Chapter Text
Jiang Cheng was exhausted.
Rebuilding a sect from the ground up, losing everyone you care about and taking care of a baby was, unsurprisingly, very tiring, and Jiang Cheng was exhausted.
He knew the other sects didn’t take him seriously because of his age. But his youth didn’t change the fact that he had been through war. That he had experience and knew how to lead. Yet, they lacked so much respect for him, he had to learn of the new sworn brotherhood between Nie Mingjue, Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao through his invitation to said event.
He was fuming. How dare they not even send someone to announce it to him! Not even a letter! He sat down at his desk and got ready to write a strongly worded letter to each of the sects, that he would probably never send, when Nie Huaisang barged in.
Jiang Cheng scowled at the other man.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” He asked,
Nie Huaisang looked back at him, an air of nonchalance about him as he waved his fan around dismissively.
“Ah, Jiang-xiong, I’m wounded” He put his hand over his heart. “And here I thought we were friends.”
Jiang Cheng sighted.
“What do you need, Huaisang?”
“Haven’t you heard?” Nie Huaisang asked, “Da-ge is going to swear brotherhood with Lan Xichen and Meng- Jin Guangyao” He corrected himself.
“I did. What about it?” Jiang Cheng said impatiently.
“Well,” Nie Huaisang went on, “Da-ge doesn’t like Jin Guangyao so he’s forcing me to train even more!” He exclaimed, as if it explained everything.
“What does this have to do with me?” he asked back, knowing full well he wasn’t going to like whatever answer he got.
“Can you let me stay here for a while? I ran away in the middle of practice and fled but I can’t go to Gusu or Lanling because they’re about to swear brotherhood and will rat me out but Da-ge won’t think to look for me here.” Nie Huaisang rushed out, as if saying the words faster would make Jiang Cheng say yes.
“Of course he won't think to find you here. Why would he? Yunmeng Jiang is such a forgettable sect after all.” Jiang Cheng bitterly said with a roll of his eyes.
“Ah…” Nie Huaisang awkwardly stood, moving his fan in front of his face. “I didn’t mean it like that Jiang-xiong…” He shuffled from foot to foot uncomfortably in front of the sect leader.
“Well they certainly seem to think it’s the case anyways.” He added, looking back to the paperwork he had been filing before the interruption.
“What do you mean?” The Nie asked, not taking the hint.
“A sworn brotherhood. Between three of the four great sects?” Jiang Cheng looked at him like he was an idiot. “Obviously they don’t care for Yunmeng.” He waved the invitation up before bringing a hand to his temple. Political troubles like this one always gave him a migraine.
He couldn’t think of a solution to this dilemma. Either he didn’t go and disrespected the other sects, turning the cultivation world against him, or he attended and acknowledged in front of everyone that his Yunmeng Jiang allowed itself to be excluded from alliances.
He was brought back from his thoughts when he heard a pensive hmm coming from Nie Huaisang.
He was about to say something so the other wouldn’t meddle in his affairs, but it was too late and, as fast as he had arrived, Nie Huaisang was gone.
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Nie Mingjue was fuming.
Nie Huaisang, who was supposed to be training, was gone! And Nie Mingjue had no idea where he’d gone.
He was about to leave for Gusu, hoping that his brother had fled there instead of Lanling, when said brother reappeared again, marching towards him with a frown.
“Huaisang!” Nie Mingjue yelled angrily, ignoring the relief of knowing the other was safe and instead embracing the familiar feeling of anger that took over his body.
He was about to continue scolding Nie Huaisang when he heard something astonishing.
“Nie Mingjue!” Huaisang yelled back. And the older Nie stopped dead in his tracks.
Huaisang was rarely angry, or rather, he rarely showed his anger. He didn’t have the time to say a single word before his brother started his tirade.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were excluding the Jiangs from the alliance!” He screamed, and Nie Mingjue startled again out of confusion.
“Huaisang,” he said, exasperated already, “What are you talking about?” He didn’t remember excluding the Jiangs from any specific alliance, and didn’t have the intention of doing so, so where was this even coming from? He felt annoyance rumble in him and build up again as fast as it had halted from the initial confusion, but waited for his brother to justify himself.
Nie Huaisang sighted and shook his head behind his fan.
“The brotherhood.” He stated. “The Jiangs aren’t included!”
With this, Nie Mingjue finally understood what had angered his brother. He knew he and Jiang Cheng were friends. That’s most likely where Nie Huaisang had fled to then.
Nie Huaisang went on.
“Why would you do that? Why couldn’t you THINK of what it would imply! Did none of you think of how it could impact Jiang Cheng?”
And Nie Mingjue was ashamed to admit he hadn’t even thought of the Jiang sect. They hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Well, we can’t do anything about it now.” Nie Mingjue frowned and crossed his arms, trying to think of something he could do, but he could neither include Jiang Cheng in the alliance now nor could he stop the procedures. The alliance was much too fragile for either of those options and he knew that trying to include Jiang Cheng would not be met kindly.
Nie Huaisang sighted again, tapping his fan to his chin trying to think.
