Work Text:
Jiang Cheng loves his zhizi and wai sheng. He'd commit crimes for them that'd make even his ge shiver. He's helped Jin Ling deal with the rot that had festered among the upper ranks of the Jin clan. He helped Lan Yuan argue his spot as heir along with Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. And if the boy didn't want to take over Gusu Lan, Jiang Cheng sure wouldn't blame him, then he'd just name the boy as his own heir. Lan Yuan nodded and said he'd keep it in mind. The boy was angry though he hid it well—just like Yanli.
"Jiujiu!" The boy in question bowed his head as he rushed past Jiang Cheng.
He blinked and turned to face the still running teen. Lan Yuan, as Lan Wangji's son, followed the Gusu Lan rules faithfully. He could recite them, whenever and displayed this quite often. As Wei Wuxian's son however, he took some rules as suggestions and started to do so more often after he found out what had happened to Wuxian. On that note, the only time he'd seen his zhizi run inside was when Wuxian returned.
"Oi wait a minute!" Jiang Cheng shouted after him, he went to turn after him and felt someone shove past him snickering. "Jin Ling!"
The younger boy threw a hand up in greeting as he continued to run after his biaoge. Jiang Cheng just blinked before he sighed and walked towards the front yard. Whoever they were running from would be waiting there.
When Jiang Cheng got to the front yard he prayed to all of his ancestors and any other force that'd listen to keep him from laughing. Lan Qiren was standing with his arms pinned at his sides from the tension in his body. His beard had been choppily cut and it looked like there were charcoal lines drawn on his face to make his wrinkles more noticeable.
"Where. Is. He." The older Lan seethed.
"Where is who?" Jiang Cheng crossed his arms and did his best to keep a straight face.
"You know who." Lan Qiren snapped.
"Lan Qiren. I am a sect leader, I have to meet with many people and most of whom are men. I need a name of who you are looking for." Jiang Cheng waved a dismissing hand with a slight twitch of his pinky at servant that had wondered near by.
Excuse Jiang Cheng for being anxious, but he had to make sure his zhizi and wai sheng would be safe no matter what happened. The servants all knew that if he waved a dismissing hand and his pinky twitched then whoever saw it would go let the boys know to stay in their rooms.
"Lan Sizhui." The elder spat.
"I have not spoken with my zhizi in a week." Jiang Cheng turned to leave.
"Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin!" Lan Qiren yelled.
"I am no student of yours." Jiang Cheng snapped back. "You are on my land. Wei Wuxian made his teleportation talisman so he and my zhizi could come home but if you abuse it's use I will keep them both here. You can explain to your Hanguang-jun why his beloved airen and precious son are not coming back."
"He has broken the rules and insulted his elders!" Lan Qiren barked.
"He has had to suffer you insulting his dead a-niang for years. You can with stand this much." Jiang Cheng motioned for someone to close the doors behind him.
Jiang Cheng sighed and made his way to Lan Yuan's room. When he arrived he heard the snickering boys trying to keep their voices down. He slide the door open and let them scramble as if they were small children.
"Want to explain why you did that?" Jiang Cheng raised a brow at the two.
"Ah well, jiujiu, in my defense-" Lan Yuan scratched the back of his neck "a-niang and baba do not know what I did yet. And this isn't the only thing I did, but it can be justified."
"Yeah ge was even merciful!" Jin Ling agreed.
"Oh?" Jiang Cheng crossed his arms.
"They added new rules." Lan Yuan glowered at the floor.
"And?" The Lan had over three thousand rules, a few more shouldn't bother the kid.
"Do not associate with Wei Wuxian." Lan Yuan quoted and yeah, that'd do it wouldn't it?
"Okay, fair enough." Jiang Cheng nodded. "What else have you done?"
"Added a drop of spice to the elder's rice." Oh this is Wuxian's boy alright. "I also made some paper animals to mess up their rooms."
"So if the other two things you didn't have to be in the room to bother them exactly, why the field day on Lan laotou?" The situation already sucked and he was just curious at this point.
"The elders were talking about a-niang behind his back." Lan Yuan huffed and wrapped his arms around his legs.
"They called him names jiujiu!" Jin Ling growled. "They said he should have spared them all their current troubles by staying dead!"
Lan Yuan is such a merciful boy. Because Jiang Cheng was seeing red.
"And Lan Qiren?" He pushed the anger aside, being angry wasn't helping his zhizi or wai sheng. He'd just make the Lan elder's lives hell.
"He said da-jiu should just put up with it!" Jin Ling slammed his hand on the desk by the window. "How could he say that? How dare he say that about da-jiu!"
"I'll send Wuxian a message, you stay here a-Yuan, a-Ling you can stay the night but you must head back to Lanling Jin promptly." Jiang Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose.
How dare they? He left his ge with them and this is how they treat him? They make it so no one can interact with someone who can't stand being alone? He shouldn't be surprised after what he heard about how they treated his zhizi's lao ye but he had hoped that they had changed.
Jin Ling pouted and gave Lan Yuan an awkward side hug before jumping up and giving Jiang Cheng an equally as awkward side hug before leaving. Jiang Cheng patted the boy's shoulder before closing the door after him.
"Zhizi," he sighed and sat down lazily next to the boy, "you'll give your a-niang a heart attack if you just take off running."
"I know, I left a note for him before I did it." Lan Yuan buried his face into his knees.
"I get it though, you are much calmer than all of us and I don't know where you got it from." Jiang Cheng chuckled and leaned his head back. "Maybe a gift from Yanli."
His zhizi giggled.
"Next time though," he tilted his head to the side and grinned, "get me. I'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget even when the cultivation world ends."
His little lotus smiled and nodded before he leaned over and set his head on Jiang Cheng's shoulder.