#Qiang Jin Jiu spoilers
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On Differential Methods, Politics, & Intimacy for Early Novel!Cezhou (haitang-blossoms' Qiang Jin Jiu meta)
Note: This analysis goes up to Chapter 42 which is where I had read up to before Lianyin's fantranslation was taken down due to official English licensing by Seven Seas. This is also the source of my quoted screenshots of the novel.
The way both Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye weaponise perceived incompetence (through fabricated images of "grateful helplessness" and "devil-may-care hedonism" respectively) is so compelling and really serves to flesh out the realities of the environment they are forced to navigate.
It is a recurring narrative motif that both Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye are "beasts" trapped and restrained by the political system of Qudu. However, the difference in social position and status between them is key to why they choose the masks that they do.
Shen Zechuan, both as a by-proxy-traitor to the nation and as the son of a dancer, has always had to keep his head down and not act beyond his station. Thus, it is perfectly natural that he operates within this expected framework: both to survive in the hostile political landscape as well as to conceal his own intentions and moves within the shadows.
Xiao Chiye, on the other hand, was born into relative power. While the Xiao Clan of Libei was never in the favour of the Empress Dowager, they are nonetheless a reputable cavalry with a hereditary title. Xiao Chiye, as the second son, has both less direct political influence as well as responsibility than his father (the prince) or his elder brother (the next-in-line). This is how he is so easily made a "bargaining chip" and assigned to what seems to be a hopelessly dead-end job in order to keep a metaphorical "leash" on any rebellious intent that Libei may harbour. Given his wealth and inevitable position of being constantly in the public eye, the easiest way to cover up the target on Xiao Chiye's back is to present himself as a frivolous hedonist who is too busy chasing after liquor and bed-partners to pose a real threat to the established power dynamics of the capital.
The difference between their methods can also be observed in the way that their preferences are perceived by others:
Xiao Chiye presents himself as genial: he loves to drink, he is sociable enough to go out with friends frequently etc. However, as seen in the quote above, Xiao Chiye's "friendliness" is actually quite distant in that even the people who think they know him well are unaware of his true preferences. Yet he conducts himself in such a manner that they would not even think to ponder such things. It is a very effective approach for gathering intel: make the other party assume you are giving away much more about yourself than you are, opening the door for them to carelessly overshare from a sense of fabricated comradery.
Shen Zechuan is the opposite: going along with how he is forced to constantly humble himself and downplay his abilities, his preferences have to be presented as equally accommodating to the will of others. There are many instances where he seemingly goes along with others, secretly gritting his teeth the whole way, in order to "soften" them up to be played into his hand later.
And this goes into my next point:
Even though Shen Zechuan has an image of seductiveness, his entire method revolves around NOT having openly expressed desires because that would only serve as a vulnerability. Xiao Chiye, by contrast, predicates his mask around devil-may-care hedonism.
In this way, desire is both much more familiar to Xiao Chiye as well as easier to integrate into his established reputation than for Shen Zechuan.
This is key to why Xiao Chiye is the first to accept his feelings and why he is much more comfortable with unabashedly expressing them. Thus, I think the differences in how Cezhou present themselves and the contrasting methods they use to stay ahead in their environment have bearing not only on the political games of their world but also on their relationship and how they relate themselves to each other.
#Qiang Jin Jiu#Ballad of Sword and Wine#Tang Jiuqing#Cezhou#Xiao Chiye#Xiao Ce'an#Shen Zechuan#Shen Lanzhou#my meta#my post#analysis#Qiang Jin Jiu spoilers#spoilers
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Read Golden Stage/Terrace and was left very meh. Not bad, not a subject of my devotion either. I prefer my stories either full on R Romantic or leaning towards the plot as in Qiang Jin Jiu, so although the story and charas were perfectly fine it was very much just an entertaining way to pass the time.
I was expecting... Less good behaviour from the protags honestly XD and not in terms of scheming; I liked how few fucks they gave towards a correct confucian behaviour lol. But it didn't felt like an enemies to lovers as it was sold, not even a rival to lovers. Lost opportunity to suddenly lovers fits. I liked that they almost had something as teens but Yan Xiaohan duty/role and Fu Shen relative immaturity at court games made that impossible. The Cui Yu incident as the memory Yan Xiaohan keeps to remind himself to not sink so low in the future was nice, as is the fact he is still pretty much amoral and doesn't have any loyalty to the emperor(s) except self-preservation.
In general I was very meh about Fu Shen and his fam, except his nephew and that throwaway line about how he remembers years later when he's in the throne that Yan Xiaohan once told him as a child that he only wanted FS and not the kingdom. I want to know more about that kid's life bc it sounds fascinating just from that smidge of info. He's assured as emperor despite the regency bc he knows that what his uncles want is each other more than the throne. Fascinating.
