A Song to Drown Rivers

“At times, I imagined there was a fissure running through my heart, one I could not stitch up no matter what I tried.”

Another of the novel’s motifs is the pain in Xishi’s heart, a physical manifestation of her emotional distress and a reference to one version of the ancient legend. It often appears as it does here when she is thinking of her murdered little sister or is in distress about Fanli or Fuchai. When she is happy and at peace with Fanli, the pain disappears, suggesting a direct link between emotional pain and physical pain.

“For one moment, time seemed to divide, and I saw my baby sister, her round eyes, her soft face, made from everything good in the world. I saw the sword pierce her side. I saw her fall—”

This moment is the inciting incident for all of Xishi’s actions. It is the motivation for actions that might otherwise seems contrary to her inherent goodness and morality. Her need for revenge and justice causes her to act against her instinct but also moves her to become a hero. When she later hears her Wu maid’s distress at her own little sister’s assumed death, her motivation is eroded, and by the end of the novel, she realizes there is no balancing the scales when it comes to war, emphasizing the theme The Fruitless Destruction of War.

“A tall, lean figure strode forward across the banks with all the eerie grace of a lynx, the sun blazing behind him, his features blurred by light. I wondered faintly if this was someone sent by the heavens, a warrior from the legends—or if perhaps I were already dead, and had dreamed the scene up.”

Fanli, the love interest, is quickly introduced with god-like descriptions that turn out to be accurate and ensure he is immediately out of reach, a feature that will remain throughout the novel. When Xishi finds out who he is, she notes that poems have already been written about him, and she references actual, real-life accounts of the historical Fan Li’s talents and virtues. Liang has written multiple novels with romantic slants and uses her skills here to introduce a heroic but untouchable love interest.

“Plenty of people had made it clear how much they wanted me: my face, my beauty, my company. But nobody had ever really needed me before.”

This is Xishi’s first indication that Fanli sees her as something more than a desired object. Xishi will soon discover how to use Beauty as a Source of Power, but she will also learn the loneliness and distance from others that her beauty brings. Here it is starting to dawn on her that what first seemed a trait for others can be a tool for herself.

“But revenge—that was the salt of life. Necessary. Essential.”

The belief that revenge is necessary drives Xishi to act, and by the end of the novel, she struggles to keep hold of this belief. By the time she is murdered, she understands that she has been wrong and is reconsidering all her actions. Here, however, Liang shows Xishi’s early ideas so that she can demonstrate a change of heart and mind toward the end.

“If my beauty was of the destructive kind, his was a beauty that pressed exquisitely close to sorrow; something as cold and untouchable as the stars scattered overhead.”

Liang follows up Fanli’s early introduction, where he is described like an untouchable god, with this description. It makes obvious the tragic impossibility of their love, the conflict between his cold sword of the mind and her painful, consuming heart, which he will tell her is a weakness.

“‘I do not take your choice tonight lightly,’ he said, his voice hushed. ‘All of Yue will remember you; I swear it.’”

To keep the romantic tension, Liang will balance descriptions of Fanli’s coldness with moments that can be interpreted as tenderness toward Xishi. This keeps interest in their relationship and a question as to which direction the end will go, as the legend famously goes two ways. It also is a moment of dramatic irony, as readers familiar with the legend will know that he is correct: Not only will the Yue remember her, but all of China for generations to come.

“Your body is merely a tool, a canvas, a weapon. It is entirely subject to your control.”

One of the novel’s themes is Beauty as a Source of Power, and this is an early revelation for Xishi that her beauty can be something she uses. Her innocent nature before this moment means that she doesn’t understand her own power, and this is one of the first times she realizes her beauty might not be something to be hidden or feared.

“I needed to prove to someone, if only myself, that I could do this. That I was equipped not just with the pretty features I had been born into.”

Xishi is eager to show that her talents go beyond her appearance and that she is capable of more than one kind of power. To use Beauty as a Source of Power, she must also have courage, shrewdness, and skill. It is important to her that Fanli, someone she cares about, see this side of her.

“The mind destroys; the heart devours.

‘I had it engraved to remind myself,’ he said mildly.

‘Of?’ He hesitated. ‘The heart is a fickle thing; it takes and takes. It is easily swayed, and tempted, and made weak. Too many have fallen victims to their own irrational desires. But the mind—the mind is dependable, accurate, deadly. It destroys the enemy, not the self, and ensures that we do what we need to, not what we want.’”

In describing his sword, Fanli describes himself and his life philosophy. It is another early indication that the lovers will be ill-fated, as he is telling Xishi that he will not give in to his feelings for her. His outlook on his own emotions is too negative to value and accept them until it is too late. His sword will continue to be a symbol of their mission for Xishi, who takes it with her to court and uses it to cut herself in attempt to get the king’s attention.

“A feeling expanded in my chest then, like an eagle spreading its wings for the first time. Power. I knew in that moment, with a cool, solid certainty, that if I were to rise, his eyes would follow. If I were to go home, he would trail after me. If I were to touch his neck, he would let me. I had him enraptured, the way a snake has its tail coiled around its prey.”

This is the first time Xishi realizes and begins to come into her power as a beauty. It is an early turning point in the theme of Beauty as a Source of Power, as before this she wasn’t aware of what she was capable of. Now, she suddenly understands her power and, while not enjoying the feeling, recognizes it and understands its strength.

“‘One day, then,’ she said, the lines of her face set with furious resolve. ‘One day, I will raise a sword to his neck, even if it is the last thing I ever do. I swear it.’”

Zhengdan, Xishi’s best friend, is a foil for Xishi. While Xishi is docile and thoughtful, Zhengdan is action-oriented. Her vow of revenge takes her on a very different path that results in violence but also gives her a certainty she has done the right thing. This contrasts with Xishi’s end, which combines violence with doubt and realizations about the true nature of war and violence, referencing the themes The Fruitless Destruction of War and The Dangers of Unquestioning Loyalty.

