[Mainland Chinese Drama 2017] Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚乔传

[xinger]

hey guys! the guy who was ordered to save cq by the price of da liang seems to be the guy who was ordered to kill cq's mother. 

 

as you can see he has the same jade ring that the owner of the boat had.

also his legs are decapacitated so that it would be him probably. 

i wonder how come he doesn't recognise cq? 

 

[ces8]

3 hours ago, cenching said:

 

All of the others channels or websites is depend on YouTube. If YouTube haven't uploaded yet so you won't able to find it any where.....Do you understand bit of Chinese? Episode 48 is quite easy to understand if you know basic Chinese.

Sorry dont know any chinese im a PA fan from the Philippines...but thank you for answering my question...nice meeting you

[ces8]

3 hours ago, centuryold3 said:

 

There are 2 versions on YT, a TV version and an uncut. As of now there are only 43 episodes for the uncut version, which is basically episode 47-48 of the TV version. If you get confused just look at the title. So, for example, for Episode 43, they call it something like "Princess Agents 43 (TV47-48) Eng Sub" However, if you're following the TV version there are currently 48 episodes, but I don't think they consistently sub that version.

The rest of the episodes have not been posted because they haven't aired yet. If you're not sure of the schedule someone has posted it above. Subs will usually be available a day later if I'm not mistaken. Hope it helps. Someone correct me if I'm wrong lol. 

ADD: to make it clearer, 

• Link to Eng Subbed Uncut playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLRYHxCh-wkqb8PYzl2R1AjXJROtTHAV1
• Link to TV Version: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLRYHxCh-wkrxGRfnTIxvnzlM0xxylfwi

Thank you yeah i think in youtube they tagged it as ep 43 for tv 47 and 48 but  that is only for the uncut version of ep 47...ep 44 (tv 48) is the one left with no sub...i think they will sub it on monday...sigh...thank you much for the links

 

 

 

[Robin Robin]

What doea YY stand for ??

[40somethingahjumma]

Warning... incredibly long post coming up. Read at your own risk.

I've been thinking a little bit about how slavery is presented in this drama. It came up as a thing in the last two episodes and used humorously to depict CQ's encounter with the erstwhile scholar who stuck his nose into something perhaps he shouldn't have. However there was also a slightly more serious aspect to that when YWY entered the picture and his conscience was provoked into taking some action on the behalf of some desperate women caged like animals. The issue of slavery is not exactly a new one in this drama because the show begins with a stark, horrifying picture of the position of slaves in a world where human captivity is an everyday reality but also the flourishing of legalised trade in human captives.

I've also been thinking a little more about CE, as well as the whole debate about how responsible she is for her own misfortunes. I'm not keen to revisit that discussion because the answer to that question lies somewhere along the spectrum of opinions rather than on either end of it. But it isn't really an interesting question to me because I think that there is/was something a lot more interesting that was presented in her arc. The fact that she positioned herself as a victim and then directed her rage at another woman seems to me quite instructive because it tells me that she did not see herself as a victim of a sexual crime. We often think of rape as a kind of violent power trip... which it is... where one party shows their dominance over another. CE doesn't seem to take that view. In her mind she thinks of herself as a victim of adultery... the faithful wife who has been abandoned by her husband for his lover. It's clear right from the start that CE's world revolves completely around YX. Her activities, her conversations are by and large about him to the point of obsession. So much so that when the whole crisis over the Marquis' "betrayal" came to a head, she was willing to throw herself in harm's way to advocate for him. Nothing but the death of a maid could deter her. But even then, her older brother could barely restrain her from rushing out in support of YX. When plans were afoot to marry her off to Xiao Ce, she rushed to the emperor and declared that she would never marry anyone but YX. Even when her maid was trying to talk her out of it, she said that it didn't matter if YX didn't love her now, given time he would come round. And even then she was quite willing to accommodate CQ as part of YX's harem knowing the complicated nature of their relationship. 

I'd like to bring together these two threads and talk about the clash of worldviews about freedom, rights and loyalty in this society at least as depicted in the drama.

When YWY redeems the female slaves from the marketplace I imagine the initial expectation is that they will become his slaves. But to cart them all back to QSY is a bit of a tough ask so what does he suggest? That he gives them all to his agent as wives. In the confines of that society, it's a big step up for them and in this case preferable to being somebody's maid.

