Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this next chapter :)

Beta: JeanGirlMY

- Chapter Start -

Lan QiRen awoke to a gently smiling XiChen, a stiff neck and an equally stiff back from sleeping in a chair all night. The sky outside the window was lightening, confirming his suspicions that it was past dawn.

Sisi was still sleeping although she had turned onto her side sometime during the night and was facing away from them.

"Good morning, uncle," XiChen greeted. "The Elders have called for a meeting and your presence is required."

QiRen just grunted and tipped his head from side to side before pressing a palm to his neck, soothing the stiff muscles there with a bit of spiritual energy. Of course there would be an inquiry after yesterday's incident, not to mention his own actions in the matter.

"It's short notice but with A-Yao and I going off tomorrow-"

"XiChen," QiRen cut him off not unkindly. "I was expecting this."

"Of course," XiChen replied, but he still looked worried. "I will attend. So will Head Librarian Lan JiaYing and Lan Ming."

"What about Madam Sisi?" QiRen asked, glancing at the bed again. They were speaking in soft voices and she didn't stir.

"She needn't attend." XiChen hesitated. "Uncle, I'm sure you will prepare yourself, but-"

"Don't worry," QiRen cut him off again, voice dry. "I'm not afraid of them."

XiChen gave a relieved smile.

"Do you want your breakfast brought here?"

"No. I will return to my rooms to wash up and change." QiRen stood up and winced when his lower back protested. Tea and meditation, neither of which he had gotten last night, would make him feel better.

"I will meet you later. We can attend the inquiry together." XiChen bowed and left.

QiRen approached the bed, feeling both relieved and regretful that Sisi wasn't awake. Her sleeping robe had loosened a bit and he found his gaze drawn to her neck where the milky skin under that delicate ear looked so soft and touchable.

With a sigh, he let his hand drop and turned away.

- o -

A while later...

The Sect Leader's office had a large discussion room which was heavily warded with silencing and privacy talismans. Beside it was a small observation room complete with cushions and peepholes for observing what went on next door.

It didn't take Wei Ying long to dismantle the talismans on the observation room and then he, Lan Zhan and GuangYao trooped in and locked the door behind them. Wei Ying added another talisman to ensure their voices wouldn't carry over into the next room.

"Not a moment too soon. Er-ge and Uncle QiRen are approaching," GuangYao reported, peering out the tiny window overlooking the front of the building. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying hurried over to take a look.

Lan QiRen walked with his head held high and his hands linked behind his back. He nodded as passing disciples bowed and greeted him, and paid no mind to the curious and speculative glances aimed at his back. Lan XiChen did, judging by his growing frown.

As the two of them entered the building, the trio went over to the cushions set before the peepholes. Thirty plus elders were already seated in the discussion room, looking very-

"Do they always look so disapproving?" Wei Ying asked.

"Mn."

After Lan QiRen and Lan XiChen entered and took their seats, Elder Zhao cleared his throat. He greeted everyone and explained the reason for this meeting. Namely, his grandnephew Jung MingYu.

"At least he acknowledged how spoiled the brat is," Wei Ying remarked.

"Young Master Jung is three years younger than WuXian-xiong," GuangYao said with a smile.

"That's why he's a brat," Wei Ying retorted.

Elder Zhao continued speaking.

"Although his father did not object to the punishment and even apologised on his son's behalf, the fact remains that Lan QiRen lost his temper. MingYu suffered several injuries even before he was taken to the Discipline Hall."

As disapproving looks were exchanged, Chen-yishi raised his hand.

"As the healer involved in treating Jung MingYu's victim, the librarian's assistant, I should state that he had attacked her without provocation in the Library Pavilion itself."

"Attacked how?" One elder wanted to know.

"He molested Madam Sisi," Chen-yishi replied, voice stern and face unsmiling. "He forced his attentions on her, he tried to kiss her and when she refused, he slapped her across the face. He also tore the front of her robes."

Half the elders looked shocked, the other half confused.

"Who is this Madam Sisi?" Someone asked.

"When did the Head Librarian get an assistant?" Another wanted to know.

Wei Ying rolled his eyes.

"They're missing the point," he hissed.

"She is from Yunping City," Lan QiRen explained. "After she was set on by thugs, I brought her here to have her injuries treated by Healer Wen."

