Chapter 49 A Violent Kiss: "Teacher Qin, speak louder, they can't hear you outside."
Li Xian was determined to have Empress Wei assist in governing, and he actively sought to strengthen his own power by contacting the Wu family.
After Wu Chengsi's death, Wu Sansi became the leader of the Wu family. After Li Xian ascended the throne, his power was weak. Shangguan Wan'er, who was insightful, recommended Wu Sansi to him in order to curb the power of the five ministers who had followed the emperor, such as Zhang Jianzhi.
With the support of the Wu family, Li Xian gradually gained confidence, not to mention the Empress's help. He thought he was safe by promoting his wife's family and the old party who had followed him, but little did he know that Empress Wei had already begun to plan to become a second Wu Zetian—one who was not as shrewd or temperamental as Wu Zetian, but whose ambition and lust for power were exactly the same.
When Li Xian went to court, Empress Wei began to rule from behind the curtain. The power of the Empress's faction expanded rapidly, and the Wei and Wu families ran rampant in the court with an ambiguous relationship.
The rise of the Empress Dowager's faction quickly led to chaos. The Crown Prince at the time, Li Chongjun, was not her son and was of low status. His father, the Emperor, disregarded him; his mother treated him coldly; and the spoiled Princess Anle bossed him around, even calling him "servant" along with her husband, Wu Chongxun! How could the Crown Prince endure such humiliation? But he could only endure it, because no one supported him. His aunt, Taiping, and uncle, Li Dan, were now feared by his father, while Wu Sansi was extremely powerful, but why would Wu Sansi support Li Chongjun?
Compared to Wu Sansi, he hated Shangguan Wan'er even more, believing that she had an illicit relationship with Wu Sansi. He also missed the era of Empress Wu, which is why he supported the Wu family and denigrated the Li family!
What made him even more uneasy was that Princess Anle had actually become interested in his position as crown prince!
Li Chongjun was terrified, pacing back and forth in the Eastern Palace, sighing repeatedly. When his advisor asked him why he was so panicked, he berated him for being foolish: "Whatever Li Guo'er wants, she only needs to write an edict and go to Father Emperor. Father Emperor never questions it and signs and stamps it on the spot. Father Emperor dotes on Li Guo'er so much, why would he think too much!"
After the actor playing Li Chongjun finished shouting with a red face and a thud, he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard "cut" and went to rest.
Yu Jintang checked the camera lens, and when he looked up, he saw that the actor playing Li Xian had arrived, but Xiahou Cheng was nowhere to be seen.
She called out to a stagehand: "Go see where Teacher Chengcheng is. Her scene is in ten minutes."
"Teacher Chengcheng is here." A voice sounded softly from behind her.
"Ahhh!" The stagehand was so frightened that his spine went numb. He turned around, trembling, and asked, "Who...who's there?"
In a secluded corner, Xiahou Cheng, already dressed and ready, sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a mushroom. She glanced at the mushroom, then looked down and spoke to it: "Heh... Mushroom, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"
Yu Jintang: "Teacher Chengcheng, who are you talking to?"
Xiahou Cheng: "I'll tell you if you admit I'm the most beautiful woman in the world."
Without hesitation, Yu Jintang said, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."
Xiahou Cheng held up the mushroom: "This one."
Yu Jintang: "Oh, does it have a name?"
Xiahou Cheng: Yes, lunch.
The assistant director interjected, "Is Teacher Xiahou dissatisfied with the crew's boxed lunches? I'll have them make something better for us today."
Yu Jintang: "Don't worry about her, she's just having a relapse."
The assistant director whispered, "When did you two become so close?"
"Teacher Chengcheng, it's time for your work session," Yu Jintang called out.
Xiahou Cheng walked over carrying mushrooms: "What kind of job could an orange like me have?"
"Peel and juice it, then put it in a high-speed blender to make delicious orange juice," Yu Jintang said casually.
"Oh—" Xiahou Cheng drawled, "Then we have to add some Teacher Tangtang, orange juice doesn't taste good without sugar water."
"?" Yu Jintang: "I wasn't wearing a seatbelt."
The assistant director turned his head this way and that: "What are you talking about?"
Yu Jintang: "It's nothing, Teacher Chengcheng has gotten on the highway."
