Synopsis: Set in the Tang Dynasty, Ran Yu is a noblewoman who becomes interested in forensic science after her Mother’s mysterious suicide and begins to solve murder cases. She meets a judicial official and an assassin by chance and finds true love through the course of searching for the truth.
Translator Notes:
- Hearing what’s in the wind: It’s the chinese equivalent to hear through the grapevine
- Releasing the wind: starting the rumor
- To become cooked rice from uncooked rice: to do something that cannot be undone
- Not shed tears until you see the coffin: carrying up the act because you think there is no evidence
- Lv Bu: One of the greatest military generals and warlords in Chinese living history.
- The red hare: the famous prized horse owned by Lv Bu. In the novel the romance of the 3 kingdoms (it’s not a book about romance at all), it has been described as a horse that could travel 1000 Li (chinese mile) per day and could cross mountains and rivers.
- Only left with storms that weather life away: This is from an allegorical poem about a woman who has lost the love of her life using the weather as metaphors to describe what she’s going through
- chinese honeylocust and Atractylodes: chinese herbs used to get rid of the decomposing smell of the body
- Swamp gas: Gas found in the bogs/ marshlands that contains compounds like methane/ hydrogen sulfide/ carbon dioxide produced anaerobic digestion and fermentation (digestion without oxygen) of dead plant and animal material. Can cause stuff such as fires.
- Dogs in desperation will jump it’s wall: Chinese saying that when someone is cornered into desperation they will do anything to get out of the situation, even reckless moves.
Productive Procrastination 
We stumbled over here from a different web page and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to looking over your web page for a second time.
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Thank you so much. So much plot progression and character and relationship development for our two leads in these two episodes.
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Beautiful episodes, love the development! Thank you!
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You are the Best!!!!
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Thank you so much for subbing the episodes faster than I had hoped! You really made my day during this mandatory reclusion.
I’m really starting to like this show. At first I thought the acting was a bit stiff (in comparison to Under the Power f.i.) but now I’m really appreciating all the developments.
Many thanks again and keep up the good work, please!!!
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What a feast – best 2 episodes so far – just in time to count down the long hours of my last day in mandatory home quarantine, midnight tonight I can go out for fresh air first time in two weeks!
Think everybody has their own opinion how they want to rank the admirers and who they would be rooting for, I still wish for Su Fu to get the girl but know that is not going to happen – you just know that he will meet one or other tragic end (leaving me with a severe case of second lead syndrome …), in real life Sang Chen would be the best longtime companion – intelligent – sweet – respecting – understanding and supporting, last for me is Xiao Fish – the usual initial bickering might turn into attraction but in long term relationships all the attractive quirky bits only become motive for murder in the long run …
but sure the actor playing Xiao Fish proved in this episode he is the far superior acting talent…although I think overall the casting of this drama was superbly done on all of the roles not something you can say for all Chinese dramas where often apart from the main leads the rest of the acting is only filler-level quality.
I did crack me up a little bit how during the fire fly scene he did seem to struggle a bit with her hair piece. LOL.
Very much appreciate your work and passion to give us these excellent subs (… and background explanations …).
You have contributed a lot in preserving my sanity these two weeks in isolation. I have watched a few dramas on your website but this one is now my number 1 favourite in that list.
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Love the “motive for murder in the long run” analysis. Yep, I believe bickering couples are the least steady.
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Before I get down to the nuts and bolts of the episodes, I just want to say… how good was Toby Lee in these two episodes? He had the whole gamut of emotions down pat. That scene in the brothel where he is desperately trying to jog her memories and then confesses was so beautifully acted. The nuances were absolutely spot on. Where has he been hiding all this time? Honestly, I just love him to death. I can’t let go of this show in part because of what he does with this character.
It must either be the height of hubris or stupidity… maybe a bit of both… that caused Ms Gao to believe that she could get away with trying to pull a fast one on Xiao Song. It totally backfired rather badly. He is after all chang’an gui jian chou: The Grief of Chang’an’s Ghosts.This is partly why Ran Mei Yu is really such a shallow piece of work. She’s been overly indulged to the point she has no sense of moral reality.
I think it’s becoming increasingly obvious by this point that despite the bickering, Xiao Song and Ran Yan are a really good team. Without him, she would never have been able to solve the mysteries surrounding her mother’s death. Whether they should be a romantic pairing, I suppose we all have our own ideas on that. I’ve seen this drama multiple times and with each viewing I’m less convinced that she was really in love with Su Fu although she probably thought she was at the time.
