Focus on Zhao Yunlan sends a smoke messenger to the Regent, ep 6

[china_shop]

Ep 6, 34:45 to 35:37

Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing have just searched Shen Wei's flat and found a file on the SID. Zhao Yunlan has a photo of the file folder but was interrupted before he could check the contents.


Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing on the couch in their flat, looking at the photo of the SID file on Zhao Yunlan's phone. Zhao Yunlan looks pensive; Da Qing is watching Zhao Yunlan's reaction.
Da Qing: (seeing the photo on Zhao Yunlan's phone) He's investigating us. 他在查我们


Midshot of Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing looking at each other. Serious business!
Zhao Yunlan: The thing we use to contact Dixing's Regent, how much is there left? 我们和地星摄政官联络用的家伙还剩多少


Close-ups of Da Qing's hand (with his bracelets around his wrist) first lighting the incense cone with a match, then putting the lid on the incense burner.
Da Qing: (lights the incense and sets it in the burner)
Smoke messenger: (materialises) Master of the Guardians, what can I do for you? 镇魂令主有何吩咐


Zhao Yunlan standing straight and serious as he talks to the smoke messenger.
Zhao Yunlan: (standing straight, facing the messenger) Please tell the Regent that recently there is a person in Dragon City by the name of Shen Wei, who knows about Dixing. 请转告摄政官最近龙城出了一名叫沈巍的知情者
He is a professor of Bioengineering at the University of Dragon City. 身份是龙城大学生物工程系教授


Wideshot of Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing (from behind) talking to the white, wispy messenger made of smoke. There's a crumpled towel? rug? next to the incense burner; Zhao Yunlan may be acting polite, but he didn't tidy up for the occasion.
Zhao Yunlan (cont): If the Regent knows about his information and background, please tell me as soon as possible. 如果摄政官知道他什么背景渊源 请即刻告知
Smoke messenger: Yes, understood. 好的 明白 (whooshes off)


Close-up of the incense burner.
(Subs from Viki; English subs lightly edited by me.)

I chose this short scene for two reasons:

1. Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are such good friends! I love them sprawling on the couch together with zero personal space here and before the flat-search. Da Qing is the only one Zhao Yunlan doesn't put up a front with and the only one with whom he can openly wonder about Shen Wei. Come and talk to me about their friendship! Link your favourite Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing on-the-couch fanworks!


2. I'm so intrigued by the line, "The thing we use to contact Dixing's Regent, how much is there left?" The fact that he's not sure must mean they've contacted the Regent at least once before, right? So is this a standard query? Maybe he asked about lao-Chu's background to find out why he's so grumpy?

Why now?
Sending a smoke messenger to the Regent is the second of three quite dramatic moves to investigate Shen Wei: 1) searching his flat (and finding the SID dossier), 2) making the enquiry, and 3) sending lao-Chu to plant the banner cam in Shen Wei's office.

In the scene before the flat search, Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are sprawled on the couch together, talking about Shen Wei. Da Qing says, "If he is from Dixing, what will you do? Arrest him?" Zhao Yunlan musingly replies, "Arrest him? But he hasn't done anything bad. I'm not putting myself into trouble for nothing." Da Qing says, "You weren't like this before. Didn't you say that if you saw a Dixingian, you'd arrest them? If you really think he's suspicious, before doing anything, we have to know if he is truly from Dixing."

Trying to uncover the truth can't be a new thought, but up until now, Zhao Yunlan has been suspicious of Shen Wei but not taken any of these steps. So why now? He's already told Lin Jing to track Shen Wei's movements at that point, so they can search his flat uninterrupted, and the escalation wasn't an immediate/direct reaction to anything Shen Wei has done -- as far as Zhao Yunlan knows, Shen Wei's only role in the preceding Mirror Girl case was to explain how to get into the mirror dimension.

