Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Ling Xi was still thinking about Mu Wanning and didn't immediately grasp what Granny Qi meant.

"Princess, could it be...?"

Granny Qi thought that Ling Xi had probably listened to her and finally understood, but she just hadn't used the right method.

"It is unwise for the princess to openly oppose the prince taking a concubine. Since ancient times, it has been common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, let alone someone of the prince's status..."

"Granny Qi! You've misunderstood. My opposition to Xiao Ce taking a concubine isn't because I care about him!"

Granny Qi squinted, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling together.

"What exactly is the reason for that princess's..."

"Didn't you realize, Granny, that Xiao Ce would never take a concubine because of Mu Wanning's sake? And Mu Wanning, because of her status, naturally wouldn't dare to say anything. Since they want me to make the decision, I'll just help Xiao Ce out of the way."

As Ling Xi spoke, she entered the house and leaned against the soft couch.

"Granny doesn't understand, what benefit does the princess gain from this?"

"Didn't Granny tell me to find a way out for myself that day? I did this to do Xiao Ce a favor. Think about it, I helped him so much, how could he have the nerve to make trouble for me later?"

Ling Xi was in a very good mood. Xiao Ce had just taken away her Lingxiao Sword, and now he owed her a huge favor.

But Granny Qi remained frowning, not entirely agreeing. Her suggestion to the princess was far more reliable than the princess's. Watching her princess leisurely sipping her tea, she sighed in exasperation.

......

After that day, Ling Xi encountered Mu Wanning twice more in the mansion, only to find that Mu Wanning's hostility towards her had deepened. Every time she looked at her, her hatred was undisguised, which even made Ling Xi feel a little scared.

"That shouldn't be the case!"

"What's wrong, Princess?"

Pei Lan held a candied hawthorn in her hand, and followed beside Ling Xi with Wu Shuang.

Ling Xi sighed softly, stopped walking, and slowly turned around.

"We ran into Mu Wanning before we left this morning. Did you guys notice the way she looked at me? It was like she wanted to eat me alive."

Ling Xi still felt a chill run down her spine when she recalled Mu Wanning's cold gaze that morning.

"Consort Mu, hasn't it always been like this?"

Perrin chewed on a candied hawthorn and spoke indistinctly.

Wushuang frowned slightly. She also sensed that the way Consort Mu looked at the princess today was not just simple hatred, but clearly had a feeling that she was familiar with.

"But I just helped Xiao Ce avoid taking a concubine, doing her such a huge favor, so why does she hate me even more now?"

Ling Xi was completely baffled and couldn't figure out the reason, which affected her mood while shopping.

"Perhaps... Consort Mu believes that the Princess is preventing the Heir Apparent from taking a concubine for her own sake, not for her or the Heir Apparent's sake..."

Pei Lan was just making a casual guess, but Ling Xi couldn't help but nod, finding it reasonable. It was understandable that Mu Wanning would think that way, but the key question was, would Xiao Ce also...?

"Princess, be careful!"

With a sharp shout, Wushuang suddenly sent a carriage rushing out from the right, heading straight for Ling Xi.

Pei Lan, who was standing to the side, was so frightened that she forgot to move. Wu Shuang suddenly moved and pulled Pei Lan back with one hand. Then, with her toes touching the ground, she pounced on Ling Xi like an arrow.

Ling Xi felt a strong force suddenly grab her waist, and then she lost her balance and fell heavily to the other side of the street.

With a muffled thud, Wushuang tried her best to land first, but the speed was too fast and there was no time to react. Lingxi's elbow hit the ground, and she gasped in pain.

Passersby gasped in surprise and quickly gathered around.

Wushuang quickly looked up at the carriage, only to find that it showed no sign of stopping, and a woman in yellow was leaning out of the window.

Damn it! She did it on purpose.

"Princess! Are you alright?"

Before Pei Lan could recover from the shock, she saw the princess and Wu Shuang lying on the opposite side of the street.

Ling Xi propped herself up on the ground and sat up. Her elbow went numb with pain when she exerted force. Wu Shuang ignored her own pain and quickly began to examine Ling Xi's wound, supporting herself on her injured arm.

"Princess, how is it?"

Ling Xi shook her head, gently raising her numb right hand. The clothes at her elbow were torn, and blood was seeping from the wound, a shocking sight.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Just as Ling Xi was about to stand up with Pei Lan by her side, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, and she fell back down.

"What's wrong, Princess?"

Perrin's voice trembled with a hint of tears, and as she glanced at the growing crowd, she panicked.

Ling Xi's veil had fallen off when she tripped, and her face, now revealed to the crowd, caused them to stop in their tracks. Yet, no one dared to rush forward to help her up. Whispers rose from all sides, and curious and amazed gazes fell upon her.

A moment later, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed, "That's the Princess Consort of Prince Rui's Mansion."

Her words stirred up a huge wave of excitement. The already gathered crowd instantly erupted into a frenzy, with people surging forward, their heads bobbing, all eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary beauty of the Crown Prince's consort.

Wu Shuang's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly helped Ling Xi up, but the crowd had already blocked the road, making it difficult to move even half a step.

Ling Xi panicked and hastily raised her hand to cover her slipped plain veil back on, concealing her face that had captivated everyone, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes that were glistening with tears and filled with panic.

A dull ache coursed through her body, and being stared at so openly made Ling Xi feel terrified and embarrassed.

"Make way! Everyone, please make way!"

Perrin shouted angrily, but the crowd was too eager to leave and instead of moving away, they crowded even closer.

"The Imperial City Guard is on their way. If you don't want to get involved, leave now!"

A clear yet authoritative voice pierced through the crowd, unhurried yet carrying an undeniable composure, instantly drowning out the noise of the street.

The crowd fell silent abruptly, all turning to look in the direction of the sound. A man in a white brocade robe walked slowly towards them, his posture upright, his face handsome, and his eyes gentle and composed.

It was him? Ling Xi recognized him at a glance.

Lu Baixu walked steadily through the crowd. The people around him seemed to be intimidated by his demeanor and involuntarily stepped back to make way for him.

"It is Vice Director Lu of the Imperial Medical Academy."

Someone in the crowd immediately recognized Lu Baixu.

Lu Baixu was just passing by when he witnessed everything that had just happened, so he naturally knew who the disheveled woman who had been surrounded was.

He hadn't intended to get involved, but just as he was about to leave, he happened to see her hurriedly covering her face with a veil, looking rather disheveled. As if possessed, he stopped the carriage.