#fengge tan

[sunnymimis]

TONEGAWA x OGBAEM MAFIA 🐍 Kozo and Tae-yong belong to @burukaji! The others belong to me!

[botanycrewmember]

RIP Tan Yuanchun, first disciple of Qi Fengge, you would have loved the Crane Wives

[hunxi-after-hours]

I've always wondered, you mentioned Yu Ai and Chen Gong at least one or two times but I've never seen you talk about them in great detail. I've always found them (especially Yu Ai) to be really interesting side characters, and I want to know what you think of them.

anon you can’t just COME for me like that, you know I’m constantly on my Yu Ai bullshit, and look, I think Yu Ai and Chen Gong are both fascinating characters because they’re both set up as foils for Shen Qiao but in very different ways

call me soft-hearted, or foolish, or naive, but I genuinely do believe Yu Ai when he said that he never intended for things to go so far with Shen Qiao. was it tremendously dumb and extremely destructive of him to sabotage Shen Qiao on the day of Shen Qiao’s duel with Kun Ye? yes. did Yu Ai continue to double down and fuck things up very badly? also yes. but what continues to stay with me is how relentlessly honest Yu Ai is, to the point of bluntness. he plans, but he doesn’t plot. his schemes may be secretive, but they are rarely deceptive or destructive

when Shen Qiao first returns to Xuandu Shan and confronts Yu Ai about his betrayal, Yu Ai doesn’t even try to demur, just admits his wrongdoing. And all the way at the end of the novel, when Hehuan Zong and Tujue warriors have shown up to Xuandu Shan’s internal conference to cause trouble, Yu Ai limps his way into the middle of the fight and rips apart any deception that might have existed in favor of telling the harsh, ugly truth

the tragedy of Yu Ai, I think, is that he only did what he believed he had to do, and at the end, realized that he had been wrong all this time. but likewise, what haunts me the most is that in a way, Yu Ai was right, and had been right all along

he may have been wrong in his action and execution, but he was right in arguing that Xuandu Shan could not remain isolated, that Xuandu Shan had an obligation to the world, that Xuandu Shan not only needed allies and influence, but that they had to actively enter the world to seek both

Yu Ai may have done everything wrong, but from the beginning, he was right.

sometimes I wonder if things could have worked out, had Yu Ai not gone behind Shen Qiao’s back and colluded with Tujue, had not viciously sabotaged Shen Qiao and indirectly caused his fall from Half-Step Peak. is there a world where Yu Ai could have convinced Shen Qiao through nothing but words and passionate argument? is there a timeline where Xuandu Shan re-enters the jianghu with Shen Qiao at its head, Yu Ai at his right hand? I don’t know. I don’t know if Shen Qiao could have gone through the same journey, reached the same depths of realization and heights of achievement, had Yu Ai not catalyzed his initial fall

Yu Ai is simultaneously Shen Qiao’s mirror image and inverse, his journey travelled in reverse. in so many ways, he and Shen Qiao occupy similar spaces--both talented disciples of Qi Fengge, capable leaders, well-educated, well-liked, well-intentioned, well-meaning. Even the names of their swords parallel and contrast each other: 山河同悲 and 君子不器, the only two named weapons of Xuandu Shan we ever come to learn. But while Yu Ai betrays the name of his sword (from the 《论语》 / The Analects: “the noble man does not stoop to being used as a tool”), Shen Qiao lives by his (“when living things suffer, the mountains and rivers also sorrow”)

and Yu Ai’s journey ends where Shen Qiao’s begins--betrayed and broken at the foot of a mountain. call it heaven-decreed retribution (enacting upon Yu Ai’s body what he had enacted upon Shen Qiao’s) or call it thematic resonance, Yu Ai’s fall down a mountain cliff directly calls back to Shen Qiao’s, but instead of a long road of recovery and redemption unrolling before him, Yu Ai dies shortly thereafter--taking a backstabbing blow from Tan Yuanchun, dying in an attempt to shield Shen Qiao

Shen Qiao, who he had ruined

as Shen Qiao cradles him on the ground, Yu Ai asks do you hate me still? and Shen Qiao says I don’t know.

Shen Qiao tries to save him--of course Shen Qiao tries to save him--and Yu Ai says here is my life in return; don’t hate me, okay, a-Qiao?

part of what I love about 《千秋》 is that Meng Xishi populates the world with a vibrant, dimensional cast of characters, and defies us to sort them into good and bad, wrong and right. Shen Qiao, one would think, automatically goes in the “good” bucket, but Shen Qiao is also wrong at times, was wrong, in fact, for a very long time. meanwhile someone like Yan Wushi might seem “bad” on the surface, but in many ways he’s right--right about politics, right about the ugly side of human nature, and right (eventually) about Shen Qiao, who most of the jianghu continually misunderstands. there is no clear binary of morality, just the best decision you can make with the limits of your knowledge and the restrictions of your ability

speaking of the limits of your knowledge and the restrictions of your ability, let’s talk about Chen Gong, I guess

I never really know how to feel about Chen Gong, and to be honest, I’m not sure Shen Qiao does either, because in a weird convergence of narrative, Chen Gong is raised up by Shen Qiao, and Chen Gong is brought low by Shen Qiao

in another book, I think, Chen Gong might have been the protagonist--his is an underdog story, rising out of poverty and nothingness, building an empire out of his misfortunes. heck, Chen Gong even has eidetic memory, which is a classic protagonist power if I’ve ever seen one

and perhaps I spend more time than really necessary pondering the fact that Chen Gong gets dragged into sexual servitude, and yet, uses his influence and connections from moving through elite spaces to leverage his way to previously-unimaginable heights

this might be my soft-heartedness acting up again, my inclination to give the benefit of the doubt whenever I can, but I do genuinely think that Chen Gong tried to repay Shen Qiao’s favor and kindnesses, but never really knew how to and ended up fumbling it very badly. there’s the gesture with the mule-meat jiabing that his underling botches; there’s the whole Ruoqiang arc, which honestly confuses me on many levels, but Shen Qiao does benefit from getting dragged along on the adventure

there is something so intensely personal about the fact that Shen Qiao looks at a penniless Chen Gong in a broken-down temple and tells him you could make something of yourself, and when Chen Gong has, when he is titled and wealthy, when he has made something of himself, Shen Qiao looks at his achievements and says you are unworthy

where did Chen Gong go wrong? I don’t know; he certainly doesn’t know, but I’m reminded of Bai Rong, and cycles of vengeance and oppression, because Bai Rong grows up in the toxic environment of Hehuan Zong, and frees herself by taking over the sect and breaking the cycle of sexual predation

meanwhile, Chen Gong begs, borrows, and steals his way out of poverty, suffers a great deal along the way, and fits himself right back into the systems that had lorded over him in the first place

he plays the game of politics and courtly intrigue, and he’s fucking winning, and then Shen Qiao comes along and informs him that he’s been playing the wrong game all along, but really, did Chen Gong have a choice in the first place? perhaps he didn’t, but he sure had a lot of choices once he gained power and influence, and continued to use both selfishly

perhaps, then, the question that unites these three characters and the paths they take in 《千秋》 is the question of power, and what you do with it; likewise, when you have no power, how do you obtain it

