CDJMM – Volume 4 – Chapter 36 Filming in the Interstellar Era (36)

When Luo Bao saw the latest trending topic on StarBlog, he burst out laughing and couldn’t help complaining to Luo Lan: “I’m really confused now. Tell me, is this Liu Yinxiu Director Shi’s hater or his fan?”

Luo Lan rolled her eyes and said firmly, “I think he’s just a lunatic!”

Luo Bao strongly agreed. “He is pretty nuts.” That kind of back-and-forth—praising then slandering—was truly breathtaking, making one sigh at his ability to bend and stretch.

Suddenly, Luo Lan stared at her light-brain and let out an ear-piercing shriek: “AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Luo Bao nearly went deaf. He covered his ears and snapped, “What are you yelling for?!”

Luo Lan’s face was flushed red, bouncing up and down with excitement. “I got tickets!!! A senior I know gave me tickets to the advance screening of The Empress’s Imperial Dog!”

This time, it was Luo Bao’s turn to scream.

The advance screening of The Empress’s Imperial Dog was being held only at a few universities in the capital. Only students from those schools and a handful of film critics were given tickets. People like Luo Bao and Luo Lan—third-years in a high school from another province—had zero chance of seeing the screening.

They had already accepted their fate and were prepared to wait for the official release, planning to block all online spoilers in the meantime.

But—plot twist! They got tickets!

After the excitement faded, Luo Bao suddenly became wary. “Which senior? Why’s he treating you so well? Giving you tickets?”

Luo Lan’s face turned bright red. She lowered her head, unusually shy. “Well… he’s one year above me, now studying at Luodu University. He confessed to me before…”

Luo Bao stayed silent.

Uneasy, Luo Lan lifted her head and raised her voice. “Why aren’t you saying anything! Don’t tell me you’re going to forbid me from dating early, you stupid sister-con—”

“Say yes to him!” Luo Bao slapped her shoulder hard, speaking with absolute conviction. “And please ask him if he has more tickets! I have a whole pack of hungry brothers under me!”

Luo Lan: “…”

Luo Bao rubbed his chin with great satisfaction. “You know, having a little sister is really useful. Hey, Sis, do you know any senior sisters from Luodu University too?”

Luo Lan: “Tch! Get lost! Your ticket is gone!”

…

Liu Yinxiu felt utterly miserable. When he was hating on Old Scenery (Shi Jing), not only did others say he was a fan pretending to be a hater—even Old Scenery and his fan leaders thanked him for boosting their trending topics. But when he actually became a genuine fan, people cursed him for pretending, fans said he was riding the hype, and passersby said he was milking attention.

…The only comforting part was that he managed to get on the trending page again and had boosted The Empress’s Imperial Dog quite a bit, contributing in his own way to the box office.

After much waiting, January 20th—the day of the movie club screening—finally arrived.

By evening, a long line had already formed in front of the Art Center auditorium at Luodu University. Liu Yinxiu came two hours early, yet there were still a dozen people ahead of him, showing just how much students were looking forward to The Empress’s Imperial Dog.

Posters of the film had been put up at the entrance long in advance. The first one that caught Liu Yinxiu’s eye was a top-down shot: a woman wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, her left arm propped on the dragon throne as she leaned lazily against it, looking down from above at the civil and military officials bowing across the hall. A white lion dog lay obediently on her lap, silently observing everything.

Her face couldn’t be seen on the poster, and her right hand—stroking the dog’s head—was thin and withered, clearly no longer young. But even with just her silhouette on that throne, she radiated unmatched grace and overwhelming presence, making one’s heart race.

She was undeniably a captivating woman, and power was her greatest weapon.

Just looking at that poster made Liu Yinxiu itch with anticipation.

Liu Yinxiu was a very simple man.

Like before—when he hated Old Scenery, he relentlessly, brainlessly, passionately cursed him. Now that he was a fan, he would brainlessly praise Old Scenery to the skies.

So even if The Empress’s Imperial Dog turned out to be absolute trash, he would still shamelessly praise it as divine nectar.

The pair in front of him seemed to be siblings who had traveled from another province. They looked young, probably still in high school. Traveling thousands of kilometers just to watch an early screening—they must be true die-hard fans of Old Scenery.

After waiting for over an hour, the line behind him stretched into a long winding tail. At ten minutes to eight, the auditorium doors finally opened, and an electronic voice reminded students to scan their e-tickets and pick up their holographic helmets.

The Art Center auditorium had just been built last year. It was huge, capable of holding three to four hundred people, and now every seat was filled.

The first two rows were reserved for leaders and film critics. The back rows were packed with students.

Coincidentally, the sibling pair who had been in line ahead of him were seated to his right, already putting on their holographic helmets.

Liu Yinxiu also put on his own.

Despite being called a “helmet,” the holographic device was made of special alloys, so it was light; with central ventilation built in, it wasn’t stuffy at all.

After a brief moment of darkness, Liu Yinxiu’s drifting thoughts plummeted at high speed. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, and when the fog before his eyes finally cleared, he found himself standing on a bluestone path, surrounded by tall vermilion palace walls.

A pleasant electronic voice sounded. “Before the movie starts, please select your viewing mode…”

Liu Yinxiu selected them one by one: Ultra-HD, Adult, Maximum Sensory Immersion.

The movie had three modes—R13, R17, and Adult. This was because some scenes might contain gore or violence unsuitable for minors. When those scenes appeared, the system would censor or mosaic them to protect minors’ mental well-being.

