[Karen]

We had a big showdown in last week’s episode where Fan Xian tricked the 2nd prince into thinking he was gonna catch Fan Xian, particularly with the supposed betrayal from Wang Qi Nian. However, that was all just a trap set by Fan Xian himself. The crown prince was invited by Fan Xian to come help stop the 2nd prince. Add to the mix that Fan Si Zhe and the 3rd prince are present as the owners of Bao Yue House, it was a rather crowded affair. 

But, Fan Xian and the Crown Prince emerge victorious and the 2nd prince backs off. Now all that’s left is to wrap up loose ends as it seems like Fan Xian’s job here in the capital is done. After all, the 2nd prince did agree to return Teng ZI Jing’s widow and son. Fan Xian orders Fan Si Zhe, who clearly had no idea that he was involved in a sex trafficking operation, to shut down this brothel and return the ladies home. He also instructs his brother to wait to wake up the 3rd prince and to lay low until he, Fan Xian, actually returns to the Capital. 

Poor 3rd prince. He wakes up from a karate chop to the head and is extremely confused as to what just happened only to be sent home by Fan Si Zhe. My question here is how in the heck world did Fan Si Zhe fix up all the fruit and plates on the floor. Did he get someone to clean stuff up?

As for the pressing question of where Wang QI Nian’s wife and daughter were kidnapped to? Why it was Chen Ping Ping who took them to safety so as to not fall into the hands of the likes of the 2nd prince. We see Wang Qi Nian’s wife reemerge and gives a few messages to Fan Xian. 1) that they will send Teng Zi Jing’s widow and son to safety and 2) that after the trip to the Northern Qi kingdom, Fan Xian is likely wary of Chen Ping Ping. He, Chen Ping Ping, will not try to explain anything but Fan XIan just needs to see how he acts. Not how he speaks. With those rather confusing words, Wang QI Nian and Fan XIan depart and try to rendez vous with the diplomatic envoy. 

[Cathy]

So let’s check in. What’s going on at the envoy. Gao Da, member of the Tiger Guard and close ally of Fan Xian, is holding his…ashes… in an urn. He’s muttering to the urn worried that Fan Xian needs to show up soon. The envoy is being closely watched by Xie Bi An, the swordsman under the 2nd prince’s employ to check if there is any funny business with Fan Xian’s death. As they’re now relatively close to the capital, Xie Bi An is like, you know what doesn’t look like there’s any funny business with Fan Xian’s death so we can turn around and go home. Did none of the 2nd prince’s men think to send a message to Xie Bi An to keep him up to speed as to what’s going on? I guess not.

So of course, as Xie Bi An and his men turn away on a route to the capital, only to run directly into Fan Xian. How exactly did that happen? Of course, the next step is for the 2 parties to get into a heated fight as Xie Bi An wants Fan Xian dead for real. A furious battle ensues but no surprise to anyone, Fan Xian and Wang Qi Nian are able to leap across a cliff featuring some god awful CGI to safety. 

In no time, they rendez-vous with Gao Da but it seems like there’s a challenge to Fan Xian coming back to life. Not only that, we now have the Princess of Bei Qi and her convoy of people now joined in with Fan Xian’s diplomatic envoy. The reason? Not long after Fan Xian left, the Qi Emperor ordered a marriage alliance between their princess and the First Prince of the Qing kingdom. The Princess is here to join Fan Xian on their journey into the Capital with the intent on marrying the 1st prince. We get a totally unnecessary shot but welcomed one of the 1st prince without his shirt on so we see the scars on his body and of course well formed pecs. Interestingly, we don’t see his face. 

[Karen]

Fan XIan heads to the tent where Yan Bing Yun and Miss Shen, Shen Zhong’s sister,  are housed. She is chained up but kept in the company of Yan Bing Yun. I believe this is the only time we see her. I guess good continuity to remind us that she’s here but not entirely necessary? Anyways, Yan Bing Yun tells Fan Xian that Fan XIan unfortunately WON”T be able to come back ‘alive’. Everywhere in the Qing kingdom, it is known that Fan Xian died. Clearly, the Emperor and the Overwatch Council pushed for this information to be widely known, otherwise there’s no way this info would get out so fast. Perhaps this was a test by the Emperor. But now, the only path for FAn Xian to come back alive is to find a way to do so that does NOT mean he was tricking the Emperor. 

