Work Text:
When Jiang Cheng woke up that morning, he knew that it was going to be a horrible day.
First, once he snapped his eyes open, he realized he was alone in his room. Which was worrying, since Wei Wuxian always slept in late and needed to be dragged out the bed. Second, he realized the sun was much higher in the sky than usual, and Jiang Cheng’s sleepy mind took almost a minute to understand that it meant it wasn’t five in the morning.
It took him another minute to realize he was going to be late for Lan Qiren’s lecture.
Jiang Cheng shot up in the bed. He stumbled in the soft sheets and fell face flat on the floor, his chin slapping against the matts while he gave out a distressed moan. But he couldn’t focus too much on the pain, not when there was a risk of him copying all those three thousand rules for who knew how many times.
He quickly scrubbed his face with water and threw on some clean robes. He didn’t have the time to do the bed or properly fold his night clothes, he just hoped no Lan disciple decided to check his room that day or it would be a disaster.
Jiang Cheng quickly rose to his feet and began to walk swiftly towards the lecture room. Obviously he wasn’t running, just walked really fast. Wei Wuxian had broken that rule too many times for it not to be burned in Jiang Cheng’s brain.
Speaking of Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng had all the intentions to yell at him once he was alone with him. He knew that fucker hadn’t woken him up on purpose and he wanted revenge .
But he could plot all he wanted during the lecture, now it wasn’t the time.
It was then that he noticed his hair was unbraided. Long brown locks tickled the skin of his cheeks and he now remembered why he always kept it in a bun. His hair was a manance, it was too long and he hated how it moved when he fought, no matter how many times his sister told him it looked good, he hated it with every fiber of his heart.
Jiang Cheng cursed, but he was already halfway towards the classroom and he didn’t know how late he was already. He couldn’t turn back now. He just hoped there wasn’t a rule against not having his hair unbraided.
And if there was, Jiang Cheng hoped to only receive a light scowling.
Everything was going to be alright. Probably.
Right?
Jiang Cheng arrived in the classroom with his heart in his throat, but was relieved when he noticed Lan Qiren hadn’t arrived yet.
His eyes quickly darted around the room, ready to murder Wei Wuxian with his bare hands, his soul yearning for revenge.
He hadn’t realized that, after he had stepped inside, it had become unusually quiet.
Wei Wuxian, the traitor, was distracted by talking with Nie Huaisang, but thanks to his sixth sense he immediately took notice of the murderous aura directed at him. He turned around, a grin tugging his lips up, his loud voice ringing in the room.
“Oh! Jiang Cheng, there you ar-”
Whatever Wei Wuxian was going to say immediately died in his throat. Jiang Cheng noticed with a certain amount of satisfaction how his grin was quickly wiped from his face and his eyes seemed to budge out. For once, Jiang Cheng had the pleasure to witness his brother being at loss of words.
“Wei Wuxian! Why didn’t you wake me up this morning?! I was almost late!” Jiang Cheng grumbled, sitting beside Wei Wuxian while pushing his annoying hair back behind his shoulders.
“I…” Wei Wuxian swallowed, but seemed unable to say more. Worst of all he was staring and it pissed Jiang Cheng off immensely.
“What are you looking at?! I didn’t even have the time to braid my hair! I know I look like shit!” Jiang Cheng snapped, his jaw clenching in anger.
Surprisingly, it was Nie Huaisang who spoke instead of his brother. He had a dazed look on his face, his eyes darting on Jiang Cheng’s features like he was one of his newest books . Jiang Cheng didn’t know if he liked that .
“Uh… I don’t think Wei Wuxian thinks you look like shit. You are actually really pre-”
Wei Wuxian kicked Nie Huaisang under the table, shutting him up. Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow. What were these two clowns doing?
Huaisang cursed under his breath, his mouth covered by his usual fan. He glared at Wei Wuxian like he had offended him and muttered something but Jiang Cheng couldn’t really understand it. Something between the lines of “good luck trying to protect his chastity”? What the fuck?
And it wasn’t the only strange thing that was happening. Jiang Cheng could hear whispers all around him talking about him even if he didn’t fully understand the context-
“Have you seen him?”
“-gods where was he hiding all of that -”
“-he is really Yu Ziyuan’s son-”
“No wonder his parents have always sheltered him-”
Before Jiang Cheng could stand up and shout at everyone to tell him to his face what was wrong, Lan Qiren finally arrived.
