Cinematography of episodes 11 and 12 was fantastic, comparable to any high budget cinema work. Does any one else feel a resemblance of the opening & background score to the sound track of the movie 'Dune'.. ..The intensity and tempo are a little different but the same kind of instrumental score with similar vocal is included in this series. Especially when the background music is played during strategic points of the case, it gives a hair raising subliminal effect.
So there is a government official who is involved in this case. Baekje is selling their gold to purchase weapons…
Also in episode 8
Hou You tells Di Renjie that with the Empress in power, many officers have been either demoted or deposed, he is no exception. That gives him motive to earn more in a crooked manner
Let's see if our supposition is correct in the next episode.
The major arc is change in the system due to Empress Wu's reforms and its implications faced by officials. Di Renjie gaining experience in order to later aid Empress Wu in court politics.
Secondary arc is to discover Di Renjie's father's past to understand what circumstances led him to commit suicide. Somehow Cao An and Heiyan are connected to his father's past.
The third arc consists of all the short cases that Di Renjie solves
So there is a government official who is involved in this case. Baekje is selling their gold to purchase weapons from Tang for their own wars. Wang Lide is just an agent but there must be a high ranking officer who is a buyer of gold and seller of weapons from Tang.
That person should also be present on the ship. So I feel it must be the Deputy Secretary Hou You, Di Renjie's friend.
Hou You was playing a musical piece on the ship that was all the rage in the capital recently. Yusu said Wang Lide was gentle amd played string instrument. As per Yusu, Wang Lide too played a musical piece for her that was currently famous in the capital.
The Baekje person who swam/drifted to the shore from that ship and implicated Mr. Gu, Director Yi and even Di Renjie in smuggling racket, as per his testimony he overheard their names from Wang Lide. That witness seems to be the most suspicious and unreliable. Why would Wang Lide name Di Renjie at all.
The only innocent person on that ship is Mr. Gu... He seems to be caught in the crossfire unwittingly.. His astonished troubled face when director Yi was hung to death and when his own agent turned out to be Baekje was priceless. 😆😆
Who is this mysterious Heiyan? Ms Cao wants to meet him as he was her saviour once and Di Renjie considers him responsible for his father's suicide. Di Renjie and Cao An are on opposing side where Heiyan is concerned.
I am writing some notes for the series, I am still far behind on episode 19 but I am finding many things that I want to explore and understand..
I found shennong nine spring the most interesting aspect of the series. My notes are still WIP but if anyone is interested in reading about it, please click the link below to the discussion section of this series.
ironically korea didnt invent the korean language until the Joseon dynasty and back then, they actually spoke…
Thats good information, Thanks for clarification... So the Korean language used in the episode 8 was modern or old?
I usually recognize a different language in the drama because of change in speech rhythm and intonation.... I fully rely on subtitles for explanation of the dialogues.
Case 2 - The folding screen/The lacquer screen. ( episode 5 to 8) I hope they don't create a love triangle between…
Case 2 - The Folding Screen (episode 5-8)
On the way to the (fictional ) Penglai county, Di Renjie and the party come across a dead body of a male lying on the road, this man had a disfigured pockmark face since he had recovered from leprosy. The yet unidentified male had been stabbed seven times. Di Renjie posts his portrait on the city board to identify him. Many women in the county are seen applying white face powder, Di Renjie reveals to Ma Rong that they are not beautifying themselves but covering the scars of leprosy on their faces.
Di Renjie finds that even though the post of magistrate had been vacant for three months there are no pending cases. The county is for the most part peaceful and everyone seems to comply with the rules set by someone.
Di Renjie is invited to a banquet arranged by Teng Kan to celebrate Yichun Festival (to celebrate the start of the spring) as well as his winning first place in the poetry contest in the capital. Teng Kan is more than 50 years old, still childless but loves his beautiful wife, Yinlian extremely so is not ready to take a concubine and wishes to live happily with her. At this banquet, Di Renjie meets Cao An from Mingyue House, the best singer in Penglai County whom he had heard singing Bingzhou ditty in Chang'an. Di Renjie seems mesmerised by Ms.Cao.
