Chapter 3

Bird song woke Wei Wuxian the next morning. Early sunlight trickled through his open bedroom window. Usually he slept until nine, but today his mind and body were restless and tuned in to every tiny sound.

Eyes trailing from the window to the table near the far wall of his room, Wei Wuxian remembered exactly why he was so anxious. The black and red fabric. The butterfly mask. The Spring Ball at the palace.

The man with the knife.

He had thrown the only thing he could – his flute – to stop the knife from landing. He had succeeded – the knife had grazed the king rather than embedding in his throat and Wei Wuxian had felt a moment of pride at his success.

And then everything fell apart.

The crowd of costumed guests turned on him, believing he had thrown the knife. The king's uncle called for his arrest. Wei Wuxian had barely escaped through the side door into the gardens. He had run down the paths and around the ponds until he found a palace walkway that passed beside them. Then it was a stealthy creep to the front gate, where his two friends awaited with his carriage.

There had been guards by the gate, just as there had been when Wei Wuxian arrived. Someone running from the Ball would be suspicious, so Wei Wuxian had forced himself to walk calmly to the carriage and to allow Wen Ning to help him climb up.

He told them of the disaster on the way home. In response, Wen Qing had asked if he was wearing his mask the whole time. Yes, of course.

"Then no one knows who you are. If they can't find you, they can't execute you for treason."

But Lan Zhan knew who he was. Would he tell his brother about him? Would he lead the charge to bring Wei Wuxian to justice? Under normal circumstances, Wei Wuxian would say no, but if Lan Zhan thought Wei Wuxian had tried to kill his brother—

The image of palace soldiers forcibly dragging Wei Wuxian to stand before the king to be sentenced to die, all while Lan Zhan stood by impassively, had kept Wei Wuxian in a shallow, fitful doze all night.

It wouldn't be so bad if Wei Wuxian simply knew who the real culprit was. He could then accuse the man and clear his own name. But it would be useless to say 'It was a guy dressed like a giant, hairy dog.' No one would believe him.

And unless Wei Wuxian could clear his name, he would always fear being arrested and killed. He would never be able to see Lan Zhan again.

"Erg," Wei Wuxian groaned into his pillow. "Why do chaotic things always happen around me?"

…

…

Breakfast was hardly cleared away when a guest arrived at the Jin house. Well, guest was stretching the term.

It was Jin Zixun, the bellicose cousin of Jin Zixuan, the man Jiang Yanli was marrying. While both cousins were arrogant and vain, Jin Zixuan at least had a sense of morality. Wei Wuxian wouldn't put it past Jin Zixun to kill his own dogs just because they got mud inside the house. And Jin Zixun was very proud of his dogs.

He arrived with an entourage that would take every spare room in the main Jin house to home for however long he intended to stay. There was a moment where Jin Guangshan appeared to be contemplating murder, where the veins in his neck bulged. Then he put on a pleasant smile and welcomed his nephew into his home.

"What brings you today?" Madam Jin asked once the Jin and Jiang families had all gathered in the sitting room. Jin Zixun's entourage had been dismissed, his dogs were in the yard, and Wei Wuxian was standing just at the door, as out of the way and inconspicuous as possible.

Jin Zixun made a show of flattening out his robes so that the gold embroidered designs caught the light just right. Even his gloves were detailed in gold. The perfect show of Jin wealth in one man.

"I wanted to be the one to break the news to you."

"What news?" Jin Guangshan asked impatiently.

There was a dark glint in Jin Zixun's eye. "Someone tried to kill King Xichen last night."

Everyone except Jin Guangshan gasped. Jiang Yanli and Madam Jin covered their mouths in horror. Wei Wuxian nearly slipped off the door frame.

"Who would dare attempt such a thing?" Jin Zixuan asked in righteous fury.

Proving once again that he was the worse of the cousins, Jin Zixun simply shrugged, as if the king nearly dying was no big matter. "I was there and witnessed it myself. It was a man in a black and red butterfly costume."

While Jin Guangshan began a rambling speech about proper costumes and the types of people who dressed as butterflies and, apparently, attempted murder, Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian shared a wide-eyed look. He shook his head. No, no it wasn't true. He hadn't done it. Thankfully, her expression calmed. She believed him.

