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crossdressingdeath · 3 years

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I saw people talking about the Lan sect rules and how only LWJ was noticed to break them, did you all not notice that LQR, the elders, even LXC and QHJ broke the rules? The thing about the rules is that nobody can follow them 24/7, all the damn time. Who knows what rules you break and didn’t break? That’s not on anyone really. LQR broke the rules in front of everyone regarding the resentful energy debate and everyone excused him! As an educator, he doesn’t practice what he preach. The rule LQR broke? Morality is propriety. Also he talks shittily about wwx’s parents like bruh. Nobody in the Lan think about Madam Lan situation precisely like why she killed QHJ’s teacher, etc. QHJ himself also didn’t investigate and just marry and imprison her. The rule broken? Don’t make assumption. LXC also listens to gossip all around him, so he shouldn’t have the gall to act like the holier than art thou because he sees LWJ broke rules for WWX. LWJ did that, LQR did that, LXC and his father also did that, the whole elders I am sure broke rules too. Not all the rules broken are within their right and sometimes it is important to know that with rules like these acting as governing body discipline (like rise at 5 and sleep at 9 pm is a basic healthy life style for working people commuting) but others such as no killing, don’t lie, it’s supposed like common decency and what humans need to uphold as principles, not rules in the wall where it prevents everyone from lying in situation needed (like absent of gc or gc transfer). Though canonically, everyone even Lan disciples like LJY broke rules too. Even LSZ. Moreso, non Lans like NHS, JC, and other visiting disciples (JZXun, JZXUan etc). didn’t they insult wwx’s parentage and jfm’s rumors thing? And no Lans stopped them and just listen to the gossip or fight going on? Well I could go on but only WWX is punished for every thing in the end. LQR surely isn’t blind that he doesn’t know NHS doesn’t cheat or smuggle porn alcohol etc but he only singles out WWX. It just means they are somehow using the rules to cover up hypocrisy we are supposedly seeing.

though I agree the rules are not harsh, some are unnecessary such as no killing and no lying, but if the authority upholding and witholding the rules are not just, then it’s gonna be corrupt or biased assertion of sort.

I mean, to be fair we don't actually know that QHJ didn't investigate what happened with his teacher because we only know the most basic of basics regarding that situation. And I don't remember LQR talking about CSSR at all beyond maybe a sort of "Just like your mother, she was a troublemaker too" type thing, which is... y'know, accurate, not talking shit. And I don't think LXC really does listen to gossip (accepting the word of trusted associates as fact is not the same as gossiping). And he does not have a holier-than-thou attitude towards LWJ breaking the rules for WWX! His issue is that LWJ is committing treason and could end up heartbroken or dead! Concern for your sibling is not the same as being holier-than-thou! LXC's issue is with the fact that as far as he can tell WWX is toying with LWJ's feelings, not the fact that LWJ's breaking rules!

As for "others such as no killing, don’t lie, it’s supposed like common decency and what humans need to uphold as principles, not rules in the wall where it prevents everyone from lying in situation needed"... anon, allow me to introduce you to a little thing called laws. There are laws that are only on the books so that people know where to assign fault if something goes wrong, and there are laws that are in place so that people know what the punishment should be. Name one society that doesn't have rules in place regarding things like killing. And the rule against lying is a principle thing? It's more like... "you are expected to hold to these principles as a Lan cultivator". It's setting out expectations. Like a dress code; you go into a job knowing that you are expected to wear a certain sort of outfit, and by taking the job you are saying that you understand that and will wear that sort of outfit. Same deal here; Lans are honest, this is a known thing, if you want to join the Lan sect you have to be honest and if you're not prepared to do that you shouldn't join the Lan sect. Also uh... there is no evidence that the Lans can't lie in situations where they absolutely have to, what? We know Lans can break the rules in circumstances where that becomes necessary! Unless you're arguing that every Lan who participated in the Sunshot Campaign then had to be punished for all that killing. Which I hope you're not, because that would be... stupid. And we know they do lie; LSZ would be in deep shit if Lans couldn't lie, because it would be impossible to keep the fact that he's a Wen quiet if LWJ had to tell everyone who asked where he came from! It's not a fucking magical compulsion, it's a rule they choose to follow to the best of their abilities! Like how murder is illegal but self-defence is okay, there are times when breaking a rule is the best option and there are additional rules in place to allow for that.

