I started this cdrama because it played into my Chinese stereotypes.

Spoilers.

1. The disastrous “One-Child Policy” of China truly did a number on family kinship.

The family structure of the male lead Chen Yan Yun (YY) looks complicated because there are so many branches that a character relationship chart can come in handy.

For example, Chen Yan Yun is the Third Master of the Chen Family. This means he’s the third son in the Chen family.

His adopted nephew, Chen Xuan Qing, calls him the “Third Uncle” and he calls Chen Yan Wen the “Fourth Uncle.” If you ask me, though, “Murderer” would have been a better name for his Fourth Uncle as he killed the Fifth Master of the Chen family aka Xuan Qing’s nominal father.

Did you get all that?

The Chen family is comprised of:

Third Uncle/Master: Yan Yun (YY)
Fourth Uncle/Master: Yan Wen
Fifth Master: deceased
Nephew: Xuan Qing

Sidenote 1: Like many viewers, I was curious how the Fifth Master had a son when he died at a young age. In Episode 9, the facts are straightened out. YY explains to Xuan Qing that he took pity on him because he was a young orphan, so he had him adopted into the “Fifth branch.” Phew! I didn’t know you could do that….

Sidenote 2: I gave the source material of this cdrama a cursory look. Based on my limited understanding, the novel has a rebirth theme. The heroine was married to the Third Master but but she still harbored an unrequited love for the nephew. She passed away pining for the nephew and the rebirth allowed her to do over her unhappy life, beginning with the coming-out party. Anyway, the set-up is different from the drama as the girl sorted out her feelings for Xuan Qing by the New Year’s festival in Episode 9.

As for the heroine of the show, Gu JinZhao (JZ), her status as the “legitimate daughter of the Gu family” is established in the beginning of the show. The fact that her legitimacy is highlighted should alert viewers to the existence of an “illegitimate” daughter (or daughter born from a concubine). Her name is Gu Lan and she makes her appearance in Episode 2.

Both daughters are from the Fourth branch of the Gu Family. That mean their father is the Fourth Gu son.

In the real world, this complicated family tree with multiple siblings, uncles, aunts, and cousins has come to a sad end because the One-Child Policy (from 1980 to 2015) reduced the typical Chinese family unit into a “4-2-1” arrangement. That is, four grandparents, two parents, and one child.

In this cdrama, the family of the second male lead, Ye Xian, is the one that resembles this “4-2-1” set-up the closest. He only has one sister. It’s a “4-2-2” family unit. But being the only son and presumptive heir of the family also brings its own set of problem. Xian is pressured by his sister to marry as he’s the last male in line. To make matter worse, he can keel over and die anytime as he has a congenital heart disease.

Here’s brother-and-sister conversation from Episode 10.

Sister: Father and Mother want to start planning for your marriage this spring, so that you can marry soon and expand the marquis family.
Xian: Indeed. That way, even if I die young, you can rest easy.
Sister: What did you say?
Xian: If you’re so eager to expand the family, just do it yourself. You can also ask your husband to take concubines. Why drag me into this?
Sister: Can’t I have a say in your life? (switching topics) Do you have an eye on the Gu daughter?

Obviously, as the second male lead, he has feelings for JZ but he knows too well that she can’t stand him. She believes him to be a spoiled brat, lazy bum, mad man, and nepo baby. I must admit, however, that he’s grown on me by Episode 11, despite the whipping incident in Episode 8. He has terrible impulse control, but he partly redeems himself in my eyes because of the effort he puts in to be noticed by her. (Is this what kids nowadays call “simping”?)

Sister: (prying still) Gu Jin Zhao?
Xian: What if I do? And what if I don’t?
Sister: It’s best if you don’t. If you do, I advise you to give up early. You’re the heir apparent to Marquis Changxing. Among the Gu daughters, Jin Zhao can’t match you, much less Lian.

Poor dude! He anticipates disappointing his parents when he rejects an arranged marriage and asserts his right to choose his wife. But this feeling of being a failure isn’t foreign to him. As the only son, and a frail son at that, of a decorated general, he grew up knowing he tarnishes his father’s reputation.  However, to compensate for his inability to follow in his father’s footsteps in the military, he’s learned to rely on weapons to defend himself. He commissions weaponry to built on his specs because he fears being helpless when bullied or attacked.

To me, Xian is one who could have benefitted from having more brothers and an extended family. For one, the pressure to continue the lineage wouldn’t rest solely on him. For another, he would have better social skills from daily interaction with his siblings. He wouldn’t be overindulged by his doting mother and sister. And he would’ve learned to control his temper better earlier in life.

