Chapter 25: 025 Immersed in the Role

Chapter 25: 025 Immersed in the Role

"Action!!" Liu Chunfeng shouted, and the actors took their positions.

The weather wasn’t particularly hot, but the air in the hall felt a bit stuffy. With a large group of people surrounding the actors, the already stifling air seemed even more humid.

Lu Xu’s attention was fully focused on the current shoot, without any distractions.

Qin Zhao, dressed in an imperial robe, stood in the hall. At this moment, the Son of Heaven’s expression darkened due to a secret letter from the Shaanxi Governor. The Minister of Revenue reported the amount of silver and grain allocated for disaster relief in Shaanxi. With each number reported, the Son of Heaven’s expression grew darker.

The courtiers in the hall were all cunning and calculating, and those unrelated to the matter watched with the mindset of spectators, waiting for the situation to unfold.

Qin Zhao originally thought the disaster relief in Shaanxi had nothing to do with him, but when a high-ranking official mentioned a name, a flicker of panic crossed Qin Zhao’s face as he lowered his head.

He tried to look up but deeply realized that on the dragon throne, his father, the Son of Heaven, was watching his every move.

For this scene, both Cheng Yun and Lu Xu each had a close-up shot.

Liu Chunfeng had great confidence in Cheng Yun, having collaborated with him more than once. As the core character of *The Son of Heaven*, if Liu Chunfeng didn’t trust Cheng Yun, he wouldn’t have invited him to play the role of the Son of Heaven.

In the shot, Cheng Yun controlled Emperor Cheng's murderous intent perfectly. The Son of Heaven wasn’t a tyrannical ruler; his terror lay in his ability to control his murderous intent while maintaining a calm expression. Others might think they haven’t caught the Son of Heaven’s attention, but in conversation, their fate had already been sealed.

The Son of Heaven didn’t appear to be directly watching Qin Zhao, but those outside the camera shot could see that the Son of Heaven’s attention had largely fallen on the crown prince.

As for Lu Xu—

The director noted that Lu Xu’s appearance indeed made people want to give him more screen time, but this wasn’t a fashion promo shoot. He was more interested in seeing Lu Xu’s interpretation of the role of Qin Zhao.

Then, he captured that fleeting moment of panic on the crown prince’s face as he lowered his head—and though he remained still, Lu Xu’s defensive posture conveyed to others that the crown prince saw the floor of the grand hall as a wall that could protect him.

Unfortunately, reality didn’t allow Qin Zhao to have his wish.

The official mentioned by the high-ranking official appeared in the hall and shamelessly absolved himself of all responsibility, subtly shifting the blame toward Qin Zhao.

From above, a voice Qin Zhao didn’t want to hear rang out: “Crown Prince, what do you think?”

“I… I don’t know about this matter, Father,” Qin Zhao replied.

When the high-ranking official mentioned this person, Qin Zhao panicked because he had indeed interacted with him. However, he had absolutely no involvement in the embezzlement of disaster relief grain; in this matter, Qin Zhao was completely innocent.

Thus, he had the courage to meet the Son of Heaven’s gaze.

However, at this moment, what he saw in the Son of Heaven’s eyes wasn’t the warmth of a father trusting his son, but a coldness that pierced him to the core.

In the shot, Lu Xu’s slightly widened pupils conveyed the emotion of being stung.

There was also a hint of loss and anger.

His pride as the crown prince was gone; in front of his father, he was nothing.

Liu Chunfeng pursed his lips, his expression still somewhat serious. However, the scriptwriter, not far from him, clearly saw that the director’s expression was one of inquiry.

Qin Yu couldn’t help but admire that when it came to grasping a character’s emotions, Lu Xu indeed had a unique touch.

At least as an observer, he could see that Qin Zhao had a clear conscience.

Some actors, though seemingly skilled in acting, always appeared mysterious no matter whom they portrayed, leading the audience to suspect from the first moment they saw him that he was the final boss. Yet, by the end of the series, the audience still couldn’t see what made him so formidable.

This was a sign of insufficient understanding of the character.

After this exchange, another dialogue commenced between father and son.

Emperor Cheng noted that the Crown Prince's retainer was drinking with the officials in Shaanxi, and during the conversation, the retainer implied that he had influence over everyone in Shaanxi. He also mentioned that he had ordered the Crown Prince to investigate the accounts at the Ministry of Revenue, but the Crown Prince did not return to the palace immediately to report the situation and instead stopped halfway.

Qin Zhao claimed it was all a coincidence.

Each word from Emperor Cheng struck home. Although the Crown Prince spoke the truth, his words lacked clarity and could easily cause misunderstandings.

The courtiers, all seasoned officials who had passed the imperial exams, had spent decades in the bureaucracy. Compared to them, the Crown Prince’s wisdom was lacking. The officials could also discern that the Crown Prince might have been involved in the mishap but was certainly not the mastermind.

This segment of dialogue was long, filled with tongue-twisting official jargon that was difficult to memorize and recite. To complicate things further, Lu Xu had to convey that Qin Zhao wasn’t particularly sharp, so he couldn’t appear too fluent in his delivery. Instead, he had to make it seem disjointed and without emphasis.

But at this moment, Lu Xu was fully immersed in the role of Qin Zhao. Qin Zhao was him, and he was Qin Zhao.

He didn’t need to portray Qin Zhao as especially handsome or clever. Qin Zhao was a loser in the power struggle.

In response to the Crown Prince’s words, Emperor Cheng merely let out a cold hum.

Faced with this hum, Qin Zhao’s face turned pale. He had thought that after participating in government affairs, he had gradually gained the recognition of his imperial father and had enjoyed a good life recently. But at that moment, he was easily knocked back to his original state.

