Chapter 56 Even withered trees can bloom again. "You two are playing pretty big games."

"Stop trying to shirk responsibility." Qin Lan found her increasingly manipulative. "I think you're deliberately trying to pick a fight with me. Let me tell you, I'm upright and honest. Let's see who can..."

Her voice gradually faded, finally disappearing at the end of the corridor. Yun Chui covered her mouth with one hand and dragged her out with the other, only returning half an hour later: "A-Lan has a bad temper, please bear with her."

Jiang Yan sat dejectedly in her chair: "I think I've messed everything up..."

Yun Chui tried to comfort her, but Jiang Yan was quite devastated and remained listless for several days.

Just when I had finally managed to pull myself together, another bolt from the blue struck.

Yun Chui said gravely, "Wei Mengli from Class Six has been pursuing A Lan recently."

Jiang Yan turned her head, noticing something from Yun Chui's deliberate reminder: "Didn't Qin Lan reject her?"

“He refused, but Wei Mengli was very aggressive. The two of them had a good relationship before, and Alan is not as fierce to girls as he is to boys.”

That very night, Jiang Yan sneaked into the library and observed them from behind all night. Qin Lan and Yang Xingji were studying together, while Wei Mengli sat diagonally opposite them. When she saw that the water was empty, she would go and get some. When she felt that Qin Lan was hot, she would hand her a small fan, acting as naturally as a good friend.

Qin Lan didn't kick her out in public, which made Jiang Yan so jealous that she started searching for clips of the two of them.

They had worked together on a drama before, and there were quite a few fans who shipped them as a couple.

Jiang Yan left the library through gritted teeth and lay awake all night in her dorm room until dawn. That night, she thought of many dark and twisted things. Jealousy drove her to do anything, and she vowed to break up the Qin-Wei couple.

Qin Lan was already getting annoyed with her, so Jiang Yan started targeting Wei Mengli, becoming her devoted best friend.

In less than two days, Wei Mengli confessed everything and began to pour out her grievances, "Why is Sister Qin so hard to win over? I've done everything I can, but she still won't agree."

Jiang Yan began to gently persuade her: "Perhaps it's because Qin has too many suitors that it's difficult for you, Mengli, to win her over."

"Then what should I do?" Wei Mengli said dejectedly, "My family background is not as good as Sister Qin's. In terms of family background, who is worthy of Sister Qin?"

"Mengli, don't be too discouraged. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Our Mengli is so pretty and lovely, she deserves better."

Wei Mengli was still very unhappy: "I'm a girl too, why doesn't anyone send me flowers..."

Jiang Yan's eyes lit up, but she remained outwardly calm while secretly delighted.

The next time they met, she gave Wei Mengli a bouquet of flowers.

Wei Mengli blushed as she took it, then couldn't help but cling to her arm and shake it back and forth: "Yanyan, you're so kind. I didn't expect you to remember what I said so casually..."

Then she muttered to herself, "Love and not love are really obvious..."

Jiang Yan nodded in her heart and began to plan the end.

She spent the whole day with Wei Mengli, the two strolling around the school. They started by talking about Qin Lan, but later Wei Mengli's talkative nature got the better of her, and they began chatting about everything under the sun. Jiang Yan responded with a warm smile, not letting a single word slip by. However, Wei Mengli was still thinking about Qin Lan and kept sending her messages.

Jiang Yan narrowed her eyes and walked over casually: "Are you texting Qin?"

"Hmm, I'll ask if I can have dinner with her."

Wei Mengli looked down at her phone, her tone sounding very uncertain compared to her previous confidence.

A minute later, she cried out in disappointment, "She rejected me again!"

How could this happen?

Jiang Yan walked over and put her hand on Wei Mengli's shoulder at the right moment. Wei Mengli suddenly threw herself into her arms and cried very sadly.

She sat on a lakeside bench and coaxed Wei Mengli for an entire afternoon, until a sudden summer rainstorm dampened the calm lake surface.

"Yanyan, let's go back to my dorm and hide there for a bit! It's close by!"

Jiang Yan was afraid that she wouldn't be able to come back if she went, so she refused her: "Hmm... it's not appropriate, I'm afraid it wouldn't be good if Qin found out."

As a result, the person in question was immediately exposed. Jiang Yan turned around in alarm, and Qin Lan walked over with a glamorous and aloof air, wearing sky-high heels. She gave them both a good scolding, and her aura almost drove Jiang Yan to jump into the lake.

Unfortunately, when she was about to leave, her heel got stuck in the boardwalk, which made Jiang Yan want to laugh.

Jiang Yan saw that she was all wet, so she quickly squatted down to help her, but accidentally got kicked in the chest.