It's clear to me that women have very few options in this kind of world whatever their social status.  While CE may live in the lap of luxury, waited upon hand and foot, the palace is a sheltered workshop that doubles up as a gilded cage. Her world is very narrow and even for a princess to be able to choose her future husband, much less like him, is rare. The crown prince of Liang doesn't come across as a great catch but at least he's the heir to the throne and if she marries him, she would be the wife of the future ruler of Liang. But she doesn't understand politics and doesn't care for it. All she wants is to exercise what little freedom she has to have a say in who she marries... preferably for love. Sadly her desire for freedom in that regard played into the hands of an emperor who was desperately in search of a political solution to a troubling dilemma.

Enter CQ, former slave and soon to be rebel. Love, romance... seems to be the furthest thing from her mind. Or is it? Hard to say when her former master keeps popping up reminding her of their rather complicated relationship. All she wants is to be free to make the choices about how she wants to live. But that's easier said than done. Because exercising said freedom has serious repercussions. For a woman who hangs around a man so apparently devotedly people assume that they've done the deed... that they're a thing. Why else would she risk life and limb for him? The fact that they're just comrades-in-arms never occurs to them because of the narrow definitions of what a woman's place in that society is. She's usually attached to some man either as his wife, concubine or maid. 

So when she joins YX in his rebellion and aids him in his escape, however she may position herself as having a righteous cause in partnership with YX, to those looking she is acting outside social mores and transgressing what is commonly perceived to be a woman's role. A woman can't just be helping, she must be influencing and abetting while sleeping with him.

Her conversation with YS is fascinating in that it brings together the great clash of all of those themes. Freedom for CQ and YX came at a high cost. It wasn't just about going up against a tyrant, it wasn't just about escaping his clutches... it also meant breaking with relationships and individual loyalties. People were hurt and not just their bodies. 

CQ tried too hard to explain, to justify her actions in terms where YS had no frame of reference. She wanted to talk about politics and survival but all he cared about was love and loyalty. Then she did something she probably shouldn't have on that occasion in order to justify YX's actions... and told YS that he was too blind to see the reality in front of him. So he blamed himself in the end for his own gullibility by bringing all the pain upon his own head. From this conversation, the loyal sister who overheard everything, perceived CQ's apparently confident self-justification as the cause of all their woes. Because she too is about love not politics. Whatever people think about CE, her world is a narrow one by upbringing and by choice. From her perspective she was always going to be someone else's wife and the sister of her brothers. Now that the man to which she was meant to be wed to has slipped through her fingers, she only has her brother left for comfort. And now the brother feels pathetic because he put his trust in the "wrong" woman.

In CE's mind, CQ meddled in something bigger than all of them causing a major shift in relationship dynamics. Before she heard that entire conversation, she blamed herself for running off heedlessly which led to her brother's current plight. She took some responsibility for her own situation. BUT after hearing that conversation between the two of them, something snapped. 

Freedom is not free as I think CQ discovered. There is always a price to be paid... There was no way she could flee Chang'an and walk away unscathed. But at least, she did try to take responsibility for exercising that freedom to her own detriment.

Clearly what YWY did with CQ-XE was quite radical. He invested in XE the power to be free and then set her free from himself entirely. Okay... not entirely because he does meddle behind the scenes  But certainly always at some cost to himself. He set her free so that she could live even if it was with another man.

 

 

Here's a fun video I found...  A nice compilation of clips which shows that the people around them know that the Young Master likes her. "The whole world knows that Yuwen Yue likes Xing'er, even the bird knows, why is it only you who doesn't?"

 

[40somethingahjumma]

3 hours ago, asdfghjkl asdfghjkl said:

 

I haven't forgotten what he went through on that platform 3 years ago. But the thing is- the world is vast and it doesn't revolve around him. The harsh reality is that there is more suffering in the world than just YX's. He's putting people and children (innocent civilians) in the same position he was put in by disregarding them in order to satisfy his bloodthirst, hatred, and rage. I guess for me, it's just not something I can sympathise with, or even find compelling. Just another cdrama character who gets consumed by revenge. Perhaps the only thing I find different from how this 'trope' of whatever is typically portrayed is that they show his gradual transformation, rather than have him change instantly. 

 

For me that is really the crux of the whole matter... and it's exactly how I feel about his recent actions. I'm not unsympathetic to what he had to go through 3 years earlier but there's a part of me that thinks that the whole revenge plot was an overkill. I'm sure there are many people who would disagree with me on that but I'll live.  

