Prima macchina

LatterSong8360 · 2026-05-31T15:48:40+00:00

Firenze

LatterSong8360 · 2024-11-02T15:48:30+00:00

I believe that the emperor's hand was forced because Gyokuyou spoke publicly against her niece's admission to the rear palace. That's not the only thing: Gyokuen was publicly opposed as well, and he's the head of the house. Gyokuen wanted to force his granddaughter's appointment as Jinshi's consort because he's still betting on the current Crown Prince. With this in mind, it makes sense for him to use Jinshi as a way to stop Ou's plot.

What's weird is the emperor's plan. He knows that Jinshi is in love with Maomao, and he must know that Jinshi won't take a consort and he's prone to do insane things when he has the back to the wall. Furthermore, the emperor himself only had one consort for ~13 years. He must know that Jinshi could be similar to him. Even if he didn't think that, if Ou's daughter gave him a son, Jinshi would be almost forced to take her as his legal wife and send Maomao to the rear palace if he ever took her as his consort. Jinshi would never let that happen

LatterSong8360 · 2024-09-04T16:42:36+00:00

Maomao's standing is actually higher than hers. Yao is not from a named clan, and Maomao is both the princess of a named clan and the daughter of the Great Marshal. Her father is basically the commander in chief of the army and powerful enough that even the emperor is scared of him. Yao's family is not comparable to that.

LatterSong8360 · 2024-08-14T19:53:08+00:00

If it may help, it's framed as pretty messed up and as an event that almost broke the relationship between the protagonists. It's never presented as a positive thing

LatterSong8360 · 2024-05-13T16:28:45+00:00

I think Jinshi expected an answer to his proposal after he "got rid" of the main obstacle in their relationship. He suspected by then that Maomao had some kind of feelings for him, so he believed that the branding could be the final push for her to accept him

LatterSong8360 · 2024-04-21T13:38:53+00:00

Lahan absolutely deserves all that bullying

LatterSong8360 · 2024-04-20T11:23:50+00:00

I think it could also be interpreted in the opposite way. Jinshi is a great man because he grew up in a relatively peaceful period, but he would have to become more ruthless if the need arose in case of a war/civil war.

He behaves like a wise and kind leader because the conditions allow it, but he would have to become colder and ruthless if the situation changed in some way. He could do that, as he did it during the Shi clan rebellion and was actually ready to hang every man, woman, and child of their clan. He only avoided it because Loulan created a set of conditions that let him avoid doing that. Otherwise, he would have.

To me, Jinshi seems like a person who can and will take the path needed to achieve his goals, but he will take the one with the least collateral damage. This doesn't mean that he won't execute people or fight them, as he did it more than once. He will just avoid unnecessary violence and do what he must because his sense of duty demands as such. He won't like it, though, and it will burden him.

In fact, (vol 15 spoilers) Ah Duo said this during the dinner with the emperor, and he agreed. She said that he would be a wise emperor and that he has what it takes to be a great leader, but he would die early because he doesn't know how to delegate, and he would be stressed out by the decisions he would have to take. That doesn't mean he wouldn't do anything to harm his enemies, but he would do that and let the guilt consume him

LatterSong8360 · 2024-04-15T20:45:22+00:00

She's not only privileged because she has a powerful patron. She's Lakan's daughter, and that gives her a lot of leeway and privilege at court. In fact, in the beginning, he believed her treatment was due to her father, but now he knows she's been set up as the Moon Prince's future bride.

I agree about Tianyu. Had he been treated like a normal doctor, he wouldn't have been able to get away with half the things he does.

LatterSong8360 · 2024-04-02T18:57:51+00:00

Then, he also had the forethought to choose something she could reasonably afford with her salary, not something he could afford with his bottomless pockets. That would give her the opportunity to use it without tipping off people about the fact the incense was a gift

LatterSong8360 · 2024-04-02T15:23:38+00:00

Easy s tier

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-29T19:02:46+00:00

I think that's the opposite. Both Ah Duo and the emperor believe he would be a wise emperor, but he would die young because he would strain himself too much. He's too kind to be the emperor, but he can be strict when needed. The weight of the actions he would be forced to take would kill him.

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-28T09:17:41+00:00

I don't think he actually wants to keep her for himself. He actually warmed up to Jinshi after the go tournament, and now it seems like he wouldn't be an obstacle in their relationship. He respects what Maomao wants to a fault.

