u/dana_G9

I was rewatching episode 9 and halfway through they show the travel pass that the magistrate issues, which acknowledges the fake province and village that "Yan Zheng" comes from.

It's a different travel pass from the one that GSY brings to the magistrate, and we know because we can see who the issuer was at the end of this travel pass, and it's signed off by the Qingping province's magistrate (ie. the one we see in the show).

Interestingly, in this piece of document they retained the original name of Lin'an (臨安) as it appeared in the novel (see blue highlight in screencap), which is different from how the town's name is shown just about everywhere else in the show (林安) - like on the gates of the town.

Another thing we know is that this travel pass was issued sometime between episode 7 and 8 because it must have been created after Gongsun Yin arrived to save the poor magistrate and his guards from Xie Zheng's wrath (LOL).

Finally and perhaps most notably, the travel pass is issued on 十六年 十二月 (ie. the twelfth month of the 16th year of the rule of Emperor Qi Sheng). This means we now know for sure that by ep8 they were still in the twelfth month (I refuse to say "December" since that's a month on the Gregorian calendar, not the Lunar calendar they used back then).

In fact, the new year only arrives partway through episode 14, since at the very end of episode 13 we see the Fans, the Zhaos, and Xie Zheng having 團年飯 (ie. family reunion dinner, which is always on the last day of the year). And then in episode 14, we see FCY and XZ wishing each other happy new year in that funny-awkward scene in the morning, and Qianqian comes to wish them happy new year too.

They really did speedrun the Lin'an arc. LMAO

When u/newbiequestions1 asked me about the falcon notes, we ended up having a really interesting discussion that helped clarify my thoughts on the events in PoJ. Thought it'd be fun to share with everyone in the sub and open it up for discussion.

Newbie's main question was: who sent that first note to Xie Zheng in Lin'an and who was his reply intended for?

When I watched PoJ for the first time, it wasn't clear who the first note XZ received in ep1 was from nor whom his reply was. What I did think was that Gongsun Yin only heard from XZ much later on, in a separate note that we see GSY receiving in ep5. This is the scene where we follow the falcon to Luyuan Academy and we're introduced to GSY for the first time, and we see him expressing relief at reading the note.

On my second watch, I realised I had it wrong. In fact, the first note we see the falcon delivering in ep1 (asking if XZ was safe) was from GSY:

https://preview.redd.it/ppbxmiaxvjoh1.png?width=1450&format=png&auto=webp&s=c49628d13bad56aa1658a59b86013ae5e59e8b55

And XZ's reply (stating his location) was also meant for GSY. How do we know this? Because of two things:

i) Penmanship

There is one note that we know for certain is written by GSY: the one where he mopes about his crush/the princess after she's forced to leave Luyuan Academy. In that note, GSY writes: 風雨廊亭夢已醒 (see below).

https://preview.redd.it/xyveglk1wjoh1.png?width=1614&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ecc93be8c8103e282513310264579999391344f

This is the note that made XZ go 「莫名其妙」/"how obscure" (per Netflix's subpar subtitles...) when he got it. The penmanship is identical in these two notes, so we can deduce that the first note we see in ep1 is from GSY.

The reason I mistook the note GSY received in ep5 to be the first note from XZ was because GSY reacted to the note with relief, saying how he knew XZ wouldn't die so easily, as if it was his first time hearing from him. But actually, what XZ writes in that note is a huge hint it's not his first correspondence to GSY.

Also, the quality of the penmanship in that ep1 note to XZ suggests that it's from someone very educated. So Xie Wu, who's a soldier, is unlikely to be the source of the note.

ii) What XZ wrote to GSY in the ep5 note

Translation: \"I'll stay at the Fan household in Lin'an to recuperate for now. Bring my registration and travel papers over for inspection. - Jiu Heng\"

The fact that he didn't give the full address he was at in Lin'an and referenced the Fan household in a way that assumes GSY knows what he's talking about is a dead giveaway: GSY already has the full address from a previous note.

Only... when he got that hastily scribbled note XZ had written in ep1 giving his location, GSY had no idea whether XZ was in a good/safe/survivable state or not, since that note was written with a burnt stick on a piece of bandage (ie. he did not have easy access to something as basic as paper and brush).

https://preview.redd.it/lmegakukwjoh1.png?width=1612&format=png&auto=webp&s=a2b4f81b6d61f95a629c40af3863408cf8de979c

So until the note GSY got in ep5, he wasn’t sure whether his friend would live or not. Once GSY had confirmation, I presume he quickly organised things - passing word on to Xie Wu and Xie Qi/the Blood Cavalry about Xie Zheng and arranging for them to bring money to the Lin'an bookshop so that it could be passed on to XZ via the bookshop manager, who seems to be working for GSY/GSY's family business, since in a later episode YZ/XZ says makes an oblique reference to GSY as the bookshops's 東家 (boss/owner).

Anyway, that, my friends, is how yours truly ended up playing Sherlock Holmes and doing penmanship comparison whilst watching c-drama.

Remember this scene in the aftermath of the Lin’an massacre? I dunno how many people missed it like I did on the first watch so thought I’d share - notice how the scene is shot from a high angle and the camera jerks up three times?

At first I didn’t think much of it… it was only on a rewatch that I realised what it was: the camera’s showing us the magistrate’s POV, because later on we see him dead and hanged from a high point on a building/rampart. So the jerking motion was him being dragged up on the rope to that final high vantage point as he (presumably) slowly asphyxiated. :(

Director Zeng had taken a similar approach in the "everyone slap Sui Yuan Qing" scene, where the camera switches to SYQ's POV in between slaps.

Anyway, love a director who trusts the viewers enough. Show, don’t tell. They’ll deduce it in time.

