Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Xiao Chen'an clutched the small wooden blade, turned around, and staggered towards her. When he reached her, the little guy looked up at her with his round face upturned, his eyes crinkling with laughter. He held the small blade high in his hand, determined to hand it to her.

Ling Xi's heart tightened suddenly, and she subconsciously looked up at Mu Wanning opposite her. She saw a hint of resentment in his eyes as he stared straight at her.

Her skirt was suddenly tugged gently. She looked away, bent down and squatted down. Xiao Chen'an was still holding the wooden blade, his small arm steadily outstretched, looking stubborn.

"It's said that children love to be close to beautiful people, and that's absolutely true."

The laughter around them grew louder, and someone else chimed in with a laugh:

"Of course! The Crown Princess is stunningly beautiful, so it's natural that people are drawn to her. Even Princess Yongning and the Qin family's daughter have been sticking to her side ever since!"

Ling Xi was helpless. Xiao Xiao and Wu Shuang had always been like this, but what was wrong with this child? They rarely had any contact with each other on a daily basis.

Xiao Ce suddenly squatted down beside her and reached out to hug the child.

"An'er, the item you caught today is yours."

He smiled gently, holding Xiao Chen'an steadily with one arm and gently pulling her up with the other. The three of them stood side by side, their eyes filled with tenderness, looking like a harmonious and happy family.

She felt slightly uneasy and dared not look up at Mu Wanning's expression again, feeling inexplicably guilty.

……

The next morning, the night rain had just stopped, and most of the summer heat had been washed away, bringing a rare day of coolness. Ling Xi strolled leisurely among the flowers and trees in the garden, and unexpectedly bumped into Xiao Chen'an again. He was accompanied by two wet nurses, chasing butterflies on a small stone path.

She subconsciously glanced around, a thoughtful look crossing her eyes. Apart from the two wet nurses, there was no one else. She rarely saw Xiao Chen'an, but she always managed to catch a glimpse of Mu Wanning.

"Mother!"

She was lost in thought when the child stumbled over and wrapped his arms tightly around her legs. She was slightly taken aback. This child was unaware that his mother harbored resentment towards her, yet he was always so affectionate towards her.

"Greetings, Princess Consort."

The two wet nurses quickly followed, bowed, and were about to gently carry Xiao Chen'an away.

"My dear young master, you mustn't be so rude."

But Xiao Chen'an hugged her even tighter, tilting his round little face up and looking at her with his dark, bright eyes.

"Mother."

Looking at the tiny, soft-looking child, her heart softened, and she raised her hand to stop the wet nurse's actions.

"It's alright."

She squatted down and looked at the soft, cuddly child in front of her.

"What does An'er want me to do?"

His dark eyes sparkled, and his little finger pointed to the butterflies fluttering among the flowers.

"Catching butterflies."

"it is good."

The garden after the rain was lush and green, with glistening water droplets still clinging to the leaves and flowers. Butterflies fluttered around the blooming roses. She slowed her pace and accompanied the little one as they ran and stopped along the flower-lined path, their laughter filling the courtyard.

She patiently followed beside him, occasionally raising her hand to clear away branches blocking his path. The two wet nurses followed behind, their expressions softening as well.

The garden was filled with joyful sounds when an unexpected event occurred. A butterfly fluttered low across the ground, and Xiao Chen'an rushed forward impatiently. His legs were too fast, and he stepped on the moss, stumbling forward and falling heavily.

"An'er!"

Her heart tightened, and she instinctively reached out, but she was still a step too slow. A soft thud was heard as his forehead struck the protruding edge of the roadside flagstone. After a moment of silence, Xiao Chen'an suddenly burst into a heart-wrenching cry.

Ling Xi's heart trembled, and she immediately stepped forward to pick up the crying child. She watched as blood slowly seeped from his forehead and slid down his tender cheek, a shocking sight.

The two wet nurses turned pale with fright and rushed forward, staring helplessly at the bleeding wound, filled with terror.

She steadied herself, not daring to delay, and instructed one of the wet nurses to quickly fetch the Du family doctor. Then, she carried the crying An'er to Yunqi Courtyard.

She walked hurriedly, Xiao Chen'an's cries were intermittent. As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, the servants of Yunqi Courtyard were all frightened when they saw the little grandson whose face was covered in blood.

When Mu Wanning arrived at the outer hall, her composure and gentleness completely crumbled. She staggered forward and took the child from Ling Xi's arms.

"What happened? Why is An'er so badly injured?!"

Her eyes suddenly reddened, her voice trembled, she carefully examined the wound on the child's forehead, and then looked anxiously at the wet nurse who stood with her head bowed.

"Reporting to Consort Mu, just now the young grandson was chasing butterflies with the Crown Princess in the garden. He was running too fast and slipped, hitting his forehead on the bluestone..."

The wet nurse was so frightened that she bent her knees slightly, dared not raise her head, and hurriedly bowed to reply, her tone full of fear.

Mu Wanning suddenly looked up at Ling Xi, her panic instantly turning into coldness and resentment. She tightly embraced the crying Xiao Chen'an, carefully avoiding his wounds, and gently coaxed him.

"An'er was always well cared for by his wet nurse, so why did he have to fall and get a head injury just because he bumped into the Crown Princess?"

The servants inside fell silent, not daring to look up.

Ling Xi clenched her sleeves tightly, feeling extremely distressed and guilty. An'er had indeed been in trouble while she was with her, and she had no way to deny it.

"The physician from the Du family has arrived!"

Just then, another wet nurse led the Du family doctor into the house.

For the rest of the time, Ling Xi stood there helplessly, watching Doctor Du treat Xiao Chen'an's wounds.

The wound had just been bandaged when she heard hurried footsteps outside. She turned around and saw Princess Rui rushing in.

"W-What on earth is going on?"

Ling Xi's gaze darkened slightly, realizing that it must have been the servant she had met on the road who had delivered the message to Zhengyang Courtyard.

The wet nurse recounted the incident again, and Ling Xi noticed that Princess Rui was listening intently, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper. She sighed inwardly, biting her lower lip. Princess Rui had finally managed to let go of her prejudices against her, and her attitude had become increasingly gentle, but today, An'er had an accident because of her, and it seemed that everything would have to go back to square one.

However, after hearing the whole story, Princess Rui did not blame her, nor did she show the same resentful look as Mu Wanning had before.

"I have some excellent external wound medicine. It's gentle and heals very quickly. Why don't I have Peilan fetch it and have Physician Du take a look to see if it's...?"

"No need!"

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Wanning coldly interrupted her. Mu Wanning abruptly looked up, her arms holding the child taut, her expression filled with undisguised resentment and anger.

"Since the Crown Princess is incapable of taking care of children, please stay away from An'er from now on!"

These words struck Ling Xi's heart like a hammer blow, leaving her standing there stunned, her lips trembling slightly, unable to utter another word.

Princess Rui glanced at Ling Xi, who was hanging her head in embarrassment, and sighed helplessly before finally speaking up to ease the situation.

"You should go back now."