Yu Ai steals the position of sect leader from Shen Qiao, with the intention to use it only for good

Chen Gong gains power through a combination of suffering and savviness, and uses it only for his own gain

Shen Qiao gains power through self-sacrifice, and is rewarded for it by the mechanism of the Zhuyang Ce, but had he been anyone less than Shen Qiao, had he not existed at the particular intersection of power and privilege and knowledge and ability, his self-sacrifices would have rewarded him with nothing but a shallow grave

tl;dr these characters are complex as hell and that gives 《千秋》 a ridiculous amount of staying power in my brain

[jeejascoffee]

Chapters: 5/6 Fandom: 千秋 - 梦溪石 | Thousand Autumns - Mèng Xī Shí Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Shen Qiao/Yan Wushi Characters: Shen Qiao (Thousand Autumns), Yan Wushi, Yu Ai (Thousand Autumns), Tan Yuanchun, Qi Fengge Additional Tags: Dororo!AU, Hyakkimaru!Shen Qiao, Body Horror, Demons, Canon-Typical Violence, Plot, Disabled Character, Sexual Situations, Dubious Consent, Sensual Play, Nudity, Cock Tease, Guilt, Developing Relationship, Action/Adventure, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Oral Sex, Public Sex, First Time, Canonical Character Death, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Violence, Blood and Gore Summary:

(Dororo AU) Years ago, Yu Ai and Tan Yuanchun made a deal with demons: Xuandu would prosper in exchange for a sacrifice. It was a fair trade. Even though Shen Qiao, only four years old at the time, was the one who paid the price with his limbs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and many of his organs.

It was fair.

Now an adult, Shen Qiao is on a quest to take back his missing body parts. With each demon he kills, he regains something that was taken from him. Along the way he meets a traveling demonic sect leader, Yan Wushi …

How does Yan Wushi fit into the journey to become whole?

________________

Chapter 5

[juliekjohnsonwrites]

#FourGodsFriday: Gen Character Profile

This week for #FourGodsFriday, we're going to take a look at The Four Gods' protagonist. Gen's profile is posted below, and you can learn a little more about him. As always, I am open for any questions, too. This profile template was originally made by my CP many years ago, and we’ve shared it between us for most of the profiles we’ve done. This is also a segue to next week’s WAW, where I will cover how to make a basic character profile! 

Character Name: Ming Gen (明根)

Physical

Race: Gen was originally a human, but he becomes a xianren, or an immortal being. Ethnically, he is Han Chinese. 

Birthday/Age: Gen was born on April 12th, 167 CE and is 18 when he achieves immortality.

Height: Gen stands about 5'8". This is tall for a human, but is average height for a heavenly being.

Weight/Body Type: He weighs around 157 pounds. He is stockier than many of his peers, but most of his bulk is lean muscle.

Skin: Gen's skin is somewhat pale, and he'll tan in sunlight, but that's about all there is to it. His general complexion can be compared to a person living in Northern China or Mongolia.

Eyes: His eyes are dark brown in color that border on black, and are large and almond-shaped. 

Other Facial Features: Rounder/oval face shape, wide nose, thin lips. He has very little facial hair and rarely keeps what he is gifted with in the mustache or beard department since he prefers a cleaner look.

Hair:  Gen has dark brown hair that is ungodly thick and slightly wavy. Due to difficulty in maintaining his hair, he will often pull it back into a low ponytail to keep it out of the way, but he'll begrudgingly wear topknots for special occasions.

Clothes: Gen prefers simpler garments in the neutral spectrum, mainly blacks, grays, and browns. He can sometimes seen be wearing clothing in green or blue, but he'll only do this for special occasions. While he was a prince, Gen would wear solid colored hanfu robes in darker shades, mainly black, green, and red. When he becomes a god, Gen prefers dark-colored hanfu robes with minimal decoration or he prefers wearing deels of nomadic tribes because of their comfort and ease of movement. 

Skills Occupation: Gen was originally a prince and soldier of the Eastern Han empire, but once he achieves enlightenment, he serves as the Northern Guardian of the Si Ling (Four Symbols) Organization.

Hobbies: Gen has a love for poetry (both reading and writing) and philosophy. Despite his calm and academic personality, he also has a love for combat and swordsmanship. If he is not working or in a library, he can be found drilling weapons either alone or with his comrades. 

Powers: Gen has very selective powers and abilities once he gains them. His magical abilities focus on water and earth, but his fortes are ice and poisonous plants. He can create both by using his qi, but he must be focused in order to use his abilities successfully, as adrenaline hinders his usage of these elements.  

He also gains transformation abilities and has a mythical beast form in the form of a Bixi (dragon-tortoise), but he rarely uses this aspect of his magical powers and much prefers a more human form.

Weapons: Being a warrior and a previous soldier, Gen can use a variety of weapons, but his favorites are spears and scimitars.

Mental

Common Sense: Gen has a great deal of common sense, and he knows what to avoid and what to jump in on. However, he lacks a certain sense when it comes to touchy subjects of his peers. He also has problems with tunnel vision, and his judgement becomes clouded if he is focused on a specific task or goal he has in mind.

Intellect: Gen is a very intelligent individual. He learns new philosophies for enjoyment and was recognized as a naturally skilled tactician in the Han court.

Improvisation: Gen's improvisation skills are nowhere near his intellect. This area is definitely not his greatest area of skill, and he is known to be the "screw-up" out of his group of friends as his endeavors to do something outside-of-the-box ends up in disaster. He does learn from mistakes rather well, and if he does screw something up, he will try to find a better alternative to not do it again.

Emotional

Likes: Gen has a love for simplicity, despite living in such a flamboyant environment. This is a carrying over of a trait he had as a mortal in which he meditated multiple times of the day and studied the ways of the Dao. He also enjoys taking part in any problem solving activity and even enjoys a taste of the arts every once in a while, specifically painting or calligraphy.

