steppingonyourshadow

[steppingonyourshadow]

Xiao Zhan on how he decided Zang Hai was low maintenance and didn't spend much time on his look.

[steppingonyourshadow]

Lee watches Legend of Zang Hai: Episodes 11-20

Plot, language, culture, history, Chinese TV and novel tropes, and general commentary.

Episodes 1-10 here.

Episode 11

Aka this show has so many plot relevant bathing scenes

Antu's face in this scene is so funny. She's such a tsundere.

But you know why Zang Hai refused to be friends - he had no use for her and didn't want to get involved with her since he was gonna die at any time anyway.

Zang Hai found the persona to use for Antu pretty quickly - she just wants him to show weakness and ask her for mercy and he's happy to do that. And to follow up the carrot with some stick (threatening her with the Marquis).

Their conversation about the power of false rumours and how impossible they are to shake once they're out there broke my heart a little. Xiao Zhan knows that all too well.

The thing is that his act doesn't fool Antu but it doesn't have to. She just wanted to see him ask for the favour, and he knows that too.

The moment where they both empathise with the Dong Xia merchant having a hard time so far from home is really nice.

Ba-gongzi compares Zang Hai to the Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix, two legendary strategists from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong).

Zang Hai spends a lot of this episode apologising to people essentially because he let his death drive take charge for a bit.

God, I love his plotting face.

Zhuang Zhixing's mother was a 淑人 (rank for the wife of a third level rank official) which I think means she was a wife, not a concubine.

Zang Hai has actually correctly read Zhuang Zhixing here: he plans to dangle in front of him the prospect of power and his father's respect, two things it turns out Zhuang Zhixing does want, even if he doesn't yet know it.

Yay, Antu backstory.

Honestly she's very well-adjusted for a hostage/prisoner of war.

This bit with Ba-gongzi is adorable. I ship it. (I ship many many pairings in this show. Benefit of a great ensemble with a lot going on.)

On one level Zhen Pavilion is a dream come true for two young women. On another level, Antu is being allowed to operate it so it can be used by various interests to conduct their business.

Zhuang Zhixing hearing a recitation of his alleged vices and objecting to being characterised as someone who patronises prostitutes is very funny.

(Also kind of very Jingjiang ML of him. We'll return to this subject.)

Zang Hai is running a scheme of course but he's also right when he says Zhuang Zhixing is more like the Marquis than his brother. Zang Hai himself got a glimpse of Zhuang Zhixing's intelligence at their second meeting while Zhuang Zhifu is clearly a moron.

This crucial scene taking place in the bath with them both half-naked is incredible.

Zang Hai's doing a twist on the persona he presents to the Marquis here, a little devious, ambition to the fore.

Zhou Qi's performance is great here - you can see he does have both the hunger and the intelligence despite his careless front. Those qualities have just been buried to date.

Supporting the second son to supplant the wife's son is such a classic harem intrigue move.

Zang Hai's not wrong though - he sees right through what Madame Jiang is doing to Zhuang Zhixing and Zhuang Zhixing knows it too.

Zhuang Zhixing's very funny and accurate original name for Zhinu was 恶童 (rascal, evil/mean brat, that kind of thing).

Both of the Marquis' children sense the danger better than he does.

Both of them: it's not normal for someone to appear and cause the death of your two closest advisers immediately just by saying some stuff and then you think he's just the best.

The moment Zang Hai decides he's gonna come clean is so well acted and he's genuinely chilling here.

Great yandere flavour.

That first hint of real surprise when Zhuang Zhixing wants to let him go is lovely.

Zang Hai shows his real face with Gao Ming - filled with rage, hate, and a vicious dedication to vengeance.

But he doesn't want to kill Zhuang Zhixing because Zhuang Zhixing hasn't done anything to him. He doesn't deserve it, even though he's threatening to kill Zang Hai.

Gao Ming uses Zang Hai's family's deaths to spur him fairly unkindly here but he's got a point - Zang Hai needs to make a choice.

Don't doubt that Zang Hai means it when he says that if he has to, he'll do it.

What a shabby grave for Zhuang Zhixing's mother considering his status and who she was married to. Oof.

Bwhaha, the danger music when Zang Hai shows up.

Great cliffhanger.

Episode 12

AKA Zang Hai was prepared to dig a grave either way

Zang Hai flat out telling Zhuang Zhixing he was planning to murder him and changed his mind, haha.

His greatest strength is probably improvising well under pressure.

Something about how these two are the same age but Zang Hai is a vengeance demon constantly plotting and tormented and Zhuang Zhixing has managed to remain soft and sheltered and comfortable.

Zang Hai says to Zhuang Zhixing that they will have to "ask" his mother out of the grave, basically the most polite possible way he could express "dig her up", because he's a respectful boy.

Zhuang Zhixing is smart enough to know that what Zang Hai is saying is right - the wife of the Marquis should not have been buried so shabbily, and it's insulting and wrong to deny her a place in the family ancestral hall.

Her dishonour impacts him as her son too.

And some part of Zhuang Zhixing must believe Zang Hai because how else is he losing a fight to notoriously weak and feeble Zang Hai?

Very funny to me that once Zang Hai dropped his act he's just straight up blunt and almost disdainful with Zhuang Zhixing.

This sequence with Zhuang Zhixing and his family really illustrates how effectively Madame Jiang has managed to sideline him.

Very nice touch with the flowers by Zang Hai.

The Marquis seems completely in earnest when he says he doesn't want to think about Zhuang Zhixing's mother.

Appealing to sentiment with a man like the Marquis is a fool's game but Zhuang Zhixing is needy and (spoiler) destined to want and run after emotionally unavailable people.

Obviously the Marquis is bound to his children by duty and blood (and not having any better options) but you can really see that he likes Zang Hai more than both of his kids sometimes.

Zang Hai creeping like the vengeful ghost he is.

And then giving a lecture on grave etiquette while opening Zhuang Zhixing's mother's coffin because he's a tomb nerd.

In ancient times for fancy burials the coffin (棺) would be enclosed by an outer coffin (椁) and this prevented rapid decay. Zhuang Zhixing's mother had such a shabby burial that she only had the inner coffin.

Zang Hai quotes from the Han dynasty text 春秋繁露 to explain the relevant rules.

Ironically, if Madame Jiang had been a little less mean and afforded her rival a proper burial in accordance with her status, her crime would never have come to light.

(Putting a marker in the role karma - actual karma, not the popular usage - plays in this narrative.)

The original character of Wang Zanghai was a bit of a clean freak and I like seeing touches of that here - he wrapped his shovel and is using gloves to handle the skeleton.

Madame Jiang casually ordering a maid who did something she didn't like beaten to death. It doesn't matter who, hereditary nobility sees the lives of commoners as cheap and expendable.

Like Zang Hai says, destroying a woman by questioning her virtue is a technique many have employed since time immemorial.

And the Marquis, newly stripped of military command, needed the support of Madame Jiang's powerful father. He's the type of man to place utility above all.

Zang Hai clearly feels pity for Zhuang Zhixing as he goes through his long dark night of the soul. He's the kind of person who is absolutely ruthless, even cruel, to cruel people but who feels a lot of empathy for the powerless and for decent people.

Zang Hai is speaking from experience when he says that the Marquis likes who are of use to him and it's not hard to earn his affection. It's a little harder if you're not an expert manipulator like Zang Hai but Zhuang Zhixing is a smart cookie, he can learn.

This is both the formation of a bond and a purely transactional relationship.

As he says, Zhuang Zhixing knows that he might be unable to go through with it, and not just because he's struggling between love for his shitty dad and his duty to get his justice for his mother.

Zang Hai says that in order to get his revenge, not only can he not kill his foe (the Chinese word is 仇人, there is no English word strong enough), he has to 百般亲近 (er, become intimate in all ways) with him. Um.

From here on Zhuang Zhixing starts calling Zang Hai 先生 (teacher/master), a title that confers not only authority on Zang Hai ("you have to do everything I say") but also imposes filial duties on Zhuang Zhixing.

Zhou Qi has said that Zang Hai was a ray of light in Zhuang Zhixing's life and that begins here.

But also - I'm gonna tell you a story from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Wang Yun, a Minister, gifts the beautiful, clever dancing girl Diaochan to the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo as a concubine and also betroths her to Dong Zhuo's (adopted) son, legendary general Lu Bu.

Diaochan brilliantly schemes her way into getting the two of them to turn on each other, and Lu Bu allies with Wang Yun to kill Dong Zhuo, ending his reign of terror.

This is known as the interlocked chain scheme.

(Diaochan does not end up with Lu Bu in my favourite version.)

This story is incredibly famous and often referenced (including by some RedNote posts I saw commenting on this show and certain similarities in Xiao Zhan's performance and Diaochan's in the 1990s RotK).

In this conversation between Gao Ming and Zang Hai we get the first hint of a connection between Zhuang Zhifu and Cao Jingxian - one born out of corruption, since Cao Jingxian is head of the body that approves ZZF's construction projects. Tale as old as time.