Back to my favourite villain... I've seen a bunch of BTS clips but never seen this one before. Thought it was interesting enough to share! Quite surprising to see how much distance they kept from Lin Muran when they "smacked" him, because I was expecting a much smaller gap. Camera angles really can tell all sorts of lies!

Amazed yet again by Lin Muran's acting skills. He makes it look so real.

And ignore the weird sound effects. That was in the original clip, which is here. Rest of the clip is also worth watching. Lots of funny moments, especially the bits when Director Zeng says TXW is allergic to romance and she very quickly confirms.

There was a brief discussion on this sub recently about the meanings of the boards/plaques found in PoJ. Initially, I’d thought that only some of them - but not all - are relevant to the scene. Nope, I was wrong. Turns out literally every plaque we see is meaningful, except some of them have origins and messages sooo obscure you practically need a Ph.D in Chinese Classics to understand them.

Let’s look at some of the easier ones before moving on to some of the ninja level plaques today.

Level 1/Easy Plaques:

Most of the plaques that get English subtitles could probably be considered “easy”, since their relevance to the scene is so apparent that a quick show of its translation without elaboration/cultural footnotes is enough.

Prime example: The scene where the eunuch barges in to see the Marquis. Soon after Xie Zheng cuts off his ear you see the plaque behind him reads: 衝堅毀銳, which is a phrase from the Art of War by Sun Bin (not to be confused with the book of the same name by the more famous Sun Tzu).

https://preview.redd.it/ze8yzkqpyymh1.jpg?width=1968&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13c6b3f5f004e641939e2f12a40d31fe5b6af1e5

The subs show "armed and unyielding" here. Although it's serviceable, it's a rather tame translation of what that phrase actually means. A more direct translation is: "to attack what is immovable, and to destroy/maim the spear". The emperor/the imperial decree is what's supposed to be immovable but was broken here, and the eunuch (as the emperor's envoy) functions as his spear bearing unwelcome news and he, of course, gets physically maimed here. Very fitting.

Another example: when Song Yan visits Changyu at night when she’s prepping for the court case and he’s being an awful person in general, the plaque reads: 做個好人 (”be a good person”).

https://preview.redd.it/h50whhltyymh1.jpg?width=1552&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a363e6edd814ed7a791a73cb44d7cec1564d606

This plaque could also be seen later when Butcher Guo is dragged to CY’s home and he’s telling everyone about his awful plans for CY after kidnapping her. The juxtaposition of the plaque’s message against two terrible people is almost certainly intentional.

https://preview.redd.it/3hf91huuyymh1.jpg?width=1892&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=544792abc258d431d9812bfd8ae6dccaeb752d8b

Level 3 Plaques:

These are the ones that require a general grasp of Chinese literature and a touch of deduction to understand. But these involve well known sayings so the meanings of these plaques are still quite accessible to a large proportion of PoJ’s viewers.

Example: in ep31, there’s a montage of a succession of tutors scampering away after they fail to teach Changyu. We see the plaque 學海無涯 (”the sea of learning has no end”).

https://preview.redd.it/buk898vizymh1.jpg?width=1108&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3ca87461d84210034d5a91281b50f7182f6cdb4

Like many of the plaques in PoJ, the phrase is used to highlight the irony of the situation, but to grasp what this plaque is getting at in this scene, you need to know the companion phrase to 學海無涯, which is: 唯勤是岸 (literally: “hard work/diligence is the only coastline”). Put together, the whole phrase translates to “In the sea of learning that has no shore, only hard work and diligence can bring you to land.”

Once you know this companion phrase, you understand that the plaque is being ironic and poking fun at Changyu, who seems to be working reallyyy hard and giving it her best, but she’s still failing nonetheless.

And as if they’re worried that this message would be lost on the audience, there’s another plaque in the montage to serve as a hint: the place where the tutors teach Changyu is named 勤文堂 (loosely, “Hall of Academic Diligence and Hard Work”):

https://preview.redd.it/7kvbno7szymh1.jpg?width=1616&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd2c9b5718acd4ca119b17e3597fb2b205faaf88

By incorporating the key Chinese character in the companion phrase (勤/"diligence and hard work") into the name of this hall, it leaves little doubt as to what they’re trying to say.

Level 8 Plaques:

Now the phrases are getting into obscure territory. Take, for example, this one shown when Gongsun Yin plays weiqi/go with An Xu/ the Crown Princess in disguise:

https://preview.redd.it/9rurza6zzymh1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88152a6914743e1fe072fe079993f6792e836262

The plaque shows 通幽達微. My guess is that only about 5% of university graduates in China would understand this phrase (and those would overwhelmingly be people who majored in Classics). Why? Because it’s not a phrase you’d encounter in regular middle/high school curriculum nor in daily life.

In fact, it's perfectly possible to live your whole life without ever encountering this phrase, and it’s obscure for the same reason it appears in this PoJ scene: its origins are deeply academic, buried in the commentary section of a book published about 1,400 years ago. Rather fitting that we find it in Luyuan Academy, no?

The book in question is《禮記注疏》, a Confucian book published in 653 AD, and the phrase 通幽達微 loosely translates to: “to pierce through the hidden and discern subtle details”. Now, we understand why this plaque is here: to hint at the fact that GSY has by this point already discerned that the student he’s playing weiqi/Go with is the Crown Princess.

In fact, it’s possible to take the significance of this phrase here a step further, because the phrase that follows 通幽達微 in the Confucian book is: 無所不悉 (”there is nothing that one doesn’t know”). The irony is, of course, that there is indeed something GSY doesn't yet know. He knows that An Xu is actually the Crown Princess, but he hasn’t yet clocked that she is the same person that he's playing Go with, and only realises this belatedly when he receives her bracelet!

