Episode 6
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[Karen]
Episode 6 is all about Fan Xian “officially” returning to the Capital and with the Princess of Bei Qi in tow. The princess, played by the lovely Mao Xiao Tong, is set to marry the First Prince of the Qing Kingdom. We heard about the First Prince back in season 1. He has spent most of his time on the border leading troops but even though he is the 1st prince, he is technically of no threat to the Crown prince for the throne. The reason being the 1st prince’s mother is not a Qing native and therefore, would not have rights to the throne.
By design of the 2nd prince who cannot help but create chaos, the 2 parties, one led by FAn Xian and one led by the 1st prince, are going to run into each other at the city gates. Fan Xian is warned by funny man Xin Qi Wu about this possible conflict before they enter the city, but there’s no way Fan XIan will take this lying down. So he basically nudges the Princess to not stand back who, as the representative of the Qi kingdom.
Next thing we see is a grand set piece to depict the clash between 2 parties. Inside the Capital, many people are gathered together to receive both groups. All of the princes, the Crown Prince, the 2nd prince and the 3rd prince, are all waiting alongside many court officials and a whole procession. Meanwhile, Fan XIan and company make their way towards the entrance of the gate while the 1st prince and his troops arrive as well.
This is the first time we meet the 1st prince and my is he handsome. The actor is pushing 40 but he looks GREAT! I can appreciate a handsome man riding horseback. 🙂
[Cathy]
The 1st prince is on horseback and circles Fan XIan who is on foot. Without knowing much of the 1st prince, we see that he is actually quite forthright in owning his authority. He calls out Fan Xian for his audacity in blocking a Prince, though Fan XIan just deflects to the Princess. It’s a smart play. The princess is going to be the 1st prince’s wife so what is Fan Xian to do?
The standoff becomes rather tense as Fan Xian refuses on his life to back down and the 1st prince also tries to call Fan Xian’s bluff. But as the 2 sides bring men forward to defend themselves, an extremely random but strong gust of wind whips up and blinds everyone, both inside the city and out. People are unable to see and the 1st Prince’s horses are also startled. One of them charges directly at Fan Xian who stands his ground but Gao Da I guess jumps on to the horse. When the dust settles, a soldier calls out that the horse is dead.
The 1st prince is impressed by the skills of Gao Da but, given that he did kill one of his horses, orders that Gao Da be given to his side. Presumably for punishment. Fan Xian adamantly refuses to give him up and takes full responsibility while the Princess also emerges from her carriage to take responsibility. The 1st prince has an unreadable face to these declarations but does reach for his sword, seemingly ready to start a fight.
[Karen]
At this point, the Crown Prince arrives and immediately helps lower the temperature of the situation. He speaks in a joking tone to his older brother and even requests a hug while also greeting Fan Xian with familiarity and respect.
After a bit of back and forth that includes some jokes, the Crown Prince brings both Fan Xian and Li Cheng Ru into the city at the same time. Thereby avoiding any additional conflict of who was disrespecting whom.
Let’s take a moment to talk about the 1st prince. I do appreciate that in this scene, while the 1st prince was an imposing figure, he did not give off a nefarious aura. He seems to have been putting up a show to humble Fan Xian a bit. As he states, the 1st prince is close to Wan’Er as they are cousins and is worried Fan Xian wants to marry her for impure reasons. This to some extent is to test Fan Xian’s character. I could see the 1st prince potentially harming Fan XIan but some of Fan Xian’s actions already revealed some of his character. For 1, the Princess was evidently scared but willing to stand up for Fan Xian, so that must mean the Princess relies on him. If anything, that’s a vote of confidence for teh guy. And secondly, Fan XIan was not willing to give up Gao Da to the 1st prince, which shows that Fan Xian is protective of his staff. Qualities of a good leader. Awww what a great big brother! He also did immediately take a liking to the Princess. IN all the fan comments, he is depicted as the tough and powerful wolf while she is adorable cute bunny.
