Yangchun Baixue1
Although Gu Qinglan had already decided to replace Cao Yeyang, he had only told Du Li about this decision, asking her to find a new candidate.
To avoid damaging the reputation of the production crew, Du Li conducted the casting process privately and discreetly. So far, fewer than five people knew that Cao Yeyang was about to be replaced.
Since Gu Qinglan trusted Du Li, he also trusted the people working for her. He believed that none of these few individuals would leak the news of the recasting. Now that Cao Yeyang's fans were causing a stir again, it meant that something had gone wrong elsewhere in the process.
He frowned at the thought and asked Du Li, "What's going on?"
Du Li, usually decisive and efficient, hesitated for a moment before saying, "A video was leaked online. I've had the link sent to your email. Please take a look and then we can talk."
Gu Qinglan knew this video must be the key to the leak. He responded calmly, "I'll call you back after I watch it."
Although it was an urgent matter, after hanging up, he still went back to his room to change into casual clothes before going to the study and turning on the computer.
The webpage link was sent from Du Li's private email address, clearly in a hurry. When he opened the email, apart from the usual salutation and signature, there was only a web address.
Gu Qinglan clicked on the address, and it quickly redirected to a video-sharing platform. While waiting for it to buffer, he glanced at the video's view count and number of comments, discovering with surprise that it already had hundreds of thousands of plays and over a thousand comments.
He didn't frequent the internet, but that didn't mean he didn't understand the significance of these numbers. The comments were below, and just as he was about to scroll down to read them, the video finished buffering and began to play. So, he watched the video content first.
He had assumed that this kind of leaked video would be secretly filmed by a crew member on their phone when no one was paying attention. Unexpectedly, when it started playing, both the video and audio quality were excellent, clearly from a professional-grade camera, and it even had synchronized sound recording.
The moment the video cut in, his fingers, which had been resting on his chin, suddenly clenched. The person in the center of the frame, dressed in white with ink-black long hair, and a straight back like bamboo, was none other than himself.
At the same time, he heard his own voice coming from the computer speakers: "You admire General Du Yi and wish to befriend him; arrangements can be made for that in the future..."
This was indeed the video footage from that day when Lu Mingxin had coaxed him into reluctantly acting with her for a day. The camera position was also the footage shot by the crew's No. 1 camera. He was only showing his back, while Lu Mingxin's face was the focal point of the frame.
He delivered the long lines effortlessly. After all, he had written these lines himself; they were even words he had spoken in his past life. Saying them a second time naturally posed no difficulty.
Then the camera angle switched again, filming him and Lu Mingxin from the side. He looked down, letting Lu Mingxin throw her tantrum, his expression not very clear from the side view.
These shots showing his side profile were supposed to be replaced after a new actor was found. But in this video, he seemed to be treated as the actual actor playing "Mu Yiqing." The director even had the camera zoom in for a close-up of his side profile.
If it were only that, it would have been tolerable. But when their scene ended, he turned slightly, and the No. 3 camera, positioned to the side, seized the opportunity to capture his full face, and even gave a close-up shot.
Gu Qinglan wasn't familiar with camera positions. These surreptitious substitutions, far exceeding the scope of a "stand-in," he hadn't even noticed on that day.
With this scene handled by the director in such a manner, the next indoor scene naturally couldn't escape the same treatment. In that scene, he had even more intonations and actions, and the director, as before, captured several close-ups and near shots of his full face.
As he watched, he thought of the astonishing number of views and instantly felt a dull headache. Just then, a head popped over his shoulder. It was Lu Mingxin, her voice filled with pleasant surprise, "Oh my, the director actually edited these scenes for me! What a sport!"
Gu Qinglan instantly understood why this video existed. It was clear that before he had even acted as a "stand-in," Lu Mingxin had already spoken to the director and secretly requested him to film a few shots of his full face and edit them into a single video.
Otherwise, without Liu Qi's authorization, why would the cameraman have used the camera positions to secretly film so many close-ups of his full face?
Fortunately, although Lu Mingxin was scatterbrained, she wasn't so scatterbrained as to be clueless about the situation. She glanced at the screen a few more times, herself quite surprised, "What? It's already been posted online, and with so many views! Didn't I tell Liu Qi to film it secretly and just burn it onto a disc for me on the sly?"
Now that things had come to this, Gu Qinglan could only look at her with a sense of helplessness. "I never thought..."
Lu Mingxin clearly hadn't realized the seriousness of the matter yet. She blinked and lightly kissed his cheek. "Never thought you'd be admired by so many people?"
While teasing him, she simply snatched the mouse from Gu Qinglan's hand and dragged the progress bar back to the beginning. She then clicked something, and all the comments started playing along with the video, scrolling across the screen, commonly known as "danmaku" or "bullet comments."
Because there were many comments, when they started scrolling, it looked quite spectacular. When Lu Mingxin's face appeared, the audience's focus was still on her, with a few comments like "Goddess is getting more and more beautiful," and "Goddess, marry me."
Lu Mingxin watched, whistling quite smugly. As the video progressed, she clearly became less of the focus. The onlookers started posting things like, "Who is this? His voice is so nice," and "Male god, turn your face around."
