The man guarding the door smelled the delicious aroma, and his stomach began to growl.

He couldn’t resist peeking into the kitchen.

’Emma, that smells amazing!’

’The food they usually ate was never this fragrant.’

Hua Manman was getting bowls and chopsticks. When she caught the man’s movement out of the corner of her eye, she immediately ran over to him with the tableware in hand and said with a wide smile,

"We made a bit too much food, and the two of us probably can’t finish it all. Why don’t you come eat with us?"

The man wanted to refuse, but the food smelled absolutely irresistible.

He just couldn’t say no!

His feet carried him inside after Hua Manman, seemingly of their own accord.

Si Yun served three bowls of rice, one for each of them.

The man looked down at the bowl and chopsticks that had been pressed into his hands, then glanced at Hua Manman and Si Yun. Seeing that they had both already started eating, he finally began to eat as well.

As she ate, Hua Manman asked, "I don’t believe I know your name."

The man swallowed the food in his mouth. "My name is Ah Qi."

Hua Manman tilted her head, looking at him with curiosity. "Why just your given name? Can’t you tell me your family name, too?"

Ah Qi explained sheepishly.

"In Xiliang, only the Imperial Family and the nobility are allowed to have surnames. We commoners aren’t worthy of them."

Hua Manman’s eyes lit with understanding, and she immediately smiled. "Ah Qi is a very interesting name."

Ah Qi’s face grew warm at the compliment.

He was too embarrassed to admit that he had chosen the name himself.

He had been an orphan since he was a child, with no parents to name him, so he’d had to choose one for himself.

Xiao Hong followed the scent of food to the cookhouse. As he entered, he saw Ah Qi eating and laughing with the two women. The scene was so harmonious that anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they were a family.

"Ah Qi!"

Startled by the Young General’s voice, Ah Qi’s hand trembled, and his bowl and chopsticks clattered onto the table.

He didn’t dare to pick them up, and instead scrambled to his knees.

"Greetings, Young General."

Xiao Hong’s gaze swept over the dishes on the table before landing on Hua Manman.

Hua Manman met his gaze without flinching, greeting him with a wide smile.

"Hello, Young General. Have you eaten yet? If not, you should join us for a bite."

Xiao Hong gave an unreadable smile. "You certainly seem to be making yourself at home."

"To be honest, I think this place is great," Hua Manman said. "Not only is there food and drink, but I also have people to talk to. Most importantly, I don’t have to serve that pervert, Prince Zhao, anymore."

Si Yun lowered her head as far as it would go.

’She prayed silently, hoping Prince Zhao would never find out what the Princess Consort had said today.’

’Otherwise, with Prince Zhao’s temperament, who knew what kind of outrageous things he might do to the Princess Consort?’

Xiao Hong strode over to stand before Hua Manman.

Hua Manman was still seated, so she had to tilt her head back to look up at the standing Xiao Hong.

Xiao Hong leaned down, his face close to hers, and stared into her eyes as he spoke slowly.

"You probably don’t know this, but I’ve already sent people to investigate the current situation at the Prince Zhao Mansion. You had better pray that Prince Zhao isn’t looking for you everywhere. Otherwise, that would make you a liar. And the one thing I hate most is being deceived."

Hearing this, Si Yun’s heart skipped a beat.

’Knowing how much Prince Zhao values the Princess Consort, he would surely search for her like a madman all over the world once he learned she was missing.’

Xiao Hong stared at Hua Manman without blinking, ready to catch the slightest change in her expression.

Hua Manman looked slightly taken aback for a moment, then she smiled.

"On the contrary, I hope Prince Zhao *is* looking for me everywhere. If he’s willing to search for me, it means he still cares about me. And as long as he cares, I’m still valuable to you."

’As long as she was valuable, these West Liang people would keep her alive.’

’But if she lost all her value, they would surely kill her without a second thought.’

Xiao Hong could not detect anything unusual in her expression.

He straightened up, preparing to leave.

But Hua Manman suddenly asked.

"Can I go out for a walk later?"

Xiao Hong looked down at her imperiously.

’This woman truly has no awareness that she’s a hostage.’

Xiao Hong said, "If I were you, I’d stay put and not wander off."

Hua Manman asked innocently, "Why is that?"

Xiao Hong replied, "Go out and see for yourself, and you’ll find out."

With that, he turned and left the kitchen without a backward glance.

The men he had brought with him this time were a rough bunch, and their hatred for Prince Zhao was particularly palpable.

If Princess Consort Zhao were to run into them, they would certainly not let her off easy.

Hua Manman, however, was unaware of this.

She quickly finished her meal and went out with Si Yun.

Even though Xiao Hong had warned her not to go out, she still wanted to have a look around. As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you can win a hundred battles. She needed to survey the terrain if she was going to plan an escape.

Ah Qi followed them in silence.

Not far from the small courtyard, Hua Manman saw other houses.

However, the people living in them were not ordinary farmers, but West Liang people disguised as peasants.

By her initial estimate, there were at least two hundred West Liang people in the village.

These West Liang people noticed her as well.

They knew she was Prince Zhao’s woman, and their gazes were hostile.

A man with a tattoo on his face stepped forward to block Hua Manman’s path, saying something with a lewd grin.

But he spoke in the Xiliang tongue, so Hua Manman didn’t understand.

She turned to Ah Qi, who was following behind her, and asked.

"What did he say?"

Ah Qi said, "He said you’re beautiful and asked if you want to... ’play’ with him and his brothers. They guarantee they’re much better than Prince Zhao and will be sure to satisfy your needs."

The words made Si Yun’s face flush red with a mixture of shame and anger.

Hua Manman, however, just smiled. "Would you mind telling him for me that they’re not my type? I much prefer men like you, Ah Qi."

Ah Qi froze.

Thinking he must have misheard, he asked with a blush,

"Y-You’re joking, right?"

Instead of answering, Hua Manman replied, "What do you think?"

The tattooed man blocking her path grew impatient when she ignored him. He said something else, apparently urging her.

A nearby troublemaker translated what Hua Manman had just said into the Xiliang tongue for him.

This immediately angered the tattooed man.

He grabbed Ah Qi by the collar and spat a stream of angry words at him.

From their reactions, it was clear the tattooed man was swearing.

But Ah Qi was no pushover. He threw off the man’s hand and coldly warned him not to cause trouble.

Hua Manman seized the chance to duck behind Ah Qi, calling out in a delicate, weak voice.

"Ah Qi... he’s so scary."

Seeing this, the tattooed man became even more enraged.

’So there *is* something going on between these two!’

He pointed a finger in Ah Qi’s face and began to curse furiously.

In a military camp, you could never back down. The moment you did, everyone would look down on you.