Chapter 5

Zhong Jin rested at a hotel near the high-speed train station for the night. The next morning, he took a shuttle bus to the film and television city and checked into a well-reviewed inn not far from the city.

After settling in, he messaged his Senior Sister and rode a shared bike to the film set.

The film and television city was bustling with people, with different dynasties and eras jumbled together, creating a bizarre sense of temporal displacement.

"Jin Jin, over here!"

His Senior Sister waved to him from a distance. Zhong Jin approached and handed her the sugar water he had bought.

She smiled. "You didn't have to be so polite."

Zhong Jin looked obedient. "It's nothing. I remember you like taro paste mochi."

"Let's go. I'll take you inside. They're already filming, and your scene should be this afternoon, but that could change depending on the schedule. You should review your script and memorize your lines."

Senior Sister Tang looked busy, her face bare of makeup and her hair simply pulled back with a black ballpoint pen. She spoke quickly as they walked, her words tumbling out in a rapid stream.

Zhong Jin took note of everything, having no objections to the situation. As a film academy student who hadn't even debuted yet, it was hardly his place to insist on having his makeup and styling done before filming began.

Waiting was a mandatory lesson for aspiring actors.

As soon as he arrived on set, Tang Lanxin was called away by an assistant. She hurriedly stuffed a folded sheet of paper into Zhong Jin's hand. "Take a look at this first. I'll come back for you in a bit."

The folded A4 paper contained everything Zhong Jin needed to know about his role.

The lines totaled less than fifteen sentences, most of them repetitive shouts.

From the dialogue and scene descriptions, Zhong Jin quickly figured out what kind of scene it was. He scanned the lines once, memorized them all, and before he could even find a place to sit down, he was pulled away for makeup.

The makeup room, filled with over a dozen people, was noisy. Fortunately, it wasn't summer yet, so even with people coming and going, the air wasn't too stuffy.

First, someone helped Zhong Jin with his wig. Once that was done, the makeup artist approached with her kit.

"Your skin looks great," the artist commented. Zhong Jin smiled but wisely remained silent, avoiding the fate of inhaling powder.

Zhong Jin's skin was naturally fair, but the makeup artist still applied a thick layer of pale foundation to accentuate the dramatic eye makeup.

The Twelfth Prince, in his first appearance, was dressed as a theatrical performer with a flower in his hair. He was playing a role within his own residence, portraying a young male lead in a courtyard opera and seducing the maids and singing girls who were playing lonely noblewomen confined to their chambers.

After applying the foundation, the makeup artist picked up her brush and began applying the rest of the makeup.

Zhong Jin frowned slightly at the smell of cheap oil paint wafting under his nose, but quickly smoothed his expression.

Once the makeup was finished, he collected his costume, removed his jacket, and put on the outer theatrical robes. After changing his shoes, he stepped outside.

Before the makeup session, Zhong Jin's scene had been in the main hall. Now he was outside.

Standing on the street, Zhong Jin immediately recognized one of the figures as Shang Yansi. Clearly dressed as a Prince, he wore brocade robes and carried himself with regal dignity, exuding authority and solemnity.

In the scene, the Prince was gently trying to persuade the aging Son of Heaven to reconsider his decision. However, the Emperor refused to heed his son's counsel, insisting on leaving the palace immediately to check on his precious fish, Bao Yu.

Zhong Jin couldn't watch any longer because he heard his Senior Sister's voice.

"Xiao Jin, come over here quickly," Tang Lanxin called, waving him over. "Looks like the shoot's going smoothly. They should be able to film your part this morning. Come wait in this studio."

The studio she was referring to was, of course, the Prince's Mansion set. Zhong Jin, clutching his jacket, followed her.

She couldn't help but laugh. "This makeup makes your almond-shaped eyes look like a fox's."

"The Prince is playing a seductive male fox, isn't he?" Zhong Jin smiled, quoting lines from the play.

The quality of the oil paint wasn't great. Fortunately, they only needed to highlight the Prince's debauched and extravagant nature, so they didn't paint his whole face, just the eye area. But the skin around his eyes was sensitive, and Zhong Jin already felt a faint burning sensation, though it was still mild.

Tang Lanxin waved Zhong Jin to a seat and began explaining the scene to him.

"Senior Sister, are you in charge of this?"

"Of course not, but since we know each other, I took this task on. They were happy to let me."

"Doesn't this delay your work?"

"It's fine. Talking to you is better than being bossed around by others. Besides, I can't just eat your mochi for free, can I?"

Tang Lanxin smirked slyly, asking Zhong Jin to take out the paper with his lines.

Zhong Jin was happy to comply, listening as the Senior Sister explained the character of the Twelfth Prince.

The Twelfth Prince was a minor character in the play, a typical villainous cannon fodder. Yet his identity made him a crucial fuse, the kind of move that set the whole chain reaction in motion.

He was the full brother of the Seventh Prince, who was a strong contender for the throne.

"Did you see the Seventh Prince earlier? The actor playing him is Shang Yansi, that famous child star who used to make movies. He's also from our school."

Tang Lanxin, a directing major, had heard of this junior. However, he kept a low profile at school and didn't participate in any activities, so she'd never seen him before.

"I did."

Zhong Jin nodded. He already knew Shang Yansi was playing the Seventh Prince. His lines only mentioned the Imperial Father and the Imperial Brother, with most of his dialogue focused on the latter.

He didn't tell his Senior Sister about his prior interactions with Shang Yansi. There was no need.