Level 10 Plaques:

Moving into ninja territory, we have plaques that require you to pause, think, research, hit a few deadends, and research some more before you finally manage to trace their provenance. The plaque at Xie Zheng’s family residence is one such ninja plaque. May I introduce you to the phrase 潑雲交翠:

https://preview.redd.it/19h3vr2o1zmh1.jpg?width=1130&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=028407e544285789ee422cbe9ae4bd8816b6811b

Without context, the phrase loosely translates to either a) "an abundance of clouds weaving in between forests/mountains” or b) “a gathering of dense, leafy trees, its foliage spilling forth like clouds”. On the surface, this phrase has nothing to do with this dream sequence where adult Xie Zheng is desperately trying to prevent his mother’s suicide.

But the significance of this plaque isn’t in the words itself, but drawn from the context in which the phrase appears in Chinese literature. In this case, 潑雲交翠 is from an obscure Yuan Dynasty poem written by a lesser known poet. For the benefit of those here who can read Chinese, here it is in full:

《避暑神山詠桂》 (許有壬, 元代)

堂前雙桂,雲潑交加翠。

火老金柔花尚未,且愛清陰滿地。

秋風一旦花開,天香吹散亭台。

卻被花神見笑,先生未必能來。

To translate the key parts: the poem is about a pair of osmanthus trees and how their lush foliage are so thick they spill forth like clouds. The poet talks about how the osmanthus flowers haven’t yet bloomed, but imagines the heavenly fragrance in the autumn when the trees finally bloom. (Autumn and the mention of "heavenly" is interesting here because autumn is the season that, in Chinese literature, is most associated with the notion of death.) In the poem’s last line, the poet laments how he may not be around (read: alive) to enjoy the next bloom of osmanthus flowers.

Suddenly, the plaque’s role in this scene is very clear. It’s foreshadowing what’s about to happen: Xie Zheng’s mother is about to commit the ultimate sacrifice yet tells her son to go pick more osmanthus flowers so she can make more cakes for him in the future. She KNOWS she won’t be around for that, and the plaque is alluding to that.

Slow clap for the PoJ production team member who picked this incredibly obscure but fitting phrase for this plaque. That was quite the Easter egg hunt I was sent on. Well played.

This also brings me to a broader point: all the plaques in PoJ are written in Traditional Chinese, as they should be. Simplified Chinese was invented in the last century so has only been around for less than 2% of the civilisation’s existence. But today, Traditional Chinese is only used on a daily basis in two places in the world: Hong Kong and Taiwan. Whilst a small portion of people in China, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. can still read Traditional Chinese, the vast majority cannot.

This means that only a small percentage of PoJ’s viewers are able to read a fair number of the plaques, much less divine their meaning. By extension, the hidden meanings of the more obscure plaques are accessible to an even smaller group of people.

So the PoJ production team went in knowing that very few people would be able to appreciate this aspect of their work, yet still put so much thought into each and every plaque, essentially leaving little surprises within PoJ for those who want to go on a treasure hunt. Isn’t that an incredible and beautiful thing?

Anyway, the plaques in PoJ are absolute delights. Of course, there are loads more of them that we could talk about. But… I write these posts for pleasure, so I’ll stop here today. Maybe if people are interested, I’ll write about more of them. There are lots of fun and snarky ones and some rather profound ones! But in the meantime I hope this was still helpful for understanding some of the subtext embedded in PoJ - I certainly learned a lot myself!

Let me know which of the plaques you saw in PoJ was your favourite!

Working on another big post that's got me falling into all sorts of obscure rabbit holes, but in the meantime just wanted to share this sequence that I noticed on a rewatch. PLEASE tell me I'm not the only person who's bothered by it.

https://i.redd.it/mzd0z081c6mh1.gif

https://i.redd.it/0w291wh2c6mh1.gif

https://i.redd.it/umghgw04c6mh1.gif

Sequence:

Changyu handles a dead/raw pig --> returns to the basin and washes her raw piggy hands --> takes the cloth used to wash Changning's face --> "rinses" it in the basin with piggy water then... wipes Changning's hands with it.

CHANGYU WHATCHUDOIN' GIRL?! You're spreading raw piggy germs!!!

/end rant

The calligraphy in PoJ is a fascinating aspect of the show and is often used to tell us something about the characters, but let's talk about a blink-and-you'll-miss-it tidbit today.

An eagle-eyed viewer noticed that in ep14, the word for 福 (loosely translates to "good fortune") is written very differently on the left and the right (see above).

They asked if the one on the left was done by Xie Zheng, and the one on the right was done by Changyu (presumably because it looks more blocky/less flowly and more amateur).

Answer: No. Whilst that is a lovely sentiment, both 福 are almost certainly written by Xie Zheng. We can deduce this because both 福 are written in entirely legitimate fonts in Chinese calligraphy, and written well.

The one on the left is written in 行書 ("xing shu"), a slightly cursive font, and is the much more common calligraphy style we see in modern times.

The one on the right is written in 隸書 ("li shu"), which is an older calligraphy style that originated during the Qin dynasty. It's a more blocky style of calligraphy and doesn't have the elegant flow that most people nowadays associate with Chinese calligraphy but it is absolutely used for stylistic purposes still - just that you see it less often.

Examples of characters done in 隸書:

https://preview.redd.it/12scvm6j5zlh1.jpg?width=1544&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2753637e616bd18dd73ff1d175ef581e33eaac49

From the way the 福 is written in this scene, you can tell they both came from someone who is educated - eg. the proportions of the character, the pressure of the brush applied at different points, the steadiness of the hand, etc. are all the work of someone who has good penmanship.

