At first, Boraqchin could not understand why Ogedei had chosen her to be his primary empress. After all, she was old and plain; she assumed he merely prioritized her being the eldest. But Ogedei truly felt a kinship with Boraqchin. He felt as though she was the only one who could understand his vision — a vision in which the Mongol Empire would become a destination for merchants and scholars from all around the world. From then on, Boraqchin would plot and scheme to bring down anyone who would serve as an impediment to Ogedei’s grand ambitions. But was it really that simple?

What were Boraqchin’s motivations, exactly? That’s what I’m digging at. Shortly after this pivotal encounter with Ogedei, Boraqchin thought to herself, “The House of Tolui’s power will deprive him of the ability to act freely.” But was that really the case? Tolui always seemed to be loyal to Ogedei. Not only that, he fully supported Ogedei’s idea of building a capital. He might not have understood it, but he backed it all the way. We need only look back to episode seven to see this in action. So where did Boraqchin get this idea that Tolui would eventually threaten his brother?

I think Boraqchin was and still is fighting for her own survival. In another time and another place, Boraqchin might have become a brilliant chemist. Out of all the gemstones at the market, she was drawn to a peculiar rock — a rock that would eventually leave her bedridden. Hell, it nearly killed her. But the thing is, she did it to herself. Before she started plotting and scheming, Boraqchin was merely conducting simple experiments with the rock while reading up on its supposed medicinal properties in Chinese texts. She learned that it was sandarac, which is just another name for arsenic sulfide (also previously referred to as rahj al-gar). But when Boraqchin decided to eliminate her political enemies, her research took a dark turn: she ground a piece of the sandarac into fine dust and ingested it. She willingly used herself as a guinea pig to understand what the poison was truly capable of.

Boraqchin has a curious mind unlike the other wives, which is exactly what Ogedei appreciated about her. He valued her for more than her looks. I hardly want to objectify these women as rocks and minerals, but I think the analogy fits. Out of all the “gemstones” Ogedei could’ve picked to be his primary empress, he chose the unflattering “rock.” After all, gemstones are pretty but they don’t really do anything. They’re chemically inert (in normal conditions). On the other hand, the sandarac was different: “I’m fond of rocks that change appearance and behavior under heat or light.” There is more to the sandarac than what you see, just like how there’s more to Boraqchin than her beauty or lack thereof. But that’s the thing, right? If Ogedei were to die, could any of Ogedei’s brothers appreciate Boraqchin like he did? Or would they have simply bypassed her because she’s not a pretty gemstone?

So this, I think, is the key motivation behind Boraqchin’s machinations. It’s not that she thinks she would die if Ogedei also died. Or that she would even become destitute and discarded. Rather, it’s that no one else would appreciate her and value her. Everyone else would just see a useless rock: “It’s a meddlesome stone that crumbles when exposed to light.” But Ogedei saw value in Boraqchin the same way she saw value in the rock. She had no real reason to think that Tolui would pose a threat to Ogedei’s rule, but she couldn’t risk it. Even if Tolui or any of the other brothers kept her around as one of their many consorts, she certainly wouldn’t have the privilege to be empress. For Tolui specifically, he definitely would’ve elevated Sorghaghtani instead. So in my eyes, it was about self-preservation. Boraqchin couldn’t risk turning back into an unassuming rock.

Boraqchin approaches the now fully recovered Ogedei with an idea on what to do with Sorghahtani. Elsewhere, one of Boraqchin’s followers would deliver a bombshell: “Prince Guyuk is to marry Prince Tolui’s first wife, Princess Sorghaghtani.” This is framed as doing “what will be best for the Mongols.” Hey, if you wanna consolidate power, ain’t no better plan than to claim your dead brother’s wife for yourself! But she must have rejected that proposal, so Boraqchin went with the next best idea: marry her off to one of your sons. Would the princess agree this time? Unless the anime deviates from reality, we know she doesn’t. Sorghaghtani stayed resolute and refused to tie herself to House Ogedei, and that was probably the smartest thing she ever did. But still, history always be ruining our stories with spoilers…

But how does the broken woman manage to get back on her own two feet? After all, Sorghaghtani still hasn’t recovered from her husband’s untimely demise. Even her children’s pleas have no effect on her. All she has left is a dead, vacant stare; she is ready and willing to capitulate to Boraqchin’s machinations. But again, we know from history that this doesn’t happen. As a result, we need to throw a wrench in Boraqchin’s plans, and there’s no better candidate than Sitara herself.

The girl finally returns to Sorghaghtani after three whole years of not seeing each other. The thing is, she still utterly despises the princess: “How will [Sorghaghtani] react when she sees me? Will she be justifiably angry? Will she berate me? That’s fine by me. The anger I feel towards her burns far more intense.” So when she saw such a broken and defeated woman — the woman she swore revenge on — Sitara didn’t mince her words: “I-If you want to abandon all thought and yield to her, then suit yourself. But even though I’ve lost the ones I love… I will never give up hope. Stop your sulking. I’ll keep thinking for myself.”

One of the recurring themes of the show is seeing a potentially peaceful but submissive possible future, and outright rejecting it — rejecting it because losing your agency might as well be akin to losing your own life. Sitara could’ve assimilated and become one of the many happy Persian women, but she would’ve stayed in bondage until the day she died. There would be no chance at freedom. Clearly, that isn’t an option. She also could’ve become one of Boraqchin’s loyal minions and thus be content to see House Tolui get torn down. But she’s mad at all of the Mongols, not just some of them. She wants to tear them all down. Over and over, we see women who strive to fight — whether it’s for power or revenge — and survive. So when Sitara looks at Sorghaghtani, all she sees is a weaker version of herself: a pathetic creature who has given up when she hasn’t — a creature just waiting to die and join her husband in the afterlife. Still, her harsh words manage to stir the princess from her doldrums. So the last thing we see is Sorghaghtani crashing an important meeting to withdraw her consent to the marriage. Contrast her current look with her vacant stare from earlier. This is a woman reforged. In fact, history tells us that Sorghaghtani would eventually outlast both Sitara and Toregene. The girl just mended her biggest enemy’s broken heart.

Stray thoughts & observations:

— Still, wasn’t ingesting the poison kinda silly? Boraqchin had no way of knowing she would meet Sitara and thus be cured by the girl and her jada stone. The woman would’ve died for nothing.

— Boraqchin certainly had a soft spot for Moge. Not to be mean, but I think Moge is simply not that bright. Still, being a genuinely nice person goes a long way, so Boraqchin strives to keep the girl out of the fray. I actually don’t know much about Moge’s eventual fate in history’s weave. Obviously, she died at some point. But how did she die? Hopefully, she didn’t have to suffer.

— As for Toregene, she’ll only be freed if Guyuk agrees to marry Sorghaghtani, but even then, the woman will informally be exiled: “She will spend her time quietly in Prince Guyuk’s territory from now on.” She’s not exactly useful to Boraqchin, especially after already having given Ogedei an heir. I’m just surprised the empress wouldn’t just have her killed. After all, Toregene was her accomplice in taking Tolui out. Why risk it?

— Every week, I always kinda dread having to watch this show. I enjoy the anime just fine in a vacuum, but it’s the added pressure of the write-up that unnerves me a little. I’m in my comfort zone when I’m yapping about cyberpunk or whatever. But historical fiction like Jaadugar? Oooh, I dunno. I always think to myself, “Is this the week where I drop the ball?” I look back at this post and I think I’ve done a pretty decent job at providing my perspective… but I also know I’ll go through the same cycle again next weekend.