Because a window for enjoying the view was opened in the flower wall, Xiao Zhan's appetite improved. He picked up a braised pork meatball, put it in his mouth, and chewed it.

His eyes and brows were smiling, as if he had eaten to his heart's content.

Seeing how tempting the food looked to him, Xiao Qi picked up his chopsticks, took a meatball, and put it in his mouth. It was no different from usual.

The taste was just average. Xiao Qi chewed a few times and swallowed casually. As if he had figured out the key to it, he picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Jiang Wei always felt that Xiao Zhan was watching her, but whenever she looked up, Xiao Zhan was either eating or looking at his plum blossoms, so she had no proof.

Xiao Zhan thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

What kind of war god is he? He's probably nothing special, Xiao Qi thought to himself.

She was nothing more than a pitiful creature whose father didn't love her and who was abandoned to the battlefield to fend for herself from a young age.

Judging by the way he eats, he must not have had any good food while he was at the border.

Xiao Qi instructed the eunuch to bring the dishes on his table to Xiao Zhan, speaking slightly loudly, "Fifth Brother really likes this braised pork meatballs, doesn't he? I imagine it's impossible to make this kind of flavor in the capital while on the border. Since Your Majesty hasn't tried this dish before, please give it to Fifth Brother."

Xiao Qi's feigned concern sounded to others like an older brother caring for his younger brother.

Seeing the eunuch bring over the meatballs, Xiao Zhan glanced at the empty plate on the table and thought, 'The ancients were right; they are indeed a feast for the eyes.'

I ate so much without even realizing it.

Jiang Rou was far away, Song Fangfang wanted to find a good man among these young men, and Hong Xinyue wanted to maintain a good image in front of the eldest prince Xiao Qi, so none of them came to cause trouble for them.

Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan ate their meal chatting and laughing, and the two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I am already full." Xiao Zhan did not want his good mood to be ruined.

After answering Xiao Qi, he started staring at his plum blossoms again.

In reality, he was watching Jiang Wei's every move through the latticed window out of the corner of his eye.

Xiao Zhan noticed that Jiang Wei was also looking at him, probably because she had seen him speak.

The voice of the eldest prince, Xiao Qi, showing concern for Xiao Zhan rang out, causing a stir among the noble ladies, who began to whisper among themselves.

"Didn't they say that the earth would shake when the War King left? How come I didn't feel anything? Did you feel anything?" The woman realized she had said the wrong thing and quickly covered her mouth.

The other woman shook her head.

The noble ladies craned their necks, trying to peek through the flower wall to see what the legendary God of War looked like.

Everyone was enjoying their meal in harmony, but Xiao Qi's words disrupted that.

Xiao Zhan had excellent hearing, and the noisy sounds annoyed him.

He picked up the vase on the table, got up, and walked towards the plum garden.

"The War King has arrived? Did you see the imposing middle-aged man today?" Gao Youlan asked Jiang Wei, lifting her head which was buried in rice.

Jiang Wei: "…………"

“A middle-aged man? Isn’t the War King only in his early twenties?” Jiang Wei asked.

“Yes, you heard what Hong Xinyue said too…” Gao Youlan replied to Jiang Wei.

“I’ve never seen him before. We’ve been together since we came in. Where would you have seen him?” Gao Youlan immediately contradicted herself.

"But I really want to see if our heroes of the Great Xiao are really as they say," Gao Youlan said with emotion.

Jiang Wei did not answer, because now she was also certain whether she had seen him or not.

Is it him?

Seeing that everyone had almost finished their meal, Princess Shen dismissed them to enjoy the plum blossoms.

The noble ladies dispersed in groups, and only when almost everyone had left did Gao Youlan and the others get up.

Princess Shen kept Gao Youlan behind and let Jiang Wei go for a stroll first.

Jiang Wei avoided crowded places and headed towards the area where people were going.

She leisurely admired the plum blossoms, unaware that Jiang Wei had walked quite far. This place was rather far from the greenhouse, and the noble lady probably wouldn't come over.

Jiang Wei was getting tired from walking. She saw a smooth stone under a blooming red plum tree.

After walking over and sitting down to rest, Jiang Wei leaned on a rock with one hand, looking up at the fiery red plum blossoms that had just bloomed on the tree, the red of the flowers reflecting on her face.

Her clothes fluttered in the wind, making her look like a fairy among flowers.

Scattered snowflakes were still falling from the sky, but they melted and disappeared before they even hit the ground.

Through the flowers, Jiang Wei saw a figure leaning motionless against the upper branches of the tree trunk.

She was horrified. She quietly got up and moved her jade-like steps gently, intending to leave without disturbing the person in the tree.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Wei had only taken a few steps when Xiao Zhan, dressed in black, descended from the sky in front of her.

"Leaving without even saying goodbye?"

Xiao Zhan saw Jiang Wei walking aimlessly towards him from afar.

Unexpectedly, her taste was just as good as his; they even chose the same plum tree to rest under.

Jiang Wei was relieved to see that it was Xiao Zhan. She curtsied and tentatively confirmed, "Greetings, Your Highness. I had no intention of disturbing Your Highness's enjoyment of the flowers, so I will take my leave now."

"Is Miss Jiang going to pretend she doesn't recognize me?" Xiao Zhan didn't deny it, and he took a few steps toward Jiang Wei.

Seeing Xiao Zhan's answer, Jiang Wei paused for a few seconds and already knew the answer.

"How could I forget the life-saving grace? Jiang Wei was just afraid of disturbing Your Highness's peace and quiet."

Xiao Zhan stopped three steps away from her. "Just call me..." He paused for a moment, "Just call me General Xiao."

He felt closer to her when she called him that, though it wasn't as affectionate as when she called him "little brother" when they were kids.

Although Jiang Wei did not understand what he meant, she did as he said.

Jiang Wei took a step back without changing her expression, distancing herself from Xiao Zhan. "I originally intended to send a thank-you gift to General Xiao, but I forgot to ask where he lived when we parted that day, so I didn't know where to send it and that's why it was delayed. Now that I know, I will have the gift delivered to his door tomorrow. Jiang Wei will take her leave now."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!