To me, this episode is transitional so I won’t dwell on themes and symbolic elements. These are a few things, however, that I must point out.
1. Compared to how Wei Shao (WM) had his enemy, Li Su, chopped into small pieces, I think Qiao Man escaped his mansion relatively unharmed. She sustained:
A few strands of hair lopped off by his sword (from Episode 2)
Scratch on her neck from the blade of his sword (from Episode 2)
Bruise on her cheeks from his grasp (from Episode 3)
That said, I wouldn’t dismiss the strands of hair lightly. If he was able to cut the magistrate’s ropes without touching his robes, then I think he knew enough sword technique to spare her hair. I know enough from cdramas, that, in ancient Chinese tradition, hair is considered a gift from one’s parents. Hence, it’s grown long without cutting. Cutting QM’s hair – whether it was by accident or design – suggests to me that WM had a subconscious desire to punish her for her grandfather’s betrayal or, worse, kill her.
But he controlled himself.
2. The reason WS sent QM away is because he distrusts her sincerity.
Advisor: My Lord, is this not going too far? We have exchanged the Letter of Marriage. We should proceed with the marriage as agreed.
WS: Why is it too far? The Qiaos can break promises, but our retraction isn’t allowed?
Advisor: But they have already offered Panyi.
WS: Even if they didn’t offer it, I could take it myself.
Advisor: True.
WS: Moreover, she was not sincere in offering it to me anyway.
WS: (continuing) She’s just compromising to bind me in marriage to her. If I do not expel her, they will only push further.
I mentioned this in my post on beauty, right? “Give her an inch, and she’ll take a mile.” He thinks it’s dangerous to give her even the smallest concession because she’s the type to greedily ask for more. Her upbringing as a Qiao plus her great beauty programmed her to be insincere.
WS: Do they really think this overwhelming hatred can be wiped away so easily?
We all know that he’s suffering from PTSD and that it takes time to heal. However, he still needs to take that first step to recovery. That was the message of the red wooded tag that QM gave him. It said, “Do not disgrace our united hearts. It is not proper to have regrets.”
Advisor: That makes perfect sense. What do you think? (asking the generals)
Generals: No problem. Makes some sense. It’s reasonable. Indeed.
Advisor: But after all, she is a woman.
Meaning, the advisor was reminding him that, despite everything he said against QM, QM was still a young woman and should be treated like one. She should be given the benefit of the doubt.
And the advisor was right.
When WS had that QM had aided his siege of Panyi by starting the fire all on her own – even getting herself injured in the process — he finally got the proof of her sincerity that he was searching for.
3. We know that he expelled QM from the city, but he technically didn’t break off the engagement.
QM: Lord Wei, are you breaking off the engagement?
WS: No. I am just exposing your robbery-like deal. For the sake of this seal, I will spare your life. However, pack your things immediately and get out of Xindu. And oh! Tell your family to wash their necks and wait.
Since he didn’t break off the engagement, he could claim to be wronged (or to be the injured party, ironically enough) when he learned that QM had teamed up with Liu Yan and headed to Panyi together. From his POV, she had breached their engagement by eloping with another man. So, he had every right to chase his runaway fiancée all the way to Panyi and punish her by execution.
Advisor: Report from Panyi. Liangya’s young master Liu Yan has entered Panyi last night and took over city defense.
WS: (speechless for a second, then looks at the seal in front of him) What did he use to open the city gates?
Advisor: The Qiao girl.
WS: Which Qiao girl?
Chubby General: The one you threw out.
WS: (still stunned) I should have killed her long ago. (standing up) Pass on my order. Miss Qiao and Liu Yan have eloped and are hiding in Panyi. Tell the soldiers to follow me in another battle.
Generals: Yes!
Advisor: Wait! In my view, this matter is suspicious. We might get it wrong. We should find Miss Qiao and ask her first.
WS: (reconsidering) You’re right. Find the Qiao girl and kill her to boost morale.
I found it amusing how the battle suddenly became personal to him. Earlier, he ordered his generals to prepare to take over Panyi the next day. Panyi was to be invaded as it was the gateway to the Qiao clan’s kingdom of Yan. But after hearing that QM and her new man Liu Yan were holed up in Panyi, he was rushing to Panyi to find her and kill her for betrayal. The destination remained the same: Panyi. But the goal of the mission had changed from conquering the land to finding the girl.
I also found it doubly funny that killing QM became a morale booster for him. Since when did he and his army need their morale boosted?
