[Cathy]
Welcome back to Chasing Dramas! This is a podcast that discusses Chinese culture and history through historical Chinese dramas. We are your hosts, Karen and Cathy
Karen and I enjoying some beach and relaxation time on a caribbean island. It’s been fantastic getting a morning swim in and just lazing about. BUT that also means we’ve been hard at work on the website and the podcast!
We are discussing episode 9 of season 2 of Joy of Life or 庆余年. For today’s podcast episode, we will do an episode recap and then discuss the history that appears in the drama. We will then conclude with book differences.
As always this podcast is in English with proper nouns spoken in Mandarin Chinese. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us on social media or else email us at karenandcathy@chasingdramas.com
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[Karen]
In the last episode, Fan Xian kicked off his new tenure as the head of the 1st bureau in the Overwatch Council with a bang. He decided to pick a fight with the Crop Inspection Bureau and its head, Eunuch Dai. Oddly though, when Eunuch Dai gives Fan Xian a whopping amount of money, Fan Xian just openly takes it. Not only does he take it, he takes it in front of a whole audience which includes the likes of the second prince and members of the 1st bureau.
Now that we’re at episode 9, the official complaints against Fan xian have started pouring in. After all, he is engaging in corruption. The Emperor receives these complaints but doesn’t make too much of a response. Instead, he just tells Eunuch Hou to give those official complaints to Fan Xian to see what he does.
And does he do anything? Nope. He just sits on his hands and waits, which angers the censors. To add insult to injury, after some time, Fan XIan orders Wang Qi Nian to send over a scroll to the censors to read. Normally, one would expect this to be some type of explanation or some type of response to the complaints coming in. But, it can’t be that easy for our Mr. Fan, can it? Instead, the scroll has 4 words. Ying Ying Kuang Fei…which basically called the censors dogs. It’s also written in the classic terrible handwriting that Fan Xian has. Did you notice how Wang Qi Nian ran away after giving the scroll to these censors? He knew that this scroll was going to trigger an angry response so he noped right out of there.
[Cathy]
Of course, these words angered the censors even more. Originally, there were only a few censors that were complaining about Fan Xian, now it’s the entire Imperial Censors that is unified against Fan Xian. The one person who feels unfairly dragged into this whole debacle is Eunuch Dai. He is pissed off that Fan Xian forcefully dragged him into this fight with the censors when he gave just 3000 taels of silver. Apparently, that’s not a huge amount from a corruption perspective and if Fan Xian had just apologized or explained himself, this would have blown over. But now, Eunuch Dai is being dragged to the forefront with Fan Xian who is evidently picking a fight and insulting the censors.
Interestingly though, it seems like the Emperor is actually quite ok with this. Because, Fan Xian flags down Yan Bing Yun in the streets to discuss what he’s REALLY trying to do, and that is to investigate the corruption behind the 2nd prince and the Princess Royal through Eunuch Dai. When Fan Xian asks Yan Bing Yun to help investigate the officials outside the Capital which is under the 4th bureau’s purview, Yan Bing Yun points out that he will need men to help him with this task. Who just happens to be available? Gao Da and his group of men. They are actually imperial soldiers who listen directly to the Emperor. The fact that the Emperor gave these men to Fan Xian to then give to Yan Bing Yun means that the Emperor is willing to allow the group to partake in certain investigative activities under the surface.
[Karen]
Before Fan Xian can truly take on the censors, he has to continue to build up his own team. He returns to the 1st bureau and sees the men in the main hall all eating food with quite a bit of meat. That’s interesting I guess. He then goes to see Deng Zi Yue who is secretly only eating a piece of naan. This is important because meat is obviously more expensive than just pure bread or carbs.
Fan Xian immediately goes into a rather pointed line of questioning. Where did the money come from to buy meat for the department. How much money did Eunuch Dai give you the day they went to see him. Why did Deng Zi Yue give the money given from Eunuch Dai to the official accounts for the 1st bureau?
