Chapter 98: Report on

Hengdian, Qin Palace

One of Hengdian's famous film and television sets, built in 1997 to film Chen Da's movie "Jing Ke Assassinated the Qin King," covering over 800 mu.

Since its completion, this Qin Palace has become a primary filming location for domestic TV dramas set in the Qin and Han dynasties.

"Emperor Wu of Han" is no exception; most of the entire series was filmed in Hengdian, with only a few scenes shot in Zhuozhou and Henan Province, while battle scenes were filmed on the grasslands of Chishi City in Inner Mongolia.

Seeing Yan Li's portrayal of Huo Qubing features most of his high-light scenes on the grasslands, but he also has substantial scenes in Hengdian, so he reported in first.

Due to the SARS outbreak, Hengdian currently has few tourists, and the number of active crews and extras is also limited, with some shops even closed.

Compared to a year ago when Seeing Yan Li came to film "Heroes of Sui and Tang," it feels far emptier and more desolate.

Seeing Yan Li brought Lin Jiachuan to report in at the "Emperor Wu of Han" crew.

In such a large crew, the director Hu Mei and the producer are rarely seen unless actively filming, but Seeing Yan Li has connections within the crew—associate director Li Xing personally arranged his accommodation.

The good news: a private room.

The disappointment: it was just an ordinary hotel room, nothing like the luxurious grandeur Seeing Yan Li imagined from a major production.

Still, conditions were far better than the small guesthouse he stayed in a year ago—air conditioning, bathroom, TV—all present, sufficient for daily needs.

In truth, with Seeing Yan Li's current net worth, he could easily afford to stay in a better hotel himself.

But he felt doing so would be ostentatious and make him seem out of place in the crew.

After all, the producer, director, lead actor, and lead actress all stayed comfortably—why should a supporting actor go out and book a luxury hotel? Seeing Yan Li didn't want to invite trouble.

So unless conditions were truly unbearable, Seeing Yan Li would probably just make do.

Fortunately, "Emperor Wu of Han" was still reliable; while conditions weren't great, they were acceptable, and Seeing Yan Li was satisfied.

Not only did Seeing Yan Li get a room; knowing he brought an assistant, the crew also arranged a room for Lin Jiachuan, though he didn't get a private room—he shared with another crew member, and the room was worse.

Lin Jiachuan didn't complain; if a millionaire like Seeing Yan Li could endure it, what was he, an assistant, to object?

Seeing Yan Li sent text messages to Dong Xuan and Qin Lan to let them know he was safe, rested a bit, then went to dinner with associate director Li Xing.

He'd just arrived—he needed to scout the terrain, gather intel, and try to secure a role for Lin Jiachuan.

"No problem, I'll take care of it."

Li Xing agreed readily; he wouldn't dare say that for the lead actors, but Seeing Yan Li's demands were modest—just a few lines and some screen time.

"Emperor Wu of Han" has dozens of episodes and countless speaking roles; even minor parts were often filled by extras—giving one to Lin Jiachuan was nothing.

"If you can ride a horse, even better—I'll assign you as Huo Qubing's deputy. He needs someone beside him anyway; you just follow him, and you'll have each other's back."

Li Xing even offered a thoughtful suggestion; Seeing Yan Li thought it was good, but Lin Jiachuan couldn't ride a horse.

Filming was about to start—would there be time to learn now?

"Emperor Wu of Han" isn't "Heroes of Sui and Tang"—horseback scenes are real, especially for several generals, who must meet certain equestrian standards.

One of Seeing Yan Li's main advantages in landing the role of Huo Qubing was his solid riding skill.

"Just start practicing. If it doesn't work out, I'll fight to get you off the horse scenes—when Huo Qubing rides, we'll switch to another deputy."

Though this deputy has his own shots and lines, most of the time he's just background to Huo Qubing—easy to fake.

"Thanks, Li Ge."

Seeing Yan Li and Li Xing clinked glasses, then probed for crew gossip; Li Xing, being on good terms with him, shared some.

For example: Hu Mei despises actors who are late or leave early; Chen Baoguo has a bad temper—be careful during filming; the producer has a relationship with a female actress—don't provoke her.

The information was so rich, it rivaled half a spy network.

Seeing Yan Li looked at Li Xing, who spoke so fluently, and felt a spark of admiration.

In future, when he invested in and produced films, he couldn't personally oversee every project—he needed someone he could trust to hold the fort or manage things.

Not only must he trust them, they must also have ability, understand the backstage politics and practical operations of a crew, to avoid being fooled and to carry a project.

Such talent was hard to find.

Lin Jiachuan wasn't cut out for it; Zhou Yi and Zhang Songwen were barely adequate—they could help monitor the crew and watch for shenanigans, but couldn't independently lead a project.

But Li Xing had potential.

Seeing Yan Li had connected with him through the system and knew him fairly well—he had minor flaws, but was generally reliable.

No one is perfect; Seeing Yan Li hired people to get work done, not to find moral saints. As long as they met his standards, minor flaws didn't matter.

His interpersonal skills were fine, and his abilities were strong.

It was obvious: Li Xing held the position of associate director on a major production like "Emperor Wu of Han," clearly valued by Director Hu Mei, and spoke knowledgeably about every inside detail—he definitely had skills.

