Chapter Twenty: The Poem and the Banquet

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Six full moons after the burial of Fanli’s corpse, Xishi receives a note folded inside a white flower. The earlier map and annotations are gone, replaced by a love poem. She recognizes Fanli’s handwriting and the poem from a classical text he once taught her—a text he dismissed as too sentimental. Touched and confused, she memorizes the poem and then burns it, trying to forget the possibility it represents. In the following months, the ache in her heart deepens, and she dreams of Fanli and her sister Zhengdan. In the nightmare, Fanli insists she board a fragile boat while Zhengdan vomits blood and begs Xishi to remember a promise. Xishi wakes in a cold sweat next to King Fuchai, who comforts her with unexpected tenderness. She realizes the poem was not a confession but a coded message: it alludes to an ancient story of a king who disguised himself at an enemy banquet to prepare a surprise attack. Understanding that Fanli is planning something, Xishi suggests to Fuchai that they hold a banquet.

Key Events

Xishi receives a poem from Fanli, confirming he is alive and back in Yue.
She memorizes the poem and feeds it to the fire.
A vivid nightmare shows Fanli forcing her onto a boat and Zhengdan dying.
Fuchai wakes Xishi, notices she has been crying, and offers to kill anyone who bothers her.
Xishi deflects by claiming her old illness is acting up.
She reflects on the poem’s hidden meaning and connects it to a story of a disguised king.
Xishi proposes holding a banquet, implying she will use it to further the Yue kingdom’s plan.

Character Development

Xishi is torn between her lingering feelings for Fanli and her loyalty to the mission. The dream reveals her guilt over Zhengdan and her fear of being separated from Fanli. Her decision to suggest the banquet shows she has embraced her role as a spy, even as her personal suffering grows. Fuchai displays a softer, more vulnerable side: he comforts Xishi without ulterior motive and sincerely wants to ease her pain. This complicates Xishi’s view of him as purely monstrous. Fanli, though absent, continues to guide Xishi’s actions through his coded messages, reinforcing his role as the strategic mastermind.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Poetry as double entendre: The love poem is simultaneously a romantic gesture and a tactical signal. Fanli’s earlier dismissal of sentimental poetry foreshadows its true purpose.
Dreams as guilt: Xishi’s nightmares embody her unresolved grief for Zhengdan and her fear of failing the plan. The boat symbolizes forced separation, while blood represents sacrifice.
The tension between duty and desire: Xishi longs to run to Fanli but instead feeds his poem to the fire, choosing her mission over personal fulfillment.
The banquet as a stage: Proposing a banquet signals Xishi’s willingness to create a scenario where the Yue forces can strike, turning hospitality into a weapon.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Twenty marks a turning point in Xishi’s emotional journey. She finally receives proof that Fanli lives, yet the coded nature of his message reminds her that their relationship is inseparable from politics. The dream underscores the psychological cost of her deception, while Fuchai’s kindness blurs the line between enemy and ally. By suggesting the banquet, Xishi takes an active role in advancing the plot, setting up the story’s climactic confrontation.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Xishi burn the poem after memorizing it? She burns it to protect the secret of Fanli’s survival and to discipline herself against hope. Keeping the physical evidence would be dangerous, and destroying it helps her recommit to her mission.
How does Xishi’s dream reveal her subconscious fears? The dream conflates Fanli’s insistence on her safety with Zhengdan’s violent death, showing Xishi fears being separated from those she loves and failing to save them. It also mirrors her guilt over past promises.
What does Xishi’s suggestion to hold a banquet signify for the larger plot? It signals that she has deciphered Fanli’s code and is ready to act as a co-conspirator. The banquet will likely serve as the setting for an attack on King Fuchai, bringing the Yue rebellion to a head.