For some reason it wasn’t until this rewatch that it hit me how much that first meeting likely affected MCS. The implication is that the last time he *saw* Jingyan, Jingyan was this pretty, coltish, carefree teenager. Prince Jing is a whole thoroughbred, all grown up & about his business.

You’re so right. They’re both different people now and this meeting makes clear the character of the man Jingyan has become. MCS has been keeping tabs on him of course but this is the first time he’s seeing it with his own eyes.