Don’t Want a Divorce (6)
Sweat seeped layer by layer from the palm of my hand.
Director Zhen added a supplementary question to the audition for the role of “Noble Consort Rong.”
Unlike the usual requirement of only auditioning one segment and scene, he temporarily added a part for free performance, asking the actors to continue acting beyond the unwritten part of the script after completing the previous segment.
In the story, Noble Consort Rong’s full name is Rong Qing. The Rong family has been merchants for generations. By Rong Qing’s generation, her brother had even been invited to become an imperial merchant. Even the three-year-old children of Yan Kingdom knew that the Rong family was the wealthiest in the land.
She entered the palace in the same year as Empress Qi Yunshang.
The Qi family had been loyal ministers for four generations. Their ancestors helped establish the country alongside the founding emperor (Tai-zu). They were granted the title of General of the State and had stationed troops in the northern desert and barren lands for generations, guarding the borders of Da Yan and holding military power in the northwest, making them influential in the court.
At that time, the new emperor ascended the throne. To gain the support of the courtiers, he greatly expanded the harem. Daughters from both civil and military families were sent to the palace. The most honored among them were Empress Qi and Noble Consort Rong.
Since Qi Yunshang and Rong Qing entered the palace, within three months, the entire harem knew that the Empress was frail, kind-hearted, and gentle. Although she was strict, she never used harsh methods, so all the servants in the eight bureaus were happy to serve in her Chang Le Palace.
In contrast, Rong Qing was arrogant and domineering—
Because the current emperor had not yet conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort, within the harem, Rong Qing was considered second only to Empress Qi and above the other six concubines. Moreover, due to the Empress’s frail health, she often couldn’t handle harem affairs, so Rong Qing pestered the emperor until she received an edict to manage the phoenix seal (symbol of authority in the harem).
All the concubines in the harem had witnessed Rong Qing’s unruly behavior. The Empress’s health was poor, so greetings from the concubines were reduced to once every ten days. However, whenever Rong Qing went to Chang Le Palace, she walked in straight without bowing properly to the Empress, only giving a perfunctory nod. If she treated the Empress this way, she was even more arrogant towards the lower-ranked concubines.
Whenever something slightly displeased her, the palace maids beside her would act arrogantly, like foxes exploiting the tiger’s might (using the power of someone else to bully others). If she found out someone was pregnant, this venomous woman would be even more ruthless; she had a thousand and one ways to make your belly lose its movement.
Even the Cold Palace sweepers knew of Noble Consort Rong’s notorious reputation. Even the Empress couldn’t handle her. Therefore, whenever the Empress fell ill, everyone in the harem would be on edge, fearing that if the Empress departed, this wicked woman would rise to power, and the Yan Kingdom’s harem would never have peace again.
In public, Qi Yunshang and Rong Qing standing together was a scene of discordant beauty.
But what few in the palace knew was—
In private, they engaged in all manner of intimate affairs.
……
The scene Xu Jiao was to audition for today took place outside the imperial garden.
At that time, the spring light was just right, the spring atmosphere warm and tender. The sunlight shone on the rippling lake ahead, creating a glimmer that made one feel especially comfortable. In the lake, red and black koi swam gracefully, leisurely swaying their tails.
But the atmosphere on the shore was not so pleasant, for Noble Consort Rong was about to beat a palace servant to death with a rod.
Halfway through the execution, a eunuch’s sharp voice suddenly announced from behind: “The Empress has arrived—”
Hearing this announcement, Rong Qing, supported by a palace maid’s feigned assistance, immediately turned her head to look.
The script comes to an abrupt end here.
The rest is left to the auditionees to interpret and perform, with Director Zhen asking them to continue from this part of the script and freely perform for five minutes.
There were many competitors for this role against Xu Jiao, including a recently promoted third-tier starlet from Yantian Entertainment. Her facial features and appearance perfectly matched the temperament of the character Rong Qing: thin lips with a cold color, slender eyebrows and eyes, naturally exuding a kind of innate villainous arrogance.
Additionally, there was an actor with formal training. After all, the leads of 《The Palace Wall Willows》 were big-name stars, and many roles were filled by veteran actors. Even Feng Qingyu was there as an important side character to add flair. The drama had a significant investment, and Yantian Entertainment was known for its excellent promotional skills—
With Director Zhen’s reputation, even if it wasn’t a huge hit, the results shouldn’t be too bad, so naturally, the actors were eager to join this production.