"All the palace guards are out today," Jin Zixun continued once his uncle had stopped speaking, a cruel smile on his lips. "The official story is that they are checking on the health of all their guests, but the truth is obvious. They're searching for the would-be assassin. They will find him and kill him. Probably in a very painful way."

It wasn't the threat of death that made Wei Wuxian suddenly feel faint. The Lan family was not known for cruelty. They would not kill him painfully. It was the news that the guards were looking for him. For Wei Wuxian. They really thought it was him who tried to kill the king.

'Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan' Wei Wuxian repeated like a mantra in his head. Like it would help the royal family find the true culprit, the one who wanted the king dead.

…

…

"Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian whined as he was dragged down the hall, his brother's hand tight around his wrist. "Jiang Cheng! Why are you treating me like a criminal?" He pulled his wrist free as soon as the door to Jiang Cheng's room was shut behind them.

Jiang Cheng crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know. Why did you look so guilty while Jin Zixun was talking earlier?" He frowned. "What did you do?"

Wei Wuxian pouted. "So little faith in me. How could you?"

That had Jiang Cheng pacing around the room, his eyebrows drawn together in consternation. "How can I not be worried? You were gone for hours yesterday. You snuck back in through a window in the middle of the night."

Briefly, Wei Wuxian wondered how Jiang Cheng knew he'd snuck in through the window downstairs. He thought he'd been so quiet!

Jiang Cheng pointed a finger at him. "You're up to something, I just don't know what. So what is it?" He crossed his arms again. "Where were you last night?"

Last night he was sitting in a bunny enclosure, playing flute for the most beautiful man to ever walk the Earth.

"I went to the Spring Ball."

Jiang Cheng's jaw dropped and he took a half step back. "Wait. Really? Wei Wuxian! That grave look earlier…Did you really try to kill the king?!"

"Shh!" Wei Wuxian scolded, glaring. "Of course not! Keep your voice down."

"Then what were you doing at the Ball?!"

"I sent him."

Both men turned to see Jiang Yanli slip into the room. She walked up to Wei Wuxian and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him silent support. She leveled an unimpressed look on her brother.

"Perhaps you can ignore his wistful sighing and distraction, but I could not. So I sent him to find his happiness." She looked up at Wei Wuxian. "A-Xian, what happened? Did you not find him?"

He placed a hand over hers on his arm and grinned. "Ah, shijie, you'll never believe it. Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan is Prince Lan Wangji."

Both siblings gasped. "You are certain?" Jiang Yanli asked.

Wei Wuxian nodded, and the sigh he released was content. "He's so good. He's the best," he corrected. "He recognized me even with my mask on, and we walked and talked, well, I talked, and then we were quiet but that was good too. And he keeps rabbits, shijie, rabbits!" Wei Wuxian gushed, beaming now. "And I played my flute for him and he smiled—"

"So where'd the attempted murder come in?" Jiang Cheng broke in, ending Wei Wuxian's happy recollection.

"It wasn't me," Wei Wuxian insisted, moving a step away from Jiang Yanli and closer to Jiang Cheng. "It was a man dressed like great, hairy dog," he spat, like the idea of a dog was poison. "If anything, I'm the reason the king is still alive."

Jiang Yanli stepped closer as well. "What do you mean?"

In an abrupt mood shift, Wei Wuxian grabbed his sister by the arm and pouted into her shoulder. "I lost my flute, shijie." He swung her arm back and forth and, still in a little kid's whine, explained, "I threw it at the dog man to stop him and didn't get it back before they chased me out of the palace."

For a few moments the room was silent, with Jiang Yanli gently petting Wei Wuxian's hair to console him on the loss of his favorite instrument. Then Jiang Cheng let out a heavy sigh and lowered his hands to his hips.

"I wish you had seen more of the assassin's face," he grumbled. "Or something that could lead us to him. Or had another witness, at least. Do you know how hard it's going to be to prove your innocence with no evidence?"

"I know," Wei Wuxian admitted with a sigh, but then he stood tall and smiled at his brother. "But we'll find a way. I trust in us."

