Although Jing Yuan didn’t stop Yanqing and expresses worry, the fact that Jing Yuan knew his whereabouts and where Blade would eventually end up being, and didn’t seem surprised to see Yanqing means that at some point in time he did expect them to meet, and perhaps wanted to.

Jing Yuan is extremely protective of Yanqing, to the point that Yanqing is one of the few characters that Jing Yuan allows himself to act emotionally upon. He wants Yanqing to survive AND achieve his dreams.

I argue that Jing Yuan orchestrated Yanqing’s meeting with Blade. It’s too coincidental.

Thanks to JY, Yanqing is covered in lucky charms: his longevity lock, his bell bracelet, and red anklet. These are all representative of longevity (Jing Yuan begging Yanqing not to die like the rest of his friends.) Yanqing lacked a normal childhood and helped in the Foresight.

Jing Yuan also tends to be reluctant to share his troubles. He brushes others off when they ask about his feelings, and shared nothing with Yanqing about the HCQ except Baiheng’s travelogue. Many people level suspicions towards him because Jing Yuan never explains himself to anybody.

Unlike Yanqing, Jing Yuan has been incredibly stagnant ever since the fall of the HCQ, and only felt as though he was living again after Yanqing entered his life. He’s bored of his job and bored of living, with the exception of his student.

Jing Yuan has always been obligated to duty from the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae to Jingliu’s quelling, and has largely never been able to choose himself. He laments his fate and wants to be a Galaxy Ranger of all jobs

Jing Yuan allows people to make whatever opinion of him, which led to 2.4 where he was questioned by the other generals for his decisions during the crisis (such as allowing Blade to escape). Jing Yuan is an extremely kind and good-hearted person, compensating for his former weakness in the past.

When I made this post on Twitter, some people noted that this quote is further explored post-Luofu quest in this excerpt. I’d argue that although this adds nuance, it doesn’t refute the original claim. Jing Yuan recognizes his mens’ humanity, but he is displayed as a trickster with great foresight.

On the opposite end, Jing Yuan is a stagnant, tired man who only recently was able to move past his grief, and this is heavily on display in the Luofu main quest. He is also INCREDIBLY manipulative, and his character story 1 tells us this straight off the bat.

Most uniquely and INCREDIBLY important to their relationship is how Yanqing represents a new start to Jing Yuan. Yanqing is often associated with spring, swallows, and clear skies that clear away clouds (cough the high cloud quintet.) he’s also uhh doomed

Yanqing’s obsession with this concept has been acknowledged before. He’s often overly apologetic and quickly tries to make amends, and rarely steps out of line in most situations. The heliobus event was an incredible loss of face for Yanqing and JY, thus the apology.

This is deeply interconnected with the idea of miàn zi (面子) or saving face. Yanqing is concerned with upholding the honor of both the Luofu and the General to show that their “family” is one of dignity and honor. This is another form of repayment/piety.

This is repeated over and over again. Yanqing tends to be deeply protective of Jing Yuan and recognizes he has unsaid burdens that must be upheld and grief that Yanqing wishes to alleviate from him.

This is pretty emphasized through his stories, but Yanqing harbors a massive debt (filial piety, or xiào) to Jing Yuan for taking him in. Whether or not JY ever said this to him, Yanqing feels these expectations keenly and are constantly weighing over him.

Yanqing is actually really humble and even lacks self-worth in many of his stories and voicelines. He often refers to himself as a “sword”, which would be less concerning if he didn’t so often treat himself as one. He disregards his own achievements and thinks harshly of himself.

We know Yanqing is an orphan. This has been established since day 1, he could have been found by JY in a garbage dump for all we know and Yanqing is deeply insecure about this. He tries to brush it off, but it’s clear that Yanqing has issues with abandonment and innate worth.

I notice that a lot of people are confused by them, so here’s a full analysis of Jing Yuan and Yanqing’s familial relationship, and why it’s incredibly nuanced: it’s not cruel, but it’s not domestic bliss either.
aka. Jing Yuan’s generational wealth (and trauma) 🧵

Yanqing vs the fandom because for some reason he was loved until the game launched