After the banquet, Teng Kan is feeling unwell and throws up due to excessive drinking but when Di Renjie tries to comfort him during a bout of vomiting, Teng Kan angrily shrugs off Di Renjie's hand startling him with this hostile behaviour. At the same time Teng Man's wife notices a person standing on the opposite side hiding behind a pillar and becomes agitated.
At her place later that night, Cao An recalls how she had been saved from a vicious assault when she was younger by a masked man, Heiyan. Heiyan cautions Cao An not to use the name 'Heiyan' again. 18 years ago Ms. Cao's father, Cao Hexian was held responsible for minting illegal coins. Di Renjie feels there is a connection between Cao An's father and his because of Bingzhou ditty and other undisclosed reason. Di Renjie visits her at Mingyue house to uncover her secrets.
Ma Rong is dragged to a bandit's place for the crime of stealing. Bazong the bandit 'The king of justice' is taking care of law and order in the county, metting severe physical punishment to any criminal. Bazong has a code of conduct, according to him "Since ancient times the Government is the Government. The Jianghu is the Jianghu. "
Impressed by Ma Rong's fearless confrontation, Bazong gives her three dice, using them she can get three favours from him.
The servants of Teng kan's household see their master and mistress struggling from outside the study room door through the translucent glass panels on the doors. Another unkempt person with long finger nails is standing outside the room. Upon entering the study they find their mistress and master severely injured. Teng kan is saved however his wife dies. In blood soaked garments, Teng kan goes to the magistrate office and beats the drum to demand death penalty for himself as according to his memory, he has murdered his wife.
Di Renjie goes to investigate the scene, he finds that Teng Man's wife Yinlian was also stabbed seven times like the other unidentified male body. He also deduces that the murder weapon has been moved and someone else entered the room later and moved Yinlian's body, leaving traces of white odourless powder on her body.
Teng Kan has been taking medicine for madness for the last six months. There used to be a folding screen in the room where the mistress of the house was murdered but it had been moved since last five days as the fourth panel's drawing had mysteriously changed from lover's uniting to husband killing his wife. The four panel screen depicted four seasons on each panel (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and portrayed a story of a scholar. The willow starts to flower, a spring scene in the first panel. A scholar is taking a nap, at his desk. A woman appears in his dreams. In the second panel, green fields and hills. This portrays the scholar on his way to the examination in the summer.The third panel, the late fall, the scholar passes the exam and returns in glory, seeing four sisters on their balcony one of them the woman in his dreams, marrying one of the sister and living happily. However the last panel where the lovers were sitting at the table embracing lovingly in the winter season, drinking wine had mysteriously changed to the portrait of the husband stabbing his wife.
Teng kan's madness is hereditary. Teng Kan also was acquainted with Di Renjie's father 20 years ago. Previously Teng kan was the secretary general of the right guards. His name was Teng Zhongyuan, a fierce warrior on the battlefield but after meeting his wife, he changed his life and led peaceful life writing poems and romance. Di Renjie informs Teng kan of 'Tang code' according which if a patient of madness injures a person and commits murder the punishment should be lenient. However after Yinlian's death Teng kan has lost the will to stay alive.
The scenes on the four panels of the screen depicted Teng Kan's own story so he had purchased it. His wife had three other sisters(four sisters as depicted in the painting). Now only the second unmarried sister known as Ms.Lai Er lived in Yinlian's ancestral house 'Lia residence'.
Lai Er recounts a tale of her sister, Yinlian being frivolous. As per Lai Er, Yinlian deserved to die for her faithless nature and loose moral character. She had multiple affairs according to Lai Er. Yinlian rejected a suitor, Li Han with whom she had an adulterous relationship before her marriage. One time Li Han broke into their house and Yinlian reported him. Li Han was arrested. On the walls in 'Lia Residence' are multiple paintings of a young lady drawn by one painter called Xu kai. Lai Er claims all the portraits are of herself. There is a break in, in one of the portrait selling shops, on all the portraits painted by Xu kai the unidentified pockmarked dead man's portrait is hung, leading Di Renjie to conclude that the dead man in his morgue was the painter xu kai who had recovered from leprosy.
