#ka zuigetsu

[alexiethymia]

Ka Zuigetsu

(spoilers for the manga, LN, WN you name it)

Jinshi or rather Zuigetsu is such an interesting character for me because of the dichotomy. We're initially introduced to him as someone with a lot of pride in his looks, confident, mature beyond his years. Later on, we find that his true self is quite self-depreciating and childish.

He doesn't have an attachment to power, nor his looks. He's actually not the arrogant lord Maomao initially thinks he is because he's open to learning and taking the advice of those who know more than him. And while this feeds into his complex that he's surrounded by eccentrics who are extraordinarily good and excel at one thing (the entire Ra Clan, Maomao included, Basen etc.) he's no slouch himself!

I mean Jinshi doesn't think much of himself considering himself a jack of all trades, but what a wide variety of trades it is - he can beat Basen using skill instead of force, he beat the Emperor at Go at the tender age of fourteen and this is with the Emperor having been taught by the Sage who is one of the only two people known to have beat Rakan, he dances with such grace that foreign envoys can only think of him as a goddess, he's enough of a quick study with medicine according to Maomao, not to mention his prowess at both the military arts and diplomacy.

As if to make up for all that he perceives he lacks, he knows talent when he sees it and will use people accordingly. Ironically (and though they would both hate to hear it) Jinshi and Rakan are more than a lot alike. Despite his complex, these qualities actually make him quite a good leader and you could see why the Emperor really wants to make him the Crown Prince even if this isn't Jinshi's wish.

But unlike Rakan, he is still soft-hearted at his core (see the case with Fuyou for example). And though Maomao is rankled at how he attempts to be both pragmatic and kind, at his inability to wholly abandon his heart for the things he knows must be done, at her core, I think that trait of Jinshi's is the main reason why Maomao finds herself unexpectedly loyal to him.

Much has been said for Maomao's charisma, but Jinshi also attracts loyalty from unexpected places. Like Gyokuyou, he surrounds himself with capable people. While part of me is cheering him on to get his wish of being an ordinary person, I feel like everything has been building up to his eventual ascension to the throne. Because while Jinshi may complain and grumble about his work, ultimately he will still do it. At present, he could only implement his plan because he still thinks he's just the Imperial Brother. But the moment the truth gets revealed, he won't easily be able to shake off his burden.

A part of me thinks that he will eventually take the throne in some form or the other, but only until Gyokuyou's son comes of age and he can finally pass on the crown and become an ordinary person once and for all. This scenario would actually be the perfect pretext for him to justify having only Maomao for his sole consort since he can reason out that he doesn't want to further complicate the lines of succession by having more children with more consorts. In other words, a win-win possibly for both Jinshi and the current Emperor (except Maomao haha).

[asteriass]

Seeing people say Jinshi is not all that and how his relevance doesn’t make sense HURTS ME… 😓

Guys, he’s a complex character, trust me 💔💔  People often seem to forget that he’s not just a silly ‘airhead’ in love. Even Maomao MULTIPLE times acknowledges & mentions how scary and intelligent Jinshi is. Like, he realized Maomao was literate in the matter of a few mins and then he used that against her cuz he realized she must’ve been the one who warned Lady Gyoukyo

And then there’s just some people who hate him cuz he’s twisted & say that makes him a sh*tty leading character

Which i don’t get?? Of course the leads of a thriller mystery will be manipulative or sly. Or at the very least flawed to some capacity. Even Maomao herself is almost equally twisted and tends to be self serving Them both being flawed is what makes them intriguing characters. They both have their vices that they acknowledge - vices that add another layer of complexity upon their characters. Do you imagine how uninteresting this series would become if Jinshi was seriously JUST a silly lover boy and Maomao was a simple girl ready to help ANYTIME AND ANY DAY instead of being the way she is? This story’s charm comes not only just from the intriguing setting/mysteries but also how these flawed, yet interesting, characters act and think in said settings.

[professor-doc-emeritus]

I love the dichotomy we get between jinshi and the emperor that shows off how the traits that make jinshi a great prince, boss, friend (husband 👀👀👀👀) are the very same traits that will make him a terrible emperor.

His hard working streak that lets him handle his weird assignments with grace and manage the clashing egos of the inner palace is what will get him killed by overwork as emperor since he has no real head for delegation. It took 11 volumes and the intervention of most of his immediate family just to get jinshi to hire a secretary. The emperor always being free to host parties, sleep with the consorts, and bust jinshis balls in-between it all is, much like lakan always being free to annoy maomao, actually a sign of him being god-like at delegation and organizational management.

