Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Perhaps because she was too stressed yesterday, Ling Xi slept very slowly. When she woke up, she felt dizzy and exhausted.

"Perrin, what time is it?"

She greeted people languidly as usual, and Perrin quickly pushed open the door and entered, but today the expression on her face was somewhat different from usual.

"Princess, the Prince... has arrived at the Prince's residence."

Ling Xi casually replied with an "Oh," her fingertips still rubbing her throbbing temples.

However, she was suddenly startled, and when she looked up, her expression was one of undisguised surprise.

"You mean... my brother is here?"

……

The flower hall was so quiet that only the soft sound of chess pieces falling onto the board could be heard, and the wisps of sandalwood-scented hair entwined around the window.

Xiao Ce's fingertips hovered in mid-air for a long time before finally falling gently, leaving no room for further competition. Ling Heng scanned the chessboard and also slowly placed his piece to conclude the game.

The two looked at each other in silence. The lines on the board were clearly defined, and neither had the upper hand. It was a difficult stalemate, and the game eventually ended in a draw.

Xiao Ce casually tossed the chess piece in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes softening.

"General Ling's visit today seems to have been well-prepared."

Ling Heng sat upright, without moving, only raising his eyes to meet his gaze, his expression calm.

"Likewise, I thought that Prince Xiao... should know the purpose of my visit today."

He spoke so frankly and without any pretense at the embassy that day; he was speaking to the Prince Rui's residence.

Xiao Ce's hand, which was resting on the table, clenched quietly, and his eyes, which had just softened, instantly sharpened again.

"General Ling, you must be here for Ling Xi. She hasn't gotten up yet. Perhaps I should send someone to invite her..."

"No need, Xi'er already knows about this."

Ling Heng picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and calmly glanced out the window.

It was already past 11:00 AM, and Xi'er still hadn't gotten up. Although he had heard that the Princess Consort of Rui had exempted her from the morning and evening greetings, she was still officially the heir apparent of the Rui Prince's residence. Such a schedule was truly unruly.

He looked up at his nominal brother-in-law across from him, a sense of confusion washing over him. According to the information he had gathered, Xiao Ce still had a concubine in his household, and the two were deeply in love and had a son. Yet, he had been extremely cold towards Xi'er for the past year. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

"General Ling, are you so certain that a single trading market can make the diplomatic relations between Liang and Chu unbreakable?"

Xiao Ce's brows furrowed with barely suppressed impatience, his aura suddenly tightened, and his words were laced with a deep chill as he stared directly at the person opposite him.

He didn't know what Ling Xi was thinking, but he knew perfectly well that his heart was no longer the same as before.

Upon hearing this, Ling Heng's lips curled slightly, revealing a cold and indifferent smile, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain.

"What? Does Prince Xiao perhaps think that the mutually beneficial trade treaty between our two countries is less stable and reliable than your marriage to Xi'er, which is only superficially harmonious?"

He met Xiao Ce's fierce gaze, his words sharp and cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

The air seemed to freeze suddenly, and there was not a sound in the room. Only the invisible tension between the two men, their eyes locked, quietly permeated the space, as if it were about to explode at any moment.

"Brother! Prince! What are you... doing?"

Just as tensions were rising, Ling Xi lifted the curtain and entered. As soon as she entered the hall, she saw the two people facing each other in silence, exuding an eerie seriousness.

She had been on tenterhooks the whole way. Everyone in the Prince Rui’s mansion hated the Chu people to the bone, and her brother was no ordinary Chu person; he was the commander of the Blazing Flame Army.

But the two figures in front of her were sitting face to face in peace. Her gaze then fell on the chessboard in front of them, where black and white pieces were densely packed, creating a somber atmosphere.

"You guys...are you playing chess?"

She asked instinctively, glancing at her brother with his inscrutable expression, and then at Xiao Ce across from her with his deep eyes. She felt an indescribable strangeness in the atmosphere and for a moment forgot what she was going to say.

"That's right, Prince Xiao and I were just playing chess for a while."

The stalemate was broken in an instant. Ling Heng was the first to speak. He had a faint, calm smile on his lips and his tone sounded relaxed and harmless, but his eyes were not relaxed at all.

"General Ling made a special trip to your residence to see you, but you were not up for a long time, so I played a game of chess with you to pass the time."

Xiao Ce concealed all his previous sharpness, his face showing no trace of confrontation, and his tone was as calm as ever, as if the tense standoff had never happened.

The two men's words sounded ordinary, but every word revealed a deliberate attempt to conceal something. Ling Xi stood there, not believing a word.

What puzzled her even more was that Xiao Ce was actually playing chess with her brother, saying it was to pass the time. Xiao Ce didn't have much free time, so when did he ever have time to kill?

Her intuition told her that the two of them must have been secretly competing before she arrived.

"Why didn't you inform Xi'er beforehand that you were coming today, brother?"

Ling Xi awkwardly changed the subject, realizing she needed to find a way to separate the two of them.

"I've come today for no other reason than to see if Xi'er is ready?"

Ling Xi felt a sudden panic. She glanced furtively at Xiao Ce on her left and felt a pang of guilt, as if she had done something wrong.

Xiao Ce remained silent, slowly picking up his teacup and taking a sip, seemingly waiting for her response.

She looked at her brother again, and he still smiled gently and calmly.

"If my sister is not ready yet, there is no need to rush. The border market will be completed in two or three months. Ye City is only two hundred miles away from Jinling City. At that time, I will ride at full speed and be able to return to pick you up within a day."

Ling Xi's mind was in turmoil, but Xiao Ce remained calm, his teacup lightly touching his lips as if he didn't care at all. Ling Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, completely unaware that she had inexplicably become concerned about Xiao Ce's emotions, and even less aware that beneath Xiao Ce's drooping eyelashes, a suppressed undercurrent was already surging.

"Preparations are almost complete."

She lowered her eyes and avoided eye contact, feeling guilty and ashamed to bring up the matter in front of Xiao Ce. In her mind, Xiao Ce should want her to leave, because only after she left could Mu Wanning rightfully become his wife.

But even after looking closely, she couldn't discern Xiao Ce's joy or sorrow. She suddenly remembered that the night before, when he was drunk, he seemed to have questioned her about whether he wanted to leave with his brother. So, Xiao Ce already knew about this topic that his brother hadn't brought up earlier.

Ling Xi suddenly raised her head and looked directly into Xiao Ce's eyes, those dark eyes still unreadable.

She secretly grumbled to herself, not understanding what she was expecting to see in his eyes, since he was clearly drunk that night.

"Now that everything is ready, how about we wait until after the festival, when the court has finalized the border market arrangements, and then Xi'er can come with me to Ye City for a while?"

"Great! I'm already tired of staying in Nanjing all year."

Ling Xi blurted out without thinking, her face beaming with a smile and her eyes light and cheerful, completely unaware that Xiao Ce's expression had instantly changed.