Turns out, Deng Zi Yue is a super upstanding employee. Fan Xian reviewed Deng Zi Yue’s files and he has not taken a single Yun Meng Fish over the years. This one act shows that Deng Zi Yue is not willing to take bribes or at least gifts. Not just the Yun Meng fish. Any gift that was given to members of the 1st bureau over the years, Deng Zi Yue never agreed to take. But in response to Fan Xian’s rather heated line of questioning, Deng Zi Yue opts to kneel to the ground and act as deferential as possible.
However, that is not what Fan Xian is looking for. He points out that Deng Zi Yue in the past would openly chastise his peers and even his superiors when he saw that they were taking things that they shouldn’t. What happened to this man?
[Cathy]
Fan Xian recounts Deng Zi Yue as a young man. He was just someone feeding horses in Ding Zhou but saw his superiors secretly steal money in the military. He risked his life to report his superiors to the Overwatch Council and Chen Ping Ping allowed him to stay because of his willingness to stand up for what is right. However, years in the Capital and Overwatch council where he had to interact with all the different connections and unsaid social rules caused him to lose that air of justice. In front of Fan Xian, Deng Zi Yue can only cry while kneeling on the ground as he recounts how he was silly in his youth. It was because Deng Zi Yue kept on using his solo voice to seek justice against the unfairness within the 1st bureau that he kept on being demoted to now just a chief clerk. Deng Zi Yue was punished for standing up for what is right. He now knows to keep his mouth shut and to lay low, but he still has that final line he will not cross. He watches as others partake in bribery and corruption, while he doesn’t speak up anymore. He just stays quiet. However, in his personal life, he does not take anything that he knows he should not.
This scene is incredibly powerful and touching. In Deng Zi Yue, Fan Xian sees a part of himself, someone who still holds fairness and justice close to his heart. WHen he sees unfairness, he can’t just let it go. When there is revenge to be sought, he is going to seek it. His attitude is not of someone who is able to survive easily in the capital. So why can he rise so quickly? And this is one of the MOST important lines in the entire drama. Fan Xian says that he has support. He likely would not have been able to survive longer than 3 days in the capital if he acted the way he did without support. Which is entirely true. The Emperor, Chen Ping Ping, Fan Jian plus a bunch of other people are all there to support him whenever he causes chaos. If it weren’t for these incredibly powerful people looking out for Fan Xian, he would’ve been toast a long time ago.
Therefore, for Deng Zi Yue, Fan XIan will be his backbone and support. He wants Deng Zi Yue to return to being that unwavering man with upstanding morals. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Fan Xian says he will help clean up after Deng Zi Yue. WIth that – Fan Xian not only has Wang QI NIan as a lieutenant, he also has Deng Zi Yue.
[Karen]
I thought that scene was incredibly well done from both Fan Xian and Deng ZI Yue. The acting was top notch. You could see Deng Zi Yue’s helplessness as he was beaten down by years of unjust behavior. Now all he wants is to survive while still holding onto his own principles that are at odds with how the rest of the capital behaves. Fan Xian clearly did his homework and wants someone like Deng Zi Yue in his camp to help bring more fairness and justice into the world. Now, Deng Zi Yue’s ability can finally be brought forth to greater effect. How many of you teared up at this scene? I certainly did the first time I saw it.
Speaking of greater effect, Fan Xian immediately asks Deng Zi Yue to write another memorandum to the Imperial Censors. This time, there’s only 8 words. 奸臣当道 何罪之有 which translates, corrupt officials are in power, what crime have I committed? This sets up the stage for a showdown at court since now it looks like the only way to “solve” this conflict is in front of other ministers and the Emperor himself.
The episode ends with Fan Xian heading to Court. The Crown Prince meets up with him to warn him of the challenges of going head on against the Imperial Censors. Fan Xian doesn’t think too much of it. Our old pal Xin Qi Wu is advised by the Crown Prince to help Fan xian with the ins and outs of what to expect at court so now we’re just waiting to see what this court showdown will look like.
