Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

"Princess?"

Seeing that Ling Xi was stunned and didn't react, Granny Qi thought that she was somewhat sad, so she tentatively called out softly.

Ling Xi snapped out of her daze, a hint of doubt rising in her previously calm eyes, which quickly turned into a storm of emotions.

She remained silent for a long time, her eyes cool and distant, filled with a mixture of doubt and surprise.

"Princess..."

This call came from Peilan, who, like Granny Qi, shared some of the same worries.

"I'm fine."

Ling Xi shook her head, her expression regaining its composure, and then glanced at Granny Qi.

"Granny, do you really think premature babies, who are less than a month old, can be as robust as full-term babies?"

"What the princess means is..."

"By the way! This morning at Yunqi Courtyard, I heard that Consort Mu's baby is only nine months along, not even a full term yet."

Pei Lan spoke first, and Ling Xi nodded to Granny Qi. Granny Qi was an old servant in the palace, so she naturally knew more about this than they did.

Upon hearing this, Granny Qi was taken aback, and shock rose in her eyes. She then shook her head heavily.

"No, absolutely not. Premature babies are born with congenital deficiencies and delicate internal organs. Most of them are extremely weak. Even if we do our best to protect them, it is already a blessing if they can survive. How can we dare to hope that they can be as healthy as full-term babies?"

Yes, no! Ling Xi naturally understood this perfectly well, and asking Granny Qi was simply to confirm it once again.

"What the princess means is..."

Ling Xi shook her head. She just felt something was strange, but she had absolutely no clue what it was.

"Perhaps... it was because the Prince Rui's mansion always provided his concubines with exceptionally fine food and tonics, which completely restored the premature pregnancy..."

The only reason Ling Xi could think of was this, but Granny Qi shook her head in denial.

"The Prince's mansion is not like an ordinary small household. The servants who attend to the master's daily life during her pregnancy are all old-timers from the palace, and they know the rules better than anyone else. Pregnant women should avoid excessive supplementation, as too much of a good thing can harm the fetus. There is no one in the Prince Rui's mansion who does not understand this principle."

Ling Xi pursed her lips slightly, her long eyelashes drooping to partially cover her bright eyes, but within them lingered an unyielding cloud of doubt.

Granny Qi was right. No matter how meticulous the care, it could only ensure the mother's health and the stability of the fetus. It was absolutely impossible to make a premature baby as healthy as a full-term baby.

Forget it, it's not her child anyway, why should she think so much? The most important thing for her right now is to think about her own safety.

After all, the child's father and grandmother were both prepared to pin the blame on her!

"Peilan, you're popular. Go and find out who handles Consort Mu's daily meals."

"Yes, Princess, don't worry, I'll go and inquire about it in a bit."

Originally, everyone in the manor avoided the people from Yuehua Courtyard, but Peilan was obedient and sweet-talking, so everyone was willing to be close to her. When she was in the Huan Prince's manor, because of Ling Xi's status, the servants did not dare to look down on her.

Perhaps because too many things had happened in one day, Ling Xi was exhausted, but it took her a long time to fall asleep.

"Princess! Something terrible has happened! Consort Mu, she's dead!"

Ling Xi was startled awake from her dream by a scream, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Is Mu Wanning dead?

Before she could react, Princess Rui's men stormed into Yuehua Courtyard.

Ling Xi was once again imprisoned in a gloomy dungeon, where they used various forms of torture to force her to confess that she was a spy sent by the Chu Kingdom and that she was the one who poisoned Mu Wanning.

Ling Xi could not admit it, of course. If she did, they would not only kill her, but might also start another war against Chu.

She was tortured to the point of near death, enduring countless cruel punishments, yet she still gritted her teeth and stubbornly refused to confess.

Finally, as she lay on the ground covered in blood, Xiao Ce walked step by step to her, knelt down, and asked her in the coldest tone:

"Aren't you a princess of the dignified Chu Kingdom? You dare to do it but not admit it?"

He believed her yesterday, but now he's convinced she's the culprit?

Ling Xi stared into his unfathomable black eyes. There was no anger, no murderous intent, but that gaze sent chills down her spine. With her last strength, she cried out:

"It wasn't me..."

Xiao Ce's eyes blazed with an almost bloodthirsty ferocity. In the next instant, he reached out and grabbed her neck tightly, his grip tightening.

Ling Xi's face quickly turned bright red, then gradually purple. Her mind was buzzing as she thought of her father, mother, and brother. She was about to be strangled to death by Xiao Ce; she could never return to Chu...

"ah--"

Ling Xi sat up abruptly, breathing rapidly. She touched her neck, the sharp pain from her dream still lingering there, and her forehead was still damp with a few beads of sweat.

This was the third time she had a nightmare since coming to Daliang. The reason she remembered it so clearly was because, ever since she could remember, all her dreams had been pleasant.

But ever since she came to Daliang, she hasn't had a single beautiful dream.

The hand on her neck slowly fell, and the indifferent, life-and-death-controlling gaze of Xiao Ce in her dream still vividly appeared before her eyes, sending chills down her spine.

The night outside the window was deep and dark, and the moonlight, like a thin veil, drifted to the bedside. The night breeze stirred the bed curtains, bringing a cool breeze.

Ling Xi was wide awake, so she got out of bed, grabbed a cloak from the clothes rack, and tiptoed out the door.

Yuehua Courtyard is not large, located in the deepest corner of the Prince's Mansion. At this moment, the courtyard is quiet, with only the chirping of insects.

Ling Xi slightly pulled her cloak tighter around her. The oppressive heat of the day had long since dissipated, and the night breeze brought only a chilling coolness.

Beside the stone table, an unnamed flower bloomed profusely in the dark night. She gently plucked a blossom by the moonlight, and the chirping of insects that had been chirping in her ears suddenly fell silent, as if startled by her action.

Ling Xi sighed softly. She hadn't expected that even the night insects of Daliang wouldn't be willing to keep her company, a Chu woman who had fallen on hard times.

Ling Xi looked up at the bright, almost blindingly full moon on the horizon. A sudden pang of sadness gripped her heart, and her eyes instantly reddened. She felt a pang of homesickness.

In the past, on summer nights at the Prince Huan's residence, her elder brother would always accompany her to cool off in the garden. Back then, the sky was filled with countless stars, and she never tired of looking at them.

Now in the Liang Kingdom, she can only find herself awakened by nightmares in the empty backyard of the royal palace on such a cold and lonely night, unable to fall back asleep.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from outside the courtyard gate, each one louder than the last, breaking the deathly silence of Yuehua Courtyard.

Ling Xi recalled the nightmare she had just experienced, and her heart clenched with shock. The white flower on her fingertip trembled slightly and almost fell to the ground.

The surroundings were empty, with only moonlight and tree shadows. She stood frozen by the stone table, forgetting to move, but her heart suddenly began to pound violently.

"Open the door."

The voice outside the door was low, but it carried a hint of urgency and a subtle sense of panic.