Escaping Chang'an I don't have a problem with. Everyone seems agreed on that point but whether he had to make such a big song and dance about it and unleash blood on the streets... that's another thing entirely.

As I've said on other occasions, I am disappointed that I'm not as drawn to YX as I'd like to. Like you, I'm big on antiheroes too. Batman, Wang So from Moon Lovers, Jeong from Cheese in the Trap. But maybe he doesn't come across as all that heroic and the justification for his conversion to darkness isn't as well-prosecuted in the writing. 

Yes, that quote "an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind" has been attributed to Gandhi. Although I appreciate the sentiment, the original intent of eye for an eye isn't all bad... it was meant to prevent excessive retaliation. It's often misunderstood as an encouragement of retaliation when it is most of often about finding a punishment that fits the severity of the crime.  

Edit: I did some checking and apparently it was Martin Luther King Jr who said it. Interesting.

Welcome to Soompi.

_________________________

Dear me... the E subs are all over the place. Good in some spots and confusing in others. 

[tmopb]

Finally caught up and watched ep 37 to 43 uncut version.  I basically skipped 20+ episode prior these episode and followed this thread instead.  Let me just preface my opinion and it is my thoughts without taking into accounts of the book and the spoilers.  How I wish C drama wouldn't put spoilers in their opening and ending because it really make their viewers bias.  I know I tend to be more bias when I know what will happen.  So with that being said, I was very surprise by YX length of planning and I think CQ was as surprise as I was by what he was willing to do.  I understood there will be fight and deaths and it was necessary tor him to escape Chang'an.  I really didn't think he was planning to flood the street, set fires everywhere, destroy the military academy and etc.  Dang that boy is turning very dark where nothing else matters (beside CQ) but vengeance.  At this point based on his actions in the drama that have shown, I can't support his character actions anymore.  I was also very disappointed by his abandonment of the Xiuli troop regardless of their past transgressions.  These soldiers have pay their dues.  I am not saying that their past betrayal is forgivable but given their current actions, YX really should give them a chance.  If he won't give them a chance after what they have done for him, I am scare to think what he will do to others if they ever cross him in the future, even if they are his current followers.

Also I disagreed that CQ primarily nurtured the wolf inside of YX.  I put majority of the blame on ZY and AJ.  They planned a lot of the disastrous events with him outside of CQ during the rebellion.  When ZY tried to reason a little with YX concerning Xiuli army frontier assignment, I can see she was feeling a little regretful but I really dislike her.  I have more to say about her but don't want to waste time writing them because she just not worth my time!  She is no better than the princess of Liang XY; evil and cunning.

@40somethingahjummaI agreed with your thoughts concerning CE and adultery POV, you always write so well.  Are you a professional writer?

Anyway, I have more thoughts but it is getting too long.  I don't post too much but I do read all the comments so keep them coming!  I really love the recent episodes and all the actors acting in these episodes, very nicely done!  I couldn't connect with ZLY portrayal of CQ before but these recent episode was great.  LQ really should stick with melodrama, she is also great as CE lately and so beautiful too!

 

 

[hermionne]

Indeed, through the conversion of CQ and YS, the siblings found out about CQ's stand and beliefs about the social system and the politics involved in everything that happened to YX and the struggling masses under the Emperor's rule. Being a pampered member of the ruling class, it's a first time for YS and CE to hear a voice from the common people. Hearing CQ's words and seeing the change in YX, they (especially CE) start to think that it was CQ who influenced YX's transformation. YS and CE refuse to acknowledge that it was their father's tyranny that caused YX to rebel. They delude themselves into thinking that YX's father is really a traitor and that their whole family only got the punishment called for by the law. They even think that YS should be forever grateful to their father for sparing his life. This is a typical thinking of the members of the ruling class.

[dashmount20]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Warning... incredibly long post coming up. Read at your own risk.

I've been thinking a little bit about how slavery is presented in this drama. It came up as a thing in the last two episodes and used humorously to depict CQ's encounter with the erstwhile scholar who stuck his nose into something perhaps he shouldn't have. However there was also a slightly more serious aspect to that when YWY entered the picture and his conscience was provoked into taking some action on the behalf of some desperate women caged like animals. The issue of slavery is not exactly a new one in this drama because the show begins with a stark, horrifying picture of the position of slaves in a world where human captivity is an everyday reality but also the flourishing of legalised trade in human captives.

