44. Diversions

Yanli stood with Nie Popo and Nie Huaisang at the high parapet that was the launching off point from the Unclean Realm for anyone traveling by sword. Yanli wished Lan Wangji was going with them, but as yet no word had reached Qinghe about the fate of Cloud Recesses.

Ying’er was with Nie Mingjue, while A’Cheng and A’Yao rode with other Nie. They had been given training sabers of low spiritual strength, which would help them in a fight, but were not strong enough to fly with. It just put her to mind of finding a way to get them true spiritual swords as they deserved…preferably before the heavy weight of war truly hit the jianghu.

A’Yao had taken a private moment to say goodbye to his mother earlier, but Yanli had walked with him and the boys up to the parapet to get every second she could with them in her sight.

“We promise to be as safe as we can, JieJie,” A’Cheng said, his words a little stilted as she adjusted the straps on the bag slung across his back. He was looking at the ground as he spoke, his hands clinched into fists at his side, probably trying to hold back from hugging her like a little boy, she thought with a private smile.

“I know you will. Please promise me that you will take care of each other, no matter what.”

“We promise, JieJie!” They said together, and it was all Yanli could do not to tear up. There was a very real possibility that the squadron would not return, or at least would not return whole, and they all knew it but refused to admit it. She went about checking their robes again, including A’Yao’s, which were plain and dark, but all of them wore an underrobe of black decorated with peach-colored oleander flowers Yanli had embroidered on them. As protection went, it wasn’t much, but they carried their sect emblem and all her love with them, and that was all she could give them.

As they stepped onto the swords of the Nie disciples giving them a lift, Ying’er turned to look out over the Unclean Realm, and frowned.

“Stay away from Sect Leader Jiang,” Ying’er said, his usually good-natured smile falling away. A’Cheng glanced at him in confusion.

“I am safe here, Ying’er, I promise,” Yanli said with a firm smile. Ying’er did not look convinced, glancing up again. Yanli looked and saw a crow circling high in the air currents, but she decided not to ask about it as the squad took off on Nie Mingjue’s orders.

Nie Huaisang was as melancholy as she was, standing there quietly with his open fan pressed against his chest, as if keeping his heart at bay, his eyes never leaving his brother until the fliers were well out of sight.

Nie Popo turned to them. Gone were her luxurious silks and velvets and elegant hair pins. Instead, she was in an outfit that was not much different from what Nie Mingjue himself had been wearing, with bracers, heavy canvas outer layers and a lot of leather. She was ready for war.

“You will all be leaving tomorrow morning, taking the north road, and traveling fast. Be ready at dawn.” She looked both of them over. “Dress for rough travel. Do you have needs or requests?” She directed the last to Yanli.

Yanli handed over the letter that Meng Shi had helped her write that morning, both of them working to find the best and least offensive way to say “don’t be an idiot, send your very pregnant wife to safety with us.”

“If you could see this delivered to Sect Leader Jiang, I would appreciate it.”

Nie Huaisang’s eyebrows jumped up in surprise, but Nie Popo just took it with a searching look.

“I have offered Madam Jiang a place with our party, for her safety and the baby,” Yanli explained. Nie Huaisang’s expression grew even more shocked.

“We offered him the same thing, but he refused. He is heading for Lanling, leaving later this morning,” Nie Popo said without inflection, although her opinion of his decision was clear on her face.

“Nonetheless, I could not sit right with myself if I did not at least offer,” Yanli said.

She tucked the letter away. “You are a righteous woman, Sect Leader Wei.” She bowed. “I will see that he gets it before he leaves, and any reply will be delivered to you as quickly as possible.” Then she turned to Nie Huaisang just as he slapped his fan closed and tried backing away. Her arm snapped out and she caught him by the collar.

“Ack!”

“Did you finish that inventory of our grain stores with Nie Qian?” She said, shaking him like a puppy. “I want that done before you leave!”

Yanli quickly made her excuses and abandoned Nie Huaisang to his fate.

There was not much to distract her and Meng Shi for the rest of the day, as Liu Peng had already packed everything but their immediate necessities. She almost wished they had left at the same time as the squadron that morning, but since they were traveling by horse and carriage and taking a lot of luggage and cargo with them, their caravan required more time to assemble. Yanli knew that a good portion of the wagons were likely filled with Nie treasures they did not want to fall into the hands of the Wen in a worst-case scenario.

Meng Shi kept giving her sideways looks that said she had some idea what Yanli and A’Yao got up to the night before (they had been so quiet!) but mercifully did not ask any questions.

