BU BU JING XIN
EPISODE 22
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FROM ENMITY TO FRIENDSHIP: RUOXI & MINGYU
Mingyu is walking in the palace grounds and meets Ruoxi.
 The Gololo girl invites her to have a stroll together and they talk about the old times.  Mingyu asks Ruoxi how many fights she has been involved in her whole life. She herself divulges that the iconic fight with Ruoxi was the first time ever in all her life, but unlike her, Ruoxi has fought a few fights. Perhaps, Ruoxi still remembers her fight with her boyfriend in the twenty-first century.  
‘You and your sister are so
dissimilar.’
‘I couldn’t have imagined
fighting you on the bridge.’
  
When Mingyu reflects on it, it seems to her that the fight was
a novel experience and had been quite fun. Ruoxi admits humbly that she had
been hot-headed, but Mingyu is swift to claim that she, herself, was the one
who had been impertinent.
‘We were each helping our
sisters and we were on opposing sides. There is no right or wrong.’
 
‘On the surface, it seems my
sister has the advantage but in truth, that’s not the case. Yinsi treats your
sister very well. Although your sister doesn’t do anything, she is also given
her share of everything.’
‘What advantage does my
sister have? Reading Buddhist scriptures?’
‘My sister has been extraordinary since childhood. Although
your sister’s horse riding skills are above average, my sister’s skills are
unbelievable.'
Compared to my sister, your sister is just a decorative spear.
Beautiful and elegant, but not useful.
‘My sister, Ruolan, has never thought of competing
with your sister for Yinsi’s favour.’
‘In our Qing custom, a son’s
status depends on his mother. Yinsi’s status has always been lower than that of the
others. My parents objected to this union but my sister did what she wished.
My sister fell in love with Yinsi at first sight and wanted to marry him. At
first, I did not understand. Now, I understand. Women are foolish. My sister is
‘like a moth to a flame’. Knowing that there is fire ahead, she still makes a
beeline for the flame, hoping to get some warmth but she ends up irresistibly
and dangerously drawn into the light of the flame. It seems like she was
disoriented, having a fatal attraction to Yinsi. After seeing him only a few
times but not having said a word to him, she declared she wanted to marry
him. She first saw him on a bridge looking at the scenery. From afar, he
looked like a deity without a hint of mortality. From then on, she focussed
on his happiness, anger, pain and suffering. She does everything that she
can possibly do for him.’
‘But, his heart is not with her.
What does your sister do? She barely smiles and never competes. But she has won
Yinsi’s heart.’
‘But Minghui shouldn’t vent her
anger on my sister.’
‘If she did, your sister wouldn’t
have so much peace to recite her scriptures.’
They are relieved to have sorted out their feelings in an
amiable way. It is strange that past enemies could become friends. Perhaps,
it is because Ruoxi has extended a helping hand to mend her marital
relationship with Yin’e.
Ruoxi advises her to appreciate Yin’e, but she claims that she already
knows his good points.
Viewers are aware that Minghui does everything to make Yinsi happy,
even sacrificing her own happiness. They would soon learn that Minghui’s love
story hints of the fatal lure of romantic love. She is irresistibly and
dangerously attracted to Yinsi, and, like a moth, it would lead to her
downfall.
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CLOSE CALL WITH AN ARROW: YINZHEN SAVES RUOXI FROM ARROW SHOT
Yinzhen is walking in the palace gardens. He is supposed to be with
his fourth son, Hong Shi.
Yin’e is searching for his consort. Together, they go in search
of Mingyu.
  
Meanwhile, Hong Shi, accompanied by a eunuch, is practising his
archery skills. He is shooting birds. He orders his aide to fetch one of the
shot birds. He, himself tries to take another shot at the birds but the arrow
accidentally ends in Mingyu and Ruoxi’s direction.
 
