Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

But she could probably guess that even if she asked, given her brother's personality, he most likely wouldn't tell her.

Ling Xi was thinking so intently that when she got off the carriage, she accidentally stepped into the air and fell onto the road.

Ling Xi's heart skipped a beat in surprise, and she let out a soft cry as an extremely light and fast figure swept past her side.

With eyes and hands moving swiftly, he was already close in a flash, steadily supporting her elbows and waist with a firm yet gentle touch, holding her firmly in place.

"Is the princess alright?"

A moment of shock passed through Ling Xi, and after regaining her balance, she subconsciously pressed her hand to her chest and took a few breaths.

"Princess! Were you frightened?"

Perrin rushed forward, and he too broke out in a cold sweat.

Ling Xi shook her head gently, her fingertips still trembling slightly. Looking at Wu Shuang beside her, she suddenly felt secretly fortunate that her brother had sent her; she needed her so much.

After Ling Xi and the others had disappeared into the mansion gate, Xiao Ce, Lu Baixu, and Qin Qi slowly walked over from a distance.

"Yizhi, that maidservant next to the Crown Princess doesn't seem like an ordinary maidservant at all."

The speaker was Qin Qi. He walked forward with his hands on his chest, his eyes slightly upturned, and a faint look of doubt in his eyes.

Xiao Ce's brows furrowed, and a glint of unfathomable light flashed in his eyes. He knew, of course, that the maid named Wushuang was no ordinary person.

"Judging from her speed just now, she is a rare expert. I'm afraid there might not be many people in the entire city of Jinling with such speed."

This was Qin Qi's conclusion, and after saying this, the doubt in his eyes gradually turned into curiosity.

"Young Master Qin must be joking. How powerful could she be, just an ordinary woman from Chu?"

Lu Ming followed behind, looking at the gate of Prince Rui's mansion. He was very unwilling to believe that she was just a lowly maidservant by the side of the Crown Prince's wife, who at most had some martial arts skills.

"She is no ordinary woman from the State of Chu..."

Qin Qi's lips curled up slightly, his smile containing a hint of cunning, yet still retaining his handsome and gentle demeanor. He was charming and interesting, not at all annoying.

"She's no ordinary woman from Chu, could she... be a spy!?"

As Lu Ming reached this conclusion, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, revealing a clear increase in vigilance.

"Hey Lu Ming, when I said she's not ordinary, I meant... she's a rare beauty."

Lu Ming's lips immediately tightened into a straight line, feeling that it was completely unnecessary for him to respond to Young Master Qin's words.

"There had been much talk in Jinling City about how stunningly beautiful the Crown Princess of the Prince Rui's mansion was. At first, I didn't quite believe it until I saw it with my own eyes that day. But I hadn't noticed that day that even the maidservants beside the Princess were exceptionally beautiful. It seems that Chu truly is a land of many beauties! However, it's just a pity..."

Xiao Ce frowned slightly, his eyes showing no emotion, but rather a hint of impatience.

"Yizhi, is she really as heartless as the rumors say? And, did she actually have feelings for Consort Mu... Hey, why are you walking so fast? Yizhi!"

Xiao Ce quickened his pace, his impatience becoming increasingly apparent.

Lu Baixu followed behind, his eyes never showing the slightest appreciation for Ling Xi's appearance, only indifference and wariness towards a femme fatale.

The Lu family has a pure and upright family tradition, and Lu Baixu was raised to be a virtuous gentleman from a young age. He would never give a second glance to a woman like Ling Xi who is all show and no substance.

"Bai Xu, you have the best eye for people. Tell me, is that Princess of Chu really as the rumors say?"

"have no idea."

Lu Baixu paused for a moment, his eyes remaining completely calm, and before he finished speaking, he took a step forward.

Qin Qi silently pursed his lips and quickly followed. When the group arrived at the main gate of Prince Rui's mansion, they saw a neatly folded piece of yellow paper lying quietly on the ground in front of the gate.

"What is that on the ground?"

Lu Ming was the first to notice, strode forward, knelt down on one knee, picked it up, and presented it to Xiao Ce with both hands.

"Your Highness."

Xiao Ce lowered his eyes, his long, slender fingers picking up a corner of the paper as he took it. Qin Qi, curious, immediately leaned closer.

Xiao Ce, unhurriedly, first peeled back the outermost fold, then slowly unfolded the paper. Once the square paper was fully laid out, several rows of fine ink characters came into view.

"Though so close, it feels like an eternity; lost on the path, I refused to move forward. Only after parting ways in a light boat did I realize how deeply I cherished this moment."

Qin Qi read the paper aloud as he looked at it, then took the paper away and tilted his head to study it carefully.

"What does this mean? It's like a poem... and there seem to be some small characters written at the bottom."

"It's not a poem, it's more like a fortune slip."

Lu Baixu, who followed, glanced at the paper in his hand and immediately recognized it. His mother had taken his younger sister to the temple last year to draw lots, and she had brought a similar lot.

Xiao Ce's gaze remained fixed on the fortune slip, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, a subtle chill creeping into his otherwise pale eyes.

"It's a fortune slip from Nanyin Temple. The fortune slips from Nanyin Temple are made of stiff yellow paper, which is smooth and crisp, and the ink is as black as lacquer. This is something that other temples outside of Beijing don't have."

Xiao Ce spoke in a deep voice. Last early spring, when they went to Nanyin Temple together, Wan Ning drew such a fortune stick, which he had seen before.

However, Wan Ning's fortune slip was the worst possible, while this one was the best possible.

"This seems to be... a marriage fortune slip!?"

Qin Qi's expression was questioning, but his tone was one of certainty.

"There are few pedestrians at the entrance of Prince Rui's mansion, so why would a marriage fortune slip be left here? Ah, that's right! It must belong to the Crown Princess. She almost fell when she got off the carriage just now, so it must have fallen here at that time."

This time, Qin Qi was absolutely certain, but only after he finished speaking did he realize that something seemed off.

"The Crown Princess is already married to Yi Zhi, so why did she go to the temple to draw lots for a marriage certificate? Could it be... that she already had someone she loved in Chu?"

In a short time, Qin Qi's expression shifted rapidly, so fast that it was impossible to keep up.

Xiao Ce pulled the divination slip back and silently reviewed the inscription in his mind. Perhaps, as Qin Qi said, she had a sweetheart in Chu, and her marriage to Liang was out of necessity.

"I'll go back and change my clothes first. You guys wait for me in the outer hall."

He casually clenched the slip of paper between his fingers, crumpling it into a ball in his palm. Then he turned and walked slowly and coldly toward the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

"It seems that Yi Zhi really doesn't care about that Chu princess. Even though his lawfully wedded wife went to ask for a marriage fortune, it didn't affect his drinking mood at all."

Qin Qi recalled Ling Xi's stunning beauty again, and sighed inwardly that Xiao Ce was simply wasting such a gift.

Ling Xi didn't discover that the fortune slip she had placed in her sleeve pocket was missing until after she had taken a bath that evening, when Pei Lan was packing her clothes.

The master and his servants searched the entire Yuehua Courtyard but couldn't find it.