Chapter Text
Jiang Cheng gets married in the spring of his 39th year. For Yunmeng, it’s a huge deal. For Jiang Cheng, it’s a farce - but it’s one that he’s willing to swallow.
It had been an “arranged” marriage. After the frankly pointless matches Jiang Cheng had endured over the years, he’d been opposed to anything of the sort from the start, but the Liu Clan further north had been pushing aggressively for the match to be made. In the end, the matchmakers around Yunmeng made the decision for him. Given his… frankly abysmal reputation within and around Yunmeng, they jumped at the chance to welcome Liu Mingyan to Yunmeng.
Just one meeting, they’d said. Just one. The matchmaker’s documents they’d thrust into his hands had been nearly a finger’s length thick, dripping with opulent embellishments as if that’d convince him that she was a catch. Jiang Cheng was sure she was ugly, or bad tempered, or something , even if the portrait of her was beautiful, even if the list of accomplishments on her record glowed with pride, even if her skills and the samples of her handiwork were the best of the best. There had to be a catch.
Their first meeting was scheduled to be two weeks after the matchmakers had accepted their proposal. They’d drilled the itinerary into his head until he knew it down to each individual second, they’d coached him on exactly what to say and what to do, they’d had brand new robes made just for the occasion. No expenses were spared.
Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, wasn’t especially hopeful. He knew better than to delude himself - for all that Jiang Cheng wished otherwise, he'd inherited all of his mother's bitter temper, and none of his father's gentle diplomacy. Jiang Cheng was respected and he was feared, but he wasn't especially well liked, least of all by the fairer folk. He was not expecting the meeting to go well.
---
The meeting went well. At least, in the sense that all uncertainties were cleared off the table the moment she sat down opposite him at the most scenic table of the most expensive restaurant in Yunmeng. “I’m sorry, Sect Leader Jiang,” Liu Mingyan had said in a voice lovely enough to make a lesser man weep, fluttering her breathtakingly beautiful eyelashes and bowing her head with elegance beyond human means. “I have absolutely no intentions of marriage.” Ah, there was the catch.
“Mm,” Jiang Cheng hummed, bringing his tea cup to his lips.
“You see, I have absolutely zero interest in men. I would rather die,” she said, in no uncertain terms. Jiang Cheng liked the vicious brilliance in her eyes as she said so. This was a woman he could respect.
After a long sip, Jiang Cheng set his cup down. “We still have a full day ahead of us,” he said. “I can arrange for a proper escort to keep you entertained while you’re still in Yunmeng.”
“I would like that,” Liu Mingyan said. Her eyes curved up in a conspiratorial smile. She really was charming - Jiang Cheng probably could’ve liked her. “Many thanks for your graciousness, Sect Leader Jiang.”
“Think nothing of it,” Jiang Cheng said.
Their meal was a quiet affair. Once it was over, Liu Mingyan went off with the most beautiful courtesan in Yunmeng, and Jiang Cheng returned to his office to finish next week’s training regimen for the disciples.
--
The matchmakers were pissed . Jiang Cheng didn’t blame them, but frankly, he didn’t care. The prospect of someone succeeding the Yunmeng Jiang clan and carrying on Yunmeng’s proud culture seemed like such a faroff, abstract concept. And besides, Jin Ling was still young enough that he remembered the sound of his pitter-pattering feet along the piers clearly (He also remembered the restless, sleepless nights caring for him when he was sick - or, you know, just upset or constipated or fussy). Between those memories and the constant clowning around he got from the youngest disciples, Jiang Cheng was far from eager to rear another little one. He had other things to worry about.
One such thing being the gentleman in white that had come calling, perhaps a week after Jiang Cheng’s spectacularly unsuccessful matchmaking. He’d spent the entire morning making a huge fuss at the door and challenging people left and right to fights. When Jiang Cheng’s fourth disciple, a cocky young woman, barely older than Jin Ling, decided to take matters into her own hands, well.
Two of the youngest disciples had come bursting into Jiang Cheng’s office, sobbing big, fat, worried tears and begging the Sect Leader to intervene.
Jiang Cheng arrived in his usual stormy fashion, Zidian out and spitting sparks in his wake. He was just in time to see his second disciple crashing into the training hall’s wall, sliding theatrically down into a crumpled heap on the ground.
The man in white stood at the center of the room, completely untouched, an arrogant sneer on his vaguely familiar face. When Jiang Cheng and his two youngest disciples arrived, he (rudely) pointed his sword in Jiang Cheng’s direction and demanded, “Are you Jiang Wanyin?”
“What business do you have on my piers, attacking my disciples?” Jiang Cheng demanded right back, punctuating his words with a vicious crack of Zidian’s whip. Instinctively, the disciples in the hall flinched back.
“They’re not bad,” the man said, tilting his chin towards the second disciple. “His form is lazy. You should correct that. And her -” he motioned toward the fourth disciple, “- she can’t gauge her own strength, let alone her opponent’s. That’s a fatal flaw.”
“Don’t tell me how to teach my disciples when you haven’t even given me your name,” Jiang Cheng snarled, bristling. The fucking gall of him!
He didn’t even grace his disciples with a glance as he snapped, “Take your shixiong and shijie to the infirmary."
The stranger didn’t move to stop the frightened disciples from dragging out their seniors, but Jiang Cheng was ready to intervene if necessary. With a dark glare, Jiang Cheng growled, “I won’t ask you again. What are you doing here, and why are you attacking my disciples?”
“You’ve dishonored my sister,” the man said, brandishing his sword. “Fight me.”
“Your sister? You haven’t even given me your name. How should I know your sister?” Jiang Cheng sneered, his words punctuated by Zidian crackling in his hands. “I should have you thrown out of my piers by the collar of your robes for your insolence.”
“Try it, then!"
--
Jiang Cheng thought that would be the end of it when he woke up in the infirmary, aching and broken from head to toe. That is, until he sat up, pain in his ribs be damned, and blinked the bleariness out of his eyes. A quick scan of the room, a habit he hadn’t been able to shake off, and then, he saw it - the man in white just sitting there in the bed immediately to his left , petulantly picking out the carrots from his meal.
For a long moment, Jiang Cheng’s heart stuttered in his chest, his bruised and battered body trying its damnedest to squeeze out even one more drop of adrenaline. But far from rearing up for a fight, the man just blithely turned his head in Jiang Cheng’s direction and stared. “You’re up?” he asked mildly, apparently pacified with - well, with a nice meal that the diplomats from other clans usually got. “They said you wouldn’t be up for another few hours.”
Unsure of what to do, Jiang Cheng kept quiet, glaring warily at him. The man also seemed at a loss for what to do, so he gruffly added, “You fought well. We should do this again, sometime.”
“Why are you still here?” Jiang Cheng grit out, trying to make his voice low and dangerous. Based on how absolutely unphased the man was, he assumed it didn’t work quite as well as he’d expected it to.
“Madam Yang ran into the training hall not long after you passed out. She insisted I stay and get medical attention,” the man said. “You broke my leg. She got to me before I could leave.”
