After finishing their bread and drinking the milk they had stocked up for the Lunar New Year, the two got into the car and headed to the film studio.
Sitting in Sheng Wenzhi's car, Shang Yechu finally had time to read the Green Petal drama review that Zheng Bohan had sent her.
[Drama Review | My Thoughts on the Controversies Surrounding Episode 4 of "The Legend of Yun Qing" and the Character Controversy of Princess Pingzhao]
[Long post warning | Rational discussion, no fan wars | Trying to evaluate from the audience's objective perspective, contains major spoilers, analysis and predictions for the subsequent plot.]
This is my first time writing a long drama review, please forgive any formatting errors.
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With the conclusion of the fourth episode of "Yun Qing Ji," online discussions about the drama have become rampant, generating considerable controversy.
The biggest points of contention are nothing more than two: one is "what is the significance of this episode"; the other is "the character design of Princess Pingzhao".
This review will discuss these two controversies in detail. Please note that I will not address each point individually, but rather combine them together. The reason for this will soon become clear.
What is the significance of this episode? Those who have watched the first three episodes have probably already noticed some clues. On the surface, "Yun Qing Ji" is a light comedy with palace intrigue as its theme, but in reality, its core is quite serious and heavy.
If the first two episodes were just a trial run, then in the third episode, the screenwriter's sharp edge was no longer concealed.
"Are the lives of Cui'er and Bai Niang not as precious as a crane cloak?"
"It's already much more expensive. The current emperor is a wise and enlightened emperor. The lives of three palace maids can be exchanged for a crane cloak and a copy of the 'Rebirth Sutra' personally copied by the Fifth Prince. If it were the previous tyrannical emperor, the lives of five palace maids would only be exchanged for a perfunctory reprimand!"
"In the years before that, the lives of hundreds of palace maids could only be squeezed into a corner of the imperial mausoleum!"
"I see. Long live the Emperor! I truly hope that every future emperor will be this wise and sagacious..."
It's clearly a satirical piece, yet it cuts to the bone with every stroke. "The Cloud Chronicles" uses the most humorous approach to expose the festering wounds of that cannibalistic era.
The first three episodes were packed with laughs and witty lines, each one a sharp retort. We instinctively categorized it as a dark comedy. However, the fourth episode abruptly shifted gears, turning into a melodramatic palace drama about a princess and her husband's tumultuous marriage!
This episode is very different from the previous three; it's neither humorous nor funny. It seems incompatible with the style of dark comedy.
Many viewers are likely finding this contrast difficult to accept, which is the direct cause of the controversy. Many viewers are even venting this frustration on the main character, Princess Pingzhao. A quick search of Princess Pingzhao on various platforms reveals mostly negative comments, with keywords such as "love-obsessed," "stupid," "cowardly," and "reliant on her father's connections" being the main focus.
To be honest, I had the same question when I first watched this episode. The episode is extremely fast-paced, with numerous plot points that remain coherent, and the design is remarkably sophisticated, demonstrating a profound understanding of emotional manipulation and clever setups. Only a seasoned professional could pull this off. Considering that the episode was written by Zheng Bohan and Jing Fengnian, it becomes much easier to understand.
Such stories have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that they are exhilarating, full of twists and turns, and incredibly satisfying. They give readers a brain-taxing, exhilarating feeling.
What are the downsides? The downsides are its shallowness—short, bland, fast-paced, and utterly devoid of substance. Watching an episode of this kind of show is no different from eating junk food.
But does this episode really lack any substance?
I want to say it unequivocally—no. Absolutely not.
It's refreshing, but it also has depth. Yes, that's exactly what I mean.
A closer look at the drama reveals a stark contrast between Princess Pingzhao's character in the first and second halves of the story. In the first half, she's head over heels in love with her husband, He Ji, but in the second half, she shows no concern for his entire family. And then she dies. While the plot is exciting, the character development is completely unconvincing.
I watched the ending with these doubts in mind, until the scene where the white-haired palace maid appeared under the crow tree was like a wake-up call, chilling me to the bone!
