You know I was just writing about the contrast between Su Yin and Huaien
Xiaobao gifts Huaien with an hair piece that matches the one he's always wearing, explaining they're a set that he's reserved for the love of his life.
And I couldn't help but think how much that single hairpiece tells about Xiaobao and who he loves.
Because, while it does look good on Huaien, the nature of it being an hair ribbon means that it cannot really work with a tight bun.
Like, for example, the type of hairdo Su Yin wears.
And the thing is, this show has been doing quite a lot of storytelling and characterization through clothing and hair.
For example, Su Yin, Prince Shen, the Emperor, and most of the characters from the Imperial Court wear tight buns and have all their hair in an hairdo of some sort, because that's what is proper and they are serious people.
Notably, the only character of this side that escape this is Shaoyu, who is a volatile little gremlin who doesn't understand any of the weight that comes with the power he carries, let alone what property means.
On the other hand, Huaien, his not-father, and both of Huaien's men wear part of their hair down and flowing. Because they are rebels and free spirits who don't follow rules, and in both Huaien's and his not-father's cases, pretty volatile. (i'm simplifying here, but you get what i mean)
Xiaobao wears his hair partly down too, and he too is free-spirited, and doesn't understand responsibilities, and just want to live his life happy with his family without a care in the world.
And Xiaobao had this hairpiece made that kinda only work with loose hair. And a point could be made that it was meant for a woman, because it was, but you'll note that Xiaobao's mother always wear her hair up (I'm not counting Xiaoyu because she's a child, and the rest of the other female characters we see only in passing) so it's not a question of gender.
And I just- it already says so much about what kind of person Xiaobao was waiting for. He wants someone to have fun with, someone to build a family with, someone to share a happy life without much care for the responsibilities of the world.
And that someone could have never been Su Yin. Even if he hadn't been forced to take on an older brother role, he's still too serious for Xiaobao, and too weighted down by responsibilities that would never suit Xiaobao. Huaien or not, it could have never been Su Yin.