Spoiled rich kid Zhuang Zhixing in boot camp is very funny.

As is Zang Hai reminding Zhuang Zhixing "you said you'd follow my every word" with that look on his face.

Chu Huaiming making moves like he's eager to join the other two Stooges in death.

(Poor Zang Hai's reputation, already in tatters being called underhanded and ruthless, and only about to get worse.)

Cao Jingxian is portrayed as a fan of 昆曲 (Kun Opera) because the actor who plays him came up doing Kun Opera.

Cao Jingxian refers to himself as 咱家, a form of address only for high status eunuchs.

Episode 13

To borrow a phrase from netizens, our man "acts the son with the father (deferential mode), the father with the son (brat tamer mode), and like a club host with Antu (flirty mode)".

[Xiao Zhan in grey robes]

Zang Hai says "Xiang-laoban" (boss Xiang) so flirtatiously. He's totally in his comfort zone playing the supplicant and making the other person feel powerful. But he also calls her a friend.

Antu notes the nice robes Zang Hai has on, made of 浮光锦 (fuguang brocade, foreign tribute fabric so exceedingly rare even among the Emperor's harem), gifted to him by the Marquis.

Cracks me up how she always sounds like she's angling to replace the Marquis as his benefactor.

Antu gets such a kick out of playing the domineering CEO/sugar daddy ("I'll end up owning you" and her reaction to Zang Hai saying he'd have to sell himself to the Pavilion as a slave) and Zang Hai knows it.

Girl, he's playing you! But I guess so long as you're enjoying it.

Love their abacus-based flirting.

I keep seeing the phrase 女a男o (female alpha/male omega) used to describe this ship and it cracks me up every time.

Xiang means fragrant, which is why there are so many perfume jokes.

The "tu" in Antu 荼 looks a lot like the character for tea 茶 so that's why you'll see jokes about her not being tea because it's all with Zang Hai.

Zang Hai putting Zhuang Zhixing in yet another hole in the ground and peering down at him, what a familiar sight.

Compared to Zang Hai, who had been unusually single-minded and resolute even as a child, Zhuang Zhixing is much closer to the average person's tolerance for pain and difficulty.

I love that Zang Hai doesn't put on any deferential, easygoing airs around Zhuang Zhixing ever since he came clean, but his entire "xianshang" brat tamer thing is also another kind of persona, one that he knows works on Zhuang Zhixing.

In another show, Zhuang Zhixing would be the main character. He's much more of a conventional ML than Zang Hai (which is why Zang Hai is so interesting).

I mean, look at this shonen training montage.

Great to have a show where secondary characters can get these big moments and arcs.

The song that plays in the background of the training montage is called 转身苍茫 and the lyrics are very interesting.

黑夜里的光 多想将你收藏 命运却捉弄 多荒唐

"a light in the darkness, how I long to make you mine But fate intervenes to make fools of us, so absurd"

The sports anime baddies call Zhuang Zhixing Zhuang Er (literally the second Zhuang), a direct, borderline rude form of address.

They taunt him by saying he's nothing like his father. Which would actually be a good thing, because his father is awful.

But Zhuang Zhixing does want to be like him.

The sport they're playing is called 步打球, a real ancient Chinese sport first recorded in the Tang Dynasty, when it was very popular.

I don't know how anyone can eat at the Marquis' table, the vibes are so bad.

Zang Hai is subtly making his play here to back the dark horse candidate son for succession (and Madame Jiang is gonna notice her new rival soon if she hasn't already).

It's so funny how much happier the Marquis is listening to Zang Hai talk compared to his own wife and kid. Helps that he knows exactly what to say of course.

The issue with Zang Hai helping Zhuang Zhixing gain favour is that Zhuang Zhixing is only going to get more addicted to his father's approval after not having it for so long.

Lol this secret little glance between Zang Hai and Zhuang Zhixing right under his father's nose.

See these outfits with the hats, that's the secret police that Cao-gonggong heads.

"Gonggong" is the form of address/title for eunuchs.

This conversation between Cao Jingxian and the Marquis is incredible:

"Where did you find such a treasure? Were you afraid I'd snatch him away?"

Talking about Zang Hai's "clever mouth".

"On account of my loneliness, be so good as to reluctantly part with your treasured possession."

I don't know if it comes through in the subs just how objectifying Cao-gonggong's words are. And he's doing all this to Zang Hai's face.

The Marquis' face going from pleased to be showing Zang Hai off to bothered that Cao-gonggong is coming on so strong.

The Marquis: he's terrible, ignore him asking for you, don't be tempted to go into the secret police

You can really see how much the Marquis now trusts Zang Hai with after these months helping run his household.

1) Cao-gonggong's adopted son being like you're such solid pals but the Marquis wouldn't give this insignificant little aide to you, how odd.

2) Even Cao-gonggong instinctively senses something off with Zang Hai.

Zang Hai's bad reputation is gonna get even worse with guys like Chu Huaiming telling tales about him.

But also, Chu Huaiming's right. Zang Hai is coming for him next.

Cao Jingxian's adopted children all have fire themed names - 烬, 烟. You can see from the 火 radical on the left.

This scene with the secret police is about a particular kind of art of being a bureaucrat/official dealing with a difficult boss - if your boss wants the answer to be A, it can't be B.

We kind of already had hints but this village makes it clear that Zang Hai is only a single piece in a much larger plan by the masked man.

Episode 14

In which netizens start calling Zang Hai 搅货 (roughly, shit-stirrer) because he's constantly causing problems on purpose.

Zang Hai: Xiang-laoban, won't you please do a murder for me.

The way Antu speaks to him is very much that of a boy teasing a girl (which makes total sense once you know her cultural background).

Antu: Why don't you go ask your Marquis.

Ah, she's still jealous.

Zang Hai long sigh: even though I'm so important to the Marquis, he still won't piss off Cao-gonggong for me.

As for our secret police friend, killing fellow killers is one thing. But a random innocent, just for his clothes? Karma's gonna get you.

Antu: I have plenty of money, I want you.

Zang Hai is so adorably polite and proper in this scene.

Fun fact, Ming dynasty hair soap was mostly made from wingleaf soapberry, which naturally contains Saponins.

Zang Hai just can't resist snarking when he's with peers, haha.

The pinky swear of murder is so cute.

Notice how Zang Hai isn't just saving himself like he said. He already has a plan for how to use this murder to further his plot.

Did you notice all the handwriting practice in the background during ep 3?

The person getting water had a Cao residence plaque, which is why Lu Jin followed them.

Goddamn that was cool. Mr and Mrs Smith vibes (as both actors have said).

Given what she knows of him - a scholar type - it is wild for him to react so calmly to a body. But tombs are a speciality, of course he isn't afraid of bodies.

Aw, her being all aren't I great and him in full murder scheme mode shushing her.

Very funny:

1) Gao Ming having to wear big heels to pretend to be Zang Hai

2) Zang Hai's stick on comedy beard and Antu having to remind him to sit more like a general.

Chinese palm reading is an ancient tradition (entirely separate from its European and Indian counterparts) which looks at both lines and zones. The main lines are life, wisdom, love, fate and marriage.

(Antu actually ends up being right about all of this.)

This whole scene is so flirty and cute and well done.

I love that Antu is pursuing Zang Hai so aggressively and shamelessly (again, this makes sense once you find out her cultural background).

Antu: You don't want to tell me and you want me to do all this, so I'm a game piece just like Zhuang Zhixing? You're using me?

I do think Zang Hai is in earnest here when he says they're friends. (He's genuine with Zhuang Zhixing too, by the way.)

Her just poking him with the knife - hot.

"If you keep going, I'm afraid you might rewrite my destined marriage, career path and even my life."

There he goes flirting again, the rascal.

Poor Zhuang Zhixing just earned himself some rare father-son bonding time and Madame Jiang's already here to spoil it.

(Zhuang Zhixing has to call her mother because she is his father's wife.)

Unfortunately, she is very good at this kind of manipulation and Zhuang Zhixing just isn't on her level.

BTW the Marquis calls himself "this Marquis" even with his wife. I can't recall hearing him say "I".

Here Antu's worried about Zang Hai and trying to save him and he's just focused on causing problems on purpose.

This is not the first time we've seen him deploy 离间计 (making people turn on each other by sowing suspicion) and it won't be the last.

Zhuang Zhixing having a real like father like son moment.

The idiom "虎父无犬子" is now being used to describe him - meaning "a tiger father will not beget a dog son”. But again, I'm gonna remind you that being like his father is both good and bad.

Bwhaha, Zang Hai coming out to greet Cao-gonggong is perfect. Look at him doing his I'm so innocent, I've never done a thing wrong act.

Cao-gonggong angrily spitting out the cliche line "don't think that just because the Marquis really likes you, I can't touch you".

Zhuang Zhixing and Zang Hai glancing at each other behind the Marquis' back again.

I love this shot of the actual responsible party just standing there as Cao Jingxian and Zhuang Luyin are subtly going at each other.

