"Nirvana in Fire"/"Lang Ya Bang" Group Read: Discussion Post for Chapters 58 - 65

[x_los]

Weeks 15 and 16 of the "Lang Ya Bang" book club, chapters 58 - 65. This discussion will draw to a close, and the next session will open, on August 22nd.

I'll be doing a weekly post with thoughts on this community. Feel free to join in/discuss. If you'd like to join the Discord, contact superborb for an invite.

Chinese text: https://sj.uukanshu.com/book.aspx?id=17338
English translation: https://merelhyn.tumblr.com/post/641747965727358976/the-langya-list-epubpdf

SPOILER POLICY: I personally don't give a fuck or even like to give unearned credence to the concept, so since I'm writing the post, anything's fair game.

(If anyone is interested in dankodes running further poetry content during or after NiF, please let me know what you'd be keen to discuss. I'm happy to work with you on that. I'll probably ask this again once NiF draws to a close.)

Comments

Chapter 58

[x_los]

‘His little girl’ pleaseeee, you are both adults/a few years apart at most

‘She felt no burning passion or surge of desire’ good, because in NIF that would have rendered her a Bad Character--

Interesting that they stress that the betrothal was not the idea, and doesn't exactly capture the nature of their connection. It feels realistic, but also ship-deflating, and like an odd gesture towards the aforementioned Purity? Or like, to avoid tainting Nihuang with ever having felt romantically attracted to two people, in the whole course of her life, when one's been presumed dead for twelve years. (Come on.)

Chapter 59

[x_los]

"Leaned slightly into the fragrance" What?

Why would you taste snow? Are they out making shaved ice with it or something?

Chapter 60

[x_los]

Omg, they're straight up swapping people on death row? Wild.

The hell is a sable-- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sable This explains what it is, and why I primarily know the term as a colour and/or 'any black fur/pelt for wear'. It IS interesting that the actual *animal* is absolutely unknown to me, and even a bit jarring to see.)

Why is Prince Yu surprised that Mei Changsu's increasingly-established household indicates that he will remain in the city?

Chapter 61

[x_los]

Jingrui’s comment on identity both foreshadows the reflection he'll soon have to do on his own life and makes the audience reflect on what's happening to Changsu.

Chapter 62

[x_los]

Concubine Jing makes an off-camera appearance! Gosh I love her.

Chapter 63

[x_los]

I managed to totally forget the particulars of this explosion plot development, and was pleasingly surprised by it/enjoyed connecting some dots. This makes me think actually that in the paranoia about spoilers, we misunderstand how brains work a bit, how much we forget or don't take in in a glance, and how much good there can be in revisiting the same information with increased knowledge. I've seen this whole show twice, but this still surprised me because knowledge isn't an on/off binary, it's shifting and layered.

To be honest, this isn’t a BAD plan from Marquis Yan: it’d simultaneously kill like 4 shitty people REAL FAST. [EDIT: No, apparently just the Emperor and one random stand in for the Empress (though no one mentions this?).]

Re: Chapter 63

[superborb]

Yeah, for some reason, no one cares, though the stand in is going to be one of the consorts who are not involved in the court struggles.

Chapter 64

[x_los]

Oh hey, polo. Didn’t know they had that. Vaguely imagined it was India-exclusive.

Changsu: Aha heeeeey Yujin! Why am I here visiting you? No reason!!

Chapter 65

[x_los]

I don't know what Marquis Yan suspects about Changsu after this chat. Maybe nothing, yet.

Marquis Yan is a great character, but damn, he is cold to poor Yujin!

Honestly, we’re a bit lucky that Marquis Yan doesn’t just kill himself over this failure.

It’s really great that Changsu’s elaborate 12 year revenge plot was almost entirely fucked by: someone ELSE’S elaborate 12 year revenge plot. You’ve anticipated everything except: how caremad your uncle still is.