Actors, Take Your Places

As news spread that Fan Bingbing and Chen Kun were likely joining The Grand Director, and investors Bona Film Group and Enlight Media entered one after another.

China Film Group, Bona Film Group, and Enlight Media had all injected funds into the production. Beyond money, they brought corresponding industry resources.

The The Grand Director crew scouted locations across the country and inspected major film and television bases.

Shen Shanden was so busy his feet barely touched the ground. He gradually withdrew from specific affairs and began focusing on direction and execution, establishing a project acceptance team staffed by university students.

The number of calls he received kept growing.

Those who could reach him directly were generally artists with a certain level of fame. Alumni who had graduated years ago also called to congratulate him, while others came looking for opportunities.

Among them, Shen Shanden personally met with Huang Xiaoming and shared a meal with him.

"Director Shen."

Huang Xiaoming was courteous to everyone.

Shen Shanden had a very pleasant conversation with him.

All he could say was that Huang Xiaoming's emotional intelligence was absolutely maxed out. Shen Shanden had also lived in Qingdao for twenty years in his previous life, so he had a very favorable impression of Huang Xiaoming.

Huang Xiaoming had an excellent reputation in Qingdao. He truly liked returning to his hometown, and whenever he came, he never put on airs.

Over that meal, Shen Shanden gave him the role of Jiajing Emperor and promised to list him as a leading actor in the promotions, balancing the billing order.

The Grand Director had eleven major roles.

The male lead, Chen Mo, had already been set—played by Chen Kun.

The second male lead was Lu Bing: valiant, practical, and deeply loyal.

He was the male lead's ally and one of his benefactors. His mother had been Jiajing Emperor's wet nurse, and Lu Bing had followed her in and out of the palace from childhood. He was Jiajing Emperor's absolute confidant.

He forged a profound bond of comradeship with Chen Mo while surveying land and investigating the Jiangnan Case.

Wu Jing would play this role. Shen Shanden would not forget Wu Jing's contribution. He would not keep the glory for himself alone—Wu Jing and Chen Kun would be dual male leads.

The female lead, Xu Zhicui, would be played by Fan Bingbing.

There was no need to find a separate actress for her teenage years. Fan Bingbing was dewy young enough now; she could play the character's younger self at the beginning.

Chen Kun, on the other hand, was already in his thirties. Trying to pass for younger would feel a little jarring, so they still needed a teenage actor for the transition.

The second female lead was Su Xiaoxiao.

A Yangzhou Thin Horse, peerless in both talent and beauty, she had been carefully groomed by Sun Shichang, the patriarch of a great Suzhou clan, then presented to Zhao Wenhua, the Suzhou prefect, as his favored concubine.

She held the core ledgers of the Sun family's salt business, as well as evidence of their collusion with Japanese pirates.

She yearned for freedom in her heart and later joined forces with the main cast.

Shen Shanden had Sun Li in mind for this role. Her acting was certainly up to the mark, and after giving birth, she had even more feminine charm.

All that remained was for her to agree.

The third female lead was Lu Qingluan.

Lu Bing's younger sister, highly skilled in combat, with a bold and straightforward personality.

She followed her brother in investigating cases, handled intelligence gathering, served as the close guard for the female characters, and had a relationship with Chen Mo that was part friendship, part rivalry.

Da Mimi would play this one. Shen Shanden was generous in such matters, and this role was rather likable.

Jiajing Emperor was the third male lead—the emperor.

Filled with youthful spirit, he possessed great ambitions to push forward reform.

Because he had inherited the throne as a feudal prince, his relationship with the civil officials was terrible over The Great Rites. And because of Emperor Wuzong's death, a shadow always lingered in his heart. He relied on unorthodox civil officials and forces outside the civil bureaucracy.

To advance reform, he grew increasingly dependent on eunuchs. He was both the male lead's source of power and the model he emulated.

This Jiajing Emperor was not the Jiajing Emperor from Great Ming Dynasty 1566, but the earlier version of him.

In truth.

Great Ming Dynasty only spoke of Jiajing neglecting court affairs and enjoying political manipulation, yet never mentioned why Jiajing became such a wreck.