Just glorious:

Episode 15

The one with the delightful date and also more of Zang Hai's submissive little lamb murder routine

I like that the Lu adopted siblings seem to really be family and Lu Yan is genuinely upset.

Putting a marker in Cao-gonggong asking her to get her "oldest brother".

Zang Hai's scenes with the Marquis are all such fascinating performance pieces.

He has to nudge the Marquis toward the answer he wants but carefully enough that the Marquis doesn't get suspicious and thinks he's the one making the choices.

For example, here he wants the Marquis to believe that Cao-gonggong is coming after him. And the Marquis obliges with "he's just jealous I have you and he doesn't".

(Because they're both looking for the same thing.)

Zang Hai begging the Marquis for protection is such a master stroke. As is refusing the offer of a position in court and claiming that he just wants to stay and serve the Marquis.

Meanwhile, please picture my face as the Marquis assures him that even if he goes into court "you're still mine".

Antu being absolutely delighted by Zang Hai's handmade gift and trying to hide it is very cute.

And now he's going in with "can't you see we're the same". Potent combination.

中元节/Zhongyuan Festival aka the Ghost Festival is 15 July in the Lunar Calendar. It is believed to be when the deceased visit the living and a time to transmute and absolve the sufferings of hungry ghosts.

Amused by Zhuang Zhixing in the background of all these scenes with the family sneaking anxious glances at Zang Hai

In the date scene Zang Hai is wearing a 网巾 (Wangjin), a type of headgear worn by men in the Ming dynasty. The Korean manggeon is a derivative of the Wangjin.

Pillow Pavilion is named for the idiom 高枕无优 (to rest easy, literally to pile up pillows for a worry-free rest). A lovely sentiment from someone who can't go home herself.

For the first time, Zang Hai calls Antu Miss Xiang rather than Xiang-laoban, and she's into it.

She's being aggressive but he's flirting back too and he's got game.

(Remember, he's trained in being able to perceive what others want and fear and manipulate them with it.)

Zang Hai does an unusual thing here when he readily admits that the performer is pretty. But he has such a great answer to the usually deadly "who's prettier" (implying Antu can't be compared with ordinary women).

"Bad things always happen when we get together" is so funny.

I really like how light their interactions are. She's able to be a bit princessy with him and he's pleased to indulge and tease her.

This very genuine moment when she's empathising with his losses is lovely.

Zang Hai says he isn't worthy of commemorating (lighting incense and making offerings to) his family yet :( presumably because he hasn't avenged them.

Zang Hai talks about the Four Guardians - the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North - appearing among the Chinese constellations.

They're telling stories about the heavens but actually talking about her and her longing for home and they both know it.

This is what I like about them - they're trading off the initiative and both hiding actual sentiment behind teasing, flirting and posturing.

This is a very old school Chinese depiction of romance in its restraint, the use of stories and analogies, people saying one thing and meaning another. That also makes it realistic.

(Which is why it's been so widely praised and compared positively to actual romance dramas.)

I enjoyed the danger music for astrology. (Actually for meteorology tbf.)

The instruments depicted are all real instruments used by the historical Bureau of Astronomy to track weather patterns. You can probably see why that was seen as a kind of fortune telling.

I mentioned before how Chu Huaiming is bad at his job. I'll explain more later but just know for now that he misreads the key line he's using to predict rainfall.

For Zang Hai this is the opportunity he's been waiting for but he also just wants to save people.

The Marquis is unwilling to act for a few reasons:

1) he's become risk adverse with age; 2) he doesn't care about the suffering of the people; and crucially, 3) if there is a problem in Zhongzhou it will fall on his military rival which is all the better for him.

What Zhuang Luyin didn't consider (because I assume he doesn't know) is that the levees were built poorly by his own corrupt son.

I love it when Zang Hai says some straight up villain dialogue like declaring he's gonna use the Marquis to fuck Chu Huaiming up and replace him.

For this scheme he has to do something very dangerous - publicly disobey the Marquis.

I really enjoyed Zang Hai using the historical example of the great statesman Zhuge Liang, my ultimate blorbo, who was a legendarily accurate predictor of weather (vital for war).

The scene with the Marquis and Chu Huaiming went viral and rightly so because it is both fantastically tense and comedy gold.

the Marquis waving his sword around threateningly but never actually hurting a hair on Zang Hai's head.

Zang Hai looking at CHM like he's a dead man - just for a second - before he starts his submissive little lamb act

Zang Hai tossing the stick before he drops to his knees, so fast even the camera can't follow him, and his wide-eyed poor little meow meow act

Here's a cartoon that was extremely popular on RedNote and being used as a sticker all over the place.

I saw a lot of discussion about this because it is something unique to Zang Hai as a ML - his lack of shame and self-consciousness about having to get on his knees and please his enemy if he has to.

He doesn't care and isn't humiliated or shamed because it's all part of his method

Part of Chinese astrology is the belief that for prominent people like generals and emperors, the stars will tell you if they're about to rise, die or have a calamity, if you knew how to read them correctly.

Hence the reference to a "general star".

Despite his scary posturing the Marquis is listening and taking in Zang Hai's words, you can tell.

What a fun episode!

Episode 16

Third blood to Zang Hai's clever mouth

Ah, Madame Jiang does see the danger and she's finally making moves against Zang Hai. Too late though.

She says that if the Marquis 舍不得 (can't bring himself to kill Zang Hai), she'll do the killing. But the problem isn't the act, the Marquis just doesn't want Zang Hai dead.

Prison is nothing for someone who is most at home in a tomb, underground.

Chu Huaiming thinks the idiom is 毕星好雨 (the third character being "good", read as hǎo). But as Zang Hai says it, it's actually hāo (meaning tendency), so the phrase becomes 'this particular kind of arrangement of the heavens connotates rain', not that the rain will be good/positive.

The Marquis believes Zang Hai's well crafted bullshit, is the thing. He genuinely does fear for his life.

Zhuang Zhixing: if my father finds out you were lying about the star, he's gonna kill you Zang Hai: lol

Honestly, that's nothing compared to all his other lies.

He's still just worried for the common people, aww.

This next scene with Chu Huaiming is one of my favourite scenes in the show to date. Just so satisfying and Zang Hai has never been as attractive as when he's luring Chu Huaiming to his doom.

Just the most deserved "I told you" of all time.

Also funny - Chu Huaiming starts out calling Zang Hai 老弟 (literally old-younger brother, kind of like "mate" or "bro") and moves on to Zang-xiong (older brother Zang) when he's really begging.

Notice how from the camera angles it looks like Chu Huaiming is the one in jail.

Zang Hai's "are you trying to beg me?" with that contemptuous look on his face - so good. And then when Chu Huaiming does beg, he even pretends to consider it.

Oof, this loss of control by Zang Hai is quite scary and so well done.

It's all Karma, baby. And Zang Hai is the agent carrying it out - he bears not only his blood feud but he's also picked up those of others who've died on the way.

There was a great video from a firefighter explaining that Zang Hai did everything right here - including pouring the wine on his outer robe.

Here's why I keep saying Zang Hai intends to kill Chu Huaiming - if he only wanted him gone, he wouldn't need to provoke Chu Huaiming into attempted murder. He made Chu Huaiming do that and then acted so convincingly shocked and appalled (all the while having told Zhuang Zhixing not to save him).

Fire is obviously traumatic for Zang Hai and that comes through beautifully in his performance. But he's the kind of man who can use his own worst traumas to advance his cause.

The man who nearly caused Zhinu to die by fire now saves Zang Hai from a fire. He even gets injured to save Zang Hai from injury.

You might think that this could cause Zang Hai to waver, but of course this was part of his plan all along.

This scene with Chu Huaiming is so funny. What he's saying is actually right for once but the Marquis is so not in the mood to listen to him.

The funniest part - the two Zhuangs turning to look at poor bedraggled Zang Hai and then looking back at Chu Huaiming more angrily as if to say how dare you.

If she didn't before, Madame Jiang now realises the severity of her problem when she hears that Zang Hai is the one attending to her husband, who got injured saving him, and she and her son are being told to stay away.

As she says to her son, we've had a march stolen on us.

The Marquis really going for Zang Hai's feelings here:

"Thankfully I have you"

"Now I realise I think of you as family"

"It's difficult for me to trust anyone, don't betray me"

Most people might waver a little here. Meanwhile Zang Hai's resisting the urge to murder.

Chu Huaiming might as well have been given a death sentence - exile is pretty rough, especially immediately after taking 50 strokes with a large stick.

You know Madame Jiang's headache has a name and it's Zang Hai.

(The wound tending took all night? Hmm.)

Oh Madame Jiang, speaking directly against the new favourite never goes well! She was actually doing all right until she started sounding self-interested by bringing Zhuang Zhixing into it. Now all she's gonna get is the Marquis directly rebuking her.

Bwhaha, Zang Hai being outside the whole time and listening in is classic harem intrigue stuff. What a great micro expression shift as he's waiting for Madame Jiang to leave.

