BU BU JING XIN
EPISODE 9
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SHOCKED BY
YINRENG’S CORRUPTION: KANGXI FALLS ILL
The Kangxi
emperor has fallen ill and is tired and worried about imperial affairs. He has
directed Yinzhen, the 4th Prince, from his bed, to take care of
state affairs and also ensure that the Crown Prince is under control.
He
ignored the hypocritical Yinzhi, the 1st Prince who, to his
imperial father, is manipulative and untrustworthy.
It is
not surprising that the emperor seems to trust and count on Yinzhen, and has tasked him to
handle the state matters. He is also given the green light to set the tone for other matters as he sees fit.
Yinzhen
and Yinxiang talk about the difficult situation of the Crown Prince. They
have a thorny and delicate situation on their hands.
Yinxiang
wonders if backing Yinreng is a good idea. Is Yinzhen still going to support
and side with Yinreng and cover up his crimes? Since he has been deposed,
they should not get too chummy with him anymore.
Yinzhen
knows about being a savvy politician. The winds of change may blow at any
time and he advises Yinxiang to tread cautiously and obey emperor’s orders
implicitly.
One
cannot foresee the future changes, and Yinzhen is correct. Though he does not delve into the details, one can
imagine that if Yinreng were to recover his Crown Prince position one day, whoever
betrays him may see the reversal of their fortunes.
(It
has been said according to history, Kangxi regarded the First Prince, Yinzhi
highly and placed Yinreng under Yinzhi's wings. Yinzhi had long harboured
the intention of seizing the Crown Prince’s position, so he used the
opportunity to urge his father to have Yinreng put to death after being
stripped off his title, but that incurred the Kangxi Emperor's displeasure
instead.)
Ruoxi
advises her maids to seal their lips concerning the Crown Prince’s affairs.
They ought not be busybodies and refrain from talking about matters that are
not related to their duties.
(Viewers might be curious as to why Kangxi
did not appoint the First Prince, Yinzhi (Prince Zhi) as the Crown Prince. Yinzhi’s
mother, Consort Hui, was from the Nara clan.
Legend has it that a clansman cast a curse, ‘The
Curse of Yehe-Nara’, on the Manchurians.
It was said that when Nurhaci, the founder of
the Qing imperial house, was trying to unite the Jurchens of Manchuria under
his reign, Prince Gintaisi of the Nara Yehe clan proved to be the most unyielding
but he was defeated and forced to commit suicide.
Legend has it, that he had cast a curse that
would eventually bring down the Qing Empire: "As long as any of
descendants survive, even a woman, will overthrow Manchuria. It was Cixi
who eventually brought down the empire.’
Did this curse force Kangxi to avoid naming
the First Prince as his heir-apparent since his consort was from the Nara clan?
Or was it because he practised favouritism
since Yinreng’s mother was his empress?)
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YINSI’S FIRST LOVE LETTER TO ROUXI: SONG DYNASTY POEM BY QIN GUAN
Yinti, the 14th Prince and Yinsi’s errand boy,
personally delivers a letter to Ruoxi by hand. In his opinion, Ruoxi figures
significantly in Yinsi’s heart and is as important as state affairs.
Ruoxi smiles when she reads Yinsi’s love letter. He has written
it in the form of a Song Dynasty poem, ‘Fairy
on The Magpie Bridge’ by Qin Quan.
The poem is so beautiful that
probably whenever she thinks of the poem, the image of Yinsi stays with her.
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BOTCHED ATTEMPT AT OUSTING YINRENG: WITCHCRAFT AND SUPERSTITION
The
emperor is angry because there are many petitions to request that he rescinds
the order to strip the Crown Prince of his title. There has been a void after
the Crown Prince was deposed and that powerful position has not been
filled.
The 3rd
Prince, Yinzhi or Prince Cheng (not to
be confused with 1st Prince Yinzhi or Prince Zhi) requests to
have an audience with the king. He has come to report that the Crown Prince,
Yinreng, has been behaving outrageously and not being himself because of the
machinations of the 1st Prince, Prince Zhi, who has carefully planned and
executed his strategy of ousting Yinreng.
The
evidence has been provided by the eunuchs from the 1st Prince’s manor.
