BU BU JING XIN
EPISODE 18
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SWEETEST PROPOSAL: YINZHEN’S POSITIVE RESPONSE TO RUOXI’S
MARRIAGE PROPOSAL
Contrary to cultural norms, Ruoxi pops the all-important question
to Yinzhen.
‘Are you willing to marry me?’ she asks.
It must have taken Ruoxi a lot of guts to make the very bold move,
especially in eighteenth century China. Is it a sign of desperation on her
part? Some viewers must have sniggered. A flipside of such a bold move is
rejection. But she must be ready to accept it. She has not thought of
providing an exit for herself if it backfires. Yinzhen takes the hairpin from
her hands.
But her proposal is not exactly a failure. Such a forward and
outright question might surprise many men.
Yinzhen is not shocked nor feels emasculated but he declares he is
not willing to marry her at the moment because everyone is afraid of marrying
her.
She says she might as well die if she is forced to marry Yinreng.
‘Don’t forget that I saved your
life. Your life belongs to me. You are not allowed to die without my
permission.’
He repeats what he had said at the beginning of their
relationship.
He knows why Yinreng wants to marry her.
Yinreng has asked the Kangxi emperor for her hand in marriage and if Yinzhen marries
her, it might arouse Yinreng’s suspicions that he is conspiring to topple
him. He doesn’t want to be implicated in the Crown Prince’s corruption case,
so he tells her to wait.
Since she has worn the hairpin that Yinzhen has given her, and since she has indicated that she
wants to marry him, she might as well wait for him.
She thanks him for helping her to get past that terrible stage
and he urges her to rest as she has fallen sick.
YINSI:
WARNING RUOXI AGAINST ANY ROMANCE WITH YINZHEN
She goes back to her quarters and Yinsi is waiting for her.
He says he does not want her to suffer because of the Crown Prince, and inquires if she has any plans for the future.
She says, being a maid, she has little control over her life, and her
future is decided by others. She likens herself to a pawn in a chess game to
be moved around for the political gain of others.
 
He warns her pointedly that if she has to decide on a partner, it
has better not be Yinzhen because his efforts in helping her would be in vain.
However, if the matter is decided by the emperor, he would not voice his
objection.
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THE DEATH OF CONCUBINE
LIANG, YINSI’S MOTHER
Yinsi visits his sick mother. She knows that she does not have
long to live. She regrets that her lowly status has prevented his rise to the
position of Crown Prince.
Ascension to the throne is not based on ability but birth
status. Kangxi has followed the practice of primogeniture by appointing his oldest
son by his favoured empress at the age 2 as his successor.
In terms of ability and talent, many cannot compete with Yinsi.
Concubine Liang believes that he has the drive to succeed. All these years,
he has tried to earn the respect of others. With a son like him, she has no
regrets. He wants to spend more time with his mother but she is tired.
When Yinsi leaves, Concubine Liang enjoins the maid not to give her any more medicine as her intention is to die earlier so that she does not
drag her son down.
CONSORT LIANG PASSES AWAY
After Consort Liang had passed away, Ruoxi expresses her sadness through
her calligraphy.
 
Ruoxi goes to Concubine Liang’s residence and kowtows at the
gate to pay her last respects.
The emperor, in his sedan chair, stops for a moment to look at her
residence.
It is just only a moment’s gaze in the direction of her residence and then, he
is gone. That, to Ruoxi, is the evidence of the Kangxi emperor's lack of love and lack of
respect for her. How heartless of him!
The emperor wants to meet Ruoxi. He has been told by the Crown
Prince that Ruoxi has kowtowed in the direction of the residence.
She explains that while Consort Liang was alive, she had drawn some embroidery designs for her. 
The emperor advises his sons, Yinreng and Yinti to visit Yinsi
and advise him to take care of his health. But there seems to be no signs of
mourning on his part.
Ruoxi happens to meet Yinti. She must be wary of situations
relating to Yinsi or else he would be breathing down her neck again.
‘It is wrong to say that you are heartless, because you kowtowed in the direction of the dead. But it is also wrong to say you have a heart.’ 
Yinti condemns her for her indifference to Yinsi although he
had treated her so well in the past. Yinsi has been grieving over his
mother’s death and his problems have been compounded by his leg problem as it
has impeded his movement.
‘Recently, he has helped you or
else you would have become the Crown Prince’s consort. Do you know how
disappointed he is?’
‘Yinti, do you know what longing
is? It’s like a needle in one’s heart. Since two persons cannot be together,
why make things difficult? The more disappointed he is, the easier to forget.
If he is greatly hurt, it would be easier for him to forget me completely. There’s no turning back.’
‘Can you forget Yinsi?’ Yinti asked.
‘I’ve already forgotten,’ Ruoxi emphasized.
‘Then, I’ll also put down this
burden since you’ve made it so clear.’
‘From now onwards, you must be
very careful. It takes a split second to make a difference. ‘If a dog is
forced into a corner, it will react in panic and without reason.’
He is warning her against the attack of dangerous people who are threatened. |
STAR-CROSSED ROMANCE: RUOXI RETURNS THE PHOENIX BLOODSTONE
JADE BANGLE TO YINSI THROUGH YINTI
Ruoxi is staring at the red plum blossoms.
Yinzhen appears and enquires why she is in a daze. To her, the
palace is a fearful place. She wants to be away from the palace and live in a residence in courtyard.
‘Where is the hairpin, and the earrings
that I gave you last year?
‘In the house.’
‘It’s a waste of my sentiments!’ Yinzhen exclaimed.
‘I’m wearing the pendant.’
He then gives her an
affectionate knock on the head.
Ruoxi asks herself, ‘Can I understand my own heart and feelings?’
She thinks of Yinsi. Two months have passed. 'Has his pain healed?'
She is determined to make a decision not to prolong the pain and heartache.
This time, she tries very hard to take off the bangle, the final
reminder of Yinsi.
 
