#Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty
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Have you ever watched a love triangle and known with a bone deep certainty that no matter the final/offical pairing, they could solve so many problems by all getting together?
Alternately, has the drama got three protagonists and all of them have amazing chemistry with each other?
Do you just think it would be funny?
Instead of choosing between love interests, help to vote between OT3s!
Propaganda, examples, and write-ins are absolutely encouraged!
#poll#oh my general#love between fairy and devil#nirvana in fire#mysterious lotus casebook#love like the galaxy#legend of fei#winter begonia#league of nobleman#sleuth of the ming dynasty#story of kunning palace#in blossom
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SHOP UPDATE IS LIVE!
Gray Cat Atelier
Go forth and shop! For what, you ask?? Well, here's what's new: 15mm wide Washi Tape! Postcards! Sticker Sheets!!! The old ones AND some new ones!!! New Stickers! Really old stickers!! One new giclee print! Fake stamps!? Washi tape stickers??!?!?
Gray Cat Atelier!!!!
#traditional illustration#stickers#sticker sheets#cute art#mxtx fanart#revolutionary girl utena#gray cat atelier#liu yao#mingqian#sleuth of the ming dynasty#moshang#wangxian#hualian#bingqiu#valentines day#shop update
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Cdrama: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (2020)
THE JEALOUS WOMAN, ALSO KNOWN AS SUI ZHOU! Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty EP 21 SHORT
Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Cn37C_Izzas
#The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty#成化十四年#The Story of Ming Dynasty#开朹大亐#Cheng Hua Shi Si Nian#The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua#Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty#2020#youtube#cdrama#chinese drama#iQiyi#shorts#short video#Darren Chen#Chen Kuan Hong#Tang Fan#Fu Meng Bo#Sui Zhou
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Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 成化十四年/The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty
(The) Sleuth of (the) Ming Dynasty (it's hard to get an agreement on how many definite articles should go where) is a beautiful, high-budget 2020 drama about a weenie genius detective, his long-suffering and deeply traumatized sugar daddy, and the eunuch with the most difficult job in the Great Ming: keeping these two dumbasses from getting their fool selves imperially executed.
Depending on how you like it, it's either an OT3 or an OTP with an intense, underage third wheel, and either way, it's delightful. I wouldn't call it a comedy, but it has very many funny elements that keep the drama fun and engaging. The first half is full of shorter mysteries that are clever and thoughtfully plotted, and the second half goes in on the longer mystery that ties them all together.
I've already done my quick guide to the early-episode characters, if you want a taste of just how many people are running around and how wonderful they all are. But in case you want to know a little bit more before you commit yourself to a 48-episode series, here's five reasons I think you should watch it!
1. The whole thing smacks of gender
Yeah, this was originally going to be selling point #2, but I know what the people want.
This is not a show about gender. But boy it is a show that has a lot to say about gender, and not just by way of critiquing premodern Chinese gender roles (though it does do that!). Many of the cis characters are either a) somewhat gender nonconforming, b) canny enough to weaponize binary gender expectations, or c) both. Sui Zhou's entire third-act storyline is about how expectations of masculinity exacerbate PTSD in veterans. Three different AFAB characters either dress or live as men. The part where one of the male characters goes undercover in drag is played for laughs, but the joke isn't 'ha ha, a boy in a dress,' it's 'ha ha, this particular boy in a particular dress, and also he's terrible at it.'
And that's even before we get to the eunuchs.
There are several professionally dickless, permanently unmanned characters running around. One-third of the OT3 canonically had his external genitalia nonconsensually removed when he was five years old, and because of this, he has been given unimaginable authority. He's basically the second most powerful man in the entire empire, and he only gets that way by being unquestionably, ostentatiously, and genuinely submissive to the first most powerful man.
I have seen other Chinese media where eunuchs are treated like sinister clowns, good only to be the bad guys and the butts of jokes. Sleuth's main eunuchs are real and complex characters, and because of this, the show gets to explore what it is to live in this weird third-gender category of incredible power and powerlessness.
Now, don't go into this expecting woke gender treatises. Wang Zhi's never going to sit down and go, "You know, my friend and fellow eunuch Ding Rong, because of my lack of a penis, I understand my relationship to masculinity differently than other men do." But the show understands that even if he doesn't say it, it's true. And that makes a lot of the characters and their relationships just so much more interesting.
2. Uncle Jackie Money
Sleuth was the was the fourth c-drama I dove into, following the Untamed, Word of Honor, and Guardian -- or, Some Money BL, Less Money BL, and No Money BL. So imagine my absolute wall-eyed shock to find this was All The Money BL, courtesy of its executive producer, Jackie Chan (seen here with some of his handsome boys):
Sleuth looks good. The costumes are amazing. The sets are stunning. The cinematography is beautiful. Everything is so detailed, and while I can't speak to the absolute historical accuracy of all those details (see point 3), they're still gorgeous. In fact, you know what? I'm going to shut up and show you some of the promotional images.
(For actual screenshots, I'm just going to point you at @rongzhi's tsomd photoset tag, as they have done a tremendous service to the fan community -- though do beware of spoilers.)
