The following article delves into the reasons behind Hoà ng Dung’s actions.
The Pressure of Public Opinion on DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá’s Love
DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ have answered the question “What is love?” through their own experiences: “To live and die together.” This couple has faced numerous hardships to be together, and among these challenges, overcoming societal prejudices was the hardest.
Due to their teacher-student relationship, Tiểu Long Nữ and DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá’s love has never been blessed by society. On the contrary, they have had to endure scrutiny, criticism, and even contempt. Even Quách TÄ©nh and his wife opposed their relationship.
Quách TÄ©nh’s opposition is understandable. However, why did Hoà ng Dung also repeatedly try to separate them? It’s clear that Kim Dung had a deep intention in arranging the story this way.
The Stance of Quách Tĩnh and Hoà ng Dung
At the hero assembly, after Tiểu Long Nữ and Dương Quá defeated Kim Luân Pháp Vương and his disciple, they became heroes in the eyes of the martial arts community. However, when Quách Tĩnh intended to marry his daughter Quách Phù to Dương Quá, the attitude of everyone towards this couple changed 180 degrees simply because they declared their desire to be together for life.
Quách TÄ©nh was the strongest opponent. He even contemplated killing DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá. In the story, it is written: “Quách TÄ©nh raised his hand, his face in pain, saying: ‘Quá Nhi, do you understand how much my heart aches? I would rather you die than do something wrong, do you understand?'”
Quách TÄ©nh’s agitation is not surprising. The main reason is based on the belief in the Song dynasty that teachers and students belong to two different generations and cannot be together. This is contrary to moral principles. Quách TÄ©nh sees DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá as his own son. His increasing agitation only proves his sincere feelings for DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá. He didn’t want his “son” to go astray, so he would rather kill DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá than allow him to make a mistake.
In summary, Quách TÄ©nh’s attitude is entirely reasonable. What about Hoà ng Dung? Unlike Quách TÄ©nh’s concern for DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá, Hoà ng Dung has always been wary of him. The reason is quite simple.
On one hand, DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá is the son of DÆ°Æ¡ng Khang, so she cannot help but think “like father, like son.” In reality, DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá has never met DÆ°Æ¡ng Khang, so her thoughts are completely prejudiced.
On the other hand, DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá is very intelligent, and she cannot see through him. She naturally dislikes those smarter than herself, so it’s not surprising that she remains cautious around DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá.
Thus, Hoà ng Dung should have maintained an indifferent attitude toward DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ’s relationship. In fact, if she truly hated DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá, she should have facilitated their union to witness their criticism by society. However, she repeatedly tried to prevent them from being together.
The first time was at the hero assembly when she sided with Quách TÄ©nh and advised the two. In the story, it is written: “Hoà ng Dung said sternly: ‘Do you really not understand or are you just joking with us?’ DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá felt indignant and thought: ‘You treat me well, and I will repay you, but what more do you want from me?'” Hoà ng Dung’s words are indeed very reasonable.
The second time was after defeating Kim Luân Pháp Vương, when she used reason to persuade Tiểu Long Nữ, causing her to leave.
The third time was when she advised Tiểu Long Nữ to distance herself from Dương Quá so he would voluntarily take the antidote and not risk his life.
It can be said that Hoà ng Dung’s attempts to separate them were all born from good intentions. This seems contradictory to her constant wariness and dislike of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá. If you read the original text carefully, you will understand that the most important person to Hoà ng Dung is Quách TÄ©nh. All her actions to separate them were for Quách TÄ©nh.
Hoà ng Dung’s Deep Affection for Quách TÄ©nh
Although she is the daughter of Hoà ng Dược SÆ°, acting somewhat strangely, and both father and daughter disregard social norms, their nature is that of a warm-hearted person. Hoà ng Dược SÆ° hated the emperor of Äại Tống but ultimately chose to help Quách TÄ©nh protect the city of TÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng. Deep down, he is a person of loyalty and righteousness.
As for Hoà ng Dung, despite appearing strong in her relationship with Quách TÄ©nh, she remains an ordinary woman who upholds the belief of “following the husband after marriage.”
For example, in their dialogue: “Hoà ng Dung held her husband’s hand, gently placing his palm on her cheek, softly saying: ‘TÄ©nh ca ca, please name our second child.’ Quách TÄ©nh replied with a smile: ‘You know I’m not good at this, yet you tease me.’ Hoà ng Dung said: ‘You always say you aren’t good. TÄ©nh ca ca, there truly is no one better than you in this world.'” These words are filled with sincere affection.
People often say Quách TÄ©nh is foolish, but in Hoà ng Dung’s eyes, he is the most wonderful person. She even said, “there truly is no one better than you in this world.” This shows that she is also a lovesick person.
Moreover, when Kim Luân Pháp VÆ°Æ¡ng attacked, Quách TÄ©nh instinctively shielded Hoà ng Dung, while her attitude was: “Quách TÄ©nh’s face changed slightly, and he pulled Hoà ng Dung aside, wanting to hide her behind him. Hoà ng Dung softly said: ‘TÄ©nh ca ca, is the importance of TÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng City greater or our feelings?’ Quách TÄ©nh released Hoà ng Dung, saying: ‘Indeed, national affairs are the most important!'”
Why is Hoà ng Dung so understanding? Simply put, because “national affairs are the most important” is Quách TÄ©nh’s view and lifelong aspiration. It can be said that since becoming Quách TÄ©nh’s wife, Hoà ng Dung has always strived for her husband’s ideals.
Years ago, when Quách TÄ©nh was determined to protect TÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng, Hoà ng Dung was equally resolute: “Hoà ng Dung understood his intentions and sighed: ‘I knew this day would come sooner or later. So, if you live, I live; if you die, I die!'”
Everyone says Hoà ng Dung is smart, but after falling in love with Quách TÄ©nh, she also became a lovesick woman. If not, with her intelligence, how could she not know that TÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng would surely fall? Hoà ng Dung has a strong opinion on many matters, but most of the time, her life revolves around Quách TÄ©nh. It can be said that Quách TÄ©nh’s dreams are her dreams. The reason she is determined to separate DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ is that Quách TÄ©nh does not want to see DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá go astray. Everything Hoà ng Dung does is for Quách TÄ©nh.
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