Interesting that Zang Hai is willing to admit to having a close relationship with Zhuang Zhixing. It does fit with his ambitious striver persona and as he explains, he's still working for the Zhuang family's future.

Think of how wild it sounds for Madame Jiang to accuse Zang Hai of orchestrating his own death. He did! But it sounds stupid.

Zang Hai and the Marquis are certainly acting like a pair of zhiji now. The Marquis shows Zang Hai and his views and ideas respect and of course Zang Hai's doing his whole I'm giving you everything routine.

Of course, Gao Ming is right. The Marquis is an incredibly selfish man and he saved Zang Hai because Zang Hai is useful and also his possession, and he's the one who decides when to break his toys.

But Gao Ming isn't saying this with no agenda either.

So let's talk about another classic Chinese scheme - 苦肉计, 34th of the 36 Stratagems. It usually involves hurting yourself to gain an enemy's trust.

Zang Hai's version is luring his enemy into hurting himself to save Zang Hai and tying them together that way. Because he knows the Marquis will see it as both suddenly realising that Zang Hai is important to him and think that Zang Hai will be more ride or die now that he owes him.

That's Chinese political intrigue fiction for you - the schemes go many layers deep.

I laughed at the netizen commenting they could no longer hear Zang Hai saying 小人 (this insignificant one) or Marquis without giggling, because of Zang Hai's constant declarations that he belongs to the Marquis (and the Marquis' declarations that he's his).

Great ep.

Episode 17

In which Zang Hai benefits from nepotism.

The Marquis and Shen Wan are described as having been 青梅竹马 (childhood sweethearts).

So he turned his back on Shen Wan twice for the sake of advancing himself and his family. Three times really - by marrying Madame Jiang, then by choosing Madame Jiang again, and the poisoning.

This is a really interesting concept from Gao Ming - that when you owe someone a lot, it actually breeds either complacency or resentment toward them rather than more gratitude.

The conversation between the Marquis and Zang Hai is one of those classic Chinese conversations that's about something else neither party will name but both know exactly what they're actually talking about.

Here Zang Hai functions as a 解语花 (empathy flower) for the Marquis - a clever beauty who gets him. He cleverly shows empathy with the choices the Marquis had to make but counsels him to move past his own guilt and treasure what he has left.

The way Zhuang Zhixing immediately knows that his dad is treating him better because of something Zang Hai did. Before Zang Hai started speaking for him, he wasn't even eating at the family table.

Zang Hai having to stand in the murder basement next to the grotesque trophies from his parents and do his usual obsequious act while they look on is another level of cruel and unusual torture.

The Marquis is right about one thing - no one is more heartless than an emperor. A vassal who has done too much great work and achieved fame is rewarded with being seen as a threat and having his power stripped away.

Zang Hai is very good at divining the Emperor's intent. He's proven that several times already. He's a natural politician.

The guixi (癸玺) is an item from DMBJ/Lost Tomb, where it's called guixi/鬼玺 (ghost seal) and is a national treasure of Dong Xia, used by its founder to create zombie armies.

Oh god Zang Hai having to say blank faced (even smiling) that his dad was destined to die because he stole from the Marquis.

What a moment. Perfectly acted.

Love Zang Hai's little upward glances in this scene where the Marquis is pouring out his hopes and dreams, like he's so into what the Marquis is saying. Remember, he's taller than the Marquis so he has to carefully put himself in a position to look up like that.

Zang Hai is testing Gao Ming here with his question about the guixi. You see it, right? He can't fully trust anyone.

Bwhaha Zhuang Zhifu's face as his dad announces that he's gone and gotten Zang Hai this job.

Can you hear the message underlying Madame Jiang's seemingly nice words? (How she's actually accusing him of having come by his advancement using improper means.)

Imagine how bad this looks from the outside: A very young man who has never been through the imperial examinations becoming a fifth ranked official just because he has a powerful man backing him, all in the space of 6 months.

(In the Ming dynasty you basically had to come up through the exams if you were a commoner.)

And the Marquis wouldn't even let him live in Chu Huaiming's old house so he's gifting Zang Hai a nice new place.

Gossip will say he got there being obsequious…if he's lucky.

Haha even the Marquis telling him to stop referring to himself as 小人 (this insignificant one) and use 下官 (this lesser official).

There were very specific rules governing Ming official dress. Zang Hai is a 5th level official so his robes are blue, and the 8-9 level officials below him wear green. 1-4 get to wear red.

The animal embroidered on the front is also specific to one's rank - Zang Hai's 5th rank is a silver pheasant.

There are also rules about the style of belt and hat for each rank.

Zang Hai's father was a 纯臣 (pure official) - an ideal Confucian, loyal to the Emperor, no desire for power or wealth. But that can't be Zang Hai. That's why he takes the carriage. He has to put on the act of someone who wants to be a 权臣, who's ambitious and after more power.

We're gonna come back to the significance of the residence later.

The plaque says 藏宅 (Zang Residence). Because of his rank his place can't be called 府 (Estate/Mansion) like the Marquis' place.

钦天监 (the Bureau of Astronomy) does a lot more than watch the stars. They're in charge of the calendar, gathering materials for royal construction, keeping time, predicting the weather and a bit of telling the future.

Can you tell that his new underlings are mocking Zang Hai? Congrats, you've started to understand how fancy Chinese people express themselves.

(They're pointing out his youth and inexperience and the unconventional way he got there.)

But Zang Hai is totally unfazed. He's the one giving people shit, he doesn't take shit unless it's for a reason.

This burial specialist shop talk is cute. Zang Hai definitely knows his way around a body.

I like Shi Quan and I feel like Zang Hai does too despite his bad attitude.

Love this scene with Gao Ming acting like a parent with their child on the first day of school.

And then he gives us a cold dose of reality when he forcefully reminds Zang Hai of who he is and what he exists for.

As always there's one rule for the powerful, and one rule for everyone else.

The abolished practice of 嫁殇 that Zang Hai referred to is one in which parents would hold weddings for betrothed couples when both died before they could marry. Or if one of them died.

Episode 18

As the idiom goes, 新官上任三把火 (literally, a new official lights three fires upon taking office).

These scoundrels thought that they could perhaps push their new superior around a bit because he's young and uncredentialed.

Hard to look at that face and imagine how vicious and ruthless Zang Hai could be, I guess.

I love it when Zang Hai gets his scary face on.

Like Gao Ming said, inside the Marquis' house all he had to do was keep the Marquis happy. Out here there are so many more terrifying, powerful people to deal with who won't be spooked by his backer.

Of course Chu Huaiming is dead. Zang Hai's vengeance isn't satisfied with anything less than death.

How can you say no to that face, Shi Quan? Especially when he's asking you so nicely to please write him letters if he falls below your standards.

The barbarity of the ruling classes as depicted on this show is really something else. Literally murdering poor kids for profit so that dead rich kids can have their own spouses in the afterlife.

I love it when Zang Hai has his murder face on.

Aw, Shi Quan smiling as he brings the hammer down.

Spooking the rest of them into confessing their sins up front is a nice move.

Zhuang Zhixing's problem is that he's torn between several competing desires. And now to those we can add "wants Zang Hai to pay attention to him" and "feels bad about his father's close relationship with Zang Hai".

What kind of line is "you're going further and further away from me"?

Gao Ming saying he wants the residence to be a resting place for Zang Hai, awww.

This dinner is so nice. So great to see him with companions instead of doing this totally alone.

Antu notes that Zang Hai has started referring to himself as 本官 (this official) and counsels him to not forget his origins.

He calls her 我的贵人 (my benefactor) which is very cute especially in that flirty tone.

They have such nice chemistry and Zang Hai is so light around her.

Lol Antu sounds jealous again talking about how the Marquis must really care for Zang Hai to give him such a nice residence.

(It's even in the style of his supposed home province.)

Uh oh, Gao Ming's face. That's the look of "danger danger, the revenge puppet might is showing signs of caring about something that might make him not wholeheartedly devoted to dying for his vengeance".

Oh man you can see Zang Hai be tempted by having something nice in his life and also his awareness that he can't do this to her and of his duties to the dead.

Such a well acted moment.

Zhuang Zhixing is doing a good job here persuading his father.

Interesting that he's using his mother's last name to anonymise himself. Even that's a well designed detail to try and move his father into agreeing.

What Gao Ming does to Zang Hai here is so cruel I can barely watch it.

Especially saying he's home after their previous conversation about home.

This scene is amazingly shot though, the transitions are gorgeous.

I hope Gao Ming feels bad seeing Zang Hai cry like a child. Most of Zhinu never left that hole in the ground and Gao Ming is telling him to stay in there forever.

Episode 19

In which our vengeful ghost deals with demands for emotional connection from two directions.

Aw, Zhuang Zhixing wanted to say goodbye. So Gao Ming taking Zang Hai to be re-traumatised/reprogrammed actually prevented two meetings.

Zhuang Zhixing's inner spoiled rich kid gets him in trouble immediately. He's never had to go through life without the protection of his father's name and status, entirely on his own, and this is a harsh introduction to the life of the masses.