I've also been thinking a little more about CE, as well as the whole debate about how responsible she is for her own misfortunes. I'm not keen to revisit that discussion because the answer to that question lies somewhere along the spectrum of opinions rather than on either end of it. But it isn't really an interesting question to me because I think that there is/was something a lot more interesting that was presented in her arc. The fact that she positioned herself as a victim and then directed her rage at another woman seems to me quite instructive because it tells me that she did not see herself as a victim of a sexual crime. We often think of rape as a kind of violent power trip... which it is... where one party shows their dominance over another. CE doesn't seem to take that view. In her mind she thinks of herself as a victim of adultery... the faithful wife who has been abandoned by her husband for his lover. It's clear right from the start that CE's world revolves completely around YX. Her activities, her conversations are by and large about him to the point of obsession. So much so that when the whole crisis over the Marquis' "betrayal" came to a head, she was willing to throw herself in harm's way to advocate for him. Nothing but the death of a maid could deter her. But even then, her older brother could barely restrain her from rushing out in support of YX. When plans were afoot to marry her off to Xiao Ce, she rushed to the emperor and declared that she would never marry anyone but YX. Even when her maid was trying to talk her out of it, she said that it didn't matter if YX didn't love her now, given time he would come round. And even then she was quite willing to accommodate CQ as part of YX's harem knowing the complicated nature of their relationship. 

I'd like to bring together these two threads and talk about the clash of worldviews about freedom, rights and loyalty in this society at least as depicted in the drama.

When YWY redeems the female slaves from the marketplace I imagine the initial expectation is that they will become his slaves. But to cart them all back to QSY is a bit of a tough ask so what does he suggest? That he gives them all to his agent as wives. In the confines of that society, it's a big step up for them and in this case preferable to being somebody's maid.

It's clear to me that women have very few options in this kind of world whatever their social status.  While CE may live in the lap of luxury, waited upon hand and foot, the palace is a sheltered workshop that doubles up as a gilded cage. Her world is very narrow and even for a princess to be able to choose her future husband, much less like him, is rare. The crown prince of Liang doesn't come across as a great catch but at least he's the heir to the throne and if she marries him, she would be the wife of the future ruler of Liang. But she doesn't understand politics and doesn't care for it. All she wants is to exercise what little freedom she has to have a say in who she marries... preferably for love. Sadly her desire for freedom in that regard played into the hands of an emperor who was desperately in search of a political solution to a troubling dilemma.

Enter CQ, former slave and soon to be rebel. Love, romance... seems to be the furthest thing from her mind. Or is it? Hard to say when her former master keeps popping up reminding her of their rather complicated relationship. All she wants is to be free to make the choices about how she wants to live. But that's easier said than done. Because exercising said freedom has serious repercussions. For a woman who hangs around a man so apparently devotedly people assume that they've done the deed... that they're a thing. Why else would she risk life and limb for him? The fact that they're just comrades-in-arms never occurs to them because of the narrow definitions of what a woman's place in that society is. She's usually attached to some man either as his wife, concubine or maid. 

So when she joins YX in his rebellion and aids him in his escape, however she may position herself as having a righteous cause in partnership with YX, to those looking she is acting outside social mores and transgressing what is commonly perceived to be a woman's role. A woman can't just be helping, she must be influencing and abetting while sleeping with him.

Her conversation with YS is fascinating in that it brings together the great clash of all of those themes. Freedom for CQ and YX came at a high cost. It wasn't just about going up against a tyrant, it wasn't just about escaping his clutches... it also meant breaking with relationships and individual loyalties. People were hurt and not just their bodies. 

CQ tried too hard to explain, to justify her actions in terms where YS had no frame of reference. She wanted to talk about politics and survival but all he cared about was love and loyalty. Then she did something she probably shouldn't have on that occasion in order to justify YX's actions... and told YS that he was too blind to see the reality in front of him. So he blamed himself in the end for his own gullibility by bringing all the pain upon his own head. From this conversation, the loyal sister who overheard everything, perceived CQ's apparently confident self-justification as the cause of all their woes. Because she too is about love not politics. Whatever people think about CE, her world is a narrow one by upbringing and by choice. From her perspective she was always going to be someone else's wife and the sister of her brothers. Now that the man to which she was meant to be wed to has slipped through her fingers, she only has her brother left for comfort. And now the brother feels pathetic because he put his trust in the "wrong" woman.

