Chapter Text
For once in his life, Lan Wangji was late. No one could possibly blame him for this. He was but a man in the orbit of the sun. He had no choice but to worship it thoroughly. Time meant nothing in comparison.
He knew some would call it the walk of shame, but he could hardly find anything they did shameful. So he walked, fashionably late, into the garden arm and arm with his mate. While people certainly started, no one commented on his undone top button that had been ripped as Wei Ying fumbled the shirt open. Nor did they comment on the blossoming hickey on the nape of his mate’s neck, only visible now that Wei Ying had had to hastily put his hair into a ponytail.
Lan Wangji would have preferred to leave the mark on his jaw or just above his adam’s apple, but Wei Ying insisted on being taken from behind. Doggy style he called it. ‘In honor of the Jiang,’ he had added with a wink. How could Lan Wangji refuse such a request? His claim was still on display anyway.
It was good that they honored the Jiang during the break. As it was, the purple clad clan had nothing but glares for them. Well, the members that were looking at them as they sat down, at least. They would be getting no further honor from the Lan.
Jin Guangshan looked ready to burst. He had likely also arrived late, only to find the person they all needed to question not there.
Lan Wangji hoped they all knew exactly what they were doing.
“Good of you to join us, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian,” he grimaced.
“Wei Ying,” the rabbit swiftly corrected, “Or rather Madame Lan to you.”
Jin Guangshan’s eyes glinted, as if he found a weak spot, “You deny the courtesy name so graciously given by your old clan? Hardly respectful of Madame Lan.”
“Regardless of how or why it was given, that name was rescinded the moment I was reduced to a broodmate. It is not mine, and I do not want it.”
“Being a clan heir’s partner is hardly a step down,” he cooed, “You are still one, afterall.
“I have zero doubt you believe the two to be the same,” Wei Ying grinned, “But I think it is clear to most that being Wen Xu’s little plaything is incomparable to being loved and respected by my Lan Zhan. Besides, isn’t there more important things to discuss than my previous ties to the Jiang?”
“I simply find it hard to trust an omega with so little loyalty. It seems to me you have already betrayed two of the clans. What’s one more should you be offered something better?”
Lan Xichen stood up before Wei Ying could respond and bowed shallowly to the lion, “Clan Leader Jin. Although I will not claim to have run a clan for as long as you have, I will say that I’ve found loyalty in those treated well. While it certainly won’t stop betrayal entirely, support, respect, and care go a long way to stabilizing a clan. Because of this, I have no reason to suspect Wei Ying would simply flit off to the next halfway decent offer. We plan to give him no reason to.”
Madame Yu shot to her feet, “Are you implying that we did give him reason? After we fed him from our plates and wasted precious resources to train him? After we found a more than favorable match for that mongrel?!”
“Apologies, Madame Yu, I did not mean to imply anything. Allow me to correct that,” he hummed, “What I meant was that food and water are simply necessities to be given when one takes in a new person. Training them is in the best interest of the clan. Selling them into the servitude of a known abuser is nothing more than a loosely guaranteed alliance. Nothing you did should garner trust or loyalty and therefore it did not.”
The whole garden was speechless as he bowed to her, almost mockingly, “I thank my elder for the lessons of what I should avoid in the future with my own nieces and nephews.”
It took a quiet moment for anyone to find their footing. Lan Wangji knew his brother was at the end of his patience, something that rarely happened. Insulting a dragon’s family was certainly the best way to make sure it snapped, however. Lan Wangji was only holding on to his because of a grounding hand on his upper thigh. Hard to think about murdering everyone when your mate was reminding you of the bliss you just received not 10 minutes back. Or, perhaps this was a promise of the future, with his thumb lightly dragging up and down his inner thigh. He was definitely going to get hard at this rate.
Wait, when did everyone start shouting?
Glancing around, he saw his brother still standing. This table seemed to be the only beacon of propriety as every other table had, at some point, erupted into chaos. Lan Wangji pulled a tight rein on himself before he growled at the volume of it all and went back to focusing on the steady warmth of his mate.
