I wasn’t sure where to cut the posts without it being an absolute cliff hanger, so I waited till I found a suitable break point to post chapter 95. Thanks for your patience!!
Chapter 95 is another whopping 10K chapter omg. Potential Trigger warnings: Blood
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Thank you, diabolomenth for your lovely and amazing kofi!!
{Please read the original translations on SurrealSkyTranslations instead of supporting TL aggregator sites. Thanks!}
Old Liu had created numerous large scale movies (in his lifetime).
This top-tier director of Huaxia had filmed Great War scenes with thousands of people, as well as large-scale explosion scenes that blew up entire streets. Likewise, the final scene of The Embroiderer was also not small-scale, easily starring more than 300 extras.
The crew rented out the entire palace hall in the Film and Television City. Within the spacious square in front of the palace, the ministers were kneeling left and right across on the floor. If you looked at the set, only human heads could be seen.
In front of the Golden Luan Hall, the emperor was holding onto the cold jade seal in his hand as he looked in amazement at the woman kneeling among the hundred officials and paying respect.
The Crown Prince on the set donned a gorgeous python robe, similarly bowing and kneeling in front of the Emperor, as if he hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary.
A bleak wind blew past the main hall, making a high pitched whistling sound.
Sheng Xiangjun was still kneeling on the bluestone tiles, holding up the blood-soaked Flying Fish Brocade in her hands. She paused in her words as she kept her head bowed and wept, leaving the situation for the Emperor to judge. Observing this scene, the civil and military officials didn’t dare speak up; they merely lowered their heads one after another. The Emperor scanned the surroundings, and his sickly, pallid face was filled with deep trenches. A long time passed before his solemn and trembling voice echoed throughout the hall.
“Where did this demonic girl come from! Speaking such deceitful words to confuse the crowd! Someone, come, drag her down and behead her!”
As soon as these words sounded, the Palace Guards immediately stepped forward, intending to escort Sheng Xiangjun away from the premises. However, Kong Chao abruptly pulled out his Embroidered Spring Sword and forcefully pushed away the four Imperial Guards.
Then, only Duke Guangping’s loud voice could be heard: “Imperial Brother, even if you do not believe in the words of the Sheng family’s orphan, can you still place your trust in This Official? The ministers have already checked. Eighteen years ago, there were indeed ten court ladies and ten guards whose cause of death were unknown, and they all served in the First Empress’s palace. Moreover, Imperial Doctor Song, who helped the First Empress stabilize the fetus back then had also suddenly returned to their hometown. But as you know, Imperial Brother, they died of a chill the following year. Imperial Doctor Song’s highly-valued medical skills were very apparent even to Imperial Brother, how could he accidentally die of a chill? Imperial Brother, please consider!”
The Emperor waved his sleeves, his face pale: “Leave! Cough cough cough cough…”
Duke Guangping suddenly knelt to the floor: “Imperial Brother, please consider!”
The whole hall fell silent, and all the ministers knelt with their heads bowed. In the square, except for Kong Chao who wielded his Embroidered Spring sword to lead his comrades to confront the imperial troops, everyone else was kneeling on both knees. The ministers didn’t dare speak, but they very apparently stood on Duke Guangping’s side.
In reality, no matter the truth of the situation, the Crowning Ceremony would not be able to continue today.
If the Crown Prince was real, the Emperor could pass the throne on to him later and was not in a hurry; but, if the Crown Prince was fake, it would cause a huge mess in the royal lineage and be a serious crime of conspiracy in deceiving the Emperor.
The silence of the civil and military officials, the repetitive persuasion of his biological younger brother, the blood-stained Flying Fish Brocade, the orphan of the Sheng family dressed in a respectful white…… Everything was taken in through the eyes of the Emperor, He was almost holding a sword across his neck, forcing him to make a choice.
Inside the camera lens, the old seasoned actor stumbled back half a step, and the lines of weakness and grief gradually appeared on his elderly face, emphasized by the makeup. Old Liu stared at the twenty plus monitors, and in six of them, Rong Xu had his head down as his black hair slid from the side of his face. His expression couldn’t be seen.
However, his back was perfectly straight. Not once did he bend over since Kong Chao and his people entered the palace grounds!
After what seemed like an eternity, the cold, bleak winds blew, and the emperor slowly lowered his gaze to look at his own son. With a hoarse voice, he said: “Lang’er, today…… let us put things aside for now. Get up first, Zhen (Zhen: ‘This Emperor’)…… shall discuss things with you later.”
The only reply he received was Zhu Molang continuing to kneel.
“Lang’er, you……”
“Imperial Father.”
Suddenly, a soft and steady voice resonated through the area, and the eyes of the entire set were focused on Rong Xu.
This was Rong Xu’s first spoken line in this scene. His voice was calm and gentle, and like every line Zhu Molang had spoken in the past, listening to it made people feel a sense of calm in their souls, and made them unwittingly want to surrender. It made the audience want to believe.
(Zhu Molang) lowered his head and said softly: “Father, you must trust This Son.”
The emperor hesitated for a long time without speaking.
A deep, grieving sigh resounded through the set and quickly dissipated into the howling winds. The Crown Prince’s long hair was blown about fiercely by the sudden wind. He gradually raised his head, first revealing a pair of beautiful and delicate eyes, before the rest of his elegant and handsome face.
Under the full attention of public eyes, the young Crown Prince lifted the corners of his mouth and smirked softly. However, a dense fog had gradually settled in his eyes. He didn’t cry, only smiling as he looked at the father who raised him for eighteen years. With a gentle gaze and a calm voice, he said as an understatement: “You don’t believe me.”
It wasn’t a question, but rather an affirmation.
There was no hint of doubt in the Crown Prince’s voice as he said those four words.
This scene fell in the eyes of the many staff members, and many couldn’t help but look away.
The more emotionally empathetic ones even had reddened eyes. Their hearts and throat felt sour.
At this point, this scene came to an end, and the camera and lighting groups continued to adjust their angles to finish the remaining shots.
Rong Xu had been kneeling for a long time for the scene, so when he got up, he felt his legs tingle with numbness. Luo Qian carefully helped massage his stiff calf muscles, but only less than five minutes passed before he had to start filming the next scene.
Luo Qian pursed her lips and said: “Still a bit stiff, not massaged enough.”
Rong Xu chuckled helplessly: “It’s fine, my next action scenes aren’t as abundant as Qin Cheng’s. There won’t be any underlying issues.”
Yes, Rong Xu’s next scenes were action scenes.
After speaking those desolate words, the Crown Prince suddenly pushed off the ground and drew a dagger from the jade belt on his waist. He grabbed the Emperor with one hand while holding the dagger in the other, pressing it firmly against the side of the Emperor’s neck.
The Emperor was shocked, and all the civil and military officials fell into chaos.
Duke Guangping frantically commanded the army to rescue the Emperor. Kong Chao was also taken aback and swiftly led the Elite Guards to save the Emperor.
{Please read the original translations on SurrealSkyTranslations instead of supporting TL aggregator sites. Thanks!}
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