67. Fates Unknown

A’Cheng and Lan Xichen captured by opponents unknown. Wei Ying’s location unknown. A’Yao, Meng Shi, and Lan Wangji’s fate unknown.

There were too many unknowns and Yanli just wanted her family together again.

“It’s not unheard of for the leader of a minor sect to marry into a major one, combining them.” Madam Jin sat across from her, looking determined but not hopeful over the teacup in her hand.

“I am already betrothed, Madam Jin.”

“So you’ve said, and I don’t mean to denigrate the man you are betrothed to, who I am sure is an outstanding and honorable cultivator! But I ask: does he compare to the leader of a major sect?”

Yanli rather thought he did, especially given that he was said sect leader’s half-brother, but she knew it was not the time to sing A’Yao’s praises.

“Have you found Jin Zixun?” She asked instead. Madam Jin gave a small huff of polite annoyance at the forced change of subject, but did not push back.

“No. The latest reports say that he and his followers are traveling toward Pingyang.”

“Sect Leader Yao was a favorite of former Sect Leader Jin, it’s possible he has been Jin Zixun’s backer for a while now.” Nie Huaisang simpered, pouring more tea for them and demonstrating more delicacy and elegance than some of the sisters at the Dragonfly Shoal had done. Yanli suspected Meng Shi’s hand in there somewhere. Or, the more she thought about, more likely Nie Popo's.

“Oh, I’m sure of it. That nasty boy was more like his uncle—anyway, he’s out of our hair for now, and does not have the manpower to directly challenge my A’Xuan.” She spoke smugly, which given that past twelve hours she had the right to do.

As soon as MianMian deferentially brought her into Jin Guangshan’s office, Madam Jin had taken one look at her dead husband, then turned around to her chief attendant and said the words “Operation Fish Food.” Half her attendants ran out of the room like it was on fire and within an hour the entire sect was in turmoil. By lunchtime, a third of the Jin elders council was “missing” and at least another third of the sect’s servants were simply gone.

Yanli decided not to ask for specifics.

“More candied fruit, Madam Jin?” Nie Huaisang held up the plate, keeping his eyes lowered. Yanli really wanted to both roll her eyes and also knock the plate out of his hands on principle, the little manipulative brat. She wished Ying’er was there, because he definitely would do both.

“I told you to call me Auntie Jin, Huaisang.” Madam Jin, who Yanli thought could not be so thick as to not see what he was playing at, took a piece of candy with a kindly smile.

On the other hand, if it kept the woman from continuing to press her son’s suit on Yanli, maybe she should encourage it.

“Sang’er has been such a reliable resource in all of this chaos. Did he tell you about how he personally revived the lost art of cultivation using qi threaded weapons?” She said, taking a piece of candy for herself.

“Qi threading! I thought that was on old wives’ tale!” Madam Jin looked suitably impressed. “Where on earth did you source the weapons?

Nie Huaisang blushed delicately and she wondered how he taught himself to do that. “Sect Leader Wei is too kind. The fans I use were embroidered by the master Crane in the Mist. This one merely used them to protect the non-combatants from the vile Wen.”

“Truly an honorable goal.” Madam Jin nodded, pleased. “You are quite talented! Shame on Sect Leader Nie for hiding you away from competitions.”

“On top of all his work in organizing the caravan travel itself! Given the Nie have been without a furen for so long, he has done much to assist his brother in running the sect.”

Madam Jin gave her a knowing glance, clearly seeing what she was up to, but again did not put up a protest. A marriage alliance with the Nie would serve the Jin sect well, they both knew.

Presuming Wen Ruohan did not wipe them all out.

Madam Jin was setting down her teacup when the door opened and Luo Qingyang walked in. Her eyes brushed fondly over Nie Huaisang and he lit up a little, and once again Yanli decided to ignore all the subtext. That was Madam Jin’s problem.

“Madam Jin, Zixuan—ah, I mean, Sect Leader Jin is has some questions about the treasure room.”

“Hmph.” Madam Jin stood up and rolled her shoulders back like a soldier. As she passed Luo Qingyang, she patted her arm affectionately (something she used to do to Yanli when she was young girl) and then motioned for her to follow. Luo Qingyang gave them a quick bow before scampering off after her.

Yanli and Nie Huaisang waited a few seconds after the door closed to see if anyone else was going to enter.

