Female Prime Minister: Legend of Lu Zhen Episode 37 Recap

This is where Shen Jia Yan shines and rocks as an older brother. And Gao Zhan gets a lesson in Monogamy.

Shen Jia Yan explains that Gao Zhan will one day see that common born Lu Zhen will not have the skills to be the next Crown Princess. All Lu Zhen knows is how to make pottery; she doesn’t have the know how to be a political savvy Crown Princess.

Lu Zhen asks what would happen if Shen Jia Yan fell in love with a common girl, and he answers her very sincerely in 3 sentences :

1. I’m not in love with a commoner.

2. I will decide whom I marry.

3. Don’t call me General Shen. Call be Brother Shen.

He walks away, leaving Lu Zhen in deep contemplation.

 

Shen Jia Yan has a talk with his sister, and he promises her that he will try to get her back Gao Zhan. However, he warns her to not do anything under the table. Shen Bi, who is listening at the key hole realizes that Shen Jia Min might be a good ally.

 

Shen Bi goes to Lou Qing Qiang and asks for her help in yet another plot to overthrow Lu Zhen. Shen Bi wants to make sure that Lu Zhen is gone for good, and for that she needs Lou Qing Qiang’s man power.

 

Shen Bi goes to see Shen Jia Min and they are greeted by a princess who gives Shen Jia Min a bracelet, saying that soon, Shen Jia Min will be at her rank and they will be in the same family. Shen Jia Min is confused until Shen Bi tells her that the Emperor is planning to rescind the order for Shen Jia Min to marry Gao Zhan and instead make her a princess as a consolation prize.

  

Shen Jia Min only wants to marry Gao Zhan and panics. Shen Bi tells her that if that’s what she wants they have to get ride of Lu Zhen; then Gao Zhan will like Shen Jia Min.

Gao Zhan and Lu Zhen are making pottery together (I thought of the movie Ghost when I saw them like that).

Lu Zhen and Gao Zhan discuss their future together and Lu Zhen says that she doesn’t want to be his head wife. She knows that men from royal families take many concubines. She doesn’t want to share him. Gao Zhan says that it’s the way royal families have done things always. He promises her that if he is ever forced to take a concubine, it will never affect her. Lu Zhen says that she sees how the Emperor has eyes only for the Royal Concubine–all his other wives have never been touched. She would feel sorry for all the young women who could have good lives had they not married the Emperor.

 

Gao Zhan tries to change the subject but Lu Zhen won’t let him. She tells him that if a man wants a woman to love him all her days, then he as to love her only as well. Gao Zhan promises that he will think about this topic seriously. Meanwhile, he has brought guards to secretly protect her. He warns her not to get too close to either the Royal Concubine or Lou Qing Qiang. They talk about the pottery and ceramic making business Lu Zhen has on the side, but since people know who Lu Zhen is, she can’t show her face (she’s still regarded as a criminal outside the palace -it’s in the earlier episodes). Gao Zhan suggest that she bring Yuan Lu and Dan Niang and use them as her mouthpiece.

  

That night, Gao Zhan stays up all night thinking about the revolutionary (pftttt) concept of a monogamous marriage. Lu Zhen stays up too because this is the first time she has asked Gao Zhan for something outright in their relationship.

 

The next day, Lu Zhen takes Yuan Lu and Dan Niang to help her with the white ceramic business. Yuan Lu and Dan Niang are like two children who bicker a lot.

Lu Zhen finally lets Dan Niang and Yuan Lu go off and play while she goes to the temple to put some incense in her father’s shrine.

 

She meets Shen Jia Yan there.

E: Man, this guy just conveniently pops up everywhere.

 

Dan Niang is running around the market, as she buys all the food he can carry. Yuan Lu tells her to stop, because she’s going to spend all his money; he still needs it. Dan Niang asks why? It’s not like he’s going to save it up and start a family anytime soon (he’s a eunuch). Yuan Lu mutters that he wants to go gamble and Dan Niang ignores him.  Dan Niang sees her favorite food and wants to try it. Only the stall keeper tells her that they have to go into the resturant to try it. Dan Niang and Yuan Lu go in, only to be stuck on the back of the head; they fall unconscious.

