Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

"Perhaps... we should think of another way. In my opinion, Xiao Ce is not someone who can be seduced by beauty."

Ling Xi slowly shook her head. Although she didn't know Xiao Ce well, she just felt that beauty couldn't sway him in the slightest.

"Princess! The Snow Pillow Pastry has arrived!"

Ling Xi and Granny Qi tacitly stopped the conversation. She turned her head, and before she could see anyone, she could already hear Pei Lan's cheerful voice coming from outside the courtyard.

Pei Lan walked ahead empty-handed, a smile on her face, completely unaware of Granny Qi's slightly downturned lips and the helplessness in her eyes.

Wushuang walked behind her, carrying a food box in her hand, her face still cold and indifferent.

"Princess, please try it and see if it tastes like Fanlou."

Perrin turned around, took the food box from the handsless man, placed it steadily on the stone table, and deftly brought out the plate of snow-covered pastries. The presentation was still beautiful, without the slightest movement.

Ling Xi stretched out her slender hand, picked up a piece, and took a small bite. Before she could chew it a couple more times, she looked at Pei Lan and Wu Shuang in surprise.

"How does it taste?"

"Exactly the same as Fanlou's!"

"Exactly the same?"

"Hmm...it seems the Snow Pillow Pastry the young master sent last time was indeed from Hongyue. But...how did he know I prefer it with less sugar?"

Ling Xi ate while lost in thought.

But Granny Qi couldn't help but ponder: if a man doesn't care about a woman at all, why would he send her snacks to please her?

"Perhaps the cook didn't pay much attention to the amount of sugar when making the dessert, or perhaps he just happened to add too little sugar."

The one who spoke up to analyze was Wushuang, who was usually taciturn. Ling Xi glanced at her and saw that she was unusually serious for once.

But Ling Xi didn't think so. How could a chef who could work in a place like Hongyuelou be so careless?

"Perhaps."

She had no reason to doubt that Xiao Ce had specifically learned about her preferences.

Pillow Snow Pastry was just the most popular dessert among the noble ladies of Jicheng. Xiao Ce probably just said it casually at the time. However, Ling Xi only preferred the Pillow Moon Pastry from Fanlou.

"Princess, don't think too much about it. Since Hongyuelou can make the pastries you like, let's go there more often in the future."

Perrin felt none of this mattered, as long as the princess was happy.

"Perrin is the most insightful. Eat a few more pieces today."

"The princess is the best!"

"You greedy girl, all you ever do is eat!"

Granny Qi gently poked Pei Lan's head, then got up and left.

Ling Xi watched Granny Qi's retreating figure and suddenly lost her appetite. Granny Qi was right; without foresight, there will be immediate troubles.

Looking at the Pillow Snow Pastry in her hand, she suddenly remembered the Pillow Snow Pastry that Xiao Ce had given her.

Perhaps she doesn't necessarily need to win Xiao Ce's heart; maintaining a good relationship with him would never be wrong. Besides, judging from the previous incidents, he seems to be a person who can distinguish right from wrong.

……

Since she had the idea of ​​building a good relationship with Xiao Ce, Ling Xi no longer had to be idle all day.

For more than half a month, she kept a low profile and secretly gathered all the information related to him.

She knew almost everything about him—his likes and dislikes, his favorite snacks, his daily pastimes. She also remembered who he was close to and who he often associated with, preparing to gradually win him over through those around him.

After much deliberation, Ling Xi finally decided to start with his cousin, Xiao Xiao.

She knew perfectly well that what he cared about most were Mu Wanning and his son. But every time Mu Wanning saw her, it was as if he had seen his father's killer. If she were to get even a little closer to Yunqi Courtyard, she would probably be seen as having ulterior motives.

At first, Ling Xi only invited Xiao Xiao to stroll around Jinling City, and she also gave her a lot of gifts in a legitimate way as her sister-in-law.

Some of the items were cosmetics, perfumes, and other items she brought from the State of Chu. Others were gold and silver jewelry she had acquired while shopping. In short, Ling Xi felt that anything that could be done with money was quite simple.

But soon, she found herself something that didn't cost money, but was difficult to do.

The day before the Double Ninth Festival, the sky was high and the air was crisp, making it the perfect time to climb to a high place and enjoy the view.

Ling Xi, having anticipated Xiao Xiao's lively nature and assuming she would enjoy the scenery of the mountains and fields, sent a letter to the Prince Yu's residence inviting her. Xiao Xiao accepted without hesitation. Unbeknownst to Ling Xi, Xiao Xiao was quite annoyed, spending all her time cooped up in the Prince Yu's residence.

Xiao Xiao strongly recommended Nanyin Mountain on the outskirts of Jinling City to her, saying that the scenery there was beautiful and there were no fierce wild animals. Standing on the top of the mountain, one could overlook most of Chang'an.

Ling Xi only wanted to get to know Xiao Xiao as quickly as possible, without giving a second thought to how arduous the "mountain climbing" would be.

The two walked slowly side by side, with maids and attendants following at a distance.

They talked about the Double Ninth Festival customs of the Liang and Chu states, and about interesting anecdotes. Whenever they reached an interesting point, the two of them would burst into laughter.

Xiao Xiao grew increasingly close to her beautiful sister-in-law, and they talked about everything.

Ling Xi also found it very easy to get along with Xiao Xiao because she never beat around the bush; she said what she thought.

The only problem with this trip was that Ling Xi quickly ran out of energy; her legs were already a little sore after climbing only halfway up.

She was not a particularly active person to begin with, and had never walked so many mountain paths when she was in the State of Chu.

Xiao Xiao kept chattering in front of her, while Ling Xi looked down at the endless stone steps and sighed silently.

She could have enjoyed a leisurely boat trip on the lake and admired the chrysanthemums by the water, so what was wrong with her that she chose to climb the mountain?

But when she looked up and saw Xiao Xiao's enthusiastic expression, she forced a smile.

Behind her, Pei Lan watched the princess's struggling figure and had already begun to worry. She knew her princess best; she usually needed to find four or five places to rest when she went shopping, so how could she possibly climb to the top of the mountain?

"Sister-in-law Xi, are you tired?"

Ling Xi, who was engrossed in her strenuous work, looked up and saw Xiao Xiao's clear, big eyes staring at her. She smiled and waved her hand.

"I've only been in Liang for the past six months, and I've fallen ill due to the unfamiliar climate and water. When I was in Chu, I often climbed mountains with my brother to enjoy the view."

Upon hearing this, Pei Lan's lips twitched twice. When did her princess become so good at lying?

"Sister-in-law Xi's brother?"

"Yes, my brother is the best person to me in the world. Whatever I want, he will do everything he can to get it to me."

Ling Xi glanced to the north, which was the direction of the State of Chu.

"I really envy Sister-in-law Xi. My father only has one daughter, and I have many cousins ​​in the palace, but I can't go there often. Brother Mo and Brother Ce live close by, but they have been busy with their studies since childhood and have very little free time. Especially Brother Mo, who later went to the border for a year and a half at a time..."

As she finished speaking, Xiao Xiao seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly stopped.