When Gu Qinglan's side profile was first captured by the camera, the comments reached a small peak, with phrases like "Indeed a beautiful face," and "Beautiful man, your eyelashes are so long, marry me" starting to flood the screen.
When Gu Qinglan's full face appeared, the sudden explosion of bullet comments were so dense it almost completely obscured his face.
It was all "So beautiful I'm bleeding from my face," "Newcomer? Please tell me his name." Of course, some people weakly commented, "This beautiful man looks a bit like the goddess's fiancé," but they were completely drowned out by the crowd's excitement.
Of course, at this point, Cao Yeyang's fans also started to flood the screen: "Didn't they say Xiao Yezi was playing the handsome man in white?", "My Xiao Yezi is also very handsome, no worse than this guy."
As the video continued, Cao Yeyang's fans clearly increased in number. Other viewers even got into some arguments with his rather unfriendly fans.
While Lu Mingxin was still watching the video, Gu Qinglan called Du Li back, saying he roughly understood the situation.
Seeing that he wasn't furious about his video being exposed, Du Li breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained the situation to him.
This video had actually been secretly posted on a public platform the day before. However, not many people had seen it at the beginning, so there wasn't much of a reaction.
At noon today, someone posted the video link on Weibo and added a sentence: "Cao Yeyang really can't handle a big production, he's going to be replaced!"
This Weibo post was quickly reposted tens of thousands of times. Countless people flocked to the original video website to watch it, then returned to Weibo to repost. And because the original video's views grew rapidly, it was soon pushed to a prominent position on the video website's homepage.
As for why Cao Yeyang's fans were causing a commotion, the production crew of "Shattered Mountains and Rivers" had already received considerable attention before filming began due to its strong production team.
Although Cao Yeyang had not participated in the opening ceremony, all previous press releases had indicated that he would play the second male lead, "Mu Yiqing." The costume photos released by the crew also included his look.
According to Du Li, when Mu Yiqing's look – white clothes and long hair, something he had never done in a period drama before – was released, the response was quite good. His fans even considered his role in this drama a hallmark of his career transformation.
After all, the poorly produced idol dramas Cao Yeyang had acted in before were somewhat unpresentable. This drama was different; not only was it clearly a big production, but it was also a more serious, legitimate drama.
When the news of his drunk driving and detention broke some time ago, his loyal fans were already very worried about his future. Now, before he was even out, this kind of video had been leaked by the crew. It was clearly an attempt to kick him while he was down and replace him. How could they not be agitated?
If this matter hadn't involved Gu Qinglan himself, he definitely wouldn't have bothered with it. But now that he was forced into it, the thought of the online video and the dense barrage of comments made his head ache again. "Ms. Du, can we ask the website to delete the video first?"
Du Li hesitated for a moment, then said, "We can, but the video is so hot right now, many netizens have definitely downloaded it. If we suddenly delete the original link, it won't stop others from re-uploading it."
Gu Qinglan sighed helplessly. "Then, in your opinion, how should we handle this?"
Du Li said, "Based on my experience dealing with online public opinion, I don't recommend deleting the video now. However, we should issue a refutation through official channels."
She was, after all, experienced. Gu Qinglan could only say, "Then I'll leave it entirely in Ms. Du's hands."
Du Li agreed and quickly went to make arrangements. By the time Lu Mingxin finished watching the video and came to the living room, she saw Gu Qinglan hanging up the phone, sitting alone on the sofa.
She tiptoed over, intending to pounce on him in a sneak attack. But when she rounded in front of him, she found his expression somewhat dazed, as if he was lost in thought.
Lu Mingxin paused. She remembered that Gu Qinglan was different from her. Perhaps she felt that the premature exposure of a filmed video was no big deal.
But for Gu Qinglan, it was the first time he had faced public scrutiny due to his appearance. For someone like him, who was not in the entertainment industry, it was inevitably a bit difficult to adjust psychologically.
Thinking this, she walked over and took his hand, half-leaning on his lap. "Qinglan-gege, you look really beautiful in costume, and your acting doesn't seem like someone who has never acted before. See, so many people said they like you."
Gu Qinglan looked down at her and hummed softly. After a moment, he smiled. "It's nothing... I don't care what others say about me, but rather..." He seemed to think of something and paused again before continuing, "It's just that I feel some things are beyond my control."
Powerless to control anything, powerless to change anything... It seemed that whether in his past life or now, he couldn't avoid falling into such a situation.
When he said this, there was an unprecedented wistfulness in his tone. Lu Mingxin heard it and suddenly felt very sad. She quickly said, "Qinglan, I should go out and clarify things quickly. Say that you were just helping me out and aren't part of the crew, and that I hope they respect your image rights."
Gu Qinglan raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek, shaking his head with a smile. "It's okay... I've already handed it over to Du Li to handle. She knows better than us what needs to be done."
Lu Mingxin looked at his expression, still feeling terribly distressed. She could only rub her face against his knee. "Qinglan-gege, I'll do whatever you need me to do."
Hearing her assurance, Gu Qinglan lowered his eyes slightly. He wanted to say something, but ultimately, it remained unspoken. He just smiled at her. "Thank you."