For instance, he tries to show her that he’s reformed after the whipping incident in Episode 10. First, he attempts to make small talk with her about the opera they’re watching. Cao Cao, Cai Mao, and Guan Yu are main characters in the opera.

Xian: Do you know Cao Cao’s two biggest mistakes?
JZ: (ignoring him)
Xian: First, he mistakenly executed Cai Mao. Second, he let Guan Yu go. Cai Mao should have been valued, while Guan Yu should have been killed. Do you agree?
JZ: (snubbing him) Second Aunt. The opera is wonderful. Which troupe is it?

To me, Xian is taking baby steps here. He’s opening up to her about his resentment that he’s been under-valued, unappreciated, and overlooked… like Cai Mao character in the opera. Cao Cao is JZ. And Guan Yu is YY. lol. He’s alluding to the mask that YY wore as disguise on the New Year’s festivities. YY was wearing a Lord Guan mask when he fished JZ out of the river (again! She really needs to take swimming lessons).

Next, he chases after her to return her handkerchief.

Xian: Fleeing with out a fight? That’s unlike you.
JZ: Could you please not follow me?
Xian: Your handkerchief. (fumbling around his sleeve pocket)
JZ: Your Highness. I can’t mess with you. Nor do I want to be flogged again. Just let me go, will you?

I like that she’s reminding him of his aggressive behavior. She isn’t making it easy for him to forget, let alone apologize for his mistake.

Xian: You can’t mess with me. But you can mess with Chen Yan Yun?
JZ: What did you say? Don’t make irresponsible remarks like that!
Xian: Irresponsible remarks? At Town God Temple Lantern festival of Chinese New Year’s Eve. I saw with my own eyes that Chen jumped into the river to catch you.
JZ: (lying) That’s not true! You’re starting a rumor.
Xian: If I’m starting a rumor, may I be struck by lightning. If you’re lying, you’ll be struck by lightning as well.
JZ: Meeting you was already like being struck by lightning! (pointing to a pavillion) It’s higher over there. Stand there and say it if you dare.

This reminds me of a Taylor Swift song, “The Way I Loved You.” Xian and JZ both get an adrenaline rush from the way they’re fighting, yelling, and cursing at each other.

Xian: You think I dare not?
JZ: Of course you dare. You dare everything. You’re the dignified Heir Apparent. There’s nothing you dare not do. And we’re nothing before you. You’re entitled to do anything to us.

There she goes again! Outwardly, she’s telling that he’s someone who never fears consequences of his actions because of his privileged life. But inwardly, she’s referring to the whipping she received from him. She knows that he made a mistake, and she wants to rub it in.

Xian: (angrily) Gu Jin Zhao! How dare you defy me!
JZ: (yelling back) I’m defying you. So what? Kill me if you can!
Xian: You!

Then, he closes his eyes and breathes in. See that? That’s a first: he’s learning to compose himself instead of reacting to her goading.

Xian: (quietly) You ungrateful thing. Were it not for your rescue, I… (returning the handkerchief to her)

But then his sister (and her aunt-in-law) interrupts their tête-à-tête.

Now, viewers might wonder why JZ denied that the handkerchief was hers. It’s because she didn’t want his sister (and her Fifth Aunt) to misinterpret the situation and assume that she was flirting with Xian by dropping her handkerchief in front of him. Of course, her intention went over Xian’s head.

Xian: (insistent) I clearly saw you drop it! Why are you lying? How could that not be yours?
JZ: (haughtily) I can recognize if it’s mine.

Too funny. He could definitely use a whole lot interaction with siblings and cousins.

2. Concubines are the bane of a heroine’s existence in cdramas. 

“The Story of Ming Lan” (2018) opened my eyes to the concubine trope in cdramas. From then on I learned that the power struggles of the concubines and the “main” wife are often more intense than the political intrigues in court.

Why?

Because the conflict is personal for the heroine, and relatable to female viewers. It offends our Western, Christian, modern sensibilities whenever a male character has taken another woman as a lover. We view the concubine trope as legitimized adultery and sanctioned cheating.

I only tolerate the concubines in cdramas because they invariably get their fitting ends for their greed, cruelty, and malice. This is true not only for “The Story of Ming Lan” but also in that tearjerker, “Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace” (2018).

In this cdrama “A Splendid Match,” we can tell right away that it will fall on our heroine’s lap to deal with her father’s concubine problem. Her mother, the main wife, lacks the backbone to challenge the concubine and concubine’s nanny. But I’m sure this will serve a purpose. Battling with the concubine will teach JZ the criteria to look for in arranging a splendid marital match of her own.

First and foremost, she must find a one-woman man. Someone who opposes the concubinage.

