Aming smiled at the two West Liang men guarding the door.

"I hear the food at tonight’s banquet is excellent. Want me to bring some back for you?"

The aroma of the food had long made the two men drool, but unfortunately, they were responsible for guarding the Young General. They couldn’t leave their post until their shift change.

Hearing Aming’s offer, the two men immediately broke into smiles. "We’d really appreciate that, thank you!"

Aming walked with a jaunty spring in his step toward the threshing ground.

Just as he passed beneath an old locust tree, a figure suddenly dropped from above!

Before Aming could even register what was happening, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. Then, everything went black, and he lost consciousness.

His body fell stiffly to the ground.

He was completely unconscious.

Had anyone been there to witness it, they would have gasped in shock. The one who had ambushed Aming was none other than Hua Manman!

Shouldn’t she be in the bridal chamber with Ah Qi? What was she doing here?!

In truth, Hua Manman had slipped out of the room unnoticed long before.

The bride who had completed the wedding ceremony with Ah Qi was actually Si Yun in disguise.

Si Yun, as the bride, was drawing everyone’s attention, allowing Hua Manman to hide in the shadows and find the right moment to strike.

Hua Manman dropped the stone from her hand.

She had struck so hard that the stone’s surface was stained with a trace of blood.

She grabbed the unconscious Aming and struggled to drag him into the bushes.

Hua Manman was wearing patched, coarse-spun clothes she had stolen from somewhere. Her hair was held in place with a twig, and her face was smeared with soot, making her look like a filthy beggar.

She searched Aming from head to toe, eventually finding a dagger and a few loose pieces of silver.

Hua Manman tucked the dagger into her sleeve and then headed for the kitchen.

The kitchen was now empty, and Hua Manman easily managed to steal some food.

The dishes had been laced with Xiangma Fruit and wine.

Xiangma Fruit was an edible spice used in cooking, but when mixed with wine, it produced a powerful anesthetic effect. In severe cases, it could even be fatal.

Hua Manman packed the food into a container and hurried over to Xiao Hong’s quarters.

While hiding in the shadows earlier, she had overheard the conversation between Aming and the two West Liang men.

She easily found the two West Liang men on guard duty. Handing them the food container, she deliberately lowered her voice.

"Aming’s still eating. He said he’s tied up at the moment, so he asked me to bring this to you."

This was clearly not the first time something like this had happened to the two West Liang men.

Aming often asked others to help with his tasks, so everyone was used to it.

The two men took the food container from Hua Manman.

One of them suddenly asked a question.

"Aren’t you from Xiliang? Why are you speaking the language of Great Zhou to us?"

The words had barely left his mouth when a cold light flashed before his eyes.

Hua Manman drew the hidden dagger and, with lightning speed, slit one of the men’s throats.

Seeing that things had gone wrong, the other man immediately drew his saber and slashed at Hua Manman.

Hua Manman sidestepped the blow. The dagger in her hand twisted in mid-air, its blade slicing viciously across the man’s wrist.

Blood spurted from the wound.

The West Liang man cried out in pain and instinctively loosened his grip. His saber fell to the ground with a CLANG.

Knowing he was no match for Hua Manman, he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Help! Assassin!"

...

「Inside the bridal chamber.」

Ah Qi and the bride raised their cups, their arms intertwined for the ceremonial drink.

They were brought extremely close.

Ah Qi’s gaze fell on the bride’s hands.

Her fingers were slender, fair, and quite beautiful. However, he noticed a thin layer of calluses on her fingertips. Her nails were neatly trimmed, and her knuckles were slightly rough.

These were clearly the hands of someone who often performed manual labor.

But Hua Manman was the noble daughter of the Zhong’an Bo Mansion. She had never had to lift a finger in her life. After marrying Prince Zhao, she was surrounded by servants who did everything for her.

’How could she possibly have hands like these?’

Ah Qi paused, the cup halfway to his lips.

The bride sensed his hesitation. She held her breath, her fingers trembling slightly around the cup.

Ah Qi lowered his gaze to the ripples in his cup and suddenly spoke.

"You’re not her."

...

Xiao Hong had just taken a couple of bites of his food when he heard a commotion outside.

He immediately dropped his bowl and chopsticks, grabbed the scimitar resting nearby, and rushed out.

The scene that greeted him was startling.

The two West Liang guards were lying on the ground, covered in blood and twitching faintly. It was clear they wouldn’t be getting up again.

And standing over them was Hua Manman. Her coarse clothes were spattered with blood, and the dagger in her hand was still dripping.

She looked up, her eyes meeting Xiao Hong’s.

Hua Manman even had the presence of mind to give him a small smile.

"Good evening, Young General."

Xiao Hong didn’t waste time asking why she was there.

He swore, raised his scimitar, and charged straight at her.

Unlike the two guards, Xiao Hong was in a completely different league in terms of both strength and speed.

Hua Manman knew she would be no match for him in a direct confrontation.

So, as he charged, she immediately took a large step back. At the same time, she hooked the fallen saber on the ground with the tip of her foot, kicked it into the air, and caught it.

Xiao Hong’s second strike came with ghostly speed.

Hua Manman raised the saber to block.

The blades met with a sharp CLANG.

The impact sent a numbing shock up Hua Manman’s entire arm.

She took two steps back with the momentum, dissipating most of the force.

Even so, her right hand was still trembling, and she could barely keep her grip on the saber.

Xiao Hong noticed her trembling hand. Realizing she was no match for him, a cold smirk appeared on his face.

"I really underestimated you."

’I thought she was just some weak, sheltered noblewoman. I never expected her to be a skilled fighter.’

"You’ll soon pay the price for your arrogance," Hua Manman retorted.

"You?" Xiao Hong scoffed. "Even if you have some skill, you’re no match for me. I can take your life whenever I please."

Despite his words, he decided to finish her off quickly to avoid any further complications.

He attacked Hua Manman again.

But just then, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and his movements slowed.

Hua Manman seized the opportunity to dodge again, sweeping the saber at him in a wide arc.

Xiao Hong dodged clumsily.

Something was very wrong. Not only was his head spinning, but his limbs felt weak and unresponsive.

’It feels like I’ve been poisoned.’

Xiao Hong’s mind immediately went to the food he had just eaten. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Although he had only taken two bites, it was the only thing he had eaten all evening.

’If I really have been poisoned, it must have been in the food!’