#JINGSU

[zhoudadudugongjin]

"Prince Jing knew something was wrong and dashed inside. He found Mei Changsu lying motionless on the table, and when he examined him more closely under the light, he realized he was unconscious, his body temperature frighteningly low. He hurriedly picked him up, but there was already someone lying on the bed in the room, and Fei Liu’s bed was little more than a mattress on the floor, and so, after a moment of hesitation, he carried him into the main room of his own quarters and ordered for the imperial physician to be summoned immediately."

-The Langya List by Hai Yan, translated by Star-Shadows

[bitterflames]

what happens in the secret tunnel stays in the secret tunnel

[murderedbyhomework]

Xiao Jingyan 🤝🏻 Fang Duobing

Falling in love with their boyfriend's more scheming, sickly identities and actually appreciating and caring about that side of them before they find out that their boyfriend is actually the bright, glorious sun that was their childhood love

[fateandloveentwined]

poetry lines befitting MCS and XJY

These are mostly chinese tang shi and song ci poetry quotes, with a great biased amount from Su Shi because OP doesn't know better. Crude, 5-minute english translations below. There are lines I semi-made up or adapted from fandom/cpop songs (that is, most of Xiao Jingyan's lines), ngl OP is rather embarrassed of them because they aren't good at all looking back now but we'll just leave them here or else XJY would end up with zero quotes.

梅长苏 Mei Changsu

想那日束髪从军，想那日霜角辕门，想那日挟剑惊风，想那日横槊凌云。 ——夏完淳

Think to the day I tied back my hair and enlisted. Think to the day the horn rang at the frostbitten tents, think to the day I danced my sword making the sound that deafens the wind. Think to the day I took to the lance, and it pierced through the skies, rising higher than the clouds. — Xia Wanchun

将士百战身名裂。 向河梁、回头万里，故人长绝。 易水萧萧西风冷，满座衣冠似雪，正壮士、悲歌未彻。 ——辛弃疾

The warrior fights a hundred battles, yet what remains is his severed reputation. He looks to the bridge over the river, thousands of miles back, past acquaintances forever gone. In another life, over the howling of the west wind and the cold Yi rivers, the banquet sits, clothes adorned in snowlike white. The courageous man strides through the blizzard, the song of lament never ceasing. — Xin Qiji

零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故。 ——陆游

The plum blossoms wither and drift to the ground, crushed into earthly soil and dust. The prevailing fragrance is what remains. — Lu You

亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。 ——屈原

So long as this is what my heart longs for and treasures, though I die nine deaths, my heart does not regret. — Qu Yuan

君臣一梦，今古空名。 ——苏轼

Lords and lieges ebb into nothing but a dream; in the river of time transcending present and past vain titles remain, cast into the void. — Su Shi

无波真古井，有节是秋筠。 ——苏轼

The heart is at peace like the ancient well that does not ripple; the integrity is as the autumn bamboos, steadfast and unfaltering. — Su Shi

舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗。 ——苏轼

The warship moves a thousand miles, ensigns enshrouding the sky. He pours out wine by the riverside, holds out his lance, and writes verses as he speaks. — Su Shi

对一张琴，一壶酒，一溪云。 ——苏轼

Facing but a guqin, a jug of wine, a stream of cloud. — Su Shi

江山如画，是我心言。 ——风起时

The rivers and mountains of the kingdom outstretches before me, as moving as in art: this is my heart’s will. — from the song “Feng Qi Shi”, when the wind blows

战骨碎尽志不休，冰心未改血犹殷。 ——改自《赤血长殷》、王昌龄

Bones completely crushed from the battle, yet aspirations unwavering. The heart has not changed; the blood flows red still. — adapted from the song “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red, and poet Wang Changling

袖手妙计权倾变，敛眸笑谈意了然。 ——改自《赤血长殷》

With folded arms, he devises labyrinthine strategies. The sceptre of power sways and shifts. He shrouds his gaze modestly, and in conversations of small smiles, he discerns the intention of men. — adapted from the song “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red