The chatter immediately died down while the man walked towards his seat, sending glares at all the disciples that were sitting in the wrong way. When it came to his usual much nastier glare towards Wei Wuxian, Lan Qiren caught sight of Jiang Cheng-
And he almost missed a step.
Lan Qiren stopped beside his table, watching Jiang Cheng like he had grown another head.
“... Jiang Wanyin?”
“Yes? Is there... something wrong, shifu ?” Jiang Cheng tilted his head to the side, his hair following his movement annoyingly, draping over his back. Someone behind him sucked a breath, but Jiang Cheng couldn’t turn around to see who it was.
Lan Qiren stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly unsettled by something, but instead of answering he squared his shoulders and turned, resuming his walk towards the teacher table.
Well, that was weird.
But it was weirder the fact that Wei Wuxian didn’t even comment on it.
Saying that the lecture was a torture would be an understatement.
Jiang Cheng tried really hard to follow what was being said, but he was distracted. The hairs behind his neck kept stirring up by the feeling of being stared. And the more people looked at him, the more difficult it was for Jiang Cheng to stay still.
He kept playing with his hair, twirling locks around his fingers while he stared at Lan Qiren. Somehow that made the staring worse, but Jiang Cheng tried not to take notice. Did he really look that strange with his hair down?
But the most unsettling thing was that Wei Wuxian was unusually silent beside him. It was worrying how straight he sat, his eyes looking only straight ahead unblinking. He wasn’t even annoying Lan Wangji which was even weirder! Even the Second Jade sent a look to Wei Wuxian when he thought no one was looking, probably thinking the same as Jiang Cheng, but nothing made his brother move.
Thankfully the lecture ran shorter than usual. Lan Qiren dismissed them quickly, Jiang Cheng thought he seemed distracted while he was talking, but he probably was unsettled by Wei Wuxian too. There was no other explanation for all the glances he sent in their direction, an aura of concern surrounding his figure.
Jiang Cheng collected his (mostly blank) notes and sighed loudly. It wasn’t even time for lunch and he was already exhausted.
“Jiang Wanyin!” Nie Huaisang appeared beside him, his fan covering half of his face. “Let’s go for a walk, what do you think?”
“No.” Wei Wuxian cut in immediately before Jiang Cheng had the chance to answer. “Jiang Cheng needs to go back to our room and braid his hair.”
It wasn’t the first time his brother ordered him around, but this time it was… weird?
Jiang Cheng crossed his arms under his chest, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. “Why? Shifu didn’t say anything, so I guess it’s not against the rules. And you know how long it takes to braid my hair, I’ll miss lunch! And I’ve already missed breakfast, I’m starving!”
“Jiang Cheng-” Wei Wuxian sounded distressed, but Jiang Cheng was already annoyed. He hated being ordered around like that and he didn’t hide the fact that it hurt too.
“You clearly don’t feel well today, Wei Wuxian, you should go rest a little.” Jiang Cheng said before he looked at Nie Huaisang. “I would like that walk very much, I need to stretch my legs.”
“Perfect!” Nie Huaisang tugged him before Wei Wuxian had the chance to say anything else, bringing him out the lecture hall towards Cloud Recess's beautiful gardens.
Jiang Cheng was too busy making sure his hair wasn’t going anywhere that he completely missed the smug look Nie Huaisang sent to a distressed Wei Wuxian.
“Nie Huaisang…”
“Uhm?”
“Aren’t people… staring?”
Jiang Cheng wondered as he walked, trying to will down the blush that was creeping up his neck. He felt so exposed, he wondered if his robes were dirty or something was written on them to justify all those eyes on him. And it wasn’t even his imagination! Every time someone caught sight of him, they immediately stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him with a thunderstruck expression that was starting to honestly scare Jiang Cheng! More so because he knew that there was a rule against staring so blatantly - he had checked once they passed the wall of discipline - and it was unsettling seeing so many Lan disciples breaking it so easily.
“Well, it’s surprising seeing you without braids!” Nie Huaisang dismissed his concerns with a flap of his fan. “Why do you always keep them in a bun? If you don’t mind asking.”