Perhaps due to the fatigue from the sudden events, Gu Qinglan went to bed very early that night. Lu Mingxin went to bed with him. For someone like her, who was used to staying up late, accompanying him to bed early was a considerable sacrifice.
However, after they lay down, Lu Mingxin fell asleep even earlier than Gu Qinglan. She held his hand, her whole body curled up in his arms, like a small cat snuggling against him.
He listened to her even breathing and watched her in the darkness for a long time before finally closing his eyes. In a daze, he seemed to return to that long-lost dynasty. The pavilions and towers beside him gradually became clear, and the crisp chirping of birds, now rarely heard in the city, reached his ears.
Such dreams had frequently appeared at night after he recalled everything from his past life – as if those past helplessness and unwillingness were replaying over and over, revealing the obsession that had lingered in his heart for two lifetimes.
This time, what he saw was the scene after she had run away from home. When she escaped from the attic, she had pushed him in the chaos. He believed she hadn't meant to at that moment of desperation, but that push had still injured his heart and lungs.
After she fled, he was supported by the servant boy back to his bedroom. Before the imperial physician could be summoned, he had coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.
Seeing him cough up blood, the servant boy was terrified and quickly informed his father. So, by evening, he was lying in bed, coughing weakly, while also having to listen to his furious father's dissatisfaction and accusations against her.
Seeing that his father was about to send the imperial guards assigned to him by Ji Ying to bring her back, he forced himself out of bed and knelt before his father, begging him to calm his anger.
At that time, his father was probably also worried about him. Seeing him like this, he scolded him with a tone of disappointment towards his lack of ambition: "Merely possessing empty fame, idly wasting your years, you bring no benefit to family or country."
He couldn't find a single word to defend himself, only bowing down and kowtowing repeatedly. His father finally left in extreme anger. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly send someone to deliver a letter to the palace, informing Ji Ying of her departure from home, and asking her to be more tolerant.
Then he quickly sent out the two imperial guards as well, to secretly protect her. At that time, he was such an incompetent man who couldn't even protect his own fiancée. The things she had scolded him for were not wrong.
He was indecisive, unable to clearly discern whether or not his feelings for Ji Ying were that of between a man and a woman, which was why he had agreed to the marriage and even moved into the inner palace.
And indeed, he didn't dare to go to Ji Ying and ask her why she treated him this way. That's why, after hearing that Ji Ying and Mo Ningxi were deeply in love, he could only say nothing and quietly move out of the inner palace.
It was only natural that such an unbearable person like him would be so disdained by her.
At the end of the dream, it was an afternoon he spent alone in his courtyard, more than a month after she had left, while she was making achievements on the frontier and his internal injuries were slowly healing.
That day was when the long summer was fading, and the cool autumn was gradually arriving. The first yellowing leaf fell from the ginkgo tree in his courtyard.
A whim struck him, and he had the servant boy warm some wine and set it in the courtyard. He then dismissed everyone around him and sat alone under the tree, drinking by himself.
Even today, returning to that day in his dream, he could still feel the warm sunlight on his body and the soft sound of the cool breeze brushing past his ears.
His body had just started to recover, so he didn't finish the pot of wine after all. At the very end, he raised his cup alone, looking at a line of wild geese beyond the high surrounding walls, and quietly wished her: to be like a swan, soaring thousands of miles afar.
The next day, when Lu Mingxin woke up, Gu Qinglan, unusually, hadn't gotten out of bed yet. She turned her head to look at his lightly closed eyes and noticed that his cheeks were not only somewhat pale, but there were also faint bluish marks under his eyelids.
Gu Qinglan was always an early riser. The last time he hadn't woken up early was when his chest was injured.
Lu Mingxin immediately became a little anxious and quickly shook his shoulder lightly. "Qinglan? Qinglan?"
After she shook him a few times, Gu Qinglan finally opened his eyes. But as soon as he opened them, his brows quickly furrowed, and he raised his hand to press his forehead, coughing a few times.
Lu Mingxin had been frightened by him before and hurriedly cupped his face. "Qinglan, where are you uncomfortable?"
He still frowned tightly and only said after a while, "Hangover..."
Lu Mingxin didn't react for a moment, "Huh?" she said. "What? Did you drink last night?"
Gu Qinglan couldn't possibly tell her it was in a dream, or in his past life. He could only press his splitting headache forcefully and take a light breath. "It's nothing... just get me a cup of tea."
Seeing his pale face and furrowed brows, Lu Mingxin's heart ached. She leaned over and lightly kissed his pale, thin lips, then hurriedly got out of bed to make him tea.
He rarely drank, so they didn't have any special hangover tea at home. However, he had a wide variety of teas. Housekeeper Zhou quickly prepared a cup of Pu'er tea with honey and had her bring it up.
When Lu Mingxin returned to the bedroom, Gu Qinglan had already dressed and managed to get up. His complexion was still not good. Due to the headache, he wasn't standing very steadily and could only hold onto the back of a chair to move to the sofa by the window and sit down.
Lu Mingxin was glad she was on leave today and could spend the whole day with him. After placing the tea by his hand, she squeezed in beside him, took his hand, and rubbed it. "Qinglan-gege, get well soon."