She succeeds and places it on the table. It is so easy to break
off ties.
She meets Yin’e and Yinti in the garden. She requests to talk to
Yinti alone. She is puzzled about Yin’e’s behaviour. When he is with
Mingyu, he would steer her away when he sees her in the distance. Why?
Yin’e refuses to answer and walks
off.
 
Left alone with Yinti, Ruoxi requests that he help her to return
the jade bracelet to Yinsi.
They are interrupted by the appearance of Yinzhen and Yinxiang.
Yinti, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, takes his leave and cheekily says, ‘I won’t reject this’, while shaking the wrapped jade bangle in her face. 
But Yinti knows that giving back the bangle is as treacherous as traversing enemy territory and so, he delays returning
it to Yinsi.
Yinxiang leaves Ruoxi alone with Yinzhen. She is annoyed with him
for thinking she has given Yinti a gift.
He says it is okay to exchange gifts and he eyes her cheekily.
Yinzhen seems more broadminded than Yinti. He does not try to
control her unlike Yinti.
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ANTI-CORRUPTION INVESTIGATIONS COMPLETED: PUNISHMENT ENFORCED - KANGXI'S METHODS OF PUNISHMENT: SUFFOCATION AND BRANDING 
The Third Prince reports that everything that ‘Zenguo Gong’ said is true. He has gathered enough evidence to prove that Yinreng
and his men are plotting to revolt against the Kangxi emperor and are
planning to enthrone the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince denies knowledge about the evil plot. It has
nothing to do with him. The plotters are just his drinking buddies.
Punishment is meted out for the crimes. Some of the disloyal
officials are smothered to death. Wet paper is placed on their faces layer
by layer until they suffocate to death.
 
The others are branded with a red-hot iron.
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RUOXI IMITATES YINZHEN’S CALLIGRAPHIC STYLE 
Ruoxi receives a letter from Yinzhen. Viewers may be surprised
to learn that she practises her calligraphy by diligently copying Yinzhen’s
calligraphic style. She probably admires his calligraphy writing.
  
It is revealed at the end of the drama that her Chinese
calligraphic writing is similar to that of Yinzhen’s.
 
There is a meeting of the princes. Ruoxi has prepared a cup of
tea for Yinsi, and when she serves him the tea, he notices that her bracelet
is gone.
Ruoxi has expected Yinti to return the bangle and it seems
that he has not.
When Ruoxi leaves the room, Yin’e, who is rushing in, bumps
into her.
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CONFLICT IN YIN’E-MINGYI’S MARRIAGE: MINGYI’S JEALOUSY REARS ITS UGLY HEAD 
Yin’e is angry that Mingyu has bashed him up. He fumes and
rants, calling her a ‘shrew’, and swears to divorce her. He recounts that she
has taken all his lanterns from his study.
 
She has even chucked one into his face causing an injury. She has
thrown a fit and beaten him up over his close friendship with Ruoxi.
 
Ruoxi pacifies him and narrates a story. She explains love by drawing a comparison between candied haw and lotus cake.
'One day, my father refused to allow me to
eat candied haw because it was dirty. But I yearned for it.
And then I tasted some lotus cakes and they were delicious.
But, I was insistent that candied
haw was better.
When I had a chance to taste
candied haw again, I was disappointed.
I did not taste lotus cakes for three months.
Then, I discovered that I preferred eating lotus cakes to eating candied haw.'
Ruoxi tells him that she is ‘candied haw’ and Mingyu is ‘lotus cake’.
Mingyu is within his reach but candied haw is unattainable, so
he thinks it is better.
 
‘Why is it that you did not retaliate when she attacked you? It
is because you can’t bear to!'
There are many ‘knots’ in Yin’e’s heart. He cannot unravel
those knots in an instance. He has to mull over his relationship with Mingyu to solve his own marital problems.
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THE LOVER’S PROMISE: YINZHEN & RUOXI’S PROMISE TO TELL EACH OTHER THE TRUTH 
The Kangxi emperor demands to see her. He asks her to explain the
commotion brought about by Yin’e. He has heard from the grapevine that Yin’e has
been kicking people and throwing tantrums.
It seems like an interrogation to her. The emperor asks if it is
related to the previous rumours that she likes Yin’e. The rumours had spread
like wildfire in the past.
She explains that they have a platonic relationship and she has
no feelings for him.
She further explains that since the rumours were rife at that time, they never
met in private after his marriage.
After the lantern festival, he gifted her a lantern and so the
rumours started again. It is all a misunderstanding.
The emperor says, ‘I know that in the future, you’ll forget what
you’ve lost, and appreciate what you have.’
 
Ruoxi practises her calligraphy again. Suddenly, Yinzhen appears
and studies her calligraphy.
 
Yinzhen wants her to promise that she will never lie to him from that
day onwards.
‘I prefer to hear the ugly truth rather than listen to lies’.
  
They both promise not to lie to each other.
Ruoxi demands to know, ‘What, if there are certain secrets that I
cannot tell you?’
‘Just tell me that you cannot reveal them to me.’
Ruoxi then takes the opportunity to ask him one very important
question.
She closes the door and then, writes the words. ‘Royal Throne’. ‘Do you want the Royal Throne?’ |