I think there are two three possibilities for why Zhao Yunlan has suddenly decided this is the time to forge ahead with his investigation of Shen Wei:

1. Zhao Yunlan's view of the Envoy's stern impartiality may be the reason he's held off making enquiries that would bring Shen Wei to Dixing's (and potentially the Envoy's) attention. After the Mirror Girl case, the Envoy suggested Dixingren should only be deported if they've abused their powers -- a significant policy change. So although making the enquiry is still a calculated risk, because Zhao Yunlan obviously doesn't want Shen Wei deported, it's safer; Zhao Yunlan has that exchange to fall back on, if he needs it.


2. Something in the Mirror Girl case resonated with him, leading him to want to know the truth. Arguably, mirror!Zhou Weiwei's relationship and life fell apart because she'd kept the fact that she was Dixingren a secret from her fiance.


3. Zhao Yunlan's feelings for Shen Wei have reached a point where he needs to know the truth. Shen Wei treats him like a close and respected friend, and their connection is impossible to ignore. Maybe, in some ways, Zhao Yunlan wants to prove himself by uncovering Shen Wei's secrets and showing that it doesn't make a difference to him.

Maybe all three!!

Thoughts and questions
Feel free to respond to as many or as few as you like.

• What does it mean to Zhao Yunlan that Shen Wei seems to be investigating the SID? How does he feel about it?


• There's different incense for summoning the Envoy and sending a message to the Regent, which suggests the SID has working relationships with both of them. But if the SID routinely turns to the Regent for information, why does Zhao Yunlan summon the Envoy to ask about the Hallows in episode 2, rather than sending a query to the Regent?


• Are Zhao Yunlan and the Regent penpals?! Is that why the Regent comes to the SID for help in ep 15?!


• What is the nature of the smoke messenger? It's deferential, and Zhao Yunlan seems to cloak himself in the importance of his role when he summons it, standing up and speaking seriously rather than slouching on the couch. And he has Da Qing light the incense rather than lighting it himself. Is the messenger an automated service, a Dixing person or something else? Does it convey the tenor as well as the content of a message?


• We see this smoke messenger, or one like it, talking to Shen Wei in his office in a later episode. It seems to be the standard mode of communication between the realms. Why does the Regent reply to Zhao Yunlan via letter? Is it the after-hours equivalent of voicemail?


• What do you think the Regent's reaction might have been to receiving the query about Shen Wei? Why does he take so long to respond?


• How differently would things have gone if Zhao Yunlan had received the Regent's reply?


• Lin Jing helps with the search of Shen Wei's flat by tracking the professor's movements, and later (off-screen) Da Qing gets Lin Jing to test Shen Wei with the dark energy detector (referenced in ep 8). How much is the investigation into Shen Wei an official, "on the books" thing? As far as Zhao Yunlan's concerned, is there a difference between the personal and the professional?

So come and discuss this scene with me. :) Links to meta, picspams, and related fanworks, new or old, are very much appreciated. Basically, this is the place for anything you want to say or link to about this scene.

Comments

[nnozomi]

This is a fascinating writeup. I have a couple quick points and will hopefully come back and discuss more later...

・I don't remember if the title used here for Zhao Yunlan, 镇魂令主, has ever been discussed in detail? "Master of the Guardians"? "Lord Guardian"? do we ever find out exactly where it comes from or why it's the SID chief's title, or who uses it when? I feel like it has a lot to say about the SID's position between Haixing and Dixing, among other things, and about the responsibilities Zhao Yunlan considers to be on his shoulders...

・Zhao Yunlan standing straight and serious as he talks to the smoke messenger
but I have to say the "Good Vibes Only" patch detracts a little from the formal atmosphere. Zhao Yunlan, maybe put on a necktie (or an ascot, since that seems to be Haixing's formal style going by Shen Wei and ZXC) next time? ;)

・There's different incense for summoning the Envoy and sending a message to the Regent, which suggests the SID has working relationships with both of them. But if the SID routinely turns to the Regent for information, why does Zhao Yunlan summon the Envoy to ask about the Hallows in episode 2, rather than sending a query to the Regent?
All of this is very interesting and I feel like we lack enough information to make any firm deductions, which is why there should be more fic! (I'm also very curious about the pre-Zhao Yunlan era relations between the Regent and the SID, in the person of Zhao Xinci and his secret passenger.) Especially, we don't seem to know much about Zhao Yunlan and the Envoy before canon...

