''Startling by Each Step'', also known as ''Bubu Jingxin'' (), was Tong Hua's

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

. Originally published online in 2005 on Jinjiang Original Network (), it was later published by Ocean Press (), National Press (), Huashan Arts Press (), Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House (), and Yeren Culture Publishing (). Tong Hua revised the novel in 2009 and 2011. The latest edition contained an additional 30,000 word epilogue. The story features a twenty-first century woman who gets transported back in time to the court dramas of the late Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty. The novel was most prominently adapted as the television series ''

Scarlet Heart ''Scarlet Heart'' (, lit. ''Startling by Each Step'') is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the novel '' Bu Bu Jing Xin'' by Tong Hua. It premiered in China on Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) on 10 September 2011. The series tells the s ...

'', and was later also adapted into a radio drama, feature, film, stage play and a Korean drama.

Synopsis

Twenty-first century woman, Zhang Xiao, encountered traffic collision after work that sent her back in time to the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

during the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...

's reign (in the year 1704). She found herself trapped in the body of a young daughter of a Manchu aristocrat, Ma'ertai Ruoxi, younger sister of Ma'ertai Ruolan, who was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

of the emperor's eighth son,

Yinsi Yunsi (29 March 1680 – 5 October 1726), born as Yinsi, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty in China. The eighth son of the Kangxi Emperor, Yunsi was a pivotal figure in the power struggle over the succession to his father's throne. Y ...

. Stranded in the past, Ruoxi became acquainted with Kangxi's other sons, including the fourth prince Yinzhen and his full brother, the fourteenth prince Yinti. She forged a close friendship with the thirteenth prince,

Yinxiang Yinxiang may refer to: *Yinxiang, Prince Yi (胤祥; 1686 — 1730), a prince of the Qing dynasty * ''Yinxiang'' (magazine), a 1971–1998 Taiwanese film journal *Yinxiang Group The Yinxiang Group (银翔) is an industrial company based in Chon ...

. Using charm and wit, Ruoxi won the emperor's favor and became his lady-in-waiting, attending to the monarch and his family. During Ruoxi's stay in the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

, she and Yinsi developed a mutual attraction. She initially rejected him but later agreed to marry him if he gave up his ambition for the throne. Ruoxi knew that Yinsi's path will ultimately lead to his lifelong imprisonment after Yinzhen became emperor. Yinsi refused and Ruoxi warned him to be wary of Yinzhen, providing him a list of those who would support his ascension. After breaking up with Yinsi, Ruoxi fell in love with Yinzhen. Meanwhile, Yinsi and his supporters, acting on Ruoxi's advice, framed Yinzhen for plotting against the crown prince

Yinreng Yunreng (6 June 1674 – 27 January 1725), born Yinreng, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was the second among the Kangxi Emperor's sons to survive into adulthood and was designated as Crown Prince for two terms between 1675 and ...

. Yinxiang took the blame and was sentenced to house arrest. After this incident, Yinsi discovered that Ruoxi was romantically involved with Yinzhen. The battle for the throne became inflamed when Yinreng's other crimes later came to light. The crown prince lost both his position and freedom. Kangxi then began to show preference for Yinti and offered Ruoxi as a concubine to him. Ruoxi, however, declined. Outraged by her boldness, the emperor demoted her to the laundry department. Kangxi eventually died of illness. With military support from

Longkodo Longkodo (; died 1728) was a Manchu court official who lived in the Qing dynasty. He was from the Tunggiya clan, which was under the Bordered Yellow Banner. His period of fame lasted from the late Kangxi era to the early Yongzheng era, perhap ...

and

Nian Gengyao Nian Gengyao (1679 – January 13, 1726), courtesy name Lianggong, was a Chinese military commander of the Qing dynasty. He was born a member of the Han Chinese Bordered Yellow Banner and had extensive military experience on the western frontie ...

; Yinzhen staged a coup and seized the throne from Yinti to become the

Yongzheng Emperor The Yongzheng Emperor (13 December 1678 – 8 October 1735), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizong of Qing, born Yinzhen, was the fourth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned from ...

. Yinzhen then released Yinxiang from custody and began a romantic relationship with Ruoxi. In an attempt to keep the secret that Yinti was named heir before their father's death, Yinzhen placed him under house arrest. Ruoxi is often caught between the rival factions. The ninth son, Yintang, manipulated Yinsi's wife Gororo Minghui into telling Ruoxi that Yinsi acted against Yinzhen years earlier. Ruoxi was shocked by this revelation, and in addition, remembering Yinzhen told her once that he initially had no desire to become an emperor, she realizes her actions inadvertently shaped events (see

predestination paradox A causal loop is a theoretical proposition, wherein by means of either retrocausality or time travel, an event (an action, information, object, or person) is among the causes of another event, which is in turn among the causes of the first-ment ...