“The safe distance, always there, in everything he did. Always so careful not to cross some invisible line that separated duty from—whatever else there could be.”

Fanli’s adherence to duty fits philosophy he engraved on his sword. Liang reiterates again the frustration Xishi feels as she struggles to repress her own feelings to match his expectations for her. This creates dramatic tension between the characters, raising the question of when Fanli will finally break and realize his feelings for Xishi.

“Why does it seem to me that the court’s idea of a lady is a beautiful, dull shell who has no personality and makes no sound, Zhengdan had complained to me afterward. They would be better off marrying a statue.”

Zhengdan voices a modern feeling about the role of women in this quote, fitting her action-oriented personality. Xishi, however, sees the problem but understands how to work inside the cultural restrictions of the time. Both Zhengdan and, later, her mother act as spokespeople for modernity, voicing a modern reader’s perspective on the world of antiquity.

“I could almost see the threads connecting in his mind; sometimes a little nudge was all it took to steer someone in the direction you wanted.”

Xishi has fully entered her power in this quote. She is now manipulating the king to do exactly as she pleases. In contrast to her innocent revelation in Chapter 4 when Fanli tells her she can use her body as a tool, she has now developed into an expert when it comes to the weapon of her beauty.

“These were the rules that shaped our lives from when we were born: Be beautiful, be charming, be the most coveted girl in the room, or else you will be nothing. For men, it was so easy; the path to power was so direct. But we had to manipulate and maneuver and claw our way to gain half of what they did.”

Here Xishi is voicing the reality that opposes Zhengdan’s complaint in chapter 9. Jiang portrays Xishi as a woman using the tools she has to make a difference, attempting to counteract misogynistic stereotypes surrounding women who use their beauty to gain power.

 “‘They say you’re a nine-tailed fox spirit.’

I laughed.

‘A fox spirit? Really?’

‘Well, that’s the most popular explanation. Everyone’s convinced you’ve cast some sort of spell on the king. Or else why would he keep returning to your chambers again and again?’”

This quote confirms that Xishi is doing her job and has developed into the powerful beauty Fanli and King Goujian desire her to be. It also again brings to the readers’ attention how society will doubt a woman’s skill and charm and instead blame success on something other than her own talents. It also is a moment for Liang to weave in cultural references, such as the legend of the nine-tailed fox spirit.

“I could almost see the poisonous seeds I’d planted sprouting before me, their darkness blooming in his mind. Trust was such a fragile thing; it took decades to consolidate, seconds to shatter, and a lifetime to repair again.”

Here is one of Xishi’s most devastating moments when it comes to fooling Fuchai, as the seed she’s planted will lead to her rival Zixu’s death. It is, however, one of the first times she also begins to show remorse. Her syntax has changed, and words like “shatter” show that she is understanding the emotional impact this will have on Fuchai. She is beginning to see him as a person and understand how her actions will negatively affect him.

“He had protected me. There had been no room for hesitation. To have acted in time—it could only have been natural instinct, his very first reaction. A kind of inexpressible pain filled my chest, as if some part of my heart had been burned.”

This is a turning point in Xishi’s relationship with Fuchai, as she realizes how important she has become to him. The reality of betraying someone who loves her hits home, and the resulting pain in her chest references the motif of the pain she experiences when emotionally distressed. Xishi is now beginning to understand the moral problem of espionage, and her essentially good self is beginning to doubt her actions.

“When the historians wrote about the fate of the Wu years from now, would they be able to capture this very moment? Would they know how the idea had bloomed? Would they blame him, or me?”

This is a moment of dramatic irony, as readers familiar with the ancient stories about Xi Shi will know this refers to the way her story has fluctuated over the years depending on who is telling it and when. As often as she is seen as a hero of her kingdom, she is reduced to an archetype of feminine treachery.

“It was strange. It seemed wrong in some vague but fundamental way. In folklore, when the monster was killed, the enemy conquered, there was always some sort of unnatural sign, some rare sighting to mark the birth of a new era. Fuchai was meant to be the problem, his downfall the one solution. But now he was gone, and the world remained the same.”

This quote is another step toward Xishi’s revelation when it comes to the theme of The Fruitless Destruction of War. In contrast to Chapter 2, where she says revenge is necessary, here she realizes that the larger world hasn’t changed despite the work she’s done and the pain she’s caused and suffered. This throws her power into a different perspective, and she begins second-guessing her own conviction for what she’s done.

“‘But—Zhengdan’s father…Your husband…He was killed by the Wu. Doesn’t that matter?’

‘He was not killed by the Wu,’ she said harshly. ‘He was killed by the war. By the will of kings.’

I stared at her, shaken. It was like something fixed inside me had all of a sudden come loose.”

Zhengdan’s mother’s words of truth are the final thing that changes Xishi’s perspective on revenge and the mission she’s just carried out. After all the work and pain to change things, she realizes that her hatred had been misplaced. This throws a shadow over her actions toward Fuchai and begins a crisis of the soul that she won’t be able to reconcile until after she is murdered.

“Use your intelligence to help the common people, to change the kingdom in ways the king will not. Distribute wealth to the poor, aid them like you aided Wuyuan, create new opportunities for those struggling. That is what matters.”

Though she is dead, Xishi tries to save Fanli from suffering the same crises of the soul that she goes through by awakening him to what truly matters. She has come to a realization regarding The Fruitless Destruction of War, and she wants Fanli to understand that it is the common people who will suffer no matter who the king is or which kingdom is in power. The quote referring back to his financial predictions with Wuyuan references the real Fan Li of legend and the business acumen he was known for.