Focus on: Shen Wei getting captured for the second time, episode 37

[trobadora]

Location of scene: episode 37, 37:57 - 39:28 & 41:42 - 43:08

(Yes, this is two scenes, strictly speaking, but they're so connected, it makes more sense to tackle them together.)

For context: Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan and the remaining SID team (already minus Wang Zheng, Sang Zan, Lao-Li and Lin Jing by this point) have separated again - Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng staying in the city, Zhao Yunlan going for the Yashou passage with Zhu Hong and Da Qing, and Shen Wei going directly to Dixing to search for the Guardian Lantern's wick (opening the passage with a lot of effort and blood-spitting).



Zhao Yunlan: "When we come back here again afterwards, our team can't be short of anyone."

He and Shen Wei share a meaningful look. Shen Wei, of course, has his contingency plan (turning himself into a white energy bomb) firmly in place and knows he may not be returning. And Zhao Yunlan will have his own sacrifice plan once Zhang Shi explains to him about the Lantern ... (Two of a kind, these two! ♥)

First scene: Shen Wei & Wu Xiaojun

A Dixing street. A man tells some passers-by: "Have you heard? The Black-Cloaked Envoy said there's someone wearing a black cloak pretending to be him, causing trouble in Dixing. Once you see him, you must report it immediately, okay?"
你们听说了吗? 黑袍大人说,有人身穿黑袍冒充自己 ,在地星捣乱。一旦发现啊 要赶紧报告,知道吗?

Shen Wei walks past in his civilian clothes, hearing this. Ye Zun isn't just impersonating the Black-Cloaked Envoy; he's taking measures to make it as difficult as possible for the real Envoy to find support/allies in Dixing.



Wu Xiaojun appears, shouting "Hei Pao-daren!" (Very loudly, but no one else seems to be paying any attention.) Shen Wei stops, turns to him. Wu Xiaojun looks bruised and beaten up. Shen Wei considers him, the look on his face very solemn and thoughtful.



Wu Xiaojun tells Shen Wei, tearfully: "Hei Pao-daren, as a member of the encirclement team, I wasn't able to complete the mission of eliminating Ye Zun. Even my father was killed." He falls to his knees. "Hei Pao-daren, you must avenge my father!"
作为围剿小队的一员我没能够完成剿灭夜尊的任务。连我父亲也惨遭毒手。黑袍大人,你一定要替我父亲报仇。

Shen Wei takes his arm, pulls him up. "Don't be like that, get up first. It's all my fault. I didn't discover Ye Zun's plan in advance. You all did your best."
你别这样,你先起来。都是我不好。我没有提早发现夜尊的计划。你们都已经尽力了。

Shen Wei is very restrained in this scene, despite the obvious play on his sympathy, and despite the claim of responsibility I don't think he looks very much like he's blaming himself too hard in this moment.



Wu Xiaojun: Hei Pao-daren, then what is your next move?
黑袍大人,那您下一步打算怎么走?

Shen Wei looks down for a moment, but doesn't really hesitate to tell him: "I'm looking for one thing. And it's very probable it's in the storage rooms at the Dijun Palace."
我要去找一样东西。而这样东西很可能在地君殿的收藏室里。

Wu Xiaojun: "The Dijun Palace? That has been ..."
地君殿? 那里面已经被 ...

Shen Wei interrupts him: "I know. It's already controlled by Ye Zun."
我知道, 那里早就被夜尊给控制了。

Wu Xiaojun: "Hei Pao-daren, I'm willing to help you to avenge my father."
黑袍大人, 我愿意助你一臂之力替我父亲报仇。

Shen Wei looks at him very seriously while Wu Xiaojun stares back at him, wide-eyed and clearly on edge. He lets out a breath, looks down for an instant. Blinks a few times. He seems to be making a decision. Then he looks up again, smiles slightly. "Let's go."
走



Wu Xiaojun nods and follows after him as he goes, a strange expression on his face, as ominous music starts up.

