Chapter Text
The Kingdom of Gusu was divided into clans: YunmengJiang, LanlingJin, QingheNie, QishanWen, and GusuLan, where the power of the entire cultivation world was concentrated. The Emperor lived there along with those of his own blood; even those with extremely distant and diluted bloodlines were welcome in GusuLan. Each of the clans, except for GusuLan, which was ruled directly by the Emperor, had a minister responsible for governing the sect in his name and reporting everything that happened back to him. They formed the Great Council of Sects; each minister met with the Emperor monthly to discuss taxes, inter-clan operations, political alliances, and wars.
GusuLan and YunmengJiang were in conflict. Yunmeng wanted a new leader, and GusuLan refused to accept it, meaning a revolt was on the verge of exploding. Everyone in Yunmeng was preparing for a potential war. The cultivators trained, even those with the weakest golden cores; no one could afford to be unprepared. The war would be violent and bloody—perhaps the clan would be decimated to ashes and blood—but they would fight until the end.
This conflict arose because GusuLan chose the Ministers, and many times these ministers preferred to benefit themselves rather than look after the people and the sect. Taxes in Yunmeng were getting higher and higher, famine plagued even the wealthiest, and many lost their homes, businesses, and belongings. No one could take it anymore, and the people began to revolt against their own minister. Naturally, Gusu viewed this as a direct affront. The Emperor did not listen to his people, and the people could no longer endure the injustices they had been suffering for years. The boiling point for war came when the Emperor sent an army to wipe out the Yunmeng rebels.
The Minister was the first to abandon the clan, leaving it in ruins and at war, but the leaders of the rebellion, Jiang Fengmian and Wei Changze, did not let it slide: they tracked the Minister to his hiding place and decapitated him. After that, the people proclaimed them leader and vice-leader of YunmengJiang. Seeing that this calmed the people down, if only a little, GusuLan resolved to call a truce in the war and proclaim Jiang Fengmian as the new Minister of YunmengJiang and Wei Changze as the Head Disciple. The people fervently approved of the choice, and during years of peace, YunmengJiang became the most prominent sect among all the others.
In the years that followed, Wei Changze met a rogue cultivator and abdicated his position to start a family and cultivate with his wife. Meanwhile, Fengmian, even though it broke his heart, let his best friend go and formed his own family; he married purely for politics but had two beautiful children, whom he loved beyond measure. Sometime later, news arrived that Changze and his wife had died during a night hunt and that their son was still alive somewhere in the vast kingdom of Gusu. Fengmian spared no effort to find and take in the child, who was only found nearly a year after his parents' death; he had survived on the streets, eating scraps and sheltering under wagons.
Yu Ziyuan, Fengmian’s wife, hated the child from the moment she laid eyes on him, casting curse after curse, and finally said, "The arrival of this child will bring us to ruin." And as if her words held power—though not because of the child—the Emperor of Gusu accused Jiang Fengmian of treason. In light of this, he permanently banished him from Yunmeng, sentencing the ex-minister and his family to thirteen years of exile. The news was so devastating that Yu Ziyuan could not bear the disgrace that befell her family and died of heartbreak. Without a home to call their own and without his wife, Fengmian, along with his three children, set out for distant lands with the help of some nomads.
Nearly fourteen years passed after the exile of the ex-minister of Yunmeng. Jiang Fengmian had passed away a little over two years prior, stricken by a disease transmitted by a mosquito during one of his travels to exotic places. Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli, and Jiang Cheng built a commercial empire together, trading in spices and extremely rare fabric dyes. The three pooled as much money as they could to return to the kingdom of Gusu; as sad as their memories of that place were, they still missed the home they once knew. Jiang Yanli was a master weaver, Jiang Cheng excelled in administration and dyeing, and Wei Wuxian was skilled at sourcing spices and selling the products his siblings manufactured.
Together, they were natural strategists. Jiang Fengmian had trained them incredibly well during all their years in exile; he would never leave his beloved children in ignorance. From an early age, they learned about the cultivation world, classifications, and sub-genders; they were trained in the arts of archery, swordsmanship, fishing, and cultivation; they studied politics and foreign languages. This placed them on a high pedestal compared to others, but they never showed superiority or anything of the sort; they were kind, even if Jiang Cheng possessed a terrible temper.
"I managed to find more snails today, I think this will be the last batch before we head back," Wei Wuxian said.
"Well, then A-Cheng will handle the dye and color the fabrics, and I will make the robes for Master Hantal."
"Will it really be enough for us to return to Gusu? I know we can't go back to Yunmeng and that A-Li is getting married, and you, Wei Wuxian, are too, but will the money be enough to pay both dowries?" Jiang Cheng was worried. Both of his siblings had weddings arranged, and the higher the status of their betrothed, the more expensive the dowry would be.
"Shidi, Nie Huaisang mentioned in his last letter that Mingjue won't accept my dowry," Wei Wuxian replied briefly.
"The problem is that it will be an affront if he doesn't accept it! Just imagine, he'll think we don't even have enough money for your dowry!"