And you say only WWX was punished for the cheating and the smuggling of alcohol and smuggling porn, but a) WWX is incredibly open about it, b) WWX is the only one mentioned as smuggling alcohol, c) WWX isn't actually punished for smuggling porn because only NHS is mentioned as doing that and he's VERY VERY GOOD AT HIDING THE FACT THAT HE'S DOING IT SO HE'S NEVER ACTUALLY CAUGHT (you say that LQR "surely isn't blind" like that means he must have noticed, but you're forgetting that 1. LQR isn't actually omnipotent and 2. NHS's whole thing is being insanely good at hiding what he's doing; don't assume he was obvious enough to get caught, especially when he's been through these classes multiple times and presumably knows all of LQR's usual tricks for catching troublemakers), and d) there's... nothing to say the other disciples weren't punished for cheating. LWJ caught all of them. WWX is specifically mentioned as being punished because a) he's the protagonist so of course he is, b) he's a repeat offender and repeat offences generally do lead to a heavier punishment, and c) LQR (correctly and definitely understandably) pegs him as the ringleader; WWX is being punished for heading the thing while the others are just punished for participating. That's... not unreasonable. (And yes it was NHS's idea but LQR doesn't know that, now does he?)

The guest disciples probably get away with more because they didn't sign up for how strict the rules are, not because the Lans are being hypocrites. Hey, remember how WWX blatantly breaks a bunch of rules right in front of LWJ on his first night only to get off scot-free because he claimed (likely falsely!) that he didn't know the rules yet and the only real consequence was that LQR then read out all the rules the first day of class so that he could ensure everyone knew the rules? WWX benefits from the laxer standards on guest disciples too, it's just that he's far more determined to cause trouble than everyone else! Also the other disciples don't insult WWX's parentage or talk shit about JFM's supposed favour? Because WWX is in fact incredibly popular? Like, I think you're underestimating just how much people liked WWX before the Sunshot Campaign! This man was insanely well-liked by his peers! It is only the Jiangs and assholes like JZXun who have an issue with him based on his parentage or position in the Jiang sect! Hell, the novel expressly states that him being head disciple and the son of the sect leader's childhood friend in addition to how young people aren't as bothered about status and ancestry meant that he was pretty much accepted as an equal right away! The closest thing to someone talking shit is JZX's "Doesn't [JFM] treat you better than his own son or something?", which he clearly doesn't even fully believe himself (the "or something" suggests he's parroting someone else's words in an effort to hurt, not stating something he believes wholeheartedly himself), and the Lans aren't so much standing around listening to the gossip as they are trying to pull JZX and WWX off each other. Also I don't think JZXun is even mentioned as being there but whatever, he might have been one of the nameless disciples in that scene.

Basically... are the Lans all perfect paragons of justice and honour? Of course they aren't! They're people! People are going to be petty and harsh and unfair, that's just what people do! But people seem so determined to treat them as this awful, hypocritical, cruel mess of a sect who use their reputation to bully people and I just do not get it! "Strict but fair" is the most accurate summary of how the Lan sect works, and yes, sometimes individual members are petty about it and everyone in the sect sometimes breaks the rules because again, they're human, no one can uphold all those rules all the time, but everyone in the sect signed up for that and if they find they can't handle it they leave the sect. Like... guys. Strict does not inherently mean they're hypocritical and awful. Come on.

#mdzs #lans #here i am defending the lan sect once again #this does seem to come up a fair amount huh #asks #anon

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amedetoiles · 4 years

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pls tell me your thoughts about the potential for wwx-jgy friendship? i just like the idea of them having similar experiences as like: poor street kid/poor brothel kid, would kill god for the people they care about, made of knives, incredibly charming and personable. i feel like they could have Seen each other and understood each other really well, and like, things would have ended up better maybe?

