Chapter 21 is all questions my friend asked. "Do you know what it feels like to want to kiss someone?"
Yun Chui, far away in a foreign land, received a new message.
She clicked on the picture and saw that it was an exquisite lunchbox containing four dishes and a soup, and it looked particularly appealing.
Jiang Yan excitedly shared with her: "She prepared all of this lunch for me."
Jiang Yan: [Do you know any food preservation technology? I want to save it and put it on the dining table to enjoy every day.]
Yun Chui: [I remember the last time you talked about her, you two were still on good terms and could fight at any time.]
[Something happened, and things progressed very quickly.]
Jiang Yan: [Hehe, Teacher Qin slept with me]
Yun Chui: [?]
On Yun Chui's phone, messages kept popping up one after another.
Jiang Yan: [She kissed me several times.]
Jiang Yan: [We went on a date, although it was arranged by Director Yu.]
Jiang Yan: [She also watched a movie with me; I sat on her lap while we watched it.]
Yun Chui blocked Jiang Yan.
Sometimes she felt that leaving this world would actually be quite peaceful.
Less than two minutes later, she pulled Jiang Yan out of her contacts, set her to Do Not Disturb mode, and went to browse Weibo. Sure enough, Jiang Yan had updated her Weibo, posting pictures of her lunch from various angles, filling a full eighteen-grid post.
And he turned over the names of dozens of fans.
[The escaped female monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain]: Sister, you've worked so hard filming! (roses) (roses)
[Jiang Yan]: Everyone worked so hard (sun)! Luckily, there was a delicious lunch to cheer me on! (thumbs up) (thumbs up)
[Rejected Jiang Yan's request multiple times]: Baby, you need to rest well on set too!
[Jiang Yan]: Okay, you guys should eat lunch properly too!
[Yanyan Goes to Bed Early]: Is this Princess Taiping's lunch?! It looks so exquisite!!!
[Jiang Yan]: Hehe, it's a delicious four-dish meal with soup! The bone broth has a creamy texture, the meat is incredibly tender, and there are even goji berries. The carrots are soft and taste sweet and delicious. The poached egg is runny, and the asparagus is stir-fried exceptionally fresh. And there's also a dish of cola chicken wings that makes your mouth water just looking at them, ugh!
The comments section under "[Yanyan Goes to Bed Early]" started to fill with comments, and everyone was jealous of the super long comment this fan received.
[Yanyan went to bed early] wisely disappeared.
[Ancient God of Darkness]: It seems Yanyan is quite satisfied with today's lunch.
Jiang Yan was eating her meal in small bites when her phone screen lit up again.
She answered the phone: "Sister Zihan."
Wang Zihan: "Was the lunch the crew prepared for you so good? It's too luxurious!"
Jiang Yan casually replied, "No, the crew won't let us eat too many carbohydrates."
"Then what about your food..."
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "I was craving it, so I had my assistant buy it for me. By the way, Sister Zihan, about that endorsement we talked about last time..."
Wang Zihan's attention was diverted, and she forgot about being told not to eat too much.
The portion of lunch was enough for Jiang Yan to eat for four meals, and she usually couldn't eat that cola chicken wing dish.
Jiang Yan ate half of the food, intending to eat the rest later that evening. Her assistant sighed and pleaded for half an hour before finally persuading Jiang Yan to give up the leftovers.
"Sis, it's so hot outside, it'll definitely spoil by tonight."
"Go find the freezer."
"Where would we find a freezer? And there's nowhere to heat it up at night."
"The hotel kitchen can be heated."
"Even if I take it back to the hotel, it will definitely spoil by the time I get there. Eating unclean food will give me diarrhea..."
Jiang Yan was displeased: "This is not something unclean."
She stared at her assistant: "And remember this, you bought this meal."
Assistant: "...I understand."
Jiang Yan put down her lunchbox. "There's a bonus at the end of the month."
The assistant stood up and saluted, instantly becoming enthusiastic and high-spirited: "Yes, madam!"
Jiang Yan smiled.
＊
After finishing her meal, Qin Lan settled down in the RV, occasionally tapping on her phone.
