Wondering What a Mature Couple in CDramas Looks Like? 19 Ways to Circumvent Conflicts/Misunderstandings and Communicate…
For all their playfulness and despite Yinlou's comparative innocence, is anyone else touched by how breathtakingly mature they are - handling all these conflicts? They trust each other when they don't have all of the information and much, much, much more importantly when they only have part of the information.
1. Xiao Duo does not infantilize Yinlou. He has never hidden who he is or what he does from her (his role and his job). Heck, their first intimate conversation was about how ruthlessly efficient he was and how that stood as proof that he did not commit this particular murder. Not that he wasn’t a murderer, not that he wasn’t capable of murder, not that he hadn’t murdered hundreds of people, that he hadn’t committed this murder.
He has never hid that from her. But he does make an effort to not expose her to violence unnecessarily, so she is not frightened.
The danger, the politics, the intrigue, the scheming, the strategy - he makes no attempts to hide those from her vision. Yes, he tries to protect her, when they go too far, but never remove them from her vision. He is a realist and knows to do so would actually be cruel. She needs to see those things so she can navigate and manipulate and survive. On top of that she is actually intelligent enough to do so (again from a story character perspective it is fascinating to see a younger woman be able to somewhat intelligently navigate court life, usually we see that reserved for older female characters)
2. Xiao Duo tries to reach Yinlou the same way she reached him. When it backfires spectacularly he doesn’t throw in the towel or get frustrated with her. He asks: “What do you want?”
3. He holds space for the juxtaposition between her intellect / wit / street-smarts / court-smarts and her innocence. He has so much inner tension as he desperately tries to assess, 'Does she know what she is saying?'. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't. But he has to figure that out. "Chief Xiao, it's a beautiful night. Why don't we make the most of it?" He honestly looked like he was about to swallow his adam's apple along with the cherry she had just popped in his mouth. “I can’t sleep. I came to sleep with you.” This poor man. I think the actress really nails those scenes where Xiao Duo just can not tell what she is thinking.
4. She points out that while they are professional partners, they are still both players in the game. Why should she trust him personally? I love her line: “Who do you think we are? If I said I believe you, would you believe me?”
5. She tells him his behavior is confusing and unsettling to her and that she is afraid of him.
6. He actually listens to this feedback and alters his approach.
7. Sure she threw a hissy fit, but he gave her the space to be angry and an unprecedented amount of liberty of agency. She left to go apprentice at a Pleasure House to learn how to seduce men (which at the time and thinking he was a eunuch, meant anyone but him) and started chasing around another guy (who also happened to be the brother of his rival and royalty). He just tries to access this information and figure out what she is up to and asks "Did she mention when she will be back?" She, despite her anger and that they were in the middle of a fight, spies on his rival's family who is acting strangely to protect him.
8. She is not an idiot. She understood how he misunderstood her command to “Take it off”. There are actually several reactions she could have had at this: offense, disgust, anger, being insulted. But she just expressed her agitation that he was derailing her mission: Boots.
When you really think about it, she is startlingly mature here - acknowledging he most likely has these impulses, is a very eager and willing participant, but also that he isn’t pushing the issue if she doesn’t express willingness. (She is also most likely rather grey on the strength and frequency of these impulses and what participating in them would look like with him, given she believes he is a eunuch)
9. When she asks if he is keeping something from her, he actually indirectly admits to her that he is, "I'll tell you in the future."
10. She figures out his identity and holds space for him to tell her in his own time.
11. He is insanely hurt, betrayed and even threatened by what she says at Deer Run, yet he asks an insane amount of clarifying questions and still watches over her while hoping/trying to piece together what she is doing.
12. They take an interest in each other’s interests. She reads up on the stories surrounding Deng Huo and cares about his tree. He has on several occasions asked her for more information and to share more with him about her Madiao deck. When he renovates Dream Cloud Pavillion for her, he makes certain the Feng Shui is good for gambling.
13. While she does get upset and yell or storm off or make outlandish remarks or shove his chest - when she calms down, she thinks about things from his perspective rather then just staying angry and blaming him for things. He notices this pattern and works with it, “Are you still bitter?” “Has Her Highness calmed down now?”
14. Yes, she is a bit of a brat, but I find it incredibly endearing that Xiao Duo spoils her if there is a chance for him to do so. Is he handling situations with maturity long before she starts to? Yes. He also has nearly a decade of age on her. I think this is an incredibly realistic portrayal.
15. It is this freedom of expression she is allowed that pay off big time for him, because she isn't scared into being a perfect, meek, little, proper princess around him. Because of this she is very comfortable taking action (getting rid of the beauty spies) or expressing opinions (troop movements) that honestly benefit him.
It is a zaniness of making salacious physical compliments that she wouldn’t stand a chance of calming down if it weren’t for his good looks or that if he weren’t a eunuch he could make a fortune just standing in front of a brothel combined with an endearing honesty when she says things like ‘Well, you didn’t do this murder’ or ‘Aside from my mother you are the best person’ or ‘Be my backer’ or ‘I like expensive desserts’ or telling him how vital he is or that she will teach anyone a lesson if they bully him, because she likes him the best.
She is up-front and clarifies his confusion (In fact, most of their early conversations follow the same pattern: She gives him an over the top compliment, he makes faces and asks her what she is trying to do or who she is trying to fool as he tries to process her blatantly saying wonderful things about him. And she just tells him frankly that she is trying to make him feel better) and he understands she is an unfiltered being when she isn’t in “survival” or “play the game” mode. He realizes you can’t have one without the other and accepts her telling him he isn't well-liked to his face (omg, love her to bits) or taking the food he placed in her bowl and immediately feeding it to a dog for the compliment and testament to trust that it is.
16. She protects him: Like a “little lunatic” and a “scary cunning fox” and a “scheming little liar,” but she protects him. Drinks poison to save him. Confronts her father. Drugs herself to cough up blood to distract the Emperor to save him. Kidnaps Rong’an. She attacks two assassins with a sword she has no idea how to use. Does not get out at Mount Yongan. Breaks his heart. Jumps in the river after him. Does not admit who she was acting intimately with to the Emperor and lets him believe it is her cousin (which she is then forced to stab “to death”). Force feeds him multiple “miracle life-saving pills”. She has a decent handle on what actions will get him in trouble and how much trouble and attempts to dissuade him from the choices that have more severe consequences. I would say Xiao Duo’s pet names for her are quite on point.
17. He always asks tons of clarifying questions. (“You want me to hit him again on your behalf?”, “How do you know that I don’t?”, “What do you want?”, “Are you worried about me?”, “Are you okay?”, “What do you want to do?”, “You feel unfair for me?”, “Why is she worried about me?”, “Isn’t this moment with the moon above a peaceful river?”, “What about you? Do you need me?”, “You don’t feel reluctant to return to the palace anymore?”, “Who said that? [You have a home.”])
18. He has established he will follow her lead on issues surrounding physical intimacy, abstract intimacy, consent (a huge difference from Prince Fu who has always called her Yinlou and tried to manipulate her into telling him her nickname, as opposed to Xiao Duo who waited for permission to call her anything other than Your Highness) and power dynamics.
Xiao Duo has always struck the balance between being aggressive enough that Yinlou feels pursued, while holding space for her to declare the boundaries. And everytime he is aggressive enough that he pushes those boundaries further (even if he is following her lead) he pauses and holds space for her to assess and process. These moments of her character deciding are one area this actress shines in: the combination of anticipatory breathing, innocent trust, shock, sometimes confusion and deliberation about implications is spot on.
19. Are they dancing around the issue of her father being the murderer. Yes, 100%. Are they aware that the other basically knows what they know? Yes, 100% Are they acknowledging that communicating multi-layered emotions is complex and often nonsensical. Yes, 100%. Are they doubting each other as they go through the motions of their piece of theater? No, 0%. Do they still have each other’s back while doing that? Yes, 100%. Do they eventually just say ‘No more games, let’s talk about this even though it is a sensitive topic and touches on some things we don’t want to. Yes, 100%.
