#amongthelotus

[cuckoo-among-beasts]

@amongthelotus sent "💬" to get verbally defended by Huaisang.

It is true that Huaisang loves gossip. Actually, he requires a certain amount of it to thrive, but he does not enjoy people slandering his friends. If it wasn't for his excellent acting skills and ability to control himself, he would've smacked everyone in the gossiping group. The should all know better than believe in such stupid rumours. Yes, it is true that he's a little prickly, but he's not a bad man and he would never control or hurt his nephew and here they were, gossiping about how Jiang Wanyin is controlling the young Jin Sect Leader and that he has done all kinds of horrible things to him. Ridiculous!

Huaisang folds his fan with an audible snap. "Such horrible things, zongzhu," he begins, putting on an exaggerated shocked expression on his face. "Is that why you tried to match your daughter with him? So she could pacify him and protect precious little Jin Rulan? Is that also why you repeatedly have sought aid from him as well? Since he's such a ruthless man?" It all sounds innocent, but something in the way Huaisang says it makes the other men look highly uncomfortable, suddenly stumbling over their words and trying to explain how they did not mean it in that way. They clearly knows they are talking shit and he has to stop himself from grinning triumphantly at their sheepish expressions.

[adversitybloomed]

🌸  ┊ letter received from  @amongthelotus       Jiang Wanyin : ❝ I wonder if I might have a few private words? ❞ / 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 : 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄.

          Mulan nodded and bowed to both Lan Qiren and Lan Sizhui, thanking them for their time as well as asking for the Sect Leaders permission before she shifted her stance to walk outside of the room. her footsteps were slow as she bit down upon her lower lip, knowing that she could have damaged their sects reputation, but found that she did not care. she could not stand by idly while bullying was happen ━━ least of all to someone who was still so young.

          the young disciple stood by her actions and only wished she had given the boys proper bruises other then soaked hanfu to show consequences for their actions. still, she knew that part of her should feel bad, especially since she risked being thrown out of the conference herself, though she would still take whatever punishment that was deemed fit for her behavior.

        ❝  Shīfù i know what i did deserves to be punished and i accept it.  ❞    she spoke once they were alone, turning to face her sect leader as she looked up at him.      ❝  but the Yao Sect went too far. i could not just leave the boy to be injured and there was no time to run and get an adult. so i acted on instinct and truthfully i wish i had actually hurt them for it is shameful what they did ━━  ❞    she paused for a breath her eyes studying him a little to gage his mood and see just how much trouble she was in. 

[adversitybloomed]

🌸  ┊ letter received from  @amongthelotus       Jiang Wanyin :  “ You must simply know some people are not meant to be together. ” / bridgerton SEASON ONE (EPISODES 1-4).

          tears glimmered within her brown eyes, making them glassy before one fell from her left side. she could feel the tear drop trickling down her cheek, dripping from her chin. her soul felt heavy as she felt her heart shattering within her chest. Mulan did not understand why she ached so much, nor why she felt the need to break down into tears and lean her head against Jiang Wanyin's chest. her lower lip trembled as she tried to gain control over her breath, her mind praying for this rush of an emotion to come to an end.

        ❝  ... i know ...  ❞    she whispered, her voice sounding hoarse to even her own ears as the lump within her throat thickened. she tried to tell herself that it was not a rejection, especially since she knew that Lan Sizhui had feelings for her, but she knew too that he needed time to figure things out for himself. it was something that she respected about him and was willing to accept if he wanted to remain as just friends.

          but she feared she might have ruined things between them, especially after Lan Qiren had surprised her by asking her about her heart and intentions with the young Lan head disciple. truthfully, at the time, she did not think of the repercussions ━━ for she did not want to lie to him and told him the truth of her heart. that she cared for Lan Sizhui as a cherished friend and thought highly of him, but little did she realized her words would come to haunt her and be misunderstood as her seeking more, nor did she wish to place Sizhui in the awkward situation like she had.

          now that she was home though, plagues of depression clouded her mind as seeds of guilt and regret grew within her heart. she missed Sizhui, even more now then she had before and worried that he was overworking himself to try and clear the misunderstanding that she had caused ━━ and that he would no longer talk to her as a friend all because she had made such a mess of things.

          for a while since her return from Cloud Recess, she had barely smiled, save for the lessons of pride that she took with teaching the younger disciples. there were times where she had skipped meals as she could barely feel hunger as her mind plagued her of thoughts of what she could have done differently and how she could atone for her mistake. days passed, and her sleep felt worse then ever, for most nights she lay awake wishing she could turn back time and seal her loose lips.

          yet part of her held out hope that her friendship would remain with the young cultivator, for it was something she cherished deeply and did not wish to taint. she could live with the heartache of yearning of not having his love returned for her, for truthfully she had never expected it in the first place, but she could not live with the thought of loosing his trust and confidence.