Uncle Jackie's influence doesn't end with the money, though. Even though things get a bit goofy and wirework-y near the end, most of the drama's fights are shows of real martial arts skill. You can see his fingerprints on a lot of the choreography -- I'm thinking particularly of the time Tang Fan tries (and fails!) to stab Sui Zhou three times, which is pure Jackie Chan high-speed dexterity.
Add this one to the category of shows your Average American Television Enjoyer Who Can Handle Subtitles would like. In fact, I have shown the first episode to my normie father-in-law, who was impressed. Show it to your dad! See if he picks up on the gay!
3. I am from ... HISTORY!
The Chinese title translates to "The 14th Year of Chenghua," which works out to the year 1478. There are some clear anachronisms, but they tend to be played for comedy, so it's hard to hold that against them. On the whole, though, the show is trying real hard to evoke a very specific moment, and I feel it does so beautifully.
This does, however, mean that several of the characters are real people. I don't even have a good sense of how many of them are based on historical figures, that's how many. Hilariously, Wang Zhi's tag on AO3 used to read "Wang Zhi (?-1487 CE)."
Moreover, these are characters I've seen pop up in other media, played very differently! In particular, Noble Consort (up there in blue) tends to be written as an uncomplicated villain elsewhere, whereas Sleuth gives her a chance to add some goodness to her badness, until, damn, you can't but root for the bitch. (It also downplays the cradle-robbing, which, honestly, is for the best.)
You may have guessed from the eunuch section earlier, but it bears repeating: Wang Zhi is straight-up the best character in the show. He's smart as hell, and he has to be, because the second he's stupid, he's dead. I actually consider it helpful to know ahead of time that he's never going to do a heel turn -- I feel like on my first watchthrough, I was holding my breath for the first two-thirds of the show, waiting for his sudden but inevitable betrayal. It does not come. Wang Zhi is one of the heroes.
He's also, like, evil. He orders people flogged, tortured, and executed. The very first thing you see him doing is sinister as hell. And the show clearly doesn't think this is good, but it also doesn't judge him for it. He's a traumatized seventeen-year-old who has not had a normal moment of his entire life. He's working thanklessly for a boss who could kill him on a whim -- and he's doing it because he literally, physically was made for his job. He's mildly freaking out because he has no emotional grounding to help him understand that these weirdos want to be his friends.
Was the real Wang Zhi like this? That's beside the point. The point is, you get to see how someone in that position could wind up as the war-crimes-committing platonic ideal of a little meow meow.
4. oh my god the food
Warning: This show will make you hungry.
Again, beware of spoilers, but @peppersandcreamsicle and @qinzai have put together an entire cook-along Google Doc so you don't just have to drool -- you can do something about it! Or you can just read it and learn about Chinese cuisine, which is a little more my speed.
But it's not just about how good the food looks. Food is a vital emotional part of the series. People bond over it. They make and share it as a sign of love and care. It indicates status, ethnicity, interest, personality. The show's message about the healing power of cooking for the people you love will bring you to tears.
And yes, Sui Zhou is the main one doing the cooking, so get ready to drool over both the dishes and the handsome man preparing them.
Oh, and as though that weren't enough, Fu Meng Po can actually cook in real life. He's so dreamy. Absolute unreal handsome man with a devastatingly sexy voice. (I know my opinion might be different if I could hear his Taiwanese accent, but I can't so it's not!)
5. An Unsunk Ship
So like I said, my intros to c-drama couples had been WangXian, WenZhou, and WeiLan. That meant I'd basically come to terms with the idea that you can't have a main couple in a BL-but-not-really drama without splitting them up at least a little in the end, for no-homo plausible deniability reasons.
Tang Fan and Sui Zhou are still definitvely, unequivocally together when the story ends, as the iconic pentultimate scene of the series confirms with beauty and simplicity. I refuse to give any more details than that, but that ship's afloat.
(These shirtless pictures aren't from the end, but I wanted to include them, and I didn't have a better place to do it. ...Also, you know, ships and water? Yeah?)
And I think their winding up together reflects Sleuth's entire attitude. Tang Fan is made of sunshine, and the series loves him for it. There is tragedy aplenty in this show, but there's no misery. It is ultimately a hopeful show that believes in the power of second chances, if you're willing to take them. Time and again, the moral of the story is that you are only ever as good as the people who have your back -- but you have to be willing to let them have your back. Let people help you. Let people cook for you. Let people give you a reason to keep living. And then keep living.
Also, Sui Zhou gets two good kabedons off on that little twink, which means they're legally married now. I don't make the rules.
Bonus: Banger opening theme
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This is one you will watch all 48 times.
Bonus #2: The Halo Video
youtube
This is the video that made me go, huh, these Sleuth boys seem like other boys I've enjoyed! Perhaps I shall enjoy them as well! And then I did. So if that might be convincing to you too, well, have at it. Even if it isn't, it's a fascinating three-minute study of shared those-boys-are-in-love visual language across these shows.
