Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Perhaps because she had been waiting for a long time, there was a hint of weariness in her eyes, her long eyelashes drooped down, her skin was as smooth as jade, and even the tip of her nose had a light pink tinge.

Her usual slightly stubborn demeanor had completely faded away, and her peaceful sleeping face was so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

"Your Highness."

"Shi... Your Majesty."

With her sharp eyes, Wu Yan spotted Xiao Ce first, and Pei Lan was also startled.

"Princess, Princess..."

Ling Xi was dazed when Pei Lan woke her up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Ce's tall figure approaching from afar. She was not fully awake for a moment and just stared at him blankly.

"You...want to see me?"

Xiao Ce walked straight to the opposite side of Ling Xi, flicked his skirt, and sat up straight.

He assumed that Ling Xi must have something important to do, otherwise she wouldn't have come to Chuixing Courtyard so rashly.

Ling Xi quickly stood up and awkwardly straightened her clothes.

"I heard that today is the Crown Prince's birthday, so I have prepared a birthday gift for him."

Ling Xi walked to the table, preparing to open the box.

She came to give him a birthday gift? The frown between Xiao Ce's brows deepened instantly.

Even Lu Ming, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but widen his eyes. The Crown Princess had come all the way to give their Crown Prince a birthday gift? If he remembered correctly, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had barely exchanged a few words.

Ling Xi flicked her finger, and the brocade box opened with a click, revealing a long sword lying quietly inside.

Xiao Ce turned his head and saw the sword gleaming with cold light, silently exuding a solemn aura.

It was another sword, just like the birthday gift she gave her brother. It was a convenient and blatantly perfunctory gift, saving her a lot of trouble.

The faint emotion that had been in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a clear hint of displeasure.

"This sword is named Lingxiao. I've heard it's a rare and excellent sword. Does Your Highness like it?"

The word "Lingxiao" sent a jolt through Xiao Ce's heart.

Was it Ling Xiao that was given to him?

Then what was that sword she sent back to the State of Chu?

The displeasure that had just been lingering in his eyes suddenly froze, replaced by an undisguised astonishment.

He suddenly remembered that half an hour earlier at the restaurant, Qin Qi had been joking with him, saying that he had personally witnessed her spending a fortune at Jubao Pavilion to buy the Lingxiao Sword, which must have been a gift for him, and that she wanted to borrow it sometime.

At that moment, he felt inexplicably agitated, because he already knew that the Lingxiao Sword, which she had painstakingly acquired, had already reached the territory of the Chu Kingdom.

But to his utter surprise, she didn't give the Lingxiao Sword to her own brother, but instead... gave it to him.

"The Crown Prince?"

Seeing that Xiao Ce was only staring at Ling Xiao without saying a word, and that his expression was neither happy nor sad, Ling Xi couldn't help but feel puzzled.

After a moment, Xiao Ce blinked gently and looked at her with a deep gaze.

"Young Master...do you like this birthday gift?"

Ling Xi didn't know what her father, mother, and Mu Wanning had given her, but she had spent a lot of money to buy it, so it shouldn't be bad.

"You... need something from me?"

Xiao Ce remained unmoved, merely glancing over casually.

Is this person inherently suspicious? She gave him a birthday gift, and he suspected her motives were impure.

"What exactly happened?"

She needed his help, for example, if the Chu and Liang kingdoms were to go to war again in the future, could he let her go?

"Your Highness is overthinking it. I am, after all, your official Crown Princess. It's only natural that I prepare a birthday gift for you..."

Before Ling Xi could finish her excuse, she looked up and saw his dark eyes still fixed on her, as if he didn't believe a single word she had just said. She felt a pang of guilt, her lips twitched, and she suddenly couldn't continue her fabrication.

"Alright! Actually, I wanted to... to ease the tension with the Crown Prince. Even if we can't be husband and wife, we can still be friends."

"To be friends?"

Xiao Ce continued to stare at her sideways, seemingly still questioning her.

"Um."

Ling Xi nodded firmly, her large, sincere eyes clearly filled with a desire for reconciliation.

"Look at me, a weak woman in this foreign land, all alone and helpless. If I encounter any danger in Daliang in the future, I beg Your Highness to protect me."

Xiao Ce glanced at the highly skilled maid behind her, his eyes thoughtful.

"Rest assured, now that you've entered the Prince Rui's residence, if you encounter any danger, the Prince Rui's residence will certainly not ignore you. As for this sword, you can take it back. This young master doesn't like making friends, and you don't need to send me anything in the future."

He doesn't want it? She spent a fortune to buy it.

After the auction ended that day, Ling Xi met with the owner of Jubaoge in private and learned that they had actually acquired two famous swords. However, only Lingxiao was put up for auction, while the other one, called "Liuyun," was just as famous as Lingxiao.

Seeing Ling Xi's sincerity, the Pavilion Master finally agreed to sell her both swords. Since the price of Ling Xiao was inflated due to Qin Qi's price increase, the Pavilion Master did not deliberately raise the price. In the end, he sold both famous swords to her for 1,300 taels of gold.

Ling Xi gave Liu Yun to her brother because she felt that Liu Yun didn't seem to have that much murderous aura.

"You can go back now, I need to rest."

Ling Xi lowered her eyes, paused for a moment, and then raised her head again.

"If Your Highness doesn't like making friends, then we won't be friends. However, this sword has already been purchased and cannot be returned. If Your Highness really doesn't want it, then let Lu Ming use it. It's getting late, so we won't disturb Your Highness's rest any longer."

After Ling Xi finished speaking, she hurriedly left the main hall without looking back, so Xiao Ce couldn't see the expression on her face.

Only after her figure disappeared through the courtyard gate did he withdraw his gaze, take another serious look at the Lingxiao Sword, and finally couldn't help but sigh softly. A sword worth a thousand taels of gold—she was going to give it to Lu Ming; she was truly willing to part with it.

"Lu Ming!"

"Your Highness, I'm used to my own sword, and I have no plans to change it for the time being."

Lu Ming was inwardly screaming for help. He did like the Lingxiao Sword, but it was a birthday gift from the Crown Prince's wife to the Crown Prince. How could he dare to accept it?

"Put your sword away."

Xiao Ce stood up abruptly, left the main hall, and headed towards the study.

Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief in the back; the fear of being dominated by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess was truly terrifying.

......

"The young master is so cold-hearted! So ruthless! That was a famous sword bought for over a thousand taels of gold..."

Peilan was indignant and complained the whole way from Chuixing Courtyard back to Yuehua Courtyard.

Ling Xi remained relatively calm. It was within her expectations that Xiao Ce, a man with a habitually cold demeanor, would not want her things.

She didn't care whether he accepted it or not; she had already delivered the gift. Achieving one's goal is not something that can be done overnight.

However, Ling Xi soon had a second opportunity to ease tensions with Xiao Ce.