At the same time Jiang Ling and Jian Zhou were admiring the moon on the balcony, "The Two Saints of the Great Tang" premiered on schedule.
From the moment the drama was first conceived and filming began, audiences had high expectations for the powerful pairing of Jian Zhou and Jiang Ling, two stars with striking looks.
Subsequently, when the trailer was released, the exquisite and magnificent costume and makeup styling further whetted the audience's appetite.
Audiences waited day after day, and finally, with the broadcast imminent, they naturally wanted to catch up on the series immediately.
As a result, before the opening song even finished, the bullet screen was flooded by viewers.
The dense barrage of bullet comments filled the entire screen, forcing viewers to temporarily disable the bullet screen pop-ups, intending to re-enable them for a second watch and interact after finishing the episode.
In previous dramas about Wu Zetian, if they started with her life entering the palace, they would invariably include the phrase, "After three generations of Tang, Empress Wu will rule the world," thus arousing Emperor Taizong's suspicion and murderous intent.
"The Two Saints of the Great Tang," however, was different. Hua Ruyi felt that period was too cliché. Such a prophecy of 'Empress Wu' was clearly fabricated by Wu Zetian after her ascension to legitimize her rule, no different from Liu Bang slaying the white snake.
Hua Ruyi broke the mold. From the very beginning, she depicted Emperor Taizong gravely ill in bed, while Wu Meiniang and Li Zhi engaged in a tryst by his bedside. The stakes were incredibly high.
Although, due to censorship, this affair could not be depicted with explicit or overly suggestive content.
However, Oriental aesthetic sensibilities in matters of passion are inherently different from Western ones.
Western culture is open and bold, directly disrobing, kissing everyone, and exposing everything.
Oriental aesthetics, on the other hand, emphasizes restraint, playing hard to get, and a subtle, veiled allure, like holding a pipa behind a screen.
That sense of hiddenness, of partial revelation, is more capable of stirring the audience's nerves.
As a top director, Hua Ruyi understood this aspect perfectly. The bedside tryst, behind a sheer curtain, was merely a kiss, yet it was more stimulating and captivating than a full-frontal nude scene.
The audience watched in stunned silence, their bullet comments bombarding the screen.
"Holy crap! Is it really that intense?"
"As expected of the Empress, she knows how to play!"
"The legitimate son and his stepmother having an affair at their father's sickbed, so exciting!"
"666!"
"The father is lying there, unconscious and dying, and the son is seducing his stepmother. Li Zhi, you truly are a filial son!"
"Filial, truly filial, outrageously filial, it's killing me with filial piety!"
"I have reason to suspect that Emperor Taizong was angered to death by Li Zhi!"
Recently, audiences had grown incredibly tired of the same old, mediocre dramas.
"The Two Saints of the Great Tang" immediately presented the affair between a stepmother and her stepson, how could it not make their adrenaline soar?
The first two episodes of the broadcast that evening moved at a breakneck pace. One moment Wu Meiniang was having an affair with Li Zhi, and the next, Emperor Taizong was dead and gone. Then, as the late Emperor's widow, Wu Meiniang was sent to Gan Ye Temple to become a nun.
After watching the two episodes, the audience was still left wanting more, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
Some praised "The Two Saints of the Great Tang" for its exquisite costume and makeup, capturing the splendor of the Tang Dynasty.
Others lauded Hua Ruyi's directing, stating that every frame was as beautiful as a painting.
Some also commented on Jiang Ling and Jian Zhou's excellent acting, noting their superb chemistry as a couple.
Amidst such positive feedback, the Douban score was released the next day, debuting at a high of 9.1.
Historically, domestic dramas scoring above 8 points were generally considered excellent.