Season 1 – Ep 33

 

In this episode, we see Fan Xian preparing and then eventually head out on his rather dangerous trip to the Qi kingdom. His job is to exchange Qing Prisoners Xiao En and Si Li Li with Qi prisoner, Yan Bing Yun. Xiao En is one of the most dangerous men from the Qi kingdom that was imprisoned by Chen Ping Ping many years ago and SI Li Li we know was a spy for the Qi kingdom. Yan Bing Yun is a key asset from the Qing Kingdom’s Overwatch Council. The Emperor sees this as a roughly equal trade.

Xiao En is brought forth from the depths of the Overwatch Council dungeon. THis s the first time we see him in person and boy does the casting department do it right. He is chained by many people which signals his immense strength and danger. His overgrown hair and discheveled look cannot hide his threatening gaze. Actor 于荣光 lets me believe that Xiao En is indeed a very dangerous man and threat.

Xiao En and Chen Ping Ping exchange verbal barbs after which, Fan Xian jokingly introduces himself to Xiao En. This throws Xiao En off a smidge but he also thinks Fan Xian is in over his head. He threatening says that Chen Ping Ping should take a good look at Fan Xian because he will not be coming back. Soon after, Xiao En is hauled off.

Before Fan XIan heads off, another person wants to see him. The Emperor himself at Tai Ping Yard is waiting for him. ALone, the Emperor gives his orders on exactly what Fan XIan is to do in the Qi kingdom. He informs Fan Xian that Si Li Li has been poisoned, the target Fan Xian guesses is the Qi kingdom Emperor. The Emperor is not explicit on this but probably a good guess. The next order is more explicit. The Emperor wants Fan Xian to retrieve Yan Bing Yun and then kill Xiao En. This shocks Fan Xian as it’s a pretty impossible task. How is he supposed to kill Xiao En on enemy territory? Plus, the EMperor says that the Overwatch Council will NOT aid Fan Xian to avoid suspicion. Ooof, talk about a tough job.

Fan Xian doesn’t have much more to ask except 1 question. Why did the Emperor want to meet here to say these things? Not anywhere else? The Emperor quickly respond that in the palace, they’re ruler and subject but here…He catches himself before answering that question. He only finishes with “Just come back alive”. Fan Xian presses a little further which angers the Emperor and he throws Fan Xian out. Again…weird to have such a stark reaction.

Now with that out of the way, Fei Jie, Fan Xian’s teacher escorts Fan Xian out to the city gates. He advises Fan Xian on the key people to watch out for. 1) Shen Zhong, the head of Qi kingdom imperial guards or I think secret police, 2) is grandmaster Ku He and his disciple, Hai Tang Duo Duo, a very powerful and talented woman that the Qi kingdom calls Saintess. The last person is Qi Kingdom General, Shang Shan Hu. He is the adopted son of Xiao En who really wants his adoptive father back. Fan Xian doesn’t think Shang Shan Hu will attack him since Shang Shan Hu wants his adoptive father back alive while Ku He wants Xiao En dead.

At the palace gates, Fan Xian is greeted by his siblings and his father. THey are there to see him off. Fan Si Zhe is here to push Fan Xian to keep writing his book to better sell and make money. Fan Jian arrives and offers his personal guard to Fan Xian. Leader of this group is a young strapping man named Gao Da who I absolutely adore. He’s so funny. Very straight laced and a strong fighter. Gao Da and his men will be Fan Xian’s primary protection detail as they head north.

With that, everyone says their goodbyes. It’s actually quite a sad one because even Fan Si Zhe knows that there’s likely a lot of danger ahead for Fan Xian. Fan Xian, Wang Qi Nian, Gao Da and company bring Si Li Li and Xiao En along and start their journey. Cue heart thumping music to signal a more suspenseful trip.

Except…you can always count on Wang Qi Nian to add some laughs. The moment the group heads out, Wang Qi Nian is up in FAn Xian’s business wondering if Fan Xian is looking to escape. If so, he totally wants to leave with Fan Xian because he also doesn’t want to go to the Qi Kingdom. Fan Xian shakes him off to talk to Wu Zhu which I’ll get to in a bit but then when he gets back, Gao Da reports that Wang Qi Nian has stolen fruit from their diplomatic stock. Gao Da refers to Wang QI Nian as “这货“ which is a derogatory term meaning literally this parcel. He thinks Wang Qi Nian is selfish and a thief. He cannot be kept within the party. Fan Xian head starts hurting as lo and behold, Wang Qi Nian offers him some of the fruit he stole aka lychee while Gao Da is signaling at Fan Xian that this is unacceptable. Hahahaha. The pains of being a manager.

Gao Da’s opinion of Wang Qi Nian quickly changes though when Fan Xian says that Wang Qi Nian’s current actions are all an act. He’s actually an exceptionally brave man who has volunteered to interact with Xiao En. An incredibly scary job that no one else in the envoy dares volunteer for. Hahaha, Fan Xian basically voluntold Wang Qi Nian to diffuse the tenseness between him and Gao Da. It works because right after, Gao Da rushes to meet Wang QI Nian and loudly calls him Wang Zhuang Shi, or Warrior Wang. Hahahaa such a funny scene in this episode. This actually causes Wang Qi Nian to jump and wonder what the heck is wrong with Gao Da only for Fan Xian to say that he had to mend their relationship so volunteered Wang Qi Nian for this harrowing job.