Gosh. Ok, so full disclosure before I answer this: I am really not the most sympathetic towards Jin Guangyao. I am just not a fan of him in any universe where he is complicit if not directly responsible for the death of his own child to protect his own reputation (up for debate, but nonetheless Jin Rusong fucking deserved better), gaslights his wife / half-sister into committing suicide, and has a monologue meltdown about how difficult his life has been to his own orphaned and bullied nephew whose childhood he had a hand in destroying. I am glad he got kicked down the same stairs twice, and I am glad Nie Huaisang beat him at his own game. All in all to say that my thoughts on him might be colored by this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But let’s get into this! Jin Guangyao is a great character foil to Wei Wuxian. The circumstances of his life that shaped his morality (or lack thereof) and the choices he makes in response are tragic and understandable. I definitely think Jin Guangyao could have been a different person, a better person, if his father wasn’t such a trash heap, if society hadn’t been such a gigantic dick about his mother, and if he hadn’t needed to claw his way into achieving everything he did. Wei Wuxian says himself that he doesn’t consider Jin Guangyao a villain.

However, I hesitate to say that had they struck up a friendship, Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian could have understood each other easily and that this could have changed things. Don’t get me wrong! I can definitely see how influence could have been made where a friendship between these two would have fixed it all. Or at least improved things. Especially in association with Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli’s nonjudgemental kindness (under the condition that nobody hurts her little brothers) would have been extremely refreshing to Meng Yao.

But I also think the differences between Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao would have made it difficult for them to truly understand and agree with each other. And it’s these differences that ultimately decide each of their fates.

I will try to organize my thoughts on this. First, the discussion of privilege.

1. Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao are not on the same privilege level.

While both Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao are scorned in some way, shape, or form for their parents’ statuses, Wei Wuxian is still the son of cultivators. He is still the son of Cangse sanren, a disciple of a famed immortal. His pedigree and legacy are undeniable. Jin Guangyao, on the other hand, is the unwanted son of a lecherous sect leader and a sex worker. In a society where hierarchy and reputation is everything, this places Jin Guangyao in an entirely different pedigree in a way that Wei Wuxian wouldn’t be able to understand.

Wei Wuxian is also brought into the Jiang sect and given a chance to cultivate at an early age where Jin Guangyao doesn’t. Wei Wuxian can punch the heir of a rich sect leader, leading to the dissolution of his sister’s political marriage alliance, and still get nothing but a slap on the wrist because boys will be boys. He can interrupt important post-war celebration dinners to tell that same rich sect leader to fuck off with his marriage proposal and then promptly skip away without any real consequences. He can accidentally send his friend’s little brother into a murderous rampage, and his own little brother will apologize on his behalf and offer to pay reparations.

Wei Wuxian may not have the same privilege as sect heirs like Jiang Cheng or Lan Wangji, but he has far more privilege than Jin Guangyao and Su She. This is important because it is this privilege that Wei Wuxian sacrifices later in order to the protect the Wens. I am not saying Wei Wuxian doesn’t suffer. He does, a truly horrendous amount, but even without his golden core, even when his self-worth is at an all-time low, he is still supported and protected by his status in the Jiang sect until he gives it up to do the right thing. Despite Lan Xichen and the Nies, Jin Guangyao doesn’t have this same kind of backing.

(With that being said though, Jin Guangyao does become Chief Cultivator, so there is only so far one can fall back on their disadvantages in society when they have already reached the top. Being marginalized is not an excuse to be a jackass to your nephew whose parents you had a hand in killing, just saying.)

One can argue that had Jin Guangyao been raised in the Jiang sect while Wei Wuxian continued to scrape for food on the streets, their outlook on life would have been completely different. But even taking into account Jiang Yanli’s overwhelmingly positive influence on a young Meng Yao, I am still inclined to disagree because of my next point.

2. Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao are fundamentally different in how they respond/cope with public gossip and ridicule.