). Her despair invoked miscarriage and she descended into illness. Enraged, Yinzhen blamed Yinsi and his wife, issuing an edict forcing them to divorce, which led the latter to commit suicide. Remorseful of the consequences, Ruoxi confessed the truth to Yinzhen and Yinxiang, leading Yinzhen to treat her coldly. Ruoxi is unable to withstand the mental stress and asked Yinti to help her leave the palace. Yinsi knew that Yinzhen would not allow Ruoxi to leave and decided to intervene. He disclosed details of his past romance and an angered Yinzhen allowed Ruoxi to leave. Ruoxi's emotional anguish affected her health. She begged Yinti to send a letter to Yinzhen, requesting to see the emperor one last time before she dies. However, a misunderstanding caused the letter to be thrown aside unread. After three days, Ruoxi concluded that Yinzhen's absence confirmed that his love for her has faded, and she died (in the year 1725 at the age 35). When news of Ruoxi's death reached Yinzhen, he rushed to Yinti's house, regretting his actions after learning that Ruoxi still loved him. Blaming Yinsi and Yintang for Ruoxi's death, Yinzhen charged his half-brothers for ambiguous offenses and banished them from the imperial household. Both would eventually die in 1726, as Ruoxi predicted. History remained unchanged.

Adaptations

*In 2011, Chinese Entertainment Shanghai Ltd. adapted the novel into the television series ''

'', starring Cecilia Liu,

Nicky Wu Nicholas Wu Qilong (born 31 October 1970) is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He found fame in 1988 when he became a member of the popular Taiwanese band, Xiao Hu Dui (Little Tiger Team), performing alongside Alec Su and Julian Chen. The trio were ...

Kevin Cheng Kevin Cheng Ka-wing (born 15 August 1969) is a Hong Kong American actor and singer who is currently under the management of the Hong Kong television network TVB. Cheng rose to fame in late 2004 after playing his first lead role in the TVB drama ...

Lin Gengxin Lin Gengxin (, born 13 February 1988), also known as Kenny Lin, is a Chinese actor. Lin rose to fame for his role in ''Scarlet Heart'' (2011), and has starred in several #1 box office hits such as '' Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon'' ( ...

and Yuan Hong. A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

began filming in March 2013. Multimedia produced this drama complete with English subtitles. *In 2011, following the success of the television series, Feiran Zhuosheng Radio Drama Associations () adapted the novel into the

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

''Bubu Jingxin,'' starring Tang Tang as Ma'ertai Ruoxi. *In 2012,

Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre () is a professional theatrical company based in Shanghai, China, founded on January 23, 1995 after the merger of Shanghai's two largest theatres, the Shanghai People's Art Theatre () and the Shanghai Youth Drama Troup ...

, Beijing All Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Culture of China Media Group adapted the novel for the stage ''Bubu Jingxin,'' starring Michelle Gong as Ma'ertai Ruoxi/Zhang Xiao. * In 2015, the novel was adapted into the feature film '' Time to Love'' starring

Ivy Chen Ivy Chen Yi-han (; born 12 November 1982) is a Taiwanese actress. In 2002, she appeared in the Taiwanese variety show ''Guess'' and was a contestant in the "Do Not Judge a Book by Its Cover" (人不可貌相) segment. She was later signed by a ...

Tony Yang Tony Yang (; born 30 August 1982) is a Taiwanese actor who rose to prominence for his debut film role in ''Formula 17'' (2004), for which he won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer. He is also known for his roles in the Taiwanese box ...

and

Shawn Dou use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

. * In 2016, South Korea produced its own version of the story, '' Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'', set in

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

and starring IU,

Lee Joon-gi Lee Joon-gi (born 17 April 1982) is a South Korean actor, singer, dancer, and model. He rose to fame on his first leading role playing a clown in the critically acclaimed film ''The King and the Clown'' (2005) and gained further recognition in ...

and

Kang Ha-neul Kang Ha-neul (born Kim Ha-neul on February 21, 1990) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in television dramas ''The Heirs'' (2013), '' Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)'', '' Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'' (2016), '' When t ...

References

External links

Bu Bu Jing Xin Reviews- spcnet.tv

Bu Bu Jing Xin Forums- spcnet.tv
{{Tong Hua (writer) Scarlet Heart Novels first published in serial form Novels set in the Qing dynasty Feminist science fiction novels Novels about time travel Romantic fantasy novels Historical romance novels Novels by Tong Hua (writer) 2005 debut novels Chinese alternate history novels Chinese fantasy novels Novels set in the 18th century Chinese novels adapted into television series Novels set in Beijing Shenzhen in fiction Novels about spirit possession