The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

An Mi smirked, a sarcastic glint in her eyes. "Yu Fangfei, oh Yu Fangfei, are you really that wary of me? Ha! Don't worry, I'll catch her completely off guard!"

However, at this moment... An Mi ignored Yu Fangfei's sharp gaze, looked at Bai Yi, and took the small hand of Liu'er, who was nestled beside her, and curtsied to Bai Yi, "Your Highness, she and An Mi share the same surname, An. Could Your Highness give An Mi face and not pursue the matter just now? This embroidery appreciation gathering is something that the Fifth Miss has been looking forward to for a long time. To exclude her like this is perhaps too cruel."

After hearing her words, almost everyone secretly chuckled to themselves. This woman really thought too highly of herself. Her face? How could the dignified King of Bohai possibly care about her face?

This woman is asking for humiliation!

Everyone was watching the spectacle with amusement. Even An Xinlian curled the corners of her lips. Although she wondered why the little girl called An Mi "Mother," she knew An Mi too well. An Mi spent 365 days a year at the An Manor. How could she possibly have the opportunity to befriend a powerful figure like the Prince of Bohai? Let alone gain the Prince of Bohai's special favor!

Only Qinglan's usually calm eyes were now filled with unpredictable changes, making her impossible to fathom. No one noticed that the moment Bai Yi appeared, a slight crack appeared on Qinglan's usually gentle face.

When did An Mi and Bai Yi cross paths?

Bai Yi watched An Mi with amusement, his shrewd eyes gleaming. Interesting! An Mi was actually pleading for An Xinhe! According to the information he had received, wasn't she suffering greatly from this person's bullying in the An family? Just a month ago, her ribs were broken by this fifth young lady. The fact that she was pleading for An Xinhe now was beyond his expectations!

Bai Yi's gaze was fixed on An Mi's face, as if trying to see through her. However, after looking for a long time, there was not a single flaw on An Mi's face. Thinking of the deal between An Mi and him that day, Bai Yi's eyes flickered, and he withdrew his gaze. His deep and powerful voice floated out, "Fine, I will let her participate in this embroidery appreciation event for your sake. However, I want you to repay this favor. How about it?"

An Mi was slightly taken aback. She met Bai Yi's unfathomable eyes, which seemed to be smiling but were not. Her lips twitched slightly. The dignified King of Bohai, did he still care about the favor she owed him?

“Anmi owes the Prince a favor.” Anmi said, her brows furrowed. It was already quite generous of the Prince of Bohai to give her face; she would repay the favor as she pleased.

This turn of events left everyone present dumbfounded, especially those who were waiting to see a good show. Were they seeing things? Or had they misheard? What did the King of Bohai say?

Because of her? Because of this unknown little girl?

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" An Xinhe said excitedly. She could finally participate in the embroidery appreciation competition again. It was truly a blessing from heaven.

Bai Yi didn't even glance at An Xinhe, but coldly said, "You should thank Miss An the Second."

An Xinhe was stunned for a moment, looked at An Mi, and after a moment of silence, finally said awkwardly, "Xinhe thanks Second Sister for pleading for me."

An Mi smiled but remained silent, observing An Xinhe's awkwardness. Thank you? She disdained An Xinhe's gratitude. She wished she could say thank you like that later!

In an instant, everyone's expression changed. Yu Fangfei's expression was extremely complicated. An Mi had always been a thorn in her side, a thorn in her flesh. Now, she had actually helped Xin He. Should she thank her? Hmph, thank her? Of course not! An Mi was her daughter! How could she thank her?

An Xinlian's face had already turned pale. How could the King of Bohai treat An Mi differently? Now, instead of seeing a good show, An Mi had stolen the limelight!

Even Liu Zhan's gaze towards An Mi changed. This woman could actually get the King of Bohai to give her face. Even his words might not be taken seriously by the King of Bohai. Clearly, this woman is no ordinary person!

“Your Highness, it’s getting late. Please come inside the manor.” Liu Zhan stepped forward warmly, then, as if remembering something, hurriedly said, “Your Highness, this is Young Master Qinglan, the most skilled doctor in Rongjin City. He is also a guest of honor at the Embroidery Appreciation Ceremony today.”

As Liu Zhan introduced him, Bai Yi's sharp gaze swept over the man in the blue robe. The familiar face made his smile deepen. He had recognized him just now, but hadn't had a chance to greet him yet.

"Long time no see, I didn't expect you to be so..." Bai Yi smiled as he met Qing Lan's eyes, but then suddenly stopped, his handsome brows furrowing as if he were thinking about something. After a moment's pause, he continued, his eyes gleaming with an unusually enigmatic light, "It has been quite a few years since we last met, hasn't it? Qing Lan... Doctor!"

A doctor? What a wonderful doctor!

Qinglan's expression stiffened slightly. When he saw Bai Yi, he already knew that he couldn't escape!

A smile quickly bloomed on his face, making his handsome features even more striking. "It's been quite a few years! How is the King of Bohai?"

Meeting Bai Yi's deep eyes, Qing Lan felt a little relieved. If he wanted to expose his identity in front of so many people, he would have done so just now!

Bai Yi's smile deepened, and he shrugged elegantly. "Look at me, I'm naturally in a good state. It's just that I miss Qinglan a little."

Qinglan subtly furrowed her brows. Missing? The way Bai Yi uttered the word about their friendship and relationship was extremely strange.

“However, Qinglan… Doctor… has become quite plain-looking, which is a bit unusual!” Bai Yi looked Qinglan up and down again with a meaningful gaze, the meaning in his eyes even more unfathomable. He suddenly frowned and asked with concern, “Have you been having a hard time?”

Qinglan twitched the corner of her mouth. "Whether you're doing well or not is like drinking water; only you know whether it's hot or cold."

The two exchanged words in an unusually strange atmosphere. Everyone listening to their conversation was completely bewildered. Although they both had smiles on their faces as they spoke, clearly reminiscing about old friends, it always felt like there was something more to their words.

However, some people noticed something amiss.

An Xinlian clutched her embroidered handkerchief tightly, her gaze fixed on Qinglan's face. She had secretly heard from the prefectural magistrate that Qinglan came from the capital and was no ordinary person. Even if he was just the son of a high-ranking official, if she could get close to him, she would rise to prominence. But she never expected that Qinglan was an old acquaintance of the Prince of Bohai. What did this mean? How could she not understand?

Qinglan's status might be even more prestigious than she imagined!

At that moment, An Xinlian made up her mind to make Qinglan fall at her feet! As for An Mi… An Xinlian glanced at An Mi coldly. She saw that An Mi had a smile on her face, but instead of looking at the Prince of Bohai and Qinglan like everyone else, she was looking down at the ground. An Xinlian couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. She admitted that An Mi was a beauty, her beauty completely inherited from her mother. Usually, she was always suppressed by them in the An family. Even when she was dressed as a maid, she was still pretty and charming. Today, dressed in her finest attire, An Mi was even more radiant, and even had an aura that An Xinlian lacked. This made her jealous!