By then, sweat had formed all over Qin Zhao’s forehead. Initially, he steadied himself by focusing on the floor of the Golden Hall, but now, this Crown Prince who stood above tens of thousands of people had begun to show signs of exhaustion in his eyes.

If he had been born into an ordinary family, he might have been able to cry.

But he was the Crown Prince; he couldn’t.

The Shaanxi relief case was one matter, and the spring examination scandal was another. The words of the ministers and Emperor Cheng’s distrust cut into Qin Zhao like sharp swords.

Qin Zhao could only tremble as he defended himself, “Father, I did not! I do not have the courage to commit such treasonous acts!”

Had he stubbornly refused to admit guilt, Emperor Cheng might have respected him somewhat. But by mentioning his lack of courage, he highlighted exactly what Emperor Cheng despised most about him—since he knew he lacked courage, why hadn’t he changed?

Thus, Emperor Cheng did not respond to his defense and merely looked at him with a sinister expression.

Qin Zhao’s eyes were empty.

Liu Chunfeng stared at the monitor for a long while before finally glancing at Qin Yu.

He hadn’t anticipated Lu Xu performing like this.

Or rather, he had hoped that Lu Xu would portray Qin Zhao’s breakdown—by showing emotions like disappointment, sadness, or something akin to despair.

But at that moment, Qin Zhao appeared utterly hollow.

This emotion was clearly more impactful.

So, no matter what Qin Zhao intended to do or what changes he might undergo in the future, this scene laid the perfect groundwork.

“Cut!”

To be honest, Liu Chunfeng had been prepared for this scene to be re-shot three or four times because of the lengthy dialogue filled with rather dull lines.

Some productions might trim lines for various reasons, but Liu Chunfeng had never considered doing so.

Although the dialogue primarily consisted of evidence, it also contained the personal agendas of the officials. Keeping them in allowed the audience to understand the subtle power plays between the officials.

To his surprise, the scene flowed seamlessly.

Liu Chunfeng deliberately reviewed the footage and confirmed it was good to go in a single take.

In this scene, the Crown Prince faction, other princes' factions, loyal ministers, and the Son of Heaven—all of them perfectly displayed their parts. The pacing was well-balanced, with moments of tension and ease, as one official finished their report and another began theirs. Everything seemed measured by a ruler, presenting a rhythm that was comfortable for the audience to watch.

Among all these actors, Lu Xu's performance was surprisingly not overshadowed.

He held up the character of the Crown Prince.

Because the Crown Prince was not smart enough, in this court scene where all the ministers confronted each other, he was actually an outsider, a mere prop, yet he still managed to make his presence felt.

That was enough.

Liu Chunfeng needed an actor who could bring this Crown Prince to life.

*The Son of Heaven* depicted the magnificent life of Emperor Cheng, but that didn't mean the Emperor didn't make mistakes. The Crown Prince's path to destruction, as scripted, was a calculated move by Emperor Cheng.

He wanted to replace the Crown Prince but didn't want to face the suspicion of the court officials or the pressure from the faction supporting the legitimate eldest son. Therefore, the one who had to make the mistake first was the Crown Prince. He had to hand Emperor Cheng a reason to replace him.

Qin Zhao’s tragedy stemmed from this.

What Liu Chunfeng had been searching for was an actor like Lu Xu, who could present the process of Qin Zhao's collapse.

As of today, Liu Chunfeng would give Lu Xu's performance a 99 out of 100.

The remaining point was because Lu Xu was too handsome. Liu Chunfeng suspected that once the drama aired, he would be criticized for mistreating a handsome actor.

He wasn't being alarmist.

In the early years, when he had just become a director, popular young actors back then couldn’t take on villainous roles without backlash. The audience would write letters of protest.

At that time, he lived in the production studio dormitory. One morning, as soon as he opened the door, seven or eight familiar aunties, including his own mother, blocked the door, accusing him of ruining the role and being jealous of handsome actors.

Liu Chunfeng: "..."

To be honest, for the role of Qin Zhao, Liu Chunfeng had never considered casting a handsome actor. It wasn't written in the historical records that Qin Zhao was handsome.

Some actors are so attractive that their looks overshadow their acting, but Lu Xu’s performance was so strong that his good looks became secondary. With his good looks alone, he could make a living in the entertainment industry, but he had other merits as well.

He had a feeling that when *The Son of Heaven* aired, his mother would definitely nag again, saying that he had found this handsome actor but didn’t give him a handsome role, and that he must be jealous of the actor's looks.

His mother's biggest regret was that Liu Chunfeng wasn't handsome, and to make matters worse, Liu Chunfeng had a daughter who took after him. His mother didn't hide her disdain for him at all.

...

After this scene was shot, Liu Chunfeng was extremely pleased with Lu Xu, and the rest of the cast agreed.

After all, in collaborations, everyone wanted to work with someone who could get the job done quickly and well. Every time someone messed up, everyone had to redo the scene, and they never realized how frustrating they were. That was incredibly annoying.

At this point, Lu Xu had just come out of character, greeting the crew with a bright smile. But once he got into shooting, he became the embodiment of Qin Zhao. The contrast couldn't have been greater.

Naturally, people began to ask if Lu Xu had signed with an agency. Upon learning that he hadn’t, several people immediately started making phone calls, including Cheng Yun.

"We won’t rip you off! We know the ins and outs of the agencies better than anyone!" they told Lu Xu.

Lu Xu: "..."

And when it came to the agencies...

"Interested in making a billion?"

"......Are you trying to trick me into going to Myanmar, man?"

"......I've got an absolutely amazing actor I want to recommend to you. A few companies are already fighting over him. If you let this gig slip by, it's gone forever!"

Author's note:

Update. The length of the play-within-a-play will be around this much. By the way, since this part is mostly about filming, expect a lot of detailed plot descriptions.