Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

For her? Ling Xi hesitated as she reached out and took the envelope. Her fingertips touched the smooth paper, and her doubts deepened.

She opened the envelope, but there was not a single word inside, only a beautifully crafted brass key lying quietly there.

"This is the key to the Chuixing Institute's storeroom."

"Storehouse keys?"

She held the key in her hand, looked up at Lu Ming, and became even more confused. She had already decided to pack her bags and leave the Prince Rui's mansion, so what was his purpose in sending someone to deliver the storeroom key?

Lu Ming remained indifferent, only bowing slightly as if to lead the way.

"The Crown Princess will know the truth once she goes to the storeroom."

He led the way without uttering a single word of explanation; his cold, hard silence was just like his master's.

When she stepped into the storeroom and saw the items displayed in the center, she froze on the spot, unable to utter a single word.

In the very center of the huge warehouse, a dozen or so vermilion and gold-painted wooden crates were neatly arranged.

She stood still, her fox-like eyes suddenly widening, her long eyelashes trembling. She subconsciously took two steps forward, and in each box were familiar objects.

"These...are all my dowry?"

"Yes."

"But my dowry, hasn't it all already..."

She slowly turned around and stared blankly at Lu Ming behind her.

"It was the Crown Prince who ordered me to redeem it from the Locked Golden Pavilion."

Her brows furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"Why...did he go to ransom it?"

Ling Xi was full of doubts, and she never expected that her dowry would be placed in his Chuixing Courtyard.

She slowly paced around the wooden box, examining it closely. The box was filled with a dazzling array of items, and even she herself couldn't remember whether some of them were actually hers, not to mention the set of writing materials that Xiao Ce had taken away.

"At that time, when the Crown Prince learned that the Crown Princess had pawned all her dowry, he thought you had encountered difficulties, so he secretly redeemed it all, intending to keep it and return it to the Crown Princess intact at some opportunity in the future. But he did not expect that this day would come so soon."

"Give it back to me?"

"Yes."

But she had already pawned these things for a thousand taels of gold and spent them all. Moreover, Xiao Ce had also spent money to redeem them, perhaps even a high price. How could she possibly accept them?

"Tell the Crown Prince that since he paid money to redeem these things, they belong to him."

"The Crown Princess doesn't want it?"

Ling Xi nodded solemnly. She couldn't accept them, otherwise she would have to pawn them again. Besides, if she took them, she would feel indebted to Xiao Ce. She already felt uneasy about mentioning divorce.

……

When Lu Ming truthfully reported her reply to Xiao Ce, he was practicing archery at the training ground.

He drew the longbow to its fullest extent, the bowstring taut and clanging, the arrow tip firmly locked onto the bullseye in the distance. His gaze was deep and sharp, like a lurking cheetah, fixed intently on the bullseye, his aura cold and intimidating.

The next instant, the fingertips suddenly released the string, and the arrow shot out through the air with a sharp whoosh, flying straight away and piercing the bullseye.

Why doesn't she want it?

A cool, deep voice sounded softly, but he didn't turn his head or get distracted. He drew another arrow, nocked it, pulled the string taut, and aimed at the bullseye in the distance once more.

"The Crown Princess said that since the Crown Prince redeemed these items with money, they now belong to him."

Ha! She really distinguishes herself from him so clearly.

His mind sank slightly, but he didn't lessen the force in his hand. Suddenly, he released the string, and the arrow shot out, splitting the arrow that had been stuck in the bullseye in two.

Lu Ming stood to the side, a chill suddenly rising from his back. He slightly raised his eyes to observe the expressionless prince, thinking to himself: Is the prince angry again because of the princess consort? How many times has this happened?

……

On the Lantern Festival, Ling Xi had no intention of going out, but Xiao Xiao came to Chuixing Courtyard.

Upon entering the room, they found several suitcases that Ling Xi had already packed.

"What is Sister-in-law Xi doing?"

She glanced at Pei Lan, who was still tidying up and taking inventory, and her beaming smile vanished momentarily.

Ling Xi then realized that she seemed to have completely forgotten about her friend Xiao Xiao.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Xiao, so much has happened these past few days, I forgot to tell you. Tomorrow... I'm going to Night City with my brother for a while."

"Night City? Oh right, the imperial court is going to build a trading post in Night City, and Sister-in-law Xi's brother has to go there too."

"Yes, that's right."

"Ah! I really envy Sister-in-law Xi, who can be taken around by her brother. Unlike me, my father and mother won't even allow me to go to a lantern festival. Something's not right!"

She suddenly turned her head and put down the teacup she had just brought to the table.

"Brother Ce, you actually agreed to let Sister-in-law Xi leave?"

Why...why would he disagree?

Ling Xi twitched the corners of her lips. He not only agreed, but also gave her the divorce papers.

"I asked my father the other day, and he said that Brother Ce will be leaving for Qizhou by the end of this month at the latest. If war breaks out on the border, he probably won't be back for at least a year or two. I think that since he's leaving, he must be reluctant to part with you, Sister-in-law Xi..."

"Cough cough..."

Ling Xi almost choked on the warm tea she had just tasted, and quickly put down the teacup to catch her breath.

"Why doesn't Sister-in-law Xi wait until Brother Ce leaves Jinling before going to Yecheng? That way, she can spend more time with Brother Ce."

Xiao Xiao's words left Ling Xi completely speechless. She really didn't know how Xiao Xiao had come to the mistaken impression that her relationship with Xiao Ce was quite good.

"Your brother Ce is very busy. Even if I don't leave, I won't see him all day long. It doesn't make much difference whether it's a few days earlier or later."

"What my sister-in-law says is true."

Xiao Xiao nodded repeatedly, indicating her strong agreement.

"Since Sister-in-law Xi is leaving tomorrow, why don't we go to the lantern festival tonight? It's Sister-in-law Xi's first time celebrating the Lantern Festival in Jinling, so let's see how our lantern festival differs from yours in Jicheng."

......

Ling Xi was in a daze and couldn't find a reason to refuse, but she had already been pulled into the carriage.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, the city of Jinling was brightly lit, with colorful lanterns hanging in every shop, creating a dazzling display of light and shadow that made the night sky seem like daytime.

The streets were bustling with people, children played with colorful lanterns, acrobats performed their skills, stilt walkers soared through the air, and dragon dances swept through the streets, creating a scene of prosperity and grandeur.

When Ling Xi found herself on the bustling streets of Fengyang, she felt that it was no different from the Lantern Festival in their city of Ji.

Xiao Xiao was overjoyed and dragged her around, lingering in front of various bustling stalls. The two of them kept weaving through the surging crowds, with maids and guards following closely behind, being pushed and shoved by the throng of people, almost unable to keep up.

When they reached the busiest and most lively part of the market, the two were finally separated by the crowd, and Ling Xi disappeared from Xiao Xiao's sight in the blink of an eye.

She stopped and looked around. Only Pei Lan, Wu Shuang, and two of her own guards remained by her side. She calmed herself down a bit and wasn't too worried. She didn't see Xiao Xiao's maids and guards; they must have followed her ahead.