Xiaoqing leaned closer, but Qin Lan warily dodged her: "Sister Qin, what are you doing?"
Qin Lan glared at her and said, "It's none of your business. Of course I'm playing on my phone."
Xiaoqing: "But your expression is strange..."
Qin Lan immediately took out a small mirror and looked at herself from all angles: "No problem, I'm still as beautiful as ever."
"But I feel conflicted..."
Qin Lan jumped up as if her tail had been stepped on: "Who's agonizing over it? What's there to be agonizing over? Nothing like that!"
Xiaoqing left, completely baffled.
Qin Lan looked down and realized that the message had already been sent.
A friend asked me something, but I don't really understand it, so I can only ask you. Do you know what the psychology behind wanting to kiss someone is?
Yu Jintang replied instantly: 【I knew it! You like Jiang Yan, huh?】
Qin Lan: [?]
Qin Lan: [It's not me and Jiang Yan! I told you it's my friend! A friend you don't know!!]
Yu Guaiguai: [Oh, okay, I understand]
Yu Guaiguai: [So your friend wants to kiss Jiang Yan?]
Qin Lan: [I already told you, it's not Jiang Yan!]
Yu Guaiguai: [Okay, okay, so you have a friend who wants to kiss another friend of yours.]
Qin Lan: [Not friends, just acquaintances]
Yu Guaiguai: [Then you want to know what kind of psychology this is?]
Qin Lan had already typed the word "yes," but quickly deleted it at the last second: [It's my friend who wants to know! Not me!!]
Yu Guaiguai: [Your friend likes that person they know, right?]
Qin Lan: [Isn't there any other answer? Does wanting to kiss necessarily mean liking someone?]
Yu Jintang hissed: "Your friend asked a good question. Even a one-night stand could be a fleeting affair. Wanting to kiss doesn't necessarily mean you like someone, but liking someone definitely means you want to kiss them."
Qin Lan: [If you keep repeating the same old things, I'll beat you into tires.]
Yu Jintang posted a "Help, boss!" emoji: [It means that wanting to kiss depends on the situation. In most cases, it's because you like someone, but in a few cases, it could be sexual urges, commonly known as being in heat.]
Qin Lan immediately thought this was impossible.
She? In heat? She's never had any sexual urges in her entire life.
Could it be that you like someone?
She thought about the image of her liking Jiang Yan and felt a chill run down her spine.
Who would like green tea?
Then she remembered the time when she and Song Man and the others encountered Jiang Yan wearing the same outfit while skiing and she was skiing on behalf of someone else. During that time, she was more sensitive whenever she had physical contact with Jiang Yan.
Qin Lan had to try to consider the fact that she might be in heat.
Qin Lan had no scenes to film in the afternoon, so she sat to the side watching Feng Manhong's performance.
In 655 AD, Wu was made empress.
In 660 AD, Emperor Gaozong's vertigo worsened, his eyesight deteriorated, and he was unable to manage state affairs, thus beginning Empress Wu's political career.
After taking over part of the government, Empress Wu showed amazing political ability. In 665 AD, the emperor and empress jointly performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.
Nine years later, Wu Zetian was given the title of Empress Dowager, a period known in history as the reign of two emperors.
That year, Empress Wu was fifty years old, but this was merely the beginning of her march towards imperial power. The title of "Empress Dowager" was far more than just a title; it concealed Empress Wu's deep-seated political ambitions—the empress was always subordinate to the emperor, a concept of heaven and earth. Now, with the title of Empress Dowager, Empress Wu was effectively on par with the heavens!
So when Emperor Li Zhi passed away, the remaining "heaven" was naturally the only "heaven".
The theme of "The Era of Red Powder" is not romance. During the script revision process, Yu Jintang repeatedly emphasized the political paths of the three female leads, especially Feng Manhong, who played Empress Wu Zetian, whose performance was exceptionally outstanding. Perhaps it was fate's intention to forge a unique historical narrative, as Empress Wu Zetian remained firmly established in the court as Empress Dowager before the formal death of Emperor Gaozong of Tang.
Wu Zetian once claimed that she could subdue a wild horse with three things: an iron whip, an iron hammer, and a dagger. If the horse did not submit after being struck with the iron whip, she would strike its head with the iron hammer. If it still did not submit, she would sever its throat with the dagger.
