Lan Wangji is a High Functioning Sociopath
Lan Qiren knows that he's basically raised a sociopath-on-the-inside-but-perfect-Lan-Sect-disciple-on-the-outside Lan Wangji and he doesn't know where he went wrong but he knows that the first time Lan Wangji lays eyes on Wei Wuxian, LQR becomes WORRIED.
LQR tried his best to raise up his brother's children and he thinks he did right by Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. They're good children and they are the best examples of Lan disciples, the sect has ever turned out.
If Lan Wangji is a little more quiet than LQR would like, he chalks it up to Lan Sect humility.
But then the Rabbit Incident happens.
See, no one says it out loud but Lan Wangji is the reason why there's a "no pets allowed" rule carved into the side of the mountain.
When Lan Wangji was still six years old, there was no rule about pets so Lan Qiren thought it would teach the boys responsibility to gift them a small bunny rabbit to raise and take care of. Lan Qiren could see how enamored Lan Wangji was with the rabbit.
Gold eyes sparkled and infused with the smallest bit of warmth when Lan Wangji held his new friend. The bunny became more of Lan Wangji's pet than it was Lan Xichen's and Lan Wangji's pet but none of his nephews complained so Lan Qiren allowed the attachment.
But then, one day, Lan Qiren was passing by the disciple dorms and noticed that one of the younger branch member disciples in the fields with Lan Wangji. The small boy was asking LWJ to hold his bunny. LQR watched at LWJ reluctantly allowed the boy to hold his pet.
Later that day, Lan Qiren noticed that Lan Wangji was still in the fields, alone and quietly petting his bunny even though it was quite close to curfew.
"Wangji, it's time to put down your rabbit and go back to your dorms," Lan Qiren said.
"Yes, Shufu," Lan Wangji says placidly. "But first, I must say goodbye to my rabbit."
And it was then that Lan Qiren noticed that the rabbit lying in Lan Wangji's arms was quite dead, its neck twisted at an awkward angle like it had been snapped.
Lan Qiren barely holds onto his composure as he stares in horror as his tiny nephew whispers good bye to his rabbit before dropping it by the base of a tree.
"Wangji," Lan Qiren begins slowly, unable to comprehend how this could have happened. "What did you do?"
"Bunny was mine," Lan Wangji explains evenly. "If Bunny is not meant to be only mine, then Bunny should be destroyed."
"Wangji..." Lan Qiren doesn't know how to even begin to address the wrongness of the situation. "Killing innocents is bad."
He can tell that Lan Wangji doesn't seem to understand his words though because the boy tilts his head thoughtfully.
"Wangji was not killing Bunny," the boy responds. "Wangji was saving him."
And with that, Lan Wangji bows and leaves his uncle to his own disconcerted thoughts.
Lan Qiren doesn't tell anyone about the incident. He buries the rabbit at the base of that tree, tells Lan Xichen that the bunny ran away (Lan Wangji doesn't contradict him), and informs the elder that another rule must be added to the mountain without giving any context.
Besides that one incident, Lan Wangji is nothing but the picture of normality.
He's a good disciple and his cultivation is strong.
But Lan Qiren knows the monster he has inadvertently raised. Nothing as overt as the Rabbit Incident happens again but LQR keeps watch of LWJ.
And when he sees Lan Wangji looking at bright and exhuberant Wei Wuxian with the same enamored look that he gave Bunny those many years ago, Lan Qiren becomes WORRIED.
Not for Lan Wangji, but for WWX.
The Jiang Sect disciple doesn't know what sort of demon he has attracted.
The worst part is Lan Qiren doesn't know what to expect from Lan Wangji's infatuation. He can see how much his nephew comes alive when he sees Wei Wuxian, how his eyes track the guest disciple's every movement with hungry longing.
Lan Qiren vows to keep a close watch on both boys and prays silently in his heart that this sect exchange will go without incident.
The moment he hears that Wei Wuxian was caught sneaking alcohol into the Cloud Recesses, is the moment he knows that his prayers have gone unanswered.
Like clockwork, Lan Wangji comes into his office and demands to oversee the boy's punishment.
Normally, Lan Qiren would praise his nephew for his moral uprightness but he can see that Lan Wangji has ulterior motives. In fact, he's 100 percent sure that he orchestrated Wei Wuxian into breaking the rules just so he could trap the boy and himself in a confined space for days on end.
Lan Qiren is mightily concerned on what damage Lan Wangji can do to Wei Wuxian in those couple of days and insists on overseeing the boy's punishment himself.
He can see that this does not sit well with Lan Wangji, his nephew's fists curling and his lips thinning.
"If that is what Shufu wishes," Lan Wangji answers in that same expressionless tone that he once answered Lan Qiren when he had killed his bunny.
Lan Qiren wakes up in the infirmary unit. The healers tell him that he has been unconscious for a few days now.
Poison, they tell him. From a rare herb found in the back woods of Gusu Lan's forest. One of the foragers they rely on for the medicinal herbs they use in their food must have accidentally mixed it up in his morning meal.
Luckily it wasn't a lethal dose.
Lan Qiren is quick to inquire about his nephew's whereabouts, particularly Lan Wangji's. The healers all smile at the man's concern for his precious nephews but no, that's not the reason why Lan Qiren is desperate to find out what they are up to.
To his horror, he finds that Lan Wangji has been spending the past few days with Wei Wuxian in the Library Pavilion, overseeing the boy's punishment of copying lines from the Sect Rules.
The moment he is able to pry himself away from the infirmary, Lan Qiren breaks into a (dignified!) sprint toward the Library Pavilion.
