Ying Zheng paused, his gaze sweeping over the actors, lightly passing over each as they spoke their lines. Finally, his eyes settled on a tall, scholarly-looking man dressed in the robes of a noble son.
The resemblance was uncanny. Even though he knew the man was merely playing a part, the moment he saw him, his mind instinctively connected the figure to a memory.
"Fusu." The First Emperor’s sharp gaze pierced through the crowd of officials, coolly calling out the name.
The man in the crowd who had been addressed looked up toward the First Emperor. The moment he met those profound, piercing eyes, his body jolted. Before his brain could even process the situation, he had already bowed and offered a salute.
"Your son greets you, Father."
By the time he realized what he had done, the action was already complete.
The actor thought to himself, "...What the hell!"
Incredible! Was this rookie actor's acting really that good? He didn’t lose heart, however. Hearing the newcomer calmly command him to rise, a competitive spirit surged within him, and he immediately dove into his performance.
"Your Majesty, the world has just been pacified. The common folk of the six states have yet to fully submit, and all industries are in ruins. We should be focused on rest and recovery; how can you justify launching another war? I implore Your Majesty to put the world first—you must never again cast the realm into the flames of war!"
He spoke with his head bowed, his tone impassioned and resolute.
These lines were in the script; Ying Zheng naturally remembered them. But this fatal resemblance reminded him of his own "great son," and his eyes darkened, the air around him seemingly turning to ice.
Ying Zheng stared at him with pitch-black eyes. "So, are you saying that I am disregarding the wishes of the people, acting only for my own selfish interests?"
Back then, Fusu had said similar things to him. The memory brought back unpleasant feelings.
The actor’s posture sank even lower, as if he were trying to disappear into the dust. "This subject would not dare."
The veteran actors watching the interaction between this "father and son" were beyond impressed with Ying Zheng. If they hadn't maintained their self-control, they would have almost jumped into the scene themselves. It was truly something—the director had mentioned that the man playing Ying Zheng was a newcomer, and they had been worried. But seeing him today, his acting was remarkably seasoned. He had pulled the "Fusu" actor into the scene almost instantly.
He had real talent.
Watching the First Emperor lock into a scene with "Fusu" and witnessing his eyes turn cold, Zhu Yu felt her legs go weak; she nearly had to stop herself from blurting out, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
As expected, only the original could pull off an effect like that! This meant that if this drama aired successfully, Zhu Yu vowed that the First Emperor would definitely become a star!
Thinking of this, she mentally whispered to the system: "0208, thank you."
【???】
Caught off guard by the host's gratitude, System 0208 briefly glitched. After a restart, it still didn't understand, but replied, 【You're welcome, Host.】
***
In the Qin Dynasty, Fusu heard his father call his name and his heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected his father to still remember him even after going to the Immortal Realm. But when he saw the man opposite the First Emperor, his expression of touch froze.
So… Father wasn't calling for him.
Ah, his heart suddenly ached. What should he do?
He felt as though something had shattered inside him. Watching the interaction between his father and the man playing him, Fusu’s head hummed. He had said those very things to his father in the past, and all he had received in return were rebukes.
To ensure the common folk could live in peace—now that the war had finally ended, was it not right to focus on recovery?
Fusu gripped his chest, suddenly wishing he could go up to the Skyscreen and meet the little immortal to beg for an answer.
***
Elsewhere in the ages, the other dynasties were curious. The First Emperor was actually going to act? But acting required an audience—so, where were they?
By the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, theater had become a mature and thriving art form. When the Skyscreen first opened and the First Emperor appeared, everyone had been terrified, unable to understand what was happening. Now, they understood: the little immortal had invited the First Emperor to become an actor? What was the difference between the immortals' theater and the theater of the mortal world?
In the Yuan Dynasty, Guan Hanqing paused his brush, wondering if he could learn something new.
"The First Emperor is acting?" The jealousy in the Qianlong Emperor’s heart lessened slightly. So what if he went to the Immortal Realm? He still had to become an actor; how shameful. "This First Emperor is far too spineless," he muttered, shaking his head. Then, with sudden confidence, he added, "If I were to go up there, the little immortal would surely treat me with the utmost respect."
***
In the Skyscreen, the production crew was ready. The director called the actors over; the First Emperor's first scene in the modern era was about to begin. It was the meeting between Ying Zheng and the first time-traveler he encountered—the one who had deceived the Emperor the most severely.
The scene lasted only a few minutes, filmed in segments. If something went wrong, the director would call "Cut" to reset.
Everyone was seeing this kind of filming for the first time. When the man standing before the First Emperor suddenly produced raging flames from his hands, the commoners watching widened their eyes.
It truly was the Immortal Realm! Look, the actor playing opposite the First Emperor was an immortal!
"Cut! Ying Zheng, you need to show that you believe the other person is a god! Don't give me that look like you want to kill him!" The director looked at Ying Zheng’s frost-cold face; if an actor didn't listen, he would naturally scold him. But before the words left his mouth, he remembered the sword blade that had grazed his neck two days ago, and he shuddered, his tone softening considerably.