Fair warning that it contains shots from right up to the end, so if you'd rather go in completely blank, give this one a pass until later. (Excuse me while I now go watch it for the 10000th time.)
Have I convinced you to watch it yet?
It originally ran on iQiyi, though Viki's got it as well, and Viki's is free if you're willing to put up with some ads about it.
...I just noticed iQiyi's description of the series reads, "When the two handsome leading actors Darren Wang and Fu Meng-Po work together, what will happen? A lovely prefectural judge and an arrogant embroiered [sic] uniform guard join hands to crack unusual cases! Are you going to choose a new idol?" And you know what? Yes. The details are a little off, but that is the correct spirit. Thank you, thirsty blurb.
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#sleuth of the ming dynasty#wang zhi#tang fan#as always thanks go to my dear friend and brother the look at sleuth guy for taking screencaps so i don't have to
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I genuinely think The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty/14th Year of Chenghua is the most egregious case of "Watch the show before you read the book or you'll be so disappointed"
Because the plot COMPLETELY diverges after the first case, with only some things even being remotely similar and not even the first cases having the same conclusion, so watching the show doesn't spoil anything in the book at all.
But if you're used to God of Solving Cases Tang Fan with his ethereal elegance, you will have such a hard time getting used to Whiny Foodie Sleuth Tang Fan in the show.
I love both versions and Whiny Foodie Sleuth Tang Fan is my special baby, but I don't think I've seen anybody yet who actually enjoyed the show all that much after they read the book.
On the other hand, I watched the show, became obsessed, read the book, really enjoyed it, and rewatched the show and I'm still really enjoying it.
It's just that none of these people are the same characters and none of the plot is remotely similar.
#the sleuth of ming dynasty#sleuth of ming dynasty#the sleuth of the ming dynasty#sleuth of the ming dynasty#tsotmd#tsomd#fourteenth year of chenghua#14th year of chenghua#cDrama#danmei
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The last picture is inspired by a wonderful story by AnnaFox46
#tsomd#the sleuth of ming dynasty#sleuth of the ming dynasty#chenghuashisinian#the fourteenth year of chenghua#tang fan#wang zhi#sui zhou#ding rong#illustrations#fanart#cdrama#cnovel#cdramaart#chssn#rongzhi
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That's how it went, right?
#tsomd#tsomd spoilers#tsomd meme#sleuth of the ming dynasty#rongzhi#wang zhi#ding rong#tang fan#sui zhou
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YOU CANNOT WRITE SLEUTH WITHOUT SLUT!!!
#tang fan#sleuth of the ming dynasty#i have to ADVOCATE for this show#it's so freaking good!!!#ep.30#damn girl!!!
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Have you got a sibling? No? Would you like one? Also no? Well tough luck, you're stuck with a bratty younger sibling now.
Benefits include being whined at early in the morning and late at night, all your food being stolen, having to bail them out of trouble constantly, and having very loyal companions who love you.
Some of these contestants are actual younger siblings, and some of them are single children who just have That Energy.
Propaganda, examples, and write-ins absolutely welcome!
#poll#sleuth of the Ming Dynasty#word of honor#mysterious lotus casebook#nirvana in fire#blood of youth#love and redemption#love like the galaxy#love between fairy and devil#the legend of shen li#shi shen ling#joy of life#cdrama poll
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Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty - Food Cook Along Doc!
Did Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty make you very hungry? Same here!
with lots of help from other sleuths, @qinzai and I set up a food cook along doc!
Can't really call it a cookbook since all recipes are linked etc etc but..
Dig in my dear sleuths!
Uploaded agos ago on tweeter.
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Cdrama: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (2020)
The sleuth of Ming Dynasty edit - everything I wanted edit #cdrama #boylove #edit
Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H8mjq10asCI
#The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty#成化十四年#The Story of Ming Dynasty#开朹大亐#Cheng Hua Shi Si Nian#The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua#Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty#2020#youtube#cdrama#chinese drama#iQiyi#shorts#short video#Darren Chen#Chen Kuan Hong#Tang Fan#Fu Meng Bo#Sui Zhou
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this should be a meme
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The characters so far in The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty:
Tang Fan, the titular sleuth, a detective and low ranking judge who is always hungry, can't pay his rent, writes porn for extra cash, zero political acumen
Sui Zhou, army vet with PTSD, cop, related to the Dowager Empress, amazing chef, man who lets Tang Fan invade his home, most eligible bachelor of the Ming Dynasty
Wang Zhi, Very Important Eunuch, collector of favours, probably dubbed by Akira Ishida
Dong Er, precious child with eidetic memory saved from being sold to a brothel by Tang Fan with Sui Zhou's money, better than you at everything
Duo Er La (Dora), plains nomad of ethnic minority, horsewoman, ready to fight a man at the drop of a hat, fondness for Tang Fan
Wu Yun, subordinate of Dora, big horse boy and interpreter
Pei Huai, doctor and 'gynecologist', eater of poisons, distributer of exciting foreign foods like 'tomato' and 'corn'
Xue Ling, subordinate cop of Sui Zhou, a mythical Good Cop
A Lamb Too Adorable To Eat
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