Seeing Yan Li checked Li Xing's name, planning to keep in touch; if an opportunity arose, he'd recruit him.

Although Li Xing was valued by Director Hu Mei, that didn't mean he had a chance to rise.

Director Hu Mei was just a director, and with her pace—only one film every few years—her income and upward mobility were limited.

But if he followed Seeing Yan Li, it would be different: if he proved capable, he could become producer—or even director—in a short time, rise rapidly, and see his income skyrocket.

Of course, without knowing Seeing Yan Li's backing, choosing to follow him carried risk.

Who knew if he'd go bankrupt after two films and become penniless? At least Hu Mei offered stability.

How Li Xing chose, in some sense, was also a test for Seeing Yan Li—he had no interest in subordinates who just coasted.

…

The afternoon of Seeing Yan Li's second day at the crew, filming began directly.

On a long street, Seeing Yan Li wore armor, his long hair tied into a crown, a crimson cloak billowing behind him, riding at the front, full of vigor, followed by seven or eight mounted knights, all galloping down the street, drawing gasps from the crowd.

"Who's this noble young master? How wild!"

"You don't know? When the Emperor was young, he was just like this."

"…"

When speaking of Huo Qubing, one cannot avoid mentioning Emperor Wu's favor toward him—treatment akin to that of a biological son.

And Huo Qubing earned Emperor Wu's favor for many reasons.

For example, exceptional military talent, glorious battle records, innate allegiance to the Imperial Party and Crown Prince's Faction, shared interests, unwavering loyalty, and trustworthy character.

Another key factor is that Emperor Wu of Han greatly admired and cherished Huo Qubing's personality.

He believed "This boy resembles me," and in Emperor Wu's eyes, Huo Qubing was his own self deployed on campaign—a super general raised by his own hand; Huo Qubing's radiant glory and illustrious military exploits were all due to his efforts.

As a result, their relationship became a celebrated tale passed down through history.

Later emperors were also influenced: whenever they encountered a talented young general, they would wonder if they had found their own Huo Qubing, and lavishly nurtured him.

The drama "Emperor Wu of Han" captured this trait in its depiction of Huo Qubing.

It portrayed from every angle Emperor Wu's special favor and deep trust toward Huo Qubing.

After reading Huo Qubing's script, Seeing Yan Li could only think—

Damn, it's so satisfying!

Throughout the entire drama, aside from a few scoldings from his uncle Wei Qing, Huo Qubing did whatever he wanted, said whatever he wanted, living with wild, brilliant freedom.

Luckily, he exits the story after only a few episodes—otherwise, the plot would've been impossible to sustain; he'd have swept everything aside, and "Emperor Wu of Han" would've turned into "The Biography of Huo Qubing."

…

Afterwards, Seeing Yan Li switched sets to film scenes with his aunt Wei Zifu.

Lin Jing and Seeing Yan Li had gotten along well when filming began; yesterday, when Seeing Yan Li reported in, she had come over specifically to greet him, and now that she saw him, she smiled and teased.

"Big nephew's here."

Seeing Yan Li was speechless—sometimes during filming, you encounter this awkwardness: because of the role, you're inexplicably a generation younger.

Chen Baoguo, who played Emperor Wu, was fine—he was roughly the same age as Seeing Yan Li's father; Lu Jianmin, who played Wei Qing, was over ten years older, so it was barely acceptable.

But Lin Jing was only a few years older than Seeing Yan Li.

Yes, Seeing Yan Li had been fooled by Lin Jing before—they weren't the same age.

That time, she claimed she was born in 1980; Seeing Yan Li found it suspicious, because logically someone that age should've been in his year or two years ahead, yet he'd never seen her at school.

Later, after digging up the facts, he finally understood.

No wonder he'd never seen Lin Jing—this sister was six classes ahead of him, a 1994 graduate of Beijing Film Academy, and Jiang Qinqin's classmate.

As for the 1980s birth year, it was obviously fake—this was standard practice.

Actors, especially female actors, often alter their ages to extend their careers or gain more role opportunities.

Not to mention, Seeing Yan Li had examples right beside him.

Qin Lan was born in 1979, but her agent always revised her resume to 1981; Dong Xuan had also considered changing her age, but ultimately didn't.

The difference between "born in the 70s" and "born in the 80s" may seem trivial, but it can cost you many opportunities.

While many people alter their age, few go as far as Lin Jing did.

This made her resume riddled with holes: born in 1980, yet a 1994 graduate of Beijing Film Academy—that means she entered university at age 14, and she also had experience as a flight attendant—what airline would hire a child laborer?

Although Seeing Yan Li had uncovered the truth, they were still colleagues; he couldn't expose her secret, so he continued treating her as his peer.

Lin Jing didn't overdo it—after a few jabs, she turned to gossip about Seeing Yan Li.

"Are you really dating Li Bingbing?!"

Previously, when Seeing Yan Li was rumored to be Li Bingbing's romantic interest, his casting as Huo Qubing brought the drama "Emperor Wu of Han" significant exposure, and everyone on set learned of this rumor.

Within two days of joining the cast, three people had directly or indirectly asked him about it.

It made Seeing Yan Li feel that if he didn't actually get involved with Li Bingbing, he'd be wasting all the saliva he'd spent explaining the gossip…

(End of Chapter)