Yes, in the first half, Princess Pingzhao is portrayed as love-struck, weak, foolish, and self-degrading—but is this the real Princess Pingzhao?
No! This is how Princess Pingzhao is seen through the eyes of the maid Chunliu!
The camerawork already hinted at this. In the first half of the film, whenever Princess Pingzhao appeared, only her lower body was shown, never her face!
Why is this? It's because the maid Chunliu, being a servant, had to be subservient every day, and didn't even have the right or the courage to raise her head and look at the face of this noble princess!
Exquisite robes, delicate and refined hands, and luxurious jewelry. These things constituted Princess Pingzhao in the eyes of her maidservants. These symbols were everything the palace maids could see, and they strung together to form the concept of "Princess Pingzhao."
This proves that the first half of the story, in which Princess Pingzhao never appears, is written entirely from the perspective of a maid!
Having said that, it's time to move on to the second topic.
Was Princess Pingzhao truly as weak and cowardly as Chunliu perceived her to be, and who valued love above all else?
The answer is still no!
Aside from the disconnect between the characters in the first and second halves of the story, the biggest mystery lies in the scene between Princess Pingzhao and the Emperor.
Please see the screenshot. As soon as Princess Pingzhao met the emperor, she said that the consort was rude and listed several of his offenses.
Up to this point, the emperor had not become angry. This was understandable. The emperor was nicknamed the "Scumbag Emperor" because he showed very limited affection for his children. Princess Pingzhao's minor grievance was not enough to make him furious.
Then, Princess Pingzhao said something that made the emperor furious!
What did Princess Pingzhao say?
"Insects chirp in response, dogs flee from the fence, crows perch on phoenix branches!"
On the surface, this statement seems to be the prince consort mocking Princess Pingzhao as a pitiful yes-man, who, instead of being a dutiful dog guarding the house, has usurped the position of a phoenix.
But don't forget, Princess Pingzhao is the eldest princess, the emperor's most beloved daughter. How many fathers, mothers, and lives does a consort have? How dare he say that his family is a phoenix's nest, and that the emperor's daughter is an insect, a dog, or a crow?
Besides, guarding the house is a dog's duty. But Princess Pingzhao was a princess who lived off the emperor's salary; what duties could she possibly have? The phrase "dogs leaving the fence" clearly doesn't refer to Princess Pingzhao.
So who exactly is being referred to?
We moved the progress bar forward to the very beginning, to the scene where the prince consort was drinking with the young talents.
What did this group of people say while drinking?
screenshot:
"Now that His Majesty has opened up the imperial examinations and selected many talented people, we have become wealthy idlers."
"Even the poor scholar in my household who copies books has betrayed his master and gone off to take the classics exam with greedy eyes!"
"Brother He is so lucky. He married a princess and holds a second-rank official position. How wonderful he is..."
Look!
Without a doubt, He Ji was the son of a powerful and noble family. There were many other second-generation nobles like him; at least all the people in the picture were.
As we all know, for a long time, powerful families controlled the officialdom and manipulated the selection of officials. This is the origin of the saying, "The highest ranks are never held by people from poor families."
As the founding emperor, the emperor could not tolerate so many powerful families encroaching on the empire he had built. Therefore, he opened up the imperial examination system, selecting a large number of talented individuals and severing the foundation of these powerful families.
As the scion of a prominent family, He Ji was naturally greatly displeased with this. That's why, after drinking, he uttered such rebellious words as "Insects chirp and dogs flee from the fence, crows perch on phoenix branches!"
The phrase "insects responding" refers to the powerful families who dared not oppose the emperor's decision and instead echoed his words.
The phrase "dogs leave the fence" is a satire of lower-class intellectuals who, instead of doing the menial work of copying books and selling their writings, plunge headlong into the imperial examinations.
The saying "a crow perches on a phoenix branch" is easier to understand—a poor scholar who passed the imperial examinations entered officialdom and took the place of these useless rich kids!
It wasn't mocking any princess at all!
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