Jiang Cheng frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “How do you know Madam Yang?” he asked, hesitantly. She’d been the one who’d negotiated the itinerary for his and Liu Mingyan’s meeting.
“She was the correspondent my grandmother talked to when she set up the engagement meeting between you and my sister,” the man said, taking a sip of his soup.
Jiang Cheng’s blood went cold. “So Liu Mingyan is....?”
The man gave him an odd sort of look, and now that Jiang Cheng really looked, he saw it. The smooth, noble brow, the long eyelashes framing gleaming phoenix eyes, the slender neck, the delicate build… He’d never seen the bottom half of Liu Mingyan’s face, but he wouldn’t doubt her lips would only be a shade or two away from the ones currently pressed against the rim of the small soup bowl.
The man set his bowl down on his lap tray and said, “My sister. What, you didn’t know?” There was a hint of incredulity in the man’s tone, his eyebrows quirked in an unvoiced seriously?
“You never told me your name! How was I supposed to know? Your sister never showed me her entire face!” Jiang Cheng spat, wracking his memory for any recollection of the family tree that’d been drilled into his brain. It’d all flown right out of his head the moment he’d sent Liu Mingyan away with that expensive courtesan.
The man in white snorted. “You probably wouldn’t have recognized it anyways. I go by Liu Qingge now. The family tree still has my old courtesy name, but I never liked it,” he said, picking at the last of the food on his tray.
They sat in awkward silence for a long time, before Liu Qingge glanced back at Jiang Cheng, his long eyelashes fanning against his cheeks. He pursed his lips, glancing down at Jiang Cheng’s hands, before looking back up at his face. Then he took in a steadying breath. “I know my sister isn’t the best conversationalist in the world,” he began, sounding oddly hesitant. “But… what’s wrong with her? Why didn’t you like her?”
Jiang Cheng blinked at him, more than a little bit flabbergasted as he said, “She told me within the first five minutes of meeting me that she had no intentions of marriage.”
Liu Qingge blinked right back at Jiang Cheng, before crossing his arms over his chest, all the hesitance in his demeanor gone. “Well, what’s wrong with you , then?” he asked, as if it didn’t even occur to him that asking strangers what’s wrong with you is generally frowned upon.
Jiang Cheng would bristle and snarl, if he had the energy to - and if he thought that this was a legitimate attack on his honor, rather than Liu Qingge’s increasingly obvious lack of social tact. But he was tired and throbbing all over, and if age and being a sect leader had taught him anything, it’s that, for better or for worse, a man often had to pick his battles. This was one he was not planning on fighting. “Apparently, the fact that I have a penis is what’s wrong with me,” Jiang Cheng grit out, trying to keep the grimace off his face.
Liu Qingge frowned at him the way a man not entirely sure if he should be offended or not would frown. After a long moment, he shoved the tray down his lap, fully intending to get up and confront Jiang Cheng, before Jiang Cheng said, “Liu Qingge. It isn’t my place to say this, but your sister’s a lesbian.”
Liu Qingge froze.
His eyes went wide, his brow furrowed, his mouth gaped open. He stared at Jiang Cheng as if searching for any sign that he was lying And then he let his gaze trail down to where Jiang Cheng’s boots were placed beside his bed. And then, he lifted his gaze back up to Jiang Cheng’s face, as if anything would change if he looked back.
Jiang Cheng felt like it was somehow his duty to also say, “If you give her shit for that, I will fight you and this time I will not lose.”
Liu Qingge stared at him long enough to be a bit unnerving, and then… he laughed .
It absolutely transformed his face, softening it into something charming and lovely. While Jiang Cheng was far from the superficial sort, he wasn’t blind - Liu Qingge was beautiful in the watery sunlight of the infirmary, bandages peeking out of his robes, cheek bruised, and mouth open in absolute, unadulterated joy. “I like you,” he said, between breathless, booming laughs. “We should fight again, when you’re healed up.”
Jiang Cheng wasn’t quite sure why his heart had started pounding so hard, but he attributed it to the vague sense of upsetness he thought that he should feel.
--
Liu Qingge left the Lotus Piers three days later, despite frantic protests from the Lotus Pier healers. After the first 12 hours, they’d offered to move him to a private room, but he’d declined, instead requesting to stay in the bed beside Jiang Cheng’s until Jiang Cheng was released.
The Lotus Pier staff didn’t even bother ask Jiang Cheng if he wanted to move to a private room - they knew better than to sequester him in private rooms anymore. After so many years, they finally learned that it was safer to keep Jiang Cheng on the main floor, where nurses would be constantly monitoring him any time he got hurt enough for an overnight stay. He had a bad habit of trying to leave much too soon, and his safety was more important than his status as Sect Leader, according to the head doctor.
Jiang Cheng didn’t want to admit it, but it was probably the most fun he’d had in recovery in a long, long time. Jiang Cheng had long earned the reputation of being a prickly bedmate, and most of the Yunmeng folk knew better than to try and chat him up while he was irritable and aching. Doubly so, if they were one of the disciples, because the thought of engaging in casual conversation with the sect leader? Terrifying. So while Liu Qingge wasn’t much of a talker, he did manage to find things to talk about in their vast moments of boredom. It’d started out with a question - “do you do this to all the suitors your sister rejects?” and spiraled out from there, leading into Liu Qingge’s travels, into the differences between the four great clans’ regions and the three great sects beyond, into conversations about demon hunts and Liu Qingge’s frankly awful attempts at drawing. It was nice.
And then three days passed, and Liu Qingge deemed his leg healed enough to walk. He bade Jiang Cheng goodbye with an offer to fight “any time” and a promise to bring back a roasted stone serpent next time, but Jiang Cheng didn’t expect to see him again anytime soon. A shame, really.
--
Not a month later, Madam Yang and her host of matchmakers rushed into Jiang Cheng’s office and said Liu Mingyan wanted another meeting with him. Jiang Cheng had been so thrown off-kilter that he’d let them cajole him into another date. At least this time, he had the good sense to put his foot down when their preparations started spiraling out of control - they would have a meal together, they would engage in one act of entertainment, and that would be it. No new robes would be made. No long walks around the piers. No fancy boat rides. No expensive gifts or offerings of any sort. This wasn’t going to go anywhere, so why bother pulling out the stops?
Indeed, the moment he and Liu Mingyan were left alone together, she all but threw herself across the table, shaking him by the lapels and crying out, “You told my brother ?!”
“Let go of me,” Jiang Cheng groused, pushing her off him with ease. “If you think I was just going to let him throttle me -”
“ I’m going to throttle you!” she exclaimed, her voice pitching up high with anger, and probably no small bit of embarrassment. “How could you?!”
Jiang Cheng reared back, hackles rising. “Well he seemed okay with it! And if something happened, I would’ve -” I would’ve what? Taken responsibility? Married her? What good would that have done?!
“I mean, of course he was okay with it! But that doesn’t mean I am!” Liu Mingyan snarled, and oh, she absolutely is her brother’s sister. “That’s what I was trying to avoid in the first place!”