Second scene: Shen Wei & the Regent & Wu Xiaojun

The Dijun's office in the Dijun Palace. The Dijun is working, and the Regent is bringing more scrolls. Suddenly, Shen Wei's dao is at the Regent's neck. The Regent calls for help and turns. Wu Xiaojun's hand is at the Dijun's throat.

For some reason, searching for something that may be in the Palace's storage rooms has led Shen Wei and Wu Xiaojun straight to the Dijun's office! (Which looks gorgeous, btw.)



As the Regent recognises Shen Wei, he immediately drops into his usual obsequious behaviour.

Regent: "My Lord Envoy, at my age I really can't handle being chased by both sides."
我的黑袍大人,我这把老骨头,实在经不起您几位争抢去的了。

(Has it occurred to him that maybe not constantly trying to play both sides might help with that? *g*)

Shen Wei challenges him, not moving his dao away: "Now that Ye Zun has seized power, you're willing to be his accomplice? Why are you still in the Dijun Palace, continuing government affairs?"
既然夜尊已经夺权,你甘心为虎作伥。为何还留在地君殿不辍政务?

(Language note: 为虎作伥 wèihǔzuòchāng is an idiom: "to act as accomplice to the tiger / to help a villain do evil".)

The Regent explains: "Hei Pao-daren, what kind of place do you think the Dijun Palace is? This is the centre of government for all of Dixing. Be it peace or wartime, if we flee, who will govern the people of Dixing? Dixing would definitely be in total chaos."
黑袍大人,您当地君殿是个什么地方? 这是整个地星的首脑中枢啊。无论战争还是和平,我们要是逃走了谁来治理地星的民众? 地星非得 非得乱成一锅粥不可。

(Language note: 一锅粥 yīguōzhōu literally means "a pot of porridge/congee", and figuratively "a complete mess". :D)

The Regent is 100% correct, of course - the government needs to continue working. But at the same time, regardless of what he says, the Regent's number one priority really isn't that kind of duty, but saving his own skin and clinging to as much power as he can grasp.

Anyway, as the Regent speaks, we see Shen Wei's eyes move to the side, watching something from the corner of his eye. (From the angle, he's looking in Wu Xiaojun's direction.) It certainly doesn't seem like his full attention is on the Regent. But when the Regent finishes speaking, Shen Wei very slowly drops his dao to his side.



Shen Wei: "These words of yours saved your life."
你的这些话救了你一命。

The Regent closes his eyes, takes a deep breath. Laughs a little. "Actually, it didn't need to be saved."
倒也不是非救不可。

Wu Xiaojun jumps over the desk and knocks Shen Wei out; Shen Wei's dao falls from his hand, and then he falls as well.

Shen Wei doesn't appear to defend himself at all here, even though from the earlier sideways look he clearly knew something was going on. (And even though he's weakened, we later see him fight in much, much worse condition, so it's not that he's not able to.)



Wu Xiaojun: "Ye Zun is the boss!"
夜尊老板!

The Regent keeps talking to Shen Wei, who lies slumped against the wall: "They have a saying: If you play with fire, you get burned."
他们有句老话, 不作死就不会死啊。

(The original subs have this as "Suicide kills (No Zuo No Die)"; the Viki subs give it as "you won't die if you don't seek death". here is some etymology for the phrase 不作不死 "no zuo no die".)

Lying with his back to Wu Xiaojun and the Regent, Shen Wei briefly opens his eyes, then closes them again. It seems he's deliberately going along with what's happening.




Questions:

• Dixing worldbuilding #1: Everyone on the street is wearing standard Haixing clothes, but what's with all the baskets? A moment later, another guy walks past with a basket slung over his shoulder!


• Dixing worldbuilding #2: All the lamps look electric. Are they meant to be? The bartender's sound system means we do have a clear and unambiguous precedent for electric equipment in Dixing, but the lamps could be taken as simply taking shortcuts with props for filming. How do you approach that in fic?