His lack of ego and willingness to look the fool if it gets the job done is great for avoiding political snafus and getting to the truth of things. It's genuinely the thing that makes all his expeditions to the western capital so wildly successful: he really doesn't gaf about how he's seen by the public, so long as the job gets done and his friends aren't in immediate danger. It's also the exact opposite of what you need from a head of state who's legitimacy is not-insignificantly based on the public perceiving you as an instrument of the will of heaven. The emperor being willing to kill people and their families over slights jinshi (and most sane human beings) would be willing to let slide is cruel and inhuman, but it's also what keeps the populace at large from being able to organize against him and challenge the imperial power.

Jinshis compassionate streak, his urge to save as many people he can and find the best solution for everyone possible, makes him great to work for. He'll give you assignments that match your hyper fixation, work around your crippling social anxiety, give you a post that just-so-happens to involve you staying with the love of your life for a few months. More over, he isn't gonna risk his life and your position over petty ego or greed when he can find a peaceful solution instead. But the hesitation he feels at using people like tools, and his unwillingness to act if it means throwing people under the bus, is what will lead to death and destruction if he's the emperor. Especially in a time of war. The current emperor is willing to ruin lives and crush nations if it reaches a goal, advances an agenda.

Finally, jinshis loyalty, I'd say even more than his looks, is what draws people to him. He loves his toys, can't stand to give them up. It makes him a great romantic figure. But when you're the emperor, and you need to be willing and able to marry someone for political ends, produce as many heirs as possible regardless of who with, and set aside the feelings of those women for your own sake, that loyalty is poison.

Idk, so often in stories with these systems they sorta follow the logic of "if he's a good person he'll be a good leader." I think it's cool to have a series talk about how being a leader involves being EXTREMELY comfortable with being an asshole, for a myriad of reasons, and how someone being pleasant to work for wouldn't make them an effect monarch.

[nejiisx]

[lullakan]

Happy 2024 ✨🥳 a little sketch of Jinshi and Maomao to start this year ✨

[eyesofanapothecarian]

The more time and hints that drop about the The Apothecary Diaries the more I'm realizing that the true purpose of the story isn't a major villian they have to defeat.

Jinshi is truly the Emperor first born but because the Emperor loves His son and Ah Doh more then anything apparently Jinshi does not want to be Emperor.

Which is why he Plays at being the sickly brother of the the Emperor.

But in order for everything to stay smooth he needs to make sure his father has a living second heir and that all the problems of being Emperor are adjusted to make way for a peaceful ruling and take care of the issue that could get him killed.

In no way does Jinshi want to be in the Inner court servicing the courtesans.

However to get out of being heir another will have to be male.

Ah Doh is not one for the courts either anymore the Jinshi who doesn't want it.

(ODDLY JON SNOW AKA AEGON TARGARYEN 5TH COMES TO ME AT THIS MOMENT WHISPERING IN MY EARS.)

XD

To both Varys and Daenerys.

Jinshi definitely is reminding me of Jon Snow a bit.

Jon was also sexually assaulted by Ygritte.

In all likeness MaoMao and Jinshi story here are going to show you how Jon didn't need it and they could worked around everything better with better writers if they really wanted to.

I can't wait.

Been wondering why the plots were so easy now I know the plot is to get out of the game themselves.

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Ka Zuigetsu fans.

[cfserkgk]

Lahan introduces Maomao to his roommate (who is popular enough that everyone but Maomao knows of becuase Maomao thinks chemistry is much more attractive than some mortal man).

SPOILERS: I feel like Zuigetsu would be his real name, but I think he would do some sort of modelling/ acting job on the side with the name "Jinshi", so everyone calls him that. But neither Maomao nor Lahan really look at media much since they both don't really know how to use tech, so the siblings know him as Ka Zuigetsu.

Jinshi might be doing some sort of economics/ finance/ stats degree, but I can also see him being a history or social sciences student of sorts. The poor humanities student just getting dragged into the business of the stem siblings.

Of course, Lahan is obsessed with Jinshi's looks (and may or may not be actively pushing his sister and his roommate to get closer).

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

there are characters who want to become king and those who don't want to and then there's ka zuigetsu who doesn't want to rule so fucking bad that he the crown prince willingly pretended to be a eunuch for whole six years and when even that wasn't enough he went as far as to brand himself like 💀

[ariddletobesolved]

I know it's probably just me, but I find him to be Ka Zuigetsu (Jinshi) coded 😩🤚🏼

[eyesofanapothecarian]

Rough sketch of Ah Duo and The Emperor.

[eyesofanapothecarian]

Working on now.

Ah Doh and Jinshi / Ka Zuigetsu