“Zhou Puyuan’s role isn’t interesting? Really pathetic!”
Lin Shen: “……”
He quietly slid back into his seat, holding his camera to film, obedient like a little quail.
…
Due to time constraints, it was impossible to perform the entire original story of Thunderstorm perfectly.
Shen Xiting boldly altered the plot, cutting many parts, rearranging character entrances, and linking scenes with some classic moments.
On stage, the tyrannical and domineering Zhou Puyuan paid no heed to Fanyi’s pleas, forcibly feeding her medicine, and fussed over the reception hall’s furniture, ordering Lu Guishè to throw out the existing pieces and replace them with his preferred old-fashioned style.
In such a suffocating atmosphere, the third act ended.
As the curtain rose again, Bai Luo’s Four Phoenix once more became the stage’s focus.
She strolled slowly down the street, eyes shimmering with emotion, lips curling into an unstoppable smile— looking every bit like a girl madly in love.
Only occasionally did she touch her belly, showing a mixture of discomfort and confusion.
In this mood, Sun Jingshu played a female version of Lu Dahan, who appeared and met Four Phoenix face-to-face.
“Sister?” Four Phoenix beamed. “You’re back!”
Lu Dahan opened her arms, letting her sister lean in affectionately: “I came back to see His Majesty the King.”
“His Majesty?” Four Phoenix raised her head from the embrace, puzzled: “Why would you go see the King?”
“My restaurant is near the mines. A few days ago, a conflict broke out there; many workers were arrested, some beaten to death.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“I’m acquainted with those workers, and Father works at the palace. Though our family has fallen, we still hold a noble title. Using visiting Father as an excuse, I barely qualified to enter the palace, hoping to petition the King to release them,” Dahan explained.
But this made Four Phoenix even more confused: “Then why do you come back here?”
In these times, nobles could kill servants on a whim. The King stood above all. Why would her sister risk this?
“I’m still a noble. Protecting commoners is my duty. Besides, I’ve learned a lot from being with them. I always wanted to do something for them, for this country, even if it’s just a little, even if it’s like a moth to a flame…”
Her words were interrupted by Four Phoenix suddenly vomiting. Clutching her belly, her face pale, she slumped weakly against Dahan.
“Four Phoenix, what’s wrong?”
“Sister…” Four Phoenix weakly said, “I’m not feeling well…”
“There’s a clinic nearby. I’ll take you there now!” Dahan helped her up and limped off.
The curtain opened again —not to a clinic or palace as expected.
Two young people stood beside a cardboard set of green hills and rivers, love quietly blooming between them.
“Shi Ping, wait for me. When I become Crown Prince and sit on the throne, I’ll marry you and make you my beloved Queen!”
Zhou Xun, playing young Zhou Puyuan, knelt on one knee and lightly kissed the hand of Zhang Jiajia, playing young Lu Shiping: “You are the goddess Heaven bestowed upon me.”
The stage director frowned slightly: Why does this scene look so familiar?
…
The curtain opened once more. Zhou Puyuan, sitting alone on the throne muttering to himself, made it clear the previous scene was a dream.
The woman he once loved ultimately left the palace in sorrow because he chose the previous King’s arranged consort instead.
Memories surfaced. As he looked around the reception hall, unchanged in decoration, the nostalgic Zhou Puyuan accidentally met Lu Shiping, played by Yu Zhi.
But reminiscing about his first love, Zhou Puyuan did not recognize the old woman before him as his dream woman.
After some conversation, Zhou Ping appeared to say goodbye before leaving and was told by his father that when he returned to the palace, he must marry the eldest lady of the Wen Lang family.
Though Zhou Ping was torn over Four Phoenix, he did not reject his father’s plan.
Unbeknownst to him, Four Phoenix, hiding in the shadows hoping to share good news, overheard everything.
Her heart fell dead. Not long after, Zhou Ping also left in sorrow. On leaving, he brushed past Dahan, who was resolute.
The brave Dahan voiced her petition to the King but gained no sympathy. Instead, Zhou Puyuan scolded her for her boldness, mocking her presumptuousness, and ordered guards to drag her away and beat her to death.
To save her daughter, Lu Shiping had to reveal her identity— she was Zhou Puyuan’s first love, and both Dahan and Zhou Ping, like Zhou Puyuan, were his biological children.
Because Dahan was not a prince, the previous King disliked her and abandoned her to Lu Guishè. Grateful for saving her, she married him and bore Four Phoenix.
Realizing the truth, Zhou Puyuan spared Dahan, who left in despair.
Meanwhile, to avoid Ouwena playing Zhou Chong’s pursuit and confession, Four Phoenix hid again, only to bump into Zhou Ping.
Although she heard her beloved was to marry the noblewoman, Four Phoenix refused to give up.
She told Zhou Ping she was carrying his child and wanted to hear from his lips the promise that she would be his Queen.
But Zhou Ping, embarrassed and awkward, gave no promise about their future. When Four Phoenix repeatedly pressed “tonight,” he angrily cut her off.
Though he repeatedly apologized and professed love, Four Phoenix finally saw the man clearly.
From this point, the story diverged significantly from the original Thunderstorm.
The climactic sixth act ignited the entire audience’s atmosphere.
…
Two women burdened with disappointment— Four Phoenix and Dahan— unwittingly entered the rumored “haunted” palace where Queen Fanyi lived.
Though supposed to rest from illness, Fanyi suddenly appeared and called them into her room.
Perhaps because Fanyi had her own methods, or as a woman, she could see through women’s secrets better.
Fanyi pointed out Four Phoenix’s pregnancy and did not shy away from telling her she once had a relationship with Zhou Ping.
“Your Majesty Queen, are you here to scold or humiliate me?” Four Phoenix, shocked by the revelation, remained calm.