Second, he must love her for her own sake. She’s observed first-hand how her mother’s marital woes stem from her father’s love for the Ji family’s immense wealth. Her father married her mother because she had a large dowry. Her father had ambitions of gaining a high rank in the government with her mother’s financial backing. JZ won’t repeat her mother’s mistake.

Third, he must match her. Hmmm… it’s too early to tell whether she’ll discover this or not. For me, to find someone to “match” her doesn’t mean he has similar, equal or same qualities or outlook as her. To match means to complement.

One thing interesting about this cdrama is that while it presents concubinage as a plot point, it also features a reverse harem. JZ is liked by her own cousin, the adopted Chen Xuan Qing, Yu Xian/heir of the Marquis Changxing, and Chen Yan Yun/Third Master.

3. The hero is a commie, through and through. Lol.

I’ve enjoyed watching cdramas even when the propaganda is obvious (or maybe because of them??) I’ll list a few cdramas:

“You Are My Hero” with Bai Jingting and Ma Sichun. Presented an idealized version of a warrior police/clean cop/noble hero (the title is a giveaway). The series fostered unquestioning trust in authority and respect for law enforcement.

“Go Go Squid” with Li Xian and baby-voiced Yang Zi. Heralded the supremacy of China in e-sports. Most viewers didn’t get this: the “e-game” is proxy for cyber-hacking. Although the teenagers in the series were presented like they were the stereotypical nerdy, socially-awkward, fanatic gamers, they’re actually training to exploit the vulnerabilities of computer networks. The cdrama promoted the idea that a) cyber-hacking is a patriotic undertaking of the youth and b) Chinese nationals are supreme at it.

“You Are My Glory” with Yang Yang and Dilraba. This series is a big PR for Chinese space program. Again, look at the title. One of its central theme: the country’s top scientists should be remunerated more than entertainment celebrities because they’re the true stars in society. The Chinese space scientists are so heroic — toiling for little funding, pay, and recognition — when they deserve all the glory. (The irony isn’t lost on me, though. The space program needed a media star Yang Yang to highlight their pay inequality.)

Note: I could go on and on with latent propaganda in other cdramas, but I’ll reserve this discussion for another thread and concentrate on this series.

In “A Splendid Match,” the hero is basically a glorified tax auditor fighting the rich. The bias of the show isn’t hard to observe. I’ll give the obvious ones:

• “Tax the rich!” is a justified cause. It’s progress and nobody should stand in its way.
• All nobles are rich and corrupt. Except for the emperor, of course.
• The emperor is wise and benevolent. No austerity measures need to be adopted by his household to show solidarity with the poor.
• Rich merchants are altruistic. They work hard for their money, so they’re willing to be taxed more.
• Servants are loyal. Will do anything for their masters/mistresses.
• Poor are invisible, silent and helpless. They’re waiting for government’s assistance.

And like all cdramas, it’s easy to overlook the propaganda when the viewers are just fixed on the romance storyline and the “che-mis-try” (ugh! detestable word!) of the lead actors.

From the beginning of the show, the heroine Gu JinZhao (JZ) is warned by her cousin to stay clear of Yan Yun (YY).

Cousin: Stay away from him. Better not invite bad luck. It’s because he pushed so hard for the new tax law and persuaded His Majesty to appoint tax inspectors to audit every household’s accounts. That’s how he offended Prince Ruichang and all the nobles at court. Thus, he claimed illness and came to recuperate at our estate.
JZ: Isn’t he the Chen Third Master whom Grandmother always talks about? Chen Yan Yun? I heard Grandmother say this new tax law will cut off a lot of people’s money.
Cousin: You have no idea. Because of this tax law, the whole court is in chaos. I heard those people keep going to Huangji Hall every other day to cry to His Majesty.

The heir of Prince Ruichang brings his men to confront YY in a secluded area of the Ji’s estate. Believing YY to be outnumbered, he orders YY to rescind the tax law or be killed.

But YY springs a surprise on him: he has his own guards on standby. While his guards quickly dispose of Prince Ruichang’s people, he kills Prince Ruichang’s heir with his own sword. With apparent impunity.

The heroine JZ witnesses all this mayhem from her boat, and she falls into the water in shock. At first, YY appears to hesitate rescuing her. But it’s fortuitous that he changes his mind because when he dives in, he discovers the hidden chests lying at the bottom of the lake.

JZ’s grandmother fishes out these chests. There are 114 of them, all containing top-secret files of nobles who are opposed to the new tax. (Iqiyi didn’t translate the names, but Viki came through for the viewers.) These names are important because no doubt YY will go after them one by one. They are Wang Xuan Fan, He Wen Xin, Yao Ping, Lin Xian Zhong, and Fu Hai Lian.