Dislikes: His dislikes are not very extensive, as he tries to see the silver lining of any bad incident, but he does not care for giant piles of work to the point where he’s overwhelmed. While he is very diligent, he feels work should be done in small steps because it is done more efficiently then. He hates injustice, no matter if it's against the highest deity or lowliest beggar. He also does not take a liking to public speaking, despite his past life and experiences.

Spiritual

Religion: Gen practices Daoism.

Strengths: As mentioned before, Gen is very skilled in strategy and problem solving as well as being an advisor to his peers. His realistic views of both the mortal and immortal realms often shows everyone a bigger picture. While some may see him as distant and cold, he has the biggest heart and is an overflowing fountain of compassion to anyone and everyone who may need something.

Weaknesses:  Gen has a problem with properly showing emotions. He has been conditioned to "save face" and often shrugs his feelings off for matters he deems more important, which can lead him becoming pessimistic or exploding at inopportune times. 

He has an awful sense of direction and has the habit of losing people that he's with if traveling together. 

Social

Family: Gen has no family in the Heavens when he arrives, but during his mortal life, his family consisted of about 5 brothers (1 older and 4 younger) and 2 sisters (both younger). His father was the Emperor of the Han empire and his mother the Empress.

Gen was not particularly close with most of his siblings, and preferred spending time with the royal guard or scholar officials in his father's court. 

Friends: During his mortal years, Gen was closest friends with his personal servant, Zhen, and members of the royal guard. Once he achieved immortality, he became close friends with a Fenghuang named Guang Fengge.

Gen also became friends with the other two members of the Si Ling organization by default: a Qilin named Bing Chonglin and a Long named Zhang Longwei.

Back Story:  Gen was an heir to the Han throne that served as a military advisor and political prodigy under his father, the emperor. Being the oldest son, he was expected to take on the throne as any oldest child should. Shortly after being named Crown Prince, he received a vision from the gods. With their instruction, they gave him the option to become one of them. In order to do this, though, he had to purge himself of all earthly desires and needs and continue to meditate for the transformation process to be complete. 

In response to this vision from the gods, Gen followed their request, meditating frequently and consistently without taking in food or drink as they were considered earthly things. His family, very worried for the prince's sake, tried everything they could to get their son to eat once more but, Gen was determined to follow the gods wishes and not long after that, his request was granted and he was allowed admittance into the heavens. 

It was everything that he had dreamed it to be with their ornate decorations and brightly patterned robes. However, there was a surprise waiting for him. Although he had purged himself of all earthly materials, Gen's body was worse for wear and he was given a completely new, divine body that resembled his old one.

Now that Gen was in the heavens, the gods decided to give him a position in the Si Ling, hoping that his presence would replace Guang Fengge, the phoenix of the group. Since then, he has been along for the ride, helping out in any way that he can and attempting to keep the peace between the other three members.

And that’s it for today! Feel free to send any questions if you have them!

[sunnymimis]

Some members of Qiang's division 💙💙❤️

[hunxi-after-hours]

Do you have any thoughts on Qi Fengge? I would love to hear them if you do :D

OH MY GOD ANON I’m so sorry if you’ve sent this question before because I’ve literally been quietly hoarding that ask in my inbox for months now, thinking that I would answer it with the Shen Qiao fic I was working on (am still working on!! simply need... time. and spoons.) because BOY do I have feelings about the relationship between Shen Qiao and Qi Fengge

Qi Fengge is such a fascinating figure, because like Xiao Jingyu of 《琅琊榜》， like Ye Qingmei of 《庆余年》, he is someone who is absent from the world of the story, whose legacy still leaves lasting ripple effects in the lives of our protagonists, in the problems they grapple with

so we can never really know Qi Fengge from the inside; all we know of him is what others say about him, after he’s gone:

respect: obviously, as the undisputed greatest warrior in the jianghu at his time, he commands a great deal of respect

mercy: Yan Wushi actually tears into Qi Fengge in front of Shen Qiao for not killing Hu Lu Gu twenty years ago when he could have; Yan Wushi notes that it would have saved everyone--Shen Qiao in particular--a great deal of grief if Qi Fengge had been a little less kind, more cruelly pragmatic, a little more forward-thinking, a little less honorable

isolationist/neutrality: Shen Qiao inherited Xuandu Shan’s isolationist policies from his predecessors, and for the most part, Qi Fengge upheld Xuandu Shan’s lofty position and refusal to get involved with most jianghu/political affairs

nobility: that being said, Qi Fengge was moved by the plight of the jianghu when Hu Lu Gu came screaming into the central plains, and it was precisely this softness of heart and nobility of spirit that led him to duel Hu Lu Gu for the literal fate of the jianghu

and then there’s Tan Yuanchun. fucking Tan Yuanchun, man

because Tan Yuanchun is where our doubts come in--Tan Yuanchun’s entire evil motive is literally “because shizun didn’t pay enough attention to me,” which, to be frank, is at least 90% Tan Yuanchun’s problem, not Qi Fengge’s, but the whole business has me thinking about all of characters as 武道中人 practitioners of the martial way

I feel like it’s easy to lose sight of (that is, I often lose sight of) how important the martial arts/path/way of life is to our main characters, but it’s very much present in the characterization of our protagonists: Yan Wushi is single-mindedly obsessed with cultivating to greater heights, to breaking the ceiling set by Tao Hongjing (who is, if I may remind us all, the literal author of the Zhuyang Ce). In the betrayal sequence, Yan Wushi tells Shen Qiao about the great weakness of the Fengling Yuandian and says that, once anyone reaches the ninth level, even though going further will increase one’s risk of dying violently and painfully from qi deviation, no one who has gone that far could bear to stop, anyway

and Shen Qiao himself is fiercely devoted to his own way and cultivation; we could talk about his moments of enlightenment and martial progress throughout the book, or I can point specifically at the time he abandoned Xie Ling (who, by the way, is still wanted dead by most of the jianghu at this point) in a Chang’an teahouse because Shen Qiao simply had to go invent a new sword form at that very second and oh my god he is so sorry, here is money for the bill and the property damage Xie Ling caused--

and that’s not even getting into the number of characters who have died in pursuit of elevating their cultivation. the point is, everyone in the jianghu, to a certain extent, will give up their lives for their martial ways

where I’m trying to go with this is that Qi Fengge was the greatest warrior of his time, the pinnacle of martial achievement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a good teacher

not to say that I think that Qi Fengge is a bad teacher, but I feel like we should recognize that just because he is someone’s shifu/shizun doesn’t mean that he should automatically be saddled with dad responsibilities

