Chapter 44: What inappropriate things is she saying? : [Teacher Qin actually ruffled Teacher Jiang's hair!]
Jiang Yan opened the lunchbox and began to eat slowly, avoiding all the carrots.
Just as she finished eating and was about to clean up, Ye Wei spoke up: "Sister Jiang, Sister Qin instructed that you must finish all the carrots."
Jiang Yan blinked hesitantly, "But I really can't eat anymore..."
Ye Wei: "Sister Qin instructed..."
Jiang Yan raised her watery eyes and stared at her intently, her expression troubled: "Does Weiwei have any foods she particularly dislikes? It tastes like poison, with a strange and astringent flavor, and it feels unpleasant in her throat..."
She looked down at her feet, her voice filled with pain: "Ugh, my feet hurt so much now, and I have to eat carrots, which I hate the most..."
Ye Wei's face fell: "Sister Jiang, you're doing this..."
"Sister Weiwei~" Jiang Yan gently shook her wrist, "Can you really bear to make me eat carrots?"
Unable to withstand this magical attack, Ye Wei's expression wavered wildly. She struggled for a long time between covering up and being honest, but finally chose to be honest with difficulty: "Sister Jiang, please bear with it."
Jiang Yan pouted, sighed, picked up a piece of carrot, and put it into her mouth with a death-defying air.
The actress diagonally opposite updated her gossip: "Just now, Teacher Qin's assistant supervisor, Teacher Jiang, ate all the carrots."
A fan who infiltrated the enemy's ranks, [Qin1Jiang0], shouted: [Qin Jiang is real!!!]
Everyone: [???]
Then they kicked her out.
Filming continued in the afternoon, and Jiang Yan continued to use crutches on set.
Before the shoot, she asked her assistant for a painkiller and swallowed it with soup.
The assistant was completely baffled as to why Jiang Yan had suddenly started working so hard. While Jiang Yan had always been dedicated, she understood the importance of health. Jiang Yan didn't say anything, and the assistant didn't dare ask. Although her artist had an excellent reputation and was praised for her warmth and politeness, the assistant knew perfectly well that it was just a facade to mask her aloofness. Jiang Yan rarely went out with anyone, often traveling alone. If it weren't for needing her to carry her makeup bag, she probably wouldn't even bother hiring an assistant.
As Emperor Wu grew old, he began to consider returning power to the Li Tang dynasty. He first reinstated the Tang calendar, then moved the capital back to Chang'an, supported the Li Tang forces, and overthrew the Zhou dynasty.
The Crown Prince's side was naturally both surprised and delighted, and quite pleased with themselves. However, their path to the throne was fraught with difficulties. First, Lai Junchen falsely accused the descendants of the Li family, and then the Zhang brothers falsely accused the Crown Prince of disrespect. This thoroughly offended the Li Tang forces, with Crown Prince Li Xian, Princess Taiping, and others becoming irreconcilable enemies with the Zhang brothers. Both sides engaged in open and covert struggles, and each suffered losses.
With the Empress Wu's illness worsening, everyone is on edge, and a major upheaval is imminent.
Against this backdrop, a coup d'état targeting the Zhang brothers and the Wu Zhou dynasty quietly took shape. With the veteran minister Zhang Jianzhi at its core, Li Duozuo, Li Dan, and others actively participated in the ensuing Shenlong Coup.
However, behind these men lurked a shadow: an imperial princess with a broad forehead and imposing presence.
After a day of performance, Jiang Yan delivered an exceptional performance, perfectly capturing Princess Taiping's strategic acumen and decisiveness.
After the performance, everyone praised her performance, and Princess Taiping, sweating profusely, thanked them one by one. Empress Wu and the director came over to offer their congratulations, but Shangguan Wan'er turned her head and left without even glancing at her.
Jiang Yan called her assistant, keeping a distance from Ye Wei: "Go and puncture the tires of our nanny van."
Assistant: "Huh???"
Jiang Yan patted her on the shoulder: "Go quickly."
The assistant left with a suspicious look on his face.
Jiang Yan, supported by Ye Wei, walked to the car. She glanced at Qin Lan, who was walking towards her while looking at her phone, and exclaimed at just the right moment, "Why is the tire leaking?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Qin Lan raise her head.
About two seconds later, Qin Lan walked over.
The assistant's lips trembled: "I...I don't know! This is the company car! It's leaking air like this...do we have to pay for it...?"
Her lines were terrible, and when she looked up, Jiang Yan stared at her expressionlessly, so she quickly shut her mouth.
A familiar, proud voice rang out: "What's going on?"
Ye Wei walked over and glanced at the flat tire; the tools used in the crime were still on it.
