Yet the truly unhinged part of the play was only just beginning.
Just as the Crown Prince and the Female Hero's love-hate relationship, endless misunderstandings, and tangled romance had the audience hooked all over again.
The Emperor and Empress appeared.
They were the greatest obstacle keeping the two leads apart, the biggest villains in the entire play.
The Emperor and Empress sat above everyone in the palace. With the scenery and music heightening their oppressive presence, the audience couldn't help worrying for the Crown Prince.
But the Crown Prince stood before them without a trace of servility or arrogance, holding the Female Hero's hand tightly.
"So what if she was born to a concubine? She's the only one for me in this lifetime. I'll marry her, and we'll be together, just the two of us, for the rest of our lives!"
The Female Hero faced the Emperor and Empress with equal resolve.
"Please give us your blessing!"
The Emperor looked at them expressionlessly, then slowly rose and walked down.
The audience collectively tensed.
But then, in the very next second-
Click-
The Empress pulled a handgun from her sleeve and aimed it at the back of the Emperor's head.
The audience: "?"
"That's right. I'm a spy sent by an enemy nation. I never expected you to discover that, but so what? You're going to die by my hand today."
The Emperor turned to stare at the Empress in disbelief, his features contorting wildly, eyebrows twitching, eyes squinting, and lips trembling like mad.
[If I'm not mistaken, Bro Mimi is trying to convey the disappointment of being betrayed here.]
[Bravo! Bravo! So meticulous he's practically acting out every single word in the script. What a performance!]
But a second later, the Emperor threw back his head and burst into wild