This is pretty sinister, given it's based on one instance of speaking out! And it doesn't seem like normal "go to prison" arrested, either. Isn't he just locked in a cupboard somewhere?
When Li Qian fetches him eventually, he's just locked up in some random unused office, so yeah, this is not what I'd assume normal procedure! But I feel like while speaking up is what actually prompts Minister Gao to have him arrested, the ostensible reason is eaves-dropping, which is actually a pretty big violation in a place where top-secret information is handled.
Anyway, I do feel like his objection might have gone over better if he'd offered an alternative.
Yeah, that's very true! Though I assume Guo Ying simply doesn't think the serum project will help at all - that Professor Ouyang is wrong for offering it as a method for dealing with the current crisis. And he's not wrong about that either, since none of the people the serum is used on ever play any role in this, other than Guo Changcheng whose involvement was accidental, and Professor Ouyang himself who only has negative impact.
I know Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo talk about evacuating people, but that's not the same as stopping the invaders.
Yeah, I have stuff I want to talk about regarding that for the next episode, because there's a bit where this is very relevant.
Maybe people keep coming to his office to have quiet/concerned words with him, and Guo Ying was the last straw?
Ha, you know, I can actually see this!
Terrifying on both counts. He's the one who should be arrested!
100% agreed! But Minister Gao presumably doesn't know about any of it, and even if he did, by that point Professor Ouyang is already no longer listenting to anyone.
Ohhh, excellent point! *makes note for future post-canon fics*
:D :D :D
I think this is Minister Gao's finest hour, actually. A glimpse of the backbone he could have showed in everything. I wonder how much Zhao Yunlan being Zhao Xinci's son played into his decision...
Yeah, agreed! And that's a good question - very probably not even Minister Gao himself knows how much it's influencing his judgment, not that he'd admit that. :p
And then fondles her feathers in an extreeeeemely creepy way. I feel like this might have played into Ya Qing's decision to change sides next ep. She can't feel very respected when he's casually taking such personal liberties! /o\
I think she's already mostly there, to be honest - I don't think she's liking anything about all of this, and if she'd actually become High Chief it wouldn't have taken very much for her to turn against Ye Zun anyway. But yeah, this is definitely reinforcing all of it!
I wonder if Mi Lu would care much. She's very arrogant -- she might just be out for herself?
I mean, she presumably wants to live and have power. Ye Zun has no interest in that; she's just a disposable tool to him. I wonder what she'd do if she understood that.
To stop Shen Wei specifically from travelling between? But also, clearly other people are using the gate, even if they're supposed to not be able to.
Very good point! Maybe that restriction has been removed now, or it's been subverted so much it's broken. *g*
I guess it helps to keep Ya Qing on side until they don't need her anymore?
True. She was useful to him before this; now, not so much.
Is he nodding about Zhao Yunlan being born for fighting, or including himself in "people like us"? Either way, I think it's a sign Cong Bo really sees himself as a core SID member by now.
Oh, I 100% thought he was including himself! And yeah, agreed, he's a fully committed member now, at least in his own eyes.
I also love that during "even if we were misunderstood, betrayed, and some even sacrificed" we see the empty SID office. *sniffles for Wang Zheng & Sang Zan*
Yes!!!!
I think Zhao Xinci is particularly strict and impatient and hardline in this ep, and I wonder how much it's a reaction to Zhang Shi taking over more, lately. Zhang Shi promised he wouldn't do that, but lately he's been sticking his oar in, not "knowing his place" -- and that must be super-unnerving for Zhao Xinci, both on a personal and a political level. So I think we're seeing him at his worst here, and part of it is Zhao Xinci rejecting Zhang Shi's counsel, rejecting his wisdom, and dwelling in the opposite
Oh, that's such a good thought! That makes A LOT of sense to me.
I think he's also worried about Zhao Yunlan and unable to express or deal with that, especially when, from Zhao Xinci's POV, Yunlan keeps deliberately making things worse for himself -- and that makes Zhao Xinci extra cranky, too.
Oh, yes, 100% agreed! He's very worried about his son, and the only way he knows to express it is by insulting him, LOL.
