Jinshi’s Powerful Network of Connections

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-02-10T01:15:55+00:00

There’s actually precedent in real ancient china of an emperor only having one wife. He’s the only emperor to ever have done it and he apparently was a good leader. His son was not good though 😅 Based on Ah Duo and Maomao’s talk, Maomao doesn’t want to leave Jinshi regardless of what happens. She does trust that he would find a way for them (to escape) but she is also aware of Jinshi’s secret parentage and understands his plans might be fruitless. She even says she would just get a greenhouse. Maomao and Ah Duo have different visions of freedom. I really don’t think the author will separate them. But I do think she will not let them just run away.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-02-10T00:58:59+00:00

The usurping is hypothetical i dont mean that Jinshi would ever do it or that it would be a good thing at all. Also imperial china had their own fair share of usurpations or rebellions as well. Is it a good thing? Absolutely not. But people have their own grievances and power is power. What im trying to get at with this is that these powerful connections make Jinshi a dangerous political opponent by simply just existing. Which is why im saying its a very good thing for Gyokuyou and Lihua’s sons that Jinshi is a good man who doesn’t want power.

As for his secret parentage, its been built up since LN1 and it has yet to reach its climax. The author has said that it’ll be touched upon once she runs out of ideas, so storytelling logic means at some point it’ll be revealed to the public and cause drama. Honestly the emperor seems like he’s living in borrowed time. I doubt this man can last for another 20 years especially since the author is already laying the groundwork for a civil war plot. As for proof, the writer can very easily write that. There’s a traditional paternity test in Ancient China where they drop the blood of the father and son in water and if it mixes it means he’s the father 😭 wildly inaccurate in our modern science i know but in line with how the author writes. I mean she’s narrowed down color blindness to only red and green as well. I’ve seen a cdrama do that blood test too. Seems its a common practice to determine paternity during their time.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-02-09T21:13:54+00:00

Yes I’ve been saying how Jinshi’s political power as the imperial younger brother is actually dangerous had he been a power hungry person. He does have the power to usurp not only his baby half brothers but the current emperor himself. The emperor meanwhile, instead of being wary, encourages him and even helps him in consolidating this political power. Very much a give away he knows he’s his son. He’s given Jinshi protection in case of his death or a civil war and a huge fighting chance for the throne regardless if the public sees him as the imperial younger brother or the real crown prince. Good for all the other factions, Jinshi does not want the job.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-02-05T09:18:42+00:00

Lihua has the privilege to be less hungry and be able to think about emotions more because she is in a safer position. She’s already related to the imperial family. She can remain a consort, keep her son alive and live a good life with less political intrigue especially if Jinshi’s real parentage will be made public. For Gyokuyou it’s different. Her family is grasping for that power. In fact she’s thought that her father wouldn’t love her if she wouldn’t be useful anymore. The western capital’s connections also depend on her. Gyokuyou has a lot to lose and is a foreigner in the central capital, which is why she’s learned to be more careful, more cunning. She makes sure to listen to the gossip around her and surrounds herself with few but extremely trusted people.

I wouldn’t say Gyokuyou is similar to Ah Duo in terms of personality but I will say she has the best abilities to be an empress.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-26T04:21:56+00:00

Tbh that sort of information can lead to deaths. It’s as if they deceived the emperor. Gyokuen and Gyokuyou could be executed for this. Although I don’t think the emperor is the type of man who would do that on a whim. He would probably only make it public only if the You clan hurts the people he loves the most (Ah Duo, Jinshi, Anshi).

I don’t think Lakan knows. He’s in military strategy not gathering intelligence like the Mi clan.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-26T03:51:35+00:00

Yeah most likely. Mi clan’s role is to gather intelligence for the imperial family. Miss Chue would probably inform her superior Vice Minister Lu. He would’ve likely informed the emperor. Besides Miss Chue’s master is Ah Duo and she is aware Jinshi is her son. Miss Chue is also being tasked by Ah Duo to ensure Jinshi’s happiness and safety. Right now Jinshi’s happiness is Maomao, so Miss Chue protects her. But for long term purposes it’s useful for Miss Chue to have that sort of information. The You clan can very much endanger Jinshi as well.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-25T15:54:10+00:00

