Aihui Ying in Of Jade and Dragons: Character Analysis

Overview of Aihui Ying in Of Jade and Dragons

Aihui Ying is the eldest daughter of the Aihui clan, a skilled engineer and inventor who, after her father’s murder, disguises herself as a boy to enter the Engineers Guild trial in Fei. Her goal is twofold: to uncover the truth behind her father’s death and to complete his unfinished work. Throughout the novel, Ying balances her grief, her thirst for justice, and the constant threat of exposure as she navigates a world that denies women entry into the guild. Her journey transforms her from a grieving daughter into a determined, self-reliant figure who ultimately chooses her own path over the institutions and relationships that once defined her.

Plot Role

Ying is the protagonist and the primary driver of the plot. The story begins with her father’s murder and her decision to investigate, which propels her from her remote village to the capital. She enters the Engineers Guild trial under the alias “Aihui Min,” using her engineering skills to survive the trials while secretly searching for clues. Her actions trigger key events: she retrieves the threatening letter, boards the airship, gains Ye-yang’s nomination, and eventually confronts the High Commander. In the climax, she wounds the High Commander, leading to his death, and then rejects the guild’s acceptance letter, choosing to leave Fei. Her choices shape the political landscape, as the four beiles take over rule and her sister’s marriage to Ye-yang is arranged.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Ying’s primary motivation is justice for her father. She defies his dying instruction to burn the journal and not seek the intruder, instead opening it and discovering weapon designs and a coded message (Chapter 2). This act shows her curiosity and determination, but also her willingness to disobey authority when she believes it is necessary. Her decision to steal the pendant and the threatening letter from her brother’s ger, despite his refusal to investigate, demonstrates her independence and courage.

Her engineering skill is evident from the start: she leaps off a cliff using a winged contraption (Chapter 1), and later improvises an oil-soaked wooden plug to stop a leak on Ye-yang’s airship (Chapter 3). These actions reveal her practical intelligence and resourcefulness. In the guild, she writes a five-page essay on airships, recalling her father’s teachings (Chapter 10), and later creates cannonballs treated with ming-roen ore that dissolve the dragon automaton (Chapter 24). Her ability to think under pressure is also shown when she triggers a booby trap in the archives and escapes by smashing the mechanism (Chapter 10).

Ying is also fiercely protective of her family. She confronts her brother Wen about the murder, and when he dismisses her, she turns to her sister Nian for help (Chapter 2). Later, when Nian is betrothed to Ye-yang, Ying tries to persuade her to refuse, but ultimately respects her sister’s choice (Chapter 20). Her emotional vulnerability is revealed in her private moments, such as when she cries after pushing Ye-yang away (Chapter 21).

Chronological Arc

Ying’s arc spans from her father’s death to her departure from Fei. In the opening chapters, she is a grieving daughter who takes matters into her own hands. After retrieving the pendant and letter, she boards a cargo ship to Fei, where she meets Ye-yang and accepts his nomination to the guild trial. The middle chapters follow her through the trial’s stages: the essay test, the archives incident, and the attack by the scarred assassin. She forms friendships with Chang-en and Ye-kan, and grows closer to Ye-yang, though their relationship is complicated by political pressures.

The climax occurs at the final assessment, where Ying’s cannonballs destroy the dragon automaton, and she is summoned to the palace. There, she confronts the High Commander, who admits responsibility for her father’s death, calling it an accident. Ying refuses to hand over the journal, fights the guard, and wounds the High Commander with her flying guillotine. Ye-yang kills the guard, and the High Commander dies from his wound. In the epilogue, Ying watches airships from a cliff, reflects on her disillusionment with the guild, and rejects the acceptance letter offered under her real name. She tells Ye-yang to forget her and rides away, choosing to leave as her father did.

Relationships

Father (Aihui Shan-jin): Ying’s father is the catalyst for her journey. His murder and the secrets he left behind—the journal, the pendant, and his hidden past as a guild master—drive her actions. Ying’s love for him is evident in her grief and her determination to uncover the truth. She also discovers that he created air cannons, a fact she never knew (Chapter 10), which deepens her understanding of his life.

Brother Wen: Wen dismisses Ying’s claims about the murder and locks away the pendant, prioritizing the clan’s safety over justice. His fear, revealed by the threatening letter, contrasts with Ying’s courage. Their relationship is strained, but Wen later arranges Nian’s marriage to Ye-yang, showing his pragmatic nature.

