Chương 203: Extra: Jade and Plum (1/2)

SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO

Queeniecat

(1) Teng snake: a flying, footless serpent, there are many mythologies surrounding it and depending on the dynasty, there are subtle differences. In the record of the bencao gangmu (a medical text written in 1578BC), it comments that the teng snake changes into a dragon and can ride in the clouds and fly over a thousand miles. It is because of this metamorphosis that it was commonly used as a symbol of the crown prince. It was also sometimes used as a symbol of princes of the first rank (the emperor’s brothers) as it also symbolised ‘like a dragon but not quite a dragon yet’.

(2) The coming-of-age ceremony for men was usually held at twenty years old but for princes it was often at a younger age and in the Tang Dynasty, they were obligated by palace rules to marry at sixteen and move out of the inner palace. I guess their dad didn’t exactly want them staying in near proximity to his pretty young concubines lol.

(3) A common saying about Zhong Wuyan, the ugly queen of Qi Kingdom, and Xia Yingchun, the beautiful concubine of the Qi King. Zhong Wuyan was first recorded in literary prose dating back to Western Han. She was said to be spectacularly hideous but in possession of a brilliant mind. The Qi King was a weak ruler and had relied on her advice to save the kingdom. In return for her service, he made her Queen but resented her looks. On the other hand, Xia Yingchun was a pampered concubine who didn’t dabble in politics and her beauty earned her the emperor’s favour (there is debate about whether she truly existed or was created as a foil to Zhong Wuyan in Yuan Dynasty operas). The story goes that because Qi Kingdom was declining, the other Warring States Kingdoms were starting to turn a predatory gaze upon them. Zhong Wuyan’s adeptness in diplomacy and military tactics saved her kingdom time and time again, but she would only be visited by the king whenever he needed her assistance. Hence, the saying was born to criticise someone who relied on others because they were inept, and then burnt the bridge after using them.

A/N Thank you very much for reading and for the lovely reviews, comments, gifts, golden tickets and power stones. Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I had major health problems.