Mei Niang and Shi Lin: A marriage destined to end without a problem
Since ancient times, people have different interpretations and imaginations of the ending of the character Mei Niang in the legend of the White Lady. If Mei Niang hadn't been killed, would Bai Suzhen agree to Shi Lin marrying her? This hypothetical plot has been hotly debated. Through comprehensiveness, we can conclude that even if Mei Niang is alive, the relationship between her and Shi Lin is destined to not go to the end.
Mei Niang and Shi Lin's fate
We need to examine the fate between Mei Niang and Shi Lin. According to the description of the original book, Mei Niang's appearance was "borrowed" from Bai Suzhen's portrait, and her encounter with Shi Lin was completely due to the confusion of her appearance. There is no previous life cause between the two, and the acquaintance is purely accidental, which is different from the cause and effect of Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian. Mei Niang's Taoism is shallow, and her love with Shi Lin is destined to end in nothing.
It is impossible for Shi Lin to betray the kindness of Bi Lian and the Xu family to marry Mei Niang. In the original book, the reason why Shi Lin married Bilian was to repay the Xu family for saving their lives. This causal relationship is impossible to break. If Shi Lin really abandoned Bi Lian and married Mei Niang, not only would he break Bi Lian's heart, but he would also betray the Xu family's life-saving grace, which was absolutely impossible.
The encounter between Mei Niang and Shi Lin was purely accidental, the two did not have any past life karma, and Mei Niang also lacked the Tao of cultivation. It is impossible for Shi Lin to betray the kindness of Bi Lian and the Xu family. Therefore, even if Mei Niang is alive, the relationship between her and Shi Lin is destined to not go to the end.
Bai Suzhen's attitude
We need to consider Baek Su-jung's attitude as a mother on this matter. According to the search results, even if Mei Niang did not die, it was impossible for Bai Suzhen to agree to Shilin marrying her.
Bai Suzhen knows Mei Niang's true face, and she will not allow her son to be confused by appearance. As a loving mother, Bai Suzhen certainly hopes that her son can marry a woman who truly loves him and has a fate with him, instead of being deceived by Mei Niang's appearance.
Shi Lin married Bilian to repay the kindness, and Bai Suzhen would not destroy this layer of cause and effect. As mentioned earlier, Shi Lin married Bilian to repay the Xu family's life-saving grace, which is an irreversible cause and effect relationship. As a wise mother, Bai Suzhen certainly wouldn't do anything to destroy this layer of cause and effect.
Bai Suzhen hopes that Shilin will gain fame in the examination, and marrying Mei Niang will only hinder his future. In ancient times, fame was of paramount importance to men. As a loving mother, Bai Suzhen naturally hopes that her son can have a good life, rather than being hindered by a marriage that is destined to end without a problem.
From Bai Suzhen's point of view, she would never agree to Shilin marrying Mei Niang. As a loving mother, she hopes that her son can marry a woman who truly loves him and has a fate with him, instead of being deceived by appearances. She will not destroy the causal relationship between Shilin and Bilian, and she will not hinder her son's future development.
Mei Niang's tragic end
We need to look at Mei Niang's own ending. According to the description of the original book, Mei Niang was destined to not be able to marry Shilin, and her ending was really sad, and she didn't know that she was just a "joke" until the end.
Mei Niang's appearance is completely a conspiracy of King Jinba, her appearance is "borrowed" from Bai Suzhen's portrait, and her acquaintance and love with Shi Lin are completely due to the confusion of her appearance. Mei Niang didn't know this, she always thought that she was really in love with Shi Lin, and she also thought that Shi Lin was really in love with her.
It wasn't until Mei Niang realized that she was just a "joke". Her appearance was just an illusion, and her relationship with Shilin was just a joke. This ending is undoubtedly suffocating, Mei Niang has been kept in the dark all her life, and it is not until the end that she realizes that everything about herself is illusory.
This tragic ending has also sparked calls for a TV series classification system to avoid the plot being stiffly modified and destroying the spirit of the original work. Although Mei Niang's ending is tragic, it also reflects the profound connotation of the original work, that is, appearance does not represent everything, and sincerity is the most precious. If the plot is bluntly modified and Mei Niang is given a "good ending", the essence of the original work will be lost.
Mei Niang is destined to not marry Shi Lin, although her ending is tragic, but it also reflects the profound connotation of the original work. Although this kind of ending is suffocating, it also triggers a reflection on the TV drama classification system, so as to avoid the plot being stiffly modified and destroying the spirit of the original work.
Even if Mei Niang was not killed, the relationship between her and Shi Lin was destined to not go to the end. There is a lack of karma in the past life between the two, and Mei Niang also lacks the path of cultivation; It is impossible for Shi Lin to betray the kindness of Bi Lian and the Xu family. At the same time, Bai Suzhen, as a loving mother, will not agree to her son marrying Mei Niang, because she knows Mei Niang's true face, and will not allow her son to be confused by appearance, nor will she destroy the causal relationship between Shilin and Bilian, let alone hinder her son's future development.
Mei Niang's own ending is also suffocating. She was kept in the dark all her life, only to realize that she was just a "joke" until the end. Although this tragic ending is heart-wrenching, it also reflects the profound connotation of the original work, that is, appearance does not mean everything, and sincerity is the most precious. This kind of ending also triggered a reflection on the TV drama classification system, avoiding the plot being stiffly modified and destroying the spirit of the original work.
As the title says, "Mei Niang didn't know that she was a joke until she died", although this sentence is cruel, it also expresses the sadness of Mei Niang's life. She is destined not to marry Shilin, destined to live in a "joke", and only realizes that everything is illusory until the end. This kind of ending not only reflects the profound connotation of the original work, but also triggers a reflection on the classification system of TV dramas, so as to avoid the plot being rigidly modified and destroying the spirit of the original work.