Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

Here are a few things that drive my interpretation of the ongoing war and the YaoLiu love line.

1) Even if LYF is not a political masterpiece, it does speak to TH's knowledge and research of how historically Chinese dynasties have conquered the Central Plains. They use what historians call "divide and conquer." In our folktales, after Chiyou passed, his three remaining brothers divided up the territory to appease Huangdi. One stayed with 1/3 in the Central Plains and assimilated into Han culture. One left and would become what we know as the modern Hmong of today, and the other became the Yao. This is exactly how CX acted with all Shennong's clans. In East Asian history, Chinese dynasties have often deployed tactics that Sinicized their subjects. These tactics are so effective that they even Sinicized foreign conquerors like the Mongols and the Manchus. TH has a very strong understanding of Chinese history.

2) Just because a man can, doesn't make it right. So Jing being engaged/married doesn't make it right for him to keep XY as an affair, let alone a concubine. Even today, there are many cultures that still practice this custom, and only the most entitled and privileged of men (regardless of wealth) feel the need to do this. Windiaa once posted an analysis where to understand Jing's view of women, you just need to look at how his friends view women—which by the way, is not very empowering. For XY to accept being an affair but refuse to be a concubine is at most hypocritical.

3) A man like XL wouldn't waste his time accompanying and building up a woman if she didn't love him, if he didn't want to spend time with her, or had any hope to have a small future with her. XL's selflessness lies in the fact that he always gave XY a choice and that he didn't want her to feel like she owed him for his love. He had hoped she would be brave enough to take the time they had left to treasure, lived and loved. By the time the 37 years were over, XL realized his days were outnumbered faster than he had anticipated, so he pushed her away. 

a. XL did approach XY multiple times, gave her multiple times to choose.
b. XL took XY words of "temporary companions" as truth. So he had thought that even if they were temporary, they can still enjoy thier best years together. Imagine the disappointment when he realized XY lied about this.
c. YaoLiu love line was dependent on XY's decisions, since she never made it, there relationship never went pass an emotional and psychological intimacy.
d. XL was ready to take on whatever consequences was on the horizon the moment he declared "The sea is beneath you feet."
e. XL meant every word when he said, "I will arrange our next meeting." This was him saying I will give you a choice, and if you don't take, I will arrange it to my accordance. Unfortunately for her, he arranged it so that she will lose him forever.
f. XL always jest in sarcasm and doublespeak with XY. When he poked at XY that if not Jing, who else would she be looking for, he already knew the answer. So when he snarked at XY that he wasn't a man to be followed, he was daring XY if she would follow him.

 nathsketch:

Xiao Yao is the problem. She's the one who would have to undergo a major change. Only then she would be the strong female character that some people perceive her to be. As she is now, she's just another flawed FL who thinks herself to be tougher and more intelligent than she is. She was indeed tougher and less idiotic when she was a man, which is - and I keep repeating this - a very strange message to convey.

 nathsketch:

TL;DR: "Bish, XL ain't the problem, you are".

Lol. I have nothing to add. Just wanted to laugh because it's the truth.

 solarlunareclipse:

Regarding the scene with Li Jie Chang, Jing, FFB, and XY at the donkey meat restaurant, am I the only one who finds it sketchy that Li Jie Chang and Jing just happen to walk into the exact same restaurant as FFB and XY?

We know that Jing has the ability to track anyone and has a history of stalking XY. It's like Jing intentionally brought Li Jie to the restaurant to make a case to XY for being his side piece. Jing never fails to disappoint.

It was completely sketchy, and why I said Li Jie Chang is Jing's man.  The Sketchy Pair were spying on XY and FFB with a water mirror when they were in the casino.

 solarlunareclipse:

am I the only one who finds it sketchy that Li Jie Chang and Jing just happen to walk into the exact same restaurant as FFB and XY?