It
seems that the 1st Prince has been meeting some Lamas from Tibet
and is using sorcery and witchcraft on the 2nd Prince (Crown Prince Yinreng).
(Historically, a
strong alliance with the powerful lamas of Tibet helped the Qing Dynasty to
legitimise its rule beyond the Chinese heartlands of the empire. It is
believed that the lamas conduct rites in the presence of spirits and demons.)
The
emperor orders the manor of the First Prince to be searched. The prince has
been accused of practising sorcery to unseat Yinreng from his position.
He has used witchcraft, that is, writing Yinreng’s name on a straw doll and cast a curse over him. Such a doll was found in his manor. 
The
First Prince is accused of using despicable methods against the Crown Prince and he admits to the charges. He is stripped off all his titles and his
responsibilities. Being denounced as evil, he is demoted to a commoner’s status and
placed under house arrest.
The 3rd
Prince's recommendation that Yinreng be reinstated as the Crown Prince was
received positively by the emperor as it was like sweet-nothings whispered
into his ears.
It is
not likely that a wise emperor like Kangxi would fall for such superstitious ideas
like witchcraft. Only the ordinary country bumpkin would be persuaded by such
cuckoo ideas and be living in cuckoo land.
Probably,
the biased Kangxi emperor is just waiting for an excuse to reinstall his
favourite prince to his previous position, and he is lucky to have the
malevolent First Prince to be the scrape-goat or the fall guy on this
occasion.
Li Guandi, an important court
official, is summoned to the
palace to discuss certain important court matters including the position of
Crown Prince.
Ruoxi
is fearful that the ambitious Yinsi would make a mistake in his hasty bid to become the Crown Prince so she wants to pass him a letter
to restrain him from making such an attempt.
However, after mulling over the idea that History cannot be changed, she decides not to take any action.
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YINSI: PLOTTING AND MANIPULATION
The
former Crown Prince, Yinreng is summoned to meet the emperor and the emperor’s
heart seems to have softened but he is not gullible.
There
is a stalemate in the emperor’s decision about the Crown Prince issue. Yingren’s mentality of greed has not changed. He has not
learnt his lesson.
Ruoxi makes
some pastries from the lotus flower. Eunuch Li Dequan explains to the emperor
about what Ruoxi has been doing. She has used gingko leaves in her tea because
she has noticed that the emperor has been coughing and is feverish. The imperial
physician has consented to her use of gingko leaves in the tea.
The emperor praises her for being observant and paying attention to details.  
(In Chinese, the lotus is 'lianhua' (莲花) or 'hehua' (荷花). 'Lian' is also the pronunciation for ‘continuous’ (连) and 'he' is the pronunciation for ‘harmony’ (和). The lotus, therefore, has the
hidden meaning of "continuous
harmony".)
Gingko leaf
YINSI: PLOTTING & MANOEUVRING – GARNERS THE SUPPORT OF
COURT OFFICIALS
Yinsi’s
clique discuss the Crown Prince. Since Yinreng has been stripped of his
title, many have petitioned him to be reinstated. The princes are plotting to
pitch Yinsi as the new crown prince.
Yinsi
rationalises that if the emperor wants to revist the idea of reinstating Yinreng
as the crown prince, he should have done so by then. But, nobody actually knows
the emperor’s mind, so they’d better not to make any mistakes. Yinti repeats Yinsi’s instruction that they should not make any personal move that might be misconstrued as an attempt to usurp the Crown Prince’s position. Suspicion on the part of the emperor would not bode
well for their future.
Instead,
they should rally the court officials to do the work for them. They should secretly
garner the support of the ministers who could present an eloquent voice to
propose Yinsi’s name as the new crown prince.
Any
minister who has been unhappy with Yinreng should be given a gentle nudge to
suggest Yinsi’s name or to persuade the
emperor to reconsider his strong stance of favouring Yingren despite his
weaknesses.
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YINZHEN: INCISIVE INTELLIGENCE: LOW PROFILE STRATEGY
Meanwhile,
Yinzhen does not want Yinxiang to go out and be influenced by the crowd. The
political situation at court is tense. Everything is a guessing game. Rumours
are flying around and gossip is rife on the grapevine. Nobody knows what the
emperor is thinking. Any mistakes made on their part would put them in peril.
