars Performing Arts Agency, Tie Niaofei stood respectfully before Lao Nanfeng, holding a thick stack of scripts with both hands.
"Lao Nanfeng," Tie Niaofei said, "these are the scripts Master Sun Chuanting has prepared."
"Sun Chuanting?" Lao Nanfeng chuckled. "The scholar from Daizhou who likes writing stories?"
Tie Niaofei smiled. "Although Master Sun writes at home, his grasp of military affairs is excellent."
Lao Nanfeng smiled faintly and said nothing.
He took the scripts, flipped open the first page, and read the title:
A Junior Soldier of the Dalinghe Border Army
After skimming several pages, the smile on his face slowly faded.
"This story," he said, "is about events from two years ago. Zu Dashou's surrender. He Kegang's death. The protagonist is a low ranking soldier under He Kegang."
Tie Niaofei nodded eagerly.
"Yes. The Battle of Dalinghe."
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun said the story should be closer to the present," Tie Niaofei added. "Only then will it truly resonate with the common people."
Lao Nanfeng closed the script.
"…Interesting."