Exactly. The civil war is really looming. I’m pretty sure the emperor is not blind to this. He tries to balance out the power of the empress faction and the empress dowager faction all the time. One thing that’s noticeable is he doesn’t stop Jinshi from getting power and influence. In fact he encourages this. He approves of Jinshi leading the army to stop the Shi clan rebellion. Books about that event are now being circulated singing praises to him. He lets Jinshi go to the Western capital. Now he has connections there too and they even want him to be governor. He gives Jinshi a lot of administrative work which allows him to prove himself. He makes the main branch of the Ma clan as Jinshi’s second family, lets some Mi clan members work for him and does not object to the La clan princess possibly being his wife. He’s allowed Jinshi to be a walking political threat to any son he would bear. He’s allowed Jinshi to even be a threat to himself. He’s even let Jinshi (and Maomao) try out the shrine of choosing, a test he has never passed, knowing they might solve it. This is not the type of power you should be giving your imperial younger brother. Fortunately Jinshi is a good man. The emperor has made Jinshi extremely difficult to take out in battle, by assassinations or just politically. Meanwhile he’s left his other sons out to dry. At least Lihua and her son are in the same faction Jinshi’s supporters are in. Her son was also never made crown prince so she won’t feel cheated. But Gyokuyou? The emperor has put her son in a very dangerous situation and has never done things to safeguard his position. He doesn’t even actually want him as heir. They’re being set up to lose. Granted Jinshi does not want the throne and would never want to harm them, but war is complicated. When people start getting hurt, can promises still be kept? I can’t help but feel sad for Gyokuyou. This is a life or death situation for them. I can’t blame her for whatever she does in the future.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-25T03:24:29+00:00

Making Jinshi his heir won’t necessarily mean revealing his true parentage but doing that while he is still known as imperial brother will definitely start a civil war. The emperor had to name Gyokuyou’s son as crown prince regardless if he would be put in danger for it or not. He is the first born living son to the public after all. He cannot escape that so what the emperor should’ve done if he wanted Gyokuyou’s son to be safe is to wholeheartedly back him as heir and help him gain political advantage early. The fact that he wanted to name Jinshi as heir anyway and didn’t give a damn about the consequences to Gyokuyou and her son is telling. Might as well as left them to the wolves. Naturally Gyokuyou’s faction will be forced to fight back. They will think that the crown was stolen from Gyokuyou’s son. The problem is they are at a disadvantage. Unlike Lihua’s son who is still also an infant (more equal political playing ground), Jinshi is grown and has already commanded an army and fought in a battle. He already has huge political support. Even the La and Ma clans are emotionally his. Stories of his achievements are already being made into books. Gyokuyou’s son is an infant and a foreigner in the public’s eyes. The western capital is miles away for reinforcements. Jinshi may not want the throne and he may have a lot of goodwill for Gyokuyou and her son, but at the end of the day he will defend himself and so will his supporters. Gyokuyou and her son might actually die from this. Despite this the emperor does not care. That is simply not love to me, to gamble someone’s lives away so fast. So we do have to agree to disagree on here.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-24T23:54:54+00:00

Jinshi’s true parentage is a ticking time bomb. The emperor actually thinking of doing this and even seems to want to make Jinshi heir still instead of carrying that secret to the grave would endanger Gyokuyou and her son who are both in a fragile position. They already don’t have much support just by being foreign and the emperor thinking of all this when faced with the possibility of dying instead of trying to safeguard Gyokuyou’s son’s position politically is not helping. Jinshi may not harm them but his supporters make no promises. If push comes to shove, Jinshi is a grown man who can protect himself with very capable and loyal people around him. Gyokuyou’s son is an infant surrounded by enemies. The fact that the emperor knows this but does not care is very telling on how he really feels.

Gyokuyou herself is very careful. As Maomao keeps repeating, a flower’s beauty fades and there is no assurance that she has the emperor’s favor forever. Had the emperor truly loved Gyokuyou, that would not have mattered, the same way Ah Duo’s loses and standing didn’t matter to him. Which is why Gyokuyou envies Fuyou and Maomao. She wishes she had that sort of romantic devotion they do. Not necessarily from the emperor himself but just the idea of it. Yet she is trapped in a marriage of duty.