萧㬌琰 Xiao Jingyan

潜龙一朝御风翔，长歌挽弓射天狼。 ——《长喑》

The submerged dragon rises one day to ride the winds. Singing high and long; the bow is drawn pointed at the invading Sirius. — from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here

挑灯殿阙思悄然，闻钤行宫寝无眠。 ——改自白居易

Awashed in the raised lamps of the imperial palace, thoughts whisper in grievance. The bell rings at the Jiu’an grounds, and he lies abed sleepless. — adapted from The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Bai Juyi

驰骋沙场繁华梦，谈笑鸿儒君臣纲。 ——改自《致陛下书》、刘禹锡

Dreams soar in the flurrying gallops of the battlefield, flourishing dreams of splendour and joy. In pleasant dialogue with scholars, civility obliges polite smiles into the etiquette of lords and lieges. — adapted from the song “Zhi Bi Xia Shu”, a letter to Your Majesty, and Liu Yuxi

铁马并辔封疆，几回魂梦游；更鼓落夜未央，笔下兴亡断。 ——取自《长喑》、《赤血长殷》

Armoured horses riding in parallel at the borderlands — how many times has the soul wandered to such dreams of the past. The hourly drums sound ceaseless across the long night; under the emperor's brush, the fate of prosperity and declination writes. — adapted from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here, and “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red

揽尽山河只手倾，昂冕袖手瞰苍生。 ——改自《长喑》

The future of his kingdom sweeps into a tilt of his hand. With crown upheld, he folds his arms in his sleeves awatching humanity. — adapted from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here

咫尺抚眉峰，万丈叠远峰；梦底枕笑纹，惊风掀水纹。 ——《致陛下书》

Up close, the furrowed brows are smoothed. Ten thousands of feet stretch before him, converging into mountains at a distance. In the deepest dreams, the markings of a smile lie; he stirs up the wind which marks and rips tides in the tumultuous waters. — adapted from the song “Zhi Bi Xia Shu”, a letter to Your Majesty

Two (three) things to note:

My dying obsession with Su Shi, sorry I can’t help it that perhaps over half of the all the poetry I know is from him;

To be really fair, my favourite description of Mei Changsu is 运筹帷幄之中，决胜千里之外, used in describing Zhang Liang in Si Maqian's Records of the Grand Historian. He orchestrates masterplans in the tent of the army; he determines the victory of the battle from afar, thousands of miles from the front.

As for my favourite depiction of Lin Shu, it is definitely Su Shi’s description of Cao Cao: 舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗。 The warship moves a thousand miles, ensigns enshrouding the sky. He pours out wine by the riverside, holds out his lance, and writes verses as he speaks. Xin Qiji’s verse above just fits the entire story of Mei Changsu so much, it deserves a mention.

I was assembling/making these lines up for something back then and so just listed whatever came to mind (for reasons I know not I kept on listing stuff for MCS, but maybe XJY was the typical good emperor kind of person so wasn't as inspiring coming up with quotes for him).

If there are lines of poetry you find really befitting the two characters, we're more than interested starting a thread here just for that purpose.

[awano]

Tingsheng turns seventeen this year. The blood of emperors in his marrow has welled forth into plain sight; a jade pin binds his hair in a neat topknot, and a jade belt adorns his waist; there is a vivid light in his curious eyes, and a poised elegance in his bearing. As he walks along the corridor, he carries the providential grace of kings in his wake. With a clever dodge he evades Fei Liu's hawk-like assault, nearly catching even Zhen Ping and Li Gang flat-footed. Mei Changsu gets to his feet and calls off Fei Liu. Then, just as he might greet an old friend, he smiles at the visitor in his courtyard: "You've come."

Peerless (倾国): Chapter 4 on AO3

[sable-pigeon]

sorry, meng-dage

[potahun]

Episode 42 or when your boyfriend meets your mother after 13 years and they know each other and you're the only one unaware that they know each other so now you're sitting there watching the two of them like a duck

[finitepeace]

in november imi reads: jingsu!

I re-watched Nirvana in Fire this month. Didn't even make it to the second episode before deciding I don't need all this pain and just get to jingsu instead. Most of these are re-reads but they are my all time favorites!

