Given the latest episodes, we are all trying to understand the feud between Xiao Qiayan and Zhao Qian and to the credit of some Chinese fans on Weibo who did some research on the topic and shed some light to the topic. Please see below a summary of this feud:
1. Zhao Paner’s family was convicted, which is indeed related to Xiao Qinyan
There is a picture of a book (P1) at the end of the play and shows that:
"On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month of last year, the inspector Zhao ... resisted the edict and opened the gate of Dongguang County to kill Beirenjie ... Zuo Secretary Xiao Qin said that the two countries would be disturbed for the collegial discussion ... the order was handed over to Dali Temple for handling"
It means that Pan'er's father, the inspector of the general public, killed Beiren (should refer to Liao people) by opening the city gate to resist the decree, and was impeached by Xiao Qinyan, who was serving as Zuo Si Jian at the time.
Therefore, Pan'er's father committed the crime first, and Xiao Qinyan wrote the letter later. If there is no secret inside, it can be regarded as an enemy.
2. What is the nature of the mistake made by Pan'er's father?
All patrol officers are seven rank, in fact, they are equivalent to local sheriffs, patrolling and maintaining stability. Everyone always said that Xiao Gu's work was dangerous, but Pan'er didn't seem to be too worried about the nature of his work, because Pan'er's father was equivalent to the local imperial city's Sizun.
Pan'er and Gu Qianfan discussed and Pan’er has said that her father was the inspector (P2) of the Ningbian army. The Ningbian army was located in Li County, Hebei Province, and the border of Liao was not far to the north. The Dongguang County revealed in the ending song was also in Hebei. (P4), belongs to the Yongjing Army, Dongguang County is not within the jurisdiction of the Ningbian Army, I don't know if there is a story, or it is purely hope that the father's function is large enough to mobilize Yongjing.
Now the frontier army of Chaning, we can know that it was renamed Yongding Army (P3) in 1004. The name change can be adapted and used in the script, that is, the name will be changed after the main general steps down. And it is worth noting that in 1005, the "Tanyuan Alliance" came into effect. It can already be known that the background of the story is the period of Song Zhenzong. Song Zhenzong was in power in 997, and the unequal treaty of the "Tanyuan Alliance" was established. It happened a few years after he came to power, and he agreed to give Liao Bai 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 taels of silk every year for peace.
So it can be assumed that the accident happened in the Zhao family at the beginning of 1005 (the twelfth lunar month/December 27th), when the peace treaty was just reached with the Liao Dynasty. It is estimated that Pan'er's father was an unconvinced main fighting faction. He killed the Liao people and was severely punished.
3. Is the investigation by Xiao Wei related to Zhao Paner?
After Xiao Gu rescued Xiao's father, Xiao Wei went to Xiao's father to talk about the Shaanxi Road incident (P5).
At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, fifteen roads were set up, and the roads can be understood as provinces. One of them was Shaanxi Road. During the Song Shenzong period, Shaanxi Road was divided into Yongxingjun Road (P7) and Qinfeng Road (P8). Anyway, it is the same as Hebei East Road. The distance is very far. Although it is a link between the previous and the next, it is believed that the investigation of Shaanxi Road is in the history of Pan'er, but there seems to be no direct connection at present.
On the other hand, the border of Shaanxi Road is Xixia. There have been several Xixia spies in the play. Once Gu Qianfan played the pipa with his spine, and the trial was a Xixia man who pretended to be a Liao native. He was Qi Mu's son-in-law, and was beaten by Xiao Gu to frame Qi Mu (P9). The other time was Yu Zhongquan, who used Xixia script to insert into Pan'er's account book, and Pan'er changed it to Liao script after he found out (it shows that Pan'er's family is related to the anti-Liao Dynasty).
These two things may indicate that either Xiao Wei/Xiao family colluded with Xixia, or the Xiao family was investigating who colluded with Xixia.