The only thing to do is to wait.
The Imperial
Minister Wang Donghai has asked to meet with Yinzhen but the prince refuses to
accommodate his request. The minister has wide connections and may have news
for them. Yinzhen does not want to stir up suspicion in the emperor that he
is plotting with the ministers to replace the Crown Prince, so he gives the
excuse that he has the flu and is sick.
Yinxiang is
restless and unhappy with being cooped up in Yinzhen’s place and is not allowed to go out to see what’s happening. Yinzhen reminds him of the virtue of ‘Waiting’.
Patience is a
virtue. Even Sun Tzu says ‘If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies
of your enemies will float by.’ Think of the English phrase extolling the
virtue of patience ‘Good things come to those who wait.’
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ANOTHER CHINESE NEW YEAR EVE: THE YEARNING AND LONGING
 
It is New Year Eve again. Yutan brings news that one of the
eunuchs has brought some food from the imperial kitchen for them but Ruoxi is
on duty and does not join in the festivities.
 
Ruoxi stands in the snow and is thinking longingly of Yinsi. ‘What are you doing now?’
Yinsi is also thinking of Ruoxi and speaking to himself, ‘What are you doing?’
The lovers are near and yet far from each other and thinking
about each other.
Ruoxi is waiting for messages from Yinsi who has wormed his way
into her heart. Surely she must be mad to fall for her brother-in-law. A
modern thinking girl would never even think of that. What has she become?
She is thinking of the poem he has written for her in his love
letter. She has not set on falling in love with him. He has captured her
heart and stirred her soul. It seems so easy for him to steal her heart.
But it has not been easy to stay apart. Meeting each other on a regular basis is highly unlikely.
She is reminded of the sadness of the lovers in the Song Dynasty poem, 'Fairy On The Magpie Bridge'.
She repeats the last two lines. It must be hard for them to be apart. There
is this deep longing and love.
But if
there’s true love between them
they
don’t have to be together every day.
She is yearning to hear from him. She thinks that he must
have forgotten about her.
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YINZHEN’S GIFT TO RUOXI: A MAGNOLIA NECKLACE
A messenger arrives with a gift, a necklace from Yinzhen. It has
a jade magnolia pendant.
Imagine a man sending a piece of jewellery in the form of his
favourite flower to the girl of his dreams! Shouldn’t he be sending one in
the form of her favourite flower?
But, then, the magnolia also represents beauty and elegance.
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YINSI’S SECOND LOVE LETTER TO RUOXI - ANOTHER POEM 
Then, there
is another knock on the door. A eunuch sends Yinsi’s letter which is in the
form of another poem.
The
beautiful poem describes exactly their situation. They miss each other so
much. His driving ambition puts her in a problematic position since she is
his sister-in-law. Everything he does has repercussions on her.
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THE PRINCES’ ANXIETY:
THE VACANT CROWN PRINCE POSITION
In the morning in the garden, the four brothers, Yinsi, Yinti,
Yin’e and Yintang appear and ask Ruoxi about what has been happening in the court. Birds
of a feather flock together. The princes are of one mind and they connect because of similar interests.
Yintang, the 9th Prince, questions her about what she
has heard concerning the emperor. Li Dequan and Ruoxi are the only ones who
are privy to what’s going on in the palace so the Eighth Prince faction wants
to weasel some information out of her. However, Yinsi does not want her to be
implicated in the matter. It would be considered as treason and disloyalty to
the emperor to divulge palace secrets. Ruoxi denies hearing anything but
Yintang is peeved with her.
Yinsi does not want to endanger her. He advises her not to be
involved in the intrigues of the palace or else she might ruffle some
feathers.
She, on her part, reminds him that whatever he does, he is never to forget the fact that the emperor dotes on Yinreng. This means that he is not to do anything that might be interpreted as being Yinreng's rival. He tells her that he understands. 
Later, the four princes discuss the naming of the new crown
prince. The ninth prince is rash and wants to probe deep into the emperor’s
mind.
