Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

On their wedding night, her husband abandoned her, the bride who had come for a political marriage, and spent the night in the courtyard of a side chamber. The entire Prince Rui's mansion probably knew about it, even the dogs knew.

Of course, Ling Xi and Xiao Ce had no feelings for each other... No! To be precise, they had never met.

She had no problem with where he spent the night; the important thing was that her in-laws didn't make things difficult for her!

Ling Xi held the teacup high above her head with both hands, and a quarter of an hour had passed without it moving.

Why are you afraid to move?

Because she was there for a political marriage, and the Chu Kingdom was no match for the Liang Kingdom, with the border war just settled, she didn't want anything to go wrong.

The tea, which had initially scalded her fingertips, had long since cooled slightly in the spring breeze. At this moment, her arms were trembling with soreness, and her knees were aching from the rough bricks.

Ling Xi still endured it, keeping her back straight and refusing to bend even slightly.

Who told them that the State of Chu was a defeated nation! And the former Crown Prince of Rui, Xiao Ce's elder brother, Xiao Mo, died in the war between the State of Liang and the State of Chu last year.

It would be strange if she, a princess from a defeated country, married into the Prince Rui's mansion in Daliang.

Ling Xi hung her head, having already cursed the entire Xiao family eight hundred times.

She really wanted to throw down the teacup in her hand, overturn the tables and chairs in the hall, and then fiercely declare: This princess is done!

As a princess of the Chu Kingdom, she had been pampered since childhood and was doted on by her father and imperial uncle. The humiliation she suffered in one day was more than she had in the previous seventeen years.

But she could only think about it. Ling Xi frowned slightly and suppressed all her anger in her heart.

Her father was right. As a princess of Chu, she had enjoyed the people's bounty and blessings for seventeen years. Now that the nation was facing a life-or-death crisis, she had an inescapable responsibility to shoulder the people's burdens.

Who could blame her when her royal uncle, father, and royal uncle had more than a dozen children, all of whom were sons, while she was the only daughter?

Prince Rui and Princess Rui remained calm and composed, not even lifting their eyelids, as if the person kneeling in the hall was not a newlywed bride, but an insignificant servant.

The old women and maids around them all lowered their heads and remained silent, their eyes downcast and their expressions as cold as stone statues.

Why hasn't Xiao Ce come yet? Is he still indulging in the pleasures of that concubine's room?

She got up early today to visit her parents-in-law. As soon as she raised her teacup, her mother-in-law asked her why she came alone, saying that according to the custom of Daliang, when a bride serves tea, the newlywed couple must do so together.

Ling Xi felt that she was doing it on purpose. Didn't she know where her own son was? She even deliberately asked in front of so many servants, so that everyone would know that Xiao Ce didn't like her, and that no one would like her anymore.

"The Crown Prince has arrived!"

"Finally!" Ling Xi breathed a slight sigh of relief. If the teacup in her hand wasn't taken away soon, and she spilled it and was then scolded, she would really make a scene.

"Father, Mother."

Her voice is strangely pleasant, but she's a terrible person.

"Ce'er, you've arrived just in time. The bride is preparing tea and has been waiting for you."

Just the right time?! She's been kneeling for a full quarter of an hour! Back in the Chu Kingdom, her royal uncle always exempted her from kneeling.

"Oh? Then let's begin."

No?! Even if the customs and traditions of Chu and Liang are very different, there's no reason why the groom should be seated when the newlyweds serve tea.

Ling Xi pursed her lips and glanced sideways to her right. She couldn't tell what her husband's expression was like, but she could see his legs casually placed. In short, just looking at his lower body, she felt that he was not someone to be trifled with.

"Father, please have some tea."

"Wait... this tea has gone cold, Granny Sun, bring some hot tea."

Not again?!

Granny Sun took the teacup, and Ling Xi withdrew her aching arms, which moved slightly, her hands no longer under her control.

Soon, the hot tea arrived. Ling Xi squeezed and released her hand in her sleeve before reaching out to take it again.

Goodness, it's really "hot," even hotter than the previous cup.

"Father...please have some tea."

This time, Ling Xi finally lost her balance. The teacup tilted slightly, and the scalding tea spilled out. Her fingertips, which had already gone numb, felt a burning pain once again.

She gritted her teeth and made a silent vow. "I will not be a gentleman if I do not avenge this!"

Ling Xi heard a deep "hmm" and her hand suddenly felt lighter. She then endured the pain to serve tea to Princess Rui, keeping her head down the whole time.

"Although you come from the State of Chu, once you arrive in Daliang and enter the gates of my Prince Rui's residence, you must abide by the rules of Daliang. Rules are the foundation of one's character."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strong sense of pressure from above.

Ling Xi held the tea steadily. Having grown up in the heart of imperial power, she was good at being flexible and adaptable, although most of the time she was the one who "adapted".

"The daughter-in-law will keep in mind her mother's teachings."

Her tone was flat, without any hint of weakness, but the trembling of her arms was already obvious to everyone present.

Princess Rui glanced at her indifferently, her gaze cold and hard, but finally accepted the cup of tea.

Whether she drank it or not, Ling Xi didn't see, but that didn't matter; her mission was complete.

"Get up."

"Yes."

Ling Xi slowly stood up, but her legs were sore that she almost fell back down. Fortunately, Wushuang was quick and stepped forward to support her.

Wushuang was her brother's most powerful bodyguard, and she came to the State of Chu as a maid.

Ling Xi staggered and steadied herself. Just as she stood up, Princess Rui spoke again:

"As you probably already know, Ce'er already had a concubine before you entered the household. Now that you've entered the Prince Rui's residence, you must prioritize the dignity of the residence, serve your husband diligently, and refrain from being jealous or envious."

This is to prevent her, as the principal wife, from competing with the concubines for favor.

"Yes, daughter-in-law understands."

Ling Xi smiled slightly. If it weren't for the sake of the Chu Kingdom, she would never have married Xiao Ce. Worrying about her being jealous was really unnecessary.

The moment she looked up, she met Xiao Ce's gaze head-on.

His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his brows and eyes were cold and aloof. This calm and composed demeanor gave him a sense of profound composure and unwavering strength.

This is... her husband? Ling Xi was stunned for a moment, unable to describe her feelings.

She had only seen him once from afar during the court audience that day, and at that time, she hadn't seen his face clearly at all. Now, seeing his face, which was even colder than her brother's, made her spine go numb and her heart pound with fear.

Xiao Ce, on the other hand, only glanced at her briefly before turning his gaze to Wushuang behind her, and then casually looked away, his expression indifferent.

Ling Xi had a general idea of ​​why the Prince Rui disliked her; in fact, she had known this since last night.

Their marriage was like the relationship between the Liang and Chu states today—they kept to themselves, but barely managed to avoid war.

Back at Yuehua Courtyard, Peilan tearfully applied medicine to Ling Xi.

"They've gone too far! Waaah... When has our princess ever knelt before anyone? Her hands are burned like this, let's go back to Chu, Princess!"

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi glanced down at her fingertips. They were indeed excessively red, but after applying the medicine, they felt cool and refreshing, and the pain from before had subsided.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We can't go back..."

Ling Xi looked out the window at the unfamiliar courtyard. The wind rustled the flower shadows, which fell onto the windowpane. She might be able to escape on her own, but she couldn't escape the Kingdom of Chu.

Perrin paused, her eyes slightly red.

Wushuang stood quietly to the side, a slight ripple appearing in her cool eyes.