After being universally criticized online, I went viral on military-themed variety shows.

Chapter 369 Why did they only cast her as the second female lead in the first place?

"Counselor Li, His Majesty has summoned you."

Li Minghe followed the eunuch who came to announce his arrival and stepped into the Southern Study, the boundary between the outer court and the inner palace.

This is the emperor's private study. Although it differs from the Imperial Study, which was used to summon close ministers for discussions, by only one character, the Southern Study is a place only those trusted by the emperor can enter.

Li Minghe, because of her debt of gratitude to the emperor, also gained the right to enter the Southern Study.

This time, however, as soon as she entered the room, she noticed a gaze full of anger, but it wasn't coming from directly in front of her.

He paused slightly, glancing up subtly.

He stepped forward again, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

She then bowed to Wen Zhiyu, who was still glaring at her, with a gesture of equal rank, saying, "Lord Wen."

Wen Zhiyu returned the greeting with a cold expression.

The emperor sat behind the table and waited for them to finish exchanging greetings before speaking: "I summoned Minister Li here today because of the case of the murder of the second young lady of the Feng family. Minister Wen has found clues, some of which involve you, Minister Li. Do you have any rebuttal?"

In the story, the murder of Miss Feng was indeed orchestrated by Li Minghe. It was because Miss Feng, then a lowly palace maid, attended a New Year's banquet at the palace. Li Minghe was assigned to serve this pampered and spoiled young lady, and was thoroughly tormented. In the dead of winter, dressed in thin clothing, she was sent to pick plum blossoms in the snow, simply so she could adorn her hair with a few blooming blossoms during her dance performance.

Before the New Year's banquet was over that day, Li Minghe caught a cold and developed a high fever. Because of her low status and lack of money to bribe officials, she couldn't hire a physician from the Imperial Hospital who specialized in treating palace maids. She endured the near-fatal fever, and from then on, she harbored resentment.

Once Li Minghe gained power, even if the other party had long forgotten her, the little palace maid, Li Minghe had not forgotten her.

Just before her wedding, she used her secretly organized network of connections to devise a very undignified way to kill her.

But they forgot that the second young lady of the Feng family was to marry the younger brother of Wen Zhiyu, who was exceptionally intelligent since childhood and was allowed to enter the Dali Temple, one of the Three Departments, as a woman, by the late emperor's imperial decree!

Wen Zhiyu noticed something amiss with his future sister-in-law's death. Despite the objections from the Wen and Feng families who wanted to save face, he insisted on getting to the bottom of it. And his investigation actually uncovered a connection that Li Minghe was suspected to have made.

Thus began the confrontation in the Southern Study.

Since the other party had no evidence to definitively prove her innocence, Li Minghe naturally denied everything and cried foul!
The two immediately engaged in a debate right there in the Southern Study, under the emperor's very nose.

Apart from uttering a couple of lines at the beginning, Gu Wang, who plays the emperor, spends the rest of his time frowning and listening to the two people in front of him engage in a heated debate. One of them desperately points out clues and doubts, while the other uses these doubts to cleverly clarify the relationship. Gu Wang also has to pretend to be seriously thinking based on their conversation. In short, being the emperor as a background character is not an easy job.

You know what, this increasingly tense atmosphere really doesn't seem like an act.

The director, sitting in front of the monitor, could clearly see Yuan Chaoyu clenching and unclenching his fists, and the veins bulging on his forehead from anger, as he held a megaphone, ready to yell "cut" at any moment.

After all, this scene doesn't include the part where Wen Zhiyu takes action against Li Minghe, who clearly knows the person in front of him is guilty but can't convict him.

He had to stop Wen Zhiyu from taking action just in time when he was so angry that he couldn't control himself.

Fortunately, the situation that he and Gu Wang were worried about did not happen.

The two actors, under the increasingly tense atmosphere, delivered a long monologue, exchanging lines back and forth.

Finally, Wen Zhiyu clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he spoke: "Counselor Li, I'll be keeping a close eye on you. You'd better not give yourself away in the slightest!"

In contrast to her, Li Minghe responded with a charming smile: "Lord Wen, the innocent are innocent."

In the first exchange between the female lead and the second female lead, the second female lead's sophistry seemed to have the upper hand. However, when Li Minghe bowed and left the South Study, the camera panned to his back, revealing a noticeable wet patch on his light-colored official uniform.

The blower started, blowing a cool breeze that sent shivers down my spine as my robe and hairband fluttered.

Compared to Wen Zhiyu, who only wanted to find out the truth, clear the name of the second young lady of the Feng family, and punish the real murderer, Li Minghe's experience just now was truly dancing on the edge of a knife. If she hadn't been careful, Wen Zhiyu would have seized on the flaws in her words, and she would have been in the Dali Temple prison.

Li Minghe stopped in the shadows and glanced back at the South Study where he had just come out.

Under the camera's lens, a chilling murderous intent shone in his eyes.

Wen Zhiyu, even though the matter is over, you still dare to keep attacking her. It seems I have to find a way to kill you!
"Okay, cut, that's a good take. Everyone take a ten-minute break, then we'll do a few more takes."

Pei Yuan was waiting at the edge of the set with a coat in her arms. When she heard the director yell "Cut!", she rushed to Jiang Hanying's side and draped the coat over her shoulders. "Sister, are you cold?"

The back of her clothes was soaked with water, and there had been a gust of wind. It was late autumn, and she felt cold just looking at it.

Jiang Hanying pulled her coat tighter, winked at Pei Yuan, and immediately snapped out of character: "It was acting."

Yuan Chaoyu was still stuck in the role of Wen Zhiyu. When she read the script, she felt that although Li Minghe was quite pitiful in the early stages, he was really evil and vicious in the later stages.

If this role can be played well, then the character will come to life, becoming three-dimensional and fully fleshed out.

But if you don't act well, it will cause the audience to feel disgusted.

Jiang Hanying really brought out the character's wickedness and ruthlessness, yet also her cleverness and eloquence; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to immerse herself in the role.

She even regretted it a little at this moment. Why did she, inexplicably, ask Jiang Hanying to audition for the second female lead role instead of the third female lead role that everyone else wanted?

By the way, if she remembered correctly, it was her brother who was the first to pass Jiang Hanying after her audition!

Thinking about it this way, I felt even more depressed.

I couldn't shake off that feeling even after the reshoots were completed.

The only advantage is that you don't have to act; your emotions are completely genuine on camera!
After filming this scene, it was noon, and the crew immediately announced that they would have lunch and a break.

Yuan Chaoyu waved to his assistant who came to greet him, "I have no appetite, I'm not eating. Just make me a cup of nutritional supplement."

Jiang Hanying happened to be standing next to her. When she heard what she said, she was immediately surprised that someone had been busy all day and still had no appetite for the food. She couldn't help but ask, "Then your lunch was wasted?"

Yuan Chaoyu frowned, suppressing his impatience, "This has nothing to do with you, does it?"

"Wasting food is wrong, I can help you eat it."

Yuan Chaoyu: "..."

Those around them who overheard their conversation: "..."

The director, who also overheard the conversation through the still-on microphone, thought: "..."

He lowered his head and reflected silently. Since Jiang Hanying joined the crew, he didn't think he had let the child go hungry, did he?