Hadn't he seen that the actor playing opposite Ying Zheng was already trembling like a leaf? If he didn't know this was acting, he would have knelt down on the spot! The director felt a flicker of sympathy for the actor.
Ying Zheng gave the director a cold, indifferent glance, then looked at the "con artist" opposite him, who was smiling with a stiff, unnatural expression.
"Brother Zheng, this is just acting. I know you won't be fooled, but the script is written this way," Zhu Yu whispered from the sidelines. "Don't take it to heart. Think about those technologies; they all require money to acquire. If you don't finish this drama, how will you go find a job afterward?"
Yes, to ensure Ying Zheng would finish the filming, Zhu Yu had told a small white lie. Since the system had laid down its rules, even if Ying Zheng earned a salary for this, the system wouldn't acknowledge it. She had hoped to let him work in the acting industry, but seeing his performance just now, she had sobered up. This path didn't seem viable… So, to comfort the First Emperor, she lied, telling him that once he finished this one role, he would be able to go get a "real" job.
"I will never be fooled!" Ying Zheng felt indignant.
Zhu Yu: "…"
*Oh, boy. Don't tell me he still believes in Xu Fu and the others?*
"Yes, yes, of course you won't be fooled. But you have to finish the performance first; everyone is waiting for you."
Perhaps the persuasion worked, for the subsequent scenes went smoothly. Emperors were natural actors, and since this only required exposing a fraction of himself, it was effortless for Ying Zheng.
However, the actors playing opposite him were not so fortunate. The moment the imperial aura erupted from Ying Zheng, not only the actors but even the commoners watching the Skyscreen couldn't help but tremble in fear.
"The First Emperor’s bearing is truly extraordinary." Zhu Yuanzhang hated tyrants like Ying Zheng, but seeing him on screen, he had to admit that some people were simply born to be emperors. "A pity he is a tyrant. I still prefer emperors like Taizong."
The director watched Ying Zheng, who was smiling but had no warmth in his eyes, and shouted through his megaphone: "Good! Cut! Next scene!"
During a break, he couldn't help but remark to Zhu Yu, "President Zhu, tell me the truth—who is this Ying Zheng working for?"
"Actually, good actors often have some psychological or mental quirks. I think this issue of Ying Zheng getting too deep into character is a minor thing." He had completely forgotten how the sword felt against his neck last time.
Zhu Yu twitched the corner of her mouth. "Director, he’s a bit strange. He only likes to play Ying Zheng; he has no interest in anything else."
The director looked at her with a strange expression, but considering the sheer aura the man possessed, he found it quite logical.
"Right," he suddenly thought of something, and excitedly said to Zhu Yu, "Ying Zheng is fine, then! Isn't there a new production starting soon? It’s also set in the Qin Dynasty, with Fusu and a concubine—it even has the 'stepmother' trope."
"I heard the actor cast as Ying Zheng was suddenly outed for drug use, and the role is now vacant. Shouldn't he go give it a try?"
Zhu Yu froze, wondering for the first time if her ears were failing her. She asked in a daze, "Fusu and... who?"
The director: "Fusu and the First Emperor's concubine. Oh, it’s actually a story where Fusu and the heroine were childhood sweethearts, but then the First Emperor intervened and took her into the palace. The two lovers were tortured by their identities and eventually both died of sorrow."
Zhu Yu: "..."
She let out a long, shaky breath. Seeing the director enthusiastically trying to hand her the contact information, she quickly blocked him. "No, no, no, no, no!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Director, but Ying Zheng is only acting this once. He has a family fortune to inherit after this, and besides, this plot is just too… *he-he*. This newcomer is not only named Ying Zheng, but he also likes Ying Zheng very much. I’m afraid the outcome would be… unsightly."
*Help! My god! What kind of genius came up with this plot?!*
Zhu Yu couldn't believe it. If the First Emperor found out about this drama, he would definitely go on a rampage! This was complete insanity.
Wait… why did that plot sound so familiar?
It wasn't just Zhu Yu who was shocked. Everyone who heard her conversation with the director was startled; some who had been sitting calmly fell off their chairs.
In the Great Qin, Fusu was so frightened by the director's words that his heart hammered against his ribs. His face flushed scarlet, and the gentle, jade-like prince cursed out loud for the first time in his life. He unleashed a string of obscenities, cursing until his throat grew hoarse.
Chunyu Yue, who was kneeling nearby, remained uncharacteristically silent, failing to stop Fusu’s unseemly behavior for the first time. The attendants all lowered their heads, not daring to look at the Skyscreen.
"Teacher," Fusu said, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead from rage. He gritted his teeth and forced out the words: "I want to go to the Skyscreen and have a 'good talk' with the screenwriter who wrote this."
What kind of deep-seated grudge did Fusu hold against that screenwriter? To think they would frame and slander him so! Even if it was false, it was still a stain on his reputation! After watching the Skyscreen, he had learned that the person who wrote the plays was called a screenwriter.
The most chaotic place, however, was the First Emperor's harem. Upon hearing the plot, the concubines' eyes lit up. Which concubine were they talking about? No new ones had entered the palace in years…