Don’t Want a Divorce (29)
She didn’t come.
Clearly, it had only been a day since she last saw Feng Qingyu, but upon seeing her again, Xu Jiao had a sense of separation lasting for years. Perhaps it was because Feng Qingyu’s complete transformation into a blackened version of herself had brought so many changes to her demeanor.
Hearing her “good morning,” Feng Qingyu looked at her steadily, and after a long time, slowly curved her lips into a smile and nodded at her.
The crowd thought that the two of them were too shy to be overly intimate in public. Knowing that Xu Jiao’s earlier filming had ended early to celebrate Feng Qingyu’s birthday, they now found the “good morning” from her to be filled with sweetness.
One could vaguely notice someone in the corner taking a photo of the two of them together, as if capturing it was like getting a piece of candy.
In the crowd, small screams of excitement continued:
“Ah, they really match so well!”
“The Concubines are real! They are real too! This is the sweetest and most genuine pairing I’ve ever shipped! And there’s no need to worry about them breaking up!”
“I hope they last forever and never break up!”
“I feel the same way, wuwuwu! I’m good now, I’m good now, today I’m going to put in one hundred and twenty percent effort at work!”
“Hey, do you guys think Sister Yu came to visit early in the morning or… wasn’t Director Zhen supposed to give us a surprise yesterday? A visit isn’t really a surprise for us; this is just a treat for Sister Sajiao.”
“That makes sense! Wait, I remember that Sister Yu hadn’t finished filming before; she only received a red envelope at that time. Could it be…?”
“Is ‘Qiqing’ still filming?!!”
Amidst the murmurs of the staff, Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu walked side by side towards the wardrobe and makeup rooms. Their figures were neither too far nor too close, just at that distance which wavered between intimacy and a normal relationship, adding a hint of ambiguity.
It was as if they were both restrained yet could not help but draw near, leaving a space that allowed for endless speculation.
Only the parties involved knew that, despite their proximity, their hearts were actually very distant, as if they were two strangers simply walking side by side.
Feng Qingyu entered the makeup room first, and Xu Jiao headed towards the wardrobe. They were hardly in the same space at the same time. However, Feng Qingyu’s assistant, Luo Bo, seemed somewhat puzzled. After glancing between them and pondering, Luo Bo eventually raised a hand to greet Xu Jiao:
“Good morning, Teacher Xu.”
Xu Jiao politely nodded at her: “Good morning. Have you had breakfast?”
Seeing Xu Jiao’s expression, Luo Bo thought that they might have just had a small disagreement and answered while guessing: “Yes, we had. There happened to be a breakfast shop open by the roadside on the way here, so everyone ate a bit in the car.”
“But Sister Yu didn’t have much of an appetite at the time, so she didn’t eat much. I was just planning to buy something for her. Teacher Xu, is there anything you’d like to eat?”
Xu Jiao shook her head and smiled at her: “No need, my assistant has already gone out.”
After a moment, she added: “But I can give you her contact information. If you have other things to do, you can send the breakfast order to her, and she can bring it back on the way.”
Seeing Xu Jiao’s gentle and agreeable demeanor, Luo Bo couldn’t help but feel favorable towards her. Just as her smile appeared, she suddenly noticed the door of the adjacent room opening. Feng Qingyu, already made up, stood in the doorway and lightly said to her:
“Go yourself.”
“Don’t trouble her assistant.”
The emotion behind these words was somewhat difficult to discern.
It seemed like she was reluctant to make Xu Jiao’s assistant run errands for her, so she said this to Luo Bo. It also seemed like she didn’t want to trouble the other person or impose, so she wouldn’t even let someone else handle this minor task.
Although Luo Bo had been with Feng Qingyu for some time, she wasn’t familiar enough with her to understand her completely. At that moment, Luo Bo just blankly responded with an “Oh” and turned to walk away.
Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu exchanged a glance, and then both calmly looked away.
……
Once Feng Qingyu went in to do her makeup and change clothes, everyone in the crew knew: Qi Yunshang still had scenes to shoot.
