The next day, Jiang Cheng and his mother are discussing the new disciples’ training regiment when Yinzhu comes in.

“Yu-furen, Jiang-zongzhu,” she says after bowing. “Wei Wuxian is outside. He is escorting the matchmakers, back from the Unclean Realm.”

Jiang Cheng starts. They’re back. Finally. But why is Wei Wuxian with them?

“Send them in,” his mother tells Yinzhu.

Wei Wuxian walks in, followed by the three women. On his best behavior, he stops at a respectful distance and puts his hands together to bow to them both. He glances at Jiang Cheng, but addresses Yu Ziyuan, since she is the one who sent matchmakers to propose the marriage.

“Yu-furen, I was out in the town when I came across our delegation coming back from Qinghe. I took the liberty of relieving our disciples and escorting them here.”

Of course, you did, Jiang Cheng thinks, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He knows perfectly well Wei Wuxian is doing this simply so he would be here to hear what they say.

Wei Wuxian steps to the side, and the old matchmaker, the one who suggested Nie Huaisang, steps forward. She’s really the one conducting the negotiations, while the other two are mostly there to assist her (and, he supposes because a delegation of three is grander than a delegation of one). Her face is impassive as she bows respectfully.

Wei Wuxian is practically vibrating behind them. He keeps trying to meet Jiang Cheng’s eyes, a manic grin on his face. Jiang Cheng ignores him.

“Yu-furen, Nie-zongzhu sends their regards to you and Jiang-zongzhu, along with his reply,” the old matchmaker says, holding out the letter with both hands.

As his mother reads the letter, Jiang Cheng realizes his hands feel sweaty, and he swallows, trying to keep his features calm. He hopes his mother isn’t too angry with what she reads.

Wei Wuxian is still attempting to catch his eyes, and Jiang Cheng still refuses to look at him.

His mother looks up from the letter, and there is a small, satisfied smile on her lips. Jiang Cheng did not expect that. She turns to the three women.

“Thank you for your hard work on our behalf, it’s a long journey to and from the Unclean Realm,” she tells them before turning back towards her son. “Nie-zongzhu has accepted our proposal.”

Jiang Cheng reels back, eyes wide and pulse suddenly hammering in his ears.

“What? Yes?” He’s flabbergasted. What the hell.

“Of course, yes,” she tells him, sounding exasperated. “I never expected differently, you shouldn’t have either.”

Jiang Cheng stares from his mother to the old matchmaker. There must be some mistake. But the old woman smiles at him.

“Nie Huaisang sends his particular regards to Jiang-zongzhu. He said he hopes to be able to see you soon,” she tells him.

“He… what?” What does that even mean?

Before he can say anything else, Wei Wuxian finally sheds his proper bearing and strides over, a wide smile on his face.

“I told you so! Congratulations! You’re getting married, Jiang Cheng!” He exclaims happily as he throws an arm around his neck.

“Wei Ying!” Yu Ziyuan chides, but her tone lacks the usual bite. She’s obviously pleased by the news. “Have tea and food brought for our guests.”

“Yes, Yu-furen,” Wei Wuxian replies, still grinning as he lets go of Jiang Cheng, outwardly unfazed by the dismissal.

“We’ve troubled Yu-furen and Jiang-zongzhu,” the old matchmaker says. “There is no need.”

“Nonsense, my son and I have much to discuss with you.”

Wei Wuxian is halfway to the door when the matchmaker replies. “Indeed. Nie-zongzhu has made it clear he expects a substantial bride price for his brother’s hand.”

There is a ruckus as Wei Wuxian trips over the steps near the entrance and knocks over a lamp. Everyone turns to state at him as he hastily picks himself up.

“Sorry, sorry!” he says, laughing a little wildly as he escapes out the door. But not without giving Jiang Cheng one last look. Baffled, amused and, worst of all, intrigued.

Jiang Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose before turning his attention back to his mother and the matchmaker.

—

When Jiang Cheng finally leaves the room, he finds Wei Wuxian sitting outside on the steps, waiting for him.

He tries to just walk past without acknowledging him, but of course, that’s not going to happen.

“Nie-xiong? Nie Huaisang? That’s who you’re going to marry?” Wei Wuxian pipes up.

“So? Is there a problem with that?” Jiang Cheng stops, crossing his arms and glaring at Wei Wuxian. Daring him to comment.

Wei Wuxian laughs. “Of course not! Nie-xiong is great! I just never realized you two actually…”

Jiang Cheng bristles. “Us two what?”

“You know! I had no idea you were a thing! And you let me keep guessing all his cousins like an idiot!” Wei Wuxian seems very amused by the whole thing.

