2(SVSSS)

An Au where Shen Jiu still ended up with the Qius but not long after Yue Qingyuan left the Qius were all killed by a group of assassins that work for the Imperial family.

At first the assassins planned to kill Shen Jiu but they noticed that he had potential and choose to take him and train him.

He trained with the group of assassins and even met the Imperial family but when he reached the canon age of when he joined Cang Qiong, he given a mission of killing Wu Yanzi and infiltrate Cang Qiong as there were hints of there being a traitor/thief there.

He was happy to see Yue Qingyuan again but also mad at how the other boy immediately started treating him as if was still a kid that needed help or something fragile so he mostly ignored the older boy.

Things went mostly as canon but Shen Jiu faked having a hard time reaching the level needed to become a head disciple so he could gauge better how people reacted and see if they were loyal to both the sect and imperial family.

He didn't get along with most of the other head disciples but he did favour Mu Qingfang and the head disciples of the peaks with no names.

When they became Peak Lords, Shen Jiu had the authorization of the Imperial family, the group of assassins and the previous peak lords to make Qing Jing the peak of scholars but also assassins as he trained every disciple in his care like he had been trained.

Things probably wouldn't completely follow as it did in canon but if the writer decides to have Liu Qingge die and everyone blame Shen Jiu besides having someone come up with the rumours of him abusing his students and sleeping around I imagine the trial happening but in the middle of it the Imperial family appears and reveals all the truth before ordering his guards and assassins to kill Lao Gongzhu for betraying the crown plus a few others.

How anything else would go is up to the writer but it would be interesting if someone from the Imperial family was attracted to Shen Jiu and wished to court him but was waiting till the other was in a better place mentally and not attached to a mission.