As I was saying; Yan Xiaohan on the other hand? Bastard son of an emperor with a concubine of that emp's father, raised in a temple for retired court women by a nun and a eunuch, who taught all he needed to make a life for himself and success on the court? Super interesting. And we don't know anything about their relationship except that his adoptive father made him swear to not marry a women and have children so as to not challenge any the ruling line (bc the emperor knew Xiaohan was his son). Like.
Of course I prefer Xiaohan XD
But anyways just a light read in comparison with other danmei and a dynamic that just isn't my kind of visceral romance, desire being very good for each other. Also the wonkers pseudo democracy too. That was weird XD good weird but like. Very much pfft at times. That Fu Shen is all on board bc he's just, so so tired of incompetent bosses, essentially, and also very much dislikes authority is funny too.
Anyways these are my thoughts. Worth giving it a read if you are interested by the premise (I usually despise forced marriage, except when done as in very all we here adults as in Golden Stage or full on going this is fucked up and not endgame so that's one thing it does well) but not my cup of tea.
SPOILERS QIANG JIN JIU
I'm still thinking of Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan. And there's no comparison with this novel sorry not sorry. Really liked Ce'an, bc he feels very... realistic as a warlord and also just fantasy enough for the story and romance to work? Both he and Shen Zechuan do. I really liked the way they're attracted to each other at the start despite the antagonism (genuine antagonism!!! their first time is genuine hate sex despite the attraction and burgeoning fondness) and the plotting bc they recognize on each other a yearning from freedom and to be themselves. Then they end the story chained in Qudu by their own volition and by love and mmm. Thematically tasty.
#my thoughts#golden stage#golden terrace#qiang jin jiu#ballad of sword and wine#qiang Jin jiu spoilers
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It’s officially a pattern:
End of vol 1:
End of vol 2:
End of vol 3:
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I think what makes Qiang Jin Jiu so great as a historical court politics danmei is that it’s not just about the power struggles in the Imperial Court, it portrays real issues that are still prevalent even in modern times such as corruption, poverty, misogyny, female oppression, etc.
The working class suffers due to increasing wealth inequality and corrupt officials who are too busy deepening their own pockets. People die of starvation and the government simply chooses to close its eyes. Women are still discriminated against in the workplace and their achievements are often questioned and undervalued. Majority of rape cases are not even investigated, the perpetrators get away scot-free while the victims are shamed instead. It’s very easy to compare the fictional story with the real life predicaments in today’s news.
Additionally, even the corrupt clans and the Biansha tribes are not portrayed in a black-or-white manner—they are not just two-dimensional evil characters; there are multiple characters from the eight great clans who are still good at heart and struggled to do the right thing such as Hua Xiangyi and Pan Lin, and through Hasen and Duo’erlan we were shown that the Biansha tribes are also human beings—they have families, and they are struggling to survive in the desert. The war is a brutality that causes casualties in both sides, but there are parties that benefit from it just as other parties suffer deeply from it.
Qiang Jin Jiu is a multifaceted story—it has excellent romance, but it’s not just mainly about the romance. The author went through great lengths to establish such a complex world-building then executes the plot and climax beautifully, in a way that’s consistent with every character’s personality, background, motivations, and relationships. This not only makes the story development compelling and believable, but also allows the author to bring forth complex issues that can become food for thought for the readers who empathized with the characters. This is why Qiang Jin Jiu is such a masterpiece.
#ballad of sword and wine#qiang jin jiu#gushing about qjj#Why T97 is Thee GOAT#an essay by me#meta#qjj#qjj spoilers
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WN Women Bonus Polls #5: Other Danmei
[Propaganda below] - Major Spoilers Warning!
Baili Qingmiao from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know
Submission: Her character arc is so good and im so proud of her 🥹
Additional Propaganda: Baili Qingmiao's story is about breaking out of cycles that trap us in toxic situations. She is the last primordial goddess going through her tribulation, but some asshole thought he'd interfere making him her tribulation. She just wants to help people, but she can't escape her attachment until a bunch of demonic cultivators form a community around her and help her conquer the part of her is sabotaging her and the rest of the world.
DVAWTK Carrd Link
Bai Rong from Thousand Autumns
Submission: She's funny, pretty, and goes through a great character arc.
Chu Yue from Global Examination / GUEE / QQGK
Submission: She is the best friend anyone could ever have, and she is compassionate and kind despite the horrible things she's had to endure. She's a vital part in taking down The System (TM).