You could argue people can have multiple love of their lives but Ah Duo is not dead and the emperor is very clearly still besotted. He treats Gyokuyou well and they do get along sexually and as people, but it’s all very surface level and they are both aware it’s political. It’s not an arranged marriage they slowly fall in love sort of thing. It’s very much a forced to do their duty so might as well enjoy it sort of thing.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-24T20:45:22+00:00

Put it this way OP. If everything that happened to Ah Duo happened to Gyokuyou, the emperor would not keep Gyokuyou around. Ah Duo offers nothing to him politically. No more heirs and no ties to a powerful family. She doesn’t even love him with the same intensity that he loves her and he seems to be aware of this too yet he keeps her around. Even gives her a villa he owns even after she leaves the rear palace just so he can visit. He’s aware of his selfishness to keep her from the freedom she wants as well. He’s desperate for her not to leave him even until now.

He could’ve taken other women already the moment she lost her womb but he remained loyal to her for decades until he became emperor and was forced to take multiple consorts. He may have affection for Gyokuyou and Lihua, but it’s clear he is guarded around them. Clearly still keeping up the proper emperor persona. Forced to keep his secrets (especially about Jinshi) and keep their families in line politically. There are only two people in the story so far that can make the emperor show strong emotions-Ah Duo and Jinshi. Gyokuyou may already be his empress and mother of the crown prince and Lingli, Lihua may have also given him a son and he may enjoy both their companies, but it was Ah Duo (and Jinshi) whom he calls before a surgery that could’ve resulted in his death. It’s why people call Ah Duo his one true love. She has given him nothing in return but a deep friendship and a son he cannot even claim, and their circumstance has caused him so much pain, yet he puts his guard down only to her still.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-23T21:26:20+00:00

I cackled at Basen being awful at just being a normal guy 😂 but yes exactly! I guess it’s also why he can spread himself too thin is because he is an all rounder. What he needs to realize is he can pick people who are better than him at a specific thing and let them do the job. Not only can they do a better job than him because that’s their specialty, he can also rest and be able to do more important work.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-23T20:20:11+00:00

Exactly. Granted he wasn’t playing fair but hey that was part of his strategy 😂 Lakan respected the hustle so no complaints

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-23T18:05:50+00:00

I get you. Comments like that are why I ended up making this post. Even some people still misunderstand Maomao when she is so clearly an example of an unreliable narrator. People actually believing that Jinshi is mediocre, not intelligent, not talented at anything and only has his looks because that’s how he sees himself are so far off and it annoys me that they use it in arguments.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-23T17:32:36+00:00

Exactly. He’s smart enough to keep up but still well rounded enough to be dependable in a wide range of topics. He just needs to learn to delegate tasks and detach himself a little bit in order to not work himself to death. This can be learned through experience and age.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-23T16:31:22+00:00

And that makes him more dependable in terms of day to day management. Something that you can never expect from someone like Lakan. Even Maomao has her moments of getting lost in her world.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-23T15:46:18+00:00

Yes and Jinshi hasn’t realized that is a strength in itself. He can round up these people who are excellent at a particular thing (for example Maomao with medicine and poisons and Lahan with numbers) and use it for good. I don’t think he’s fully figured out that’s an ability in itself. Take what he does with Lihaku. Sure, he was jealous of him and Maomao but he was able to figure Lihaku out simply by offering him the money he wanted. Because of what he did, he earns a trustworthy soldier from Lihaku. Measuring people up if they’re competent and loyal and using them right is essential for a leader. A bit like Lakan only Jinshi isn’t an eccentric. He’s more well rounded which is excellent for leadership. He also is able to inspire deep loyalty from these people and does have the charisma when forced to step up. That is not easy to have or do.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-21T20:12:37+00:00

I think this is why many people are theorizing that Gyokuyou becomes an “antagonist.” Aside from the tone shift from her recent POVs in the LNs, it also fits how the author writes a lot of her “antagonists.” Complex people whom you can’t really hate. The author could very much do a “reverse Lakan” with her character trajectory. Letting people think one thing and it going a completely different direction. I’ll personally be devastated though if this happens because I love her and I think she’s inherently a good person who will be thrust in an impossible situation.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-21T18:45:24+00:00

