It is a beautiful summer morning in Cloud Recesses, when Lan Qiren pauses outside the Great Hall. The sky is as dark a blue as one would wish at this time of year, and the air is fragrant with the perfume of wildflowers and fresh cut grass. High up above him, a flock of geese honk as they pass, and magpies call out to one another perched among the branches of the great magnolia tree in the courtyard.
He sends up a prayer to the Universe that the conference should go well and steps forward past the intricately carved wooden doors.
Since they are hosting, the Lan Clan must be the first to arrive, aside from the servants who have been organised to make sure that all the guests have everything they need. Cushions and bamboo mats have been placed strategically around the sides of the great hall, leaving the walkway unhindered. Hundreds of low cherry wood tables have been laid out, each with a fresh pot of tea, a plate of sweet osmanthus cakes and savoury biscuits, parchment paper and a set of Ivory handled brushes, and ink, ready to begin the conference.
Little bells ring pleasantly as the banners of the Lan Clan move with the breeze. White with light blue writing, cool, calm, and soothing.
Behind him, his ducklings, as Cangse Sanren calls them, follow in his footsteps.
Lan Huan, Lan Zhan, Wei Ying, and Xue Yang obediently follow him to the little stage set up at the front of the great hall.
Lan Qiren will sit centre stage, with Lan Huan on his right and Lan Zhan on his left. Wei Ying will sit next to Lan Zhan, and Xue Yang will sit next to him, nearer the edge.
When Lan Qiren had asked his son about this preference, Xue Yang had answered vaguely and when pushed a little, he had gotten flustered and mentioned something about an upset tummy, so Lan Qiren will let him stay in a position that will allow him to slip out of the hall unnoticed, to save him any embarrassment.
The gift-giving ceremony is set to take place after everyone arrives, and they don't have to wait too long before the first guests begin trickling in.
Xue Yang is busy cleaning under his nails with the blunt tip of the writing brush, going over the plan in his head. He knows himself, and he knows that he thinks better if his hands are occupied.
As soon as the clans gather in this room, he's going to take off and start searching rooms, following the plan in his head. He knows that anything incriminating, anything of value can be hidden on the person who is guilty of treason, and it's a long shot. But at the same time, if they find anything, that will be damning proof of the traitor.
Today, it is himself and Wei Ying, who will go searching through the guest houses of the Jin contingent in the morning, and after lunch, the Nie guest houses. They don't need to bother with the main leader's rooms in either case because Madam Jin had already left Nightless City when the Lan and Wen rooms had been ransacked, and Nie XiongMeng is on Lan Qiren's side as an ally. However, the same cannot be said about their disciples.
All it takes is one little upstart, Xue Yang thinks as his belly curls in anticipation. He's quite excited about their mission.
He glances up and sees Lan Qiren looking at him, with a fond affection in his warm brown eyes, and partly in wonderment as if he can't quite believe they belong together as father and son. Xue Yang is suddenly flooded with a rich loyalty, the feeling that Lan Qiren is his person all the way through. It's a warmth that fills his heart with happiness that he can do something for him, something to ease away the stress and uncertainty of looking for the traitor, for his father. It's more than wanting parental approval, more than wanting to make his Baba happy. It's like opening an umbrella over the person you love because you love them, and you want them to be dry and happy. No one asked you to open the umbrella: you just do it.
