Come Back to Gusu

6. Must stand trial

The inn in Caiyi was completely full. Half of the common room was filled with Lan cultivators. The other half.... Wei WuXian didn't get a good look at them before he was whisked up the stairs, but they all looked (and smelled) like they were in desperate need of several baths and strong soap. Upstairs he found an odd situation: a Jin disciple was bound with spiritual binding rope and gagged. A man and a woman, as dirty as the people down the stairs, were huddled together. Lan XiChen, Lan QiRen, Nie MingJue, and Nie HuaiSang stood, talking quietly together.

"Ah, you're here," Lan XiChen welcomed them with a weak smile. "Wei Gongzi, I am really interested in hearing your thoughts. Wen Gongzi? Would you tell your story?"

Wen Gongzi? What is a Wen doing here in Caiyi? Shouldn't they all be reflecting or something back in Qishan? The young man who bowed to Lan XiChen seemed familiar. Where have I seen him before? "Wen Ning!" He called out, suddenly remembering helping the young man a few years back.

And then he remembered who the woman was, too. And where he had last seen them. A feeling of dread crept into his belly. Why are Wen Qing and Wen Ning here in an inn in Caiyi? More importantly, why are they here with two sect leaders, two heirs and a grandmaster? Who is this Jin?

"Wei Gongzi, hello." Wen Ning replied. "Lan ZongZhu.... My story?" He recited a tale that, condensed and without stuttering, boiled down to 'he was living peacefully with his sister and extended family when the tied up Jin led a bunch of disciples to round up everyone in his village. A few of the older men were killed outright. A few of the younger, prettier, women were taken into houses where they screamed for hours as Jin disciples paraded in and out. The women never left. What remained of the villagers were tied together and forcibly marched from their homes. The man in charge wanted to go night-hunting for a bat king and intended on using the villagers as bait. However, just after the creature started attacking the helpless men and women, men in white appeared. Lan ErGongzi slew the bat king while the others captured and restrained the Jin.'

Wei WuXian turned wide eyes upon Lan WangJi. So heroic. He must have looked so fierce and beautiful while fighting that bat king! I wish I could have seen it.... Fighting the bat king, that is. Not seeing Wen Ning and his family being used as bait. It wasn't fun being the bait when Wen Chao did it to us. I can't imagine being bait for a bat king would be pleasanter. More pleasant.

The Jin was struggling against the bindings, mumbling against his gag. Nie MingJue ripped the cloth down, "Do you have anything to add to this?"

"Do you know who I am?" the young man tried to yell, but his voice came out raspy from lack of spit. Wei WuXian stifled a laugh; he sounded rather like an angry alley cat.

Nie MingJue nodded. "You're Jin GuangChen's son: Jin ZiXun. Sixth in line to be Jin ZongZhu, seventh if Jin GuangYao is legitimized."

"Exactly! Let me go!"

"Murdered and raped innocent civilians. Attempted to murder more. Must stand trial." Lan WangJi stated.

"I didn't murder or rape anyone!" Jin ZiXun protested.

"Permitted the rape and murder." Lan WangJi sounded bored.

"It's not murder if it's animals," Jin ZiXuan proclaimed. "I just went hunting using some animals as bait. A few attempted to bite me when they were corralled, so we had to put them down. Animals must never be allowed to injure their masters."

"Animals?" Lan XiChen asked softly.

"Wen dogs," Jin ZiXun replied.

Wei WuXian could see that Nie MingJue was conflicted. His normal angry expression was twisted just enough to show hesitation and confusion. He'd spent most of the war proclaiming 'death to the Wen dogs', and with good reason. Sort of. Wen Xu's army attacked the Unclean Realm, and was barely defeated. Rumors abounded that Wen RuoHan was indirectly responsible for the Nie sect leader's father's death. However... the war was over. Wen RuoHan and his sons were dead. A fight with Wen RuoHan should have ended with his death. Not be pushed onto his people. Also, with one exception, the 'Wen dogs' used as bait on this night hunt weren't cultivators who had fought in the war. They were civilians, villagers.

And while Wen Ning was a cultivator, he had actively acted against his uncle and sect by aiding Jiang Cheng in the aftermath of Lotus Pier's destruction. Not that anyone else here knew what the Wen siblings had done for Jiang Cheng. The young sect leader certainly never praised the Wens for their actions, and Wei WuXian.... "Wen Qing and Wen Ning are good people," he interjected. "When Wen Chao and his army attacked Lotus Pier, it was Wen Ning who rescued Jiang Cheng and I, and took us to his sister for healing and protection. Wen Qing was the head of a Supervisory Office; if she'd been caught hiding us, we would all have been killed. Wen Ning was also the one who removed Jiang Shushu's and Madame Yu's bodies from Lotus Pier before Wen Chao and Wang LingJiao could desecrate them."

"Healing?" Lan WangJi asked.

Wei WuXian threw a quick 'do not contradict me, please' glance at the Wen siblings. "Jiang Cheng was injured and feverish. And I had been strangled." He left out exactly who had strangled him, because it really didn't matter anymore. "She healed us. And hid us for a few weeks until we could leave undetected."

Lan XiChen sighed. "So Wen Daifu and Wen QiongLin were your allies?"

"Yes."

"Jin ZiXun... even in war, the murder of civilians is impermissible. We are at peace. Why would you think using people as bait on a night hunt was acceptable? Wen Chao used your cousin, my brother, and others as bait in one of his night hunts. We loudly condemned his actions then, and still loudly condemn those actions now. Why would you imitate him? Did you think because your sect leader now wants to be Xiandu, it's suddenly permissible?"

Jin ZiXun sneered. "My uncle will applaud my actions. His son was used as bait; now Wen dogs are! It's justice!"

"Then your uncle is no better than Wen RuoHan," Wei WuXian retorted. "And you are no better than Wen Chao. I killed him for what he did to me and my sect." He fiddled with the flute at his waist. "Shall I offer you the same mercy I showed him?"

"Wei Ying," Lan WangJi practically growled a warning.

"Lan Zhan," the younger man echoed. "Wrong is wrong regardless of the sect that does it." If I had my ghosts here? I wouldn't hesitate to have them lead you to the same fate, he mentally chastised the Jin. Both Jin: the one in front of him and the one who would authorize this.

"Wei Gongzi is correct," Nie MingJue stated. "It was wrong for the Wen to use my brother as bait for the XuanWu of Slaughter and it is wrong now to use civilians as bait for that bat king. Jin ZiXun must be held accountable for the deaths he caused."

"A trial, DaGe?" Lan XiChen asked.

"Yes." Lan WangJi was satisfied with this resolution. He would have preferred to simply run the obnoxious Jin through a few times with Bichen until he stopped twitching, but.... GusuLan and LanlingJin were not at war. Social niceties must be observed.

"My uncle will acquit me," Jin ZiXun boasted.

"Then we will have the trial in a neutral location. I propose Lotus Pier as Jiang ZongZhu has not heard any of the particulars of this case.'

"Yes," Lan XiChen agreed, and gave a questioning look towards the Wen siblings. "Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," Wen Qing responded for them both. "My people? Will they be safe if they return home?"

"They are witnesses," Nie MingJue replied. "They will come with us to give testimony. As will the Jin cultivators who were captured and the Lan who took them."

Lan XiChen sighed. "I'll send a fast disciple to stop Jiang ZongZhu before he goes to Koi Tower for the hunt."

"Send one to Lanling, as well. The hunt will probably be postponed. I can't imagine Jin ZongZhu allowing his nephew to be tried without his presence," Nie MingJue agreed.