Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

As soon as Ling Xi and Xiao Ce stepped out of the Chuixing Courtyard, they saw Ling Yue standing alone on the steps, his little face tense.

"Yue'er?"

Ling Xi spotted Ling Yue at a glance and hurriedly shook off Xiao Ce's hand.

Ling Yue had deliberately turned around to wait for them. He had sensed something was wrong earlier. Yesterday morning, when they came over, they didn't need to announce their arrival at all and just swaggered in. But today, they were inexplicably stopped at the door. And yesterday, his mother suddenly left midway through the day and never came back to look for them. Instead, his uncle spent half the day playing with them.

Although he had some guesses in his mind, he was still shocked when he actually saw the two of them come out side by side.

"Why is Yue'er here all alone?"

Ling Xi quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and straightened the wrinkled hem of his clothes.

"You two...have made up?"

Ling Yue didn't answer her question. Instead, he frowned slightly and looked back and forth between Ling Xi and Xiao Ce.

Looking at Ling Yue, whose face was serious and who looked more and more like him, Xiao Ce suddenly felt a little uneasy. He slowly stepped forward, squatted down with Ling Xi, and looked at Ling Yue, who had a calm expression.

"Yue'er, I... am your father."

His slightly hoarse voice held a barely suppressed sob, and his eyes were filled with anxious longing.

"I know."

Ling Yue's voice was clear and crisp, his gaze fixed on the two of them, but his expression remained completely unchanged.

"It is your father who has wronged you."

Xiao Ce choked up, and softened his voice.

"I hurt your mother's heart in the past, and all these years, your father hasn't been able to be with you and your mother. Yue'er, would you... forgive your father and return to his side?"

He had just finished speaking when he reached out to take Ling Yue's small hand, but Ling Yue took a half step back and gently avoided him.

A shadow of sadness instantly clouded Xiao Ce's eyes, and just as he was filled with disappointment, Ling Yue spoke again:

"Trying to lie again."

Ling Xi and Xiao Ce were both taken aback and exchanged a blank look. Ling Xi assumed that Xiao Ce had some reservations and was unwilling to accept it for the time being.

"Yue'er, your father is not..."

"Mother, don't be fooled by him."

Ling Xi wanted to say a few good words for Xiao Ce, but was suddenly interrupted by Ling Yue.

"Just now, Ling Yu, Xiao Chen'an, and I came to Chuixing Courtyard to look for him and his uncle, but we were stopped at the gate. After we left, I clearly heard him instruct the guards that if they saw us coming again at this time, they should send us away as soon as possible. It is clear that... in his heart, he only wants his mother."

"Yue'er, things aren't as you think..."

Xiao Ce's heart tightened, and he hurriedly spoke up to explain, but Ling Xi immediately turned her face to the side, glared at him fiercely, her eyes full of reproach.

"What's going on? Father was thinking of sending me away just a moment ago, and now he's changing his mind?"

"Yue'er, that's not what I meant, I..."

Xiao Ce stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, a sudden surge of shock and ecstasy welling up in his eyes. He reached out and gently grasped Ling Yue's small hand, his eyes reddening slightly with excitement.

"Yue'er, what did you just call me?"

"What I meant to say is that Father is truly fickle."

Ling Yue deliberately kept a cold face. That night, when he poured his heart out to Qin at the Qin residence, begging for his trust, he had already secretly accepted him as his father.

"Yue'er!"

Xiao Ce was both surprised and delighted, unable to contain his excitement, and pulled Ling Yue into a tight embrace.

Ling Yue let him hold her, and still spoke with a faint, defiant tone:

"If Father only wants Mother, that's fine too. I'll go back to Ji City to be with Grandpa and Grandma. Anyway..."

He glanced sideways at Ling Xi beside him, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Anyway, I'm already used to calling my mother and aunt."

"Yue'er..."

A wave of bitterness welled up in Ling Xi's heart, and her eyes reddened slightly.

"No!"

Xiao Ce quickly let go of Ling Yue's hand, gently supporting Ling Yue's shoulder and pulling him away half a step, his heart filled with panic.

Upon hearing his stern tone, Ling Yue's face immediately turned cold.

"Father, are you going to start disciplining Yue'er today? Do you intend to be as strict with me as you are with Xiao Chen'an?"

"Father means that you want both Mother and Yue'er. How about Yue'er and Mother stay with Father from now on?"

Xiao Ce hurriedly explained, his eyes full of sincerity.

Ling Yue lowered his eyes and pondered seriously for a long time, his brows furrowing more and more tightly. His hesitant appearance made Xiao Ce feel uneasy.

"But if Yue'er stays by Father's side, I'm afraid she'll end up just as exhausted as Xiao Chen'an."

"An'er?"

Xiao Ce was slightly taken aback, puzzled as to why he kept mentioning An'er. Ling Xi gently placed her hand on Xiao Ce's forearm, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:

"I was planning to tell you about this later, but An'er is still young and has a heavy workload every day. Aren't you being a bit too strict with him?"

Xiao Ce lowered his eyes. Over the years, he had been trapped in his pain and could not extricate himself. Fearing that he would affect An'er, he had hired several tutors to teach him.

After a moment of silence, he slowly raised his eyes, placed his hands firmly on Ling Yue's shoulders, and looked extremely solemn.

"Yue'er, if the title of Prince Rui's mansion is not inherited by you in the future, but passed to your brother An, would you... still be willing to stay by your father's side?"

Ling Yue's clear and calm eyes looked directly at Xiao Ce, without the slightest hesitation or confusion of a child, and he spoke without a moment's thought:

"Father, you're overthinking it. I've never wanted to be a king. When I grow up, I only want to be an upright civil official like Prime Minister Zhang."

"Zhang Xiang? Zhang Hao, the famous prime minister of the Chu state?"

Xiao Ce turned to look at Ling Xi in surprise, and Ling Xi nodded helplessly.

"Last year, my father brought Yue'er to the palace and happened to meet Prime Minister Zhang. Since then, he has had this idea."

Xiao Ce turned his gaze back and stared intently at Ling Yue.

"Very well! Whatever Yue'er desires, your father will do everything in his power to achieve it for you."

"I don't need my father's help; I can achieve it myself."

......

A month later, the first snow of winter fell in Jicheng.

Along the ten-mile-long street, red silk fluttered in the air, carriages and horses were numerous, and officials of the Liang Kingdom marched in procession, creating a grand spectacle without a trace of conquest or violence.

Xiao Ce, dressed in a crimson auspicious robe, stood tall and straight. The coldness and gloom that had once filled his eyes had faded, leaving only a gentle and resolute expression. He personally arrived in Ji City with the letter of marriage proposal, followed by a grand and imposing entourage.

The third marriage alliance between Liang and Chu was solemnly held in Jicheng, with the royal families of both countries celebrating together and the whole country rejoicing.

The states of Liang and Chu forged an eternal alliance of friendship, ushering in a century-long era of mutually beneficial cooperation.

After the ceremony, Xiao Ce returned to Jinling with Ling Xi and Ling Yue. The cold and desolate atmosphere that had once enveloped the entire Prince Rui's mansion finally dissipated completely.

From then on, one person joined hands, two countries enjoyed peace, and they shared every meal and every season, staying together day and night.

(End of the book)