(there’s probably a longer conversation to be had about the relative paternal function/paternal obligation of shifus/shizuns to their dizi/disciples in wuxia fiction but how about we don’t get into that for now because boy howdy that would get out of hand real quick)

like I said, I think Tan Yuanchun’s saltiness about Qi Fengge not paying enough attention to him is 90% Tan Yuanchun’s problem because 1) you gotta stop determining your self-worth by other people’s praise m’dude, 2) it’s not Qi Fengge’s job to be your dad, especially because a. you have a family (whereas Shen Qiao was literally picked up off the side of the road) and b. he is your shizun, not your dad, and 3) if you’re unhappy about something you should talk to someone about it, not, I dunno, stew in your resentment for a decade and a half and then plot the downfall of not one, but TWO of your shidis and lowkey plan on jeopardizing your entire sect to prove a goddamn point 

like seriously, get a hobby or something

could Qi Fengge have been more attentive to Tan Yuanchun? absolutely. but also recall that Tan Yuanchun’s face-heel turn came out of nowhere even for Shen Qiao because Tan Yuanchun hid his resentment so well, and like, Shen Qiao literally asked his shixiong if he was okay with being skipped over for sect leadership and Tan Yuanchun said yes, you know, like a liar

anyway. back to Qi Fengge

something that I think is very understated and poignant and melancholy throughout the entirety of 《千秋》 is how much Shen Qiao misses his shizun. At the beginning of the book, we know that it’s been a few years (less than ten, more than three I’d wager) since Qi Fengge passed on--Xuandu Shan is not decked out in white, Shen Qiao is not in active mourning, and it’s old news to everyone except Yan Wushi, who’s only just come out of a ten-year seclusion

but throughout the book, Shen Qiao misses Qi Fengge in a quiet, understated manner that is still very present: often, in moments of life or death, he hears Qi Fengge’s voice, or flashes back to a conversation the two of them had (阿峤 是最可爱的人). Shen Qiao continues to live--and nearly die--by the principles Qi Fengge passed on to him (阿峤，莫忘挂念苍生，以天下为己任，谨守道心). He carries Qi Fengge’s sword, which his dearest possession, and he cherishes it to the point that it may be the one thing he comes close to picking a fight with Yan Wushi over (aside from like, everything else about Yan Wushi).

And then there is the time-swap extra. And then there is the time-swap extra.

Meng Xishi decided to time-swap six-year-old a-Qiao with post-canon Shen Qiao for funsies in an extra, and executed it with the same amount of crackfic competence one might expect from such a ludicrous concept (overnight baby sect leader! Xuandu Shan in chaos! unbelievably adorable a-Qiao! Yan Wushi having a goddamn field day!), but then she jumps over to the adult Shen Qiao, sent some thirty years into his past

my god that scene gutted me--Shen Qiao, practically in tears at seeing his shizun again, the unexpected mercy of some cosmic accident. Shen Qiao doesn’t strike us as emotionally vulnerable throughout the book--he’s mature, steady, and quite worthy of the leadership position he holds and the reputation he gains back. So to see all of his competence and charisma and confidence crumble until he is just a-Qiao, the disciple who just really misses the shizun who had been a father to him, really came for me when I was least expecting it

and the Qi Fengge of that extra seems to live up to Shen Qiao’s memory of a benevolent teacher and model of the Daoist way; he takes the time-swap in stride, doesn’t ask Shen Qiao about the future (actually, Shen Qiao offers to tell him and Qi Fengge turns it down, holy shit), simply asks if Shen Qiao wants to go down to the town at the foot of the mountain and wander around together

look, I just got really emotional about Shen Qiao getting to talk to his shizun again, for the two of them to converse as equals and friends, as companions and family, as shizun and disciple, as heroes and legacies. there is a unique joy in taking pride in/for others, and that scene managed to hit it for both of them: both Qi Fengge, proud of how well Shen Qiao turned out, and Shen Qiao, proud of living up to the immense legacy that Qi Fengge bestowed upon him, both gift and debt, simultaneously blessing and burden

[neyzuko]

Text under cut:

so we can never really know Qi Fengge from the inside; all we know of him is what others say about him, after he’s gone:

respect: obviously, as the undisputed greatest warrior in the jianghu at his time, he commands a great deal of respect

mercy: Yan Wushi actually tears into Qi Fengge in front of Shen Qiao for not killing Hu Lu Gu twenty years ago when he could have; Yan Wushi notes that it would have saved everyone–Shen Qiao in particular–a great deal of grief if Qi Fengge had been a little less kind, more cruelly pragmatic, a little more forward-thinking, a little less honorable

isolationist/neutrality: Shen Qiao inherited Xuandu Shan’s isolationist policies from his predecessors, and for the most part, Qi Fengge upheld Xuandu Shan’s lofty position and refusal to get involved with most jianghu/political affairs

nobility: that being said, Qi Fengge was moved by the plight of the jianghu when Hu Lu Gu came screaming into the central plains, and it was precisely this softness of heart and nobility of spirit that led him to duel Hu Lu Gu for the literal fate of the jianghu

and then there’s Tan Yuanchun. fucking Tan Yuanchun, man

because Tan Yuanchun is where our doubts come in–Tan Yuanchun’s entire evil motive is literally “because shizun didn’t pay enough attention to me,” which, to be frank, is at least 90% Tan Yuanchun’s problem, not Qi Fengge’s, but the whole business has me thinking about all of characters as 武道中人 practitioners of the martial way

I feel like it’s easy to lose sight of (that is, I often lose sight of) how important the martial arts/path/way of life is to our main characters, but it’s very much present in the characterization of our protagonists: Yan Wushi is single-mindedly obsessed with cultivating to greater heights, to breaking the ceiling set by Tao Hongjing (who is, if I may remind us all, the literal author of the Zhuyang Ce). In the betrayal sequence, Yan Wushi tells Shen Qiao about the great weakness of the Fengling Yuandian and says that, once anyone reaches the ninth level, even though going further will increase one’s risk of dying violently and painfully from qi deviation, no one who has gone that far could bear to stop, anyway

and Shen Qiao himself is fiercely devoted to his own way and cultivation; we could talk about his moments of enlightenment and martial progress throughout the book, or I can point specifically at the time he abandoned Xie Ling (who, by the way, is still wanted dead by most of the jianghu at this point) in a Chang’an teahouse because Shen Qiao simply had to go invent a new sword form at that very second and oh my god he is so sorry, here is money for the bill and the property damage Xie Ling caused–

and that’s not even getting into the number of characters who have died in pursuit of elevating their cultivation. the point is, everyone in the jianghu, to a certain extent, will give up their lives for their martial ways

where I’m trying to go with this is that Qi Fengge was the greatest warrior of his time, the pinnacle of martial achievement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a good teacher

not to say that I think that Qi Fengge is a bad teacher, but I feel like we should recognize that just because he is someone’s shifu/shizun doesn’t mean that he should automatically be saddled with dad responsibilities