Three comments:

One, Fu Hai Lian is YY’s boss. His chest is the first one that YY opens. He reads one of the scrolls. (Viki didn’t translate what was written on it. I would have been interested to see what secrets YY’s boss had.)

Two, the chests imply that the anonymous enemy of YY’s boss was collecting dossiers on men for future extortion and blackmail. Naturally, the people whose names do NOT appear on any chest — namely, Prince Ruichang, Marquis of Changxiang, and Secretary Fan Chuan — could be suspected as being owner(s) of these chests.

Three, I also think YY’s boss, Fu Hai Lian, is living a double life. There’s a scene in Episode 2 when YY goes to Fu Hai Lian’s mansion to seek audience with him, and YY sees a traditional opera in mid-play. I think the opera actor is Fu Hai Lian playing a female role. Hahaha.

Enough digression.

I thought that killing the Monarch’s nephew (note: YY killed Prince Ruichang’s son and Prince Ruichang is the emperor’s brother) would have serious political repercussion. But no, YY’s boss is pleased with the results so much so that he persuaded the King to promote YY.

Hmmm… I thought this was weird messaging from the show, isn’t it? Just kill anybody who stands in the way of tax audits, land redistribution, and so-called social “progress.” Anything for the cause.

YY’s promotion is a two-fer. First, he receives the title Chancellor of the Court of the Heir Apparent which means he’ll oversee the Crown Prince’s education. Second, he receives the more important commission of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue. He needs this title in order to implement his new tax policy.

In Episode 2, we see that the king isn’t entirely sold on the idea of land redistribution, but he’s provoked to change his mind by an inflammatory speech by one of YY’s closet supporter, Nie Feng Ming.

The court, led by the Emperor’s younger brother, Prince Ruichang, petitions the Emperor.

Prince Ruichang: Brother Emperor, those land registers were set at the founding of the dynasty. After so many years, the population has grown, so of course, there is more land in use. If taxes are now levied on actual acreage, some large households may not even be able to afford a meal. How is that any different from ruining them completely? I beg Brother Emperor to abolish the new tax law.

A sidenote here: Any normal father would have been pursuing his son’s killers to avenge his death. But not Prince Ruichang. According to YY’s boss, Prince Ruichang wants to avoid investigating his son’s death because he’s afraid that this move will prompt an investigation of his own shady business dealings with outlaws. To deflect from his personal shenanigans, he’s focusing on the tax law instead. Do see the propaganda going on? Not only are the nobles rich and corrupt, they are nasty parents.

Prince Ruichang makes a good point here and he almost manages to sway the Emperor’s mind.

Enter YY’s friend and closet supporter. He speaks up purportedly to declare his anti-tax law stance. But in reality, he’s using reverse psychology and agit-prop to pressure the emperor to fast-track the new tax law.

Feng Ming: (introducing himself) Your servant, First-Class Cavalry Commandant, Nie Feng Ming. I beg Your Majesty to abolish the new tax law and severely punish ones behind it, Fu Hai Lian and Chen Yan Yun. Your Majesty, I believe this so-called new tax law is nothing but a scheme by Fu Hai Lian, Chen Yan Yun, and the others. To curry favor with Your Majesty, Fu Hai Lian deliberately claimed credit and deceived, all to seize control of the court. He wants to turn the court into his personal kingdom.

Wait! Let me interrupt his speech to give credit to the Viki subbers. They surpassed the iQiYi subbing team. Viewers like me switched from iQiYi to Viki to get a better understanding of the drama. I also applaud the Viki subbers’ efforts in translating the titles of the characters and OSTs. I especially like it too when they make a note to explain a tiny detail.

Back on topic…

Prince Ruichang and his men are caught off guard by Feng Ming’s accusation. They wanted to avoid casting aspersions on Fu Hai Lian’s character/motive, but Feng Ming didn’t get the memo.

Feng Ming: (continuing) Your Majesty, we military nobles, go back three generations. All come from peasant stock. Yes, we too have some land in our hands. But what’s left in our hands, is only this land.

I thought Feng Ming made a point here. He’s saying that if there’s to be a land redistribution for all, then it impacts not only those corrupt nobles who amassed large estates illegal methods but also those small landholders like him who earned their lands by honest means.

But that isn’t really Feng Ming’s point. All he wants is to provoke the emperor.

Emperor: (protesting) No wait! Explain yourself first. What do you mean by only having this land left? What else do you want left?

From the Emperor’s point of view, Feng Ming is complaining that promises to the military nobles weren’t being kept by the monarchy.