“So what, you’re okay with going on all of these pointless dates with men you couldn’t care less about, like some kind of courtesan? Are all the men you talk to alright with being rejected, point blank, just because you’re pretty?” Jiang Cheng snarled back, instinctively getting in her face. “Why even bother, when it won’t ever go anywhere? Why are you wasting your time like this when this isn’t even something you want? When it’s literally the opposite of what you want?!”
“Like you would understand,” Liu Mingyan cried out, hand pulling back as if to slap him in the face. “You’re a sect leader - you get to do anything you want. You don’t have to worry about what anyone else wants or needs!”
“What do you know?” Jiang Chang snapped, his left hand instinctively creeping towards Zidian. He could feel his pulse rising, his breath going quick, adrenaline roaring through his veins, and he shouldn’t - he couldn’t do something he’d regret. “That’s all I am ! There’s nothing left of me besides keeping the Lotus Pier alive! Who cares what I want ? I don’t even know what I want anymore!”
Liu Mingyan froze. Her hand dropped uselessly to her side.
Jiang Cheng could see the moment her resolve crumbled, eyes going wide and - god, fuck, was that pity in her eyes? - stepping back. Jiang Cheng felt like a monster, looming over her like that, breathing hard in his anger.
“...I’m sorry,” Liu Mingyan said, taking another step back, away from his personal space. “I was upset. I said things I shouldn’t have.”
Jiang Cheng gulped in deep breaths of air as he tried to calm down. “I’m. Also sorry,” he grit out, sitting back down and rearranging his lapels. “I overstepped. I… shouldn’t have said… any of that.”
“I deserved it,” Liu Mingyan said, immediately, flipping her hair out of her face. They both sat there, awkwardly, trying to settle their tempers and after a long moment, Liu Mingyan offered a self-deprecatory laugh. “If my brother were here we probably would’ve torn the restaurant to pieces.”
Jiang Cheng couldn’t help it - he snorted. That sounded like something Liu Qingge would do. Liu Mingyan tilted her head just a smidge, before her eyes turned up as well, and she laughed. Even her laugh was perfect.
“For the record, I’m sorry,” Jiang Cheng said, after they’ve calmed down. As if in conciliation, he pours tea into Liu Mingyan’s cup, which she takes delicately. “It wasn’t my business to tell him that.”
“Yeah, well,” Liu Mingyan sighed. “It could’ve gone worse. I mean, it could’ve gone better, too, but it definitely could’ve been worse. At least he didn’t tell Nainai. But he did try to tell me about how he came to terms with being gay, and he wouldn’t let me go until I knew it was okay, or whatever. We spent two hours getting to that point and - “
Jiang Cheng paused, blinking in surprise. “Your brother’s gay?” he blurt out, and despite himself, he couldn’t help but think of Wei Wuxian.
Liu Mingyan had lifted the cup halfway to her veil when she froze. Her eyes then took on a steely glint, her demeanor chilling as she asked, “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. I just - my br - someone I know is also. That way,” Jiang Cheng managed. Liu Mingyan leaned back, giving him an appraising look.
“Are you talking about, y’know,” she paused, collecting her words. “Are you talking about Hanguang-Jun’s husband?”
Jiang Cheng snorted. “He won’t be offended if you called him the Yiling Patriarch, or whatever. It’s not like he’s here.”
“Well, I mean, he isn’t anymore. Just like how he isn’t your brother anymore,” Liu Mingyan said, and she’s so straightforward about it Jiang Cheng’s heart ached. It was... odd, hearing the words from someone else’s mouth - and Jiang Cheng hadn’t realized just how much it hurt to hear.
She blinked at him through her long lashes, and asked, “Did I misstep?”
Jiang Cheng swallowed, and shook his head. “No. What you said - you’re not wrong.”
“...but it didn’t look like you were happy to hear that,” Liu Mingyan observed, putting her head in her hand.
“Would you be happy if someone who’d mattered to you so much before just…”
“...isn’t there anymore?” Liu Mingyan finished for him, watching Jiang Cheng intently enough to make his skin crawl, a little.
Jiang Cheng nodded, just once, not trusting his voice to stay steady.
Liu Mingyan glanced down at Zidian, and then slowly back up at Jiang Cheng’s face. “But he’s alive now, isn’t he? You can’t have what you had before, but that doesn’t mean that everything’s lost.”
Jiang Cheng’s breath hitched, just a little, and he quietly nodded.
--
The rest of the “date” had gone relatively well, given the fact that they’d fought like snarling beasts for the first few minutes. The matchmakers were mistakenly under the impression that that meant there was hope - not that Jiang Cheng would dissuade them otherwise. Sometimes, it was nice having an excuse to get away from paperwork for a day. Now that Jin Ling was sect leader, Jiang Cheng didn’t have the excuse of taking him out on nighthunts, so any opportunity to recover his sanity was a good one. Doubly so if it was in the presence of - well, of a friend, Jiang Cheng supposed. He wasn’t much in the habit of having those, but even he could admit that it was… nice.
Most often, they would be in Yunmeng for the day, eating at restaurants and perhaps going on a boat ride for a few hours, or seeing a performance, or walking the gardens. To Jiang Cheng’s chagrin, the folks in Yunmeng started recognizing them on their monthly outings, stepping all over themselves to offer their Sect Leader and his “beloved” little gifts and courtesies. Once, to Jiang Cheng’s endless humiliation, a musician had tried to sing a song about them to them! It was, quite possibly, the most mortifying thing he’d ever experienced. Liu Mingyan took it all with the dignity and grace Jiang Cheng absolutely didn’t have, playing the part of a flattered, courted girl with ease. When they were alone, she let the persona down easily, bickering comfortably with Jiang Cheng over the play they watched, or the novel she recommended to him, or the best way to deal with this or that beast.
It was easy, in a way that Jiang Cheng’s life rarely ever was.
And then, Liu Mingyan invited him to the Liu Estate for their next date. It’d actually been a bit overdue - both of them had been busy the entire month, and Jiang Cheng was much in need of a vacation. So when, on a diplomatic trip to Lanling, Jiang Cheng received a letter on the fanciest paper known to man, he knew, in his gut, what it was before he even opened it. It had asked in the floweriest, most overly-formal way possible, whether, perhaps, if he had free time to spare after his visits to the esteemed Jin Rulan, he would be interested in gracing the Liu household with his presence. His beloved dearly missed him.
When he’d read the letter, he’d snorted derisively. Liu Mingyan had probably laughed her ass off writing this sappy thing. The very next evening, he sent a bird off with his response - a curt, “Yes.”
Jin Ling had sulked when Jiang Cheng told him he’d be cutting his trip short by a day or two, but when he found out it was to see the woman he was “courting”, Jin Ling couldn’t help but acquiesce. Jiang Cheng could see the terribly young, wide-eyed curiosity in his nephew’s eyes, knowing full well that Jin Ling wanted to bug him for details but was too scared to. Teenagers , Jiang Cheng thought, almost fondly - but then, he realized, Jin Ling was well within his 20th year already. The thought had given him stomach pains, and he’d quickly made an excuse to leave Jin Ling’s very curious, very 20-year-old stare.
