Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

For the entire afternoon, Ling Xi stayed in her room and didn't step out of Chuixing Courtyard even once.

She kept thinking about Xiao Chen'an's blood-stained face and Mu Wanning's resentful eyes. She felt a wave of fear and guilt. Pei Lan and Granny Qi took turns comforting her, but it didn't help at all.

She tried to take a nap on the couch, but tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did. So she got up and went to Xiao Ce's study to practice calligraphy and calm her mind. But she just wrote aimlessly and listlessly. As she wrote, black spots would appear on the rice paper. She didn't even finish a single complete piece.

Finally, she slumped lazily on the desk, her fingers gripping the pen, unable to muster any strength. She barely managed to endure half the afternoon when she finally heard footsteps outside the door. She initially thought it was Xiao Ce, but when she looked up, she saw Lu Ming bowing as he entered.

"Princess Consort, the Prince has just returned to the manor. However, upon hearing that his young grandson had fallen and injured himself, he was concerned and went to Yunqi Courtyard to visit him."

Her eyes suddenly lost their color, she lowered her gaze, softly responded, and then lay back down.

After Lu Ming left, the study became even quieter. The evening breeze blew through the window, causing the Xuan paper on the table to sway gently. Ling Xi slowly lowered her wrist and gently placed the brush on the brush holder.

The guilt and self-reproach that had filled him all afternoon were now tinged with an indescribable emptiness. An'er was injured, and Xiao Ce, who always doted on the child, would undoubtedly go to see him as soon as he heard the news.

Her gaze fell on the half-used inkstick on the table. It was only later, when Xiao Ce told her, that she remembered that this set of writing brush and ink was originally a gift she had brought with her dowry to give to him. She reached out and picked up the inkstick, slowly turning it, her eyes indifferent, without sadness or joy.

She didn't think Xiao Ce would misunderstand her; the heaviness in her heart was just due to some self-blame.

Half an hour later, Pei Lan tiptoed into the study. Seeing her princess sitting alone in a desolate state, she felt a pang of sadness.

"Princess, please have dinner first."

Hearing the sound, Ling Xi slowly sat up straight, raised her eyes to look out the window. The heavy twilight enveloped the entire courtyard. She turned her head back, her eyes calm and indifferent, without any ripples.

"No rush, let's wait for the young master to come together."

Upon hearing this, Perrin looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and then replied in a low voice:

"Just now, Guard Lu Ming came back with a message, saying that... the young master will be having dinner with the young grandson at Yunqi Courtyard tonight, and the princess doesn't need to wait for him."

"oh."

Ling Xi remained silent for a moment, then uttered only one word softly.

Her appetite, already dulled by the sweltering heat of the past few days, was further diminished today by a tightness in her chest, leaving her with absolutely no desire to eat. In the end, she only managed to pick up a few bites of vegetables before putting down her chopsticks.

After Pei Lan helped her finish bathing and washing, the night in the courtyard was already as dark as ink. Ling Xi leaned against the soft couch and picked up a book to pass the time.

Perhaps because she hadn't taken a nap that afternoon, after taking a bath and relaxing a bit, she looked at the densely packed words on the book pages and felt waves of soreness in her eyes. Before she knew it, she leaned back on the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

It wasn't until half past 7 PM that Xiao Ce returned to Chuixing Courtyard. He dismissed the servants, pushed open the door alone, and immediately saw the slender figure curled up on the bed.

He walked softly forward, leaned down, and gazed at her quietly for a moment. Her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and a book still clung to her fingertips. The candlelight flickered, illuminating her peaceful sleeping face. Even in her deep sleep, her brow remained slightly furrowed, unable to relax.

He carefully reached out, slipping his hands under her knees and back, and gently pulled her into his arms.

Ling Xi's eyelashes trembled slightly, her drowsy state disturbed. She slowly opened her eyes, a thin layer of mist covering them, her gaze dazed and confused. She looked up at him, her head tilted back in a daze. The dim candlelight cast gentle, dancing shadows on his features.

Ling Xi's mind went blank for a moment before she finally came to her senses. She didn't speak, but simply raised her hand slightly and gripped his collar tightly, refusing to let go.

"I'm back."

Xiao Ce looked down at her rare show of dependence, his heart softened, and he tightened his grip on her arm as he slowly walked toward the bed.

Ling Xi let him hold her, a look of loneliness and guilt rising in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to explain to him that she had never intended to neglect An'er.

Before she could utter a single word, Xiao Ce had already placed her on the bed. He sat down and gently stroked her slightly cool hair, then put his arm around her shoulder and let her rest against his.

"An'er is fine now. Perhaps because of his injury, he's been unusually clingy today, wanting me to feed him dinner."

He spoke each word calmly and deliberately, explaining to her earnestly why he was coming home late. Ling Xi leaned quietly against him, listening attentively with her eyes lowered.

"After dinner, he begged me to stay with him until he fell asleep. I only left after I had settled him in."

Ling Xi looked up at him, her eyes still glistening with the misty light of sleep.

"Yes, I'm not upset about it, I just..."

She paused, unsure how to express her complex emotions, and simply gripped his arm tightly.

Seeing that her eyes were gentle yet still held a hint of melancholy, Xiao Ce nuzzled against the top of her head.

"I've heard about what happened during the day."

His gaze gently locked onto the corners of her reddened eyes, his tone completely devoid of any reproach.

"Children's muscles and bones are soft and they are unsteady when walking. It is common for them to bump into things and get injured. Xi'er, you don't need to worry about it."

"Um."

Ling Xi was slightly taken aback, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, and she only managed to utter a single word.

She had expected that he would not misunderstand her, and she did not know how the people of Yunqi Academy explained it to him, but when she heard him say these comforting words, her heart, which had been tense for half a day, suddenly softened.

At this moment, she truly believed that Xiao Ce's gentleness, thoughtfulness, and trust towards her were a unique favoritism directed at her.

Two days later, Xiao Xiao heard that Xiao Chen'an was injured, so she rushed to the Prince Rui's residence to visit him. But after Xiao Chen'an fell asleep, she turned around and went to Chuixing Courtyard to find Ling Xi, and enthusiastically invited her to go out.

It turned out that a new dessert shop had opened on Fengyang Street, and Xiao Xiao insisted on trying it out. Being quite wealthy, she ordered every single dessert and sweet soup in the shop, leaving nothing out.

After tasting everything, Ling Xi decided that the mung bean and lily bulb drink was the best for relieving the summer heat, so she brought a portion for Xiao Ce as well.

As soon as she returned to Chuixing Courtyard, the servant on duty at the gate reported that the young master had returned to the manor early today and was currently in his study. Before the servant could finish speaking, Ling Xi happily took the food box from Pei Lan and hurried towards the study.

When she approached the study, she found that the porch outside the door was unusually empty and quiet.

She slowly stepped onto the stone steps, wondering why Lu Ming wasn't outside. Before she could even raise her hand to knock, a soft female voice drifted out from inside the house.

It's Mu Wanning's voice!