4. The betrothal gifts
I like that WS saw all the betrothal gifts that Liu Yan scattered in the courtyard. I hope they:
a) showed him how earnest Liu Yan had been in pursuing QM’s hand in marriage, and
b) reminded him that the only thing he presented QM with on their first meeting was the scroll of “The Chronicles of Panyi’s Lands and Waters.”
I also like that he spotted the ONE gift that mattered the most: the betrothal beast. The magistrate explained to him that Liu Yan’s wedding party was too lazy to hunt for a lynx that a ferret was brought instead.
This is a lynx. It’s from the cat family.
This is a ferret. Though it looks like a rodent, it’s from the family of weasels.
I don’t know their significance in Chinese culture, but a lynx looks more noble and majestic to me. Also, the fact that it’s harder to find should have been reason enough to go hunting for one to give QM. It all boils down to sincerity, of course.
I’m loving the threads! 🥰🥰🥰
Thank you so much! I’ve been busy with a lot of things but I’ll definitely come back to comment. ☺️
I love that WS made the effort to catch a lynx as part of QC’s betrothal gift. That’s points for him. ☺️
What episode are you now? 😃
😂😂What do you mean as “part” of his betrothal gift? That WAS his one and only gift, wasn’t it? I didn’t see any other red box/trunk/chest outside her door. Did I miss it in another episode?
So that lynx plus that scroll which could be considered a betrothal give or welcome-to-Yuxan/host gift (or a veiled threat, lol) are the presents QM received from him before their nuptials. What a cheapskate. 😂😂😂
I’m on Ep 18 (or is it 19?) right now. 🚂 I’m taking the slow train.
Oh yeah 😂 Come to think of it, that was his only wedding gift. But he made it up later with 500 horses. 🤣
You’re half way already! Good job! 😉🙌🏻
I like the scene where QC found out that WS was reading her letters and he said he’s going to confront her even if she was upset but he did the opposite. Have you seen that scene? 😃
@Packmule3, since you mention, and quote, WS’s advisor in this post, I thought I’d write my thoughts about him. Compared to the weasely looks of the Qiao family advisor, the Wei advisor has a noble aspect. I’m sure casting was carefully done to have the advisors’ looks reflect their moral character. I note the feather fan the Wei advisor is always holding; I don’t think he carries it as a fashion statement, but because the fan is a reminder–a badge–of his role. I equate it to a fool’s stick which, when held by a jester, allowed him to speak frankly without fear of reprisal.
I’m not clear on civic structure in the world of TPoB. The independent states seem to be an extension of clans. We don’t see the lords of each land having audiences with ministers, so we’re spared having the show bog down in court politics. All I’ve seen in the various lands are lords, a prefect or governor here and there, clan elders (who remain on the periphery unless summoned for a clan meeting), and lots of obedient generals. I suppose this pared-down political structure makes the role of the advisor more important.
@Welmaris, I was wondering the same thing about the civic structure. (Not that I miss the court politics at all.) I also don’t know when this drama is supposed to be set.
The lords don’t seem to have any greater government official or an overall law system to answer to, so what holds some back from acting like complete despots? Perhaps the show is ignoring the dynasties which reach back to times BCE. I have very little knowledge of the history, but perhaps when the central dynasties were weak, the local states took on more power? Or the region is meant to be located on the fringed of the empire and more independent for that reason?
I would find it interesting to ask a historian about when and where this drama might reflect real life and why.
@Fern, the civic structure of TPoL looks a lot like feudalism, but the middle layers of vassels–those granted land in exchange for military or other services–is absent. Wei, Qiao, Bianzhou, Liangya, etc. seem more like warring fiefdoms, but there’s no overarching kingdom or empire. The large peasant class exists happily when the lords recognize their responsibility to care for and love their people. Other than one scene where Liangya is trying
to do military conscription in Boya, we don’t see the burden the peasant class bears at the bottom of the feudal structure. They must be taxed heavily in order to support the large military class directly under each lord, but this show depicts the peasants as contentedly going about their business when there’s peace and plenty, or suffering mightily when there’s scarcity and warring over resources (land, water). By hollowing out the civic structure, TPoB may be trying to draw parallels between society and marriage: a husband who respects, provides for, and protects his wife will have a happy marriage and family; if a lord upholds his duty to protect and provide for the people of his state, peace and prosperity prevail. In the marriage of WS and XM, we see how the wife contributes greatly to the husband’s well-being. Show gets preachy about the responsibilities of a lord to his subjects, but the parallel of civic structure to marriage breaks down because we see little of how the subjects fulfill their responsibilities to their Lord. As TPoL depicts it, the relationship between a lord and his subjects is more like parent-child than a marriage.
I read that the story is based loosely on the period of time called the Three Kingdoms, a Period after the fall of the han dynasty.