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rainwatersparkWell. That wasn't the happy ending I was hoping for, but the tragic ending made sense. Duan Zi'ang had gone too far, and Xiao Shuhe was too stuck on the death of his brother/fall of his kingdom.
I've been thinking so much about this story, because normally I would never defend love interests like Duan Zi'ang. Even the actors think Duan Zi'ang was the bad guy of the story. And yet, when I look back at episode 8, I can't help but feel like Xiao Shuhe betrayed Duan Zi'ang first.
Xiao Shuhe told the man who loved him that he would rather die at his brother's hand than run away with him. What was Duan Zi'ang supposed to do with that? No matter how much he pleaded, Shuhe valued martyrdom more than their love and Duan Zi'ang's feelings.
So Duan Zi'ang, unable to watch Shuhe die, took matters into his own hands. He stopped Shuhe from walking into his brother's ambush and killed the Crown Prince--which may have fulfilled his mission to Jibei and his vengeance for his family, but also served as revenge against the man who hurt his lover and a way to guarantee he will never hurt Shuhe again.
For Duan Zi'ang, love is clear: if someone hurts you, they are not worthy of love. He can't understand why Shuhe still clings to his brother. Personally, I can't, either; the worst abusers are not hateful monsters, but the ones who did show love at some point. And yet Shuhe is so stuck in the past, so trapped by his brother's abuse and hope that if they just had more time, their relationship could be fixed, that he can't forgive Duan Zi'ang for that act.
That was what severed their relationship irreparably. Duan Zi'ang believes he saved Shuhe's life. Shuhe views the death of his brother not as the death of the monster he became, but the kind person he remembered and still believed was there beneath the cruelty. Duan Zi'ang would do anything and everything for Shuhe. But Shuhe wouldn't do the same.
For Duan Zi'ang, especially before he reunites with his brother, home is his loved one. He has always been caught between worlds, a secret Jibei imperial son raised in Nanhui, then torn from his adoptive family and best friend to be trained in Jibei again. He has never had a home until he fell in love with Shuhe. But Shuhe could never let go of his home as a physical location, Nanhui, surrounded by his blood family.
Shuhe is so desperate to be worthy of his royal family line that he would abandon love for his country. But Duan Zi'ang is the opposite. We see that Duan Zi'ang would literally rather die by his country's laws than hurt Shuhe, when he drank what he thought was poisoned wine. But Shuhe would rather die than stay by Duan Zi'ang's side.
That was how Duan Zi'ang's madness grew. He never had possessive or obsessive red flags from the start (unless they were cut from the show for pacing reasons). His love seemed innocent, pure, but fierce. But he couldn't accept that Shuhe could not love him as much as he loved Shuhe. When Shuhe refused to speak to him, he lost it.
I've been thinking so much about this story, because normally I would never defend love interests like Duan Zi'ang. Even the actors think Duan Zi'ang was the bad guy of the story. And yet, when I look back at episode 8, I can't help but feel like Xiao Shuhe betrayed Duan Zi'ang first.
Xiao Shuhe told the man who loved him that he would rather die at his brother's hand than run away with him. What was Duan Zi'ang supposed to do with that? No matter how much he pleaded, Shuhe valued martyrdom more than their love and Duan Zi'ang's feelings.
So Duan Zi'ang, unable to watch Shuhe die, took matters into his own hands. He stopped Shuhe from walking into his brother's ambush and killed the Crown Prince--which may have fulfilled his mission to Jibei and his vengeance for his family, but also served as revenge against the man who hurt his lover and a way to guarantee he will never hurt Shuhe again.
For Duan Zi'ang, love is clear: if someone hurts you, they are not worthy of love. He can't understand why Shuhe still clings to his brother. Personally, I can't, either; the worst abusers are not hateful monsters, but the ones who did show love at some point. And yet Shuhe is so stuck in the past, so trapped by his brother's abuse and hope that if they just had more time, their relationship could be fixed, that he can't forgive Duan Zi'ang for that act.
That was what severed their relationship irreparably. Duan Zi'ang believes he saved Shuhe's life. Shuhe views the death of his brother not as the death of the monster he became, but the kind person he remembered and still believed was there beneath the cruelty. Duan Zi'ang would do anything and everything for Shuhe. But Shuhe wouldn't do the same.
For Duan Zi'ang, especially before he reunites with his brother, home is his loved one. He has always been caught between worlds, a secret Jibei imperial son raised in Nanhui, then torn from his adoptive family and best friend to be trained in Jibei again. He has never had a home until he fell in love with Shuhe. But Shuhe could never let go of his home as a physical location, Nanhui, surrounded by his blood family.
Shuhe is so desperate to be worthy of his royal family line that he would abandon love for his country. But Duan Zi'ang is the opposite. We see that Duan Zi'ang would literally rather die by his country's laws than hurt Shuhe, when he drank what he thought was poisoned wine. But Shuhe would rather die than stay by Duan Zi'ang's side.
That was how Duan Zi'ang's madness grew. He never had possessive or obsessive red flags from the start (unless they were cut from the show for pacing reasons). His love seemed innocent, pure, but fierce. But he couldn't accept that Shuhe could not love him as much as he loved Shuhe. When Shuhe refused to speak to him, he lost it.
