Fan fiction "Bound by Fate: The Marriage of Ice and Fire"

It was low over Lotus Pier, the silver light of the moon casting an otherworldly glow across the waters. Madam Yu stood in her chambers, her face expressionless, as cold as the blade of Zidian that coiled around her wrist. Jiang Fengmian entered, his footsteps measured, his gaze calm but weary, as it always was.

Madam Yu turned to him sharply. "Do you know what the Lan Clan's envoys said to me today, Jiang Fengmian?"

He sighed, already sensing the storm brewing. "What is it this time, Yu Ziyuan?"

She approached him, her eyes blazing with indignation and determination. "They have declared that Lan Wangji—the second jade of Gusu—is intent on marrying Wei Ying formally. *Our* Wei Ying, the child you brought into this house, into my family!"

Jiang Fengmian's face softened, though his brows furrowed slightly. "And? If Lan Wangji is willing to uphold Wei Ying's honor and give him a place in the Lan Clan, is that not a good match?"

"A good match?" Her voice rose, sharp as the crack of a whip. "Have you gone mad? Do you not see what this will mean? Do you not understand the scandal this will bring to the Jiang Clan? Wei Ying is already a source of gossip in Yunmeng. Now you want him to become the Lan Clan's 'proper spouse'? She spat the words as if they were poison.

Jiang Fengmian did not lose his composed expression. "Wei Ying is indeed a very special young man. He has proven himself time and time again, not only to us but to the entire cultivation world. If Lan Wangji deems him worthy and worthy enough of marriage, then—"

"That's enough!" Madam Yu stopped him. "Speak not of worth to me. I know that Wei Ying has talent; yet that doesn't make it true that he is a servant's son, born without blood nobility. He bears no name, no house. Yet you have favored him above all of your family, above our child and the child of your flesh. And now you believe that I shall sit idly by while this sham plays itself out?"

Jiang Fengmian's eyes turned icy, a cold look that came very rarely. "This is not about A-Li or A-Cheng. This is about Wei Ying and his happiness. If the Lan Clan is willing to accept him, why should we not support him?"

"Because it is not just about him!" Madam Yu's voice cracked a little, but the fire in her eyes didn't waver. "This is about the Jiang Clan, our reputation, and our place in the cultivation world. Do you think the other clans will respect us when they see us agreeing to this? When they see us handing over a boy of no status to become the Lan Clan's son-in-law?"

Jiang Fengmian also stepped forward closer to her, his voice more subdued but not losing any of its force. "You go on speaking of reputation, but what about the boy himself? Wei Ying has given everything to this family, to this sect. He saves A-Cheng's life, protects A-Li, and through his talents and bravery brings honor to our name. And now that he has a chance at happiness, you would take that away from him for fear that others may talk?"

Madam Yu's lips thinned, her fingers gripping Zidian tightly. "You think this is about *me*? About what *I* care for? No, Jiang Fengmian, this is about the legacy of the Jiang Clan. We have responsibilities—obligations that you seem to forget every time you look at that boy!"

"And our duty to Wei Ying?" he questioned sharply. "We brought him in. We raised him. If we deprive him of this, we betray him. Are you willing to see him abandoned, humiliated, when someone like Lan Wangji is willing to stand by him?"

She laughed bitterly. "Do not speak as if the Lans are saints. Do you think they would have proposed this if Wei Ying were anyone else? No. They see him as a liability, a thorn in their side, and this is their way of binding him. Keeping him under control."

Jiang Fengmian shook his head. "You see schemes where there are none. Lan Wangji cares for Wei Ying. Even you cannot deny that. And Wei Ying…" His voice softened. "Wei Ying deserves someone who will cherish him. If Lan Wangji is that person, then I will not stand in their way."

The silence grew between them like some heavy, oppressive weight. Then, without turning back to him, Madam Yu shook her shoulders and walked out. "Do what you will, Jiang Fengmian. You always do. But when this decision comes back to haunt the Jiang Clan, remember that it was your choice, not mine."

Without another word, she left the room, her footsteps echoing like thunder in the quiet night. Jiang Fengmian stood alone, staring at the door long after it had closed.