Perhaps because she had lost hope for Zhou Ping, Four Phoenix no longer cared.
Fanyi looked at her quietly: “Ping’er… Zhou Ping is Crown Prince. You should know, he does not belong to you or me.”
“Yes, I heard. The King ordered him to marry the eldest daughter of the Wen Lang family, and he agreed,” Four Phoenix said.
“Child, do you regret it?”
The abrupt question stunned Four Phoenix. She stared blankly at Fanyi’s beautiful face and murmured, “I… I don’t know.”
But Fanyi shook her head firmly: “No, you do regret it. I know because I do too. But I don’t regret giving my sincere heart to a man— I regret entrusting my life to two men.”
She stood and walked to center stage, each step filled with hate and unwillingness: “Men— they captured me here, imprisoned me in the deep palace, ignored and tortured me. Zhou Puyuan— that man is a devil! To control me, he told everyone I was ill and used medicine to weaken my body!”
Fanyi looked at Dahan with sorrowful eyes: “Do you know, those workers used countless connections and begged me for help? But what could I do? The ones imprisoning them are the mine owners, the King’s men. They are men, men with power. And I am just a woman, sitting on the throne, but my dignity isn’t mine—it depends on my children. They think I know nothing, but how can a person on the throne escape the whirlpool of politics?”
“Zhou Puyuan is a cruel and tyrannical devil! He drains this country’s flesh and blood, drains ours!”
Fanyi’s passionate speech stirred Dahan’s heart. She stood up vigorously on the chair: “Whatever you want to do, I will support you!”
With Dahan’s answer, Fanyi’s eyes softened quickly. Smiling, she held Dahan’s hand: “Though your family has fallen, you are a good child. You have people’s hearts. Those workers respect and love you, willing to follow you. They will be our strongest shield.”
Then she let go and approached Four Phoenix, gently placing her hand on Four Phoenix’s belly.
“Four Phoenix, my dear child. Have you ever thought that this child is the Crown Prince’s only heir? Without the Crown Prince, this child is the country’s sole successor.”
Four Phoenix and Dahan froze.
After a long moment, Four Phoenix muttered: “But… what about Second Prince Zhou Chong?”
“Chong’er is kind, a good person, but not fit to be King. The ministers don’t want him on the throne, and he himself doesn’t want it.”
“…You want to become Queen?”
“No, I want to escape all this.” Fanyi looked into Four Phoenix’s eyes. “Four Phoenix, I want to ask you: are you willing to let this child become the country’s ruler?”
“Am I qualified?” Four Phoenix stared at Fanyi in a daze.
Until Fanyi emphasized heavily, she suddenly looked like she’d woken up from a dream and muttered: “Yes, I am qualified.”
Lights shone down, enveloping Bai Luo as he faced the audience, voicing his true feelings.
“Not only the child, maybe even me— my mother was right. A person should pursue what they want. I’ve realized, what I want isn’t the Crown Prince title, or to be Queen. I want to escape poverty, to escape my gambler father, to escape a status that can be scorned at will— I want to take back my dignity!”
“This country is already in chaos and won’t mind a woman lighting the final fire. If I succeed, I will wash away all humiliation and have everything. If I fail, the country’s fate rests on me. But this is a death sentence, and I am not afraid of rumors!”
On stage, Ouwena suddenly seemed dazed.
“You were the one who hired me to assassinate your father, yet now you hesitate?”
Parnaki, dressed in the exquisite court gown as Lin Lang, extended her hand with a smile.
“Are you afraid?” Lin Lang asked.
She placed her hand in Lin Lang’s palm, laughing freely and heartily: “Not at all!”
…
The story finally reached its end. The Queen and Four Phoenix took advantage of Zhou Ping’s departure with many knights to poison the King.
Zhou Ping, returning too late, learned that he and Four Phoenix were half-siblings, and that his father was killed by his former lover Fanyi. In despair, the weak-willed Zhou Ping chose to take his own life.
Unaware of everything, Zhou Chong accepted his mother Fanyi’s request after the deaths of his father and brother, moving out of the palace with her as a noble, living a peaceful, leisurely life on a wealthy fief.
Not long after, Four Phoenix gave birth to a prince. With Dahan’s help, she became Regent and spent years scheming, eventually seizing the throne and becoming the first queen of this country.
The long political struggle made Dahan see through the corruption of feudalism. She chose not to stay in the palace but returned to the workers to seek a new path to save the country and protect the people.
Once close sisters, they finally walked opposite paths in life.
And thus, the story ended.
Amidst the roaring applause, Class 9 students joined hands and lined up to bow deeply to the audience, completing the grand finale.
“Jingshu.” Ouwena grabbed Sun Jingshu’s hand and suddenly asked, “Do you think someday, we might end up like Dahan and Four Phoenix, walking opposite paths because of different pursuits?”
Socialism was born to overthrow the empire; Sun Jingshu was the leader of the Republic, while Ouwena was the biggest beneficiary of the feudal Empire that must be overthrown.
They were already on opposite roads.
Faced with the question, Sun Jingshu only smiled and asked back, “Your rebellion back then was just to find a way to survive. What kind of Saint Malo do I not know? The deeply rooted social system can’t be overturned easily. Besides, you as the Queen—are you merely seeking power?”
“…No. I want to end this chaotic era. I want the people to no longer suffer from war. I want the heavens to bless the poor and the cold. Before these, personal honor, rights, and status mean nothing.”
“Then our visions are not different. Both for the sake of heaven and people, why would we be at odds?” Sun Jingshu turned her head, smiling gently. “One day, the Lint Republic, the Divine Roman Empire… the twenty-five of us will be only a few lines in history.”
Only that heaven remains— still the heaven of the heavens and the people.