Small Bump by orangememory | 3848 words | Jingyan will keep his pearls safe – or he will die trying. Consort Mei's good news lights up the Jing Manor, and digs up some buried memories.

Anew by gixi_ninja | 2045 words | “If only he was a girl,” Jingyang had said one day to Consort Jing, smiling over her cup of tea. “Then they could wed when they are grown. If there was anyone who could keep Xiao Shu from trouble…”

three can keep a secret (if two of us are dead) by marquisguyun | 1354 words | Mei Changsu gets unexpected news while away at war. There's nothing to be done about it.

From the Same River's Waters by bladedweaponsandswishycoats (jeweledichneumon), deepestblueskyc | 5252 words | There's no response. It's not the first time, but the silence now is different in a way Jingyan can't describe. It makes him realize that normally, even when they aren't communicating, the bond itself has a presence. Now, even that feels different and he can't help the fear growing in him. Aside from the silence, there is the last thing he did hear from Xiao Shu's side: "Jingyan, be careful—"

Palimpsest by ofsevenseas (Restricted) | 5566 words | Written for NIF Fest prompt #149 - accidental brothel girl MCS as a result of mistaken identity; MCS can't bear to correct JY, who seems so lonely & sad.

[rhysiana]

Do you ever open up a fic document and find something hilarious you forgot you ever wrote? Anyway, have this little modern NiF Jingsu inspired by this post. I'm pretty sure I never posted it because I meant to make it longer, but not everything has to be long.

Xiao Jingyan’s doom was sealed the minute Lin Shu spotted the new sign posted in the gym’s entry. “Note: Family membership cannot be used for rooomates! You must be in a real relationship!” His eyes narrowed, his lips pursed ever so slightly, and then he turned to Jingyan with a slow, evil smile.

“No,” Jingyan said immediately.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!” Lin Shu claimed, aggrieved.

“I do.”

Nihuang came in behind them. “Why are we just standing in the entryway?” She leaned forward between their shoulders to see what they were looking at. “Oh, that. What bullshit.”

“Jingyan and I are going to fake date for a shared membership,” Lin Shu declared, and Mu Nihuang, the traitor, just nodded like it was obvious.

“We are not!” Jingyan insisted, increasingly desperate to be believed. “Why don’t you two do it?”

Nihuang and Lin Shu looked at each other and then back at him.

“No one would believe it,” Nihuang said, her tone all kind patience that set Jingyan’s teeth on edge. “We’ve tried dating, and we always end up at friends instead. Maybe in another life…” She trailed off in mock wistfulness and Lin Shu punched her in the shoulder. She shoved him away with a laugh and headed toward the locker rooms. “Get changed, you losers, or I’ll have already made it to the top of a route before you even get out there!”

“She’s right,” Lin Shu said. “It has to be you and me.”

“I don’t like lying, you know that.”

“This isn’t lying,” Lin Shu started, and Jingyan glared at him. “Okay, fine, it is, but it’s for justice! Besides, you won’t even have to say anything. I’ll do all the talking.” He patted Jingyan absently on the arm, attention already turning to how to best launch his attack on the front desk attendant. “You just stand there and look pretty.”

Jingyan felt heat flare high in his cheeks and was just glad Nihuang had already gone ahead.

~*~

When Meng Zhi arrived half an hour later, Nihuang, determined not to be left out of the fun, marched him back out to the desk and demanded they be given a couple’s rate too.

When Meng Zhi looked back over her shoulder with panicked eyes, all Jingyan could do was shrug helplessly.

~*~

“I don’t understand why you’re still going through with this,” Nihuang said when they got coffee after their shared poli sci class a few weeks later. “You’re rich! Just pay the membership fee. Pay his, too. Honestly, I thought you would just refuse.”

Jingyan scowled. “When has anyone ever talked Lin Shu out of a scheme?”

She smiled. “You just can’t say no to him.”

Jingyan scowled harder. “He holds my hand when we go in now,” he muttered, and she started cackling.

“You’re so doomed,” she said, wiping away tears of mirth.