(For a girl with so much game, she has 0 guile when it comes to him. She keeps pouring him alcohol to drink and he is just ‘Really? This is the play you’re making?’)
1. Consort Jing (Hede and Gaogong’s biological mother. She was framed and died in the harem. Why was she framed? Did she perhaps betray her best friend's [Queen Dowager Zhao's] secret affair to the Emperor à la Attic’s Secret? What was she framed as having done?)
She is clearly important, as we get constant reminders of her existence and that her “camp” and those loyal to her are still around. Madam Chen (etiquette instructor) is her servant. Yu Zun (head of the Imperial army) is her trusted subordinate. (It also gives interesting nuance to Eunuch Sun being the one to bring both of these characters back to Court.) I mean honestly, is she maybe not actually dead? (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu /Gaogong's full brothers and Rong’s uncles)
2. Consort Shu (drowned in a well in 7th year of Longhua by Rong’an. She was pregnant when she was drowned) Could be the Old Emperor's Consort (Generation A) or Emperor Taizu's Consort (Generation B). There is not enough context to tell.
(If Generation A [the Old Emperor’s Consort] this would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu / Gaogong’s half-brothers and Rong’s uncle. If Generation B [Taizu’s Consort] - that would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/ Gaogong’s nephew and Rong’s half-brother) (I like this possibility for the poetry of the fallacy of assuming just because you killed a pregnant woman, her children were not able to be saved and that it makes Prince Rong Xiao Duo’s little brother. He certainly went out of his way to save him from Rong’an, grieved him when he died and reacted with disproportionate rage when he was killed [Xiao Duo no likey when you kill his didi’s. Bit of sore spot for him.])
3. The Queen Dowager [the Old Emperor’s wife, Emperor’s Taizu’s biological mother and Hede and Fu / Gaogong’s legitimate mother].
Statistically, if not Xiao Duo's mother - his most trusted ally. Statistically, knows he is a fake eunuch.
He expends a ridiculous amount of resources to control the Tanxi Temple to keep her safe. “The entire Tanxi Temple is full of my men.” Episode 26. This also allows him to communicate with her near instantly and with great ease. He is very open in the temple and almost treats it like his home.
When he needs something handled i.e. someone protected at all costs he turns to her. Not Qilang. Not Cao Chuang. Her. We find out in Episode 10 he made certain Wanwan has her protection. In Episode 25 and 26 she helps him prevent Yinlou from being invited back to the Palace, without anything being traced back to him. In Episode 28 he has her arrange a bestowed marriage to prevent Tong Yun from being exiled.
Most likely the source of his hormone suppressants.
Reason for trust, if not mother: Lao Ai. Lao Ai is the other fake eunuch that Emperor Taizu had murdered, because he had a love affair with the Queen Dowager. (Who is 100% not dead. We see him in Episode 15, 25 and 26) She would definitely have a soft spot for Xiao Duo, because of her personal romantic history.
(I like this possibility because Xiao Duo outranks Gaogong as the Queen Dowager’s son, as opposed to a Consort’s son. It is also the possibility that makes the most sense concerning the bizarre ambiguity/discrepancy between Xiao Duo & Ah Duo's legal and lineage differences. Eldest twin claims the Murong line. Younger son claims either the Zhao line [Makes sense why she is living in the Temple if all of their ancestoral properties were sold off] or Lao Ai's line. (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong's half-brothers and Rong’s uncles if the Old Emperor is the father or technically biologically related to nobody [what public record will claim is very different though] if Lao Ai is the father [not certain who Lao Ai's family is])
4. Consort Shao (Prince Rong's biological mother, Emperor Taizu's Noble Consort, who Rong'an murders in Episode 1)
Xiao Duo twice pauses and looks at her body with guilt/regret/something. Before he had to use her body to trade for Yinlou to keep the number of Tribute girls even he had her body and might have been trying to ensure she had a decent burial. She has this weird line "How dare you." That we are supposed to think is directed at Rong'an, but is obviously directed at Xiao Duo.
(This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu / Gaogong’s nephew and Rong’s half-brother) (I like this possibility for the same reason I like Consort Shu being their mother - it makes Prince Rong Xiao Duo’s little brother. It adds an additional layer of investment in the Crown Prince's safety, more guilt at his failure to protect him and more validation to his disproportionate rage when he was killed [Xiao Duo no likey when you kill his didis. Bit of sore spot for him.])
Lao Ai, Eunuch Sun and Last Xiao Duo Mother Round Up [Post Episode 28]
At this point we have 3 extremely strong contenders for Ah Duo and Xiao Duo’s mother.
1. Consort Jing (Hede and Gaogong’s biological mother. She was framed and died in the harem. Why was she framed? Did she perhaps betray her best friend's [Queen Dowager Zhao - not Rong’an (can we please get a first name for this character - it would make talking about her soooo much easier)] secret to the Emperor à la Attic’s Secret? What was she framed as having done?) She is clearly important, as we get constant reminders of her existence and that her “camp” and those loyal to her are still around. Madam Chen (etiquette instructor) is her servant. Yu Zun (head of the Imperial army) is her trusted subordinate. I mean honestly, is she maybe not actually dead? (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s full brothers and Rong’s uncles)
2. Consort Shu (drowned in a well in 7th year of Longhua by Rong’an. She was pregnant when she was drowned) There is not enough context to tell if she is Generation A or Generation B. If Rong’an is eliminating threats to her it might make more sense if Consort Shu was Generation A, as it more actively guarantee Taizu’s security on the throne to eliminate his brother’s (aka the 17 dead princes) /potential siblings, which is what she did in the 9th year of Longhua. Vs. eliminating her husband’s concubines, which is not as big a threat (as we see in Episode 1, she can just murder them and claim their children as hers [she is already their legitimate mother anyway] at any point), it is not as urgent as secure her husband is the Emperor.
(If Consort Shu is Generation A [the Old Emperor’s Consort] this would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s half-brothers and Rong’s uncle. If She is Generation B [Taizu’s Consort] - that would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s nephew and Rong’s half-brother) (I like this possibility for the poetry of the fallacy of assuming just because you killed a pregnant woman, her children were not able to be saved and that it makes Prince Rong Xiao Duo’s little brother. He certainly went out of his way to save him from Rong’an, grieved him when he died and reacted with disproportionate rage when he was killed [Xiao Duo no likey when you kill his didi’s. Bit of sore spot for him.])
3. The Queen Dowager [the Old Emperor’s wife, Emperor’s Taizu’s biological mother and Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s legitimate mother]. We know the Xiao Duo enjoys unprecedented access to the Queen Dowager and is functionably invincible and incredibly bold in her territory (Tanxi Temple) “The entire Tanxi Temple is full of my men.” Episode 26. (Someone takes care of his mother)
We know if he wants someone protected he turns to the Queen Dowager and trusts her completely to handle the situation. He teaches Princess Hede to please the Queen Dowager and win her favor. He guaranteed his best friend/little sister/aunt was the court favorite of the Queen Dowager and manipulates things frequently so she is often visiting the Queen Dowager at the Tanxi Temple. In Episode 10 WanWan points out that he made sure she has the Queen Dowager’s protection. In Episode 28 when he wanted Tong Yun saved he went to the Queen Dowager to arrange a bestowed marriage for Cao Chunang.
And in Episode 25 he colludes with the Queen Dowager to manipulate the Buddha’s Birthday celebration to keep Yinlou from re-entering the Palace. I was howling with laughter at how Xiao Duo gets the her to use the palace/temple eunuchs to steal the scriptures, manipulate the timing of the situation and then publicly shame Yinlou.