This guess became confirmed news after Director Zhen arrived.
Countless crew members, who had previously wept over the Empress dying in the Noble Consort’s arms, now suppressed their excitement, wondering if this pair could have a happy ending. After all, with the big finale approaching and the main storyline’s Emperor and Consort Liu Ruyi ending badly, shouldn’t the crew offer some sweet relief to the audience’s fragile hearts?
However, no one knew the plot.
The earlier script had long been discarded, and now the content being filmed was rushed out by the scriptwriter just two or three days ago. Today’s scenes for Qi Yunshang were even more outrageous—Director Zhen had just handed these parts to Feng Qingyu. It was said that the scriptwriter had stayed up all night, only finishing the script at 5 AM today. The lines were still fresh and hot, testing Feng Qingyu’s basic acting skills to the extreme.
Xu Jiao also received a hot-off-the-press thin script. The paper was indeed warm… freshly printed. She flipped through two or three pages, and her expression immediately changed.
Director Zhen smiled at them: “You have one hour to prepare. This scene should start in about an hour and a half. Take your time to think it over.”
Afterward, he clapped his hands and addressed Qiu Yongli and the actors playing the crown prince and the consort: “Let’s start preparing for the first scene of the day!”
……
Xu Jiao felt very conflicted after seeing the ending.
Director Zhen had only given her one hour to prepare. After memorizing her lines, she sat on the side, dazed, without watching the filming of Qiu Yongli and the others or helping the crew. It seemed like her mind was blank; she just sat quietly, not knowing what she was thinking about.
Feng Qingyu, not far from her, repeatedly looked over the few pages of script in her hand, as if she didn’t recognize the words on the page. She continuously laid the pages flat, her fingertips tracing the ink marks as if each stroke and character printed on the page told a lifetime of stories.
The two of them didn’t communicate or interact, each immersed in their own thoughts.
Until Qiu Yongli finished her scenes, still wearing her costume, she came over to Xu Jiao’s side, set up a small stool next to her, and sat down. Supporting her face with her hands and her elbows on her knees, she smiled and said to Xu Jiao:
“You finally got the content for this scene. I finished my part last night, but I don’t know the final ending. Would you mind giving me a spoiler?”
In the crew, Qiu Yongli had the best relationship with Xu Jiao. The two Omegas, not worrying about gaining weight, often sneaked out at night for late-night snacks and formed a temporary alliance to avoid paparazzi and enthusiastic fans.
Xu Jiao glanced at her and pretended to open the script towards her, but when Qiu Yongli leaned in to look, Xu Jiao quickly flicked her wrist, flipping the script closed and shaking her head mysteriously:
“No.”
Xu Jiao: “What if you read this part and imagined a very exciting scene, but when I perform it, it doesn’t match your imagination? That would make my acting look poor, wouldn’t it?”
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She smiled and said, “The plot is confidential.”
Qiu Yongli was momentarily stunned, not expecting Xu Jiao to have the leisure to tease her. She pouted and said, “Alright then.” Then, as if remembering something, she added, “By the way, I recently got a script for a non-ABO fantasy drama, but it’s a heart-wrenching love story. The open ending was quite a tear-jerker…”
Xu Jiao, who had been contemplating the emotional aspects of the scene, raised her eyebrows upon hearing Qiu Yongli’s comment and asked, “That story sounds familiar. Is that script—”
“《Qingyu An》,” both Xu Jiao and Qiu Yongli answered in unison.
Xu Jiao’s eyes showed a bit of surprise. She hadn’t expected the scriptwriter would give the script to Qiu Yongli, and that she accepted it meant she could collaborate with this friend and acquaintance again.
Qiu Yongli also looked pleased: “Wow! You’re the other one! Could it be that the scriptwriter is a fan of the Concubines?”
As they chatted and laughed, Feng Qingyu, who was nearby, found the scene like a thorn piercing her heart, causing her pain. No matter how she looked at it, it was uncomfortable.