The SID is so determined to play by its own rules. They're insubordinate and unruly, and stealing the Hallows! But yeah -- can't help feeling things would all go so much better if everyone could actually work together. If Minister Gao had summoned the Envoy to strategise together, say...
The SID wouldn't have gone vigilante if the Inspectorate hadn't from the start (the mess with the break-ins at the lab) tried to keep them out of what falls under their remit - Dixing activity in Haixing. So the point to change that direction was much earlier. But also, no matter how unhappy Minister Gao is about the SID, I don't think he ever questions that they mean well, so using their expertise while trying to formulate a strategy would make sense, even if he won't necessarily do what Zhao Yunlan would want. But he never brings them in on the situation at all.
And that's an EXCELLENT point about summoning the Envoy, and now I want an AU where that happens! (Of course you'd have to catch Shen Wei while he's not captured in Dixing ... *g*)
I think the Regent probably feels like the Envoy is judging him (which, you know, is true?), and the Regent resents him for it?
Yes, absolutely, but also, I think this is not the image he wants to project in front of the Envoy. He likes to play up his harmless facade in front of Shen Wei, and this really doesn't fit!
Yeah, I think it's that combo, isn't it? Idolising the Envoy and sounding like Nianzhi.
Yes, I thought so too!
LOL! And his remark in ep 9, when he's fixing Shen Wei's car, and his request for an epitaph in ep 37. *pets him*
Yep, all of this! Oh, Lin Jing. :D
I love that! It's so great -- that he can joke about Zhu Hong's crush now, and use it to protect her, instead of avoiding it for fear of having to talk about it. :D
Oh yes, excellent point!
And how does he know it was Ye Zun, and not Da Qing, or some combo of the four of them? Da Qing has a connection to the Hallows, after all!
Oh, very good question! *g*
Ohh, I wish we'd got to see that! Man, talk about a missing scene. Imagine him telling Zhu Hong he met Fu You! And Chu Shuzhi finding out that Zhao Yunlan was a warrior with the Envoy 10k years ago!
YES, I want it so badly! Give me everyone's reaction to finding out a) time travel is real, b) ZHAO YUNLAN was KUNLUN?????, and c) time loop!!!!! :D
Which, if two of them could be persuaded to change sides, then why not the third one? And they literally just leave the body lying in the street!?? What the hell, SID?!
I KNOW ...
In permanent evening dress? Ha, idk.
No lie, I love it. :D
Maybe a matter of timing? Maybe Zhao Yunlan didn't want to commit theft from his own government until all other options were exhausted and/or he'd irrevocably gone against the DoS?
But by the time he plans the livestream he's already said they can't talk to the Inspectorate any more, and nothing else happens in between that. So if after that Zhao Yunlan was able to communicate to Lin Jing that he should tune in at a specified hour, why couldn't he just tell him to steal the serum directly?
Oh, ha, I assumed he was trying to get Lin Jing to steal alll the serum so Professor Ouyang couldn't use it. But you're right, he just takes one syringe, doesn't he? (Is that what he injects into Ya Qing?) Really not sure what ZYL wanted that for.
Yeah, he only takes one syringe, while the serum is being administered elsewhere. (It's not what he injects into Ya Qing; that's a different syringe he's apparently carrying around in his pocket! The serum syringe is taken from him by Professor Ouyang and injected into Guo Changcheng.)
I like the idea of Zhao Yunlan already considering using the serum on himself if things become desperate ...
Re the Hallows being lost, I always liked the point you made once that they can manipulate time, so just because they appeared somewhere a hundred years ago, doesn't mean they had to be lost before that...
Oh, yes, I love temporal shenanigans!
but I guess the show needs the action and stakes to keep escalating, and due process would slow things down?
I mean, to be fair, there is no due process at this point - the Inspectorate has dissolved the SID, the Envoy can't deliver Dixingren to the Dixing justice system (such as it was) any more, and also they don't actually have the means to hold Dixingren captive ...
But yeah, I don't like it either, especially the casual way it's done.
(More thoughts to follow, but probably not till tomorrow at this stage.)