“Uh? Ah… that’s because it’s annoying fighting with my hair down… it goes everywhere…” Jiang Cheng pushed a lock of hair behind his ear and he was sure he saw Nie Huaisang’s hold on his fan tightened. “Plus my sister tells me it’s better for my protection or something… I don’t really understand. Maybe I look bad?”
Nie Huaisang looked thoughtful before he hid his smirk behind his fan. “I see… so young mistress Jiang…” He shook his head which confused Jiang Cheng even more. “You don’t look bad, I assure you.”
Somehow, that made Jiang Cheng feel lighter. He felt his frown easing on his face and his lips turned up into a small, gentle smile. It was rare for him to indulge in such an open expression, but it just felt right in that moment.
“Thank you, Huaisang.”
“Oh shit-” Jiang Cheng blinked confused when Nie Huaisang cursed and looked like he was choking on air. “Now I know why young mistress Jiang-” Nie Huaisang’s cheeks were a little flushed, like he was starting to get sick. Jiang Cheng was honestly a little concerned and tried to coax his friend to tell him more.
“Nie Huaisang? Are you oka-”
CRASH
His eyes immediately snapped towards the noise, forgetting what he was going to say. It seemed that one of the Lan disciples had dropped a basket full of water on the floor, splashing it everywhere.
The boy’s face was red as a tomato. He stared at Jiang Cheng like a deer caught in the light and bowed deep without taking his eyes away from the young master in front of him.
“I-I apologize, y-young master J-Jiang…” The boy stumbled so much on his words that he didn’t even wait for Jiang Cheng’s answer before he ran away, probably to find something to wipe the floor.
“It’s the first time I see a Lan disciple being clumsy.” Jiang Cheng hummed, amusement clear in his voice.
Nie Huaisang chuckled beside him, but there was an edge of nervousness under his tone. Jiang Cheng looked back at him and titled his head in question but he received no answer.
He hummed before he began to walk again.“His face was so red too… he must have been so embarrassed for dropping the basked, poor boy.”
Much to his growing confusion, Nie Huaisang laughed harder.
It wasn’t long before Jiang Cheng met someone he detested. Since the day started horribly, why should it get better?
He stopped suddenly seeing a familiar face moving towards him, nearly making Nie Huaisang stumble on him. Jin Zixuan didn’t have his usual yellow robes, but that sneer and the vermillion on his forehead were enough to make Jiang Cheng’s blood boil.
“Jin Zixuan.” Jiang Cheng bowed at him, enough not to look too rude even if his scowl was clear.
Jin Zixuan stopped and turned around. He looked at Jiang Cheng with that aura of arrogance he always had, ready to snap at him like they usually did when they were ten feet from each other.
But this time the words didn’t reach him.
Jin Zixuan blinked and double took Jiang Cheng’s form. His jaw dropped a little, like he was staring at something that was not a part of this world. Jiang Cheng would have found that look funny on the peacock if he didn’t think Jin Zixuan was scum and wished to get away from there as fast as his legs could carry him.
“You are… Jiang Wanyin?” Jin Zixuan’s voice sounded unsure. For once, he had an expression that suited his age. He seemed nothing more than a dumb teenager.
“Why is everyone asking me that question today?” Jiang Cheng grumbled, tilting his head towards Nie Huaisang, who was busy hiding his face behind his paper fan but was obviously entertained. The traitor.
But Jiang Cheng was soon distracted by the chatter from the rest of the Jin Sect. They weren’t even keeping their voices down and he briefly wondered if they didn’t teach how to whisper at Carp Tower.
“What…? That’s young master Jiang?! How-”
“Oh, oh… now we know who took the right genes in the family…!”
“I thought the rumours were fake but holy hell, why didn’t we go to the lecture today-”
“I think our young master has gotten engaged to the wrong Jiang-”
That didn’t sit well to Jiang Cheng.
“ Who the fuck said that?!” Jiang Cheng snarled, his hands finding the sword on his hip. “Care to say it again to my face?! Uh?!”
“Oh- wait, Jiang Wanyin, please, don’t-” Nie Huaisang grabbed his forearm, trying to avoid the bloodbath that was clearly going to happen if someone didn’t step in.
The Jin Sect had the decency to look embarrassed, but it wasn’t enough for Jiang Cheng, he wanted them to be held accountable for their words, they really needed to learn to shut up! Maybe if a Lan disciple came here-
“It’s against the rules to fight in Cloud Recess.” A voice cut them all off.
