Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

His eyes were filled with conflicting thoughts. The moment he learned that Ling Heng was coming to Jinling, he sent assassins to ambush him in Ye City. But when he later realized that he was deeply in love with Ling Xi, he had already asked Lu Ming to withdraw the order.

After a long while, his throat tightened slightly as he looked intently at Ling Yue.

"Yue'er, think carefully about what your grandmother and aunt said."

Ling Yue's eyes flickered slightly as he began to recall the events carefully.

"I heard my grandmother advising my aunt to find a good husband and get married again, but my aunt refused outright. My grandmother then pressed her to tell me if she was still thinking about you."

"So...how did she answer?"

A flash of eager light appeared in Xiao Ce's eyes, and he leaned forward slightly.

"My aunt said that you sent someone to assassinate my father back then... Father, she will never forgive you for this."

With his doubts finally resolved, Xiao Ce felt a surge of blood rushing to his chest. He abruptly covered his lips and began to cough violently.

Several muffled coughs made his shoulders tremble uncontrollably, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and his grip on Ling Yue's hand loosened limply. After coughing for a long time, he finally caught his breath, his eyes even more moist.

Seeing this, Ling Yue quickly raised her hand and gently supported his arm, her eyes filled with worry.

"Are you... are you alright?"

"Yue'er, I didn't do that. Your aunt misunderstood me."

He tried to explain himself urgently, but as he spoke, his chest tightened and he coughed softly a few times.

Ling Yue looked up at his tense, pale face, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion and bewilderment.

"You really didn't do it?"

"no."

Xiao Ce held his hand tightly, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Yue'er, do you believe me?"

Ling Yue paused for a moment, then nodded heavily.

His nod brought tears to Xiao Ce's eyes. He leaned down slightly and pulled Ling Yue into his arms.

Ling Yue was caught off guard and pulled into his hard embrace. He was stunned for a moment, and smelled the faint medicinal scent and a strange aura on his body.

……

The next morning, Qin Qi had barely stepped into the room when he spotted Ling Yue on the bed, nestled peacefully beside Xiao Ce. Qin Qi nearly gasped in surprise, but the sound was cut off by Xiao Ce's cold glare.

Qin Qi walked quietly to the bedside, looked carefully at the little figure lying beside him, and spoke in a low voice:

"Yizhi, what's Yue'er doing here with you?"

Xiao Ce had been awake for quite some time. He leaned against the headboard and silently withdrew his hand, which had been gently stroking Ling Yue's head.

"He came by himself last night. He probably felt that my injuries were caused by him, so he wanted to come and see me."

"oh."

Xiao Ce lowered his gaze to Ling Yue, who was sleeping peacefully beside him. His eyes held a rare tenderness, and even the gloom brought on by his injuries seemed to have faded somewhat.

Qin Qi took in the whole scene and felt that something was wrong. The next moment, he suddenly realized what was wrong.

"Yizhi, do you know that Yue'er is actually...?"

He hesitated for a moment, a hint of probing in his eyes as he looked at Xiao Ce. The Huan Prince's Mansion had kept Ling Yue's background a closely guarded secret, and in principle, he shouldn't have spoken out, but Yi Zhi had suffered too much these past years, and he couldn't just stand by and watch his brother suffer endlessly.

"He is my flesh and blood."

"You know?"

Qin Qi's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with astonishment. Xiao Ce slowly turned his head, his face covered in coldness, silently staring at him.

"Since you knew, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I'm truly innocent! I only became suspicious after seeing him and Ling Xi in your room late last night."

Qin Qi quickly stepped forward, his gaze returning to Ling Yue, scrutinizing him for a long time.

"You know what, I never noticed before, but this kid looks so much like you."

"Was Yue'er here last night too?"

"Yes, I woke up in the middle of the night yesterday and saw Ling Xi sitting under your bed with Yue'er in his arms. Yue'er is a sensitive child. He even came to ask me yesterday if you would die. It seems he has been blaming himself for getting injured while saving him."

Xiao Ce frowned slightly, remaining silent, only lightly touching Ling Yue's cheek.

"It's just a bit of a pity that I won't be this kid's uncle anymore."

You're overthinking it.

Ling Xi hasn't even let the child know about his background yet, so how could he let Yue'er recognize him as a father who has never fulfilled his responsibilities for a single day?

"Why are you overthinking it? Don't you plan to acknowledge Yue'er back?"

Xiao Ce lowered his gaze to the small face that resembled his own by eight parts, a gentle warmth spreading in his eyes. He wished he could make Ling Yue call him "Father" right now, but he had no right to do so.

"But... Yizhi, when did you learn about Yue'er's background?"

"The day I delivered bows and arrows to him and Ling Yu."

"So, the day you learned that Yue'er was your child, and that Ling Xi hadn't married anyone else in the past five years, you recklessly ran off to Night City?"

Xiao Ce lowered his eyes and did not respond, but poured all his tenderness onto Ling Yue.

Seeing that he remained silent, Qin Qi couldn't help but start scolding him:

"I'm not trying to criticize you, Yizhi, but you're already twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and your body is no longer what it used to be. If you couldn't find anyone in Yecheng, you should have taken a carriage and slowly returned. They're not going to run away from Jinling, so why did you have to ride around day and night, risking your life like that?"

"I can't wait any longer!"

Xiao Ce suddenly raised his eyes and stared straight at Qin Qi. A deep pain surged in his dark eyes, just like countless similar moments in the past five years.

"Qin Qi, I can't wait any longer..."

Qin Qi looked into his reddened eyes, his throat tightened, and he couldn't utter another word.

"Young Master, Young Master..."

A sudden, urgent shout came from outside the door. Qin Qi snapped out of his daze, looked at Xiao Ce, who was still in turmoil, and sighed silently.

"I'll go out and take a look first."

Qin Qi turned around, walked to the door, and opened it, only to see Butler Lin.

"Young Master, Young Master Ling Yue has gone missing. Madam, Miss, and Young Master have searched every courtyard in the back, but they haven't found a single trace of him..."

"Uncle Lin, don't panic. Go back first and tell him that the young master is with me. I will personally take him back later."

"Yes, young master."

Qin Qi turned back into the house, but before he could speak, Xiao Ce spoke first:

"You should take Yue'er back first."

"You heard everything?"

"Um."

Xiao Ce responded calmly, his expression indifferent. Qin Qi, looking at his still haggard appearance, spoke gently:

"Yizhi, since Lingxi was willing to stay by your side last night, it means she cares about you. There's no need to rush things. The most important thing is to take good care of your health first."

"I know."

He suddenly became unusually calm, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke:

"Qin Qi, do me a favor."

……