--
The Liu Clan, though significantly smaller than Yunmeng’s Lotus Piers, gave Jiang Cheng a warm welcome. He’d been expecting something closer to the snobbish dignity of the Jins, whose jurisdiction they often referred to, so he was more than glad to see the people bustling about like regular human beings instead of like the perfumed peacocks he spent the last week or so with. Despite being closer to Lanling Jin, there was clearly some Qinghe Nie influence in there, and Jiang Cheng could definitely see how both Liu Mingyan and Liu Qingge had come from this sort of an environment.
Meeting Madame Liu, their esteemed grandmother and the matriarch of the Liu Clan, had been nerve-wracking just for the fact that she reminded him quite a bit of Madame Jin, if she and Nie Mingjue had created some monstrous amalgamation of a terrifying human being. But she was nothing less than courteous as she toured him around the Liu Clan’s estate, and she was very upfront about the fact that she was scrutinizing his every movement. The tour hadn’t lasted more than five minutes, and by the end of it, although Jiang Cheng hadn’t touched Zidian even once, he felt his inner robes uncomfortably soaked through with sweat.
It was a relief to be shown to his rooms, even if he only got a few minutes of reprieve before someone knocked on his doors. For all that Jiang Cheng could acknowledge that he was absolutely an asshole, his mother didn’t raise him to be a brute - he’d let them in in a few seconds, he just needed a moment to breathe .
He’d only just barely gotten up from his seat on the bed when the door slammed open and Liu Qingge, in all his beautiful glory, stepped into the room like he owned it. Granted, he probably did own it, but it still didn’t give him the right to just barge right in. “Why did you even knock if you were just going to walk in?” Jiang Cheng grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
It’d been a while since he’d last seen him, though Liu Mingyan often spoke of him during their dates. He couldn’t help the flutter of anxiety in his chest at whether or not he still measured up to Liu Qingge’s standards - Jiang Cheng’s first impressions were generally abysmal. His second impressions were usually worse, given that he no longer had his reputation to precede him.
“I heard you arrived, so I wanted to see you,” Liu Qingge said simply, thrusting a large plum into Jiang Cheng’s hand. He sat down on the bed right next to Jiang Cheng, making himself comfortable as he bit into his own plum.
Jiang Cheng would have rolled his eyes, if he hadn’t been so thrown off by Liu Qingge’s words of esteem. It wasn’t often that people wanted to see Jiang Cheng. Hell, even Jin Ling sometimes dragged his feet coming to visit his favorite uncle, the ungrateful brat.
But somehow, just like that, things became easier . Liu Qingge, for all of his lack of social tact, sure had a knack of showing you how he felt about you, and it was something Jiang Cheng was grateful for.
Liu Qingge, completely ignorant of Jiang Cheng’s internal revelations, finished his plum in only a few bites and stared at the fruit in Jiang Cheng’s hands. It was a bright red-violet, heavy and vivid as a jewel in his hands. When Jiang Cheng made no move to bring it to his lips, Liu Qingge frowned and asked, “Do you not want it?”
Jiang Cheng scowled and immediately took a vicious bite out of it. It was sweet and tart in his mouth, tasting like it’d just been plucked from the tree. “Not everyone inhales their food the way you do,” Jiang Cheng growled, taking two more bites, though smaller, as if to make his point. “Don’t just give me something and expect me to give it back right away just because you’re hungry.”
“I didn’t ask because I was hungry,” Liu Qingge said, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you didn’t like it I would’ve brought you something else.”
Oh. Jiang Cheng swallowed around his bite of plum. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been afforded that courtesy just because , no strings attached. It was… nice.
Jiang Cheng bit again into the fruit and looked down at where the pale yellow bled into a vivid pink-red. He wanted to say something nice, because that’s what you do when people are nice to you, but all that came out is, “Why are you even here?”
“Mingyan asked me for a favor,” Liu Qingge said blithely, flopping onto his back. “She didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Jiang Cheng asked, pushing down the uncomfortable unease in his stomach. He wasn’t some stupid tenager - he really shouldn’t have felt upset over something so small as being left out of the loop. He tried to focus, instead, on the texture of the plum in his mouth.
“Tomorrow’s outing. Mingyan’s friend is coming to visit at the same time, so I’ll be going with you,” Liu Qingge said.
Jiang Cheng frowned. “Madame Liu didn’t say anything about that.”
“Of course not,” Liu Qingge said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “She doesn’t know. We’re the only ones - you, me, and Mingyan.”
“There’s an itinerary and everything. People will know and tell your grandmother,” Jiang Cheng pointed out.
“They won’t know,” Liu Qingge assured him. He changes the topic before Jiang Cheng could ask again.
--
Liu Mingyan was dressed in a lovely set of flowing, peach-colored robes that flattered her decolletage. She looked like a summer goddess, with her hair done up nicely enough to turn heads, but simple enough for a casual outing. “Liu Mingyan,” on the other hand, was dressed in modest, dark colored robes that emphasized the elegance of “her” form. Her hair was let down and styled minimally, calling to attention the glittering silver of the jewelry in her hair. She looked like someone took the night sky and condensed it into a single, luminous being.
Between the veils and the set of tall shoes the true Liu Mingyan wore, it was honestly rather difficult to tell the difference between the two of them. Jiang Cheng was impressed.
“I’ll be off with Ning Yingying on the eastern side of town, so if you stray from the itinerary, stay away from there. Especially my favorite teahouse and the theater, okay, ge?” Liu Mingyan asked, fretting over Liu Qingge’s clothing.
“Mn,” Liu Qingge grunted, letting himself be picked at. Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure what, exactly, Liu Mingyan had promised him in return for this favor, but it must’ve been something incredible. Jiang Cheng wouldn’t have ever done the same for Wei Wuxian, let alone A-Jie. His pride couldn’t bear it.
“Alright,” Liu Mingyan said, straightening her robes and drawing her sword. “I’m off! Hurry, or you’ll be late!”
Liu Qingge dutifully nodded, watching his sister float into the air, before turning to look at Jiang Cheng. He delicately offered his hand, his mannerisms an eerie echo of Liu Mingyan’s. “Shall we?”
Jiang Cheng took it, and let Liu Qingge act like he wasn’t the one taking the lead. For someone so relentlessly straightforward, Liu Qingge was not a bad actor.
--
It worked. Liu Mingyan had a reputation of being quiet and demure, and no one saw past the veil or the pretty fan of long eyelashes, or the bright, honey-brown phoenix eyes. No one, of course, except Jiang Cheng, who knew for a fact that Liu Mingyan’s eyes were darker, that her fingers were thinner, that her shoulders were narrower. But somehow, they’d made it work.
The itinerary had been set by someone who assumed that just because Liu Mingyan was quiet, that she enjoyed more passive activities, like dining, watching plays, and listening to music in a lovely public garden. They were halfway through the fourth song, sitting close together in their fancy little viewing box but far enough for propriety’s sake, when Liu Qingge finally leaned in and said, “I’m bored.”
Jiang Cheng breathed out a long sigh that he didn’t even realize he was holding. “Me too.”
“Want to go hunting? There are pheasants just outside town,” Liu Qingge suggested, and the eager glint in his eye was so bright, Jiang Cheng couldn’t deny him.
