The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Meanwhile, Shuangyue went to the front hall to complete the task Anmi had instructed. When An Yuefeng heard this, he was indeed displeased. However, Jin Qiaoyu was more than happy that Anmi didn't go. After several attempts to appease her, An Yuefeng gave up the idea that Anmi had to go. He could only sigh in his heart, regretting that he had missed such a good opportunity.

The Prefectural Government Villa, located in the western suburbs of the city, is a residence situated by the water. Even before the appointed time, many noble ladies and daughters had already arrived, giving the Prefectural Government's wife ample face.

The Prefectural Lady had not yet appeared; instead, she sat in the room, with a maidservant behind her helping her with her makeup. The maidservant was about the same age as the Prefectural Lady.

"Madam will surely outshine all the beauties today," the maidservant said, looking at the woman in the mirror.

The governor's wife chuckled and said, "You're so sweet-talking. There are countless ladies and daughters out there today. How could I possibly outshine them all?"

“Of course she outshines all the beauties. Who doesn’t know that back in our time, Madam was the most beautiful woman?” the maid chimed in. However, she noticed that the Madam’s face suddenly darkened, and a hint of displeasure flickered in her eyes, though it wasn’t obvious. The maid paused, realizing that she might have said something wrong. Her eyes flashed, and she forced a smile, continuing, “Madam, please don’t dwell on the past.”

The lady of the prefecture frowned, but then chuckled, "Tell me, am I kind or foolish? Knowing full well that I've been sold out, I still count the money for her. She framed me so badly back then, but today, with just a word from her—no, an order—wouldn't I go to all this trouble to invite so many ladies and young misses?"

The governor's wife seemed to realize something, and a hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes.

"Madam, perhaps we should let this matter drop. I always say, don't do things for others' benefit, but you're always so kind and don't know how to refuse others." The maid sighed. The madam and the Liu family's madam had quite a history. Now, the people of Rongjin City only knew that the prefectural madam and the Liu family's madam were from the same place, but they didn't know that they had once been master and servant.

Outsiders all know that Miss Yuan is not only beautiful, but also has a beautiful maidservant who serves her. Miss Yuan is kind and gentle by nature and treats the maidservant like a sister. However, no one knows how Miss Yuan truly treats the beautiful maidservant.

"Well, since the invitation has already been made, we can't let this matter drop today. Otherwise, she'll start making trouble for me again." The lady of the prefecture sighed, but her eyes were unusually calm.

"Madam, why are you doing this? You are now the Lady of the Prefecture, what are you afraid of?" the maid said indignantly.

The governor's wife raised the corners of her mouth slightly, a hint of sarcasm appearing on her face. "Yes, why should I be afraid of her? The Liu family of today is not the Liu family of today."

Although she was the wife of the prefectural governor and held a special status in Rongjin City, she was already married and had to consider her husband's feelings in everything she did. The Liu family was the richest family in Rongjin City. Although they weren't officials, her husband still had to rely on the Liu family for some financial matters. So she could only endure it and let Madam Liu treat her rudely. However…

Just then, a maid announced from outside the door, "Madam, Madam Liu has arrived."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the door was pushed open. The prefectural lady looked over and was astonished to see Madam Liu standing at the door. Who else could it be but her who had just pushed the door open?

When the prefectural governor's wife saw Madam Liu, her expression visibly stiffened, but she immediately stood up, forced a smile, and said, "Madam Liu, you've come."

Madam Liu glanced at the Prefectural Governor's wife and coldly replied, "The people you invited have arrived. How can you, as the host, not go out?"

"Yes, I was just about to go out," the Prefectural Lady said, lowering her brows and glancing at the maid beside her. "Let's go, don't keep our distinguished guests waiting."

After saying this, she walked towards the door with the help of her maid. As she walked, she looked at Madam Liu. It had only been a few days since she last saw her, but she had already become quite haggard, and her cheeks were even slightly sunken. The gorgeous clothes she was wearing did not look as elegant as they used to. Perhaps it was because of her frowning and sullen face that Madam Liu could not help but frown as well. The Liu family had been in turmoil these days, and Madam Liu must have been very worried.

"Do you still remember what I told you before?" Madam Liu frowned and asked again to confirm.

The governor's wife nodded. "Of course I remember. How could I forget what you said?"

All she wanted was for her to speak on behalf of those ladies, to act as matchmakers, and to get them to whisper sweet nothings in their husbands' ears to help the Liu family. She hadn't forgotten that.

"Good, very good. You'd better watch my expression later." Madam Liu nodded in satisfaction and gave the order again.

The Prefectural Lady kept her head down, her emotions unreadable, while the maid beside her was filled with resentment. "Watch your face? Who does this Madam Liu think she is? Her mistress is, after all, the Prefectural Lady! How dare she speak to her in such a tone!"

As if sensing the emotions of the maid beside her, the Prefectural Lady secretly squeezed the maid's hand. The maid looked over and met the Prefectural Lady's eyes. The look seemed to be telling her not to talk back to this Lady Liu.

The maid had no choice but to suppress her anger and follow Madam Liu and the Prefectural Governor's wife out of the room.

The villa was filled with beautiful scenery. Although the prefect had concubines, he treated his wife with the utmost respect. This villa was said to be a gift specially built by the prefect as a present for his wife. It was decorated according to his wife's preferences, which showed how much the prefect loved her.

As soon as An Mi led Cheng Ying into the courtyard, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful scenery. Although in her previous life, she had been invited to this villa because she was the young mistress of the Liu family, she had followed closely by Madam Liu and served her without daring to be negligent in the slightest. How could she have had time to appreciate the scenery?

And in this life...

An Mi smiled slightly, and when she looked up, she saw a woman in a pink dress with a pink veil covering her face. Who else could it be but Feng Xianglan?

At this moment, Feng Xianglan was accompanied by a maid from the An family. In recent days, she had been going to the shops with her and her father and was slowly beginning to adapt to her current life. Although she still felt fear and apprehension, she was putting on a brave face and appearing calm and elegant.

Her eyes flickered. Was she putting on an act? This Feng Xianglan usually dealt with the shop assistants, but today she was facing a real young lady from a wealthy family!

"Cheng Ying..." An Mi withdrew her gaze and called out to Cheng Ying beside her, but found no response. An Mi frowned and looked over, only to see Cheng Ying biting her lip tightly, her hands clenched, looking in a certain direction, as if she was enduring something.

An Mi followed Cheng Ying's gaze and saw a woman dressed in luxurious clothes. Her face resembled someone An Mi had seen before. An Mi frowned slightly, and after a moment's thought, she guessed the woman's identity. The woman's eyebrows and brows were somewhat similar to Mei Yingxue's. Was she the daughter of the Mei family in Jicheng? And besides Mei Yingxue, the Mei family in Jicheng only had one other young lady.