#sleuth of ming dynasty
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Another year, another rec list with some of the best xuexiao I've read these last 12 months!! >w<
And like last year's rec list, this isn't either exhaustive or limited to fics posted in 2023. It's just the things I have found, which I liked, and want to spread the love about ^-^
Here's, in no particular order, my favourite xuexiao (and occasional songxuexiao) fics. Also, take a look down below for other mxtx or danmei pairings!
You're mine by twilightshards. This is a phenomenal oneshot where Xue Yang does not wait patiently to take revenge on Baixue temple, but rather follows the annoying daoshi out of Jinlintai as soon as he gets off the hook. He catches up with them a couple of nights later, only to find Xiao Xingchen in a... compromised position. While moaning Xue Yang's name.
The tamed by @fieri-sentio-et-excrucior. Last year I recommended the wonderful The Prisoner of Jinlintai fic, and now we got a sequel to that!!! Exciting stuff, very exciting... Xiao Xingchen saves Xue Yang from his botched execution and Song Lan is there raging at what he thinks is a psycho taking full advantage of his friend's kindness. Absolutely loved it!
蛇 - shé by shoujorei. A spectacular oviposition fic with blind snake hybrid Xiao Xingchen and enemy-posing-as-housemate Xue Yang, who really didn't know what he was volunteering for when he offered to "help" daozhang with his next heat. An absolute delight!
good lies go bad by istilfearkanna One of the Yi City what-if's I like so much, showing what would happen if Song Lan is successful in killing Xue Yang and, as per canon, vows not to tell his friend anything. So naturally you have Xiao Xingchen happy about his rekindled friendship, but also deeply worried about his missing friend... breaks my heart every time T-T (thx lionfish13 for the rec!!!)
Down in the black sea by @10holmes. A mermaid AU which has to be the sweetest Xue Yang /Xiao Xingchen tale I've seen in a while, with xxc being a revered merman saving the life of a handsome pirate... without realizing that is the infamous Xue Yang, mermaid hunter and slayer of plenty of his kinsmen!! But of course, they fall in love. It's downright adorable (and deliciously angst-inducing!) Also, the worldbuilding in this one is marvelous!
promises, promises by an anonymous author. Time travel fic!!! This one follows Song Lan trying to right the wrongs of his life in the easiest way possible: that is, to eliminate Xue Yang before he has the chance to hurt anyone else. Except... he gets distracted saving the life of a poor child with a mangled left hand. Still ongoing, and XXC isn't in the picture yet, but the new chapters are highly anticipated and the writing style is so, so, so good.
the non-con opition by the same anonymous author. How do I know? None of your business!! But the awesome writing style continues here, as well as the song lan/xue yang being brought together by fate is just as awesome. It promises to be songxuexiao eventually, for now it's a delightful soulmates/omegaverse with alpha!Song Lan in rut nonconning the hell out of a mysterious omega with a foul mouth.
Sant Xingchen i el drac by @ergbolli45 A little sweet adorable spin of a traditional legend very dear to my heart. It's winter, the Yi City crew are bored around their campfire, and A-Qing wants a story. So, Xue Yang offers to tell a tale from some exotic land on the west about a little princess, a brave knight and a fearsome dragon.
sticking their dick in crazy by Sectionladvivi. I'm not generally one for modern AUs, but this one is such a stupid and shameless pwp that it skyrocketed through my rankings XD SongXueXiao, and oddly enough, the crazy one alluded in the title isn't Xue Yang!! Delicious and filthy. No thoughts, just horn.
Priceless by @fieri-sentio-et-excrucior. Another modern AU!! but how can I resist, when this is Xue Yang breaking and entering happily married songxiao's domicile, who were getting ready for a very sexy night... and end up, Song Lan tied up and forced to watch the criminal fuck Xiao Xingchen senseless (and unaware it's not his husband the one in bed with him!). Evil and sexy, another wonderful fic by such a wonderful author <3
hands, reaching out by @neriine. A retelling of Yi City but with mutation-like special powers, making it especially interesting when it comes to xuexiao's backstory (song lan is also there, in the background) and the night hunts. It's sweet, sweet, Xue Yang as always a murder gremlin who thinks he has it all under control when the first thing that he doesn't know half-way about is his own feelings... Very well-written, and creative in its worldbuilding!