Yongzhen, alerted to the situation, rushes to push Ruoxi aside,
the arrow barely grazing his arm. The arrow has Yongzhen’s blood on it.
Mingyu and Yin’e are rankled over the incident.
Hong Shi, and his frightened aide appear. The aide kneels to beg
for forgiveness. Only on Yinzhen’s admonition does the child beg for
forgiveness. Although he is forgiven by Mingyu, Yinzhen orders him to return
home for his punishment.
Mingyu jokes about the incident before she leaves with Yin’e who
is surprised by the suddeny amicability of the two women.
Left with Yinzhen, Rouxi asks, ‘Why?’
He explains why he tried to save her, ‘If you’re injured, it would give me more pain.’
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THE KANGXI EMPEROR & YINTI’S PLUM BLOSSOMS GIFT TO EMPRESS
DOWAGER
The emperor is pleased with Yinti and Ruoxi’s choice of the red
plum blossom plants.
‘The plum blossom plants
(meihua) are perfect. Ruoxi, your taste is getting better and better.’
‘It is not my choice. It is the
choice of Yinti.’
Yinti suggests, ‘I hear that grandmother likes plum flowers. Why don’t we send them to Ningshou Palace?’
‘How filial of you. This branch
is more upright. Give this to her. It shows our good wishes.’
‘Li Dequan, send this to the
Empress Dowager.’
Then the emperor consults Yinti on court matters.
Ruoxi thinks to herself. The emperor really likes Yinti. Their
personalities are similar and so are their political ideas. But, Ruoxi knows that Yinzhen, not Yinti, is the future emperor.
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EMPRESS DE: THE QUESTION OF BIAS - JADE BANGLES, TOKENS OF LOVE
FROM YINZHEN & YINTI
Yinzhen personally buys his mother a pair of white jade
bangles for her birthday.
 