• Given the way his capture goes at the end, it seems to me that at some point Shen Wei has clocked onto Wu Xiaojun being compromised, and has decided to let himself get captured. In that moment in the Dijun's office where he looks to the side, he's clearly aware something's coming. When do you think Shen Wei figures it out, and how?


• In the first scene, there's a moment after Wu Xiaojun tells him he'll help him, so as to avenge his father - Shen Wei looks down and clearly seems to be making a decision, then smiles. Is he just deciding whether to take Wu Xiaojun with him, or has he already realised Wu Xiaojun is compromised, and is deciding on whether to walk into a trap or try and get away?


• Of course, if that's the case, at that point he's already told Wu Xiaojun he's looking for something that may be in the storage rooms, so there's not much of a chance of getting in there unnoticed any more. Which brings me to the question of why he even told him to begin with. What do you think?


• Also, if he's trying to find the wick in storage, why is Shen Wei going to the Dijun's office? Does he need a key from there? But if so, why does he confront the Regent, rather than waiting until he's gone away again? I think that could be taken as supporting evidence for deliberately walking into a trap.


• On the other hand, might it be that Wu Xiaojun isn't actually working for Ye Zun yet until that moment in the Dijun's office? Might it be that what Shen Wei notices there is a dormant Dixing power taking Wu Xiaojun over? Do you think that's plausible at all? (I feel like the look on Wu Xiaojun's face when he follows Shen Wei at the end of the first scene speaks against this, and so does the Regent knowing about him, but it's not a definite thing.) When did Ye Zun get to Wu Xiaojun?


• Speaking of: from the Regent's reaction to Wu Xiaojun's actions against Shen Wei, he was clearly aware Wu Xiaojun was under Ye Zun's control. Why does he know? How did he find out? Was he aware of or even involved in a plan to trap the Envoy?


• Another question: when Shen Wei confronts the Regent, does he really not understand that government work needs to continue until the Regent says so? Or is he just irritated at the Regent (whose motive obviously isn't going to be duty)? Is he trying to determine whether the Regent himself has been subverted by Ye Zun?


• And finally - here's the question that interests me the most. I do think Shen Wei probably deliberately walks into a trap, but even if not, at the very least he does decide not to resist capture. What exactly is his goal? He does have his final fail-safe in place - if Ye Zun eats him, Ye Zun won't survive either. But is he planning to die here? Or is he hoping to still get through to his brother somehow? Or - this is my theory at the moment - is he trying to buy time? Since he knows Zhao Yunlan et al. are also planning to come to Dixing, has he decided to be the distraction and keep Ye Zun's attention on him, so the others can succeed?

Comments

[elenothar]

I'm trying to remember if I have ever written electricity in Dixing - I don't think so (I've got a WIP where I go onto a tangent of hallows-dependant infrastructure though, which is electricity-adjacent in my head). It's a good point though, streetlamps and that loudspeaker system. I wonder how they generate it. Something thermal? Volcanic activity?

Also, if he's trying to find the wick in storage, why is Shen Wei going to the Dijun's office?

I read this whole part as Shen Wei having zero belief that he would find the wick in the first place (I mean, does it make any sense for it to be stored separately from the lantern, when presumably the lantern was on before it was stolen?) and that this is more or less all part of his (questionable plan) to draw Ye Zun's attention, do his best to scout out the situation in the palace in case he has opportunity to pass that information along to Zhao Yunlan at some point, and in the end enact his suicide bomb plan. I do believe that Shen Wei would've preferred to survive (though given the energy imbalance thing, that wasn't much of an option anymore anyway), but already made his peace with dying; he didn't seem to me as if he honestly thought he could convince Ye Zun away from this path - at which point the main question for him becomes how to be the most useful to everyone else while still alive. And one of his priorities will always be to protect Zhao Yunlan as much as possible, which absolutely means trying to limit Ye Zun's attention on him, so your theory that he's trying to buy time seems quite solid to me.

