Nirvana in Fire rewatch: Episode Ten
Apr. 22nd, 2019 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kraitLots and lots of politicking in this one! Everyone's got headaches from the rapid fall of two major political players, and Sir Su is ready to topple another. Gong Yu, Xinliu and Xinyang set the plot in motion to take down Yu's ally in the Ministry of Personnel.
Things I thought were cute: Jingyan apparently went to a restaurant on Sir Su's say-so! Tingsheng is at the training field where Fei Liu is fighting! Yujin invites Sir Su to a hot spring! Gao Sheng is having such a bad year, his underlings try to console him! Sir Su picks his next victim by asking someone to pick at random!
Things that made me laugh: Jingyan says he met Shen Zhui at the restaurant and they got along pretty well. Later, we hear Shen Zhui described as He comes from a precious background. His personality is more arrogant than the average person. He just likes to do things and not converse with others, so he is not close to the two princes. HE'S BASICALLY JINGYAN MARK II, NO WONDER THEY GOT ALONG! *ded*
Things that were somewhere between painful and heartwarming: Jingyan already shows such intense interest in Sir Su, not-quite-asking questions ("Your advice is different from other strategists," he says, and studies his face so carefully when Su laughs) and clearly trusting him more than he does any other strategist he's talked to.
Things that were just downright painful: Jingyan goes before the Emperor with the results of the Duke Qing case. The Emperor starts by praising the judge who wrote the report and ends by praising Prince Yu as 'the most stable and worried about the overall situation,' for which he receives silks and golden beads. In between, Jingyan gets "Jingyan, you also did well. But you must take care of the ending. Everything must be stable."
The bit that really broke me is Jingyan's response of "Yes, Your Majesty;" when he first entered the room, he addressed the Emperor as "Father."
Cool bits of insight: This episode is a double whammy for showing how carefully Mei Changsu arranges his plots for true justice. Tong Lu's family wants Lou Zhijing dead because of "your late sister's grievance," and Xinliu and Xinyang are helping destroy He Wenxin to find justice for their 13-year-old brother, who was beaten to death. Both stand in sharp contrast to Advisor Ji, who talks to Yu about blurring evidence and exerting pressure on the Ministry of Justice to change the outcome via a retrial.
Best multilayered conversation: The exchange between Yu and Jingyan after leaving the Emperor's presence, where Yu offers Jingyan his rewards. That was 100% Yu playing mind-games, projecting friendliness while deliberately reminding Jingyan that he's of lower rank and lower value in the Emperor's eyes, and trying to figure out which one Jingyan picks up on. This bit was funny, though:
(Yu) "The first lunar month is coming. I have a banquet dinner on the 5th day. Do join me this year. You never came previously."
(Jinyan, with raised his eyebrows) "Did you invite me previously?"
(Yu) "Didn't you receive the invitations? Tsk. Those servants, I must discipline them. Tell you what, I will personally send you the invitation this year. You must come."
And then we get the dramatic cliffhanger: while the He Wenxin brothel murder case is mysteriously dragging its feet through the courts, no less than Grand Prince Ji witnessed the crime!
Things I thought were cute: Jingyan apparently went to a restaurant on Sir Su's say-so! Tingsheng is at the training field where Fei Liu is fighting! Yujin invites Sir Su to a hot spring! Gao Sheng is having such a bad year, his underlings try to console him! Sir Su picks his next victim by asking someone to pick at random!
Things that made me laugh: Jingyan says he met Shen Zhui at the restaurant and they got along pretty well. Later, we hear Shen Zhui described as He comes from a precious background. His personality is more arrogant than the average person. He just likes to do things and not converse with others, so he is not close to the two princes. HE'S BASICALLY JINGYAN MARK II, NO WONDER THEY GOT ALONG! *ded*
Things that were somewhere between painful and heartwarming: Jingyan already shows such intense interest in Sir Su, not-quite-asking questions ("Your advice is different from other strategists," he says, and studies his face so carefully when Su laughs) and clearly trusting him more than he does any other strategist he's talked to.
Things that were just downright painful: Jingyan goes before the Emperor with the results of the Duke Qing case. The Emperor starts by praising the judge who wrote the report and ends by praising Prince Yu as 'the most stable and worried about the overall situation,' for which he receives silks and golden beads. In between, Jingyan gets "Jingyan, you also did well. But you must take care of the ending. Everything must be stable."
The bit that really broke me is Jingyan's response of "Yes, Your Majesty;" when he first entered the room, he addressed the Emperor as "Father."
Cool bits of insight: This episode is a double whammy for showing how carefully Mei Changsu arranges his plots for true justice. Tong Lu's family wants Lou Zhijing dead because of "your late sister's grievance," and Xinliu and Xinyang are helping destroy He Wenxin to find justice for their 13-year-old brother, who was beaten to death. Both stand in sharp contrast to Advisor Ji, who talks to Yu about blurring evidence and exerting pressure on the Ministry of Justice to change the outcome via a retrial.
Best multilayered conversation: The exchange between Yu and Jingyan after leaving the Emperor's presence, where Yu offers Jingyan his rewards. That was 100% Yu playing mind-games, projecting friendliness while deliberately reminding Jingyan that he's of lower rank and lower value in the Emperor's eyes, and trying to figure out which one Jingyan picks up on. This bit was funny, though:
(Yu) "The first lunar month is coming. I have a banquet dinner on the 5th day. Do join me this year. You never came previously."
(Jinyan, with raised his eyebrows) "Did you invite me previously?"
(Yu) "Didn't you receive the invitations? Tsk. Those servants, I must discipline them. Tell you what, I will personally send you the invitation this year. You must come."
And then we get the dramatic cliffhanger: while the He Wenxin brothel murder case is mysteriously dragging its feet through the courts, no less than Grand Prince Ji witnessed the crime!
no subject
Date: 2019-04-23 10:38 pm (UTC)The murder case setup was fascinating to see play out, all the little bits being arranged in a trail of breadcrumbs leading to stupid fight and then murder. Gong Yu is a really interesting character.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-24 02:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-25 08:34 pm (UTC)He must have been collecting people and grudges for the whole intervening time, all itemized just for this.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-26 02:39 am (UTC)Lin Chen seems like the sort of guy who would invent the form letter for business correspondence. :D Probably while complaining the entire time to Mei Changsu about all these people getting the same answer and that answer being basically "your answer's a guy named Mei Changsu, just wait." :D
no subject
Date: 2019-04-24 04:06 am (UTC)Gong Yu is such a great character! I love that we get more of her history later.