The post isn't going anywhere! Looking forward to your thoughts. :)
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When Li Qian fetches him eventually, he's just locked up in some random unused office, so yeah, this is not what I'd assume normal procedure! But I feel like while speaking up is what actually prompts Minister Gao to have him arrested, the ostensible reason is eaves-dropping, which is actually a pretty big violation in a place where top-secret information is handled.
Anyway, I do feel like his objection might have gone over better if he'd offered an alternative.
Yeah, that's very true! Though I assume Guo Ying simply doesn't think the serum project will help at all - that Professor Ouyang is wrong for offering it as a method for dealing with the current crisis. And he's not wrong about that either, since none of the people the serum is used on ever play any role in this, other than Guo Changcheng whose involvement was accidental, and Professor Ouyang himself who only has negative impact.
I know Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo talk about evacuating people, but that's not the same as stopping the invaders.
Yeah, I have stuff I want to talk about regarding that for the next episode, because there's a bit where this is very relevant.
Maybe people keep coming to his office to have quiet/concerned words with him, and Guo Ying was the last straw?
Ha, you know, I can actually see this!
Terrifying on both counts. He's the one who should be arrested!
100% agreed! But Minister Gao presumably doesn't know about any of it, and even if he did, by that point Professor Ouyang is already no longer listenting to anyone.
Ohhh, excellent point! *makes note for future post-canon fics*
:D :D :D
I think this is Minister Gao's finest hour, actually. A glimpse of the backbone he could have showed in everything. I wonder how much Zhao Yunlan being Zhao Xinci's son played into his decision...
Yeah, agreed! And that's a good question - very probably not even Minister Gao himself knows how much it's influencing his judgment, not that he'd admit that. :p
And then fondles her feathers in an extreeeeemely creepy way. I feel like this might have played into Ya Qing's decision to change sides next ep. She can't feel very respected when he's casually taking such personal liberties! /o\
I think she's already mostly there, to be honest - I don't think she's liking anything about all of this, and if she'd actually become High Chief it wouldn't have taken very much for her to turn against Ye Zun anyway. But yeah, this is definitely reinforcing all of it!
I wonder if Mi Lu would care much. She's very arrogant -- she might just be out for herself?
I mean, she presumably wants to live and have power. Ye Zun has no interest in that; she's just a disposable tool to him. I wonder what she'd do if she understood that.
To stop Shen Wei specifically from travelling between? But also, clearly other people are using the gate, even if they're supposed to not be able to.
Very good point! Maybe that restriction has been removed now, or it's been subverted so much it's broken. *g*
I guess it helps to keep Ya Qing on side until they don't need her anymore?
True. She was useful to him before this; now, not so much.
Is he nodding about Zhao Yunlan being born for fighting, or including himself in "people like us"? Either way, I think it's a sign Cong Bo really sees himself as a core SID member by now.
Oh, I 100% thought he was including himself! And yeah, agreed, he's a fully committed member now, at least in his own eyes.
I also love that during "even if we were misunderstood, betrayed, and some even sacrificed" we see the empty SID office. *sniffles for Wang Zheng & Sang Zan*
Yes!!!!
I think Zhao Xinci is particularly strict and impatient and hardline in this ep, and I wonder how much it's a reaction to Zhang Shi taking over more, lately. Zhang Shi promised he wouldn't do that, but lately he's been sticking his oar in, not "knowing his place" -- and that must be super-unnerving for Zhao Xinci, both on a personal and a political level. So I think we're seeing him at his worst here, and part of it is Zhao Xinci rejecting Zhang Shi's counsel, rejecting his wisdom, and dwelling in the opposite
Oh, that's such a good thought! That makes A LOT of sense to me.
I think he's also worried about Zhao Yunlan and unable to express or deal with that, especially when, from Zhao Xinci's POV, Yunlan keeps deliberately making things worse for himself -- and that makes Zhao Xinci extra cranky, too.
Oh, yes, 100% agreed! He's very worried about his son, and the only way he knows to express it is by insulting him, LOL.