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What a wonderful analysis of Toby Lee’s acting ability and the tensions between XS and RY. And I do like the idea that this relationship is more realistic than the first-love-at-first-sight tropes out there. I like the intelligent bickering between the two. They are equally matched. When everyone is set on SF as the one for RY, I find that RY’s initial feelings for SF as a rebellious act against conventions (both of them are outsiders) and rooted in infatuation. I find Toby Lee’s eyes quite irresistible and his character XS’s steady love (he is no doormat) endearing. Wow, glad that I stumbled on this series. Great way to relieve the presidential election tensions in the US. I could settle to look at X’s dreamy eyes anytime.
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Oh, how I love the wedding night scene so much. And they both so good in reds.
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PP, thank you so much for the subs and all the translator notes. I’m so happy Fish got out of that predicament with the Yan’s mother-daughter pair. I do think as a magistrate he should have punished them appropriately for defamation. Maybe since he is thinking of his Fox and keeping ‘Face’ for her family he did not pursue it further?
Oh ..the wedding night scene, is so magical and also heartbreaking. Poor Fish to marry his Fox and have her lamenting for another person. Between the 3 men, in term of the category of hotness, I would put Fish (just cos he just so happen to be Sherlock that knows martial arts), Sang Chen ( cos ..come on guys..he knows what a girl/forensic pathologist wants), Bai Yi ( cos he is so cute and loyal and knows how to kick ass too) and lastly Su Fu ( he’s such a tragic hero, arrive just a bit too late, unclear about his motive). It’s kind of sad, Fox loves Su Fu, well…every girl wants her bad guy.
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So, yes to your comments and your analysis about who is the best man for RY. Reading most of the comments in including at Amazon Prime video where its series is available, it seems like everyone is rooting and upset that SF did not get the girl. But I think Fish’s character and his love is more enduring. I like it that he is not a complete doormat either. Consistent with his character. In those times, to be bullied by a girl like RY and holding a high position such as his would-be completely emasculating. But he seems to relish this kind of feminist thought and quite progressive, way too ahead of his time. He was not bothered by patriarchal conventions. He loves that RY is an equal match. I’m all for the Fish and his Fox together!
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Tysm….
Everyone have their own agenda. Ranyan, Xiao song, and Sufu..
That Mistress Gao.. so hateful ah😱😱
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In ep. 18 the scholar quotes a poem as she is giving medicine with her mouth… Can you tell me what he meant?
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Hi that is point 7 but I will expand it here. So the poem talks about the good happy days have gone which to my understanding to what he means is there’s little chance he’ll have to be so close to her again. Then he talks about how there’s only storms left which weather life away and my interpretation of that is from now on that he will have to face the full unhappy parts of life without anything happy to balance it out. And because he has to face that, it will weather away the life inside him.
Of course that’s just my interpretation of it because the poem is quite vague and uses the weather as a metaphor to end a particular love which in this case is his unrequited love for Ran Yan as he believes that she’s in love with Xiao fish otherwise why would she kiss him? Even if it’s to save his life.
You have to remember that this was from a conservative era in China. Yes you can remarry as a woman but PDA and skinship with anyone other than your husband is a big no no.
This was a time when women would have to marry the man who saves them from drowning because first they are clutching them and second the man would be able to see/feel their body through their clothes and they would have lost their “innocence”.
And one observation that I wish to point out which doesn’t really have much to do with the above points but starting from here, I am starting to see Ran Yan having some feelings towards Xiao fish even though she doesn’t realize it. The chemistry isn’t that strong yet but it’s starting to show through.
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thank you.. I had read your notes, but didn’t realize 7 pertained to this part. It makes sense now… truthfully, I figured it had to be something like that, but too vague to enjoy:) I agree, she is beginning to feel for Xiao Fish. I have enjoyed this drama, because they are good at misdirecting and made the second lead the one who constantly saved her and was there at so many moments for her you could think he is the one.. But I have always believed that Xiao fish will be the one who ultimately saves her because Su Fu has too much shadiness to him and too many split loyalties. Just my opinion, but the way he has lived doesn’t bode well for him. Thanks for all you do, it’s wonderful for us.
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I don’t think it’s misdirection so much as that we’re seeing things largely from Ran Yan (Fox)’s point of view. To her Su Fu seems like a darkly romantic figure and pitiful as well. She doesn’t have that big picture perspective that the audience is privy to. The problem with Su Fu is exactly as you’ve described. He also uses his sob story to his advantage and she tends to barrack for the underdog because of how her own family treated her.
As I always say, SF is a necessary part of her development. She may be intelligent but she is still largely naive about the world out there. At this point she still thinks that seeing is believing and the truth eludes her.
