What If Jinzhou Massacre Never Happened? Pursuit of Jade's (逐玉) Three What-Ifs
The finale of Pursuit of Jade dropped a bombshell. In a short post-credits scene, the drama asks a haunting question: What if the Jinzhou(谨州) Massacre seventeen years ago never took place? No betrayal. No bloody purge. No forced separations. Suddenly, three couples get a second chance. But not everyone walks into the sunlight. One man still inherits a father's poisoned crown. This alternate timeline is both a gift and a mirror. It shows how much tragedy steals—and how some cages are built not by events, but by blood. Let's break down three fates rewritten.
Lovers United
Wei Yan (魏严) comes from a noble family. Brilliant, charming, and free-spirited, he was sent to General Qi's military camp as a young man to be hardened. There he met Xie Linshan (谢临山) and Qi Rongyin (戚容音). Those years became the happiest of his life. He and Qi Rongyin fell in love. Their families approved. A betrothal was set. In the original story, the Jinzhou Massacre tore that apart. General Qi died. Empress Qi fell ill. To save her family's honor and give the Cheng De (承德) Crown Prince a backup plan, Qi Rongyin was forced into the palace. Two lovers separated by duty and death.
But in this alternate version, Wei Yan acts differently. He saves General Qi on the battlefield. He then unites the Xie, Wei, and Qi families to push the Cheng De Crown Prince onto the throne. No need for Qi Rongyin to sacrifice herself. She stays. She marries him. The drama's easter egg never shows her face, but when Wei Yan welcomes Xie Zheng home, he casually mentions "your aunt." That aunt is her. Three words. A whole lifetime. They finally grow old together, side by side.
What makes this beautiful is how ordinary it feels. No grand speeches. No tearful reunions. Just a quiet reference to a wife who isn't there on screen but fills every empty space in Wei Yan's life. The massacre stole seventeen years of joy. Its absence gives back something even rarer: a boring, happy marriage.
Childhood Promise
Without the Jinzhou Massacre, Fan Changyu (樊长玉) was never Fan Changyu. She was born Meng Changyu. Here, Xie Linshan marries Wei Wan. Wei Yan, worried about his sister's safety, sends his trusted guard Wei Qilin (魏祁林) to protect her. When Meng Lihua (孟丽华) gets pregnant, Wei Qilin goes out on patrol with Xie Linshan. Wei Wan, fearing her friend would feel lonely, invites Meng Lihua over to chat. They become close confidantes. That's how four-year-old Xie Zheng (谢征) meets the baby bump.
Wei Wan jokes with the boy: "Tell me, is it a little brother or a little sister?" Xie Zheng says, "Sister." Then she adds, "Then you have to marry her and make her your wife." A child's game. Except Xie Zheng never forgets. From that day on, he watches over Meng Changyu. He notes her birthday, her likes and dislikes. He cleans up the messes she makes. She grows up clinging to him. In the original timeline, she once overheard him say he only saw her as a sister. It broke her heart for months. But fate kept pushing them together.
The drama's easter egg cuts some scenes. Yet the final image remains: the two of them walking into the Yixiang (溢香) Tower in Lin'an (林安). That small detail says everything. They chose each other. Not because of arranged promises or family pressure. Because a four-year-old's joke became a man's truth. The massacre took away many things, but it never touched this thread. Without the tragedy, their bond only grows stronger, simpler, and sweeter.
Royal Shadow
If the Jinzhou Massacre never happened, the Cheng De Crown Prince becomes emperor smoothly. Qi Min (齐旻) becomes the new crown prince. He grows up safely under his parents' care. He never turns into the dark, cruel, cold man from the original story. Instead, he becomes virtuous and wise. Sounds perfect, right? It's not. His path remains rocky. In fact, he walks straight into his father's old trap.
Cheng De starts his reign as a kind and beloved ruler. But the dragon throne rots hearts slowly. As Qi Min grows older and gains more respect among the people, his father begins to fear him. The emperor remembers how he himself was once a crown prince suspected by his own father. History doesn't repeat—it rhymes. Qi Min dares not name a crown princess. His first son is born to a concubine. Rumors say he dotes on that concubine. But the truth is darker: the empress wanted to find him a powerful wife, but the emperor refused. Every move Qi Min makes is watched. Every achievement is a threat.
For others, no massacre means happiness. For Qi Min, it means walking on eggshells for life. His father is more concerned with reputation than the previous emperor, so no actual violence comes. But the suspicion remains. The cold shoulder remains. This is the real cost of being born royal. Even in a world without the Jinzhou Massacre, Qi Min inherits the crown's curse. And Wei Yan? Without the massacre, he never becomes the powerful, ruthless chancellor. He never treats Xie Zheng coldly to forge him into a weapon. Xie Zheng never rebels. Instead, they drink good wine together and talk like father and son. The sweeter the easter egg, the more bitter the reality. A single emperor's paranoia can destroy everything.