Half an hour later, she dragged her wet footprints back to her dormitory. As soon as she opened the door, the warm yellow light of the dormitory lamp comforted her heart, which was on the verge of tears.

Yun Chui was sitting at the table watching a dance video.

"How did you get so soaked!"

She walked over quickly and handed Jiang Yan a towel: "Go take a shower."

Jiang Yan moved her lips and walked into the bathroom: "Good news, Wei Mengli will stop pursuing her."

Yun Chui leaned against the outside with his arms crossed: "Judging from your expression, there's more bad news."

Jiang Yan's voice was mixed with the muffled sound of water: "Yes, Qin Lan caught us in the act."

Yun Chui gasped, "Hiss, that's terrible."

“And it got worse,” Jiang Yan said sullenly. “We were soaked to the bone, standing facing each other in the rain, and then her heel got stuck in the boardwalk. I was helping her get it out, and in the struggle, she accidentally kicked me.”

Yun Chui thought she had been kicked by a high heel and was a little nervous: "Where did you get kicked? Are you hurt?"

The water flowed for two seconds: "Chest."

Yun Chui walked away in silence.

"You two are really going all out."

After five or six minutes, she suddenly sighed.

Jiang Yan: "..."

"What was her reaction?" Yun Chui asked curiously again.

"Go ask her," Jiang Yan replied with a blank expression.

＊

The production team included two grand wedding scenes. The first was Princess Taiping's first marriage, and the second was Princess Anle's second marriage. Both princesses were incredibly glamorous and pampered. However, compared to the first, Princess Anle's wedding was far more extravagant, bordering on outrageous.

The procession was of the size of an empress's, guarded by the emperor's imperial guards, and led by scholars from the Hongwen Academy. Furthermore, Prince Anguo, Li Dan, was also present as an escort. All that was missing was Emperor Zhongzong, Li Xian, personally leading the horse.

Yu Jintang was so busy that she was practically running around on her feet, shouting into the walkie-talkie, "...Are the bride and groom ready?!"

Two seconds later, Xiahou Cheng's lazy voice came out: "The bride is here. What are your instructions, Director?"

"Go have fun." Yu Jintang's expression changed in an instant: "Where's the groom? Has he arrived yet?"

The actor playing Wu Yanxiu hurriedly said, "I've arrived, Director."

"The director is so fierce."

Xiahou Cheng appeared behind her without her noticing, and what was even more infuriating was that she was still holding her bottle of Xue Liu amidst the chaos of war.

"What are you doing here?" Yu Jintang was so startled that she took two steps back, and when no one was paying attention, she grabbed the prop apple and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Wait for it to bloom." Xiahou Cheng held up the bottle in her hand. "This was grown with Teacher Yu's tears."

Yu Jintang recalled her criteria for classifying different titles and remained silent for a moment: "Everyone is busy, can't you be a little more observant?"

"Refuse to work overtime."

Xiahou Cheng smiled with narrowed eyes, swaying her hips as she walked out, still wearing her gorgeous wedding dress.

She stopped at the door, took out a phone stand from behind her back, and started recording a video: "This is the second marriage of Princess Anle of the Tang Dynasty. I am the princess herself, the bride today."

Li Dan appears in the picture.

Xiahou Cheng moved the camera to introduce: "This is my uncle Li Dan, a man who doesn't want to be emperor but is always forced to. He will be leading my horse in a moment."

The actor playing Li Dan turned around upon hearing the sound and made a face at the camera.

“This is my mother, Empress Wei, who questioned her mother-in-law, hated her mother-in-law, understood her mother-in-law, and became her mother-in-law.” She framed Liu Lü in the frame: “Mother, may I ask what your life’s ideal is?”

Liu Lü smiled ruthlessly: "I will definitely become the second Wu Zetian!"

Xiahou Cheng looked around frantically: "Where is my groom? Oh dear, he's gone! You dare to openly elope! Today, I'll marry anyone who dares to marry me! Is anyone trying to steal the bride? Ouch—"

She was instantly overwhelmed by a crowd: "Teacher Xiahou, I want to marry you!"

The crowd punched and kicked, shouting, "Teacher Xiahou is mine!"

"Get out of my way! I was here first!"

How much property will Teacher Xiahou get if he marries into your family?

"Teacher Xiahou, I don't want any money, I just want you to be happy!"

Yu Jintang took a deep breath: "Stop it, all of you!"

Xiahou Cheng raised the camera high and pointed it at her: "She's beautiful, I'll marry her!"

Carrying her wedding attire, complete with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, she walked gracefully towards Yu Jintang: "Director Yu, will you marry me?"

Director Yu was so frightened that he turned around and left, clutching his heart as he went.

Give up, why are you beating so fast?