[Cathy]
Inside the city walls, a grand procession with horns, drums and dancing awaits the 2 groups. The 2 other princes, the 2nd prince and 3rd prince also arrive to greet the group. Obviously Fan Xian is not pleased to see the 2nd prince who puts on a show of caring about Fan Xian. The 3rd prince is like HEY I SAW YOU but then realized oh wait. I shouldn’t let anyone know that I opened up Bao Yue Lou so he just glossed over it. But, with all the brothers seemingly in one place, the natural next step is for the Emperor to issue an edict where all of them, including Fan Xian, come see the Emperor in the Palace.
The 1st prince definitely picks up on some oddities. It’s a family meal with the Emperor and the rest of the brothers but Fan Xian is allowed to be there? We know it’s because Fan XIan is the Emperor’s son but no one else knows that.
The Emperor and Fan Xian show up shortly after to join the group to start the meal. Fan Xian is supported out of the Emperor’s study while thanking the Emperor for the beating as the Emperor sits because, after all, Fan Xian did deceive the Emperor. They, and the rest of the princes also sit at the table and this scene is rather reminiscent of episode 31 I believe in season 1 where the Emperor has a similar meal with 3 of the brothers.
Surprisingly, the Emperor straight up asks Fan Xian about his trip, and in particular, about the sacred temple. This should be a really secret piece of information but the Emperor is willing to discuss this with all of his sons. I feel like this was meant to put Fan Xian on the spot but he doesn’t flinch and answers truthfully. He DOES piss the Emperor off though by proactively reporting the collusion and corrupt actions between the Princess Royal and the 2nd prince. This displeases the Emperor greatly and he slams his food on the table.
[Karen]
Clearly, the EMperor doesn’t think there’s enough evidence to investigate further or perhaps he doesn’t want to investigate. He even takes Fan Xian’s plaque that indicates Fan Xian is the Imperial Inspectorate of the Overwatch Council and throws it in the water, thereby removing all power Fan XIan may have at investigating the 2nd prince. That is certainly a slap in the face to Fan Xian.
To add insult to injury, the 2nd prince comes forward with a diabolical request, supposedly to celebrate Fan Xian. He requests for Fan Ruo Ruo, Fan Xian’s sister, to be betrothed to Li Hong Cheng. He is the son of the Prince of Jing and close ally of the 2nd prince. NOt only that, Yuan Meng, of Bao Yue Lou, was his mistress. This is definitely to twist a knife into Fan Xian.
I don’t know how much of Bao Yue Lou does the Emperor know about. He agrees to this marriage but even acknowledges how this is a great move. But, he undermines the 2nd prince by ordering a betrothal onto him. The Emperor orders that the 2nd prince be married to Ye Ling Er.
With that, the Emperor walks away. Fan Xian continues to push for an investigation but his cries are roundly ignored. Fan XIan also storms off, perfectly fine and not injured. Evidnetly, the Emperor didn’t actually beat Fan Xian. It was all just a show. But while the Emperor showed mercy to Fan Xian, someone else did not.
The Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has put on quite the show this episode. Mediating the conflict between Fan Xian and the 1st prince and showing a boyish side to him when he meets his mother, the Empress. This is the first time we see her and there is a lot of peculiarities around her. We will discuss more next episode as well as what I mean about the cruelty with the Crown Prince. BOth the Empress and the Crown Prince are as ruthless as they come.
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[Cathy]
That was the episode recap! Let’s now move onto the history found in this episode.
First, this it the first time we meet the 1st Prince 李承儒 Li Cheng Ru and this is the first time in the drama that all of the Emperor’s adult or at least older children congregate in one location. The 1st Prince is called 李承儒 Li Cheng Ru and the 3rd Prince, the youngest of the group is called 李承平 Li Cheng Ping.