“You will not believe what idiotic thing that guy in my philosophy class said today!” Lin Shu declared as he slid into the seat next to Jingyan, who automatically handed him the second coffee he’d bought. Lin Shu gave him a companionable shoulder bump of thanks as he continued straight into a dramatic retelling of his class.

Nihuang just smiled pointedly at Jingyan over her own coffee and he did his best to ignore her.

[cosmoglaut]

I know I'm in this fandom for merely a year and half, but I'd've thought I would come across this before. Ok, firstly, awww! Secondly, you were there when Hu Ge was full on playing up the CP and joking about Wang Kai coming to his room at midnight to check Mei Changsu's mole!!

[noona96n]

someone needs to write an essay on how Lin Shu is angry & jealous that Jingyan falls in love with Mei Changsu while Mei Changsu is please as punch & smug as hell that Jingyan falls in love with him bcs it doesn't matter whether he's Lin Shu (gallant, chivalrous, & full of vigor) or Mei Changsu (frail, pathetic, & always scheming), Jingyan will always love him

[zhoudadudugongjin]

[bitterflames]

my hands look like this (bloodied with the stains of foul deeds and scheming) so his can look like this (pristine and unsullied as he ascends the throne with conscience clear)

[marquisguyun]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 琅琊榜 | Nirvana in Fire (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Lin Chen & Lin Shu | Mei Changsu | Su Zhe, Lin Shu | Mei Changsu | Su Zhe/Xiao Jingyan Characters: Lin Shu | Mei Changsu | Su Zhe, Lin Chen (Nirvana in Fire) Additional Tags: Unhappy Ending, Mpreg, Future Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Friendship, Infant Death, technically not bc the baby isn't born but miscarriage isn't accurate either so Summary:

Mei Changsu gets unexpected news while away at war. There's nothing to be done about it.

[fateandloveentwined]

Nirvana in Fire fic recs

Nirvana in fire fanfiction recommendations in the link below, mostly chinese; descriptions in english.

(full list on notion): https://lycorxian.notion.site/Lyke-NIF-fic-recs-fd3ae22b066040a9993650a744203daf

Some of the favourites below:

鱀歌/狼牙 by 九月将霜🏔️

https://yueshuangjiang.lofter.com/post/1f532d67_eeb0d415

https://yueshuangjiang.lofter.com/post/1f532d67_1c62c345a

Jingsu but rather slight. Medium length. Post-war fic where Changsu lives and assists Jingyan in the court. It starts with a few outsider POVs and Changsu is so soft in this and everything is rly sweet haha.

踏雪寻梅 by 十八🌊

[Saved]

A/B/O. Jingsu. Long fic. Aww I'm aware of my tendency to ramble on about the author's writing style, but this author's prose is stunningly intricate. This would be the one I would recommend if one is to read any A/B/O fics. Get ready for a "moderate" truckload canonical of angst and many happy returns in its eventual HE.  I don’t really know, this is just so – good? Lin Shu was initially an Alpha who turned into an Omega after the Chiyan incident, and he subconsciously rejects that part of himself, more or less. It is rare in the world the author built for Omegas to take up huge roles in society, and Changsu hides his status in light of that and appears to other people as a Beta (but then the author spends so much time describing how beautiful he is and those descriptions are beautiful indeed lmao). So here comes Jingyan, who, by accident, discovers Changsu’s status as an Omega and becomes infatuated with his being → and so begins the courting.  But Point is, I really enjoyed the way Changsu’s resilience is depicted – the mental fortitude? determination? Ehh anyway there’s a scene on that and it’s beautiful. Also! there’s an explicit scene halfway that is so. well. written? not in the hot smutty way but it’s exquisite really I’m weirding myself out I’ll stop hahaha don’t know if that plugging worked.