[trobadora]

I don't remember if the title used here for Zhao Yunlan, 镇魂令主, has ever been discussed in detail?

I only know that it's originally from the novel, where the 镇魂令/Guardian token is an actual object ZYL is in possession of. In the drama 镇魂令 seems to refer to the Guardian treaty between Dixing and Haixing. I can't remember any theories about what ZYL's title really means in a drama context ...

and I feel like we lack enough information to make any firm deductions, which is why there should be more fic!

Yes! 100% agreed!

[china_shop]

"Master of the Guardians"? "Lord Guardian"? do we ever find out exactly where it comes from or why it's the SID chief's title, or who uses it when?

I've always assumed it's a title from the Guardian Treaty, so sort of handed down from Ma Gui, and given to the SID chief in a "well, someone has to take on those responsibilities" once the SID was established. (But that's pure assumption!) And then I imagine newly woken Shen Wei approaching Zhao Xinci as if he'll be as kind and reasonable as Ma Gui. *weeps*

I wonder who was the Lord Guardian before the SID's establishment!

but I have to say the "Good Vibes Only" patch detracts a little from the formal atmosphere.

LOL! There are very clear limits to how much bending to convention Zhao Yunlan is prepared to do. Can you imagine him in an ascot??

All of this is very interesting and I feel like we lack enough information to make any firm deductions, which is why there should be more fic!

Ha, yes, I shoudl have said, "Let's speculate wildly!" And there should definitely be more fic. :-)

(I'm also very curious about the pre-Zhao Yunlan era relations between the Regent and the SID, in the person of Zhao Xinci and his secret passenger.)

Oh, maybe Zhao Xinci's dealings with the Regent cemented his prejudice against Dixingren, after Shen Xi's death got him started down that path.

I'm pretty sure it's canon that ep 1 was Zhao Yunlan's first meeting with the Envoy, but he also recognised him immediately, so he must have been briefed. Aaand now I desperately want canon and/or fic for that briefing. Was it the second SID chief who conveyed his impressions of the Envoy? Was it Zhao Xinci? What did they say to make Zhao Yunlan think "Hei-laoge" was an appropriate form of address?? So many questions! :-)

[nnozomi]

Oh, maybe Zhao Xinci's dealings with the Regent cemented his prejudice against Dixingren, after Shen Xi's death got him started down that path.
Possible! (I can also imagine Zhang Shi mentally pushing him out of the way to take over interactions with the Regent, so that ZXC has never knowingly done it...).

Was it the second SID chief who conveyed his impressions of the Envoy? Was it Zhao Xinci? What did they say to make Zhao Yunlan think "Hei-laoge" was an appropriate form of address??
Knowing Zhao Yunlan and his relationship with his father, what they probably said was along the lines of "The Envoy is an important and powerful foreign dignitary and you should interact with him along lines of great formality and courtesy..." ;)

[china_shop]

(I can also imagine Zhang Shi mentally pushing him out of the way to take over interactions with the Regent, so that ZXC has never knowingly done it...).

I wonder about that -- about how often Zhang Shi pushed Zhao Xinci aside. When Zhang Shi does it in the DoS lab, Zhao Xinci is aware of it and growls under his breath, "Know your place!" For some reason, that suggested to me that it hadn't happened before -- or if it had, only rarely. And for it to happen in the course of official Haixing business would be rather a big deal, you know? ...I wonder what kind of life Zhang Shi had in Zhao Xinci's shadow.

Knowing Zhao Yunlan and his relationship with his father, what they probably said was along the lines of "The Envoy is an important and powerful foreign dignitary and you should interact with him along lines of great formality and courtesy..." ;)

LOL! :D :D :D

[trobadora]

Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are such good friends! I love them sprawling on the couch together with zero personal space here and before the flat-search.