They flagged down the matron of the establishment and Liu Qingge feigned illness, and with that, they departed for the Liu estate. It was only when they were halfway there that both of them realized there was no good way to get Liu Qingge changed into proper hunting attire without sneaking into the compound like a pair of thieves. Jiang Cheng was not going to get caught sneaking into his “beloved”’s house to steal some clothes and run off into the wilds like a pervert. So instead, Liu Qingge proposed, “Let’s spar. I can fight passibly as Mingyan. How about it?”
Jiang Cheng snorted. “Is fighting the only thing on your mind?”
“Most times,” Liu Qingge shrugged, and it was enough to get Jiang Cheng to bark out a laugh.
“Of fucking course,” Jiang Cheng said, too amused to notice the way Liu Qingge’s eyes narrowed just so in mirth. “Come on. Let’s do it.”
--
They do it.
--
It was exhilarating, so much so that they’d nearly forgotten that Liu Mingyan would have to meet up with them soon. Liu Qingge was an absolute vision in the dark, blue-purple robes he wore, with his steps all carefully placed, delicate and strange to his body. Where before, he moved like a tiger, claiming ownership over everything under his all-powerful gaze, that day, he moved like a viper, his unpracticed steps halting, and then striking with unerring precision when a moment of inspiration gripped him. Despite moving like he was solving a puzzle with every strike of his blade, he fought Jiang Cheng off frighteningly well.
This, Jiang Cheng was sure, was proof that true genius existed. Jiang Cheng didn’t lose once that afternoon, but give Liu Qingge a week of practice and he probably would’ve. The competitive streak in his bones bristled at the thought of it. The bright-eyed boy in his marrows marveled.
Above all else, their spar had been fun , imbued with an energy that rarely graced Jiang Cheng’s fights. They’d even drawn a crowd, the occasional Liu disciple or staff member stopping by to witness “Liu Mingyan” and the man hoping to whisk her away going at it like two bucks on a mountaintop. Liu Qingge had to be careful not to make a sound, though Jiang Cheng could see the absolute delight thrashing about in his eyes.
They fought for probably hours, until Jiang Cheng peeked over the compound walls and realized, with chilling certainty, what time it was. The sun had already started to set. Liu Mingyan would be waiting at the rendezvous point, and there they were, like a pair of idiots, still inside the compound without a good reason to leave.
As Jiang Cheng narrowly missed being smacked in the face with a practice sword, he blurted out the first excuse that came to mind, “I’m hungry.”
Liu Qingge paused, his perfect, glistening brow tugging downward in confusion. He couldn’t speak - all around them, now, were a bunch of people who knew Liu Mingyan and knew that Liu Qingge absolutely did not sound like her.
Jiang Cheng grabbed Liu Qingge’s wrist - bad move, bad move, someone gasped in delight in the background, how forward, how scandalous , Madame Liu was going to have his head - and hissed in his ear, “It’s time! We need to get out of here!”
Liu Qingge stared at him, wide-eyed in wordless panic. “I’m so hungry,” Jiang Cheng declared again, loud enough for people to hear and feeling like an absolute idiot. “We still have that reservation at that restaurant we need to go to. Lets. Let’s go!”
Liu Qingge stared dumbly out at the mass of people they’d gathered, as if they hadn’t even registered in his periphery, and nodded. Stiffly, the both of them speed-walked toward the door, all but ready to barrel through the crowd.
One of the lovely serving ladies, an older woman with a kindly face, tried to stop them, insisting that they stay there to eat, but Jiang Cheng pretended not to notice. Liu Qingge, for the record, tried his best to put on Liu Mingyan’s humble rejection face, but from the strange look the lady gave them, Jiang Cheng was about 70% sure he’d failed.
They walked faster.
So fast, actually, that they didn’t realize who was in front of them until it was almost too late. Namely, that Madame Liu was right in front of them.
Jiang Cheng had stopped so hard, Liu Qingge had bumped right into his back. “M-Madame Liu,” Jiang Cheng choked out, his face trying for a smile and probably landing at a grimace.
For the record, Madame Liu looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see her. She squinted, looking at the vaguely Mingyan-shaped person hiding behind Jiang Cheng. “Sect Leader Jiang,” Madame Liu said, her voice carefully and terrifyingly devoid of any sort of emotion. “You’re back early.”
“Yes, we were just - we were just going back out. For dinner.”
Madame Liu raised one perfectly made eyebrow. “If you’re here, you may as well have dinner at the estate.”
“No need,” Jiang Cheng said, hoping to god his voice wasn’t as high as it sounded in his ears. “We wouldn’t want to waste a reservation!”
Madame Liu didn’t look convinced. “From the looks of it, you’re about fifteen minutes late already.”
Fuck !
“Why not stay?”
Jiang Cheng turned to glance back at Liu Qingge. Liu Qingge had made himself purposefully smaller, if only by a few inches, so that Madame Liu wouldn’t be able to see the broadness of his shoulders. He was going to be no help here, clutching at Jiang Cheng’s robes in a way that Jiang Cheng is sure Mingyan would’ve done to Liu Qingge when she was young, but now? Entirely inappropriate.
Madame Liu peered over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder with a look long enough to make Jiang Cheng’s stomach twist uncomfortably. And then, she trained those sharp eyes up at Jiang Cheng with an unreadable expression on her face. “I see,” she said, drawing her words out just enough to make Jiang Cheng’s skin prickle with unease. “Perhaps I should’ve expected this from you, Sect Leader Jiang. Make no mistake, though. I’m only permitting this because A-Yan hasn’t been this infatuated with someone in years.”
From behind him, Jiang Cheng could feel Liu Qingge’s grip on his robes tighten. He tried his best to put on a convincing smile, reaching back to pat Liu Qingge’s hand in the best approximation of “comforting” he could. Apparently, that was the right move to make, because Madame Liu stepped aside for them. “I’ll,” Jiang Cheng began, not even entirely sure what he’s supposed to say. “I’ll take care of her.”
Madame Liu quirked one eyebrow, but didn't comment. Jiang Cheng and Liu Qingge got the fuck out of there before anyone could stop them.
--
It was probably a little scandalous, what they were doing. Granted, the girl Liu Mingyan was with - a cute, sweet young woman named Ning Yingying - was holding up a screen while Liu Mingyan stripped, and it was starting to get dark, and neither Jiang Cheng nor Liu Qingge were interested in any of that, but still ! They were out in the open, where anyone could see them! Liu Qingge didn’t even have a screen to protect his dignity - he just tugged on some trousers underneath his qun and went about his business, untying the knot on the ru and shrugging it off his shoulders with hardly a care.
“Don’t wrinkle that! I still need to wear it!” Liu Mingyan snapped poking her hand over the screen. “Hurry, hand it over!”
Obediently, Liu Qingge tossed the tunic over, his chest only barely covered by the qun , just a few scant inches from Ning Yingying’s blushing face. Jiang Cheng didn’t blame her - he wasn’t even a woman, and the sight of Liu Qingge’s pretty face and fine musculature made his heart pound a little faster.