Another question: when Shen Wei confronts the Regent, does he really not understand that government work needs to continue until the Regent says so? Or is he just irritated at the Regent (whose motive obviously isn't going to be duty)? Is he trying to determine whether the Regent himself has been subverted by Ye Zun?

I can't imagine Shen Wei wouldn't understand that - he clearly has very mixed feelings about the whole 'throne draining life' business, but grudgingly accepts it because that's the way Dixing bureaucracy/government functions. As for the Regent, I'm pretty sure that a) Shen Wei is always irritated by him and b) Shen Wei understands the Regent's mind well enough to be fairly certain that the Regent is going where the wind blows, which currently means Ye Zun, but wants to verify that. Or just figure out how firmly the Regent is in Ye Zun's camp and whether he can be swayed to help them without the certain promise of a win.

[trobadora]

It's a good point though, streetlamps and that loudspeaker system. I wonder how they generate it. Something thermal? Volcanic activity?

Geothermal energy should be abundant - I could see them working with that, because why not? But also black energy and the Hallows, while they had those, yeah.

I read this whole part as Shen Wei having zero belief that he would find the wick in the first place (I mean, does it make any sense for it to be stored separately from the lantern, when presumably the lantern was on before it was stolen?)

I don't think we know exactly how the Lantern extinguished and/or how the Hallows disappeared from Dixing? As for Shen Wei, he probably didn't really expect to find the wick in storage, but, well, the Lantern itself turned out to be just sitting there in a box at the SID all this time, so it's worth the try, because what do they have to lose by trying? I don't think he went to Dixing entirely without hope that somehow it might work out.

I do believe that Shen Wei would've preferred to survive (though given the energy imbalance thing, that wasn't much of an option anymore anyway), but already made his peace with dying; he didn't seem to me as if he honestly thought he could convince Ye Zun away from this path - at which point the main question for him becomes how to be the most useful to everyone else while still alive.

Yeah, agreed - he's ready to die, and has been more or less since he put this plan into action shortly after the energy exchange. And he's trying to make it count in every way he can. I definitly don't think he's getting himself captured with the intention to get Ye Zun to eat him soonest and get things over with - like you say, protecting Zhao Yunlan is one of his top priorities, so he'll keep doing that for as long as he can, and try to make a difference otherwise, including trying to get through to Ye Zun. And I'd like to think even then, some part of him is still hoping that somehow everything will work out after all, no matter how unlikely it may be ...

(About the energy imbalance, I don't think we know for sure whether or not that would have been curable if Shen Wei hadn't decided to make himself into a bomb instead. For all we know it might still be curable at this point! Which, honestly, makes it all more angsty, because then Shen Wei has to choose anew not to heal himself every moment, rather than being on a road of no return ...)

he clearly has very mixed feelings about the whole 'throne draining life' business, but grudgingly accepts it because that's the way Dixing bureaucracy/government functions

Oh, yeah, that's an excellent point!

As for the Regent, I'm pretty sure that a) Shen Wei is always irritated by him and b) Shen Wei understands the Regent's mind well enough to be fairly certain that the Regent is going where the wind blows, which currently means Ye Zun, but wants to verify that. Or just figure out how firmly the Regent is in Ye Zun's camp and whether he can be swayed to help them without the certain promise of a win.

All of this rings 100% true to me. :D And given the chance, who wouldn't like to pull a sword on the Regent? *g*

And it makes sense to me that he'd want to make sure whether the Regent was just doing his usual weaselly thing or whether he was actually under Ye Zun's control, because the weasel never commits to anything or anyone and will always, always hedge his bets.