This reveals her true nature. On her path to becoming Empress, Empress Dowager, and finally Empress Wu Zetian, every step was stained with blood. Of course, it was all the blood of others. Those who hindered her ascent, or those who could have helped her climb the ladder to heaven, became her nourishment. This likely included her three biological children, her sister and niece, the deposed empress and Consort Xiao, and others… It also included Shangguan Wan'er's grandfather, Shangguan Yi, who was thus forced into exile in the inner palace.
Her extraordinary willpower and lust for power ultimately propelled her to the pinnacle of the feudal dynasty. In 683 AD, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi passed away.
From Emperor Gaozong's death in 683 AD to Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne in 690 AD, Empress Wu's path to power took a full seven years. During these seven years, she showed no impatience, but instead proceeded step by step, steadily and surely. Domestically, she deposed Li Zhe and installed Li Dan in his place, eliminating the descendants of the Li Tang dynasty and supporting her own relatives. Externally, she manufactured copper boxes to win over the people, actively managed her base in Luoyang, and frequently used auspicious omens to create momentum. Only after she had consolidated her military and political power, gained sufficient influence, and won public acceptance did she finally replace the Li Tang dynasty.
There is no doubt about Wu Zetian's strong desire for power, but we should also recognize that she possessed the excellent qualities of someone destined for greatness. Faced with the temptation of the throne, Wu Zetian did not eagerly display her greed like her successor, Empress Wei. Instead, she bided her time, accumulating strength and preparing for her eventual triumph.
Feng Manhong's scene is the highlight of Empress Wu's deposing of Emperor Zhongzong Li Zhe and installing Emperor Suzong Li Dan in his place.
After Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi passed away, his will bequeathed the throne to Crown Prince Li Zhe and placed certain restrictions on Empress Wu Zetian's power. However, Wu Zetian quickly regained power and effectively sidelined Li Zhe during the short twenty-odd days of mourning.
Li Zhe took off his mourning clothes, intending to show his skills, only to discover with dismay that he was actually just a mascot placed out there for everyone to see.
Enraged, Li Zhe launched a series of childish counterattacks. His primary target in cultivating his cronies was his father-in-law, whom he attempted to promote from the ninth rank to the third rank overnight.
Naturally, no minister would agree to such an absurd act. Li Zhe was furious and exclaimed, "Why wouldn't I give the entire empire to Wei Xuanzhen? Why should I hesitate to give it to the Attendant-in-Ordinary?"
This scene unfolds during a court assembly in the Qianyuan Hall, the main hall of Luoyang.
The actor playing King Jungjong, Lee Cheol, sat on the dragon throne with a slightly uneasy expression, glancing around nervously.
Feng Manhong sat behind the curtain, her hand slightly supporting her head.
The officials exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, none daring to speak.
Li Zhe was getting impatient. He was uneasy and sensed danger. He turned his head several times to ask the Empress Dowager, but Feng Manhong didn't even open her eyes.
Helpless, Li Zhe could only continue to wait, staring ahead with a troubled expression.
There were many people in this scene, and everyone held their breath.
Qin Lan put down the fruit plate in her hand, swallowed quietly, and analyzed Feng Manhong's expression. From the start of filming, Feng Manhong hadn't opened her eyes, her face calm. But her calmness was different from the calmness of others; no emotion could be discerned from her face. Yet, just one glance at Feng Manhong, and then at the actor playing Emperor Zhongzong, was enough to tell that today's victor was hidden behind the curtain, not on the dragon throne.
The seasoned ministers, who had figured out the situation, exchanged knowing glances.
"Lord Pei, the Vice Minister, and the General of the Imperial Guards have not come."
"Your Majesty is too young and lacks political wisdom."
"His Majesty is, after all, the Son of Heaven. Are we just going to let the Empress Dowager take action?"
"Ha... The Emperor is the son of Heaven, and Your Majesty is the son of the Empress!"
"You're flattering me!"
"You are too proud to do this. Why don't you raise your voice now and ask the Empress Dowager to return power to you?"