So the one on the right is not written by Changyu, especially because we get to see her actual handwriting in a later episode when she leaves the army camp and writes a letter to XZ telling him not to seek her out... (which he promptly disobeys LOL):

https://preview.redd.it/g04t1ikr5zlh1.jpg?width=1512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b91b0a0be6c041aa62a57827dfea13236971fce9

Her handwriting here is... let's just say it leaves a lot to be desired haha (but for real these look like a 5 year old's scribbles T_T)

Randomly, the Lunar New Year scenes in PoJ brought back warm memories of doing calligraphy as a kid at home. My maternal grandfather was a physician by trade but come LNY, he was that guy in town that people went to to buy spring couplets (對聯 / 揮春) so he did a lottt of calligraphy around that time of the year - just like Xie Zheng!

Remember this scene? After Xie Zheng runs off with Changyu in his arms, the camera returns to the wishing tree. We’re then treated to a very leisurely pan of the branches and ribbons… to the point where I lowkey wondered if they’d overdone it. Turns out, the devil is in the details.

Here’s a screenshot of a frame with the brightness and contrast bumped up:

https://preview.redd.it/e8owmbjfodlh1.jpg?width=1720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1079bf757d5dbb56c026b4545895ba0e2ff553dd

See what’s written on these ribbons? 「長玉與徵 世世生生」. In fact, as the camera continues panning, you realise EVERY SINGLE RIBBON on the tree says the same thing: ”Changyu and Zheng, now and forever” (or, for a slightly more direct translation: “Changyu and Zheng, in this life and every life”, but there's a nicer ring to it in Chinese, as it actually rhymes.)

Interestingly, this is the only time we see the “Zheng” in Xie Zheng’s name written as 徵. In the rest of PoJ, his name is always shown as 征. In the web version of the novel I’ve seen, it’s also written as 征, which frankly is the more sensible choice given Xie Zheng’s military background, because 征 is the character that is closely tied to military matters. Phrases like 征服/”to conquer”, 征兵/”military conscription” etc. come to mind.

https://preview.redd.it/aajft6vxodlh1.jpg?width=1984&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6a506e60dd27346e0460091ca583d0755b3b0e4

So I have no idea why they opted for 徵 here. It’s pretty clear that the ribbons are not written by XZ himself, since at the start of this scene there's a guy who has set up a stall by the tree and is shown writing on the ribbons and selling them to people (see below).

https://preview.redd.it/u54wwl7oodlh1.jpg?width=1109&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=164b87d87845ea24d86d321614036ab19007848e

The most generous explanation I can think of is that as the legend of Changyu and Xie Zheng was passed through word of mouth, some of the details got warped. Canonically, one thing that did get warped is the idea that XZ and FCY first met under this tree. So it's plausible that XZ’s name got warped through hearsay too.

The less charitable explanation is that it’s a production oversight/continuity error, but that would be surprising given the attention to this particular ribbon detail in the scene. If you have a better idea why they went with 徵 here do share!

https://preview.redd.it/x387l514pdlh1.jpg?width=1456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3aa1412452b54fdd354b46fcb550d9464bbf2030

Either way, I don’t feel inclined to overthink it and just find it to be a cool detail, because in the actual scene the contrast is so low that you really can't be expected to spot this detail unless you hit pause.

Makes you wonder what other things they’d slipped into this show, just waiting to be discovered. I think this is also why PoJ is like catnip for people who love discovering hidden details... it’s basically a treasure hunt, and as it is the show’s so beautiful we hardly need an excuse to rewatch it. ;)

(In other words: I can’t stop rewatching this show. SEND HELP!!!)

You ever noticed that the Crown Princess’s nurse headdress has two curved tails at the back?

This little detail is actually a nod to 博鬢 (in Mandarin, ”bo bin”), a Song Dynasty headdress design reserved solely for 命婦冠服/ women with a conferred title, so think members of the royal family and others such as those who are married to very senior military figures… More on that later ;)

https://preview.redd.it/xzlc47nr0ekh1.png?width=1184&format=png&auto=webp&s=747ce4e4b1a3971388245724cd5fe359408eab0d

Put differently, the bo bin/curved tails design is a sign of high status, and we actually see a full fledged version of it much later as part of Qianqian's empress look:

https://preview.redd.it/ibcav6kfzdkh1.png?width=1604&format=png&auto=webp&s=45e437f7be4228ef984d9bb512c959c372ecf001

Qianqian’s headdress and bo bin draws heavy inspiration from historical designs, such as the one worn by Empress Cao, the Second Empress of Emperor Renzhong. Historically, the more pairs of tails on the headdress, the more senior the rank - a bit like stripes on epaulets.

https://preview.redd.it/hyttq2unzdkh1.png?width=537&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab6a10494093a66b44295f2fccf5ceeac7955fb8

Source: https://www.aihanfu.com/wen/3009/ (Chinese article with lots of historical details)

With that cultural understanding, the Crown Princess’s nurse headdress takes on more significance - it’s a hint at her status even when in disguise, which is also why that detail is missing from her maid/servant’s headdress.

https://preview.redd.it/tk1dppkwzdkh1.png?width=2328&format=png&auto=webp&s=c958087a644e30336d2454ea3e9d7d39ef927746

The rules around this headdress detail is also why, when Changyu appears as the Marchioness in Lin’an, you can see a similar curved tail bo bin as part of her headdress - it’s a design that she can now wear since she’s married to a Marquis :)

https://preview.redd.it/d82k0he20ekh1.jpg?width=1644&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7164ce89552c26ce0f15e2a18c3205e52830732

Thus ends another little post about all the fun cultural details in this show.

Credit to 西陽靜兒 on XHS for pointing out this detail and its historical origins. Her post here has way more info about other characters but I just focussed on one small part and expanded it with my own research. It’s cool little details like these in PoJ that makes it so fun to rewatch. I’m learning loads about my own culture as I go. Thank you for joining me on this ride :)

Ok, ok... y'all know I love this show. But you know what bugs me a little? When Director Zeng breaks logic for aesthetics.

The one that people talk about the most is probably how in Lin'an paper windows are left open when it's snowing. Looks very romantic, but c'mon. It's winter in the northwest. It's a miracle people haven't died en masse from pneumonia!