Sister Nian: Nian is Ying’s ally and confidante. She helps Ying steal the keys to Wen’s ger and promises to look after the family. Later, Nian’s betrothal to Ye-yang creates emotional conflict for Ying, who loves Ye-yang but cannot stand in the way of her sister’s happiness. Nian’s acceptance of the marriage highlights the different paths the sisters choose.

Ye-yang (Fourth Beile): Ye-yang is Ying’s patron and love interest. He sees through her disguise early on, nominates her for the trial, and protects her from exposure. Their relationship is complicated by his political ambitions and his father’s orders. Ying ultimately realizes that Ye-yang orchestrated events so she would kill his father, and she refuses his pleas to stay (Chapter 25). In the epilogue, he offers her the guild acceptance letter and vows to return for her, but she leaves without looking back.

Ye-kan (Fourteenth Prince): Ye-kan becomes a loyal friend. He saves Ying from the assassin’s poison darts (Chapter 11) and insists on accompanying her to the palace (Chapter 24). His innocence and straightforwardness provide a contrast to the political intrigue.

Chang-en and An-xi: These fellow candidates become Ying’s friends and rivals. Chang-en helps her in small ways, while An-xi taunts her after the first test results. Their interactions show Ying’s ability to navigate social dynamics while keeping her secret.

Key Decisions and Consequences

• Not burning the journal: Ying disobeys her father’s instruction, which leads her to discover the coded message and the pendant’s significance. This decision sets her on the path to Fei and the guild.

• Stealing the pendant and letter: By taking these items, Ying gains evidence but also puts herself in danger, as the letter warns against investigating.

• Accepting Ye-yang’s nomination: This allows her to enter the trial but ties her to Ye-yang’s political agenda, making her a pawn in the beiles’ power struggle.

• Using her father’s designs in the final test: Ying intentionally baits the High Commander by incorporating her father’s work into her cannonball sketches, leading to her summons and the confrontation.

• Refusing to hand over the journal: This act of defiance leads to the fight that results in the High Commander’s death.

• Rejecting the guild acceptance letter: In the epilogue, Ying chooses to leave Fei and the guild, symbolizing her rejection of the institution that failed her father and her disillusionment with its values.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Ying’s story is deeply tied to the novel’s themes. Her disguise as a boy explores identity and disguise, as she must constantly hide her true self to pursue her goals. The black jade pendant with the dragon emblem symbolizes legacy and inheritance, connecting her to her father and the Qirin Empire. The threatening letter sealed with the guild motto underscores trust and betrayal, as the institution her father loved becomes complicit in his death. Ying’s ambition to become an engineer and her refusal to be sidelined reflect ambition and power, while her quest for justice and her final choice to leave highlight justice and revenge—she achieves revenge but finds it hollow, leading her to reject the path of vengeance.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ying disguise herself as a boy?

Ying disguises herself as a boy to enter the Engineers Guild trial, which is closed to women. She needs access to the guild to investigate her father’s murder and to complete his work. The disguise is also practical, as lone female travelers are rare and would attract unwanted attention (Chapter 2).

1. What is the significance of the black jade pendant?

The pendant bears a dragon emblem of the Qirin Empire and is left to Ying by her father. It becomes a key piece of evidence, as the High Commander recognizes it and realizes Ying is Shan-jin’s daughter (Chapter 24). The pendant symbolizes her father’s legacy and her connection to the empire.

1. How does Ying’s relationship with Ye-yang evolve?

Initially, Ye-yang is her patron and protector, seeing through her disguise and nominating her. They develop romantic feelings, but political pressures and Ye-yang’s ambitions create distance. Ying learns that Ye-yang manipulated events to make her kill his father, leading her to reject him. In the epilogue, he offers her a place in the guild and vows to return, but she refuses.

1. What role does the Engineers Guild play in Ying’s father’s death?

The guild is implicated through the threatening letter sealed with its motto, and the High Commander, who is connected to the guild, admits responsibility for Shan-jin’s death, calling it an accident. Ying’s investigation reveals that her father’s work and his departure from the guild are tied to the High Commander’s actions.

1. Why does Ying reject the acceptance letter at the end?

Ying rejects the letter because she has become disillusioned with the guild and the empire. She has seen how the institution failed her father and how its leaders manipulated her. Choosing to leave Fei, as her father did, allows her to forge her own path rather than accept a system that values power over justice.