Rumours are swirling around that the emperor wants to reinstate
Yinreng as the Crown Prince. After a period of speculation, Yinsi tells them that if the emperor has this in
mind, nobody can stop him.
Yinti, the 14th Prince rationalises that many palace
officials want to nominate Yinsi as the new Crown Prince, and if they can get
them to convey this message to the emperor, the emperor may reconsider his personal plans.
Are they so foolish as to try to force the emperor’s hands? The
emperor will not give up on the Yinreng. The brothers do not want to drag
their feet over the matter and do not want to wait. The opportunity will pass by them. But what
they do not realise is trying to bulldoze their way into power would only ruin Yinsi’s
chances of ascending the throne.
Ruoxi is edgy and wants to send a letter to Yinsi to advise him
not to take any action. The future is unknowable. He should not involve the
ministers in nominating him to be the next crown prince but unfortunately, she is delayed by Yinzhen and Yinxiang.
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BODY LANGUAGE: YINZHEN INCHES HIS WAY CLOSER TO RUOXI’S HEART
Yinzhen wants to speak her privately. He demands to know what
the emperor has said to Yinreng, and she responds in the same way as she had done to the other princes, that
she does not know. He asks her whether she said the same thing to Yinsi, to
which she nods.
He looks intensely at her, as if she has lied to him. His eyes
pierce her. Then, he purposely inches
his way forward, and she backs away from him. She nearly falls but he catches
her with his arms. He then asks her whether she is still angry with him for having kissed her in the grasslands but she retorts that she wouldn’t dare to be angry with a prince. He
whispers naughtily that he does not regret kissing her. He makes the
admission without the slightest discomposure.
To her consternation, he intimately parts the mandarin collar
of her attire, and noticing that she has not worn the magnolia necklace that
he has sent to her, he demands to know why.
She says she has left it in her room but she will return it to
him when he next comes to the palace.
He refuses to accept any returned gifts, and tells her directly that once she has accepted
it, it cannot be returned. He tells her that one day, she would wear it
willingly. And he is right.
She knows that one day, he would rise to power and the world
would be his oyster, and at his feet. And she would be smart enough to figure
out that she should not be on the other side of the divide, not in Yinsi arms
but in Yinzhen's arms. Reality would have a way of putting things into perspective.
Because of the conversation with Yinzhen, Ruoxi is not able to
hand Yinsi her letter to warn him of the possible consequences of taking action
too early. But it is too late. So it must be Heaven’s decree that history
cannot be changed.
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THE PETITION OF MINISTERS TO APPOINT YINSI AS CROWN
PRINCE BACKFIRES: YINSI'S AMBITION IS
Something has happened in the Qianqing Palace and the eunuch,
Wangxi reports excitedly to Ruoxi that 30 ministers have petitioned that Yinsi,
‘The Virtuous Prince’ be promoted to the Crown Prince position.
The surprising move of the palace officials indicates Yinsi's rising influence and prominence.
Tension is in the air. All the princes have been summoned to
convene at the palace.
At this point, one is tempted to ask: ‘What are the odds in
favour of Yinsi?’
The emperor announces that Yinsi has been nominated and the
imperial father probes into the minds of his brothers concerning the
petition.
When interrogated, Yinzhen is intelligent enough to have
understood his father’s mind and is cautious with his answer. He does not to
go against his father and gives the answer he wants, that is, Yinreng is the
most suitable person for the Crown Prince position. Yinxiang, his strong
supporter, follows suit.
However, Yintang, the 9th Prince states his stand
clearly by supporting Yinsi, the 8th Prince. His method of telling his imperial father is not subtle.
The princes have independent minds and are actually advising
their imperial father on the right choice for the prestigious and powerful
Crown Prince position.
Kiangxi feels his role as a father and emperor is being
eroded. That some have departed from his line of thinking has threatened his
position as emperor. He feels it is a form of criticism against him for being partial and biased
in favouring a useless and corrupt Yingren.
‘So, are you telling me that Yinreng is not the right choice? Have I been crazy to
have selected him? ‘
Viewers would not be able to resist poking fun at his choice.
Many cannot resist thinking that the Kangxi emperor is such a birdbrained
emperor. His foolish support of Yinreng would earn him the disrespect and cruel
taunts of the viewers.