THIS lovely picture is not from a fic (well, not yet, unless I manage to do something cute with it >w<) but serves as an example of all the wonderful pic manips @wangxianswuji has made, which maybe it's cheating a bit for a fanfic rec post, but. They're just so good. Go check their profile and drool with me ^-^
and speaking of art, I can't not mention @wrathyforest's art done for the fic Now that I see you, particularly one of my favourite moments with Xiao Xingchen defending Xue Yang from an undesirable... this fic was in last year's rec list, and very deservingly so!
ANd now for the other ships!
Love of my life, don't hurt me by @foreheadkissesforzewu-jun This is a delightful and spectacularly cruel tale of unrequired love by a gallant cultivator spiriting his soulmate away. At least, that's what Wen Zhuliu sees it, when in fact this fic is him kidnapping and brutally assaulting Lan Xichen, while following the events of the Wen war and the sunshot campaign. Loved it, but PLEASE read the tags.
Jade pillar, bending like reed by awkwardrecline. dark jades (and dark!Lan Xichen in particular) are so so sooo very dear to my heart... this fic has it all, a tyrannical Lan clan leader who will abuse his power left right and center, a jealous didi who wants nothing but possessive love, so much smut everywhere... Cloud Recesses is never as sexy as when the jades are so unrestrained, I love it! ^-^
My future mommy's mistake by tenwudzvrs. Is this fic pretty much what many people consider nono kinks? mpreg, noncon, xue yang being an utter dick? and do I love it precisely because of it? XD pregnant Wei Wuxian goes home one evening but comes across a ruffian in a back alley, who does everything to him up to and including speaking with his husband through the phone while nailing him to the wall. Lan Zhan isn't happy. I am delighted.
What brother needs, brother gets by @foreheadkissesforzewu-jun. a modern AU jadecest pwp which... to be honest, it's pure oral fixation Lan Xichen going to his didi after he got dumped by some idiot and Lan Wangji doing the best he can to comfort him. It's ridiculously shameless and incredibly enjoyable, just to see these two come to the conclusion that the best course of action is to fuck each other!! XD Wei Ying will find a surprise when he gets back home from his travels and finds his husband has collected another husband...
furious love by @alipeeps. From Till the end of the moon, a very nasty and wonderfully in-canon insight on the disastrous marriage between Ye Xiwu (the original) and Tantai Jin. Let's just say she decides to take her marital rights to the extreme, and using the very same lust potion that originally landed her in that marriage to begin with! Tantai Jin is one of those characters that truly suffer beautifully, and suffer he does here!
a fire, made high and wild by @judiwench. A fic for Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, which is a series that wormed its way into my soul. Sui Zhou desperately searches Tang Fan (him, please, him, not his corpse) only to find him... less than good. I was seriously debating between this one and is the festering that kills a man by the same author, but... Agh, they are both amazing snippets at their obvious mutual love, and the trauma that brings it to light. Highly recommend the series and these fics!
a long sleepless night by @dying-redshirt-noises. This one is from Mysterious Lotus Casebook, a wonderful three-way pwp in the Girls' Mansion where Fang Duobing gets doused with sex pollen... of course, Li Lianhua wants to help, but there is not much he can do with his yang disfunction. How handy to have someone like a-Fei nearby to rail the young master, then!! It is sexy and wonderfully in-canon, and I'm all for it.
And I'm probably still forgetting a few fics, there is nowhere near enough jadecest here compared to what I know I have read and enjoyed... Shame on me again for forgetting to bookmark more often than not.
I'm a bit sad that I barely found any of this year's authors on tumblr (don't know if they don't have accounts here, or do under different usernames) so if anyone knows about them, repost bc I'd like to engage and give them my most sincere praise.
