Chapter Text
Nie Mingjue still couldn't believe he was on a boat reaching Lotus Pier, with boxes of gifts piled behind him. He truly couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He had resigned himself to a life without a wife, the responsibility falling to Huaisang no matter how appalled by the idea his younger brother was.
And now he was going to ask for the permission to court a woman. And not just any woman. Not only one that was torturing him (He knew it was medical treatment, it didn’t take away from the fact that it was torture too), but a Wen. Xichen was right, she wasn't her former leader, but she was still a Wen. However, no one around the Unclean Realm had any issue with that anymore. His uncle threw him out of his office when he brought up the idea to him. Apparently marriage wasn’t important enough for his uncle to care, as long as it happened soon because you aren’t getting any younger, boy. And from what Mingjue understood, uncle also didn't care if he wanted to court a Wen woman. Apparently, the idea of Huaisang as the next heir, or his children, was making the Nie elders so nervous qi deviation was on the horizon for them.
The more outspoken disciples of his voiced their support for his decision. Even the one who took the longest to discipline into respecting her. Apparently, being healed from food poisoning was all it took for the man to swear allegiance to her. And Huaisang was more than happy to prepare the courting gifts and tried to train Mingjue in talking to women. Well, that obviously wasn't going to happen. His brother could talk a merchant into lowering prices for brocades, but that was all he was able to do.
Inhaling deeply, he prepared himself. The boat reached the harbor and there was a delegation of Jiang disciples waiting there.
Narrowing his eyes with suspicion Mingjue turned to look at his brother, but Huaisang was conveniently hiding behind the fan. At least he wasn't throwing up anymore. Maybe Mingjue should sent him for some water training…
Where he was actually supposed to go? How did it really work? Maybe he should have had Huaisang arrange it all?
'Welcome to Lotus Pier, Chifeng-Zun and Young master Nie'. The disciples bowed to him. 'Please, if you would follow us.'
'What did you do?' Mingjue hissed at Huaisang making his brother shrink in on himself. That was all an act, he had already guessed that much.
'Nothing, Da-Ge.' Huaisang squawked.
Huffing with irritation, Mingjue took a deep breath and reached inside himself looking for that peaceful place he was growing for months now. He needed a clear head and peaceful mind for what he was going to do.
He followed the disciples into Lotus Pier itself and saw Jiang Wanyin pass by, stop, look at him and quicken his pace while yelling tell Chifeng-Zun I'm out on a nighthunt!
'I can see you Sect leader Jiang!' Mingjue wasn't above calling the man out on his bullshit.
'NO, CHIFENG-ZUN DOESN’T! I'M NOT GETTING INVOLVED IN THIS! THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP, NIE-XIONG!' Jiang Wanyin disappeared but his voice carried. None of the disciples or attendants of the residence even stopped in their chores during the exchange. It spoke volumes what ridiculous things were going on in Lotus Pier.
Mingjue actually glared at his brother.
'Oh look Da-Ge, Qing-jie!' Huaisang's voice was high as he pointed with his fan.
Mingjue's body had an unconscious reaction to hearing the name. Basically it told him to flee before she stuck more needles into him. But this time he actively stomped it down and looked towards where Wen Qing was walking in the distance through the walkways followed by apprentices.
'Where are Wen Qing and her brother's quarters.' He almost growled at the Jiang disciple that was guiding him, but the man barely raised his eyebrow. Being trained by the Terror of Yunmeng definitely hardened against being growled or yelled at.
The disciple nodded and gestured for Mingjue to follow him.
They walked pass the pavilions until they reached a residence slightly outside the main house. It was at the pier and looked like it was at the very end of construction. The hall they were led into wasn't very big, but looked grand and like a proper place for receiving important guests.
'Inform Wen Qionglin of my arrival.' Mingjue told the attendant in black and silver robes that appeared when the Jiang disciple left.
The attendant looked at him weirdly but nodded and quickly disappeared on the side.
Mingjue noticed that the receiving hall looked a lot like the main one in Lotus Pier in the placement of walls and passages. Just smaller and less ornamental.
It took just a moment before Wen Qionglin's head slowly slid from behind one of the screens. And then someone obviously pushed him completely out.
'Chifeng-Zun, you wanted to see me?' Wen Qionglin spoke unsure, but at least his voice lacked the stutter. After all that time dealing with the ridiculousness of the Yunmeng brothers it wasn't that surprising. He had to learn to express himself fast and concise.
Mingjue decided it was now or never.
Bowing deeply, he spoke.
'Wen Qionglin, I come bearing gifts in hopes to attain your permission to court your sister, Wen Qing.' He recited what Huaisang had him remember.