Poor Wang Qi Nian. He is absolutely scared out of his mind as he is placed inside of Xiao En’s carriage. Xiao En is chained up but could still pose as a threat. Wang Qi Nian is tasked with helping wash Xiao En and even give him a massage. Hilarity ensues as Wang Qi Nian is shaking and basically crying in the presence of Xiao En.

With that, the group is well on their way to the Qi kingdom.

2 other things to note. 1) Fan Xian meets with Wu Zhu before heading off. Wu Zhu informs FAn Xian of a secret in Tai Ping yard that he will need to figure out when he goes back. But additionally, Wu Zhu will head off to find Ku He. Ku He wants Xiao En dead which will make Fan Xian’s life harder. To stall him Wu Zhu is going to fight with Ku He. This level of confidence shocks Fan Xian. Wu Zhu says he only fights grand masters soooo we can assume Wu Zhu is of grand master level or at least very close to.

The last thing is that there is another party coming from the capital in the mix. That is Guo Bao Kun. Poor guy. He’s still really upset about what Fan Xian did to him and his dad and vows vengeance. He hired some mercenaries to help kill Fan Xian. Except…we know immediately that these mercenaries are more like country bumpkins. Maybe they’re good fights or likely ex soldiers? But they’re no where near the caliber that could hurt Fan Xian/ Guo Bao Kun doesn’t recognize this and is eager to head out with this group. Only his father seems to know exactly what or more accurately, what NOT his son is capable of.

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We’ll see more of these threads together in the next episode.

Let’s now discuss some pop culture and history!

First for pop culture.

肖恩 is the name of the long imprisoned man who disabled Chen Ping Ping. It’s believed that the author named him after Sean Connery for his role as Captain John Patrick Mason in the 1996 movie The Rock. Mason was imprisoned for a long time before being called upon to aid with retaking Alcatraz. 肖恩 is the common Chinese version of Sean so this might be the inspiration for the character in the story.

There’s another new character that’s introduced 高达. This name comes from the Japanese anime Mobile Suit Gundam or in Chinese 机动战士高达. In the drama, Fan Xian makes a comment that he would like to introduce Gao Da to his horse 扎古. 扎古 or Zaku is a line of mechanical suits from the Mobile Suit Gundam World. Gundam was super popular in China in the early 2000s, well, in the US too, I remember watching it on Toonami, and so it’s not surprising the author inserted this little joke.

Let’s now turn to history. The Emperor informs the “operation” for the swap of Yan Bing Yun for Xiao En as 红袖招. There’s a couple of meanings to this. The first is in reference to a poem called 菩萨蛮 which was a type of tune commonly sung by women during the Tang and Song Dynasties.

This particular 菩萨蛮 goes as such.

如今却忆江南乐，当时年少春衫薄。骑马倚斜桥，满楼红袖招。
翠屏金屈曲，醉入花丛cóng宿。此度见花枝，白头誓不归。

Here’s my translation – I only now remember the brilliance of Jiang Nan. In my youth, I wore my light spring clothes. I rode my horse and leaned next to the small bridge. The women of the brothel beckoned to me with their long sleeves. The tunes were heard in the women’s rooms. I was commonly drunk in the midst of these ladies. In remembering all these flowers, even with white hair, I vow to not return.

This poem was written by the late Tang Dynasty poet 韦庄（约836年-910年). He wrote this in his later years when he was in the Shu area remembering his youth in Jiang Nan. At this point, he witnessed the decline of the Tang Dynasty and the havoc of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. This poem is one of 5 where he writes about the stability of his youth and then the subsequent wandering and difficulties to survive.

Please note that 红袖招 conjures the image of ladies trying to beckon a man to their tower with their long red sleeves. In the context of Joy of Life, Operation 红袖招 is closely tied to women of the brothel, or in particular, one Si Li Li because she IS a courtesan. Or at least, to most people of the Qing Kingdom. So this ties to the second meaning of 红袖招. Fei Jie later informs Fan Xian that Hong Xiu Zhao is a poison that essentially acts like an STD. When Si Li Li returns to the northern Qi kingdom and presented to the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom, after the two sleep together, the Emperor will be poisoned with 红袖招. This will give the Qing Kingdom the leverage it needs over the negotiations and potentially conquer the Qi Kingdom.

Lastly – when Fan Xian leaves the capital of the Qing Kingdom, his younger brought Fan Si Zhe offers him a 壮行酒. This is a standard Chinese custom to host a banquet or a drink as a form of send off. Strong liquor will bolster the nerve of men heading off to war or long travels – hence why these acts are called either 壮行酒 or 送行酒 which both mean to send off travelers.

Let’s finally close out with book differences! Fan Xian says his goodbyes to Wan Er and family rather than just his family as in the drama. Fan Xian also doesn’t learn about Operation Hong Xiu Zhao until after he starts his journey. He doesn’t have the conversation with the Emperor or Fei Jie on the operation or the poison. He gradually figures it out on his own during the trip because well, he gets cozy with Si Li Li. They don’t sleep together but do get handsy and Fan Xian realizes that she’s been poisoned because he learned these skills from Fei Jie.