The Legend of Shen Li (2024) Episodes 9-12

It’s the way Lin Gengxin plays Xing Zhi. Aloof but not cold. Nonchalant but not indifferent. A very old soul but not past a bit of trickery. And pettiness. He gives the impression that he knows more than he’s saying but his lips are sealed. Or as they say in the C dramas, hidden in the pit of his stomach. Even as he strolls through the landscape, the wheels of his mind are working overtime. He’s Loki without the malice. Westley without the sword and the mask. He’s an entity playing a very long game.

Xing Zhi is old. Ancient in fact. It’s impossible not to be reminded of that. Everywhere he goes. Everything he does. Even when he’s devouring ice blocks. He appears to be a wide-eyed child lost in the wonder of a candy shop but really everything he does is well-considered and calculated. There’s method to the madness. Even in the seeming frivolity he is harbouring a scheme. His interest in Shen Li, Lord Bianci is suggestive. No doubt he’s in love with her. But his interest in her more than that. He styles himself as her teacher as much as her guardian. Even if he can’t or won’t marry her — don’t know why at this point — he takes it upon himself to guide her. She is a revered figure in her realm. A godlike wonder who has the responsibilities of her world on her shoulders. Her people look to her to take care of business — the defence of their world. But apart from her master-teacher, he is the only other person who takes care of her — not necessarily giving her what she wants but what she needs. The populace of the spirit realm worships her including Mo Fang but Xing Zhi’s larger goal is to nurture her. That’s my guess. It’s also a good excuse of course to hang around her for as long as possible without raising expectations or giving cause for suspicion. Next to him, she feels young. Everybody does. Even when he was Xing Yun, she came across as inexperienced and in need of instruction in the ways of mortals. She is powerful but must learn to harness it in a way that doesn’t leave her body battered and bruised at each encounter. I imagine that’s what the glowing red pearl is about.

It’s really not that hard to see the Princess Agents parallels in this dynamic. Yuwen Yue and Xing’er also had a similar relationship before she ran off to start a revolt with Yan Xun. And before he became a hopeless 恋脑 (love brain) for her. It’s not important to pinpoint the exact moment he fell for her because when he finds out that she’s alive, he’s doing everything to make sure she stays alive even if it means sauntering into an obvious trap.

Episodes 9-12 is a hilarious mix of Arthur, Princess Bride and The Magician’s Nephew. In another show Fu Rong could be the typical ne’er-do-well male lead who comes good after being whipped into shape by his female lead. He’s a man-child that becomes a responsible adult at the end of the story. Fu Rong isn’t stupid and is quite inclined to use his brains when it suits him to scheme his way out of the arranged marriage. It is surprising that it’s not a trope that’s used more often especially in short C dramas. Despite the claim that he brought the pair together rather randomly and without much thought, I can’t help wondering if Fu Rong mightn’t be the counterbalance/foil to Shen Li’s more austere approach to life. He steals her weapons and stashes them in a Mary Poppins bag claiming to have sold them to provoke her ire. It’s a decent enough plan except that the lady is determined to stick with the arranged marriage now that she better understands the stakes for her home world. So it’s not a battle of wits per se but a battle of wills.

So what are we to make of this alleged love triangle that appears to be emerging? Is it purely jealousy that sees Xing Zhi and Mo Fang eyeing each other with suspicion and contempt? But why Mo Fang and not Fu Rong the intended? For one Fu Rong is not a perceived threat. He’s only a marriage candidate, completely uninvested in Shen Li. He’s irrelevant in the scheme of things. He might admire her beauty and flirt shamelessly, her heart is not turned to him. Mo Fang is willing to go along with the charade/status quo because he is that special subordinate who is also a confidante something that Fu Rong will probably never be. But Xing Zhi is different. He bears an uncanny resemblance to that infernal human Xing Yun while denying any relationship. He has a way of making Shen Li lose her equanimity. He is a lofty figure with real power. He’s not afraid to take liberties with Shen Li and get away with it. Moreover Xing Zhi is an unknown quantity in terms of his motivations. His intentions are unclear where Shen Li is concerned. No one can see through his devices until it’s all over. Even then there’s a bigger picture that he’s able to perceive and all actions taken have repercussions for future events.

On some level one has to feel a little sorry for Mo Fang. In a sense he has fallen for “the wrong woman” and I don’t mean “fate”. It’s perhaps a love born out of admiration and camaraderie. There’s nothing inherently “wrong” with that but Shen Li is most likely made for world-shattering events. For someone like him, he would have been better off falling for an ordinary woman devoted to him. This is the narrative’s logic and it makes more sense than many a C drama. A woman who is dealing with larger issues needs a man with a larger vision of larger forces at work. This ain’t an office romance or a high school one. A case in point. A common theme in the domineering CEO oeuvre is the Cinderella female lead crawling over glass getting back what’s hers. Or executing some kind of revenge. Often she can’t on her own. Which is where the princely CEO comes in.

A common complaint by the imposters in the CEO dramas is that life is unfair. As a result, because the forgeries 冒牌货 perceive themselves as victims they justify all the evil that they do to achieve their goals because it’s unfair that the protagonist gets to have all the best things. Some due to birthright and some accomplishments are earned. But a person who has to cheat to win the game of life must necessarily lie and kill to cover their tracks. They won’t have qualms because the justification for the mayhem is built into their thinking.

Life is unfair. And so is love. Years of investment might not yield the desired results. Even with the so-called right conditions, there’s no guarantee that love will be reciprocated. I am once again reminded of something that the ancient sage The Great Pirate Westley once said that fits here, “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”