Gu Qinglan felt a little helpless with her clinging and smiled. "Of course, I want to get well soon too..."
In just one day, the video of the "mysterious handsome man in white from the 'Shattered Mountains and Rivers' crew" had spread far beyond just one or two websites; it was all over the internet.
For most netizens, looking at a fresh, stunningly handsome face and speculating about his identity was enough. But for Cao Yeyang's loyal fans, this video was an incredibly upsetting existence.
The news that Cao Yeyang was about to be replaced by this "handsome man in white" hadn't been confirmed, so they couldn't righteously go and cause trouble with the producers. Thus, they could only try to slander this "handsome man in white" whose identity was uncertain.
Their attitude was most aggressive on major websites. Some tried their best to belittle Gu Qinglan's appearance, while others, feigning expertise, used seemingly professional vocabulary to criticize his acting skills.
After a whole day of commotion, it was this group of people who somehow discovered from the comments that the "handsome man in white" might be Lu Mingxin's "university professor fiancé."
Subsequently, they unleashed their powerful "human flesh search." Even though Gu Qinglan never registered on social networking sites and had very little information online, they still managed to dig up that he was a professor at B University based on the name "Gu Qinglan."
Then, because they found someone within B University, they dug up further that Gu Qinglan was only a "visiting professor" and, due to his young age, did not actually hold a professorship title.
So they latched onto the word "professor," claiming that Gu Qinglan's "professor" title was inflated, proving his vanity.
They also said he was just a scholar without any acting training, yet he presumed to participate in the crew's filming, attempting to pass himself off as a professional actor, which was simply ridiculous.
Overnight, they continuously started several threads on a high-traffic public forum, arguing fiercely. Towards the end of the arguments, a netizen appeared who said nothing but listed Gu Qinglan's academic qualifications obtained in the United States and his paper publication record.
Then this netizen said: A history Ph.D. under thirty, whose papers have won authoritative academic awards. Not comparing him to titans of history, but among the younger generation of scholars, he's a rarity. Do you think American universities and research institutes wouldn't want to hire him? B University giving him a "visiting professorship" is because they're afraid he wouldn't accept the position of "lecturer," okay?
Finally, this netizen delivered a telling blow: Stop arguing about academics, you're just exposing your own weaknesses. If you only focus on looks, your Xiao Yezi might still have a chance.
Lu Mingxin secretly scrolled through these posts on her tablet. When she read this, she finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. Like many young idols in the entertainment industry, Cao Yeyang was the type who debuted too early and neglected his studies.
Cao Yeyang was actually quite studious, having found a university and was semi-genuinely studying, currently only a junior. Of course, he was an artist, so one couldn't demand him to meet the standards of a top student. As long as he understood the importance of self-improvement, it was already very good.
But his fans insisted on questioning Gu Qinglan's academic level here, which was indeed asking for humiliation. After she laughed, she was afraid of disturbing Gu Qinglan, who was napping on the recliner in front of her, and quickly covered her mouth.
Due to his headache, Gu Qinglan slept intermittently throughout the day. Lu Mingxin stayed by his side almost every step of the way. In the afternoon, he was afraid she would be bored and told her she could go to the study to use the computer. But Lu Mingxin shook her head, took his hand, and swayed it gently. "I want to be with Qinglan-gege."
She didn't hesitate to act cute and spoiled like this. Gu Qinglan could only ignore her and let her be.
By evening, Gu Qinglan finally felt a bit better. After dinner, he received a phone call. Lu Mingxin had been by his side the whole time and heard him answer the phone. She listened from beginning to end, and he only said a few sentences: "I know, I'll pay attention."
When he hung up, she was a little curious. "What's wrong?"
Gu Qinglan rubbed his forehead and smiled at her. "Nothing, someone called the department asking if I was a teacher in the history department. The dean called to inform me."
There were actually some things he didn't say. In his conversation with the dean just now, the dean had also rather implicitly reminded him to pay attention to public opinion, as he also represented B University's history department when he was out.
Lu Mingxin quickly said after hearing this, "Luckily it's summer vacation now. If this happened when school wasn't out, would your classes be affected?"
Gu Qinglan smiled lightly at her. "It's fine."
At eight o'clock in the evening, during peak internet traffic, Du Li also arranged for the release of an official announcement. It stated that the crew had no plans to "replace anyone." It was just that Cao Yeyang was temporarily unable to work, and for the sake of the filming schedule, they had no choice but to adopt some filming techniques.
The announcement then explained why Gu Qinglan appeared in costume in the video, saying that because he was Lu Mingxin's fiancé, he was visiting Lu Mingxin on set and supporting her work. As a result, the crew's stylist discovered that his back view strongly resembled Cao Yeyang's, so they asked him to temporarily serve as Cao Yeyang's stand-in.
As for the leaked video, it was just something Lu Mingxin had asked the director to film for her private collection. And Gu Qinglan was not an actor in the crew, nor had he signed any contract involving on-screen appearances. Therefore, disseminating videos containing his image was an act of infringing on a citizen's right to their likeness.
Next, Dongyue Company would gradually request major websites to delete this video and also ask the general public not to spread it further.
This explanation was basically true. Moreover, the official denial that Gu Qinglan would replace Cao Yeyang in the role of "Mu Yiqing" also left Cao Yeyang's fans with no room to maneuver.
After the official refutation was released, Du Li also called Gu Qinglan to review it. At that time, Gu Qinglan had already gone to bed due to his headache. It was Lu Mingxin who answered the phone. She read the announcement, felt there were no problems, and replied to Du Li on Gu Qinglan's behalf, thanking her.
Du Li, however, didn't take credit, saying, "This incident happened because our management was not strict, allowing the video to leak out. It caused Mr. Gu to have to face public opinion, so it's our responsibility to clean up the aftermath."
Lu Mingxin had followed Du Li for so many years, and it was the first time she had heard her say something akin to an apology. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond and just mumbled a few words.
Du Li's tone then changed, becoming stern again. "Work resumes tomorrow. Pull yourself together!"
Lu Mingxin immediately perked up. "Yes, boss! Okay, boss!"
Only then did Du Li hang up satisfied. Lu Mingxin breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the bedroom. Gu Qinglan hadn't been disturbed and was still sleeping soundly with his eyes lightly closed.
When he had a headache, he always seemed to be in very low spirits. No matter how thick-skinned Lu Mingxin was, she had noticed from his several abnormal symptoms that his physical condition was likely not an ordinary illness.
She should trust that Gu Qinglan, as an adult, could manage his own health problems, but she couldn't help but worry.
That worry didn't seem to stem from his current condition, but rather from a feeling that he would suffer even more in the future, and she would be unable to share even a fraction of his burden.
She rarely had such moments of looking ahead and behind with such concern. Perhaps it was because she was leaving Jing City for a while tomorrow and wouldn't be able to see him every day, so the panic and unease in her heart were magnified.
She lay beside him, turning on her side, and looked at his peaceful sleeping face in the moonlight streaming through the window. She watched for a long time, still reluctant to close her eyes.
She felt her current state was ridiculous. It seemed as if she had never had such a moment in her life, being so foolish as to just look at someone's face for an hour.
As she thought this, she recalled more details that made her shudder to look back on: when she was little, she particularly liked to cling to Gu Qinglan and loved to look into his eyes, as if she could never get enough.
At that time, she also loved to play pranks on Gu Qinglan. Even if she didn't have any bad ideas, she liked to make faces or strange noises at him.
Now that she was grown up, she knew that when a child likes to make small gestures and play pranks on someone, it often means that she cares a lot about that person in her heart and hopes to get their attention.
Even after Gu Qinglan locked her in the bathroom, causing her to fear him, every time she saw him at family gatherings, she would still subconsciously look at him. Even if she occasionally met his cold and warning gaze, she still couldn't help but look towards where he was next time.
The more she thought, the more she felt a mixture of sourness and grievance in her heart... It turned out she had been silently in love with him since she was so young. Such a hazy yet profound emotion, she herself hadn't even realized.
She felt her eyes moisten, so she quietly reached out her hand, found his, and slipped her fingers in, intertwining them tightly with his.
Feeling the slight coolness of his body temperature in her palm, she finally felt a little more at ease. She then rested her head lightly on his shoulder, curled up beside him, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Perhaps because the air conditioner in the room was turned up too high, she felt cold even in her sleep and couldn't help but want to curl up. She seemed to have arrived at a very cold place, everything in sight was a snowy white color. She stumbled along, walking until she reached an ice coffin in the depths, before collapsing to the ground.
A gentle yet majestic female voice came from behind her. The person spoke unhurriedly, "You didn't see wrong. The corpse displayed at the city gate was indeed not him... If he had done so much, only to end up with his corpse exposed, I would not be able to rest easy, whether for public or private reasons."
Hearing these words, she woodenly raised her hands. Those hands were no longer delicate and fair, but covered in filthy marks. In her palms, there were bloody welts from being bound by ropes.
At the same time as she saw these wounds, she remembered the images that had pierced her heart. She had only learned this news after returning to the capital. How ridiculous that on her way back, she was still wondering whether to request an audience with Her Majesty to visit him in the celestial prison.
So when she casually asked the official from the Ministry of War beside her, she received a surprised reply: "General Lu doesn't know? The criminal Gu Qinglan committed suicide by taking poison in prison on the very night he was escorted back to the capital. It's probably out of fear of punishment. Her Majesty ordered his corpse to be hung on the city gate, and it's been there for more than twenty days."
Everyone else thought her relationship with him had long since ended in bitterness. After all, she was a meritorious female general, loyal to the country, while he was a traitor who colluded with the enemy. So, knowing he had died long ago and his end was tragic, they probably just sighed a few times out of lament.
She stared at the Ministry of War official until he took a step back in trepidation. Only then did she walk out of the Ministry of War's gates without a word.
Her warhorse was just outside the gate. She mounted and galloped away, but she didn't know where she was going. Go to the palace and ask Her Majesty why he was gone as soon as he arrived in the capital? How could no one be watching him in prison, allowing him to take poison?