“How about we make another alliance then.” He said.
Nie Mingjue looked at him incredulously. “We already have an alliance with them. Although it’s not a brotherhood we are still on good terms with the Jiangs and we can’t make the deal we signed any better for them either, lest we take a loss.”
“Exactly!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed “We just have to make an alliance as strong as yours is going to be with Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao!” He slapped his fan down on his hand decisively, and Nie Mingjue knew even if he said no, Nie Huaisang’s mind was made up.
Still, he couldn’t let his brother do anything he wanted without making sure he and the sect would be fine.
“What kind of alliance would that even be? Shall we marry one of the cousins to Jiang Cheng?” Nie Mingjue asked, only to be met with a horror filled look on Huaisang’s face.
“Da-ge!” Huaisang exclaimed, outrage showing on his face. Nie Mingjue wouldn’t admit the relief he felt at being called Da-ge again instead of by his full name. “We can’t do that! Jiang Cheng would never accept! Have you not heard of his standards?” Nie Huaisang asked, and Nie Mingjue couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he felt like his brother was hiding something from him.
Before he could ask, Nie Huaisang hurriedly continued. “We’re not going to offer a marriage to Jiang Cheng, Da-ge! It would be disrespectful! Instead, we’re going to offer him the same thing you’re doing! A brotherhood!”
“A brotherhood… But, Huaisang, I’m already swearing with Lan Xichen…”
Huaisang looked at him again like an idiot.
“Da-ge. I know that. You’re not the one who’ll be doing it. I will.” He explained, ignoring that he had excluded Jin Guangyao again.
“Absolutely not!” Nie Mingjue opposed brusquely.
“Why not!” Nie Huaisang demanded.
“I said no! End of discussion.” With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving his brother behind to yell after him.
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Lan Xichen was having a peaceful evening when Nie Huaisang came running to him, weeping and begging him for help. He immediately took the boy in his arms and asked him why he was in such a state.
“Xichen-ge! Da-ge has been so strict and mean lately! You have to help me!” he pleaded pitifully.
Xichen always had a soft heart for Nie Huaisang and he couldn’t say no when he was crying like that. Still, Mingjue was his friend and soon officially his brother, and he knew the man could be strict but he would never be mean to Huaisang. Even if his temper was getting worse, his love for his brother overpowered that when it mattered. And Mingjue had never been truly mean towards the boy.
“What do you mean, Huaisang?” He asked again and, thankfully, the boy provided additional information.
After listening to his retelling of how he asked to become sworn brother’s with Jiang Cheng since he had been excluded from the initial brotherhood and that Nie Mingjue had started personally training Huaisang everyday, Lan Xichen leaned back to think.
They truly had put the Yunmeng Jiang sect into a difficult position. He felt sorry he hadn’t realised that and wished he had thought of it previously.
“Hmmm,” He finally said, “Well, it does seem like an appropriate solution.” He pondered, “I’ll speak with Mingjue-ge and see why he’s so opposed to it.” He decided, “I’ll leave in the morning. You can stay here in the meantime, Huaisang.” Lan Xicheng soothed the boy who cried in relief and left for his quarters.
He truly looked much too tired. The bounce that was usually in his steps was missing and his usual curiosity to see everything around him.
Nie Huaisang’s idea truly was good. The reason they hadn’t thought of including Jiang Cheng in their brotherhood was because they were in different generations, but having Jiang Cheng ally with people of his own generation would sooth not only the Jiang sect and have them join an alliance, there also wouldn’t be any objection from other sects for this very same reason.
He pondered over why Nie Mingjue would reject this idea so strongly as he headed towards Lan Qiren’s office to inform him of his close departure.
He never got to his uncle’s office as on his way there he was interrupted by disciples rushing to him, pleading for him to follow them.
He hurriedly followed them.
They brought him to a strange scene, Nie Mingjue, who had apparently followed Huaisang, Was forcing him through saber forms in the middle of the path, Nie Huaisang was complaining to him, doing the forms as badly as he could, irritating Nie Mingjue more and making him place Huaisang physically before the youngest simply went limp in his arms, declaring he had ‘no more bones’.
He smiled to himself at the scene before scolding his expression again and clearing his throat.
“Sect leader Nie” He bowed, “To what do we owe the honor?” He smiled up at his friend who was straightening himself, still holding up Huaisang’s body.
“I came to retrieve Huaisang.” He stated, lifting the boy slightly as he said so.
“Would you care to join me for tea? Just the both of us.”
He could see the debate going on in Mingjue’s head, and in the end, he agreed to drink tea with Xichen.
The Lan brought his friend back to the Jingshi and served them both tea, settling around the small table.
“Huaisang tells me you’ve been training him personally?” Xichen asked, choosing a safer subject before talking about a potential alliance with the Jiang Sect.
Nie Mingjue grunted in answer, not willing to elaborate on the subject.
Lan Xichen thought he was only training the boy due to their fight, but he could see something lurking in Nie Mingjue’s eyes, haunting him. He set his cup down and folded back his hands on his lap.