Zang Hai is very patient when he needs to be.

Antu wanting to get all dressed up to see him, aww.

The thing is Zang Hai knew exactly what she was doing by having him wait and what she wanted him to do - and what he was doing by leaving.

Once again we're in Zhuang Zhixing's shonen anime/男频 (male oriented novel) storyline of self-improvement and levelling up through hardship.

Zhuang Zhixing needs the part of him that's like his father to succeed in this environment.

I know a lot of you on here love Zhuang Zhixing and I like him too but I also find him so frustrating. Dude's just learning now that people treat you different based on your station in life (which would be naive now but is wildly so in his context).

Like Zhou Qi said, he's forever torn between his emotional needs (as someone desperate for any scrap of genuine attention/affection) and what would benefit him (because fundamentally he has a chip on his shoulder that leads him to desire power and respect and recognition).

Zang Hai is in stern and disappointed teacher mode but he did bring snacks.

There's a phrase "follow a slap with a treat" that describes how he handles Zhuang Zhixing pretty well.

"If I wasn't the Marquis' son, would you have tried to get close to me?"

Obviously not, my man!!! His life is vengeance! Your association is based on mutual interests! He told you so! Why would he ally with you if you were gonna be on dad's side?

But he is a shonen/male oriented novel protag I guess.

This is when netizens started saying Zhuang Zhixing needed to uninstall the 番茄小说 (Fanqie novel) app. (Fanqie is Douyin's app for fiction and has mostly free novels aimed at young readers.)

But it's not surprising that he'd subconsciously placed Zang Hai in the same category as his mother.

Zang Hai is his teacher/guide and plays the same role as a wife in the family power structure relative to Zhuang Zhixing (the one who forms and strengthens the connection with his father).

(In case that needed explaining - in a feudal family the man is all powerful and his immediate connections who are his spouses derive power from making their agendas sound like something that benefits him. The children need their mother's connection to advance themselves.)

But also…Zang Hai does do things out of care for you that aren't part of your deal, you dummy.

Lol, Zang Hai really cleaned out the Bureau if there are only three direct underlings left.

Yongrong collects (likely Song dynasty) currency. He's an antiques guy, basically.

Now that Zang Hai is a fifth ranked official, he's been elevated far above an ordinary person, but he's still nothing next to the truly powerful like Prince/Lord Yongrong. He can't even get a meeting with the guy.

Zang Hai investigating the burial practices case necessarily involved accusing a lot of powerful people of dodgy dealings. But he doesn't care about that. He only cares about the good opinion of people he needs for his revenge.

What Lord Yongrong walks into is a meeting of Cabinet.

Netizens commented on how scary they find Yongrong compared to the Marquis. Because the latter while cruel isn't nearly as inscrutable.

Yongrong refers to himself as 本王 (this lord/prince).

Extremely funny:

1) Zang Hai knew it was Antu immediately

2) now Gao Ming does want him to get close to Antu?

3) Gao Ming being so outraged at the idea of Zang Hai selling their house

Antu is so determined to be tsundere and she's having trouble because Zang Hai is being so coolly polite.

Of course what she really wants isn't money, it's to know him.

"I don't dare take the residence the Marquis gifted you" - there she goes again being jealous.

Now he's throwing a tantrum and leaving because he can't give her what she wants and she's the one who breaks first.

Aw, she saw that he couldn't tell her even though he might have wanted to. That's so lovely.

Episode 20

Now this is Chinese political intrigue. Also a new candidate for worst party ever.

Back then if you wanted to visit with someone important, first you had to put in a 拜贴, basically a name card that also states the purpose of your visit, to see if the VIP wants to receive you or not.

We talked before about the importance of the Four Pillars of Destiny. Zang Hai here has put together a false set in order to create a persona.

The persona he created with it is someone exactly like his act - clever, ambitious, has great luck with patrons.

And there he goes, getting to jump the queue again because of a clever trick. You can imagine what those still waiting in line will be saying about him.

Yongrong immediately starts mocking/belittling Zang Hai, first for being a grasping climber, and then making fun of his commoner origins.

(Hopefully you're getting that just from what he says but if not - trust me. This is how fancy Chinese people do it.)

As always Zang Hai just takes all of it in stride and never even has a second of being pissed.

He's got his obsequious act on again like he does for the Marquis (and is referring to himself as "this subordinate official").

What an incredibly uncomfortable scene.

When this episode first aired, "Lord Yongrong scary" trended and the actor even posted a meme joking about it.

The big deal coin set that made antique collector Yongrong so happy are 贞祐通宝, coins issued by an Emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in the 1200s. So quite an antique even during the Ming dynasty.

Zang Hai gives the wrong answer to "so what do you want for your bribe" by essentially hinting that he wants Yongrong to be his patron. As Yongrong says, he belongs to the Marquis (people keep saying that to poor Zang Hai lol) and can't serve two masters.

Zang Hai initiates his tried and true method for getting out of trouble - getting on his knees nicely and looking very innocent and pitiful.

The bird echoing his begging for mercy is a chilling little detail.

Now Yongrong's comparing Zang Hai to the caged bird and indirectly calling him a 畜生 (literally means livestock and is used as a very bad insult to mean someone so terrible that they're subhuman).

Zang Hai finally had to tell him something plausible (that he wants to use Yongrong to meet more powerful people). Which is also kind of true.

And in return he gets a lesson in how to bribe correctly.

Hopefully everyone got that Yongrong didn't actually have a problem with Zang Hai's clothes. He's saying that Zang Hai needs to shed his loyalty to the Marquis and become one of his people to proceed.

See how the new outfit is almost exactly the same?

I love the danger music because this is super perilous.

Bad things tend to happen at banquets in Chinese political intrigue shows/novels.

In case we needed reminding of the terrible reputation that Zang Hai is building for himself.

Yongrong introducing him to his partisans also has the connotation of "these are my people, don't bother them".

Remember, he's the heir to the Empire by default. Emperor is childless.

In this show it pays to pay attention to details - what people say, what they don't say, every scrap of writing and clothing and set dressing.

If Yongrong really did investigate the deaths of the Kuai family then that seemingly clears him.

Of course, anyone who was desperate to kill the so called burglars is very sus.

Zang Hai is doing his I'm just a poor little meow meow trying to stay alive in this big bad world act again

A 花魁 is the number one, headlining courtesan of an establishment.

Zang Hai carefully tests Yongrong and Yongrong just comes out and says oh you mean the guixi.

Something that was a secret out of reach when he was a commoner is just amusing dinner party chat for the powerful.

Oh no, what is Antu doing.

Bwhaha, Antu is so mad Zang Hai took her gift and gave it to Yongrong. But it seems like she's after the guixi too.

Getting drunk at meals and parties has been an occupational hazard of being a Chinese politician/bureaucrat from time immemorial until today.

God this scene is tense.

Zang Hai's drunk acting is superb.

Thank god for Liu Chu. So glad she was the courtesan, and obviously she knows Yongrong well.

Did you notice that Liu Chu is only the second person in the show to call Zang Hai handsome?

She's amused by Zang Hai calling her 姑娘 (guniang) because that's a respectful form of address for a young woman, not often used for courtesans.

Now poor Zang Hai's really drunk. Thank god for Liu Chu or who knows what might have happened.

So Yongrong is a red herring…if Liu Chu can be believed.

Her conversation with Gao Ming is interesting - he's concerned that Zang Hai still cares about other people.

[steppingonyourshadow]

Xiao Zhan on a scene in Legend of Zang Hai that was really challenging to film and his own contribution to it.

[steppingonyourshadow]

Lee watches Legend of Zang Hai: Episodes 1-10

Decided to clean up and post my commentary thread here for easier reading.

Plot, language, culture, history, Chinese TV and novel tropes, and general commentary.

Episode 1

Man, I kind of can't believe it's actually here? And it looks so good?

You can tell by the mode of dress etc that this is an alternate history Ming dynasty.

The Ming dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644 (Elizabeth I died in 1603, if that helps you situate yourself). It was a time of great flourishing of the arts and literature but fewer advancements in science.

The nation of Dong Xia/冬夏 is an invention of the Lost Tomb franchise. There was a real East (also Dong) Xia but it was destroyed by the Mongols long before the Ming dynasty.

On a less scholarly note the child actors are all absolutely adorable.

Kuai Duo's job is 钦天监监正 - basically, the imperial astronomer. It was an important, extremely politically sensitive role (and we'll talk about why later) but not a super highly ranked one.

Think of it as architect, astrologer and astronomer all in one.

Our protagonist says his dad Kuai Duo is an expert at 堪舆 (kanyu), a term we're gonna come across a lot.

Kanyu (Chinese geomancy) is the proper term for what is now popularly called fengshui - a combination of philosophy, astrology, geography and anthropology.

So funny to me that baby Zhi Nu (Nu is a suffix for child names, which is why both kids' names have it) is already digging tunnels what with his character being based on a Lost Tomb legend who would go on to make a lot of them.

