When the Jiang's had returned to Lotus Pier, Madam Yu was still stubbornly standing even when her back was bleeding continuesly.
"San-niang you should go see the healers! You might die from blood loss!" Jiang Fengmian tried to persuade his wife into going to the infirmary but his wife is as stubborn as a rock!
"Are you undermining me now Fengmian!? You think I will die that easily!? If it wasn't for that brat then I wouldn't get whipped and lose face in front of everyone! Our son would not lose face in such a young age!" She screamed at his face.
Jiang Yanli was too worried for her mother that she decided to call the nearest physician.
"San-niang the floor is getting filled with blood! You need to clean your bandages!"
"AND!? DO YOU THINK WE WOULD BE HERE IF YOU DIDN'T BRING IN THAT STREET RAT!? DO YOU THINK WE WOULD HAVE YUNMENG LOSE FA-" Madam Yu fainted when a needle was thrown onto her forehead.
"Too noisy, get her to the infirmary and call some servants to clean up the blood! It looks like someone died in here!" A voice called out and students in medical training did as told Jiang Fengmian turned as he saw his wife getting carried towards the infirmary.
"Jiang Fen-" he paused when he saw the woman held her hand up as she talked to the remaining one medical student "Clean up the wound, stop the bleeding, prepare the salve and I'll check if it has been mixed correctly."
The medical disciple bowed and left to the infirmary.
"Jiang Fengmian, mind telling me why her back was bleeding?"
She asked with a raised brow and Jiang Fenqmian and Jiang Yanli explained.
"...and so she was going to be punished with 40 whips but instead got 16, we tried to lower it more as it was too much but A-Xian said I was lenient." Jiang Yanli said.
Jiang Fen scoffed "Forgive me cousin and niece but too much? How naive are you? Have you seen Wuxian's back? I would agree with him that it was too lenient, much less than she deserves! Wuxian got more than she has and he's still standing while she's on the bed pathetically holding to life." she snapped.
"Jiang Fen-"
"Fengmian, I DID try to warn you, THE ELDERS, tried to warn you, they gave you a choice to control your wife, or divorce her."
Jiang Yanli's eyes widened at that 'Divorce!?'
"And what? You chose none of that! And look where it got you! Now that you've partly learned your lesson, you should choose wisely." she said blankly.
"I'm surprised you both were let free without a single whip." she said which surprised the father and daughter.
"W-what do you mean?" Jiang Yanli asked.
"Well if I were the one whipped and people are just telling me to deal with it and they DON'T MEAN IT." she looked at Jiang Yanli as the second part was addressed to her "Then I would atleast let them have a whip or two to understand the pain and that it cannot just be 'DeAIT wITh'." she mocked.
"Now what happened to Wuxian?" Jiang Fen asked.
"'He...he left." Jiang Fengmian had said looking at the floor.
"Hmph, about time! After my shift today, I too will leave the clan."
This made Jiang Fengmian panic "You can't leave! You just became the head healer 2 months ago! You're the one with the most knowledge currently!" He begged her.
"You should have thought about that before you decided to ignore my warnings." she said disgusted "Now If you two don't mind, I have to check your so called Madam of the sect." she walked towards the direction of the infirmary before she turned to face the father and daughter.
"In a span of a week, you managed to lose both the best disciple that keeps the sect together, and the head healer as the other's had retired and left to build a family, this is what happens when you
don't listen to others' warnings." she harrumped before actually going to save the stubborn woman's life.
Not like she wanted to, but Yu Ziyuan needs more than just 16 whips on her back.
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Jiang Yanli was in her room peeling Lotus seeds as she recalled the events from before.
"Fengmian, I DID try to warn you, THE ELDERS, tried to warn you, they gave you a choice to control your wife, or divorce her."
She recalled the words that Healer Jiang Fen had said.
She doesn't know what would happen if her mother actually left.
If father would divorce her.
But he didn't.
Wei Wuxian had blamed them.
The head healer had blamed her father and mother.
The head healer had mocked her.
Her ex-fiance looked at her with disgust written on his face.
Jin Zixuan dissolved the marriage because he doesn't want to be in a loveless marriage.
Her dreams had shattered, she kept on dreaming about having a grand wedding, the best wedding in the whole cultivation world in her generation.