The man leaving all these clues must be the past paramour of Yinlian, who had been imprisoned and was working in a quarry to serve his punishment term. The white odourless powder found on the painting of the dead man hung in the portrait shop over ku xai's paintings and Yinlian's dead body was from the quarry.
Di Renjie goes to the quarry to question Li Han, he is told that the said person died a few days ago. With the help of the token dice given by Bazong to Ma Rong earlier, Di Renjie enlists the help of a soldier guarding the prisoners working in the quarry to exhume the buried body only to discover the grave is empty.
Why did the painting on the four panel screen suddenly change? Who was the person outside the window when Yinlian was murdered? Who moved Yinlian's body? Did Teng Kan really murder his wife? Who is the masked person Heiyan? What is Cao An's connection to Di Renjie's past?
I think Empress Wu will place Judge Di in various districts throughout the series to gain insight and accumulate…
Di Renjie's examination result and posting was directly connected to the Empress' wishes. Di Renjie took examination for classicist not court official. So he wanted to get a minor job away from court politics presently.
At the end of episode 4 while Di Renjie is leaving the Capital, Empress Wu is shown thinking "Di Renjie, I am sending you to the frontier to uphold justice. Remember, what I want is an upright and selfless official. But you haven't found what you desire yet. Put your mind to it and accumulate more experience. Maybe one day you can truly be of use to me. "
I wonder what does Empress Wu Ze Toam means by sending him to that town and preparing him to serve her in future.…
I think Empress Wu will place Judge Di in various districts throughout the series to gain insight and accumulate practical knowledge. After a few or one case in one district, Judge Di will be transferred to another place.
Empress Wu saw his paper and knew he was not a conformist and ready to fight fate like her. He is intelligent but lacks experience.
She thinks he will be a great help in reforming the structure in future if he is exposed to real life problems and situations presently.
So basically he is getting first hand impression of the country and its people which later on will help him in the position of an advisor to Empress wu.
1 
3 
Cinematography of episodes 11 and 12 was fantastic, comparable to any high budget cinema work. Does any one else feel a resemblance of the opening & background score to the sound track of the movie 'Dune'.. ..The intensity and tempo are a little different but the same kind of instrumental score with similar vocal is included in this series. Especially when the background music is played during strategic points of the case, it gives a hair raising subliminal effect.
Click the link to read Summary of case 3, I have only included the details to understand the case but deliberately left out the resolution.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/judge-dees-mystery/122837-basic-information-about-the-cases-and-judge-dee?pid=2957015&page=1#p2957015
Hou You tells Di Renjie that with the Empress in power, many officers have been either demoted or deposed, he is no exception. That gives him motive to earn more in a crooked manner
Let's see if our supposition is correct in the next episode.
The major arc is change in the system due to Empress Wu's reforms and its implications faced by officials. Di Renjie gaining experience in order to later aid Empress Wu in court politics.
Secondary arc is to discover Di Renjie's father's past to understand what circumstances led him to commit suicide. Somehow Cao An and Heiyan are connected to his father's past.
The third arc consists of all the short cases that Di Renjie solves
That person should also be present on the ship. So I feel it must be the Deputy Secretary Hou You, Di Renjie's friend.
Hou You was playing a musical piece on the ship that was all the rage in the capital recently. Yusu said Wang Lide was gentle amd played string instrument. As per Yusu, Wang Lide too played a musical piece for her that was currently famous in the capital.
The Baekje person who swam/drifted to the shore from that ship and implicated Mr. Gu, Director Yi and even Di Renjie in smuggling racket, as per his testimony he overheard their names from Wang Lide. That witness seems to be the most suspicious and unreliable. Why would Wang Lide name Di Renjie at all.
The only innocent person on that ship is Mr. Gu... He seems to be caught in the crossfire unwittingly.. His astonished troubled face when director Yi was hung to death and when his own agent turned out to be Baekje was priceless. 😆😆
Who is this mysterious Heiyan? Ms Cao wants to meet him as he was her saviour once and Di Renjie considers him responsible for his father's suicide. Di Renjie and Cao An are on opposing side where Heiyan is concerned.
