After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 400 - 391: A Pleasure to Meet You, Empress

Wei Xiao saw the three off to the door, his expression much more relaxed than it had been a few days ago.

Although these people had been introduced by Xu Qingmei, he was more than satisfied.

Especially after watching Yin Chong’s audition, he felt there would be no need for the actor to join the group for urgent training in advance.

After all, he had seen with his own eyes that the martial arts teacher he had paid a lot for might not even be as skilled as this Yin Chong.

Looking at Xu Qingmei again, there was a bit of gratitude in his eyes, "I’ve been at my wit’s end for days trying to find a suitable actor for Yelü Hongyin. I’m really indebted to you, Ms. Xu!"

Xu Qingmei returned a polite smile and hesitated a moment before giving a reminder, "This newcomer from my studio is also acting for the first time. Director Wei is renowned in the crew; if he falls short in some areas, I hope you can be forgiving."

It’s for the sake of your own life!

From the people who came out of the door, whether adults or that Luan Feng, she didn’t hope they were very aware of the law.

She even started to suspect the actor who was previously cast as the Beiman Prince, wondering if some trickery from the adults was involved.

Otherwise, why would he get into a car accident right when he was about to join the crew?

Wei Xiao thought he understood the hidden meaning in her words. "Haha, no problem."

Wasn’t it just asking him to take a little extra care? Given that he finally found a satisfactory candidate, he would definitely focus more attention.

If anything went wrong again, he’d be devastated.

Xu Qingmei: "..."

Inwardly, she silently wished herself good luck.

Although she brought the person over, she was only following orders.

As they talked, they inadvertently fell to the back. It wasn’t till they noticed the two figures ahead suddenly stopped that they ended their conversation and looked up.

Wei Xiao saw Jiang Lingxi walking towards them and felt a stirring inside, so he simply waved her over.

"Xiaoxi, come here for a moment."

Pei Xinyuan, walking behind Jiang Lingxi, was dazzled for a moment by the figure standing not far away. It wasn’t until she heard Director Wei’s voice that she snapped back to reality, her pretty face reddening. "Mr. Jiang, I’ll go over first."

She hadn’t expected the real person to be even more stunning than the blurry photos sent to the group, and she was almost captivated.

It was inappropriate for her to go forward any further at this point.

Jiang Lingxi nodded at her and continued to walk forward, her gaze landing on Yin Chong.

The real person was even more outstanding than the photos and videos Lu Zhengzheng sent her.

Judging from Director Wei’s beaming expression, he was obviously very pleased too.

As she got closer, she greeted, "Director Wei, Ms. Xu."

As for the other two, although Lu Zhengzheng had given her a heads-up, she could only pretend not to know at this point.

"Xiaoxi, this is Mr. Yin Chong, who I just confirmed will be playing the Beiman Prince, Yelü Hongyin. In a few days, when we switch locations to film in Liangchuan, the two of you will have many scenes together, so it’s good to get to know each other first."

Then he looked at Yin Chong, "Mr. Yin, this is our lead actress Jiang Lingxi, playing Empress Yuan Zhao."

"Jiang Lingxi," Yin Chong repeated the name, his tone inexplicably carrying a hint of something unique, though whether it was his usual way of speaking was unclear, "If I’m not mistaken, before she ascended the throne and changed the era name, Empress Yuan Zhao’s maiden name was also Jiang Lingxi, wasn’t it?"

Jiang Lingxi met the eyes smiling at her and her eyelids twitched slightly.

This was quite an obscure fact, even when studying this part of history, teachers might not specifically cover this content, and even the history teachers themselves might not know it.

Only a few professors and scholars specializing in the Yuan Zhao era’s history might have glimpsed it in some historical texts.

Even in the script of "Empress Yuan Zhao," her character’s name was the more widely known Empress Yuan Zhao.

"Not many people know this fact, it seems Mr. Yin is well-versed in history."

"You’re too kind, I’m just particularly interested in the history of the Yuan Zhao era," Yin Chong said, extending his hand, "Nice to meet you, Your Majesty."