“Mingjue,” he started, “Is something wrong?” He asked, looking at the other sect leader with concern in his eyes.
Nie Mingjue deflated in front of him, his shoulders lowering before shaking slightly.
Nie Mingjue was crying.
The strong sect leader who had led a war and never shown fear, who had gone headfirst into enemy territory and slayed countless, the sect leader who always showed a strong front, ever since his parents’ death, was crying in front of him.
He was taken aback for a moment before rushing around the table and embracing the man in his arms.
“I’m losing myself, Xichen.” He said, and Lan Xichen’s heart broke. He held the other man as he cried and weeped, being more vulnerable than he had been in years.
There was nothing he could say to soothe the other man. Nothing he could do to help except continue to search for a solution.
He had been playing cleansing for Mingjue, but that was only temporary, pushing back the unavoidable.
His heart clenched at the thought.
“Mingjue,” he said, soothingly, “I’ll look for a solution. I won’t stop. I’ll find something. There has to be.”
Nie Mingjue shook his head and laughed. “There isn’t, Xichen. There just isn’t. And I know I don’t have long left.”
“Stop it, Mingjue, listening to cleansing helps you greatly, you still have decades left before…” He couldn’t finish his sentence, his eyes clenching, holding the man closer to him.
“I’m scared,” He said, hanging onto Lan Xichen tightly, “I’m scared of leaving him alone. Of leaving him to himself.”
“Well, there’s the brotherhood he suggested, isn’t there?” Lan Xichen asked
“How do I know I can trust him? How do I know he won’t turn against Huaisang the moment I die!?” Nie Mingjue pleaded.
And Lan Xichen understood. He, too, felt terrified at the idea of his brother being left alone with no allies. He was not under threat of death, and hopefully would live a long life, but he also wanted his brother to have other people he could rely on and not solely Lan Xichen.
Especially after the stunt he pulled, bringing a child back home (a child Lan Xichen suspected heavily of being one Wei Wuxian took care of) and going against the elders.
His brother needed support outside of the sect.
Lan Xichen shook himself out of his thoughts and looked back up at Nie Mingjue.
“I have an idea.”
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Lan Wangji was once again playing Wangxian on his guqin when his brother knocked at the door.
He hadn’t expected a visit from Lan Xichen, especially in the middle of the week when the other would be busy with administrative tasks.
He stopped playing and observed as his brother walked in and settled in front of him. There was a slight tension in his shoulders and an almost indiscernible furrow in his brow that someone who wasn’t extremely close to him wouldn’t be able to notice.
“Xiongzhang.” Wangji acknowledged, bowing his head to his brother. “How is Sizhui?” He asked.
He wouldn’t normally be so forward, but it had been a while since he had seen the boy, ever since he’d been ordered to confinement by the elders, and his brother visiting him without warning couldn’t mean anything good.
Lan Xichen took a deep breath and looked Lan Wangji in the eyes.
“Wangji, would you like to see Sizhui again?”
His eyes widened, “Yes.”
That truly was the only answer. He would do anything to see the boy. But the elders had been clear. Wangji was isolated and wasn’t allowed to see anyone for at least a few years, much less the boy he took in despite their objection.
Lan Xichen smiled softly at his brother.
“There is a way I could convince the elders to let you out of confinement.” He said. And Wangji was both excited and worried. Because he knew already how much Lan Xichen had bargained and pleaded for his punishment to be lessened, for his isolation to be shorter, to keep the boy they wanted to kick out. He hadn’t succeeded in everything, but he had begged and argued for days.
So if he had a way of getting Wangji to see Sizhui again, he would have already done it.
Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes at his brother waiting for him to continue.
“If you forge an alliance with the Nie and the Jiang sect, you would have to get out of confinement.”
“An alliance with the Jiang.” He repeated, displeased.
Lan Xichen winced.
“I know you and Jiang Cheng’s relationship is… difficult. But it would allow you to see the boy again.”
“Can’t it just be with the Nie?” He asked, a hint of desperation showing in his voice.
“You know it can’t.” He said, “I’m already forging a link with the Nie and the Jin. The only link with one of the major sects we’re missing is with the Jiang.”
Lan Wangji sat in front of his brother thinking.
As much as he wanted to refuse, he heard a familiar voice at the back of his head asking him to take care of Sizhui. A voice he knew he couldn’t refuse.
“Fine.”
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Jiang Cheng knew that Nie Huaisang was bright and resourceful, yet, he never would have expected himself to be standing next to him and Lan Wangji, swearing brotherhood, swearing loyalty, swearing to be there and trust them.
He knew Nie Huaisang was smart, but he didn’t expect how easily it would be for him to make Lan Wangji, a man who outwardly despises Jiang Cheng, swear to be there.
And despite their mutual dislike of each other, Jiang Cheng knew that Lan Wangji would honor his vows.
Perhaps he would honor them pettily and disagreeably, but he would honor them.
He was a Lan after all.
And Jiang Cheng knew that despite their mutual dislike of each other, he, too, would be there for him.
For them both.