–

[Karen]

In the last podcast episode, we discussed how Shang Shan Hu has decided to pledge his allegiance to the Empress Dowager. This proves to be a great headache for Shen Zhong because it means that there is another incredibly powerful official under her camp. She is now able to balance out the rather arrogant SHen Zhong with Shang Shan Hu. Not only that, but Fan Xian points out that there is business to be done between the Qi kingdom and the royal treasury of the Qing kingdom. Fan Xian is going to use this as an easier way to share intel from the spy network in the Qi kingdom back to the Qing kingdom. Except Shen Zhong doesn’t want this business to happen because he’s worried about the risks it would pose. However, he loses control of the narrative because people only know that he is stopping people from making money. This immediately impacts their bottom line and people start rebelling. Lo and behold, we see fewer people listening to him.

But the matter at hand right now is a grocery shopping trip. Fan Xian joins Hai Tang Duo Duo in the streets as she does basic grocery shopping. While they chat and head to a pastoral home where Hai Tang keeps as a garden while in the city, Fan Xian explains what’s happening at court. Shen Zhong’s hubris and overbearing character is already getting on the Empress Dowager’s wrong side. She never said anything in the past because she needed him. But now, with Shang Shan Hu, she doesn’t need SHen ZHong as much and is plenty happy to bring Shen ZHong down several notches.

[Cathy]

At this pastoral garden, the two are able to have a more casual chat. Hai Tang’s easygoing nature reminds Fan Xian quite a bit of his mother and he is happy to help her till the soil in her garden. She cooks dinner and the two have a lovely dinner together where he confides in her that he is quite lonely. He doesn’t have that many friends. Despite his family and future wife, true friends for him are hard to come by. He used to have Teng Zi Jing who died for him. Wang Qi Nian is another person he considers a friend. He would like to think that Hai Tang is another friend. 

[karen]

On one hand, I understand what he’s saying because he is such an anomaly. It is impossible for us to empathize with how lonely he is as someone with knowledge from this current universe while living in a place that you could consider backwards. Not only backwards but also a place where very little is in his control. I do think he’s an oddity that his primary drive in life is to just survive and hangout. He had no grand aspirations until recently. But, part of me agrees mightily with Hai Tang’s line of questioning. What is there to really miss in his life that seems perfect from the outside? That goes to show that people at all walks of life have struggles. They’re just different types of struggles.

It is here that Fan Xian is able to let his guard down and actually drinks himself into passing out. When he wakes, he is surprised to find that he is still at Hai Tang’s spot but Si Li Li is also there. I totally forgot that there was this scene in the drama so I definitely mistakenly said we will not see Si Li Li again back several episodes ago. Here, she takes the opportunity to confess her feelings to Fan Xian. He is shocked by this confession and is quick to say that he is betrothed and that he is selfish in that he will only love her this lifetime. For a moment she is crestfallen but turns back to face him and says she doesn’t mind. He is free to love the person he loves, she will continue to like the person in her heart. There will be no conflict.

She says that all she wanted was to speak to him before she is summoned into the palace to be a concubine. This is an awkward situation for him and he does his best to deflect. When the roosters crow for the new day, he hurriedly leaves the room only to find Hai Tang Duo Duo waiting outside. Apparently, Si Li Li and Hai Tang are good friends and she asked Hai Tang to help her see him one last time. Fan Xian is rather angry at Hai Tang with what happened because he didn’t think he’d be able to be knocked out but alas, it wasn’t poison, but rather just being drunk. 

In any case. We’ll close the episode recap here. In the next aka penultimate episode of season 1, Fan Xian and company head to the palace for the Empress Dowager’s birthday and then head back to the Qing kingdom.

[Karen]

Before we move on to talk about some culture and history, let’s talk about these 2 women. Cathy has talked about this genre that Joy of Life’s book is a part of. And that is one where it is celebrated for the main male lead to be basically have a harem. In the book, both Si Li Li and Hai Tang Duo Duo have relations with Fan Xian. In the book, these women are not the only ones that Fan Xian uhh bring into his harem. Lin Wan’Er is the main wife while these are conquests. Not even concubines or mistresses, but flings. The drama streamlined the singular romance line significantly such that Lin Wan’er is Fan Xian’s only love but the screenwriters did not fully cut out the other potential romance interests. Hence why there are so many people shipping Hai Tang Duo Duo with Fan Xian and Si Li Li with Fan XIan as well. I totally see why both of these women have a great following. There’s a lot to like about both of them, especially Hai Tang. Even my dad really likes Hai Tang Duo duo and thinks that is basically her most iconic role. My question though is, why did Si Li Li even need to show up in this last scene. It’s rather forgettable and even she herself said that she didn’t need Fan Xian to respond to her confession of love. He can love whom he loves and she will love who she loves. I do think she went to see him with the intention of something happening between them if he was more like “book” Fan Xian. 

Apparently book Lin Wan’Er didn’t have as much importance in the book as the story went on. It was almost as if the writer didnt’ really know what to do with her. It is quite clear especially in season 2 that the screenwriter tried to give more autonomy and importance to drama Lin Wan’er. I don’t think it was enough but still an improvement from people basically forgetting about her after Hai Tang showing up. 

–

[Cathy]

Let us talk about some history!

In his drunken stupor, Fan Xian brings us all the way back to the episode one where the author of the story, the college student Zhang Qing recites most but not all of the lines for 留余庆, the inspiration for the story of 庆余年. Here Fan Xian recites the full song. 

I’ll do a quick recap because we talked about the poem in depth at the beginning of the drama.