Also, I will say I purposefully avoided tgcf fics for fear of spoilers until I read the whole book, so... next year I'm surely filling this with hualian and such!! >w<
Finally, since we're at it, I just will get a bit of self-promotion with the 5 fics I liked most of what I wrote on this year. I'm IMMENSELY PROUD to have produced 36 fics in this year of our lord 2023 (3 per month!!! omfg!!) and while I can't claim favourites, these might be the ones I'm most proud of:
Some kind of dream. Xuexiao roleplaying after a night hunt, with some nice power dynamics, very mutually enthusiastic consensual non-con, and Xue Yang all but confessing that he is Xiao Xingchen's worse enemy... Smut and fluff, all in one. I do love the 3 year bliss in Yi City, and all the in-canon opportunities it offers!!!
Incensed nights. An INSANE endeavor for kinktober, with WangXian dreaming each night a different cozy, cruel, smutty or simply crack-y scenario. 31 fics for the price of one!! multiple pairings, I can't stress how much Lan Zhan dreams of his brother, or wei wuxian's mind follows other ships... Extremely happy with this one, and I nearly went crazy, seriously.
Shards of morning nights and forbidden kisses. My attempt at jadecest, niecest and omegaverse, all in one. ANd quite successful, might I say! Both clan leaders Lan and Nie want to find a way to claim and marry their respective omega didis, but something something clan rules forces them to play a delicate and sexy political game. It ends in a very nice orgy XD
A Comedy of Yi City Errors. This one, I'm particularly happy with the sheer amount of planning and interlocking plotpoints it has, with Song Lan coming across Xiao Xingchen, a-Qing and Xue Yang without even realizing. I'm told it is quite funny... And I like it very much >w<
...what did you call it again? the only one not mdzs in the list, this is for Till the end of the moon and it's yet again Tantai Jin suffering in his so beautiful way! It was done for an exchange, following the premise: take a canon even and make it worse. Do you think ttj had it bad in the series, with the servants mistreating him in Ye Manor? Ya have seen nuffin!!!
Once again, thanks for reading, thanks to all authors for writing, and let's have a wonderful 2024 full of fics and love!!!
#2023 fic recs#ao3#the untamed#mo dao zu shi#mdzs#xuexiao#wangxian#jadecest#niecest#till the end of the moon#sleuth of ming dynasty#mysterious lotus casebook#xue yang#xiao xingchen#song lan#wei wuxian#thank gods for ao3 and every one of its writers#happy 2024#xiaoxue#songxuexiao
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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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Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (2020) - 成化十四年 - Whump List
List by StayDandy
Synopsis : Set during the 14th year of Chenghua Emperor's reign, Tang Fan, a sixth rank official and Sui Zhou, an embroidered uniform guard, join hands to crush a conspiracy to maintain peace and order for the people. (MDL)
AKA : The Story of Ming Dynasty | The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua
Whumpee : Tang Fan played by Darren Chen (center)
Country : 🇨🇳 China
Genres : Historical, Mystery, Crime, Bromance, Censored Adaption, BL / Boys Love
Notes : This is a Partial List - I didn't list every bit of whump, just what caught my attention the most
• Adapted from a novel of the same name by Meng Xi Shi
• The novel was originally a BL novel. However, the main theme revolves around the crime solving and not the romance. The published version features the bromance between the characters. (I actually just learned this, I didn't know when I first watched - but it makes sense now)
Episodes on List : 3
Total Episodes : 48
*Spoilers below*
26 : Tang Fan purposefully poisons himself so as to help find an antidote for a friend
29 : … continued from previous ep. ...
44 : Sliced on his back with a sword
More Whump Lists for this show:
whumpily-ever-after
ghostly-whump
#whump#whump list#Asian whump#China#Sleuth of Ming Dynasty#成化十四年#The Story of Ming Dynasty#The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua#Tang Fan#Darren Chen#poisoned#sick#cut#collapses
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so you say sleuth of ming dynasty is good? 👀 I have it on my list for so long...