Amidst the clash of wits and the undercurrents of tension, a silent and invisible standoff arose one after another.
Li Zhe couldn't sit still any longer and couldn't help but turn his head again. The Empress Dowager still had her eyes closed, the gauze curtain gently veiling her serene face. She possessed more majesty, more presence, and more like a true Son of Heaven than he did. It was because of the old woman behind that curtain that the Qianyuan Hall in the Eastern Capital possessed a grandeur no less than that of the Hanyuan Hall in Chang'an. And he was merely a puppet sitting on the dragon throne!
"Cough cough cough—" The male actor's throat itched with nervousness, and his face turned red as he tried to hold it in.
"Cut!" Yu Jintang said kindly, "Teacher Zhang, this is your first time playing the emperor. You must be too excited. Let's take a break for a while."
The actor surnamed Zhang quickly apologized to those around him, and bowed to Feng Manhong with his hands clasped together, saying, "Mother, please don't be angry. Your son will abdicate now."
Feng Manhong opened her eyes with a smile and saw Qin Lan: "Wan'er, draft an edict to convey my decree: depose the emperor!"
Qin Lan immediately bowed and said, "This servant obeys your command."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the actors huddled together to discuss the scene they had just witnessed. Jiang Yan also walked over and stood next to Feng Manhong.
Feng Manhong reached out and pulled her over, saying with a smile, "My dear Taiping, your elder brother is incompetent, so your mother deposed him for you. How about you take over my position?"
The actor playing Li Zhe feigned grievance: "My mother is biased!"
Feng Manhong laughed and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. It's written in the history books that Wu Zetian loved Princess Taiping."
The Old Book of Tang records: "For more than twenty years, there was only one princess in the world, Princess Taiping. Her father was the emperor, her mother was the empress, her husband was a prince, and her son was a duke. She was extremely noble and powerful. The princess was plump, with a square forehead and broad cheeks. She was very resourceful and shrewd. Empress Wu Zetian thought she was similar to herself."
This passage describes how enviable Princess Taiping's status and favor were as the only princess of the Tang Dynasty. Most importantly, Taiping inherited some of her mother's courage and strategy. Empress Wu Zetian sometimes saw her own reflection in her daughter, which further increased her admiration for her.
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "Does anyone have any objections to my ascension to the throne?"
"How could we dare to have any objections?" Everyone laughed. "Who in the court or among the people dares not support Her Highness the Princess?"
Jiang Yan glanced around and then fixed her gaze on Qin Lan: "How could that be? Shangguan doesn't support it."
Everyone looked over, since Teacher Qin and Teacher Jiang didn't talk unless they had something to say.
Qin Lan subconsciously said, "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't say I didn't support it."
Jiang Yan said softly, "But Shangguan later kept encouraging Empress Wei to become emperor."
Qin Lan coughed and happened to see Xiao Qing, so she quickly said, "I bought afternoon tea for everyone, Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing, hurry up and distribute it."
Xiaoqing stood by the car distributing the bags, and finally came over with seven or eight bags, handing them to everyone one by one: "Actress Feng~ Teacher Zhang~ Teacher Zhou~ Teacher Jiang~"
"Wow—" Everyone's attention was diverted, and they all thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Teacher Qin—"
Qin Lan laughed freely and went back to the RV.
Jiang Yan's RV was parked diagonally opposite hers, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jiang Yan did not come to find her.
Qin Lan understood, but couldn't help feeling a little anxious.
Perhaps because they'd been kissing so much these past few days, she actually started to miss Jiang Yan a little.
Countless times, Qin Lan had felt the urge to add Jiang Yan on her phone. She resisted, however, and managed to hold back. She'd already prepared lunch for Jiang Yan; she couldn't give her too much. After all, Jiang Yan had never intended to date before. While she was wavering now, she was always the one being pampered. Qin Lan was used to being domineering and couldn't learn to back down.
She sighed, staring dejectedly at Jiang Yan's profile picture, wondering how to get Jiang Yan to add her as a friend. Jiang Yan was very shrewd; she couldn't use hints, or Jiang Yan would definitely see through her.
Qin Lan pondered for a moment and suddenly had an idea.
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