“We’re not a thing,” Jiang Cheng says, wishing he couldn’t feel heat crawl up his neck and face.

“You’re getting married, aren’t you? That means you’re a thing.” Wei Wuxian is obviously enjoying this entirely too much. “It only surprised me because you’ve kept it so quiet, it actually makes a lot of sense.”

“It makes sense?” Jiang Cheng hates having to play catch up in conversations with Wei Wuxian.

“Well, yes,” Wei Wuxian gets up off the steps and slings an arm around Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “You think he’s pretty. And I told you, he said he’d be happy if you wanted to marry him.”

“You said he said if he was a young maiden, he’d be happy!” Jiang Cheng protests.

Waves his hand as if dismissing that. “Clearly that part is not relevant, since he said yes!”

“Chifeng-zun said yes.”

“You don’t think Nie-xiong had a choice? You heard the matchmaker. He sends his particular regards and hopes to see you soon.”

—

Jiang Cheng doesn’t understand what has gone wrong. He thinks that while the letter to Nie Huaisang obfuscated what he was writing about, he was quite clear on the point about just letting Nie Mingjue say no. Maybe the miscalculation was assuming Chifeng-zun would say no? He’d thought that was a given, Huaisang was his heir, after all. Maybe the old matchmaker was just that good at her job. Maybe with his brother inclined to accept, Nie Huaisang felt he couldn’t say no.

Jiang Cheng winces any time he considers that possibility. Nie Huaisang being trapped into a betrothal with him is not something he anticipated, and certainly not something he ever wanted.

Wei Wuxian’s words, that Nie Huaisang had told him he would be happy if Jiang Cheng wanted him, try to worm their way into his mind, and he ruthlessly squashes them. If he was a girl. But he isn’t. It was all hypothetical, and he’d be a fool to assume otherwise.

The situation has become all the more complicated. If Chifeng-zun had said no, that would be that, but breaking things off now will be so much more fraught. Sure, they’ve only just started the process, but they’ve accepted. The matchmaker said they have Nie Huaisang’s birth details with them. They’ll be taken to a fortuneteller soon.

Maybe the fortuneteller will say the match isn’t advisable? But he can’t afford to depend on that.

He wishes he could just get on his sword and go talk to Nie Huaisang. Both to clear things up and because he’s sure his friend could come up with a solution, once he’s assured Jiang Cheng never intended this mess. But he’s Yunmeng Jiang’s clan leader now, he can’t just leave with no explanation. His mother certainly will not accept it.

The solution presents itself early the next day. Word comes from a remote village to the north about a yao infestation that needs to be handled. It sounds simple enough that a couple of the senior disciples can handle it along. But Jiang Cheng decides to turn it into a training exercise. They can take care of it and give the new disciples some practical experience. And he also decides that he’ll go himself to supervise.

“You want to do this now?” his mother asks, somewhat impatiently. “We need to discuss betrothal gifts.”

“And we’re also waiting for Aunt Yu to arrive, and the matchmaker has to go to a fortuneteller for the birthday matching,” he replies reasonably. “A few days won’t matter, and it’s my duty as clan leader to see to the disciples’ training.”

The last point in particular was not something Yu Ziyuan could argue against. And so, Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian and a dozen disciples of Yunmeng Jiang leave on a night hunt.

They arrive at dusk, and just as Jiang Cheng had hoped for, the yao troubling the area provide just enough of a challenge to occupy the Yunmeng Jiang disciples.

Early the next morning, Jiang Cheng pulls Wei Wuxian aside to tell him that since the problem has been dealt with, there is a personal matter he needs to deal with. He instructs Wei Wuxian to lead the disciples in a canvas of the area, more as a further training exercise than anything else. He’ll be back in two days at most.

Wei Wuxian, of course, is curious about just what it is he’s going to do, and Jiang Cheng refuses to explain.

“Okay, fine, don’t tell me, but I’m going with you,” Wei Wuxian tells him.

“No, you’re not,” Jiang Cheng says, crossing his arms.

“What if something happens to you? Do you have any idea what Yu-furen would do to me?”

“I’m a grown man, I don’t need you to take care of me.”

“At least take two disciples. As a favor to me,” Wei Wuxian insists, attempting to sound reasonable.

“I don’t have time for that.”

In the end, he agrees to take the two most advanced disciples, just to get Wei Wuxian to shut up.

“I’m in a rush, so keep up, and don’t breathe a word about where we go or what I do, or I will break both your legs,”

And so, with the two disciples in tow, Jiang Cheng gets on his sword and flies northeast at top speed, towards Qinghe and the Unclean Realm.