As a reminder, the 2nd Prince is called 李承泽 Li Cheng Ze and the Crown Prince is called 李承乾 Li Cheng Qian. We discussed the names of the Crown Prince and the 2nd Prince in the last season, so let’s focus on the 2 new Princes.
The 1st Prince or 李承儒 Li Cheng Ru, isn’t formally given a name in the book. The screenwriters give him the name 李承儒. 儒 means scholar or pupil and is mostly associated with Confuscianism. If you hear the phrase 儒家, of the family of ru, then this means teachings of Confucius. This name is ironic given that the 1st Prince is a military man, who while intelligent adamantly does not go the scholarly route.
As for the 3rd Prince, 李承平 Li Cheng Ping, this name is written in the book. 平 can mean flat or peaceful. This is a hint to how the 3rd Prince will develop as a character because he will see the fierce battles waged between his older brothers for the throne and will take a flat and peaceful route.
[Karen]
Next, let’s talk about the procession that greets Fan Xian and the 1st Prince when they enter the city. I mainly want to highlight the eunuchs that are dancing. From the movements and makeup, it looks like the eunuchs are possibly dancing the Hu Xuan Wu 胡旋舞. There’s an article that documents how the dance movement in the drama is very similar to a set of Tang dynasty terracotta figures found in the Xi An Museum, which I actually went and visited about a decade ago! Historically, the Hu Xuan Wu was a foreign import from the cultures out west in the middle east and present day xin jiang and xi zang. There’s an emphasis on stomping and spinning. There’s actually a better representation of that in The Litchi Road.
Lastly, at the very intense “family” meal, the Emperor grants Fan Xian the title of 一等男爵 or a baron of the 1st rank. At court, this means he now has a position at the 2nd rank as mentioned in the book, which is a big leap from his previous role as 太常寺协律郎 or assistant minister in the Ministry of Rites. That role was only of the 8th rank. As a reminder, Fan Xian’s father has the title of 司南伯 or Count of Si Nan. Fan Xian still has a way to go before obtaining the same title but he’s on a speedrun right now by getting this nobility title at such a young age.
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[Cathy]
Let’s conclude with book differences. In the book, Fan Xian does indeed get into an argument with the 1st Prince on who enters the capital first. At this point, the Princess doesn’t make a direct appearance but Fan Xian states that she is the one who insists on arriving first in the capital. The book does reintroduce Xin Qi Wu and he’s sweating buckets as to what to do with this future couple of the 1st prince and the Northern Qi Princess. In a conversation with Yan Bing Yun, Fan Xian reveals that he is also extremely aware that by allowing this power struggle to occur between the 1st Prince and his diplomatic envoy, he will anger the 1st Prince and gain a new enemy. At this point in the book, Fan Xian has not yet run afoul with the 2nd Prince so on paper, it looks like he’s cozy with both the 2nd Prince AND the Crown Prince. If Fan Xian were to also become friendly with the 1st Prince, he would be arousing too much suspicion from the Emperor of his loyalty and motives. Fan Xian can’t be too friendly with everyone. So that’s why he’s fine taking some heat from the 1st Prince.
Fan Xian and the 1st Prince get into a competition with some rogue horses and Fan Xian’s men surprise the 1st Prince with just how disciplined they are. When the whole mass of people finally make it to the city gates, the Crown Prince joins them and the 1st Prince starts teasing and belittling Fan Xian for leaving his new bride to head to the Northern Qi Kingdom. This is when Fan Xian realizes that these men are just looking out for Wan Er. Fan Xian is not summoned to dine with the Emperor and his sons so the rest of the events that happen in the episode are just for the drama. At this point in the book, Fan Xian doesn’t have much beef with the 2nd Prince so he doesn’t have an agenda against him. The Emperor does send a decree that grants him the rank of baron. As for the betrothal between the 2nd Prince and Ye Ling Er and li hong cheng and fan ruo ruo, that decree was written back when Fan Xian was at the Northern Qi capital. There’s a lot of interesting political implications with this alliance and we’ll discuss that in future episodes.