They ate breakfast in the garden and talked about poetry and the weather and whatever else they could think of that wasn’t war, politics, or their fears. By late morning, they both become quiet with worry, and Yanli put aside her stitching. She decided that she needed to stretch her legs before lunch was served, while Meng Shi demurred and claimed she was going to nap for a bit.

Staying out of the way of siege preparations was not easy, but a few helpful Nie pointed her to interior garden areas. She was sitting in one of the grander gardens, which was a lot more vibrant than she would have given the Nie credit for, when Liu Peng ran over to her and bowed hastily.

“Sect Leader Wei! Sect Leader Jiang would like to speak with you.”

Yanli took a moment. She had thought that Nie Popo would send word of his response.

Liu Peng must have seen her confusion. “He sent a disciple to the pavilion. Madam Meng is asleep, so I told him I would find you and let you know.” She bowed.

“I assume you know where he has been staying?”

“Yes! The Jiang contingent is over in the Qilin’s Haven pavilion. I can take you there!”

Yanli nodded and they headed out of the garden. Ying’er’s words of caution flitted through her mind, but she pushed them aside.

The Qilin’s Haven pavilion was, unsurprisingly, a much larger guest quarters, suitable for a sect leader with a large retinue. It was essentially its own siheyuan nestled toward the back side of the Unclean Realm, the buildings set in a terraced style up the incline of the mountain. Two Jiang disciples stood at the gate.

“I am here by request of Sect Leader Jiang. Please tell him Sect Leader Wei is here.” She said.

“Yes, Young Mistress—ah, I mean, Sect Leader Wei.”

“Thank you, Jiang Wu.”

Jiang Wu looked unhappy, but went inside with the message.

“Liu Peng, you may go. I will be fine. Jiang Fengmen is not an ally, but I will be safe.”

The girl frowned and was clearly trying to figure out how to argue with her without being disrespectful. “May I at least wait for you here?”

There did not seem much point in trying to dissuade her, so she nodded.

Jiang Wu came back and led her into the quarters. She was taken to the front hall, where Jiang Fengmian stood. They bowed to each other lightly, as sect leaders, and Yanli noticed that his wife was not there.

“I hope that Madam Jiang is doing well,” Yanli said, trying to start things off on a friendly note.

“She is resting at the moment, as we will be leaving shortly, but is as well as can be expected. Thank you for asking. Please, join me for tea.” He motioned at a table with two chairs to either side, already set up for tea. His manner was brusque but polite, and reminded her of how he often talked to many minor sect leaders. She figured it was the best behavior she could expect from him.

They sat down and a servant prepared the tea. When they had their cups in hand, he sighed and Yanli braced herself.

“Your offer to assist Madam Jiang in the evacuation of the Unclean Realm was generous. However, we are headed for Lanling, and plan to shelter at Koi Tower while hostilities continue.”

“Sect Leader Jiang knows best, of course.” She sipped her tea. “I only wanted to extend the offer as a gesture of goodwill after our rocky start.” She smiled.

He nodded with equanimity. “I perhaps did not show myself in the best light. It was…ah, surprising to see you. We had no reports of where you and the boys ended up.”

She continued drinking her tea as he spoke, trying to order her thoughts. “Given the situation, I felt it was better for us to remain obscure. Trust me when I say that without Wen Ruohan’s actions of late, we would still be in our modest home outside of Yiling.”

“Ah, you were always the level headed one,” he said, looking at her, and something about his expression set off alarm bells in her head. She remembered how he looked at her the morning they were thrown out, his eyes sharp and devoid of emotion, like a shark. She had never feared him before that day, but as she saw those eyes boring into her again, she wondered how she and A’Cheng had gotten out of Lotus Pier with their lives.

“Thank you. I…I…” She squinted as her vision drifted. “Oh?”

“Jiang Xia, please collect her cup,” he said, his voice sounding distant to her ears. She put her hands on the arms of the chair to steady herself.

“What?” She looked at him, swaying as a wave of dizziness swamped her. “You can’t…Nie…” Her tongue felt too big in her mouth.

“Put her in one of the trunks. Make sure she can breathe, and that the trunk is padded. We’re leaving immediately.”

She looked up at him, her heart beating fast but unable to speak as terror ran like acid through her veins. He leaned over to look her in the eye, and she wondered when he had stood up.

“If you had been more reasonable, we could have negotiated for Wei Ying privately. But I when I first saw you in Saber Hall, standing there pretending to be a sect leader, I knew you would be as stupidly stubborn as your mother. The only way we can win his obedience is with you as a hostage.” He stood up and smiled, but it was empty and cruel. “Wen Ruohan was very clear that I must keep you alive for the time being.”

She opened her mouth to scream, but her world went dark.