You’ve been trolled! 😈
I think there are two solutions here: the convoluted, preposterous answer concocted by the scriptwriter to troll the audience and the simplified version that I’m going to propose.
The Troll’s Answer
The first one is explained by goyangi. (Thanks, goyangi!) Her explanation follows the script. I’m going to paraphrase what she wrote in the comment box.
In the first riddle solved in Episode 3, JeYoon guessed that the missing 3rd character would be a word with three rectangles (or squares). Why? Because the 1st character in the riddle had 1 rectangle, the 2nd character had 2 rectangles, the 4th character had 4 rectangles, and the last and 5th character had 5 rectangles.
JY guessed that the missing word must have 3 rectangles because it was the 3rd word in the sequence. And he wrote down a word with 3 rectangles, “net.”
However, Yul pointed out that the word had no context and he replaced it with the “correct” word “embrace” (or something more sexual. It’s a word that would make two guys JY and LeeYul uncomfortable just thinking about it.) The word “embrace” also had 3 rectangles in it but it made sense when used in the sentence.
In Episode 14, JY already figured out that the word “heel” could be broken down into two characters, “foot” and “heavy.” He deduced that it was a reference to the cherry blossom tree where the Crown Prince used to always stop and pass by with leaden steps. But the CPrincess had the tree chopped down so he couldn’t investigate the clue further. He tried to visit the CPrincess’ residence, and we know what happened there, right? He got captured with the maid looking for the talisman.
However, the amnesiac LeeYul said that the old LeeYul would have used the same strategy of counting rectangles when he gave the NEW puzzle to JeYoon. He wouldn’t have make the riddle too complicated. He said, “When I set you a riddle of words, you solved it by counting the squares. I believe I set the riddle to your level.” (He was insulting JY, of course. lol.)
JY noticed that the word “heel” had five rectangles so he suggested that perhaps the clue signified a venue with five squares.
But LeeYul suddenly had an inspiration from his romantic evening stroll with HongShim. Thinking of the lovers’ gateway, he supposed that the rectangles represented doors. He said, “The journal is in a room that can be reached by passing through five doors from here (meaning his chambers).”
That was how JY ended up on a wild goose chase. He searched the library but no journal wasn’t there.
This forced LeeYul to reassess their original premise. He somehow contrived that they needed to have passed through six more doors instead of the original five because they had to add the five rectangles in the word “heel” to the “cherry blossom tree.”
Or something like that…. lol. (Both goyangi and nrllee couldn’t figure out this part. I think it’s been made up to appear logical when it’s in fact all nonsense. The writer was trolling.)
Anyway, that’s how the two guys ended up in an empty room with shelves containing boxes. One of the chests there was made from the cherry blossom tree and the diary was inside.
My Simple Answer:
To me, the writer was trolling the audience with all the mumbo-jumbo about the doors. LeeYul had a brain-freeze instead of an inspired thought when he suggested the doors.
Look:
JeYoon was already on the right track. The word “heel” could be broken down into “heavy” and “foot” and the cherry blosson tree would have been the right answer.
However instead of the “doors” that amnesia LeeYul proposed, I would say that RECTANGLES were the key.
The old LeeYul couldn’t have thought of doors because at that time, he had no concept of lovers’ gateways.
The old LeeYul would have simply picked up where the old riddle left off. 😂 Meaning, the first word had 1 rectangle, the second word had 2 rectangles, the third word had 3 rectangles, the fourth word had 4 rectangles, and the fifth word had 5 rectangles.
Thus, this additional word, heel, which he sent to JeYoon later would resume the pattern and represent the sixth word with 6 rectangles. 😂🤦♀️
To me, that’s the clue right there. Six rectangles. There’s no need to look for doors or entrances. Just ✋ stop! Remember, the old LeeYul expected JY to UNDER-think this, not over-think.
Six rectangles, when put together, form a box. Likewise, six squares, when put together, form a box.
Simply put: JeYoon was supposed to look for a box made from the cherry blossom tree.
When JeYoon received the letter, Eunuch Yang was still alive. He could have easily asked Eunuch Yang where the Crown Prince’s cherry blossom box was hidden. He didn’t need to count doors and walk around the palace. There was no way the old LeeYul would have complicated the riddle that way, knowing that JY wouldn’t have access to the private residences. Like the first puzzle, he created the riddle for JY to understand creatively.
So, that’s my interpretation of the riddle. 😂
You go PM3! Except squares in Chinese literally means mouth but doors can also be referenced. I think LY only thought of that because of the lover’s gateway was still fresh in his mind so it tweaked that he meant doors.
门口 – this means doorway. See the square?
Lol. You’ve got a point (or a square).
My version is the dumbed-down version because LeeYul expected JY to solve it. JY couldn’t go walking at leisure through doorways in the palace and start counting them. He’d get kicked out.
But heeeyyy, I don’t want to over-think this puzzle too because I don’t want to be caught in this trollish writer’s snare.
How do you write cherry blossoms in Chinese? Are there even squares?
Okay well someone in the other forum solved it… Not to be a seagull or anything… I have credited the other forum… And ah8ling posted it… So I have credited the original poster too 😂
The English subs threw us…we were looking for a seal…when in actual fact they were talking about the Chinese word for Cherry which is
櫻
See? 6 rectangles? 6 doors…
Cherry tree has six rectangles? Lol.