Besides, there were several other pretty faces with connections similar to Xu Jiao. Some had powerful patrons backing them, such as a mistress of a board member from Yantian Entertainment, or friends of the drama’s production team.
Director Zhen had his own standards for selecting people. He never minded recommendations from those around him and welcomed anyone who came to audition for his roles. He was willing to give face in this regard, but who got selected and who didn’t was not something influenced by connections.
In total, there were five people, and Xu Jiao was placed last.
As everyone knows, drawing lots to be first or last generally isn’t considered lucky. The first one has no prior performances to refer to, so whether it’s good or bad, no one knows. If someone performs slightly better later, the mediocre initial performance will be forgotten.
And the last one…
If she couldn’t perform with the strength of a finale, the directors who had already watched many performances would certainly feel fatigued, and might even give her a big cross in their minds before she finished.
This meant that she had to be more special than everyone else.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiao quietly sat in the far corner of the waiting room, slowly closing her eyes. Before her eyes, it seemed like the sunlight from the scene appeared again, warmly covering her eyelids.
The other connected candidates who were racking their brains over how to perform glanced back at her, their eyes immediately showing a different kind of envy and admiration—
Was she just going through the motions and giving up entirely?
……
“Please wait for the notice from the production team.”
Shangguan Yan’s assistant had temporarily taken on an extra job. After assigning numbers to the actors outside, he thoughtfully saw each one off, politely welcoming the next. During the actors’ performances, he even had to appropriately shout “The Empress has arrived” like a little eunuch.
The previous few were all connected candidates. After watching their performances, Zhen Tiao clenched the script so tightly that he crumpled the paper. His brows furrowed into a single line, as if he was about to bluntly say something, but glanced at Shangguan Yan beside him and held back.
After holding it in for a while, he suddenly turned his head and asked Feng Qingyu beside him:
“What do you think of the three performances just now?”
Feng Qingyu knew that he didn’t want to say anything too harsh and offend people. After all, Feng Qingyu had worked with him before and knew how sharp-tongued he could be when filming. Now, after a brief consideration, she gave her balanced evaluation:
“The first one’s body movements were a bit too much, making it seem somewhat exaggerated and causing the focus of her performance to be unclear on camera.”
“The second one went a bit overboard in the improvisation part. The forbidden love between Rong Qing and the Empress is not allowed to be discovered, yet she kept her gaze glued to the Empress, as if afraid that people wouldn’t notice her feelings.”
“The third one was fairly standard,” Feng Qingyu paused here, as this was someone from Shangguan Yan’s company. She recalled the previous performance and added more:
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“Her expressions and performance were both spot on. After the Empress arrived, she maintained the conflict between them in front of others. The Empress is gentle and would certainly not bear to see the palace maid killed in her presence. No matter how kind-hearted the Empress is, she is still the first lady of the harem, so Noble Consort Rong definitely couldn’t kill the palace maid. She stopped in a reasonable manner.”
Hearing this, Shangguan Yan’s face remained impassive, but a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
In his view, the biggest competitor for this young actress from his company should be the fourth trained actor coming in next. The role of Noble Consort Rong would likely be decided between these two.
Sure enough—
After the fourth person came in and greeted Director Zhen and others, she immediately immersed herself in the role, making it obvious to feel the difference. Feng Qingyu could even guess the imagined camera positions based on her expressions and stance.
This actress must have considerable experience in costume dramas. Just by raising her hand and placing it lightly to the side, her posture standing there made it clear she was in a high position. Even though she was dressed in modern attire, one could already imagine her clad in brocade and silk.
Suddenly, she raised her hand and gently pressed her temple, giving an order to the empty space beside her:
“Shut her mouth.”
Her tone was unhurried and carried a distinctive elegance. Director Zhen’s frown slightly relaxed as he leaned back into his chair. Clearly, this met his standards for Rong Qing’s character.
This person is proud and ruthless; executions under her command should be silent, for those lowly palace maids aren’t even worthy of letting their death wails dirty her ears.
At that moment, the assistant, keeping track of time, aptly called out: “The Empress arrives—”
The actors turned to look, and suddenly, she raised her hand to stop the palace servants from executing their action. Her eyebrow arched slightly, revealing no clues, and she turned to look at the source of the voice, nodding slightly with a smile, saying:
“Greetings to the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy peace and prosperity.”
“What wind has blown through the Imperial Garden today to bring you here?”
