#(also he hates lwj because unlike lwj jc knows the reason behind wwx getting punished)

[sarah-yyy]

i love your writing so much!!! i was just thinking for rp verse: does lwj know about wwx getting in trouble with madam yu every time lwj said he didn't want to marry wwx in the past? you mentioned waaay at the beginning that wwx gets in trouble, but like... how much trouble? is madam yu just chewing him out or is it angstier than that?? i figure lwj doesn't know since while he's kinda dumb he's not intentionally ~cruel~ but that then raises the question, does he/how does he find out??

“Er-dianxia,” Luo Qingyang says, coming into his study, “Jiang-fu has sent a messenger to say that Wei-gongzi will not be coming to the palace today. Wei-gongzi sends his apologies.”

Lan Wangji looks up from his reading at that. “Oh?” he asks. 

It’s not often that outsiders are granted access to the inner palace, and rarer still that Lan Wangji takes visitors, but the council of elders had ordered the monthly meetings between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and Lan Wangji would not have been able to protest without offending the elders and the Jiang family. 

It is surprising for Wei Wuxian to miss their monthly meetings. He arrives on time every single month, cheery smile on his face, and never leaves early, no matter how much Lan Wangji ignores him.

The elders say they must meet; they do not say Lan Wangji must speak to him. 

It should come as a relief that Wei Wuxian has chosen not to come today. Lan Wangji has other things to do, better things to do, than to be wasting his time with Wei Wuxian.  

He tries to turn back to his reading, but Wei Wuxian’s absence is as discomforting as his presence is distracting. Lan Wangji hates that he finds it hard to maintain his usual composure when it comes to Wei Wuxian.

“Did the messenger say why?” Lan Wangji asks, and Luo Qingyang shakes her head. 

Lan Wangji should just leave it. He should be enjoying the reprieve Wei Wuxian has given him by not showing up, but...

It will be another month before Lan Wangji sees him again, and for some reason, the thought makes his heart constrict painfully. 

He briefly considers summoning an imperial physician.

“I got the feeling that Wei-gongzi was unwell,” Luo Qingyang offers. “The messenger looked uncomfortable when I asked.” 

Lan Wangji rises from his seat. “Have the servants prepare a carriage,” he tells her simply, and resolutely doesn’t comment on the smile that blooms on her face.

-

The servants at Jiang-fu don’t outright turn him away, but it is a near thing. 

“Do you know who he is?” Luo Qingyang demands angrily by his side. 

“This humble servant apologises to er-dianxia,” the servant says. “Yu-furen said before she left that da-gongzi was not to be allowed visitors during his punishm-” He cuts himself off abruptly, quickly realising that he’s said the wrong thing when Lan Wangji frowns. 

“Punishment?” Lan Wangji echoes. 

He feels a chill down his spine. Yu Ziyuan is not known for her leniency, and it’s not a secret that she holds Wei Wuxian in contempt. 

The servant drops to his knees. “Er-dianxia.” 

“I must see him today,” Lan Wangji says firmly. He takes a step past the kneeling servant. “It is the seventh day of the month. It is my right to see Wei Wuxian today. If you do not let me in, I will...” 

“Make a scene,” Luo Qingyang mouths at him.

Lan Wangji nods. “I will make a scene.” 

“I would pay money to see that,” Jiang Wanyin says loudly. He bows when he sees Lan Wangji, scowling. He is always scowling, just as Wei Wuxian is always smiling. “Er-dianxia.”

“Where is Wei Wuxian?” Lan Wangji asks. 

“What is it to you?” Jiang Wanyin asks snidely. He sounds angry, but Lan Wangji does not pay it much mind, because when does Jiang Wanyin not sound angry? “It’s not like you care very much about him anyway.”

Lan Wangji doesn’t bother to reply, just squares his jaw, and asks again, “Where is Wei Wuxian?”

“Asleep,” Jiang Wanyin says. And then, much softer, “Healing.” 

Lan Wangji’s heart skips a beat. “He is hurt? How did he get hurt?” 

The servant had said punishment. 

“He was disciplined,” Jiang Wanyin says simply.

“How?” Lan Wangji asks. 

Jiang Wanyin looks away. “Whip.” 

Lan Wangji feels fury curl deep in his stomach. He turns to Luo Qingyang, and says, “Send for an imperial physician.”

“That is not necessary,” Jiang Wanyin tells him. “A physician has been by. He will heal in a day or two.” 

Lan Wangji doesn’t know if Jiang Wanyin’s words are meant to reassure him, but it has the opposite effect. Jiang Wanyin looks at ease enough that it’s not hard to gather that this is not the first time that it’s happened. The thought of Yu Ziyuan whipping Wei Wuxian, of her inflicting blows strongly enough that Wei Wuxian requires medical attention...

“Why?” he growls. 

“Domestic discipline,” Jiang Wanyin says. He juts his chin out, as if daring Lan Wangji to question him, to question Yu Ziyuan’s authority in the Jiang household. 

“And what rule did Wei Wuxian break that would call for a whipping?” Lan Wangji asks. He clenches his fists to stop the tremble in his hands. 

“You are overstepping, er-dianxia,” Jiang Wanyin says mildly. “Wei Wuxian is a member of the Jiang household.”

He is not wrong - it is Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan’s right to discipline a member of their family. Just as a nation has its laws, every family must have its own rules. 

Lan Wangji knows this. He knows this, and he understands this, but it does not stop the fierce surge of protective instinct in him. 

He says, “He is my betrothed.”

Jiang Wanyin snorts. “And he can be your problem once you marry him,” he says. 

Jiang Wanyin’s logic and reasoning are sound. Lan Wangji has no right to call for Yu Ziyuan to be lenient on him. Wei Wuxian is not his. 

“I want to see him,” Lan Wangji tells Jiang Wanyin. 

“I told you he’s asleep,” Jiang Wanyin says. 

“I must reassure myself that his injuries are tended to,” Lan Wangji says. His tone brooks no room for discussion. “I will not leave otherwise.” 

A complicated expression passes through Jiang Wanyin’s face. “Fine,” he says eventually. “But you must be quick, and be seen by as few servants as possible. Mother will whip me and a-jie next if she found out that we not only got him a physician, but also let you see him like this.”

Lan Wangji grabs at Jiang Wanyin’s elbow just as he turns away. “You must let me know if this ever happens again.” 

Jiang Wanyin looks over his shoulder. “And what good would that do?” 

“Before, then,” Lan Wangji says. “If he gets into trouble, let me know before Yu-furen disciplines him. I will request that he spends some time in the palace.” 

The frown on Jiang Wanyin’s face softens just a tad. “Mn,” he agrees, and then leads Lan Wangji into the manor. 

*fu = 府 = manor

(buy me a kofi! // more rebuttable presumption)