“What is she doing here?... What gift could she possibly have?...It’s time for the abbot to recite the scriptures. We can’t wait any longer. Let’s go…Today, I’ll make it clear to you. Consort Duan is unchaste and ominous…I won’t let her go back to the palace.”
She is either an extremely trusted ally (as they share a commonality) or his mother. (I like this possibility for the because I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how Consort Jing could have bastard children and then this solution was handed to me on a silver platter. I also like this possibility because depending on how the lines of succession work Xiao Duo outranks Gaogong as the Queen Dowager’s son, as opposed to a Consort’s son.) (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s half-brothers and Rong’s uncles if the Old Emperor [Emperor Taizu] is the father or related to nobody? if Lao Ai is the father [who the heck is his Lao Ai’s family?])
So, what is this commonality that he shares with the Queen Dowager? Fake eunuchness. If he is not her son, she has an extreme soft soft for him given her own personal romantic history with her own fake eunuch aka Lao Ai.
Lao Ai is the other fake eunuch that Emperor Taizu had murdered, because he had a love affair with the Queen Dowager. (Who is 100% not dead. We see him in Episode 15, 25 and 26) (Which really does beg the question, does the Queen Dowager have another child with Lao Ai?)
Episode 21, when Tong Yun and Yinlou are in the carriage before the ride up to Mount Yanguo. She said her father smacked her for reading it. (Somebody has a secret) And then in Episode 25 during the creepy Gaogong stalking flashbacks we see Yinlou get physically reprimanded twice by her legitimate mother for reading historical records from her father’s library. (You know the ex-Grand Tutor, who instructed all the previous princes and is intimately familiar with Court history)
This relationship/mentorship makes so much sense as Lao Ai would have been able to help guide Xiao Duo on how to be a fake eunuch and various accoutrements and shortcuts toward that end. My guess is that is how he learned about the hormone suppressants and where his current supply of them comes from.
My one other thing about Ah Duo and Xiao Duo is their relationship has always felt slightly off to me. Like they were not legally brothers, even if they were biologically brothers. And this seems to fit the most if the Queen Dowager is his mother. In Episode 12 (lantern festival) Xiao Duo says Ah Duo sold his ancestral properties (if Xiao Duo is the elder brother, wouldn’t they be his properties, not Ah Duo’s) and that his parents died. Later in Episode 15 (nickname confessions) he says his family (not his parents) died in the fall-out of the locust.
Also, his interaction with his supposed name and facts consistently seems just a tad off. In Episode 19 he tells Yinlou “My original name was Xiao Cheng,” not that his real name is Xiao Cheng. And when they are getting married he responds to her question about whether she should call him Xiao Duo or Xiao Cheng, that “After living with Ah Duo’s name for so many years I can’t tell who I am anymore.” Both times he technically gets away with not saying he is Xiao Cheng. Then there is in Episode 19, when Qiu Yuebai calls him out on Ah Duo’s gastric health, he does not confirm that they are twin brothers. The same in Episode 28 with Rong’an. He only asks her “What do you want?” In the Episode 19 confession to Yinlou, he says “I am Xiao Duo’s older brother,” not I am his twin brother. Something just seems sort of off here. Does the word “twin” carry legal implications and not only biological implications in Chinese culture/the Mandarin language?
Next on the plate is Eunuch Sun. I have said it before and I will say it again:
“Eunuch Sun is in the game. He is a player. He is a contender. But the more and more I think about it, I think he is going to be a Triple Red Herring. He is definitely in the midst of everything and an accomplice and instigator. But I just don’t feel like he is it. He is too obvious. He is the guy we are supposed to feel clever for figuring out. “It was there all along, you just had to see the signs.” The crazy man in his pajamas with unkempt hair waves his hand in dramatic wave-like motions. “The signs. The signs. The signs.” He echoes himself, making his voice fainter with each repetition.”
We were supposed to figure him out. So, if we were supposed to figure him out - what about him did we get wrong? This is when I realized something about Eunuch Sun, that is completely obvious to a 4 year old, but somehow escaped my notice. He is a Eunuch. And that is when everything clicked into place for me.
A eunuch. You know the whole group of people it is Xiao Duo’s job to supervise. And while he is most likely not a direct member of the Zhaoding Bureau (as a prince, Murong Gaogong’s intimate staff is most likely life-long or at minimum coming-of-age forward) we have seen multiple times that Xiao Duo puts his men everywhere and infiltrates the households of major players.
My anchor for this argument is Prince Rong. And it is something that never sat with me well. Xiao Du is meticulous and shrewd and I am just supposed to accept something so out-of-character for him to do for plot purposes? That is just lazy writing.
You do not stash the heir and Crown Prince (a defenseless, 6 year-old child) with the next-in-line for the throne. I don’t care how incompetent or unambitious that next-in-line person is. You just don’t do that, as a chess player.
And then I realized that Xiao Duo doesn’t leave him under the protection of Murong Gaogong. Who is it he literally hands Prince Rong over to? Whose custody and care does he entrust the heir to?
The world and Court may see him living in Murong Gaogong’s Palace. But Xiao Duo sees him under the custody and protection of Eunuch Sun.
He has multiple spies in Rong’an’s household. He tries to visit Prince Rong a few times and when he is prevented from doing so, he relocates him to a place where he will have access to him. “[He] has already figured out the ins and outs of the entire Yuwen family.” - Episode 5, Cao Chunang to Qilang. He not only weeds out the spy nests and strong-holds of the King of Nanyuan, he is constantly sending agents to attempt to infiltrate his ranks. He is very active in his supervision of Prince Liangxu as a political prisoner. He knew within 30 minutes that Emperor Taizu was dead.
He has Princess Hede’s schedule memorized and is able to make use of that in Episode 3. He is constantly gifting her books and carving out time to spend with her. He is there immediately when Prince Rong dies (conveniently notified by Eunuch Sun). He has access to and repurposes Consort Shao’s body. He makes time to personally visit Yinlou and build a rapport with her when he sees her as only a bargaining chip. When she “breaks up” with him, he still is keeping tabs on her. (Yes, of course he still loves her and is confused and wants to protect her. Blah blah blah blah blah) We have seen him get messages to and collude with the Queen Dowager multiple times and that the Tanxi Temple is completely run by his men.
The point is if you are on the board, no matter the tenor of your relationship with him he not only has immediate access to you, he not only has intimate access to you, he has personal access to you. And if that access is blocked or prevented, he will move heaven and earth to re-establish personal interaction and supervision with every player on the board.
And yet, we do not see him anxious about knowing Murong Gaogong’s moves or thoughts. We never see him discussing with Qilang or Cao Chuang how to plant people around him or the reports he has gotten back from those people. This is THE Emperor. He needs to have people in around him. Why is he not stressed about this. He must already have someone in play.
The few hints we get at this are:
• “Your people are everywhere in the palace” - Cao Chuang, Episode 13
• “Prince Fu sent ‘someone’ to invite you” - Qilang, Episode 1
• “In the future, if His Majesty favors her [Yinlou], there will be another person in the harem that can help you.” Cao Chuang, Episode 12 I will be honest, this line bugged me for a while, I even circled back to it a few times. “Another person” It couldn’t just be a throw away line about generic people, because he said “another”. Who the heck, did he already have in the harem? I eventually decided he was referring to the beauties he would have obviously put amidst the those he brought into the Palace in Episode 6, but it still never sat quite right with me. You know who else is in the harem aside from beauties? Eunuchs.
•“His Majesty has heard her Highness has returned to the capital.” - Cao Chunang, Episode 10 (23 seconds later the Emperor is very excited that Eunuch Sun is telling him Yinlou has returned to the capitol.)
We also see Eunuch Sun protect Xiao Duo multiple times.
