The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

The most severe punishment in the Great Jin Dynasty was not slow slicing or hanging, but being exiled to Purgatory, a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones. Many people exiled to Purgatory would rather end their own lives before going there than put themselves in such a situation.

At one time, the people were terrified of purgatory. It was said that very few people who went to purgatory came out, and even fewer were able to escape it!

“Girl…” Cheng Ying swayed, “You’re kidding, right? He’s so young, in hell…”

An Mi ignored Cheng Ying's words and met the boy's gaze directly. "Are you willing to go? If not, I won't force you."

"I'm willing, I'm willing to go, even if it's through fire and water, I'll go. I want to go to purgatory, I want to go to purgatory!" the boy said firmly, repeating it over and over, as if expressing his determination.

The boy knew that if he wanted revenge, he could only follow the girl's arrangements. The girl was doing it for his own good. He had no power to take revenge at the moment, so what he needed was to train, to endure, and to wait. He looked into the girl's eyes, and it was those eyes that supported him through the thousands of difficult days that followed.

"Remember, keep your life!" An Mi instructed in a deep voice. She saw determination in the boy's eyes. Purgatory? Even purgatory, sometimes, cannot defeat a person with a firm goal.

"Yes, I will keep my life to see you, young lady!" The young man met An Mi's tranquil eyes. "I will make myself a sharp blade!"

An Mi nodded in satisfaction, the lingering smell of blood still strong in her nostrils. She slowly closed her eyes and instructed Cheng Ying, "Take good care of the aftermath!"

After saying that, she took a deep look at the corpses and vowed in her heart that she would never forget the grudge against the Feng family today!

And now… recalling what the young man had said earlier, An Mi’s eyes sharpened. Liu Zhan, he had provoked her so much, she would naturally make him know the price of provoking her!

A silence fell over the carriage. Throughout the entire moment, Bai Yi's gaze remained fixed on An Mi. After a brief pause, Bai Yi finally spoke, "Should we report this to the authorities?"

An Mi smirked, “Liu Zhan only committed arson. Besides, if he denies it, he will insist that he is innocent. We don’t have any substantial evidence. Even if he admits to arson, it’s just a minor crime.”

Bai Yi frowned, as if he had already guessed An Mi's meaning. Indeed, that punishment for Liu Zhan was far from enough!

Even he could see that Liu Zhan probably intended to destroy more than just those houses! He hadn't expected that this young master of the Liu family would be so ruthless and vicious.

“That Liu Zhan is targeting Shengshi Lieyan. Now, the remaining embroidery in Shengshi Lieyan won’t even last until tomorrow. Besides… those noble ladies’ orders…” Bai Yi frowned, wishing he could slap Liu Zhan to death.

An Mi simply smiled faintly. How could she not know what Liu Zhan was planning? In her past life, she knew this man's ways all too well. Neither he nor Madam Liu had given up on obtaining her embroidery technique. He was plotting to push her to the brink, and then extend a helping hand. Would that make her grateful to tears?

Hmph, that Liu Zhan underestimated An Mi!

“Your Highness, I have my own way of dealing with this.” An Mi’s hands were still clenched into fists. “However, I need your help with something.”

Bai Yi raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

An Mi's lips curled into a cold smile. "Liu Zhan, Liu Zhan, this time, you forced me to accelerate the attack on your Liu family!"

As for the consequences... I just hope that Liu Zhan and Madam Liu can bear them!

"Can you handle it?" An Mi's disdain intensified as she looked at Bai Yi and said, "I need..."

In Rongjin City, early in the morning, a jailer in the prison discovered the dead body of his fellow prisoner, realizing that a prisoner had escaped. He then reported the matter to the prefectural governor, but the news of the massacre of the entire widow village that followed quickly overshadowed the escape.

The prefectural governor personally visited the widow's village outside the city and immediately connected it with the massacre of the Holy Physician Hall the previous night. He was not stupid and naturally knew that it must be a power struggle among the royal family in the capital. How could a prefectural governor like himself dare to interfere in such matters?

They could only say that the case still needed further investigation.

Meanwhile, in the Liu residence, Madam Liu got up and went to the main hall. Upon arriving, she saw Liu Xuan and the second madam sitting together, looking incredibly sweet. The woman's shy smile stung her eyes.

"Master..." Madam Liu suppressed her displeasure and jealousy and stepped forward, still as dignified and elegant as ever.

Liu Xuan frowned, while the second madam stood up and respectfully curtsied, "Sister."

Madam Liu was filled with anger, and at this moment, that word "sister" only fueled the flames in her heart. She wished she could slap her and knock off her frail appearance.

However, thinking of her current situation, Madam Liu forced a smile and said, "Sister, there's no need for such formalities. We're all family. I did have some complaints about you before, but seeing how well you've taken care of Master recently, I've let it go. From now on, we should get along well."

Second Madam Yunniang was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Liu Xuan, at a loss for what to do.

Just then, Liu Zhan and Liu Jing entered the hall. When they saw each other, Liu Jing simply nodded politely, while Liu Zhan glanced at him disdainfully. He was determined to remove this illegitimate son from the Liu family!

Thinking about his gains last night, Liu Zhan smiled and became somewhat smug. He guessed that Miss Yan must be in a terrible predicament right now, and what he had to do was... well... if he went to see her today, she probably wouldn't dare to avoid him anymore!

"Zhan'er, today you will take your younger brother with you to Liu's Embroidery Shop to familiarize yourself with it." Liu Xuan's voice suddenly rang out, and as soon as he finished speaking, Liu Zhan and Madam Liu's expressions changed immediately.

“Master… this, Zhan’er has always managed Liu’s Embroidery Shop, how can we let someone else…” Madam Liu frowned. She did not expect that her husband would make a decision so quickly, letting Liu Jing familiarize himself with Liu’s Embroidery Shop. What’s next? Is he going to hand over Liu’s Embroidery Shop to that illegitimate son?

How could she just stand by and watch an illegitimate child devour the Liu family's assets?

"What do you mean 'other people'? Jing'er is my son, and Zhan'er's younger brother." Liu Xuan slammed down his chopsticks, his displeasure evident in his eyes.

Madam Liu suddenly realized something, and tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Master, what I mean is that Jing'er has just returned to the manor, and there's no rush to get him familiar with the embroidery shop. Master, why don't we talk about it again in a few days?"