He kneels and wishes his mother happiness as ‘deep as the
eastern seas’ as well as good health and happiness. Although she smiles, she is
detached and holds him at arm's length.
He has always tried hard to please her but whatever she says
is just like a knife piercing his heart.
‘Just now, the emperor sent a
pot of red plum flowers to the Empress Dowager, and she was so happy that she
gathered everyone to look at the beautiful flowers.’
She then caws, ‘Is it
true that it was Yinti’s idea?’
The Empress Dowager, like all older folks, is
naturally pleased because the five petals of the plum blossom symbolize the
"five blessings" (wufu 五福). These five blessings are longevity, wealth, health,
virtue, and the desire to die a natural death in old age.
No wonder Yinti is being doted upon by the emperor. Yinzhen, though miffed with his imperial mother, is restrained in his emotions.
His mother has always been biased towards his younger brother
and discriminates against him. On this occasion, the feelings of bitterness
in him is raised largely by her innuendos and favouritism displayed towards
Yinti. He smiles bitterly.
She brings up the subject of the vacant position of the Crown
Prince and the intrigues among the princes who are vying for the position.
All these alarm her and put fear in her heart.
‘I don’t want you all to harm each
other for that position. Yinti is not scheming, that’s why I worry for him.’
Probably, Yinzhen’s filial sentiments towards her have been
nullified by her words. She is not averse to implying that he is as scheming
as the rest. There is no heartfelt mother-son connection. He understands and
suffers in silence.
‘With the emperor doting on
Yinti, and Yinsi taking care of him, he will not be in danger.’
Both mother and son are aloof, standoffish, and have
emotionally shut down, and are emotionally unavailable for each other. She is
like a cold fish, affectionless and critical when it comes to her elder son.
Yinti, her other son, arrives to give his birthday greetings.
He kneels. Immediately, she lovingly tells him to dispense with the formalities
and to get up. She smiles affectionately at him and fawns over him. Her
eyes are sparkling, warm and affectionate.
He, in turn, holds her and leads her to the seat and he props
himself next to her. He has, yet again, shown his ‘people skills’ knowing
that he has usurped that special ‘favourite son’ position in her heart.
‘My wish is that you, mother,
will always have a youthful countenance,’ he chuckles. Such sweet and sugary words. And then, he shows her
his gift, a set of jade bangles.
Apparently, Yinti has not personally brought his birthday gift
for her. He gets his aide to bring it and shows her his gift of jade bangles.
In spite of that, her face is full of pleasure.
‘These red and green bangles will
ward off evil aura and protect the wearer. These auspicious bangles are
passed down from a previous dynasty. I have to bargain hard, using both kindness
and severity, to get them.’
‘Let me look.’ In
her mind she is already comparing both sets of bangles, contemplating their aesthetic
beauty but mostly, discerning their monetary value.
Viewers know at once by her affected prattle and manner whose set
of bangles she prefers. She slyly eyes Yinzhen and says, ‘Both of you brothers have brought me bangles today. In her
patronising tone, she caws again, ‘Whose
shall I wear? You have put me in a
quandary.’
The way she treats him is loving and warm but, when she speaks
to Yinzhen, there is no warmth.
Earlier, when she received Yinzhen’s jade bangles, he was
kneeling at her feet. She never told him to get up. After that, he stood in
front of her while she was still sitting down. She did not, at any moment, invite him to
sit down beside her.
However, she only stands up to face him, looking at him in the
eye, when she speaks to him about the struggle for Crown Prince position.
She makes sure Yinzhen understands where all her affections
lay.
Viewers will not fault her when they realise that she had
personally nursed Yinti as a baby and personally brought him up.
What is in Yinzhen’s mind as he drinks in the whole scenario?
Is he envious or is he emotionally wounded when he looks on as if he is
gatecrashing their private conversation?
To the untutored eye, she is a loving mother to both. It must
have been a painful reminder to Yinzhen that his own mother has no love for