“So, one more time, what did you do?” Liu Mingyan asked, handing both her ru and qun to Ning Yingying.
Jiang Cheng explained for Liu Qingge, who was currently unknotting the front ties of his qun . By the time he was done, Ning Yingying was hiding her mouth with her sleeve, her eyes turned up into amused crescents. “Of course you would, ge, of course. What was I expecting, honestly?” Liu Mingyan deadpanned, and even Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but feel amused laughter bubble up in his chest. He kept it down, for Liu Qingge’s sake, but one glance at Ning Yingying had both their shoulders shaking.
“I can’t believe you two ran into Nainai and made it out of there alive,” Liu Mingyan said.
“Yeah, well she fell for it. She thinks you’re absolutely besotted,” Liu Qingge said, digging into the qiankun pouch Liu Mingyan had brought with her.
“I don’t blame her. You did a good job,” Ning Yingying said, her voice a little shy as she shot a glance at Liu Qingge. His chest was covered now, thank god, but it was still something a good young lady shouldn’t be looking at so openly. “I almost couldn’t tell the difference. You could do that more often - cover for A-Yan, I mean. A-Luo has been telling me about how Liu-Shibo has been wanting to visit Yunmeng again. It’d be easy to make an excuse.”
Liu Qingge made a choking sound and turned away, tugging his ponytail out from under the collar of his outer robe. “H-he’s a worthy adversary! The Lord of Bai Zhan Peak must always keep his skills sharp,” Liu Qingge managed, hastily adjusting his robes over himself.
“Huh…” Liu Mingyan said from behind the screen, and she stopped her rustling around for a moment.
“Everything alright, A-Yan?” Ning Yingying asked.
“Yeah. Everything’s... Just fine. I’ve just. Got an idea I need to think about,” Liu Mingyan said, and the sound of her dressing resumes, albeit slower this time.
--
After that, Jiang Cheng returned to Yunmeng, and things returned to normal. Liu Mingyan continued to visit once a month, though their meetings held an... odd... weight to them, a curious expectancy that had Jiang Cheng on tenterhooks each month.
When Autumn finally settled in the lakes of Yunmeng, Liu Qingge found himself at Jiang Cheng’s doorstep, dressed again in a veil and his sister’s clothes. It didn’t take long for Jiang Cheng to realize who it was, and almost by instinct, his shoulders had sagged in relief. The tension between Liu Mingyan and him had been getting unbearable, and Jiang Cheng hated the feeling of not knowing. Liu Mingyan was incredibly good at staying tight-lipped about whatever it was she was planning, and Jiang Cheng couldn’t bluster and bully his way into finding out, the way he usually did with others. For all that he liked that no-nonsense part of her that was willing to shoulder any burden, he really hated that she wouldn’t at least tell him what she was doing.
The staff milling about the Jiang compound didn’t even bat an eye, when Jiang Cheng told them to procure some less formal robes for “Liu Mingyan” - they were scheduled to take a stroll in one of the gardens nearby and go on a boat ride, but water ghouls had been running amok lately what with the temperamental autumn storms and all, and Jiang Cheng was sure Liu Qingge wouldn’t mind helping out. They wouldn’t even have to change up the itinerary all that much.
In the end, Jiang Cheng had netted 17 water ghouls to Liu Qingge’s 14 - together, they probably damn near cleared the entire lake. But Liu Qingge had managed to catch a stone serpent on his way back, so the score was debatable. Liu Qingge kept insisting that he won because the snake was worth at least 5 water ghouls, just for the fact that it was very edible and very delicious. Looking at the creature’s ugly maw, Jiang Cheng found it hard to agree.
The staff hadn’t seen their Sect Leader in such a good mood in months. As a result, they, too, were in higher spirits. That is, until “Liu Mingyan” thrust the horrible creature into one of the cook’s hands and told them to prepare it for dinner.
They’d taken time to retreat to their own spaces to wash up and change out of their dirty dayclothes into something more formal and tonally appropriate, given their “date,” and then met up in Jiang Cheng’s study to talk.
“Mingyan wants to see the both of us in two weeks,” Liu Qingge said, gingerly trying to fix the fancy styling of his hair. “Apparently, it’s important.”
Jiang Cheng sighed, knotting his fingers together. “I figured something was up. She’s been weird for the past few months. Do you know what’s wrong?”
Liu Qingge shrugged. “She’s been back and forth between home and the peaks for months. Qi Qingqi’s been worried about it, too. Figures it’s marriage stuff.”
“But we’re not getting married,” Jiang Cheng deadpanned.
“I know that,” Liu Qingge snapped, giving Jiang Cheng an unimpressed look. “But everyone else doesn’t. Nainai’s been happy about you two courting. Maybe the pressure is getting to her.”
Jiang Cheng’s thumb rubbed at the rough detailing on Zidian. “We’re not marrying,” Jiang Cheng said, again. His words were quiet and clipped, uncomfortable and unsure even in his own mouth.
Liu Qingge nodded in agreement. “You’re not. I wouldn’t let my sister marry someone like you.”
“Hey!” Jiang Cheng hissed, leaning over to smack Liu Qingge in the arm. The statement would’ve stung more, if it weren’t for the shit-eating grin on Liu Qingge’s face.
A knock sounded at the door to the study. “Sect Leader Jiang? Supper is ready,” came the muffled voice from the other side.
“We’ll eat it in here,” Jiang Cheng called out, and carefully, they separated themselves to a respectful distance. A small retinue of servants came in, each carrying plates heaping with food. It was a small feast, easily enough to feed four or five. Clearly, the chef was nervous and overcompensating. Seeing as the main dish was clearly exotic monster meat (if the dusky, white-purple flesh was anything to go by), Jiang Cheng didn’t blame her much. At least there’d be plenty of food if it didn’t turn out to Jiang Cheng’s tastes.
Across the table, Liu Qingge was practically salivating. Jiang Cheng couldn’t actually tell, given the veil and everything, but with the intent way he stared at the meat, he looked eager.
“Can we bring you anything else, Sect Leader?” the bravest servant of the group asked.
“No. Go on with your duties,” Jiang Cheng said, waving them off. The servants were eager to retreat, not too keen to suffer the fallout if the meal was bad, and the door had only barely shut before Liu Qingge was tugging off his veil and getting his chopsticks ready. Even if it wasn’t visible under the veil, Liu Qingge had even done up the bottom of his face, his lips charmingly smudged in red. He went straight for the stone serpent.
Jiang Cheng was more than happy to let Liu Qingge test for poison, his chopsticks instead going for the steamed vegetables in his favorite bean sauce. He looked up from the food just in time to see Liu Qingge puffing out little mouthfuls of steam, bliss written all over his face. “Good?” Jiang Cheng asked, the corner of his mouth ticking up like he couldn’t help it.
Like an idiot, Liu Qingge nodded. At least he had the good sense to swallow before he spoke. “I haven’t had stone serpent in ages. I was looking forward to it. Your cooks did a good job.”
Jiang Cheng snorted. “Alright, alright. Save some for me,” he said, though he pointedly didn’t make any moves to take some.
Liu Qingge leaned over to cut some from the fillet on the plate and put it on Jiang Cheng’s bowl for him. “Eat, eat!”