She merely glanced quickly and then lowered her head to continue studying the script. However, the once-flat pages began to crumple as she absentmindedly rolled the corner of the page between her fingers. Soon, the page started to curl and, with the next turn, emitted a sharp sound of—
“Rip.”
The page tore down the middle.
Feng Qingyu looked at the tear, as if she saw the fractured, irreparable future between them.
……
“Scene 56 of 《The Palace Wall Willows》, Take 3, First Time, Aion!”
With the sound of the clapperboard falling—
Feng Qingyu, Xu Jiao, and Qiu Yongli walked back towards the camera. During this process, they all suppressed their expressions and quickly immersed themselves in the script’s content.
Now, Liu Ruyi had used her scheme to successfully return to the palace through the secret passage from outside the palace. When she was escorted by the Jingji Imperial Guards into the Zhengda Guangming Palace for the morning court session, all the officials were astonished.
“Empress Dowager…”
“When did the Empress Dowager arrive?”
The officials moved aside, whispering and discussing quietly how Liu Ruyi had managed to pass through the heavily guarded palace gates.
But Liu Ruyi had no time to explain to these officials. She looked at the figure sitting behind the Crown Prince, Rong Qing, narrowed her eyes, and called out loudly, “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince, whom she had raised herself, showed joy in his eyes upon seeing her. He quickly responded, “Mother, please rise!”
He wanted to say more, but suddenly thought of something, and glanced back at the woman behind the curtain. The remaining words were swallowed, unable to be spoken out loud.
He was also afraid of Rong Qing.
Even though he had seen this woman in his youth, he had later heard more about this ruthless former Noble Consort from the palace servants, and found her truly terrifying.
This woman had even tried to stage a coup yesterday, attempting to make him Emperor and then seek justice for herself, the former Empress, and the traitor Qi family. Today’s morning court session was discussing this very matter.
The young Crown Prince was unsure what to do, but fortunately, Liu Ruyi had returned.
Now, Liu Ruyi looked at Rong Qing, who had brazenly taken the Crown Prince and was addressing the officials. The two of them, separated by a curtain, stared at each other for a long moment. Liu Ruyi suddenly asked, “When did our Da Yan have the rule that allows traitors to sit in the Zhengda Guangming Palace? How bold of the traitorous Rong!”
Rong Qing, however, curled her lips and asked her, “When Empress Dowager Liu used to bow and scrape before me, if my servants could walk in this hall, why can’t I sit in this position?”
Both of them knew full well that the ten years of peace and calm had passed.
Now it was time for both sides to reap the rewards of their victories.
Liu Ruyi had previously risen through the power of the Rong family, while Rong Qing had used the Liu family to protect her own power. Now the defense around the capital belonged to the Rong family. Even though Liu Ruyi commanded the ten thousand Jingji Imperial Guards, who could be mobilized to protect the Emperor, they might not be able to match Rong Qing’s current three hundred thousand troops.
However, Liu Ruyi did not intend to confront her directly—
She took a bright yellow scroll out from her sleeve, held it high, and announced loudly, “The Emperor’s decree is here!”
Seeing the imperial edict was like seeing the Emperor himself.
The court officials all knelt down.
Rong Qing’s eyes flashed with a hint of dark hatred and frustration. She had already had all the entrances and exits of the palace blocked off, yet she didn’t know how Liu Ruyi had managed to slip in through some secret passage.
She knew that allowing Liu Ruyi to return to the palace would bring significant trouble.
As this thought crossed her mind, she allowed her attendant Aya to support her as she walked to the curtain, obediently lowering her head, listening to Liu Ruyi read out the content of the decree.
This was the Emperor’s final edict.
It announced that the throne would be passed to the Crown Prince, with Empress Dowager Liu Ruyi and the Liu family’s Grand Tutor overseeing the country, and the officials providing assistance…
Once the decree was announced—
The court erupted in cries of “Long live our Emperor! Long live! Long, long live!”
If Rong Qing hadn’t been so foresighted and stationed her own men outside the hall, she might have already been dragged away by Liu Ruyi’s men and thrown into the dungeons, facing utter defeat.