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I agree with all you said… however, I rarely seen a drama where the second lead constantly is the one who saves the FL while the ML seems to be the one who inadvertently leads her into danger. We know from the beginning he is an assassin, but I feel they write him very much like a ML, and that’s what I mean by misdirection.
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I see. Thank you for your response. I guess I have an entirely different view of what a ML entails. 😀 Also I don’t know if the dynamic of the two men can be so simply reduced to those terms. 😉
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I personally think that SF embodies the knight in shining armor/ male idol you find in typical fairytales that a lot of girls would have daydreams of. He’s the sort of character where the female lead falls in love because of his invincibility, mysterious aura, availability to save her whenever she’s in danger and of course good looks. I think he’s the sort of man you fall in love with the illusion of who you think he is, like what RY does.
On the other hand XS embodies a dramatisied version of a husband you find in reality. He has flaws that can really annoy the FL, makes mistakes and is not always readily available to save the FL (at least up until ep 18) but then he’s someone the FL knows really well and trust and falls in love with despite his flaws. And of course he’s also the person that has been through the most with the FL.
So I think they have characteristics of male leads for different types of romance dramas. SF is the sort of male lead you find in a typical fairytale, fluffy kind of romance drama, whereas XS is the kind of ML where you find more in those less fluffy romance dramas.
Of course as usual I’ve probably missed a few points but I’m not writing a post about character analysis so forgive me 😉
Feel free to comment and give your own analysis, it’s always interesting to read everyone’s opinion and their analysis of the story. Once again hope you are all safe and healthy! And thank you for all the messages.
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I am trying really hard not to give away inadvertent spoilers so I keep comments about Xiao Song vs Su Fu to the barest minimum. 😀 But thank you for the invitation and the opportunity. 😉
I think you’re spot on in your analysis about Su Fu and it is as you’ve rightly said, an illusion. That’s what’s really clever about the show IMO. It sets him up as some kind of brooding romantic archetype but with shadowy underpinnings. It is undeniable that he is using Ran Yan even while he likes her. For him it is merely killing two birds with one stone. I don’t necessarily have a problem with that because he is a spy but I’m pretty sure she would have serious issues if she knew what he was really up to because she has such strong moral principles, rigid in some instances to a fault. The foundation of their relationship is pretty shaky at best.
Xiao Song… and it could just be young Toby here as well… is a much more fleshed out character. There are so many more aspects to him than just the genius detective. But I do think he is the best written character as well. I haven’t thought much about whether his character fits into a type of husband template but seeing that he’s had a bit of practice in that regard, I imagine there’s something to that. 😉 For me, the thing I like about him as far as the romance is concerned is the respect he has for Ran Yan’s independence and abilities while maintaining the balance of trying to keep her out of trouble. He is probably the first person in her life who really saw her talent and encouraged it with no prejudice despite the social conventions and taboos surrounding her being in such an occupation. This is what I like about his intelligence… he knows how to use people in any given situation by focusing on the bigger picture.
Whereas SF, rather than a second male lead is more like a foil for Xiao Song (and Ran Yan). It partly stems from the fact that they are fighting for different causes. In a different time and place I suspect that they could even be friends. XS is someone that draws people in whereas SF is a veritable loner. Same with RY. They inspire a lot of loyalty from those around them. SF, on the other hand, is very unidimensional. He serves a purpose as sometimes ally and sometimes antagonist to the leads at various times.
For me a male lead isn’t defined by his relationship to the female lead because clearly not all dramas have romance in them. A male lead to me is the dominant male figure in the narrative so to me it’s always been obvious who the male lead is. He is the primary mover and the shaker. When he’s not in the picture, something’s clearly missing.
Let’s face it, despite all her protestations to the contrary, Ran Yan is definitely attracted to an element of risk-taking and danger. It’s in her DNA. Think of what kind of child she was. It’s part and parcel of her independent streak to try and challenge the status quo. If you jump into the fray repeatedly, you call attention to yourself and there will be pushback. That’s why I don’t even think Sang Chen is a real contender because he can barely look after himself much less handle a woman of her character.
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Thanks so much!! Love this, it’s getting better and better. Thanks for your gift.
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Thank you admin for you hard work. It keeps a lot of us sane during these times
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Thank you so much for the quick upload.
I became addicted to refreshing your website in the hopes of new episodes and can’t believe we got new subs today and 2 days ago 🙂 .
I’m really enjoying Xiao fish and his Fox’s relationship and crossing my fingers for a happy ending for these two.
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