The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Who exactly is this embroiderer named Anmi? Why would he go to such lengths for her?

Xinrou glanced at Consort Rong, who was walking further and further away, shook off her thoughts, and hurriedly followed after her.

In the Queen's bedroom.

As soon as An Mi arrived at the main hall of the palace, the Empress warmly ordered tea to be served. She then dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, including Liu Guang and Yi Fei who were with An Mi, leaving only Han Yu to serve her in the room.

An Mi vaguely sensed that the atmosphere was unusual. She had already prepared herself. Empress Feng had gone to such great lengths to bring her to her palace, so it was definitely not because she had just said that she had hit it off with her at first sight.

What was she going to do? An Mi had a vague idea. Empress Feng didn't speak, and she didn't say anything either, pretending to be apprehensive.

Since entering the palace, Empress Feng had been observing An Mi. Considering the series of events that had just occurred, Empress Feng couldn't help but think more highly of this young embroiderer.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" After a long silence, Empress Feng took a sip of tea and finally spoke, breaking the tranquility of the room.

An Mi lowered her head meekly and said, "This humble woman is foolish and dares not presume to know Your Majesty's intentions."

"Ha! What a sensible woman." Empress Feng chuckled, but her gaze toward An Mi grew even sharper. "I see you as a clever woman. You should know that in this harem, I am the most powerful person besides the Emperor."

"This humble woman knows that Her Majesty the Empress is the mother of the nation and the most noble woman in the world," An Mi said, lowering her brows.

"Very well, then you should know who is the safest person to rely on in this palace now." The Empress said meaningfully. This woman was clever, and such a clever woman, who was favored by Bai Yi, would be even better if she could be used by her.

This was her purpose for today: to have someone falsely accuse her of killing the koi fish. On one hand, she wanted to use the Eighth Princess to give An Mi a warning, to let her know that she needed someone to protect her in the harem so that she wouldn't go astray. When the Eighth Princess was about to punish her, she, the Empress, would naturally appear at the right time to help her out. Her goal was to make An Mi remember her kindness.

However, she did not expect that everything would fall into chaos.

She didn't know how An Mi resolved the koi fish disaster, but she did know one thing: An Mi was caught in her scheme and didn't suffer any punishment; in fact, she even gained quite a bit of benefit.

An Mi froze, then quickly rose and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I am filled with fear. I am just a lowly embroiderer, unaware of the dangers of the palace. I beg Your Majesty's protection."

Empress Feng smiled with satisfaction. She was indeed a clever woman, adept at judging situations. A slight smile played on her lips as she gave Han Yu a wink. Han Yu quickly helped An Mi up. Empress Feng then smiled and said, "As I said, we hit it off immediately. If anything happens to you, I certainly won't stand idly by. However…"

As Empress Feng spoke, she affectionately beckoned to An Mi. An Mi stepped forward, wanting to see what Empress Feng was up to. Her hand was taken by Empress Feng, who then spoke again, "I heard that you and the Prince of Bohai entered the capital together. The Prince of Bohai is always arrogant. If he is truly interested in you, you should seize the opportunity. Hehe, don't worry, I like you very much. If you are also interested in the Prince of Bohai, then I would be happy to make the decision and help you two lovers."

An Mi was taken aback. Her intuition told her that Empress Feng probably didn't have such good intentions. So, was she testing her now?

"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation. My status is lowly and I am unworthy of the noble Prince of Bohai. Besides, my relationship with the Prince of Bohai is merely that of fellow travelers, and there is absolutely no affection between us that transcends the bounds of propriety." An Mi said urgently. What a joke! Even if she had no interest in Bai Yi, let alone the fact that she did, her marriage could not be controlled by this Empress Feng.

She knew about Bai Yi's hatred for the Feng family; they were mortal enemies. And how could this Empress Feng truly care about Bai Yi's marriage? Even if she did, it would likely be with ill intentions.

Empress Feng's expression changed slightly, then suddenly darkened. This tranquility, this favor she had bestowed upon her, how could she not accept it?

However, thinking of the girl's usefulness, Empress Feng's eyes flickered, suppressing her anger and maintaining a gentle expression. "Anmi, don't refuse so quickly just because you're shy. Think it over carefully. The Prince of Bohai is handsome and talented. Many young ladies in our capital admire him, but he hasn't given any of them a second glance. Since the Prince of Bohai is traveling back to the capital with you, he must be treating you differently. Think about it, if this marriage goes through, your status will be completely different. The Princess Consort of Bohai, what an honorable status that is!"

The Princess Consort of Bohai? She didn't care at all. Even if she really wanted to be the Princess Consort of Bohai, with her current status, there would be people who wouldn't let her have her way.

She had no interest in the intrigues and backstabbing within the royal family, so why would she get involved in the position of the Princess of Bohai?

However, she did not expect that even though she tried her best to protect herself, someone would still try to drag her into this complicated vortex.

Empress Feng looked at An Mi, seemingly waiting for her answer. As long as An Mi was interested in the position of Princess of Bohai, then she could proceed with the next step of her plan. But just then, a clear voice came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, I have brought some of your favorite snacks..." As she spoke, Consort Rong, who had already stepped into the room, saw the three people inside and thought to herself, "The Empress really has no good intentions, otherwise she wouldn't have dismissed everyone, would she?"

Consort Rong's face blossomed into a radiant and flawless smile. "Empress, have I disturbed you?"

A hint of displeasure flashed in Empress Feng's eyes, but it disappeared quickly, so quickly that it was almost imperceptible. "How could that be? I was just having a casual chat with An Mi. How could that be considered an intrusion?"

This Consort Rong, relying on the Emperor's favor, doesn't even know proper etiquette in her own palace. Humph, one day, she'll teach this Consort Rong a lesson.

"That's good, sister. I brought some pastries. I was thinking that I've been so busy serving the Emperor these days that I haven't had time to keep you company. I really shouldn't have done that. So, I've brought these pastries to apologize. I hope you'll forgive me." Consort Rong said with a smile. She walked up to Empress Feng, curtsied, and sat down in a chair.

Seeing the Empress's slightly gloomy expression, An Mi couldn't help but feel worried for Consort Rong. Such an arrogant and spoiled woman was truly an anomaly in surviving in the palace. However, if things continued like this, her good days would not last long.