Wei Wuxian, for the most part, lets these comments roll off his back. This is not to say he doesn’t care or that they don’t affect him. They clearly do, and his actions, his self-perception, and his increasingly arrogant bravado as the story progresses reflect the deluge of verbal abuse he’s face with, largely at the hands of Madam Yu. But he copes by being loud, by being talented, by becoming even more outrageous and more unorthodox the more people criticize him. So what if people don’t approve? So what if people look down on his father and gossip about his mother’s supposed relationship with Jiang Fengmian? As long as he is true to himself and his moral convictions, he can walk this dark single plank road alone and without regrets.

Jin Guangyao, on the other hand, desperately and reverently wants to be included. He wants to be accepted, to be liked. He wants to be in the room where it happens. He takes every single comment to heart, carries every disdainful remark on his back like an open scar. He is both someone who loves and respect his mother and who hates her for the constant shadow she casts over him and his place in society. He will build a Guanyin statue in her likeness, in her honor. He will wear a hat because she once told him that a gentleman always wears hats. And yet, he will spend everyday of his life trying to rid himself of his connection to her.

Where Wei Wuxian recklessly cares too little about appearances and what people think of him, Jin Guangyao cares far too much. Wei Wuxian doesn’t give one flying iota about politics, about status and acclaim. He was perfectly fine with being a lotus farmer on a mountain. Even if Wei Wuxian had never been taken in by the Jiangs (and managed to survive the streets), I genuinely think he would still have been largely the same – a child who is kind, open, curious, and holds few grudges. I am not sure I can say that even under the best circumstances, Jin Guangyao wouldn’t have . It destroys him. .

This ties into my last point.

3. Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao have completely opposing priorities and beliefs on the worth of others.

Wei Wuxian will throw himself in front of anybody if his moral compass tells him it is the right thing to do. He is a genuinely open-hearted person who cares deeply about others and thinks it is morally corrupt to do nothing when something can be done. He is idealistic and optimistic, oftentimes to a fault. Jin Guangyao, as a result of his childhood and circumstances, is incredibly pessimistic and cynical. It is every person for themselves out here. The world is a crooked shitshow, conflict is inevitable, and he has to come out on top no matter what.

This leads to him sacrificing pretty much everyone in his life in order to maintain his own reputation. Like I do genuinely think Jin Guangyao truly cared about Jin Ling! I think he also in his own way cared about Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, and Nie Huaisang! But I also think a large portion of that is because he enjoyed how they made him feel. He enjoyed being liked and being depended upon. And we see clearly what happens when those benefits cease. Whereas Wei Wuxian would rather throw himself off a cliff than hurt any more people he loves, Jin Guangyao would rather push his own people off the cliff if it means his reputation and appearance remain intact. And if that’s not possible, he would rather set them on fire along with him.

This has become an entirely too long rambling essay to say that while Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao share similar experiences, their primary priorities are so different and opposing that it is hard for me to come up with a way in which a friendship between them could have changed things. Sure, Jin Guangyao could have benefited from Wei Wuxian’s unabashed and staunch defense of his friend. Anyone who talks shit about Jin Guangyao’s mother will get punched in the face, and it would maybe have made Jin Guangyao feel less alone in the world, less like he only had himself and his manipulative ways to seek acceptance.

But what happens when Wei Wuxian being Wei Wuxian runs around causing social and political uproar to do what he thinks is right? Is Jin Guangyao going to help and support him, or is he going to throw Wei Wuxian under the bus to protect his own reputation? Personally, I think the importance he places on public perception would ultimately be too great. It destroys his relationships, and it destroys him.

#陈情令 #the untamed #mdzs #wei wuxian #jin guangyao #i love wwx so much and he deserves so much #mdzs meta #!mine #!meta #gosh this really got away from me #i'm so sorry for writing a gigantic rambling mess for your question anon #i'm not even sure i answered the question????#ahhhh ds;gk;ldg #but as much as i like the parallels between jgy and wwx i think their differences are too great #more than wwx tho i think if anything jyl would have been a very positive influence #if she had been allowed to get her claws in during her brief time at koi tower #like her unending kindness could've certainly brought him around to some better choices #and softened his need for validation and acceptance from his father #but idk that wwx chaotic gremlin personality and lack of care for reputation and opinion would jive very well with jgy #i think much better would be the jin siblings finding some happiness and acceptance with each other #by plotting the murder of their father together!#revenge brings a family together!#[ ask eve ]#anonymous

