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Tingsheng, Mei Changsu, and Xiao Jingyan in the early episodes of Nirvana in Fire

Looking at how early episodes of the show use Tingsheng as a way of bringing Mei Changsu and Jingyan closer together (with an end note about how, having fulfilled that purpose, he remains a connection that they both draw upon to communicate with each other).

Tingsheng is there from the very beginning of Mei Changsu and Jingyan's (re)acquaintance, starting from when Jingyan first notices Mei Changsu; Mei Changsu is talking to Tingsheng (and starting to realize who Tingsheng might be), and this leads into their first conversation:

The subject of this conversation is primarily Tingsheng and, most importantly, what Mei Changsu is offering: to teach Tingsheng, and also to get him out of his present situation, and, to his credit, Jingyan is listening (so much so that he will echo the same sentiment back to Mei Changsu in episode 33):

Checking in on Tingsheng is also what brings Jingyan, who by now has asked around about this mysterious individual, to Jingsu's next meeting, where Mei Changsu is very direct about why he's here, and reflects back what Jingyan has heard about him by recasting the previous scene as something solely towards that purpose:

When Jingyan next speaks privately with Mei Changsu, it's in the aftermath of Nihuang's matter in Episode 5, and a displeased Jingyan lays down an ultimatum about his limits, but is still willing to listen to what Mei Changsu has to say, and what Mei Changsu has to say explicitly links Tingsheng with asking Jingyan to trust him:

Jingyan is shocked to learn Mei Changsu knows Tingsheng's true identity, but he also has to acknowledge what Mei Changsu's silence means. In addition, Jingyan's frustration with having to keep that secret, alongside his recognition of the necessity of doing so provides another opportunity for Jingyan to hear what Mei Changsu is telling him:

The conversation ends with Jingyan continuing to process and getting up rather abruptly after Mei Changsu's salute, but even though he doesn't turn around, he does stop on his way out; he needs to thank Mei Changsu for saving Tingsheng, and we get the reaction shot from Mei Changsu to close the scene:

The next time Jingyan and Mei Changsu are onscreen together, in Episode 9 when Mei Changsu visits Jingyan at the manor he remembers so well, the atmosphere is markedly different from the last time we saw them, and Tingsheng, a settled Tingsheng who Mei Changsu did succeed in getting out, is there:

As in their first meeting, Mei Changsu helps Tingsheng up while Jingyan looks on, but the positions have changed: Mei Changsu has done what he promised and succeeded in bringing Tingsheng out and to Jingyan's side. Tingsheng's bow too, is different, he is no longer cowering, but saluting:

The warmth of the sequence is supported by the accompanying music, and Jingyan's acquiescence to Tingsheng keeping 'Feiliu's' present flows directly into his introduction of Mei Changsu to his subordinates, where, in far cry from their previous scenes, he specifically names Mei Changsu as his friend.

From the initial meeting through this gift sequence (which leads into their first truly collaborative scene), Tingsheng features in each of Mei Changsu and Jingyan's early interactions, and their discussion of him functions as a way for Mei Changsu to show his intentions and for Jingyan to believe in them.

Finally, even when Tingsheng is no longer central to their interactions, as he is in these early episodes, he remains a way for Jingsu to communicate sincerity to one other, whether by Jingyan reaffirming his trust in Mei Changsu after the infamous occurrences of Episode 33, or by Mei Changsu acknowledging his connections in the aftermath of the reveal.

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Nirvana in Fire and Reductress Headlines (Part 2)

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Nirvana in Fire and Reductress Headlines (Part 5) 

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location, location, location (x)

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i choose you

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realization

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明眸在心 青山难掩 (x)

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everything seems to be normal (x)  

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Nirvana in Fire and Reductress Headlines, Special Edition: 🐍

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Nirvana in Fire and Reductress Headlines, Special Edition: Happy Lunar New Year

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Jingsu, As Observed by A Sable (yes, I know it's actually a pine marten), Part 2/2

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Jingsu, As Observed by A Sable (yes, I know it's actually a pine marten), Part 1/2

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Notes on Recognition: Xiao Jingyan and Mei Changsu

This is a collection of thoughts that developed while I was making the ‘recognition’ video (x), and in which I reflect on Jingyan's unique position regarding knowing Mei Changsu's identity.

Jingyan is, of course, The Last To Know, and, in the scene with his mother, he speaks of how he was so close to recognizing his friend, and that he faults himself, that should have known. If we go back, however, and look at the circumstances under which the others find out, a few things start to emerge.

