The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Having received the Emperor's message, An Mi was happy to relax. After seeing off Consort Rong, Han Yu, the Empress's personal maid, arrived at Yanfu Palace. An Mi couldn't help but smile; there were quite a few guests at Yanfu Palace today.

Empress Han Yu announced that she was feeling down and asked An Mi to come and chat with her to cheer her up. An Mi thought about the Empress's intentions yesterday and knew that the Empress was close to her and definitely had no good intentions. However, she had no choice but to go with Han Yu.

We can only deal with whatever comes our way!

When An Mi arrived at the Empress's palace, the Empress still had that same smile on her face and was very warm towards An Mi. She ordered people to prepare dinner and invited An Mi to eat with her. Finally, she pulled An Mi aside and talked about this endlessly, but didn't mention a word about the matter that An Mi had asked her to consider the day before.

"Hanyu, bring the things up." The Empress suddenly ordered Hanyu.

An Mi was slightly taken aback, and was quite curious about what it was that the Empress had specifically instructed her to do. Han Yu quickly brought out a sachet and presented it to Empress Feng. Empress Feng took the sachet and handed it to An Mi. "An Mi, I have heard about the lively scene at Yanfu Palace today. I was thinking that you would be busy with the clothing of the concubines before the Ghost Festival, so I had Han Yu prepare a sachet. It contains some invigorating spices. Wearing it will make you feel more energetic."

An Mi looked at the sachet in her hand and thought to herself that Empress Feng was quite thoughtful. But was Empress Feng only thinking of her? For some reason, she felt that she was such a small person that she was not worth Empress Feng's efforts.

But what is the Empress's purpose?

An Mi thanked the Empress for her kindness, secretly wondering what was going on. Seeing that it was getting late, Empress Feng instructed An Mi, "Alright, An Mi, come and keep me company when you have time. I should rest now. My nephew has just arrived in the capital and will come to the palace to pay his respects to me tomorrow, so I won't keep you any longer."

Anmi withdrew, holding the sachet in her hand, feeling that something was amiss. It wasn't until she returned to Yanfu Palace and examined the sachet carefully that she finally saw the clue.

“Liuguang…” Anmi frowned and called softly, pondering her discovery just now, and couldn’t quite figure out the Empress’s purpose in doing so.

This sachet has a refreshing aroma, but there are other ingredients mixed in with it.

"What are your orders, Miss?" Liu Guang sized up An Mi, noticing the seriousness on her face, and couldn't help but become wary. She glanced at the sachet in An Mi's hand, "Isn't this the sachet Her Majesty the Empress just gave you?"

The young lady stared blankly at this, wondering if there was something wrong with the sachet.

Having received Bai Yi's orders to protect An Mi, Liu Guang naturally couldn't let anything happen to her. "Miss, this sachet... there's something wrong with it!"

An Mi smiled and tossed the sachet to Liu Guang. Liu Guang held it to her nose, sniffed it, and seemed to notice something as well. Her expression changed drastically. "Miss, this..."

“Indeed, there is something wrong with this sachet. It does contain invigorating spices, but it also has a very faint scent of saffron and musk, so faint that it is not easily detected unless you smell it carefully.” An Mi took a sip of tea and spoke softly, her eyes deep and unfathomable, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Musk has contraceptive properties, while saffron can cause pregnant women to miscarry.

“Miss, what does the Empress mean by this? She gave you this and said that carrying it with you often can refresh you. She clearly wants to…” Liu Guang’s gaze towards An Mi changed. She could also see the Prince’s feelings for the young lady. Could it be that the Empress does not want the young lady to carry the Prince’s child?

Anmi, enduring Liuguang's strange gaze, immediately understood that Liuguang must be overthinking things. She coughed lightly, "Your prince and I are completely innocent. Why would Empress Feng need to do such things? This servant deserves to die, please forgive me, Miss." Liuguang paused, then quickly spoke, but the doubt in her heart remained unresolved, "But Miss, why did the Empress do this?"

An Mi narrowed her eyes, looking thoughtfully at the sachet in Liu Guang's hand. Yes, what was the Empress's purpose in doing this?

Could it be that she gave her this sachet because of something between her and Bai Yi, making it impossible for her to conceive?

However, her intuition told her that Empress Feng's purpose did not seem to be that.

"Liuguang, change everything inside this sachet and bring it back," Anmi instructed Liuguang after a moment of silence.

Liu Guang glanced at An Mi, "Yes, Miss."

Anmi dutifully embroidered clothes for the concubines. At noon, Empress Feng sent someone to invite Anmi over again. After the incident with the sachet yesterday, Anmi was even more wary of the Empress. When she arrived at the Empress's palace, the main hall was unusually lively.

Besides the dignified Emperor Mingde and the elegant Empress Feng, who were seated in the main seat, as well as the eldest prince Qinglan, the Prince of Bohai Baiyi, and the second prince, there was an unfamiliar face. He had a resolute face, a tall and handsome figure, and looked very kind. However, An Mi felt at first glance that this person exuded an indescribable evil aura.

When Bai Yi and Qing Lan saw An Mi enter, a subtle tenderness flashed in their eyes. However, Emperor Mingde's gaze towards An Mi was restrained yet profound.

"Anmi, you've arrived. Hanyu, please take a seat. Miss Anmi has been working so hard on the clothes for her sisters; she must be exhausted. I was thinking that if I don't call her here to rest for a while, she'll probably be busy all day and ruin her health." Empress Feng said with concern, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at Anmi.

An Mi saw all this, thanked the Empress, but didn't say anything more. Now, she was more interested in seeing what the Empress was really up to.

Afterwards, Empress Feng and Emperor Mingde ignored An Mi and chatted casually with the stranger. However, when the man called Empress Feng "aunt," An Mi couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Aunt? This man must be from Empress Feng's family. Thinking of what Empress Feng said to her before she left last night, An Mi frowned. Although the Feng family is not in the capital, their power should not be underestimated.

Besides the highly respected patriarch of the Feng family, whom even the emperor treated with deference, there were also several of his youngest cousins, all of whom were skilled in both civil and military affairs. The eldest son of the Feng family held considerable military power in the Jin Dynasty. And this man before them…

An Mi subtly sized him up. Although he was dressed in elegant finery and looked more like a scholar, the aura emanating from his bones revealed the fortitude and killing intent of a military general.

This must be the eldest son of the Feng family!