The SID is so determined to play by its own rules. They're insubordinate and unruly, and stealing the Hallows! But yeah -- can't help feeling things would all go so much better if everyone could actually work together. If Minister Gao had summoned the Envoy to strategise together, say...
The SID wouldn't have gone vigilante if the Inspectorate hadn't from the start (the mess with the break-ins at the lab) tried to keep them out of what falls under their remit - Dixing activity in Haixing. So the point to change that direction was much earlier. But also, no matter how unhappy Minister Gao is about the SID, I don't think he ever questions that they mean well, so using their expertise while trying to formulate a strategy would make sense, even if he won't necessarily do what Zhao Yunlan would want. But he never brings them in on the situation at all.
And that's an EXCELLENT point about summoning the Envoy, and now I want an AU where that happens! (Of course you'd have to catch Shen Wei while he's not captured in Dixing ... *g*)
I think the Regent probably feels like the Envoy is judging him (which, you know, is true?), and the Regent resents him for it?
Yes, absolutely, but also, I think this is not the image he wants to project in front of the Envoy. He likes to play up his harmless facade in front of Shen Wei, and this really doesn't fit!
Yeah, I think it's that combo, isn't it? Idolising the Envoy and sounding like Nianzhi.
Yes, I thought so too!
LOL! And his remark in ep 9, when he's fixing Shen Wei's car, and his request for an epitaph in ep 37. *pets him*
Yep, all of this! Oh, Lin Jing. :D
I love that! It's so great -- that he can joke about Zhu Hong's crush now, and use it to protect her, instead of avoiding it for fear of having to talk about it. :D
Oh yes, excellent point!
And how does he know it was Ye Zun, and not Da Qing, or some combo of the four of them? Da Qing has a connection to the Hallows, after all!
Oh, very good question! *g*
Ohh, I wish we'd got to see that! Man, talk about a missing scene. Imagine him telling Zhu Hong he met Fu You! And Chu Shuzhi finding out that Zhao Yunlan was a warrior with the Envoy 10k years ago!
YES, I want it so badly! Give me everyone's reaction to finding out a) time travel is real, b) ZHAO YUNLAN was KUNLUN?????, and c) time loop!!!!! :D
Which, if two of them could be persuaded to change sides, then why not the third one? And they literally just leave the body lying in the street!?? What the hell, SID?!
I KNOW ...
In permanent evening dress? Ha, idk.
No lie, I love it. :D
Maybe a matter of timing? Maybe Zhao Yunlan didn't want to commit theft from his own government until all other options were exhausted and/or he'd irrevocably gone against the DoS?
But by the time he plans the livestream he's already said they can't talk to the Inspectorate any more, and nothing else happens in between that. So if after that Zhao Yunlan was able to communicate to Lin Jing that he should tune in at a specified hour, why couldn't he just tell him to steal the serum directly?
Oh, ha, I assumed he was trying to get Lin Jing to steal alll the serum so Professor Ouyang couldn't use it. But you're right, he just takes one syringe, doesn't he? (Is that what he injects into Ya Qing?) Really not sure what ZYL wanted that for.
Yeah, he only takes one syringe, while the serum is being administered elsewhere. (It's not what he injects into Ya Qing; that's a different syringe he's apparently carrying around in his pocket! The serum syringe is taken from him by Professor Ouyang and injected into Guo Changcheng.)
I like the idea of Zhao Yunlan already considering using the serum on himself if things become desperate ...
Re the Hallows being lost, I always liked the point you made once that they can manipulate time, so just because they appeared somewhere a hundred years ago, doesn't mean they had to be lost before that...
Oh, yes, I love temporal shenanigans!
but I guess the show needs the action and stakes to keep escalating, and due process would slow things down?
I mean, to be fair, there is no due process at this point - the Inspectorate has dissolved the SID, the Envoy can't deliver Dixingren to the Dixing justice system (such as it was) any more, and also they don't actually have the means to hold Dixingren captive ...
But yeah, I don't like it either, especially the casual way it's done.
(More thoughts to follow, but probably not till tomorrow at this stage.)
The post isn't going anywhere! Looking forward to your thoughts. :)