The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

That's not it, that's not what she wanted!

She so longed to become the young mistress of the richest family, to be envied and flattered by everyone, but... the scene of Liu Zhan throwing the letter of divorce at her flashed through her mind. Liu Zhan's cold face became clearer and clearer in her mind, so clear that it terrified her.

Liu Zhan divorced her, and she remembered! No matter how unwilling she was to believe it, it was an unchangeable fact.

She was divorced by Liu Zhan, and now everyone is scorning her like this? This... this is the last thing she wanted to see!

Suddenly, her body stiffened, and some things became clear in her mind: that "Liu Zhan," that wedding night, the passionate entanglement and demands... and... An Xinhe's heart ached suddenly, and her eyes were filled with shock.

What...what did she do?

"She's gone mad! This woman's gone mad! Guards, tie her up!" the prefectural governor roared.

Immediately, the people who subdued her roughly dragged her to a wooden stake and tied her entire body to it.

"No, I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy!" An Xinhe shouted as they tied her up.

Yes, she wasn't insane at this moment! Her consciousness was perfectly clear, which seemed even more ironic. At this moment, she had actually regained her senses. And for her to face everything before her and what had just happened was undoubtedly an even heavier blow.

But now, who would believe she's not crazy?

The contempt in the eyes of the crowd was even more intense, and some people in the audience even shouted.

"Drown him in the river...drown this madman who has insulted the morals of Rongjin City!"

"Yes, drown her...drow this shameless woman in the river!"

In an instant, the atmosphere below the stage became even more heated. Chen He... An Xinhe was startled. The surging waves under the big rock made her face even paler.

"The ceremony begins." The governor's resounding announcement caused a stir among everyone present.

Everyone stared at the stone platform. Upon receiving the order, the constables immediately brought up the torture instruments they had prepared earlier. An Xinhe looked at the instrument; the iron needles nailed to the wooden board were incredibly sharp, sending a chill down her spine.

"No!" An Xinhe shook her head, her fear growing stronger. At this moment, her mind was exceptionally clear, and she naturally knew what they were going to do. Thinking of the rumors about the River-Sinking Ceremony... An Xinhe couldn't help but shudder.

Before an unclean person is thrown into the river, her body and soul must be cleansed. The method of this "cleansing" is unforgettable. Many years ago, she witnessed a woman undergoing such a "baptism." Thinking of it now, An Xinhe is even more afraid of her fate.

"Make your move!" the governor's voice rang out again.

As soon as he finished speaking, the constable thrust the board studded with sharp iron needles into An Xinhe's body...

"Ah..." With the sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh, An Xinhe cried out in pain, the excruciating pain completely overwhelming her.

The steel needle was extremely well-made; it would only injure the skin and flesh, but it wouldn't kill a person quickly. However, precisely because of this, it would make life worse than death.

Standing on the embankment below the stage, An Mi could see An Xinhe's every reaction from this angle. Seeing An Xinhe's pained appearance, An Mi felt an unusual sense of pleasure.

If it weren't for Bai Yi's clever plan today, according to the mother and daughter's calculations, the person standing on that stage right now would probably be An Mi!

That would truly fulfill the wishes of the mother and her two daughters.

A cold glint gathered in her eyes. An Xinhe, you've fallen into the trap set by your own mother and sister!

While she was pondering, the constable on the platform suddenly exerted force, pulling out all the iron nails from An Xinhe's body, and blood flowed out. According to the rules, the person who performed the river-drowning ceremony had to let her blood flow out completely in order to represent that her soul had been cleansed.

The blood that flowed out, representing sin and impurity, could not be tolerated by people.

An Mi glanced at the basin of water held by the constable on the stage. She knew that it was the "water" used to wash An Xinhe's body. The wind blew in this direction, and An Mi smelled the spicy aroma in the wind. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

The next moment, a basin of water was poured over An Xinhe's body. One can imagine the pain that the "water" would cause when it came into contact with her injured skin.

"Ah..." An Xinhe trembled all over with pain, her cries echoing through the sky, but no one in the crowd felt any sympathy for her suffering.

The audience was actually more excited by her pain. However, two people stood there with their teeth clenched, their faces pale, their hands tightly clenched, trying their best to endure the pain.

Yu Fangfei was already in tears. What kind of suffering was her Xinhe enduring?

An Xinlian glanced at her mother's expression, her gaze hardening, a resolute look settling in her eyes. She looked up at the stone platform and took a firm step forward.

Suddenly, a person appeared on the stone platform that had been deserted. Everyone frowned as they looked at the woman. An Mi caught sight of her and her eyes flickered. An Xinlian? What was she going to do?

"Everyone, I have something to say."

Under everyone's gaze, An Xinlian suddenly spoke, glancing at Yu Fangfei's sorrowful yet hopeful eyes below the stage. Her gaze softened; she probably thought that she had come up with a way to save Xinhe!

She took a deep breath, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, and continued loudly, "I am An Xinlian, An Xinhe's older sister!"

boom……

There was an uproar among those present. Was this the sister of the woman who was to be drowned?

"So, she's that heartless woman!"

"She's quite good-looking, but her heart is too cruel!"

An Xinlian's expression changed as she listened to these people's words, but she quickly became more determined in what she was going to do. She straightened her face and spoke again, "It's not what you've heard. I've been wronged. I'm just a girl, only eighteen years old. I don't understand many things. I only know how to obey my mother's orders. Whatever my mother tells me to do, I do. That's why I foolishly harmed Xinhe... I... I deserve to die! Xinhe..."

As An Xinlian spoke, she began to sob. An Mi immediately understood An Xinlian's thoughts. Was she using her weak demeanor to shirk all responsibility?

But who is the one who takes responsibility?

An Mi lowered her gaze slightly. Without even thinking, she knew that An Xinlian's words revealed her lack of understanding. She was following her mother's instructions, wasn't she telling everyone that Yu Fangfei was the mastermind behind everything? And she was nothing more than someone who had been used.