CDrama Review: Identity, Intimacy, and Balance in Pursuit of Jade (2 of 3)

As the episodes roll along, we get to know that Yan Zheng is a person of power and authority. He has a falcon that brings him letters. He can read and write. His gait, attitude and mannerisms are indicative of nobility. And, he was quiet and observant all along. We also see the exposition of Changyu's character. Spunky. Outspoken. Strong in spirit. She loves Lin'an like her own family despite the gossip, the prejudice and the dangers of war looming closer to home.

From the beginning, it was love at first sight. However, and this is beautiful to note, neither of them knows or recognize it as love. There is affection and it is strong. It is the couple Zhao who names the affection because they see it in the everyday ordinary routines between Changyu and Yan Zheng. This tension is wonderful to behold.

In the scene where Yan Zheng and Changyu assert their couple-hood, they stand at the doorway proclaiming themselves as man and wife sealing it with a kiss on the cheek from him to her and her to him. And then, they stand tall looking at each other. The tenderness leaps out of the screen. Yan Zheng looks at Changyu with wonder and reverence. She looks back holding his gaze unafraid and in all sincerity. The snow is thick in Lin'an but it is warm in their home and in the depths of my heart. This is when I told myself that I will root for this pair until the end of the world.

This screenshot of a scene in Act 1 is for me a formidable depiction of both intimacy and balance. In this episode, they were asserting their arranged marriage. They have not said I love you and are still coy with each other but there are scenes that show closeness, affection and intimacy.

In this moment, Yan Zheng is still limping. He holds a staff. He is weak. And Changyu is his strength. What a foreshadowing. The Marquis who hides derives strength from the village girl.

And isn’t this balance, too? Not just equality of power, but reciprocity. Not sameness, but complementarity. Dependence, too, is a form of balance.

They stand at the doorway. A liminal space between inside and outside, private and public, while holding each other in shared understanding. He leans; she steadies. He conceals, she grounds.

This is how their love begins. Not in declaration, but in the gentle, everyday act of holding each other where the other is lacking.