Once again, if it wasn’t clear, this entire showdown is only “allowed” because both the EMperor AND Chen Ping Ping allow it. Do you think that if either the Emperor or Chen Ping Ping didn’t want this showdown to happen, they couldn’t stop it? It would be pretty easy. Instead, the Emperor is rather bemused to see Fan Xian make a ruckus and Chen Ping Ping is even helping Fan Xian gather evidence in the background. All very important details to note which ties back into what Fan Xian said to Deng Zi Yue.
I will re-emphasize again that the fact that Fan Xian recognizes how much support he gets from the likes of the Emperor and Chen Ping Ping is quite introspective. Many other dramas give the main leads plot armor because they are main leads and dumb down the rest of the cast. Here, Fan Xian knows full well he is playing within the confines of the game that more powerful people have created.
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[Cathy]
There’s quite a few historical topics and one pop culture item to cover this episode so let’s get to it.
First off – let’s discuss 督察院 or the Censorate. This is the government agency who reported to the Emperor that Fan Xian was accepting bribes from Eunuch Dai of the Crop Investigation Bureau.
In Chinese history, 督察院 was the name of the Censorate during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Censorate was primarily responsible for supervision and impeachment of officials and the aristocracy and policy recommendations This name replaced the 御史台, which was the name of the censorate during the Song Dynasty and we talked about this government agency during our recap of The Story of Ming Lan. 督察院 was established in 1382 during the reign of Emperor Hong Wu. The agency was led by a Left and Right Censor-in-Chief (都御史), assisted by Vice Censors-in-Chief and Associate Censors-in-Chief. The Censorate supervised officials throughout the empire and dispatched regional censors to conduct inspections. In many dramas, corrupt officials are very wary whenever these regional or even imperial censors arrive in their domains. During the Ming Dynasty, the Censorate had the authority to report major matters directly to the Emperor, making it the highest supervisory body of the empire. Members of the Censorate were also known as very just and righteous. They had to serve as the moral exemplar for all other officials. For this government agency to operate as the check against the other government agencies, they needed to be “clean”. It was a big deal when a censor reprimanded another government official because it could lead to impeachment of titles or worse. In the drama, Fan Xian and Eunuch Dai are reprimanded for “only” 3000 taels of silver but we’ll see in the next episode that none of these reprimands should be taken lightly.
[Karen]
Speaking of the Censorate, Fan Xian “gifts” the agency his writing which immediately puts the two parties on opposing sides. The idiom is 狺狺狂吠 – this essentially translates to a fiercely barking dog. If you listen to the sound of the words 狺狺 sounds like a dog whimper. This phrase is used to demean the other party – as in the other person is making noisy and baseless accusations.
This idiom originates from 楚辞 or the verses of Chu, which are attributed to 屈原、宋玉 so around the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE. The specific verse goes as such 猛犬狺狺而迎吠兮，关梁闭而不通, which translates to Look! The fierce guard dogs are barking madly; the passes and bridges are all blocked and impassable. Seems pretty straightforward – the idiom is describing the barking dog.
It IS interesting that the drama chose this particular idiom though because the whole poem describes a lot more. I’ll provide the summary. I am lamenting my exile even though I am innocent. How can I not be anxious and yearn for my sovereign. But the palace walls are unyielding and full of barriers. Look! The fierce guard dogs are barking madly; the passes and bridges are all blocked and impassable. The autumn rain falls from the sky, when will the ground dry? I am stuck alone in the mud, looking at the clouds, uttering a long sigh.
From this poem, the protagonist is framing himself as innocent and trying to inform the king but he’s being blocked outside from nefarious persons. For us the audience, we know that Fan Xian has an ulterior motive for accepting the bribe and I think he’s also trying to inform the Censorate that this is more than it seems. However, since this is an alternate universe, then the book of Chu could not have been written and thus the members of the censorate probably don’t know the story behind this idiom. As for the 8 words that he responds with “奸臣当道，何罪之有” – Treacherous Officials Hold Power, What Is My Crime? I’ll discuss this in the next episode.