In Episode 20, after Emperor Fu meets with the King of Nanyuan, does not order his execution and redirects his attention to targeting Xiao Duo, Eunuch Sun questions him FOUR times about this decision, attempting to subtly redirect his action. In Episode 24, when Emperor Fu comes to Xiao Duo’s house with the Imperial Army he is extremely anxious and when he is holding a sword to his throat he urgently cautions him not to be impulsive. In Episode 28, when the emperor his holding Deng Huo’s blade to Xiao Duo’s heart, Eunuch Sun looks very panicked. And quite frankly a mix of alarm and constipated when he strips Xiao Duo of his position as Head Eunuch.
He is very good at backing up Xiao Duo’s plays (Episode 9 and making sure Yinlou is not sent to the palace) or reaffirm his trust of Xiao Duo (Episode 13 and going to West Shu) while making it seem like they have contention between them and that they are not aligned. He likes to act stupid and ask clarifying questions of the Emperor in a very leading the witness kind of way so that the Emperor comes to his own conclusion. And he seems to have 4 conclusions that he consistently wants the Emperor to come to: 1. He is not in cahoots with Xiao Duo. 2. The Emperor needs Xiao Duo. 3. That the Emperor needs to step into his power 4. A vague, but obvious agenda toward Yinlou.
I found the whole interaction between Eunuch Sun and Xiao Duo in Episode 10 very intriguing. While he is meddlesome and overstepping the technical result of Eunuch Sun’s meddling is legitimizing Yinlou’s time away from the court and in Xiao Duo’s residence, doing things that she will not like and making the Emperor feel guilty toward her and giving her a skill set to better manipulate the Emperor. He looks pleased when she uses etiquette rules to refuse eating soup. And the eye conversations between him and Xiao Duo were weird. Like Xiao Duo was processing information he was being given. It really makes me wonder what I would see in the interactions between these two when I have time for a rewatch.
Brain explodes. Can’t handle the ramifications. It’s everywhere. Every episode. Dripping with evidence.
This is the 2nd time Xiao Duo has used Lao Ai to get something he wanted. (Did I miss a 3rd one?) This made me realize something about Eunuch Sun that I missed before: He is a eunuch. Why did I not realize this before? My brain is literally exploding with the ramifications of this. (Much like when I realized Yinlou grew up in West Shu in Episode 8). It is sliding up and down all the episodes, realizing what was actually happening in all those scenes that I didn’t see. Circe’s Barnyard, EVERYTHING makes sense now!
Okay, so Xiao Duo has the True Innocent, the Whisperer AND the Invisible Absolute on his side. (I can't quite get a bead on if he has the Shadow or not). Geez, he is really putting Lord Varys to shame. I can breathe now. Our boy will be fine (in the long run). I need to go catch up on Blood of Youth and start Three Body.
Triple-Layer Red Herrings, Oh My! (6th post of the day?!? Stop judging me)
So we have a murderer (of Ah Duo) and a potential spy for the King of Nanyuan. Let’s not make the mistake of conflating those two. They could of course be the same person,, but they could also not be.
So, Princess Hede’s book Attic’s Secret plot drop gives us Tong Yun, Bu Yin’ge and Beauty Li as possible betrayals. I feel like Tong Yun is the red herring here. (But she is currently making me upset with Rong’an manipulating/threatening her and because of the part of Attic’s Secret that says Cao Chunang dies. Let’s just hope that almost happens.)
The remaining two both make sense, but Bu Yin’ge actually has avenues available to her. If her mother (Yinlou’s legitimate mother) were the spy. There is also the possibility that it is King Liangshi’s/King of Nanyuan’s fiancée (why he makes Bu Yin’ge his concubine and not his wife) , but I am not feeling it. And just for the purposes of due diligence Qilang and Cao Chunang are technically possibilities for the spy.
So, the 1st Red Herring for Ah Duo’s murderer was King Liangshi. The 2nd Red Herring is obviously going to be Rong’an. Is this show clever enough to do a triple red herring? I don’t know.
But I do know that Eunuch Sun is the embodiment of the old saying that ‘There are no bad rulers/leaders, only bad advisors.’ I also know this guy has no problem taking matters into his own hands.
• He smuggled Xiao Duo into Prince Fu’s palace. • He arranged to have Madam Chen go teach Yinlou etiquette and deportment. Even saying that. (“There’s no need for His Majesty to care about such a trivial matter.” he says to the eunuch who questions him in Episode 10) • He suggested to Xiao Duo that Yinlou go to Dream House. • And quite frankly he seemed a little too invested in the fact that Yinlou was poisoned, looking very concerned when he hears the maids gossiping and rushing immediately to the Emperor (without confirming facts) to let him know and to *cough* cover his tracks by reporting it. (In Episode 15 Wanwan serves Snow Fungus Soup to the Emperor. “A few days ago I received news that Yuwen Liangshi sent someone to buy Wolf’s Bane and Snow Mugwort.” - Xiao Duo Episode 19. Seems like someone in the capital was providing supplies to the King of Nanyuan for Xiao Duo to be poisoned?)
Shout-out to a friend of mine who translated the screenshot of Registry of Entry and Exit from the Palace for June 7th from Episode 24 for me.
It lists Eunuch Sun twice. (Left and returned or came in and went out again)
And the following 3 people once: • Empress Rong’an (Left to meet King Liangshi or returned after meeting him, having left the previous day) • Someone with the surname Song (came or left) • Someone with the surname Zhao (came or left)
So, I don’t know about the surname Song (We have a Consort Shao [Prince Rong’s biological mother] and a Consort Shu [drowned in a well by Rong’an and current top contender for: 1. Rong’an’s best friend that she Attic’s Secreted [yes, that is now a verb] and 2. Xiao Duo/Ah Duo’s mother, if it isn’t Consort Jing. [Okay, let’s be honest here - Consort Jing (she has quite a shadow, doesn’t she? From Madam Chen to Yun Zhu) and Consort Shu are the mother’s of Ah Duo & Xiao Duo and Liangxu & Liangshi, I just don’t know which one is which.]
But Zhao is a loaded surname. It is: 1. Rong’an’s maiden name 2. The family name of the General in King Yawen’s pocket and 3. The Queen Dowager’s (Emperor Taizu’s biological mother and Prince Fu’s legitimate mother) maiden name.
Eunuch Sun is in the game. He is a player. He is a contender. But the more and more I think about it, I think he is going to be a Triple Red Herring. He is definitely in the midst of everything and an accomplice and instigator. But I just don’t feel like he is it. He is too obvious. He is the guy we are supposed to feel clever for figuring out. “It was there all along, you just had to see the signs.” The crazy man in his pajamas with unkempt hair waves his hand in dramatic wave-like motions. “The signs. The signs. The signs.” He echoes himself, making his voice fainter with each repetition.
I also vaguely remember the King of Nanyuan saying that the spy he has in the Imperial City was a woman (I can not for the life of me recall the episode. Anyone?) So this means (unless he is referring to Eunuch Sun poetically) that the spy couldn’t be him.
So, at this point I am going with Yinlou’s legitimate mother as the spy, which gives Bu Yin’ge the avenue she needs to act out Attic’s Secret. And as for Ah Duo’s murderer…General Zhao? I don’t know. My brain hurts.
Wait! Wait! Wait! That is actually minorly legitimate. Roang’an witnessed the murder. She wouldn’t keep her mouth shut for Eunuch Sun or Prince Fu. She would keep her mouth shut for a family member, who was also working under her ally (General Zhao - someone with the surname Zhao is listed on the Registry and it would make sense for Yawen Liangshi to bring his pet General along with him to the capital to off a few throne contenders during Taizu’s birthday) Heck, now that I think about it, General Zhao is more than likely the one who facilitated that alliance to begin with.
Yeah, her child *cough* children *cough* twin boys were totally saved even though she died.
An interesting tidbit for him to drop in his list of grievances against her, was it not? If you pay attention every crime he listed involved him personally. Either as an accomplice or a victim...except that one.