Hua Xiangyi from Qiang Jin Jiu
Submission: Surprisingly skillful player in a complicated political arena. Her love interest is her stepdaughter (same age as her).
Murong Mengze from Yuwu / Remnants of Filth
Submission:
Okay, this is a tricky one. Major spoilers ahead. Murong Mengze was born biologically male but raised as a woman for her protection by her mother, who used medicine to make Mengze appear female. For most of the novel, Murong Mengze has a female identity and is referred to with female pronouns. At the end of the novel, it seems she is set to reveal herself as a man after taking control of Chonghua, and the narration refers to her with male pronouns at the very end. We don't actually see her unveil herself as a man, though. I'd say that she counts as a transgender woman, but it's okay to disqualify her. Anyway, the real propaganda is that she is an excellent puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the scenes without anyone realizing for a very long time. She controls the kingdom of Chonghua at the end of the novel.
Wiki Link
Qiu Congxue from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know
Submission 1: I haven't finished reading this book yet but Qiu Congxue is just the funniest character to me. her immediate suggestion to any problem is horrific, traumatizing violence and is confused by how this might be inappropriate or undesirable for some people. ultimate problem causer without realizing she might be causing problems. a genius to herself and no one else. she let her body be eaten by hungry ghosts for her cultivation. head intact, body skeletal and she likes it that way. when asked what she should do to interfere with the enemy while undercover in their territory, her sect leader and our protagonist Wenren E replied that her mere presence is enough interference in itself. my stupid queen <3
Submission 2: Skeleton lady full of ghosts (literally).
DVAWTK Carrd Link
Qi Zhuyin from Qiang Jin Jiu
Submission: Female general in love with her stepmother. Known as the Wind Guiding the Scorching Plains.
Wiki Link
Shu Yanyan from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know
Submission: Aroallo queen <3
DVAWTK Carrd
Song Qiutong from The Husky and His White Cat Shizun / 2ha
Submission: I just think it would be funny to have her here.
Ye Wangxi from The Husky and His White Cat Shizun / 2ha
“Among the 72 glorious cities of Rufeng Sect, there is not even one man.” - Ye Wangxi, The Husky and His White Cat Shizun, Chapter 215 (Wiki)
Submission: Righteous, dignified, loyal, brave, etc.
Mod Propaganda: The “last gentleman” in Rufeng Sect, according to Taxian-jun, who she fought to the end in the first timeline when the Rufeng Sect leaders had already bailed
#baili qingmiao#shu yanyan#wn women bonus polls#qiu congxue#dvawtk#devil venerable also wants to know#bai rong#thousand autumns#chu yue#global examination#qqgk#hua xiangyi#qi zhuyin#qiang jin jiu#qjj#murong mengze#remnants of filth#yuwu#song qiutong#ye wangxi#2ha#the husky and his white cat shizun#meatbun doesn't eat meat#spoilers#2ha spoilers#polls#favorite wn women tournament#queue
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Me when Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan are still supposed to be hating each other but now they’re acting like they’re married-.
#𝐥𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬⭐️˚ˑ༄#don’t get me wrong#in loving it#eating this shit up#but I’m giggling because they deadass skipped so many steps#vol 2 spoilers#sz stroking xc face talkin bout his stubble#AHHHHHHH#xiao ce'an#xiao chiye#shen zechuan#shen lanzhou#qiang jin jiu#qjj#danmei
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the contrast between cezhou relationship reveal to their parents is so funny like with xiao chiye's family he just casually came out of the closet boasting "the most goodlooking man in the whole of dazhou is my wife!" to his dad who threw horse shit at him, meanwhile with shen zechuan's dad it was a dramatic reveal of ji gang finding out that they've been having premarital sex and consequently beating up this hoodlum xiao chiye for digging the most beautiful cabbage in dazhou
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Ballad of Sword and Wine book one read. I haven’t read an enemies to lovers that made me this giddy in a while.
And aside from the incredible build up for the romance, the fight scenes and politics are actually kinda sick? And the characters obviously are sad and traumatized but i am really into how they handle it.
Immediately going into book two bc why would the leave it like that huh
#ballad of sword and wine#shen zechuan#xiao chiye#xiao ce'an#shen lanzhou#spoilers ballad of sword and wine#qiang jin jiu#sqq
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I have read Qiang Jin Jiu and honestly think I'll never recover
(Spoilers ahead!)
Oh god, where to start this? Maybe I should start with the very begging: I didn't understood shit. I just saw a kid being tortured and lots of information. When I felt it was too much, I went after the translated map and OMG that was so helpful! Bless the translators for that. After looking carefully at the map, things started to make sense.