Liu Ruyi directly announced the end of the court session.
Alone in the hall, she faced off against the Emperor and Rong Qing.
Rong Qing’s smile made it hard to discern her true emotions. Despite having lost the Mandate of Heaven and the support of the people, her control over the military made it seem as though Liu Ruyi was the one in imminent danger of losing her life.
Rong Qing was the first to speak: “Empress Dowager Liu… you have quite a lot of courage, daring to venture alone into the tiger’s den. I admire you.”
Liu Ruyi did not keep her words hidden, saying directly: “Rong Qing, I know what you want. Your life’s pursuits are only three things: first, to avenge the Empress; second, to vindicate the Qi family; and third, to secure the Rong family.”
“For the first: the Emperor— the late Emperor has already passed away, so you have achieved your wish. For the second: today, I and the Emperor can make a promise here. Within five years, the Qi family, both young and old, and the souls lost on the battlefield in the Northern Desert will find peace. For the third: we will posthumously confer the title of Duke of the Nation on the late Master Rong, enshrine him in the ancestral temple, and grant him a certificate of honor, ensuring that the Rong family will enjoy the incense of eternity.”
Her words were sincere, but Rong Qing merely clapped her hands with a mocking smile. The sparse clapping echoed eerily in the hall.
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Then, Rong Qing stopped and looked at her, smiling and saying loudly, “It is truly remarkable that as an Empress Dowager now, you speak with such boldness. To promise the eternal glory of the Rong family with just a few words—such audacity.”
She continued, “I almost believed you.”
The Cold Palace had been silent for ten years.
Rong Qing had never relaxed for a day; she had planned so much for this moment that she could not bear to give away her cards, only to be left vulnerable.
Liu Ruyi stared at her, not taking a single step back.
After a while, Liu Ruyi suddenly said, “Even if you kill me today, what then? When the Emperor grows up, you will have to hand over your power to him. At that point, you will become the person he hates the most. Is this what you really want?”
Rong Qing replied calmly：“He bears the blood of the Qi family; he will not act this way.”
The young Emperor sat there, looking around anxiously, as if he did not understand what they were talking about.
Liu Ruyi shook her head with a smile: “The late Emperor also had the bloodline of the Da Yan. Did he, like the ancestors, trust the Qi family completely? Sister Rong, you should understand, the Emperors, those who sit on the throne, have too many constraints.”
“They all think you want this world, but I know, I have always known, what you truly desire in this palace—”
Liu Ruyi threw out her final card:
“What if I told you that the Empress Qi never died?”
Upon hearing these words, Rong Qing suddenly raised her eyes, her pitch-black pupils fixing on the speaker like an eagle’s talons, as if she could drag the soul out of the person who had spoken and throw it into the hellfire, making them experience the torment of hearing such words.
Rong Qing wanted to believe, but she dared not. Her lips tightened, and a trace of hatred flickered in her eyes.
“Liu Ruyi—” She called out her name slowly, unable to believe that Liu Ruyi would dare to deceive her with such a thing. She asked, “Do you think that just because I’ve been in this Cold Palace for so long, I’ve gone mad and would believe such nonsense?”
Liu Ruyi, however, stood there calmly.
Then, she slowly said, “On the first and fifteenth of each month, I sent an old woman wearing a half-mask to deliver something to you. If you’ve ever seen her, you should know that half of her face is covered in burn scars, while the remaining half is hidden by a black mask. No one has ever seen her true appearance.”
“No guards ever questioned her as she entered and exited the palace because her appearance is too hideous, and her posture too hunched.”
“She has been disguising herself like this, waiting for you for ten years.”
“Have you ever gone out to see her, Rong Qing?”
At these words, Rong Qing’s body trembled violently.
Even Aya, who stood by her side, gasped deeply, a clear sign of the shock these words brought to them both.
Rong Qing thought back to the complaints Aya had made to her in the past:
“That old woman came by again today. I wonder if someone with such an ugly appearance would be bullied by those in the palace who have no sense. People here love to flatter the powerful and trample the weak. I’m really worried that one day she might lose her life.”
