Chapter 00125: Judge Bao
# Judge Bao
Chapter 125
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 125: Judge Bao
Chen Qi sorted through the tasks at hand:
First, there was the script for the comic adaptation of Lushan Love.
That was the easiest and could be done in a day.
Then there was a TV drama script, followed by a new movie script, and finally, the follow-up tasks for Tai Chi.
He decided to tackle the TV drama first.
At this time, domestic TV dramas were limited in terms of themes.
Everyone was cautious, not knowing what might cross the line.
What was considered safe? Revolutionary themes were the safest, followed by adaptations of classic literature, then "scar literature" (reflecting on the Cultural Revolution), stories about ordinary urban life, and finally, historical dramas based on classical legends.
Chen Qi thought about the revolutionary theme but quickly dismissed it.
His mind was filled with classic dramas from the future, and those "revolutionary dramas" from his past life would be considered "counter-revolutionary" in this era.
After all, many of the old revolutionaries who had fought on the battlefield or engaged in espionage were still alive and held high positions.
If you portrayed Eighth Route Army officers as bandits, Kuomintang agents as noble and righteous, and Communist intelligence officers struggling with their humanity while falling in love during the revolution... well, you'd be asking for trouble!
Ideological liberation didn't happen overnight.
Times were different.
Classic literature adaptations were out of the question.
He didn't want to write about the scars of the past, and as for urban life dramas... wait, Chen Qi's eyes lit up.
What about Love in the Courtyard? Cast Zhu Lin as Qin Huairu, and the fanfiction from the future would explode!
Tsk tsk!
He suppressed his wild imagination and settled on the last option: classical legends.
Stories like The Legend of Yue Fei, The Generals of the Yang Family, The Generals of the Hu Family, and Judge Dee had been relatively early to be unbanned because they promoted loyalty to the country, integrity in governance, and the punishment of evil—all themes that were politically correct.
"What should I write?"
"He told me to write a third-tier script, so I'll write a third-tier script. But am I really that obedient?"
Chen Qi pondered for a while, and then inspiration struck like a burst dam.
He picked up his pen and started writing.
Judge Bao!
...
Chen Qi decided to write an episodic drama, with each major case forming a standalone unit.
Given the limited production conditions of the time, it was impractical to make a long series.
He planned to write six episodes, with the first case being the famous The Case of Chen Shimei.
This case had been widely circulated, but to make sure Wang Fulin would willingly pay for the script, Chen Qi added a few twists.
TV dramas of this era were different from those of the future.
They were more tightly packed and had a better sense of pacing.
When he was a kid, Journey to the West felt like it went on forever, but later he realized it was only 25 episodes.
For example, Episode 8, Three Trials on the Road, covered three major events: the battle with the Yellow Wind Demon, recruiting Sha Wujing, and the Bodhisattvas teasing Zhu Bajie...
Nowadays, that could easily be stretched into 20 episodes!
So, with six episodes of Judge Bao, Chen Qi could pack in a lot of content.
He wrote smoothly, completing one episode every three days.
In just over ten days, he was done.
When he contacted Wang Fulin, the director was shocked and rushed over to the guesthouse.
"Judge Bao?"
Wang Fulin glanced at the theme, neither approving nor disapproving.
Then he read the beginning: "Qin Xianglian?"
He frowned.
Was this kid trying to pass off a classical legend as original work to get paid? The story of Qin Xianglian and Chen Shimei had been sung in operas for ages.
Who didn't know it?
But he kept quiet and continued reading.
Qin Xianglian, with her two children, went to the capital to find her husband, Chen Shimei, who had become a royal son-in-law and refused to acknowledge them.
Hearing that Judge Bao was impartial and incorruptible, Qin Xianglian decided to sue Chen Shimei, listing his five major crimes.
Judge Bao confirmed her identity and stated that if the evidence was solid, Chen Shimei would be executed.
However, Qin Xianglian only wanted her husband back and didn't want him to die, so she withdrew her complaint and settled in a nearby town with her children.
Coincidentally, a strange case occurred in that town, which the Kaifeng Prefecture was investigating.
This case was borrowed by Chen Qi from Young Judge Bao, specifically the mystery of the mummified corpses in the Hidden Village—a childhood nightmare for many.