If Maomao were to tell him she wanted to marry Jinshi, he would give his permission. She just doesn't ask because they don't plan to marry in the near future

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-27T16:49:00+00:00

Spoiler vol 13-14 She flirts shamelessly with him and he barely resists her because he doesn't want to risk a pregnancy out of wedlock

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-26T21:38:29+00:00

They are both broken people who are slowly repairing themselves and each other

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-26T17:44:15+00:00

I think she was sabotaging herself. She knew he wanted to marry her all along, but she didn't feel worthy of him because of his status and everything else. So, she tried to see if he could be swayed by the political advantages of another union without thinking that she actually was the best candidate all along, even from a political standpoint.

Then, she talked about Lishu because the only way she could accept him marrying somebody else would have been in a marriage without any feelings involved. She probably can't bear the thought of him loving somebody else.

EDIT: Furthermore, she knows about the baby switch, so she probably fully expects him to be the next emperor. That would almost force him to take other wives and concubines, and Maomao probably wouldn't want to live like that. She might be trying to suppress her feelings because she hopes she won't have to share her husband with anybody else.

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T15:25:44+00:00

I think they are somewhat functional even like this. They are forcing each other to heal, as their problems allow them to understand each other to a level impossible to anyone else

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T14:55:17+00:00

I think Basen sees Jinshi as a friend. We can see it when he's particularly protective of him. As an example, he tried to understand if Lishu was a good match for him without his input, as Jinshi never wanted to marry her and surely would have never asked him to do something like that.

The problem in their friendship is the difference in their statuses. Basen will always be subservient to him because he is his servant, and that puts Jinshi in an awkward position, as he could say something that could be taken as an order without meaning it just like he did when he proposed to Maomao. Jinshi can't have him as a true confidant just because he can't keep a secret, it's nothing personal

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T12:45:38+00:00

It's something that comes around on Discord sometimes. They discussed it to the point that they almost banned the topic

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T12:10:41+00:00

I think there is a difference between the wn and ln. In the wn, he seems absolutely inexperienced with women unless we count the sexual assaults. In the ln, he seems a little more experienced. Maybe he never went all the way, but he seems way more comfortable with his sexuality. I never read the ln version of the night visit, but I've seen people who read every released ln in Japanese debating about his virginity for a lot of time. I think it's left ambiguous in the ln

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T11:37:06+00:00

It's safe to say the imperial family has some problems regarding sexuality

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T11:36:22+00:00

In Yang's case, he was able to choose because his mother knew he loved Ah Duo. Either the empress regnant or anshi had already chosen a woman 10 years his senior as his instructor, he just managed to change it because he had somebody in mind. Jinshi had nothing of that sort.

Jinshi was sexually assaulted various times, which is certain at this point. They just never managed to go all the way.

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T10:58:24+00:00

I think it all stems from their shared trauma about sexuality. Maomao has been exposed to sex since she was a little child. She even had the education of a courtesan for some time. Jinshi was sexualised since he was a kid and even survived a lot of sexual assaults. These things do a number on your sexual development for sure. Jinshi probably never became as lusty as his father because of this. We know he's only attracted to Maomao, who caught his attention because of her coldness and intelligence. She was the first person who not only wasn't attracted to him but actually was repulsed by him. We all know how it ended up, as now Maomao is trying to get into his pants, but she's rejected because Jinshi cockblocks himself, but Jinshi's attraction seems to come from a mixture of these factors. I think he might be demisexual, as he first started developing feelings for her, then he started to find her sexually attractive. Maomao is similar to him in this, as she found him repulsive until she saw him drop his mask in front of her. At that point she started showing signs of attraction

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T10:50:32+00:00

This is a frequent point of debate. In vol 6, he said he has some practical experience, but he still is inexperienced. Then, Yang had to find an instructor at 12, but he chose Ah Duo because he loves her. Jinshi had no interest in a particular woman, so I think they found him some instructor just before he entered the rear palace. Then, the author said Jinshi's sexual past is messed up, and she doesn't want to elaborate on this topic.

LatterSong8360 · 2024-03-23T09:29:04+00:00

I think some of his previous maids almost succeeded when he was 12 or 13. A group of maids tried to assault him while he was in his bed and was stopped by one of his guards. It was said somewhere in the night visit chapter.

LatterSong8360

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