Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

When Ling Xi got off the carriage, she was surprised to see Xiao Ce waiting to the side, who had not left.

In her mind, when she got off the carriage, she should only see his departing back.

"Your Highness! Consort Mu has fainted!"

As soon as Ling Xi stood up, she heard a servant rushing forward to report. When she looked up again, she could only see Xiao Ce's hurried departure.

Ling Xi was stunned for a moment. Ever since Mu Wanning's Frostless Poison was cured, his health had deteriorated significantly, and this was not the first time he had fainted.

That child is still being raised in Princess Rui's courtyard.

Although Ling Xi didn't understand why Mu Wanning harbored such deep hostility towards her, she couldn't bring herself to hate him at this moment.

After all, perhaps it really was he who stole her position as the Crown Princess.

After that day, Ling Xi's reputation in Jinling City was severely divided.

Those who had seen her at the Sifang Teahouse that day began to spread rumors, saying that the Chu princess was not only stunningly beautiful, but also had an ethereal temperament, with clean eyes and brows that were free of any trace of malice. Such a person could never be a vicious woman who harmed infants.

Some even added fuel to the fire, saying that not only did Prince Xiao not despise her, but he also protected her fiercely.

As soon as the rumors spread, the teahouses and taverns of Jinling City became lively again. The storyteller seized on the incident at the Sifang Teahouse that day and made a big fuss about it, turning the marriage alliance between Liang and Chu into a match made in heaven.

Everyone says that Prince Xiao is exceptionally noble and refined, and that only the Princess of Chu has the looks and temperament to match him.

But those who have never seen her face still cling to their original claims, insisting that she is just a pretty face.

But no matter how harshly they cursed her, they secretly became curious about just how beautiful she was that she could completely change the attitude of those who saw her overnight.

When Pei Lan told Ling Xi what she had seen and heard, Ling Xi finally understood why Xiao Ce had taken her hand and left that day.

It turns out he still cares about his reputation. She once said that it was the Prince Rui's mansion that was afraid of losing face, but she wasn't.

It seems that he overheard what she said at the Sifang Teahouse that day, otherwise, given his embarrassed expression at the teahouse that day.

Ling Xi was writing a letter home in a relaxed manner while listening to Pei Lan's rambling.

"What is the princess writing?"

Perrin talked for a long time, but the princess didn't look up, so he curiously leaned over and pressed his face against the table.

"Is the princess writing a letter home?"

When Pei Lan first entered the Prince Huan's mansion, she was illiterate. Later, she followed Ling Xi and listened to the teacher's lessons every day, and now she can write beautiful characters.

"With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, this is the first time I'm not by my father's and mother's side. I'm sending a letter home early so they won't worry."

Ling Xi's hands didn't stop moving, each stroke precise and deliberate. Her calligraphy was beautiful, something her imperial uncle had praised in court.

"But Pei Lan thinks... if the princess sees the letter, she will definitely cry."

Perrin rested his elbows on the table, his hands supporting his chin, squeezing his face into a round shape.

Ling Xi finally stopped writing, a thoughtful look flashing in her beautiful eyes. She then gently placed the pen on the rectangular pen holder and crumpled the paper, which was nearly half-written, into a ball.

"Why did the princess tear it up?"

Perrin sat up straight immediately, his eyes wide open.

"You're right, Mother will probably be even more upset after seeing this letter."

"Oh……"

Perrin nodded knowingly, and then saw her take out a new sheet of paper and spread it out.

"Didn't the princess say she wasn't going to write anymore?"

"Who said I'm not writing anymore? I just plan to rewrite it. In that letter just now, I said a lot of bad things about Xiao Ce. If Mother sees it, she'll cry for days."

"The princess was already saddened by the princess's marriage to a distant land, but how could she possibly accept it if she knew how miserable the princess was in Prince Rui's residence..."

Perrin looked distressed, and her eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.

"So... I have to say more good things about Xiao Ce and the Prince Rui's mansion in my letter, so that my mother won't be so upset. However, now that they don't like me anymore, they don't make things difficult for me, so it's not so bad."

……

That afternoon, the letter appeared in Xiao Ce's study.

"Your Highness, this is a letter that the Crown Princess sent back to the State of Chu today."

Lu Ming presented the letter with both hands. Xiao Ce slowly stopped writing, took the letter, and immediately tore it open without any expression.

Perhaps because of Ling Xi's special status, he personally inspected every letter she sent back to Chu. The last letter was no exception.

Xiao Ce slowly unfolded the letter, layer by layer, and the first thing he noticed was the handwriting. Unlike the previous letter, which was unrestrained and barbed, concealing sharpness, this letter was written in neat and gentle characters, each stroke precise and orderly, clearly written by a docile and obedient noblewoman.

Unexpectedly, she was proficient in multiple calligraphic styles, each with a natural elegance, demonstrating her solid foundation. His gaze darkened slightly as he continued reading, character by character.

To my father, mother, and elder brother: Several months have passed since we last met, and I, Xi'er, have missed you day and night, filled with longing. I am doing well in Liang. My parents-in-law are kind and gentle, treating me with great affection. My husband is incredibly considerate; he sends me new clothes and jewelry every few days and often takes me to the scenic spots of Jinling. Knowing I am not accustomed to Liang's food, he specially found a chef from Chu to meticulously prepare Chu cuisine, his thoughtfulness just like my elder brother's. Several months have passed, and I am gradually settling into life here. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, I send my best wishes to my father, mother, and elder brother for good health and all the best. I am safe and well; please do not worry. Respectfully yours, Xi'er.

As Xiao Ceyue read further, her brows furrowed deeper, prompting Lu Ming, who was standing beside her, to begin to suspect that the Crown Princess might have been conveying some intelligence about the Great Liang in the letter.

"Your Highness...is there something wrong with this letter?"

"There is nothing wrong with it."

Is there nothing wrong with it? Then why does the young master look like that? Lu Ming was even more confused.

Xiao Ce slightly raised his eyes, his eyes deep and dark like a pool, without moving, his fingertips holding the plain paper, his brows still furrowed.

How coldly everyone in the Prince's mansion treated her, and how distant her husband was, never showing genuine care or tenderness. He knew perfectly well all the cold treatment and humiliation she had suffered since entering the mansion.

But this letter contained not a single word of grievance or complaint; it only described how her in-laws were kind, her husband considerate, and everything went smoothly. Every stroke of the pen conveyed obedience, gentleness, and a peaceful life.

It was clearly a forced smile, each word a tearful lament, yet it was written with an air of nonchalance, as if to avoid worrying loved ones far away in their homeland.

Like the previous letter, it only reported that I was safe and sound and expressed my longing, without mentioning anything else.

His eyes darkened, and a subtle complexity stirred within his previously indifferent expression.

He had long heard that she was the only princess in the Chu Kingdom's palace, the only one who had been raised with the utmost care by the Chu royal family.

Spoiled since childhood and showered with love, she was arrogant and bright-hearted. Even the King of Chu favored her. All the civil and military officials had to kneel before the king, but she was the only one in the entire Chu Kingdom who did not have to perform the kneeling ceremony.

A woman who had been pampered to the skies and never even had to kneel before Prince Rui's mansion, had to suppress all her sharp edges and endure the cold treatment and swallow her grievances.