The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Bai Yi chuckled at her slightly sarcastic tone, poured himself two glasses of wine, and let a glint of light flash in his deep eyes. What harm was there in complaining a little? The important thing was that he had finally brought this stubborn woman to his territory.

Taking a sip of wine, Bai Yi seemed to remember something, and his smile deepened as he looked at An Mi sitting opposite him. "This wine was specially prepared for you!"

This seemingly random remark left An Mi somewhat bewildered and felt a little strange, but she didn't delve into it too much. "Your Highness, this is the capital. If people find out that you and An Mi are getting too close, it might not be a good thing for you."

The various power contenders in the royal family have spies everywhere. She was summoned to the capital and traveled with the Prince of Bohai, so it was inevitable that this matter would be leaked.

Bai Yi didn't care. Since he had let An Mi into the capital, he was naturally prepared to deal with those critical voices. She was the only person he wanted to win over besides revenge. Even knowing that the road ahead was full of thorns, he would not regret his decision.

Under Bai Yi's burning gaze, An Mi felt a rare sense of panic. She thought to herself that Bai Yi was becoming more and more alluring, and she was also angry that she seemed to be more and more helpless against him. So she simply kept drinking, hoping that the alcohol would help her ignore Bai Yi's gaze.

In the courtyard, Bai Yi was accompanied by his beautiful wife, drinking under the moon. However, in the First Prince's residence, the atmosphere was rather heavy.

With a bang, the teacup shattered in a large hand. The maidservant serving nearby immediately knelt on the ground in fear and trembling, not daring to utter a sound.

"Your Highness, I have failed in my duty and beg for your punishment." Below the hall, several guards knelt down in unison, one of whom was the personal guard who had accompanied the First Prince at the restaurant earlier that day.

At this moment, he vaguely understood where the Crown Prince's anger came from. He hadn't expected the Crown Prince to be so angry over a jar of fine wine.

Indeed, one of the reasons Qinglan was angry at this moment was because of a jar of fine wine, a jar of fine wine that Qi Shaoshang had snatched first. Qi Shaoshang was Bai Yi's man, so the wine naturally fell into Bai Yi's hands!

Was he also seeking peace? No, not just peace, but also to hinder himself.

"Remember, though we lost this jar of wine today, we will find an even better one in the future, and that will be enough to atone for our mistake." Qinglan's voice was unusually deep and cold, sending chills down one's spine.

"Yes, I understand," the guard replied. Although he couldn't quite figure out his master's temperament, he knew his rules. The fact that his master was so persistent about something meant that it was of extraordinary importance.

He couldn't help but wonder which family the woman was that his master had gone to such lengths to find the finest wines for.

After dismissing everyone in the room, Qinglan's originally cold face regained a touch of warmth. She took out an embroidered handkerchief from her bosom. The dense embroidery on the handkerchief even had some rough marks, clearly indicating that it had been frequently touched.

In the lamplight, the man stared at the embroidered handkerchief, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he got up and left the room.

"Your Highness, it's so late..." Butler Han Liang called out as his master left, but upon seeing the direction he went, he suddenly stopped asking any further questions.

He knew where the eldest prince was going. Ever since the eldest prince returned to the capital, he had ordered a medicine hut to be built in the most secluded place in the backyard of the eldest prince's residence. No matter how busy he was, he would rest in the medicine hut one day a month. However, it had only been ten days since the eldest prince last went to the medicine hut to rest.

The medicine hut? And that embroidered handkerchief that the eldest prince often takes out to look at—there are quite a few secrets since the eldest prince returned.

Although it was late, some people in the palace were still busy.

Inside the Empress's palace, the Second Prince hurriedly entered the hall. Empress Feng noticed his displeasure and frowned slightly, gently scolding him, "I have told you more than once that you are destined to be an emperor. Don't always show your feelings on your face. Otherwise, even if you become an emperor, you will easily become one who is controlled by your ministers."

The Second Prince snorted coldly, "Wearing a mask all day long, isn't it tiring? You can't even relax for a moment here with the Empress Dowager. Hmph, let's see who dares to guess what I'm thinking!"

As she spoke, she glanced at the palace maids serving her, her gaze clearly filled with murderous intent. The maids were terrified and hurriedly said they dared not, but Empress Feng's eyes narrowed and she reprimanded, "If you continue like this, you will probably die by someone else's knife before you even reach that position. Although this is my territory, there is no guarantee that there won't be spies from others who take benefits from others and do things for them."

Empress Feng's gaze settled on a palace maid named Bichun, a first-class maid in the Empress's palace. Bichun visibly trembled, and Empress Feng's lips curled into a cold smile. "Bichun, come here and massage my shoulders."

"Yes." Bichun stepped forward, but as soon as she reached Empress Feng, the Empress slapped her. Startled and terrified, Bichun immediately knelt on the ground, begging, "Your Majesty, spare me..."

"Hmph, spare my life? Guards, this lowly servant has injured my hand. Drag her away, examine her hands, and throw her into the Taiye Pond to feed the fish." Empress Feng shouted sternly, deciding Bichun's fate with a single sentence.

Bichun cried and begged for mercy, but was eventually dragged away. A terrifying atmosphere filled the hall, and every palace maid and eunuch present trembled with fear, not daring to utter a single word.

The Empress looked at their reaction with satisfaction. "That Bichun only ended up like this because she benefited from the evil people. You all need to remember this well: anyone who betrays me, anyone who does anything detrimental to me, will be thrown into Taiye Pond to feed the fish, which would be the least of their worries. Do you all understand?"

The palace maids and eunuchs in the room all knelt down, saying, "We dare not betray Your Majesty."

They all knew that the Empress was very suspicious. If she really misunderstood them as betraying her, their fate would probably be even worse than Bichun's!

"Good, very good." The Empress nodded, a ruthless glint in her eyes.

Did Bichun really benefit from the villains? No, she knew Bichun's timid nature and wouldn't dare to leave her alone. However, she still pushed her out just now. She wanted to sacrifice Bichun to deter these servants so that they wouldn't dare to betray her, or even think about it.

"Han Yu, stay here. The rest of you may leave," Empress Feng ordered in a deep voice.

The palace maids and eunuchs were overjoyed and immediately withdrew. Only Empress Feng, the Second Prince, and Hanyu, the palace maid whom Empress Feng trusted most, remained in the hall.

"Mother, Bai Yi is back." The Second Prince said through gritted teeth. That lowly merchant girl's bastard child has been increasingly favored by the Emperor in recent years, and he has to be wary of him.

Empress Feng lowered her gaze slightly and spoke calmly, "Xu'er, he is just the Prince of Bohai. He has already been granted the title of prince and has long lost the right to compete with you for the throne. Your enemy has always been that bastard Qinglan. As for the Prince of Bohai, don't forget that he is your younger brother. You two brothers should strengthen your relationship."