Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

The dungeon of Prince Rui's mansion was dark, damp, gloomy, and terrifying. When Lu Ming closed the door and left, there was nothing inside except a pitiful oil lamp keeping her company.

Ling Xi was quite brave and never believed in ghosts or gods. Even if she was alone, she had nothing to be afraid of.

But she didn't like being alone. From childhood to adulthood, she was always surrounded by people. Just as Pei Lan said, since she came to serve Ling Xi, she has never left her side for a single day.

Wushuang's injuries have not yet healed, and Granny Qi is a worrier; they must be extremely anxious.

However, these worries didn't bother her for long, because she soon found herself overwhelmed with her own problems. It turned out that the two days she was confined meant two days without food or water.

The dungeon was always dark, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night. Ling Xi slept and woke up repeatedly. When she was extremely hungry, she would squat down, which relieved her hunger considerably. When she was cold, she would also squat down, curling herself into a ball, which made her feel less cold.

Under Granny Qi's meticulous care, she was only able to eat a little food other than plain porridge these past two days.

Given her current physical condition, she simply couldn't endure the hunger and cold in this dark dungeon without food or water.

She could barely tolerate not eating, but Xiao Ce wouldn't even give her a sip of water.

She felt as if she had been waiting for eternity, yet no one ever came.

Ling Xi finally understood just how terrifying Xiao Ce was.

By the evening of the following day, she was already weak and almost unconscious.

The surroundings were quiet; all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat. In the long, desperate wait, no one came.

In her distress, she shouted with all her might, but only endless silence answered her.

Ling Xi lay on the ground, barely alive. In her hazy state of consciousness, she recalled her days in the State of Chu:

Every time her father went out, he would collect rare and precious treasures from all over the Chu Kingdom for her. Many of them are still kept in her boudoir in the Huan King's mansion, as if waiting for the day she returns.

Her mother, who never lifted a finger to cook, would personally cook desserts for her. If she said a particular dessert was delicious, her mother would make that one every day until she got tired of it.

Her brother, who was most accommodating to her, would do anything she asked. If anyone displeased her, her brother would make them pay tenfold or a hundredfold.

In the past seventeen years of her life, she had never imagined that she would have such a miserable and helpless day.

Just when she felt she was about to give up, there was finally some noise outside the dungeon door.

Her limbs were weak and sore, her vision blurred, and her ears were ringing. First, she heard Pei Lan crying and wailing. Then Pei Lan and Granny Qi came over and struggled to help her up. Her steps were unsteady, as if she were walking on clouds and might fall at any moment.

She relied on her last breath, and slowly but firmly walked out of the dungeon.

The setting sun shone on her, stinging her eyes. She slightly raised her head, gazing at the sky that didn't belong to her, a faint smile curving her lips.

She was starving, thirsty, and in excruciating pain, yet she remained standing. As long as she stood, she hadn't lost. She straightened her back slightly, forcefully suppressing the dizziness that was making the world spin around her.

"Don't let Xiao Ce fall into her hands one day!" This was the vow she made silently as she walked out of the dungeon.

Xiao Ce stood with his hands behind his back at the dungeon exit, his face expressionless, staring intently at her.

Today was his day off, and his maids and nannies knelt at the entrance of Chuixing Courtyard for the entire afternoon.

The maid's cries were deafening. She cried and shouted that her princess was weak and had been ill for more than ten days... which really bothered him.

I never expected her to be so delicate! After being locked up for less than two days, her face turned almost transparently pale, and her once bright eyes had long since gone out like a extinguished flame.

Despite being supported by two people, her every step was terribly unsteady, her body swaying slightly, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

His brows furrowed involuntarily, and a strange tremor welled up in his heart again, subtle yet undeniably clear.

He had expected her to be disheveled and tearful, but she wasn't.

She looked like she had reached her limit, but she still straightened her back. That pride that seeped from her bones was fully displayed in her weak body.

Those beautiful eyes still held no pleading, no submission, only a chilling stubbornness.

Xiao Ce tightened his grip. He had seen countless gentle and submissive women, but he had never seen such a look in their eyes.

He was the one who punished her, but looking at her disheveled state, he felt no pleasure, only a dull ache in his heart, for no apparent reason.

The more miserable she was, the more dazzling her pride became, so dazzling that he couldn't take his eyes off her until he watched her suddenly collapse to the ground.

……

In the study of Chuixing Academy, the room was completely silent, with the candlelight flickering gently.

Xiao Ce held the book in his hand, his dark eyes fixed on the pages, but he didn't turn a single page for a long time.

The words of Physician Du kept echoing in my ears, uncontrollably.

"The Crown Princess's pulse is weak and feeble, indicating long-term damage to her spleen and stomach, and a severe deficiency of her vital energy. Firstly, the long journey has been arduous, and she has been unwell due to the change in environment; secondly, the cold has penetrated her body, causing her to lose her appetite and deplete her vital energy. Now, she has been trapped in a damp dungeon for two days, allowing turbid qi to invade her body, and her condition has already relapsed. If she is delayed for another day, I fear... her life may be in danger."

With a soft "thud," Xiao Ce casually tossed the book in his hand onto the table, leaned back slightly against the pearwood armchair.

He reached up and rubbed his throbbing temples, then suddenly remembered something and stretched out his slightly trembling hand in front of his eyes.

His fingertips still seemed to carry the chill from her body, the coldness seeping into his heart through his veins, causing his entire hand to tremble uncontrollably.

Only after carrying her back to Yuehua Courtyard did he realize with a start that she was as light as a piece of paper and as thin as if she could be broken with a single fold.

She was on the verge of death in his arms, as if she were about to die at any moment.

At that moment, what surged in his chest was not pleasure, but a subconscious worry. He ordered the physician of the Du family to do everything in his power to treat him without the slightest hesitation.

He should have been happy, but he felt nothing then, and he feels nothing now either.

Her brother died on the battlefield, fighting against the most powerful Flame Army under his command.

He hated the blood flowing in her veins, hated this forced marriage, and hated every person from the State of Chu.

She was a princess sent by an enemy country for a political marriage, and the younger sister of the leader of the Blazing Flame Army. It was only natural that he disliked her.

Xiao Ce clenched his right hand tightly, veins bulging, and slammed it heavily on the table, causing the teacup to tremble slightly.

And in those dark eyes, an endless chill once again filled the air.