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My Top 5 Favorite Blood of Youth Relationships

1. Jade Deity and Jin Yan

The loyalty and love between these clashing personalities is such a joy to watch. Jade Deity has lost so much and Jin Yan has no one left except him. A delightful dish of determination and desperation.

2. Emperor Mingde and Jin Xuan

Jin Xuan has been by Mingde’s side his entire life, so the lack of control over what comes next once Mingde has finally waned must be devastating to him. Powerful as he is, how can he fight against the fate written for him? Who will he hurt on his path? Angsty old man yaoi with tender touches and treasonous troubles.

3. Jin Xuan and Jin Yan

I’m dying to know how Jin Xuan got Jin Yan so fully wrapped around his finger. Probably his finger.

4. Jin Wei and Lei Wujie

This one has a similar appeal to Lei Wujie/Xiao Se . These two make a good team, and if anyone could make Jin Wei smile, it’s the fire puppy.

5. Marquis Lanyue and Prince Chi

I don’t know what’s going on between these two, but it’s entertainingly tense and chilling.

少年歌行 FAVOURITE NON-LEAD CHARACTERS + MAGAZINE COVERS @userdramas event 06 second time to shine [in/sp]

“Let go.”

Do you think Jinyan misses his life as a Eunuch in the imperial court?

Interesting question, thanks for the ask! 😺 Jin Yan’s post-canon situation is quite fascinating to explore, and I’ve thought about it a lot. The live action leaves his circumstances rather vague other than Jin Yan now being under Jin Xian’s watch, but there are two small details the novel adds that give clarity and direction to their future:

The world believes that Jin Yan is dead. To hide him, Jin Xian has personally ordained him a monk and given him the name Pushan.

After Jin Xuan was confronted by Jin Xian, Prince Bai, and the rest, he was locked up in Heavenly Prison but escaped several days later. No one has seen him since.

For the first point, I expect that Jin Yan would play the role of a monk fairly effectively on the surface. He is well-practiced in being careful with his words, which would go well with the Right Speech aspect of Buddhism’s Eightfold Path. He would, however, likely struggle to actually be a monk. One of his most notable traits is greed, a form of attachment—which leads to suffering, according to Buddhist philosophy. Whether or not Jin Yan would actually be inclined to embody the part he’s playing, Jin Xian would likely encourage him to do so. Jin Yan’s gratitude to Jin Xian for saving his life may make him more open to listening to his lectures, or at least pretending to.

Interestingly, the name that Jin Xian gave Jin Yan, Pushan, is a Hindu god known for protecting travelers. This could be reflective of Jin Xian’s desire to travel the Martial Arts World and his intention to do so with Jin Yan.

Which brings us to the next point: Jin Xuan. Jin Xian probably remained in Tianqi because he wanted justice for Jin Yu and Jin Wei. Jin Xuan’s escape could be the catalyst for Jin Xian and Jin Yan to finally leave and track him down. I expect Jin Yan would have complicated feelings about this; he was betrayed by him, yes, but Jin Xuan has a hold on him that may not be so easily broken. Jin Yan may have been able to stand up to him once, but could he do it again?

There is another thread of vengeance that live-action Jin Yan may be more inclined to pull: Xiao Lingchen. In the novel, Zhuo Xin’s death was caused by someone in self-defense and wasn’t witnessed by Jin Yan—and there’s no indication he would seek revenge against this person. But in the live action? Jin Yan watched Xiao Lingchen betray their plan, stabbing his helpless shifu right in the heart. Zhuo Xin was there of his own initiative in the novel, but in the live action, Jin Yan was the one to convince him to come. Unlike in the novel, where he had Zhuo Sen and Zhuo Luo to keep him company, live-action Zhuo Xin was alone in the mausoleum; he took this risk—made this sacrifice—so Jin Yan wouldn’t be. The guilt that Jin Yan would feel might not catch up to him for a while, given the turbulent circumstances of everyone in the world hunting him down immediately after, but eventually he would remember his shifu’s death—and would likely rather turn his anger toward Xiao Lingchen than blame himself.

So, would Jin Yan miss being an imperial eunuch? There’s one more thing to establish: what does he want? He wants power, yes, but I think he wants a specific type of power. The kind of power that Marquis Lanyue has: low responsibility, high respect. Both Jin Yan and Marquis Lanyue are used as messengers by their superiors, but, given Marquis Lanyue’s complaints at his brother-emperor’s requests, it is likely that such tasks are much rarer for him—especially as Emperor Mingde is the only person in the world he needs to answer to. Otherwise, he can live as indulgently and glamorously as he wishes. Meanwhile, Jin Yan is used by several individuals and put in most of the footwork necessary to hold the entire Langya Rebellion together. Indeed, I believe that Jin Yan envies Marquis Lanyue above all others. The reason for this is best illustrated in a scene in the novel during an important ritual. Jin Yan gets in trouble for complaining about being hungry, while Marquis Lanyue can chat freely and munch on snacks during it. Marquis Lanyue does what Jin Yan wants to do—and he has the life he’s hungry for. And while Jin Yan needs to act submissive and watch his every step around Prince Chi, he has likely witnessed Prince Chi demeaning himself just to win his uncle’s attention and favor. Jin Yan wants to be like Marquis Lanyue, and a Eunuch of Seal is closer to a marquis than a monk—unless Jin Yan finds a new way to satisfy his hunger, he will crave his old life.