Jiang Cheng looked down. Then he looked up at Liu Qingge’s expectant eyes, and back down again. He swallowed his water chestnut and took a corner of the big piece Liu Qingge had given him. Brought it to his mouth. Ate.
It was good.
Jiang Cheng found himself smiling as Liu Qingge beamed at him. “It’s good, right?” he asked.
“Mn. It’s good,” Jiang Cheng said, as he reached out and cut another piece to add to the one Liu Qingge had given him.
“So that means I won, right?” Liu Qingge asked, grinning around the chopsticks in his mouth.
“Not a chance,” Jiang Cheng said flatly, stuffing his mouth with more meat and rice as Liu Qingge brought up his reasons why the stone serpent deserved to be counted as 5 kills for the third time that day.
As they ate, a heavy storm broke over the Jiang compound. The air had smelled of it all day, but Jiang Cheng hadn’t expected it to come until later in the evening, well after Liu Qingge had left. Pursing his lips as he stared at the deluge pouring just outside the window, Jiang Cheng asked, “Do you want to stay the night?” It was the right thing to do, even if it was a bit too forward for two people formally courting one another.
“Yeah, sure,” Liu Qingge said, sucking down the little cup of alcohol that’d mostly been provided for Jiang Cheng’s sake.
--
Liu Mingyan folded her hands in front of her diplomatically and gave both men a very pointed stare. The three of them were sitting in the private room of a small establishment on the outskirts of Yunmeng. They’d have their privacy here, even if the food wasn’t as good as it was closer to the Jiang compound. “Nainai intends to finalize things. She wants to push for marriage,” she announced, and Jiang Cheng couldn’t help it if he choked on the piece of pheasant he’d just tried to swallow. Liu Qingge solemnly slapped Jiang Cheng hard between the shoulderblades until he could get his bearings again.
“What.” It wasn’t so much a question as a statement of dread. Jiang Cheng had thought he had at least another six months of one-day vacations to look forward to. It hadn’t even been a year yet.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan,” Liu Mingyan said, steadfastly, though the slight twitch of her beautifully manicured fingers gave her nerves away. “You need to promise me not to react until I’ve finished explaining.”
“It already sounds foolproof,” Jiang Cheng said drily, taking a sip of his cooling tea. Liu Mingyan chose not to grace that with a response, rolling her eyes in a way that would’ve gotten Jin Ling an earful.
“I’m not the only one Nainai is trying to marry off,” she began, shooting a purposeful stare at Liu Qingge, who continued to shovel food into his mouth at a frightening pace. “She’s been trying to get him to settle down since he came of age. As soon as she heard word that he’d landed himself on Bai Zhan peak, she’d done everything she could to get him to settle down.”
At the mention of Bai Zhan peak, Liu Qingge finally glanced up, swallowing down his great mouthful.
“I propose that we kill two birds with one stone,” Liu Mingyan said, and if her tone goes a bit theatrical, Jiang Cheng had the decency not to point it out.
“I don’t follow,” Jiang Cheng deadpanned, crossing his arms. “I thought the plan was to milk this whole thing for what it’s worth and gracefully part ways when it inevitably fell apart.”
“Yes, well. There’s a perfectly viable solution to the whole ‘falling apart’ part - you ,” she said, pointing to Jiang Cheng, “Marry my brother.”
Jiang Cheng could feel his blood vessels throbbing. He took a steadying breath and set his chopsticks down before he could snap them. “And how, exactly, does this help?” he asked, as diplomatically as he could. “In case you didn’t notice, your brother isn’t exactly equipped to bear me any children.”
“That’s where you’re wrong - Shen-Shibo and Luo Binghe were able to have a child after they used that odd plant Shang-Shishu found in the demon realm. You can do the same. And then, when you’re done, you can annul the marriage for whatever reason and live happily ever after in your bachelorhood. It’s perfect!” Liu Mingyan said, trying to keep her voice steady. But it was clear, she was excited about this concept. “Besides, if you manage to fall in love with someone, my brother can be discreet. It saves the both of us the trouble of being forced into awkward match-making dates for a while longer, and you get an heir out of the situation. Win-win.”
“I’m not opposed,” Liu Qingge said slowly, “but what about you? You’re the only one that doesn’t especially benefit from the situation.”
Liu Mingyan froze, eyes wide and smile awkward. Embarrassed, she looked down at her hands and fiddled with her thumbs. “Well…”
“I don’t see why you can’t marry him,” Liu Qingge said, and Liu Mingyan shivers, disgust written plain on her face.
“Oh, wow, thanks , Liu Mingyan,” Jiang Cheng drawled, rolling his eyes as he stabbed into the roasted pheasant with his chopsticks just a little too violently. “Way to make me feel wanted. Just foist me off onto your brother because you can’t stand the thought of being married to me. I understand.”
“No, it’s not that!” Liu Mingyan insisted, looking down at her hands in embarrassment. “I just think you two… have more chemistry. You get along convincingly. And besides… if it were me, I’d have to get pregnant, regardless of whether or not we do annul the marriage, and I...don’t think I could stomach that.”
“...oh,” Jiang Cheng said quietly, chewing awkwardly around his mouthful of food. It swallows down oddly, and he’s not too inclined to eat much else. The thought of having to - with Liu Mingyan, who he’s sure is objectively pretty, but who he’s come to think of as a friend and also, absolutely romantically incompatible with him - has him vaguely nauseated. The thought of Liu Mingyan like A-Jie, all round-bellied and morning sick and swollen-ankled and helpless , well. The thought is completely at odds with his entire concept of Liu Mingyan, and it doesn’t help with the crawling feeling in his gut. “...yeah, alright. I… can do that. It’s not permanent, after all.” He glanced at Liu Qingge, who was looking down at his own hands. “Are you okay with that?”
Liu Qingge stayed quiet for a moment, before looking up at Liu Mingyan. “I’ll do it if you tell Nainai the truth.”
Liu Mingyan frowned, her hands going white-knuckled. Jiang Cheng can’t even see her mouth, but he knows from that look in her eyes, that she's got a wry, defeated smile on her face. “Yeah. Alright.”
Liu Qingge stared at her for a long time, before leaning back. “Alright. Well then, how do we do this?”
--
As planned, Jiang Cheng spent the day impressing Madame Liu with the richest scenery in Yunmeng. He showed off the treasures, the disciples, the lotus lakes, the bustling town beyond the Jiang estate. They spend the time discussing the Liu siblings - both of them, though Madame Liu didn’t seem to catch on, what with how enamored she was with Jiang Cheng’s hospitality.
Though Jiang Cheng wasn’t much for conversation, Madame Liu made no complaint - she, too, was viciously pragmatic, the majority of their conversation centering around business or family ties. Even without Liu Mingyan’s help, Jiang Cheng gave Madame Liu every single reason why she would want to marry off her beloved grandchild to him with tongue so gilded, he could’ve given even Jin Guangyao a run for his money. Every little doubt, he soothed. Every little concern, he eased away.