Yes, I love that too! Their dynamic is great. :D

I'm so intrigued by the line, "The thing we use to contact Dixing's Regent, how much is there left?" The fact that he's not sure must mean they've contacted the Regent at least once before, right? So is this a standard query? Maybe he asked about lao-Chu's background to find out why he's so grumpy?

I think the Chinese is more like "the thing that's used to communicate between us and the Regent", but I wouldn't swear on it. Either way, yeah, I think the "how much is left" bit makes it sound like they've used it at least once before. Though maybe last time he asked Da Qing to make the query!

Asking about Lao-Chu's background might make sense, though Lao-Chu was sent to them by the Envoy, and I'm not sure he'd have gone behind the Envoy's back – at that point he'd still have thought Dixing's rulers were on the same side, and anything he said to the Regent would get back to the Envoy ... But since the Envoy didn't interact with him personally at that point, it would only be reasonable to ask for confirmation from Dixing! What the Regent might have replied, I don't even want to consider ... ugh.

Zhao Yunlan's view of the Envoy's stern impartiality may be the reason he's held off making enquiries that would bring Shen Wei to Dixing's (and potentially the Envoy's) attention.

I think this definitely plays an important part. Before Zhao Yunlan saw the Envoy saving Wu Tian'en in episode 5, I don't think he'd even have considered it. And then, yes, as you say, in this episode there's the bit where the Envoy straight-out tells mirror!Weiwei that escaping to the surface wasn't a problem; he's coming for her because she got violent.

Something in the Mirror Girl case resonated with him, leading him to want to know the truth. Arguably, mirror!Zhou Weiwei's relationship and life fell apart because she'd kept the fact that she was Dixingren a secret from her fiance.

I agree that that's probably part of it! He wants to move forward with Shen Wei, and he thinks he shouldn't without knowing the truth.

And another element is probably the fact that Zhao Yunlan is almost constitutionally incapable of letting a secret go – he can deliberately put it on hold (as he does later with Shen Wei) but he'll always want to poke further. So as soon as he could justify it to himself, the temptation to ask Dixing is probably very high. *g*

One more thought – maybe at this point his theory is that Shen Wei is involved with Dixing/working for Dixing in some way? Then he wouldn't be exposing him by asking.

What does it mean to Zhao Yunlan that Shen Wei seems to be investigating the SID? How does he feel about it?

I think part of him is pleased by it! They're mutually investigating each other; it's practically a match made in heaven! :p

But if the SID routinely turns to the Regent for information, why does Zhao Yunlan summon the Envoy to ask about the Hallows in episode 2, rather than sending a query to the Regent?

I don't think they routinely turn to the Regent – if they have before, it's only very rarely. But I'm pretty sure ZYL summons the Envoy here because the Envoy is already personally involved, and clearly interested in this case, and ZYL wants to establish a working relationship and get the chance to sound him out. They've never met before the rooftop, after all.

What is the nature of the smoke messenger? (...) Is the messenger an automated service, a Dixing person or something else? Does it convey the tenor as well as the content of a message?

I interpret it as black energy/a Dixing power bound into an object, and more of an automated service. Sort of the Dixing version of a virtual assistant. And it has a very monotone way of speaking. (When Shen Wei talks to it, he tells it to speed up! That always amuses me.)

Why does the Regent reply to Zhao Yunlan via letter? Is it the after-hours equivalent of voicemail?

That's a good question! I hope someone else has a good theory for this.

How much is the investigation into Shen Wei an official, "on the books" thing? As far as Zhao Yunlan's concerned, is there a difference between the personal and the professional?

ZYL probably doesn't really make that distinction at this point, but how much he’s putting in official reports/passing on to his superiors is a different question. I don’t think he'd expose someone he thought might or might not be Dixingren to the Ministry if he could avoid it.

[china_shop]

Either way, yeah, I think the "how much is left" bit makes it sound like they've used it at least once before. Though maybe last time he asked Da Qing to make the query!