(there’s probably a longer conversation to be had about the relative paternal function/paternal obligation of shifus/shizuns to their dizi/disciples in wuxia fiction but how about we don’t get into that for now because boy howdy that would get out of hand real quick)

like I said, I think Tan Yuanchun’s saltiness about Qi Fengge not paying enough attention to him is 90% Tan Yuanchun’s problem because 1) you gotta stop determining your self-worth by other people’s praise m’dude, 2) it’s not Qi Fengge’s job to be your dad, especially because a. you have a family (whereas Shen Qiao was literally picked up off the side of the road) and b. he is your shizun, not your dad, and 3) if you’re unhappy about something you should talk to someone about it, not, I dunno, stew in your resentment for a decade and a half and then plot the downfall of not one, but TWO of your shidis and lowkey plan on jeopardizing your entire sect to prove a goddamn point

like seriously, get a hobby or something

could Qi Fengge have been more attentive to Tan Yuanchun? absolutely. but also recall that Tan Yuanchun’s face-heel turn came out of nowhere even for Shen Qiao because Tan Yuanchun hid his resentment so well, and like, Shen Qiao literally asked his shixiong if he was okay with being skipped over for sect leadership and Tan Yuanchun said yes, you know, like a liar

anyway. back to Qi Fengge

something that I think is very understated and poignant and melancholy throughout the entirety of 《千秋》 is how much Shen Qiao misses his shizun. At the beginning of the book, we know that it’s been a few years (less than ten, more than three I’d wager) since Qi Fengge passed on–Xuandu Shan is not decked out in white, Shen Qiao is not in active mourning, and it’s old news to everyone except Yan Wushi, who’s only just come out of a ten-year seclusion

but throughout the book, Shen Qiao misses Qi Fengge in a quiet, understated manner that is still very present: often, in moments of life or death, he hears Qi Fengge’s voice, or flashes back to a conversation the two of them had (阿峤 是最可爱的人). Shen Qiao continues to live–and nearly die–by the principles Qi Fengge passed on to him (阿峤，莫忘挂念苍生，以天下为己任，谨守道心). He carries Qi Fengge’s sword, which his dearest possession, and he cherishes it to the point that it may be the one thing he comes close to picking a fight with Yan Wushi over (aside from like, everything else about Yan Wushi).

And then there is the time-swap extra. And then there is the time-swap extra.

Meng Xishi decided to time-swap six-year-old a-Qiao with post-canon Shen Qiao for funsies in an extra, and executed it with the same amount of crackfic competence one might expect from such a ludicrous concept (overnight baby sect leader! Xuandu Shan in chaos! unbelievably adorable a-Qiao! Yan Wushi having a goddamn field day!), but then she jumps over to the adult Shen Qiao, sent some thirty years into his past

my god that scene gutted me–Shen Qiao, practically in tears at seeing his shizun again, the unexpected mercy of some cosmic accident. Shen Qiao doesn’t strike us as emotionally vulnerable throughout the book–he’s mature, steady, and quite worthy of the leadership position he holds and the reputation he gains back. So to see all of his competence and charisma and confidence crumble until he is just a-Qiao, the disciple who just really misses the shizun who had been a father to him, really came for me when I was least expecting it

and the Qi Fengge of that extra seems to live up to Shen Qiao’s memory of a benevolent teacher and model of the Daoist way; he takes the time-swap in stride, doesn’t ask Shen Qiao about the future (actually, Shen Qiao offers to tell him and Qi Fengge turns it down, holy shit), simply asks if Shen Qiao wants to go down to the town at the foot of the mountain and wander around together

look, I just got really emotional about Shen Qiao getting to talk to his shizun again, for the two of them to converse as equals and friends, as companions and family, as shizun and disciple, as heroes and legacies. there is a unique joy in taking pride in/for others, and that scene managed to hit it for both of them: both Qi Fengge, proud of how well Shen Qiao turned out, and Shen Qiao, proud of living up to the immense legacy that Qi Fengge bestowed upon him, both gift and debt, simultaneously blessing and burden

(found here)

Do you have any thoughts on Qi Fengge? I would love to hear them if you do :D

OH MY GOD ANON I’m so sorry if you’ve sent this question before because I’ve literally been quietly hoarding that ask in my inbox for months now, thinking that I would answer it with the Shen Qiao fic I was working on (am still working on!! simply need... time. and spoons.) because BOY do I have feelings about the relationship between Shen Qiao and Qi Fengge

Qi Fengge is such a fascinating figure, because like Xiao Jingyu of 《琅琊榜》， like Ye Qingmei of 《庆余年》, he is someone who is absent from the world of the story, whose legacy still leaves lasting ripple effects in the lives of our protagonists, in the problems they grapple with

so we can never really know Qi Fengge from the inside; all we know of him is what others say about him, after he’s gone:

respect: obviously, as the undisputed greatest warrior in the jianghu at his time, he commands a great deal of respect

mercy: Yan Wushi actually tears into Qi Fengge in front of Shen Qiao for not killing Hu Lu Gu twenty years ago when he could have; Yan Wushi notes that it would have saved everyone--Shen Qiao in particular--a great deal of grief if Qi Fengge had been a little less kind, more cruelly pragmatic, a little more forward-thinking, a little less honorable

isolationist/neutrality: Shen Qiao inherited Xuandu Shan’s isolationist policies from his predecessors, and for the most part, Qi Fengge upheld Xuandu Shan’s lofty position and refusal to get involved with most jianghu/political affairs

nobility: that being said, Qi Fengge was moved by the plight of the jianghu when Hu Lu Gu came screaming into the central plains, and it was precisely this softness of heart and nobility of spirit that led him to duel Hu Lu Gu for the literal fate of the jianghu

and then there’s Tan Yuanchun. fucking Tan Yuanchun, man

because Tan Yuanchun is where our doubts come in--Tan Yuanchun’s entire evil motive is literally “because shizun didn’t pay enough attention to me,” which, to be frank, is at least 90% Tan Yuanchun’s problem, not Qi Fengge’s, but the whole business has me thinking about all of characters as 武道中人 practitioners of the martial way