him. Any spark of love on his part must have been extinguished a long time ago.
There is no mother-son bond.
How would he be able to handle the toxic legacy of hurt from his
own mother? Is his cold and serious countenance a result of this
relationship?
Perhaps, Yinti, being more easy-going, has people skills which
is greatly lacking in Yinzhen due to the lack of a loving bond of communication
between mother and son.
‘One is a recluse, the other is
the toast of society.’
Her sharp comparison has a sting to it. The viewer can now
clearly discern the difference between the two brothers. One is wearing the
plain-coloured ordinary attire of the common man, and the other, the splendid
blue princely robes.
‘Ever since Yingren was stripped off his title, everyone has been trying to figure out your father’s choice
of a new Crown Prince. A country cannot have two emperors. I don’t want you
to be in intrigues to harm each other.’
She probably meant the words for Yinzhen to restrain his
ambitions and pave the way for his younger brother to ascend the throne,
having chosen her favourite son to be his imperial father’s successor.
Yinzhen says, ‘I now
focus on agriculture and landscaping. I no longer care about court matters’
With scepticism in her voice, she retorts, ‘I hope that is true.’ What she
actually means is ‘Don’t fight Yinti for the throne!’
Yinti says, ‘I don’t
have ambition towards the throne.’
‘No matter what the future,
remember your brotherly ties,’ the imperial mother reminds them.
Yinti stares antagonistically at his brother, but Yinzhen’s
demeanour and eyes are calm.
After the two brothers have left their mother’s residence,
their mutual animosity becomes evident. All false pretences fall away.
The younger prince ventures sarcastically, ‘Yinzhen, are you really leading a life of
leisure and comfort, or are you just waiting for an opportune moment to
strike? The older brother’s eyes narrow.
The older brother’s voice takes on an
icy-sharp edge.
‘Have
you all not seen for yourselves? Do I still attend court sessions anymore?’ Yinzhen proffers.
Yinti scoffs at his scheming brother.
‘The expertise of your
intelligence lies in secret plotting, not open vying, prying out the
situation in the dark. You use the most covert method in competing with the others.’
Is the observation justified? Is he egging Yinzhen on, being
aware of his brother’s tactical strategies?
‘You have imperial father’s
favour. Have you not thought of your succession to the throne? Are you contented with being Yinsi’s supporter? If you are thinking of the throne, then, Yinsi is the
obstacle. Although he does not have imperial father’s favour, he has political
clout and influence.’
What Yinzhen means is that Yinti has no backing at all.
‘These matters are not your
concern. You shouldn’t be troubled by such matters,’ rejoins Yinti, showing
his contempt.
Yinzhen walks off.
Yinzhen is politically shrewd and is probably trying to put a
wedge between Yinsi and Yinti. If Yinsi’s Faction is split, then, it would be
easy for Yinzhen to ascend the throne.
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YET AGAIN: THE IMPERIAL HUNTING EXPEDITION NORTH OF THE GREAT
WALL
The emperor is again planning his yearly expedition to the grasslands
north of the Great Wall which is close to the Manchu ancestral
homelands.
(In this episode, the viewers are
given a clearer picture of Kangxi’s annual rite, which includes
the imperial hunt. The Kangxi Emperor would organise it during
the autumn, lasting up to a month at the imperial hunting grounds at Mulan, near
Chengde. The hunt was similar to the Manchus and Mongols' hunting traditions. The
emperor himself participated in the hunt, along with thousands of soldiers,
imperial family members, and government officials. The Manchu hunt was used
not only as a military exercise to train their troops in the traditional
martial skills of archery and horsemanship, but also as a bonding ritual between
the Manchus and the Mongols. Here, the Manchus could hunt and live as their
ancestors did.)
Yutan has a cold and regrets not being able to go. 
Yinti talks to Ruoxi. She gives him a woodcut of a fox. She says
the princes are a bit like it – planning and plotting to get the farmer’s
chicken.
While seated in the open grassland one day, she reads a letter
from Minmin who informs her about her love relationship which she describes as
sincere and true, and that no sacrifice is expected of her.
 