And here's one from an otherwise nice scene when Xie Zheng and Changyu are sharing a kiss...

(Note: ball-shaped claypots are almost always used for brewing meds)

The Chinese in me: "!!!! OMGWTFBBQ that heat's on WAYYY too high on that 瓦煲 (clay pot)! It's killing the medicinal value of that brew!! Turn that down!! YOU'LL BURN YOUR MEDS!!!"

"But... look at the pretty puffs of vapour!" - Director Zeng, probably

/end rant

A lot of people have been recommending the novel and I promised a few of you I'd give an update once I got the chance to check it out. FWIW, I read the Chinese version so can't say how the English versions are like. Anyway, here are some thoughts from the first 10 chapters (up to ~episode 4 in the drama):

• Cold. The novel feels colder than the drama - both in terms of Xie Zheng's personality and Changyu's relationships with fellow Lin'an residents. eg. In the novel, the person who was responsible for making Changyu's wedding outfits wasn't Mrs. Chen but some random person, but it feels way cosier that Changyu has people like Mrs. Chen looking out for her who are a regular presence in the drama.
• On that note, I'm sad that the novel only had bit roles for so many characters we love in the drama!
• They changed the name of Lin'an town! Novel says 臨安 but the drama says 林安. Pronounciation is the same but the irony embedded in the original name got lost in the change, because 臨安 roughly means "peace cometh/a place where peace is about to descend" and of course, the irony is that a massacre happened there... ;'(
• There was funny line in the beginning that was so emblematic of the type of humour we see in the drama. On the state of the man she'd just saved: 治成什麽樣了，樊長玉不清楚，不過目前還沒斷氣就是了。 (loosely: "Changyu wasn't sure if the man had been healed (by Mr. Zhao) but at least he ain't dead for now.") It sounds funnier in Chinese (and also 'cos I'm not a professional translator so please bear with me) but it's the juxtaposition of something light/casual against a serious situation that makes it funny and I'm just so glad that the drama adopted this aspect of the novel and REALLY expanded it to the point it became a signature element of the drama.
• The novel seems to adhere more to the classic Chinese wuxia novel structure where the protagonists meet side characters and move right on, never meeting them again. It contributes to the colder feel of the novel, especially if you've experienced the cosiness of the drama first.
• The drama flows so much better based on the little I've read. eg. I couldn't believe that the novel skipped right over the actual moment of CY saving XZ in the snow!! That was such an amazing character building moment in the drama and told us a lot about Changyu and her motivations, etc. The novel also skipped over so many classic/signature moments in the drama (partly because in the novel XZ warms to CY a lot slower, which I guess is more realistic).
• The author had the sense to keep the windows in the bedrooms closed for invalids! THANK YOU!!
• Had an LOL moment when in the novel Xie Zheng thought: 天降大任於斯任也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨…… See, the line is in Classical Chinese so it's very refined and full of dignity, etc. (definitely not Changyu's vocabulary but very Xie Zheng), and the sentence loosely translates to "those who are destined for great things must first endure hardship and adversity of the mind and body". But... Xie Zheng applied this line to work up the courage to eat a bowl of large intestine noodles! Just funny what a big deal it was to him - especially because he'd been really enjoying the noodles until he learned that he was eating large intestines.
• So interesting that novel XZ did not use Classical Chinese when he first spoke to Changyu like he'd done in the drama! I'd written about the significance of the choice of Classical Chinese in that scene in this post but one thing I refrained from saying then was how odd/out of character it was for him to be doing that with the benefit of hindsight. It worked during a first viewing of PoJ and did build intrigue around this mysterious man, but once you realise that XZ's meant to have this vast intellect and is very savvy, the use of Classical Chinese here feels odd because he's not figured out where he is and using such a specific type of speech would give away his unusual station very quickly. I kind of expect him, even if woozy from a near death experience, to have the instinct to to lie low and talk like a normal person instead of like the highborn that he is.

Overall, just based on the first 10 chapters I by far prefer the drama just because it elevated the story in so many beautiful and funny ways, so I'll probably just pick out some key scenes in the novel to read but that's about all I can do at the moment.

Let's compare notes! Of those who've read the novel, which did you prefer: the novel or the drama? What were your favourite bits from the novel that they sadly didn't include in the drama?

Let’s talk about Jin Ye (aka Jin Yuanbao) today! I love this character and how he evolved as a person throughout the show.

One of PoJ’s strengths is that the side characters are vividly drawn out - we see that they have their own inner worlds, desires, fears, etc. and the characters’ actions and reactions to events bear a consistent logic throughout. For me, Jin Ye is a prime example.

When we meet him for the very first time, he seems to just be some bog standard ruffian. The second time we meet him is when he and his squad returns to Changyu’s home to search for the house deed and Yan Zheng confronts them. That’s when you see he’s a bit more than just “ruffian”. When he threatened to break Yan Zheng’s good leg, the way YZ placidly replied was not lost on him. As early as this very moment, you see he’s different from his crew. When the rest were busy jeering at YZ, Jin Yuanbao’s eyes narrow, and moments later he smartly declines YZ’s challenge, clocking that there’s more to YZ than meets the eye and it’s best not to mess with him.

Later, during the fake Marquis scene, we see that Jin Ye is yet again ahead of his crew and in fact is the only person smart enough to figure out something is amiss. When everyone’s busy pleading with “the Marquis”, Jin Ye is the only one who casts not one but two suspicious looks at Yan Zheng. He’s the only one there who realises amidst the confusion that it’s really strange for YZ to be speaking so authoritatively to the Marquis:

https://i.redd.it/qzin1uol57jh1.gif

In fact, he’s sharp enough in his observations throughout the show that I get the sense he’s basically one of those smart kids who got bored because they were understimulated in school/life, and developed a habit of being lazy precisely because they were smart enough to get stuff done without putting in much effort then eventually got mixed in with the wrong crowds and doing unethical but highpaying work. Which is how we found him when we first met him.