In CE's mind, CQ meddled in something bigger than all of them causing a major shift in relationship dynamics. Before she heard that entire conversation, she blamed herself for running off heedlessly which led to her brother's current plight. She took some responsibility for her own situation. BUT after hearing that conversation between the two of them, something snapped. 

Freedom is not free as I think CQ discovered. There is always a price to be paid... There was no way she could flee Chang'an and walk away unscathed. But at least, she did try to take responsibility for exercising that freedom to her own detriment.

Clearly what YWY did with CQ-XE was quite radical. He invested in XE the power to be free and then set her free from himself entirely. Okay... not entirely because he does meddle behind the scenes  But certainly always at some cost to himself. He set her free so that she could live even if it was with another man.

 

 

Here's a fun video I found...  A nice compilation of clips which shows that the people around them know that the Young Master likes her. "The whole world knows that Yuwen Yue likes Xing'er, even the bird knows, why is it only you who doesn't?"

 

I think XE know that YWY has feeling for her. 

If at ep 22, she wont said if she hurt he not sad.... 

But she deny her feeling cos of she overheard the grandpa conversation about using her.

I think she also has a feeling for YWY,  if not she will not bring the can hong sword. 

[cenching]

On 7/15/2017 at 5:43 PM, asdfghjkl asdfghjkl said:

Wow, I just stumbled upon a site with a goldmine of avid YX supporters. Although I can't say I agree with all of the things said, I think it's fascinating how as viewers we all interpret and assess/perceive things differently. I also find it amusing because I initially came into this thinking that I'd support YX all the way through, despite knowing what he would come to do and become. Instead, I was surprised by YWY's character/LGX's acting, and the chemistry between LGX/ZLY. Though I am a bit disappointed I don't find YX's character as compelling as I expected, from what I had heard beforehand. Maybe it's bad writing, or maybe it's just me.

Also a disclaimer: this next part has nothing to do with "ships" or whatever, I don't care much for YX at this point anymore simply because of his character and choices, not because of who I prefer with CQ.

I know it seems like YX didn't have a choice but to rebel, but YWY did offer to help him with less bloodshed and he declined, despite the fact that 3 years ago he had tried to help YX (and later it is revealed that YX knows this). Yet, he accepted the help of the Liang spies, who played quite a crucial role in Yan Bei's downfall and the framing of his father. And so while I understand why YX chooses to rebel, I don't think we can say that he didn't have a choice; rather, he did, and chose the bloodier method to satisfy his revenge. Revenge is a choice that can be executed in many ways. The world isn't black and white, and YX had more choices than just, sit-and-do-nothing or rise-in-rebellion-and-cause-massive-bloodshed. Does YX really think the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of his rebellion will devastate the king? I know some people might say, but why should YX care about the innocent lives of Wei if the King didn't care about the innocent lives of Yan Bei? But as someone once said (apparently it was Ghandi, but I can't be sure lol), an eye for an eye will leave the world blind. Now, I don't think YX is the same, or as awful as the idiotic King, Zhao family, Wei Shuang/Guang (I forgot their names), but I do believe his actions were not any better. I think these people are more or less able to recognise that their actions would result in widespread death of innocents, but they chose what they wanted to achieve in spite of it. YX chose what he saw/thought was most important, even if it meant relinquishing these people's lives and the friendship/loyalty/trust that had been given to him by YS, CE, even YWY. 

I haven't forgotten what he went through on that platform 3 years ago. But the thing is- the world is vast and it doesn't revolve around him. The harsh reality is that there is more suffering in the world than just YX's. He's putting people and children (innocent civilians) in the same position he was put in by disregarding them in order to satisfy his bloodthirst, hatred, and rage. I guess for me, it's just not something I can sympathise with, or even find compelling. Just another cdrama character who gets consumed by revenge. Perhaps the only thing I find different from how this 'trope' of whatever is typically portrayed is that they show his gradual transformation, rather than have him change instantly. 

I was actually surprised and disappointed in him when he just decided to abandon the Xiuli troop and blocked off the doors so they couldn't leave. I don't think he ever planed on bringing them back with him to Yan Bei. I banged my head amongst the table when CQ told them YX had sent her back for them. SMH. I hope they saw through that, and that when she eventually leaves YX, they'll follow her lead. 