Jiang Cheng cursed recognizing it. Lan Wangji was standing right behind them. His eyes were stone cold, his expression unreadable. Of course, between all the Lan disciples that could have found them fighting, it was the strictest one.
“Y-Young master Lan…” One of the Jin disciples tried to defend themselves, but he was shut up by Lan Wangji’s firm, unforgiving eyes.
“All of you-” Lan Wangji pointed to each one of the Jin members - Jin Zixuan included, much to Jiang Cheng’s satisfaction. “-will copy the rules three times by tomorrow.”
It was obvious everyone was unhappy about it, but no one dared to say anything to the Second Jade.
Lan Wangji turned towards them, his stare tightening once it landed to Jiang Cheng. Nie Huaisang trembled beside him, but Lan Wangji gave both of them a silent bow before he went to his way, not saying another word, a dust of pink adorning his ears.
Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang shared a look.
It wasn’t until later that they realized Lan Wangji didn’t give them any punishment.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Or so Jiang Cheng liked to think.
It seemed that something was in the air since many of the Lan disciples were getting clumsy. Jiang Cheng had lost count of how many bows and plates he had heard breaking while he strolled around the gardens. He heard that it was the first time in the history of the clan that Lan Qiren forced more than a hundred punishments in a day. The poor teacher’s face had taken a purple shade for how angry he was, Jiang Cheng was worried for his health.
Nie Huaisang had disappeared somewhere after lunch, Jiang Cheng was sure it had something to do with his painting, but he didn’t have enough proof to back that theory up.
Jiang Cheng briefly thought about how he hadn’t seen Wei Wuxian all day before he realized that he was probably copying rules in the library and annoying Lan Wangji with all he could. As much as he loved his brother, he wasn’t going to help him getting out of trouble, especially since the Second Jade had graciously not given him punishment for his fight with the Jins. Plus he was still pissed at Wei Wuxian for the stunt he had made this morning and his words in the classroom.
Jiang Cheng stopped briefly when he heard chatter on the other side of the garden.
There were a bunch of children in white robes playing around, their happy chatter filling the space. Of course, none of them were running or shouting, but they were much more expressful than the older disciples. Seeing them playing with fake swords made Jiang Cheng’s chest feel light. He remembered all of the shidis he had left at Lotus Pier. Oh, how much he missed those little rascals, they always found a way to get themselves in trouble. It was mostly Wei Wuxian’s fault, but still.
One of the children caught him staring and said something to his friends in a hushed tone, moving his hands frantically in front of him. Jiang Cheng found all of their small eyes looking at him curiously and with amazement. It made him feel embarrassed.
Not wanting to be rude, he raised his hand and waved, his lips tentevely turning up into a small smile while he tried to keep his hair away from his mouth, pushing it behind his ear.
The children looked startled. They quickly scrambled further away like they were burned, their cheeks flushed in an adorable shade of pink while they whispered something to each other.
Jiang Cheng was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he distinctly heard the word fairy often thrown around, but he figured it was probably part of some game. He smiled to himself. Children were weird in every sect.
Seeing how they were too shy to approach him, Jiang Cheng resumed his strolling and ended up in an unfamiliar part of Cloud Recess. He looked around confused and scratched his head.
Maybe he should turn around and walk back from where he had come, he would surely find his way back.
It was then that his eyes caught sight of the First Jade of Gusu walking at the other side of the garden. Lan Xichen looked ethereal like always, with his pristine robes and gentle smile, but Jiang Cheng knew he hid the strength of a hundred men. He felt like a character from a fairy tail, too perfect to be true.
Thinking that it would be rude not to greet him, Jiang Cheng stepped towards him.
“Good afternoon, Zewu-jun. I hope you’re well.” Jiang Cheng bowed, his loose hair falling from his shoulders to his chest.
“Oh, good afternoon, Jiang Wan-” Lan Xichen turned his head towards him, his eyes falling on Jiang Cheng’s form and-
Promptly smashed his face against a wall.
“ Zewu-jun! ”
Jiang Cheng immediately rushed to his side, his fingers brushing against the pristine robes to check his injuries.
Lan Xichen had a dazed look on his face, his right cheekbone was sporting a bruise that would surely look nasty the next day but Jiang Cheng was more worried about the deep red that was colouring his ears. It was like all the blood rushed there. Did he perhaps have a fever?