omg idk when you sent this bc i'm only just seen it so if it's been a while, then I'M SO SORRY! But to answer your question: YES!! YES IT IS!!! It's like........the show equivalent of a hot meal after a long day in the cold. It's nominally a historical procedural? Kind of like if a cozy mystery had a baby with a palace drama, starring the twinkiest twink to ever twink as the titular sleuth, his beefy, stoic, and exceedingly damaged sugar daddy as the Elliot Spencer of the group, and a terrifying 17yo little meow meow palace eunuch. Honesty the plot is kind of whatever, but what it really excels at is at delivering the best kind of found family feels, as well as some really engaging interpersonal relationships, not only between the main trio but also amongst the supporting cast (i also must mention that it has one of the best depictions of a non-verbal autistic person I've seen so far in a cdrama, and this character is ALSO involved in one of the most heartwrenching romances in the show). It's also gorgeous to look at (even if the costuming, while beautiful, is not all that historically accurate). While it's a show that has many many MANY problems (looking at the way it depicts the Oirat in the begining), it is a feast for the eyes AND for the stomach AND for the heart and I couldn't recommend it enough. Lowkey the best cdrama of 2020!
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#tsomd#the sleuth of ming dynasty#sleuth of ming dynasty#the fourteenth year of chenghua#chenghuashisinian#suitang#tang fan#wang zhi#sui zhou#ding rong#rongzhi#cdrama#fanart#illustrations
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Hi (waves)
For the fanfic ask game...
9. a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy.
13. your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc)
17. the thing in canon that everyone loves and that you also love
ASKS YAY
9. Hmmm, trying to think of a second answer to this ask... I'm going to say Pingxie, because they're like a lot of other juggernaut fandom ships - not my first choice, but a reliable fallback when you want more works to enjoy.
Or, oooooh, we could mix this up a little from DMBJ by going over to Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, because I my OTP is Sui Zhou/Tang Fan/Wang Zhi, but I still quite enjoy Sui Zhou/Tang Fan if I can't get my first choice on the menu. :P
13: My absolute favorite fandom type of anything is where someone proposes a slightly off-the-wall AU or what-if or fan-theory and everyone joins into a gleeful game of transformative yes-and in the comments and it builds into a completely unhinged and wavering tower of Babel that's only halfway intelligible when the high wears off and you come back to reread it the next day. That's less an event and more of a *happening*, I guess. Oooh, I like those events where people have to make art for fics or fic for art, etc - I love seeing that second layer of transformation happen.
17. That everybody loves is a big ask, because how often does everyone agree on anything, LOL. Ummmm... tbh, though, I don't think I've ever seen anyone say a bad word about Kan Jian, so there you go; puppy boy wins them all! If we can go with "a lot of people" rather than "everybody", the canon commitment to making Liu Sang suffer beautifully is so, so good.
(The game is here is anyone else wants to play!)
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My sister wants to watch The Untamed but that's jumping in on the deep end of Historical CDramas
#the untamed#word of Honour#the blood of youth#mysterious lotus casebook#sleuth of ming dynasty#love between fairy and devil#cdramas
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Time for my annual reread of Fourteenth Year of Chenghua!
Not sure what it is about being on holiday in Europe, but somehow it just pokes the 'oh yeah- Tang Fan time' place in my brain.
I would kill for a physical copy of this book
#sleuth of ming dynasty#the fourteenth year of chenghua#danmei#meng xi shi#when did this become my favorite
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relationship(s): dong-er & sui zhou, dong-er & tang fan, dong-er/xiao niqiu, sui zhou/tang fan
rating: m
tags: adult dong-er, and all the complicated choices that come with that, dong-er pov, family problems, dong-er figuring out her place in the world, the suitang is technically background but it's a dong-er fic, they are a constant lol
summary: It always takes Dong-er a moment or two to remember where and when she is when she wakes up like this: breathing through paper thin lungs, skin tacky with sweat, shivering and staring into the black of the night. She is on an old, foul-smelling bedroll, sleeping overnight as she is transported from her parents’ home to Beijing. No, wait. She is in the servants’ quarters at the manor, startled awake by crying or snoring or someone shouting in their sleep. No, that was over a decade ago. She is in a cell, surrounded by sniffling children, pressing into the dark shadows next to a boy with warm hands and a clever plan. No. Less long ago, but still not right.
Dong-er turns and flings open the window above her bed, letting in moonlight and taking a greedy gulp of night air. It burns her nose and lungs with it’s frigidity, and she takes in the sight of the familiar courtyard as her heart slows.