"A-Cheng, you know it's not like that. Nie Mingjue has a great fondness for A-Xian since we were children, he would never accept a single coin from us because of that," Yanli tried to appease the situation.
"Even if he did accept the dowry, I'm sure he would return double the amount to you, A-Cheng, and throw in Huaisang as a souvenir!" The boy's thunderous laughter filled the room as Jiang Cheng’s face turned bright red.
"It's been years since I last saw him, and besides, he was never my type," he retorted.
"Boys, let's focus on finishing our tasks and preparing for the trip. It will be more than thirty nights at sea. And, A-Xian, remember: no trying to jump into the ocean. Master Hantal already told you he didn't teach you maritime cultivation just for you to do something foolish."
"I never thought about jumping into the open sea in the middle of a voyage... well, maybe just once."
"If you jump, idiot, I'll break your legs!"
"Jiang Cheng, always as sweet as ever!"
Before being exiled, Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan had already arranged political marriages for their children between the Nie and Jin clans. Wei Wuxian would marry the eldest son of Minister Nie, and Jiang Yanli would marry one of Minister Jin's sons. They had also attempted an alliance with the Wens, but since they only had alpha children and Jiang Cheng was also an alpha, the alliance was never formed. Even after the exile, the alliances were never broken; Fengmian tried to dissolve them, but the ministers stood firm on their word: after thirteen years, their children would marry. And now, nearly fourteen years later, the betrothals were finally going to happen, first Wei Wuxian's and then Yanli's.
During the final adjustments to leave Bajau, the place where they spent almost all their years of exile, the Bajau chief gifted the three of them some gold and jewels in their honor, knowing they would need it; thus, he gave his blessing and said goodbye with promises that he would visit them.
The journey was long. Spending many days at sea makes anyone paranoid and long for dry land; the vastness of the deep blue water made Jiang Cheng nauseous, while the sea breeze energized Wei Wuxian. Jiang Yanli simply stayed in her room, weaving as much as she could. Food was scarce and water even scarcer, so they had to ration and pray they wouldn't fall ill. Fierce storms battered the ship; there were moments when all the crew members thought it would split in half and sink, but luck was on their side, and the ship docked safely at the Gusu pier.
The three set off for the Nie clan by carriage, as Nie Mingjue wanted his fiancé to have all the comfort possible. The journey was short, and after years apart, the betrothed could finally meet again. It was strange for both of them; the last image they had of each other was that of a child and a pre-teen. Reencountering each other like this made them shy.
"Welcome to QingheNie, my omega," Mingjue said.
"Thank you very much for receiving me so well, my fiancé," Wei Wuxian replied.
"You've finally arrived! Dage wanted everything to be in perfect order and for nothing to go wrong; he was even afraid the Emperor wouldn't be able to attend," Nie Huaisang commented and promptly greeted the visitors.
"You hadn't mentioned that the Emperor would attend our betrothal... I thought it would be more private."
"The Emperor's brother and I are very close friends, sworn brothers, and well, inviting the First Prince and not inviting the Emperor would be a disgrace."
"I can't believe I'm going to sit at the same table as those idiots. Who could have imagined we'd run right into them?" Already irritated, Jiang Cheng turned to his siblings. "Bad enough they exiled us, now we have to smile and dine with them."
"A-Cheng, it would be a dishonor for Leader Nie not to invite the brother of the current Emperor to dinner. It will only be for a few hours," Jiang Yanli always soothed the waters whenever Jiang Cheng snapped.
"Forgive me, my omega, I didn't mean to upset you so soon. Unfortunately, I cannot cancel the invitation. Both Xichen and Wangji are already on their way and should arrive shortly after lunch, but I promise their stay will be brief."
Even if reluctantly, Wei Wuxian smiled at his fiancé and took his hand. "It's alright, we've been through worse. I'm sure we can survive one night with the Emperor."
The former emperor had two sons: Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji, the first being an omega and the second an alpha, which secured him the throne. No one expected the former emperor to fall into a deep depression and abdicate the throne, nor that he would isolate himself for years on end until dying alone and suffering. Wangji learned to govern from a very young age. To take over the position of emperor—hitherto held by his Imperial Uncle, Lan Qiren—Wangji promised himself he would be a just and kind emperor, everything his father was not. Thus, when he assumed the throne, he put an end to all the irregularities and corruptions of his progenitor; he would never allow himself to be like him. His only flaw was his coldness and lack of compassion; as kind and just as he was, he showed no mercy at certain times, which distanced him even further from his people.
When he heard about Nie Mingjue's betrothal, he accepted the invitation solely out of respect for his brother; he had no desire to participate in unimportant festivities. Even though the marriage of a high-ranking minister like Mingjue was indeed significant, Wangji did not view it favorably: his brother loved Mingjue, and in response, the man was inviting him to his betrothal. That was the greatest pain his brother could feel; it was as if Xichen were some kind of masochist for accepting crumbs from his sworn brother.
Traveling to QingheNie was always exhausting for Lan Wangji, mainly because he always traveled by carriage. He preferred to fly on his sword, but since his small entourage could not keep up with him, the carriage was the only solution. Fortunately, the scenery kept him entertained until he reached the Nie lands, and upon arriving at the palace, he locked himself in the quarters assigned to him and remained there until dinner.
