Ye Ling mounted the horse she had brought from the grasslands.
This part was filmed on location.
The girl who galloped across the grasslands was like a stunning spirit of the plains. She smiled radiantly, beautiful as a fairy descended to earth. She raised her head to meet the other’s eyes, as if day turned to night.
Her horse was spirited.
Her horse was good.
The tyrant watched her, sneering coldly.
She broke through the finish line, far ahead of him.
She severed the pole—jumped off her horse, and waited for him.
"I won."
The man opposite nodded coldly.
"Indeed, you won."
But he turned around, raised the massive saber in his hand, and with a forceful swing, directly severed the head of the chestnut horse!
Blood splattered everywhere, landing on the girl’s fair cheeks. The girl looked up, as if she couldn't believe it. She stared at the man, her breathing quickening.
"That was my Jingfeng!"
"Are you mad?"
Ye Ling hadn't expected him to actually dare to directly harm her horse!
"This was your gift to me..."
Her words stopped abruptly. She looked at him, appearing on the verge of tears, but she held back with all her might. She simply gazed into his eyes and said,
"You will regret this."
The man opposite sneered.
"In my life, no matter what I do, I never regret."
The audience sighed.
Were the flags set arbitrarily?
It was obvious to anyone paying attention that this man was about to face misfortune.
...
In the dead of night. She crept into his imperial chambers. As she raised her dagger, the man suddenly leaped up and grabbed her wrist in return.
"You truly intended to assassinate me!"
Ye Ling glared at him stubbornly.
"You killed Jingfeng!"
He sneered.
"You are indeed someone from the former Crown Prince's faction!"
Ye Ling still repeated herself.
"You killed Jingfeng, and I will avenge Jingfeng!"
The man furrowed his brow. He found Ye Ling's tone incredibly peculiar, and he felt she was utterly unreasonable.
It was just a horse.
Why be so fixated on it.
"If you care so much, I will give you ten more. Your tribe attacked us and took some of our finest steeds; go pick one yourself. But to seek revenge for a single horse, how ridiculous!"
"I can forgive your assassination attempt today—let it be as if nothing happened..."
Before he could finish, Ye Ling fiercely bit down. She raised her head and looked at him.
"No. You don't understand. I must avenge my horse."
The tyrant opposite still didn't understand.
But he didn't need to.
Because—
The woman looked at him, a cold smile on her lips.
She said,
"I will kill you."
...
The next day at the banquet. He was to host envoys from the southern enemy. However, he was distracted. At the banquet, he specifically asked her to toast, to show that the Great Jin had formed an alliance with the northern tribes, thus presenting a united front.
This would also serve to intimidate the southern enemy.
Unexpectedly.
As she toasted, the woman, without hesitation, coldly took a shard of porcelain and fiercely stabbed towards his heart!
He grabbed her wrist, thinking she had gone mad.
He looked at Ye Ling, about to strike her, but as he met her stubborn gaze, fragmented images flashed through his mind for some reason.
He ultimately relented.
Late that night, he went to her prison cell. He pushed her against the wall, leaned close, and warned her, gritting his teeth,
"What exactly do you want?"
"I hate women like you the most."
"You are only fit to be my most lowly slave!"
He treated her harshly!
He wanted to make her cry.
But Ye Ling looked up.
Her eyes were still clear, even though her body was bruised and battered.
"You tyrant, you deserve to die without a burial place."
She remained stubborn, refusing to yield.
After the tyrant imprisoned Ye Ling for several days.
Fearing she might die there.
He wanted someone to check on her, but discovered she had escaped!
Then everything—
Began to spiral out of his control.
The southern tribes, knowing he was not in league with the northern tribes, began to rebel.
News of her assassination attempt reached the northern tribes. Upon learning of her disappearance, they began to attack his northern defense lines. Ten thousand cavalry were trapped in the Snow Gorge due to his error.
The southern enemy advanced unimpeded.
They colluded with the remnants of the deposed Crown Prince's forces.
His empire crumbled overnight!
He couldn't believe it.
All of this, simply because he had killed her horse?
Was she insane?
Did she need to retaliate against him with such brutal means?
Where was this damned woman? He wanted to flay her a thousand times!
...
The war lasted for a full five years.
On the day the city fell, he saw her again.
She wore a heavy cloak, her face still stunningly beautiful. She had become the new queen of the northern tribes, riding a chestnut horse, looking down at him.
He confronted her coldly.
"You said the one you loved would find you after five years. Has he come?"