The gist of it was that six bodies were dismembered, and parts from each were used to create a seventh body, making it seem like seven people had died...
This technique was actually borrowed from the Japanese manga The Kindaichi Case Files.
Young Judge Bao had also plagiarized it.
Chen Qi adapted this plot as a subplot within the larger case to showcase Judge Bao's brilliance in solving crimes.
Otherwise, if he only executed Chen Shimei, it would merely show his integrity and fearlessness in the face of power, but not his wisdom.
Chen Qi only gave Wang Fulin the first three episodes.
Director Wang was just getting into the story, having reached the part where Judge Bao solved the mystery of the mummified corpses and was about to reveal the truth, when—bam!—it ended.
"Ah!"
The 49-year-old director felt like he was about to have a heart attack.
"What about the rest?" he asked urgently.
"That's it!"
"How can that be it?"
"The three episodes are all I've written. I stopped where it felt right."
"This... this won't do!"
Wang Fulin thought for a moment and then realized what was going on.
He sighed, "If the story is good, we can definitely negotiate. But you can't just leave it hanging! Show me the rest."
"..."
Chen Qi pouted and reluctantly handed over the next three episodes.
Wang Fulin felt like he was reading a web novel that had just reached a climax, only to be cut off, and then suddenly resumed.
He eagerly read on, curious to see how Judge Bao would solve the mystery of the six bodies turning into seven.
He couldn't help but slam the table in admiration.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
He kept pounding the table, praising, "I knew it was a good idea to work with young people. You're definitely different from us old folks. How did you come up with this?"
After solving the case, Chen Shimei sent assassins to kill Qin Xianglian in the town, but they were thwarted by Zhan Zhao, who brought her back to Kaifeng Prefecture.
Seeing how heartless her husband was—even willing to kill their children—Qin Xianglian decided to press charges again.
Then the princess stepped in, playing the role of the venomous second female lead.
But Chen Shimei was still brought to court.
The princess summoned the Empress Dowager, who personally spoke to Qin Xianglian.
Qin Xianglian had no choice but to relent.
However, the princess went too far by forbidding Qin Xianglian's children from taking the Chen surname.
This enraged Judge Bao, who insisted on executing Chen Shimei.
What was the climax of Judge Bao?
It was when all the powerful figures tried to stop him, and Judge Bao removed his official hat, drew the Imperial Sword, and roared, "Open—the—guillotine!"
"Bravo!"
Wang Fulin jumped up, thoroughly enjoying the scene.
But after the excitement, he hesitated.
"Xiao Chen, isn't this approach a bit too... entertaining?"
"If you were to film Judge Bao yourselves, how would you do it?"
"Of course, we'd gather historical materials and try to be as realistic as possible. There are many historical records about Judge Bao."
"If you're going for historical accuracy, then I have nothing to say. But if you're basing it on The Cases of Judge Bao or The Three Heroes and Five Gallants, those are essentially popular fiction—entertainment novels. You're adapting entertainment novels but aiming for realism? Isn't that contradictory?"
Chen Qi paused, then said, "I think realism can be reflected in costumes, props, and settings. There's no need to force it into the theme. After all, it's a popular work."
"..."
Wang Fulin pondered for a moment.
"I'll take this script. Whether we film it or not, we'll take it. I'll discuss it with the studio and let you know once we've made a decision."
"That works."
After seeing Wang Fulin off, Chen Qi stretched lazily.
Six hundred yuan in the bag!
At this time, TV dramas didn't have much influence.
The Golden Eagle Awards hadn't even been established yet; there was only the Flying Apsaras Awards.
It wasn't until the mid-1980s that TV dramas began to gain momentum, and by the early 1990s, they were wildly popular across the country, as more households had TVs.
Meanwhile, the film industry was declining, and movie stars began to lose ground to TV stars.
And then came the era of the coal tycoons...
Chen Qi wasn't too concerned about TV dramas at this stage.
He was just earning some script fees.
He didn't want Gong Xue to act in them either—it would be beneath her status.
"Actresses like He Qing, Tao Huimin, and He Saifei could give it a try. And Gong Xue's younger sister, Gong Ying—she became an actress later too..."
Chen Qi rubbed his chin, then suddenly frowned.
"Damn, her sister is probably older than me!"
(End of Chapter)