How she was recruited would be an interesting topic for a fic.

Yes! We only get a few tantalising hints about how she got to where we find her in canon, and I really would have loved to find out more.

She is a person of principle. She wouldn't abandon that in favor of romance, or let love lure her to someone who didn't share her cause.

Completely agreed! But then I think that about Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan too, which is definitely a minority opinion. *g*

(In Ya Qing's case, I feel like her scenes with Ying Chun support this interpretation.)

Without the invasion thing, Ya Qing would've been a good leader of the Yashou tribes as a whole.

Also agreed! I think we view her very similarly, even if I love her way more than you do. *g*