Fortunately, we have a Princess in the midst. That night, Fan Xian and Yan Bing Yun go to meet her. She is played by the beautiful Mao Xiao Tong and I think she does a great job in this role. The Princess is adorable in her mannerisms. Whenever I see her on screen, I smile. She’s just so cute! She has a level of naivete but holds her position as a member of the Royal family in high regard. She certainly puts on a show to try to seem much braver than she actually is even though she is quite nervous for what is probably her first excursion out of the palace. Fan Xian and the Princess come to an agreement on how to help revive him.

[Cathy]

The next morning, the Princess calls for all the officials from both the Qi Kingdom and the Qing kingdom and makes an announcement. She and Gao Da, who was clearly planted by Fan Xian, go back and forth to explain that everyone has escaped grave danger. Danger in the likes of a grandmaster who wanted to stop the sharing of literary works from Zhuang Mo Han to Fan Xian which meant a strong bond between the Qing and Qi kingdom. But, as the Princess explains, 1 person, stepped into save the envoy from danger.  At this point, FAn Xian hobbles forward with disheveled hair and a muddied face. He and Wang QI Nian put on another show where Wang Qi Nian explains that it is only with Fan Xian’s death could they save the literary succession from the famed scholar Zhuang Mo Han. He faked his death in order to ensure the safety of everyone in the diplomatic envoy. 

As for who the supposed Grandmaster was? Si Gu Jian from DongYi Cheng. He’s the same guy that Chen Ping Ping used as a scapegoat in season 1 so I did have a chuckle that Fan Xian would use this guy again here. It is the obvious choice. No other grandmaster would possibly show up here so Si Gu Jian is the best candidate. FAn XIan doesn’t make the actual accusation but just nudges the crowd to think this way. Next thing we know, all the different diplomats are sending carrier pigeons with the news that Fan Xian is alive. And voila. Fan Xian is revived. That was simple.

[Karen]

The episode ends with a familiar face from Season 1 running to meet Fan Xian and company. It’s Xin Qi Wu, an official that worked with Fan Xian at Hong Lu Si. Now, I want to say that this guy is another guy that makes me smile when I see him on screen. He has actually become a meme because his facial expression is quite liked the shocked emoji so when this episode came out, there were plenty of images of him online side by side with the emoji. It got really popular and the actor for this Xin Qi Wu himself was posting about it on his social media. 

He arrives to inform Fan Xian of the conflict we’ll see in the next episode. Fan Xian and the 1st prince are set to clash in the same gate at the same time when they arrive. Courtesy of the 2nd prince of course. That will make for an interesting meeting between the two groups. 

The only other thing I want to mention for the episode recap is that Fan Si Zhe is currently sequestering himself in his rooms at home given Fan Xian’s orders. His mother checks in on him which is all fine and good. But. We see product placement for An Mu Xi yogurt! Another one of many times we see this container for this yogurt.

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[Cathy]

That was the episode recap! Let’s move onto the history for this episode.

First let’s talk about the Gold Neck Ring that is worn by Fan Si Zh. In Chinese, it is called the 金项圈. It’s a pretty big neck ring that definitely wasn’t there last season. 

From a symbolic perspective, the gold neck ring is more than just an ornament. It serves as a representation of wealth and status. In Chinese society, gold was often regarded as a symbol of wealth and prosperity of the family. A gold neck ring could also be an identifier of the individual or the family. 

In many other Chinese dramas, the gold neck ring is gifted to newborns to wish the baby a life of luck and wealth. In Empresses in the Palace, a gold neck ring was gifted to Princess Long Yue for her first birthday. In The Story of Yan Xi Palace, Noble Consort Gao wears something similar, called the 领约. In other parts of Chinese media, the young god Ne Zha is depicted wearing a gold neck ring in some versions. 