See that? You don’t have to know Chinese to anticipate that LeeYul was referring to a word with SIX rectangles because that was the sequence JY was working on.
One, two, three, four, five, SIX rectangles.
The cherry blossom was already given by JeYoon. The box clue comes from the six rectangles.
The door/doorway was irrelevant because the door in itself would NOT give you the diary. Cherry Blossom Door doesn’t make sense. JY could enter six, seven, eight, and eleven doors, and he wouldn’t know what he was looking for because the clue is generic. It’s like receiving a message to go to the eight house on the street. Okaaayy. What will you do there when you get there? What will you look for?
But cherry blossom BOX does. He was supposed to look for the cherry blossom box because inside it was his diary. It was very specific.
The doorway clue doesn’t lead you anywhere, ironically enough. 😂
Also cherry isn’t complete. What about blossom? It’s cherry BLOSSOM, not cherry.
But wait… I’m stopping here I’m not going to fall for this writer’s trolling. 🛑 Stop, pm3.
😂
I’m sure we were trolled by the convoluted riddle
But I just want to point out that the heel character had 5 squares. Not 6. 5 squares/doors to lead to the library & find all the journals except the last one with the important information and figure out journals are important and the missing one must be found and maybe there is more to the riddle.
Hence think deeper about the riddle (not only in turns of number of squares but also what the words mean => cherry => character for cherry blossom with 6 rectangles => more doors
Still quite dumb the whole thing.
Is this show telling me the super important most secret journal was kept in an empty room with only a chest on some table which screams me, me, I’m important, look inside, you, whoever steps into this room. I am shaking my head here so badly…
On the upside I .. haven’t really learned any chinese character BUT I surely can tell the number of squares in characters for cherry, heel, embrace, net. I’m sure that will be useful in my life at one point. NOT :)))
Hahaha. Love you, Oli!
That’s why let’s stop. This is too much trolling from the &$$@&)) writer. Why the heck do we need to start counting rectangles? We’re bitches, for goodness gracious!! 😂😈
Anyway, let me check on the paternity next. I’m going to watch that scene with Minister Kim and daughter. I kinda feel sorry for his son too. He was so proud to introduce himself as the son of Vice-Premier blah blah when he met HongShim, but his father’s eyes only have been focused on the CPrincess.
Oh my, what an honour to be mentioned here :p … it’s me ah8ling (hi, been lurking n loving all the blogs written here for 100 days). thks nrllee for crediting me..
The word cherry was used to seal the envelope where ‘heel’ msg was kept in, so it being a seal is still right. (this is shown in ep13). tat adds another layer of clever cos the msg is not only what’s in the letter but also what’s on the envelope.
also the words are written in traditional chinese which has more strokes. the simple chinese for cherry hv no rectangles, so a bit of checking the dictionary for traditional form of the words were necessary…
Welcome!
Why have you been lurking around and not joining in the discussion? 😂 You can always wave and say, 👋🏻 bitches!! (And I wouldn’t know if you meant bitches in a nice or derogatory way.)
Thanks for the explanation. Don’t you just hate it when you yourself have to go digging for all information you need to understand the story??! It’s stresses me out. Like, why didn’t the writer say so in the first place??!!
That’s why this writer is going to be on my “do not trust” list. Sigh. If it weren’t for WonDeuk and Hongshim….
Nice to meet you ah8ling! How cool it is to be on this blog and find all these people so dedicated to look for all sorts of details?
And what a silly writer to not bother to show a small flashback of the envelope with the seal .. so that’s why they bothered to show that scene in episode 13 (I think) in which the CP notices Minister Kim changed his seal.
This is why I’ve been loving this blog. 😂 Took so many heads to piece this together lmao, but I really like your simplified theory, pm3. It totally matches with Yul’s assessment of JeYoon’s character and intelligence. There’s no way he would’ve thought of doors and the wild goose chase at the time. 🙄
The “door” concept is clever (and I’m glad ah8ling told us about the cherry blossom) because HE thought of it. But if he meant JY to answer it, then he should have dumbed it down. hahaha. I really like how LY/WD tries to throw shade at JY whenever he can. For example, when he suddenly came out of nowhere and punched (or was it kicked? it was too fast!) HongShim’s assailant to the ground in less than 3 seconds. He pointed out that if he had waited for JY to resolve the situation with words, he would have had to save, not only HongShim, but JY as well. hahaha.
He’s such an alpha male; he’s not going to allow JY lord it over him.
“He’s such an alpha male; he’s not going to allow JY lord it over him.”
Especially when it’s over his woman…gotta show her he’s the alpha, not Dimples.😂 No way was Dimples gonna to tell him to heel (pun intended) and stay out of the fight? Although I do like that LY isn’t shady, when he fights with Dimples, he fights fair and uses his mind, not his fists or power (could’ve lopped Dimples head off – that’s one way to get rid of the competition for good but he didn’t). Instead, he lets HS make those choices herself whilst at the same time never letting her doubt his intent/love towards her. I love that about him. I think all intellectuals love LY/WD coz he’s from our tribe…he’s a pro at veiled insults and mocking from the hallowed halls of irrefutable logic. Bravo. 👏