And it happened so long before he came to the Palace. (Also, fits rather nicely into the Attic Secret plot drop, doesn't it?)
If Prince Fu became Emperor Fu in the 11th Year of Longhua and Ah Duo was murdered 6 years ago, that would mean he was murdered in the 5th Year of Longhua. But Xiao Duo says Rong’an diverted the funds meant as disaster relief in the 9th Year of Longhua. That was the relief that never reached Xiao Duo and Ah Duo, that made them homeless and come to the capital in the first place.
The only thing that makes sense here is Xiao Duo said the locust came in the 8th year of Taiyou. (Lantern Festival, Episode 12)
Do the year names cycle in rotation? Because otherwise it has only been 2 years since the locust.
1 
1. Xiao Duo does not infantilize Yinlou. He has never hidden who he is or what he does from her (his role and his job). Heck, their first intimate conversation was about how ruthlessly efficient he was and how that stood as proof that he did not commit this particular murder. Not that he wasn’t a murderer, not that he wasn’t capable of murder, not that he hadn’t murdered hundreds of people, that he hadn’t committed this murder.
He has never hid that from her. But he does make an effort to not expose her to violence unnecessarily, so she is not frightened.
The danger, the politics, the intrigue, the scheming, the strategy - he makes no attempts to hide those from her vision. Yes, he tries to protect her, when they go too far, but never remove them from her vision. He is a realist and knows to do so would actually be cruel. She needs to see those things so she can navigate and manipulate and survive. On top of that she is actually intelligent enough to do so (again from a story character perspective it is fascinating to see a younger woman be able to somewhat intelligently navigate court life, usually we see that reserved for older female characters)
2. Xiao Duo tries to reach Yinlou the same way she reached him. When it backfires spectacularly he doesn’t throw in the towel or get frustrated with her. He asks: “What do you want?”
3. He holds space for the juxtaposition between her intellect / wit / street-smarts / court-smarts and her innocence. He has so much inner tension as he desperately tries to assess, 'Does she know what she is saying?'. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't. But he has to figure that out. "Chief Xiao, it's a beautiful night. Why don't we make the most of it?" He honestly looked like he was about to swallow his adam's apple along with the cherry she had just popped in his mouth. “I can’t sleep. I came to sleep with you.” This poor man. I think the actress really nails those scenes where Xiao Duo just can not tell what she is thinking.
4. She points out that while they are professional partners, they are still both players in the game. Why should she trust him personally? I love her line: “Who do you think we are? If I said I believe you, would you believe me?”
5. She tells him his behavior is confusing and unsettling to her and that she is afraid of him.
6. He actually listens to this feedback and alters his approach.
7. Sure she threw a hissy fit, but he gave her the space to be angry and an unprecedented amount of liberty of agency. She left to go apprentice at a Pleasure House to learn how to seduce men (which at the time and thinking he was a eunuch, meant anyone but him) and started chasing around another guy (who also happened to be the brother of his rival and royalty). He just tries to access this information and figure out what she is up to and asks "Did she mention when she will be back?" She, despite her anger and that they were in the middle of a fight, spies on his rival's family who is acting strangely to protect him.
8. She is not an idiot. She understood how he misunderstood her command to “Take it off”. There are actually several reactions she could have had at this: offense, disgust, anger, being insulted. But she just expressed her agitation that he was derailing her mission: Boots.
When you really think about it, she is startlingly mature here - acknowledging he most likely has these impulses, is a very eager and willing participant, but also that he isn’t pushing the issue if she doesn’t express willingness. (She is also most likely rather grey on the strength and frequency of these impulses and what participating in them would look like with him, given she believes he is a eunuch)
9. When she asks if he is keeping something from her, he actually indirectly admits to her that he is, "I'll tell you in the future."
10. She figures out his identity and holds space for him to tell her in his own time.
11. He is insanely hurt, betrayed and even threatened by what she says at Deer Run, yet he asks an insane amount of clarifying questions and still watches over her while hoping/trying to piece together what she is doing.
12. They take an interest in each other’s interests. She reads up on the stories surrounding Deng Huo and cares about his tree. He has on several occasions asked her for more information and to share more with him about her Madiao deck. When he renovates Dream Cloud Pavillion for her, he makes certain the Feng Shui is good for gambling.
13. While she does get upset and yell or storm off or make outlandish remarks or shove his chest - when she calms down, she thinks about things from his perspective rather then just staying angry and blaming him for things. He notices this pattern and works with it, “Are you still bitter?” “Has Her Highness calmed down now?”
14. Yes, she is a bit of a brat, but I find it incredibly endearing that Xiao Duo spoils her if there is a chance for him to do so. Is he handling situations with maturity long before she starts to? Yes. He also has nearly a decade of age on her. I think this is an incredibly realistic portrayal.
15. It is this freedom of expression she is allowed that pay off big time for him, because she isn't scared into being a perfect, meek, little, proper princess around him. Because of this she is very comfortable taking action (getting rid of the beauty spies) or expressing opinions (troop movements) that honestly benefit him.
It is a zaniness of making salacious physical compliments that she wouldn’t stand a chance of calming down if it weren’t for his good looks or that if he weren’t a eunuch he could make a fortune just standing in front of a brothel combined with an endearing honesty when she says things like ‘Well, you didn’t do this murder’ or ‘Aside from my mother you are the best person’ or ‘Be my backer’ or ‘I like expensive desserts’ or telling him how vital he is or that she will teach anyone a lesson if they bully him, because she likes him the best.
She is up-front and clarifies his confusion (In fact, most of their early conversations follow the same pattern: She gives him an over the top compliment, he makes faces and asks her what she is trying to do or who she is trying to fool as he tries to process her blatantly saying wonderful things about him. And she just tells him frankly that she is trying to make him feel better) and he understands she is an unfiltered being when she isn’t in “survival” or “play the game” mode. He realizes you can’t have one without the other and accepts her telling him he isn't well-liked to his face (omg, love her to bits) or taking the food he placed in her bowl and immediately feeding it to a dog for the compliment and testament to trust that it is.
16. She protects him: Like a “little lunatic” and a “scary cunning fox” and a “scheming little liar,” but she protects him. Drinks poison to save him. Confronts her father. Drugs herself to cough up blood to distract the Emperor to save him. Kidnaps Rong’an. She attacks two assassins with a sword she has no idea how to use. Does not get out at Mount Yongan. Breaks his heart. Jumps in the river after him. Does not admit who she was acting intimately with to the Emperor and lets him believe it is her cousin (which she is then forced to stab “to death”). Force feeds him multiple “miracle life-saving pills”. She has a decent handle on what actions will get him in trouble and how much trouble and attempts to dissuade him from the choices that have more severe consequences. I would say Xiao Duo’s pet names for her are quite on point.
17. He always asks tons of clarifying questions. (“You want me to hit him again on your behalf?”, “How do you know that I don’t?”, “What do you want?”, “Are you worried about me?”, “Are you okay?”, “What do you want to do?”, “You feel unfair for me?”, “Why is she worried about me?”, “Isn’t this moment with the moon above a peaceful river?”, “What about you? Do you need me?”, “You don’t feel reluctant to return to the palace anymore?”, “Who said that? [You have a home.”])
18. He has established he will follow her lead on issues surrounding physical intimacy, abstract intimacy, consent (a huge difference from Prince Fu who has always called her Yinlou and tried to manipulate her into telling him her nickname, as opposed to Xiao Duo who waited for permission to call her anything other than Your Highness) and power dynamics.
Xiao Duo has always struck the balance between being aggressive enough that Yinlou feels pursued, while holding space for her to declare the boundaries. And everytime he is aggressive enough that he pushes those boundaries further (even if he is following her lead) he pauses and holds space for her to assess and process. These moments of her character deciding are one area this actress shines in: the combination of anticipatory breathing, innocent trust, shock, sometimes confusion and deliberation about implications is spot on.
