Recently I've come across many people theorizing about Zhongli's role in Snezhnaya and the meaning of the contract he has with the Tsarista. What caught my attention the most was seeing some people claiming to believe that Zhongli is actually malicious in some way and that he's been lying to us all this time, but I don't think that's the case, and I'll explain why.
In the video where some developers talk about the Azhdaha quest, they comment on how Zhongli's identity prevents him from acting on his feelings. He cares deeply for Azhdaha but still had to seal him away to save Liyue. Similarly, he cares deeply for the Traveler, but still can't tell us everything he knows because of his contract. It is implied that Zhongli is actually someone who feels a lot when, actually, he shouldn't, since all the symbolism of who he is revolves around rocks, immobile mountains, silent witness and stability.
This led me to conclude that Zhongli might not be evil, he's just obedient, and that's much more ambiguous. By this point, everyone is familiar with his title of "Heaven's Star," the fact that Teyvat's currency is his flesh and blood, the suspicious similarities between him and Asmoday visually and conceptually, and the whole thing of him supposedly "descending from Heaven" to Teyvat to guide humanity, already being a master of martial arts. What people tend to overlook, however, is that Zhongli seems to be very much aligned with Celestia instead of trying to challenge them.
You see... Zhongli is a symbol of order; in his voice lines, he says he believes that everything and everyone has "their own place," and that's what guarantees peace (which is very similar to how many celestial deities think in classic Chinese works, such as "Journey to the West"); He possesses this sense of conformity that "no one should disturb what has already been decided" and "the world has its natural order." We also have Ganyu and Xiao: Ganyu is a Qilin, and, mythologically speaking, a Qilin only follow those they consider to be perfect rulers with the "Mandate of Heaven"(which is, in short, a traditional Chinese philosophical concept that a ruler needs to be "divinely sent" or "divinely chosen"); Xiao is a Yaksha who, also mythologically speaking, tend to refuse to bow to anyone, but they do bow and are extremely loyal to Zhongli. I play Genshin with the Chinese dub, and in Zhongli's burst voice lines, he says things like "the order of Heaven is perpetual/unquestionable" or "I am the order of Heaven" (the "I Will Have Order!" one). This led me to compare it to Nicole's voice line where she says "Heaven's Will, Made Mine!", and I remembered that Zibai found it strange that Zhongli wasn't an angel, since he seemed to be subject to Celestia in some way, while at the same time being "strong enough to defy the divine."
Still talking about Nicole, one of her talents includes a text that says "the gods walk like mortals so that mortals may walk like gods," which immediately reminded me of Zhongli, since he is literally the "Hermit of the Mortal World" and passed his authority on to the people of Liyue. We have an unreleased bow that shows a conversation between Zhongli and Azhdaha where they talk about visiting the three Moon sisters; we have the description that the peaceful landscape of Liyue was "necessary because he had a contract to fulfill", perhaps his obedience was the price for Liyue's safety. ...like, bro IS the elephant in the room.
I think the best way to explain what I mean is to compare Zhongli to Shen Erlang from Black Myth Wukong. Erlang is one of, if not the most skilled warrior in Heaven, and is also considered a Celestial prince. He is Wukong's rival, but he also tries to explain to him that fighting the will of Heaven is futile and that Wukong would remain subservient and meaningless to them even if he became a Buddha. This implies that not even Erlang himself possesses complete free will and is merely a weapon for the other superior deities.
(even his aesthetic and color scheme in similar to Morax's LOL)
In a parallel sense, it's like Zibai being punished for protecting her people and disobeying Celestia, even though she has been loyal for centuries, because it makes no difference to the Heavens. Curiously, Zhongli himself tells Zibai that "the will of Heaven is constantly changing," or in other words, it serves only its own interests...
I could go REALLY deep into all of this and talk about Zhongli already being considered the "Lord of Geo" even before receiving the Geo gnosis, how strong he already was during the Archon War, and how he established authority over Chenyu Valley, but I wound just be yapping nonstop.