As the story went, before the end of book one I was not very familiar with all the characters. I kept mistaking Hai Liangyi for Hua Siqian lol. But during my reading I started to take some notes and was never confused again. The thing is, this book has A LOT of characters and some of them are introduced early but only become major players later (Yao Wenyu, Hua Xiangyi...)
Even though this huge ensemble would make characters easy to forget, this doesn't happen. The author managed to create likeable and rememberable characters pretty easily??? I fell in love with many of them at first read, even if they didn't show up a lot. And there were characters that got me completely off guard, I wasn't expecting them to be so cool and relevant, BUT THEY WERE (Fei Sheng, Kong Liu)! And the antagonists were also brilliant, I love a good story where everyone has a point and no one is actually evil: People from Biansha had their truths and in a war there are no right sides, Xue Xiuzhuo wanted the best for Dazhou (even though I can't forgive what the did to my baby Yuanzhuo), and Li Jianting??? WHAT A LEGEND! Also, Feng Quan plot twist left me speechless, what an interesting character. Every character was very human (in the good and bad way), everyone had their own goals and beliefs. I actually might do a second post screaming about every character because I have a lot to say about them. (hello hasen my love)
The Plot??? Perfectly done. AND WELL EXPLAINED! I was always a little afraid of reading novels with a lot of politics, but I really dug this one. The problems with grains, provisions, registry, army and BRO THERE WAS EVEN SOME AGRARIAN REFORM SHIT
The way this author write the MOST well written battles I have read, without using any magic... it's just... I never thought I would be so enthusiastic about cannons, rocks and GRAINS.
The conflicts in Zhongbo could be all repetitive, but they weren't at all. Each prefecture that Lanzhou took back had a interesting story.
The war with Biansha was also brilliantly written. The way Amu'er was attacking Dazhou from the inside out and the scorpions with those hammers??? My man was a genius. Sadly, he could never have predicted Bai Cha and her son.
Talking about that, the family relationships are a great point in this. Seeing flashbacks about Lanzhou, Ji Mu, Ji Gang and Hua Pinging made me CRY! They were so happy... And seeing Xiao Chiye with his brother and HIS DAD LIKE... Xiao Fangxu and Ji Gang best daddies. Fei Sheng and Yin Chang too, what a beautiful chapter the one that they talk after Fei Sheng has a fight with Qiao Tianya.
Talking about Qiao Tianya, it was refreshing to see a novel with more LGBT characters. The secondary pairings were great, they didn't steal the spotlight from cezhou, but were very enjoyable (even though THAT happened between Songyu). I just wished we could have seen more Qihua moments and OH GOD KONG LIU AND LUO MU??? That got me truly off guard, wasn't expecting at all. Also, I found really interesting how Lanzhou basically got a LGBT parade following him at the end, that was truly the gayest empire ever. I have so many headcanons here, let me scream them: Xue Xiuzhuo is AroAce, Li Jianting is a non-binary legend and Huo Lingyun a Bi King. Also, Fei Sheng is not straight. Said it.
The little animals in this??? I WAS TERRIFIED WHEN LANG TAO XUE JIN FELL IN THAT HOLE YALL I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA DIE. But luckily he didn't. Meng, Hunu, Feng Shuang Ta Yi were all the cutest, I need more novels with cats.
THE CHILDREN - Ding Tao, Li Xiong, Xiao Xun and Jiran. They served chaos, humor and cuteness. I really liked whenever they showed up.
THE LADIESSS - If you have read my other posts you know I love some powerful women. This story did not disappoint me in that sense. Hua Hewei had some despicable acts, but she really got everyone on her hands despite never leaving the inner palace, good for her. Hua Xiangyi is a way better version of her aunt, my girl was smart and cared for the people, an amazing woman. QI ZHUYINNN owns my life, I really adored the fact that she was a badass and that she never hated the fact she was born a girl, slay. Bai Cha was really out there helping women that were sold and their children, that is some real sorority there. Lu Yizhi was so kind, loved seeing her interactions with Lanzhou. Li Jianting was everything, her story was one of the saddest and yet she was doing her best to become a ruler. Duo Er'lan was amazingly brave, even more than Hasen, mad respect for her.
And last, but definitely not least, there is cezhou. I have no words to explain how much I adored these two. The way both of them got their own development and had their own private goals and went after them, so good. They are so well written that I wanna scream. The chapters that are focused on Lanzhou's feelings are not big in number, even when he is the main character, his feelings are shown in discreet ways (the handkerchief!) and most of the time we don't know what he is plotting or thinking. But when we take a peek at what's going inside of his heart, it's... astonishing. And I love seeing how he actually cared for the side characters, even though he doesn't show a lot.
