Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze landed in Lanling a few blocks from Jinlintai, wanting to keep a low profile as they made their way towards the Jin Sect’s headquarters. Cangse Sanren hadn’t spent a lot of time in Lanling, but she spotted a few landmarks she recognized: a gilded temple; an expansive bathhouse gleaming in pale marble; a bustling market district. The city was impressive, filled with soaring, graceful architecture and shining surfaces. But she still did not care for the press of people around her. The city seemed even more crowded now than she remembered.
“Did you notice?” Wei Changze asked softly beside her after a few minutes.
“Notice what? Everything looks the same as I remember.”
“Exactly. Yunmeng is in shambles from the war, yet Lanling remains as gaudy and pretentious as ever.”
She looked around again, and realized he was right. “Somehow Lanling managed to escape the destruction of war.”
The only sign of recent upheaval were the ragged people filling every alley and unused doorway, more beggars than she had ever seen anywhere.
“It must have come close, judging by the abundance of war refugees.” Cangse Sanren gripped her sword tighter, her righteous anger growing as she noticed more hungry people on the sides of streets, ignored by the wealthy passersby as if they were nothing but unsightly detritus.
“Knowing Jin Guangshan, he probably played both sides as long as possible, happily offering up surrounding areas as tribute to keep the enemy appeased and out of Lanling.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course. It would save him the bother of picking a side and fighting a war.”
“I can’t imagine he has earned much loyalty from the common people, though.”
“I can’t imagine he cares. When has Lanling Jin ever cared about the common people?”
She regretted her cynical tone when her husband’s face went tight around the eyes. He already wore his grief openly in his creased brow and in the new lines that had appeared at the sides of his mouth. He wasn’t the one who deserved her ire.
He looked back at her and must have seen the apology in her eyes, because he gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand. He held her gaze for a few moments, standing still as the crowd flowed around them like river water around an unmoving boulder. Cangse Sanren felt her tension ease at the reassurance she found in his soft eyes. He already knew her harshness had been her own grief speaking.
She was grateful for his steadiness, even as she wondered how he was handling all this so much better than she was.
Still holding her hand, Wei Changze started walking again, tugging her gently until she fell into step beside him. Jinlintai rose above them as they drew closer, casting a long shadow across the city.
Cangse Sanren looked up at the tower as she wondered aloud, “Do you get the feeling the fall of the Qishan Wen left an enormous power vacuum?
“Mn. And if the Jin were the only ones not to suffer drastic losses in the war…Jin Guangshan must be angling by now to fill it. I don’t know what that has to do with Wei Ying, but knowing Jin Guangshan, he won’t hesitate to use this situation to his advantage. Maybe Wei Ying just created an opening for him.”
“He’s holding this meeting on his home turf. The minor sects who attend will lean heavily towards Jin Sect vassals.”
“But the three other major sects have never given Jin Guangshan’s nonsense the time of day. He was straight up afraid of Sect Leader Nie.”
“And the only person Sect Leader Nie was ever intimidated by was Xia Dong.”
“Like Sect Leader Nie, some of us prefer living in awe and terror of our wives,” said Wei Changze with a wink.
