Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Ling Xi's eyes trembled slightly. It turned out that her brother in Jicheng had known about her situation in Jinling at that time, which was why he tried every means to rush to Jinling to bring her back. But at that time, she refused to leave.

A warm tear rolled down her cheek from the corner of her eye and fell silently to the ground.

"Make amends? I'd like to ask, how exactly does Prince Xiao make amends? Is it by condoning and protecting your concubine who secretly poisoned Xi'er's brother? Or did you personally order assassins to travel to Night City to take my Heng'er's life?"

In the silent hall, King Huan, who had been silently enduring everything, suddenly raised his eyes. He could no longer contain his anger and spoke with a resounding tone, each sentence demanding accountability.

Xiao Ce shuddered, his body suddenly stiffening. The regret in his eyes was instantly mixed with the panic of being caught off guard. His hand, which had been gripping the chair post tightly, suddenly loosened, his fingertips trembling slightly. The inescapable guilt was laid out before him, and he swallowed several times, but in the end, he could not find a single word to say.

"Go away, and don't come looking for Xi'er again."

Ling Heng's expression had returned to calm, and his words, though understated, carried an unwavering resolve.

Xiao Ce raised his eyes, his already flustered mind now filled with a chill, and his usual composure was gone from his face.

"I want to see her, I want to...explain to her in person."

Xiao Ce's back was slightly tense, his voice low, hoarse, and weak, yet he still stubbornly spoke.

A faint hope lingered in his eyes, and his face showed signs of exhaustion from days of travel.

"What's there to explain? Do you still want to deceive Xi'er? Even if none of this had happened, do you think you could make her happy and secure? If she were to have children with you in the future, the child of the principal wife would be subordinate to the child of the concubine, subject to control in every way. How can such a life be happy?"

Xiao Ce was speechless and his face turned ashen after being silenced by Ling Heng's words.

Ling Xi, who was outside the door, heard everything clearly. She reached out and gently placed her hand on her flat stomach, and felt a tightness in her chest again.

"You should leave. It's impossible for you and Xi'er to be together anymore."

Ling Heng's voice was calm and resolute, completely shattering Xiao Ce's hopes inside the hall and also breaking the last remaining ties in Ling Xi's heart outside the door.

Yes, for them, it's impossible now.

Ling Xi slowly withdrew her hand, her fingertips slightly cool. The stinging sadness in her eyes gradually faded into a deathly stillness. She didn't look back into the hall again, turned around, lifted her foot, and left resolutely.

……

Qinlan Courtyard Pavilion.

Ling Xi sat quietly in her previous spot, staring blankly at the bowl of medicine that had been sitting on the stone table for a long time. Most of the spilled medicine on the stone table had dried up, leaving an irregular dark brown stain on the gray stone.

She reached out and touched the rim of the bowl; the medicine had long since lost all its warmth, just like her current state of mind.

"Xi'er, what are you doing?"

Ling Xi turned her head slowly upon hearing the sound and saw her mother approaching with red eyes, the redness still lingering in her eyes.

"Mother."

Princess Huan sat down next to her, gently took her slightly cool hand in hers, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice:

"Just now... Xiao Ce came by."

"Yes, I know."

Her voice was flat, making it impossible to discern whether she was sad or happy.

Princess Huan gently stroked the back of her hand, her tenderness hidden in subtle comfort.

"We told him to leave, saying you didn't want to see him."

"Okay, sure."

Princess Huan's gaze inadvertently swept over the bowl of cold medicine on the stone table and the medicine stains on the table. Her heart suddenly tightened, and she tightened her grip on her hand slightly.

"Is Xi'er feeling unwell? What kind of medicine is this?"

Ling Xi looked up at her anxious mother, and her hesitation of many days suddenly softened. She remained silent for a moment, then gently leaned into her mother's arms.

"Mother, I am pregnant."

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet it carried a hint of weariness from years of suppressed emotions.

Princess Huan froze, her whole body suddenly stunned. She gripped Ling Xi's hand tightly and then loosened it, her eyes instantly turning red.

"Silly child...why keep it all bottled up inside? How many months pregnant are you?"

Princess Huan's voice choked with emotion as she gently stroked Ling Xi's back with her palms, her heart filled with tenderness.

"It's been three months already."

Ling Xi nestled in her mother's arms, her tense shoulders slowly relaxing, and tears silently welled up in her eyes.

"So... you don't plan to have this child?"

Princess Huan's gaze fell once again on the bowl of medicine on the stone table, which had long since gone cold.

Ling Xi lifted herself slightly from her embrace, a trace of bewildered weariness flashing in her eyes.

"I have no idea."

"Silly child, the child is yours. With the Huan Prince's Mansion as your backing, you will not need to rely on Xiao Ce in the future. We can stay at home and take care of the pregnancy. The child will be the grandson of the Huan Prince's Mansion from birth, and no one will dare to insult him in the slightest."

"But I..."

A layer of indescribable distress spread across Ling Xi's eyes. The flesh and blood in her womb constantly reminded her of her past entanglements, making it even more difficult to completely forget Xiao Ce.

Princess Huan softened her expression and gently smoothed her wind-blown hair.

"Your child is your support, not a shackle that binds you. Now that you have divorced Xiao Ce and returned to the Huan Prince's residence, you are in charge of your own affairs. The child is yours, and has nothing to do with the Rui Prince's residence or him anymore."

Ling Xi lowered her eyes and looked at the bowl of cold medicine on the table, her already wavering heart gradually softening.

"If you really don't want it... then we won't. Your mother is just worried that this abortion medicine is very potent and extremely dangerous. If you're not careful, it could cause long-term health problems or even endanger your life. Your body is already weak, and your mother is really worried..."

"Mother, let me think about it some more."

Liuquanju is the largest restaurant in Jicheng.

Two or three empty wine jars were scattered in front of Xiao Ce. He had been silent since he sat down, only repeatedly pouring wine into his cup and drinking it down one cup after another.

Qin Qi sat to his right. Seeing that he had already drunk two jugs of strong liquor, he couldn't bear to watch any longer. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Qin Qi's wrist as Qin Qi was about to raise his arm to drink the glass, his brows furrowed.

"Yizhi...stop drinking, you've already had two pots."

Xiao Ce's wrist was restrained, his fingers gripping the slightly cool wine cup, his eyes clouded with alcohol, weariness and annoyance lingering between his brows, and he glanced at Qin Qi indifferently.

"open."

His voice was hoarse and dry, and he exerted slight force in his hands, trying to break free from the restraints.

Unable to resist his strength, Qin Qi slowly released his grip, sighed, and leaned back in his chair, watching as he downed the wine in his hand again.

"Yizhi, drowning your sorrows in alcohol here is useless. You haven't even seen the Crown Princess today. We should think of a way to find an opportunity to talk to the Crown Princess in person and make things clear."

Qin Qi's gaze fell on Xiao Ce's haggard and gloomy face. He composed himself and patiently offered words of comfort.

"Based on my understanding of the Crown Princess, her feelings for you are definitely genuine. Otherwise, why wouldn't she have left when she had the opportunity to do so? Why did she choose to stay in Jinling for you? There must be some misunderstanding."

Xiao Ce's fingertips hovered over the rim of the cup, his eyes lowered, his long eyelashes concealing the bitterness surging in his eyes. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a low, hoarse, cold laugh from his throat.

"There's no misunderstanding..."