"The tire was punctured. But there are security cameras around, so even if no one is caught on camera, there are fingerprints on the tire. We can call the police to find out who did it."
The assistant's legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground.
She asked, on the verge of tears, "Sister Jiang, how are we going to get home today?"
Jiang Yan then continued, "Teacher Qin's car is right next door. I wonder if Teacher Qin would be willing..."
Qin Lan was clearly still angry, her face cold and aloof.
Jiang Yan lowered her eyes dejectedly, hugged her crutch tightly, and slowly hopped forward a step: "It's okay, I can walk back little by little like this. I'll just apply some medicine when I get back, it's nothing serious. Sigh, it's all my fault, I wasn't careful and got injured, and now I'm dragging everyone down..."
She hopped forward with difficulty, making this clumsy performance seem pitiful, for a moment giving off the feeling of a low-budget web series set. Then, she was grabbed by the back of her collar and fell into a woman's arms: "Teacher Jiang is very dedicated, practicing her acting skills even after work. Does she think her feet aren't swollen enough?"
Jiang Yan looked up in surprise: "Qin..."
Qin Lan tossed her into the car and said rudely to Yu Shan, "Drive!"
Jiang Yan parted her lips slightly: "Ye Wei and my assistant are still downstairs..."
Qin Lan said coldly, "They have the nerve to hitch a ride after getting a flat tire. Let them figure it out themselves."
"Is Teacher Qin still angry?" Jiang Yan leaned closer and shook her arm. "I was wrong."
Qin Lan's expression softened slightly: "If you know you're wrong, then correct it. Take the day off tomorrow."
“I’m afraid that won’t work…” Jiang Yan looked troubled. “These next few days are very important.”
Qin Lan said irritably, "What could be more important than your feet?"
Jiang Yan sat back down. "A lot, a lot."
"This film is very important to us. After this incident, many people have already become hesitant. If I delay filming further, it will become even more difficult, and we may not even be able to finish it. I believe that if it were Teacher Qin who was injured, she would definitely insist on finishing filming. Because we are all members of eNet, and Teacher Yu is under pressure to finish filming this script, the biggest help we can give her is not to hold her back."
Qin Lan retorted, but her tone was no longer as harsh as before: "I didn't realize you were so supportive of Yu Jintang."
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "Because I also have great respect for Teacher Yu. I remember when we were still in school, Teacher Yu was the most talked-about person in the whole school. She filmed a lot of avant-garde commercials, remade 'A Doll's House,' and organized a lot of women's rights activities. Most boys disliked her, and some girls didn't understand what she did."
“That’s how people are,” she said quietly. “Unless you’ve been bullied yourself, it’s hard to truly empathize.”
Everyone active online and supporting the women's rights movement has experienced gender-based injustice.
"So you?" Qin Lan looked at her, as if he understood.
Why is Jiang Yan a member of eNet?
“Yes, yes. I hate being objectified, scrutinized, and used as a tool to satisfy my own interests and desires.” Jiang Yan quickly changed the subject: “Unlike Teacher Qin, who comes from such a wealthy family and has never suffered injustice, yet still does her best to help others.”
Qin Lan and her five-member group were all inspired by Yu Jintang and would support her cause. When they were filming "A Doll's House" at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute, Qin Lan and Yang Xingji were both in the cast, while Yun Chui and Song Man distributed flyers under the scorching sun. However, only Qin Lan donated all her working capital to the eNet Foundation, joining Yu Jintang in women's protection efforts and investing heavily in education for young women in mountainous areas every year.
"You overestimate me." Qin Lan suddenly felt ashamed. "I didn't care at first, but one time I was shopping with Yu Jintang. I bought a cup of coffee and when I came back, I saw her being dragged into an alley by two men. I was furious and swore that such things would happen less and less."
She thought Jiang Yan would be a little disappointed because she wasn't born with a chivalrous spirit, but Jiang Yan's eyes gradually brightened. She smiled at her and said, "No, Teacher Qin, you are the most remarkable person I've ever met. Compared to others, I admire Teacher Qin's honesty even more. You have the courage to admit your shortcomings anytime, anywhere, and you'll decide to protect more people when your friends are hurt. What initially attracted me to Teacher Qin was your brightness, passion, courage, and fearlessness."
Qin Lan proudly raised her head: "You have good taste, I'm just that outstanding. But even if you praise me, I won't calm down, no way."
"Don't be angry." Jiang Yan took a while to mentally prepare herself before saying with difficulty, "I can carry you, please calm down."
Qin Lan didn't understand what she was talking about for a moment: "What Tony?"
Jiang Yan blushed deeply and remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. "It's just, um, carrying you on my back..."