19. Are they dancing around the issue of her father being the murderer. Yes, 100%. Are they aware that the other basically knows what they know? Yes, 100% Are they acknowledging that communicating multi-layered emotions is complex and often nonsensical. Yes, 100%. Are they doubting each other as they go through the motions of their piece of theater? No, 0%. Do they still have each other’s back while doing that? Yes, 100%. Do they eventually just say ‘No more games, let’s talk about this even though it is a sensitive topic and touches on some things we don’t want to. Yes, 100%.
(For a girl with so much game, she has 0 guile when it comes to him. She keeps pouring him alcohol to drink and he is just ‘Really? This is the play you’re making?’)
19 Ways to Circumvent Conflicts/Misunderstandings and Communicate with Awkward Honesty with Xiao Duo & Bu Yinluo
• Consort Jing
• Consort Shu
• Queen Dowager Zhao (this is a different character than Rong'an)
• Consort Shao
Brief background on each below.
For a much more in-depth explanation of each of these characters and their connections along with Episode references please read: https://mydramalist.com/699391-fu-tu-tower#comment-12250035
1. Consort Jing (Hede and Gaogong’s biological mother. She was framed and died in the harem. Why was she framed? Did she perhaps betray her best friend's [Queen Dowager Zhao's] secret affair to the Emperor à la Attic’s Secret? What was she framed as having done?)
She is clearly important, as we get constant reminders of her existence and that her “camp” and those loyal to her are still around. Madam Chen (etiquette instructor) is her servant. Yu Zun (head of the Imperial army) is her trusted subordinate. (It also gives interesting nuance to Eunuch Sun being the one to bring both of these characters back to Court.) I mean honestly, is she maybe not actually dead? (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu /Gaogong's full brothers and Rong’s uncles)
2. Consort Shu (drowned in a well in 7th year of Longhua by Rong’an. She was pregnant when she was drowned) Could be the Old Emperor's Consort (Generation A) or Emperor Taizu's Consort (Generation B). There is not enough context to tell.
(If Generation A [the Old Emperor’s Consort] this would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu / Gaogong’s half-brothers and Rong’s uncle. If Generation B [Taizu’s Consort] - that would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/ Gaogong’s nephew and Rong’s half-brother) (I like this possibility for the poetry of the fallacy of assuming just because you killed a pregnant woman, her children were not able to be saved and that it makes Prince Rong Xiao Duo’s little brother. He certainly went out of his way to save him from Rong’an, grieved him when he died and reacted with disproportionate rage when he was killed [Xiao Duo no likey when you kill his didi’s. Bit of sore spot for him.])
3. The Queen Dowager [the Old Emperor’s wife, Emperor’s Taizu’s biological mother and Hede and Fu / Gaogong’s legitimate mother].
Statistically, if not Xiao Duo's mother - his most trusted ally. Statistically, knows he is a fake eunuch.
He expends a ridiculous amount of resources to control the Tanxi Temple to keep her safe. “The entire Tanxi Temple is full of my men.” Episode 26. This also allows him to communicate with her near instantly and with great ease. He is very open in the temple and almost treats it like his home.
When he needs something handled i.e. someone protected at all costs he turns to her. Not Qilang. Not Cao Chuang. Her. We find out in Episode 10 he made certain Wanwan has her protection. In Episode 25 and 26 she helps him prevent Yinlou from being invited back to the Palace, without anything being traced back to him. In Episode 28 he has her arrange a bestowed marriage to prevent Tong Yun from being exiled.
Most likely the source of his hormone suppressants.
Reason for trust, if not mother: Lao Ai. Lao Ai is the other fake eunuch that Emperor Taizu had murdered, because he had a love affair with the Queen Dowager. (Who is 100% not dead. We see him in Episode 15, 25 and 26) She would definitely have a soft spot for Xiao Duo, because of her personal romantic history.
(I like this possibility because Xiao Duo outranks Gaogong as the Queen Dowager’s son, as opposed to a Consort’s son. It is also the possibility that makes the most sense concerning the bizarre ambiguity/discrepancy between Xiao Duo & Ah Duo's legal and lineage differences. Eldest twin claims the Murong line. Younger son claims either the Zhao line [Makes sense why she is living in the Temple if all of their ancestoral properties were sold off] or Lao Ai's line. (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong's half-brothers and Rong’s uncles if the Old Emperor is the father or technically biologically related to nobody [what public record will claim is very different though] if Lao Ai is the father [not certain who Lao Ai's family is])
4. Consort Shao (Prince Rong's biological mother, Emperor Taizu's Noble Consort, who Rong'an murders in Episode 1)
Xiao Duo twice pauses and looks at her body with guilt/regret/something. Before he had to use her body to trade for Yinlou to keep the number of Tribute girls even he had her body and might have been trying to ensure she had a decent burial. She has this weird line "How dare you." That we are supposed to think is directed at Rong'an, but is obviously directed at Xiao Duo.
(This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu / Gaogong’s nephew and Rong’s half-brother) (I like this possibility for the same reason I like Consort Shu being their mother - it makes Prince Rong Xiao Duo’s little brother. It adds an additional layer of investment in the Crown Prince's safety, more guilt at his failure to protect him and more validation to his disproportionate rage when he was killed [Xiao Duo no likey when you kill his didis. Bit of sore spot for him.])
1. Consort Jing (Hede and Gaogong’s biological mother. She was framed and died in the harem. Why was she framed? Did she perhaps betray her best friend's [Queen Dowager Zhao - not Rong’an (can we please get a first name for this character - it would make talking about her soooo much easier)] secret to the Emperor à la Attic’s Secret? What was she framed as having done?) She is clearly important, as we get constant reminders of her existence and that her “camp” and those loyal to her are still around. Madam Chen (etiquette instructor) is her servant. Yu Zun (head of the Imperial army) is her trusted subordinate. I mean honestly, is she maybe not actually dead? (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s full brothers and Rong’s uncles)
2. Consort Shu (drowned in a well in 7th year of Longhua by Rong’an. She was pregnant when she was drowned) There is not enough context to tell if she is Generation A or Generation B. If Rong’an is eliminating threats to her it might make more sense if Consort Shu was Generation A, as it more actively guarantee Taizu’s security on the throne to eliminate his brother’s (aka the 17 dead princes) /potential siblings, which is what she did in the 9th year of Longhua. Vs. eliminating her husband’s concubines, which is not as big a threat (as we see in Episode 1, she can just murder them and claim their children as hers [she is already their legitimate mother anyway] at any point), it is not as urgent as secure her husband is the Emperor.
(If Consort Shu is Generation A [the Old Emperor’s Consort] this would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s half-brothers and Rong’s uncle. If She is Generation B [Taizu’s Consort] - that would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s nephew and Rong’s half-brother) (I like this possibility for the poetry of the fallacy of assuming just because you killed a pregnant woman, her children were not able to be saved and that it makes Prince Rong Xiao Duo’s little brother. He certainly went out of his way to save him from Rong’an, grieved him when he died and reacted with disproportionate rage when he was killed [Xiao Duo no likey when you kill his didi’s. Bit of sore spot for him.])
3. The Queen Dowager [the Old Emperor’s wife, Emperor’s Taizu’s biological mother and Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s legitimate mother]. We know the Xiao Duo enjoys unprecedented access to the Queen Dowager and is functionably invincible and incredibly bold in her territory (Tanxi Temple) “The entire Tanxi Temple is full of my men.” Episode 26. (Someone takes care of his mother)
We know if he wants someone protected he turns to the Queen Dowager and trusts her completely to handle the situation. He teaches Princess Hede to please the Queen Dowager and win her favor. He guaranteed his best friend/little sister/aunt was the court favorite of the Queen Dowager and manipulates things frequently so she is often visiting the Queen Dowager at the Tanxi Temple. In Episode 10 WanWan points out that he made sure she has the Queen Dowager’s protection. In Episode 28 when he wanted Tong Yun saved he went to the Queen Dowager to arrange a bestowed marriage for Cao Chunang.