There was a longer moment of silence and Mingjue raised his eyes to see the much younger man stare at him with eyes wide and a little wild. He blinked a few times and looked cautiously around.
'Sect Leader Nie, I understand it's customary to ask for permission from her closest male relative, but I do like you and so I won't tell A-jie that you asked me for this because she would skin us both for even thinking she needs someone's permission.' Wen Ning said quickly, his eyes still darting around as if he was scared of something. And Mingjue could swear he could hear muffled laughter that sounded awfully like Jiang Wanyin’s from the screen which Wen Qionglin had been pushed out of.
'I would.' All of Mingjue's entourage turned towards the voice. Wen Qing was standing with her arms folded in the doorway of the passage opposite the one where her brother came from. She glared at her brother and then basically at everyone in the room, before her eyes settled on Mingjue. 'So I will forget I heard anything. Did you want to discuss anything with me, Chifeng-Zun?'
Mingjue noted the lack of the biting tone she usually added just to his name. He didn't know if he should repeat the whole thing or just…
'Da-Ge would like a permission to court you, Qing-jie.'
Mingjue barely managed not to spin around and smack his brother on the head. Instead he kept his eyes on the woman before him. Her gaze didn't stray from him. Her expression was unreadable for a long moment before she let her hands fall slightly until she was holding them together in her usual, less menacing, manner.
'Yes, you may court me. We shall take tea on the back deck and discuss terms. Let's go.' She turned to the side throwing him an expecting look. Her brother already scampered to her side, trying to make himself look smaller than he was. Which was a big feat to accomplish, considering he was at least as tall as Jiang Wanyin.
'I decided this myself and came and it counts as me asking.' He hissed as he finally stalked after her.
She had the audacity to roll her eyes.
'Of course, whatever makes Chifeng-Zun happy. Follow me.' And all he could do was to gesture for his entourage to wait, of course his brother not included because he needed someone to translate the female to him.
He was feeling this could be the hardest negotiation in his life so far.
***
Mingjue wasn't a part of many marriage negotiations (actually none), but he was quite sure this one was very much unlike what usually entailed. First of all, he was discussing terms with the woman that he was intending to court instead of her representative. The one who could be her representative was sitting aside and fiddling with the tassels on his sword.
Second, the gifts he brought were being divided into want and do not want categories.
'If I wore earring like these during examination and it fell into someone's mouth, I would be going against everything I swore to uphold, mainly doing no harm.' She was eyeing the long beady earrings in a small ornate box and Mingjue barely stopped a snort. He knew she would say that. Or something close to that at least. That's why he picked a few things himself instead of leaving everything to Huaisang. She would definitely like the set of surgical knives in the case to her side.
However, there was a reason he brought his brother for this.
'Qing-jie, you would be courted by Da-Ge, a Sect Leader. It would not reflect well on him if his intended looked like an ordinary cultivator. No matter how famous you are from your talents alone.' Huaisang added the last words in a haste when Wen Qing threw him a narrowed eyed look.
She looked again at the set of jewelry and sighed, her eyes softening. Somehow Mingjue relaxed a bit.
'Yes, that is true.' She set the box aside and reached for the case. Her face brightened upon opening it. 'These I appreciate.'
Mingjue straightened up and he smiled proudly at himself. At least he knew something about the woman he chose (or he was telling himself he chose her and had not been tricked into the decision by both his blood and sworn brothers).
She looked at him as she closed the case. 'Thank you.'
A moment passed when they kept the connection and it was gone very fast when Huaisang cut in again.
'Shall we discuss the actual courting?' He pulled a scroll from his sleeve and unrolled it. 'We should spread the news about it.'
'Yes.'
'No.'
Mingjue agreed at the same time as the woman spoke her refusal.
'A-jie…' Wen Qionglin said something for the first time and his sister looked at him expectantly. 'You travel so much. It's a good idea.'
'I can protect myself.' Wen Qing replied curtly and Mingjue couldn't believe her stubbornness. Huaisang came as the voice of reason one more time, surprisingly.
'Qing-jie, once again – Da-Ge is a Sect Leader. We all know you can protect yourself. But undesirable advances from another-'
'-would reflect badly.' She repeated and rolled her eyes again. She did that a lot. 'It's not like I'm fending off suitors left and right, Chifeng-Zun shouldn't worry about anyone else trying to court me, I'm not a desirable match.' She looked at another gift as she spoke so matter-of-fact. Her words were self-deprecating, but it seemed like she actually believed them.
