Hi I'm back again with ANOTHER analysis because I just want to gush more about things about the drama that may have been missed on the first watch. I'm just so amazed at how there is still more to uncover about the characters once you think about certain aspects of their motivations. So today I'm gonna cover Shi Ying's decision to step down from priesthood and what it actually means for his character arc. I'm just gonna frame it based on how I originally viewed this turning point for his character, which was very superficial at the time I watched it because I just wanted my romance ya know. If you've read my long essay from my last post, I said that solely solely focusing on the romance of this drama will make people overlook its underlying themes and messages told through its characters. So I just wanted to share a different angle of Shi Ying's decision to leave priesthood because it just adds so many layers to his character development that people might not have considered at first.
When I first watched TLP I just saw his decision to leave priesthood as the means to let him freely act on his feelings for Zhu Yan to get the romance plot moving, because we know how looong it took for them to actually get together. I was so focused on the goal that I was missing out on the underlying significance behind this life-changing decision. After dissecting his character arc I realized this important plot moment also had the purpose of addressing Shi Ying's main internal conflict with his tragic past. This is just going to be a copy+paste of a section from my google doc that I added several days after I first shared it so people might not have read it on their first read. I wanted to make a dedicated post on this important moment because ughhhhh Shi Ying is such a well written character who's more than just an isolated priest falling in love for first time. The only reason why I was able to see this other angle is because I saw some weird takes that tried to remove the romance aspect of his important character decisions coming from viewers who find Zhu Yan unimportant to his development. And I completely disagree because Shi Ying's amazing character journey is multifaceted--he is not only motivated by love but he is also not only motivated by his innate characteristics and sense of duty. I thought it was just funny how different perspectives will make people see only one side of the picture, which I claimed will make viewers overlook the multiple layers TLP actually contains. Both of these elements play an important role in driving his growth so erasing one of them will just diminish the purpose of Shi Ying's thoroughly planned character development.
One of Shi Ying’s main inner conflicts is the clashing of his two identities that would impact his journey to self-acceptance. His past is very traumatic and tragic as he and his mother were wrongfully outcast by his own father when he was only a young teen, which is why he was so adamant on carrying out his duty as a priest to not be reminded of his origins. The second half of the drama is a major turning point for Shi Ying’s character because that is when he has to inevitably revisit the origin of his trauma in order to help defend Kong Sang from potential war. At first he made sure to keep his distance and clarify that he was only there acting as a priest from Jiuyi Mountain. However, the explosive encounter with his father and Zhu Yan’s punishment in episode 28 is what makes him realize that continuing to distance himself from his past and deny his birthright is now going against his own conscience (because there are more people in his life to care about now).
It's kinda like the saying "you can't have your cake and eat it too." Being a priest allowed him to cut off any association with the Emperor (and his past suffering) but it also prevented him from acting on his newfound priorities in life. That is why we start to see Shi Ying become more involved in royal matters and even take on leadership positions when negotiating with the Merfolk and eventually commanding the whole army in episode 40. Side note but I kinda think that the Emperor letting Shi Ying take command over several matters as an "outsider" was supposed to be his own way of making amends with the son he mistreated. That's just one of the explanations I can come up with because his father never really goes against Shi Ying's actions after he returns to the palace lol. After Da Si Ming clears Shi Ying’s name and Shi Ying leaves priesthood does he finally assume his identity of Crown Prince he initially tried so hard to disassociate with.
It is necessary to bring up Shi Ying coming to terms with his tragic past because by assuming his role as Crown Prince he no longer has the need to lie to himself and to others. This all traces back to my theory on how he reached the ‘real state’ that helped him achieve immortality. Accepting all sides of himself gave him a clear conscience and understanding of his place in the universe, which is a part of what I believe the ‘real state’ entails (mind, body, and spirit in harmony). This is why I said in my essay that him achieving the 'real state' is not so easy to explain because it was not a big moment shown to the viewer that we can unanimously agree on. I theorized it was more of an awakened state of mind that culminated from the trials in life Shi Ying overcame throughout his journey. I believe that in order for Shi Ying to get closer to achieving the 'real state' he had to overcome one of his major internal obstacles which was to accept all the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of his life.
We know that as a priest cultivator Shi Ying was already dedicated to protecting the people because of his selfless nature, however we have to remember that his priest role was originally meant to be a cover-up with the help of Da Si Ming. Shi Ying just thought it was the best path in life for him to follow with his circumstances at the time. While the priesthood offered Shi Ying the chance to start with a clean slate it was not truly meant to be a sustainable coping mechanism for his trauma, especially the more he got involved in dealing with mortal affairs. Shi Ying associates his life and identity as the Crown Prince with the suffering he endured, which is why he dedicates his whole being into becoming a priest in order to escape the unbearable pain. Shi Ying’s character only becomes fully realized at the end when he finally takes on his role as Crown Prince because it meant that he finally acknowledged his suffering that he always blocked out. This acknowledgement of his suffering associated with his previous life is what helps Shi Ying truly understand who he is and strengthen his resolve to protect his people.
TL;DR Shi Ying stepping down as a priest was more than just a plot device that allowed the main couple to freely love each other, it was a profound moment in his journey to self-acceptance that showed how Shi Ying has finally stopped running away from his suffering associated with his tragic past. And now I love him and TLP 1000x more thanks for reading.
waverlinda:
