#jiang sect

Let me expound. So the timeline we get is that 1) Jiang Fengmian was spending a lot of time with Cangse Sanren 2) gossip married them off 3) she married Wei Changze instead 4) his parents pressured him into an (implied very hasty) marriage.

This is why the sole heir to a Great Sect is married to the widely disliked third daughter of a minor one. He had embarrassed his parents. They were like, you're damaged goods on the marriage market now, no good match will have you. Take this instead. Don't argue, you've shamed us enough already.

And she damn well knows it. She knows she wasn't selected on her merits! She knows she's a punishment!

How could she not be weird about Cangse Sanren and public opinion, in that context.

So here goes !!

First, the Yunmeng Jiang’s purple lotus. But first l, their motto - the infamous “Attempt the impossible”. Or more accurately “明知不可而为之” - “Do what you know cannot be done”

It is a variation on a famous part of the Analects of Confucius - “知其不可而为之” - having the same thing but being a bit harder to parse

Idiomatically, “知其不可而为之” is used when someone insists on doing something they know is futile - undertake a Sisyphean task, to use an English idiom.

As with most of the Analects, the idiom can be translated many different ways, of which some are positive : “not taking things lying down”, “persevering against all odds”, “to attempt something before writing it off as impossible”, etc. Thus: “attempt the impossible.” however…

The more conceptual meaning of the phrase gets lost with this direct translation.

In a more detail-oriented translation, 知其不可而为之 doesn’t mean you should insist on doing what you know you can’t achieve. Rather, in your actions, don’t ask yourself if you can, but if you should. It’s not about the result, but the journey—to have a clear conscience regardless of the outcome

“‘不可为’ is not necessarily that one is *unable* to do X but rather, that regular people view X as an impossibility, as wasted effort without reward (or even with negative repercussions), so they feel there’s no reason to do it. They act only after ensuring immediate results or personal benefits to them or their in-group are guaranteed. To act only to achieve merit or reward

In the eyes of Confucius, for the virtuous (“君子 “) man, the most important thing is morality, virtue, and justice. The achievement of merit is not placed over justice, but rather found in it’s pursuit

Actions that don’t align with morality and virtue may have brief benefits, but will ensure grave and deadly consequences. Individual or immediate benefits may not exist as a result of virtue, but enduring benefits to the whole will eventually come about

As you can see, the Jiang precept heavily relate to the actions of the Jiangs - JC and WWX in particular, but also Madam Yu.

WWX truly embodies the Jiang precept, as we are told. Again and again, he does good deeds because he believes he should, despite the lack of any personal gain, despite the unclear outcome

his actions are placed in stark contrast with how JC (as WWX’s foil) responds to the same situations.

This is best shown in the scene in the Xuanwu cave. WWX puts himself at risk by protecting JZX and LWJ, and again to distract the beast and allow everyone else the chance to escape. JC outright states later that he believes that WWX should have escaped, or kept his head down, not “played the hero”

Now, this doesn’t mean JC is evil. He does good - working tirelessly to save WWX - but only because WWX is a member of his immediate family, and likely wouldn’t have done so if someone he didn’t know that well - like LWJ or JZX - were trapped instead, because what do they have to do with him ?

He acts, and he acts righteously, but only when he and his have immediate, personal, benefits

This is why JC brings up the Jiang precept so bitterly regarding the Wens and WWX - because he knows his fault, and knows he would never be able to truly embody the motto the way WWX does (and also, you know, Daddy issues and Mommy issues and who knows what else)

Narratively, this is also why MXTX keeps the reveal of Lan Sizhui’s parentage from WWX to the very end - because the fact that WWX went into his second life thinking that all those he had tried to protect were dead, and nevertheless chose to do good and be good, without hope of reward or fear of loss, is the full realisation of the Jiang precept

(There’s also something to be said about how this relates to the Buddhist concept of renunciation of the self and worldly attachments, and of the ephemerality of gain and loss, but this post ain’t about that)

The Jiang Sect!!!

The last of the five great sects to be introduced in the blob-verse, and one of the funnest.

Compared to the stiff Lan, the filthy rich Jin, the moustache-twirling evil Wen and the Nie cacti, the Jiang sect seem simply a bunch of grapes living their best life surrounded by beautiful loti and lakes full of fish.

Laid-back, happy-go-lucky, slightly undisciplined, utterly uncivilized in the eyes of the stricter sects... Is it a wonder, how much Wei Ying could thrive under their guidance?

I mean, look at this!!!! CQL, sects are paying homage to the dead fallen at war, and suddenly Wei Wuxian appears on the roof! All the sect disciples perfectly aligned, look at the Lan, you could build a whole railway bridge on those square shoulders and stiff backs...

And then you look to the right, and there we have our vine of grapes, happily gossiping away at the sight of their old friend.

He doesn't hunt demonic cultivators for sport, and his temper is still fiery, if not more stable.

he doesn't remember why it would be different though.

He doesn't remember summers on lotus pier, the wild antics of a beloved Da-shixiong, or the tinkling laughter of a beloved A-jie. He has a nephew, who he cares for, but he has no memories to offer of a mother long passed.

He offers incense in the family shrine, but the feelings of grief and bitterness at the names of his parents don't come.

Glided tablets are the only concept of father and mother he knows.

His strength as a sect leader is still overpowering, and without sentiment to still his hand his dealings with his late sister's marital sect are more harsh, accepting no less than what is fair.

A man returns from the dead, an apparition of war he only knows from whispers, rumors, and the records of recent history, but Jiang Cheng feels no connection. it simply was not his issue. the Yiling Patriarch had not been part of Yunmeng Jiang for many years, and return from the grave would not change that.

The most interest Jiang Cheng had the in the matter was his nephew's in involvement. a few trusted minders were sent, and he kept a finger on the political pulse of the matter.

That was until he met the Yiling Patriarch in person. And he felt, familiar.

Sorrow, joy, pain, resentment, love.

That was until he began to recall flashes of a home he had only known through records. That was before he looked at names like Jiang Yanli and ached.

That was before he learned of an insurmountable debt.

I like characters with flows I can learn, for this reason he became my fav