Jiang Yuanbai's deepest desire is simple and pure: he hopes for family harmony and becoming a good husband in the eyes of his wife and a good father in the hearts of his daughters. However, this mundane wish is particularly extravagant in the midst of complex family relationships and power struggles.
Ji Shuran's viciousness was not innate, but was distorted by her father's influence and became ruthless. Before becoming Jiang Yuanbai's wife, Ji Shuran had an affectionate relationship with her cousin Liu Wencai, but was eventually forcibly separated by her father. Liu Wencai later married another woman and betrayed Ji Shuran. In order to take revenge, and in order to cling to powerful people, Ji Shuran chose to marry Jiang Yuanbai.
Many years later, when the down-and-out Liu Wencai reappeared in Ji Shuran's life, she pretended that her old love was not over, and after spending the night with him, she brutally set fire to him and burned him to death. The child who was used to frame Jiang Li for "killing his mother and brother" is actually Liu Wencai's biological flesh and blood.
But even so, Ji Shuran couldn't escape her guilt. After all, no one forced her to kill and set fires. The grievances between her and Xue Fangfei, that is, Jiang Li, were completely the result of her own doing. In the end, even her own daughter Jiang Ruoyao was indifferent to her.
In the development of the plot, it is not difficult for us to find that Jiang Yuanbai's love for Ji Shuran is sincere, and this emotion even exceeds his love for Jiang Li's mother Ye Zhenzhen. In the original work of "Between the Ink Rain and Clouds", "Marrying a Daughter", Ye Zhenzhen is the wife chosen by the old lady for Jiang Yuanbai, and Ji Shuran is Jiang Yuanbai's own choice. Jiang Li's biological mother, Ye Zhenzhen, loves to be lively and likes bright things, which is completely different from Jiang Yuanbai's preferences.
Jiang Yuanbai is not ignorant of Ji Shuran's various actions in the inner house, but he is unwilling to get involved and destroy the peace of the family, so he has always adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Ji Shuran's behavior. However, when Ji Shuran's crime was revealed, and even her own daughter began to despise her, Ji Shuran had already fallen into a desperate situation of betrayal and separation. In desperation, she actually bit back and accused Jiang Yuanbai of being the real murderer of his wife. This counterattack in a desperate situation is undoubtedly Ji Shuran's last struggle after the distortion of human nature.
Ji Shuran is just a chess piece in Jiang Yuanbai's hands, a scapegoat, and Jiang Yuanbai himself is a sinister and cunning conspirator. He skillfully used Princess Wanning's power to eliminate Ji Shuran's potential threat, because Ji Shuran had too many unknown secrets of Princess Wanning. Princess Wanning had to lower her status for her own benefit and help Jiang Yuanbai achieve his goal.
Through this series of schemes, Jiang Yuanbai still maintains his image in the eyes of the outside world - a perfect husband and father. He skillfully disguises himself as a victim to make people sympathetic. Ji Shuran may not have been able to see the truth until she died, and it was difficult to close those eyes full of unwillingness.
Fortunately, Jiang Li had a keen insight, she sensed the abnormality of the matter, and stared at Jiang Yuanbai tightly. As the saying goes, "Don't do bad things, don't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door". If Jiang Yuanbai is really upright and has a clear conscience, then he will not be manipulated by Princess Wanning.
However, the ideal is always beautiful, but the reality is cruel. Princess Wanning is not a person who easily lets go of her opponents. Jiang Yuanbai is dealing with her, which is tantamount to seeking skin with a tiger, which is full of dangers. He will eventually pay a heavy price for poisoning his wife Ye Zhenzhen.
"Between the Ink Rain and Clouds" has a deep meaning for the portrayal of Jiang Yuanbai's role. The play does not exaggerate his main story too much, nor does it delve into his inner world. Instead, through delicate brushstrokes, the audience gradually perceives how hypocritical and shallow a man in power is with his inadvertent love and remorse in life.
He may touch your heart in a moment, but then it will sting you deeply, numbing and even distorting your pain. The female characters in the play bury each other, but Jiang Yuanbai stands outside this huge hole, and his tears only make the soil heavier.