This Explains Why Madam Yu Doesnt Kill Wei Wuxian Over The Broken Engagement.

This explains why Madam Yu doesn’t kill Wei Wuxian over the broken engagement.

MDZS: analyzing the Cloud Recesses Lectures Brawl, and Jin Zixuan's uncaring attitude towards Jiang Yanli

I know a lot of people tend to think JZX's insulting JYL, and the subsequent brawl during the Cloud Recesses Lectures arc, isn't really a very big deal, and I sorta get why? his insult seems pretty lukewarm, and boys will be boys, and so on… but honestly, if you start reading more Chinese novels, you'll pretty soon pick up that the brawl had a very good reason to happen.

I was talking with a good friend about it, and we ended up breaking it down. They suggested I might as well post about it.

let's start with Chinese Historical Customs: a married lady would have near total reliance on the backing and favor of her husband to have any power whatsoever within her household, or even be able to live comfortably -- without his backing and support, she'd be cut off from money, essential materials such as winter gear and heating fuel, even good food; the servants wouldn't bother listening to her (she'd have a few of her own brought from her first home, but not many); and being bullied (read: anything from humiliated to actually hurt) by her new family wouldn't be uncommon (and we all know what a pit of vipers the Jin Sect was even then).

doublespeak, face, and reputation, all meant that, intentionally or not, JZX was setting JYL up for a MISERABLE future life: by badmouthing her in public so everybody knows that her future husband thinks she's mediocre and unsatisfactory, he's saying he doesn't respect her (or her family! more on that in the next bullet point). if he doesn't respect her, he won't support her or help her if she needs him, because he doesn't care about her reputation, and therefore neither does he care about her comfort, or, well, about her... anything.

more Chinese Historical Customs, or, the Natal Family's Protection: a married lady's last backup defense is the fact that disrespecting her means disrespecting her family, who the husband has allied himself with by marrying her. the more they care about her, the more the natal family will respond to slights to her. they respond through retaliation -- by making the husband pay for disrespecting their daughter.

thus WWX's and JC's immediate answer of punching JZX for his remarks may have seemed disproportionate, but was actually not incorrect.

(They even gave JZX the chance to retract his words first!)

Stressors and Magnifiers: JZX isn't just being this dismissive in front of the two of them, which is already grounds for STRONG retaliation -- he's disrespecting their family's daughter right to their face!!! -- he's ALSO saying this to every single important peer they have, all of whom will go back home and tell that JZX, whose mother is dear friends with JYL's mother, and who visit each other all the time, and who thus must know her best... thinks she's so worthless, she can even be badmouthed in public. he's not only saying he will allow her to be disrespected by others, he's also drastically lowering her value to every other gentry prospect!!!

punching him was a brute and unrefined response, but it was a tradeoff: it traded away "face" for JYL's sake and protection. which she desperately needed right then. it sent the answer that disrespect towards JYL would be met by the strongest and most immediate retaliation the Jiang could possibly make;

and JFM agrees with the whole thing, because he finishes the move and breaks the engagement: "if you don't value her, then you don't get to have her".

(obligatory note that WWX was not expelled for his actions that day, and chose to return to Lotus Pier with JFM on his own... after finding out that LWJ had gone into seclusion and would no longer be around for him to tease.)

(obligatory note that it's extremely unlikely JZX was a malicious mastermind doing anything on purpose during this scene. we don't get a lot on him, but he was probably, honestly, just being a stupid teenager about a situation he was upset with. unfortunately, the above consequences still apply.)

(final note that neither JZX, nor, apparently, JYL, learned anything from this whole debacle. the Wartime Soup Incident is the exact same damn thing, except about ten times worse, and with much greater damage potential to her prospects and reputation.)

Louder!

Unironically, vegans need to be advocating for more and better sheep, llama, and alpaca farms. Wool is one of the best fabrics we have in terms of versatility, longevity and most importantly, insulation. Even wet, it retains 80% of it's insulation potential.

AND IT DOESN'T SHED MICROPLASTICS

Why is it that I block and report a porn bot, and the next day there is a porn bot again? No, you don’t get to stay.