And in Episode 25 he colludes with the Queen Dowager to manipulate the Buddha’s Birthday celebration to keep Yinlou from re-entering the Palace. I was howling with laughter at how Xiao Duo gets the her to use the palace/temple eunuchs to steal the scriptures, manipulate the timing of the situation and then publicly shame Yinlou.
“What is she doing here?... What gift could she possibly have?...It’s time for the abbot to recite the scriptures. We can’t wait any longer. Let’s go…Today, I’ll make it clear to you. Consort Duan is unchaste and ominous…I won’t let her go back to the palace.”
She is either an extremely trusted ally (as they share a commonality) or his mother. (I like this possibility for the because I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how Consort Jing could have bastard children and then this solution was handed to me on a silver platter. I also like this possibility because depending on how the lines of succession work Xiao Duo outranks Gaogong as the Queen Dowager’s son, as opposed to a Consort’s son.) (This would make Xiao Duo & Ah Duo, Hede and Fu/Gaogong’s half-brothers and Rong’s uncles if the Old Emperor [Emperor Taizu] is the father or related to nobody? if Lao Ai is the father [who the heck is his Lao Ai’s family?])
So, what is this commonality that he shares with the Queen Dowager? Fake eunuchness. If he is not her son, she has an extreme soft soft for him given her own personal romantic history with her own fake eunuch aka Lao Ai.
Lao Ai is the other fake eunuch that Emperor Taizu had murdered, because he had a love affair with the Queen Dowager. (Who is 100% not dead. We see him in Episode 15, 25 and 26) (Which really does beg the question, does the Queen Dowager have another child with Lao Ai?)
Episode 21, when Tong Yun and Yinlou are in the carriage before the ride up to Mount Yanguo. She said her father smacked her for reading it. (Somebody has a secret) And then in Episode 25 during the creepy Gaogong stalking flashbacks we see Yinlou get physically reprimanded twice by her legitimate mother for reading historical records from her father’s library. (You know the ex-Grand Tutor, who instructed all the previous princes and is intimately familiar with Court history)
This relationship/mentorship makes so much sense as Lao Ai would have been able to help guide Xiao Duo on how to be a fake eunuch and various accoutrements and shortcuts toward that end. My guess is that is how he learned about the hormone suppressants and where his current supply of them comes from.
My one other thing about Ah Duo and Xiao Duo is their relationship has always felt slightly off to me. Like they were not legally brothers, even if they were biologically brothers. And this seems to fit the most if the Queen Dowager is his mother. In Episode 12 (lantern festival) Xiao Duo says Ah Duo sold his ancestral properties (if Xiao Duo is the elder brother, wouldn’t they be his properties, not Ah Duo’s) and that his parents died. Later in Episode 15 (nickname confessions) he says his family (not his parents) died in the fall-out of the locust.
Also, his interaction with his supposed name and facts consistently seems just a tad off. In Episode 19 he tells Yinlou “My original name was Xiao Cheng,” not that his real name is Xiao Cheng. And when they are getting married he responds to her question about whether she should call him Xiao Duo or Xiao Cheng, that “After living with Ah Duo’s name for so many years I can’t tell who I am anymore.” Both times he technically gets away with not saying he is Xiao Cheng. Then there is in Episode 19, when Qiu Yuebai calls him out on Ah Duo’s gastric health, he does not confirm that they are twin brothers. The same in Episode 28 with Rong’an. He only asks her “What do you want?” In the Episode 19 confession to Yinlou, he says “I am Xiao Duo’s older brother,” not I am his twin brother. Something just seems sort of off here. Does the word “twin” carry legal implications and not only biological implications in Chinese culture/the Mandarin language?
Next on the plate is Eunuch Sun. I have said it before and I will say it again:
“Eunuch Sun is in the game. He is a player. He is a contender. But the more and more I think about it, I think he is going to be a Triple Red Herring. He is definitely in the midst of everything and an accomplice and instigator. But I just don’t feel like he is it. He is too obvious. He is the guy we are supposed to feel clever for figuring out. “It was there all along, you just had to see the signs.” The crazy man in his pajamas with unkempt hair waves his hand in dramatic wave-like motions. “The signs. The signs. The signs.” He echoes himself, making his voice fainter with each repetition.”
We were supposed to figure him out. So, if we were supposed to figure him out - what about him did we get wrong? This is when I realized something about Eunuch Sun, that is completely obvious to a 4 year old, but somehow escaped my notice. He is a Eunuch. And that is when everything clicked into place for me.
A eunuch. You know the whole group of people it is Xiao Duo’s job to supervise. And while he is most likely not a direct member of the Zhaoding Bureau (as a prince, Murong Gaogong’s intimate staff is most likely life-long or at minimum coming-of-age forward) we have seen multiple times that Xiao Duo puts his men everywhere and infiltrates the households of major players.
My anchor for this argument is Prince Rong. And it is something that never sat with me well. Xiao Du is meticulous and shrewd and I am just supposed to accept something so out-of-character for him to do for plot purposes? That is just lazy writing.
You do not stash the heir and Crown Prince (a defenseless, 6 year-old child) with the next-in-line for the throne. I don’t care how incompetent or unambitious that next-in-line person is. You just don’t do that, as a chess player.
And then I realized that Xiao Duo doesn’t leave him under the protection of Murong Gaogong. Who is it he literally hands Prince Rong over to? Whose custody and care does he entrust the heir to?
The world and Court may see him living in Murong Gaogong’s Palace. But Xiao Duo sees him under the custody and protection of Eunuch Sun.
He has multiple spies in Rong’an’s household. He tries to visit Prince Rong a few times and when he is prevented from doing so, he relocates him to a place where he will have access to him. “[He] has already figured out the ins and outs of the entire Yuwen family.” - Episode 5, Cao Chunang to Qilang. He not only weeds out the spy nests and strong-holds of the King of Nanyuan, he is constantly sending agents to attempt to infiltrate his ranks. He is very active in his supervision of Prince Liangxu as a political prisoner. He knew within 30 minutes that Emperor Taizu was dead.
He has Princess Hede’s schedule memorized and is able to make use of that in Episode 3. He is constantly gifting her books and carving out time to spend with her. He is there immediately when Prince Rong dies (conveniently notified by Eunuch Sun). He has access to and repurposes Consort Shao’s body. He makes time to personally visit Yinlou and build a rapport with her when he sees her as only a bargaining chip. When she “breaks up” with him, he still is keeping tabs on her. (Yes, of course he still loves her and is confused and wants to protect her. Blah blah blah blah blah) We have seen him get messages to and collude with the Queen Dowager multiple times and that the Tanxi Temple is completely run by his men.
The point is if you are on the board, no matter the tenor of your relationship with him he not only has immediate access to you, he not only has intimate access to you, he has personal access to you. And if that access is blocked or prevented, he will move heaven and earth to re-establish personal interaction and supervision with every player on the board.
And yet, we do not see him anxious about knowing Murong Gaogong’s moves or thoughts.
We never see him discussing with Qilang or Cao Chuang how to plant people around him or the reports he has gotten back from those people. This is THE Emperor. He needs to have people in around him. Why is he not stressed about this. He must already have someone in play.
The few hints we get at this are:
• “Your people are everywhere in the palace” - Cao Chuang, Episode 13
• “Prince Fu sent ‘someone’ to invite you” - Qilang, Episode 1
• “In the future, if His Majesty favors her [Yinlou], there will be another person in the harem that can help you.” Cao Chuang, Episode 12 I will be honest, this line bugged me for a while, I even circled back to it a few times. “Another person” It couldn’t just be a throw away line about generic people, because he said “another”. Who the heck, did he already have in the harem? I eventually decided he was referring to the beauties he would have obviously put amidst the those he brought into the Palace in Episode 6, but it still never sat quite right with me. You know who else is in the harem aside from beauties? Eunuchs.