Jiajing encountered a great fire during his southern tour and nearly died.

That was not the key point. The key point was that Emperor Wuzong had also fallen into the water and been terrified during a southern tour, after which he died.

One could imagine how immense the shadow in Jiajing's heart must have been.

After the southern tour incident, Jiajing did not abandon his ambitions for reform. Then a palace coup took place.

Palace maids actually got close enough to him to strangle him into unconsciousness. He had already died, yet it was the Imperial Physicians Institute system—whose reform he had personally advocated—that saved him.

The imperial physician who saved him later died.

Only after the palace coup did Jiajing completely collapse. He stopped playing. The game was no longer worth playing. He took up permanent residence in Western Garden.

Before that, he had merely stayed there from time to time. After the palace coup, he moved in and never left.

What kind of place was Western Garden?

It was where the eunuchs lived.

Only among eunuchs did Jiajing feel safe. That showed just how little sense of security he had.

This man, who called himself the "Longevity Daoist Lord," possessed a deep yearning for a long life.

Ironically, Jiajing, who kept civil officials at a distance and favored eunuchs, lived a long life, while his grandson, the Wanli Emperor, who followed the same path, also lived to nearly sixty.

Jiajing also liked refining his own elixirs and still lived to sixty. It was clear that civil officials were more dangerous than heavy metals.

Shen Shanden captured Jiajing at his most Spirited and Vigorous—the ambitious Jiajing Emperor before the 16th Year of Jiajing.

The other main characters.

The old eunuch Gu An was the protagonist's spiritual mentor, as well as his instructor when he learned the rules and martial arts.

Once illustrious beyond measure, he lost the Emperor's favor and could only teach the newcomers in the palace. Later, frail with age, he retired to Eunuch Village.

He imparted to Chen Mo the laws of survival in the imperial court, witnessing Chen Mo's earliest steps.

Ni Dahong was more or less confirmed for this role; it only depended on his schedule.

Chen Hong, Chen Mo's godfather, was both background and stepping stone.

He first appeared as Assistant Director of the Imperial Horse Administration, later became an attendant official in the Directorate of Ceremonial, and eventually rose to become the Seal-Bearing Director.

Utilitarian and pragmatic.

He used Chen Mo, and Chen Mo used him in turn.

Wang Jinsong would play this role.

Sun Shichang, leader of Suzhou's great clans, was rich enough to rival a nation and controlled one-third of Suzhou's pawnshops.

To the south, he colluded with Japanese pirates; to the north, with the Tatar Mongols of the Eastern Mongols. He kept death-sworn retainers and had a direct line to Grand Secretaries within the court. He was one of the main villains.

Because the role had action scenes, Shen Shanden invited Xiu Qing—the actor who played Murong Fu in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Zhao Wenhua, the Prefect of Suzhou, was a second-list jinshi who styled himself a man of the pure stream.

The Sun Family dragged him into the mire with the Yangzhou Thin Horse "Su Xiaoxiao," leaving him no choice but to rely on Sun Shichang's power. He was the "master" of the Yangzhou Thin Horse, Su Xiaoxiao.

Shen Shanden felt that no one but Zhang Zhijian could play this role—the actor who played the Junior Grand Secretary in The Great Ming, and later Gao Yuliang in In the Name of the People.

All for that one line: "You treasure a courtesan some merchant has already played with and discarded!"

Then came the strongest fighter of all, "Old Man Withered Wood" Wu Zhenhai. Ji Chunhua had already been confirmed for the role.

A grandmaster in his twilight years who had lived more than a hundred and fifty years, an old remnant from the Hongwu era, and the ultimate trump card of Suzhou's great Sun Family.

His aura was as deep as an abyss, his inner force as hard as steel, his true intent shielding his body—the embodiment of corruption's entrenched forces.

Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun also expressed interest in working together.

After Shen Shanden contacted their teams, he discovered that they did not truly want the project. More than anything, they simply did not want Fan Bingbing to get the role.

Chen Hao also reached out through intermediaries; she, too, did not want Fan Bingbing to get it.

