"I assume Lan Yi put them there to keep her company or something. Uh, in retrospect 'say nothing' would probably have been a good idea if I could pull it off but I...freaked out when I saw what the Yin Iron was and they asked me direct questions and lying is against the rules here and I promised to follow the rules here and I sort of wasn't handling the situation with the most grace I have ever had." Sigh. "I'm sorry, Jie."

She hugs her sister. “We’ll deal with the situation. I still don’t want to be separated from A-Ning if there’s going to be a war.”

“I think I, I would be okay? But I would rather be with both of you too. I think I can help, Er-Jie..”

"Sorry, A-Ning, I just worry." Hug. Hugs for everyone. "I guess it's kind of hypocritical. It's not that I don't think you can help." 

Hugs are so much better than yelling!

While the Wen siblings discuss strategy, the Lans are left to deal with their side of the aftermath. 

"Well. That was unexpected." 

“Apologies for worrying Brother. You... already knew of the Yin Iron?”

"It is a matter of which the Sect Leaders of the Great Sects are kept aware. So that if it should ever be necessary, someone would know to take action." 

“What must we do?”

"Finding a way to re-seal the Yin Iron is of paramount importance. But, also...if Wen Ruohan is after our piece, then he's going to go after the rest, too. We should speak with the other Sect Leaders and recover any shards not currently under someone's protection." 

“Will you summon them here?”

"I'll ask them to come personally to pick up their children when the classes end. That won't be suspicious, and nobody will wonder why I didn't make the same request of Wen Ruohan." 

"We will do nothing in the meantime?"

"I didn't say that." Sigh. "I'll see what I can do about suppressing the piece we have now, and we can see if any of the books in the forbidden chamber have anything to say on the subject, and...we're going to have to do something about those Wen siblings. It would be easier if they would accept sanctuary, but..." 

Does it help if she's accidentally married to one of them. That probably doesn't help.

"If they do not... we need to know everything we can about their plans, about Wen Ruohan's plans. Perhaps we can still aid their sabotage of him in ways that will not be traced." He grimaces. "I don't like it. We are absolutely in our rights to imprison them there, but that would be an escalation."

"Also, I suspect it wouldn't work. Wen Ying has already broken through our wards once." 

"Twice."

"Twice?" 

"A-Zhan, what did she do." 

"Cold springs."

"She broke through the wards on the back mountain in order to peep on you in the Cold Springs?"

"She WHAT?"

Lan Zhan shakes her head fervently, turning pink. "Said she didn't look. Accident."

Wen Ying hadn't taken advantage of her at all. Not when Lan Zhan was naked in the springs and not even when Wen Ying landed directly on top of her (and their breasts touched), which -- shouldn't be disappointing or surprising. Why would another girl ever want her, no matter how compromising a position she found herself in?