The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

These questions kept popping into Feng Xianglan's mind, and a sense of unease was creeping in. However, she tried her best to appear calm on the surface. There were some things she absolutely could not let her mother know, nor could she let anyone else know.

Jin Qiaoyu looked up and met Feng Xianglan's eyes. A smile bloomed on her face as she took Feng Xianglan's hand and asked, "It's so cold outside, what are you doing out here again?"

Looking at Jin Qiaoyu, Feng Xianglan felt that her smile seemed a little strange. Her mother's hands were also cold. She frowned and said, "I can't sleep, so I came out for a walk. Mother, let's go back to our room and sleep."

"I can't sleep either," Jin Qiaoyu said softly. "I can't sleep because I'm thinking about tomorrow being the anniversary of your sister's death. I keep dreaming about her these days. What about you? Have you dreamed about her too?"

Feng Xianglan's expression faltered slightly, and her face became somewhat unnatural. "No, no, my sister has been dead for so many years..."

As soon as Feng Xianglan finished speaking, Jin Qiaoyu quickly raised her hand and slapped Feng Xianglan hard across the face. The sound was exceptionally loud in the night. Even An Mi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she heard it. This Jin Qiaoyu was showing no mercy.

That slap stung Feng Xianglan's face, knocking off her veil and revealing her burned cheek, which looked exceptionally grotesque in the night.

"Mother..." Feng Xianglan's mind went blank for a moment, and then an overwhelming sense of unease washed over her. Why did her mother hit her? Or did she already know something?

"How dare you call me mother? Tell me, should I call you Xianglan or Jinlan? Are you my eldest daughter or my youngest daughter?" Jin Qiaoyu roared at Feng Xianglan, questioning her sharply. All her anger broke through the previous suppression and completely erupted.

Feng Xianglan's heart skipped a beat, and she cried out, "Oh no! What did my mother just hear?"

Taking a deep breath, Feng Xianglan denied it, "Mother, what are you talking about? You know I'm Xianglan, don't you?"

"Yes, I know. I was blind. I couldn't even tell my two daughters apart. Don't I deserve it?" Jin Qiaoyu sneered, looking coldly at Feng Xianglan, her smile full of sarcasm.

"Mother, what nonsense are you talking about?" Feng Xianglan's voice turned colder, realizing that some things could no longer be hidden.

Jin Qiaoyu glared at Feng Xianglan, walked around her, and slowly walked behind her. Looking at the clothes still burning on the ground, she narrowed her eyes. "You two sisters look exactly alike. Even I sometimes can't tell you apart. You two sisters have loved playing the game of switching identities since you were little. You always manage to fool everyone. But I do know that Xianglan has always loved pretty clothes. You still remember to burn some of her favorite things for her tonight."

Jin Qiaoyu's voice was as cold as ice, sending chills down one's spine. She turned to look at Feng Xianglan's back and said, "Tell me, what did you do back then? Did you make her take your place and die in your place?"

Feng Xianglan bit her lip, recalling the things she had done. Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, but she didn't say anything, remaining silent.

How could Jin Qiaoyu allow her to remain silent like this? She suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Feng Xianglan's shoulders, and shook her violently, "Speak up, are you feeling guilty? How can you do this to her? She's your own sister!"

Jin Qiaoyu before her was contorted with rage, her face contorted in a grotesque grimace. Looking at her, Feng Xianglan instinctively recalled her dream, in which she too had questioned her in the same way. Feng Xianglan's expression shifted, and she abruptly shoved Jin Qiaoyu away, screaming, "Yes, I'm not Feng Xianglan, I'm Feng Jinlan! I don't want to die! I harmed Princess Yun for her sake! But what about her? When I sought her help, she was utterly indifferent. Hmph, we're sisters! I know what she's thinking. She thinks, 'I'm the one who killed Princess Yun, so even if someone has to pay with their life, it should be me. And her…' Heh, now that Princess Yun is dead, she can finally live a carefree life with the prince consort? Haha, but she…" Who would have thought that the Prince of Bohai would kill that man with his sword that very night, and she… she panicked. I could feel her fear. She was afraid this matter would implicate her, so she suggested to Grandpa that he hand me over to appease the Prince of Bohai's anger. This is your daughter. She disregards sisterly affection, so why should I? That's why I orchestrated all of this. How could she have imagined that the person handed over as 'Feng Jinlan' would be Feng Xianglan herself? And after that, I lived as her. Even in ordinary times, few people could tell the difference between her and me. You, as her mother, couldn't tell the difference either, could you? With my deliberate disguise, it was naturally flawless…”

"You beast!" Jin Qiaoyu roared. She never imagined that the daughter she had loved so much all these years was the real murderer who killed her other daughter. How could she bear this? How could she face her wrongfully killed daughter?

She never expected Jinlan to be so ruthless!

Feng Xianglan smirked, a look of disdain on her face. "Mother, if it were you, would you want to die? I'm still young, I really don't want to die."

“But what about your sister Xianglan? Isn’t she young? Does she want to die?” Jin Qiaoyu glared fiercely at Feng Xianglan, no, she should say Feng Jinlan. She realized that she had never really understood this daughter.

"Hehe, Mother, things have come to this. If you hadn't discovered it tonight, I would have kept this secret forever hidden. But what if you know? Are you going to spread it around? Mother, my sister is dead. You only have me left as your daughter." Feng Xianglan's smile was eerie and cold. She was very confident about this.

Jin Qiaoyu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, muttering, "So you only have one daughter left? Jinlan, Jinlan, you're so heartless!"

"Don't forget, your Xianglan is just as ruthless!" Feng Xianglan gritted her teeth. If she hadn't known that her sister had suggested to her grandfather that she be handed over to appease the King of Bohai's anger, she wouldn't have been so heartless as to let her sister die in her place.

This is all her own fault, isn't it?

Jin Qiaoyu's sarcasm grew even stronger as she slowly took a few steps closer to Feng Xianglan. "Your sister, she will never rest in peace in heaven."

Feng Xianglan paused, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes. She shoved Jin Qiaoyu away forcefully. "Don't scare me. I'm not afraid. She's dead. What can she possibly do? Mother, she's your daughter, and I'm your daughter too. The dead are gone, but the living can come. Just pretend you don't know anything about this, okay? I'm your youngest daughter now, Feng Xianglan!"