The script was so well-written that not making it a legendary masterpiece would be a crime against heaven.
The most ingenious aspect of this drama was its unconventional approach, crafting an exceptionally unusual imperial couple.
In popular perception, Wu Zetian was an immensely powerful and formidable woman.
Her husband, Li Zhi, as the legitimate emperor, was overshadowed by the radiance of his father, Li Shimin, and his wife, Wu Zetian, becoming the epitome of a weak and mediocre ruler.
Many historians even declared Li Zhi the most insignificant emperor of the Tang Dynasty, simply because his father and wife were too exceptional.
Little did they know that this very mediocrity and incompetence were precisely the finest disguise for Li Zhi, the schemer disguised as a pure lotus.
According to historical records, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were involved in an affair while Li Shimin was still alive, though he was bedridden due to old war wounds.
Consider this: if Li Zhi were truly a timid, weak, and incompetent wretch, how would he have dared to defy the world and have an affair with his stepmother, Wu Zetian, on his own father's deathbed?
Furthermore, while Li Shimin's reign of Zhenguan was undoubtedly brilliant, Li Zhi's reign of Yonghui was equally remarkable. It was under his rule that the Tang Dynasty reached its greatest territorial expanse, spanning over thirteen million square kilometers.
If such civil and military achievements are considered the mark of an incompetent ruler, then there would be no wise monarchs in history.
In her past life, Jiang Ling often mocked the outlandish television dramas produced by that silly girl Yu Mama. However, there was one drama where she particularly admired the character development.
That drama was "Beauty in the Tang Palace." In other dramas depicting Wu Zetian, Li Zhi was consistently portrayed as mediocre, incompetent, and blinded by lust.
However, the Li Zhi in this drama was surprisingly cunning and ruthless, willing to do anything to consolidate his imperial power. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were merely his pawns.
The silly girl Yu Mama often took liberties with historical figures for her dramas. Little did she expect that her reimagining of Li Zhi's character would, by sheer coincidence, align so closely with historical facts.
The Li Zhi in the script for "The Grand Tang Dynasty of Double Saints" was very similar to Yu Mama's portrayal, but even more intelligent and resourceful.
The portrayal of the female protagonist, Wu Meiniang, also deviated from the typical depiction of a strong and ruthless empress seen in other dramas; she was initially portrayed as delicate, gradually becoming more assertive in her later years.
This initial delicate strength was precisely what first attracted Li Zhi to her.
In other dramas, Li Zhi's affection for Wu Meiniang stemmed from her beauty and strong personality. Being inherently weak, he had a pronounced mother complex, favoring dominant, mature, older women.
In contrast, the Li Zhi in "The Grand Tang Dynasty of Double Saints" was initially drawn to Wu Meiniang's defiant spirit—her unwillingness to be neglected or to wither away in the palace. He saw her as a woman he could utilize to help him achieve his goal of striking down rivals in the court and the harem, and to seize absolute power.
When faced with a choice between the empire and a beloved woman, over 99.999% of emperors would choose the empire.
Because choosing a beloved woman and losing the empire could lead to being feared by the new emperor, jeopardizing one's life.
Choosing the empire, while losing a beloved woman, would allow one to gain countless other beauties.
Li Zhi was also an emperor who valued the empire more than beauty.
While Wu Meiniang was beautiful, she wasn't so captivating as to drive him to foolish acts.
The reason he chose Wu Meiniang as his empress was not primarily her beauty; emperors had three thousand concubines and were never short of beautiful women.
What mattered more was her intelligence, her capability, and her lack of a powerful family background to rely upon.