•“His Majesty has heard her Highness has returned to the capital.” - Cao Chunang, Episode 10 (23 seconds later the Emperor is very excited that Eunuch Sun is telling him Yinlou has returned to the capitol.)
We also see Eunuch Sun protect Xiao Duo multiple times.
In Episode 20, after Emperor Fu meets with the King of Nanyuan, does not order his execution and redirects his attention to targeting Xiao Duo, Eunuch Sun questions him FOUR times about this decision, attempting to subtly redirect his action. In Episode 24, when Emperor Fu comes to Xiao Duo’s house with the Imperial Army he is extremely anxious and when he is holding a sword to his throat he urgently cautions him not to be impulsive. In Episode 28, when the emperor his holding Deng Huo’s blade to Xiao Duo’s heart, Eunuch Sun looks very panicked. And quite frankly a mix of alarm and constipated when he strips Xiao Duo of his position as Head Eunuch.
He is very good at backing up Xiao Duo’s plays (Episode 9 and making sure Yinlou is not sent to the palace) or reaffirm his trust of Xiao Duo (Episode 13 and going to West Shu) while making it seem like they have contention between them and that they are not aligned. He likes to act stupid and ask clarifying questions of the Emperor in a very leading the witness kind of way so that the Emperor comes to his own conclusion. And he seems to have 4 conclusions that he consistently wants the Emperor to come to:
1. He is not in cahoots with Xiao Duo.
2. The Emperor needs Xiao Duo.
3. That the Emperor needs to step into his power
4. A vague, but obvious agenda toward Yinlou.
I found the whole interaction between Eunuch Sun and Xiao Duo in Episode 10 very intriguing. While he is meddlesome and overstepping the technical result of Eunuch Sun’s meddling is legitimizing Yinlou’s time away from the court and in Xiao Duo’s residence, doing things that she will not like and making the Emperor feel guilty toward her and giving her a skill set to better manipulate the Emperor. He looks pleased when she uses etiquette rules to refuse eating soup. And the eye conversations between him and Xiao Duo were weird. Like Xiao Duo was processing information he was being given. It really makes me wonder what I would see in the interactions between these two when I have time for a rewatch.
Okay, so Xiao Duo has the True Innocent, the Whisperer AND the Invisible Absolute on his side. (I can't quite get a bead on if he has the Shadow or not). Geez, he is really putting Lord Varys to shame. I can breathe now. Our boy will be fine (in the long run). I need to go catch up on Blood of Youth and start Three Body.
So, Princess Hede’s book Attic’s Secret plot drop gives us Tong Yun, Bu Yin’ge and Beauty Li as possible betrayals. I feel like Tong Yun is the red herring here. (But she is currently making me upset with Rong’an manipulating/threatening her and because of the part of Attic’s Secret that says Cao Chunang dies. Let’s just hope that almost happens.)
The remaining two both make sense, but Bu Yin’ge actually has avenues available to her. If her mother (Yinlou’s legitimate mother) were the spy. There is also the possibility that it is King Liangshi’s/King of Nanyuan’s fiancée (why he makes Bu Yin’ge his concubine and not his wife) , but I am not feeling it. And just for the purposes of due diligence Qilang and Cao Chunang are technically possibilities for the spy.
So, the 1st Red Herring for Ah Duo’s murderer was King Liangshi. The 2nd Red Herring is obviously going to be Rong’an. Is this show clever enough to do a triple red herring? I don’t know.
But I do know that Eunuch Sun is the embodiment of the old saying that ‘There are no bad rulers/leaders, only bad advisors.’ I also know this guy has no problem taking matters into his own hands.
• He smuggled Xiao Duo into Prince Fu’s palace.
• He arranged to have Madam Chen go teach Yinlou etiquette and deportment. Even saying that. (“There’s no need for His Majesty to care about such a trivial matter.” he says to the eunuch who questions him in Episode 10)
• He suggested to Xiao Duo that Yinlou go to Dream House.
• And quite frankly he seemed a little too invested in the fact that Yinlou was poisoned, looking very concerned when he hears the maids gossiping and rushing immediately to the Emperor (without confirming facts) to let him know and to *cough* cover his tracks by reporting it. (In Episode 15 Wanwan serves Snow Fungus Soup to the Emperor. “A few days ago I received news that Yuwen Liangshi sent someone to buy Wolf’s Bane and Snow Mugwort.” - Xiao Duo Episode 19. Seems like someone in the capital was providing supplies to the King of Nanyuan for Xiao Duo to be poisoned?)
Shout-out to a friend of mine who translated the screenshot of Registry of Entry and Exit from the Palace for June 7th from Episode 24 for me.
It lists Eunuch Sun twice. (Left and returned or came in and went out again)
And the following 3 people once:
• Empress Rong’an (Left to meet King Liangshi or returned after meeting him, having left the previous day)
• Someone with the surname Song (came or left)
• Someone with the surname Zhao (came or left)
So, I don’t know about the surname Song (We have a Consort Shao [Prince Rong’s biological mother] and a Consort Shu [drowned in a well by Rong’an and current top contender for:
1. Rong’an’s best friend that she Attic’s Secreted [yes, that is now a verb] and
2. Xiao Duo/Ah Duo’s mother, if it isn’t Consort Jing. [Okay, let’s be honest here - Consort Jing (she has quite a shadow, doesn’t she? From Madam Chen to Yun Zhu) and Consort Shu are the mother’s of Ah Duo & Xiao Duo and Liangxu & Liangshi, I just don’t know which one is which.]
But Zhao is a loaded surname. It is:
1. Rong’an’s maiden name
2. The family name of the General in King Yawen’s pocket and
3. The Queen Dowager’s (Emperor Taizu’s biological mother and Prince Fu’s legitimate mother) maiden name.
Eunuch Sun is in the game. He is a player. He is a contender. But the more and more I think about it, I think he is going to be a Triple Red Herring. He is definitely in the midst of everything and an accomplice and instigator. But I just don’t feel like he is it. He is too obvious. He is the guy we are supposed to feel clever for figuring out. “It was there all along, you just had to see the signs.” The crazy man in his pajamas with unkempt hair waves his hand in dramatic wave-like motions. “The signs. The signs. The signs.” He echoes himself, making his voice fainter with each repetition.
I also vaguely remember the King of Nanyuan saying that the spy he has in the Imperial City was a woman (I can not for the life of me recall the episode. Anyone?) So this means (unless he is referring to Eunuch Sun poetically) that the spy couldn’t be him.
So, at this point I am going with Yinlou’s legitimate mother as the spy, which gives Bu Yin’ge the avenue she needs to act out Attic’s Secret. And as for Ah Duo’s murderer…General Zhao? I don’t know. My brain hurts.
Wait! Wait! Wait! That is actually minorly legitimate. Roang’an witnessed the murder. She wouldn’t keep her mouth shut for Eunuch Sun or Prince Fu. She would keep her mouth shut for a family member, who was also working under her ally (General Zhao - someone with the surname Zhao is listed on the Registry and it would make sense for Yawen Liangshi to bring his pet General along with him to the capital to off a few throne contenders during Taizu’s birthday) Heck, now that I think about it, General Zhao is more than likely the one who facilitated that alliance to begin with.
And it happened so long before he came to the Palace. (Also, fits rather nicely into the Attic Secret plot drop, doesn't it?)
The only thing that makes sense here is Xiao Duo said the locust came in the 8th year of Taiyou. (Lantern Festival, Episode 12)
Do the year names cycle in rotation? Because otherwise it has only been 2 years since the locust.