        ❝  i expect nothing.  ❞    Mulan confessed before finding herself leaning forward as her forehead touched his chest as more tears began to streak down her cheeks.      ❝  ━━ and i am okay with it ... i just ... why does it hurt so much ?  ❞

[cuckoo-among-beasts]

@amongthelotus sent a meme: ‘ i told you to stay in bed! ’

Huaisang is know for being dramatic, so no one can blame Jiang Wanyin for not reacting immediately when he fell into the water and sank like a rock in his heavy robes. It turned out he also wasn't aware that the Nie Sect Leader can't swim, which probably added to him believing this was just Huaisang being dramatic. Unfortunately. it wasn't. Thankfully, Wanyin did manage to save him. Huaisang doesn't remember much from the rescuing bit, once he gained consciousness (and had finished coughing and vomiting), he felt confused, aching and cold.

By the time he has been carried to his room, he's starting to feel a little less confused, even if he's now shivering and it feels like someone smashed his chest with a boulder. Somehow, clothes get ripped off and Huaisang is put into bed, the blanket pulled up to his chin. Wanyin says he will be back, telling him to stay in bed. Huaisang obeys... for a moment.

Soon enough, he gets up, legs wobbly, blanket wrapped around him as he shuffles towards the door. Huaisang has just left the room when Wanyin is right there again, yelling at him. He blinks, feeling real tears prickling in his eyes. "I-I..." I didn't want to be alone. "I'm okay, Wanyin," he says instead, voice low and hoarse.

[adversitybloomed]

🌸  ┊ letter received from @amongthelotus         Jiang Wanyin : You said you didn’t want this / 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.

          the young cultivator knelt before Jiang Wanyin, her shoulders slightly tilted down as she stared at her hands that rested within her lap. she knew that he was right ━━ that she had no desire to meet with a matchmaker, nor go back to her village to do so, but she knew too that she had no other choice. she was reminded yesterday by the letter that she had received from her zǔmǔ, that despite the fact she had a duty to her sect, she too had a duty to complete her filial piety and bring ease to both her, her hòumā, and zān yímā heart by at least getting her star charts on file.

          guilt had ate at her when she had read it, especially since her zǔmǔ's health was failing and she knew that she might not have long to live. and so she had at least made her mind up to agree to meet with them, but vowed to herself that no matter the outcome, she would still choose the path of marrying only to her fated one.       ❝  i ━━   ❞    she tried to begin to explain, though her voice cut off for a moment as she found herself suddenly unsure of her decision and what to say.

          it was not like she was a jiang, despite being part of the sect and feeling as if he and the members of it were closer then her own family. instead she was a Hua and the now eldest daughter, for her jiě jie had been disowned nine years ago. her family had no males save for her bàba and she knew that once her sister was old enough to wed, none would keep up the family name.

        ❝  i do not want this still, but i was reminded of filial piety. as a cultivator who believes heavily in loyalty .... i feel as if i can at least meet with one so that i can bring honor to my family...  ❞    she had a feeling that her father did not know about this, for she knew that he was away in a war on the front lines.

          lifting her eyes from her hands, she looked at Jiang Wanyin as she took in a breath before releasing it.     ❝  i know it will bring my Zǔmǔ peace of mind, especially since from what she wrote she is not doing well and refuses to see a physician ....  ❞    Mulan paused for a moment, a question lingering within her eyes as she wanted to ask him to come with her just so she could brave seeing her family again.       ❝  as my Shīfù and as someone who i see as family ... i was hoping you could give your approval and maybe ━━  ❞

[adversitybloomed]

🌸  ┊ letter received from  @amongthelotus       Jiang Wanyin : ❝ He was a traitor who met a traitor’s end. ❞ / 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 : 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑.

          Mulan knelt upon the cushion, her words from the reading trailing off as she finished the last sentence of scroll out loud. her eyes flickered to meet her sect leaders, his voice carrying a heavy weight to it as if he knew this person well. she was unsure of why he had made her read this scroll to him, especially since other disciples were at swords practice as they spoke. but she learned long ago not to question the thought out loud and instead dutifully listened as she worked with him on backlog.

          truthfully, she wondered if she were being punished for her latest stunt that she pulled when she had gone back to her home village ━━ for she knew that the upper class families of the girls she let fall on a broken bridge were vindictive despite the fact that they had started with her when they had tried to drown her xiǎo mèimei. in her mind, falling into water in front of their crush was hardly a punishment at all and she would have done worse if she had not promised her xiǎo mèimei that she would show mercy, but still it was enough for her to get a capital punishment from her hòumā once she was told of her behavior at the party.

          her back still hurt from the lashings of the large bamboo wood, deep cuts and bruising still swelled upon her backside, despite the fact she had returned the day before. it helped that she was back within her sects clothing, the looser fabric made it easier for her to sit even though the kneeling nearly brought tears to her eyes. yet she knew her sect leader. he would not punish her the way that her own hòumā did.

        ❝  yes, Shīfù.  ❞    the young disciple responded with a soft tone, her hands lowering the scroll until it rested on the table before her. her lips pursed for a moment, brows coming together both in a little pain and thought at what she had read along with what he had said.      ❝  Shīfù ... if i may ask ... what makes a difference between a traitor and someone who breaks the law in order to save others lives ? i know they are both considered traitors still and that loyalty is important. but what if by their actions thousands are saved verses if they had followed the rules and those who would have been saved are gone from this life ? does that make the punishment fair differently then what they would get if they did it for selfish reasons ?  ❞