月盈‧有憾 / 此生一诺 by 浅夏Surlinca🌔

http://surlinca.lofter.com/post/1d318138_124192b0

https://surlinca.lofter.com/post/1d318138_12483efa

月盈之时，尔有憾乎？ 相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖。 ——《月盈‧有憾》 When the moon grows round again, have you any regrets? Like two fish in a dried lake, instead of giving each other moisture with the little that is left, let us let life be and forget each other in rivers and lakes.    身侧再无知交，国君茕茕而立：画地为牢、许此生一诺。 ——《此生一诺》 The emperor stands, tall and alone, by his side his peers no longer: he carves a circle into the ground and holds himself hostage; he makes a vow and has it as his life’s work. //Okay these aren’t actually quotes lol. Let me have my fun.   Jingsu. Very slight/gen. Oneshot.   How would things end, had MCS not returned to Meiling in his final days? How would it go on, had MCS died after his encounter with Xia Jiang at the Xuan Jing Bureau?    These are two separate oneshots from the same author. While 此生一诺 is very popular, 月盈‧有憾 is instead my favourite oneshot among all. It is so beautifully written and the angst is real in this one. Could be considered a BE perhaps? There’s joy in this nonetheless.

关山契阔 (Ch24) by patient-no-117 仰望🌊

https://patient-no-117.lofter.com/view  https://archiveofourown.org/works/15734247/chapters/36582438

Pre-Sujing uh… slow burn? Long fic. The only WIP that I highlighted in red uwu. It goes without saying that I am totally smitten with this fic. Jingyan is sent to the Yan Kingdom by his father as hostage. Changsu, who is aiding a Yan Prince at their behest, approaches Jingyan in such circumstances and offers him ascension to the throne back at Da Liang. The prose is stunningly beautiful and classical and it’s hard to describe, the “aesthetic 澹泊 and 君子之交淡如水 vibes” this piece gives off – just – I’m very very in love with this fic please give it a go.   The author has kindly uploaded their chapters on ao3, so you can use that for convenient reading! The latest few chapters, however, are only on Lofter so you might have to move over for that.

一时双壁 by 琴煮鹤🏔️

http://cookacrane.lofter.com/post/1e6c791d_1044d4da  

Jingsu and Shuhuang. Long fic. Changsu and Lin Shu are two separate entities in this fic! Story starts with a younger Changsu entering Jinling to bring a warning to the Lin family upon intercepting Li Chongxin’s counterfeit. Changsu then schemes with Prince Qi and Lin Xie among others to preclude Chiyan’s demise and secure Prince Qi’s position as the crown prince. Changsu may not be Lin Shu in this fic, but he is still very proficient as the Chief of the Jiangzuo Alliance and has experienced much upon the passing away of his father, the former chief of the alliance. Jingyan slowly falls in love with him (slowburn I suppose?) and he with him. A very complete tale with flowing prose (the way the dialogue is written in particular is chef’s kiss) and a super sweet ending :D    (I don’t think a completed version of this fic has been circulated about as much? Feel free to hmu for a full version for convenient reading; that said the Lofter version is pretty complete on its own I think.)

书中愿 by 琴煮鹤🏔️

https://cookacrane.lofter.com/post/1e6c791d_103d6c97   

Jingsu very slight/gen. Oneshot, set in a world where Prince Qi has passed away but Lin Shu and the like are still alive. Scholar/teacher MCS (again, not Lin Shu!) stands in for Sir Zhou at the imperial palace and gets acquainted with Jingyan.    Have I mentioned how much I love this author? Yes, same author as above; their prose is elegant in a flowing way and I’m in love. I would say slight BE/angst based on how you interpret it? (Personally I’ve become immune and it is a happy ending ><) Though short, this fic well conveys the core character of MCS in which he contributes in his own way despite not being subject to the Chiyan case in the past. I like how it is written a lot ^^.

Some are lost to the internet but most have been saved in text files and word documents. Enjoy!

[awano]

"Mother, you know this — to me, xiao-Shu has become more than Lin Shu, the boy who perished in the Chiyan atrocity. With fourteen years of his life, he reclaimed justice for the lost souls of the Chiyan army, forged a path for me onto the throne, and in the end, for the sake of all of Daliang's people, he flung the last of himself to the flames, and now lies amongst the fallen on the battlefield. For such a man, for such a heart, what does it matter, even if I should bend the might of a nation to his mourning?"

Peerless: Chapter 2 on AO3