But in what capacity would she ask? As his wife? Or as the meritorious official who captured the criminal? She was almost numb as she rode her horse in circles through the marketplace. Because of her military attire, no one dared to question her.
When she dazedly reined in her horse at the end of the West Market, it finally dawned on her: he was no longer in the capital. Not just the capital; for the rest of her life, no matter how vast the world was, he would no longer be there.
Just then, she looked up and saw the corpse hanging on the city gate. It was quite far away, and she could only see that the body was tied to a long rope. When the breeze blew, it would sway with the wind.
She heard people below the city gate still gathering to watch and discussing. A name escaped their lips: Gu Qinglan.
Amidst the surrounding discussions, she silently drew her saber. The sound of the blade leaving its sheath made many people turn to look at her, but she calmly bent down and threw the long saber with all her might.
The blade accurately pierced the rope and embedded itself in the stone bricks of the city wall. The corpse also fell with a thud. Before the corpse hit the ground, she had already leaped up and caught the pile of falling withered bones.
The corpse had been hanging on the city gate for twenty days and was already badly decomposed, revealing stark white bones. Yet, she seemed completely unconcerned, merely holding it tightly in her arms.
The surrounding people covered their noses and mouths and retreated to a great distance, but she, oblivious, used her hands to cup the skull. Discovering the rope was tied around the neck, she immediately reached out to pull it.
Her saber had already been thrown. She had no other weapon on her now, so she used her palms to untie the hemp rope until her palms were raw and bleeding.
She was tugging like this when she suddenly stopped. She looked down again at the decaying corpse in her arms and suddenly let out a long breath.
To onlookers, it seemed like she had a fit of madness, then stopped, pushed away the corpse she was holding, leaped onto her horse, and galloped away.
She rode her horse directly into the palace. When she was stopped at the palace gate, she didn't have an edict to enter. Seeing her covered in filth, even her face stained, the guards naturally refused to announce her.
But not long after, an imperial guard came out from the palace and led her in. She saw Her Majesty. The imperial carriage was already waiting for her at the gate of the inner palace. Even the Prince Consort, Prince Ning, was there. She wasn't usually a respectful and rule-abiding person, but she wouldn't have lost her composure in front of the Emperor.
Now, however, she just walked up to Her Majesty, didn't even kneel, and said, "I know it wasn’t him... Where is he?"
She stared intently into Her Majesty's eyes, hoping to see the slightest hint of wavering, so she would know that he was still alive. And that no matter where he was, she could still see him.
But Her Majesty simply looked at her with pity and said to her, "Follow me."
She followed Her Majesty, who didn't even use the imperial palanquin, but just held Prince Ning's hand and led her step by step into the forbidden palace.
Only when they reached the depths of the palace walls did Her Majesty order someone to open a stone door tightly fastened to the ground. Below the stone door, a gloomy aura rushed out.
Only then did she somewhat understand. The little bit of eagerness that had ignited in her heart when she discovered the corpse at the city gate was not him, grew cold again – colder than the ice in the cellar at this moment.
Then Her Majesty gestured for her to go in first. All her strength disappeared at this moment. Her hands and feet were so sore and weak that she could barely stand. Then Her Majesty said those words.
She no longer wanted to understand what "done so much" meant... She just knelt beside the ice coffin made of black ice, rested for a while, and finally, as if regaining her strength, looked inside.
She saw that familiar face again, but his complexion was even paler than ice and snow.
She subconsciously reached out to touch him, but the moment before, she was startled to realize that her hands were covered in filth, and he was usually the most fastidious about cleanliness.
She hurriedly rubbed her hands on her clothes many times, then unhesitatingly tore off her soft armor, found her undergarments, and carefully wiped her hands clean with the clothes before raising her hand to touch him again.
There was no warmth on his face. Because he had died from poisoning, his lips were tinged with a bluish-purple hue.
She looked at him and felt that he was much thinner than when they had set out for the frontier. His whole person seemed to be just a pile of emaciated, sickly bones.
She remembered that time on the battlefield when she saw him from afar on the city tower, through the battling soldiers. At that time, he was standing beside the King of Western Xia, yet he was dressed only in white, without even a piece of armor.
When she looked at him then, she felt he could ride the wind and disappear at any moment, never to be seen again. At that time, she was still resentful of him, hating him for defecting to the enemy, hating him for putting General Mo in danger. But even then, she couldn't help but worry in her heart, afraid he would be injured by a stray arrow, blaming him for standing on the dangerous battlefield without any protection.
Her Majesty said softly behind her, "You and Beloved Minister Mo were trapped in the enemy camp. It was he who held back the King of Western Xia, giving the death-sworn soldiers a chance to rescue you... But he couldn't come back. He was imprisoned by the King of Western Xia."
Her Majesty paused here, then continued, "The bird that often delivered letters to you is named Qingbao. It was born from a pair of spirit birds tributed to my Imperial Father back then. I've raised it since childhood and know it's quite intelligent. After receiving Beloved Minister Mo's memorial accusing Qinglan-gege of colluding with the enemy, I couldn't believe Qinglan-gege would betray us, so I had it fly to the front lines with a letter.