…

…

Usually when Wei Wuxian went out into town he had to sneak away so that Madam Jin wouldn't think he was skipping out on his duties about the house. That afternoon, however, he was sent to pick up wedding supplies because Madam Jin was too busy arguing with a seamstress to spare the time. The wedding was too soon for setbacks – only days away!

The list she gave him seemed to be minor items, things that no one would notice if they were missing at the wedding, but which seemed vitally important to Madam Jin as the organizer of said wedding.

Or maybe Wei Wuxian was just uncultured when it came to weddings.

Like with his delivery for Granny, he was stopped constantly as he walked down the street and into shops. They asked about his sister, mostly, congratulating him like he was the one getting married or teasingly asking him how he would survive after he didn't have his big sister to rely on anymore.

As he finished picking up the items Madam Jin had sent him for, Wei Wuxian saw a family sitting at a restaurant together. He vaguely recognized the two adults as people he had seen around town, though they weren't ones he had spoken to beyond a greeting. It was the child that had his attention.

The little girl he'd met on the street a month ago. She was smiling, and something she said made the adults with her laugh. Those had to be her parents. They had recovered from their illness.

Wei Wuxian smiled at the sight.

Then someone kicked him from behind. He had enough balance to not fall flat on his face and instead used the momentum from staggering forward to also flip around and glare at his attacker. "You—!"

It was Jin Zixun.

"What the hell are you at, kicking me?" Wei Wuxian asked, though not as loudly as he had started. He held up his parcels. "Do you want to break the precious items I've gathered for Madam Jin? Hm? You won't be invited to the wedding then."

Jin Zixun looked him over like he was a pile of dog droppings. It wast a look that Wei Wuxian was familiar with from him.

"You always have to be the hero, don't you?" Jin Zixun snapped. "Why can't you stop causing trouble for our family?"

"Huh?" Wei Wuxian touched his forehead. "Speak coherently, would you?" He sounded just like the thugs Wei Wuxian had saved Wen Ning from in his last fight, but the only thug now was Jin Zixun himself.

"I heard you tell my cousin's fiancé." Jin Zixun jabbed his finger at Wei Wuxian. "You're the butterfly from the Spring Ball."

He wasn't wearing his gloves and there was a dark bruise on his right hand, spreading from underneath bandages wrapped around his palm. Wei Wuxian's eyes drifted from the injury up Jin Zixun's arm to his face and further. His hair was mostly down, but part of it was in a top knot held up by a guan shaped like a dozen golden ropes. Wei Wuxian recognized that guan.

And he recognized that wound.

"Ah." He brushed his nose with his finger. "And you're that terrible dog who tried to eat the king's heart."

Jin Zixun scoffed, dropping his arm. "Using your fancy words, but that's all they are. That's all you are."

Wei Wuxian placed his hands on his hips, his parcels dangling from his left hand. "Right, right," he said, glancing around the street.

There weren't many pedestrians walking by – everyone in a store or else simply not on the street at all – but several members of Jin Zixun's entourage were around. They were dressed well enough to stand out, but not in the typical Jin gold so they wouldn't look like a mob planning trouble. Wei Wuxian was surrounded by enemies.

"Tell me, dog," Wei Wuxian said, his eyes landing back on Jin Zixun in front of him and taking comfort in how irritated the man looked at being called a dog, "Why try to bite the king at all? What good would that do you, huh? You're not in line for the throne."

"Not yet I'm not!" Jin Zixun shot off like a firecracker. "But in the face of a great disaster, the power in a nation can shift."

So that was the plan, huh? Engineer the death of the king – no, the entire royal family – and then use the chaos to put the Jin family in power. They certainly had the resources for such a coup, but that was the entire family, not Jin Zixun.

"Ah," Wei Wuxian let out when he realized. "Jin Guangshan used the fact that the main family is too busy planning a wedding as a cover for not attending the Spring Ball, then sent you to be his assassin."

How often had Wei Wuxian overheard Master Jin complain about how King Xichen handled a situation? How often had he boasted that his family had more money than the king? How often had Madam Jin cautioned him against such words? It seemed they were not mere words after all.

