The first half of Episode 6 of 'An Ancient Love Song' was, strictly speaking, a direct homage to the "Empty Fort Strategy" from 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', combining it with a fake Zhuge Liang (played by a disguised Lu Shi) scaring off a real Zhongda (the Northern Lie Kingdom Army), successfully driving back the enemy.
After all, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is a timeless classic and isn't under copyright. For a web drama like 'An Ancient Love Song', the screenwriter could just borrow such plotlines freely—no one could really say anything.
In his past life, Su Yan had found this part a bit amusing when he watched it.
But for viewers in the Xia Nation, this episode had them cheering with excitement the night it aired.
How could retreating the enemy be this clever?
Since the Xia Nation didn't have 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', tactics like the "Empty Fort Strategy" and impersonation were considered original and ingenious.
The late-night audience was completely captivated. They quickly grew attached to the male lead Shen Buyan and his characterization as a polymath.
However, the second half of Episode 6 shifted into court politics.
After revealing her identity as empress, Lu Yuan took over command of Lu Shi's army. Li Yong, having embedded spies in the military, staged an assassination of Lu Shi to seize military control. But with Lu Yuan's intervention, his plan was thwarted—of course, he was furious.
Yet Lu Yuan had no desire to get entangled in a power struggle with Prime Minister Li Yong that would only benefit enemy nations.
For the future of the Sheng Kingdom, she chose to set aside her deep hatred for Li Yong and avoid sparking a civil war under the banner of the empress.
But by the episode's end, Yi hua, consumed with hatred over Lu Shi's death, attempted to assassinate Li Yong right in front of him.
Sensing something was off, Shen Buyan swiftly grabbed Yi hua's weapon and, acting on instinct, stabbed Li Yong in the shoulder.
He didn't want to see Yi hua executed for attacking the prime minister.
Nor did he want Lu Yuan implicated because of her maidservant's actions.
But after stabbing Li Yong, Shen Buyan was immediately killed by the guards and collapsed into Lu Yuan's arms.
History had come full circle.
He spoke the same line Lu Yuan, at 36, had whispered when she died in his arms in Episode 1:
"We will meet again."
The "next time" 36-year-old Lu Yuan referred to was for Shen Buyan to meet her 26-year-old self.
Now, Shen Buyan's "next time" referred to that very first meeting with 36-year-old Lu Yuan in Episode 1.
Thus, the male lead Shen Buyan's second time-travel journey came to an end.
The emotional ending once again left viewers in tears.
That night, Su Yan's system registered a flood of emotional value.
After Episode 6 aired, the discussion around 'An Ancient Love Song' surged across SakuraNet, far surpassing previous weeks.
The show had accumulated a solid viewer base.
A drama ranked 16th in seasonal viewership wasn't going to stay under the radar forever.
["It's been a long time since I've seen such an amazing war scene. Is something like the Empty Fort Strategy really feasible?"]
["There's no such tactic in real history, but damn, it was satisfying to watch!"]
["Honestly, this kind of strategy only works on smart people. It doesn't work on idiots."]
["As long as it's fun to watch, who cares? Don't think too much about it."]
["Fair enough. But wait—did Li Yong actually die at the end?"]
["If Li Yong really died, wouldn't Lu Yuan's fate completely change?"]
["They already failed to stop Lu Yuan from becoming empress and couldn't prevent Lu Shi's death. Is Li Yong really going to die that easily?"]
["Shen Buyan was still too weak. From that distance, if he used Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū like Kenshin, Li Yong's head would've been gone."]
["Stop crossing shows—these are two completely different dramas, okay?"]
["I feel terrible right now…"]
["From Shen Buyan's perspective, every failure just sends him back to the modern era, then he returns to the past again. His encounters with Lu Yuan are continuous—just shifting from her at 36 to her at 26. But what about Lu Yuan? She has to wait ten whole years just to see him again. I never rewatch dramas, but I went back to Episode 1 last night and cried myself to death."]
["Exactly. In Episode 1, Lu Yuan waited ten years for Shen Buyan, only to meet a version of him who didn't recognize her at all. He didn't know about the battle at Huofeng Fortress. He didn't know about their promise to live together by Nanmeng Lake after the world was at peace. Her joy turned into confusion. And the first thing he did was hold a blade to her neck and accuse her, calling her 'Demon Empress Lu Yuan.'"]
["Stop, I don't even dare to rewatch Episode 1. The more I think about what Shen Buyan did back then, the more I feel like he was such a clueless jerk—he knew nothing and still spoke so harshly."]
["So after Episode 6, 26-year-old Lu Yuan endures the pain of losing her brother, clinging to the hope that she can see Shen Buyan again when she's 36. For the sake of the Sheng Kingdom not falling apart, she governs together with her enemy, Li Yong. She waits ten years, spends just an hour or two with Shen Buyan during the Shangsi Festival in Episode 1… and then dies saving him?"]