Ruoxi asks silently, ‘What
about me? I’m just waiting for fate.
Her happiness depends on the arrangement by 'fate'.
Viewers listen to the sad lyrics of the song and feel her sadness.
Yinzhen appears behind her.
‘Even if you don’t marry me, I
won’t allow you to forget me. At least you cannot forget me before
I forget you. Do you understand?’ And then Ruoxi touches his forehead lightly.
 
Yinzhen hugs her.
It was during the last expedition that she hugged another prince. How long ago was that? |
YINSI’S MOTHER DEATH ANNIVERSARY
(Ancestor Worship)
Meanwhile, Yinsi asks for permission from
his imperial father to return to the Capital to commemorate his mother’s
death anniversary.
Yinsi is allowed to leave the expedition
early to arrange for the memorial service. The emperor does not think highly
of Yinsi because of his overly high ambition.
When performing the ancestor worship rites
for his mother at her tomb, Yinsi talks to his dead mother’s spirit and
swears that he would defy the will of heaven. He regrets that his mother had
passed away without seeing his accomplishments. He admits that he has not
amounted to anything yet.
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YINZHEN’S CHESS GAME OF POLITICS: YINSI’S BIRTHDAY GIFT TO HIS IMPERIAL FATHER TURNED INTO A SHOCKING DEAD HAIDONG QING EAGLE
Yinsi’s aide informs him that the emperor has
hunted a fair amount of game and is very pleased.
Yinsi is reminded of his imperial father’s
birthday celebrations at the palace.
Yinsi feels it is too late to set out but he
intends to send congratulatory wishes and a gift. The gift must be befitting the
occasion but must not be too grandiose.
The day of the Kangxi emperor’s grand birthday
feast arrives. He remembers when he first ascended the throne, he shot a
deer.
It is announced that Yinsi has sent a gift –
an eagle from Haidong.
None notice the voices of the escorts are
muted. They seem to project a sense of gloom and doom.
The emperor happily comments that Yinsi has
shown filial piety.
The Third Prince exclaims that it is such a
thoughtful gift. Their imperial father has just written a poem on Haidong Qing.
The Kangxi emperor seems puzzled by the lack
of movement from the bird. He seems to have sensed something is wrong so he
moves forward to look at the bird.
His fears are confirmed. The eagle is
half-dead.
For the Manchu tribes, the hai dong qing is
an important breed of hunting eagle. An alive eagle sent as a gift is
auspicious but a dead one is a bad omen.
The eagle or hawk (ying 鹰) symbolizes a
"hero" (yingxiong 英雄) because the pronunciation is the same.
Yinsi wants to gift it to his father to
describe him as a hero but it has backfired. In the end, the eagle is presented
to the emperor half-alive or half-dead depending on how one sees it but it is
still the same. It conveys a curse on the emperor.
The emperor hurls the cage away in his rage.
Viewers would want to give the Kangxi
emperor credit for being a smart. He should know that something suspicious is
going on, and he does. But he puts on a great pretense of not knowing. He does
not want to give Yinsi a chance to explain. He has already decided on his
course of action.
It is quite obvious that the incident has
given him the chance to effectively eliminate Yinsi as a candidate for the
throne because he is already grooming one to succeed him.
It is learnt later that the emperor has secretly
investigated the incident. But, all the servants connected to the incident had
already committed suicide.
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KANGXI’S UNJUST PUNISHMENT: YINSI’S LOSS OF POLITICAL CLOUT AND INFLUENCE    
After the faux paus at the celebration, the
emperor seems irrational and vengeful.
He asks the Third Prince to write an edict.
‘Yinsi
is born of a lowly status. Since childhood, he had been ambitious. When I
fell ill last year, the ministers requested that I make him the Crown Prince.
It gave me no choice but to release the ex-Crown Prince.
I’ve
been upset for several years.
He has
not given up but formed a faction with corrupt officials and traitors. He has
been secretly plotting with them. I am afraid ‘the dogs and the pigs’ are
on the same path as him. They will make use of my kindness to force me to
abdicate and then make Yinsi the emperor. I am very angry. I want everyone to
know that.’
(In
Chinese culture, the dog and the pig are considered to be lucky animals. But,
the phrase ‘your pig-dog friends’ (porcine-canine friends) gives the two animals negative
connotations. If what is interpreted is correct, ‘the dogs and the pigs’,
mentioned by the Kangxi emperor means ‘bad company / the bad characters or
people who have a negative influence on others’.)
The Kangxi emperor seems class conscious. Ruoxi
knows that once the edict is issued, there is no turning back and it will leave Yinsi utterly crushed. No one dares to speak up for him.
Ruoxi is indignant at the injustice and is
about to walk forward to speak up for him when the young eunuch, Wangxi, stops
her in her tracks. He whispers that she would not only jeopardise her own
position but worsen the situation for Yinsi, his family and her own family.
The emperor will hate Yinsi even more and might even suspect she is the pawn
sent by Yinsi in the battle for the throne. Many heads would roll.
 
The emperor has sent orders that Yinsi return
to the Capital because he could not be located. Yinti is instructed to bring
him back.
 
Yinsi finally returns to the Capital with
Yinti. He suspects Yinti has betrayed him but he is wrong. He feels he has put
too much trust in others but it is too late.
Ruoxi analyses the situation. If Yinsi’s
ambition is crushed, it is Yinti who would benefit the most. Those who have
sided with Yinsi would change their allegiance and support him instead.
She could not believe those living in the
palace are so vicious.
Yinti drops in for a visit. Ruoxi is curious
and suspicious about his recent behaviour.
 