"Everyone heard that the Jin weren't going, so no one would suspect." Wei Wuxian tsk'd and shook his head. "I hope he promised you something great for your part, Jin Zixun. At least make your treason worth it, you know?"

His words irritated Jin Zixun – no doubt for being so easy to read – but did not frighten him. "You're no one," Jin Zixun said, waving his hand for his men to start closing ranks. "And if you try to come forward about me, they'll simply kill you for treason before you get a word in."

Wei Wuxian scoffed. "Who said I would turn you in?"

He glared at Jin Zixun with all the rage he could muster. Here was a man who had, along with his uncle and who knew how many others, plotted to kill not only the king, but the prince and his uncle and an entire extended family just for power. They had planned to kill Lan Zhan.

His voice was dark when he said, "I'd rather execute you myself."

The tone, and the look on Wei Wuxian's face, visibly scared Jin Zixun. He recoiled, his expression horrified and pale. But he wouldn't be the scum Wei Wuxian knew him to be if a little fear kept his mouth shut.

"Not if I execute you first," Jin Zixun replied, challenging.

Wei Wuxian dropped his parcels to the street, prepared to fight. Jin Zixun whistled and his men all charged at once. The first one to reach Wei Wuxian was rewarded with a punch to the nose so hard he flipped backward over his own feet. The next two had knives. Wei Wuxian jumped out of the way to avoid being cut by one and disarmed the other. A third came up from behind while he was distracted and left a slice across his arm.

With a cry, Wei Wuxian turned and tried to run out of the ever closing circle they had him in. He dodged around one man and under the grabbing arms of another, but then he found himself faced with a wall. Nowhere to go. No way out.

Cursing, he turned to face his pursuers – and stopped. Jin Zixun's men furrowed their brows in confusion before turning around to see what had Wei Wuxian's attention.

The street around them was filling with white and blue clad soldiers – the Gusu royal guard. They blocked the store fronts and homes, and made a wall between the fighters and the restaurant where people were watching the battle from their tables. They completely surrounded Jin Zixun, all of his men, and Wei Wuxian, leaving no means of escape.

Once they were completely blocked in, a man in white and silver made his way to the front of the army. Face stern and eyes cold, Lan Zhan was still a thing of beauty in his military robes. His eyes found Wei Wuxian almost immediately and his expression, if possible, grew harder. Wei Wuxian gulped.

But instead of calling for Wei Wuxian's arrest, Lan Zhan said, his voice like steel, "Jin Zixun. You are under arrest." His eyes trailed from Wei Wuxian to the gaping Jin cousin. "For the attempted assassination of King Xichen, and the attempted murder of a citizen of Gusu."

No one had ever said Jin Zixun was an intelligent man. An intelligent man would have gone quietly, hoping his compliance would perhaps save his life. But no. Jin Zixuan and his men launched an attack on the royal guard, hoping to fight their way out and to freedom. They were severely outnumbered, however, and the fight was laughably short.

In what felt like seconds, Jin Zixun and his men were being hauled away to the palace. Other soldiers were reassuring the few onlookers that everything was handled and all was well. And Lan Zhan approached Wei Wuxian, still standing with his back to a wall.

"Lan Zhan, I—," Wei Wuxian tried, but Lan Zhan ignored him in favor of grabbing his arm to inspect it. The cut was bleeding, but sluggishly. "I'll be okay." Lan Zhan's eyes sparkled with concern that made Wei Wuxian's chest warm. "Hey." Lan Zhan looked up from the wound. "I'll be okay."

"Hm." Lan Zhan turned to the closest of the soldiers. "Fetch a doctor." Facing Wei Wuxian, he said, "All injuries must be treated seriously, lest they become serious through inaction."

Wei Wuxian's heart was going to give out from all the warm feelings Lan Zhan inspired in him. "So…I'm not under arrest too?"

That seemed to amuse and sadden Lan Zhan at the same time. "No. Wei Ying is not under arrest."

Before Wei Wuxian could ask how they knew he wasn't the assassin, Lan Zhan reached into his robes and pulled out—

"My flute!" Wei Wuxian snatched it up, inspected it, and pouted. "Ah. It's cracked." He sighed, dropping his arms to his sides. He would need to make a new one. Heavens knew he couldn't afford to buy one.

