#meanwhile jingyuan is becoming increasingly convinced of this ship and how good it will be for yanqing personally

[brainrot-jikan]

yunli/yanqing won't leave my brain, they dislike each other sooo much there's so much potential. consider: arranged marriage au.

yunli begrudgingly agrees but then she meets yanqing and he's weak bodied and weak willed and always running from fights and just the WORST. so she tries to get out of it but her grandfather reminds her a swordsman doesn't go back on their word, so that route's out because she's too prideful to back down. but what she's NOT too prideful to do is to formally object to the marriage in the same way an outside suitor would:

challenge yanqing to a duel over her own hand in marriage.

that's absolutely not what that rule is there for, but when yunli says, "oh really? where's the rule that says i can't, huh?" they can't find one. so everyone involved tells yanqing to just not accept the duel because it's barely legitimate anyway, it won't reflect badly on him… except he absolutely accepts the duel because he's PISSED she's calling his strength and honor into question and marrying this girl wasn't even his idea in the first place, who does she think she is? so he agrees in the heat of the moment, and then realizes later that he's being pulled into her childish pace and he's embarrassed, but he can't back down now. and how dare she be so selfish, their union is for the good of other people, and he'd be a perfectly good husband! he's capable and well mannered and smart and has a good job and has a good reputation, and look at HER, no manners and always saying the first rude thing that comes to mind and she doesn't even wear SHOES. HE should be the one objecting to this marriage.

but he's too responsible, and the reasons they're getting married are good and honorable and will help tie their people together or whatever, blah blah you know the trope. so instead of getting married, they start to prepare for their duel, and everyone around them is just so, so tired