留余庆，留余庆，忽遇恩人；幸娘亲2，幸娘亲，积得阴功。劝人生，济困扶穷，

休似俺那爱银钱、忘骨肉的狠舅奸兄3！正是乘除加减4，上有苍穹5。

Here’s my translation – thank the virtues that stemmed from the previous generations good deeds, thank the virtues that stemmed from the previous generations good deeds, I suddenly met my savior when disaster struck. Thanks to my mother, thanks to my mother. She accumulated merits to benefit her future generations. To all in the world, heed my advice, aid the poor. Don’t be like my treacherous uncle and cousin who only care about money but not family. The good and the evil will all be served their just reward. All determined by heaven.

The song 留余庆 is sung by the character 巧姐. 巧姐 is the daughter of 王熙凤, the wife of the second son of the Jia Family. Early on in the book, 王熙凤 gifts some money to the poor Grandma Liu, a peasant who arrives in the capital to try her luck as her family has some relation to the Wang family. Years later, she heard that the Jia family had come on hard times and that some men from the Jia family were conspiring to sell Wang Xi Feng’s daughter 巧姐 off to be a concubine to a far off Prince. It was Grandma Liu, who, remembering Wang Xi Feng’s charity all those years ago, rescued 巧姐 away from her conniving family. 

The song is sung from the perspective of 巧姐 who thanks the heavens for her mother’s charity and for Grandma Liu’s actions. Liu means to save, 余 can mean leftover, 庆 – means to celebrate  The Song Liu Yu Qing, which directly translates to – saved leftover celebrations. This is a song of gratitude and of advice – 巧姐 is thankful for a second chance at life and gives advice to aid those in need.

Fan Xian recites this poem now because he admits that he wants to tackle hard obstacles that others won’t, specifically 济困扶穷 “heed my advice, aid the poor”. He’s accomplishing this in his own way. To the others at the Overwatch Council, he is now ambitious because he wants power and wealth. That is true but he also is disgusted at the political machinations of the Qing Empire and wants to take over to make a better life for others. He can’t share his thoughts with anyone else except for this woman here, Hai Tang Duo Duo. Well he doesn’t share much, but it’s more than to anyone else.

And that’s because he knows that for Hai Tang Duo Duo, power, wealth, and political gain is of no interest to her. She at least has some sympathy for the common person

Indeed, Hai Tang Duo Duo responds with 人之异于禽兽者几希 唯重义耳. This line is inspired by a quote from Mencius. 

“人之所以异于禽兽者几希1，庶民去之，君子存之。舜明于庶物2，察于人伦，由仁义行，非行仁义也。”

Here’s my translation: The difference between human and beast is very subtle. The average person has abandoned it but the gentleman has preserved it. The Emperor Shun knew of the principles of all beings. He understood the ethical relationships among humans. It’s to act with benevolence and righteousness rather than as tools to achieve other goals.

This poem originates from Mencius. It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned this scholar. Mencius is one of the most famous Chinese philosophers who lived during the Warring States period from 372BC – 289BC. He is a 4th generation disciple of Confucius. In China – his status as a philosopher is only second to Confucius. People will refer to their teachings as 孔孟。During the Yuan Dynasty, he became known as the Second Sage. His writings focused more on the humanity and benevolence of people.

This statement can be interpreted as 

Material and spiritual pursuits are both essential. Humans cannot seek only the material while forgetting spiritual and benevolent aspirations. Without spiritual civilization, how are we any different from beasts?

Please note that the spiritual here is not religious but more to do with intelligence and order.

Hai Tang Duo Duo makes this statement because she too doesn’t not want the world to devolve into chaos due to warfare.

[Karen]

So that was the history. I’ll just throw one more fun pop culture into today’s podcast episode. When Fan Xian and Hai Tang Duo Duo are out buying groceries and Hai Tang Duo Duo’s munching on a daikon, Fan Xian responds with – this whole vibe doesn’t match what a saintess should look like. The phrase he uses is 气质不符. It’s definitely a more modern phrase that is used to describe the person’s vibe, aura, or clothing that doesn’t match what the person is supposed to represent. 

I’ll throw in a fun connection, years later during Season 5 of Divas Hit The Road, Xin Zhi Lei, the actress for Hai Tang Duo Duo, kept joking about how she wanted to present herself as an intelligent elegant woman (优雅知性). She then would inform the rest of the cast at different points when taking photos – oh this does not match my vibe or 跟我气质不符! I don’t look elegant here! It was super funny because the more she kept saying this, the more her persona became the bumbling and feisty Dong Bei girl instead of the elegant woman she WANTED to portray.

–

[Cathy]

Book differences

Let’s talk about book differences! Fan Xian goes on a walk in a park near the palace with Hai Tang Duo Duo to discuss more political matters, especially regarding the Qi Emperor rather than Shen Zhong and Shang Shan Hu. It was more about the plan to successfully bring Si Li Li into the palace as a concubine if many people already knew that she was a spy for the Qi kingdom. After this walk, the two of them head to a restaurant where Fan Xian drinks his fill. The two have the conversation essentially the same as what is in the drama. Fan Xian admits that he is lonely and wants to have a friend but he stops at asking Hai Tang Duo Duo to be his friend. Hai Tang Duo Duo still poisons Fan Xian with an aphrodisiac and wakes up to find Si Li Li next to him. In the book, it’s very murky whether or not they do sleep together here. When he leaves, he angrily confronts Hai Tang Duo Duo and it’s just as funny as in the drama because she’s like – yes, I did this for revenge. You poisoned me so you’re going to have to suffer too.