As the officials and common people of Xi'an stared at the Divine Mirror, an unspoken awe settled deep in their hearts.
This Immortal Treasure Mirror could clearly reveal events from the past.
If it could show the past… then surely it could glimpse the future as well.
The methods of immortals were truly vast and unfathomable—utterly beyond mortal understanding.
Just as these thoughts stirred through the crowd, the screen darkened. A moment later, it lit up again, and Gao Yiye appeared once more.
She smiled gently and spoke in a clear, steady voice:
"After seeing what was shown just now, everyone should now understand the purpose of this Immortal Treasure Mirror."
"From today onward, every evening after dinner, anyone with free time may come to the marketplace to watch the news broadcast. Through this mirror, you will see all kinds of interesting happenings from the past few days."
Her tone remained calm and pleasant as she continued.
"Besides news, the Divine Mirror will also broadcast agricultural cultivation techniques, blacksmithing and forging skills, as well as various educational programs—language lessons, mathematics, and legal education taught by Shi Kefa. These programs will be aired in rotation."
"Legal education… taught by Shi Kefa?"
Lian Guoshi turned his head slowly, staring at Shi Kefa with an expression full of disbelief.
Shi Kefa immediately straightened his back, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Your humble subordinate has long been aware of this arrangement," he said proudly. "I have even personally participated in the filming of several segments, with the goal of promoting and popularizing the Great Ming Code."
Lian Guoshi let out a low grunt, not sure whether to praise him or feel a headache coming on.
Gao Yiye smiled again.
"Please remember: starting tomorrow, the news broadcast will officially begin every evening after dinner."
"As for today, we will not air the news just yet. Instead, let us present some song and dance performances for everyone."
"These performances are provided by the Flower World Star Agency of Puzhou. Under normal circumstances, one would need to purchase tickets to watch them. However, today, for the next two hours, they will be broadcast free of charge, on a continuous loop."
The moment she finished speaking, the screen brightened.
A young woman stepped onto the stage.
She was Miss Cai Lin—radiant, graceful, impossibly beautiful. Dressed in flowing garments with cloud-like sleeves, she stood beneath the lights like a celestial maiden descending into the mortal world.
As the music began, she sang Brocade Carp Scroll.
"Distant scenes…
Like endless fine rain falling through time…"
The entire marketplace gasped.
In an instant, the whole city of Xi'an exploded with excitement.
Cheers, exclamations, and excited chatter erupted everywhere.
Among them all, Zhu Cunji was the most animated.
His eyes sparkled as countless graceful dancers filled the screen. Their movements were soft yet captivating, elegant yet seductive. As the atmosphere heated up, Zhu Cunji could no longer restrain himself.
He began twisting his waist and waving his arms awkwardly, trying to imitate the dancers' movements.
Beside him, the Princess Consort, along with the secondary consorts and concubines, all rolled their eyes in perfect unison.
Damn it!
The moment he sees beautiful women, his legs turn to jelly!
What kind of useless, foolish husband did we marry?
Not far away, a group of officials quietly gathered around Lian Guoshi.
"Governor, shouldn't this matter be reported to the capital?"
"This should count as a heaven-sent auspicious sign, shouldn't it?"
"If His Majesty were to see this, he would surely be pleased."
"Enough!" Lian Guoshi raised his hand sharply, cutting them off.
"Are all of you so comfortable in your official positions that you're looking for trouble?"
He glanced at them coldly.
"The current Emperor despises talk of divine revelations and strange phenomena. Have you already forgotten how Wang Shunxing was dismissed from office?"
The officials instantly fell silent, cold sweat breaking out on their backs.
Lian Guoshi concluded calmly, "As for this Immortal Treasure Mirror, everyone may watch it, enjoy it, and then let it be."
"Do not go stirring up trouble where there is none."
While the entire city of Xi'an was buzzing with excitement—
Far away, Li Daoxuan sat in front of his computer.
He was uploading video files to his old classmate, known online as Queen of a Thousand Faces M.
"Alright, old friend," Li Daoxuan said casually. "Here are some clips from the new film—A Soldier of the Daling River Border Army. I'll leave the editing and production to you."
"This time, your skills will really be put to the test."
Queen of a Thousand Faces M opened one of the videos at random.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Holy—!"
She sucked in a sharp breath. "You… you… how much money did you spend filming this segment?!"
What she was watching was a scene of Qing soldiers attacking Daling River City.
The Qing forces were played by Zao Ying's cavalry battalion and the Gao Family Village militia. The defending army was portrayed by Lao Nanfeng's Guyuan Border Army. Half of Han City's population had been mobilized as extras.
This wasn't acting.
This was practically a full-scale military exercise.
In truth, this massive drill involving soldiers and civilians alike was also preparation for real future combat.
The battle scenes were so lively, brutal, and authentic that no modern director could ever hope to replicate them.
After all, no one in later generations had ever witnessed a real Ming Dynasty war.
But for Lao Nanfeng and the Guyuan Border Army, this knowledge was engraved into their bones. Did they need to act?
Queen of a Thousand Faces M exclaimed, "How many extras did you even hire for this?!"
Li Daoxuan replied lightly, "Not that many. Just one hundred yuan per person per day. Nothing too serious."
Cold sweat streamed down her back.
"One hundred yuan per person per day…" she muttered. "Ten thousand people would already be a million yuan per day!"
Li Daoxuan laughed. "Didn't our last movie earn a few million? I figured using that money to hire some extras for a day wouldn't be a big deal."
She asked weakly, "Then… where did you even find a city like this?"
"I spent a bit of money and rented Jiangjin Baisha Film and Television City in Shuangqing."
"Oh…" she murmured. "So that's how it is."
She shook her head in disbelief.
"You really spend money like water. By this logic, if the film doesn't earn back a few million, it won't even break even."
Li Daoxuan grinned. "Exactly. That's why I'm leaving it all in your hands."
Queen of a Thousand Faces M slapped her chest confidently.
"Leave it to me. With footage like this, if I still can't make a profit, I might as well jump into a river."
"Oh, right," Li Daoxuan added. "I need two versions."
"Two?"
"Yes. One short-drama version—each episode just over a minute. The other a full-length movie, about an hour and a half."
She waved her hand dismissively. "That's nothing. Your battle scenes are already perfect. I'll just add sound effects, transitions, smoke, and a bit of fast and slow motion."
"It won't take long. I'll have it ready in a few days."
"In that case," Li Daoxuan said, "send me the movie version first. I'll keep it for my collection. As for the short-drama version, I'll leave promotion and distribution to you."
A few days later…
Outside the Puzhou Grand Theater, crowds surged endlessly.
After being deeply moved by Mu Guiying, the people of Puzhou heard that a new film—A Soldier of the Daling River Border Army—was being released.
They immediately brought their children and rushed to the theater.
Tickets sold out three days in advance.
Yet wealthy households that failed to secure tickets still sent their retainers to the theater entrance, shouting loudly:
"High price for movie tickets! High price! My master will pay double!"
"Double plus ten percent!"
"Double plus thirty percent!"
"My master will pay four times the original price!"
"Damn it," someone cursed. "Is your master flipping the table now?!"
The bidding escalated rapidly.
The wealthy had entered a phase where they competed purely on who could throw more money around.
Meanwhile, ordinary people who had managed to buy tickets stared thoughtfully at the slips in their hands.
The movie isn't showing just once, they reasoned.
I can always watch it tomorrow… or the day after.
Why not sell this ticket for four times the price, then come back later to watch it?
A massive profit, just like that.