Idk, given the Regent's status and how little they know of him, mightn't that potentially be insulting? I feel like it should be dignitary (or as close as the SID can get) to dignitary?

Asking about Lao-Chu's background might make sense, though Lao-Chu was sent to them by the Envoy, and I'm not sure he'd have gone behind the Envoy's back – at that point he'd still have thought Dixing's rulers were on the same side, and anything he said to the Regent would get back to the Envoy ... But since the Envoy didn't interact with him personally at that point, it would only be reasonable to ask for confirmation from Dixing!

Given Zhao Yunlan had reason to think Dixing's rulers were on the same side, would it count as going behind his back? And I've always wondered about how the Envoy went about placing lao-Chu at the SID in the first place. I mean, it's a Haixing agency -- what say does the Envoy have in its staffing? Oh, maybe lao-Chu shows up on the SID's doorstep with official papers authorising him to be in Haixing and work for the SID, if they'll take him, and Zhao Yunlan messages the Regent to find out WTF, and when Shen Wei finds out, that's when he gives lao-Chu the Envoy-summoning incense to communicate with him directly, rather than via Dixing? (Does that make sense? Though it does call into question how the previous SID chiefs sent word to the Envoy if/when they needed to.)

ETA: Is it significant that he has the smoke messenger incense at home in his apartment, rather than at the office?

ETA2: Oh, hey, what if there's smoke messenger incense, which you can direct to whomever (and which still qualifies as "the thing we use to contact the Regent), and Envoy-summoning incense?

And another element is probably the fact that Zhao Yunlan is almost constitutionally incapable of letting a secret go – he can deliberately put it on hold (as he does later with Shen Wei) but he'll always want to poke further. So as soon as he could justify it to himself, the temptation to ask Dixing is probably very high. *g*

Ha! True. His best friend is a cat, after all! (Curiosity kills, etc.)

One more thought – maybe at this point his theory is that Shen Wei is involved with Dixing/working for Dixing in some way? Then he wouldn't be exposing him by asking.

Yes, though given Shen Wei seems to be taking pains to keep the association secret, even asking about it suggests that Shen Wei has been less than discreet.

But I'm pretty sure ZYL summons the Envoy here because the Envoy is already personally involved, and clearly interested in this case, and ZYL wants to establish a working relationship and get the chance to sound him out.

Two birds with one stone is his preferred strategy, after all! :-)

Sort of the Dixing version of a virtual assistant.

Hee!

but how much he’s putting in official reports/passing on to his superiors is a different question. I don’t think he'd expose someone he thought might or might not be Dixingren to the Ministry if he could avoid it.

*nodnod* Agreed, and especially since it's Shen Wei, who's helping them.

[trepkos]

I just want to agree that I love the charming interactions between Da Qing and Zhou Yunlan. I love the little cat-like things Da Qing does, like scratching his ear. But I sometimes wonder why he chooses to stay in human form when doing particular missions, when his cat form would be less conspicuous.

[china_shop]

I love the little cat-like things Da Qing does, like scratching his ear.

Yess! And that little bit where he tickled Zhao Yunlan's armpit and meowed to wake him up. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

But I sometimes wonder why he chooses to stay in human form when doing particular missions, when his cat form would be less conspicuous.

Maybe he's more likely to fall asleep in cat form? Or it's more convenient to have opposable thumbs? ;-)

[mekare]

Very interesting write up. Your comments about Da Qing and Yunlan‘s lack of personal space reminded me why I love them so much. And also reminded me that I once did this an art piece of those two on the couch that I still haven‘t colored and thus never ended up on AO3!

Student Yunlan & Da Qing after a meal in their flat, pre-canon.

[china_shop]

Aww, I love that one! Thanks for linking! <3 <3 <3

[china_shop]

A couple of related fics:

- One Fish, Two Fish -- after searching Shen Wei's flat, Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing search his office at the university
- still something special -- a pre-canon Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing heatwave ficlet, that starts with them sprawled on the couch