Fake Empress Dowager in DOMD: improbable?

[rabadi]

First of all, wuxia fiction is of course a fantasy. Although some story parts can be taken from real history, some martial arts can be taken from real life martial arts, some medicine and pressure points mentioned are real, etc., wuxia fiction is still a story after all, and while we may indulge ourselves in fantasy we *probably* expect some realistic aspects in the wuxia story we read.

In the past we have heard how HSDS was probably one of JY's works that really *begs* us to believe, like for example the presence of the bone healer medicine (what should I call it, actually?), how the gorilla didn't die after many years having the 9 Yang manual hidden inside his body, etc.

Let's take a look at another example. In DOMD, there was a fake Empress Dowager. She was a spy from the Divine Dragon Sect. She posed as the Empress Dowager for many years, while hiding the real Empress Dowager alive for those many years too, without being discovered. Okay, the part of posing as the Empress Dowager might not be too hard to believe, but how about that part of hiding the real one alive, and I cannot emphasize more that she did it for many years. How couldn't someone ever find out about it? What do you guys think? Do you think this part in DOMD possible, or is it another one that JY *begs* us to believe?

[Han Solo]

The fake gorilla is less probable than DOMD.

Well in any royal palaces, the boss is always going to be the emperor and dowager empress. And there's always plenty of secret rooms, secret hideaways, secret tunnels in a palace... how else can you hide your lovers?

Also if ever discovered, the fake empress can always kill those ppl.

So it's not really improbable.

[superboy]

Originally posted by rabadi
In the past we have heard how HSDS was probably one of JY's works that really *begs* us to believe, like for example the presence of the bone healer medicine (what should I call it, actually?), how the gorilla didn't die after many years having the 9 Yang manual hidden inside his body, etc.

"Black Jade Snap Joining Cream"?

[rabadi]

Remember that hiding the real Empress Dowager included feeding her, helping her to relieve herself, checking her now and then to ensure she would not escape, etc. All those activities and no one found out about it? But I guess you're right. The fake Empress Dowager could always kill the unlucky discoverers, and being the boss in the palace no one would probably dare to find out what happened to the missing discoverers.