Season 1 – Ep 36
Episode 35 was a heart thumper. Fan Xian was caught in the cross fire between Shan Shan Hu, Yan Xiao Yi, Hai Tang Duo Duo as well as Guo Bao Kun. Fan Xian managed to keep Xiao En and their group largely alive from the different forces but did have to fend off Hai Tang Duo Duo with some type of powder. Fan Xian joked that it was some type of love powder or aphrodisiac and she had to run off to wash it off.
At the end of episode 35 and the beginning of ep 36, Hai Tang Duo Duo returns to confront Fan Xian about this powder and they head off to a nearby stream to talk it out. She wants to kill Xiao En because that is her teacher’s instructions. Fan Xian nonchalantly says that he cannot allow her to do that. Instead, he offers to help her and the Empress Dowager. He thinks that Hai Tang Duo Duo must be working for the Empress Dowager and he’s willing to help the 2 of them take power from the new Emperor. Here’s where Fan Xian is exhibiting misplaced confidence. He explains his line of reasoning as to why Hai Tang Duo Duo is allied with the Empress Dowager when even she herself says she is not. He just bowls over her to say she must be allied with the Empress Dowager.
In any case, the reason why he would want to work with Hai Tang is because he has a feeling that rescuing Yan Bing Yun is going to be quite the challenge.
He doesn’t really give her a chance to say no. He recites a poem that we all know and we’ll discuss later on and then basically says, let’s celebrate our alliance. She walks away with a warning of Shen Zhong, head of the Qi Imperial Guards and the statement that she will not give up trying to kill Xiao En. With that, they part ways. Fan Xian returns to his group where Wang Qi Nian and Gao Da both joke about Fan Xian’s little excursion with Hai Tang.
The group continues on their journey. Fan Xian officially changes clothes and hairstyle to reflect that he is the head of this diplomatic envoy. He has one final discussion with Xiao En before handing him off to the Qi kingdom. Xiao En is goading him that this is the last opportunity to kill him while Fan Xian is curious why Xiao En wants to know if Fan Xian grew up in Dan Zhou. They are both not backing off from their goals but it is time to separate.
At this gate, Fan Xian and company are blankly waiting for someone to pick them up. Wang Qi Nian calls for a response from the Qi kingdom but no one responds. They wait for quite some time until a bunch of senior maids from the palace saunter out of the gate. They head off towards a carriage that Shen Zhong who was apparently taking a nap this entire time, was in. One of the senior maids scream at Shen Zhong and he finally wakes up. He hurriedly jumps off of his carriage to meet Fan Xian and company who are all a little perplexed at Shen Zhong’s behavior. Shen Zhong seems exceedingly welcoming to Fan Xian, peppering him with platitudes and seems informal because he doesn’t even wear his formal court attire. He’s in every day wear, which will be an important plotline to follow as well. Initially, one would think that Shen Zhong is not a threat.
Meanwhile, the senior maids head to escort Si Li Li off her carriage. When they discover that she’s been injured though, one of the maids turns around and screams her head off at Fan Xian for how he allowed that to happen. She is exceptionally rude to Fan Xian who is able to dish back insults to her. With that, Si Li Li is escorted back to the palace. She shares a last longing look at Fan Xian but this is the last time we see her. We will not see her in season 2 at all.
It is now time for the exchange of Xiao En. Here is where we see just how ruthless Shen Zhong is. While still relatively calm in his demeanor, Shen Zhong attacks Xiao En in front of the entire group. Xiao En’s legs are broken and Shen Zhong drags a bleeding a crippled Xiao En to a cage that was especially made for him. Fan Xian, Gao Da and them are absolutely shocked at how brutal Shen Zhong is towards his own country man.
Not only that, when the senior maid sees how Shen Zhong was treating Xiao En and came to scream at him, he took one long look at her and asked to speak to her in private. They head off alone but he comes back by himself, wiping blood from his hand. The only thing he says is that she was so upset and humiliated that she decided to leave. But everyone saw the blood on his hand and knew what he did. Indeed, we see the senior maid fall to the ground, dead by Shen Zhong’s hand.
Craaaazy!!!
To make him an even more formidable foe, Shen Zhong takes Fan Xian to the side and jokingly describes what he thinks are Fan Xian’s directives for this trip. He gets every single one of them correct. Fan Xian is to rescue Yan Bing Yun, Kill Xiao En and then Si Li Li is likely a pawn that could be used against the Qi Emperor. The last task? Fan Xian is to reestablish the Qing kingdom spy network in the Qi kingdom. Fan Xian’s smile is basically pasted on at this point. Everyone single one of his tasks was guessed by Shen Zhong. A worthy opponent indeed.
Before reaching Shang Jing City, the capital of the Northern Qi kingdom, Hai Tang Duo Duo does attempt to assassinate Xiao En one more time. One night, she tries to kill Xiao En but evidently Shen Zhong is prepared. Many of his guards surround her and she is not able to find Xiao En. She escapes over to the Qing tents and Fan Xian helps cover for her when Shen ZHong arrives to search for her. Seeing that they can’t find the assassin, Shen Zhong calls off his men. However, he does sit with Fan Xian for a while to explain some of the reasons why he’s been rather rude to Xiao En. Xiao En is the adoptive father of Shang Shan Hu, a great Qi kingdom General, but one who has no real military power anymore. Part of the reason is because Shang Shan Hu has opted NOT to take sides. He’s neither loyal to the Emperor or the Empress Dowager. Which, is not going to help him in the current environment. Shen Zhong makes it plain that he is allied with the Empress Dowager and also heavily hints to Fan Xian that he needs to learn to take sides too.