I feel like it’s easy to lose sight of (that is, I often lose sight of) how important the martial arts/path/way of life is to our main characters, but it’s very much present in the characterization of our protagonists: Yan Wushi is single-mindedly obsessed with cultivating to greater heights, to breaking the ceiling set by Tao Hongjing (who is, if I may remind us all, the literal author of the Zhuyang Ce). In the betrayal sequence, Yan Wushi tells Shen Qiao about the great weakness of the Fengling Yuandian and says that, once anyone reaches the ninth level, even though going further will increase one’s risk of dying violently and painfully from qi deviation, no one who has gone that far could bear to stop, anyway

and Shen Qiao himself is fiercely devoted to his own way and cultivation; we could talk about his moments of enlightenment and martial progress throughout the book, or I can point specifically at the time he abandoned Xie Ling (who, by the way, is still wanted dead by most of the jianghu at this point) in a Chang’an teahouse because Shen Qiao simply had to go invent a new sword form at that very second and oh my god he is so sorry, here is money for the bill and the property damage Xie Ling caused--

and that’s not even getting into the number of characters who have died in pursuit of elevating their cultivation. the point is, everyone in the jianghu, to a certain extent, will give up their lives for their martial ways

where I’m trying to go with this is that Qi Fengge was the greatest warrior of his time, the pinnacle of martial achievement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a good teacher

not to say that I think that Qi Fengge is a bad teacher, but I feel like we should recognize that just because he is someone’s shifu/shizun doesn’t mean that he should automatically be saddled with dad responsibilities

(there’s probably a longer conversation to be had about the relative paternal function/paternal obligation of shifus/shizuns to their dizi/disciples in wuxia fiction but how about we don’t get into that for now because boy howdy that would get out of hand real quick)

like I said, I think Tan Yuanchun’s saltiness about Qi Fengge not paying enough attention to him is 90% Tan Yuanchun’s problem because 1) you gotta stop determining your self-worth by other people’s praise m’dude, 2) it’s not Qi Fengge’s job to be your dad, especially because a. you have a family (whereas Shen Qiao was literally picked up off the side of the road) and b. he is your shizun, not your dad, and 3) if you’re unhappy about something you should talk to someone about it, not, I dunno, stew in your resentment for a decade and a half and then plot the downfall of not one, but TWO of your shidis and lowkey plan on jeopardizing your entire sect to prove a goddamn point 

like seriously, get a hobby or something

could Qi Fengge have been more attentive to Tan Yuanchun? absolutely. but also recall that Tan Yuanchun’s face-heel turn came out of nowhere even for Shen Qiao because Tan Yuanchun hid his resentment so well, and like, Shen Qiao literally asked his shixiong if he was okay with being skipped over for sect leadership and Tan Yuanchun said yes, you know, like a liar

anyway. back to Qi Fengge

something that I think is very understated and poignant and melancholy throughout the entirety of 《千秋》 is how much Shen Qiao misses his shizun. At the beginning of the book, we know that it’s been a few years (less than ten, more than three I’d wager) since Qi Fengge passed on--Xuandu Shan is not decked out in white, Shen Qiao is not in active mourning, and it’s old news to everyone except Yan Wushi, who’s only just come out of a ten-year seclusion

but throughout the book, Shen Qiao misses Qi Fengge in a quiet, understated manner that is still very present: often, in moments of life or death, he hears Qi Fengge’s voice, or flashes back to a conversation the two of them had (阿峤 是最可爱的人). Shen Qiao continues to live--and nearly die--by the principles Qi Fengge passed on to him (阿峤，莫忘挂念苍生，以天下为己任，谨守道心). He carries Qi Fengge’s sword, which his dearest possession, and he cherishes it to the point that it may be the one thing he comes close to picking a fight with Yan Wushi over (aside from like, everything else about Yan Wushi).

And then there is the time-swap extra. And then there is the time-swap extra.

Meng Xishi decided to time-swap six-year-old a-Qiao with post-canon Shen Qiao for funsies in an extra, and executed it with the same amount of crackfic competence one might expect from such a ludicrous concept (overnight baby sect leader! Xuandu Shan in chaos! unbelievably adorable a-Qiao! Yan Wushi having a goddamn field day!), but then she jumps over to the adult Shen Qiao, sent some thirty years into his past

my god that scene gutted me--Shen Qiao, practically in tears at seeing his shizun again, the unexpected mercy of some cosmic accident. Shen Qiao doesn’t strike us as emotionally vulnerable throughout the book--he’s mature, steady, and quite worthy of the leadership position he holds and the reputation he gains back. So to see all of his competence and charisma and confidence crumble until he is just a-Qiao, the disciple who just really misses the shizun who had been a father to him, really came for me when I was least expecting it

and the Qi Fengge of that extra seems to live up to Shen Qiao’s memory of a benevolent teacher and model of the Daoist way; he takes the time-swap in stride, doesn’t ask Shen Qiao about the future (actually, Shen Qiao offers to tell him and Qi Fengge turns it down, holy shit), simply asks if Shen Qiao wants to go down to the town at the foot of the mountain and wander around together

look, I just got really emotional about Shen Qiao getting to talk to his shizun again, for the two of them to converse as equals and friends, as companions and family, as shizun and disciple, as heroes and legacies. there is a unique joy in taking pride in/for others, and that scene managed to hit it for both of them: both Qi Fengge, proud of how well Shen Qiao turned out, and Shen Qiao, proud of living up to the immense legacy that Qi Fengge bestowed upon him, both gift and debt, simultaneously blessing and burden

[neyzuko]

Text under cut:

call me soft-hearted, or foolish, or naive, but I genuinely do believe Yu Ai when he said that he never intended for things to go so far with Shen Qiao. was it tremendously dumb and extremely destructive of him to sabotage Shen Qiao on the day of Shen Qiao’s duel with Kun Ye? yes. did Yu Ai continue to double down and fuck things up very badly? also yes. but what continues to stay with me is how relentlessly honest Yu Ai is, to the point of bluntness. he plans, but he doesn’t plot. his schemes may be secretive, but they are rarely deceptive or destructive

when Shen Qiao first returns to Xuandu Shan and confronts Yu Ai about his betrayal, Yu Ai doesn’t even try to demur, just admits his wrongdoing. And all the way at the end of the novel, when Hehuan Zong and Tujue warriors have shown up to Xuandu Shan’s internal conference to cause trouble, Yu Ai limps his way into the middle of the fight and rips apart any deception that might have existed in favor of telling the harsh, ugly truth

the tragedy of Yu Ai, I think, is that he only did what he believed he had to do, and at the end, realized that he had been wrong all this time. but likewise, what haunts me the most is that in a way, Yu Ai was right, and had been right all along

he may have been wrong in his action and execution, but he was right in arguing that Xuandu Shan could not remain isolated, that Xuandu Shan had an obligation to the world, that Xuandu Shan not only needed allies and influence, but that they had to actively enter the world to seek both

