The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Jin Qiaoyu stopped there. In recent years, the Bohai King's business momentum has been exceptionally rapid. Even as a woman, she knew how important the Bohai King's economy was in the Jin Dynasty.

Taking a deep breath, Jin Qiaoyu's eyes were filled with worry. "Your sister Jinlan is dead. I don't want my daughter and I to be implicated because of that incident. Do you understand?"

Feng Xianglan's eyes flickered, and she lowered her head. "I understand, Mother. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

"As long as you know your limits, that's good. And that Flourishing Flame... I've heard the King of Bohai goes there often, so you should be careful too. It's best to leave there as soon as possible." For some reason, Jin Qiaoyu felt uneasy. Today, when Jinlan and Xianglan were mentioned, Xianglan seemed to be behaving too strangely.

Feng Xianglan nodded without saying anything more, but her palms were already sweating.

That night, Feng Xianglan had a dream, a dream about what happened back then...

The next morning, Jin Qiaoyu entered Feng Xianglan's room and saw that Feng Xianglan was covered in sweat on the bed. She couldn't help but frown slightly. "Did this girl have a nightmare?"

Just as I was about to wake her from her nightmare, I heard Feng Xianglan murmur, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I had no choice... Forgive me... Forgive... Sister... Forgive..."

Jin Qiaoyu listened to her intermittent words, her brows furrowing even more. What was she dreaming about? Who was she apologizing to?

"Ah..." Feng Xianglan suddenly sat up with a start, realizing that she was in bed. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily. It was a dream, thank goodness it was a dream. But even though it was a dream, the image in Feng Xianglan's mind and the scene in the dream lingered.

"Xianglan, what's wrong? What nightmare did you have?" Jin Qiaoyu asked abruptly, staring intently at Feng Xianglan.

Feng Xianglan froze, opened her eyes, and looked at Jin Qiaoyu standing by the bed. Her eyes widened suddenly. Mother... how come Mother is in the room? Just now...

"Xianglan, what's wrong with you? What dream did you have? Why do you keep saying sorry? And you keep saying 'sister,' what sister?" Jin Qiaoyu continued to press, as if trying to figure out what was on her mind.

Feng Xianglan was startled. Had she been talking in her sleep? Did her mother hear her?

Feng Xianglan frowned, trying to hide her unease, and forced a smile as she said, "Mother, I had a nightmare. I dreamt of my sister, and I kept apologizing to the Prince of Bohai on her behalf..."

"Really? What about my sister?" Jin Qiaoyu's brows were still furrowed as she looked at Feng Xianglan with suspicion.

Feng Xianglan felt Jin Qiaoyu's gaze, her brows furrowed, she bit her lip, and her expression became unusually agitated. "Mother, don't you believe Xianglan? Xianglan is your daughter. You know what happened back then. If it weren't for Xianglan, my sister wouldn't have made such a big mistake. Over the years, Xianglan has been tormented by guilt. This isn't the first time I've had this dream. Every time I dream of my sister's death, it's torture for me. Mother, what are you doubting?"

Jin Qiaoyu seemed to understand the pain of losing a daughter. She sighed and patted Feng Xianglan's hand. "Mother didn't suspect anything. It was just a dream. The past is the past. Don't think too much about it. Your sister... she must also want us to live peacefully."

Feng Xianglan looked away, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hurry up and get ready. An Mi has already gone to Shengshi Lieyan," Jin Qiaoyu urged, then got up and left the room.

Feng Xianglan, left behind, lay back down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. No one knew what she was thinking...

The news that the young master of the Mei family died in the Liu residence, and that the Liu family patriarch and madam tried to destroy the body but were discovered on the spot by the prefectural magistrate, quickly spread throughout Rongjin City. The story was being discussed everywhere, from the streets to the alleys.

When An Mi arrived at the Flourishing Flame, Cheng Ying and Bai Yi were both very surprised to learn that Miss Yan was not afraid of arousing suspicion as she came and went from the Flourishing Flame.

Although the two were surprised, they didn't say anything. However, after arriving at the Flourishing Flame Palace, Feng Xianglan heard that An Mi hadn't come out of Miss Yan's room since entering it. She couldn't help but wonder what An Mi had been doing in Miss Yan's room for so long. Besides, the King of Bohai was still in the room!

Thinking of this, Feng Xianglan's jealousy resurfaced. Last night, she thought that the King of Bohai would not even glance at An Mi, but now... even though there were three of them in the room, it gave An Mi many opportunities for the King of Bohai to see her, and what about her?

Thinking of her mother's instructions that morning, she felt extremely irritated.

Finally, as evening approached, she saw Miss Yan and the King of Bohai leave the room together, but she did not see An Mi.

On the second floor, An Mi had just stepped out of her room when her gaze inadvertently fell upon Feng Xianglan. Just as she saw Feng Xianglan looking in her direction, the corners of her mouth, hidden behind her veil, couldn't help but curl up slightly. She spoke calmly to Bai Yi beside her, "Today, I'll give you a free show!"

Bai Yi raised his handsome eyebrows slightly, his expression towards An Mi shining brightly. Was this a free show? Was it related to why she had openly entered Shengshi Lieyan today as An Mi?

Thinking of this, Bai Yi became even more eager to try. A good show? He was really looking forward to it!

As the two descended the stairs, An Mi felt a gaze following her the entire time. Even after they left the Grand Flame Pavilion and were about to board the carriage, An Mi spoke up boldly, "Thank you for seeing me off, Your Highness!"

Bai Yi's eyes flickered. What exactly was An Mi up to?

However, he didn't say anything and followed Anmi into Anmi's carriage.

Inside the shop, many of the shop assistants began to whisper among themselves...

"The prince is so kind to the young lady. Do you think she will become a princess in the future?"

"Of course, the young lady and the King of Bohai are a perfect match."

"Yes, even if she's not a princess, as a concubine, she'll definitely be the prince's favorite concubine."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the blazing flames was extremely lively, but Feng Xianglan's face, hidden behind her veil, suddenly darkened. "Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?"

Having said that, she strode out of the Flourishing Flame Pavilion. Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, Feng Xianglan bit her lip, but ultimately followed after it...

Inside the carriage, An Mi wore a smile the entire time, while Bai Yi's gaze remained fixed on her. An Mi let him look at her; she knew that if she cared too much, it would only embolden the Prince of Bohai, and she didn't want to give him any chance!

With her mind focused on Feng Xianglan, An Mi frowned slightly and instructed the coachman outside, "Tell the carriage to slow down."

Too fast, and they'll lose track of us, then the show will be ruined.