Season 1 – Ep 10
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[Cathy]
After the rather eventful trial in the last episode and surprising interference from the Emperor resolving the matter at hand. Fan Xian gets off scott free but it seems as though Fan Xian has successfully made himself an enemy in the form of the Crown Prince. Si Li Li is also seen as more than meets the eye but is allowed to leave, despite her injuries.
That just leaves the mummy, Guo Bao Kun left by himself with He Zong Wei at the Capital Magistrate Office. Haha, poor guy. Guo Bao Kun really didn’t deserve all of his injuries. And aww, Fan Si Zhe, Fan Xian’s younger brother, arrives with a large pair of scissors hoping to help his brother.
What I found interesting is that Teng Zi Jing asked why the Emperor would help Fan Xian. Is it because the Emperor took a liking to Fan Xian and wants to help him out of a tight spot? Fan Xian refutes this assumption because he’s never even met the Emperor, how would he have an opinion on Fan Xian. But oh hoh, we know that’s not true at all. Teng Zi Jing hit the nail on the head. The Emperor wants to make sure Fan Xian continues to stir the pot in the capital.
With the trial behind us, there’s essentially three threads this episode that continue to move the plot along.
The first is the aftermath of Teng Zi Jing’s release. Fan Xian heads over to
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[Karen]
I would say one of the first climaxes of the drama occurs in a nail biting conversation between the Emperor and Mei Zhi Li. Mei Zhi Li, of course, if the Capital Magistrate or Judge that was overseeing the trial between Guo Bao Kun and Fan Xian. He was summoned by the Emperor for a quick chat. A chat with an emperor is never that simple.
It is a conversation that is calm on the surface, but underneath is a roaring storm. So many landmines and different connotations that you really have to pay attention to what’s being said. It is also acted brilliantly by both actors. Here is where the english translation doesn’t quite do the scene justice
Mei Zhi Li arrives in front of the Emperor, who is in his study and is wearing exceptionally relaxed robes. Not robes you expect an Emperor to wear. He allows Mei Zhi Li to sit across from him, a great honor as he is Emperor and even remembers that Mei Zhi Li likes sweet wine which he summons as well. A cup of the wine is poured for Mei Zhi Li and he holds the cup with shaking hands before hesitantly sitting down.
[Cathy]
The Emperor starts the conversation by reminiscing about their past and the fact that Mei Zhi Li supported him before he was even Emperor. It seems rather casual and Mei Zhi Li continues that he is grateful for having been given the opportunity to take on the role as 京都府尹 which historically was given to princes. This role manages the affairs of the capital and is a great honor, a task that he, Mei Zhi Li has taken very seriously.
There were a few reasons why the Emperor granted the role to Mei Zhi Li. The first is that back then, even though Mei Zhi Li didn’t have much power, he still bravely stepped forward to speak the truth. The second, Mei Zhi Li was bold but he never favored a side. He was loyal only to the Emperor. The third, the Emperor didn’t want to give too much power to his sons that early on.
In the conversation, Mei Zhi Li also shows his gratitude for this post. My reading is that Mei Zhi Li is almost reminding the Emperor of the work he’s done in this role as they reminisce. The Emperor continues to remain casual but Mei Zhi Li remains tense, glancing constantly at the wine cup in his hand.
The Emperor’s next words cause Mei Zhi Li to tense up even further as the Emperor says that in a relationship between emperor and minister, it should start well and end well. The word END is crucial here and Mei Zhi Li glances at his wine cup because he thinks he will meet his end with this wine. Most likely it is poisoned.
[Karen]
Mei Zhi Li falls to the floor, kneeling and begging for forgiveness. This is where the real accusation comes in. In a fast paced back and forth, Mei Zhi Li apologizes for his wrongdoings – he shouldn’t have tried Fan Xian, he shouldn’t have used torture tactics and listened to the Crown Prince. But to these actions, the Emperor quickly dismisses them as wrong doings.
What the Emperor is REALLY furious about is the fact that Mei Zhi Li initially was focused on loyalty. However, his actions tell a different story. The Crown Prince wanted to capture Teng Zi Jing, it was Mei Zhi Li who found the address for the Crown Prince and helped arrest the man. The Emperor is angry that the Mei Zhi Li is no longer only loyal to him, but has started allying himself with the Crown Prince. Yes, Mei Zhi Li was loyal to the Emperor but he wanted more.
The Emperor selected the Crown Prince and by Mei Zhi Li’s logic, if he could ally himself with the Crown Prince, then perhaps, he could continue to move up in life. As the Emperor says, Mei Zhi Li chose this path because it might be nice to be an official presiding over three courts. This would mean, as said in the drama, that he would be a member of court for three emperors. That is no small feat and he would be awarded riches and power. Mei Zhi Li probably was also thinking, if I’m loyal to the Crown Prince, then I’m still loyal to the Emperor because the Emperor chose him!
But what he failed to recognize is that he is the capital magistrate, essentially the mayor of the Capital. He has some responsibility in protecting the Emperor and the events happening in the Capital. By being loyal to the Emperor, the Emperor can then sleep soundly at night. The Emperor hasn’t died yet, but Mei Zhi Li is already off siding with the Crown Prince? He has betrayed the Emperor. With this betrayal, the Emperor views this as Mei Zhi Li basically is wishing the Emperor dead.
The Emperor point blank asks Mei Zhi Li – does it look like this is the end for me?
[Cathy]
It is an exceptionally tense exchange where Mei Zhi Li is reduced to a crumpled heap on the ground. He begs for an official punishment to which the Emperor says that he is a senior official, if he was subjected to an official punishment, the Emperor would seem heartless.