He could pick out lines being drawn and sides being taken. The smaller clans were already wanting to beat the Wen back. Even the few that were allied to the Jiang were voicing their distrust. The only two not vying for blood were both under Jin rule. He never liked dealing with the Yao and Qin clans anyway.
Wei Ying suddenly leaned heavily on him. He sighed, “I don’t get how Jin Guangshan thinks he can wrangle this crowd. It’s too clear where his loyalties lie.”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji wrapped an arm around his waist.
“ENOUGH!” Nie Mingjue shouted over the cacophony, “This bastard murdered my father! Any of you cowards can lay down and lick his boots if you want. I refuse to! Join those Wen bastards if you’d like! Your families will peel your skin from the walls!”
“How dare you call us cowards!” Madame Yu growled.
Nie Mingjue scoffed, “You are willing to give your clan away for your own survival! You already let them get away with ignoring Yiling. You let them make a fool of you!”
The reminder made her eyes go wild, “YumengJiang will never lay down!”
“San-Niang-!”
“Never!” she cut the clan leader off, “We’ll cut down anyone who tries!”
Only then did Lan Xichen speak up once more, “Then the Great Clans are in majority. Clan Leader Jin?”
Jin Guangshan shifted in his chair, glancing around at the expectant faces. They were all ready to call the Wen Clan to heel, so why was he hesitating? The folders given to everyone were specially curated to show Wen Ruohan’s plans of domination. Wasn’t the Jin Clan part of that? Every clan was every clan... unless?
Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji spent many hours putting together information in a way that shed no suspicion on any other clan that may or may not be involved. They could have added the payments given, but then Jin Guangshan could oust his nephew and feign ignorance. So that instead decided to let the lion sweat. Force him into a corner and let his own actions slowly damn him. It was similar to the plans Lan Wangji had for the Jiang, though that was less consolidated for the moment. Wei Ying would have final say over everything he did on that front.
Jin Guangshan cleared his throat and took a swig from his glass, “The Great Clans are in agreement. The crime is grave, however I find myself concerned over our response. Are we going to storm his mansion and take his head without a word?”
“What would you suggest? This is an open floor.”
“Clan Leader Lan, would it not be more appropriate to petition the Wen Clan? Perhaps this situation isn’t so black and white.”
Nie Mingjue scowled, “Are you saying my father deserved to be poisoned? Deserved to be murdered?!”
“Not at all,” he placated, “Merely that we do not have the full truth. It would be rather hypocritical if we automatically attack him. Not to mention against the codes.”
False, Lan Wangji couldn’t help but think.
What Wen Ruohan had done was against the treaty, or codes as Jin Guangshan liked to say. He instigated. Actually, the raid on the brood house was also against the treaty. It wasn’t being called into question because of the slight reordering of events, but in reality he had acted on no real information to obtain his mate.
Retaliating, however, was an ironclad part of the treaty. It's what guaranteed every other part of it. Any clan, when attacked without provocation or proof of wrongdoing, had the right to defend. If they didn’t, how could anyone be held to the treaty?
Jin Guangshan was arguing the validity of who threw the first stone. It was obvious what Wen Ruohan was doing to most everyone in the room, but if he wanted to play this out, they could.
Lan Xichen acquiesced, “Very well. It would behoove us to draft and send our official request, then.”
Lan Wangji closed his eyes and let out a breath. He was no longer needed for this meeting. At least not in mind. Politics was not his place. If they were to plan an attack, he would have no choice but to take point. Writing a missive from one clan to another? Not his duty.
He had more important things to focus on.
Wei Ying reached into his purse and started chewing on a few pieces of hay. He slowly munched the pieces into his mouth as his gaze became unfocused. Wei Ying was suddenly someplace far away that was much more interesting.
It was a skill he envied, really. The ability to let his mind wander on command.
He was adorable.
Lan Wangji wrapped an arm around his waist and let the meeting continue in the back of his mind. He had to listen to some degree, but how could anyone blame him for getting caught up in his beautiful bunny?