Neon

Lloyd only went to the con to earn some MOOLAH😎💰💰💰 and hey!!! It’s working!!!!

the two big foil relationships to Jinmao are past tragedy's and foreboding warnings almost. Lakan/Fengxian and this idea of assumption and understanding and how dangerous that is to find or give to another person. They were a tragedy through a fundamental failure of communication, and through in the most literal and thematic sense playing games behind the others back, then things go wrong and it falls apart. Yang/Ah-Duo is the other, and the nature of the word of heaven, how it didn't particularly matter what Ah-Duo wanted or how she felt about him, Yang was the crown prince and he wanted her, loving her enough to even try and fulfill the promise he made to make her the mother of the nation.

Bashu exists in the exact same time and place as Jinmao, with a very similar set up, just with their own distinct issues that aren't that dissimilar, and make really nice foils. Jinshi has a level of political power that makes the possibility of manipulating Maomao easy, Basen has a level of strength and force that leads to a similar thing - Jinshi and Basen both even commiserate that fact. Maomao and Lishu both think themself undeserving or unworthy of being loved. Jinshi and Lishu both refuse to become baggage that will only get in the way for Maomao or Basen. Jinshi and Basen both end up with weird not quite approval but not out right refusal of the match from Lakan and Lishu's grandfather (head of house) not that either have actually asked.

There is also the issue of Lishu, however falsely, being not just married to the Emperor but one of his 4 highest ranking consorts. Simply to think of Lishu in a romantic manner is to covet the bride of the Emperor and practically treason, let alone acting on such a thing, and it wasn't like no one saw shojo stare after he saved her from the lion.

There is also an energy/vibes thing to the way Basen is 100% convinced that Lishu is not pregnant, (and would later break some ribs for bad words said about her) that he sought out Maomao in the Verdigris a place he is super uncomfortable. Him barging in on Jinshi and Maomao to tell them about the issue at the tower. There is something that just tugs at all of the romantic heart strings that as she is falling she regrets/laments never thanking him from saving her from that lion, only to see him before he jumps after her, only to break and bruise and bloody basically every part of his body and leave her unharmed, then allow her to cry into his chest.

there are a sweeter and softer parallel of Jinmao and i stand by the statement that if Bashu were removed from that and told as their own story they would not be particularly compelling. Jinmao is actions that come too fast and even in the wrong order, they are despite being a slow burn full of these bright spark moments where and when everything boils over between them and forces action between them. Bashu is very proper and consequently chaste, he did a great feat in saving her from that tower at cost of his life and was all but offered her hand, kind of started soft courting her complete with a not quite confession, had his sister who was acting as head of clan (Taomei and Gaoshun weren't at the named clan meeting if iirc which would make it Maamei) meet with Lishu grandfather head of her clan to softly propose the match. Basen is given countless reasons to go see her, often by his family.

The duck that thought of the first living being it saw as it's one and only master and is now following him to everywhere? Isn't that exactly what Bashu is?

And then the cat that likes to catch mice in the Apothecary shop and constantly flips in and out of the narrative? That changes it's main living space multiple times. That jumps around and adores catnip and only goes to you if it is bored or hungry? Yeah, checks out, that's Jinmao.

~

I adore that Basen and Lishu have their little cute romance. It felt so relievingly uncomplicated when I first read it that I almost got whiplash. Like: what do you mean there are normal young adult couples in this universe that are neither elusive nor scheming and where the parents actually are aware of the dating (courting) without it being a major problem??

Then you go back to Jinmao and are reminded that you are reading a subversion of a shojo love story and that the actual shojo MCs (Bashu) are side characters in TAD.

Also also: I think it's really funny that, while Jinmao at that point are way further away from actual dating than Bashu, their relationship is lengths more developed. Jinmao know each others worst and best traits and are still somehow keeping up with one another while Bashu have this cute but rather superficial crush going on with them.

Nodding sagely. Stroking my visual shorthand beard to communicate consideration. Letting out a ponderous hmm.

I see. I think I understand it better now. It's the "Those Two Crazy Kids" ship.

They're a more straightforward foil to Jinmao, where the reciprocity of the love is much more simple and clear. Both Basen and Lishu lack self-worth, and are on journeys of their own to accept those mutual feelings that are VERY obvious to us.

Surrounded by opportunities to get together, like the Emperor's promise of a favor, Lishu's grandfather who wants her to be happy, and the Ma Clan trying to arrange the match, ultimately, what holds them apart from each other is their own feelings. Especially relevant as Jinmao moves into a new phase, where it's POLITICS keeping them apart, not the inability for either party to admit desire.

Hmm...

I used to feel like Basen x Lishu was sort of a less interesting version of Pairin x Lihaku. Maybe that was holding me back.

If Paihaku is an openly reciprocated relationship held back by systemic pressures, Bashu is its inverse. A relationship where systemic pressures are being parted away, only to be held back by both parties not realizing how reciprocal it is.