Perhaps the most famous though is in the 1987 drama version of 红楼梦 or Dream of the Red Chamber, many characters wear different versions of the Gold Neck Ring. The main characters of Jia Bao Yu, Xue Bao Chai, and Wang Xi Feng all wear the statement pieces. Even for adults, these Gold Neck Rings have meaning and can symbolize luck or prosperity.

As Fan Sizhe is the younger brother of Fan Xian and comes from a powerful family, his wearing of a gold collar undoubtedly underscores his family’s affluence. In a behind the scenes video, the Fan family, including the actors for Fan Jian and Fan Ruo Ruo are admiring the Gold Neck Ring. Fan Ruo Ruo’s actress Song Yi immediately comments that this is meant to symbolize wealth. I think the costume designer wanted to underscore Fan Si Zhe’s difference this season compared to the last season. Last season, he was the troublemaker child who wanted his father’s attention. This season, Fan Si Zhe has earned money from his bookstore and wants to flaunt his wealth, hence the neck ring. This season will be one of growth for Fan Si Zhe and this ring is both a positive and negative reflection of it.

[Karen]

Next is the phrase 宣发 which means publicity. Fan Xian is discussing how the news of his death has traveled so far and wide in such a short time with Yan Bing Yun. He concludes that it must be the Overwatch Council who did the 宣发 or Publicity. I love how Yan Bing Yun reacts similarly to how Wang Qi Nian does and is like…what’s that? In the Chinese entertainment industry, there’s a lot of emphasis on how much publicity is put into an upcoming drama. For Joy of Life 2, it was EVERYWHERE.

The last idiom that I will discuss is 脉脉含情. This is the idiom that the Princess uses when describing Fan Xian and Hai Tang Duo Duo’s uhh face off in the last season. Fan xian immediately rebukes this phrase.

The phrase “脉脉含情” refers to a look filled with tender emotion. It’s often used to describe a woman expressing deep feelings silently through one’s eyes. The phrase originates from a Tang Dynasty poem 二芳丛赋 written by 李德裕. The phrase is as such: “一则含情脉脉，如有思而不得，类西施之容冶。”. “One bore a look of tender affection, as if filled with longing yet unable to attain it—resembling the graceful beauty of Xi Shi.“ You’ll notice that the idiom is 含情脉脉. 

Later, during the Ming dynasty, Liu Ji 刘基 referenced the phrase in his 尉迟杯 ·水仙花 Cup of Yu Chi, Narcissus Flower. “空将泪滴珠玑，脉脉含情无语。”

(“Tears fall like scattered pearls, wordless yet full of feeling.”)

This is where the words are flipped to 脉脉含情, which is what is used in the drama. 

–

[Cathy]

Lastly, let’s conclude with book differences!

As I mentioned in the last podcast episode, Fan Xian gives Fan Si Zhe a good beating in the book with the hopes of having Fan Si Zhe realize the mistakes he made in opening Bao Yu Lou. In the book, Fan Si Zhe’s parents, Fan Jian and Mistress Liu are fully aware that Fan Xian is punishing Fan Si Zhe and approve of this punishment. I don’t believe Fan Jian knew about Bao Yue Lou before Fan Xian caused the ruckus but agrees that Fan Si Zhe must learn from this incident. Now the scenes with Wang Qi Nian’s wife being moved to a safehouse by Chen Ping Ping is all for drama purposes. Fan Xian returning to the diplomatic envoy, escaping from the 2nd Prince’s men, and colluding with the Qi Kingdom Princess to create a narrative around his return is all drama only as the drama needed to bring the story BACK to Fan Xian’s return to the capital. With his return to the diplomatic envoy, the story brings us back to the beginning of volume 5. Xin Qi Wu doesn’t appear as the main contact from Hong Lu Si in the book as there are other characters who fill his role, but Xin Qi Wu is attending to the 1st Prince who has also returned to the Capital. We’ll see how that encounter goes in the next episode.