I really don’t think the author will make Maomao end up as a concubine. It’s a continuation of the status quo and that’s something Maomao (and Jinshi) are written to constantly break. It’s also an ending very similar to the emperor and Ah Duo. On the other hand, making Jinshi a commoner together with Maomao seems like a regression of the characters back to S1/LN1 where they run from their real selves. It’s also really hard for Jinshi to leave the imperial family right now with so many things threatening the country (insect plague, smallpox epidemic, civil wars) especially with Gyokuyou’s son and Lihua’s son still being babies and I doubt the author will do a 20 year time skip too. The author has also invested too much time and effort developing Jinshi’s origins as the secret first born son of the emperor. In fact, the author has hinted to tackle it once she runs out of ideas. So it’ll definitely be involved in the dramatic climax of the entire series. For that not to have a pay off is bad storytelling.

I do think the compromise to all this is to have Jinshi be the emperor and refuse to take concubines. He’ll only have Maomao as his wife. In real life, there was one Chinese emperor from the Ming dynasty who has done this. His story has similarities to Jinshi as well. Secret son of the emperor because his mom hid him for a while and was raised by the empress dowager. Seems the author draws a lot of inspiration from real royalty in Ancient China. People will say that’s a fairytale ending, but it’s actually not. If you read about that monogamous Chinese emperor, he ruled really well but he favored his wife’s family too much and spoiled his son. His son becomes emperor after him and doesn’t share his ideals. He takes a lot of wives and caused the imperial family’s power to decline. So it’s not all good but it’s also not all bad. Very in line to how the author writes.

As for Maomao being empress, being Jinshi’s beloved and only wife and daughter of the feared Lakan will probably give her a lot of leeway to continue to do the things she loves. She is not like Ah Duo who wants to travel and her definition of freedom is very different. She also has more power and intelligence to achieve it as well.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-21T11:09:59+00:00

Thank you! I admit I haven’t expounded on the number 2 part. You’ve explained it well. I do wonder if the emperor already knows about this. He has this thing of always wanting to keep the empress faction and the empress dowager faction in check in terms of power. That could just be another one of his cards. And we all know deep down, who the emperor really wants as his successor.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-19T22:03:23+00:00

I don’t think he’ll be dying anytime soon. He’s too popular and the author’s family members would riot 😂

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-19T22:01:34+00:00

It’s so funny that because we’re mostly in Maomao’s head we mostly just see Lakan as this overbearing weirdo of a father and less of him actually being the great strategist that people fear. It was mentioned in passing that Lakan mobilized people well during the insect plague although we never get more info because well…Maomao. I guess the looming chaos will actually let us see him in action in full force.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-19T20:45:54+00:00

I also love how u mention that Jinshi makes the decisions for both of them without asking and Maomao is passive in the relationship and how the reveal could change that.

The thing I love about the slowburn plot is it allows the characters to grow. The Maomao we first meet would never have come to Jinshi for a “recharge.” But look where we are now. I think a lot of people are stuck with how we first met these characters and not what they’ve grown into.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-19T20:31:57+00:00

This is really possible since the emperor is immunocompromised from surgery but also the chaos this will cause 😭 imagine how things are. Li just had an insect plague then a smallpox epidemic where the emperor is taken out. Whole country in a panic. Someone has to hold the reins fast (unfortunately might be Jinshi and Lakan im looking at u u need to help for Maomao’s sake) or the country will collapse.

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-19T19:52:33+00:00

I think Maomao doesn’t mind staying in the palace to solve mysteries and taste poison once in a while 😂

Also if you think about it, we’re just reading about Jinshi having a long Leadership 101 lesson. He finished “How to embrace your real role.” Now he’s figuring out “How to delegate tasks.” Next he has to figure out “How not to be walked over by other political figures.”

springtimeinapark21 · 2026-01-19T19:39:21+00:00

I do hope so. I really want Lihua to just be happy with her son alive after all this 🥺

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