Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Upon hearing this, the scene fell silent for a moment. Qin Qi, standing to the side, looked embarrassed and didn't know how to smooth things over.

"Why...do you want me to marry your aunt?"

Xiao Ce was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses, his tone revealing his urgency.

"Your aunt...is not married yet?"

His heart was pounding, his breathing became erratic, and the suspicions in his mind were about to surface.

"Yes! Grandmother keeps saying that if Aunt doesn't get married soon, she'll never be able to get married in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce swayed violently, quickly raising his hand to brace himself against the ground to steady himself. His eyes gradually reddened, and he was lost in a jumble of thoughts.

Didn't she already have an engagement with that cousin back then? How come they're still not married?

He turned and stared blankly at Ling Yue beside him, his heart churning. She had never remarried and had even given birth to their child! She must have feelings for him, she must! This thought, once it arose, suddenly grew wildly in his heart.

"Uncle Rui? Are you willing to marry my aunt or not? If you are, we will go to Night City to find her."

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Ling Yu couldn't help but urge him to answer. Qin Qi noticed that Xiao Ce was lost in thought and quickly stepped forward to help him out.

"Your Uncle Rui has been squatting for so long, his back must be hurting. Let's help him over to rest for a while."

Qin Qi was about to bend down to help him up when Xiao Ce suddenly turned his head and looked at him with red eyes.

"She...is in Night City?"

"Yes... I'm here."

Qin Qi hesitated before agreeing. He knew that Xiao Ce had never truly let go of Ling Xi over the years; otherwise, why would he act as if he were dying whenever he mentioned her?

Xiao Ce suddenly stood up and started walking towards the outer courtyard.

"Hey, Yizhi, where are you going?"

Xiao Ce didn't turn around or respond, but Qin Qi, watching his hurried departure, inexplicably felt that he was going to Night City.

"Uncle, what's wrong with Uncle Rui? Does he want to marry my aunt or not?"

Ling Yu looked confused and tugged at Qin Qi's skirt.

Qin Qi watched the figure gradually disappear into the distance and sighed heavily.

"Your Uncle Rui would love to see this, but I'm afraid your aunt won't agree."

"Why won't Auntie agree? Uncle Rui is just as handsome as her, and he's a noble prince. He even came specially today to give us bows and arrows!"

Ling Yu had always thought that Uncle Rui would be an even more serious person than his father, but since he risked his life to save his younger brother yesterday, his opinion of him has completely changed. Of course, the main reason is that he specially sent him the bow and arrows he liked today.

"If Aunt doesn't like him, it must be because he did something wrong that upset her."

After a long silence, Ling Yue suddenly spoke, then looked away and picked up a short arrow again to start practicing.

Qin Qi looked at Ling Yue in surprise, and sighed inwardly, "This kid really guessed right."

……

Half an hour later, Ling Heng and Ling Xi's carriage stopped in front of the Qin residence.

Before the two even entered the main hall, they saw Wushuang applying medicine to the brothers Ling Yu and Ling Yue.

"Auntie! Father! What brings you here?!"

Ling Yu, with his sharp eyes, spotted them first. He broke free from Wu Shuang's grasp, jumped off the chair, and hopped over to the two of them.

"What happened to the injuries on your hands?"

Ling Xi looked surprised, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two men's injuries.

Before Wushuang could speak, Ling Yu immediately raised his wound to show Ling Xi and Ling Heng.

"My injury was from a fight with Xiao Chen'an from the Prince Rui's residence the day before yesterday!"

Xiao Chen'an? They went to Prince Rui's residence?

Ling Xi glanced at the scabs on Ling Yu's hands that had already scabbed over and changed color, then looked at Ling Yue, who was sitting obediently while Wu Shuang applied the medicine. The bruises on his hands were noticeably newer.

"Auntie, Father."

"Yue'er, what about you? Were you also injured in the fight?"

Ling Heng's brows furrowed deeper, his expression suddenly darkened, and he asked in a cold voice.

"My younger brother also helped me fight Xiao Chen'an, but the injury on his hand wasn't from the fight. It was from being trampled by a horse at the polo field yesterday, which caused him to fall and scrape his hand."

"Trampled by a horse?!"

Ling Xi gasped in shock, her voice rising sharply, her eyes filled with panic. She quickly stepped forward, bent down, and reached out to support Ling Yue's shoulder, eager to check his injuries.

"Auntie, I'm fine, it's just a little scratch on my hand."

"How could you be unharmed after being trampled by a horse?"

Ling Xi's gaze shifted, and she looked anxiously at Wushuang.

"Xi'er, don't panic, Yue'er really only has some scratches..."

"My brother is alright, it's Uncle Rui who's injured! Uncle Rui shielded my brother with his body, and when the horse trampled on his back, he even coughed up blood!"

Before Wushuang could finish speaking, Ling Yu spoke first.

"Uncle Rui? Who is Uncle Rui?"

Ling Xi looked doubtful and glanced at Wu Shuang again.

"It is Xiao Ce. He has already inherited the title and is now the Prince Rui."

Seeing that she still looked blank, Ling Heng slowly walked forward.

"I haven't mentioned anything about the Prince Rui's mansion to you all these years. The old Prince Rui passed away three years ago, and Consort Mu of the Prince Rui's mansion also died of illness six months after you left Jinling."

Ling Xi was stunned. Over the years, she had deliberately avoided the old stories of Jinling, but she was completely unaware that the Prince Rui's mansion had undergone earth-shattering changes and that everything was no longer the same.

"Auntie, what's wrong?"

Ling Yue withdrew his hand, which had already been coated with medicine, and looked at her intently.

Ling Xi quickly snapped out of her daze, forcing a smile as she suppressed her chaotic emotions.

"It's alright... Auntie is alright."

"Uncle Rui said he knows Auntie. I just asked him if he would be willing to marry Auntie! Unfortunately, he seemed to have some urgent business to attend to and left without answering me."

Ling Yu then moved closer and leaned against Wu Shuang.

"Just now?"

Ling Xi's heart skipped a beat, and her expression suddenly became tense.

"Yes, he just brought me and my brother a bow and arrow. I really like those bow and arrow. Uncle Rui even personally taught my brother how to shoot arrows. My uncle taught me. It's a pity that I originally wanted Uncle Rui to teach me too, but he left in a hurry."

"He taught Yue'er archery..."

Ling Xi stared blankly at Ling Yue, seemingly in disbelief. Ling Yue clenched his small fists and quietly looked away.

"Young Master Heng, Ling Xi, it really is you two! I couldn't believe it when the steward announced it."

Qin Qi's voice suddenly came from outside the hall, and he appeared with a smile on his face.

"Qin Qi, did you take Yu'er and Yue'er to Prince Rui's residence?"

Ling Heng's gaze swept over Ling Xi, keeping a close eye on her expression.

Qin Qi followed the gaze and saw that Ling Xi's expression was strange. He had heard Xiao Ce talk about the reason for their divorce when he was drunk. He knew very well that Huan Wang's mansion had been ostracizing Xiao Ce all these years, but as Xiao Ce's brother, he naturally wanted to help him.

"Um...Yizhi was seriously injured yesterday while protecting Yue'er at the polo field, so I took the two children to visit him."