"But how did you meet her?"

"Who attacked her?"

"Why did her husband not intervene?"

"Is he here too?"

"Oh dear," GuangYao muttered, exchanging a worried look with Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.

As expected, the Elders weren't anymore sympathetic after learning about Sisi's past.

"A courtesan?" Elder Su demanded, looking horrified. "Why did you bring her here?"

"As I mentioned before, to treat the severe cuts on her face," Lan QiRen said evenly, hands tightly clenched in his lap.

"Well, is she already healed?" Elder Zhao asked.

"She was." There was a slight emphasis on the second word.

"Once she recovers, she shouldn't stay here. She might cause trouble again in the future," Elder Su pointed out.

"What happened yesterday was not her fault," Master Lan insisted.

"That may be so," Elder Zhao conceded, "but-"

"Why are you defending her, QiRen? Has she bewitched you?" Elder Su demanded, her voice rising.

Elder Zhao glared at her interruption before turning back to Lan QiRen.

"QiRen, for you to defend this courtesan... has she bewitched you?

"Sisi has done nothing of the sort!" Lan QiRen now had one hand fisted in his robes, wrinkling the silk.

"Be that as it may-" Elder Zhao began only to be interrupted again by Elder Su, her face tight with disapproval.

"Qingheng Jun married a murderer. His sons turned out to be cutsleeves, one marrying the Yiling Patriarch, and the other the son of a courtesan. And now, their uncle, Qingheng Jun's younger brother and respected teacher wants a courtesan for himself!"

Lips pressed thin, Wei Ying glanced at Lan Zhan and GuangYao, seeing their faces white with anger.

"Perhaps he should step down to save us all from disgrace?" Elder Su suggested.

"Who spit in her beancurd?" Wei Ying muttered and turned to Lan Zhan. "Does she have a granddaughter she wanted you or XiChen-xiong to marry?"

"Only love and want Wei Ying, no one else."

"Shh," GuangYao told them, still peering through his peephole.

"If I may." Lan JiaYing stood up, looking a bit nervous but resolute. "This was partly my fault. Before I left to change my robes, I asked Sisi to clean up the mess Young Master Jung had caused."

She glanced at Lan QiRen.

"He had already splashed ink on Lan Ming's robes and mine. If not for Sisi, he might have vandalised the books next."

She sat back down, looking relieved to have said her piece. Then someone else raised his hand.

"We heard about Madam Sisi's injuries. What about Jung MingYu's?"

"According to the healer who attended to him yesterday," Elder Zhao raised a piece of paper, "MingYu suffered a fractured wrist, a slight concussion, and some bruises on his back. He also had slight bruising around his throat area and a shallow bite on the palm of one hand."

"Bite?" Elder Su repeated, staring at Lan QiRen as if he had turned into a dog.

"What if his family wants recompense?" Someone asked.

Lan XiChen cleared his throat.

"Master Jung acknowledged his son's faults and apologised on his behalf yesterday. He even requested to send him back here after his injuries are healed. We do not have to worry on that score."

The elders muttered among themselves.

"Our motto is Righteousness," Lan XiChen continued, fixing his gaze on each Elder in turn, his voice calm. "We do not turn away those in need."

"But she's a courtesan! She can't stay here!" Elder Su objected at once. Other voices rose in agreement.

"It's not like she has family here," Elder Su added, looking the tiniest bit smug.

"Does that mean if she has family, she can stay?" Chen-yishi asked her.

The elders muttered, most of them nodding even though they looked disapproving.

"Family," Lan QiRen and Lan XiChen repeated, looking at each other as if recalling a recent event.

Wei Ying turned to see Lan Zhan already looking at him.

"Family," Wei Ying repeated. "If Uncle QiRen marries Sisi-jie..."

"Wei Ying." Lan Zhan reached for his hand. "Uncle may not be in love with her."

"He is, I'm sure of it!" Wei Ying insisted.

Lan Zhan just shook his head, a tiny sad smile on his lips.

"Uncle never approved of father marrying mother to save her life. That was why he was so strict in bringing us up."

"But this is different," Wei Ying insisted. "Sisi-jie didn't kill anyone! Ah - sorry!"

"No need for sorry or thank you between us."

"Shh, you two. Uncle QiRen is standing up!"