Jiang Lingxi lowered her eyes to look at the hand extended to her, the fingers faintly blue-tinted, giving an inexplicable cold feeling.

When she shook it, it felt like holding a piece of ice, and she withdrew her hand without ever really gripping it tightly, "Nice to meet you," she paused, "Yelü Hongyin."

Yin Chong couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.

This smile made the scenery around them lose its color for those standing nearby.

Xu Qingmei couldn’t help but be dazed for a moment, her gaze falling on Jiang Lingxi’s hand that had just touched the adult’s.

Previously, she had only focused on completing the tasks ordered by the adult quickly; it wasn’t until she saw the two interacting that she suddenly remembered.

There was an unspoken flirtation between Empress Yuan Zhao and the Beiman Prince.

To call it a romance would be inaccurate; it was more of a one-sided affection from the Beiman Prince.

Historically, the first time they faced each other on the battlefield, Empress Yuan Zhao was still the Protector Princess. They fought to a draw, and Beiman suggested a marriage alliance with the Protector Princess to bring peace between the two nations.

The Beiman Prince quite agreed with this proposal. Although she was his enemy, he couldn’t help but admire the Protector Princess from Dayin after their encounters. A desire for conquest as a man also played a part.

On the other side, the Dayin Emperor also seemed to approve. His daughter was not only good at fighting but also competent, highlighting his sons’ mediocrity. However capable his daughter was, he never considered passing the throne to her. A marriage could both bring decades of peace, allowing the war-weary Dayin to recover, and give his overshadowed sons a chance to step up.

In the end, this marriage proposal mainly aroused Empress Yuan Zhao’s ambition for power while she was still a princess.

The final outcome of course was that the marriage never happened. After eliminating her brothers who were wary of her achievements, Empress Yuan Zhao’s first battle as the Imperial Princess was to decisively defeat the Beiman Prince who once hoped to marry her, completely crushing his intentions.

Thinking of the script’s interactions between Empress Yuan Zhao and the Beiman Prince, Xu Qingmei slowly shifted her gaze from Jiang Lingxi’s hand to her face.

It was her first time seeing an adult being so amiable to a woman he met for the first time, even looking patient and addressing Jiang Lingxi as Her Majesty, albeit referring to her role in the play, she still detected a hint of unusualness.

Could it be that the adult, like that Shen Yunqing, was also interested in Jiang Lingxi?

Or perhaps, when facing a prey he’s about to deal with, the adult always has a good temper and patience?

A strong sense of crisis arose in her heart, and Xu Qingmei quickly reminded herself: Don’t overthink, it must be the latter!

Luan Feng didn’t have as many thoughts as Xu Qingmei.

If Xu Qingmei’s regard for Yin Chong was a mix of awe and ambition, then Luan Feng’s was pure admiration.

At this moment, seeing the adult’s apparently good attitude towards the actor named Jiang Lingxi, he also looked over attentively.

Her appearance was indeed superior, belonging to the top tier even in a place where everyone was good-looking.

But what was more rare was her demeanor; even now, she wore only a casual outfit for comfort, yet standing face to face with the adult, her aura didn’t falter in the slightest.

Noticing this, his eyelids trembled slightly.

No wonder an ordinary person outside the gate made the adult personally step in.

This actress named Jiang Lingxi was the first he couldn’t fathom completely.

Much stronger than the Xu next to him!

Unaware that she had been silently compared unfavorably to her, Xu Qingmei couldn’t help but glance warily at Jiang Lingxi one last time before leaving.

Although she guessed the former possibility to be small, one couldn’t be too cautious with the adult’s mind, which was always hard to guess.

Receiving Xu Qingmei’s sneaky glare, which she only dared to cast from behind Yin Chong, Jiang Lingxi thought: "..."

Such an obedient Xu Qingmei, it was her first time seeing this too.

This confirmed with 100% certainty that Yin Chong’s identity was definitely not simple as she had suspected!