"Three days later, Qingbao indeed returned with Qinglan-gege's letter. That letter was written in blood on torn fabric. Rumors were already rampant in the capital that Qinglan-gege had turned traitor on the battlefield and colluded with the enemy. But at that time, he was actually imprisoned and severely tortured by the King of Western Xia."
At this point, Her Majesty seemed unable to continue, choked up for a moment, then went on, "It was I who told Qinglan-gege that, since things had come to this, he should feign surrender to the King of Western Xia. Otherwise, after you were rescued, the King of Western Xia was very vigilant, and I had no opportunity to rescue him."
Her Majesty spoke as if confiding in her, not even using "Zhen" (the royal "I"), just speaking slowly, "Qinglan-gege told me that the King of Western Xia knew he was proficient in military strategy and forced him to be his advisor. Qinglan-gege said he could feign allegiance, and after achieving two minor victories and gaining the King of Western Xia's trust, he would then pass the countermeasures to me, and I would then pass them to you..."
Her Majesty choked up again here. "I only hate myself for listening to Qinglan-gege and not telling you about this... I also didn't know why Qinglan-gege wanted to do this. It wasn't until he returned to the capital that I understood. He had already prepared long ago to sacrifice himself..."
She listened, yet she felt she understood why he would do such a thing. It was probably because that day, when she escorted General Mo out of the Western Xia camp, she saw him amidst the chaotic army and angrily questioned, "Gu Qinglan, how could you betray your country and defect to the enemy! I truly misjudged you!"
She had never given him a chance to explain. After that, they met several times on the battlefield from afar. He was always dressed in white, strikingly conspicuous amidst the thousands of soldiers. She thought he was arrogant and conceited, and scolded him several times, never imagining that he had long since put life and death aside.
Prince Ning, holding Her Majesty beside her, sighed at this point, "It's just that his heart had already died long ago."
Her Majesty cried in Prince Ning's arms for a while, then raised her head, wiped her tears, and said, "Later, when the King of Western Xia was defeated and retreated, leaving Qinglan-gege in the camp, I knew he would definitely be mistreated after being captured by the frontline soldiers. I specially had the guards secretly look after him. Thankfully, it was so... Otherwise, his body was already weak, and he had been tortured in the Western Xia camp. How could he have made it to the capital?"
As she listened, she repeatedly caressed his face and lips with her fingertips. But no matter how she touched him, all she felt was an icy coldness, no sign of life.
Her Majesty's last few sentences seemed to be spoken from the depths of extreme grief, yet her words were extremely calm: "After arriving in the capital, I originally wanted to quickly bring him to the prison in the inner palace. But that night, he took poison... The poison was sent by Minister Gu. Minister Gu valued his reputation above all else in his life. He said that if Qinglan-gege didn't die quickly, the Gu family would definitely be implicated by him. At that time, the one committing suicide by poison would be Minister Gu himself.
"By the time I rushed to the celestial prison, Qinglan-gege was already deeply poisoned. He had already reached the point of an exhausted lamp, how could he withstand such a potent poison? The imperial physician I brought couldn't save him. Before he passed, his mind was already blurred. He only left one sentence: 'If it were possible to forget each other, longing would cease2. If there’s a next life, may we never meet.'"
Her Majesty lowered her voice here. "I was by his side then, but I think Qinglan-gege left this sentence for you."
She just looked at his peaceful posthumous face, listening to Her Majesty calmly recount everything while suppressing her grief.
She felt as if she had lost her soul, reacting to nothing she heard. But when she heard the sentence, "If there’s a next life, may we never meet," her heart suddenly felt as if it were being twisted by knives.
So, what was truly missed was missed for eternity... So, his heart had grown so cold that he didn't even want to give her a next life.
Tears streamed down her face as she softly called his name: "Qinglan..."
Only at this moment did she understand that her love for him had long outweighed her love for her country. She protected her home and country only so that the common people under heaven could live and work in peace and contentment, and so that lovers would not have to be separated. But if the peace of the world had to be exchanged for him, then she would rather not have it.
It turned out that the great righteousness she sought was actually so fragile in the face of life and death.
In her sleep, she kept crying. She seemed to finally understand where those unprovoked worries and heartaches came from.
When he had once suffered torment and lay before her, body and soul destroyed, she was already unwilling to see him suffer any more pain. If she had once loved him so deeply that she could abandon her home and country for him, then even if she had no memory of him, she would definitely be unable to look away when she saw him again.
In a daze, she heard him calling her softly, "Mingxin? Mingxin?"
She must have been crying too hard. He called out a few times, growing anxious, and simply called her, "A'Xin? A'Xin!"
That was what he called her in their previous life. She had heard it countless times. She never thought she would hear it again.
Struggling to open her eyes, she saw that the bedside lamp had been turned on. He was lying on his side, holding her shoulder, continuously wiping the tears from her face with his fingers.
Seeing her awake, he finally seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and softened his voice, "Mingxin, did you have a nightmare?"
Her voice caught in her throat; she couldn't speak at all. The moment she saw him, she raised her head and pressed her lips against his.
His lips were still slightly cool, but no longer the icy coldness of the ice coffin. She probed her tongue into his mouth, sweeping wildly.
