The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

If she didn't win the favor of the King of Bohai through her beauty, then she must have won him over with her abilities.

"Could this be the interesting person you mentioned, Jin'er? Tell me, how did you find this interesting person? And what makes them interesting?" Empress Feng sat down and raised her hand, signaling An Mi to get up.

When Empress Feng asked about An Mi, the Eighth Princess's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Mother, this girl's name is An Mi. She is an embroiderer summoned to the capital by Father Emperor. He said that she is to rush to make clothes for the ladies in the palace before the Ghost Festival."

"Oh? I have heard of this. The dress in my hand was made by this young lady. Her embroidery skills are excellent, and her thoughts must be extremely delicate," the Empress said softly.

"Your Majesty flatters me," An Mi said demurely.

Empress Feng glanced at her. "What were you saying to the princess just now? What made her so happy?"

This woman must have some skill; at least, she successfully avoided the punishment that the Eighth Princess should have vented on her for the death of the koi. Instead, she pleased the Eighth Princess, who found the woman increasingly intriguing.

"Your Majesty, I am from a small town, and the stories I am telling are just some interesting tales circulating among the people. They are hardly worthy of being presented in a refined setting, but fortunately, Your Highness enjoys listening to them. Seeing that Your Highness is happy, I have taken the liberty of telling them," Anmi replied calmly, appearing to be nothing more than a docile commoner.

"Is that so? That just so happens, I am also interested. Why don't you continue and let me hear it too?" Empress Feng nodded knowingly, glancing at Han Yu. Others might not be able to see the meaning in her eyes, but Han Yu had followed her for many years, and with their tacit understanding, Han Yu understood in just one glance.

The Empress was unwilling to accept that her scheme had failed!

It seems that this embroiderer named Anmi is destined for bad luck.

In the pavilion, Anmi, just as Empress Feng had wished, chatted about some interesting folk tales. The atmosphere couldn't be better. As Anmi spoke, the Empress was also silently observing her. Judging from her manner of speaking, she was probably no ordinary embroiderer. She was more than capable of surpassing the ladies of noble families in the capital.

While the Empress was secretly observing An Mi, An Mi was also trying to figure out what the Empress was all about.

In her previous life, she had heard many virtuous stories about the Empress. However, having lived two lives, she saw many things more clearly than in her previous life, and even more clearly than ordinary people. How could an ordinary woman have the ability to hold the Phoenix Seal in the palace?

Duanduan is a ruthless person, and the faction of the Second Prince once went so far as to wipe out the entire Holy Medicine Hall in order to hunt down Qinglan.

Anmi told herself that she was only summoned to the capital to do embroidery, and she absolutely could not get involved in these royal struggles. However, she was afraid that although no one knew about her and Baiyi's trip to the capital together, it was hard to guarantee that someone had not investigated them thoroughly in secret.

Moreover, the person who brought her into the palace today… An Mi thought, glancing subtly at Empress Feng. If she really had to be drawn into the intrigues and power struggles within the royal family, then she would have to be even more careful.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard the Empress's voice, "Where are those two koi fish today?"

Empress Feng looked into the lake, as if searching for something.

Upon hearing Empress Feng mention the koi, the Eighth Princess's face darkened. "I don't know which damned servant it was. I was just going to get some fish food when the koi came back dead. I need to investigate this matter thoroughly. If I find the culprit, Your Majesty, you must stand up for me."

Empress Feng frowned, got up and walked out of the pavilion, along the pond embankment. Once she left, no one else dared to stay in the pavilion, including An Mi, and everyone followed her.

"That was a gift from the Emperor himself, said to be a rare koi fish, a truly unfortunate find." The Empress stood on the embankment, glancing at Han Yu. "Han Yu, give the order to investigate thoroughly!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Han Yu replied, but subtly gave someone a wink.

The next instant, An Mi felt a considerable force strike her foot, making her unsteady. Liu Guang and Yi Fei, being trained martial artists, were naturally alert and their first reaction was to protect An Mi. However, An Mi subtly glanced at them, signaling them not to make any rash moves.

Liu Guang and Yi Fei were filled with worry, but they had no choice but to obey An Mi's orders.

Anmi was determined not to let anyone know that Liuguang and Yifei knew kung fu. Besides, things hadn't reached the point of no return.

An Mi knew that someone was after her, wanting her to fall into the water. So, she went along with it. However, things couldn't be controlled by that one person alone!

With lightning-fast reflexes, she cried out in surprise, the commotion making it clear to almost everyone that she had unintentionally lost her balance. However, she then effortlessly lunged towards the Eighth Princess, her actions so natural that no one could detect anything amiss.

"Princess, quickly... quickly get out of the way!" An Mi exclaimed, seemingly unwilling to bump into the Eighth Princess. However, even if she spoke up to ask the Eighth Princess to get out of the way, how could the Eighth Princess possibly react so quickly?

Upon hearing the sound, the Eighth Princess opened her eyes wide in terror, trying to avoid it, but it was too late. Everyone watched this scene unfold, and with a splash, the two of them fell into the water at the same time.

For a moment, everyone present was stunned. When they came to their senses, they hurriedly tried to save the person. However, none of the palace maids were good swimmers. They were worried but dared not jump into the water to save the person.

"Quick, save them..." After a long while, Empress Feng finally spoke. Looking at the two people struggling in the water, the corners of her mouth lifted imperceptibly. Her original intention was to make An Mi fall into the water, but she did not expect that the Eighth Princess would also be involved. The incident with the koi fish earlier had made the Eighth Princess take her anger out on An Mi, so this time, it might not be so easy for her to escape.

She shouldn't confront An Mi directly, but she could use the Eighth Princess, right?

Pushing the Eighth Princess into the water was something everyone witnessed, and it seemed to be much better than she had anticipated.

The Eighth Princess was not a good swimmer, but An Mi was an expert. However, she naturally couldn't show it at this moment.

"Help...help me..." The Eighth Princess panicked. It felt as if someone was dragging her down, and her body kept sinking. She had already swallowed several mouthfuls of water.

Seeing this, Anmi naturally swam to the Eighth Princess's side with all her might and managed to get her ashore. The palace maids rushed over and became even more worried when they saw that the Eighth Princess seemed to have fainted.

"How dare you, An Mi! You actually caused the Eighth Princess to fall into the water!" Han Yu shouted sternly. "Guards, seize her!"