Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

The day the news reached her, Princess Rui was so anxious that she fell ill and was bedridden.

When Ling Xi arrived at Zhengyang Courtyard, Mu Wanning was by her side. It was unclear how long they had been crying, but both of them had red and swollen eyes.

Xiao Chen'an sat obediently on the low stool under the couch, a stark contrast to his usual lively and boisterous self.

As if sensing that something bad had happened in the manor, he held a smooth wooden horse in his hand, remaining silent, neither crying nor making a fuss.

Ling Xi immediately recognized the small sandalwood rocking horse, which Xiao Ce had personally carved for Xiao Chen.

"Mother."

Ling Xi stepped forward lightly and called out softly, but the Princess Consort Rui on the bed seemed not to hear her, only immersed in her own grief, her eyes unfocused and lifeless. She clutched her chest tightly, her chest heaving violently, her breathing noticeably rapid, and her whole body exuding an aura of decay.

"Grandma...grandma..."

A soft, childlike voice rang out, and Xiao Chen'an had begun to speak, though his pronunciation was still slightly unclear. He held his precious little wooden horse and moved unsteadily to the edge of the bed, raising the horse high and carefully presenting it to Princess Rui.

Princess Rui looked down at Xiao Chen'an before her, unable to suppress the grief in her heart any longer. A thousand sorrows and despair instantly overwhelmed her.

"Waaah..."

Her throat tightened, and she suddenly burst into a loud, broken cry, a cry filled with utter helplessness and grief that echoed deep within the silent bedroom, making one's heart clench.

Ling Xi frowned, unsure of what to say, while Mu Wanning was clearly suppressing his grief, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Mother... Physician Du specifically instructed that your old illness has relapsed due to the sudden anger, and you must not grieve excessively, as this will harm your health and deplete your energy."

After comforting Princess Rui, Mu Wanning turned his head and secretly wiped the corner of his eye, but he could not hide the sadness in his eyes.

Their crying made Ling Xi, who had finally managed to calm down, panic again, as if Xiao Ce really wouldn't be coming back.

The Prince Rui's mansion, which had lost its former liveliness after Xiao Ce left, suddenly became lifeless in the early summer season when the vegetation was lush and the cicadas chirped in the corridors.

Ling Xi would go to Zhengyang Courtyard every day, and Princess Rui no longer cried every day, but she completely lost her spirit and looked like a withered person.

She always sat in the courtyard, her eyes vacant and blank, her mind in a daze, unable to eat.

Whether it was Xiao Xiao visiting her or Mu Wanning taking good care of her, she remained unmoved.

Ling Xi knew perfectly well that there was no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship between her and Princess Rui, but she inexplicably felt that she should come and see her. Even though each time she came, they only faced each other in silence, without exchanging a single word.

For ten days straight, there was no news from Qizhou. Ling Xi, who had previously managed to suppress his emotions and feign composure, was finally about to break down.

Every day she told herself that no news meant he was still alive. But she couldn't help but think, if he was already conscious and unharmed, why hadn't he sent back even a single word?

Although Qizhou is far from Jinling, the news should have reached Jinling long ago if they traveled day and night at full speed in ten days.

In the long, fruitless wait, unease, like a tide, gradually eroded her already fragile heart.

On this day, as soon as Ling Xi stepped into Zhengyang Courtyard, she saw Princess Rui sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought. Just as she frowned slightly, Xiao Chen'an's wet nurse brought him over.

The deathly silence in Zhengyang Courtyard remained undisturbed by his arrival. Xiao Chen'an timidly called out to his grandmother, and Princess Rui merely glanced at him before immersing herself back in her own world.

Ling Xi sighed helplessly and simply let the wet nurse take him to play in the courtyard, while she sat quietly to the side.

Xiao Chen'an chased butterflies in the courtyard, his small figure lively and agile, the only sign of life in this gloomy courtyard.

Princess Rui stared intently at Xiao Chen'an, who was playing in the courtyard. As she gazed, her long-dried eyes slowly filled with tears.

Ling Xi turned to the side by chance and noticed that she was crying. Following her gaze, she looked at Xiao Chen'an, who was completely unaware in the distance, and she immediately understood the reason.

Xiao Chen'an and Xiao Ce looked so alike, especially their eyes, which were almost identical. It was precisely because of this that she couldn't be sure whether her suspicion was right or wrong.

She remembered Xiao Xiao saying that Xiao Ce and Xiao Mo were 80% similar in appearance, so it was possible that Xiao Chen'an resembled either of them.

She had never mentioned this conjecture to anyone, including Wushuang and Peilan. She had originally planned to ask Xiao Ce in person when he returned.

Perhaps it was Princess Rui's depression that affected her, because Ling Xi suffered from insomnia again that night.

She got up in the silent darkness, but did not light a lamp. In a daze, she opened the door to the inner room and, as if possessed, moved to the couch where Xiao Ce used to rest. Suddenly, she felt a deep fear and helplessness.

She kept recalling the morning Xiao Ce left, when he meticulously instructed her on everything: who to contact if she encountered difficulties, what to do if she felt bored, and what to do if he didn't come back...

As she thought about it, his gentle expression became clearer in her mind. Suddenly, she couldn't help but shed tears silently. She lay on the couch and cried until she was exhausted before finally falling into a deep sleep.

She had a dream. In the dream, there was a battlefield strewn with corpses, broken weapons and armor scattered all over the ground, blood soaking the yellow soil, and everywhere she looked, there were people who had died tragically.

She had never seen a dead person before, yet looking at the corpses strewn all over the ground, she felt no fear whatsoever. She staggered, bending down to examine each one, her eyes anxiously searching through the pale faces, but she couldn't find the face she longed for.

Just as she was filled with anxiety, a familiar voice called softly from behind her, calling her name. She turned around abruptly and saw Xiao Ce standing quietly not far away, his brows relaxed and a gentle, unfamiliar smile playing on his lips.

Seeing that he was safe and sound, she was overjoyed and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled. But when she got closer and looked closely, she was shocked to find that there were faint traces of blood seeping from the corner of his lips, and she panicked again.

Before she could react, a sharp "whoosh" sound suddenly pierced her ears, and a fierce arrow shot out from nowhere, hitting her straight in the heart.

She stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as that tall figure trembled slightly before suddenly collapsing to the ground.

"Xiao Ce! Xiao Ce..."

She called out again and again, but he made no sound. He lay quietly among the corpses on the ground, motionless.

"Princess, Princess."

"Xiao Ce—"

A piercing scream pierced her throat, jolting her awake from the nightmare. Her mind was buzzing, her face was deathly pale, and she was covered in sweat.