Her performance easily brought people into the ancient setting. Whether it was Feng Qingyu, Shangguan Yan, or Zhen Tiao, all three of them were very serious at that moment.
As the “Rong Qing” on stage reluctantly waved her hand to dismiss the palace servants, following the Empress’s intention, the performance was nearly at its end. Just as Feng Qingyu and the others thought it was over, suddenly—
The “Rong Qing” in front of them changed her expression, and all the arrogance in her demeanor disappeared. She smiled sweetly and called to the person beside her:
“Elder Sister.”
She said, “Tomorrow is the Lunar New Year, and soon it will be the Empress Dowager’s 60th birthday. All the palace servants have gone to Yanxi Palace to join the festivities. I was very careful in coming here today, so I won’t be discovered. Don’t worry.”
At this moment, Director Zhen clapped his hands together, neither lightly nor heavily, and announced: “Stop.”
The actress smiled at the few people present. Shangguan Yan’s assistant came forward appropriately and handed her a bottle of mineral water. Director Zhen smiled and said, “Thank you for coming to my audition. We still need to discuss the final results before informing you.”
“I understand. Thank you, Director Zhen, for this opportunity, and thank you, President Yan and Sister Yu.”
Because Feng Qingyu had previously become famous for acting in historical dramas, and her pure and clean demeanor in them earned her the nickname “Jade Girl.” Later, juniors in the industry got used to calling her “Sister Yu,” which included her name and immediately reminded people of the roles she had played before.
After the actress left, Director Zhen stroked his chin. This time he asked Shangguan Yan beside him: “What do you think of the additional scene she just added?”
Shangguan Yan casually replied, “I’m not an expert, just here for the excitement. I feel she must have a lot of experience in historical dramas because she can instantly bring people into the scene. However, I felt the twist at the end was a bit sudden. Is she trying to show both sides of the character in one scene?”
“That is, she wants to portray her rivalry with the Empress in public while also showing her unique lover’s demeanor in front of the Empress. Such a contrast could make the character’s image more three-dimensional, right?”
Zhen Tiao let out a “hmm.” It was quite evident that he understood what the earlier performance intended to convey. Even without a co-actor, the person’s acting was substantial, neither too much nor too little. Moreover, considering she hadn’t seen the script—since this isn’t a story adapted from a novel and there is no original book to refer to—her ability to freely interpret the role was inevitably limited.
Shangguan Yan, hearing his hum, looked at his expression and immediately laughed, “Earlier, people said you were picky in selecting actors, and I didn’t believe it. Now it seems true—”
“I remember Rong Qing doesn’t have many scenes with the Empress. Her label should be considered a ‘vicious supporting female character.’ Why are your requirements for this role so high? I heard you already eliminated a batch of auditionees before; this is the second batch, right? What kind of Noble Consort Rong are you looking for?”
Hearing his jest, Zhen Tiao couldn’t describe the feeling he wanted in words. He just turned the topic to Feng Qingyu: “Of course, I want a Noble Consort Rong that best complements our Empress.”
Before Feng Qingyu and Shangguan Yan could understand his words, Director Zhen had already looked up towards the door. Shangguan Yan’s assistant, seeing his gaze, promptly brought in Xu Jiao, who was waiting at the door.
Today, Feng Qingyu had brought her along. On the way, she briefly mentioned that they were coming to watch the auditions. Director Zhen has always been responsible for his works, so he personally handles the casting.
Besides that, she also mentioned the scriptwriter, assistant director, and the like but hadn’t expected to see Shangguan Yan today as well.
Remembering her promise to Shi Weiya last night, Feng Qingyu, seeing Xu Jiao now, was afraid she might mistake someone and cause an awkward situation. She promptly reminded her, “This is Director Zhen, you know, the chief director of 《The Palace Wall Willows》. The other person is the producer and investor of the work, the CEO of Yantian Entertainment, Shangguan Yan.”
Xu Jiao appreciated her kindness and politely greeted the two, exchanging a few courteous words.
Feng Qingyu had rarely seen her at work before, nor had she visited her on set, so she didn’t know how she interacted with others daily. She only occasionally saw the content Xu Jiao bought for herself on trending searches and had watched a few variety show clips, experiencing her exaggerated performance.
At present.
Looking at the person standing in front of her, with a proper and respectful demeanor, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity, and her first reaction was:
How many more masks does this person have that I haven’t seen?
……
Xu Jiao’s manner when she entered the scene pulled Feng Qingyu out of her distracted state.
