I just want to comment about Mulberry Song. Is that okay because it is about another novel and should be in another thread? Anyway, here goes: the guy in that story is the most despicable character I've ever encountered in a CN novel. Rearly disgusting and low. All you see is the aftermath of the story but none of you got his motives for marrying the girl in the first place. He was a duke wasn't he? Then he suddenly married this singer without a family from an unknown origin. The girl was besotted with him but he treated her like dirt and the disposable object he wanted her to be for political reasons. All the while, when he rebelled and became an outlaw I kept asking why the hell didn't he take his wife with him? He surely must have known she will be captured by the emperor. And then I realized, he planned it. He married a woman way below his station because he wanted her to be a political hostage. With her on the receiving end of the emperor's revenge, his family will be safe and unharmed. Which is what happened because the emperor had the wife as a punching bag. He tortured and raped the girl and let the news circulate around the kingdom. The Duke had his own wife martyred for political reasons but I think something happened along the way to change his feelings. I think he realized what he had done. No honor really in prostituting your own wife to attain your imperial ambitions. As for the girl, she didn't know. For her, it was already an honor to have married him. She loved him which she thought was the reason she stayed by his side as a ghost. She never realized it was because of him, the strength of his own guilt. The classic case of anew unreliable narrator who factually didn't understand the situation. Good story though.
Holy crap, I too didn’t realise what an asshole that ML was. I too thought he just didn’t care about anything other than getting his country in the right state. Now that you mention it he sure was pathetic.
I want blame the ML but some reason i can't ... well i think why ML consort never complain ML never touch her ? If she complain probably ML will say the truth about that ... and MC do not experience bad things so much .... but .... i think ML is so block head do not love MC even she so cared for he and never considered MC feelings .... only realized when the precious person is gone .... so sad And do ayone know what MC write on paper scene when she become ghost ? I'm sorry my gramar so bad
Umm. I get it that he only married her so he would be seen as a harmless official. But I still can't remember when his family members were being mentioned. I also don't know if Sang Ge was raped (was she?). But yeah, I agree with you. He definitely didn't deserve her at all. She was a gentle woman. I could only sigh when I read this paragraph. : : : I who was on the other side of the shore, upon seeing this scene, couldn’t help but to think back the seventh-seventh festival many years ago in Jiangnan, under the dim moonlight, I said to him: “An Zi Wu, I set off a lantern for you.” “Thank Madam for taking to the trouble.” His hands rests behind his back as he gazes towards the lively market in the distance, answering without much care. : : : It hurts me that he looked like he respected her when in fact, he didn't.
she was tortured and raped. he refused to see the room where she was kept but when he did, the blood was everywhere. on the bed and on the walls. the story is so subtly written you have to read between the lines. he rebelled against a tyrannical and crazy emperor but his family lived. in fact, he named his favorite nephew his heir. why? during those times, rebellion against an empire meant the death of the rebel's entire family. it's just precaution. you don't know who else in the family is involved. in this case, however, not only did his family survived, his nephew is going to be the next emperor. why? because of the wife. because the emperor is holding her hostage, and is raping and torturing her and he gets a kick letting the husband know. psychologically, the husband was weakening. it's all there if you read his inner conflict. ironically, it was his wife who killed the emperor and not him. basically, he was an inutile guy who can't do anything right unless his wife do it for him. I find it hard to believe though that most readers didn't understand the story. all they see is the husband so in love with the wife, who stayed with him even after death. she had no choice. his guilt imprisoned her until she could do nothing but wait for him until he died. very selfish man.
I like your interpretation and I think it has many good points, but I would put an argument of doubt about the nephew. It has never been clarified how old he is, so speculation wise, it might very well be that it was just a close brother, who went to war with him and got a child later on. So there is no real sound proof that would prove that she was a sacrificial lamb before his family. I would also disagree that it is his guilt that is keeping her tethered to the mortal world. In Chinese mythology, it is never the living that 'imprisons' ghosts, but it is always because the undeads cannot let go. It is even stated by the monk that she has unfinished business, which is the reason why she is still there. Furthermore, it is also believable since she always stated how much she loved him. Whether she should is an entirely different question.
the story does have multiple meanings to it. I think it depends on how far you're willing to buy into this true love crap the woman seems to be willing to fall into. does she even think it's TRUE or is she just deluding herself? personally, I think it's the latter. she prefers to think that the man she loves loves her rather than accept the reality of how monstrous he really is. guilt is as much a prison as love is. and if you read the guy's mental state, he was on the brink of a breakdown or something. he didn't even have the choice of forgetting her. that's how deep his torment was about his wife. on another note, re Unrepentant, i love how in the end the girl renounced the guy by telling him let's now end our fate together. i don't want to meet you in another life ever again. I want someone to love me and only me. not fight with someone for a man's love. I think that's what she's been waiting to tell him all these years. that in her next life, she doesn't want to do anything ever with him again. that she's willing to move on and live her own life if she's given another chance. she renounced him. that's her victory. sweet no.
I agree I loved MS but re reading multiple times made me think about it and their relationship had serious power dynamic problems + although the girl knew the dude inside out and still "loved" the dude really didnt know anything about the girl to even "like" her, in unrepentant I loved how hongjian towards the end wanted to be selfish and have nothing to do with lzs's happiness, sadness etc..like her care for him could last several lifetimes it's time she found someone who was willing to return her affections and I'm glad lsz loved her enough to sever their connection by agreeing to live well and leaving his thoughts of another lifetime with her Reading peach blossom debt made me realise how heavy debts are lol