I often find myself rooting for anti-heros, but personally, I see YX turning more into a villain. (I'm actually not quite sure of the portrayal they were going for in the drama, and I also didn't read the books, but from some of the things I had read from blogs before this aired/during the first few weeks I got the impression YX would be a character who (despite his actions) would be super compelling and someone you could maybe empathise with/perhaps pity in a sense for the way things turned out in the end. Instead, I feel a lot of disdain and slight irritation towards him lol.)

I guess why I ended up supporting YWY more, is that whilst he is also far from perfect and has his own flaws/mistakes too, as we all do, he has more often than not tried to choose the lesser of two evils. The way I personally see it, his loyalty ultimately lies with the people, and I guess CQ too, not the King as some people may see it. 

 

YX refused YWY's help was my biggest disappointment in him. He did it out of spite and jealousy bcoz he knew YWY and XE got something special going on. He knew YWY got nothing to do with his family tragedy but he keeps telling XE he is an enemy. If from his investigation he found out YWY is innocent I am sure he knew that DaLiang people were the one orchestrated his family tragedy. He prefers to work with the same people that killed his family than with YWY. The deal he did behind XE.

YX is bloodthirsty. For me there are a lot of ways to get revenge and so far after so many bloodshed the culprit which is Emperor Eyeliner still safe and sound enjoying his harem.

Many people forget that Xiuli Troops is NOT a traitor( there are more explanations on that) They were tricked by a faked document to open the gate. After that YanBei people considered them enemies and rejected them so they had to joined Wei Army but they were ridiculed as well.

XE will be The Head of Cleaning Crews for YX's Atrocities for quite sometime bcoz she feels guilty and realizes that what YWY said about YX as a wolf is correct. But HeXiao knew she was lying when she said YX sent her back for them.

A lot of people said YX had no other way. Even though YWY offered bloodless way out but can YWY do it? I was like oohhh puleaseeeee, in this drama what can't YWY do? I am YWY's fan so considered me biased ......

 

[cenching]

@40somethingahjumma, YS and XE parting conversation had me smirking the whole time. She was sitting on her high horse at that time. She was in defensive mode after she realized about how true was YWY's warning. 

[ces8]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Warning... incredibly long post coming up. Read at your own risk.

I've been thinking a little bit about how slavery is presented in this drama. It came up as a thing in the last two episodes and used humorously to depict CQ's encounter with the erstwhile scholar who stuck his nose into something perhaps he shouldn't have. However there was also a slightly more serious aspect to that when YWY entered the picture and his conscience was provoked into taking some action on the behalf of some desperate women caged like animals. The issue of slavery is not exactly a new one in this drama because the show begins with a stark, horrifying picture of the position of slaves in a world where human captivity is an everyday reality but also the flourishing of legalised trade in human captives.

I've also been thinking a little more about CE, as well as the whole debate about how responsible she is for her own misfortunes. I'm not keen to revisit that discussion because the answer to that question lies somewhere along the spectrum of opinions rather than on either end of it. But it isn't really an interesting question to me because I think that there is/was something a lot more interesting that was presented in her arc. The fact that she positioned herself as a victim and then directed her rage at another woman seems to me quite instructive because it tells me that she did not see herself as a victim of a sexual crime. We often think of rape as a kind of violent power trip... which it is... where one party shows their dominance over another. CE doesn't seem to take that view. In her mind she thinks of herself as a victim of adultery... the faithful wife who has been abandoned by her husband for his lover. It's clear right from the start that CE's world revolves completely around YX. Her activities, her conversations are by and large about him to the point of obsession. So much so that when the whole crisis over the Marquis' "betrayal" came to a head, she was willing to throw herself in harm's way to advocate for him. Nothing but the death of a maid could deter her. But even then, her older brother could barely restrain her from rushing out in support of YX. When plans were afoot to marry her off to Xiao Ce, she rushed to the emperor and declared that she would never marry anyone but YX. Even when her maid was trying to talk her out of it, she said that it didn't matter if YX didn't love her now, given time he would come round. And even then she was quite willing to accommodate CQ as part of YX's harem knowing the complicated nature of their relationship. 

I'd like to bring together these two threads and talk about the clash of worldviews about freedom, rights and loyalty in this society at least as depicted in the drama.

When YWY redeems the female slaves from the marketplace I imagine the initial expectation is that they will become his slaves. But to cart them all back to QSY is a bit of a tough ask so what does he suggest? That he gives them all to his agent as wives. In the confines of that society, it's a big step up for them and in this case preferable to being somebody's maid.

