![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qinziThis is an attempt to lay out the reckoning of the passage of time on the large scale in Sleuth. This is purely based on what they say/show in the show, sorry to the Real Historical Figures and whatnot. I used the Viki version for my timestamps. Spoilers within.
This is in progress, since I haven't run the analysis on the flashbacks yet - just from Wang Zhi reckoning so far tbh lol. What can I say, I like the boy.
The facts are these:
Episode 1 (33:38) tells us that 1. Wang Zhi entered the palace during Chenghua's 3rd year (1467), age 6 (making his birthday 1461). 2. At that time, Guifei was 38. 3. At the time of the conversation, Wang Zhi was 17, and Guifei was 49.
Episode 7 (22:32) Wang Zhi says he 'should have said he was year of the horse' at the beautiful snake statue, implying he is year of the snake. (1461 was a year of the snake).
Episode 20 (18:52) has General Chen affixing a stamp that reads 'Tenth day of the 7th month of Chenghua's 14th year' (implied to be lunar month).
Episode 21 (31:24) features a conversation between Taihou and Guifei Niangniang in which they establish 1. they are 'similar in age' 2. they are both year of the dog 3. Taihou's birthday is in a fortnight from that conversation. 4. NEXT year is the year of the dog (making it that the conversation is happening in the year of the rooster).
The assassination arc revolves around the Li Chun ceremony. Li Chun is the first of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, and usually lines up to be in February or so. Episode 42 (33:56) says that Tang Fan trades himself in for information two weeks before the ceremony.
Episode 48 (36:53) Tang Fan remarks that Wang Zhi is 'still a youth who hasn't reached adulthood' (specifically he says he has not received his guan, a typical mark of adulthood around 20 years of age).
SO!
Chenghua's 14th year lines up with the Gregorian calendar year of 1478 (confirmed to be up to at least episode 20).
1478 is year of the dog (per the cycle, from outside sources, and the math from wang zhi's birthday).
Guifei and Taihou are either the same age (within 12 months) or Taihou is 12 years older and just says things like 'you, person 12 years younger than me, are similar in age to me. When you get old (even though you sort of already are) you too will realize the aches and joys of old life.'
If Guifei was 38 in 1467 (year of the pig), two years back to find her zodiac year would mean she is year of the rooster. In 1478 when she is 49 she should be year of the rooster too, if 1478 is taken to be year of the dog. This literally doesn't matter because she can be in charge of her own age, and I haven't yet unlocked the brainpower to be able to realize if this minor discrepancy is feasible or not, given lunar reckoning and when birthdays are.
This guy says Li Chun and Lunar New Year dictate zodiac signs differently - ie, Li Chun dictates the zodiac, not the new year.
Seasonally, we just have to ignore the visual cues for seasons. We know filming took place in a cold and rainy spring, and they were like: that's what you get, folks.
Basically the convo between Guifei and Taihou is the biggest one throwing me off my game. If we ignore them, we can reason that the show 1. takes place in 1478 to start, at least up to Episode 20. and 2. takes place within 2-3 years maximum, for Wang Zhi to start at 17 and not go to 20. More to come post-flashback thinking.
The Chinese, in case it helps:
Episode 1. 贵妃说：你是成化三年入宫的吧
汪值：娘娘记性真好
她说：那个时候你六岁我三十八。现在你都十七了，我四十九了
Episode 7: 汪值：我之前应该说自己属马
Episode 21: 太后说：你我年岁相仿。她还说：你我同庚都是属狗的。明年便是本年了。
贵妃回答：再小半月就是幕后的寿诞了。
Episode 42: 高义： 半月之后的立春大典。。。
Episode 48: 唐泛：有的时候实在难以想象他还只是个未及弱冠的少年。
This is in progress, since I haven't run the analysis on the flashbacks yet - just from Wang Zhi reckoning so far tbh lol. What can I say, I like the boy.
The facts are these:
Episode 1 (33:38) tells us that 1. Wang Zhi entered the palace during Chenghua's 3rd year (1467), age 6 (making his birthday 1461). 2. At that time, Guifei was 38. 3. At the time of the conversation, Wang Zhi was 17, and Guifei was 49.
Episode 7 (22:32) Wang Zhi says he 'should have said he was year of the horse' at the beautiful snake statue, implying he is year of the snake. (1461 was a year of the snake).
Episode 20 (18:52) has General Chen affixing a stamp that reads 'Tenth day of the 7th month of Chenghua's 14th year' (implied to be lunar month).
Episode 21 (31:24) features a conversation between Taihou and Guifei Niangniang in which they establish 1. they are 'similar in age' 2. they are both year of the dog 3. Taihou's birthday is in a fortnight from that conversation. 4. NEXT year is the year of the dog (making it that the conversation is happening in the year of the rooster).
The assassination arc revolves around the Li Chun ceremony. Li Chun is the first of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, and usually lines up to be in February or so. Episode 42 (33:56) says that Tang Fan trades himself in for information two weeks before the ceremony.
Episode 48 (36:53) Tang Fan remarks that Wang Zhi is 'still a youth who hasn't reached adulthood' (specifically he says he has not received his guan, a typical mark of adulthood around 20 years of age).
SO!
Chenghua's 14th year lines up with the Gregorian calendar year of 1478 (confirmed to be up to at least episode 20).
1478 is year of the dog (per the cycle, from outside sources, and the math from wang zhi's birthday).
Guifei and Taihou are either the same age (within 12 months) or Taihou is 12 years older and just says things like 'you, person 12 years younger than me, are similar in age to me. When you get old (even though you sort of already are) you too will realize the aches and joys of old life.'
If Guifei was 38 in 1467 (year of the pig), two years back to find her zodiac year would mean she is year of the rooster. In 1478 when she is 49 she should be year of the rooster too, if 1478 is taken to be year of the dog. This literally doesn't matter because she can be in charge of her own age, and I haven't yet unlocked the brainpower to be able to realize if this minor discrepancy is feasible or not, given lunar reckoning and when birthdays are.
This guy says Li Chun and Lunar New Year dictate zodiac signs differently - ie, Li Chun dictates the zodiac, not the new year.
Seasonally, we just have to ignore the visual cues for seasons. We know filming took place in a cold and rainy spring, and they were like: that's what you get, folks.
Basically the convo between Guifei and Taihou is the biggest one throwing me off my game. If we ignore them, we can reason that the show 1. takes place in 1478 to start, at least up to Episode 20. and 2. takes place within 2-3 years maximum, for Wang Zhi to start at 17 and not go to 20. More to come post-flashback thinking.
The Chinese, in case it helps:
Episode 1. 贵妃说：你是成化三年入宫的吧
汪值：娘娘记性真好
她说：那个时候你六岁我三十八。现在你都十七了，我四十九了
Episode 7: 汪值：我之前应该说自己属马
Episode 21: 太后说：你我年岁相仿。她还说：你我同庚都是属狗的。明年便是本年了。
贵妃回答：再小半月就是幕后的寿诞了。
Episode 42: 高义： 半月之后的立春大典。。。
Episode 48: 唐泛：有的时候实在难以想象他还只是个未及弱冠的少年。