All one could say was that the battles between female stars were remarkably straightforward.

Beijing Film Studio.

Bang!

The party poppers burst, showering confetti and signaling the completion of a small yet suitably grand signing ceremony.

Fan Bingbing officially announced that she had joined the The Grand Director project.

This time, it was Shen Shanden's turn to say thank you.

Fan Bingbing officially joined the project for a salary of 500,000, half the market rate.

That was very important for the unity of the production team.

Wu Jing was appearing for no pay, while Chen Kun only asked for a friendship rate.

Although Chen Kun had said he would work for free, Shen Shanden was a considerate man. He could not take someone's politeness at face value, so he still gave him a salary of 300,000.

Huang Xiaoming, meanwhile, insisted on working for free. Shen Shanden personally called him and negotiated three times. After much persuasion and reverse haggling from both sides, Huang Xiaoming absolutely refused 200,000 and ultimately accepted 100,000 as a token gesture.

It was not as if Shen Shanden could not afford Fan Bingbing's market rate, but paying her that much would have been somewhat disrespectful to the other actors.

With the contract signed, their partnership was formally established, and their relationship took another step forward.

Fan Bingbing shook his hand, lightly tracing a finger across his palm. Smiling with her eyes, she said, "I have to thank you, little brother, for giving me this opportunity."

She meant every word.

Apple had little chance of winning an award in Berlin, and it would most likely be banned from release. She needed a mainstream commercial film to salvage her image.

"Sister Bingbing is the best choice." Shen Shanden was equally sincere. In terms of looks alone, Fan Bingbing at this time was absolutely in a league of her own. "By the way, I'd like to thank you personally. I'm having a small family gathering—would Sister Bingbing be able to come?"

Fan Bingbing's heart stirred, and she agreed with a smile.

After the signing, The Grand Director officially released the news to the public.

The investors of The Grand Director now regarded Shen Shanden as nothing short of a genius. He was simply too good at saving money—he had swept up Fan Bingbing, Chen Kun, and Huang Xiaoming for less than a million.

"So this is the little family party you mentioned?"

Fan Bingbing asked.

It really was a little family party.

When Shen Shanden invited her to his home, Fan Bingbing had initially worried and brought her assistant along. Who would have thought it really was a proper gathering?

And Shen Shanden's official girlfriend was there too. Wu Jing had come as well, along with a junior fellow disciple named Zhou Qifeng, one of the film's producers, who was running around with his girlfriend helping out.

Shen Shanden said, "I feel like Sister Bingbing is family."

Fan Bingbing was a little moved. Setting aside how wildly handsy he had been when they first met, Shen Shanden was actually quite a good man.

"Come, Mimi, this is Sister Bingbing," Shen Shanden said, introducing Fan Bingbing to Da Mimi.

Da Mimi faced a formidable enemy.

After all, Fan Bingbing in early 2007 was at an undisputed, almost dazzling peak of beauty.

Da Mimi straightened her back and shook Fan Bingbing's hand. "Hello."

There was no way she was calling her sister. Not in this lifetime.

"Hello." Fan Bingbing sensed the hostility, but she was used to it and did not particularly care. She had confidence in her looks.

It was a small family gathering, with food, drinks, and mahjong.

After playing two rounds, Shen Shanden gave up his seat to Da Mimi and went out to the balcony to catch the breeze.

Fan Bingbing came over carrying two bottles of beer. "I like the song you wrote for your graduation."

The wind brushed past them, stirring her thick raven-black hair and making her face seem even fairer and more dazzling.

There was no heavy makeup, only a light dusting of powder, which further emphasized the superiority of her features. Her bone structure was sculpted, her flesh full and soft; every part of her seemed exquisitely carved, yet together they formed something utterly natural, with an overwhelming impact.

Standing there, she needed no deliberate pose or expression. Her mere existence was enough to make everything around her pale into insignificance and seize everyone's gaze.

It was an inescapable, unquestionable visual presence, like a flawless piece of jade glowing on its own amid the motes of dust.

Taking the beer, Shen Shanden drank a mouthful and asked, "You look like you have something on your mind?"