You also have to feel for him, because it’s clear that he catches feelings for Changyu. After Changyu was reunited with Yan Zheng at the army camp, Jin Ye was listless - to the point where the monetary rewards the butcher squad just received didn’t give him an ounce of pleasure.

He’s evolved, and you realise that he’d been lowkey harbouring hopes of a happier outcome between himself and Changyu. But equally, he seems sufficiently self-aware to know deep down that she’s out of his league and so he keeps his feelings to himself. Jin Ye’s actor 李殿尊 (Li Dianzun) conveys all of this to us with his acting, and I love him for bringing Jin Ye to life.

And even when he realises that his feelings for her will always be unrequited, he remains loyal to Changyu and continues to fulfill his role as a protector as well as he can. And last but not least, we have him to thank for the paper window kiss. If he hadn’t insisted on toasting Changyu, Xie Zheng wouldn’t have felt compelled to drink on her behalf and then drag her away.

All in all, he’s a great character in my book - someone who's complex and intelligent... who also plays accidental cupid. ;)

What did you guys think of Jin Yuanbao as a character?

Here's something I never understood and I'm curious how others are interpreting it. In the Big Reveal scene where Xie Zheng gallops onto the battlefield and whisks Changyu away, the butcher squad watches them from afar and Mandi mutters 「完了……」 - literally "(something/someone is) finished/done for"; figuratively "oh crap".

The Netflix English subs translated it to "oh no". The Japanese subs say ヤバい, which in this situation translates to "oh crap" or "damn". But what was Mandi referring to exactly? I know he was shocked by the revelation, but the comment didn't quite make sense to me. So how did you all interpret his comment? What was he referring to in that moment?

A very minor observation but it did make me wonder about a broader point. For Chinese speakers, this next bit is obvious, but I never really know what the experience is like for others when watching this show. For instance, is it clear to those watching with English subs that within Xie Zheng’s Blood Cavalry, there’s a pattern to the names of the generals? Someone please tell me, because there’s actually a ranking in place.

Xie Wu literally means “Xie Five”, Xie Qi = Xie Seven, and Xie Jiu = Xie Nine.

And when Xie Zheng was in Lin’an, he mentioned to Xie Wu and Xie Qi that Xie Yi and Xie San had sacrificed their lives to help him escape during the ambush.

Xie Yi = Xie One

Xie San = Xie Three

In other words, when Xie Zheng was ambushed at the start and lost Xie Yi and Xie San, he wasn’t just mourning the loss of some of his Blood Cavalry but specifically the two most senior ranking soldiers he had, the ones he’d worked with most closely.

By extension, we see Xie Wu being Xie Zheng’s right hand man in the show only because he was promoted to it following the death of Xie Yi (presumably the most senior ranking of the Blood Cavalry). This could potentially also explain why Xie Wu sometimes makes these hilarious gaffes and says things before his brain fully processes them - he’s new to this role and didn’t actually have that much face time with his boss previously. (At least, that’s how I choose to interpret it)

And the broader point being: Sometimes I wonder about how the PoJ viewing experience differs between people depending on the language we experience it in. There’re definitely notable differences between the Chinese and English version. eg. in episode 1, when Xie Zheng wakes and first meets Changyu, according to the English subs he asks “where am I?” but in the original dialogue he actually says 「此乃何地」, which is a very elevated/elegant way of asking “where is this place?”

The minute you hear this as a Chinese speaker you understand one thing: this guy’s a highborn. Or, at the least, very well educated. Commoners don’t talk like that. Then when Changyu asks for his name he replies 「在下言正」. Though the subtitles translates this to “My name is Yan Zheng” the original line is actually a very respectful and educated way of introducing one self, something you’re more likely to hear in a palace. Suspicion confirmed: this guy ain’t no ordinary Joe. All this adds intrigue to his character but the implication is lost in translation because there’s no full English equivalent of what he actually said. There are loads of these little instances in the show that reveal a lot about the characters and their relationship to each other, etc.

There’s also a Thai dubbing and I’m sure the translators would’ve had to take a few creative liberties when translating, just like when they were coming up with the English subs. In doing so, did they create notable differences in interpretation of various scenes? How does that affect the story we understand? In short, I do sometimes wonder if we’re all getting slightly different stories because of linguistic differences.

The day of the wedding, Xie Zheng’s falcon delivers a small tube of medicine to him. This is what he was about to apply on himself later that evening when Fan Changyu walks in on him. You ever wondered why he seemed so terse when she arrived unannounced?

It’s because the medicine in question is 金瘡藥 (Jin Chuang Yao), which has a trademark red tint due to a herb (血竭/ Calamus draco) used in its formulation. Shown in the PoJ here.

https://preview.redd.it/sizg8vk02fhh1.jpg?width=2340&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4943741ba9116eeac823356346f483d64e5ea0d1

Jin Chuang Yao is highly effective for stemming bleeding and healing sword wounds but it was also very expensive back in the day due to its ingredients (eg. ground fossil bone). And though it was to a degree available to civilians it was primarily used amongst the military. That’s why XZ was on guard the second FCY walked in - he was still holding the medicine in its original bottle, which had the medicine label on it. If she saw him with it (expensive and hard to procure!) his lie about working as armed escort wouldn't hold and it would likely invite questions he didn’t want.

And that is why he only let her in after he disguised his medicine in the original medicine bottle.

P.S. Today, Jin Chuang Yao in its original formulation is no longer made in China, because about a century ago, they realised that a key ingredient in the medicine is... oracle bones - the very thing that carries the earliest forms of written Chinese (3,000+ years ago!) and so are an essential piece of cultural history. Once oracle bones were listed as a national treasure, they could no longer be used for medicinal purposes. And so, the true formulation of Jin Chuang Yao exists now only in historical memory - and in period dramas like PoJ.

