Chapter 22: The Princess’s Promotion Guide Begins Filming

October 10, 2014!
Auspicious for: Ceremonies, consecration, travel, and weddings!
At the Huairou Film and Television Base, the set of "Go Princess Go" was holding its opening ceremony.
In front of the No. 3 palace courtyard in Zone B stood a temporarily borrowed folding table covered with a red cloth. It held a statue of Guan Yu, flanked by several plates of fruit and a roasted chicken.
A fair number of people had shown up!
There was the core production team that Lin Jianjun had helped coordinate, but most were Jiang Ye’s classmates.
Students from the Directing Department carried the storyboards, the Cinematography students hauled the equipment, the Art Department students held the prop boxes, and even the freshmen from the Acting Department who didn't have any roles were pulled in to work as production assistants.
Jiang Ye had sought help from various professors to coordinate this, focusing on providing them with internship opportunities!
There was no money, but there were boxed lunches!
Dozens of people crowded in front of the palace courtyard, and at first glance, it actually looked like the real deal.
Yet, there wasn't a single member of the media present.
No camera flashes, no interview microphones, not even a passerby holding up a phone.
The entire opening ceremony was so quiet one could hear the flapping wings of sparrows in the distance...
Jiang Ye, dressed in black casual wear, lit three incense sticks with a solemn expression and bowed deeply to the statue of Guan Yu: "Go Princess Go, may the filming be a success!"
"May the filming be a success!" Meng Ziyi stood behind him, hands clasped together, eyes sparkling, shouting louder than anyone else.
She had gotten up extra early today, her makeup so exquisite that every lash was curled to perfection, and her bright red dress stood out strikingly in the morning light.
She had clearly already stepped into the role of the Crown Princess.
After the shout, she even brought out the red envelopes she had prepared in advance and began handing them out...
Jiang Ye, that guy, was great at everything, but his pursuit of art was a bit too extreme.
He wanted to spend every single cent on the actual filming.
Ever since Meng Ziyi became part of the production leadership, she had been very enthusiastic and paid extra attention to the opening ceremony.
When Jiang Ye said there was no need for opening red envelopes, she felt it was bad luck!
This was her first lead role; how could she proceed without a good omen?
And so, she had thoughtfully prepared them!
The only thing that slightly dampened her mood was that everyone who received an envelope had to say "Thank you, Director," which felt a bit redundant...
On the other side, Yu Menglong tugged at Ou Hao’s sleeve and lowered his voice: "Brother, didn't you say this was a big project?"
He looked around. "This scene... how come there isn't even a single media outlet here?"
Ou Hao cleared his throat and explained, bracing himself: "My brother is a newcomer, his first time as a director, he’s not familiar with these procedures..."

"I understand there's no salary," Yu Menglong continued to complain, "but at least arrange a place for me to stay? I flew in from Changsha, and I had to pay for my own flight..."
"Don't worry about travel expenses!" Ou Hao quickly pulled two bus cards out of his pocket. "My brother specially got these for you, they're loaded with 200 each!"
"One for you, one for me!"
Yu Menglong: "..."
"Accommodation is even less of a problem!" Ou Hao patted his shoulder. "You can stay in his dorm tonight; he said you can discuss the script!"
Yu Menglong: "..."
Was it too late to go back now?
...
"Xiao Fang, is my lipstick too red?" Meng Ziyi sat in front of the makeup mirror, nervously tugging at her costume sleeve. "And this hairstyle, isn't it a bit too exaggerated?"
With the first shot about to begin, Meng Ziyi was feeling nervous.
The makeup artist, Xiao Fang, was her friend and had been hired by Meng Ziyi at her own expense to join the crew.
She was currently dusting powder onto Meng Ziyi’s face: "Miss Meng, that is the eighth time you've asked!"
She turned Meng Ziyi’s shoulders. "Look, what a beautiful Crown Princess!"
In the mirror, the young girl wore plain white undergarments, her dark hair loosely tied up, her eyebrows lightly brushed; she truly carried an air of morning-time, languid beauty.
"But I can't even remember the camera positions and blocking..." Meng Ziyi’s voice trembled. "What if I keep messing up..."
"Newcomers, it’s normal to have retakes." Xiao Fang shoved a bottle of mineral water into her hand. "The crew I was with last year had a newcomer who shot one scene 28 times; the director threw the script and cursed at them... then sent them packing!"
Meng Ziyi’s eyes widened: "Is it really that extreme?"
But she quickly calmed herself down; it was fine. She was part of the production leadership. Even if she didn't perform well, Jiang Ye would give her some face!
After all, they were both part of the management team...
"Teacher Meng, the director is calling for you!" a production assistant suddenly popped his head in.
"Oh, coming, coming!"
When Meng Ziyi walked onto the set, Jiang Ye was adjusting the monitor.
He looked up at the sound of footsteps and was momentarily surprised.
The moon-white silk accentuated Meng Ziyi’s skin, which was as fair as snow, and the collar revealed a hint of her collarbone, giving this otherwise conservative ancient undergarment an unexpectedly ascetic beauty.
And Meng Z