“One minute until The Empress’s Imperial Hound begins. Please prepare yourself mentally.”

The legendary past of the Empress, along with the glorious Tang dynasty where all nations paid tribute, slowly unfolded.

[Palace maids whispered among themselves:]

“Just a few days ago, His Majesty wanted to abdicate in favor of My Lady.”

“I heard that the civil and military officials, and even the common people, all say that My Lady is Heaven’s chosen and beg her to ascend the throne.”

A round-faced maid asked eagerly, “Do you think… do you think My Lady is really going to become the emperor?”

The other maids suddenly widened their eyes, staring in horror behind her. The round-faced maid curiously turned her head—only to see a pale, beardless grand eunuch standing right behind her, his venomous gaze practically skinning her alive.

The round-faced maid fell to her knees with a thud, kowtowing desperately. “Please spare me, Eunuch! Please spare me!”

“It was her! She’s the one spouting nonsense! It has nothing to do with us!”

“Yes, yes, it’s her! She’s crazy! We don’t even know her!”

The round-faced maid stared at her so-called sisters in disbelief. “You?!”

The eunuch gave a smile that wasn’t quite a smile and waved his hand lazily. “Come. Drag these sluts out, pour a pot of hot oil down their throats, and then…”

His voice grew softer, almost sweet, like a serpent flicking its tongue. “Beat them to death.”

“No! Please! Don’t! I was wrong! Eunuch, spare me just once!”

“Please! Have mercy!”

Several young eunuchs clamped their hands over the maids’ mouths and dragged them away.

Screams burst out, then abruptly ceased. Only the dull impact of blows remained, one after another, like a wind-up toy that wouldn’t stop.

The grand eunuch flicked his sleeve lightly. “Fools courting death. My Lady is far too noble—how dare you speak of her so carelessly?”

Liu Yinxiu’s eyes flew wide. His heart hammered wildly.

He felt like an intruder from another time, witnessing a real massacre. Just moments ago, those eunuchs had even passed straight through his own body when dragging the maids away!

Even knowing it was all fake, Liu Yinxiu still couldn’t help feeling furious for those palace maids.

Just gossiping a few sentences about the Empress—how could that warrant being beaten to death?

For the first time, Liu Yinxiu felt a sliver of resentment toward Wu Zetian. With such tyrannical and forceful methods… could she actually be a tyrant?

He had read the plot summary earlier and knew The Empress’s Imperial Hound told the story of Empress Wu Zetian’s fifteen-year reign from the viewpoint of her dog.

So where was the dog? Why hadn’t it appeared yet?

Then the plot took a turn he hadn’t expected.

The spirit of the round-faced maid, after her death, attached itself to Wu Zetian’s beloved dog.

A maid beaten to death for casually gossiping about the Empress—reborn as the Empress’s lap-dog? It was an exquisite piece of irony.

Now Liu Yinxiu looked forward to the plot even more.

What would the maid do?

Would she seek revenge?

Would Wu Zetian notice something strange about her beloved pet?

His heart thumped madly as he eagerly continued watching.

[The white lion-dog lay beside the Empress’s couch, complaining inwardly:] When I, Peony, was a human, I was beaten and scolded, bullied and abused. Now that I’m reborn as an animal, I don’t worry about food or drink, and everyone pampers me. Truly… humans are inferior to dogs! Humans are inferior to dogs!

She lifted her gaze. A woman sat before the dressing mirror, a maid tending to her hair.

The woman was already nearly seventy, an old lady—yet her hair was jet-black and her figure graceful, her silhouette like that of a girl in her teens.

“No need to hide my white hairs,” the woman said suddenly. “I’ve grown old.”

The maid dropped to her knees with a plop, trembling all over, still forcing herself to speak calmly: “Your Majesty is youthful and radiant, divine in beauty—You are not old at all!”

The other maids hurried to echo her.

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty is not old at all!”

“Your Majesty has mastered the art of preserving youth—you look like a maiden!”

“Your Majesty only shows some white hairs because you work so tirelessly for the nation.”

The woman smiled and waved her hand. “All right, all right. I can’t outargue you. You always win.”

She turned around, revealing a face weathered by time. Surely, she must have been a beauty in her youth; even now, though aged, one could still see traces of that beauty. But time spared no one.

Even with her hair dyed black and thick powder covering her wrinkles, her aging was undeniable—especially compared to the fresh, youthful maids around her.

Yet despite standing among so many pretty young girls, Peony’s eyes went straight to this elderly woman.

Because even when she stood still, without smiling or moving, she naturally radiated imperial majesty—unparalleled bearing.

Appearance meant little to her. She possessed the world.

These flower-like maids, the lion-dog on the couch, this palace, the mighty Tang empire—all of it belonged to her.

Wu Zetian stood and walked to the couch, then waved her hand. “You may all leave. I will rest.”

The maids filed out one by one.

When no one else remained, Wu Zetian held her beloved dog and suddenly smiled, murmuring to herself: “Do you know what the palace says about me? That I’m skilled in maintaining my looks, that I’m always glowing like a young girl, that one can hardly see any signs of age.”

She shook her head with a soft laugh, then said calmly: “I know I’m old. They fear I’ll kill them, so they don’t dare tell the truth.”

“An emperor… is a lonely soul.”

Watching the faintly mocking smile on the elderly woman’s lips, Liu Yinxiu suddenly felt an unexpected sadness.

She possessed the world—yet had no one she could trust.