“Then you should advise her not to come next time.”
……
“Your Majesty, today that old woman brought two fresh, juicy peaches for you. Please have a taste!”
“How could there be such fine peaches this season?”
“I don’t know, perhaps they came from Liu Ruyi’s palace? I’ve heard that she is deeply favored by the Emperor now, and all sorts of good things are sent to her palace. Things like an eight-year-old coral tower and a beaded curtain made of red agate—they sound so grand! Giving us one or two peaches is probably nothing to her.”
“Take one of these peaches and give it to that old woman.”
“Your Majesty! This Cold Palace is so cold, and we don’t even have ice; even the water is warm. There are only two peaches, why not keep them for yourself? Why give one away—”
“Hurry and go.”
……
“Your Majesty! That old woman came again today. She brought two jackets, and I don’t know who made them, but the stitching is so meticulous. I asked her if she was once an embroiderer, but she just shook her head and left. She’s such a strange person.”
“Did you ask her name today?”
“No, she seems like a mute. I guess she must have committed some serious mistake in the palace in the past. Being both a mute and so hideous, with those burn marks on her face—Your Majesty, you must never look at her, it’s frightening. I’m afraid you’ll have nightmares if you see her.”
“That’s unlikely… but there’s no need to go see her.”
“Why not?”
“…”
……
Because that person had given them so much kindness, Rong Qing was worried that if she ever met her, she would feel sympathy for her. And if one day, such a person were to die in the palace, Rong Qing would be even more heartbroken.
She didn’t want to feel sorrow again.
All her tears, all her pain, and that one heart of hers had been left behind in the Chang Le Palace.
And yet, listening to Aya’s description of that person, Rong Qing couldn’t help but think that such a person seemed so insignificant in the palace, so insignificant that she could perish at any moment.
But…
Liu Ruyi observed the changes in her expression and calmly said, “I know that mere words from my mouth hold no proof. If you wish, I can have her brought here to meet you.”
“Years ago, you and the Empress were punished because of my maid. Today… consider this a debt repaid to the Empress. If you hand over the military tally and leave the palace, those past grievances will no longer concern you.”
“Rong Qing, do you want to see her?”
……
After filming that part of the scene, Xu Jiao felt a bit down, even though Zhen Tiao had already called out, “Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu have wrapped up their scenes for 《The Palace Wall Willows》!”
She sat by the set for a long time. Even after Qiu Yongli finished her remaining scenes, she came over and patted Xu Jiao on the shoulder, suggesting, “How about we go out for a drink tonight? We won’t tell Director Zhen, just quietly.”
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Xu Jiao raised her lips slightly and replied, “Sure.”
Qiu Yongli immediately perked up. Just then, Feng Qingyu, who had already removed her makeup, passed by. Seeing her, Qiu Yongli felt a bit guilty about her earlier invitation to Xu Jiao, so she smiled and added:
“Sister Yu, could I borrow Teacher Xu for tonight? Just for two hours.”
Feng Qingyu simply nodded and replied, “Have fun.”
Qiu Yongli nodded enthusiastically, like a pecking chick.
She even promised, “We won’t drink much, just a little.”
Feng Qingyu was about to leave, but when she heard this, she suddenly stopped and asked, “Where?”
Qiu Yongli gestured at the distance, “Third place on the street just outside the west gate. The environment is nice~ Sister Yu, would you like to join us?”
Feng Qingyu pressed her lips together and simply said, “No.”
Qiu Yongli watched her leave and couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, thinking: Feng Qingyu will definitely show up on time to pick her up later.
That’s what she thought, and she even teased Xu Jiao about it.
Xu Jiao glanced in the direction Feng Qingyu had left, gave a faint smile, and replied, “Maybe.”
After all, she’s a protagonist with 100% blackening value—nothing she does would surprise me.
……
However, that night.
A little past 11:50 PM, Xu Jiao was slightly tipsy. Her gaze wandered around the bar many times, but she never saw Feng Qingyu or anyone who resembled her.
She didn’t come.