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan quickly looked through their respective peepholes again.

"In that case, I will marry Madam Sisi," Lan QiRen announced.

Mouths in both rooms fell open.

"You - QiRen, you would be willing to marry a... " Elder Zhao trailed off, looking absolutely baffled.

"Impossible!" Someone shouted.

"This is ridiculous!" Elder Su looked furious.

Elder Zhao turned back to Master Lan, his face set like stone.

"Thanks to your behaviour yesterday, your position as elder is already at risk. If you persist in defending this courtesan, we could revoke your position. You could be excluded from all future discussions to confer on important sect matters."

"After all," Elder Su gave a sniff, "your being an elder was only due to your experience in teaching and leading the sect when QingHeng Jun went into seclusion."

Lan QiRen raised one eyebrow.

"If you mean the countless afternoons spent guzzling tea and grumbling about today's youth while doing next to nothing about it, I am happy to pass on that."

Numerous voices rose in offended pride while in the observation room, Wei Ying clutched at Lan Zhan's shoulder and laughed. Lan Zhan looked proud and GuangYao looked delighted.

In the discussion room, Lan XiChen's eyes shone with amusement while Chen-yishi's beard trembled.

"I am willing to rescind my place among the elders," Lan QiRen continued. "After all, I am the youngest by at least two decades."

"Why would you do that?!" Someone demanded.

"Perhaps I have realised I am not in my twilight years yet," Lan QiRen retorted. "Perhaps I have realised I want my life to have more meaning than this. Perhaps my nephews have taught me that to live alone is no way to live at all."

Elder Zhao had to hit the table with his palm a few times before the indignant cacophony of voices died down.

"Your nephews? If not for the fact that they are the Twin Jades-"

"That I have brought up," Lan QiRen looked, for want of a better word, smug.

"'Arrogance is prohibited', QiRen," Elder Zhao looked uncomfortable. "You do not need to decide now. Reflect on your actions today. We will convene again tomorrow morning."

"No, you lot of fuddy duddies have to decide now," Wei Ying protested, forgetting that they couldn't - and weren't supposed to - hear him. "We're leaving for our honeymoons tomorrow morning!"

"There is no need to think any further," Lan QiRen said as if he had heard him, voice crisp and tone decisive. "I have made up my mind. I will rescind my seat in the Elder circle and my position as teacher. I will also step down from acting sect leader as soon as XiChen returns from his honeymoon."

This time, there was an uproar in BOTH rooms.

Lan XiChen jumped to his feet and in the observation room, Lan Zhan did the same.

"QiRen, please!" Elder Zhao spoke as he shot a glare at Elder Su. "There is no need for such drastic decisions!"

"I will still be here as a Lan clan member," Lan QiRen replied. "I don't intend to go into seclusion so you are welcome to visit Sisi and I."

At this, Elder Zhao had to hit the table several times again to get everyone's attention. He declared that they would discuss the matter this afternoon and reach a decision before dinner.

Ten minutes later, there was a discreet knock on the observation room door. Lan XiChen was letting them know that it was safe to come out.

- o -

Lan QiRen was pacing up and down in the gazebo near the Ahnshi when he caught sight of WangJi, WuXian and GuangYao hurrying up to him. XiChen must have told them what happened. At least QiRen wouldn't have to explain why he looked a bit wild eyed now. He was suffering from belated shock at the bombshell he had dropped earlier.

"I can't believe I said all those things," he muttered, nodding distractedly as they entered the gazebo and bowed to him.

"Uncle, what do you mean?" WangJi asked.

"You don't wish to marry Sisi-jie after all?" GuangYao fretted.

"You must!" WuXian exclaimed. "We were all rooting for you!"

QiRen stared at him and turned to WangJi who looked blank and then he turned to GuangYao who looked blanker still. He whipped back to WuXian.

"Wei WuXian! What do you mean-" He broke off and turned pale. "The observation room?"

When they nodded, he sat down heavily on the stone bench. They crowded around him at once - WuXian and WangJi on one side, GuangYao on the other.

"XiChen told you about the hearing?" QiRen guessed.

"I did, uncle." XiChen entered the gazebo, shook his head at WangJi when he wanted to stand, and sat down beside GuangYao.