She saw Xu Jiao specifically ask Director Zhen if she could move a Taifei chair (an elaborate chair often used by imperial concubines) over to the side. The assistant, who had been standing by as a background prop, hurried over to lend a hand. Immediately afterward, several people watched as Xu Jiao ostentatiously used the Taifei chair as a chaise longue, elegantly reclining on it.
Director Zhen seemed to have never seen anyone so arrogant and particular, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. He sat up straight from the back of his chair, even slightly leaned forward, seemingly very curious about what kind of special treatment Feng Qingyu had given Xu Jiao.
Xu Jiao truly appeared as if she were on a spring outing, her eyes slightly closed, as if the palace maid in the scene who had been beaten to death with a stick didn’t exist at all.
After a good while, Shangguan Yan’s assistant, seeing that she had no more content to display, dutifully called out his scripted line: “The Empress has arrived—”
The eyelashes of the person on the chaise longue trembled slightly.
She slowly opened her eyes, instinctively reaching out her hand, as if a palace attendant was there to support her in time. Xu Jiao naturally sat up, one hand holding the chair, her gaze shifting slightly to the side and behind her. Her eyes curved slightly, as if the person arriving, bathed in sunlight, was too dazzling for her to distinguish between illusion and reality for a moment.
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Just as the corners of her lips were about to lift, she seemed to suddenly realize the current situation. The corners of her lips pressed down, and Xu Jiao glanced carelessly to the side:
“Why have you stopped?”
She said leisurely, “Before I give the order, anyone who dares to stop again will be dealt with together with her.”
Although her voice was gentle, the words she spoke were terrifying. Even though Feng Qingyu and the director could not see the specific scene happening around her, they could guess from Xu Jiao’s words that the palace attendants were now increasing their force, beating the person so that their screams echoed continuously.
But Xu Jiao’s expression remained as calm as ever.
Even the sense of ease had not faded.
With such a bright and positive expression, she made people think of the unseen darkness and cruelty, like the hidden skeletons and infernal scenes within the beautiful illusions of “flowers in a mirror and moon in the water” (an idiom meaning illusory and unattainable beauty).
Xu Jiao’s performance did not stop there—
She didn’t even get up from the chaise longue, and said lightly and lazily in the direction of the assistant: “This concubine pays her respects to the Empress.”
“As Her Majesty can see, there are always some unruly people in this palace, never giving us a moment’s peace. The Empress is frail by nature and cannot always be disturbed by such trivial matters. I took the liberty to make a decision, giving some people in this palace a wake-up call. Certain rules must not be broken. Such people, who engage in private liaisons with the Emperor’s personal guards and harbor impure intentions, deserve to die a thousand times over and still not be forgiven.”
In the scene, only her voice could be heard, but everyone knew she was speaking to the Empress and had no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Zhen Tiao raised her eyebrows slightly at her resolute expression.
Was she not planning to let this person go?
Was she really going to kill someone in front of the Empress?
Feng Qingyu’s expression also turned somewhat grave. By this point in the scene, Xu Jiao had fully embodied Rong Qing’s arrogance and extravagance. If she truly killed someone in front of the Empress without regard for protocol, it would be taking things too far.
Because it would be a grave breach of hierarchical rules.
At this moment.
Xu Jiao’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and the smile on her face froze. She asked, “So the Empress is determined to oppose this concubine today? I wonder what fortune this palace maid has accumulated in her past lives to make the Empress look at her with such favor.”
“Forget it. Since Her Majesty has given the order, we dare not disobey. Everyone, stop—”
“Since Her Majesty has such leisure today to stroll in the Imperial Garden, it would be most inappropriate to let these filthy things dirty your eyes and spoil your mood. However… I think this spot has good sunlight and the scenery is quite nice. It seems unlikely that Her Majesty would take away what someone loves, making me give up this beautiful scene to accompany you to that small garden, right?”
After saying this, Xu Jiao paused for a long while.
Her gaze became somewhat unfocused, staring at a distant spot without looking away, as if she were watching the Empress leave. Perhaps the deeply restrained emotions were hidden too well in her eyes, coupled with her currently expressionless face, making it seem as if she were watching her mortal enemy.
At this moment, Director Zhen took out his phone to check the time and realized that there were only thirty seconds left on the countdown.
Just as he looked up, Xu Jiao unexpectedly began to smile again. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes still staring into the distance, but her face was already slightly turned toward the maid beside her. In a consultative tone, she softly said:
“Since the Empress does not want this person to be beaten to death with a rod—”
“I was thinking the fish in this lake must be terribly hungry with no one feeding them daily. How about… I do a good deed today, what do you think?”