She dreamt of having a kid with him.
She dreamt of them being loving couple.
But it had all shattered when her brother punched Jin Zixuan unconscious.
But Wei Wuxian wasn't there to stop her brother.
She had a nightmare one night where she dreamt that Wei Wuxian punched the Jin Heir and her marriage got dissolved.
But who knew in realitv her brother did it.
And his reputation is already ruined now that there are rumors around Lotus Pier saying that the Jiang Heir got whipped by the discipline whip and the scars will no longer fade.
She knows what will be happening next.
Her mother will depend on her to rebuild the clan's reputation whether she would like it or not.
Jiang Yanli clenched her fists.
She did not know exactly who to blame.
But if anything, she would blame Wei Wuxian for leaving her alone.
He would have been able to help her with her cultivation but he couldn't because he left!
And now her brother will take over as head disciple.
She could not be any more prouder that her brother finally got that title.
She decided to take a deep breath and walk around the Pier.
It was night time, the sky was clear and the air was fresh.
She walked around in a calming manner, breathing in the scents of the lotuses and the lake waters.
This had made her mood slightly better.
She was walking until she heard a commotion in the meeting hall where the Jiang elders reside in.
Curious she decided to eavesdrop to catch on their conversation, she's the lady of the sect, she deserves the right to know.
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Jiang Fengmian was trying to calm the elders down "First Elder, please calm-"
"FENGMIAN! CALM!? YOU WANT US TO CALM!?" He yelled at the sect Leader.
"We have told you that wife of yours will bring trouble! Wei Wuxian may do troublesome things but he is the one who actually does what our motto says!" Another elder chided in.
"My son will follow-"
"Your son!? He takes after YOUR WIFE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY MESSES YOUR PREVIOUS HEAD DISCIPLE HAD TO FIX?? NOW WHO'S GOING TO DO IT!? YOUR SON CAN'T EVEN MAKE FRIENDS!" A female elder raged out.
"I will train my son, he will be capable."
"Isn't that what you said last time? If you weren't my older brother's son, we would have long ago make Wei Wuxian the heir!"
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Jiang Yanli gasped softly as she clamped her hands towards her mouth
The elders were thinking of replacing her brother!
It was a good thing Wei Wuxian left, she doesn't know how her brother would take it if he heard about this.
—————————
"Elders....you wouldn't-"
"Fenqmian don't you forget, Wei Changze wasn't a servant, the line of succession for the Jiangs never focused on the main family, they focused on the one who followed the motto, there were different sect Leader who weren't Jiangs if I will remind you." the 3rd elder reminded.
"Your wife ruined the reputation of the sole Heir of Yunmeng before he stepped down because he wanted to be free."
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Jiang Yanli couldn't believe what she was hearing.
This meant, that all this time...Wei Wuxian was the legitimate Heir to Yunmeng Jiang and not her brother.
But due to the Elders being patient on Jiang Fengmian, they decided to wait for her brother to see if he would change.
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"But, since you would NOT listen to us! Now we have lost our chance to make Wei Wuxian as Heir now that we are stuck with both your son and your daughter!"
"We will give you 2 years Fengmian, I want to see a change, or us elders, will decide for ourselves."
"That wife of yours never even bothered to follow Yunmeng Jiang's ways! Her punishment for abusing the legitimate Heir would be that she would not be allowed to discipline the disciples anymore and no more nighthunting for one year! She will learn to act like a Madam!"
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Jiang Yanli fled before anyone could catch her and Wen towards the tree where she first found Wei Wuxian hiding.
Tears fell from her eyes.
She learned the things she never knew.
What would have happened if Wei Wuxian actually stayed.
Would the elders took their chance on making him the heir?
She would only be thankful that he left.
She trusted that her brother will bring the sect back to it's original glory.
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While the elders were talking, they didn't see a servant listening to their conversation.
The said servant then left as soon as the meeting was over and went towards his desk and started writing what he found.
He then gathered the two birds and tied it around their leg.
Two notes, one of each bird.
Once the notes had found their way to a certain green robed Heir, a smirk formed on his face.
"What an interesting discovery." he then made a move to contact the other spies before he would go and share the information to three other people.