BBJX: Episode 34

BU BU JING XIN EPISODE 34

THE WEDDING BY DECREE: YINTI AND RUOXI Ruoxi arrives at Yinti’s mansion in Zunhua, the place where the imperial Qing tombs are located.  A few festive red lanterns are hung in the gateway to welcome Ruoxi. A marriage is a joyous event. But Qiaohui is disappointed that there are no usual Chinese traditional ornamental designs with the celebratory words, ‘Double Happiness’, a symbol of marriage, pasted in the house since it is a wedding day. Her voice is filled with disdain for the groom. Ruoxi does not wait for Yinti to lift and remove her red wedding veil. She does so herself. She is not wearing the heavily embroidered and beaded red bridal attire. Yinti arrives to greet them. Neither is he wearing his celebratory red bridegroom robes. She discovers that the Yongzheng Emperor, being filled with unreasonable jealousy, has prohibited Yinti from celebrating the wedding on a grand scale. But, Ruoxi is not miffed at Yongzheng’s meanness, and reminds Yinti that she has come to his manor just to have peace and tranquillity. Being obsessive about Ruoxi, Yongzheng has planted spies in Yinti’s manor. Since her arrival at Yinti’s manor, Yongzheng, who could not relinguish his memory of her, has been receiving secret reports on Ruoxi and Yinti’s relationship. He still wants to lord it over Ruoxi, as if, she is still his. He laughs gaily on receiving one such report. It seems Ruoxi has worn her red wedding veil against his orders. She is arrogant and does not abide by etiquette at meal times by getting up first before Yinti’s first consort. He has known that Ruoxi is stubborn and proud, and she has often driven him to distraction. But, she still has not lost that stubborn streak in her. Yinxiang, who is with him, quickly reassures Yongzhen that Ruoxi has no romantic feelings for Yinti.

REMINISCENCES OF THE PAST: YONGZHENG AND RUOXI’S ROMANCE Ruoxi indulges in her calligraphy work and writes about her memories. Her calligraphic writings are kept in a chest. When she sits alone in the garden, the times she shared with the Yongzheng Emperor play on her memories. She selfishly pushes reality aside and forgets about other people. All she wants to do is just to reminisce on the nostalgic past and her memories of their romance.  She remembers bits of what they used to share - a smile, a joke and exchanged glances. For the first time in her life in the Qing era, she has no anxieties. Back at the palace, the Yongzheng Emperor also remembers with fondness their romantic times together as he takes a walk down memory lane, walking through the length of his palace while drinking tea from her magnolia tea cup. The memories seem to haunt him. It must have been very painful to recall those memories. The Yongzheng Emperor and Ma’ertai Ruoxi cannot live with nor live without each other.

DETERIORATING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YONGZHEN AND YINTI Yinti practises his swordplay as his first consort plays the zither. He zaps his sword foreward with a flourish. As she plays faster and faster, he moves, swirls around, jumps faster and faster in time with the beat until a string breaks. The consort is arbitrarily dismissed. The weather is cold but Yinti’s temper is hot. Upon noticing Ruoxi’s secret presence, he straightens up. ‘If you want to watch, why not watch openly? He chides her, the note of command is obvious in his tone. Ruoxi, performing her wifely duties, gently wipes his hands and the beads of perspiration on his brow. His eyes shine merrily, and they gaze playfully into each other’s eyes. The image of the handsome prince and his beautiful consort making playful talk is mesmerising. Yongzheng has received an irritating letter, which is filled with criticisms, from Yinti and his wrath is stirred up. Yet another letter arrives to make him even madder. Before the Yongzheng Emperor allowed Ruoxi to leave the palace, he had asked Yinxiang whether Yinti and Ruoxi had a romantic relationship. The answer was, ‘No’. But the new secret report states that Ruoxi, after watching Yinti’s swordplay, had wiped the sweat on his brows, held his hands and then, shared a joke. They were laughing happily. Yongzheng is jealous. The viewers are humoured by his jealous rage over the romantic incident which they perceive to be really sweet. The emperor has obviously not gotten over her after all. He is barely able to keep his rage in check. Yinxiang tries to allay his anger. Knowing such revealing reports might unhinge him, Yongzheng orders the spies who are in league with him to stop their spying activities. One night, Yinti is drunk and wants to stay overnight with Ruoxi. He rants that if the previous emperor had passed the throne to him, his brothers’ fate would not have turned out to be so disastrous. And, Longkodo and Nian Gengyao would not have become so arrogant.

RUOXI’S LETTER: RUOXI REQUESTS TO SEE THE YONGZHENG EMPEROR FOR THE LAST TIME Ruoxi’s health deteriorates until the stage that she faints. Yinti gets one physician after another to cure her illness. She then confides in Yinti that the Imperial Physician has informed her about her incurable condition. Yinti could not have been more distressed. In her troubled dreams, Ruoxi sees Yongzheng and she rushes to him. She keeps calling his name in her sleep. Upon awakening, she is determined to write him a letter. She feels her end is near. Yinti instructs the kitchen maids to prepare her favourite snacks and he informs her that he has also invited her favourite musician to entertain her. Ruoxi wants her letter to be handed quickly to the emperor. ‘By tomorrow, but the latest is the day after!’ she weakly requests. On seeing that Ruoxi’s writing is similar to that of the emperor’s calligraphic writing, Yinti decides to insert her letter into his own envelope to avoid further palace gossip. When the emperor receives Yinti’s letter, he is unhappy as usual, because Yinti’s letters are always full of complaints and criticisms so he instructs Gao Wuyong to put it aside.

