Jiang Gunian Made A Change

Part 20

Jiang YanLi read the first letter from her brother three times before folding it in her lap and sending a runner to find the Lan sect leader. "Lan ZongZhu," she sighed. "Would you please put up a silencing talisman? What this letter contains needs to be kept between us for the moment." He complied, and she handed the paper over.

"'Dearest ShiJie,'" Lan XiChen read out loud. "'I hope this letter finds you well and that not too many disciples are in the infirmary from fighting. Please let the peacock know we found his mother.'" Lan XiChen looked up. "They found Jin Furen? Excellent."

"Keep reading," Jiang YanLi admonished.

"'She's safe, as are the rest of the two hundred missing Jin women and disciples. They've been leaving Lanling a few at a time so as to not expose themselves to the Wen guarding the city gates. Most of the cultivators are headed to Lotus Pier while the civilians are supposed to go to the MeishanYu. Jin Furen insists that she will be in the last group heading out, so I think it will be over a month before she's safe in Lotus Pier.'

"'Please don't tell the peacock where I found Jin Furen: a brothel.'" Lan XiChen looked up again, ears and cheeks turning pink. "A brothel? What are our brothers doing in a brothel?"

Her cheeks were gaining color, too. "Keep reading."

"'I know you're going to ask why we're in a brothel. I'll explain later. Jin Furen made arrangements to hide the girls and women of Koi Tower immediately after the peacock took his people to hide with us. Jin ZongZhu thought they would evade any repercussions for the peacock not attending the Indoctrination session because he's an arrogant prick. Jin Furen was positive they would be attacked and subjugated next because of the insult. Jin Furen is much smarter than her husband; I quite like her. She made arrangements with various pleasure houses in Lanling to hide the women and their guards. Every day a group of three or four leave the city, different gates each time. A small family heading home after visiting their parents. Or newlyweds moving to a new home. So far, no one has been stopped. I think either the gate guards are unable to sense spiritual energy, or the Jin purposefully blocked their own spiritual energy to pass.'

"'Living in the brothel gives Jin Furen an incredible amount of information. She and some of the older women hide behind a thick veil and cheap skirts and ply the Wen soldiers with bad wine until they're drunk. Then they dig for information about troop movements. I'll include a map of where we think Wen troops are currently stationed. Wen Chao is leading troops towards Lotus Pier while Wen Xu is leading his troops to the Unclean Realm. Jin Furen thinks both sons are going to attack simultaneously.' If they do," Lan XiChen added, "That will make aiding each other impossible. On both sides."

"The Wen brothers can't leave to support each other's battles means... what? They are confident that they are each capable of overrunning the Jiang and Nie armies?"

"It certainly seems so." Lan XiChen returned to the letter. "Jin Furen hopes to have her people in Lotus Pier before Wen Chao attacks. She recommends that you send support to Nie ZongZhu. Wen RuoHan shouldn't know about us. She thinks he thinks all the heirs are hiding out together, but she thinks that he thinks there are only perhaps a hundred disciples with the heirs.'

"'Lan Zhan says his brother should send a letter to Cloud Recesses requesting their assistance at either Lotus Pier or the Unclean Realm. I advocate for hit-and-run attacks on the main armies or scouting parties.'" Lan XiChen put the letter down. "We should talk with the other heirs about what we should do."

Jiang YanLi nodded. "I'm sure Meng Yao will have suggestions worth listening to."

"Mmm. 'As for how Lan Zhan and I ended up in a brothel? We were in Lanling, and a pair of Wen soldiers looked like they were overly interested in us. The closest public building happened to be a brothel. We took refuge, flirting with the ladies there. Yes, Shijie, I flirted with the ladies; Lan Zhan just smirked and pretended to drink wine. He spilled it down the front of his robes. So, of course, he needed to change, and I wasn't going to let him wander around a pleasure house without me. Not the way he was acting.'

"Which leads me, us, to our current predicament. Not all the wine was wasted. He must have drank a few cups because he fell asleep at the table for a while. When he woke up, he got up and started exploring the place, saying he was dirty and needed to change. I asked the Madame for a room, and she sent us to one.... ShiJie... I have never been so embarrassed in my life.'

"'It was a room designed for men to pleasure each other! Lan Zhan wasn't embarrassed at all! He looked at the pictures on the walls and in the spring books as if they were art, and sniffed every bottle of oil to find one he liked.'" Lan XiChen folded the paper and fanned himself with it. "I should have warned Wei Gongzi that we Lan have almost no tolerance for alcohol. My apologies, Jiang Guniang, for my brother's actions."

She smiled. "No apologies are necessary. Keep reading."

"'He pocketed the oil, which apparently reminded him that he was wet from the spilled wine, and he proceeded to... I suppose I shouldn't tell you everything that he did. Let's just say he was not himself at all. No sense of propriety.'

"'I think we're engaged? At one point, he took his forehead ribbon out and tied it around my wrist. Can you ask Lan XiChen about that? Lan Zhan looked so embarrassed when he woke up this morning and saw my wrist still tied with his ribbon.' Engaged?" Lan XiChen moaned. "My uncle will kill him. There are...." His words trailed off.

"Yes, there are," Jiang YanLi agreed. "I will expect a marriage contract from you soon. I had thought we'd have time after they returned to make arrangements. When has A'Xian ever done anything in a proper manner?" She laughed. "It appears your brother is like that, too. It should make for an interesting start to their marriage."

"You aren't opposed to a cut sleeve marriage?"

"It is obvious that they care deeply for each other, Lan ZongZhu. I find that more important than their gender." She whisked the letter out of the sect leader's hands. "I can expect you to hold confidential matters confidential?" He nodded. "Good. Please end the silence spell, and I'll call for a sect heir meeting to discuss our next steps."