‘What I
don’t understand is last time when the ministers petitioned for Yinsi to be
appointed as the new Crown Prince, the emperor punished him by stripping him
of his ‘Beile’ title. You stepped out to help Yinsi and you were not afraid.
The emperor even took out a sword to kill you. But now, you have done nothing
to help him.’
‘Previously, I was too rash. Because of it, my imperial father thought that all of us were rebelling under Yinsi’s command.
Now, he even suspects that Yinsi wants him to abdicate. Do you think I would be insane to repeat
my mistakes?'
'Imperial father knows the true situation but
he fears Yinsi, and all these years he has been trying to weaken Yinsi’s skyrocketing
influence. It is the best opportunity for him to deal Yinsi a blow. Filial piety is the most important virtue,
and Yinsi has not proven that he is filial and that he is worthy of being
called ‘The Virtuous Prince’.
‘The royal family is cruel. Whether Yinsi did
or did not do it is of little consequence to the Kangxi emperor. If the
emperor says he did it, that means he did it. The emperor has hardened his
heart so that Yinsi knows he cannot deny his imperial authority. Does it mean
Yinsi has shown no respect to his father by being too ambitious?'
‘Those
people who delivered the eagle are trusted by Yinsi. Who arranged all these?
Who would benefit the most from all these?’
‘Do you
suspect me of doing it? I’m greatly disappointed in you.’ He walks off in a huff.
‘Is he putting on an act or is he truly angry and disappointed?’ Ruoxi is left in a state of confusion.
  
Yinti crosses paths with Yinzhen. He accuses
his older brother of treachery.
Yinzhen is intuitive and perceptive. He knows
that his younger brother has been accused of stabbing Yinsi in the back.
'You’re despicable for using such an utterly heartless method of dealing with Yinsi!' 
'Utterly heartless?' Yinzhen asked incredulously
and bitterly. He could not believe the naivete of Yinti and he walks off.
What he is asking is ‘Who is utterly heartless
in the first place?’ Yinxiang, an ally of Yinzhen has previously been framed, and he is punished to be in solitary confinement for 10 years! So, actually, Yinsi, who had plotted against them, is the one who is utterly heartless. This is his revenge. This is what he
would call ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth’ justice!
‘The
power that Yinsi has accumulated through his painstaking efforts is now
yours!’
Yinti’s confidence is not shaken by Yinzhen’s
sly innuendo. He calmly and staunchly defends himself, ‘I’m not that type of person!’
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CHINESE NEW YEAR: MINGHUI – A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE
It is New Chinese Year. All the princes, except Yinsi, are there
to present their good wishes to the Kangxi emperor.
Minghui represents her husband to send his greetings. She
explains that Yinsi’s legs are giving him trouble.
The princes are each given a CNY message from the emperor.
The message for Yinsi is a humiliating one. ‘Stay at home and reflect on your mistakes.’
When, the simple-minded Yin’e asks to see the message, Yinti
tries to stop him but she, without any qualms, shows it to him. It must have
been very embarrassing for her to swallow such a direct rebuke from the emperor,
even though the message is not for her but for Yinsi.
Ruoxi admires Minghui’s fortitude and her strength in character
to hold the fort for her husband. How many women are able to do it without
breaking down? And, Minghui unashamedly appears with a smile and with
humility.
When she leaves the audience hall, Ruoxi compliments Minghui’s
dignified and classy behaviour.
‘What I can do is to uphold his
dignity. There is no need for other’s pity or for fear of being looked down
upon by others.’
Ruoxi says humbly, ‘This is
not what every woman can do.’
‘You can also do it if he lives in
your heart.’
Yinsi is in his manor when an attendant rushes
in to inform him that his income and pension rice have been stopped. He has
been stripped off all his titles. This is total humiliation. He has been
brought to his knees but he is calm.
Minghui says indignantly, ‘How could the emperor do this?’
‘It is a
clear warning to those who support me that he will not forgive me.’
She reassures him that their savings are
enough to sustain them. Then, they also have her father for support but if
her father does not support them, he still has her.
He looks at her and perhaps, for the first
time in their married life he realises how lucky he has been for having a wife like her.
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