The assistant director gaped: "No, you...you're having an affair?"
Yu Jintang rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then joked, "After all, Teacher Chengcheng and I have already shared a sofa."
Assistant Director: "What the hell? With whom do we share gray hair?"
Xiahou Cheng was called over by the makeup artist for a touch-up.
Yu Jintang casually sang, "Yes, that's right, all I ask is to grow old with you~"
The assistant director leaned closer with a serious expression: "Director Yu, tell me the truth, what exactly is going on between you and Xiahou Cheng?"
Yu Jintang looked at her with a puzzled expression: "A kindred spirit."
Assistant Director: "I always feel like there's something ambiguous between you two, and the way you talk is weird."
Yu Jintang: "That's how I talk to Lao Qin too."
Assistant Director: "It's different."
Yu Jintang didn't buy it at all: "Then tell me, what's the difference?"
Assistant Director: "It's hard to describe; I usually call it a feeling."
Yu Jintang: "Get out of here."
＊
Xiahou Cheng, in a sweet and coquettish voice, clung to the arm of the actor playing Li Xian: "Father Emperor, Father Emperor, who do you love the most?"
Li Xian smiled, his eyes crinkling: "Of course, she's my little princess."
He never referred to himself as "朕" (the imperial "I") in front of Empress Wei and Empress Anle, and the whole family remembered the hardships they had endured supporting each other in their early years.
Princess Anle continued to probe: "Then, will Father Emperor give me whatever I want?"
Li Xian spread his hands and said with a smile, "Of course, when has Father Emperor ever failed to satisfy our little princess? Do you have another edict for Father Emperor? Take it out."
He even took out the imperial seal, ready to stamp it.
But this time, Anle simply held his arm, her eyes sparkling like stars: "Father, I want to be the Crown Princess."
Li Xian paused for a moment, then smiled and patted her head: "My little princess, what joke are you playing on your father this time? Father—"
"Your Majesty, I am not joking." Anle pouted unhappily, "Your Majesty, I want to be the Crown Princess. Since Father Emperor said that I am the one you love most, why did you give the throne to Third Brother?"
Li Xian stammered, "This... Guo'er... It's true that your father loves you, but since ancient times, men have always been emperors..."
Anle had been waiting for him to say that, and immediately replied, "If Grandmother can be the Emperor, what's wrong with me being the Emperor's daughter?"
Li Xian was speechless and could only say, "This... allow Father Emperor to discuss it with the ministers."
Anle then smiled.
The imperial princess, whose beauty "shone throughout the land," stepped proudly out of the palace gates, coldly gazing at the distant Eastern Palace. In the direction her gaze fell, Li Chongjun shivered, realizing his position was precarious. Not only had Li Xian not refused, but he had even actually discussed with the prime minister the possibility of replacing Li Xian with Anle.
This matter naturally met with strong opposition from the ministers. They already had reservations about Empress Wei's interference in politics, so how could they allow the ambitious Empress Anle to repeat Wu Zetian's actions?
Li Xian had no choice but to politely refuse his daughter. However, as soon as he saw Anle, she happily ran over and asked him if he was about to become the Crown Princess. The doting father Li Xian couldn't say a single "no".
Princess Anle was clever and cunning. Whenever she saw her father, the emperor, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, she would immediately interrupt and launch an emotional offensive. Li Xian had never liked his illegitimate son, and the scales in his heart gradually tipped, making him more determined to change the heir apparent.
The first person to realize the emperor's thoughts was not Empress Wei or Anle, but Shangguan Wan'er, the chief secretary who polished Li Xian's writing.
Shangguan Wan'er realized the emperor's change of heart and secretly passed the message on to Princess Taiping.
Taiping suddenly stood up, nearly grinding her teeth to powder: "What virtue or ability does Li Guo'er possess that she dares to dream of ascending to heaven?"
Shangguan Wan'er said worriedly, "I'm afraid that if Princess Anle really becomes the Crown Princess, then the Wei family will rule the world."
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with panic.
In public terms, Empress Wei's abilities were far inferior to Wu Zetian's, and she was narrow-minded, indulgent, and ruthless. Her daughter, Princess Anle, was even more arrogant and domineering, and prone to corruption and bribery. But more importantly, in private, how could Empress Wei possibly let Princess Taiping, who had once supported the Li family, off the hook if she came to power?