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ibijau · 4 years

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demon NHS // On AO3

Set after wwx freed the Wens, and a little before NHS meets his mother

The last notes hung in the air, giving the room a peaceful air it often lacked. Lan Xichen had not often had the occasion to come into Nie Huaisang’s quarters before things took the turn they had, but it had been enough to find out the other boy, trying so hard to be elegant and refined in public, hid a messy side in private. It had grown worse lately. Back when Lan Xichen started playing music to help him keep his nature under control, Nie Huaisang at least made efforts to put some order to his things.

For his last two visits, the mess had been allowed to remain.

It was not the only sign that Nie Huaisang was struggling more and more with the situation. There was also the lack of care with which he had dressed himself, the state of his hair, the way he no longer smiled when Lan Xichen joked. And that was only what Lan Xichen himself could see. Nie Mingjue had mentioned terrible arguments between them, usually on the subject of Wei Wuxian.

Nie Huaisang, apparently, was of the opinion that although his manners had not been ideal, Wei Wuxian had been right to interrupt the Flower Banquet and demand to be given an account of the surviving Wen's treatment, that the Jin's actions needed to be investigated, especially those of Jin Zixun. In short, he wanted Qinghe Nie to give support to Wei Wuxian. Nie Mingjue, however fair he tried to be in other matters, refused to listen in that one, arguing that the lives of some Wen dogs were not worth so much trouble, and that Nie Huaisang would do well to forget he had ever been friends with Wei Wuxian.

In truth, a similar discussion was happening between Lan Xichen and his own brother, though with a great deal less shouting. Wei Wuxian was not a man of many friends, but those he had certainly were fiercely loyal to him.

And yet news had just arrived from Yiling about Jiang Wanyin visiting his brother, about Wei Wuxian seceding from Yunmeng Jiang…

"Is Er-ge too angry at me?" Nie Huaisang asked.

His train of thoughts interrupted, Lan Xichen's gaze fell on the other man, still in a meditative position, his eyes closed. In spite of the song played to him, there was little peace to be found on his handsome face. It made Lan Xichen sad that he could not help more. They had never been particularly close before this started, and even now Nie Huaisang probably would not have called him a friend, not when he had Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian, but still… Lan Xichen felt an ever deepening fondness for the unfortunate young man, and wished he could have done more.

He missed how insouciant Nie Huaisang used to be, how easily he would laugh. Lan Xichen didn't think he'd heard him laugh since his nature had been revealed.

"Who do you think is angry at you, Huaisang?"

Nie Huaisang opened his eyes and gave him a long, tired look, as if to signify he found the question a particularly stupid one.

"Da-ge is furious that I want to help Wei Wuxian," he pointed out. "That's why he called you here, he thinks I must be going crazy if I agree with protecting a bunch of Wen. San-ge is upset that when I yelled at his father and everyone else, I've ruined all our hard work in making me look weak and insignificant, which is why he also wants you here to calm me. And then there's everyone else who is just generally angry that I'm still around and wants me dead, but I don't much care what they think. Your opinion I do care about. Are you angry too, Er-ge? "

Lan Xichen winced at the ease with which Nie Huaisang spoke of being so hated. Sadly, it was a fair assessment. Nie Huaisang, even more than Wei Wuxian, had few people on his side outside of his sect (or even inside it). Hearing him publicly stand up for his friend had certainly not endeared him to anyone, just as it probably made Wei Wuxian's own case worse.

"You have done nothing that Wangji did not do as well, although perhaps a little more noisily. I am not angry at him for doing what he thought was right, so I see no reason to be angry at you either."

"He's your brother, it's different," Nie Huaisang pouted.

"We're family as well, in a sense, and so I will extend the same good will to you as I would show any brother of mine. I am not angry at you, Huaisang."

"Unhappy then. Upset?"

"Worried," Lan Xichen conceded. "I wish more people saw you the way your brother, A-Yao, and me see you."