Nie Mingjue spared no effort to make Wei Wuxian the most beautiful fiancé among all the clans; he wanted his omega’s beauty to be exalted by everyone who saw him. The hand-enbroidered green hanfu was one of the most beautiful things Wei Wuxian had ever seen, in addition to the countless jeweled pieces he found in his chambers. His servants prepared him diligently for the big night: they bathed him thoroughly, moisturized his hair and skin, dressed him in the finest layers of his betrothal hanfu, applied his makeup, and finally styled his long hair into a beautiful updo.
Wuxian walked through the corridors toward the dining hall with the lightness of a bird. Everyone stopped to admire his beauty; it was as if time stood still there, and no one wanted him to move. Nie Mingjue rose from his seat and extended his hand to his fiancé.
"I have no words to describe your beauty tonight, my omega."
"And I have no words to thank you for these beautiful robes."
"Fabulous would be the right word, Dage," Nie Huaisang said, gently fanning his leque as he analyzed the garments he himself had helped his brother choose for his brother-in-law.
"Indeed, Huaisang, your brother's fiancé is exquisite," Xichen praised Wei Wuxian, keeping his sadness hidden.
"Let us await the Emperor's presence so we may begin dinner," Mingjue announced.
"If he even graces us with his presence, right?" Jiang Cheng shot back acidly. Right after he spoke, a servant announced the arrival of the Emperor.
"I apologize for my lateness," Wangji said calmly.
Wei Wuxian did not dare lift his eyes from the table; he was certain that if he looked at the Emperor, he would immediately speak words of hatred against him and lose his head.
"So, Wei Wuxian, tell me a little about your life outside the Kingdom of Gusu," the First Prince requested.
"It will be a pleasure. After we were exiled, Uncle Jiang searched long and hard for a place for us to settle. We were taken in by a clan located in the middle of the sea called Bajau; they are masters of maritime cultivation."
"I have never heard of maritime cultivation, how does it work?" the Emperor inquired.
"Your Imperial Majesty, maritime cultivation is as ancient as our own cultivation, but it is only practiced in Bajau. The residents of the clan learn from an early age to dive to depths of up to 60 meters and can go 10 minutes without breathing underwater; the elders can stay under a bit longer. With this, they can hunt, perform exorcisms of water ghouls, engage in combat, and carry out ambushes. I learned a great deal from the clan leader, Hantal, and I will be forever grateful for that." For Wei Wuxian, it was a source of immense pride to speak of the Bajau people.
"Does your cultivation stem only from this maritime cultivation, or did you also learn the cultivation of your homeland?" Wangji's simple question filled both Jiang Cheng and Wuxian with rage.
"If we hadn't been exiled, Yunmeng's cultivation would have been our main focus, but since we had to fend for ourselves to survive, we learned from the Bajau. I, especially, because I have always been curious," Wuxian would never let the Emperor forget that they were banished from their lands.
"One day you could show us how this cultivation works."
"Of course, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Emperor, forgive me for interrupting your conversation, but I would like to request your blessing for my marriage to my omega," Nie Mingjue informed. "It would be an honor for the Dragon Emperor to bless us with his words."
"Yes, Wangji, bless our hosts," Lan Xichen requested.
"I, the Regent Emperor Lan Wangji, do not give you my blessing."
Everyone was stunned. What had the betrothed couple done to be denied the blessing? The air seemed to be sucked from the lungs of everyone at the dinner; no one wanted to break the silence, but Wei Wuxian did:
"How can you not give us your blessing? We did nothing to upset you! How dare you do this? First, your family expels us from our lands, then exiles us, and now you won't give us your blessing to marry?" Exasperated, Wuxian hurled his words at the Emperor.
"I cannot give you my blessing when I intend to make you my concubine."
Chaos ensued. The Emperor's words struck straight at the heart of Wei Wuxian. What did he mean, become a concubine? Was he to be a bed-warmer for the Emperor and die that way? He could not accept this.
"Cut off my head, but I will not be your concubine."
"Should you refuse, your siblings will pay in your stead. You have two choices: become my concubine, or your siblings go to the guillotine."
"I would rather die than let Wei Wuxian marry you! He is my brother, we didn't come all this way for this!" shouted Jiang Cheng.
"Furthermore, Your Imperial Majesty, they have been destined for this marriage since childhood," Jiang Yanli intervened.
"And who will fight for you, should he go against my wishes? The Nies? The Jins? To lose everything over a single omega? Would they really start a war just for that?" Rising from the table and stepping toward the omega, the Emperor said, "If you do not come to the Gusu Palace with me tomorrow morning, prepare for war."
Left with no choice, Wei Wuxian finally looked the Emperor in the eye. His eyes filled with tears that would not be shed there, but rather later in his room. "Very well. If you promise to spare my family and my friends, I will become your concubine."
"A wise choice, omega. You need not fear me. I will do you no harm; I will treat you like the most beautiful nymph in existence. I will shower you with jewels and silk, drape you in gold and silver, and ensure that everyone appreciates your majestic beauty.