Wang Jianzhong stared at Jiang Ling for a good while before clapping his hands heavily. "Excellent!"
At his clap, the others also chimed in with applause.
Wang Jianzhong looked at Jiang Ling with a smile, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise and admiration. "Your performance was superb, even better than what was written in the script. Zhao Hede is your role, no doubt. I believe with your brilliant portrayal, Zhao Hede will undoubtedly become the most outstanding character in this drama."
Jiang Ling remained composed, smiling gently. "Thank you, Director Wang. I will certainly pour my heart into portraying this role well."
Wang Jianzhong nodded and turned to instruct his assistant to fetch the contract.
Thus, Jiang Ling successfully secured her second classic role after transmigration.
After signing the contract, Jiang Ling did not look for a hotel elsewhere and instead checked into the suite arranged by the crew.
That evening, Director Wang invited all the main and supporting cast members to dinner, an occasion for everyone to get acquainted.
Full and satisfied, Jiang Ling returned to her room, took a bath, and then sprawled on the bed, poring over the script.
As she read through the entire script from beginning to end, Jiang Ling's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
From her professional perspective, this drama…
How to put it?
The story structure, plot logic, and character development were all fine. It was above average in quality.
This drama, with only thirty-three episodes, was incredibly fast-paced compared to the current trend of seven or eighty-episode dramas that were often padded.
The problem was, the female lead's character was not likable. Her storyline was too frustrating, too convoluted.
She recalled a chat with her best friend one idle day in her previous life. Her friend had asked why "Vermilion Mercury Chronicle" was not as good as "Pure Yuan Musk Chronicle," even though they were both by the same author.
She had replied to her friend, saying, "The actors in both dramas were very skilled, their abilities were unquestionable. The huge difference in quality was because Zhen Huan was a 'cool text' protagonist, leveling up and defeating enemies all the way, transforming from an insignificant concubine to Empress Dowager. The more you watched, the more satisfying it became, the more engaging it was. In contrast, the other female lead, Ru Yi, started at her peak. She went from youthful deep love to marital apathy, and the more you watched, the more sorrowful it became, the more frustrating it was. Many viewers abandoned the show before reaching the finale."
From the reviews of these two dramas, it was clear that current audiences preferred sweetness over angst, and satisfaction over tragedy.
A drama that was frustrating from beginning to end was bound to receive poor reviews.
In fact, it wasn't just these two dramas; there was also "My Fair Princess."
The ratings for "My Fair Princess" 1 and 2 were extremely high, and the reviews were excellent. However, "My Fair Princess" 3 was met with a flood of complaints, and its ratings declined steadily.
This wasn't solely due to the change in actors in "My Fair Princess" 3, but more importantly, because the story's core theme was different.
"My Fair Princess" 1 and 2 were about love, passionate and grand, with vows of eternal devotion. "You are the wind, I am the sand," a love that lingered till the end of the world – how exciting, how passionate!
"My Fair Princess" 3, however, was about marriage. Shedding the romance and passion of the early days, what awaited was the mundane reality of daily life, trivial matters, and endless streams of bothersome troubles, which made viewers exasperated.
The female protagonist of "The Virtuous Empress," was a saintly figure, a perpetual silent sufferer. When her own son and grandson were schemed against and killed by her love rival, she still didn't retaliate. It was enough to drive anyone mad.
Jiang Ling had been furious when she watched this drama back then.
Fortunately, the role she was playing this time, Zhao Hede, was a seductive, wicked woman.
Except for her suicide by drowning at the very end, which was a bit disheartening, all the scenes of her charming the emperor and causing chaos in the harem were incredibly satisfying.