Zhi Nu/Zang Hai's parents are played brilliantly by a duo who really look like they could be Xiao Zhan's parents, the Hong Kong actor and singer Wallace Chung and the Taiwanese actress and singer Michelle Chen.

Michelle previously encountered Xiao Zhan during his survival show days.

In an episode full of horrifying, tragic moments I think I was most struck by Gou Li's decision to impersonate Zhi Nu (and therefore die for him).

What a well-shot, well-made, amazingly acted episode.

Episode 2

The selection that the masked man recites to Zhi Nu is from the poem 即事 by the Song dynasty poet and philosopher 王安石. It's about how small our lives are in the grand scheme of creation.

1) Masked Man is so sus. He's so clearly pushing Zhi Nu along this path for his own reasons. 

2) The cosmetic surgery scene depicts real techniques and tools from traditional Chinese medicine.

Oh before I go on, I should say that if you came into this expecting straightforward good and evil instead of complex people, you're watching the wrong show.

Everyone in China knows Zheng Xiaolong, he's made so many classic shows and he's known for portraying complex humanity.

Kuai Duo was (and Zhi Nu is) an expert in building with 榫卯 (Mortise-and-tenon), a construction technique first used in China during the Neolithic period, in which wood components were made to interlock with perfect fit, without using screws or glue.

The death puzzle is solved by Zhi Nu using a poem by a 易学 (literally the study of changes) scholar. 

易学 derives from I Ching (the Book of Changes) and is the study of philosophy, science, divination and meteorology from a Chinese worldview. 

We talked about kanyu before and how it's geography and architecture and astronomy.

Not sure how they're translating the other thing Zhi Nu is learning but it's basically how to win friends and influence people (con artistry, except sometimes you're not lying).

The scene with Liu Chu is really interesting because (spoilers) it turns out Zang Hai is a natural at manipulating others' feelings, as she says. 

But he's also inherently a little impulsive, as she also points out.

The puzzle scene is incredible. Our boy is so fucked up. The fact that he recites the massacre of his family so calmly and with a smile just makes it even more fucked up.

Zang Hai's making a murder list, he's checking it twice, he already knows they're all terrible motherfuckers.

Episode 3

One thing I have to commend this show for is that all the actors feel like they belong in this era. No one has overly modern posture/affect/speech (a very common problem with idol dramas that always takes me out).

Xing Dou quotes from the Song dynasty poem 晏殊: "觥船一棹百分空。何处不相逢" - no need to be sorrowful at parting, we could always meet again elsewhere.

Which is certainly interesting in context.

The fireworks are 药发木偶, an art form originating in the Song dynasty in which artisans made puppets of popular characters and installed fireworks to make them dance. They were used for celebrations.

The beautiful screen here is actually a hand-carved lantern - another traditional art form.

I love how much Zang Hai has going on behind his eyes at all times. 

Let's be real, Xiang Antu is letting him off easy not only because she wants to fuck with him but also because she thinks he's cute.

Shadow plays have their own English wiki entry.

The use of instruments to change one's voice to suit the role like Ba-gongzi does here is a part of the tradition.

The play is a convenient recap of the political situation - a heir-less emperor, and two of the political powers (the Marquis and Cao-gonggong with his secret police).

Eunuchs could be very powerful during the Ming dynasty.

The Emperor is the child of the Dowager Noble Consort and of course he wants his mother to remain buried with the previous emperor rather than have her dug up and the Dowager Empress put in to replace her as tradition demands (because the Dowager Empress was the wife).

See, what was Liu Chu saying last ep about not being taken in by a friendly face?

I love that Zang Hai can't fight and is even a little clumsy. Pure guile protag (I was going to say hero but that word is so loaded in English).

From this ep you may have seen that kanyu fengshui is not just decisions about buildings. It's actually mostly politics.

We're going to return to this idea. 

Three things about Zang Hai:

1) man loves to smile humbly head bowed at someone he wants to murder

2) he's learned the best way to avoid being fooled is to fool everyone else

3) that self-destructive, reckless streak is a mile wide.

Zang Hai figures out that the solution to the tomb is contained in phrases from 滴天髓, a famous divination text

Two things about the Marquis (fandom calls him by his title Lord/Duke Pingjin):

- clearly very sensitive to any implication that he's past it, that retainer was very silly 

- note him saying his residence would burn down if he left it to Chu-daren.

Episode 4

Did you see how he gave himself barely a second to grieve and rage?

(Insert kitten thinks only of murder meme here.)

Zang Hai only had a second to feel emotions because he then immediately had to put on his most harmless smol bean facade, down to bowing his back like a peasant awed to be surrounded by power and wealth. Someone who knows his place.

This first meeting is electric, my god.

I said before that kanyu is politics. The issue here is that none of the other fengshui masters managed to 1) come up with the correct political solution that suited the Emperor and 2) give a convincing explanation for it that suited tradition and the rules.

Zang Hai saw that he needed to offer a story and a solution that would accomplish two things:

1) allow the burial to proceed (so appeasing broadly held values) in a way that doesn't degrade the Emperor's own mother

2) kept powerful regional lords from coming to the capital.

The spirits stuff is all politics and everyone knows it's politics but it needs to have a justification that makes it sound like it's from on high. 

This is the kind of ambiguity that you have to get very comfortable with in traditional and modern Chinese culture.

This scene is so tense I barely breathed. Masterful direction and performances all around.

One thing folks keep commenting on is how unique Zang Hai is as a protagonist - and one of those traits is his willingness to be totally shamelessly obsequious when it helps him.

Did you notice the big clock outside during the scene where they're waiting for noon?

Sundials have been in use in China for telling time since the Han dynasty.

Zang Hai references my OG historical blorbo Zhuge Liang's famous "with deference and prudence, to the state of one's depletion, until one's death" (鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已) in trying to pledge himself to the Marquis.

Except of course he's on his knees begging his enemy to take him on.

Zang Hai is also unique as a protag in this genre because as netizens say he's "绿茶" and "毒蛇" (green tea bitch and venomous snake).

Green tea (bitch can be omitted) means to act harmless and sweet in order to manipulate people, which is what he's doing here with the Marquis.

His fundamental sense of justice can be seen in how he saved the child and tried to get his fellow tomb sufferers a burial.

But he's not your conventional heroic morally pure protagonist in the Western sense.

The production actually built the Marquis' residence using period appropriate construction techniques. It took six months. The design was in part based on the Song dynasty painting 七夕乞巧图.

Zang Hai has managed to get himself a role as a 幕僚 to the Marquis, but what is that? The modern equivalent is basically a military general's staff, in ancient terms a strategist, advisor or aide.

Zang Hai was able to pull off his performance at the tomb because he noticed that the Imperial Observatory (responsible for burials) had become so corrupt that they'd dared to use substandard construction and materials on the Emperor's tomb, leading to it not being watertight.

The way the Three Stooges discuss Zang Hai is so slimy, full of insinuation about his youth. The truth is that they're incredibly bothered and threatened by his mere existence, as they ought to be.

(Two of them are playing Chinese chess.)

Zang Hai things:

1) He looks so good in that retainer's uniform.

2) Thank god he's so wily and such a good actor. Having to deal with the petty jealousy and bullying of Yang Zhen must be infuriating.

3) You can kind of see him plotting murder behind those eyes, can't you.

Episode 5

Oh god what a tense episode.

A note about forms of address. Before Zang Hai's employment by the Marquis, he uses 草民 to refer to himself in front of the powerful, basically "this peasant". 

Once he's employed, he switches to 小的 or 小人 ("this insignificant one").

The secret basement room has a super special lock (see the 士 character on it? That means it's an anti-theft lock with a very specialised key).

This is a hilarious second meet cute between Zang Hai and Zhuang Zhixing, two sneaks sneaking around, one of them much better at it than the other.

Zang Hai cannot resist giving Zhuang Zhixing attitude even while keeping his humble obsequious smol bean act up, hahaha.

Zang Hai's enormously clever long distance romancing of the Marquis works because no man, no matter how powerful or cruel, can resist the allure of someone who knows them.

And of course Zang Hai knows him entirely, he's spent years studying him in order to kill him.

The Three Stooges know that Zang Hai's smol bean act is just an act, but that's fine - they're meant to To them, he's cosplaying a clever boy desperate for advancement and willing to abase himself for it.

What they don't know is how far he's willing to go.

This conversation between Zhuang Zhixing and Antu about the Marquis' spoils of war from Dong Xia is a heavy hint as to her secret identity.

Dying that Zhuang Zhixing has been taking dad's spoils to fund his lifestyle and owes like 300x Zang Hai's monthly salary to Pillow Pavilion.

The worst party of all time:

1) the way this show builds tension is incredible.

2) Zang Hai is playing smol bean and thinking about murder again

3) lord this show is brutal. Thank god for Antu.

One of the common themes in the work of Zheng Xiaolong is the fundamental injustice of feudal society. Look how cheap the lives of common people are to those with even a little power like the Three Stooges.

