Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

As soon as Xiao Xiao finished speaking, she subconsciously glanced at Ling Xi beside her. She was well aware of the discord between Ling Xi and Sister Mu, and fearing that Ling Xi might be unhappy, she looked conflicted.

"Then let's go take a look together."

Ling Xi saw through her thoughts at a glance, and she naturally knew that Xiao Xiao was looking out for her, so she naturally wouldn't make things difficult for her. Besides, she didn't dislike Mu Wanning; it was just that now, because of Xiao Ce, she probably harbored a little bit of jealousy towards her that she was unwilling to admit.

The group soon arrived at Yunqi Courtyard. As soon as they entered the outer room of the bedroom, they saw Princess Rui sitting alone at the table with red eyes and a worried expression.

"Princess Aunt."

"Mother."

"Princess Rui".

The group bowed in unison, and Princess Rui hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eyes, managing a weak smile.

"How is Sister Mu? Is Brother Bai Xu still receiving treatment inside?"

Xiao Xiao looked into the inner room with concern in her eyes.

"It's probably just a cold that aggravated an old ailment; it should be... nothing serious."

Princess Rui spoke softly, with a hint of forced comfort.

Ling Xi didn't believe this. If there was really nothing wrong, why would Princess Rui be sitting here alone wiping away tears? She subconsciously looked up into the inner room. Mu Wanning's condition was probably not good.

"What about An'er? I didn't see him last time I came. Is he asleep?"

Hearing Princess Rui's words, Xiao Xiao felt a little relieved and began to look around for Xiao Chen'an.

"Wan Ning has been unwell lately and needs to rest, so I will take An'er to Zhengyang Courtyard for the time being."

"oh."

"Steward Mu, Physician Lu will prepare a prescription in a moment. Take it with you to get the medicine."

Princess Rui looked exhausted as she gave instructions in a low voice, while Steward Mu bowed his head slightly in response.

"Now that you've all come, and I'm a bit tired, I'll head back to Zhengyang Courtyard first."

Before anyone could respond, she stood up and left.

"Over the years, Princess Consort has truly treated Sister Mu like her own daughter, cherishing and caring for her."

Watching her aunt, the princess, walk away, Xiao Xiao sighed softly.

"I foresaw it long ago that the Princess Consort would one day betroth Sister Mu to either Brother Mo or Brother Ce. However, I always thought it would be Brother Mo..."

Xiao Xiao gently swayed her sleeves and strolled slowly around the room, muttering to herself in a low voice, her eyes carrying a strange sense of certainty.

"Shh! Little sister Xiao Xiao, you mustn't talk nonsense."

Qin Qi, who was standing to the side, immediately composed himself, his face becoming serious, and quickly interrupted.

What was originally just Xiao Xiao's casual remark, when it reached Ling Xi's ears, still stirred ripples in her heart. She used to be carefree and never took these things to heart, but now, it seemed she couldn't do that anymore. She calmly suppressed her emotions and slightly curved the corners of her lips into a smile.

"Why did you think back then that Mother would betroth Consort Mu to Brother?"

"Naturally, it's because Brother Ce always has a cold face, so who can see what he's thinking? But Brother Mo is different; he's always considerate and thoughtful towards Sister Mu. However, Brother Mo is gentle by nature and treats everyone with the same kindness, which is completely different from Brother Ce, so it's no wonder I misunderstood."

Ling Xi nodded slightly upon hearing this, secretly agreeing in her heart. If she hadn't turned back then, she might never have known Xiao Ce's feelings, after all, he had always been so cold and indifferent to her.

"You think you know so much?"

Qin Qi sat to the side, pretending to be disgusted, but secretly watching Ling Xi's expression, afraid that Xiao Xiao would say something that would displease her.

"I'm not making this up, it's all the truth. Hmm? Is this Brother Mo?"

She had just walked to the desk when her gaze fell on the open scroll in the center of the desk. She tilted her head and asked in confusion.

"Xiao Mo?"

Qin Qi turned his head in confusion and saw her tilting her head to examine a painting closely. He couldn't help but get up and walk over out of curiosity.

"So lifelike! Absolutely! Consort Mu's painting skills are truly legendary. However..."

"But what?"

Ling Xi followed behind him and came over as well.

"How does Sister Xiao Xiao know that the person in this painting must be Xiao Mo? I think it looks quite like Yi Zhi too. After all, the two brothers look about 80% alike. No matter how skilled the painter is, he can only capture 70% or 80% of a person's expression at most. In my opinion, Consort Mu must have painted Yi Zhi."

Hearing Qin Qi say this, Ling Xi looked at the painting even more intently. However, she was positioned opposite the desk, in the opposite direction. But she could tell that this painting was not the one she had seen last time.

"Brother Qin Qi, would you like to make a bet with me? The loser will treat us to a feast at Yuhua Tower."

"Why not? What Sister Xiaoxiao says goes. After Bai Xu finishes his examination, we'll go ask Consort Mu whether the person in the painting is your Brother Ce or Brother Mo."

Ling Xi chuckled softly upon hearing this, secretly wondering how Qin Qi, with his cheerful and lively personality, could become friends with someone as aloof and reserved as Xiao Ce.

"There's no need to trouble Sister Mu. I can make Brother Qin Qi admit defeat right now."

"Is Xiao Xiao so certain?"

Ling Xi also became interested instantly and looked straight at Xiao Xiao, who looked confident.

"When Brother Ce and Brother Mo are not smiling, they look about 80% alike, especially their eyebrows and eyes, which are extremely similar. In ordinary paintings, it would be difficult for others to tell them apart. But if you look closely, you can clearly see a tiny beauty mark hidden at the corner of the left eye of the person in this painting."

As Xiao Xiao spoke, she reached out and gently touched the area around her eyebrows, her tone confident and tinged with a hint of pride.

"how?"

"She really does have a beauty mark under her eye; Xiao Xiao's eyesight is amazing. It seems I'll have to treat her to this meal at Yuhua Tower."

Qin Qi chuckled and admitted defeat.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi leaned closer and examined the area closely. Sure enough, she noticed a faint dark color hidden in the corner of the eye, so small and inconspicuous that it was almost impossible to detect.

She had never met Xiao Mo, so she couldn't recognize him from the painting. But she had seen Xiao Ce's face up close several times, so close that their breaths seemed to blend together. She clearly remembered that his face was smooth and without a single mole.

She suddenly recalled the painting from last time, a painting that emphasized facial features and expressions, and it seemed that the person in the painting also had a beauty mark at the corner of their eye.

Could it be that Mu Wanning's painting was also of Xiao Mo, instead of Xiao Ce? But why would she keep painting Xiao Mo?

In a flash, a terrible thought suddenly occurred to him: Could the person Mu Wanning loves be Xiao Ce's elder brother?

Xiao Ce explained to her at that time that he had no feelings for Mu Wanning, and that the one who had feelings for Mu Wanning was Xiao Mo.