Feng Qingyu’s eyes widened slightly.
Xu Jiao was actually playing a trick of outward compliance but inward defiance!
She still wanted that palace maid dead and changed it to drowning in the lake. Why?
Zhen Tiao and Shangguan Yan were also a bit curious about this sudden turn of events. In the scene, Xu Jiao was helped up. When she stood up, she glanced at her feet. Suddenly, she paused her steps, furrowed her brows, and sighed lightly:
“What a pity for my mandarin duck embroidery (鴛鴦繡, a traditional Chinese design symbolizing a happy couple), just worn today, on these blue satin shoes…”
Her shoes had been stained by the blood of the palace maid.
Xu Jiao showed a trace of disgust on her face as she was helped back to the palace by those beside her, without looking back at the events behind her. After walking some distance, she slightly tilted her head, as if someone beside her was asking her something.
“Why did you defy the Empress’s order?”
She repeated the question, casually glancing around until she made the consecutive steps to cross the threshold, indicating she had returned to her own Jinxiu Palace.
Xu Jiao half-leaned back on the chaise, lifting her foot slightly, seemingly allowing someone to remove her shoes. Looking ahead, precisely at Zhen Tiao and the other two, she curled her lips slightly, her eyes reflecting unfathomable emotions, and slowly said:
“That guard is someone close to the Emperor, always protecting him closely, never leaving his side—who knows whose child that maid was carrying?”
She said, “I won’t take even the slightest risk.”
“In this palace, until the Empress has a confirmed pregnancy, no one is allowed to sneak ahead. I want my sister’s child to rightfully inherit the Eastern Palace (東宮, the designation for the heir apparent’s residence), and eventually become the most noble ruler of this land. No one is allowed to overstep this hierarchy.”
“Elder Sister has a kind heart and does not wish to make things difficult for others. Her hands are clean, so I will handle these matters.”
“As long as I am in this palace, no one should dare to act recklessly.”
……
Feng Qingyu was directly facing Xu Jiao’s eyes.
Hearing her speak each word with jewel-like precision, uttering lines that were not in the script, clearly ruthless and cruel words, yet from them, she could hear profound love, almost an obsession.
Between the lines, not a single word of love was mentioned, yet it was filled with deep affection, enough to leave an indelible impression.
It made people easily understand that Rong Qing loves the Empress in her own way.
“Clap—”
Director Zhen clapped his hands, pulling Feng Qingyu out of the scene. She heard Director Zhen say “cut,” and felt her heartbeat skip along with it.
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Beside her, Shangguan Yan’s face inexplicably darkened, but no one noticed this. Director Zhen was reminiscing about Xu Jiao’s performance, while Feng Qingyu…
She watched as Xu Jiao came out of the scene, politely bowing to thank them. A strange thought suddenly popped into her mind: “If only I could act in a scene with her.”
She wanted to take on the role of Qi Yunshang and act in such a scene with Xu Jiao’s Rong Qing.
The moment the thought appeared, Feng Qingyu herself was stunned. She didn’t have time to ponder how Xu Jiao’s acting skills had suddenly improved as if she had a cheat code. It was only when Director Zhen gave her a reminder with his eyes that she remembered she needed to leave.
Today, she had only brought Xu Jiao for an audition. Now that Xu Jiao’s part was done, even if she wanted to catch up with Zhen Tiao and Shangguan Yan, it was only proper for her to see Xu Jiao off first.
Feng Qingyu greeted Zhen Tiao and Shangguan Yan before heading outside.
When she reached the corridor and was hit by the draught, she actually felt a bit of coolness.
Feng Qingyu was taken aback.
She then realized…
She didn’t know when she had broken into a sweat, even though there was air conditioning inside.
Feng Qingyu opened her palm and placed it in front of her. With her excellent eyesight, she saw the barely visible layer of crystal-clear moisture in her palm lines. After staring at it for a few seconds, she lowered her hand and walked towards the lounge.
Another thought popped into her mind—
Suppose Xu Jiao really got this role…
If she remembered correctly, this drama wasn’t exactly tame. The scenes between Empress Qi and Noble Consort Rong had many restricted scenes.
Inexplicably.
Feng Qingyu’s throat moved, as she made a swallowing motion.
More sweat inexplicably seeped out from her palms.