It's clear to me that women have very few options in this kind of world whatever their social status.  While CE may live in the lap of luxury, waited upon hand and foot, the palace is a sheltered workshop that doubles up as a gilded cage. Her world is very narrow and even for a princess to be able to choose her future husband, much less like him, is rare. The crown prince of Liang doesn't come across as a great catch but at least he's the heir to the throne and if she marries him, she would be the wife of the future ruler of Liang. But she doesn't understand politics and doesn't care for it. All she wants is to exercise what little freedom she has to have a say in who she marries... preferably for love. Sadly her desire for freedom in that regard played into the hands of an emperor who was desperately in search of a political solution to a troubling dilemma.

Enter CQ, former slave and soon to be rebel. Love, romance... seems to be the furthest thing from her mind. Or is it? Hard to say when her former master keeps popping up reminding her of their rather complicated relationship. All she wants is to be free to make the choices about how she wants to live. But that's easier said than done. Because exercising said freedom has serious repercussions. For a woman who hangs around a man so apparently devotedly people assume that they've done the deed... that they're a thing. Why else would she risk life and limb for him? The fact that they're just comrades-in-arms never occurs to them because of the narrow definitions of what a woman's place in that society is. She's usually attached to some man either as his wife, concubine or maid. 

So when she joins YX in his rebellion and aids him in his escape, however she may position herself as having a righteous cause in partnership with YX, to those looking she is acting outside social mores and transgressing what is commonly perceived to be a woman's role. A woman can't just be helping, she must be influencing and abetting while sleeping with him.

Her conversation with YS is fascinating in that it brings together the great clash of all of those themes. Freedom for CQ and YX came at a high cost. It wasn't just about going up against a tyrant, it wasn't just about escaping his clutches... it also meant breaking with relationships and individual loyalties. People were hurt and not just their bodies. 

CQ tried too hard to explain, to justify her actions in terms where YS had no frame of reference. She wanted to talk about politics and survival but all he cared about was love and loyalty. Then she did something she probably shouldn't have on that occasion in order to justify YX's actions... and told YS that he was too blind to see the reality in front of him. So he blamed himself in the end for his own gullibility by bringing all the pain upon his own head. From this conversation, the loyal sister who overheard everything, perceived CQ's apparently confident self-justification as the cause of all their woes. Because she too is about love not politics. Whatever people think about CE, her world is a narrow one by upbringing and by choice. From her perspective she was always going to be someone else's wife and the sister of her brothers. Now that the man to which she was meant to be wed to has slipped through her fingers, she only has her brother left for comfort. And now the brother feels pathetic because he put his trust in the "wrong" woman.

In CE's mind, CQ meddled in something bigger than all of them causing a major shift in relationship dynamics. Before she heard that entire conversation, she blamed herself for running off heedlessly which led to her brother's current plight. She took some responsibility for her own situation. BUT after hearing that conversation between the two of them, something snapped. 

Freedom is not free as I think CQ discovered. There is always a price to be paid... There was no way she could flee Chang'an and walk away unscathed. But at least, she did try to take responsibility for exercising that freedom to her own detriment.

Clearly what YWY did with CQ-XE was quite radical. He invested in XE the power to be free and then set her free from himself entirely. Okay... not entirely because he does meddle behind the scenes  But certainly always at some cost to himself. He set her free so that she could live even if it was with another man.

 

 

Here's a fun video I found...  A nice compilation of clips which shows that the people around them know that the Young Master likes her. "The whole world knows that Yuwen Yue likes Xing'er, even the bird knows, why is it only you who doesn't?"

 

Awww ....i would love to watch the video but its not available in our country...i really love how you explain things and put them into words @40somethingahjumma...your a very good writer..Perfection...

[hermionne]

Btw, can someone tell me why the Viscountess Concubine thinks that what YH wants from her is information about CQ's identity? Did I miss something or she was just being paranoid? YH even looks unconvinced by what she was saying about CQ's parentage. 

It seems to me that what YH wants from her is not related to CQ. The CQ angle was all in the Viscountess Concubine's head, so there's really no point in blaming CQ for the death of her son. That storyline is so weird. 

[40somethingahjumma]

@cenching I am pretty sure that YWY would have been able to come up with some alternative plan as well. He has an entire network of agents that can be relied upon to see YX through safely to any destination IF survival was the only thing YX cared about. He isn't only the head of a spy network but a strategist as well. I just think that YX wanted to do his own thing and send a message to the Emperor. It's definitely in his interest not to have to rely on YWY especially if it means that he has an agenda to go all out and start a war against Wei. 

