Madam Lan was the wife of the former leader of the Gusu Lan Clan, Qingheng-jun, and the mother of Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. Qingheng-jun saw Madam Lan outside of Gusu and fell passionately in love at first sight. However, she did not love him back and even killed one of his teachers due to unspecified grievances. Despite his personal sorrow, Qingheng-Jun secretly brought her back with him to his clan and held a marriage ceremony to protect her from retaliation. When the elders discovered this, he replied that she would be his one and only wife, and that whoever wanted to harm her would have to pass through him first. However, he then imprisoned his wife in a small house surrounded by gentians in the Cloud Recesses. He likewise secluded himself. The seniors of the clan were enraged, but they could do nothing except guard the secret and hint to the outside world that Madam Lan had an unspeakable disease that prevented her from seeing others. After Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji were born, they were immediately taken away from their mother to be cared for by others. When the boys grew older, they were taught by Lan Qiren, and permitted to see their mother only once a month. Madam Lan died when Lan Wangji was six years old. Although many clan members comforted him, and Lan Qiren scolded him, Lan Wangji continued to return to her house every month, waiting for her to open the door. When he grew older, although he understood that his mother could not return, he still continued to visit.