Two young disciples stare back at him. Lan Qiren scans over Wei Wuxian and to his relief, the Jiang Sect boy looks no worse for wear. Meanwhile, Lan Wangji stands up and greets his uncle with a polite bow.
"Shufu," Lan Wangji says, "Wangji is glad that Shufu has recovered from his bout of poisoning. The healers assured me that it was mild and that you would recover quickly. Wangji was worried."
The audacity! Lan Qiren wants to pull Wangji out right now and scold him for actually daring to poison his own uncle but he knows that nothing he will say will deter Wangji. If he had a stronger spine, he would have confessed to the elders about Wangji's misdeeds.
But like the incident years ago, Lan Qiren chooses to keep his mouth shut. Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji are the only family he has left from his brother who is near catatonic in his seclusion. Try as he might, he loves his sociopathic nephew more than he loves this sect.
Instead, he turns to Wei Wuxian and asks, "Has Wangji been treating you well?"
"Lan Zhan has been boring me to tears with these sect rules, Teacher Lan," Wei Wuxian sighs dramatically. "Do I really have to copy ALL 3000 rules? Why does Gusu Lan have so many rules in the first place?"
To restrain the monster sitting right in front of you, Lan Qiren doesn't say. The longer he looks at Wei Wuxian, the more he's assured that his nephew hasn't done anything too out of the ordinary to the Jiang boy.
"Once you are done copying the rules, your punishment will be complete," Lan Qiren nods before exiting the Library Pavilion. He doesn't fail to notice Lan Wangji's narrowed eyes.
Likely the boy is already scheming the next excuse to get Wei Wuxian and him alone together. Lan Qiren resolves to be extremely careful from now on. He refuses to be bested by his crafty nephew and he needs to keep Wei Wuxian safe from the boy's clutches.
Unfortunately, it isn't easy. The sunny boy seems to have a penchant for getting into trouble with or without LWJ's help.
Lan Qiren is quick to assign punishments, a couple of hours of handstands or running errands for the kitchens to retrieve items. Nothing that will put him in Lan Wangji's way.
The Jin Zixuan incident is the first time, Lan Qiren can't tell what Lan Wangji's angle is. Wei Wuxian lashes out so badly at the Jin Sect Heir that Jiang Fengmian is called and WWX is to be sent home.
Lan Qiren is sure that Lan Wangji engineered this too, possibly in an effort to assign an even longer and harsher punishment to WWX and somehow manipulating it so that LWJ is in charge of it.
But judging by the look of horror on his nephew's face as WWX packs his bags to leave, he knows that his nephew has severely miscalculated.
Lan Wangji is distraught as he watches WWX board the boat back to Lotus Pier and he stands at the port for a long time, gold eyes pining.
Cloud Recesses becomes relatively more peaceful after that, to Lan Qiren's relief. Even Lan Wangji is uncharacteristically quiet, only appearing during lessons and mealtimes but otherwise holing himself in his Jingshi.
Lan Qiren knows he should probably be worried but Wei Wuxian is far away from Lan Wangji and safe in his home so there should be no further incidents in the future.
And then the Wen Sect is demanding their own guest disciple indoctrination meeting.
Their sect has already been made an example of at this point and Lan Wangji has been crippled but Lan Qiren can see his nephew's eyes sparking with hungry intent because they both know who will be sent from the Jiang Sect.
When Lan Qiren receives word that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are trapped in the Xuanwu Cave together, he cannot say he is surprised. In fact, he has zero doubt that Lan Wangji didn't manipulate the situation in some way so that both of them would stay behind. He knows his nephew and he knows what his nephew is capable of when he puts his mind to it.
Lan Wangji has never met a brighter boy who shines like the sun and whose very presence could light up his entire existence. Wei Wuxian was everything Lan Wangji was not and everything that drew him in. Lan Wangji was helpless to such a thrall and he knew in his heart that Wei Wuxian was meant to be his.
The problem was, no one else seemed to think the same. His uncle thought that he could separate them. Lan Wangji wasn't stupid. He knew how his uncle saw him.
He knew what fear he inspired in his own flesh and blood but then, his uncle should have known not to get in his way.
It was more than easy to whisper in all the right ears. To have the attendants for the guest disciples casually mention where the best alcohol was to WWX. To ACCIDENTALLY slip a poisonous herb into his uncle's morning tea. To prod at Jin Zixuan's insecurities about his plain fiancee.
That last one was a miscalculation on his part. All he had wanted was for Wei Wuxian to stand up for his beloved shijie.
He wasn't expecting his upright, beautiful shining beloved to actually come to blows over it. He both misjudged and envied the fervor of that devotion WWX showed his family.
His heart had raced in his chest as he watched WWX defend his own with fists and righteous fury.
He wished to be one day on the receiving end of WWX's devotion and love, to be the person who would one day be protected by WWX's adoration. And then Lan Wangji would know the true meaning of love.
WWX was taken away from him but his family and LWJ was left alone again.
For days he had nearly torn himself bloody and raw trying to figure out where he went wrong. For days, he wracked his brain to find a way back into WWX's presence, his beautiful precious light.
He saw the war coming to his doorstep. He saw the Wen Sect's greed and their need to conquer every corner of the cultivation world. He saw it as clear as day because he recognized the same greed in himself.
He knew what would happen when he tore the wards down from one unnoticeable section of the forest. He knew exactly what he was bringing upon his own natal sect, his home.
But he also knew exactly what would happen after.
How the Wen Sect would be eager to indoctrinate all of the sect heirs and first disciples into their ways.
From there, it was easy to create the opportunity to trap WWX and himself into the Xuanwu Cave. And finally, after months of plotting, they were blessedly alone together.
