I think Yue Qingyuan’s Shizun being malicious is more compelling to the story than excusing him as being well-intentioned. There just isn’t really a place in the Qijiu storyline for the “well meaning adult” because there whole tragedy centers around the cycle of violence. Also, I have not yet seen a compelling reason to interpret his Shizun as genuinely well-meaning that serves the theme and messaging of the story. This is not talking about theories where one of them believes something about him being well meaning. This is talking about him being genuinely well meaning. Why would that be compelling?
I have seen people say “what if YQY lied about the trauma he experienced” and that COULD be true I suppose but
1) why would you want it to be true, that would lessen the impact of the scene entirely because it’s the one scene where YQY is given the agency to explain himself
2) how would that broaden the depths of the story. We are led to believe that cultivators are well meaning and righteous or whatever, and then we are beat over the head with the fact that this is not inherently true, that the cycle of violence is real and unyielding, that morality is not determined by race or cultivation type. AND that love (SY’s unhinged brand of love) is what can help undo this tangled web of malice.
So then how would YQY’s Shizun being well meaning help that narrative at all. Why would YQY lying about the caves happening help that narrative at all. YQY’s story culminates beautifully in him being able to finally say what happened to him. His cycle of violence begins by being beaten down and silenced by the adults in his life, and is further perpetuated because he is too guilty. Shen Yuan breaks that cycle too, by giving him the agency to say what happened. It just doesn’t make sense to me, to uncharitably say he’s lying about his trauma. That’s not what the book is about. It could be interesting yes, an au maybe, but that would be a different book.
In conclusion: I think people should consider the themes and the overarching plot of the book before finding the hill they want to die on. This also goes for people who think LBH deserved the abuse for crimes he didn’t yet commit.
EDIT: I’m making this edit because people keep disagreeing with this post and then bringing up points that, in effect, are agreeing with this post.
I have a lot of follow up posts covering this topic, but this post is not talking about theories that interpret YQY’s Shizun as believing himself to be well intentioned. This is talking about people arguing he genuinely is well intentioned, that he isn’t abusive or conniving or anything. Please DO NOT reblog with a post that is saying you are disagreeing with me, and then have points which are just theories not relating to what I’m talking about. I don’t want you giving people weird ideas about what I am or am not saying, or about what I believe. And I’m not comfortable with being blatantly misrepresented. If you actually believe that his Shizun IS genuinely well intentioned is better for the story, sure come disagree. If you’re claiming theories about him THINKING he is, then I cannot stress this enough, please practice some cognitive flexibility and just add it to the post as an ADDITION to the conversation and don’t frame it as though you’re disagreeing. Because you are not disagreeing with the post, in fact, you’re agreeing with it by posing alternative theories.