Mingjue furrowed his brows while he saw his and her brothers exchange looks. Quite understandably. Did she not know what a beautiful woman she was? And that the only reason suitors weren't besieging Lotus Pier was because they were afraid of her and her expertise? There were many clans that wouldn't care about her being a Wen, but obviously those heirs were not men enough to brave asking to marry her.
'In any case, fine. The news of the courtship can be circulated. And I will try to show it, too.' She agreed finally as she put the head-of-the-beast-embroidered material aside, her hand almost unnoticeably grazing it one last time with much more admiration than her words spoke.
Huaisang grinned and started babbling about less important issues. Wen Qionglin kept looking at his sister with a pleased expression and Mingjue thought that there must have been more to the woman's words than she was letting on. However, he wasn't going to pry. Not yet.
By the end of the visit Mingjue felt actually exhausted with all the talking, even if it was his brother doing most of the work.
'Chifeng-Zun, this of course doesn't mean I'm going to stop the treatments.' Wen Qing looked pointedly at him. 'If this all works out, I need to make sure the man I may marry stays alive.'
Blunt and straightforward. Well, he couldn't discard his brother's assumption that she would be a good match. However, there had to be a name for actually wanting to marry one's torturer.
***
News travelled faster than Mingjue's entourage and by the time they returned to Bujing Shi, it seemed everyone knew. His Chief Cultivator uncle sent him a good for you message. Mingjue couldn’t imagine a higher praise from this particular elder.
A few days later, a message arrived from Cloud Recesses. His sworn brother first describing his son in more detail than Mingjue ever needed to know before adding how pleased he was with his decision. Only at the end of the three-pages-long letter.
Of course, his chosen one sent him back with homework. They decided not to alter the character of their previous relationship of the medic and patient and so she would still visit him for the treatment, albeit they would be assisted by an attendant for propriety from then on. If he hadn't touched her beyond the treatment before, he didn't see a point of that now. But surprisingly her brother insisted.
Until she arrived, he was supposed to practice some weird meditation poses and he knew better than not doing it by now. Getting a bit more flexible was better than those needles.
***
'Chifeng-Zun, may I be frank?'
Mingjue lifted his eyes from the paper he was reading in the garden. Wen Qing was visiting for the treatment and since those visits also doubled as their courting visits, they were of course enjoying each other's company outside the treatment room. Huaisang had arranged for them to have tea as Mingjue looked over her next assignments for him. He would have left it for later, but he needed her to be there to decipher some of the characters he wasn't able to guess. Her handwriting was appalling. Of course, he wouldn't tell her that.
He grunted his assent as he was trying very hard to figure out a character before resigning himself to asking her.
'I think you should smile more.'
Character forgotten he looked at her.
'What?'
'It is just an observation. I imagine as a woman you are courting, I could express such.' She wasn't looking at him but at the blooming flowers in front of them. ‘It would make you more approachable for the disciples.’
‘I don’t want to be more approachable for my disciples, what the-‘
‘Yes, because respect can be gained only through fear.’ She side-eyed him as she sipped her tea.
Mingjue turned the words over in his head, but didn't respond with more than another grunt. And finally, he admitted defeat and pointed the character out to her.
***
MingJue was in his office, thinking about what the Wen woman said to him. Could it have been that she wanted him to smile more?
Huffing in annoyance, he tried to move his facial muscles in the foreign to them manner.
‘What for the love of… Da-Ge that’s terrifying.’ Of course, Huaisang had to choose that moment to bother him. He stopped in the entrance to the office and was staring at him from behind his fan.
‘Shut up.’ Mingjue growled and glared at his younger brother. ‘I’m overlooking your training today.’
Huaisang rolled his eyes and closed the fan against his palm with a snap.
‘You need to learn how to smile without creeping everyone out.’
He didn’t even have to ask how Huaisang knew about this. His brother had so many hideouts around the residence that even he lost count. And the garden wasn’t an exception. Mungjue wouldn’t have been surprised if Huaisang ordered tunnels to be dug around the place only so that he could eavesdrop on everyone and everything. Sometimes it did come in handy, though.
‘I have no reasons to smile.’ MingJue grumbled as he started moving the papers around his desk. There were a few from Wen Qing in between, distinguishable from the handwriting that looked like cave paintings more than anything else. And that was an insult to most cave paintings.
‘Qing-jie wants you to smile, that’s a reason enough.’ Huaisang threw the statement carelessly as if he wasn’t working on an agenda there. MingJue knew his brother well enough to recognize when he was plotting something. Most of the time. He might have gotten blindsided with this whole matchmaking thing.
‘Get out or I’m going to use GusuLan handstands on you.’
