Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Xiao Ce called her name twice, but when she remained motionless, he assumed she was fast asleep. He gently took off her shoes and then quietly left the room.

Once he left, Ling Xi's carefully constructed defenses completely crumbled. She buried her face in her pillow, and tears that she had suppressed for so long burst forth, silently soaking a large patch of brocade. Her shoulders trembled slightly incessantly.

Why didn't he treat her with the same indifference he had shown at the beginning? If he had remained icy cold from the start, she could have easily maintained her composure and remained unmoved. But instead, he gradually extended his tenderness, slowly disarming her and making her willingly succumb.

She gave him her love unconditionally, but he guarded against her, deceived her, and hurt her family...

The next day, when Xiao Ce got up, Ling Xi was already awake. She kept her eyes closed and remained motionless until he finished getting ready and left the bedroom, at which point she slowly opened her eyes.

Those once bright fox eyes were now filled with fine red blood vessels, their gaze dull and lifeless, revealing the weariness of a sleepless night and the sorrow in their hearts.

She gazed silently at the top of the tent, her expression cold and resolute. She tossed and turned all night, barely sleeping, her mind in turmoil, and now she had made her decision: she would leave Jinling, leave Xiao Ce.

The divorce papers are still in her hands, but as a princess of Chu who is being married off to the Prince of Rui, it is not enough for her to simply have the divorce papers. If she wants to leave completely without affecting the interests of Chu, she must obtain the consent of Emperor Liang.

But now she has already missed the best opportunity. Her brother is not in Jinling. If she writes back to ask for help, she will probably still not escape Xiao Ce's notice. Now, if she wants to leave, she can only rely on herself.

"Perrin, do you want to go back to Jicheng?"

Perrin, who was tying her hair up, suddenly stopped, her face full of surprise.

"Return to Jicheng? Why would the princess suddenly ask me this question?"

"Just tell me whether you want to or not."

Ling Xi spoke calmly, looking at herself in the mirror with a determined gaze.

Perrin thought for a moment and answered truthfully:

"Of course I would like to, the summer in Jinling is really too unbearable. But if the princess wants to stay in Jinling, then I also want to stay in Jinling. In short, wherever the princess is, I want to be there."

"Alright, then let's go back to Jicheng first and come back after summer."

"Really? But it's more than a thousand miles from Jinling to Jicheng. I'm afraid summer will be over before we even get back to Jicheng."

"Then I'll come back after next summer."

"real?"

Perrin was overjoyed and didn't think about anything else.

"But Princess, we can't hide forever. The year after next, and the year after that, it will happen again in the summer."

Then I will never come back.

……

"Is the princess going back to Jicheng?"

Inside the flower hall of the Qin residence, Wushuang's eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment.

"Yes, I came today specifically to tell you about this."

"How long does the princess plan to stay back?"

Perhaps it will last a lifetime.

Looking into Wushuang's eager eyes, Ling Xi ultimately found it difficult to speak.

"About two or three months, or maybe half a year..."

"I will escort the princess back. The distance between Jinling and Jicheng is far, and I can protect the princess's safety."

As soon as Ling Xi finished speaking, Wu Shuang's back straightened immediately, and her eyes became resolute.

"No need."

Ling Xi gently shook her head. This was a one-way trip for her, and Wu Shuang could not go with her.

"You've only just returned to the Qin family, so the two elders will surely miss you."

"But the Crown Prince said that I should..."

"Peerless".

Ling Xi interrupted her, her voice calm but tinged with melancholy.

"You are no longer my brother's guard, and you no longer need to obey his orders."

Her eyes were blank. The princess was right. She was no longer the prince's guard, but she had obeyed his orders for so many years that it had become a habit ingrained in her bones.

"But Wushuang just wants to go back with the princess!"

"Where are you planning to go?"

Just as Wushuang finished speaking, a gentle voice came from outside the door.

The group turned around at the sound and saw Qin Qi walking in with a smile, accompanied by Lu Baixu.

Ling Xi looked at the person who had come, her heart stirred slightly. Ever since she decided to stay in Jinling, she had rarely seen him again.

She suddenly remembered what Mu Wanning had said in the study that day, and how Lu Baixu had also cooperated with Xiao Ce to deceive her.

She suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She had always thought he was a good person. Perhaps he was a good person, but they were just casual acquaintances. Naturally, he always put Xiao Ce first.

As Lu Baixu slowly approached, she suppressed all the gentleness in her eyes, her expression flat, unable to muster even a trace of her former smile.

"A new dessert shop just opened on Fengyang Street. I just wanted to ask Wushuang to go and try it with me."

Ling Xi casually offered a remark, while subtly glancing at Wu Shuang with a meaningful look. Wu Shuang's gaze flickered slightly, but she immediately understood and quickly echoed his words:

"Indeed, the princess was just telling me that the sweet soup at that shop is delicious."

Qin Qi smiled and walked over to the empty seat next to him, and Lu Baixu also sat down.

"I see. May I ask which sweet soup the Crown Princess recommends? Bai Xu and I happen to have some free time, so we might as well go and try it out."

Ling Xi instantly recalled the mung bean and lily bulb soup she had happily brought for Xiao Ce yesterday, and a sudden pang of bitterness and tightness gripped her heart. She lowered her eyes, concealing the surging pain within them.

"Tastes vary from person to person. What I prefer may not suit the tastes of Young Master Qin and Academician Lu."

Her voice was soft, yet carried a coldness that kept people at a distance. Lu Baixu's eyes flickered slightly. He was always perceptive, and from the moment he stepped into the flower hall, he had already noticed her unusual behavior today.

She used to always have a smile in her eyes, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze, but today she was covered with a layer of coldness and loneliness, and she was clearly distant and guarded towards him.

His gaze involuntarily fell on her, and he noticed a faint weariness lingering between her brows, her cheeks losing their usual color, making her look somewhat frail.

"Your Highness, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"

As soon as he spoke, Wushuang and Qin Qi both looked at her face and saw that her face was pale and they were both very concerned.

"It just so happens that Bai Xu is here today. Why don't you let Bai Xu examine the Crown Princess's pulse?"

Ling Xi's fingertips twitched slightly, and she instinctively wanted to refuse, but when her gaze swept over the genuine worry on his face, she swallowed the words back. She suppressed her turbulent emotions and replied softly:

"Thank you for your trouble, Vice Minister Lu."

After saying that, she slowly raised her wrist and gently placed it on the table.

Lu Baixu leaned slightly forward, casually placing one hand on the table and the other gently on her wrist, his expression calm as he focused on taking her pulse.

A moment later, his brows furrowed slightly, and he subconsciously glanced at Ling Xi before lowering his gaze again. His fingertips moved gently over her pulse, scrutinizing it repeatedly, as if he was unsure of the pulse he had just detected.

As Lu Baixu's expression changed, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze. Qin Qi and Wushuang, who had been intently watching him take his pulse, both lowered their expressions slightly, and doubts appeared in their eyes, as did Ling Xi herself.