P.P.S. Credit to 只在雪雲西 for highlighting the significance of Jin Chuang Yao in this scene. BTW her scene by scene analysis of PoJ on XHS is fantastic so to those who read Chinese - would highly recommend going through her whole PoJ series if you’ve not done so already. Her analysis on their parting scene in Lin'an was so wonderful it made my heart ache. I’ve linked to her essay series above.

What are your favourite little details from the show that add to your understanding of the characters?

Source

Saw this a while back but only just thought to share. The breakdown/additional "lines" are fabulous. I almost died laughing. And perhaps unusually, both the Chinese and English subs for it are decent (at least, the English subs are a reasonably good translation of the Chinese original). It made an already hilarious scene even funnier.

When did you fall in love with PoJ as a show or decide it was awesome? For me it was this moment when Mr. Zhao chided Fan Changyu for trying to give a donkey’s dosage of meds to a dying man.

The humour is the heart of the show for me, and this was such a classic moment of what the show does so well: slipping in a random bit of hilarity in an otherwise solemn moment. The delivery of that line was so perfect that you could feel so many things at once: Mr. Zhao’s urgency and exasperation (you could just see him thinking ”how is it that I have to tell you that the dosage for a donkey and a man isn’t be the same?”) but also the way he said it conveyed warmth, like he was chiding a dear daughter and he couldn’t believe her naivety.

Conveniently, the scene also told us something about FCY - that as capable as she is, she can also be a bit of an airhead, which makes it a bit more believable later in the show when she spends so long in the dark about Yan Zheng’s true identity (or at least, suspect that he’s someone rather important, especially given all the signs at the army camp).

But yes, I just loved this moment. It made me laugh out loud, feel the warmth between characters and also how vivid the side characters were (definitely a key strength of the show for me) and was just a very random, ridiculous moment in an otherwise serious situation. Mr. Zhao is also one of my fave side characters in general. He’s just so lovable and brought warmth to all his scenes. Amazing performance.

If Fan Changyu’s rise from a civilian to a general sounds too unlikely to be true, you need to be introduced to the real life female general who, according to PoJ’s author, was the inspiration for FCY’s character.

When reading up on her incredible life, I found myself deeply moved by her courage, integrity, and loyalty over a long and stellar military career. But I haven’t seen any mention of her here so I’d really like to talk about this legendary general today because there are a TON of hidden parallels within PoJ.

The real life/historical figure that served as the inspiration for FCY is 秦良玉 (Qin Liangyu). Yes, the 玉 (yu, meaning "jade") in her name is the exact same character in "Fan Changyu". But the similarity in their names is just the tip of the iceberg.

Qin lived during the late Ming Dynasty, about 400 years ago. Just like our Fan Changyu, she lived during a time in Chinese history where there was much political upheaval, when warring factions tried to wrest power.

Qin’s family were Miao people, an ethnic minority group with strong warrior and martial arts traditions. Though she was born into an era when a woman’s roles were clearly defined and tied to the home, and being subservient to the husband was considered a great virtue, Qin’s father was unusually progressive.

He raised her as he raised her brothers: teaching them all to read and write so they were literate and educated. He also taught them horse riding, archery, and military strategy, all of which were deeply unusual for a girl of that time.

In PoJ, FCY’s unusual strength was probably inspired by Qin, who was said to be incredibly strong herself. One indicative incident from her youth: once, as a child, Qin had gone to gather firewood in the mountains with her older brother. On the way home, her brother slipped and nearly fell off the cliff. He was only saved because 12-year-old Qin managed to grab him in time, her other hand grabbing a rock crevice to keep them both from falling.

Then, the young girl managed to haul her brother, who was reportedly over 20 lbs heavier than herself, back to safety. When their father learned of the incident, he was reported to have said that the girl would leave her mark in the future, and thereafter became particularly strict with her training as he believed in her potential.

Before we get to her military career, we need to introduce one other key person: Qin’s husband. The story of how they met is a fun one. As Qin grew and came of age, her reputation as a strong and skilled fighter spread, so much so that one day, a man by the name of Ma Qiancheng comes asking for her hand in marriage.

Qin’s father says he’d grant Ma permission to marry his daughter on the condition that he was able to defeat his daughter in a fight. On the day the two met for this, Ma showed up with a long spear and Qin showed up with two swords. At this point in my research, I had to stop and laugh. Don’t we know a girl in PoJ who fights with two swords and also some dude who fights with a long spear? ;)

https://preview.redd.it/g0n5ze3fhneh1.png?width=2066&format=png&auto=webp&s=30aa55aaeeb85d5427a46a2d86033edf5a496fa1

Qin and Ma then fought for over 30+ rounds as it was difficult to tell who truly had the upper hand. In the end, it was Ma who conceded defeat, telling Qin: 秦姑娘武藝超群，千乘甘拜下風，願以一生真心相待。The last part of that sentence is a bit tricky to translate as the original form is simple yet poetic, but it's essentially a marriage proposal and a promise to love Qin wholeheartedly all his life. And whilst Xie Zheng didn't use the same words during his proposal to FCY in the army camp, that proposal bore the same DNA of Ma's proposal to Qin.

Once wedded, Qin didn't just “retire” into domestic life though she did give birth to a son, Ma Xianglin (who joined his mother in army training from a young age and was quite a badass himself). She then raised an army called 白杆兵 (”the White Pole/Spear Army”), who would go on to become one of the most well known armies in Chinese history.

How was a woman able to raise an army? Well, the army was initially raised through local community ties and a network of kinship, and not via formal conscription. Her husband’s official role as a pacification commissioner also lent legitimacy to the army, though responsibility for training the army was reportedly split between Ma and Qin herself.