Yu Shan's foot trembled, and the car jolted. Startled, she quickly focused her attention on the road and hurriedly raised the side panel.
Qin Lan turned her head abruptly, giving her the look of an old lady on the subway looking at an iPhone: "What the hell are you talking about???"
The barrier slowly rose in front of her, gradually obscuring the back of Yu Shan's head, which she was trying to keep calm.
Qin Lan stared at her with her mouth agape, then decided to deal with more important information first: "Say something, what is it that's carrying me?"
"Hmm..." Jiang Yan blinked. "Don't you like it?"
Qin Lan was going crazy: "Why would I like it??? Who gave you that illusion???? I don't have that kind of fetish!!!"
Jiang Yan quickly said, "It's alright if you don't like it, it's nothing, I was just kidding. When are we getting to the hotel? My feet hurt so much, I want to put some medicine on them..."
Qin Lan was still reeling from the shock and remained silent for a long time. Jiang Yan, feeling guilty, also kept quiet and drove off in silence. Even when they got out of the car, Qin Lan still couldn't figure out what Jiang Yan meant. Could it be… she was involved in the BDSM community?
Yu Shan parked the car, got out, and walked around to open the car door for them. Qin Lan seized those few seconds to quickly ask, "Do you have masochistic tendencies?"
"?"
"I didn't." Jiang Yan said firmly, trying to make her forget about it: "Ah, my foot hurts so much..."
Ye Wei being left behind meant that Qin Lan had to take Jiang Yan upstairs. She pointed at Yu Shan: "You help her upstairs."
Jiang Yan, unusually, did not push her luck and went upstairs very quietly.
Qin Lan racked his brains trying to figure out how he was carrying her, and couldn't sleep for most of the night.
She poked Jiang Yan's chat box unhappily: 【Are you asleep?】
Jiang Yan replied instantly: 【Not asleep yet? What's up?】
Qin Lan: [It's nothing, go to sleep.]
Jiang Yan obediently closed her eyes.
Five minutes later, her phone vibrated again. Jiang Yan opened her eyes, unlocked it, and opened Qin Lan's chat window.
Qin Lan: [Are you asleep?]
Jiang Yan: [Currently sleeping]
Qin Lan: [Then why are you still looking at your phone?]
Jiang Yan simply closed her eyes and pressed the voice recorder: "Isn't this Teacher Qin looking for me?"
Qin Lan: [I turned off my phone and lay down to sleep.]
Jiang Yan put down her phone.
Five minutes later.
She picked up her phone.
Qin Lan: [Are you asleep?]
Jiang Yan: [Teacher Qin is asleep.]
Qin Lan: [Get up and go back to sleep.]
Jiang Yan: [?]
Qin Lan put down his phone and continued to ponder the meaning behind carrying her on his back.
Knowing that Jiang Yan had trouble sleeping, she decided to give her a small punishment and let her off the hook. The next second, her phone vibrated, and Qin Lan picked it up to see that Jiang Yan's voice call was flashing on the screen.
"What is it?" she answered, her voice filled with displeasure.
"Teacher Qin, please let me go." Jiang Yan's voice, tinged with laughter, came from the other end of the phone: "Just call me anytime you want, I won't hang up."
"Then you won't be able to sleep well all night?"
Jiang Yan's cheerful voice rang in my ears: "It's still more satisfying than waiting for Teacher Qin's message all the time."
Qin Lan opened her mouth, but in the end only managed to squeeze out one dry sentence: "Then go to sleep, goodnight."
"Goodnight, Teacher Qin." Jiang Yan's voice was a little groggy, and she seemed to shift slightly on her pillow. Qin Lan, almost unconsciously, brought the phone to his ear, and after a while, he heard her even breathing.
Jiang Yan must have been really exhausted, because she fell asleep so quickly.
Remembering how desperately Jiang Yan had acted during the day, she reluctantly put down her phone, buried her face in the blanket, and muttered unhappily, "Damn Jiang Yan."
＊
The alarm clock rang.
A hand reached out from under the covers and swatted it away.
A minute later, she pulled back the covers, revealing her messy, curly hair covering her face.
Qin Lan rolled over, still feeling groggy, when she suddenly heard a gentle voice in her ear: "Teacher Qin, wake up."
Dead River Smoke?
How could I hear her voice?
Qin Lan frowned, opened her eyes, and saw that there was no one around.
Jiang Yan's voice rang out again: "Teacher Qin, get up."
Qin Lan was startled and sat up, glaring warily at her surroundings: "Who goes there?"
The voice said softly, "Have you forgotten about making a voice call...?"