In spoiler tag below
I found shennong nine spring the most interesting aspect of the series. My notes are still WIP but if anyone is interested in reading about it, please click the link below to the discussion section of this series.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/qi-zinzhao/122613-introduction-to-the-series-and-background-information-from-1st-episode-for-new-viewers-s?pid=2960745&page=1#p2960745
Drama Perfect Match release video greeting for Chinese New Year.
Click the link below to see a clip released for the new year greetings, reposted on x/ twitter.
https://x.com/ultra_melons/status/1756156223911784843?s=20
(Fox Spirit Matchmaker 2 : Zhu Ye)
Weibo update for Chinese New Year
Click the link below to see a clip released for the new year, reposted on x/ twitter.
https://x.com/cdrama_update/status/1756176106649252265?s=20
I usually recognize a different language in the drama because of change in speech rhythm and intonation.... I fully rely on subtitles for explanation of the dialogues.
I found them very useful in 2023 and will refer to them again this year.
I found them very useful in 2023 and will refer to them again this year.
I found them very useful in 2023 and will refer to them again this year.
I found them very useful in 2023 and will refer to them again this year.
Baekje or Paekche was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD
Baekje or Paekche was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD.
On the way to the (fictional ) Penglai county, Di Renjie and the party come across a dead body of a male lying on the road, this man had a disfigured pockmark face since he had recovered from leprosy. The yet unidentified male had been stabbed seven times. Di Renjie posts his portrait on the city board to identify him. Many women in the county are seen applying white face powder, Di Renjie reveals to Ma Rong that they are not beautifying themselves but covering the scars of leprosy on their faces.
Di Renjie finds that even though the post of magistrate had been vacant for three months there are no pending cases. The county is for the most part peaceful and everyone seems to comply with the rules set by someone.
Di Renjie is invited to a banquet arranged by Teng Kan to celebrate Yichun Festival (to celebrate the start of the spring) as well as his winning first place in the poetry contest in the capital. Teng Kan is more than 50 years old, still childless but loves his beautiful wife, Yinlian extremely so is not ready to take a concubine and wishes to live happily with her. At this banquet, Di Renjie meets Cao An from Mingyue House, the best singer in Penglai County whom he had heard singing Bingzhou ditty in Chang'an. Di Renjie seems mesmerised by Ms.Cao.
After the banquet, Teng Kan is feeling unwell and throws up due to excessive drinking but when Di Renjie tries to comfort him during a bout of vomiting, Teng Kan angrily shrugs off Di Renjie's hand startling him with this hostile behaviour. At the same time Teng Man's wife notices a person standing on the opposite side hiding behind a pillar and becomes agitated.
At her place later that night, Cao An recalls how she had been saved from a vicious assault when she was younger by a masked man, Heiyan. Heiyan cautions Cao An not to use the name 'Heiyan' again. 18 years ago Ms. Cao's father, Cao Hexian was held responsible for minting illegal coins. Di Renjie feels there is a connection between Cao An's father and his because of Bingzhou ditty and other undisclosed reason. Di Renjie visits her at Mingyue house to uncover her secrets.
Ma Rong is dragged to a bandit's place for the crime of stealing. Bazong the bandit 'The king of justice' is taking care of law and order in the county, metting severe physical punishment to any criminal. Bazong has a code of conduct, according to him "Since ancient times the Government is the Government. The Jianghu is the Jianghu. "
Impressed by Ma Rong's fearless confrontation, Bazong gives her three dice, using them she can get three favours from him.
The servants of Teng kan's household see their master and mistress struggling from outside the study room door through the translucent glass panels on the doors. Another unkempt person with long finger nails is standing outside the room. Upon entering the study they find their mistress and master severely injured. Teng kan is saved however his wife dies. In blood soaked garments, Teng kan goes to the magistrate office and beats the drum to demand death penalty for himself as according to his memory, he has murdered his wife.
