Written by Funn Lim
I wasn't paying attention to this episode since I was dead tired so no episodic thought or recap for this one except for the following major points:-
1. gossips abound for Jun who was kidnapped as Mr and Mrs Cho spread rumours that she may have been molested which is very bad for her reputation although it isn't her fault and Sung Man didn't care.
2. Yun Tin almost made a big boo-boo when Mr Cho wanted to grab attention and honours for donating large sums of money to the flood charity organised by Sung Man and Yun Tin wanted in also but Mr Kiu stopped all of them and said they will donate anonymously because he didn't want the government to know how much was donated by each of them. Think about taxes and I suppose I understand what he meant.
3. Mr Cho is under pressure to perform and his boss is close to firing him.
4. Bak Chuen, Ko Wa and Fu Yi Chek all stayed back at Mongolia branch office as Bak Chuen was again promoted.
5. Bak Chuen realised Ko Wa was not as happy as she looked as she had her heart broken. She actually waited for the guy 2 years before knowing he married 2 women in the town. That broke her heart so much she disappeared for 3 days.
6. Ko Wa's uncle and auntie are horrible. Ko Wa who previously sent money back to them $100 in all was actually meant for everyone for selling the horses and when they went home they found out the uncle and auntie lied and said the young ones stole the money and ran away! Mr Kiu settled the problem by using the uncle's wine shop as mortgage and they now work for Mr Kiu although they did suggest Mr Kiu marry Ko Wa since she is young and pretty and will bear him sons. It was disgusting by the way and Mr Kiu felt that too.
7. Bak Chuen began to have feelings for Ko Wa.
That's it. Full recap in next episode when the officials came to town and pushed Ding Fung Sing over the brim with demands of high taxes.
As to why the banks refuses to reveal their identities while donating, it is that the Qing treasury was as good as empty and the government would actually force people to pay them, taxes or not. It was a common practice for the bankrupt government to sell official positions for cash which was used to finance Cixi's extravagance (99 dishes per meal). If not, the government would force rich people to pay them by forcing a superfical offical position on them and demand a fee. That's why you would sometimes see Mr. Kiu walk around in an official uniform.
ReplyDeleteAiya, Funn! You have come to the part which is the most draggy of the whole series. You're gonna hate it cos Erica is about to appear and so will Stephen and his dubbed voice. Tell me what you think fo Erica. I am interested.
99 dishes?!! That's a lot, man. Even one bite from one dish also she will become full before she reach 1/2 of the number. Such a waste. I wonder if it's an exaggeration by the historian.
ReplyDeleteIt is said that she orders the 99 dishes because the number "9" is the highest and it reflects on her position. She usually eats what she can, then give the rest to other people like concubines, maids and eunuchs.
ReplyDeleteSo far not so draggy yet. That girl not out yet. Still business talk but now love story setting in.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, are you sure she gave away the uneaten food? I don't think she was ever this generous. She will have them thrown over, moreover who dares to eat her food??
Yes I believe 99 dishes and she only NIBBLES on a few ONLY. Yes what a waste. This series truly reflect Cixi's stupidity the more I see it.
A bit OT.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt Qing Dynasty was in a declining state and will go sooner or later. But, Cixi definitely the one who put the nail in the coffin. I wonder if Wu Zetian or Xiao Zhuang was in Cixi's place, will they be able to save Qing Dynasty or at least makes it last longer?
I doubt it. At that time the dynasty was already near its end. Wu Zetian would continue to reign which somewhat is based on strict compliance with the law which will not suit the politics at that time that required moderate governance and for the good of the people. Unless a huge change was made, it was already one foot in the coffin. Cixi of course helpd destroyed its credibility. In fact famously Guangxu (that stupid king in this series) actually wanted to make some major reforms which probably could have garnered the people's support for a more lenient monarchy, something like Brunei or Thailand but Cixi basically imprisoned him for the rest of his days. Too much interest at stake. I always wondered, why no one ever strangled that woman?
ReplyDeleteWu Zetian was tough. But, she did make a lot of changes to the goverment policies during her reign that benefited the people. This shows that she, at least, was flexible and willing to make changes if it is benefial. Plus, Wu Zetian was a more responsible ruler than Cixi.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered, why no one ever strangled that woman?
Haha. Maybe no one was selfless or brainwashed enough to throw away their life this cause (like those suicide bombers).
Xiao Zhuang has never actually ruled. But she was the kingmaker of 3 generations of emperors. She has great influence on Kangxi and Kangxi often seek her advice and opinion. From what I read about her, this lady was quite a good politician and diplomat and good at resolving conflicts. She was the complete opposite of Cixi. She refused to have her birthday celebrated because she knew it would be costly. And instead of seizing power from her son and grandson, she let the emperors rule their empire and she gave advice when needed. Maybe Xiao Zhuang would agree to Guangxu's reform, but with the advice of not implementing them too hastily (Guangxu's reform, although good, was done too hastily in a too large scale). Xiao Zhuang was an intelligent and perceptive woman. She just didn't have the thirst of power like Wu Zetian and Cixi.
Hiya!
ReplyDeleteWu Ze Tian was a cruel but just ruler. She understood politics and how her country needed to be strong and the many different layers of compromise needed to make that happen. We Ze Tian will seek information from any source she can and make changes according to that. She pays a lot of attention to surrounding countries and their threat to China.
Cixi is just plain lazy and deluded IMO. She is under the impression that her country is strong and formidable and ignores the obvious signs that her nation is failing physically and emotionally. She hides her self from the world in her extravagant garden with rose-coloured glasses while dismissing cries of help form her people. She is short-sighted in her views and is doomed for failure.
But I agree with Funn. By the time China came into Cixi's hands, Qing was already a weak nation with the Opium Wars going and the degrading treaties signed. But during Cixi's rule was the time when China's power weakened the most, mostly because she exhausted the national treasury and refused reform. China just didn't have a ruler who cared and the officials were corrupt.
If We Ze Tian was in her place, I am sure her intelligence would not blind her what was happening in the world around her and she would call for reform to stabilise her country and thus her own power,.But still Qing was doomed but We We Tian will have definately extended the dynasty.