[Cathy]
That’s our introduction for the Censorate. Let’s turn to Eunuch Dai. He has quite a collection of birds in cages.
China has a long history of bird keeping and bird appreciation. Records as early as two thousand years ago such as the Book of Rites documented the practice. Throughout the successive dynasties, the tradition has continued to flourish. There have been countless poems and essays celebrating birds. In more recent history, this tradition was especially popular in the north. In Beijing, for example, walking with a birdcage in hand was a cultural symbol during the Qing Dynasty.
During the Qing dynasty, “提笼架鸟” or “walking with a birdcage” was considered the quintessential pastime of idle young noblemen from the Eight Banners. So these were young Manchu men who had at least some status, being of the Eight Banners or 八旗 and they’d wander around with a cage with a bird or several birds in it. This was seen as a sign of frivolity and moral decline because they had nothing better to do. Today bird keeping and birdcage appreciation is still a favored hobby. I personally don’t condone the practice BUT it is still quite popular. In Beijing, the Crested myna (八哥) is very popular because of the human sounds they could replicate. My aunt had one for a spell.
[Karen]
The next quick topic is 拜做干爹 or to accept someone as a godfather. The young eunuch hong states that there are rumors that Eunuch Dai has bowed to Fan Xian, who has agreed to be Eunuch Dai’s godfather. Eunuch Dai takes immediate offense to this because well, it’s not true, and he’s much older than Fan Xian. During imperial China, young eunuchs would go and find a powerful eunuch and hope that the powerful eunuch would accept them as godsons. This would be a way for the older eunuch to amass power and have a “retirement” plan when he is too old. The younger eunuchs would then have an umbrella with which to protect himself from the very political fraught battles of the inner palaces. If Eunuch Dai were to take Fan Xian as his godfather, then that means the two are very much in cahoots. So any punishment to Fan Xian would mean that Eunuch Dai would also be implicated. Eunuch Dai of course wants no part in this.
Lastly, let’s talk about the one pop culture reference in this episode and that’s 包场. Fan Xian and men take over a local Bao Zi shop or a Bun shop. That’s where he meets Yan Bing Yun and informs Yan BIng Yun that he needs aid from the Fourth Bureau. Fan Xian departs, leaving a smiling Wang Qi Nian with a bowl of meat filling for the buns. Wang Qi Nian informs Yan Bing Yun that he must now pay for the whole apparatus because Fan Xian said that Yan Bing Yun will 包场. Bao Chang typically means someone will book a whole show. 场 has one meaning that it’s where people gather and prior to modern times, Bao Chang meant someone who would book a whole Chinese opera show. Now, if someone has the financial means to take over a space, be it a movie screening, restaurant, etc, then that person would consider Bao Chang. It has nothing to do with running a bun store AND it doesn’t mean buying the whole store, which is what I think Wang Qi Nian thought it meant.
[Cathy]
Let’s conclude with book differences!
Book Fan Xian has different motives and topics that he wants to raise to the Emperor, namely he wants to divert the vast amount of funds the Second Prince and the Princess Royal have smuggled to save the rest of the Qing population such as disaster relief or even just funding projects to help the poor. In the drama, Fan Xian has this personal vendetta against the Second Prince and essentially spoonfeeds the Censorate with his corruption with Eunuch Dai. In the Book, Fan Xian does engage in this petty corruption and he has everything properly documented but he didn’t actively anger the Censorate to investigate him. Instead, the Censorate chose to do so because the amount of bribes he amassed was quite large. In the last episode, I talked about Deng Zi Yue. He doesn’t have the whole important backstory that he has in the drama. Nevertheless, Deng Zi Yue firmly becomes team Fan Xian in the book. Book Fan Xian is truly antagonistic towards the members of the Censorate which we’ll see is different from the book.