“I have been informed that the caravan is completely abandoned, but unmolested. I think word of the Wen’s fierce corpses got out and even locals don’t want to go near the site,” Nie Huaisang whispered. They could put up a silencing talisman, but it would be obvious to anyone paying attention, and they did not want to be obvious given the political turmoil in the tower.

Yanli nodded, expecting that much.

“Not much word on where survivors went, but there were not many bodies left, so we assume they got away,” he continued. “I have my best scouts searching for them.” He tried to give her a reassuring look, but there wasn’t much reassuring to be done. The “them” they were searching for was A’Yao and Second Mother, along with Jiang Yimin and, of course, Xiao Niao. Yanli genuinely worried for everyone they had left behind, but those were the ones she feared for the most.

“Why are we whispering?” Liu Peng asked, replenishing the fruit tray. “If this one may ask,” she amended sheepishly.

“I trust Zixuan and MianMian, and by extension Madam Jin, but Koi Tower has always been a hotbed of intrigue and infighting. Jin Zixun has gone on the run, but that does not mean he is without support in these halls.”

Nie Huaisang nodded. “Nor do we know who else might be in the mix. Jin Zixun is the most obvious claimant, but there are plenty of Jin cousins and other relatives who could step up.”

Liu Peng nodded with a frown. “But what does that have to do with us?”

“We are weak right now. Our sect is very small and fractured, and my own heirs are both being hunted by the Wen. Now is not the time to trust strangers,” Yanli said, looking into her own teacup. It held no answers, no solutions.

They sat with that in silence for a moment until there was a knock on the door. “Sect Leader Wei, Jiang Wu and Jiang Minhao reporting in!” Jiang Wu said loudly.

Yanli nodded at Liu Peng, who dashed over to open the door, smiling at the sight of Jiang Wu, who glanced at her with his own soft smile. Yanli made a note to discuss the matter with Meng Shi when they were reunited. Marrying Liu Peng into the Wei sect would solve a lot of problems.

The two Jiang walked in, wearing clothes they had certainly not brought with them and which were exceptionally well tailored. The black and peach motif was carried through with the Wei oleander flower on their shoulders, along with red sashes and cuffs. Yanli turned her gaze on Nie Huaisang, who just hummed happily.

“You can’t keep buying whole wardrobes for us!”

“I’m not!”

She waved a hand at her two disciples, who stood looking at them in confusion.

“Meng Yao is keeping a very precise account of how much your fans and ribbons would cost at face value compared to the clothes the Nie sect supplements your wardrobes with.” He pouted. “Mist in the Crane’s pieces are extremely high-demand! I am still in debt. Expect your new hanfu collection to be delivered tomorrow morning, by the way. You’re welcome.” He huffed a little and glared off into the distance.

Her fans did not cost that much, she was certain, but far be it for her to undermine A’Yao’s careful fleecing of the Nie. She gave up and waved Jiang Wu and Jiang Minhao over. They bowed, and she could tell that Jiang Wu was wound up a little. Hope flared in her chest.

“You have news?”

“Yes, Sect Leader! Second Young Master Wei and an unnamed Lan are being taken to the Pingyang Yao!”

“Unbelievable,” Nie Huaisang muttered darkly. “Let me guess: they were captured by the Yao sect on Jin Zixun’s orders?”

“How did you know?” Jiang Wu asked, shocked.

“Never mind, never mind. Do they have any idea who the Lan is, at all?”

Jiang Minhao shook her head. “Early reports were that it was Lan Xichen, but then they heard that we had been traveling with Lan Xichen after he saved Sect Leader Wei from the dread bandit Hanguang-Jun, so now everyone thinks it is either Lan Wangji or possibly even Lan Qiren.” She raised an eyebrow at Yanli.

“Of course,” she said solemnly.

“Who told you this?” Nie Huaisang asked.

“Pretty much everyone,” Jiang Wu said with a shrug. “With Jin Zixun having been chased out, anyone who knows anything is happily sharing all his secrets. It became hot gossip once we ‘accidentally’ confirmed the rumor that Second Young Master Wei used to be the Jiang heir.” He grimaced as he bowed to Yanli. “Apparently Yunmeng Jiang had let the story of your deaths stand uncontested all these years.”

Both Nie Huaisang and Liu Peng flinched at that, but Yanli felt nothing. It was what she had come to expect of Sect Leader Jiang, after all. Speaking of…

“No word on Jiang Fengmian?”

At their matched dark expressions, she assumed the answer was no.