["No wonder Li Yong planned to defect and betray the country in Episode 1. He must've known Lu Yuan would eventually settle accounts with him. She's the legitimate empress, and her adopted son Chu Tongshang is the only remaining royal bloodline. Once he grows up, with Lu Yuan supporting him, Li Yong getting purged was basically guaranteed."]
With the show trending in real life and online, even within Sakura TV, 'An Ancient Love Song' had become a sensation.
Su Yan, the screenwriter behind the series, had also written last quarter's highest-rated web drama, 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
Now, in the current season, 'An Ancient Love Song' has earned the highest audience rating among all newly aired series.
Even though most networks were airing mediocre content this season, the success of 'An Ancient Love Song' was still astounding.
Early in the morning, Kiyota Sanji couldn't sleep. He stared at himself in the mirror—hollow-eyed and exhausted.
He was anxiously waiting for updates from the TV station's internal staff.
Eventually, the latest ratings came in.
Kiyota Sanji stared blankly at his phone.
What had just happened?
He began to doubt himself.
The decline in 'Pure Breeze''s reputation? He owned that—it was the result of his foolishly altering the script.
But 'Night Sakura'?
This time, he hadn't interfered at all. He followed his uncle's (Akasaka Yoshitoki) plan to the letter.
So why was 'Night Sakura' stuck at 3.1%, while 'An Ancient Love Song' had risen from a 1.38% premiere to a 2.65% rating by Episode 6?
That's right—Episode 6's viewership had climbed again.
Now, it was less than 0.5% behind the highly anticipated 'Night Sakura'.
In the entire autumn TV drama lineup of the Xia Nation, most shows were underperforming.
Except for 'An Ancient Love Song'.
A total dark horse.
So what if it wasn't in the top ten yet?
Audiences, media, and critics weren't brainless. They judged a show not just by ratings but by production quality, marketing strategy, and airing slot.
For 'An Ancient Love Song' to debut in that time slot with minimal promotion and rely solely on word-of-mouth to build a fanbase—that was no small feat.
Which drama this season could do the same under those conditions?
Even 'The Painted One', the current #1 with a 4.07% rating, might not break 2.65% if it aired in the Sunday midnight slot.
Now, one thought was swirling through Kiyota Sanji's mind:
Would the upper management at the TV station see Su Yan's potential and begin supporting him next season?
If so...
Would that make him, Kiyota Sanji, the one who lost the competition?
Even with the backing of his uncle, Akasaka Yoshitoki, he couldn't suppress Su Yan.
The idea made Kiyota Sanji feel as if he'd swallowed ten rats—utterly disgusted and defeated.
Unacceptable.
He clenched his fists.
"The season isn't over yet. Su Yan's a rookie. He's bound to make the typical mistakes eventually. The show will peak early and then collapse." Kiyota Sanji took a deep breath.
It's easy to impress people in the beginning—just throw out a flashy concept.
Who's to say Su Yan won't mess up later in the series?
Back on set, when the team received confirmation that Episode 6 had reached a 2.65% rating, the whole production crew erupted in celebration.
Among them, Ji Jingguo (who played Li Yong) and Xia Yifeng (who played Lu Shi) cheered the loudest.
Even the crew members working behind the scenes were visibly excited.
No one wants to be a background character forever.
The better 'An Ancient Love Song' is performed, the better their leverage when negotiating future projects and salaries.
"Su Yan-sensei is a genius!"
"Producer Shinozaki is a genius!"
"We're all geniuses!"
Most of the show's budget had been invested in visual quality. Even Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan, the leads, received relatively low pay, instead relying on post-release profit-sharing.
The rest of the cast were lesser-known but seasoned actors with years of experience.
They didn't care about money—they just wanted a chance.
And 'An Ancient Love Song' gave them that chance.
Ordinarily, a drama with over 2.6% ratings wouldn't have cast them in major supporting roles.
Ji Jingguo and Xia Yifeng looked at Su Yan like he was their lucky star.
"Alright, alright, don't overdo it," Su Yan said as the screenwriter, handing out a few hopeful promises. "You two still have highlight scenes coming up. After this drama, you're both going to make it big."
Nearby, Shinozaki Ikumi, Shi Peihua, and Gu Qingyuan took in the joyful atmosphere on set.
It all felt a little surreal.
But just as Su Yan composed himself to shoot the day's scenes—
His phone rang.
"Hello? Is this Su Yan?"
A familiar voice came through.
"Sensei, how do you have time to call?" Su Yan laughed.
It was Sawai Teruhiro, the mentor of the original body's screenwriting department, before Su Yan had time-traveled.
When Su Yan submitted the script for 'Rurouni Kenshin', it was Teruhiro who helped him bypass formalities and get it into the hands of the review team, making the production meeting just in time.
Su Yan had been busy filming lately, so he hadn't seen his mentor in months.
"Didn't want to disturb you... But someone asked me to pass along a message." Teruhiro paused.
"The Assistant Director of the Production Department, Akasaka Yoshitoki, wants to meet you. He asked me to help arrange a time..."