At this, his younger brother balked and paled, and in a moment he disappeared in the swoosh of his exaggerated robes.
Robes… maybe he should commission robes for the Wen woman.
***
Of course, he did practice. The woman he chose to marry asked him of that and there were some things even he knew required yielding. Courting being one of those. One couldn’t just bully another into marriage if one was hoping for a prosperous relationship. And if that required smiling, one would practice.
On his uncle’s order, if Wen Qing's expertise wasn’t necessary she was to send her apprentices instead of travelling constantly from one sect to another. Which meant that MingJue was making more trips to Lotus Pier than he ever imagined he would. Jiang Wanyin wasn’t anyone’s desired companion (either as a friend or a marital match – the blacklisting was known all across the cultivation world) and there were basically only two people who chose his company willingly. Jiang Yanli was a patience incarnate and Wei Wuxian was worse than his brother. Apparently a third person joined the group. MingJue had to admit he was surprised seeing Jiang Wanyin gesticulating wildly while explaining something to Wangji, who surprisingly didn’t have Wei Wuxian glued to him.
MingJue actually stopped and stared at the weird pair. The Jiang disciple he accosted told him Sect Leader was leaving for a night-hunt with Hanguang-Jun. Even more, that was a semi-regular occurrence apparently.
The wonders of the world. Which meant MingJue might actually learn how to smile without having his brother constantly telling him it looks like he’s readying himself to murder someone with the glee of a psychopath.
‘Chifeng-Zun, I apologize, but I have a medical emergency’, were the first words from Wen Qing when an attendant brought him to her greenhouse. Her sleeves were tied and her hair slightly out of place. She looked rushed. ‘I need to prepare this mixture immediately. A nearby village succumbed to a disease that attacks mostly children and if I don’t do this fast there will be too many small graves in this world.’
She chattered and MingJue felt his face do what he was trying to achieve last few weeks.
Since she didn’t receive any reply Wen Qing looked at him and instantly stopped cutting the plant.
‘Wha- What are you doing?’ She stuttered slightly, her eyes wide.
MingJue looked at the polished surface of some kind of preparation plate. Oh huh. He was smiling.
He looked back at her and noted that she balked a bit, her face flushing. However, it was quite hot in the greenhouse.
‘Are those… dimples?’ She said under her breath, eyes narrowing at him. He wasn’t sure if it was him she was speaking to anymore. It took a moment before she shook herself out of whatever caused her stupor and looked down at whatever she was doing with that knife.
‘I take back what I said, Chifeng-Zun. Don’t smile at your disciples.’ She said quickly, her cheeks flushing more, even though she pretended that she was paying attention only to her work now. Probably thinking he wouldn’t hear she added under her breath I did not think that through…
MingJue smirked. So she liked him smiling. Well, that counted a courting gift, right?
Another weird courting visit was added to their history when he helped her with grinding and mixing the foul-smelling plants into medicine.
***
He thought that she would actually throw something at him when Wen Qing entered his office sometime past the halfway point of their half-a-year set courting period. The conflicting emotions on her face made him consider sliding behind the cloth concealing the passage. However, she already knew about that and he couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t follow him, despite how inappropriate it would have been.
‘What is this?!’
He looked at the handful of material she was holding. He had it prepared in her rooms, in the wing her entourage always stayed at during his treatment visits.
He furrowed his brows.
‘Robes.’ He didn’t know what else he could have said. Then he added in an afterthought. ‘A gift… because I’m supposed to be courting…’
She blinked at him, then looked at the robes she was, now that he noticed, gripping tightly.
‘It’s… Wen red.’ She said with incredulity obvious in her voice.
‘Yes.’
He could guess what she meant. Even Huaisang raised his eyebrow at the idea, but didn’t say anything. The robes didn’t have the usual ornaments or embroidery, but they were the distinctive shade of red only the Wen sect used to wear.
‘It’s Wen red and you’re a Wen.’
She didn’t speak again, just turned and left the office without even excusing herself.
He wished he knew her a little bit better to be able to distinguish if that actually went well or not.
***
It was during the evening meal that MingJue decided it actually went well when Wen Qing entered the dining hall wearing the robes. The way she wore it was different than her original sect robes, but the color suited her.
Huaisang raised his eyebrow at MingJue again, but nodded his approval. The servants were looking between each other, but no one said one word, at least not in their presence. After the meal was commenced it was already a custom MingJue accompanied her for a walk. At least then he got some clarification.
‘I apologize for how I reacted in the afternoon, I was taken by surprise…’ Wen Qing spoke as they walked through the garden that was growing more and more wild. ‘Thank you, but I have to ask… why?’