Lan Zhan patiently waited out his inspection and pout before speaking. "We knew whoever threw the knife had been injured by your flute. We have been checking hands all day."

Jin Zixuan definitely had an injury on his right hand. The situation was serious, but Wei Wuxian nearly began to laugh at the mental image of Lan Zhan going house to house asking to hold people's hands.

"Also," Lan Zhan continued, lowering his eyes briefly. "I arrived in time to hear his confession. I'm sorry we did not stop you from being injured."

The cut on his arm stung, true, but Wei Wuxian could hardly care. Lan Zhan was here and showing care for him. He wasn't being charged with treason. Not to mention how much Lan Zhan was speaking!

Grinning, Wei Wuxian said, "I'm glad you overheard him, because I had no way of proving my innocence otherwise. No evidence at all."

"I always knew you were innocent." The words were said with so much conviction and trust that they took Wei Wuxian's breath away. Then Lan Zhan, Prince Lan Wangji, reached up to brush hair from Wei Wuxian's face. "You are a good person, Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian's legs felt weak. "Oh," he breathed out.

Rendering him speechless made Lan Zhan's lips lift ever so slightly, clearly pleased with himself. Wei Wuxian's cheeks were hot enough to cook eggs on and he pouted.

"You have to warn me before you say things like that, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian complained, lifting an arm to touch his chest. "My poor heart can't take it."

That only made Lan Zhan smile more, and the warmth caused by that smile escaped Wei Wuxian in a breathy, ecstatic laugh.

…

…

In the end, Jin Guangshan, Jin Zixun, and half a dozen other members of the Jin family were found guilty of treason, along with their many supporters. In the face of their arrest, trial, and execution (or exile, for the supporters), Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan's wedding was postponed indefinitely. They would marry someday, of that Wei Wuxian was certain, but not in the wake of treason.

They moved out of the Jin family's main house and into one of their own, and always seemed happy when Wei Wuxian visited them. Jiang Cheng, living with them, always seemed angry, but that was his default expression. It was clear he was embarrassed at having lived with someone plotting murder, and pleased at his sister's happiness. But only to those who knew him.

As for Wei Wuxian himself – he was formally asked to live at the palace, where Lan Zhan took his position as Wei Wuxian's 'handsome suitor' very seriously.

He purchased Wei Wuxian's favorite alcohol and snuck it into the palace for him to drink, away from the eyes of Lan Qiren, who still watched him with suspicion. They ate most meals together, and Lan Zhan ensured that all of Wei Wuxian's favorites were made part of the staff's repertoire. They took long walks in the gardens, and spent many hours with the rabbits.

They played music together almost every day, Wei Wuxian on flute and Lan Zhan on qin. Lan Zhan even composed a song to represent his feelings, and played it any time either of them were feeling even slightly anxious.

And they talked. Not just Wei Wuxian but also Lan Zhan. About likes and dislikes, skills and failings, childhood injuries and memories of their parents. They talked so much that Wei Wuxian worried Lan Zhan might grow tired of his voice, but he didn't. Like that night in the store room, Lan Zhan's expression only grew fonder with every conversation.

"I like Wei Ying's voice," Lan Zhan admitted one night. "I would listen to it forever."

Wei Wuxian clutched at his chest dramatically and half collapsed over the table between them. "What did I say about warnings? Lan Zhan!" he whined, to Lan Zhan's amusement.

They spent so much time together – whenever Lan Zhan wasn't completing his princely duties, in fact – that it came as no surprise when he asked the king for permission to marry. King Xichen gave his blessing readily and Lan Zhan proposed that same night.

They were married shortly after the Spring Ball the next year. It was a grand event attended by all the most prominent families, too many Lan relatives to count, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng, and Jin Zixuan, and all of Wei Wuxian's friends and acquaintances from town.

Finally, Wei Wuxian thought. Finally he seemed to have shaken off the curse of bad lack that had followed him for so long.

Or perhaps the next chaotic event was just around the corner. He did manage to trip over his own wedding robes and knock over a table, after all. Luckily his husband seemed to like a challenge.

Luckily, Wei Wuxian knew that whatever came next, they would tackle it together.

…

…

fin