There could be a romance angle to it. I thought it was interesting that YX told ZY that he was all CQ had left so he had to wait and protect her. Frankly it sounded more like he was saying that he was the one who needed her. 

@tmopb 

Spoiler

No, just a TESOL teacher  specializing in academic writing.

@ces8 You're very kind and sweet.

[mrsyooknit]

 

@asdfghjkl 

I think I saw that place, I read comments saying that here we were only "panty dropping for YWY" which made me laugh. Everyone has a different opinion and that is okay. 

I also thought I was going to like YX more from the trailer since I am a big anti-hero person. I am better with him right now because he accepts his actions. He is fully aware of the path he took and he is going all the way. I don't mind a good villain and I think YX is a good villain. He has the right motivation for his actions, life just taught him a lesson that you need to be on top of the food chain and for that you need power. He has a reason to become power hungry and as much as he justifies his choices, I do believe he understands he is not longer a good person. He is smart, manipulative, and knows how to play his cards.

I believe the drama skipped over his anti-hero persona. He never felt anti-hero to me, even if they tried to portray his change as gradual. They just portrayed his trajectory as a villain, who little by little lost his compassion. The argument for survival is not a good enough for me, where do you draw the line that your survival makes your actions just? A lot of horrible things can be done in the name of survival. 

On top of that YWY did give him a choice. He just wanted something else. Much like CE, I believe he just wants to inflict his rage and suffering on others. They are very much alike in that aspect. 

@40somethingahjumma

I don't really think CE is acting like a victim of adultery. While that did play a part on her dislike of CQ, it is not her main motivation. 

I think she just blames CQ as a mastermind, not only did she take YX away from her but she also guided him to plan this rebellion. The rebellion let to this situation for her and her brother. And on top of everything CQ still think she is right. She wants her to pay. 

As for slavery, there are many types of slaves in this show. There are those like CQ and there are those like YWY/CE. I remembering feeling like YWY was also a slave to his circumstances and life. Everything was predetermined, he never had a choice. He is already breaking free, which shows the difference between him and a regular slave who has no ability to seek his/her own freedom. 

One of the things I really dislike about CQ is her self-righteousness. I was hoping the rebellion would help her understand that her cause was not the righteous one. As much as she had a rude awakening, she still justified her actions. She still felt she was on the right side. I don't know if this is a self defense mechanism on her part or she truly believes it. I think to a degree she believes it because above her desire to help others is her desire for survival. I really do hope she blames herself for once. I think she won't be able to see the light until YWY's ice lake scene. Then everything will dawn on her. She is just very stubborn and self righteous. 

 

6 hours ago, xinger said:

hey guys! the guy who was ordered to save cq by the price of da liang seems to be the guy who was ordered to kill cq's mother. 

as you can see he has the same jade ring that the owner of the boat had.

also his legs are decapacitated so that it would be him probably. 

i wonder how come he doesn't recognise cq? 

she was covered up and I think there was someone else pretending to be her, so hopefully they will explain this better later on.

 

5 hours ago, Robin Robin said:

What doea YY stand for ??

I think it stands for YWY, some people writer it as YY (Yuwen Yue) but most here use YWY(Yu Wen Yue)

[mrsyooknit]

lots of tibbits lately 

http://weibo.com/tv/v/eabeda99b4fa6e2449175b492862cce5?fid=1034:eabeda99b4fa6e2449175b492862cce5

I think they are happy with the success of the drama so they keep dropping tibbits as a thank you. 

 

A Deng Lun special 

http://weibo.com/tv/v/c5c4f60202a9c18a00e5b26d60e8223d?fid=1034:c5c4f60202a9c18a00e5b26d60e8223d

[mrsyooknit]

[cenching]

4 hours ago, ces8 said:

Sorry dont know any chinese im a PA fan from the Philippines...but thank you for answering my question...nice meeting you

Hi....I live in PH as well but I am not a Pinay. Kumusta?

[Kim Da]

3 minutes ago, cenching said:

Hi....I live in PH as well but I am not a Pinay. Kumusta?

Ohh @cenching and  @ces8 im from the philippines too 

[Robin Robin]

Who is more beatiful ? ZLY or Cheng Yuan yuan?