The day after the wedding, Li Xian and Empress Wei held a grand banquet for their officials. Everyone showered them with compliments, and even Princess Taiping stood up and danced to entertain them.

Princess Anle was extremely pleased. She never expected that her proud aunt would lower her head so readily, even though she had been wary of her for so long.

After the scene was finally filmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The assistant director even said that he never wanted to film a period wedding scene again in his life.

"What a waste of money! It's such a waste of money!" She stared blankly at the workers who were dismantling the wedding cars. "What a bunch of spendthrifts!"

"Don't be too possessive of other people's money." Yu Jintang said as she passed by, "Go have some fun."

She walked over to Qin and Jiang, and Xiahou Cheng was also sitting there.

Yu Jintang plopped down opposite Qin Lan and said wearily, "I'm so tired."

"It's almost over," Qin Lan said kindly. "It should be finished filming in about two more months."

Yu Jintang rolled her eyes.

"Where did you guys go yesterday?"

She glanced at Jiang Yan with her eyes half-closed, then sat up abruptly: "Damn it, Qin, you bastard! You hit me so hard!"

Jiang Yan's exposed arm was covered in bruises.

Qin Lan: "Wait, I didn't do this."

Xiahou Cheng: "Who did that???"

Jiang Yan: "You've misunderstood. I'm just learning self-defense techniques."

"Oh." Xiahou Cheng lay back down.

"Oh." Yu Jintang lay back down in unison.

Qin Lan: "It wasn't just the two of you..."

Yu Jintang: "Don't follow my example."

Xiahou Cheng: "A rebound."

Yu Jintang: "? Oh my god!"

Xiahou Cheng: "A rebound."

Yu Jintang: "Someone kill her."

Xiahou Cheng: "If it's Teacher Tangtang, I'm willing."

Qin Lan pulled Jiang Yan up: "Alright, let's go."

Jiang Yan nodded: "Teacher Qin, I want to eat ice cream."

Qin Lan: "Ask your agent."

Jiang Yan: "But I just want to ask you."

Yu Jintang: "How dare those two talk about other people?"

Xiahou Cheng sat up: "Does Teacher Tangtang mean she's admitting our relationship?"

Yu Jintang: "You're dreaming."

She shouted, "Anyone want to go drinking with me?!"

Qin Lan: "Do you want to go?"

Jiang Yan: "I'm too tired, let's go back and rest. Isn't Teacher Yu tired? How come she still has the energy to go out?"

Yu Jintang: "It's precisely because we're tired that we need to drink to relieve our fatigue. You non-drinkers wouldn't understand."

Jiang Yan: "I'm not going."

Qin Lan: "I'm not going either."

Xiahou Cheng: "Teacher Tangtang, I'm willing."

Yu Jintang asked disappointedly, "Does anyone want to drink?"

The assistant director who was passing by gave her a disdainful look: "You should save your money."

Liu Lü also passed by, and Yu Jintang called out to her expectantly, "Teacher Liu..."

Liu Lü waved her hand: "I can't do it anymore, I'm getting old, I need to go get a massage."

He left after saying that.

Xiahou Cheng: "Teacher Tangtang, I—"

Yu Jintang: "Is there not even one person willing to drink with me?"

Everyone else had left, and only the staff were still dismantling the set. Xiahou Cheng smiled, her eyes narrowed, and said, "Teacher Tangtang, now it's just me left."

"No matter how you try to shake me off, I can't get rid of you?" Yu Jintang said harshly, "I remember I explicitly rejected you."

Xiahou Cheng's expression didn't even change: "This is the confidence of the rightful wife. I firmly believe that I am Teacher Yu's destiny."

Yu Jintang felt a chill run down her spine. How could such a fierce sentence make Xiahou Cheng so adorable?

There's something strange about this person.

She and Xiahou Cheng looked at each other for a moment, then she asked out of the blue, "How's that tree branch you're growing?"

"It's blooming." Xiahou Cheng took out her phone and showed her a picture she had taken two hours earlier: "Look, it's budding."

Yu Jintang remained silent for a while, thinking that even withered trees can come back to life, so perhaps she should give herself a chance too.

"Open Sesame".

Xiahou Cheng sped off and darted to the front of her car, stopping abruptly. The driver got out and opened the door for her. Teacher Xiahou scrambled inside, nestled in the back seat, and held her phone horizontally, letting out a Timi-like voice that pierced the air: "Teacher Tangtang, who do you want to play with?"

"Teacher Tangtang wants to play Guan Yu, what about Teacher Chengcheng?"

"Teacher Chengcheng wants to play Sima Yi."

The two exchanged a glance and then let out a sinister laugh. Yu Jintang's smile suddenly changed, and he roared, "I'll kill them!"

Xiahou Cheng: "I'll ambush them!"