And here, another Easter egg in PoJ… one of the things that the White Spear Army was famous for was the use of a unique spear designed by Qin herself, bearing a hook and a ring, that was engineered specifically for battle in Sichuan’s mountainous terrain.

Though no authentic spear survives to this day, it was said to have:

• a long, narrow spearhead,
• a hook or blade near the head,
• a ring or cap at the end, and
• measuring 2.7 to 3.5 metres in length.

If that sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen a very similar spear in PoJ. Though many characters in the show use a spear to fight, only one character's spear echoes the historical White Spear in design: Xie Zheng's.

A dramatised version of the White Spear

Xie Zheng even uses the spear in the way it was used historically, using the hook to drag one Sui Yuan Qing down from his horse. I thought it was a cool touch, a way of imbuing the drama with a realistic, historical element.

The moment the spear hooks onto Sui Yuan Qing before he's dragged down from his horse

Coming back to Qin, her legend perhaps grew the most after tragedy struck. When Qin was 39, her beloved husband was framed by palace officials and arrested, ultimately dying in prison before his name was cleared. Following his death, Qin resolved to continue to fight on his behalf, and led her White Spear Army through many legendary battles, where they were able to secure victories against some of the most formidable millitary forces of their time. In PoJ, there was the obvious parallel: FCY taking to the battlefield in her husband's stead.

Another possible PoJ Easter egg: prior to each battle, Qin was said to have a habit of giving a red piece of string to her soldiers as a symbol of a safe return (red, presumably because it’s an auspicious colour). This did make me wonder if FCY’s styling as a general was influenced by this lore associated with Qin.

https://preview.redd.it/eliwo8c8gneh1.jpg?width=1780&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=723e67c93999b887da0e862d76025c92fa3bbca5

Also notable was the tremendous respect and loyalty Qin had garnered amongst her soldiers, with some reported to have died in battle saying: 秦奶奶，來世還當您的兵。 ("In my next life, I'll still be your soldier.")

Though Qin’s army had scored many victories over the course of 40+ years, one particular loss is notable. This happened towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the Manchurians (who would go on to found the Qing Dynasty) gained strength.

In the Battle of Hun He, Qin’s older brother was killed in action and a younger brother lost an arm. The toll of that battle was significant for Qin, but after grieving for a full night, she defiantly declared, “I may have lost a brother and another lies gravely injured, but so long as I’m alive, the banner of the White Spear Army will fly!”

And so her military career continued through the years. According to historical records, which carry far more weight than lore, Qin led her army (by now numbering 30,000+ soldiers) into battle well into her 50s and 60s, waging successful campaigns right through her sunset years until she finally retired from the front lines at age 70.

Such were her accomplishments over an astounding 45 years in the military that she was eventually awarded one of the highest ranks in the land: 從一品 (senior 1st ranked official). Even the Emperor personally composed a poem for Qin - an extraordinarily rare act of honour and a reflection of her importance to the kingdom. Worth noting because in PoJ, we get a similar scene, where the Emperor personally writes a few lines as a compliment to FCY.

https://preview.redd.it/ozmmxcv1cneh1.png?width=1326&format=png&auto=webp&s=449b50d4729edba88ad30930a523db8bab65060c

Qin lived right through the final days of the Ming Dynasty, and was eventually annointed Marquess/Marchioness. And though the winds of fortune changed, bringing with it the dawn of the Qing Dynasty, she never wavered in her loyalty and served the Ming dynasty to the end.

It is said that when Qin died at age 75, there was a tremendous outpouring of grief and word spread that 48 tombs had been built for Qin in an effort to throw off grave robbers from finding her real tomb. But this piece of lore is unlikely to be true, because Qin died during a time of great turmoil. It is very unlikely that there were enough resources to build four dozen tombs, but the sentiment behind the lore was likely true: that the people were anxious to protect the final resting place of an important and beloved commander.

Today, her main tomb and at least two others tomb still stand, nestled in the forests of Sichuan.

https://preview.redd.it/v6yp9sw6bneh1.png?width=1728&format=png&auto=webp&s=e7290745a1863fdef779bc68b9e979319e807944

Throughout China’s long history, the names of the most influential female figures of every dynasty are recorded in a document called 列女傳 ("Biographies of Exemplary Women”). But if you were to look through this document today, you would not find Qin’s name there.

For there is another document: 正史 (”the Official Histories”), a massive document spanning 24 volumes and 3,000 years of Chinese history, meticulously compiled by each successive dynasty to serve as a continuous and authoritative ledger of the heroes that lived.

This is the document where the most, most important figures in Chinese history are recorded. As you could guess, records of such people are almost all men, and the mentions of women are exceptionally rare.

Yet, this is exactly where you will find the record of Qin Liangyu, the only female name in the section for generals and ministers across the entire ledger of the Official Histories spanning 3,000 years.

Qin Liangyu was, in short, a woman who defied convention and shattered the glass ceiling that had held many women back during a particularly patriarchal time in China, and one could devote far more words to talking about her incredible life. But perhaps it is enough to know that FCY was not created from pure imagination, but inspired by history, and that such a woman had lived, had fought, and was - without reservation - legendary.

Currently working on a big post but it's a deep dive on a key character and has to do with history so it's taking longer than I expected to finish. In the meantime, let's talk villains!

Who was your favourite? Sui Yuan Qing gets my vote. He really gave off villain vibes: unstable, cruel, bloodthirsty, ruthless, mad, and manipulative. He was wreckless and stupid at times, but also knew how to twist the knife into people's hearts and say the most heartbreaking things. Every time he was on screen he absolutely stole the limelight for me.

Kudos to the actor (Lin Muran) for such an excellent portrayal. And to think he was only 19yo when he filmed PoJ!!

Who was your favourite villain?