Princess Taiping said slowly, "The Emperor is now wary of me and my fourth brother, so he will definitely not listen to what we say."
Shangguan Wan'er interjected, "But if I were to speak up, His Majesty would surely waver. Moreover, Empress Wei and Empress Anle do not regard me as a formidable enemy, but rather as someone who can be won over."
Princess Taiping stood up: "There is no time to lose. You should return to the palace immediately and wait for an opportunity to act."
She watched Shangguan Wan'er's retreating figure, then suddenly realized that she had been too anxious and hadn't cared about Shangguan. She quickly called out to her, "Wan'er."
Shangguan Wan'er turned her head: "Hmm?"
Jiang Yan walked around the stone table and headed outside, but she tripped over a stool leg and hit her ankle, turning her face blue instantly.
Yu Jintang quickly called for a stop.
Qin Lan's expression changed, and she squatted down to lift up her skirt: "Did you bump your head on something?"
Jiang Yan cried out in pain, tears welling in her eyes: "Oh my god..."
Her assistant rushed to get the medicine.
Jiang Yan, with tears welling up in her eyes, hugged her knees and slumped onto the stone bench: "Director Yu, our courtyard is beautifully designed, but the bottom of this chair... always makes me jump."
“This scene won’t be available after we finish filming it,” Yu Jintang comforted him. “How are you? Let’s rest for a while and then go to the hospital to get checked out.”
"No need, it'll be fine in a bit," Jiang Yan said. "Wait for me for five minutes."
The assistant came over breathlessly with the ointment. Qin Lan took it very naturally, then squatted down, rubbed it in her palm, and applied the ointment to Jiang Yan.
The behind-the-scenes team is in position.
Apart from the two parties involved and Yu Jintang, everyone else stared wide-eyed.
Qin Lan heard someone speak.
"Aren't they at odds? What are they doing?"
"Yes, I heard they were at the hotel too..."
Before she could speak, Yu Jintang said coldly in front of everyone, "I don't want to hear any more rumors about the relationships between the actors and teachers in the crew."
The chatter abruptly ceased, and the room fell silent for a moment before Qin Lan, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, asked, "Does it hurt here?"
“A little higher,” Jiang Yan replied, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.
"Oh, it looks a bit purple again."
Yu Jintang looked around at everyone present. She was usually easygoing, and this was the first time she had ever lost her temper on set, so everyone was quiet.
"You may have your own opinions about the relationships between the actors and teachers, but you must never discuss them in the workplace. Under such a blazing sun, some of the teachers are even working while injured, without ever complaining about the hardship or fatigue. Have you ever thought about how they feel when they hear you pointing fingers at them when they are exhausted? I don't care if you are just watching the drama or shipping couples, when you get on set, you should work quietly."
As Yu Jintang spoke, she looked around at everyone, but couldn't find anyone to meet her gaze, leaving her with a bunch of glares she couldn't vent. Just as she was feeling frustrated, she suddenly saw a woman lazily crossing her arms, who not only looked her in the eye openly but also raised an eyebrow at her.
Yu Jintang forced out a sentence through his teeth: "Go do what you need to do now. Don't let irrelevant people crowd around here and block the light."
Xiahou Cheng swaggered over with her arms crossed, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the four of them to hear: "Teacher Yu is so authoritative."
Yu Jintang glanced at her: "Teacher Chengcheng is quite frank, doesn't she have anything to hide?"
She refused to believe that this person hadn't heard about Qin Lanjiang's affair.
Just kidding, she's the gossip queen of the crew, she gets all the first-hand information.
"Ah, this?" Xiahou Cheng drawled, "Of course—there's nothing fishy about it. I'm always open and aboveboard when it comes to gossiping, and things I do without hiding anything from others are naturally not fishy."
Yu Jintang's expression changed instantly: "I like Teacher Chengcheng's style, it's just right."
Xiahou Cheng lazily exchanged a glance with her, then plopped down on the stone table: "Hey you two, now that the onlookers are all gone, is there any juicy gossip you can share with me? I'm quite curious too."
Qin Lan had just opened her mouth when Yu Jintang nudged Xiahou Cheng's shoulder: "How can you be so shameless? Aren't you an outsider?"