This is her home. Sui Zhou and Tang Fan’s home. And she is no longer a child.
CHAPTER ONE
“Tang Fan and I worry about you,” Sui Zhou continues, his voice a pitch lower. He is feeling nervous about this conversation. “You’re a grown woman, now. You should really be considering marriage, sooner than later.”
Dong-er pulls a face at that, looking up and finally meeting his eyes. “I’m not getting married,” she says. “I’m staying with you and Tang da-ge.”
read on ao3
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Heeey we uploaded the first 10 drabbles of the drabble game we play in the Wang Zhi-centric Sleuth of Ming Dynasty-Fanserver "The Western Depot"
#the sleuth of ming dynasty#sleuth of ming dynasty#The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty#SuiTang#WangTang#Tang Fan#Sui Zhou#Wang Zhi#tsomd#tsotmd#cDrama#drabbles#drabble collection
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After passing peer review here is my drama recommendation tool
Maybe I will update it in the future but for now I am happy to have watched enough good dramas to make it.
#nirvana in fire#mysterious lotus casebook#word of honor#a league of nobleman#love and redemption#a couple of mirrors#love between fairy and devil#heroes 2022#the untamed#mdzs#joy of life#the sleuth of ming dynasty#ultimate note#omg not tagging all of them actually#it’s good like that
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🍉CDRAMA GOTCHA FOR GAZA DONATIONS NOW OPEN!🍉
Donate to one our selected Palestinian direct aid funds, and you will receive a fantastic fanwork in exchange from one of our many talented creators.
Please read our carrd first, particularly the 'donation information' section, and then peruse our available fandoms.
These are the Palestinian direct aid funds we have chosen for this project. You may donate to ANY of them (and you may ask for a fanwork for each donation you make).
@CareForGaza
Their paypal link and their gfm link are in their pinned tweet. Check out their account to see all they do!
Plus the following verified gofundmes:
Suad Alkurdi and family: €4,686 raised of €50,000 goal
Abdallah and Salaam Animal Care: $35,300 raised of $40,000 goal
Mohammad Wishah and family: €8,801 raised of €71,500 goal
Moutasem Quffa and family: €8,682 raised of €65,000 goal
Once you've made your donation and read our carrd, go and request your fanwork here! Have fun. From the river to the sea.
🍉
#cdramasource#!modpost#cdrama action#the untamed#love between fairy and devil#till the end of the moon#nirvana in fire#word of honor#the spirealm#mysterious lotus casebook#the sleuth of ming dynasty#the romance of tiger and rose#guardian#my journey to you#a journey to love
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Q: How are you feeling?
A: *coughing up blood* Never felt better in my life
Q: Are you dying of a deadly disease and/or are fatally wounded?
A: Of course not
Q:Is there a world-shattering secret (about my life) that you aren't telling me?
A: Of course not
Q: ...are you lying to me?
A: ...
Hello everyone and welcome to the Lying Liar Who Lies Poll! This character would probably claim they were fine while literally on their death bed. Or they might have fun lying to people for fun and profit. Perhaps they just can't help it anymore - if they don't lie at least once a day they go into withdrawal.
Looking at the list of candidates, it might even be all three...
Vote to find out who's the most egregious liar in cdrama (affectionate)! Propaganda, call out posts, and write-in candidates welcome!
#guardian#nirvana in fire#mysterious lotus casebook#nirvana in fire 2: the wind blows in changlin#love and redemption#word of honor#winter begonia#the disguiser#love like the galaxy#sleuth of the ming dynasty#rise of the phoenixes#poll
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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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Ding Rong + fire
#DING RONG HOURSSSSSSS#my gifs#tsomd#the sleuth of ming dynasty#eye strain#ding rong#（尖叫）（扭曲）（阴暗地爬行） （爬行）（扭动）（阴暗地蠕动）（翻滚）（激烈地爬动）（扭曲）（痉挛）（嘶吼）（蠕动）（阴森的低吼）（爬行）（分裂）（走上岸）（扭动）#mine
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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
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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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