“Are you alright, Zewu-jun?!” Jiang Cheng forced himself not to press his hand against Lan Xichen’s forehead, knowing how important the headband was for the Lan Sect, but that didn’t stop him from being concerned.
“I…” Lan Xichen blinked his eyes, looking down at Jiang Cheng like it was the first time he was seeing him. “I’m okay, don’t worry, it looks worse than it is.”
“Still…” Jiang Cheng bit his lower lip. It was unheard for the First Jade to be this distracted. What the hell was happening today?!
Lan Xichen waved a hand in front of him. “It’s okay, Jiang Wanyi, but thank you for your concern.” He fixed his eyes on Jiang Cheng’s face, a strange light shining in his pupils. “Your hair…”
“Ah…” Jiang Cheng looked away embarrassed, his fingers immediately gripping one of his locks in nervousness. “Wei Wuxian hasn’t woken me up in time… I forgot to braid it… but there isn’t a rule against it… right?”
“I see.” Lan Xichen sounded amused, even if his voice was more heated than usual. “No, there is not a rule against it.”
“Oh thank the gods.” Jiang Cheng laughed awkwardly, shooting him a look. “But seriously, Zewu-jun, what’s happening today? I don’t mean to pry and I know gossiping is against the rules but… it’s all day I see Lan disciples being clumsy! Have you eaten something bad?”
Lan Xichen’s eyes tightened, his amusement gone. Jiang Cheng shivered a little at the sudden change, but chose to remain silent. He had already said too much. Was the man angry at him for gossiping?
“All day…? Oh, I see, I see…” Lan Xichen smiled again and placed a hand against Jiang Cheng’s forearm. “Don’t worry, bad days happen in all sects.”
Jiang Cheng wasn’t convinced that that was the reason, but somehow he found himself nodding. “I guess…?”
“Yes, but ah-” Lan Xichen’s fingers brushed against one of his locks and was at loss of words for a second before he resumed like nothing had happened. “-maybe you should retire in your rooms for the day. You look really tired. I'll let someone bring your dinner there.”
Jiang Cheng furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t feel that tired.
“But Zewu-jun-”
“I insist, Jiang Wanyin.” Lan Xichen cut him off with a tone that didn’t accept comebacks. “I’ll let Wei Wuxian join you too. I just want to look out for you, okay? It would be bad if you fell ill.”
Jiang Cheng wanted to retort but… dinner in his rooms sounded good, he could joke with Wei Wuxian during it without worrying about the no talking during meals rule and maybe try to understand why his brother was behaving strangely today.
There were literally no reasons not to accept.
“Well… if you insist…”
Lan Xichen smiled gently, even if it looked a little more strained than usual.
“Good, now excuse me, I need to have a word with my uncle.”
The next day, Jiang Cheng nearly fell on the floor when he caught a glimpse of an added rule written on the wall of discipline.
He was still sulking for the fact that Wei Wuxian hadn’t told him anything the previous night about yesterday’s behaviour, instead he diverted his attention with his stupid stories and jokes, using chopsticks and food to make it all the more interesting. And Jiang Cheng had fallen into the trap like an idiot, immediately forgiving him without realizing it.
At least today he had woken up in time to braid his hair properly.
But every single one of his thoughts was casted out of the window when he read the new rule sculpted into the rock.
Rule 3001: Jiang Wanyin’s hair must always be braided.
Jiang Cheng was shocked, but it didn’t matter how much he blinked, the words remained the same. He looked around to ask for an explanation, but everyone was strangely ignoring him or diverted his questions every time he tried to find out more. Not even Nie Huaisang, the king of gossip, let his tongue loose. Even if he looked immensely amused.
Just as he thought to seek out Lan Xichen, Wei Wuxian clasped his hands on his shoulders and stared down at him seriously.
“It’s for the Gusu Lan Clan and your own good, Jiang Cheng, trust me.”
Which left Jiang Cheng even more confused and with even more questions.
But before he could start shouting his frustrations, a gong resounded in the gardens, indicating the start of the lecture. Jiang Cheng shook his head and allowed Wei Wuxian to pull him towards the classroom, neither of them wanting punishment for being late.
Well, Jiang Cheng could always shout his questions later.