A few days later, "Qiwen Fangtan" officially premiered.
The filming location was chosen on the garden balcony of a beautiful seaside villa.
Hua Ruyi sat in a transparent acrylic chair, facing the program host, Wang Qiang.
Wang Qiang said with a smile, "Director Hua, you are a top figure in the directing world. It is an honor for our program, and a personal honor for me, to have you grace us with your presence."
Hua Ruyi smiled and nodded, "Miss Wang is too kind!"
Wang Qiang got straight to the point and asked, "The industry has always admired your eye for selecting and filming dramas. I personally admire you greatly. But this time, I'm a little confused. With so many excellent scripts, why did you choose to film 'The Double Saints of the Great Tang'?"
Hua Ruyi chuckled, "Why? It's very simple. The script is very well-written, the story is brilliant, and I had no reason not to choose it."
"Is it really that good?"
"Of course!"
"Then why is there so much online criticism accusing you of drastically altering history after it aired? All sorts of distortions and fabrications?" Wang Qiang asked pointedly.
"I did not drastically alter history. I filmed according to the historical records and made reasonable and plausible adaptations based on them. How can that be called drastically altering history?"
Hearing this, Wang Qiang was stunned. "You adapted it according to historical records? Which historical records?"
Hua Ruyi replied, "The Old Book of Tang!"
"And what about the New Book of Tang? Most adaptations of Tang Dynasty history these days are based on the New Book of Tang. Why didn't you follow suit?"
Hua Ruyi chuckled, "The New Book of Tang drastically altered history and demonized Empress Wu. I'm not that foolish. Why would I base it on the New Book of Tang? In my opinion, Empress Wu as depicted in the Old Book of Tang is more in line with the historical prototype. As for the New Book of Tang, it's trash. I see nothing in it but the author's profound dislike and discrimination against a powerful woman."
At this, Wang Qiang was taken aback again. She hadn't expected Hua Ruyi to be so disdainful of the New Book of Tang.
After all, the New Book of Tang was one of the Twenty-Four Histories, an officially recognized orthodox historical record. How could it be called trash by him?
Wang Qiang asked, "Why do you think so?"
Hua Ruyi said, "Because the difference between Empress Wu in the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang is too great. The Old Book of Tang clearly states that Empress Wang was forced to hang herself with a white silk ribbon by Li Zhi. But in the New Book of Tang, she's described as being dismembered, and her daughter's death is changed from natural causes to being strangled by her own mother. Even a vicious animal wouldn't harm its young, so how could a mother heartlessly strangle her own infant daughter? It's said she was killed secretly. If she was killed secretly, how could it be recorded in history? Could it be that when Empress Wu strangled her daughter, there were surveillance cameras installed nearby?"
This question truly stumped Wang Qiang.
Indeed, if it was a secret murder, how could anyone have witnessed it to record it in historical texts? It sounded absurd.
Hua Ruyi continued, "The compilers of the New Book of Tang were scholars from the Song Dynasty. These scholars harbored such animosity towards Empress Wu because, in their era, there was also a powerful ruling empress, Empress Liu of Emperor Zhenzong. After Emperor Zhenzong's death, Empress Liu became Empress Dowager and governed from behind the curtain. These scholars heard that Empress Dowager Liu greatly admired Empress Wu, and they feared that a female emperor might emerge in the Song Dynasty. That's why they had to portray Empress Wu as a lustful, cunning, vicious, and cruel demoness."