Feng Ming: That… surely I don’t need to say it outright….

I like how he feigns reluctance to air his grievance. This only riles the Emperor even more.

Emperor: No! Say it clearly! You will make yourself clear to me. Speak!
Feng Ming: Back then, the Founding Emperor swore an oath before the 18 warlords, that we would win the realm together and rule it together. But what happened after that? The whole realm became the Li Family’s alone. We military nobles, if we hold a little extra land, build a few extra houses, or go a bit easy on our household servants, we immediately bring down the court’s thunderous wrath.

Feng Ming insinuates that not only has the emperor reneged on the oath of his ancestor/Founding Emperor, but he’s also land-grabbing out of sheer jealousy. Feng Ming implies that the taxation is just the monarchy’s way to confiscate property and assets from the wealthiest and most powerful nobles – the same nobles who pushed the monarchy to power – in order to ensure the nobles’ continued subordinance to the crown.

Feng Ming’s accusation really hits a nerve. The Emperor summarily orders Feng Ming dragged out of the court, and issues a decree.

Emperor: Greed knows no bound. You people… you’ve forgotten where you came from. Fine! Even if I do not carry out land equalization, you still would not thank me. Then, I have no need to worry about you anymore. (calling his secretary) Issue an imperial edict right at daybreak! From this day forward, within one year, throughout all of Dayan Empire, the new tax law shall be enforced. Equalize the land across the realm!

Three things:

First, the Emperor’s pronouncement shows the paternalistic nature of the monarchy.

The Emperor is regarded as a “benevolent” ruler to be trusted to take care of all his people’s needs. In return, he thinks that he alone knows what’s good for nation, like a parent who insists on knowing what’s good for his child. He accuses Feng Ming of being “greedy” just because he dares to ask what he thinks is his “fair share.” The citizens are given little to no say on how they want to be governed as ultimately, it’s emperor’s will that dictates policy.

Second, the emperor’s ego is stung by Feng Ming’s accusation, so he lashes out by issuing a royal fiat.

Third, because of Feng Ming’s provocation, and the emperor’s decree, JZ’s province of Tongzhou becomes the testing ground for YY’s new tax policy. YY is keenly aware of Feng Ming’s reason for enraging the emperor and arranges to meet Feng Ming on his way to his execution. For insulting the emperor, Feng Ming is ordered put to death by flogging.

Here’s their conversation, according to Viki. Until the end, they both pretend that Feng Ming is anti-new tax law.

YY: His Majesty has already proclaimed it to the realm. The land equalization policy is now officially underway.
Feng Ming: (in disbelief) You… say it again. Say it again!
YY: (tearing up) I said, Lord Nie, you’ll be disappointed. His Majesty has already approved land equalization across the realm. Tongzhou has been chosen as the first pilot region, to test the approach and assess the realities.
Feng Ming: Good. Wonderful. Chen Yan Yun, you win. But the Tongzhou merchants mostly rely on nobles like us. I imagine Lord Chen’s pilot program won’t be easy.
YY: (avoiding his eyes) Then I’ll have Lord Nie to thank for that. (looking up) This time, among all the officials at court, not one opposed it. Everything in Tongzhou will proceed in order, smoothly and steadily.
Feng Ming: (breathing a sigh of relief) Then… congratulations, Lord Chen. I’ll watch from heaven and see whether Dayan can truly flourish without end… under your protection, Chen Yan Yun. (laughing)

Feng Ming dies knowing that he moved YY’s goal forward. In his mind, YY’s tax policy is worth dying for.

Sigh. I take this as another weird messaging from the show. To sacrifice one’s life for taxation, land equalization, wealth redistribution, and asset transfer is on-point for communist propaganda.

However, that’s the primary reason I’m sticking with this cdrama for now. I want to see how this commie hero reconciles his mission of taxing the nobles with his growing fondness for the one of the wealthiest mercantile heiresses – if not, THE wealthiest heiress – in the land. Do you get what I mean? He displays an inherent contradiction or cognitive dissonance (or dare I say it: hypocrisy??) when he wants to tax the rich folks as a whole, while at the same time, he admires, protects, and ENABLES a rather spoiled individual who belongs in the targeted tax bracket.

Hmph! If I were one of the nobles, I’d vociferously nominate JZ’s family’s estate and assets to be the first one confiscated and redistributed as an example to others. Why not? Just because her grandmother’s immense fortune comes from commerce, exports, trading with foreign nations, and private ownership of various enterprises, doesn’t mean she’s exempt from the new tax laws.

I want to write about JZ and YY’s exchange of gifts but must keep up with my other drama-watch.