＊

In the fourth year of the Jinglong era, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, died suddenly.

For this part, Yu Jintang was still debating with the screenwriter until the day before filming began.

The cause of Emperor Zhongzong's death has been the subject of much debate throughout history. The mainstream theory is poisoning, with the *Zizhi Tongjian* stating that Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly after eating a poisoned cake made by Empress Wei and Princess Anle. However, Song dynasty historians generally disliked the idea of ​​a hen crowing at dawn, making this theory less credible than that found in the *Old Book of Tang*. Among Tang dynasty historical records, the *Old Book of Tang* seems to imply that Empress Wei and Princess Anle were the poisoners, but it doesn't mention this in Princess Anle's separate biography. The *Epitaph of Princess Anle*, however, states that the poisoner was her husband.

Due to various doubts, a new theory has been proposed in recent years regarding the cause of Emperor Zhongzong's death: the "stroke theory." It appears that the Li Tang imperial family suffered from a hereditary disease called "wind disease," which is essentially a cardiovascular disease. Emperors Li Yuan, Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun, and Li Zhi all suffered from this ailment. If Li Xian died suddenly from a hereditary disease, it would be medically plausible.

Yu Jintang persisted in his opinion, after all, even the Book of Tang did not directly identify Empress Wei and Empress Anle as the murderers. Moreover, the two were buried with proper rites after their deaths, and if they were truly the murderers, their corpses would certainly have been severely desecrated.

The screenwriter, unable to withstand her persistence, stormed off in a huff, throwing down his script and declaring he would never work with the production team again. Yu Jintang, unfazed, dusted herself off, stood up, and waved her hand dismissively: "Alright, comrades, let's begin filming the scene of the emperor's sudden death!"

The assistant director was stunned: "What's the result of your discussion?"

Yu Jintang: "Just film it as if he died suddenly, since there's no evidence for either of those claims."

Assistant director: "You seem a bit casual, yet you also seem very serious. I can't quite tell which one is your true nature."

Yu Jintang: "My nature allows you to know so easily that I am not Yu Jintang."

She picked up the walkie-talkie: "Alright, all departments, get ready!"

Qin Lan slowly exhaled and walked into the palace.

Empress Wei sat at the far end of the dimly lit room, a single lamp flickering beside her hand.

"Your Majesty," Shangguan Wan'er bowed.

"Sit down," Empress Wei said kindly.

While pondering what Empress Wei was planning, Shangguan Wan'er sat down at a respectful distance and tidied her clothes.

After a moment's hesitation, Empress Wei chose to get straight to the point: "The Emperor has passed away."

Shangguan Wan'er is a smart woman, and she's willing to rely on me, so there's no need to beat around the bush with her. I think she'll understand what I mean.

Even though Wan'er was usually calm, she was shocked upon hearing this and stood there stunned.

Liu Lü wiped the corner of her eye at just the right moment.

Shangguan Wan'er was stunned for only a moment before quickly gathering her thoughts: "Was there any oral edict or will left behind?"

"His Majesty left in a hurry," Empress Wei said casually. "But he left behind an imperial edict."

Shangguan Wan'er straightened up.

Empress Wei stared at her without saying a word.

There was definitely no will left behind, but Shangguan Wan'er, you can just draft one, right?

After a long while, Wan'er's back slumped back down, and she whispered, "What are Your Majesty's instructions?"

Empress Wei's smug smile vanished in an instant.

She solemnly declared, "The fourth prince, Li Chongmao, is fit to succeed to the throne, with Empress Shuntian Yisheng assisting in governing."

Shortly after Empress Wei and Shangguan Wan'er met, Princess Taiping, who had received a secret letter, also rushed over and secretly met with Shangguan.

Without delay, the two immediately drafted the will. This will was quickly presented to the prime ministers, but it was rejected by Empress Wei's faction—because a crucial point was added: Prince Anguo, Li Dan, would participate in the decision-making of state affairs.

Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Taiping were both somewhat helpless. They had originally intended to use Li Dan to restrain Empress Wei's power, but unfortunately, the current situation was unfavorable. The prime ministerial staff had all fallen under the Wei family's control, and the entire court was filled with Empress Wei's influence, which seemed to be very powerful.

After resolving the controversy surrounding the imperial edict, Empress Wei immediately mobilized troops to the capital to appease the Li Tang dynasty. Only after completing a series of arrangements did she announce the emperor's death to the world. She then swiftly appointed the sixteen-year-old Li Chongmao as a puppet emperor, while she herself seized absolute power.

Princess Taiping merely gave a cold laugh at Empress Wei's drastic measures.

No sooner had the imperial edict been overturned than she launched the infamous Tanglong Coup, killing Empress Wei, Princess Anle, and others, thus losing Shangguan Wan'er forever.