LAST WISHES: RUOXI’S FINAL INSTRUCTION’S TO QIAOHUI Ruoxi's health is crumbling and she looks pallid. She entertains the fervent hope that the emperor would appear. Knowing that she is living on borrowed time, she is hopeful of seeing him for the last time, and is determined to wait for him. She is under the illusion that he would come. But by night time, he has not arrived and she is bewildered. And she abandons her hope of seeing him ever again. Based on the map, viewers know that the distance between Beijing and Zunhua is not that far. She thinks in frustration that he has refused to forgive her and to see her one last time. There is a trace of regret because she wants to say her farewells to a man whom she has been passionately in love with. Maybe he does not just hate, he is not even concerned or nor want to care. She languishes in her despair. Rouxi decides to give her final instructions to Qiaohui for her to carry out her wishes. She takes out a box which contains Yutan’s testament written in blood. She instructs Qiaohui to pass it secretly to Yinxiang. He has to hand it personally to Yintang. ‘Remember my words carefully.’ ‘Qiaohui, I don’t have much money. I have some jewellery in a red box. Take half and give the other half to Wangxi’s brother.’ ‘The other thing is about Luwu. In fact, she is no more in this world. She has already drowned herself in the river. Only the emperor and I know about it. We have hidden it from Yinxiang because he would be hurt by the truth.’ ‘I’ve encouraged Cheng Huan to commemorate ‘an auntie’ on a certain date every year. I hope that after Yinxiang has passed away, you would personally inform Cheng Huan that it is actually her mother’s death anniversary.’ She passes her maid a piece of jade for Cheng Huan. ‘You’ve taken care of Ruolan and me for half your life. Now, do whatever you wish with your life.’

RUOXI WAITS IN VAIN TO SEE YONGZHENG FOR THE FINAL TIME Ruoxi is near death. Yongzheng could feel something wrong in his heart. He could hear Ruoxi calling him. Alone in his palace, he could feel her presence. Ruoxi wakes up and wants her face to be washed. She is frail and feels lethargic and lifeless.  Yinti comes and touches her face gently. He informs her that her favourite musician has come and asks whether she wants to listen to his music or not. Yinti cradles her body and blinks back the tears in his eyes. She is weak and looks ghostly pale. What she wants does not matter anymore, even Yongzheng’s presence. She takes a breath to drink in the fragrance of the flowers around her  and glances faintly at their beauty. She determinedly requests that Yinti cremate her body. She wants her ashes to be scattered and to be blown by the wind. She has always wanted to be free.  She does not want to be manacled to the earth and her body to be eaten by worms. BURIAL VERSUS CREMATION In early times, the Chinese consider the cremation of the corpse of their parents as unfilial, and strongly discourage the practice. The Han Chinese traditionally practised burial and viewed cremation as a barbarian practice and a taboo. The group that exclusively practised cremation in China was the Buddhist monks. The minority Jurchen group and their Manchu descendants originally practised cremation as part of their culture. But later, the Manchus adopted the Han practice of burial for the dead, although  some Manchus continued to cremate their dead. After she dies, she does not want to be held back. He promises her that he would follow her instructions to the letter. ‘If there’s a next life, would you remember me?’ Yinti ventures cautiously. Her honesty is startling and intense. She says she will ask Meng Po, the goddess of reincarnation to give her more bowls of the ‘Soup of Forgetfulness and Amnesia’ to forget all of them. She wants to forget everyone and everything. Yinti’s voice must have quavered with hurt. Perhaps, he has expected that at least, she would show an iota  of romantic love towards him. Disappointed with her rejection, he must have felt a dull ache in his heart. A slight shadow settles in his eyes. Tears threaten to fall. ‘Yinti, live well. Let all that is in the past be forgotten,’ Ruoxi weakly urges him. Her concern eventually comforts him. There is a short silence and then, she is gone. MENG-PO THE BUDDHIST GODDESS OF REINCARNATION Meng Po, often known as Lady Meng (Dream), is the Buddhist Goddess of Reincarnation. She is also called the Goddess of Forgetfulness and Amnesia. She dishes out the ‘Soup of Forgetfulness and Amnesia’ for the souls of the dead. It is her task to ensure that the souls who are ready to be reincarnated do not remember their previous life or their time in hell. One sip of her ‘Soup of Forgetfulness and Amnesia’ would make one lose all memory of one’s previous life. This ensures that when one is reborn or reincarnated, one can start with a clean slate. The ‘amnesia’ is supposed to be an act of mercy. Yongzheng receives the report that Ma’ertai Rouxi has died the day before. ‘Ma’ertai Rouxi, without my permission, you’re not allowed to die!’ Yongzhen hollers, his voice is like the peal of thunder. He is actually repeating what he has said to her when she first tried to commit suicide by throwing herself in front of his galloping horse. Then, he desperately searches for her letter to him among all his official documents, and he barks at Gao Wuyong, his personal eunuch to find it as well.