MingJue knew they weren’t alone, surely there was his nosy brother hiding somewhere but he had no way to prove that or catch Huaisang without looking like a paranoid idiot. At least he knew it was all with good intentions.
‘I do still remember that you are Wen.’ He spoke the first thing that came to his mind.
When there was no indication of any answer, he took a look at her and noted narrowed eyes. Maybe he should have prepared an explanation on why he actually commissioned the robes. And was it hissing he was hearing from the bush on his right? At least he knew where his brother was hiding.
‘The Nie Sect always had a complicated relation with the Wens. I wished to express that I’m still aware of your ancestry and accept it as a part of you, a woman who I intend to… marry.’ He tried to express his thoughts better this time, however it still fell short of what he was actually thinking.
Apparently, those words were already enough because the suspicious look on Wen Qing's face melted and she looked down onto the robes, running her hand over the rich fabric.
‘Thank you.’ She repeated again and MingJue felt himself smile. She looked at him just then and made a weird face.
‘Don’t do that… Chifeng-Zun.’ She added his title as if an afterthought. It made his smile widen. He finally learned.
Not really groaning, but also not not groaning, she quickened her pace muttering why the damn dimples…
‘Practice hall, my didi.’ He said with glee when Wen Qing was far enough. There was a definite groan from the bush, but he didn’t see his brother. It was probably time to examine the garden and check all those hidden spots. Also, he didn’t want to think about how he used the term he hadn’t used on his younger brother since they were both children and their father was still alive.
***
As a part of the courting, and also because sometimes Wen Qing was busy when he was visiting Lotus Pier, MingJue spent time with Wen Qionglin. Although it was quite obvious he was less than excited about it. By this point he was the head disciple of YunmengJiang in everything but the name and his skills were formidable. Unless he was stressed. And not battle stressed.
How did he manage to win the competition, MingJue blinked at how the younger man’s arrow flew so much by the target that some disciples took a step to the side just in case.
‘Do I make you nervous?’ He blurted out, never one for subtlety. He had Huaisang for that.
Wen Qionglin’s eyes widened and he barely stood his ground.
He didn’t stutter anymore, but he did speak too low to hear still.
‘I’m not a Lan, I have normal human hearing. Speak louder!’ He barked and had the younger male jump a little in place.
‘No!’ The word spilled louder than necessary and the man blushed instantly. At least he was wearing the new Wen colors of black and silver because he would have blended with the old red ones for sure.
‘So why do you shoot like a novice? You’re supposed to be better than Wei Wuxian!’ This was really grating on MingJue's nerves. If he had known Wen Qing would be too busy stitching some idiots who didn’t pay attention with sharp farming tools he wouldn’t have come. That was why normal people shouldn’t wield anything sharper than they were themselves.
‘A-jie instructed me to behave with Chifeng-Zun and I don’t want to insult…’ The boy got some points for actually keeping his eyes up and looking at him.
Which… MingJue was instantly pleased. So the woman cared enough to put the fear of gods into her beloved brother. At least past the middle of their courting period he knew he wasn’t doing all this for nothing.
‘This is enough.’ He announced and the disciples swarmed around to gather their equipment. Wen Qionglin frantically looked around before he jumped to follow after MingJue when he started walking away.
‘Chifeng-Zun, are you…?’ He started but obviously didn’t know what to ask. However, he was saved when his sister came into view.
‘Are you bullying my brother, Chifeng-Zun?’ She narrowed her eyes and he smiled. It got wider when he saw her roll her eyes and avoid looking at his face.
‘No, A-jie!’
‘A-Ning, did you insult Chifeng-Zun?’ Suddenly the attention turned to her brother and MingJue felt bold enough to step closer to Wen Qing, maybe a little too much into her personal space, but there were people around. She didn’t balk or even flinch. Truly a great woman.
‘He didn’t, Wen-guniang.’ He was looking down at her from the close distance. She was really tiny.
Not ceasing his smile, which felt quite natural by this point, he observed with pleasure that she swallowed visibly and her face became a little rosier. Finding these small things to use against your enemy was always MingJue's forte.
‘Chifeng-Zun.’ She said, her voice slightly higher and breathless. ‘We shall take tea.’
He nodded at her and let his eyes follow her form when she moved away. He felt a heavy look on himself and noticed that Wen Qionglin was staring at him blankly.
‘My sister is teaching me the acupuncture, Chifeng-Zun. I’m definitely not as good as she is yet, but I’m learning fast.’
MingJue furrowed his brows. That information came out of nowhere. But at least he was learning something about his potential future brother-in-law…?
Nodding at the younger male MingJue went after Wen Qing.