Madame Liu fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
By the time Jiang Cheng led her into the prepared audience chamber, she looked like she’d already calculated Liu Mingyan’s dowry, down to the very last ingot. But the audience chamber - that was the nail in the coffin.
The place was bedecked in the most fragrant of flowers, the finest silk curtains, fucking beeswax candles in artisan-crafted lotus boats, floating in the decorative lotus pond at the center of the room. And behind the curtained archway of the secondary entrance, a slender figure in beautiful robes stood, their silhouette haloed by the gentle light of expensive night pearls, strewn about the various sconces in that particular hallway.
“A-Yan!” Madame Liu gasped, completely charmed by the entire display.
Jiang Cheng led her to turn around, offering her the most besotted look he could muster. “Madame Liu,” he said, with his most serious voice. “I’m sure you’re aware of my designs, by now. I wish to join our two families in marriage, and it would be the greatest honor if you would accept my offering. I hold a deep affection for the person beyond that curtain, and wish to be married as soon as humanely possible.”
“Yes,” Madame Liu said, immediately, her eyes welling up with tears. “Yes, absolutely. You have my blessing!”
“Do I have your word? I won’t allow you to take it back. I’ll marry that person no matter what happens,” Jiang Cheng warned.
“Absolutely. You have my word! A-yan, darling, why are you still hiding behind that curtain? Come out, come out, let me see you with your future husband,” Madame Liu cried, turning to the figure behind the curtain.
“Many thanks, grandmother,” came the voice behind the curtain, and Madame Liu’s smile froze on her face. From behind the curtain, none other than Liu Qingge stepped out, dressed in a gently sparkling veil and fetching violet robes. He’d even done his eyes up a bit, and Jiang Cheng’s chest felt so light, he could almost laugh.
“Xiao-Yu, what is the meaning of this?” Madame Liu demanded, watching in horror as Liu Qingge tossed aside his veil and all but scampered over to Jiang Cheng’s side to grasp his hand like some love-struck boy.
“Thank you for approving our marriage,” he said, and with a terribly besotted smile, Liu Qingge cupped Jiang Cheng’s chin in a gentle hand and tilted it closer, so that he might lean up and press a kiss against his cheek.
They, they hadn’t discussed that, and Jiang Cheng’s heart stuttered in his chest as his face, no doubt, turned bright red. “L - Qingge ,” Jiang Cheng choked out, fingers tightening in Liu Qingge’s.
“Yes, A-Cheng?” Liu Qingge asked, indulgently resting his chin against Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. His hair smelled like roses.
“Xiao-Yu, I would accept anything else, but for you to steal away your sister’s -” Madame Liu blustered, but Liu Qingge shakes his head.
“Mingyan isn’t into him like that. They’re just friends. I’ve taken her place more than once, before. Even when Jiang Cheng visited the estate - I was the one with him,” he said, without a single ounce of shame. Even Jiang Cheng couldn’t thicken his skin up this much! His ears were probably warm to the touch, his hands sweaty, his heart pounding hard in his chest. “She was the one that planned all this.”
Madame Liu looked like she was going to cry, but for a different reason altogether. “Xiao-Yu, you’ll send me to an early grave. First you tell me you want to go off and fight. I let you do that. Then you tell me you’re a cut-sleeve. I let you play around like that, too. But this? This isn’t funny! You’re nearly 45, Xiao-Yu! Why are you still doing this to your grandmother?” she demanded, clutching her chest rather dramatically. Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but glance over at Liu Qingge, at a loss for what to do.
“That might work on Mingyan, but it won’t work on me. I don’t care what you think about the situation - you’ve already accepted, and Sect Leader Jiang won’t let you take it back,” Liu Qingge says, quite firmly. But Jiang Cheng can still feel the way his hand twitches tighter around Jiang Cheng’s. “We’ll be married, and that’ll be the end of it. Shang Qinghua has already procured another Life-Seed Crystal, so there should be no qualms about heirs.”
“You terrible, terrible boy!” Madame Liu cries, her eyes going all glossy with unshed tears. Jiang Cheng almost felt bad for her. Almost. “Why are you like this? Why can’t you be more like your sister?”
“Because,” Liu Qingge says, and Jiang Cheng pulls him closer, so that they might hide his shaking hand behind their backs, “I’ve wasted enough time waiting for you to be happy with me, when I know it’ll never happen. I love him. That’s enough.”
--
Despite her misgivings, Madame Liu, like her grandchildren, was a woman of her word. Begrudgingly, she set everything up the way she would have if it were Mingyan getting married, “bridal” dowry and all. Out of respect for his fiance’s family, Jiang Cheng allowed Madame Liu to have final say in almost all of the wedding decisions. Liu Qingge, too, stayed pretty hands-off - though Jiang Cheng was sure it was for different reasons altogether.
Jiang Cheng saw him about as often as before - that is, maybe three or four times in the entire year leading up to their wedding. He, too, was a leader at his sect, and had responsibilities to be attended to; Jiang Cheng understood. He did, however, make an effort to stay longer than usual when he visited - two weeks instead of one, and always, with gifts. Some of them were fancy, the kind of things you’d expect from a fiance, but most of them were small, thoughtful, and practical. A good whetstone here, a bottle of expensive sword oil there. A dog collar for Fairy, whom Jiang Cheng had mentioned once or twice. A hair crown and pins. A new quiver for Jin Ling. Jiang Cheng wasn’t often swayed by frivolities, but Liu Qingge had a good eye.
Jiang Cheng also visited Cang Qiong once or twice, for formality’s sake. Their method of succession was odd, and their diplomatic affairs would be taken over by a completely new person in a few years’ time, when Liu Qingge retired. Liu Qingge’s peers were… interesting, to say the least, but clearly very competent. Absently, while talking to a man named Shang Qinghua, Jiang Cheng thought Wei Wuxian would have a great time here.
On one of his visits, he had a chance to meet with Liu Mingyan there, alongside with Ning Yingying. They were still very much “good friends” - at least, in the sense that Jiang Cheng, for all his lack of romantic sense, came to understand as “courting” - and they took him on a hunt. Ning Yingying asked him all kinds of questions about his relationship with Liu Qingge and Jiang Cheng was surprised, and a little pleased, to find that he knew the answers to just about all of them. When he returned to his guest quarters that evening on Qing Jing peak (apparently, Bai Zhan was completely inhospitable to guests, and from what Jiang Cheng had seen, he agreed), Liu Qingge snuck into his room and sulked about not being invited, even as he handed Jiang Cheng a sword tassel he’d had made in the weeks prior to Jiang Cheng’s arrival.
His bad mood didn’t stay long, when Jiang Cheng handed him his prize for the day. Gleefully - or as gleefully as Liu Qingge’s face can get, given that, like Jiang Cheng, his facial expressions are most often relegated to anger and neutrality - Liu Qingge accepted Jiang Cheng’s gift of the lizard’s pearly armored spines. The way his body language had completely opened up made something in Jiang Cheng’s chest go warm and floaty, a feeling he quickly and violently tamped down in favor or discussing with Liu Qingge the plans for the coming months.
Like this, the year up to their wedding passed by quickly, and come spring, Jiang Cheng and Liu Qingge are married.