Xiahou Cheng: "I'm not an outsider, I'm an insider."
Yu Jintang: "Is your wife or your husband in the crew?"
Xiahou Cheng: "Teacher Tangtang, remember this: Teacher Chengcheng only likes girls."
Yu Jintang: "Oh, so what kind of woman does Teacher Chengcheng like?"
Xiahou Cheng casually replied, "It's you, Teacher Tangtang."
Qin Lan accidentally squeezed out some ointment from her hand and then gripped Jiang Yan's leg tightly.
Jiang Yan stopped looking at Qin Lan's hand and stared at the two people next to her with her lips slightly parted.
Yu Jintang thought she was being dramatic again, so he looked up and gave her a flirtatious wink: "Be my girlfriend, I'm beautiful, kind-hearted and rich."
Xiahou Cheng said earnestly, "Okay, okay, when are we going to meet the parents?"
Yu Jintang: "?"
She sensed something was wrong.
She opened her mouth, her expression gradually turning to terror: "You..."
Xiahou Cheng raised his hand to greet her, smiling brightly: "Hi wife, let me introduce myself. I'm your best candidate for future girlfriend. My surname is Xiahou, and my given name is Cheng. I'm twenty-seven years old, an Aquarius, have no dating history, and am in good health."
Yu Jintang's lips moved slightly: "You'd better not be trying to be abstract with me."
Xiahou Cheng: "Do you like abstract ways of expressing your feelings? Let me think of a word."
Yu Jintang glared at her for a long time, feeling like a million grass mud horses were galloping through her mind.
＊
Behind-the-scenes footage of Qin Lan applying medicine to Jiang Yan on set has surfaced online and quickly became a trending topic within ten minutes.
The CP (couple) supertopic is full of people shipping them, all saying how much they love her.
The official Weibo post was very calm: "[It's Teacher Qin, buying water and afternoon tea for the crew, and applying medicine to her injured co-star~]"
The comments section was far from calm.
[Is Your Majesty truly going to suspect me?]: AI-generated, definitely AI-generated.
[abandon…]: Hey! Miss! What are you doing!
【Wadashiwa's Angry】: kswl, she loves her so much
[Shark-Killing Sands]: To be fair, Qin Lan seems to have a pretty good temper. She even helped apply medicine to her rival's injured friend without holding a grudge, probably because she didn't want to delay the filming schedule. She's a very considerate person.
[The Five Elements of Shang Yang]: Upstairs, do you even know what you're saying? QL has a good temper?? She has a good temper, yet she rolled her eyes at JY at an awards ceremony??
[Paparazzi here!]: Breaking inside news!!! ql and jy have already reconciled and are currently in talks!
What should we talk about?
What should we talk about?
[Paparazzi are here!]: I specialize in photographing dating gossip. What do you want to talk about?
【I am xxx】：Crazy
[Venturing into Northern Myanmar]: Don't believe or spread rumors; if you must believe something, believe Jiang Yanliao~
[Zhuangzhuang's Mom]: They've gone mad, they've all gone mad.
【Qin1Jian0】：QinJiang99!
[Jiang1Qin0]: Jiang Qin 99!
Subsequently, a large number of CP fans flooded the official Weibo account, and casual fans and solo fans quickly fell for it.
Solo fans are in a state of chaos, support groups are struggling to stay afloat, and casual observers are wavering, while only Qin Jiang's super topic is experiencing a surge in views.
＊
When Shangguan Wan'er returned to the palace, she took advantage of Li Xian's good mood to subtly try to dissuade him from his idea.
Unfortunately, Li Xian was a complete henpecked father, and Shangguan Wan'er's efforts to persuade him were futile. She had no choice but to kneel down solemnly and beg His Majesty to consider the well-being of all people and investigate the Anle faction.
Li Xian was quite surprised to see her taking it so seriously: "Why does Wan'er oppose changing the emperor? When the Empress Dowager was on the throne, Wan'er was the most loyal."
He assumed that, being a woman himself, Shangguan Wan'er would support Princess Anle. But in reality, all the court officials who cared about the country believed that, if they had to support a woman, they would choose Princess Taiping and would rather die than choose Princess Anle.
