The actress playing the female lead Lin Pinru spoke Korean, while the actress playing Aili spoke Cantonese.
Ling Xiaosuo, who played the scumbag Hong Shixian, was caught between two actresses speaking different languages. They could barely communicate, and he was so frustrated he wanted to speak in his native Shaanxi dialect.
Jiang Ling said, "Sister Fen's lines really should be dubbed. There are quite a few voice actors nowadays, so finding one shouldn't be a problem."
"The problem is, it's hard to find the right one!"
Zheng Xiaolong said with a distressed look, "The role of the Empress is very complex. Dubbing her requires blending multiple vocal tones. Her speech needs to convey the Empress's majesty, but also the resentment of a woman in the inner palace, especially one born of a concubine and unloved by her husband. It also needs to capture her desperate cries of 'I cannot do it' before the Emperor when the truth of her poisoning Chunyuan is revealed. I've auditioned several voice actors, but none have been suitable..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling understood. "You want the person who voiced Tianshan Tonglao to dub the Empress?"
Zheng Xiaolong nodded. "Exactly. I was browsing through your recent films from the past year, and I happened to hear Tianshan Tonglao's voice. Tianshan Tonglao is the Sect Master of Lingjiu Palace, controlling thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands. Her voice is majestic and commanding, but as a woman, she was also unloved by her crush, Wu Yazi. The resentment of a powerful woman unable to attain love was portrayed so perfectly. That voice could be used for Tianshan Tonglao, or for the Empress, if the tone were made younger. But I couldn't find that voice actor's name anywhere, so I came to ask you."
Jiang Ling chuckled, "Tianshan Tonglao didn't have a voice actor; it was my own voice."
Zheng Xiaolong was taken aback. "It wasn't? That's..."
Jiang Ling said, "I voiced Tianshan Tonglao last year, using my original voice throughout. I didn't use any dubbing at all. How could you possibly find a voice actor for her?"
"What? That was your original voice?" Zheng Xiaolong was stunned.
"What? You don't believe me? Do you want me to do a sample for you?"
Zheng Xiaolong nodded.
Jiang Ling took a deep breath, her voice quickly becoming rapid and intense. "Your Majesty, do you think my sister loved you a lot? Do you think Noble Consort Xi truly loves you? What woman who deeply loves her husband would be willing to watch her beloved husband conceive and bear children with another woman?"
This vocalization carried resentment, hatred and cruelty towards Chunyuan and Zhen Huan, along with the desolation and heartbreak of misplaced love.
As Zheng Xiaolong heard it, his eyes widened. "This voice..."
Before seeing the person, one hears the voice, the vessel of a character's emotions.
A naive and kind person's voice is gentle.
A sinister and cruel person's voice carries a dark undertone.
This vocal tone was perfect!
It was as if it was tailor-made for the role of the Empress.
Jiang Ling paused, her voice becoming even more piercing and sorrowful. "I cannot do it, Your Majesty! I cannot do it! You may think I am fiercely jealous, but it is because I truly and deeply love Your Majesty that I act this way!"
This line encapsulated her deep, suppressed love for the Emperor, her resentment from unfulfilled desires, her jealousy of favored consorts, and her hatred for the feudal patriarchy, where a wife must share her husband with other women.
With multiple emotions interwoven, in just one sentence, she brought to life the Empress as a flesh-and-blood, resentful woman of the inner palace.
Zheng Xiaolong was so astonished he was speechless, frozen on the spot.