Nope. Jing is a stalker. He stalks. That's what he does. Unless he decides it's time for a nap. That's also what he does. Stalking is an energy-consuming activity so it's understandable. Gotta be recharged to do some more stalking. Yep.

@Kokuto

XL did put himself as an option when he accepted the Lovers Bug, because AT THAT TIME, he could fulfill the demands of both the army and WXL.  It wasn't until WXL became XY and changed her demands and changed into an enemy, that XL intentions as her lover were trashed.  And things were further trashed, when the situation with the army changed because of CX.

I completely agree that he had every intention of having a future with WXL when he accepted the Lovers Bug. What I think is up for interpretation is when he decided to give XY up. Some possibilities I can think of:

1. As soon as he found out her true identity and knew he was on opposing sides with her family.
2. After she rejected him and told him he wasn't suitable to walk into any girl's dreams. I don't read too much into how XY rejected him. As usual, she may have just been giving a partially true reason--maybe he wasn't suitable because he had been too quick to anger and punishing towards her in the past. She may have omitted the primary reason she couldn't be with him, which I believe is because CX (her reason for survival during her 300 years of wandering) was her first priority at this point. Just because she didn't say it doesn't mean XL couldn't guess it. She had previously saved CX from XL's assassination attempts twice before this point. Plus, she convinced XL to move the voodoo bug from CX to himself, presumably to benefit CX.
3. After he let her know that FFB and XL were the same person and she declined to let him drink from her neck.
4. When he decided to make the deal with CX to get one of Chenrong Mountain's peaks as a sacred land for cremated resistance army soldiers when CX became emperor in exchange for saving XY. His reasoning might have been that CX would only be able to protect XY if CX were emperor and this deal was him saying he wouldn't oppose CX becoming emperor anymore.
5. After he snatched XY from her wedding with FL and she refused to answer his question of who she most wanted to spend her entire life with.
6. After he met with XY when he assassinated FL and she shot him with an arrow and told him she never wanted to see him again. 

Given my interpretation of what drives XL as a character, the most satisfactory answer for me is that he gave her up after (2) because he knew she would not betray CX and he couldn't think of a way to end up with her AND not betray his men or his principles.

Following this line of thought, he might have chosen to let XY know FFB was XL (3) because she was starting to fall for FFB (our hearts are beating together incident) and he wanted to let her know FFB was not an option. He went to drink from her neck out of habit because he was injured.

I see him asking her who she most wanted to spend her entire life with (5) as just a moment of weakness on his part.

@kokuto

"I'm not saying you are biased. I'm saying that Li Jie Chang is biased when tells XY that Married Jing is a so much better choice than FFB."

Oh, got it. Still, that doesn't change the fact that FFB agreed to him :) 

 "XL did put himself as an option when he accepted the Lovers Bug, because AT THAT TIME, he could fulfill the demands of both the army and WXL. " 

Right, but he put himself as an option only because she was ok with him being just a temporary companion. She had no expectations at that time to dream of him as someone who can turn into her forever, since she was WXL, a random guy with no identity. I agree that after she became a girl, she became scared that she might start to want more from him and as she stated, XL has the ability, but doesn't have the will. 

"I think him accepting the Lovers Bug showed that he did want a future with his love."

Yes, we definetely disagree on this one :) 

 blabla100:

I am not sure on this one tbh, I'd have to check the novel, but can't remember which chapter.  The thing is I do remember her saying to CX something along the lines of "don't worry, I won't forget that he pointed an arrow at you. 

chapter 15.

She did not see his face but she felt his presence in the dark. That was a kind of 6th sense.

killing CX was planned in advance. Presence of XY was unexpected. He did it not as XL or FFB himself but on behalf of FF family.  

He did a lot of stuff to prove that he was worthy for a girl.

BTW in one of the exchanges between you and Kokuto that she said FFB lied to her that he was not XL. It was in chapter 15 in the party event. She saw him and asked XL what he was doing here. He declined and said she misrecognized him with someone else