Or Something To That Effect - Blog Posts

it's been a bit since the infamous frog episode, but i still have Thoughts.

maybe i'm just overthinking things, or totally missing important nuance or whatever, but i feel like jinshi made a poor decision in the cave. granted, maomao was provoking him, so he was acting in part out of annoyance, but at the same time...

it's been iterated many times before, but maomao remains ignorant because that's what she perceives as safest. the less she is told, the more she can deny knowing if questioned. i'm pretty sure definately sure she does actually know what jinshi's deal is (at least in part. whether she has fully realised his position is another question), but if she isn't told directly, she can deny any knowledge of anything, and thus keep her life. basically, her adamance about plausible deniability is what gets her into the situation in the first place. as long as she says it's a frog, there's no other possible truth.

but here's the thing. once jinshi flips her around, once he's on top of her, the situation shifts. another problem comes into play.

here's the thing. from a political(?) perspective, jinshi has all the power. he's the crown prince head eunuch. he can basically do whatever to her and get away with it. and maomao knows this. granted, she does contemplate kicking him away, but simultaneously she's probably thinking about the consequences of doing so. remember, she grew up in a brothel. she's probably seen all kinds of men and so many instances of women having been in uncomfortable situations and men getting angry at rejection, possibly to the point of violence. based on that and the fact that jinshi is incredibly powerful and maomao is just a servant, she has to weigh her options. what is she risking if she kicks him away?

and then there's the fact that jinshi decides that kissing her is the way to go about this situation?? and possibly do more?? like excuse me, that's basically non-con right there. and again, it's not like maomao can really refuse. even if she does kick him away, where would she go? while i doubt that jinshi would persue her further, the potentiality is what matters.