Nie Huaisang snorted in disdain, but something still relaxed in his expression and he finally stretched out of his meditation posture.

"Useless and foolish and only good at getting in trouble, that's me!"

"Clever when you feel like it and devoted to the people you care about," Lan Xichen countered. "I will not contest that you are rather good at getting in trouble, but lately that's only because people around you are unreasonable."

A weak smile found its way to Nie Huaisang’s lips.

"Er-ge is too kind." he sighed. "I wish Da-ge and San-ge saw this the same way as you do. I'm glad they finally agree on something again, I just wish it weren't on how much I messed up."

For some reason, Lan Xichen felt an impulse to pet Nie Huaisang’s hair or hug him or just do something to comfort him. It was just so wrong for him to be so melancholic. But it would have been improper for Lan Xichen to be so informal with him when they weren't that close, so he restrained himself.

"I'm sure they're just worried, like me," he said. "I will be going back to them now. If they are just worried I'll scold them for not showing it more kindly. If they are angry… I'll try to deal with that for you."

Nie Huaisang broke into a large, happy smile, and thanked him profusely for that promise. For a moment he looked almost like the cheerful boy he used to be, and just that would be worse the headache Lan Xichen was sure to get while trying to get his sworn brothers to calm down.

"Of course I'm angry at him," Nie Mingjue huffed while Jin Guangyao poured tea for all three of them. "That little idiot, losing control over something like that!"

"He did not lose control," Lan Xichen protested, smiling at Jin Guangyao when he handed him a cup of tea. "In fact, I remember him backing off the instant you ordered him to."

"Storming off and going after Wangji and that girl who defected is not backing down."

Lan Xichen frowned, but before he could protest, Jin Guangyao intervened.

"It was really bad timing, and I wish Huaisang had kept quiet. Now people will certainly think that he is associated with what Wei Wuxian is doing with those Wen cultivators. Our Didi's reputation did not need that."

Jin Guangyao sounded genuinely worried, as he always did when their conversation were about Nie Huaisang. Lan Xichen dared not imagine what his sworn brother must have heard when Nie Mingjue was not around to keep people quiet.

"Did you investigate what was going on in that camp?" Lan Xichen asked. "Was there any truth to Wei Wuxian's claims?"

"Some of the guards were at times a little rough," Jin Guangyao conceded with a sigh. "But nothing more than a little bullying, a few unkind words here and there. Jin Zixun swears that the incident Wei Wuxian described also never happened, and as we know, Wei Wuxian could have a grudge against him."

"Jin Zixun is not the most trustworthy person out there," Lan Xichen pointed out.

Jin Guangyao froze in the movement of sipping some tea, and flashed him a pained look. "Er-ge, do you think I took him to his word? I asked others as well, of course. I know how my cousin can be when he gets upset, and I double checked."

Lan Xichen felt embarrassed for having doubted his sworn brother's zeal. After such accusations, it was normal that Lanling Jin would have made sure that nothing wrong had happened within its ranks. Certainly Wei Wuxian had sounded very sincerely upset, and Nie Huaisang seemed to fully trust him, but… Jin Guangyao would not have lied to them.

"Go tell that to Huaisang then," Nie Mingjue said. "Maybe he'll stop moping around like a molting hawk if he just hears that he was wrong."

"Huaisang doesn't listen to anyone these days," Jin Guangyao sighed. "Me least of all, since I have nothing to say that he wants to hear."

Nie Mingjue reluctantly nodded to that, glaring at his half empty cup of tea as if it were responsible for the unease between him and his brother.

"I think he's bored," Lan Xichen hazarded. "He's been very isolated since this all started, and now he can't even write to his best friend. You can't fault him for being upset."

“Then perhaps Huaisang needs more… appropriate friends,” Jin Guangyao suggested. “I know Jin Zixuan is organising a Night Hunt in a few weeks with a few others. I think if I asked him, he would agree to invite Huaisang.”

“A Night Hunt?” Nie Mingjue grunted. “Isn’t that going against everything you’ve been telling him to do for over a year?”