Nie Huaisang tapped his closed fan thoughtfully on the table. “What is the likelihood that he’s also gone to Pingyang?”

“Why would he?” Yanli asked.

“Jiang Wu just said that no one here had any idea that Wei Cheng is actually the former Jiang heir. How would Jin Zixun or any of the Pingyang Yao know that without being told? I could see Jin Zixun wanting a Lan—any Lan—to hold for leverage, either with his uncle or even Wen Ruohan, but if A’Cheng was captured with him, why keep him alive? He left with a small platoon of Nie, and we’ve heard no word of them being held hostage. Either they escaped or were executed.” He leaned forward. “But not Wei Cheng, Second Young Master of the obscure Yiling Wei sect, who no one cares about except Jiang Fengmian and Wen Ruohan.”

Slowly, almost against her will, Yanli nodded. “He sent Madam Jiang to the coast to keep her safe, because he was heading inland to meet up with the Yao sect, possibly on Jin Guangshan’s recommendation.”

“Given what we know of Sect Leader Jiang’s capitulation to Wen Ruohan and Jin Guangshan’s underhanded dealings with the Wen sect leader, we can be pretty sure that any place he goes is aligned with the Wen.”

“Hm. Perhaps Jin Guangshan was using his nephew to strengthen his ties to the Wen, while pretending to the other sects that he was staying neutral,” Yanli continued, lost in thought. Then gasped. “Ying’er!”

Jiang Minhao straightened up. “We can leave now to intercept him!”

Reluctantly, she shook her head. “He’s too clever to use any obvious route, I doubt you could find him.” She took a deep breath. “He knew he was walking into danger when he headed out. He will know to keep his head down until he can safely free A’Cheng and Lan…Wangji.”

Everyone was quiet while she mulled over their options, which was another thing she was learning to get used to. Despite Lao Wang’s and A’Yao’s help, raising her brothers had been more like wrestling goats than running a sect, and she was still adjusting to the automatic deference even troublemakers like Nie Huaisang offered her because of her position.

Finally, she looked over at the troublemaker in question, who straightened up automatically under her scrutiny.

“Ying’er is on his own for now, and while I would dearly love to march an army to go help rescue A’Cheng, right now my greatest concern is for Second Mother and A’Yao. They have Xiao Niao and, possibly, Jiang Yimin with them, if he survived.”

Jiang Wu visibly steeled himself at those words, but they all knew the Wen-controlled fierce corpses had targeted cultivators. They were all hoping more than expecting to find him alive.

“With all due respect, Sect Leader Wei, I do not think they would have kept going for Tangshan, knowing that you were being taken here,” Jiang Minhao offered deferentially.

Yanli sighed heavily. “I suspect you are correct.” She put herself into A’Yao’s head for a moment. Likely, he would get everyone into disguises, perhaps traveling as a displaced family. Claiming to be brother and sister would be easy enough, given his mother’s youthful looks. The Wen were looking for a mother and an adult son, so it would be an smart way to throw the trail off. Xiao Niao needed a wet nurse for the foreseeable future, so possibly traveling as rich merchants? No doubt, A’Yao would have ransacked the Nie wagons for money and valuables he could trade along the way. She opened the discussion with Nie Huaisang, who agreed, and Jiang Minhao offered the suggestion that for expediency they would likely travel by river.

“Where is Lan Wangji, though? Surely with you here and his betrothed walking into danger, he would grab the nearest spiritual sword and fly down. Unless he decided to go back to being Hanguang-Jun?” Jiang Wu asked, glancing between Yanli and Nie Huaisang, as if they had any answer to that.

Yanli shook her head. “I don’t have the manpower to go out and search for everyone and I cannot undermine Jin Zixuan’s consolidation of power within the Jin by asking him publicly for assistance.” Unsaid was the fact that Nie Meitong had told her directly, if regretfully, that he could not release any remaining Nie from their duty to protect the Nie heir, especially given the political upheaval among the Jin. She felt her frustration boiling under her skin. She was safe, but her family wasn’t, and she had no way to help them directly.

A pigeon flew into the room, one of the fancy owl pigeon breeds with poofy frills around its neck and legs that, in Yanli’s opinion, made it look like a fat pillow. It strutted around on the table next to Nie Huaisang before holding its leg out demandingly. Nie Huaisang chuckled but took the note and unwrapped it, reading the small piece of paper quickly.

He smiled as he handed the message to Yanli. “I might have a solution for that. Da’Ge and Baxia are on their way here.”