Seeing that the two army cooks were about to get rough, Hua Manman suddenly changed her tune.

"I don’t know what cooking methods you prefer in Xiliang, but you can try our dishes. This way, you can learn from each other and improve your culinary skills."

After she finished speaking, she placed the stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts that Si Yun had just made in front of the two army cooks, motioning for them to try it.

The two men smelled the aroma and were tempted.

Besides, this was their territory, and with so many West Liang people outside, they weren’t afraid of Hua Manman playing any tricks.

So, the two men picked up their chopsticks, grabbed a piece of the cured pork, and put it in their mouths.

Xiliang was rich in spices, so its people loved using all kinds of them in their cooking. However, their cooking methods were very simple—almost everything was stewed.

They had tried boiling the cured pork themselves over the last two days, but the resulting flavor was strange and nowhere near as fragrant as this stir-fried version.

Hua Manman then placed a bowl of assorted steamed cured meats in front of the two men.

"And there’s this. You should try it, too."

The assorted steamed cured meats had a completely different flavor, but they were just as delicious.

The two army cooks were getting hooked. They couldn’t resist taking several more bites.

Only when Hua Manman asked if they wanted some rice did they reluctantly put down their chopsticks.

They still had to deliver the prepared meal to the Young General. How could they waste precious time here?

’But these two dishes are really delicious,’ they thought. ’We should learn how to make them someday.’

The two army cooks made up their minds.

They packed the steaming hot dishes into a food box and delivered it to the Young General themselves.

Hua Manman watched them go, a radiant smile never leaving her face.

As she turned, her eyes met He Qiuwen’s.

He Qiuwen shot to her feet and said urgently, "Princess Consort, I..."

Hua Manman cut her off. "Don’t call me Princess Consort. As of today, I am no longer Princess Consort Zhao."

He Qiuwen was utterly confused. ’Why???’

Hua Manman sat down at the table and spoke in a slow, deliberate manner.

"I never wanted to marry Prince Zhao in the first place. Becoming his Princess Consort was not my wish."

"Now that I can finally escape his control, of course I’m going to shed the title of Princess Consort Zhao and start a new life."

"So, from now on, please don’t call me Princess Consort Zhao."

He Qiuwen’s face darkened, her expression indescribable.

’What is this girl talking about? Has she lost her mind?’

’The title of Princess Consort Zhao is a noble status countless women couldn’t hope to obtain, yet she dares to scorn it? The nerve!’

Hua Manman took the bowl and chopsticks from Si Yun. Glimpsing He Qiuwen’s expression from the corner of her eye, she immediately guessed what was on her mind.

"We’re pursuing different things. I don’t care about wealth and status. I just want freedom and a love between equals."

She let out a sneer and shook her head, looking utterly disdainful.

"Why am I even telling you this? You wouldn’t understand."

He Qiuwen was speechless.

’How infuriating!’

Hua Manman waved Si Yun and Ah Qi over to eat with her.

He Qiuwen waited for a moment. When she saw that Hua Manman hadn’t invited her to eat, she grew even more furious.

’What is that supposed to mean?’

’She’d rather eat with a maidservant and an outsider than her own aunt.’

’She’s siding with outsiders over her own family.’

He Qiuwen wanted to stand on principle and just walk away, but she was starving. Plus, the place was fraught with danger, and she didn’t dare wander off alone. In the end, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach them.

"I’m hungry, too."

Hua Manman gave her a faint smile. "My apologies, we didn’t make anything for you. You’ll have to find something to eat yourself."

He Qiuwen retorted angrily, "I’m your aunt, for crying out loud! Are you really not going to care whether I live or die?"

Hua Manman replied, "When you were raising a ruckus in my home, did you remember that you were my aunt?"

He Qiuwen choked on her words.

She mumbled resentfully, "That’s all in the past. What’s the point of bringing it up now?"

Hua Manman said, "You’re right. What’s past is past. So, the fact that you’re my aunt should be in the past, too. I want to make a clean break with my former life. From now on, whether it’s you or anyone else from back then, you have nothing to do with me. We’ll go our separate ways."

Seeing how serious she was, that these weren’t just words spoken in anger, He Qiuwen’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"You’re serious?"

"Of course."

There was nothing more to say.

Hua Manman ignored He Qiuwen and placed a piece of cured pork in Ah Qi’s bowl.

"Here, eat up."

Ah Qi was visibly taken aback.

He subconsciously glanced up at Hua Manman, only to find her watching him with a wide, sweet smile.

Her smile was as sweet and captivating as always. Her bright eyes were clear and pure, like the morning sun, brimming with vitality.

No girl had ever looked at Ah Qi like that before.

Ah Qi’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

As if to hide his reaction, he quickly lowered his head and shoveled the pork and rice into his mouth.

Hua Manman laughed. "Why eat so fast? No one’s going to fight you for it."

Ah Qi said nothing, just kept his head down and ate intently.

The scene that had unfolded in the kitchen was recounted in detail to Xiao Hong.

Xiao Hong wore a thoughtful expression.

’Does Hua Manman truly want to sever ties with Prince Zhao?’

’No, this is probably just an act.’

’She wants to create a diversion, to fish in troubled waters.’

Xiao Hong decided he had to investigate the current situation at the Prince Zhao Mansion before he could draw an accurate conclusion.

After eating their fill, Hua Manman returned to their temporary quarters with Si Yun.

Si Yun closed the door, came to Hua Manman’s side, and asked in a hushed voice.

"Princess Consort, are you really going to sever ties with the Prince?"

Hua Manman chuckled and asked in return, "What do you think?"

Si Yun was conflicted. "I think, given your feelings for the Prince, you couldn’t bear to leave him. But what you said just now... you were so convincing, it didn’t seem like you were lying..."

Hua Manman said, "That was all an act to deceive them."

Si Yun’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Hua Manman explained calmly.

"I said all that for two reasons. First, to lower the West Liang people’s guard. Second, to save He Qiuwen’s life."

"They know He Qiuwen is my aunt. They might use her life to threaten me."

"So I’m deliberately making it seem like we have a terrible relationship."

"The West Liang people will think I don’t care at all whether she lives or dies."

"That way, they won’t succeed even if they try to use her to threaten me."

Si Yun’s eyes lit up with understanding. ’So that was it!’

She immediately started gushing, looking at Hua Manman with stars in her eyes.

"Your acting is incredible, Princess Consort! Even I almost believed you. I’m sure the West Liang people believe you, too."

Hua Manman wasn’t so optimistic.

’Xiao Hong is not an easy man to deal with. My words might have swayed him a little, but he would never believe me completely just because of that.’

’I’ll have to add more fuel to the fire.’