If Episode 2 depicts what beauty means for Wei Shao (i.e., something that is manipulative, deceiving, and untrustworthy) and Episode 3 shows that he requires sincerity from Qiao Man in her offer of marriage, then what do I think is Episode 4 all about?
Let break down the memorable scenes, shall we?
1. The love triangle
If it wasn’t for its swoon value, I’d dismiss this scene as one of the most implausible pulp scenes in cdrama that I’ve watched. Seriously, what kind of general stops a battle to make a love declaration, and a public spectacle of himself?
But whatever.
Liangya’s young master Liu Yan (LY) finds our heroine before WS does, but as soon as WS enters the scene, Qiao Man’s eyes are transfixed on him. Wordlessly, she watches him get off his horse and walk to the frontline.
To me, it’s striking that he doesn’t approach her. It’s as if he senses that it’s for Qiao Man (QM) to decide who she wants to go with, so he keeps his distance. But no matter the gap between them, WS and QM have only eyes for each other so much so that LY has to call her to get her attention back to him.
LY: Xiao Qiao, come here! I will protect you.
QM: (turns to face him but stays rooted to the ground)
LY: Xiao Qiao, I took refuge with the Qiao family at age 13. And I returned to Liangya at 18. Those five years with the Qiaos were the happiest of my life.
Huh? Did anybody else wonder why he’s giving her his life story right here and now? He’s obviously scared to lose her to WS so he attempts to establish a prior claim on her which WS can’t dispute. But this sounds like emotional blackmail to me, that is, she should comply with his demand because he’s her childhood friend. Unlike WS, he isn’t giving her space.
LY: (continuing) My feelings for you are unchanging for lifetimes.
QM: (cringes)
WS: (looks down)
Ugh. He’s appealing to emotions.
LY: I know you are full of doubts right now. Do not be afraid. I have thought it all through. Just come with me, and I can pretend none of this happened.
This means that he knows that she was the one to set the sulfur reserves on fire. I don’t know if he’s genuinely going to turn a blind eye to her wrecking his plans. But he sounds sincere enough to the Chubby General that the Chubby General prompts WS to make a similar appeal to QM’s emotions, too.
Chubby: My Lord, won’t you say something?
WS: (half-heartedly) Come here!
Chubby: (exasperated) You might as well have stayed quiet!
I’m sure we all laughed because we shared Chubby General’s frustration. WS put in zero effort.
But let’s think about this for a moment.
One, WS knows well that he has no hold over her – especially not after he banished her from his city. Two, at this juncture, any promise he gives her will only sound hollow and insincere – and he hates insincerity, remember? And three, he and QM have no history, no relationship, no memories that he can romanticize like LY just did. What’s he going to say –
“Qiao Man! I know that evil bastard, Qiao Gui planned this well. He sent his granddaughter here to put on a gentle and sweet act in hopes of tricking me into an alliance with Yan. But come with me, and I’ll let bygones be bygones.”
Do you see it? WS has no cards to play.
I like it when QM turns again to glance worriedly at him, his face remains inscrutable. Either he’s prepared to let her choose at will or he’s resigned to losing her.
LY: (insistent) Man Man.
He’s appealing to emotions again. By using her petname, he establishes familiarity as only family and close friends call each other by nicknames.
LY: I have always treated you as a treasure.
QM sniffles and finally faces him.
Note the camera on WS capturing his expression. He sighs heavily and looks dispirited. He knows that he has no counterarguments here. Not once did he treasure QM when she stayed with him. Instead, he insulted and manhandled her, once with a sword, another time with a grip on her chin.
QM: (addressing LY) You really treat me like one. But you treat all others like ants!
She then runs toward WS. LY’s uncle instantly orders his soldiers to shoot her. But WS sprints toward her. catches her as she stumbles, then shields her from the arrows.
Lol. Let me get another gif set because I like the way they ran towards each other. She ran like a girl in romcoms, i.e., tripping over her skirt and shoes, her eyes squinting with all that effort, arms of her gown flapping in the air. He, on the other hand, ran like a guy in a romance fiction, e.g., big strides, steely eyes, clenched jaw. Then, when they met in the middle of the screen and embraced each other, they looked like yin-yang symbol, i.e., feminine/masculine, white/black. That’s how cinematography works.
What’s the relevance of this swoon-worthy scene?
For one, it shows how deeply he misjudges QM. He assumes that he offended QM so much that there’s no way she’ll reject LY, her childhood friend and ex-fiancé. Of course, he’s unaware that QM has been measuring him as a man since the beginning. I wrote about this in my First Impressions, didn’t I? I wrote that it’s significant that the show opened with her question, “Grandfather, what kind of person is Wei Shao?” She isn’t curious about him because she has a romantic interest in him. NO! She’s curious about him because she wants to know if she can entrust her kingdom’s future and protection to him. She wants to understand his character, motivations, goals, and moral compass.
For another, it shows that both QM and WS have misjudged each other.
In Episode 3, QM gave him her seal before their marriage, naively assuming that he’d appreciate her gesture. As it turned out, she misjudged him because he betrayed her and sent her away.
Now, in parallel fashion, WS prematurely gives up on GM, assuming that he’ll lose her to LY because of his abominable treatment of her. But he has also misjudged her because she chooses him over LY. It’s his character that wins her over.
But this scene isn’t over yet.
She slaps him.
I’m sure we all found this moment cathartic.
But I like it also because she effectively steals his thunder. He can’t ever gloat or revel in the fact that she chose him instead of LY. The slap reminds him that he’s still wronged her. Even though she may have picked him, she hasn’t forgotten his despicable behavior towards her. LY may have treasured her while treating other people like ants, but he only treasures other people and treats her like an ant.
Her body position – crouching low on the ground, as if to avoid getting hit back – reflects that. She made herself look small like an ant.
Okay. Got to rest here.
@Packmule3, I think the slap is a turning point for QM and WS. It is a genuine, not calculated, move by QM, and demonstrates that WS raises strong emotions in her (for better or worse). WS wanted sincerity? He got it upside the head! In crouching immediately after slapping WS, I think QM is showing her surprise at her own actions. “Oh, oh! Did I really do that?” The four generals were also surprised, and awkwardly exited the scene so WS and QM could work out consequences in private.
Thank you, @packmule. I was as surprised as the characters at the slap. In the context of this drama I expected the 4 generals to defend WS, not immediately to give him and QM space. They had been ready to kill her for ‘morale’ earlier. Of course, it was the experienced Wei Qu who caught on first.
@Fern,
Yes. In Episode 3, they were willing to side with WS. As I pointed out in Episode 3, they agreed with his order to banish QM from the city, although the Advisor was trying to reason with him and point out that she was a woman (and should be seen and treated like a woman) instead of an enemy combatant.
Now, when she slaps him, it becomes patently clear to all the men that she’s woman. Why? BECAUSE a man wouldn’t strike another man with a slap to the cheek (or in this cdrama, to the adam’s apple, lol. The actress Song ZuEr couldn’t reach Liu YuNing’s cheek given her short arm. She could only extend her arm up to the level of his throat).
Women slap. Men punch.
Lol.
I must add that I thought the Archer General redeemed himself when he shot down the arrow which was about to hit QM square in the back.
Right, @Welmaris?
You can say that the slap was heartfelt. She truly felt that from the bottom of her heart. And he knew he had it coming.
The generals knew a couple fight when they saw one. “Exeunt right” for all of them.