Chapter 853: Chapter 852 Yin Li’s Plan

The Emperor had once welcomed a gentle and virtuous lady of nobility into the palace, but now, with a mere flick of her hand, she could summon the clouds and command the rain–her gaze alone was murderous.

Di Ge sat upon the royal throne, her fingers gently tapping the Dragon Chair, while her other hand fiddled with the Jade Seal.

The sight of those slender jade fingers playing with the Jade Seal was somewhat shocking.

Capricious and unrestrained, yet beneath the carelessness, there lay a lurking lethality.

“We have heard that our neighboring country has offered their prince as a hostage to us,” Di Ge suddenly smiled, her voice low, “Has Lord Ximen grown too impatient, or is it that the young prince is so beautiful that Lord Ximen’s heart has softened?”

“This humble servant dares not,” Lord Ximen immediately knelt down, and Shen Zheng hardly needed to act anymore, for his forehead was truly covered in cold sweat from what Qiao Xiaren had said.

“Why so frightened, Lord Ximen? We haven’t criticized you, have we? Let the young prince come to the court; let Us see him.”

The young Emperor’s request made Shen Zheng inexplicably wipe his brow and wave for the servants to bring the hostage forward.

The sunlight was too dazzling; Di Ge squinted slightly before she could see clearly the prince clad in robes whiter than snow.

She suddenly lost herself for a moment, her gaze drifting off into the distance as if deep in thought or perhaps recalling memories. A single look conveyed all her emotions through her quivering fingertips.

Empress Di Ge, perhaps the only thing she ever felt guilty about was that emperor she had once loved, Fo Zhu.

In this lifetime, they had both sunk into love, hatred, and desire. The imperial families had never known love, but Fo Zhu had given all his love to Di Ge.

He had once named her Consort Yi–Consort Yi, once by heart, this heart given only to her in this life.

But in this life, their sweet moments were too few; they had only suspicion and scheming.

Di Ge stared intently at his face. His hair was bound by a jade crown, a strand of hair slipping down his forehead.

His pale skin, his delicate features, and even his aura, seemed somewhat familiar.

Such looks, so charming and handsome, truly indeed.

But he, he was no longer alive.

It was she who had personally killed him.

“Tell Us, what is your name?”

The youth in white seemingly unaware of the impending doom, respectfully replied, “Your Majesty, my name is Liao Chen.”

“What a good name,” the Empress murmured as her pale fingers stroked her lips, her eyes drifting between cold detachment and piercing insight, “Lord Ximen has truly won Our favor.”

Di Ge then slowly curled the corners of her lips, “Good, let him stay in the Harem.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Lord Ximen probably hadn’t expected it to be so easy; he was momentarily stunned before he hurriedly arranged for someone to settle the prince into the Harem.

“Cut!” At this point, Director Jiang called, “Cut! This take is good.”

The atmosphere had been excellent; if it weren’t for certain strict rules, he would have hated to let them stop.

Shen Zheng’s acting was truly remarkable, the subtle movement of wiping sweat from his forehead was added perfectly. The image of respectful, yet fearful and thoughtful towards the emperor was completely brought to life.

Exceptionally vivid.

Perhaps the most surprising was Qiao Xiaren, who had previously only shot Who Rules the World with Director Qin Hao.

Her current movement and camera-awareness were even better than some veteran actors.

Qiao Xiaren had handled her entire role well, a woman who ultimately ascends to the throne, trampling past bloodshed and naivety, all love and hate, to become a great empress.

After Director Jiang called to cut, Qiao Xiaren once again reverted to her prior demeanor, calm and elegant.