That was Lan Xichen’s thought as well. They had worked so hard to make it clear that Nie Huaisang was harmless, it would ruin everything if he started slaying monsters. Besides, even before the truth came out, Nie Huaisang had never enjoyed Night Hunting, so this seemed like a rather poor way to find him friends.

“Don’t worry, Da-ge,” Jin Guangyao said with a pleasant smile. “It is not the sort of Hunt you would go on. As I understand, quite a few young ladies have been invited, most of which just so happen to be either engaged to Jin Zixuan and friends of his, or hoped to become so in the future. The boys are going there to show off, the girls are going there to admire them. If Nie Huaisang stays with the girls during the actual Night Hunt there’s no risk at all, but he’ll show again how tame he is. It had worked quite well during the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, right?”

“I don’t like it,” Nie Minjgue insisted. “I’m not worried about fierce corpses and monsters, I’m worried about what would happen if someone decided to take their chance and attacked him.”

“Then send a few trusted Nie disciples with him if you’d like. But you needn’t worry. Jin Zixuan would not allow any harm to come to him. In fact, since Nie Huaisang has so openly declared himself in favour of Wei Wuxian, it is likely that my brother, put in his presence, will try to befriend him even without my prompting him to do so. After all Lady Jiang will be there and he is still very eager to impress his fiancée.”

Even with this promise, Nie Mingjue looked unconvinced, so Jin Guangyao turned to Lan Xichen for support, silently pleading for his help. On any other subject, Lan Xichen would have quickly sided with him, but for once he felt uncertain.

“Wouldn’t it be simpler to organise an occasion where he could meet with Jin Zixuan and chat with him alone?” he suggested. “I think Huaisang could get along with him if he tried, but I’m less sure about the crowd that usually follows him. Would Jin Zixun be there?"

"He sees Wei Wuxian in every shadow these days, so that's very unlikely," Jin Guangyao explained. "As for your idea… Er-ge, it is possible for my father to allow Nie Huaisang to join a Night Hunt if Jin Zixuan requests it, but meeting in private would be too much considering the current… situation. Otherwise, I would not have suggested an activity Huaisang dislikes this much."

It made sense, sadly. Jin Guangshan had never directly taken sides against Nie Huaisang, but he had also made no effort to silence those who did. Yet with how fond he was of his only legitimate child, it might work if Jin Zixuan started arguing in favour of Nie Huaisang.

"I suppose it might not be bad," Lan Xichen admitted. "He looked very unhappy earlier." Like a caged bird with clipped wings, he thought. Like a flower cut and displayed in a vase, starting to wilt for lack of roots. "He can't stay in his room for the rest of his life, Mingjue."

Even with the most logical of arguments, Jin Guangyao could never have convinced Nie Mingjue. Yet now that Lan Xichen approved it, the plan was instantly less distasteful.

"I'd be sending him with the best disciples his age," Nie Mingjue warned. "And he'd be taking his sabre."

"It would be odd if he didn't take it," Jin Guangyao replied with a note of amusement. "This is a Night Hunt in name at least, and it would be unseemly for a cultivator of his rank to appear without his weapon. The same goes for him having companions. He is the Second Master of Qinghe Nie, of course he cannot travel alone. Da-ge, I also want Huaisang to be safe ! Tell me all your conditions, and as soon as I return to Lanling, I will talk with Jin Zixuan to see if he agrees to help. Everything will be fine, Da-ge.”

Nie Mingjue looked unconvinced, but started naming his demands, which Jin Guangyao listened to without a single protest.

It would be good for Huaisang to be around people again, Lan Xichen told himself. It would force him out of his melancholy, and it might make him a little more reasonable in his views of Wei Wuxian if he could just have other people to talk to.

It would be good for him.

And yet, Lan Xichen couldn’t help feeling at least as worried as Nie Mingjue was.

#nie huaisang #nie mingjue #lan xichen #jin guangyao #xisang #but can be read as gen still honestly it's there only if you want it to be at least for now #demon nhs #jau writes #mdzs #I was trying to update burn it down today but it didn't want to happen so have this instead

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