Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

It's just a title of heir to the royal family. Besides, An'er is his elder brother's child. If Xiao Mo hadn't died, this title would have belonged to An'er anyway. Why should she care about these things?

What she cared about from beginning to end was nothing more than his attitude; he didn't understand her, nor did he trust her.

She suddenly turned around, a hint of anger between her brows, unaware that Xiao Ce had other concerns in his heart.

"It was my oversight that caused you distress."

His voice was deep and slow, filled with deep remorse. He then stepped forward, reached out from behind, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling her firmly into his embrace.

"sorry......"

"Why didn't you just make Mu Wanning your legal wife back then? That way, An'er would have been your rightful eldest son."

She didn't resist his approach, but she was deliberately sarcastic.

"At that time, the states of Liang and Chu had arranged a marriage alliance, and among the eligible men in the royal family, I was the only one who was still unmarried."

She suddenly remembered that the two of them were the only, pitiful candidates for marriage alliance between the two countries.

"If the Liang and Chu states had not formed a marriage alliance, and you and I were not even acquainted, you would have married Mu Wanning as your principal wife, wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

He answered frankly and without hesitation.

"and you……"

"I will choose one of the women selected by my mother to be my concubine."

Her heart suddenly ached, and she suddenly remembered that when Princess Rui was busy arranging for him to take concubines, she always sighed that he was being wronged. At that time, she did not think much of it, but now she suddenly realized that although he had married two women, it was as if he had not married any at all.

He single-mindedly protected his brother's wife and children, carrying their safety on his shoulders, but from beginning to end, he never once thought about his own life.

She slowly turned around and saw the sorrow in his eyes, letting out a soft sigh. A man like him, if he falls in love with someone, he will be letting that person down; if he doesn't fall in love with anyone, he will be letting himself down.

She was silent for a moment, then grabbed his shirt collar with a stubborn and serious grip, staring straight into his eyes.

"Xiao Ce, from now on, you are not allowed to hide anything from me."

"it is good."

"No matter how big or small the matter, you are not allowed to hide anything from me."

"it is good"

"Then... I'm willing to have a child for you."

"good……"

He stared straight at her and readily agreed to everything.

"What...did you just say?!"

His heart trembled violently, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice trembled slightly. His originally gentle eyes suddenly became incredibly bright, filled with disbelief, astonishment, and ecstasy.

I said, um—

His warm lips suddenly covered hers, silencing her before she could speak. He leaned down and firmly captured her lips, a hot and passionate kiss surging forth, filled with guilt and deep affection. The force was not gentle, forcing her to bend slightly at the waist and unconsciously lean back.

What she could least resist was his passionate and intense advances; whenever she was exhausted, he was still not satisfied.

His warm palms gently covered her waist, caressing it slowly with their burning heat.

Summer clothes are already thin, so he quickly loosened the ties of her dress. With a slight movement, the plain-colored clothes gently slipped down her shoulders, revealing her fair and smooth skin.

He stepped back slightly, allowing her to finally catch her breath. But the warm kisses didn't stop there; they moved down to her chin, brushed against her earlobe, and finally lingered on her slender neck, making her tremble slightly.

With a forceful pull, he ripped off her last layer of inner clothing, and then proceeded downwards, completely possessing her fair and beautiful body.

From the bath to the bed, their tender moments lingered. When everything finally calmed down, she was completely exhausted, lying limply on the brocade quilt, both tired and hungry.

"Xi'er, get up and eat something."

Xiao Ce had left the bedroom at some point, and had brought food without anyone noticing. Ling Xi stirred slightly; her stomach was already rumbling with hunger, but she didn't want to move at all.

He placed the food he had brought on the low table, sat on the edge of the bed, reached out and picked her up, letting her sit against him, and coaxed her gently:

"Here, have some lotus seed porridge first."

He supported her with one hand, and with the other, he used a silver spoon to scoop warm porridge and brought it to her lips, feeding her slowly, spoonful by spoonful, as tenderly as ever. She half-closed her eyes, letting him take care of her; after all, every time she was like this, it was all his fault.

……

Before they knew it, it was Xiao Chen'an's first birthday celebration. Just like the full moon banquet, the Prince Rui's Mansion only invited close relatives and friends.

Last time, Ling Xi was just an observer, coldly watching the guests in the hall, and she didn't even take Xiao Ce seriously at that time.

This time, however, her mindset was no longer the same. She cared about Xiao Ce, and thus she unconsciously became concerned about the gaze of those he cared about.

For example, today was the first time she met his maternal grandparents, and she was secretly worried about whether they would like her. She even began to pay attention to how his mother treated her in front of others.

Things went more smoothly than she had expected. No one looked at her strangely anymore, and no one stopped gossiping about things she didn't want to hear, just like before.

She felt that it was probably because he always kept her by his side, or perhaps the story of the deep affection and love between the Prince Rui and his wife had spread throughout Jinling City, just like last year, only the story was different.

As soon as Wushuang arrived, she followed her around like never before, no longer behaving like a proper young lady from the Minister's mansion. But she couldn't get rid of her, so she just let her be. And if she couldn't get rid of her, fine, but when Xiao Xiao arrived, she also started clinging to her.

The surrounding guests watched with smiles and gossip, praising the Crown Princess for her gentle nature and excellent interpersonal skills. Even the Princess of Yongning County and the daughter of the Minister's family were particularly close to her.

Once all the guests had arrived, the first birthday celebration officially began. A long table had already been prepared in the hall, covered with plain brocade, and various items such as writing brushes, ink sticks, short knives, and books were displayed.

The wet nurse led An'er, dressed in a thin brocade dress, to the table, and everyone's eyes were drawn to Xiao Chen'an.

He first rummaged through the fruit in front of him with his little hands, then turned his head, swayed and stretched out his little hand, grabbed a wolf-hair brush, played with it for a moment and then casually put it down. He then touched a warm jade seal, held it up and shook it, and chuckled. In the end, he let go and grabbed a wooden short blade next to him, holding it in his palm and refusing to let go.

The onlookers, seeing this, all murmured in amazement, and some laughed as they spoke:

"Judging by his appearance, he'll likely follow the Crown Prince and become a general who gallops across the battlefield someday!"

Laughter and chatter erupted from the guests. Ling Xi stood in the crowd, gazing at Xiao Chen'an's gentle and sweet appearance, a faint smile appearing in her eyes. When her gaze inadvertently swept over Mu Wanning, she saw that the other man's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression gloomy, and there was not a trace of a smile on his face.