Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Ling Yue moved step by step to Wu Shuang's side, standing quietly to the side, unlike Ling Yu who clung to her without any restraint.

"Mother, Aunt."

Yang Luoying smiled and reached out to pat Ling Yue's head.

"It's been a year since I last saw Yue'er, and she's grown so much taller."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yu's little face darkened with displeasure. He immediately let go of Wu Shuang, quickly squeezed to Ling Yue's side, stood on tiptoe, and craned his neck to compare heights with him.

"Aunt, what about me? Am I taller than my younger brother?"

Yang Luoying couldn't help but laugh, gently making a small gap between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

"Our Yu'er has grown taller! He's only a little bit shorter than Yue'er."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yu immediately pouted. From childhood to adulthood, Ling Yue had always been a head taller than him, and as the older brother, he had long harbored resentment.

Yang Luoying smiled and reached out to pat his head, her eyes full of affection.

"Don't be upset, our little Yu'er. Yue'er is just a bit taller than you, but you are stronger and more robust than him. So, when you think about it, you two brothers are evenly matched."

Ling Yu tilted his head and pondered for a moment before his tense face relaxed slightly.

"Oh well……"

When Qin Qi approached with a smile, Yang Luoying glanced at Qin Xing, who was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, and reached out to stroke her round little face.

"Moon, now that the two children have arrived in Night City, why not take them back to Jinling for a while? Father and Mother have been thinking about the two children for a long time, so it's a good opportunity to take them back so that they can see them."

With a hint of hesitation in her eyes, she recalled that two months ago, when her mother fell seriously ill, she went back to Jinling alone to visit her. She never expected that Ling Heng would bring his two children with him when he came to the border to change garrisons this time.

"Yue'er, just listen to your sister-in-law. Anyway, Ling Heng is busy with his military affairs all day long. If you three go to Yongxing, you can only wait for him in the city."

"Okay, okay! Mother, let's go, let's go! Yu'er really wants to go to Jinling to play!"

Ling Yu immediately turned around, grabbed Wu Shuang's hand and shook it back and forth, his eyes full of expectation as he acted coquettishly.

Wu Shuang glanced hesitantly at Ling Yue, who was standing quietly to the side, still feeling uneasy.

"Brother, would you like to go to Nanjing?"

Seeing her hesitation, Ling Yu quickly turned to Ling Yue for help.

Ling Yue's narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes flickered slightly, and without the slightest hesitation, he nodded gently.

"Yes, I want to."

Seeing that both children were looking forward to going to Jinling, especially Ling Yue, who never made any requests, even said he wanted to go for the first time, Wu Shuang's hidden struggle and hesitation gradually dissipated.

"Oh well."

"Great! I can go to Nanjing to see my maternal grandparents!"

Ling Yu was so excited that he danced around, his earlier exhaustion completely gone. Ling Yue, on the other hand, stood quietly the whole time, showing no sign of joy, as if going to Jinling held little appeal for him.

……

"You mean, they went to Nanjing?!"

Qin Qi sent someone on horseback to Yongxing City to deliver the message. When Ling Xi, who was far away in Yongxing, heard the news the next day, she felt as if the sky was falling.

"Yes, after Miss and Young Mistress arrived in Night City, they set off with the Eldest Young Master and several young masters back to Jinling. The Eldest Young Master said that he would personally escort the two young masters back in a while."

Ling Xi stood there stunned, at a loss for what to do, a deep worry rising in her eyes.

She came to Yongxing with her brother with the intention of taking Ling Yue and Ling Yu out for a trip. Since they had not seen Wushuang for a long time, they thought they would wait for Wushuang to come to Yongxing and then return to Jicheng together.

Unexpectedly, Wushuang was late in arriving. Instead, Qin Qi, who was in Yecheng on official business, came first and took the two children away, saying he would take them to Yecheng for two days and then send them back to Yongxing. But now, not only have the children not been returned to her, but he has also taken them to Jinling.

Two days later, when Ling Heng returned, he saw Ling Xi sitting alone at the dining table, holding chopsticks in a daze, looking haggard and lost in thought.

"Xi'er, what's wrong? What happened?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ling Xi looked up abruptly. After worrying alone in Yongxing City for two days, her eyes instantly reddened upon seeing Ling Heng.

"elder brother……"

"What's wrong? Where are Yu'er and Yue'er?"

Ling Heng's heart tightened, and he immediately went over and sat down next to her.

"They...were taken to Jinling by Qin Qi."

"Did they go to Nanjing?"

"Hmm... Brother, Yue'er is getting older now, and his features are becoming more and more like his. I'm worried..."

Ling Xi's voice trembled slightly, her eyes filled with worry. Ling Heng's brows furrowed slightly, and he gently patted her back.

"Xi'er, don't be afraid. Jinling City is so big, they might not even run into us. Besides, apart from Granny Qi and Peilan, no one else in the manor knows about Yue'er's background. Even if Xiao Ce sees Yue'er and has doubts, he will definitely not find a single clue. Let's set off today to Jinling to pick them up."

The gentleness on Ling Heng's face vanished completely, and his expression suddenly darkened.

Hearing her brother's words, Ling Xi's tense emotions calmed down a little. Yue'er's background was kept completely hidden. She gave birth in a villa in the suburbs back then, and only after Wushuang gave birth did she bring the three-month-old Yue'er back to the Huan Prince's mansion.

At that time, she was worried that Xiao Ce would not give up, so she followed her mother's advice and placed Yue'er under her brother's name.

But in the past five years, Xiao Ce has never been to Ji City again. Perhaps he has already let go. The only one who can't let go is herself.

At this moment, in the pavilion in the back garden of the Qin family mansion, Xiao Ce, Qin Qi, and Lu Baixu sat facing each other, while the laughter of several children drifted over from afar.

Qin Qi picked up the teapot and filled the teacups in front of Xiao Ce and Lu Baixu one by one.

"Yizhi, I told you the other day to bring An'er over. Look how well they're playing together."

Xiao Ce raised his eyes and looked at the children chasing and playing not far away. Only Ling Yue sat quietly on the stone steps, his expression indifferent, his gaze fixed on the pavilion. Suddenly, their eyes met. Ling Yue, like a startled little animal, quickly turned his head away to avoid his gaze.

Xiao Ce picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze still fixed on Ling Yue on the stone steps.

"Qin Qi, why do your twin sisters look completely different?"

Lu Baixu, who was standing to the side, followed his gaze and saw Ling Yue sitting alone to the side.

"Twins mostly look alike, but there are exceptions where they look completely different, which is not surprising."

"Bai Xu is indeed knowledgeable, but... it's one thing that they don't look alike, but their personalities are worlds apart. Ling Yu is lively and energetic, never still for a moment, while Ling Yue is always calm and reserved. You see, if you didn't tell anyone, who would know that they are twins?"