  

Shen Jia Yan and Lu Zhen talk. He tells her that Shen Jia Min is looking forward to her pending nuptials, when Lu Zhen turns and reminds him that Gao Zhan said he wouldn’t marry Shen Jia Min. Shen Jia Yan says that Lu Zhen is not a good candidate and it’s only an eventuality that SJM is set aside.

 

He explains that all Crown Princesses historically have come from large and powerful families. Lu Zhen doesn’t have poltical or military might behind her, two things Gao Zhan needs if he wants to take the throne.  Lu Zhen looks pale and Shen Jia Yan comments on her looking so. He says that it’s cold and takes his cloak and puts it over her. She thanks him and he tells her to call him brother Shen.

   

Lu Zhen does and says that she needs to go meet Dan Niang and Yuan Lu. They go back to the temple where a strange man hands her Dan Niang’s pouch; Lu Zhen panics and asks for Dan Niang? The strange man tells them to follow him. According to him, Dan Niang got sick while eating and his mistress is looking after Dan Niang and Yuan Lu.

  

Gao Zhan is talking with the Emperor, who laughs at Lu Zhen’s strange request that one man marry one woman. Gao Zhan smiles and says he’s never had anyone make such a forward request before. The Emperor asks if Gao Zhan is taking the request seriously? Lu Zhen does make some sense . Gao Zhan tells him that he staid up all night thinking. Before Lu Zhen had said anything, Gao Zhan had always thought it was normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, especially for royal born men. Now that he thinks about it, he realizes that Lu Zhen is right,  that perhaps no woman in the world truely wants to share her husband. (No Shit.)

 

The Emperor asks what happens if Gao Zhan succeeds the throne? what if Lu Zhen can’t give him a child? What if courtiers say that she was a terrible Queen? Gao Zhan says that he would think about those things later.

 

A Eunuch runs in to tell Gao Zhan and the Emperor that Lu Zhen has not returned, and since the palace gates are about to close, Gao Zhan asks for permission to go and search for her.

Shen Jia Yan and Lu Zhen are led to a beautifully decorated room as they wait for the lady who rescued Dan Niang. However after they drank the tea, Lu Zhen starts to get a headache and faints. Shen Jia Yan realizes that its poisoned and he faints as well.

  

It turns out that they had been led to a brothel where the proprietress had poisoned their drinks. The proprietress tells the man who turned up to inspect the now unconscious Lu Zhen and Shen Jia Yan that she had upped the dosage. Now she tells the man to hurry up and “do terrible things” to Lu Zhen.

 

The man goes to touch Lu Zhen’s cheek. Shen Jia Yan wakes up and beats the living crap out of the pervert.

Shen Jia Yan is able to wake up Lu Zhen but both of them are still weak with the effects of the poison.

 

At that moment Shen Bi and Shen Jia Min are revealed as the ones who had come up with the scheme. Shen Jia Min wants reassurance that they won’t kill Lu Zhen. Shen Bi smiles evilly and says no, but they are going to make sure that she’s no longer a virgin.

 

That way Gao Zhan won’t marry her. Once the deed is done, Shen Jia Min will rescue Lu Zhen and then tell everyone what happened. Gao Zhan will be grateful for Shen Jia Min’s rescue of Lu Zhen. If anything goes wrong, they can blame the scheme on Wang Shang Yi, who hates Lu Zhen. Shen Jia Min smiles happily.

Shen Jia Yan is interrogating the man who refuses to speak. In anger he whips out a knife and stabs the man in the hand. Lu Zhen yells in alarm. Shen Jia Yan says that the man had touched her face with that hand. The man tells Shen Jia Yan that he was supposed to deflower Lu Zhen. Shen Jia Yan asks who was behind it all and the man tells him that the people who paid him to do this are coming to the room now.

 

Shen Jia Yan tries to take Lu Zhen away but both of them are still suffering from the effects of the poison. Shen Jia Yan refuses to leave without Lu Zhen. She tries to get him to leave but he reasons that they won’t dare touch him since he is a general. Shen Jia Yan looks at Lu Zhen and tells her that if this story about Lu Zhen gets out and it ruins her name, he will marry her. They hide in the back room as they hear footsteps approaching.