Mei Zhi Li looks up and slumps back down again. He understands. Tonight, he may fall into a well and die as his punishment. As he kowtows on the ground crying for the Emperor to at least spare his family, the Emperor consoles him and reminds him that he hasn’t yet drunk the wine. Thinking this is the end, Mei Zhi Li takes the cup in his shaking hands and downs it, only to realize that he’s ok. The Emperor laughs at Mei Zhi Li’s reaction and pours the wine into his own cup and drinks with him.
The Emperor then says that he is still thoughtful for his senior advisors. He does not want Mei Zhi Li to jump in any well. Instead, he should offer notice of retirement and leave the city the next day. The Emperor says he will ensure Mei Zhi Li lives out his life peacefully.
Mei Zhi Li is crying tears of gratitude at this point and is allowed to return home. But just as we and he think that the coast is clear, the Emperor gives orders to his head eunuch, Eunuch Hou, to have the Overwatch Council assassinate Mei Zhi Li on the way home, disguised as robbers.
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[Karen]
That was a rollercoaster. One moment you think the Emperor isn’t that bad of a guy after all and then the next we see that he is quite two faced. Saying I’ll ensure your life of peace but then send the kill order. We see here that the Emperor cannot tolerate ANYONE who is not loyal to him, particularly for broader court matters. He will allow his sons to duke it out but I believe that also serves as his way of testing the loyalty of his court officials. Almost as if he’s fishing to see who would betray him. The Emperor regards his power on the throne above all else, which will become abundantly clear. Therefore, he must kill Mei Zhi Li. This man’s death also served as a warning to the likes of the Crown Prince and the Princess Royal. Play games all you want but don’t touch key senior officials.
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[Cathy]
There are 2 other threads in this episode. One is focused on Teng Zi Jing. He is essentially given a second chance at life with the trial since the Emperor cleared any wrong doing on his part. Fan Xian thinks Teng Zi JIng should leave the city to live out his life with his family and enjoy their time together. Teng Zi JIng thinks closely about this but seems troubled. His wife could tell that he was hesitant about what to do next and advised him to see Fan Xian again. When he appears at night at the Fan Manor, he exchanges verbal spars with Fan Xian and chastizes him for being dumb, but all of it is done in order to stay with Fan Xian as his body guard to protect him. Fan Xian is to pay him 50 taels a month and set him and his family up. Sure it’s a steep price but we know and Fan Xian knows, Teng Zi Jing is doing it to help Fan Xian. They are close and really respect each other. Teng Zi Jing recognizes that Fan Xian will likely be in a lot of trouble in the future and wants to protect him.
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[Karen]
The last thread revolves around Fan Xian’s Chicken Leg Girl! While the Emperor is managing court affairs, all Fan Xian cares about is whether or not his engagement will be ended. He does NOT want to marry the princess Lin Wan’Er but instead, he wants to marry his Chicken Leg Girl. Talk about love at first sight. Fan Xian’s dad can see right through the fact that all of Fan Xian’s latest actions were done in order to seem like an unworthy match to Wan’er. He’s a guy who beats people up randomly and will spend time at brothels. Which princess would want to marry a guy like him?
On Wan’Er’s part, she’s also trying to figure out ways to end the engagement. Her mother, the Princess Royal is actively trying to help her and even brings this up in front of the Empress Dowager. There is a scene where the Princess Royal Li Yun Rui asks one of her maids whether or not anyone ever thought about Wan”er’s feelings in this equation. I struggle a lot on whether or not Li Yun Rui actually cares for Wan Er and how much so I can’t tell if this line was genuine. Reason being that she, Li Yun Rui, also has plenty of reasons to NOT want Fan Xian to marry her daughter because it would mean that she loses control of the Treasury.
[Cathy]
Anyways, Fan Xian is hoping and praying the Emperor will release him from this engagement but nope, the old man says there will be NO CHANGE. That drives Fan Xian up the wall. Honestly, it is weird the Emperor is so adamant because in the book, Fan Xian and Wan’Er ARE blood related cousins. In any case, Fan Xian’s plan of attack is to literally grab his chicken leg girl and elope. He thinks she’s at the Prince of Jing’s manor because that is where he saw her last and she even said that she was a maid there. So, he drags his sister Ruo Ruo and brother Fan Si Zhe to the Prince of Jing’s manor. They summon every single maid in the property for him to see if his chicken leg girl is there. After surveying what seems like a million young women, they do not find his chicken leg girl.
The next few episodes will be centered around them FINALLY meeting and I absolutely cannot wait.
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[Karen]
That was it for the episode recap, let’s move onto a very quick culture reference. 梅执礼, the character who is only seen for two episodes, can actually be found in history. Although the historical figure has basically no similarities to this fictional one. 梅执礼 was a northern song dynasty politician and scholar who lived from 1079-1127. He rose all the way to the Minister of Revenue. The historical 梅执礼 lived during the tumultuous time of the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. In 1127, the Emperor Song Hui Zong had been captured by the Jurchens. Mei Zhi Li was killed by the Jurchens and his plans for a rescue of the Emperor fell short.
Anywho – I was reading some other articles and I honestly don’t think the author wanted to connect the historical figure of Mei Zhi Li to this character. Instead, I do believe it’s another play on words. Mei Zhi Li sounds like 没智力 which translates to No Intellect. I mean – the fact that he chose to ally with the Crown Prince this early on does give credence to No Intellect!
[Cathy]
Haha – so that was the only history I could find this episode. Let’s conclude with book differences. This episode completely deviates from the book in that we don’t get the brilliant scene between the Emperor and Mei Zhi Li here. We don’t see Fan Xian interacting with Teng Zi Jing’s family. We also don’t see the different players such as the Empress Dowager or the Princess Royal making more moves behind the scenes. This episode truly fleshes out the different drama characters more and lays the foundation for a world of hurt in the future.