Qin Lan's dazed mind slowly regained its ability to think. She kicked off the covers and got out of bed, picking up her phone: "Have you been on the phone all night?"
"Okay. Teacher Qin, go wash up quickly. Could you give me a ride to the film set later? The company's van was towed away and hasn't been returned yet."
Qin Lan replied reluctantly, "I understand."
Then they finished tidying up early and waited in the lobby.
Five minutes later, Jiang Yan also appeared in the hotel lobby. Ye Wei helped her, and five or six actors from the same drama crew came out of the elevator together.
They watched as Jiang Yan limped toward the sofa, her voice cheerful: "Good morning, Teacher Qin."
"Oh, good morning." The woman with a cold and sharp look stood up and said haughtily, "Let's go."
The group chat was buzzing with updates from everyone.
[Breaking news! It seems Teacher Qin and Teacher Jiang are going to the film set together!]
[Breaking news: Teacher Jiang got into Teacher Qin's car!]
[Teacher Qin actually opened the car door for Teacher Jiang herself!]
Ms. Jiang bumped her head on the edge of the car! Now Ms. Qin is reaching out her hand, what is she going to do...?
[Oh my god!! Teacher Qin actually ruffled Teacher Jiang's hair!]
＊
The coup d'état is being prepared in earnest.
To restore the Tang Dynasty, it was essential to first control the Imperial Guards. The supreme commander of the Southern Imperial Guards was Li Dan, therefore Zhang Jianzhi only needed to win over the Northern Imperial Guards.
Now that they had military power, the coup d'état team still lacked a crucial intelligence network. This task was taken on by Princess Taiping, who not only handled intelligence work but also brought vital administrative power to her allies—successfully persuading Empress Wu's female secretary, Shangguan Wan'er, to ensure the coup's success.
Many people studying this period of history often overlook Princess Taiping's role, but in fact, she played a crucial part in the Shenlong Coup. As both the daughter-in-law of the Wu family and a descendant of the Li Tang dynasty, she skillfully navigated between the Li and Wu families, successfully stabilizing the Wu family. Furthermore, with the Zhang brothers now guarding the Empress Wu's bedchamber, only Princess Taiping, being a favored princess, was allowed free access to the palace.
As Empress Wu's condition worsened, Princess Taiping used this as a pretext to frequently enter and leave the palace, monitoring the Empress's condition and the actions of the Zhang brothers. She also turned some palace maids against her in order to more closely monitor the situation within the palace.
The Empress was delirious from her illness. When she saw Princess Taiping approaching, she stretched out her withered and weak arm: "Taiping, come here."
"Mother Empress." Taiping obediently walked over and took her arm: "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm getting old," Emperor Wu sighed. "In the end, I'm just getting old."
“You’re not old, you’re just tired,” Taiping comforted her.
After leaving Empress Wu's palace, Princess Taiping went to see Shangguan Wan'er.
"You want me to betray you and help you?" Shangguan Wan'er thought for a moment, then shook her head: "You know perfectly well that I am unwilling to betray His Majesty."
"Does it matter whether you're willing or not?" Taiping looked at her coldly: "Do you want the Empress Dowager's legacy to be destroyed by Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Zongchang?"
Shangguan Wan'er said calmly, "The Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince were presented to His Majesty by the princess."
"Times have changed." Princess Taiping revealed a ruthless look: "Back then, my relationship with the Empress Dowager was just beginning to sour, and I needed male favorites to mediate. Now they've had enough. Now that His Majesty is seriously ill, if anything were to happen to him, the Zhang brothers would either seize the Emperor to command the other lords, declare themselves kings, or join forces with the Wu family. If the court were thrown into chaos, how would you handle it?"
Shangguan Wan'er remained silent; what Taiping said was exactly what she had in mind.
She had been unable to control her own destiny since childhood, and knew better than anyone else what it meant to be adrift like duckweed in the wind. Therefore, she was even more afraid of changes and desperately needed to find someone to rely on.
Therefore, even before she fell in love with Wu Zetian, she was determined to forget the hatred of her father's murder, to be loyal to Empress Wu, to please Empress Wu, and to work hard to improve her own status until her foundation was solid.
But now that the Empress is nearing the end of her life, she realizes that her safety barrier is crumbling violently.
"Do you still have feelings for the Empress?" Taiping asked with a look of disappointment. "The Empress is already in her eighties, and now she has male concubines serving her!"
Since their night of passion after Shangguan got drunk, she had assumed he would avoid her like the plague. Unexpectedly, Shangguan appeared normal the next day and didn't distance himself. Their interactions grew closer, sometimes quite intimate, leading her to believe she had let go of the past.
She even felt that Shangguan had feelings for her too.
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