The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

She was usually dressed as a maid, with no hair ornaments and a sickly pale face. Today, dressed as a young lady, she wore a white dress, her face was much rosier, and she even had a somewhat otherworldly air, making her stand out at a glance.

Liu Zhan and Qing Lan greeted the approaching women. An Xinhe was infatuated with Liu Zhan, while An Xinlian was infatuated with Qing Lan. Upon seeing the two of them, they could not hide their joy.

"Xinhe greets Young Master Liu. Young Master Liu, Xinhe has prepared her embroidery for today and will certainly do her best." An Xinhe was not as arrogant as before. Her face was flushed, and she was full of girlish charm. She had been preparing for this day for a long time. She was determined to win first place at today's embroidery competition, not only to win the bet with Feng Xianglan, but more importantly, to perform well in front of the man she loved. She wanted to make sure that she was in his eyes.

Moreover, she heard that the Liu family had promised the best performer today the position of young mistress. If she could win, then... the young mistress of the richest family! An Xinhe thought, her heart filled with excitement.

An Xinlian, on the other hand, was much more reserved. She showed what she considered her most beautiful smile, leaned forward slightly, and greeted them, "Young Master Qinglan, Young Master Liu."

An Mi observed the two sisters' reactions, lowered her brows to conceal the glint of shrewdness in her eyes, and then, as if remembering something, a smile crept onto her lips...

"mother……"

Just then, a voice came, and before An Mi could even react, a small body rushed to her side, hugged her leg, buried its face in her leg, and said coquettishly, "Mother, Liu'er has finally found you."

An Mi's lips twitched, and she finally realized that it was her, Liu'er! The girl she had saved from under the horse's hooves that day, the girl with the same name as her daughter in her previous life!

"Mother, tell Liu'er that you won't disappear when Liu'er isn't looking, okay?" Liu'er finally looked up at An Mi with expectant eyes, stubbornly wanting a promise. She liked the feeling of having a mother. She felt it that day. Her mother's embrace was so warm. She wanted to have that warmth forever.

An Mi forced a smile, truly unsure how to answer. Should she refuse? Tell her she wasn't her mother? But… the thought of her disappointed face made her unable to bear it! She even considered her Liu'er in her heart, but… this Liu'er's identity…

As An Mi hesitated and struggled, she glanced up casually, and everyone's eyes were fixed on her, their expressions varied...

Qinglan frowned slightly, a gentle smile in his eyes as he looked at Anmi with a questioning gaze. Mother? He had been bringing her medicine and food for so long, and he had no idea she had such a grown daughter. But... how could this be?

Liu Zhan then noticed An Mi's face. Wasn't she the woman he had met outside Liu's Embroidery Shop that day? At that time, she was pale and dressed as a maid, but with his memory, he was certain he wouldn't mistake her. Countless questions arose in his mind. Seeing her dressed as a young lady of a noble family now, her brows were even more furrowed. What was going on?

The group of women, on the other hand, were watching the show with amusement. To be called "mother" by such a big girl—humph, with so many people watching, let's see how she gets married in the future!

An Xinlian caught sight of Qinglan's gaze lingering on An Mi's heart, and a sudden wave of displeasure washed over her. Thinking of the embroidered handkerchief she had never received, and Qinglan's caring gesture of bringing medicine to An Mi, a sharp glint appeared in An Xinlian's eyes. Although she didn't think An Mi had the ability to win Qinglan's favor, the fact that An Mi had stolen his attention made her uncomfortable. She was used to making things difficult for An Mi; if she hadn't been so busy recently, how could she have allowed her such a peaceful period?

But... to make trouble in this situation would damage An Xinlian's gentle and elegant image. Her gaze shifted slightly, An Xinlian tugged at the corner of her mouth, leaned close to An Xinhe's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Xinhe, I have to remind you, look at how focused the young master of the Liu family is on An Mi, could it be that he's taken a liking to her..."

These words undoubtedly ignited An Xinhe's anger. Young Master Liu had taken a liking to An Mi? How could that be allowed! Liu Zhan belonged to An Xinhe, and An Mi was not to be trifled with him!

"Hmph, you, An Mi, so you've been hiding an illegitimate daughter all this time! You really have no shame, daring to do this in front of so many people! Tell me, who's the adulterer?" An Xinhe stormed up to An Mi, grabbing her wrist. Today, she was determined to humiliate An Mi in front of Young Master Liu and make sure he never took a liking to her again.

An Mi felt a pain in her wrist and frowned slightly. The words "illegitimate daughter" made her eyes narrow. Even though she knew that Liu'er in front of her was not her daughter, she would not allow anyone to insult Liu'er like this!

"She's not an illegitimate child!"

Before Anmi could speak, the man's deep voice, filled with anger, resounded loudly, as if the surrounding air had been sucked away the moment he opened his mouth.

Following the sound, everyone's gaze turned to the direction of the voice, and they were astonished to see a handsome man approaching. Dressed in black brocade, his imposing figure was accentuated, and his exceptionally handsome features gained an air of dominance. With each step he took forward, he brought an inexplicable pressure, making it difficult for people to breathe.

Who is this person? This question popped into the minds of many people around, but the expressions of those who knew his identity changed. Liu Zhan became excited when he saw the distinguished person. Some time ago, after hearing that the King of Bohai was interested in the Embroidery Appreciation Conference, he immediately sent someone to deliver an invitation, specially inviting him to be a guest of the conference. Even though the other party accepted the invitation, he did not have high hopes. But today, the King of Bohai actually came. How could he not be excited?

The Prince of Bohai, not to mention the Emperor's high regard for him, is someone everyone would flock to because of his position in the commercial field of the Great Jin Dynasty!

"Bo..." Liu Zhan couldn't hide his joy and immediately went to greet him.

But before he could even take a step and utter a single word, An Xinhe, oblivious to his own limitations, blurted out, "Ha! Could it be that you are that treacherous... ah..."

Before An Xinhe could finish speaking, a loud slap landed heavily on her face, leaving everyone who heard the sound stunned and unable to help but tremble.

The immense force knocked her to the ground. This slap was many times harder than the one An Yuefeng had given her that day, leaving An Xinhe's mind blank and her ears ringing.

An Mi watched this scene with great pleasure. In her previous life, she had heard about the behavior of the King of Bohai. His temperament was eccentric and unpredictable. One second he was all smiles, gentle and harmless, and the next he might become a demon that everyone feared, or even someone who controlled people's lives and deaths.

The King of Bohai treated the daughter left behind by his elder sister as his own, so how could he allow An Xinhe to insult him like this?