Yu Ai may have done everything wrong, but from the beginning, he was right.

sometimes I wonder if things could have worked out, had Yu Ai not gone behind Shen Qiao’s back and colluded with Tujue, had not viciously sabotaged Shen Qiao and indirectly caused his fall from Half-Step Peak. is there a world where Yu Ai could have convinced Shen Qiao through nothing but words and passionate argument? is there a timeline where Xuandu Shan re-enters the jianghu with Shen Qiao at its head, Yu Ai at his right hand? I don’t know. I don’t know if Shen Qiao could have gone through the same journey, reached the same depths of realization and heights of achievement, had Yu Ai not catalyzed his initial fall

Yu Ai is simultaneously Shen Qiao’s mirror image and inverse, his journey travelled in reverse. in so many ways, he and Shen Qiao occupy similar spaces–both talented disciples of Qi Fengge, capable leaders, well-educated, well-liked, well-intentioned, well-meaning. Even the names of their swords parallel and contrast each other: 山河同悲 and 君子不器, the only two named weapons of Xuandu Shan we ever come to learn. But while Yu Ai betrays the name of his sword (from the 《论语》 / The Analects: “the noble man does not stoop to being used as a tool”), Shen Qiao lives by his (“when living things suffer, the mountains and rivers also sorrow”)

and Yu Ai’s journey ends where Shen Qiao’s begins–betrayed and broken at the foot of a mountain. call it heaven-decreed retribution (enacting upon Yu Ai’s body what he had enacted upon Shen Qiao’s) or call it thematic resonance, Yu Ai’s fall down a mountain cliff directly calls back to Shen Qiao’s, but instead of a long road of recovery and redemption unrolling before him, Yu Ai dies shortly thereafter–taking a backstabbing blow from Tan Yuanchun, dying in an attempt to shield Shen Qiao

Shen Qiao, who he had ruined

as Shen Qiao cradles him on the ground, Yu Ai asks do you hate me still? and Shen Qiao says I don’t know.

Shen Qiao tries to save him–of course Shen Qiao tries to save him–and Yu Ai says here is my life in return; don’t hate me, okay, a-Qiao?

part of what I love about 《千秋》 is that Meng Xishi populates the world with a vibrant, dimensional cast of characters, and defies us to sort them into good and bad, wrong and right. Shen Qiao, one would think, automatically goes in the “good” bucket, but Shen Qiao is also wrong at times, was wrong, in fact, for a very long time. meanwhile someone like Yan Wushi might seem “bad” on the surface, but in many ways he’s right–right about politics, right about the ugly side of human nature, and right (eventually) about Shen Qiao, who most of the jianghu continually misunderstands. there is no clear binary of morality, just the best decision you can make with the limits of your knowledge and the restrictions of your ability

speaking of the limits of your knowledge and the restrictions of your ability, let’s talk about Chen Gong, I guess

I never really know how to feel about Chen Gong, and to be honest, I’m not sure Shen Qiao does either, because in a weird convergence of narrative, Chen Gong is raised up by Shen Qiao, and Chen Gong is brought low by Shen Qiao

in another book, I think, Chen Gong might have been the protagonist–his is an underdog story, rising out of poverty and nothingness, building an empire out of his misfortunes. heck, Chen Gong even has eidetic memory, which is a classic protagonist power if I’ve ever seen one

and perhaps I spend more time than really necessary pondering the fact that Chen Gong gets dragged into sexual servitude, and yet, uses his influence and connections from moving through elite spaces to leverage his way to previously-unimaginable heights

this might be my soft-heartedness acting up again, my inclination to give the benefit of the doubt whenever I can, but I do genuinely think that Chen Gong tried to repay Shen Qiao’s favor and kindnesses, but never really knew how to and ended up fumbling it very badly. there’s the gesture with the mule-meat jiabing that his underling botches; there’s the whole Ruoqiang arc, which honestly confuses me on many levels, but Shen Qiao does benefit from getting dragged along on the adventure

there is something so intensely personal about the fact that Shen Qiao looks at a penniless Chen Gong in a broken-down temple and tells him you could make something of yourself, and when Chen Gong has, when he is titled and wealthy, when he has made something of himself, Shen Qiao looks at his achievements and says you are unworthy

where did Chen Gong go wrong? I don’t know; he certainly doesn’t know, but I’m reminded of Bai Rong, and cycles of vengeance and oppression, because Bai Rong grows up in the toxic environment of Hehuan Zong, and frees herself by taking over the sect and breaking the cycle of sexual predation

meanwhile, Chen Gong begs, borrows, and steals his way out of poverty, suffers a great deal along the way, and fits himself right back into the systems that had lorded over him in the first place

he plays the game of politics and courtly intrigue, and he’s fucking winning, and then Shen Qiao comes along and informs him that he’s been playing the wrong game all along, but really, did Chen Gong have a choice in the first place? perhaps he didn’t, but he sure had a lot of choices once he gained power and influence, and continued to use both selfishly

perhaps, then, the question that unites these three characters and the paths they take in 《千秋》 is the question of power, and what you do with it; likewise, when you have no power, how do you obtain it

Yu Ai steals the position of sect leader from Shen Qiao, with the intention to use it only for good

Chen Gong gains power through a combination of suffering and savviness, and uses it only for his own gain

Shen Qiao gains power through self-sacrifice, and is rewarded for it by the mechanism of the Zhuyang Ce, but had he been anyone less than Shen Qiao, had he not existed at the particular intersection of power and privilege and knowledge and ability, his self-sacrifices would have rewarded him with nothing but a shallow grave

tl;dr these characters are complex as hell and that gives 《千秋》 a ridiculous amount of staying power in my brain

I've always wondered, you mentioned Yu Ai and Chen Gong at least one or two times but I've never seen you talk about them in great detail. I've always found them (especially Yu Ai) to be really interesting side characters, and I want to know what you think of them.

