Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

"Thank you for your kindness, Father and Mother, but I have no intention of taking a concubine."

Ah! She guessed it; he was indeed deeply in love with Mu Wanning and wanted to remain chaste for her sake.

Ling Xi remained seated, teacup in hand, eyes downcast, determined to sit quietly and play her part as a spectator, refusing to interrupt.

But she noticed that Princess Rui's face was extremely pale, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes were full of unconcealed worry.

It's just that Xiao Ce doesn't want to take a concubine, why is he so worried?

"Wan Ning's health has been weak since giving birth, and she will not be able to take care of you from now on."

Ling Xi could clearly hear that her voice had deepened, especially the last sentence, and then she fixed her gaze on her.

"You and Ling Xi are only husband and wife in name only. You are in the prime of your life now, how can there be no one in your room?"

Ling Xi was taken aback, and almost choked on the tea she had just sipped. This Princess Rui, who treated her as an outsider, didn't hold back at all in her words, speaking frankly and directly.

"This matter was decided by your father and me, and the Crown Princess also gave her her approval. Who else can gossip about it? Don't you agree, Ling Xi?"

Why did they suddenly call her name again? It has nothing to do with her! Ling Xi hurriedly put down her teacup, put away the amused look in her eyes, and immediately put on a serious and pretentious act.

"Yes, Mother is right."

Xiao Ce frowned at her, his expression not pleasant at all. Ling Xi almost immediately turned away. What kind of nonsense was this?

"Now that Ce'er is here, why don't you start choosing? If you find one that catches your eye, go and meet the person who owns it. If you really can't find one you like, your mother will help you find another. Someone, bring the scroll here!"

Princess Rui gave Xiao Ce no chance to refute, shouting loudly, and the servants, as if they were ready at any moment, quickly presented a tall stack of scrolls.

Xiao Ce stood ramrod straight, his face showing reluctance, but he had no choice but to cooperate.

"Ce'er, look, the first one is Ye Ruoqing, the eldest daughter of Ye, the head of the Ministry of Works. She is eighteen years old and is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting..."

Ling Xi tilted her head curiously to take a look, then secretly shook her head. Xiao Ce didn't think she was good enough; she wasn't pretty enough and was far inferior to Mu Wanning.

Seeing that Xiao Ce remained unmoved, Princess Rui immediately handed the painting to Granny Sun and then quickly unfolded another one from the tray.

"The second one is Zhuang Shao'ai, the illegitimate daughter of Zhuang Xu, a judge of the Dali Temple. Although she is an illegitimate daughter, the Zhuang family only has one son and one daughter. From a young age, she was raised as a legitimate daughter. This girl is well-read and can be considered a talented woman with a small reputation in Jinling City."

Princess Rui's face was full of smiles, waiting for Xiao Ce's opinion. But Ling Xi glanced at Xiao Ce, and the impatience in his eyes was already obvious.

It seems this is another unsatisfactory one. Ling Xi carefully examined the serene woman in the portrait. She was quite pretty than the previous one, but still rather plain-looking.

"No rush, let's take another look."

Seeing Princess Rui's current submissive appearance, as if she was afraid Xiao Ce would give up, Ling Xi suddenly thought of her own mother.

At the end of last year, his mother was also busy choosing a consort for his elder brother. The women his mother chose for him were the most noble ladies in Jicheng, all of them legitimate daughters of first and second-rank officials in the court. In terms of family background, appearance, and talent, they were all far better than the ones that Princess Rui had chosen for Xiao Ce.

Of course, Xiao Ce was choosing concubines, so he could only pick from humble families. But it must be said that his mother's judgment was far superior to that of Xiao Ce's mother.

It's one thing for Xiao Ce to look down on these women, but why does his elder brother also look down on the ones chosen by their mother?

He's already twenty-one this year, the same age as Xiao Ce. Xiao Ce already has a principal wife and concubines, and now he's making arrangements to take a concubine.

Ling Xi was filled with doubt and lost in thought, not paying attention to what they were saying.

"Ling Xi... Ling Xi?"

"Um?"

All three of them stared at her, but she only opened her round, fox-like eyes, looking completely bewildered.

Princess Rui was clearly not pleased with her inattentiveness.

What do you think of Meng Wanxin?

Ling Xi quickly looked at the scroll in her hand. Meng Wanxin, this must be her, right?

Her appearance was absolutely stunning, with a smooth forehead, exquisitely beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that were absolutely gorgeous. Just sitting there in the painting, she was like a pear blossom under the moon, pure and beautiful, untouched by the world.

"Excellent, excellent! This young lady is very beautiful and a perfect match for your husband."

After saying this, Ling Xi felt that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

However, she wasn't just making things up; she was being sincere. This one, judging by appearance alone, was indeed much more outstanding than the two from before. Although she couldn't match Mu Wanning's gentle and quiet temperament, she had her own unique charm.

But as she watched cautiously, she noticed that not only was Xiao Ce's expression growing increasingly grim, but the Princess Consort Rui's complexion was also not very smooth, as if she was quite dissatisfied with her answer.

"A woman's standing in society cannot ultimately rely solely on her face. How long can mere beauty last? As the saying goes, 'One who relies on beauty to please others will lose favor when beauty fades.' Rather than exhausting oneself to adorn one's appearance, it is better to cultivate inner qualities and learn a few skills to make a living. Those are the things that truly belong to oneself."

Sure enough, this wasn't a lecture at all; it was clearly mocking her for having a beautiful appearance but no inner cultivation whatsoever.

Ling Xi gently tugged at the corner of her lips, speechless.

"Besides her beauty, family background, and talent, Meng Wanxin is no match for Ce'er in any way."

It's really hard to compromise. The key point is, didn't you pick all these people yourself?

Ling Xi couldn't help but think to herself, she really didn't want to stay here anymore. She was just a nominal princess consort, why ask her?

For no reason at all, she was glared at by Xiao Ce and mocked by his mother, who even said she wouldn't make things difficult for her anymore.

Next, Ling Xi patiently looked through more than a dozen pictures of beauties. Overall, she found almost none of them to be comparable to Mu Wanning, so she concluded that Xiao Ce would definitely not be interested in any of them.

As expected, Princess Rui asked him if he had one or two that he was satisfied with. He shook his head as expected and turned to leave.

Seeing that the parties involved were about to leave, Ling Xi quickly got up, ready to slip away as well.

"Ce'er!"

She had just stood up when Princess Rui called out to Xiao Ce again, and she stopped in her tracks, not daring to move.

"Your mother knows that the girls she has chosen for you are not a good match for you, but the position of concubine can only be chosen from these families. Which of the high-ranking officials in Jinling City would be willing to let their daughter become a concubine?"

"Yes, I understand. Mother, you need not trouble yourself with this matter any further."

"Your mother knows this has wronged you, but you can't..."

"Mother, you are overthinking it. I am just busy with official duties and really do not want to take a concubine. Please do not trouble yourself."

After saying that, Xiao Ce lifted his foot and left, bringing with him a fragrant scent that wafted onto Ling Xi's face.

She didn't understand. Although those women were much worse than Mu Wanning, he was taking concubines, not marrying a wife. Why should he be treated unfairly?