Although caught off guard by her stormy kiss, he still held her gently, doing his best to cooperate. Until she didn't know how long she had kissed him, her mouth and teeth a little numb, she finally stopped and buried her head in his chest.
Feeling her body still trembling slightly, Gu Qinglan held her tighter. He had always been patient with her. He gently patted her shoulder to comfort her until he felt she had completely calmed down before speaking softly, "Better now?"
She nodded lightly, afraid that if she moved too much, tears would well up again. She said, "Qinglan... If there’s a next life, I will not fail you."
She waited for a long time, but he didn't speak again. Even the hand gently patting her shoulder had stopped.
Suddenly feeling a wave of panic, she quickly raised her head to look at him. His face seemed to turn pale in an instant, and the light in his deep eyes also seemed to dim considerably.
She panicked even more and quickly raised her hands to cup his face. "Qinglan, I remembered our past life. I know the story you wrote into the script is our story from our past life."
After she finished speaking, she quickly added, "Oh, not everything. You didn't write that the person who sent me messages with the blue bird was you... You were the hero who defeated the Western Xia army."
She spoke incoherently, then hurriedly said, "Qinglan, I love you! If I had known you did such a thing, I definitely wouldn't have allowed you to do it, let alone leave you alone in prison."
As she spoke, she wanted to cry again. She could only hug the man in front of her tightly, rubbing against him many times before stopping. "Qinglan, Qinglan... I love you very much."
Different from the reconciliation and emotional reunion she had imagined, after her outburst, Gu Qinglan just looked at her quietly. After a long while, he sighed, "Mingxin, are you too engrossed in the role?"
Lu Mingxin froze. She had thought of all sorts of reactions from him, but she hadn't expected this answer. She looked up at him, somewhat puzzled. "Qinglan, didn't you also remember things from our past life, and that's why you wrote this script for me to act in?"
He still smiled gently, his expression an unreadable calm. "Mingxin, we can't believe in such superstitions, such nonsense as past lives and present lives... This story is just a script I wrote."
Seeing her stunned, he smiled gently again. "My intention was to write a Chinese-style 'Joan of Arc.' Originally, in the ending part of the story, Lu Qingping was supposed to be martyred. It was Ms. Du who told me she wanted to see a bright ending, so we have the current ending."
Lu Mingxin had just pulled herself out of those chaotic memories, only to be told this by him. For a moment, she couldn't distinguish between reality and fiction again. "Qinglan... Are you saying, these are things I just imagined?"
Gu Qinglan sighed and tapped the bedside clock with his finger. "Look, it's only four in the morning, and you woke up crying. You have to catch a plane to the western film studio early in the morning. Do you want to continue sleeping or not?"
Lu Mingxin still cupped his face and leaned over to kiss the corner of his lips again, somewhat puzzled. "But... but in my dream..."
He took her hand and shook his head gently, seeming very helpless. "Mingxin, that was just a dream."
Lu Mingxin tried a final struggle: "But just now you called me 'A-Xin,' that's what you called me in our past life!"
Gu Qinglan still looked at her with a face full of helplessness, yet with a hint of gentle indulgence. "If you like me to call you 'A-Xin,' I can start calling you that from today onwards."
His tone was so calm that Lu Mingxin couldn't detect anything unusual. She was stunned for a while, finally defeated by the logic of reality: she had just had a vividly realistic nightmare, and then she actually started acting crazy, talking about "past lives and present lives." It was really too... ridiculous?
Giving up arguing with Gu Qinglan, she still hugged him and rubbed against his shoulder. "Qinglan-gege... don't laugh at me."
Gu Qinglan smiled and patted her shoulder lightly. "Okay, I won't laugh at you."
Her head resting on his shoulder, she naturally couldn't see his expression. And so, she didn't see that although he was smiling, his brows were tightly knitted in a place she couldn't see. And what flashed through his eyes was clearly extreme pain.
✿——✦——✿
1. "Yangchun Baixue" (阳春白雪, yáng chūn bái xuě): idiom. “The Spring Snow” (a piece of ancient music) -- (generally) a highbrow art, first appearing in Song Yu’s "Reply to the King of Chu" (《对楚王问》) from the Warring States period, State of Chu. Originally, "Yangchun Baixue" referred to a relatively high-level song of the Chu State during the Warring States period. Later, it came to represent profound, non-popular literary and artistic works. ⤣
Idiom Meaning: In reality, literature and art are divided into highbrow (elegant) and lowbrow (popular) works. Both are integral parts of cultural endeavors. * Highbrow art has strong cognitive, educational, and aesthetic functions, aiming to enlighten minds, elevate spiritual realms, cultivate moral character, and refine artistic taste. * Lowbrow art, though weaker in cognition, education, and aesthetics, possesses an unmatched entertainment value, satisfying the public’s need for leisure while still providing some intellectual and artistic enrichment.Read More
2. Interesting coz he said, “若可相忘，便无相思 (ruò kě xiāng wàng, biàn wū xiāngsī)”. In chapter 2, he also said “或可相忘，便无相思 (huò kě xiāng wàng, biàn wū xiāngsī)”. ⤣
