The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

These words struck Yu Fangfei like a heavy stone, freezing her in place. She froze, unable to move, afraid to look at An Xinhe again, afraid to see the reproach in her eyes.

However, An Xinhe's resentment echoed so clearly in her ears that she couldn't avoid it even if she wanted to. Xinhe was unwilling, how could she be willing?

An Xinhe witnessed all of her mother's and sister's actions, and the sarcasm in her heart never disappeared from beginning to end.

Was fate playing a cruel joke on her? Her tragic end was caused by the two people closest to her. At this moment, she felt resentment, but she didn't realize that her current predicament was also related to her own actions.

"Ah..." An Xinhe sobbed as another wave of "baptism" began. She clenched her teeth. She didn't want to die, but under such torment, she felt like she was living a life worse than death. She knew clearly that her fate was to bleed to death like this, and she didn't know how many more rounds of "baptism" she would have to endure.

Water poured down her head with a splash, and in that shivering moment, An Xinhe steeled herself and bit her tongue hard.

"Quick, don't let her bite down..."

The prefectural magistrate noticed her actions and immediately spoke up. The constable beside him swiftly pinched An Xinhe's mouth, biting off a third of her tongue, causing blood to gush out.

"You sinner, you dare to commit suicide! Your life is not in your own hands!" the prefectural governor shouted sternly. According to the rules of the River-Drowning Ceremony, those who drown must undergo "baptism" until they are "clean." If An Xinhe really bit her tongue and died, then the ceremony would be ruined. This woman, even on her deathbed, still caused him trouble. Hmph, she really doesn't know what she's doing. His eyes narrowed. "Continue, continue."

As soon as she finished speaking, the board full of iron needles was hammered into An Xinhe's body again. The pain in her mouth and body came at the same time, and she suddenly fainted.

An Xinhe did not wake up, no matter how much time had passed. Her body, which was tied to the wooden stake, gradually turned pale, eventually becoming bloodless, perhaps from losing too much blood. As the process progressed, the amount of blood lost with each "baptism" decreased until, in the last instance, not a single drop of blood was shed.

The constables thoroughly washed away the blood that had flowed from her body. Seeing her appearance, they stepped forward to check her breathing and said to the prefectural magistrate among the crowd, "Sir, the soul of the criminal woman has been cleansed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people below the stone platform erupted in excitement, chanting, "Sink into the river... Sink into the river..."

The voices of the people resounded through the sky, but only one person, upon hearing the news, trembled slightly, his body already stiff, and suddenly raised his head to look at the woman tied to the wooden stake on the stone platform, who now showed no signs of life.

“Dead…” Yu Fangfei murmured, her expression flickering, her eyes filled with not only grief but also self-reproach.

"Sink into the river... Sink into the river..." the people shouted, expressing their disgust and contempt for this despicable woman. They were determined not to allow anyone to dishonor the customs of their Rongjin City.

The prefectural magistrate raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down. Once everyone had calmed down, the magistrate spoke, "The fifth young lady of the An family was baptized with an unclean body. In the name of the River God, this prefecture hereby decrees that she be submerged at the bottom of the Jin River to atone for her sins."

After he finished speaking, the people present cheered even more enthusiastically. The prefectural magistrate gave his subordinates a look, and then several constables untied An Xinhe, who had already lost her breath, from the wooden stake and dragged her disheveled and pale body towards the side of the stone platform closer to the riverbank.

An Mi watched this scene, her gaze hardening. She turned to look at Yu Fangfei, whose eyes were now filled with complex emotions. Yu Fangfei quickly stood up and ran towards the stone platform. An Mi understood her intention, and a hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes.

Want to stop her from sinking in the river? How could Yu Fangfei possibly do that?

Anxin Hechenhe is now a done deal.

"Throw her in!" the prefectural magistrate ordered in a deep voice. The constables, receiving the order, dragged An Xinhe's body and tossed it into the river...

"No..." Yu Fangfei rushed forward in a panic, as if trying to grab An Xinhe and prevent them from throwing her down. Xinhe was already dead, and she died so unwillingly and so miserably. She didn't want to see her sink to the bottom of the river like this. It is said that the souls that are sunk to the bottom of the river will never be reborn. Her Xinhe... didn't even have an afterlife?

She reached out, trying to grab her daughter, but only managed to grasp her clothes. A tearing sound rang in her ears, and Yu Fangfei's heart skipped a beat. "No... Xinhe..."

With a splash, before everyone's eyes, An Xinhe fell into the surging river. Just then, a huge wave crashed in, carrying her body and slamming it against the riverbank. The scene stunned everyone for a moment. By the time they reacted, An Xinhe's body had already been swept away by the receding wave...

That scene lingered in Yu Fangfei's eyes for a moment. Coming back to her senses, she looked at the remaining fragments of clothing in her hand, her heart breaking. She collapsed onto the stone platform, pounding her chest repeatedly, muttering frantically, "Xinhe... my Xinhe..."

An Xinhe was executed by drowning. The governor glanced at Yu Fangfei at the edge of the stone platform, his gaze narrowed, and then looked towards the direction of the King of Bohai, Young Master Qinglan, and the King of Donglin, as if asking how to deal with this woman.

Bai Yi glanced at Yu Fangfei, but the image of An Mi's slightly upturned lips flashed in his mind. His eyes flickered, and he had already made up his mind.

Yu Fangfei watched her daughter die because of her wickedness. From now on, she will probably be plagued by nightmares every day. Isn't this also her punishment? Anmi... Anmi must think the same way he did.

That woman would never kill someone with her own hands when she wanted to deal with them. In her view, killing someone would only benefit the other party, which was too easy!

Bai Yi smiled, glanced in An Mi's direction, then turned and walked away from the crowd...

The three people below the stage, Qinglan and Donglin Wang, did not make any moves. The prefectural governor, however, received Bohai Wang's message and understood that there was no need to pay attention to Yu Fangfei. But the prefectural governor also knew that even if he did not pay attention to Yu Fangfei, her future days would probably be very difficult.

Not to mention the contempt of the world, even with the An family patriarch An Yuefeng, Yu Fangfei probably won't have an easy time.

With a slight frown, the prefectural governor ordered everyone to disperse, then stepped down from the stone platform to greet the Prince of Donglin and Qinglan…

After everyone had left, An Mi remained standing there, looking at Yu Fangfei, who was heartbroken on the stone platform, and then at An Xinlian below the platform, her eyes filled with a strange and cold expression.