Well, I think his "I am a canny scheming strategist" is the main element of his disguise; anyone who knew Lin Shu knows that Lin Shu Would Never(TM). Lin Shu had martial skill and authority; he'd never have plotted his enemy's downfall from behind the scenes, he'd have called them out and fought openly.
He totally fails to hide his suspicious fondness for Jingyan and Nihuang and the old Lin residence, though. :D
Jingrui really is Too Good, poor guy! He's a sweet baby lamb in a pit of snakes. (Most of whom he's related to. Or at least thinks he's related to. Except Mei Changsu, whom he thinks he's not related to but actually is. THIS KID'S FAMILY.) I'm sure Lin Shu is being eaten alive by guilt.
Jingrui actually said something in this episode that I found really intriguing: during the discussion about how things can't remain the same, when he's longing for his relationship with Mei to be like it was in Lang Province, he says, You are a pugilist I admire.
Considering that Mei Changsu is notorious for commanding pugilists while having no martial arts skills of his own, my interest was piqued. Has Jingrui heard some form of 'explanation' for how an unskilled scholar ended up a leader? (Possibly along the truthful lines of "he possessed superior skill, until he became ill, and other pugilists follow him on the basis of his former ability"?) Or is it an honourary designation? Either way, it caught my attention that everybody in the Capitol knows Mei Changsu can't fight, yet Jingrui calls him a pugilist he admires.
Yu is an excellent mirror of his father, yes! The Crown Prince doesn't see deeply enough, but Yu is exactly as suspicious and manipulative and self-centred as dear old dad. I thought it was a really fascinating parallel, late in the series when Yu's mother is revealed, that so close together we hear the Emperor say "there's no reason he couldn't have ruled [despite his birth]" and Yu say "he was never going to let me succeed to the throne [because of my birth]". The mirror is diverging: Yu gives up on dad-style politicking and scheming, and openly (almost Jing-ishly, given the military nature!) rebels instead.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2019-02-24 02:27 am (UTC)He totally fails to hide his suspicious fondness for Jingyan and Nihuang and the old Lin residence, though. :D
Jingrui really is Too Good, poor guy! He's a sweet baby lamb in a pit of snakes. (Most of whom he's related to. Or at least thinks he's related to. Except Mei Changsu, whom he thinks he's not related to but actually is. THIS KID'S FAMILY.) I'm sure Lin Shu is being eaten alive by guilt.
Jingrui actually said something in this episode that I found really intriguing: during the discussion about how things can't remain the same, when he's longing for his relationship with Mei to be like it was in Lang Province, he says, You are a pugilist I admire.
Considering that Mei Changsu is notorious for commanding pugilists while having no martial arts skills of his own, my interest was piqued. Has Jingrui heard some form of 'explanation' for how an unskilled scholar ended up a leader? (Possibly along the truthful lines of "he possessed superior skill, until he became ill, and other pugilists follow him on the basis of his former ability"?) Or is it an honourary designation? Either way, it caught my attention that everybody in the Capitol knows Mei Changsu can't fight, yet Jingrui calls him a pugilist he admires.
Yu is an excellent mirror of his father, yes! The Crown Prince doesn't see deeply enough, but Yu is exactly as suspicious and manipulative and self-centred as dear old dad. I thought it was a really fascinating parallel, late in the series when Yu's mother is revealed, that so close together we hear the Emperor say "there's no reason he couldn't have ruled [despite his birth]" and Yu say "he was never going to let me succeed to the throne [because of my birth]". The mirror is diverging: Yu gives up on dad-style politicking and scheming, and openly (almost Jing-ishly, given the military nature!) rebels instead.