"Pfft, you," Peony chuckled, tapping her little nose.
Ye Qianning playfully hugged her leg.
Mr. Li looked them over again, his gaze stopping on Hua Qiao. "And this concubine, where is she from?"
"I'm not quite sure where I'm from," Hua Qiao said, shaking her head.
"Not sure?" Mr. Li asked, confused.
"That's right. We were all sold and resold from a young age, tossed between one performance troupe and the next. We can't even remember where our hometowns are."
"Oh? So you were all purchased by General Xiang?"
"No, we were all saved by General Xiang. To repay the General for saving our lives, we pledged ourselves to him. We thought that even as concubines, we could at least have a stable life." As Hua Qiao spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
"We've all led difficult lives. A peaceful existence is more important than anything."