Yinreng, a prince of no consequence, has been groomed for the all-important Crown Prince role. What the Qing Dynasty needs is a ‘A King for all seasons’ not a rotten egg!
The other princes have long sensed that he is unsuitable and
have not been given a voice until now.
Yinti, the 14th Prince tries to defend Yintang.
'So what’s the meaning of all these petitions? Are you trying to revolt? All of them in the audience quickly fall to their knees.'
Yinsi realises too late that it was a faux pas to have
encouraged the officials to moot the idea of proposing him as the Crown
Prince.
Yinsi quickly announces that he does not want the position.
But the emperor bellows at Yinsi and denounces him as a scheming and
overly ambitious prince. He hates collusion and the forming of cliques. He
believes that Yinsi has risen to a powerful position and if he does not curb his power then, it would be difficult to control him in the future. He orders Yinsi’s titles be removed and that he be locked up for further investigation.
Yinti, the 14th Prince is scandalised and opposes the emperor's move. He is not about to be compliant when he sees injustice. He defends Yinsi, saying he is falsely accused. He rationalises
that the emperor himself has requested the ministers to nominate a new candidate
for the position of Crown Prince, and since he has been nominated, why does
he accuse Yinsi of disrupting the court? Has the emperor used Yinsi’s
ambition to falsely incriminate him of treason? He should not suffer injustice. Yinti
has the courage of his own convictions and does not mind being punished for
speaking out against injustice.
The question of the viewers is why is the Kangxi emperor hard
on the heels of Yinsi just because he shows ambition for the throne but he has
never been hard on Yinreng when he has provoked outrage for his licentious
behaviour and his embezzlement of the imperial funds. Even under the best of
circumstances, nobody could reason with the Kangxi emperor. He is determined
not to allow his other sons to ascend the throne. None is spared of this grim
truth.
A realistic picture of what’s happening in the Forbidden City
is being painted and the emperor becomes so furious that he thinks Yinti
ought to be executed. In his anger, he quickly takes out his sword and waves
it in his direction. This triggers loud cries and pleas from the various
princes to forgive him. The Fifth Prince holds their father back and pleads
for mercy. The only person who is unmoved by the whole scenario is Yinzhen who
remains calm and unperturbed throughout.
It seems it is characteristic of Kangxi to be lenient to those
who pull wool over his eyes while he takes punitive measures against those
who have enlightened him.
The demeanour of the Kangxi emperor is no less terrifying than
the wrath in his voice. Reason seems to have abandoned him. He orders Yinti,
the 14th Prince to be flogged and given 20 strokes. Yinsi would be
stripped off his Beile title and would be placed under investigation. Those who help Yinsi
would be executed, so Yinsi is effectively isolated from the rest of the court officials. Ruoxi
feels dismayed, as if her heart has been stabbed by a thousand needles.
The emperor thinks poorly of Yinsi and his actions of
garnering support for himself which he interprets as ‘unmitigated ambition’. Is it any wonder
if the emperor regards him as a would-be usurper of the position of Crown
Prince? Is the emperor targeting him as a scrapegoat for the Yinreng’s
problems?
Is Yinreng untouchable? |
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: RUOXI PLEADS FOR MERCY FOR THE PRINCES 
There is a knock on Ruoxi's door and when she opens it, a letter on the
ground awaits her. Yinsi says he is well and tells her not to worry.
When Ruoxi goes back to the palace, the other palace attendants
avoid her. She seems to have fallen from grace.
Yinsi has not been wary of the pitfalls and the repercussions of his ambition. Now that he is punished, Ruoxi's status is also shaken since they are in-laws. Ruoxi suddenly realises that she has been riding on Yinsi's coatails, and that is why previously she has been treated with so much respect.
Luckily, her mentor, Eunuch Li Dequan, is reasonable and
remains cordial towards her. He instructs her that she should continue to
serve the emperor.
Ruoxi is determined to speak up for Yinsi and the other
princes.
When in his presence, she kneels and acknowledges that the Kangxi emperor loves his
family and cares for his sons. She offers her views that ‘If the king is benevolent, the children will be filial.’
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