 

Shen Bi tells Shen Jia Min to go in herself, since it will be hard to explain why Shen Bi was here too. She reassures Jia Min that she’ll stand guard.

 

Shen Jia Min goes in happily only to discover the dead would be rapist. She and her maid turn to leave when Shen Jia Yan and Lu Zhen emerge. Shen Jia Min has no explanation. Outside, Shen Bi high tails it out of there.

 

True to form, Shen Jia Min blames it all on Wang Shang Yi.

Shen Jia Yan apologizes for his sister, and Lu Zhen says that she has to apologize as well. Her name is not Ling Long, but Lu Zhen. Shen Jia Yan is stunned to learn that the woman he dislikes so much is the one that he has fallen for.

Lu zhen goes to rescue Dan Niang and Yuan Lu.

 

She comes back to see Shen Jia Yan; she tries to apologize to him. She calls him brother Shen but he tells her not to call him that anymore. He never saw her as a sister. He doesn’t know how to say any pretty words, but the first time he had seen her at the palace he had started liking her.

 

Lu Zhen interjects and says that she and Gao Zhan… Shen Jia Yan says yes, he knows that she and Gao Zhan… he stops and asks her to leave. He needs some alone time.

 

Lu Zhen and Gao Zhan reunite and they run into each others’ arms. They comfort each other after the close call and Gao Zhan tells her that he’s building a new home for them where she will be protected from harm.  He promises Lu Zhen that in this life, he will only marry Lu Zhen, and will never look on another woman.

 

Shen Jia Yan reminisces about the time he and Lu Zhen spent together while looking at the white gardenias (her perfume). He plucks one and gently puts it back. (Oh symbolism…)

 

Smiling sadly while pouring another glass of wine.

Okay I know that in ancient China wealthy men were suppose to have 3 wives and 4 concubines. It’s the norm. But the problem I’m having with introducing this concept is that it’s already an idea that existed.  In those days, poor men who don’t have money to support 3 or 4 wives only make do with one ( heavy sarcasm on the “make do”). Gao Zhan has said over and over again in this series that he is only going to marry Lu Zhen. Bringing up the idea that he might marry anyone else after her is almost laughable at this point. Either make it a big deal in say, like episode 5 or don’t try to be overly propoganda-y now. There is a huge cheating problem in China nowadays and I have this funny suspicion that this show is trying to project the faithfulness message. Especially with the emerging nouveau riche, it’s normal for richer men to have 1 wife and 2 girlfriends, granted it’s not generally looked upon as a good thing but it is becoming more and more of a status symbol. The execution and time of this message is poorly placed, since people would blow a gasket if Gao Zhan started marrying everyone now, espcially since he’s done everything in his power to be only with Lu Zhen.

I have to point out that I dislike the idea that Gao Zhan’s way of protecting Lu Zhen is to build her a home so she can hide in it. Why not go out with her instead of try  to limit her movements… ay ya ya. While I like his promise that he will only marry one woman, it really feels like one step foward and two steps back.

Anaylsis of Shen Jia Yan: I won’t lie, my heart fluttered when he stabbed the man in the hand because the hand had touched Lu Zhen. In many ways Shen Jia Yan was a good fit for Lu Zhen, but he knew that his love wasn’t what she wanted. Gao Zhan loves Lu Zhen but he doesn’t understand the things Shen Jia Yan can understand about her, and that’s why those two have such a good rapport. It would have been a very comfortable marriage had Lu Zhen chosen SJY. As to the character and his refusal to fight for the main character, which basically rendered him from sexy and interesting to more or less just on screen eye candy, it’s sad. I respect his decision not to fight for Lu Zhen and ultimately he chose what most of us sane people would do in a real life situation where there is no hope with the other person because they are already in a relationship, we walk away or pine silently. But real life doesn’t provide drama, and sane people are rarely if at all main characters.

E: I totally ship LZ and SJY.  LZ  just needs to take two husbands.

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