After seeing Hua Qingqing off, Hua Manman returned to Prince Zhao’s side and sat down.

Li Ji immediately leaned over again, draping himself over her bonelessly as he lazily asked.

"What were you and your sister talking about just now?"

Hua Manman: "Nothing much. We just chatted for a bit."

’I can’t tell Prince Zhao about the Fourth Prince.’

’With Prince Zhao’s petty nature, if he found out I had some connection to the Fourth Prince, he’d definitely find ways to torment me again.’

Li Ji heard her thoughts and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

’The little thing is actually involved with the Fourth Prince.’

’When did this happen? How did I know nothing about it?’

Li Ji felt a little displeased.

’The little thing has even more secrets than I thought.’

Before, he had felt that everyone had their own secrets, and there was no need for him to get to the bottom of things. As long as they could coexist peacefully, it was fine.

But now that he was aware of his feelings for Hua Manman, he wished he could dig out all the secrets in her heart and lay them bare. Only then would he feel at ease.

He didn’t like the feeling of her hiding things from him.

It made it seem as if she didn’t trust him at all.

Just then, the fishing line trembled slightly.

Hua Manman said hurriedly, "Quick, quick! Reel it in!"

But Li Ji remained as unhurried as ever. He straightened up slightly, reached for the fishing rod, and slowly lifted it.

Because he was too slow, by the time he had fully raised the rod, the fish was long gone. Even the bait on the hook had been eaten.

Hua Manman was greatly disappointed.

’My fish is gone, just like that!’

Li Ji reeled in the line, re-baited the hook, and asked with a light chuckle.

"You want to eat fish that badly?"

Hua Manman said in a sweet, coquettish voice.

"It’s not that fish is so rare, but because Your Highness caught it personally, it’s exceptionally precious to me."

Li Ji knew she was just coaxing him with sweet words, yet the corners of his mouth still turned up uncontrollably.

’I must be really sick in the head.’

Before long, the line moved again. This time, Li Ji acted quickly, swiftly reeling it in.

A lively, thrashing fish hung from the hook.

Hua Manman was overjoyed, cheering, "Your Highness is amazing!"

When she got a clear look, she saw it was a red carp, and a rather large one at that.

Hua Manman had never eaten red carp before. Her anticipation grew. ’Should we braise it? Or boil it?’

In the end, they grilled the red carp.

Hua Manman personally seasoned the fish, then placed it on a small stove to roast, turning it over and over.

This stove was originally used to heat Prince Zhao’s medicinal soup.

Now that Hua Manman was using it to grill fish, one could say she was being quite resourceful.

Soon, the aroma of grilled fish filled the room.

Hua Manman used her chopsticks to tear off a piece of fish and held it to Prince Zhao’s lips, offering him a taste.

Li Ji opened his mouth and ate the fish. His eyes narrowed slightly, like a lazy, large cat savoring a delicious meal.

"Not bad. It’s delicious."

Hua Manman also picked up a piece of fish for herself.

It was indeed very good.

As she ate, she said, "My estate has a pond, and I hear it’s stocked with lots of fish. We should find some time to go and stay there for a few days."

It was autumn now, the perfect harvest season. They could not only go fishing but also pick fruit and eat all sorts of tasty things.

’Just thinking about it makes me so happy~’

Hearing her thoughts, the smile on Li Ji’s face deepened.

"Alright."

Perhaps the grilled fish was too delicious, because Hua Manman couldn’t forget it. The next day, she dragged Prince Zhao to the lakeside to go fishing again.

Their luck wasn’t so good today.

Halfway through their fishing, it suddenly began to pour rain.

Hua Manman frantically went to pack up the fishing gear, but Li Ji directly took off his own cloak, draped it over her head, and pulled her by the hand, his voice deep.

"Leave it. Let’s go take shelter from the rain first."

It was just a set of fishing gear. If it got lost, it got lost.

If Hua Manman got sick from the cold because of it, it wouldn’t be worth it.

He pulled her along into a small, nearby pavilion.

Hua Manman wanted to take off the cloak, but Li Ji stopped her.

"The temperature will definitely drop after a sudden rain. Don’t take it off, or you’ll catch a chill."

Seeing that he was soaked, Hua Manman asked worriedly.

"Is Your Highness cold?"

Li Ji had been campaigning and fighting in wars for years. What kind of harsh environments hadn’t he seen?

Getting caught in a little rain was nothing to him.

He was about to say he wasn’t cold, but when he met Hua Manman’s concerned gaze, the words on the tip of his tongue suddenly changed.

"I am a little cold."

Hua Manman quickly pulled the cloak open. "We won’t be cold if we share it."

Li Ji readily bent down and slipped under the cloak.

The space inside the cloak was limited, forcing their two bodies to press tightly together.

’It’s warm, for sure, but it feels so awkward.’

Hua Manman began to hope in her heart that the rain would stop soon.

Li Ji, however, wished the rain would last even longer.

He reached out, wrapped his arm around Hua Manman’s waist, and pulled her a little tighter.

Hua Manman subconsciously tried to struggle.

Li Ji immediately said, "Don’t move. I’m just trying to get warmer."

His tone even held a hint of pitiableness.

Hua Manman could only endure the awkwardness and stopped moving, letting the man hold her tightly.

The rain continued to fall, looking like it wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

A palace maid, braving the downpour, rushed into the pavilion, apparently intending to take shelter for a while. She didn’t expect to find anyone else there.

She saw the two people holding each other tightly and froze for a moment. Then, she quickly lowered her head and bowed respectfully.

"This servant greets Your Highness, Prince Zhao, and Your Highness, the Princess."

Hua Manman recognized her at a glance. This palace maid was the same person who had rescued her from the old well in Chaoyang Palace.

Hua Manman hurriedly gave Li Ji a push, telling him to let go.

With an outsider present, Li Ji didn’t want to embarrass Manman, so he reluctantly released her waist and took a step to the side.

Li Ji didn’t care who the palace maid was; his eyes remained fixed on Hua Manman.

Until Hua Manman said to the palace maid.

"It’s you?"

It seemed they actually knew each other.

Only then did Li Ji take a proper look at the palace maid.

The palace maid seemed to sense Prince Zhao’s gaze and immediately buried her head even lower.

She said in a muffled voice, "This servant was just passing by and wanted to take shelter from the rain. I didn’t expect to disturb the Prince and Princess Consort. It is this servant’s fault. I will leave now."

With that, she ignored Hua Manman’s attempts to stop her, turned without hesitation, and ran out of the pavilion, plunging into the endless misty rain.

Her figure quickly vanished from sight.

Li Ji looked completely baffled.

"What’s with that palace maid?"

’She ran off so fast, you’d think we were going to eat her.’

Hua Manman also found it strange, but the person had already run far away. It was impossible to catch up, so she could only let it go.

Li Ji had already committed the palace maid’s face to memory. He planned to have someone investigate her and find out what her background was.