Zang Hai is himself one of the common people, of course. That's why his situation is so precarious. He doesn't have any kind of protagonist halo keeping him out of the clutches of the powerful.

And again we see his compassion and sense of justice come to the fore.

Another thing that sets him apart:

He spends about 2 seconds raging about the injustice and then gets down to solving the immediate problem. Plotting murder is for the long term.

The retainers trying to get face time in front of the Marquis despite Yang Zhen's obstruction reminds me strongly of an Emperor's harem vying for any scrap of his attention (which is of course the subject of director Zheng Xiaolong's most famous work, Legend of Zhen Huan).

One more thing aboth the terrible party - we all get why Zang Hai said no to the girl right? Not because he has some kind of sexual purity thing going on, or a need to maintain a reputation, but because he can't let himself be owned by Yang Zhen.

Love this bath scene, so much to unpack:

- Zang Hai going from obsequious smile to looking at Zhuang Zhixing like he's a dumbass as soon as his back is turned

- how incredibly sinister Zang Hai seems particularly toward the end - that smile!

Zhuang Zhixing asking Zang Hai to bathe with him might have the air of a rich frivolous gongzi flirting with a cute servant if not for Zang Hai's scary scheming face (especially with that "why do you keep asking about my father" exchange) 

Zhuang Zhixing with a "let them eat cake" moment - as Zang Hai says, of course Zhuang Zhixing can afford to look down on those who need to spend their days eking out a living.  He doesn't have to worry about any of that.

A final note about the poor singing girl. Her song is in a folk style called 挂枝儿 and the song is called 蜻蜓 (Dragonfly).

The lyrics are flirty (appropriate for a sexy party), common (because the Three Stooges have common taste) and a warning to Zang Hai that he can't escape.

Episode 6

Yang Zhen's idea isn't that bad except for the part where it's a trap to kill Zang Hai.

The idea of one's 八字 came up a lot in this episode. 

Your 八字 is determined by your birth year, month, day and hour.  Chinese folks believed it could tell you whether two people were compatible, and what someone was best suited for.

Zang Hai very calmly telling Gao Ming that the Three Stooges definitely plan to make him a human sacrifice and sounding amused about it is pretty fucked up. 

Also fucked up to be building your own burial chamber.

We're gonna return to this idea many times so I'll just flag it for now - Zang Hai pretends that he fears death when he wants someone to think so but he really doesn't.

Because in his head, he's already dead. He's a vengeful ghost come to claim his due.

One of my favourite Zang Hais is when he's Just Asking Questions, all innocent (knowing that what he's asking is a deadly secret).

Xiao Zhan is so good at playing very smart people.

The device in the flashback is an armillary sphere - an astronomical device invented in 4th century BC.

This one in particular is a copy of a sphere invented in the Yuan dynasty which was, fun fact, melted down for scraps by a German missionary in the Qing dynasty.

Really enjoyed Zang Hai's guide to proper tomb construction (again, linking to something fans of the Tomb franchise would know about the original character of Wang Zanghai).

They're making 三合土 (tabia) - a real ancient Chinese construction material made from clay, lime and sand.

Zhuang Zhifu is your classic fuerdai - dad got him his cushy job and he can't even do it without doing a corruption and getting in trouble.

Even as thick as he is, he still managed to recognise that his dad is already a bit fond of Zang Hai.

Poor Zang Hai having to pretend he doesn't know who his own father is.

Loved "I'm not working for him, I'm working for me".

Using sticks to tell fortune in China dates back to the Jin dynasty and is still practiced in temples today.

Gao Ming quotes from the classic divination text the Book of Changes. 

(You can tell Gao Ming taught Zang Hai how to lie, he's great at this.)

One thing that really sets this show apart is that not only is Zang Hai starting from a position of total powerlessness, his enemies are extremely powerful *and* pretty clever. So his plotting needs to be even more intricate to fool them.

These poor folks "volunteering" to be buried as a human sacrifice so they can save their families.

And then Zang Hai just smiling a little like he's thinking "these lowlifes are so predictable".

Episode 7

We start with some classic bullshitting about the will of heaven from Chu-daren.

Everyone knows what he's actually happening but there's nothing to be gained from pointing it out. Same with the "volunteers" for human sacrifice.

Corruption is so rife in Great Yong that officials take a cut from even the money used to compensate the families of the human sacrifices.

Here Zang Hai refers to himself as 卑职 (this humble official), a form of address used by those of lower rank toward those of higher rank. 

Chu-daren is his boss. Zang Hai's path to advancement is through murdering all his immediate superiors.

Fans have been posting about how this show really exposes the fantasy of transmigrating to the past and being able to do well with "modern smarts" as just that - a fantasy out of step with the harshness and unfairness of feudal society. 

There's a colloquial Chinese phrase which is roughly "if you want to look pretty, wear mourning colours" (wearing very plain colours complements and elevates true beauty).

Imperial Chinese government officials were classified into a 9 rank system. Every single thing about their treatment was strictly in accordance with their rank. 

The Marquis is the first ranked military official in the country.

Loved Zang Hai's speech about how we can't wait for posterity to improve the world, we have to do it ourselves.

These men are all going to die anyway but they still have something to fear - the worst crimes were punished with death of one's entire clan.

Zang Hai came prepared, of course, but his enemies have done the same.

I genuinely gasped when the trap mechanism activated.

"Get up, we're going home" really got me. 

Zang Hai definitely should murder every single one of these scumbags.

God the scene with Ji-bobo (Uncle Ji) is so moving and well acted.

Lovely to tell him to live well but how can he when he's living on knives and murderous intent?

The shot of Zang Hai wiping blood onto his face ("sealing tears with blood") is incredible. Such a great idea.

Having Gao Ming make the Marquis think that Zang Hai is his lucky totem is so smart, I love it.

They're all so scared when he walks out of the royal tomb, like he's a ghost. And he is.

I love that Zang Hai not only plotted to come out of this alive but also to take down Yang Zhen at the same time, and he's clearly been planning all this ever since the birthday party from hell. Incredible.

Zang Hai uses the will of heaven and the well established rules governing imperial burials to apply pressure to not just the Marquis but the entire body of governing officials masterfully.

The Marquis correctly perceives that Zang Hai isn't afraid to die.

The Marquis immediately abandoning Yang Zhen and even tricking him into walking into the tomb is very funny and in character. Of course he's going to trade you in for a younger model, dude.

Love Zang Hai's facial expressions throughout this scene. Xiao Zhan has never looked better.

Xiao Zhan said that when he first read the script he was already picturing how he'd play this scene and you can really see why. It's amazing and he does an amazing job with it.

Episode 8

The one with the famous carriage scene.

The thing is this is kind of a rigged game. If the Marquis had really made up his mind to kill Zang Hai, he would not be in this carriage. He's in the carriage because the Marquis finds him amusing and wants to give him a chance.

Zang Hai's performance (not Xiao Zhan's, the character's) here is very interesting. He has the Marquis' number and has calibrated this persona to appeal to him. 

Let's call this persona smol bean white lotus Zang Hai - a docile, clever boy with nothing to his name, eager to advance.

I almost choked at Zang Hai's line about wanting to serve the Marquis with an unsullied/pure name.

Along with Zang Hai's delivery and the way the scene is shot, the subtext here is uh, rich. And will only get more so as the episode goes on.

The other thing Zang Hai is counting on is that the Marquis knows his underlings are a problem.

Zang Hai isn't just trying to save his own life, he's laying the groundwork for murder number two by making a paranoid man question his underling's loyalty.

Huang Jue's performance here is also really interesting because although his words are severe, it's crystal clear from body language and his face that he likes what Zang Hai has to say (especially the seemingly sincere praise for his abilities and achievements).

"My life is in the Marquis' hands" is such a clever thing to say in this moment.

The Marquis does enjoy resting his sword on Zang Hai's neck, doesn't he.

Qu Jiao, dude, don't you know questioning the Marquis' ability to command Zang Hai is like questioning his masculinity. Doing it in front of Zang Hai is even worse.

(More seriously this is Zang Hai's scheme of turning the Marquis against Qu Jiao working.)

I spent a lot of text on this scene but you gotta understand it was so viral and resulted in so many memes.

This one compares Zang Hai's poor little meow meow act to a famous scene from a Korean show.

Also I laugh at the green tea way Zang Hai looks at Qu Jiao here every time.

Nepo baby dummy Zhuang Zhifu isn't smart enough to perceive that his father wants Zang Hai around but his smartest moment might be perceiving the danger.

Again I almost choked laughing at his suggestion of marking up Zang Hai's face, like we're in a palace intrigue drama.

At this point there's really no suspense to the decision to kill Qu Jiao, at least once you've seen the look on the Marquis' face at Zhuang Zhifu's suggestion. Zang Hai isn't surprised either.

Notice how he doesn't sleep though :(

This next sequence can be read on a few levels if you're familiar with palace/household intrigue tropes (like the Chinese audience would be).

Consider what we're shown of Zang Hai's sudden elevation:

1) the Marquis has given him rooms next to his own, in the inner courtyard.