With that, Shen Zhong leaves the camp, allowing Hai Tang Duo Duo to escape.
Shortly after, during daylight, the group head to the city walls. Shan Shan Hu is awaiting the group and he is rather aggressive in requesting to see Xiao En. Shen Zhong actually hops off his horse to reveal Xiao En locked in his cage and Shang Shan Hu is infuriated to see how injured his adoptive father is. Shen Zhong relishes in the power he holds over Xiao En and Shang Shan Hu and refuses to allow Shang Shan Hu to take Xiao En away. Shang Shan Hu has no option but to turn around.
Let’s start with history!
Fan Xian is impressed 海棠 Hai Tang (the person) and recites the poem. 试问卷帘人，却道海棠依旧。知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦. Does this sound familiar? Why it’s none other than the poem 如梦令· 昨夜雨疏风骤 Ru Meng Lin Zuo Ye Yu Shu Feng Zhou written by 李清照 Li Qing Zhao and the title of the Story of Ming Lan!
昨夜雨疏风骤, 浓睡不消残酒, 试问卷帘人，却道海棠依旧。知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦
The rough translation of the poem is this:
Last night it rained, and the deep sleep did not remove the last of the liquor. Questioning the curtain raiser, who says that the crabapple flowers are still there. Does she know? Does she know? There should be more green than red.
On the surface, the poem is about flowers. The flower observer is lamenting the fact that the flowers are going to wash away after an evening of rain and was therefore drinking liquor to ease that pain. When she awakens from her deep sleep, despite the liquor her first thought is to ask of the flowers. Though the curtain raiser maid says the flowers are still there, she knows that there are more green leaves than red flowers. This poem is evoking the author’s helplessness at the inevitable. Those flowers are now gone and will not be coming back. She is able to observe this tragedy while her maid does not notice anything amiss which speaks to the author’s attention to detail and her loneliness that others cannot share her sentiment.
The reason for this recitation is because of the name 海棠 Hai Tang which is the flower featured in the poem. Hai Tang is also the Asiatic apple, Chinese crab, and Chinese flowering apple that blooms in a white to pink in color
As a reminder, the author of this poem is 李清照 Li Qing Zhao. She was a Song dynasty female poet, one of the most famous in history and perhaps the most famous female poet in Chinese history. Born in 1084 AD, she came from a family of scholar-officials and she was very well educated. During her lifetime, she was well known in various circles for her talented writings. Despite being a ubiquitous writer, many of her writings were lost to history. She died at the age of 70 in 1155 after having experienced the fall of the capital to the Jurchens and fleeing her home to Hang Zhou where the Southern Song Dynasty established themselves.
The next phrase I want to discuss is 跳进黄河 Tiao Jin Huang He. Fan Xian states this to Si Li Li when he tries to make it clear that he didn’t ACTUALLY give Hai Tang Duo Duo any aphrodisiacs and Si Li LI is like…what is Huang He?
So the phrase translates to – I can’t wash this accusation even if I jumped in the Yellow River.
The phrase originates from the Qing Dynasty and is noted in a few places. For example, in the A Tale of Lovers and Heroes 儿女英雄传. That novel in itself was written in the early 19th century by a man with the pen name 文康 Wen Kang. The earliest novel in Chinese literature that integrates chivalry and romance into one, paving the way for future wuxia dramas. The book centers around a female lead 十三妹 何玉凤 Shi San Mei He Yu Feng. She seeks revenge for her father’s death who was wrongfully persecuted by a high ranking official. She learned many skills and traveled the land to avenge her father. She marries the heroic scholar An Ji and spends the latter half of the book as a happy wife. In the 22nd chapter, the character of 何玉凤 He Yu Feng says – even if I state my true feelings, no one will believe me. I can’t wash these accusations even if I jump into the yellow river. That will be the end of me.
Since then, this phrase has been pretty common in Chinese vernacular. Going back to the phrase, why pick the yellow river? The Yellow River is a wide river, with rushing currents. There’s a lot of sand and mud that flows into the river, making the river murky, hence the name Yellow River. So, for the phrase, if someone jumps into the yellow river, he or she still won’t be cleaned by the river because the river itself is still yellow. So for any accusation, it is a metaphor for being unable to clear up misunderstandings or suspicions. There’s no way to prove one’s innocence and it is difficult to make others believe them.
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Book differences
The main difference between the drama and the book is that Shen Zhong does not make his appearance in the book until much later. Therefore, he’s not the one who injures Xiao En at the front gates. Fan Xian is the one who slaps the old palace aunty. He doesn’t kill her though. Fan Xian doesn’t get assaulted during the route into the palace but instead, the people of the Qi Kingdom show their outward disdain towards the Qing envoy. In their mind, they view the people of the Qing Kingdom as savages. As for the war, the royal family didn’t even inform the wider public that there was a war or that they lost! So even though the people of the Northern Kingdom have some understanding that the Qing Kingdom is powerful, but they don’t know the extent nor the fact that they lost. This is very different from how it’s portrayed in the drama. The officials of the Qi Kingdom are also less hostile. I mean – Shen Zhong was outright nasty. He’s the definition of a sly fox.