Shangguan Wan'er earnestly advised: "The princess has never ruled before and is inevitably inexperienced. I am worried that some people with ulterior motives will use their power to bewitch the princess and satisfy their own selfish desires. I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
Li Xian waved his hand thoughtfully: "I understand, my dear minister, go and get on with your work."
Shangguan Wan'er bowed again and said, "Every word I have said comes from the bottom of my heart, and is all for the sake of a clear and just court and the stability of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty, please understand!"
Shangguan Wan'er repeatedly offered her advice, but Li Xian only gave perfunctory responses. Shangguan gritted her teeth and kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, I have recently felt increasingly powerless and wish to resign my post. I beg Your Majesty's permission!"
Li Xian was shocked: "What are you doing, my dear minister? This is outrageous! I absolutely forbid it!"
Shangguan Wan'er drew her dagger: "If Your Majesty does not grant my request, I will shave my head and become a nun. Otherwise, how can I face the people of the world!"
Li Xian was terrified. Shangguan Wan'er was still nominally his Zhaorong (a high-ranking concubine). If she were to shave her head and become a nun for speaking frankly, where would he put his face? He hurriedly shouted at the guards around him, "Stop her!"
Shangguan Wan'er raised her knife and brought it down. Although the guards managed to restrain her in time, she still managed to cut off a small section of her hair.
Qin Lan sensed that Yu Jintang seemed a little absent-minded today.
During lunch, she and Jiang Yan looked at each other, both engrossed in the latest juicy gossip.
"Xiahou Cheng said he was just here to watch the drama unfold, but he turned around and created an even bigger drama." Qin Lan climbed onto the RV and took a big gulp of water.
Jiang Yan fed her a piece of carrot: "Teacher Xiahou truly lives up to his reputation, I've learned something new."
"Terrifying." Qin Lan said with lingering fear, "Luckily, she didn't fancy me."
Jiang Yan narrowed her eyes and fed Qin Lan another piece of carrot: "Is Teacher Qin imagining this situation?"
Qin Lan: "Seriously? You're going to get jealous over every little thing?"
“Yes.” Jiang Yan had moved closer to her without her noticing, her aggressive aura making Qin Lan, who had just come to her senses, realize the danger: “No, you…”
"I hate eating carrots the most."
As Jiang Yan spoke, she silenced her with a deep, passionate kiss.
Qin Lan resisted for about two seconds, then naturally began to return the kiss. Jiang Yan was unusually fierce today, her tongue sweeping through Qin Lan's mouth as if she wanted to devour her. Strange, didn't she dislike carrots?
"Teacher Qin, concentrate." Jiang Yan suddenly grabbed her waist, making Qin Lan almost cry out.
She opened her eyes and looked at Jiang Yan accusingly: "Ugh!"
"I told you, focus." Jiang Yan bit her tongue and wouldn't let go.
She pushed forward with her whole body, supporting Qin Lan's neck with her other hand from behind. Qin Lan leaned back more and more, until finally she slumped against the glass, passively tilting her head back, her whole body trembling.
She was having trouble breathing, and her whole body turned red from holding her breath. But Jiang Yan didn't seem to have any intention of letting her go. She pressed one leg between her knees, locked her wrist with one hand, and pushed her against the car window.
Qin Lan squinted at her, her whole body limp and powerless. She wanted to bite Jiang Yan and then use a counter-grappling technique to make her realize the difference in their strength, but when it came to actually kissing her, she hesitated and couldn't bring herself to do it. Half-heartedly, she was pushed down into the car and kissed by Jiang Yan.
Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
Qin Lan was met with a blinding white light and couldn't hear a sound.
Jiang Yan didn't move, but released her lips: "Teacher Qin, someone is knocking on the door."
Qin Lan asked, somewhat incoherently, "Who is it?"
Jiang Yan mischievously blew into her ear: "Teacher Qin, speak louder, they can't hear you outside."
Qin Lan was so angry that she was about to knee her, but Jiang Yan, who had anticipated this, pressed her down with a palm: "Answer quickly, or people outside will be getting impatient."
Who is it?
Qin Lan glared at her and forced a higher voice. But when she opened her mouth, it was frighteningly hoarse; she could even hear moisture in her own voice...
Silence fell both inside and outside the car.
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