QiRen stared at him... and then he covered his face with both hands, the tips of his ears turning pink. He didn't see WuXian clapping one hand to his chest and the other on WangJi's shoulder, eyes wide.

"I've never seen Uncle QiRen look so cute!" he exclaimed, that last word almost a squeak.

As GuangYao choked and started coughing, QiRen jerked his hands down and glared at WuXian.

"Uncle QiRen!" GuangYao paused to clear his throat. "You are going to marry Sisi-Jie, aren't you?"

With four pairs of beseeching eyes on him, QiRen gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm sure you all - and likely everyone else - know I am a creature of habit. I have lived four decades following the same rules and same routines, day in and day out, year in and year out. I have grown... rigid and set in my ways. Perhaps too set."

He looked straight ahead, but didn't see the thicket of bamboo trees before him nor hear the rustling of its leaves.

"It is not a question of me not wanting to marry Sisi, but her deserving someone who can do more than just keep her safe. Someone who can make her happy. Someone... lighthearted. Someone with whom she can be at ease. If I marry her, she would be bored in less than a year."

He dipped his head like a man who had already proposed and been rejected.

After an awkward silence in which he ignored the heavy exchange of looks around him, WuXian nudged his arm.

"Uncle QiRen, do you remember when I got Lan Zhan drunk three years ago?"

QiRen's head came up while WangJi turned away, the tips of his ears turning pink. On QiRen's other side, XiChen stifled a smile and GuangYao looked intrigued.

"What of it?" QiRen asked, sounding tired.

"Well, I teased him about being boring and that anyone who married him would be bored within a year. He said if that was the case, he would be happy not to get married."

WuXian patted WangJi's arm before turning to QiRen again.

"But guess what? I'm married to him now and I'm not bored at all!"

"Wei Ying," WangJi protested weakly.

"You two haven't even been married for a week!" QiRen huffed. "Of course you're not bored!"

"In fact, it's been wonderful," WuXian declared.

"Mn," WangJi agreed.

"That's enough," QiRen said.

"Lan Zhan is wonderful!" Wei Ying added.

"That's enough!" QiRen repeated.

As WuXian grinned and WangJi smiled, QiRen sighed. Once upon a time, he had thought like those fool elders had. He had refused to see WangJi's point of view on WuXian, choosing instead to quote the Lan rules to him.

If he hadn't known that his nephews, like their father before them, would only love once in a lifetime...

If he hadn't realised that they both meant much more to him than his pride...

If he hadn't given WuXian a chance and gotten to know him, and later on, GuangYao...

He would have made them all miserable, including himself. Thank all the Gods he hadn't!

Now he wished he could go back to two decades ago when his older brother - obstinate and desperate and fearful - had told him of his plan to marry the woman he loved to save her. QiRen might not have agreed, but he should have at least given his brother the benefit of his doubt, given that woman a chance to explain her actions instead of denouncing her outright like the elders had.

A hand touched his arm, bringing him out of his regretful thoughts.

"Uncle QiRen." WuXian wasn't smiling now. "During the lantern festival three years ago, Lan Zhan and I released a lantern together."

"Wei Ying drew a rabbit on it. It was beautiful," WangJi said.

"Aww," WuXian paused to give him a sappy smile. "We also made a vow to protect the innocent, defend the weak, and live without regrets."

"What are you getting at, WuXian?" QiRen asked tiredly. He didn't want recollections, he wanted a solution! He also wanted to go to Sisi, only after his rash words, he wasn't sure if he dared.

What if she turned him down?

"Uncle, you may not have made that vow, but you've already fulfilled the first half," WangJi explained.

WuXian nodded and nudged QiRen's shoulder again, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So why not go ahead and fulfill the second half as well?"

QiRen stared at him and then at WangJi.

"You mean... live without regrets?"

"Exactly," WuXian said softly.

"Mn," WangJi agreed.

QiRen turned to his other side, getting wide smiles and nods from XiChen and GuangYao. It made him want to hide his face again. Instead, he took a deep breath and stood up, turning to face his four nephews as they got up as well.

"I appreciate your support," he said and cleared his throat. "But I will wait for the elders' decision first to know where I stand."

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! I'm no lawyer so please excuse the oversimplified 'hearing' session. Please leave a review if you enjoyed the drama and take care :)