Ye Ling looked at the tyrant before her, a smile curving her lips. She looked into his eyes and said word by word,
"He will never. Come again."
"He forgot me."
He desperately wanted to laugh.
Ye Ling's decisive rebellion against him was for that man. He never expected that man to forget her.
Flames raged around them. He preferred to destroy the royal city rather than let the enemy have it.
Amidst the roaring flames, in this desolate land.
Ye Ling looked at him, a deep sorrow hidden in the depths of her eyes, even a hint of pity.
"Because that person. Is you."
"The one who forgot me, is you."
"Your current predicament is not because I betrayed you, but because you yourself acted against righteousness, and the people were full of resentment."
"You could have been a good emperor, but you became a tyrant. Back then, because of your brother's cruelty, you decided to lead troops in rebellion and overthrow him. You said he kept female slaves, that he treated people like animals."
"You said you would bring a clear world to the people."
"But you became him."
"I loved you."
"Unfortunately, you are no longer the person I loved. The person I loved died on the grasslands."
On the grasslands, flames blazed. The girl before him held a boy of about four years old. She looked up at him.
"This is your child."
"He will become the king of the new dynasty."
The man opposite trembled violently.
Ling Qianhe delivered a breathtaking performance in this segment. The arrogant emperor, as memories flooded back, his expression gradually became lost, finally transforming into hysterical pain.
The man, consumed by obsessive despair, felt as if his entire world had collapsed.
The world gradually darkened.
Utterly bleak.
But the memories in his mind gradually became clearer.
Many years ago, he too was an ambitious prince...
He went to the northern borders to seek the tribe's help, to resist his brother. He was pursued, and a girl saved him. That girl was so beautiful; her eyes were more beautiful than the stars in the night sky.
He fell in love with her.
They raced horses together on the grasslands. He caught a fiercely tempered little red horse, a peerless steed.
He gradually tamed the little red horse's pride and gifted it to her.
He was with her, making vows to the stars under the night sky.
The one he loved.
Even across the vast expanse of stars, they would be together.
He looked at her in disbelief.
Tears seemed about to stream out, but the girl had become a cold queen. The powerful northern cavalry stood behind her, everyone behind her defending him. He was now truly alone. He stared blankly into her eyes, at her indifferent expression.
Never again would there be any trace of innocence.
"So you want to seize my empire?"
"I will not lose..."
"I never lose."
But why was he shedding tears? How could he forget her.
She was willing to risk her life on a cliff to pick snow lotuses just to heal his injuries.
She said that if the snow mountain had spirits, she would beg them to let them be together forever. She said—she would be with him at all costs.
Wherever he was, she would go.
She came.
But how had he treated her?
He stared blankly into her eyes.
Fragmented scenes flashed through his mind again. She had come with anticipation, but he didn't recognize her. He treated her cruelly, tormenting her in various ways. He bound her underground and tortured her until she was unrecognizable.
He gave her to the king of the enemy country.
When she died.
He went mad.
He thought he only felt pity for her.
He refused to admit it was love from beginning to end—but how could it not be love? He had fallen in love with her a long, long time ago.
He had clearly made vows.
Clearly...
In the flames, he looked at her features, wanting to reach out and touch her.
But he could no longer touch her.
On the verge of death, he wanted to touch her.
But even that became a luxury.
He could not die with his eyes closed—endless regret and pain consumed him!
If he were given another chance, he would definitely cherish it, not be a mad tyrant.
If heaven had mercy—he would never abuse the one he loved!
He would give her everything!
...
The plot of the first world had completely captivated the audience.
Their hearts were drawn in by the narrative!
Lin Mudi and Ling Qianhe were also seeing the finished product for the first time.
They were pleasantly surprised.
Several crucial scenes were filled with genuine emotion.
And it was hard to imagine that both actors were around twenty years old, with Lin Mudi being a near-complete newcomer.
Critics were already furiously scribbling.
But they managed to jot down a few lines.
The lights began to brighten.
And the world with Hanks began!
Hanks and Vivian were also present. Vivian watched the plot in silence—she suddenly realized why Hanks had a change of heart.
Perhaps.
After filming this movie, he suddenly had a realization.
Discovering that being a scumbag leads to a bad end, he decided to reform?
Losing true love.
Is truly agonizing.
Even Vivian couldn't help but admire Lin Mudi. Her acting was so powerful; the original character and the task executor were clearly two distinct personalities!
With such exceptionally strong acting, she was bound to win a Best Actress award in time!