[elenothar]

Hmm, I always read the energy imbalance as more or less terminal once incurred. If there had been a way to cure it, I can't see why Shen Wei would've allowed himself to be so weakened by it in the entire run-up to the big showdown, given how much dangerous stuff was happening at the time. The whole 'turn myself into a bomb to take out Ye Zun with' thing also makes more sense to me if it's a by-product of him dying one way or another anyway, and this way he can make it count/protect others with his death. But I suppose canon never does state it one way or another (as it does so few things... XD), so there's room to play.

[trobadora]

I actually have a half-written WIP about this that one day I may even finish (but alas, not any time soon), but my interpretation of why he'd allow it to happen is essentially that even at full strength he's not confident enough that he can defeat Ye Zun, and if Ye Zun wins he'll eat Shen Wei and get all his powers as well, making him even stronger. So preventing that worst-case scenario is his top priority.

I do love that canon is open enough to allow for multiple interpretations, without it being a plot hole! That's the best kind of thing. :D

[elenothar]

I could see myself being convinced of this option as well (I don't mind holding contradictory headcanons at the same time, depending on what I'm reading XD) - it really is one of the advantages of this fandom, how many ways fic writers can take things. We'll never run out of material!

[trobadora]

I'm definitely here for lots of of different interpretations in fic! I have very few hard-and-fast headcanons. (Not counting characterisation - I definitely have lots of firm opinions about that! *g*)

[nnozomi]

Lovely post, bringing up so many fascinating points. I don't have a clear timeline in my head for when Shen Wei figures out what, but he does seem to sense that something is very wrong with the situation, and to be basically prepared for things to go sideways at any point (he may feel that poking the Regent is the fastest way to get it over with?).

But is he planning to die here? Or is he hoping to still get through to his brother somehow? Or - this is my theory at the moment - is he trying to buy time?
I feel like those are probably all three his goals, in reverse order--start with buying time, get through to his brother if he somehow can, and if none of it works, die with him. (It seems to me that Shen Wei considers himself here in Dixing to die, soon or late, he's just trying to do it at the best time, without wasting his death.)

Shen Wei briefly opens his eyes, then closes them again.
I'm ashamed to recount how many times I have rewatched this particular moment.

一锅粥 yīguōzhōu literally means "a pot of porridge/congee", and figuratively "a complete mess". :D
Ooh! Love this.

[trobadora]

but he does seem to sense that something is very wrong with the situation, and to be basically prepared for things to go sideways at any point

Yeah, agreed - he seems tense, restrained and wary the entire time we see him in Dixing, ready for whatever may happen. He's very aware of the situation, and I don't think he trusts Wu Xiaojun, even if he isn't 100% sure he's been subverted.

(And then when something does happen, he doesn't defend himself, and deliberately lets it happen. That is such a moment, OMG!)

(he may feel that poking the Regent is the fastest way to get it over with?)

Oh, yeah, I can see that! And maybe also finding out just how far Ye Zun's mind control goes.

I feel like those are probably all three his goals, in reverse order--start with buying time, get through to his brother if he somehow can, and if none of it works, die with him. (It seems to me that Shen Wei considers himself here in Dixing to die, soon or late, he's just trying to do it at the best time, without wasting his death.)

Totally agreed on the order of goals! About Shen Wei being there to die, I'm not sure. I used to believe he walked into Dixing this time round 100% determined to die - get himself captured and end things. Now, I still believe he's 100% ready to die, that he expects to die - but I'd like to believe he's still, despite all that, hoping it somehow won't come to that, and that there's a better future waiting for them ...

I'm ashamed to recount how many times I have rewatched this particular moment.

It's an eminently rewatchable moment! :D

Ooh! Love this.

I love learning about idioms; they're so fascinating!

[china_shop]

Not commenting properly yet, no time, but...

(Language note: 一锅粥 yīguōzhōu literally means "a pot of porridge/congee", and figuratively "a complete mess". :D)

So when Shen Wei made congee for Zhao Yunlan in ep 8... was that a subtle critique? *g* (I know, it was just looking after him. But it would fit!)

[trobadora]

LOLOLOLOLOL! :D :D :D

[trepkos]

Heh!