"He's quite handsome, but he's not the male protagonist, is he? Like you, he's more of an antagonist."

Tang Lanxin continued, "The series begins in the twentieth year of Tianxi, when the male protagonist is still a seven-year-old cowherd.

"While grazing his cattle in the mountains, he suddenly sees a troop of imperial soldiers storm into his village, slaughtering the elderly, women, and children before setting everything ablaze.

"At this point, he doesn't know why, but the audience will. The perspective soon shifts to the imperial court, where bandits have been plaguing the mountains. The court sent troops to suppress them, but the bandits scattered, forcing the soldiers to kill innocent civilians to claim credit.

"The Emperor rewards the soldiers, satisfied with the 'peace' in his realm. He hastily adjourns the court, eager to leave the palace to check on his Bao Yu.

"This precious fish, a red and white specimen presented as an auspicious omen, has recently stopped eating, showing signs of weakness. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, claiming expertise in fish care, suggests moving the fish to the Court of Judicial Review for treatment. Hearing that the fish seems to be improving, the Emperor decides to visit.

"In just half an episode, the series has already exposed the chaos of the military, the sycophancy and incompetence of the court officials, and the ineptitude of the Son of Heaven, making the dynasty's decline impossible to conceal.

"Zhong Jin recalled the filming site he had just witnessed, and it all matched the narrative."

After leaving the palace together, the Emperor and the Seventh Prince stopped by the Twelfth Prince's residence, where they stumbled upon the prince staging a play for his concubines, acting as a theatrical performer seducing noblewomen for illicit trysts. Enraged, the Emperor swept his sleeves and departed.

The Twelfth Prince, flustered but assuming the punishment would be no more than house arrest and a fine, didn't take it too seriously. To his surprise, he soon received an imperial decree ordering him to be enfeoffed in a less prosperous region.

Uncomprehending how his private amusements could warrant such a severe consequence, the Twelfth Prince sought to beg for mercy, but couldn't even secure an audience with the Emperor.

Unbeknownst to him, this was the Seventh Prince's doing, driven by political calculations. He knew the Twelfth Prince's naivety and foolishness would inevitably cause trouble in the Capital City's political vortex, becoming a threat that rivals could use against him. Thus, the Seventh Prince had his younger brother sent away from the capital in advance.

After his exile, the Twelfth Prince continued his tyrannical ways in his fiefdom, notorious for his rampant abuse of power, including the abduction of common women and the exploitation of the populace. Eventually, the long-suffering refugees rose up and killed him. The leader of the rebellion was the sworn brother who had raised the male protagonist.

By then, the Seventh Prince had ascended to the throne. For the sake of the imperial family's dignity and fraternal ties, he could not condone the rebels' escape. He dispatched troops to suppress the uprising, executing the ringleaders through Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts) and displaying their heads as a public warning.

The male protagonist's family had been slaughtered by imperial soldiers. His adopted sister, whom he loved like a sister, had been forcibly taken and left to die in a mass grave. His adopted brother's head now hung on the city walls. His hatred could no longer be suppressed, and he pointed his sword at this ailing dynasty.

Zhong Jin sighed, "How tragic."

"Life was brutal for the common people in feudal times," Tang Lanxin echoed, her heart heavy. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, she asked, "Do you know why the Seventh Prince can be played by a single actor, but the Twelfth Prince requires two?"

Zhong Jin followed her lead, asking, "Why?"

Tang Lanxin stifled a laugh. "Because the actor playing the Twelfth Prince can't pull off his younger years. He's a bit... portly."

"Director Zou designed it that way deliberately," she explained. "It makes him more detestable. If he were too handsome, it might lead to awkward public reactions that Director Zou wants to avoid."

Zhong Jin nodded in understanding, realizing what she meant.

If he could choose, he wouldn't want to play a mere lecherous beast. Not that he couldn't, but there was simply no need to.

As Tang Lanxin had predicted, the morning shoot went smoothly. Before lunch, Zhong Jin received word that he was needed.

"Eat first," she said, handing him a lunchbox. "They'll definitely wait until after their meal to film again. You shouldn't go hungry."

Zhong Jin went to buy two bottles of water.

Ten minutes after the meal, Zhong Jin was called into the studio to run through the blocking.

When Shang Yansi arrived, Zhong Jin was touching up his makeup.

His lips were smeared with red, making him even more striking beneath the fox-like stage makeup.

Director Zou watched for a moment, then instructed Zhong Jin to remove the inner layer of his costume. "We'll need to mess up your clothes later to avoid giving away the trick," he explained.

Shang Yansi's vision blurred, and he saw the young man's rolled-up sleeve revealing a flash of snow-white chest. He flinched, his pupils constricting. Before he could intervene, Zhong Jin had already retreated behind the screen to change, avoiding any public undressing.

Shang Yansi felt a mix of confusion and doubt. What was that? A hallucination?

How could I have such a hallucination?

He reasoned that it must be a memory from the past, perhaps something he'd seen during their days as close friends.

Unaware of Zhong Jin's sexual orientation, he had no reason to deliberately avoid such memories.

Zhong Jin changed into his new costume, loosened the belt as instructed, and exposed his collarbone.

Fortunately, the hickeys from the morning had disappeared, preventing any scandalous rumors from surfacing by the afternoon.

Zhong Jin glanced at his oblivious workout partner. In a way, this is just as much about pulling up your pants and denying everything, he thought.

But since it's mutual, it's also quite satisfying.