When did Li Zhi, this lewd and spineless man, become so cunning and deep?
And Empress Wang, as a wife, why wasn't she properly attending to her husband? Every day she looked down on this person and that, she didn't even attend the most important silkworm-goddess ceremony. What was she trying to do?
In my memory, Empress Wang should have been a gentle, dignified, virtuous, but rather foolish woman who was eventually made into a human-pig by Wu Zetian, shouldn't she? Why does this version of Empress Wang look even more arrogant and overbearing than Consort Hua?
Did the screenwriter's brain get kicked by a donkey, lacking even the most basic historical common sense?
However, what surprised the audience even more was Empress Wang's reaction of disdain when faced with Xiao Shufei's provocation.
Empress Wang felt her status was noble, and it was beneath her dignity to fight with Xiao Shufei. Didn't the emperor have a little fox spirit outside the palace? Let's have her fight with that slut Xiao Shufei like dogs biting dogs.
With such a divine plot development, the audience was left bewildered.
Several directors within the industry, jealous of Hua Ruyi, took the opportunity to criticize "The Great Tang Double Saints" for distorting history and fabricating stories, suggesting it be taken down.
Netizens, unaware of the truth of history, also felt the drama had been too drastically altered, and their attitudes did a 180-degree turn, shifting to criticizing the show for its historical revisionism.
"Adaptation is not random editing, how can history be so drastically changed?"
"Exactly, Li Zhi was just a useless wimp. It was precisely because of his weakness and incompetence that Wu Zetian had the opportunity to usurp the Li Tang empire. If he were as smart as in the drama, how could Wu Zetian have become empress?"
"This plot is really ridiculous, tampering with historical figures one by one. Do they really think we viewers are idiots?"
"What's the point of having good costumes and props, and the most beautiful actors, if the plot collapses and everything is ruined!"
"It really lives up to the saying, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. I shouldn't have clicked to watch it in the first place!"
"Wasted my Zhou Zhou's good looks!"
"Add 1, wasted my goddess's acting skills and good looks!"
"......"
For a time, curses flooded the internet, all attacking "The Great Tang Double Saints" for its historical alterations.
Meanwhile, the Douban rating plummeted, dropping from the initial 9.1 to a catastrophic 6.3, with no signs of stopping. The rating would only get lower.
Jiang Ling knew that the unconventional character portrayals after the drama aired might cause considerable controversy.
She hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the audience. She thought if she didn't explain the reasons soon, let alone create a classic, the reputation might not even hold up.
Jiang Ling immediately called Hua Ruyi.
Hua Ruyi said with a smile, "There's no need to worry about this. I already anticipated this day. I've accepted an invitation from 'Strange News Interviews', and I will respond to all audience doubts in a live broadcast!"
"Strange News Interviews" was the most well-known talk show in the country, interviewing major figures from various industries, thus enjoying extremely high viewership.
Hua Ruyi was also a very talkative person. If he could explain clearly, the reputation would surely rebound.
If he couldn't, it wouldn't be too late for her to step in.
Thinking this, Jiang Ling quietly waited for the interview to begin, and in all the fan groups, she `@`ed all members, asking them to watch the interview, promising to give them a satisfactory explanation regarding the plot.
Upon hearing this, the fans stopped scolding the production crew for dragging down their goddess and patiently waited for the interview.