anon you can’t just COME for me like that, you know I’m constantly on my Yu Ai bullshit, and look, I think Yu Ai and Chen Gong are both fascinating characters because they’re both set up as foils for Shen Qiao but in very different ways

call me soft-hearted, or foolish, or naive, but I genuinely do believe Yu Ai when he said that he never intended for things to go so far with Shen Qiao. was it tremendously dumb and extremely destructive of him to sabotage Shen Qiao on the day of Shen Qiao’s duel with Kun Ye? yes. did Yu Ai continue to double down and fuck things up very badly? also yes. but what continues to stay with me is how relentlessly honest Yu Ai is, to the point of bluntness. he plans, but he doesn’t plot. his schemes may be secretive, but they are rarely deceptive or destructive

when Shen Qiao first returns to Xuandu Shan and confronts Yu Ai about his betrayal, Yu Ai doesn’t even try to demur, just admits his wrongdoing. And all the way at the end of the novel, when Hehuan Zong and Tujue warriors have shown up to Xuandu Shan’s internal conference to cause trouble, Yu Ai limps his way into the middle of the fight and rips apart any deception that might have existed in favor of telling the harsh, ugly truth

the tragedy of Yu Ai, I think, is that he only did what he believed he had to do, and at the end, realized that he had been wrong all this time. but likewise, what haunts me the most is that in a way, Yu Ai was right, and had been right all along

he may have been wrong in his action and execution, but he was right in arguing that Xuandu Shan could not remain isolated, that Xuandu Shan had an obligation to the world, that Xuandu Shan not only needed allies and influence, but that they had to actively enter the world to seek both

Yu Ai may have done everything wrong, but from the beginning, he was right.

sometimes I wonder if things could have worked out, had Yu Ai not gone behind Shen Qiao’s back and colluded with Tujue, had not viciously sabotaged Shen Qiao and indirectly caused his fall from Half-Step Peak. is there a world where Yu Ai could have convinced Shen Qiao through nothing but words and passionate argument? is there a timeline where Xuandu Shan re-enters the jianghu with Shen Qiao at its head, Yu Ai at his right hand? I don’t know. I don’t know if Shen Qiao could have gone through the same journey, reached the same depths of realization and heights of achievement, had Yu Ai not catalyzed his initial fall

Yu Ai is simultaneously Shen Qiao’s mirror image and inverse, his journey travelled in reverse. in so many ways, he and Shen Qiao occupy similar spaces--both talented disciples of Qi Fengge, capable leaders, well-educated, well-liked, well-intentioned, well-meaning. Even the names of their swords parallel and contrast each other: 山河同悲 and 君子不器, the only two named weapons of Xuandu Shan we ever come to learn. But while Yu Ai betrays the name of his sword (from the 《论语》 / The Analects: “the noble man does not stoop to being used as a tool”), Shen Qiao lives by his (“when living things suffer, the mountains and rivers also sorrow”)

and Yu Ai’s journey ends where Shen Qiao’s begins--betrayed and broken at the foot of a mountain. call it heaven-decreed retribution (enacting upon Yu Ai’s body what he had enacted upon Shen Qiao’s) or call it thematic resonance, Yu Ai’s fall down a mountain cliff directly calls back to Shen Qiao’s, but instead of a long road of recovery and redemption unrolling before him, Yu Ai dies shortly thereafter--taking a backstabbing blow from Tan Yuanchun, dying in an attempt to shield Shen Qiao

Shen Qiao, who he had ruined

as Shen Qiao cradles him on the ground, Yu Ai asks do you hate me still? and Shen Qiao says I don’t know.

Shen Qiao tries to save him--of course Shen Qiao tries to save him--and Yu Ai says here is my life in return; don’t hate me, okay, a-Qiao?

part of what I love about 《千秋》 is that Meng Xishi populates the world with a vibrant, dimensional cast of characters, and defies us to sort them into good and bad, wrong and right. Shen Qiao, one would think, automatically goes in the “good” bucket, but Shen Qiao is also wrong at times, was wrong, in fact, for a very long time. meanwhile someone like Yan Wushi might seem “bad” on the surface, but in many ways he’s right--right about politics, right about the ugly side of human nature, and right (eventually) about Shen Qiao, who most of the jianghu continually misunderstands. there is no clear binary of morality, just the best decision you can make with the limits of your knowledge and the restrictions of your ability

speaking of the limits of your knowledge and the restrictions of your ability, let’s talk about Chen Gong, I guess

I never really know how to feel about Chen Gong, and to be honest, I’m not sure Shen Qiao does either, because in a weird convergence of narrative, Chen Gong is raised up by Shen Qiao, and Chen Gong is brought low by Shen Qiao

in another book, I think, Chen Gong might have been the protagonist--his is an underdog story, rising out of poverty and nothingness, building an empire out of his misfortunes. heck, Chen Gong even has eidetic memory, which is a classic protagonist power if I’ve ever seen one

and perhaps I spend more time than really necessary pondering the fact that Chen Gong gets dragged into sexual servitude, and yet, uses his influence and connections from moving through elite spaces to leverage his way to previously-unimaginable heights

this might be my soft-heartedness acting up again, my inclination to give the benefit of the doubt whenever I can, but I do genuinely think that Chen Gong tried to repay Shen Qiao’s favor and kindnesses, but never really knew how to and ended up fumbling it very badly. there’s the gesture with the mule-meat jiabing that his underling botches; there’s the whole Ruoqiang arc, which honestly confuses me on many levels, but Shen Qiao does benefit from getting dragged along on the adventure

there is something so intensely personal about the fact that Shen Qiao looks at a penniless Chen Gong in a broken-down temple and tells him you could make something of yourself, and when Chen Gong has, when he is titled and wealthy, when he has made something of himself, Shen Qiao looks at his achievements and says you are unworthy

where did Chen Gong go wrong? I don’t know; he certainly doesn’t know, but I’m reminded of Bai Rong, and cycles of vengeance and oppression, because Bai Rong grows up in the toxic environment of Hehuan Zong, and frees herself by taking over the sect and breaking the cycle of sexual predation

meanwhile, Chen Gong begs, borrows, and steals his way out of poverty, suffers a great deal along the way, and fits himself right back into the systems that had lorded over him in the first place

he plays the game of politics and courtly intrigue, and he’s fucking winning, and then Shen Qiao comes along and informs him that he’s been playing the wrong game all along, but really, did Chen Gong have a choice in the first place? perhaps he didn’t, but he sure had a lot of choices once he gained power and influence, and continued to use both selfishly

perhaps, then, the question that unites these three characters and the paths they take in 《千秋》 is the question of power, and what you do with it; likewise, when you have no power, how do you obtain it

Yu Ai steals the position of sect leader from Shen Qiao, with the intention to use it only for good

Chen Gong gains power through a combination of suffering and savviness, and uses it only for his own gain

Shen Qiao gains power through self-sacrifice, and is rewarded for it by the mechanism of the Zhuyang Ce, but had he been anyone less than Shen Qiao, had he not existed at the particular intersection of power and privilege and knowledge and ability, his self-sacrifices would have rewarded him with nothing but a shallow grave

tl;dr these characters are complex as hell and that gives 《千秋》 a ridiculous amount of staying power in my brain