The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"That's wonderful, wonderful! Where is he? Bring him to me quickly!" Madam Liu ordered anxiously, eager to possess this embroidery technique.

Liu Zhan's face fell. "Mother, we haven't found that person yet."

"Didn't find him? How could you not find him? Zhan'er, I order you, by any means necessary, to find this person. Do you understand? Your father will be returning from the capital soon, and his sixtieth birthday is just around the corner. This gift of yours is especially important. If you can please your father, you might be able to take over the family business sooner." Madam Liu's expression deepened slightly. Although in the eyes of outsiders, the Liu family only had this one young master, and no matter what, the Liu family would eventually fall into Liu Zhan's hands, but... thinking of something, Madam Liu's eyes turned cold. No one could take away her son's things!

"Mother, don't worry, Zhan'er knows. This person has appeared. Then the embroidery appreciation meeting in half a month..." Liu Zhan frowned and asked probingly.

“Of course it must be held as scheduled. You haven’t found that person yet, have you? Anyone who knows how to embroider and wants to participate is eligible to attend the embroidery appreciation competition. Perhaps that person will also be interested in this competition. Not only can the competition not be canceled, but the rewards should be increased. Let me think about how to attract that person here…” Madam Liu frowned and pondered, her eyes still determined. Even if she couldn’t find that person in the meantime, she would make that person come to her on their own!

"Mother is so thoughtful." Seeing the determined light in Madam Liu's eyes, Liu Zhan was even more excited. His mother had always been a ruthless character. With her planning for him, it wouldn't be long before he was no longer the son of the richest man. He wanted everyone in Rongjin City to know that he, Liu Zhan, was the true richest man in Rongjin City!

Right now, he needs to find the owner of this embroidered handkerchief as soon as possible. There's no one Liu Zhan can't find!

The news that Liu's Embroidery Shop sold an embroidered handkerchief for fifty taels of silver quickly spread throughout Rongjin City. Even Doctor Qinglan bought one. Everyone wondered where Doctor Qinglan's handkerchief had gone. However, judging from the fact that Miss An Xinlian of the An family frequently visited the Holy Physician Hall and had a close relationship with Doctor Qinglan, the handkerchief was probably already in Miss An's pocket, but no one had seen her take it out to use it.

Of course, the other young ladies who managed to snatch the embroidered handkerchiefs also used them to attend various social events, carrying the handkerchiefs that even Doctor Qinglan was willing to spend a lot of money on. Although Rongjin City was not a large place, the young ladies of each family certainly had a lot of style.

On this day, the young ladies who usually gathered together met at the An family garden. An Xinlian, as the hostess of today's gathering, was naturally the focus of attention. Today, she deliberately wore her favorite purple-red dress, which exuded elegance and a domineering aura, making her presence impossible to ignore.

"Xinlian, I heard that Young Master Qinglan has already given you the embroidered handkerchief he bought. But you've been changing handkerchiefs over and over these past few days, and it seems like it's never the same one. Look, this is the one I bought the other day. No wonder Young Master Qinglan was willing to spend so much money. Looking at it closely, it really is worth fifty taels of silver." Miss Qin said with a smile, meticulously examining the handkerchief in front of everyone. Her boasting was obvious. You should know that there are only about ten people in the entire Rongjin City who own one, and she is one of them. How could she not be happy?

Not long after getting out of bed, An Mi, who had been assigned work by the steward of the manor, was served snacks and tea by the maids of the An family. Just then, she heard the question from the Qin family's young lady. She lowered her head and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Qing Lan's embroidered handkerchief?"

She naturally knew that the embroidered handkerchief was still in Qinglan's hands, but as the eldest sister who always cared about her reputation... thinking of something, Anmi's smile deepened.

“Since it’s a gift from Qinglan, Xinlian should keep it safe. How could I just hold it in my hands? Even if Qinglan doesn’t get angry if I lose it, Xinlian will still feel bad.” An Xinlian deliberately omitted the word “young master” and when she mentioned “Qinglan,” she made no attempt to hide her girlish charm and happiness. Anyone who saw her would be even more certain that the relationship between the eldest daughter of the An family and young master Qinglan was truly extraordinary!

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in An Mi's eyes. Sure enough! An Xinlian would definitely put on a brave face even if she was not.

The other women's faces darkened upon hearing An Xinlian's words. An Mi observed their reactions. These young ladies were used to comparing themselves to others, and most of them were interested in Doctor Qinglan. Seeing An Xinlian acting so intimately with Qinglan, they were naturally unhappy. Suddenly, An Mi's eyes lit up as she thought of something... If one day Qinglan didn't expose the fact that she had given the embroidered handkerchief to An Xinlian, hehe... there would be quite a show to watch!

After serving the snacks and tea, An Mi left the garden with the other maids. As soon as she stepped out, a small hand grabbed her wrist. An Mi followed the hand upwards and met a pair of excited eyes. She chuckled and asked, "Shuang Yue, what's wrong?"

Shuangyue didn't say anything, but led her to a secluded and deserted place. She looked around warily, and only when she was sure that no one was around did she speak, "Miss, it's sold, it's sold! Do you know? Those embroidered handkerchiefs that were sold for fifty taels each are ours, ours!"

An Mi's lips curled up slightly. So that's why this girl was so excited!

"You told me before that Liu's Embroidery Shop sold the embroidered handkerchiefs for fifty taels each, didn't you?" An Mi frowned. She had delivered the handkerchiefs to Liu's Embroidery Shop and asked for such an outrageous price, knowing that it would attract Liu Zhan's attention. After so many years of marriage in her previous life, she understood his temperament. But she hadn't expected that Qing Lan would inadvertently help her and push things forward. The current situation was much better than she had imagined, and she should thank him properly.

Shuangyue pouted, "But...but I didn't know before that the embroidered handkerchief was embroidered by Miss Qin. But I just saw the embroidered handkerchief in Miss Qin's hand, and I'm absolutely certain that it was embroidered by Miss Qin!"

He remained calm and smiled without saying a word.

"Ah..." Suddenly, Shuangyue exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth as if afraid of being overheard. She looked around again with her clear eyes, then grabbed Anmi's hand, unable to hide her excitement, "Miss, fifty taels a note...then...don't we...don't we become rich? Last time we sent fifteen notes over, and according to the agreement with Liu's Embroidery Shop, we split the profits fifty-fifty...this...how much silver is that? Ah...Miss, is Shuangyue dreaming?"

Anmi tapped Shuangyue on the forehead, causing Shuangyue to frown, but only for a moment before Shuangyue beamed again, "Shuangyue can feel the pain, so Shuangyue isn't dreaming, she's struck it rich..."