“Talent is a pursued interest.” - Bob Ross

He really came for me like that.

a few reminders because i’m tired and angry

fandom is a hobby, not a form of activism

adult women aren’t inherently creepy for being in fandom and having hobbies apart from raising babies and doing taxes

the vast majority of people pushing back against the worrying trend of instigating harassment over fictional characters and relationships aren’t incest supporters or pedophiles, actually

liking a m/f ship doesn’t make someone a dirty heterosexual invading your space

preferring gay ships doesn’t make you ‘’woke’’ and good

no one owes you a disclaimer that they are a good person who recognizes that their favorite fictional villain’s actions are evil and that they don’t condone those actions irl

liking a fictional villain is in no way comparable to advocating abuse/murder/genocide/etc and you’re a fucking idiot if you believe that

just because a woman is attracted to a fictional villain doesn’t mean she’s promoting toxic relationships or going to end up in a toxic relationship. assuming women can’t tell fiction and reality apart stinks of internalized misogyny 

some rando’s a/b/o fanfics have none of the level of influence that popular tv shows and movies spreading propaganda have

no one owes you a detailed description of their traumas and mental health problems

abusive relationships are not the same as enemies to lovers ships

y’all need to chill the fuck out over people, relationships, actions and events that don’t actually exist and learn how to enjoy and discuss them like normal people

fandom is a hobby, not a form of activism

feel free to add more

There’s a reason Lan Wangji said, “this one. This one and no other.”

Guys, I’m reading the Wen Indoctrination Camp flashbacks in the MDZS novel and yes, there were parts added in the TV series that very much benefit the narrative and I love them. But still, there are some rather good bits character bits in here - especially important because the novel is an Unreliable Narrator situation where you cannot always trust Wei Wuxian’s perception.

Seeing that he seemed like he wanted to go over to Lan WangJi again, Jiang Cheng pulled Wei WuXian away, “What’s wrong with you, now?! You still dare provoke him? You really are digging your own grave!”

Wei WuXian, “I’m not going to provoke him. Look at his leg. He’s been on the go for so many days—the state of his injury must’ve worsened. It became noticeable probably only because he really couldn’t hide it any longer. If he walks on like this, it’s likely that he won’t ever be able to use his leg again. I’m gonna carry him.”

Jiang Cheng pulled him even closer, “It’s not as if you’re familiar with him! Don’t you see how much he hates you? You’re going to carry him? He probably doesn’t even want you a step closer to him.”

Wei WuXian, “It’s alright if he hates me—I don’t hate him. I’ll get him onto my back the second I get hold of him. Could he possibly choke me to death while on my back?”

Jiang Cheng warned, “We aren’t even able to care for ourselves; how do we have the time to care about the trivialities of others?”

Wei WuXian, “First, this isn’t a triviality. Second, things like this, somebody will have to care about them, sooner or later!”

This, right there, is the irreconcilable difference between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. It’s right there at the heart of why their relationship becomes so fraught. JC will never understand why WWX cannot just stand by and shut up, don’t make waves. WWX cannot fathom how a person would not be compelled to act. As they mature out of childhood, their increased agency and power makes this differing worldview create more and more conflicts. Ultimately, Wei Wuxian was never going to end up a loyal subordinate of Sect Leader Jiang Cheng, despite growing up believing that is his rightful place. The breaking point was inevitable. The fact that they were raised together and love each other can’t fix this, just makes it more tragic.

It’s key that in the novel, at this point Wei Wuxian truly believes Lan Wangji dislikes him at (and he authentically has good reason to think this - there was no joint pledge about Yin Iron and LWJ has shown no evidence of tolerating WWX even a little). So he MEANS IT, that he wants to go assist someone who loathes him, who might attack him when he tries to help.

‘Why would you even care if someone who doesn’t like you will never be able to walk again? Whatever bad happens to him isn’t our buisness!’

WWX: ’…. does not compute’

**

MianMian knew that if she was hung up, she probably wouldn’t be able to come back down alive. She tried to run away, but wherever she fled, the people dispersed around her. Just as Wei WuXian twitched, Jiang Cheng held him firmly down.

Followed by WWX distracting Wen Chao with his own sect’s rulebook and taking him hostage, like the Troll 4 Justice that he is.

The novel has him think, “In such a situation, it was almost impossible to care for oneself only and hope that no blood would be lost!” and he expresses this like it’s such a certainty - except it’s clearly all too possible, as many others are finding very easy to step away from the situation.

And that’s the thing about Wei Wuxian. He can be crude and insensitive. He’s reckless as hell. The guy is a ginormous dick but when axe comes down… He’s going to be the one to throw himself between you and the blade. When it really counts, he won’t let it be someone else’s problem.

Underneath all the self-protective bluster and defensive displays, he has a deep well of compassion that is rare in their peers.

He will do things when there is no benefit to himself. Not to curry favor or obligation or renown or cultivation power, but because he sees it needs to be done.

And so you can GET IT. Yeah, teenage Lan Wangji had a terrible bb gay crush on this hot sunny-smiles boy. But you just know that it’s shit like this that made him actually fall in forever love. Because Lan Wangji has been PAYING ATTENTION to the hot unobtainable boy, so eventually he’d notice. And think oh. oh no.