2) all the gifts. 

3) the retainer pointing out that even when Yang Zhen was in favour, he never got this treatment.

4) getting to eat with the Marquis' family. 

5) the Marquis offering to let all the other aides go and only use Zang Hai.

The text layer is that he's being treated as a very favoured courier. 

The subtext layer is how this feels like the entry of a new, highly favoured wife into a household/palace.

(Reminder that the director of this show directed the most famous palace intrigue drama of them all.

Folks see parallels between the relationship of the Emperor and Zhen Huan in Legend of Zhen Huan vs Zang Hai and the Marquis.)

Of course, the warlord/favoured strategist relationship is also traditionally very charged and intimate. See Sun Ce/Zhou Yu, Liu Bei/Zhuge Liang.

Zang Hai gets into character immediately, promising undying dedication and service and saying he's the Marquis' man (can also be translated as "this insignificant one belongs to the Marquis"). 

To which I can only quote this genius RedNote post:

"Marquis, when a perfectly suited person appears who shares all your interests, gives extremely strong emotional support and meets your every need, don't doubt, it's just a pig slaughtering scam designed specifically for you."

This wordless scene with Chu Huaiming is so good. Next on the murder list and I think he knows it, now that the other two Stooges are gone.

The Marquis knows that Zang Hai is ambitious and even dangerous but he's confident that he can handle it, that Zang Hai can be tamed for his use and his family's use.

The way Antu forces Zang Hai into this meeting is so funny. I love their scenes together. Zang Hai clearly enjoys fucking with her and she's into it too.

The way his posture changes when he decides to drop the act.

Some culture stuff:

The drawings are 界画 (boundary drawings), a form of traditional Chinese art featuring detailed renderings of architecture. 

The painting in the background of Zang Hai's quarters is Hundred Cranes from Lu Ji, from the Ming dynasty.

The quarters chosen by the Marquis for Zang Hai are called 飞鸿印雪, from a poem by the great Song dynasty poet, writer and early food blogger Su Dongpo.

It depicts the faint, temporary marks left by the feet of waterfowl in snow. Zang Hai shows as much of himself as those steps.

Episode 9

AKA "in Great Yong all the domineering CEOs want me"

Antu really is bringing the domineering CEO energy - saying the Marquis sure is lucky to have Zang Hai and that anything the Marquis could give Zang Hai, she could too.

Antu to Zang Hai:

(Meme explanation.)

Antu is only saying out loud what everyone else is wondering - how has this very young man who came from nothing managed to rise so quickly? What kind of methods might he have employed?

(The actual answer is murder, of course.)

Zang Hai puts on a different act for Antu - an ambitious striver dazzled by the prospect of power and making a name for himself.

Antu's agenda is pretty obvious too. She doesn't want the Marquis to regain military power and threaten Great Yong's neighbours again.

It's not easy to be the man closest to the one in power. There's an idiom 伴君如伴虎 (to accompany the king is like living with a tiger). Keeping the favour of a tyrannical, mercurial man isn't easy, particularly with so many gunning for you or trying to get something from you.

All sorts of people will be trying to butter him up for access to the Marquis because it's clear that he's the flavour of the month and may well have influence over the Marquis. But there's no such thing as a free lunch.

This show portrays the complexity of corruption and bribery and how it can become formalised. 

Zang Hai brilliantly turns the potential massive liability into another way to score points with the Marquis, by helping improve his reputation.

Zang Hai apologises for acting without prior authority but he knows the Marquis will be happy and you only have to look at the Marquis' face to see he's right. 

Again he emphasises his awareness that he's the Marquis' man and his actions reflect on his master.

Again: everyone likes an underling who anticipates their every need and constantly thinks of the best thing for them.

The Marquis' affection toward Zang Hai is that of the powerful toward something in their power that they can give treats to for good behaviour. Like a pet. But free access to his private sanctum is a pretty big gift.

Zang Hai's clothing and guan have gotten much nicer too. 

Aw, Antu and Ba-gongzi are cute.

The use of children's rhymes to spend rumours or influence the discourse was very common back in the day.

In this case the rhyme is even correct. 

(In the original script Wang Zanghai was plagued by rumours of having obtained his position by seduction. Not a joke.)

Zang Hai's face at the concept of apologising to Antu, haha.

Have you noticed that his actual personality isn't deferential at all, it's actually impatient, kind of bratty and even mean at times (while being fundamentally sentimental and moral)?

Oh now this is a dilemma, the poison is an obvious trap but...

Christ, this trauma train. He was having a decent run pretending to be a living person and now the vengeful ghost is back in charge.  And he can't even do proper rites for his parents yet.

Oh right, *this* scene.

Look, I'm sure that's not the first person to want to wear that face.

Zang Hai getting them to take his shirt off by saying "actually you need more than my face" is very funny also.

Zang Hai's physical attempts to get out of danger are always so action movie female lead coded - he's allowed to do smart things like cut the rope but he's very easily overpowered and can never get out of danger by himself without using guile.

Oh wow, it's the other aide. I forgot about him. I also forgot Guan Feng got told to go into the hills! 

This is so lovely for Zang Hai. He's no longer alone. There's someone else on this path with him.

Episode 10

AKA the one with ethical archaeology and such a tense scene I almost couldn't watch

(Also, big fan of these robes.)

Kuai Duo teaching his son to preserve tombs and respect the dead and also murder tomb raiders is also a fun reference to Lost Tomb Wang Zanghai making all those tombs with extensive defences.

Pay attention to the story of Liu Xian and his shifu. I suspect it's going to be very relevant to Zang Hai's own story, quite aside to the tomb's plot relevance. 

衡 is an interesting character to use to encompass the virtues of the ideal Confucian - it means balance.

There's a sort of unreality to Zang Hai saying they'll succeed and all run away to somewhere nice where no one knows them. He doesn't even really believe it himself. 

Zang Hai being in charge of rites for the Marquis' parents must make him even more furious - the Marquis' parents get to enjoy worship and offerings from their descendants, while his own parents had their bodies desecrated and don't even have their proper resting place.

His father didn't want his craft to be used to kill. But his father is dead. Zang Hai cannot be the ideal gentleman his father wanted him to be.

I don't think I breathed during this scene with Zang Hai's doctored incense. 

But as netizens say, the moment Zang Hai starts begging for mercy with wet eyes you know he's gonna be fine.

The thing about men like the Marquis is that them liking you doesn't mean they trust you. In fact if they feel especially drawn to someone, that'll just make them more suspicious, particularly if that person is very clever. They'll also turn on a dime at any moment.

So the Marquis' feelings are genuine - like Huang Jue said, he probably wishes someone so good looking, capable and talented was part of his family. 

And his treatment of Zang Hai is genuine. But that doesn't mean Zang Hai is ever out of danger.

By the time he goes to see the Marquis, Zang Hai has fully recalibrated and is thinking rationally again.

Being a frightened little flower in need of protection works for the Marquis. Like Huang Jue said, the Marquis is into the green tea routine but only if it's from Zang Hai.

What kind of flex is "uncountable number of people want to kill me", Zhuang Luyin? 

He calls Zang Hai his 心腹 - confidant (literally "vital organs").

The Ming dynasty was plagued by powerful eunuchs who were effectively rulers. The character of Cao Jingxian was probably based on Ming dynasty eunuch Wei Zhongxian, the most infamous eunuch in Chinese history, whose power rivalled that of the Emperor. 

Every time we see a glimpse of Zang Hai under his masks it's just knives and rage and screaming.

The only thing keeping him tethered to life is revenge and that's a pretty horrible state to be in.

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If you are interested in my culture/history/language/plot commentary on Legend of Zang Hai, my live watch thread is now complete.

What a character. What an ensemble. What a great show.

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Xiao Zhan on the complexity of Zang Hai as a character and how that makes him more appealing

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Xiao Zhan on the work he did to improve his dialogue delivery for Legend of Zang Hai

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Xiao Zhan on his favourite costume details from Legend of Zang Hai

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Xiao Zhan is asked about the role sentiment plays in Legend of Zang Hai and shows that he's even more ruthless than Zang Hai himself

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Xiao Zhan agrees that like Zang Hai he's good at perceiving people but points out a key difference between him and the character

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Xiao Zhan on whether Zang Hai was ever happy and what Antu means to him

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Xiao Zhan on a scene that left an impression on him - his confrontation with the Marquis (which was his first scene with Huang Jue)

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Sohu tries to get Xiao Zhan to divulge an unknown fact about himself and he can't think of any he wants to share.

And then they start making suggestions such as "do you like to look in the mirror after showering".

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Xiao Zhan on what Zang Hai would be doing if he didn't have revenge as his life goal

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Xiao Zhan on how he consciously changed the way he looked at the Marquis during the course of the show.

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Xiao Zhan on the difference between Cao Jianxian and Zhuang Luyin, and Zang Hai's terrifying approach to scheming.

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Xiao Zhan on the Legend of Zang Hai teaser poster and how to look devious