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Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9: Favorites

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Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9 – Quick Summary

In Raven of the Inner Palace episode 9, “Water’s Voice,” Shouxue Liu/the Raven Consort experienced great painduring the new moon when the god Niao Lian escaped from her body. Apparently, this happened every month. Can the Raven Consort continue to bear the pain? Can Jiu-Jiu contain her concern? And who was the “Owl” who broke the spell? Later, a Court Lady named An Huilan came to the Raven Consort in the middle of the night. Her plea? That the Raven Consort help the deceased soul of Xi Wanlin, “the consort I once served.” Can the Raven Consort find out what happened to Xi Wanlin before it’s too late? What what exactly does “too late” mean in this context?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9

Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9: Hongqiao So's drawing skills impressed Shouxue

You can’t tell it from her expression, but the Raven Consort was seriously impressed. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

The supporting cast in this show has done a fantastic job of capturing my sympathy. It’s easy with characters like Yi Shia, who is a young eunuch who’s clearly in need of help and sponsorship. It’s also easy for a character like Hongqiao So, whose master had cut her tongue out to silence her.

Which just provides yet another reason to proclaim that people who want to be called “master” are, pretty much without exception, completely not qualified to hold the title. Which should be abolished. Forever.

Anyway.

Hongqiao So inspired my favorite quote this week. The Raven Consort asked her if she had ever heard of An Huilan. Hongqiao So adopted this “Oh, yeah!” expression, picked up a brush, and promptly wrote out her reply. Having no tongue, she can still write answers to the Raven Consort’s questions.

But in this case, instead of words, she quickly produced a drawing of An Huilan that would have impressed a police sketch artist. The Raven Consort, having a tendency to under-state things, took one look and said (12:29), “You’re a skilled artist.”

Even Jiu-Jiu was impressed! But it was Shouxue’s low-key statement that caught my attention. It almost seemed like Hongqiao So’s amazing skilled had had shocked the sentence from her!

Favorite Moment from Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9

Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9: Shouxue shows both wisdom and compassion

I think it bothered Shouxue that she could not do more for An Huilan. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

This episode managed to confuse me a bit. Remember when we first met An Huilan? She was a healthy-looking older woman. In case we missed the point, the show gave us my favorite moment where Hongqiao So drew an almost perfect likeness.

But then, towards the end, the An Huilan looked emaciated. It was not something that could have happened overnight. I almost thought I’d missed something, like a time-skip or that the later character was a completely different person. Well, I was right that she was different. She was dead. An Huilan was a ghost! I thought that was an interesting twist, even if I almost missed it due to my own confusion.

But I’ll tell you who didn’t almost miss it: the Raven Consort. Shouxue has impressed me time and time again with her keen perception. Though young in terms of years, she’s very wise, and she sees past appearances. That came through in moments like Shouxue more or less shrugging aside An Huilan’s attempts at deception – even self-deception. The Raven Consort bluntly said (17:15), “There’s no need for further deceit. You never loved Wanlin.”

Even when she’s punching through deceptions, she’s still polite!

Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9: The Raven Consort pulls no punches

The Raven Consort didn’t pull any punches. But despite that, she remained courteous! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

My favorite moment was when Shouxue showed that she was not only wise, but compassionate as well. That’s important, and it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Acts based on wisdom and compassion can change the world for the better, after all!

In this case, as An Huilan’s ghost sank into the lake, the eunuch with her asked the Raven Consort if she intended to destroy the ghost. Shouxue answered that it would be easy enough for her to do, but she declined.

“Perhaps the water will save her soul,” she said (20:03). “That is all I can do for her.”

It might not seem like a hugely dramatic moment, especially when compared with Jiu-Jiu dashing into the Raven Consort’s bedchamber after the Owl had somehow momentarily severed her connection to Niao Lian. But it shows what a decent person Shouxue has become. And I like that in strong character!

What did you think of our introduction to the “Owl?” What were your favorite moments in this episode? Feel free to share in the comments!

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7 thoughts on “Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 9: Favorites

    1. You know, as soon as I wrote that sentence, and even when I proof read it, I wondered if I should rephrase it. Then I wondered if the show intended the inference!

      Even now, I’m still not sure!

      1. If I were reading an ancient legend, I’d say that it clearly was a symbolic reference. I don’t know if anime would even see the point in making such a inference. Kind of classy if it did.

  1. The Owl is obviously a very dangerous character, most especially to our favorite Raven, and it does not ease my mind to recall the typical relationship which owls and ravens have in nature. He did something the moment the goddess creature saw him, and he broke her spell intended to help a restless ghost, *and* he had connections to get into the Inner Palace with ease and without anyone noticing, topped off with how he clearly intends to kill the Raven Consort. And unlike the potential, phantom threat of the goddess, this Owl person is very physical and a very real danger to her.

    An interesting detail, though, is what I read in the subtitles at the beginning of the episode. I don’t know if the translation is automatic, but it said that the goddess roams on the night when the Raven Consort can no longer contain her within herself. Combined with how she *terrified* the boy eunuch’s former master, because he saw the creature within her, and I begin to suspect that the goddess needs her “winter king” to contain herself in the mortal world, or something like that. As such, I have to wonder, is the Owl trying to kill the goddess, or set her free to wreak havoc on the land?

    1. I wasn’t aware of any animosity between crows and Owls (we try to get along with everyone!), but when I googled “owls vs ravens”, this was the first hit:

      “Crows vs. Owls: Enemies Ordained by Nature”

      I guess I should take up arms against owls now. Too bad; they can be adorable. But not this Owl.

      Seriously, what is this guy?

      Interesting questions about the relationship between the Raven Consort and the goddess, as well as the Owl’s intentions. This show is such a fertile ground for speculation! It’s a lot of fun to watch and discuss, that’s for sure!

  2. Yeah, I also got really confused at the end of the episode when it seemed like the plump old lady An Huilan was suddenly so much thinner. The introduction of the Owl made me really curious. Why does he want to kill the Raven Consort? Does he mean her specifically, or just who ever happens to be holding that title at the moment? The Raven Consort is so powerful, how did he cut the connection between the consort and the goddess so easily? He’s a very mysterious and a bit creepy character!

    1. Owl caught my attention, too! I had questions about him — and it looks like you had more!

      You asked about Owl cutting the connection — does that mean his power rivals the goddess’s power? That’s a little alarming!

Please let me know what you think!

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