Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

"You can leave, but wait two weeks."

"Half a month?"

Wushuang frowned slightly, her eyes full of confusion.

"Aren't you here to repay my kindness? Then stay and serve me personally. After half a month, you can leave or stay as you please."

Ling Heng calmly turned around and sat down, no longer looking at her.

Wushuang secretly calculated the time. Her brother's wedding was still two months away, so a delay of half a month wouldn't be a problem.

"Alright, I promise you, Your Highness."

……

A gentle autumn breeze swept through the pavilion in Qinlan Courtyard, causing the willow leaves beside it to sway in the wind. Ling Xi sat alone in the pavilion, her gaze fixed on the bowl of dark medicine on the table. Her face was clouded with worry, and her hand on the table unconsciously curled up, unwilling to touch the bowl of medicine.

She slowly raised her hand and placed it on her still flat stomach. After struggling for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and picked up the medicine bowl. The medicine was at the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.

But as soon as the medicine bowl touched her lips, the sour smell of the medicine entered her nose, and her stomach suddenly churned, making her want to vomit. She frowned, turned her head away, and couldn't help but bend over and dry heave.

After a while, the churning discomfort in her stomach gradually subsided, and she slowly slept, her cheeks flushed from the dry heaving.

"Princess! Something terrible has happened!"

Perrin ran from the courtyard gate toward the pavilion, her face pale and flustered.

Ling Xi's gaze fell on the overflowing medicinal soup on the stone table, and her brows furrowed deeply.

"Speak calmly, why are you in such a panic?"

Pei Lan quickly walked to Ling Xi's side, her gaze falling on the bowl of spilled medicine, and she was taken aback.

"Princess, you haven't taken your medicine yet?"

"It's too bitter."

She took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped the corners of her lips, the nausea and tightness in her chest still lingering.

"You rushed over, is there something urgent?"

"Oh! It's the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince has arrived!"

Ling Xi's eyes brightened slightly, and she subconsciously turned her head to look in the direction of the courtyard gate, only to find the courtyard empty and not a single person in sight, which made her look puzzled.

"Brother? Where is he?"

"Oh, Princess! It's not our young master, it's Young Master Xiao!"

Perrin hurriedly corrected him, his nose already beaded with sweat.

Ling Xi froze, abruptly standing up, her mind buzzing. She instinctively stared intently at the courtyard gate, her fingers unconsciously clenching her handkerchief, the tight feeling in her chest suddenly returning.

He's here! What's he doing here?!

The main hall in the front courtyard of Prince Huan's residence.

King Huan sat upright in the main seat, his face revealing no emotion whatsoever, yet the chilling aura emanating from him made the entire hall solemn and heavy. His fingers rested on his knees, his gaze fixed on Xiao Ce, his eyes devoid of any courtesy towards a guest, only coldness remaining.

In Prince Huan's eyes, this man who had deceived and harmed his beloved daughter should not have the audacity to personally visit him now. He had long held a high position and was known for his deep cunning; he had never shown his temper before, but the anger surging within him was clearly difficult to suppress.

Princess Huan sat upright to one side, her usually kind eyes now devoid of warmth, only filled with coldness.

This was the first time she had met her former son-in-law, whom she had never met before. Although the marriage was a union arranged by the alliance between the two countries, deep down, she had also hoped, like any ordinary mother, that her daughter could find a good match, have a happy marriage, and live a carefree life.

However, things did not go as she wished. After Xi'er returned to Jicheng, she was depressed and unable to find peace. Her mother saw this and, without needing to ask about the past entanglements, could clearly understand how much pain she was in just by looking at her daughter's distraught appearance.

Sitting on the left, Ling Heng was dressed in a dark brocade robe, his back ramrod straight, his sharp edge fully exposed, showing no trace of his usual gentle demeanor.

The hall was deathly silent. Etiquette was still observed, but the attitudes of those in the hall were already clear.

When Ling Xi arrived, the atmosphere in the hall was already so stagnant and oppressive, and not a sound could be heard for a long time.

Ling Xi looked at Xiao Ce, who was sitting opposite her brother, from a distance. His jaw was clenched, and his hands, resting on the chair post, were tightly gripped. Judging from his suppressed and uneasy expression, they had obviously already talked before she arrived.

Two months had passed since we last met, and he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. His usually aloof and arrogant eyes were now dull and haggard, no longer displaying his former noble bearing.

She leaned against the door, her fingers unconsciously touching the cool door frame. The resentment that had been building up in her heart for days suddenly mingled with an indescribable bitterness, and she was filled with unspeakable unease.

"Princess, shall we... go in?"

Pei Lan whispered behind her, but Ling Xi's attention was entirely focused on the hall, and she didn't hear a word Pei Lan said.

Seeing her princess like this, Pei Lan also quietly restrained her aura and silently nestled behind her, no longer daring to speak and disturb her.

"Young Master Xiao, please leave. Xi'er will not come out to see you."

Ling Heng spoke in a cold and distant tone, and it took him a long time to utter these words that seemed to be a dismissal.

"I don't believe she doesn't want to see me. If she's determined to divorce me, she should give me a reason in person."

Xiao Ce's voice was deep and stubborn, his brows furrowed tightly, never relaxing from beginning to end.

"Reasons? How dare you ask for reasons, Prince Xiao? Xi'er hasn't even entered your Prince Rui's mansion yet, and you've already welcomed a concubine into your residence, and even granted the son born to that concubine a title of hereditary grandson. Is there any truth to this?"

Ling Heng's tone was sharp, and every word went straight to the heart of the matter.

Xiao Ce clenched his teeth, the veins on the side of his neck bulged, and his eyes were filled with unspeakable forbearance, leaving him no room for rebuttal.

"Xi'er, fearing my mother would be heartbroken, wrote every word of your letter back to Jicheng to cover for you. But how did your Prince Rui's mansion mistreat her? Ask yourself honestly, are you truly without remorse?!"

Xiao Ce's eyes were filled with remorse and helplessness. His grip on the chair arm tightened. A thousand words were stuck in his throat, turning over and over again, but he could not find a single word to refute them. He could only swallow his bitter guilt and silently accept all the questions.

"Young Master Xiao, do you need any other reason?"

Ling Heng's tone was sharp and relentless, each word carrying an undeniable force.

Princess Huan, who was standing to the side, had only vaguely known that her daughter was having a hard time in Jinling. But after hearing the whole story today, her heart ached, and she could no longer hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. She quietly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Everything my brother said is true, and I have no way to refute it. It is I who owe Xi'er first."

Xiao Ce's chest heaved heavily, all his previous tension and sharpness dissipated, and his eyes were filled with sincerity and regret.

"But I have already promised her that for the rest of my life, I will do everything in my power to make up for all the mistakes I made in the past."

Ling Xi slowly turned to the side, leaning against the wall, her gaze blankly falling onto the courtyard. Had she really been so tolerant in the past?

At that time, she did not know Mu Wanning's secret or Xiao Chen'an's background. Based only on Xiao Ce's tenderness and a slight flutter in her heart, she stayed in Jinling with all her heart and entrusted her life to him.