Di Renjie goes to investigate the scene, he finds that Teng Man's wife Yinlian was also stabbed seven times like the other unidentified male body. He also deduces that the murder weapon has been moved and someone else entered the room later and moved Yinlian's body, leaving traces of white odourless powder on her body.
Teng Kan has been taking medicine for madness for the last six months. There used to be a folding screen in the room where the mistress of the house was murdered but it had been moved since last five days as the fourth panel's drawing had mysteriously changed from lover's uniting to husband killing his wife. The four panel screen depicted four seasons on each panel (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and portrayed a story of a scholar. The willow starts to flower, a spring scene in the first panel. A scholar is taking a nap, at his desk. A woman appears in his dreams. In the second panel, green fields and hills. This portrays the scholar on his way to the examination in the summer.The third panel, the late fall, the scholar passes the exam and returns in glory, seeing four sisters on their balcony one of them the woman in his dreams, marrying one of the sister and living happily. However the last panel where the lovers were sitting at the table embracing lovingly in the winter season, drinking wine had mysteriously changed to the portrait of the husband stabbing his wife.
Teng kan's madness is hereditary. Teng Kan also was acquainted with Di Renjie's father 20 years ago. Previously Teng kan was the secretary general of the right guards. His name was Teng Zhongyuan, a fierce warrior on the battlefield but after meeting his wife, he changed his life and led peaceful life writing poems and romance. Di Renjie informs Teng kan of 'Tang code' according which if a patient of madness injures a person and commits murder the punishment should be lenient. However after Yinlian's death Teng kan has lost the will to stay alive.
The scenes on the four panels of the screen depicted Teng Kan's own story so he had purchased it. His wife had three other sisters(four sisters as depicted in the painting). Now only the second unmarried sister known as Ms.Lai Er lived in Yinlian's ancestral house 'Lia residence'.
Lai Er recounts a tale of her sister, Yinlian being frivolous. As per Lai Er, Yinlian deserved to die for her faithless nature and loose moral character. She had multiple affairs according to Lai Er. Yinlian rejected a suitor, Li Han with whom she had an adulterous relationship before her marriage. One time Li Han broke into their house and Yinlian reported him. Li Han was arrested. On the walls in 'Lia Residence' are multiple paintings of a young lady drawn by one painter called Xu kai. Lai Er claims all the portraits are of herself. There is a break in, in one of the portrait selling shops, on all the portraits painted by Xu kai the unidentified pockmarked dead man's portrait is hung, leading Di Renjie to conclude that the dead man in his morgue was the painter xu kai who had recovered from leprosy.
The man leaving all these clues must be the past paramour of Yinlian, who had been imprisoned and was working in a quarry to serve his punishment term. The white odourless powder found on the painting of the dead man hung in the portrait shop over ku xai's paintings and Yinlian's dead body was from the quarry.
Di Renjie goes to the quarry to question Li Han, he is told that the said person died a few days ago. With the help of the token dice given by Bazong to Ma Rong earlier, Di Renjie enlists the help of a soldier guarding the prisoners working in the quarry to exhume the buried body only to discover the grave is empty.
Why did the painting on the four panel screen suddenly change? Who was the person outside the window when Yinlian was murdered? Who moved Yinlian's body? Did Teng Kan really murder his wife? Who is the masked person Heiyan? What is Cao An's connection to Di Renjie's past?
I hope they don't create a love triangle between Ma Rong- Di Renjie- Cao An.....
Summary of the case, excluding the resolution in spoiler tag below.
At the end of episode 4 while Di Renjie is leaving the Capital, Empress Wu is shown thinking "Di Renjie, I am sending you to the frontier to uphold justice. Remember, what I want is an upright and selfless official. But you haven't found what you desire yet. Put your mind to it and accumulate more experience. Maybe one day you can truly be of use to me. "
Empress Wu saw his paper and knew he was not a conformist and ready to fight fate like her. He is intelligent but lacks experience.
She thinks he will be a great help in reforming the structure in future if he is exposed to real life problems and situations presently.
So basically he is getting first hand impression of the country and its people which later on will help him in the position of an advisor to Empress wu.