And Ce'an kind of caught me off guard, I thought he was going to be a totally different character but he went and delivered
Xiao Chiye was a perfect fit for Lanzhou and Lanzhou was a perfect fit for Xiao Chiye: they were both in similar situations where only them could understand each other's suffering, and after they leave Qudu we see how much of a match made in heaven they are (not just romantically, but strategically).
THE SEXUAL TENSION AT THE BEGINNING YALL... They were scheming/fighting and flirting at the same time. Iconic.
Read this, you won't regret it!
By the way, I started reading the story in December and finished by March, but I completely forgot to post this! College has been frying my brain these days.
Hopefully I will resume my Sha Po Lang reading and come back here to tell my opinions on the book. (Not sure when though.)
See ya!
#qiang jin jiu#qjj#将进酒#qjj spoilers#danmei#danmei recs#nana rambles about novels#bl novel#book review#novel review#novel recommendation
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some random Cezhou tension from chapter 23 of the manhua.
Just started extra 5 of Qiang Jin Jiu. If I don't procrastinate (probably will), it should be ready by next week. Even if I do, shouldn't be that much later.
Link to Google Doc:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hc4O86HpK7bB2q9k5P67KLw8xnqzkmiF?usp=drive_link
#fan translation#spoiler#qiang jin jiu#qjj extras#ballad of sword and wine#xiao chiye#shen zechuan#qjj manhua
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Damn it! Qi Huilian! The hidden chess piece! What the hell is going on? What?!
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Qjj Interior Illustrations vol 3
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Xiao Chiye when Xiao Jiming asks him if he is dating someone: Nope! There is no one! Absolutely none. I am not dating anyone. (Blinks nervously) There is no one I want to date and I am absolutely not pining after anybody. I am so single right now. I am also never getting married, why do you ask?
Xiao Chiye when Xiao Fangxu asks him if he is dating someone: Yeah Dad, I am a homosexual. I am so in love and he is the most beautiful man to ever live. (Runs to avoid horse dung) We’ve been having premarital affair for a very long time and I am going to take him home immediately to see Mom since we will obviously have our wedding as soon as possible.
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WN Criminal Upper Bracket
Jun Wu from Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF)
Submission: This is MAJOR SPOILERS for Heaven Official's Blessing- but as for his crimes, just like. All his actions as Bai Wuxiang were so iconic. Jun Wu was so single mindedly focused, he manipulated so many people and brought so much death, destruction, and despair to ruin Xie Lian's life and to turn him into a Calamity like himself. It's the dedication to the bit for me, he wiped everything from his disastrous past and became emperor of heaven. Jun Wu had all of the heavenly court fooled and under his thumb for centuries and played the part of the caring mentor/father figure to Xie Lian all while gladly placing the cursed shackles on him.
Wiki Link
Shen Zechuan from Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu
Submissions: Character of all time. He's done a lot of crimes, but I'll just mention that one time he put a guy in a cage, poured boiling water on him, and sliced off his skin piece by piece while he was still alive.
Additional Propaganda #1 from the Less Popular Danmei Character Tournament
Additional Propaganda #2 from the Less Popular Danmei Character Tournament
Wiki Link
[Please be kind and respectful in the notes. Anti-Propaganda is NOT allowed.]
#jun wu#heaven official's blessing#tgcf#mxtx#shen zechuan#qiang jin jiu#qjj#ballad of sword and wine#polls#wn criminal upper bracket#wn criminal upper finals#wn criminal tournament#my polls#scheduled#torture cw#spoilers#tgcf spoilers#major tgcf spoilers#long post#wn criminal top 4
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Reading qiang Jin jiu. Thank you for like giving me the interest in reading it. I was at chapter 90 when I decided welp... There's been a lot of foreshadowing in this so maybe it's safe to search for some Spoilers now? Well.. So I am apparently only six chapters away from the doom and I don't know how to handle reading knowing the things that will happen have broken my heart WHYYY T^T I'll persevere for szc and xcy.
You know what’s funny? I had thought about adding a note for when the different volumes of the book end because soooooo much shit goes down at the end of the volumes (and there are 3, so you have one more traumatic hurtle to go!) but I decided against it because I didn’t think it would really make much of a difference to anyone following my liveblogging 😅
#qiang jin jiu asks#anon#hindsight and all that lol#I’m not sure if spoilers helps in this case#cause reading about those ends kinda racks up the apprehension about reading them#but the book DOES have a happy ending#which is what kept me going
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xiao chiye: (wantonly dressed) oh hi shifu i was busy doing "things"
ji gang: haha xiao ce'an you are fucking my son
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