First off, the people who don't already know and find out, find out quite early on. Meng Zhi doesn't really count because he'd been contacted previously, but Nihuang finds out relatively soon after they meet, and Consort Jing also finds out fairly early once she has something to go on—and it's having something to go on that's the key thing.

Both Nihuang and Consort Jing are possessed of outside information—that is, external clues not originating from Mei Changsu's observed behavior—that lead them to draw their conclusions. In Consort Jing's case, she has the character missing strokes in the book, and in Nihuang's case, she has Wei Zheng (and since I'm sticking to the show here, I'll only briefly mention the original presence of Nie Duo, which made her even more keen to investigate in the novel) whose appearance, as with Consort Jing and the book, gives Nihuang hard evidence to work with, and with which to confront Mei Changsu, which she then does. Apart from these clues, Consort Jing has her medical knowledge to draw on, while Nihuang has the show version of the meeting with Tainainai, but while that scene does involve Mei Changsu's observed behavior, it does not arise unprompted, and is instead a reaction to Tainainai's actions.

So, to return to Jingyan, what does he have to go on? He doesn't have those outside clues—there is no known Jiangzuo assistance with a familiar face, or the right information to tell him what exactly is so revealing about the book he's borrowed. And, crucially, each time he encounters new information, Mei Changsu is there (with backup) to bat it down. What Jingyan is reacting to, then, and reacting to so strongly, is almost purely based on Mei Changsu's unprompted observed behavior, most notably the sleeve rubbing, the discussion of the grain supply, and the drawing of Jingyan's sword, all of which Mei Changsu does naturally and not in response to external influences. Moreover, the things Jingyan notices are not just instances of general familiarity, but specific things Jingyan recognizes as specific to xiao-Shu. The way he thinks, represented by the rubbing of his sleeve, the way he speaks, represented by the detailing of grain supply logistics, and the way he acts, represented by drawing Jingyan's sword.

The other side of this, of course, is that in these moments, Mei Changsu has neglected to conceal himself fully, which speaks to him, on some level, being comfortable enough in Jingyan's presence that he is simply existing as the person he currently is, which still includes many elements of the past. (And to expand on the concept of being 'comfortable,' I don't necessarily mean 'relaxed' although that's sometimes true, but that, however unconsciously, part of Mei Changsu's response to being in Jingyan's company and to working with him, is a tendency to let down his guard while focusing on the task at hand.)

This leads, then, to unique situations on both sides: on one side, Jingyan, without outside information, consistently recognizing xiao-Shu in Mei Changsu, and, on the other, Mei Changsu consistently becoming uncharacteristically unguarded around the one person who doesn't know and who he insists should not know. This combination (along with, again, the lack of outside information and the immediate unified dismissal of any other clues) leads Jingyan to be in a position where he cannot get the appropriate perspective to see the entire picture, partly because, in many ways, he is too close to it.

This is something I've explored elsewhere, but I think it's always worth revisiting that the other way in which Jingyan is unique is that he gets close to Mei Changsu without knowing he is xiao-Shu (unlike Meng Zhi and Nihuang et al), while also having been close to xiao-Shu (unlike Feiliu and Lin Chen) and this affects his perspective. Unlike those who find out Mei Changsu is Lin Shu in the early days of their acquaintance with Mei Changsu, before they have much of a chance to get to know his current self, Jingyan alone will ultimately have the unique experience of reconciling the memories of the companion of his youth with the man who is now so important to him.

While Nihuang and Consort Jing have the space to consider their outside evidence of Mei Changsu's former identity, Jingyan has the space to get to know Mei Changsu's current identity, even filtered as it is through Su Zhe, and to form a new picture—throughout the narrative we see how carefully Jingyan listens, even when he's seeming not to. It is clear Jingyan is interested in who Mei Changsu is—even before he knows There's Something About That Book—he reads it with a genuine curiosity about Mei Changsu's remarks and retains enough detail of what he's read to bring it up with his mother—he may not know what exactly to think of Mei Changsu, but he is genuinely listening to him, and as a person, not just a strategist.

So, to wrap up this reformatted collection of thoughts, while Jingyan is unique in the lack of information he is given, he is also unique in what exactly he's noticing and responding to. And, on the other side, Mei Changsu, who treats Jingyan uniquely in what he doesn't show him, also treats him uniquely in what he does.

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I was recently reminded about the Drama Version of 赤血長殷, so here it is if anyone else hasn't heard it and is curious. Transcript can be found here (x).

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Nirvana in Fire and Ask a Manager (Part 3)

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Nirvana in Fire and Ask a Manager (Part 2)