The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Liuguang, do you think there's anything different about the scent on me?" Anmi asked the maid beside her in a low voice.

Liu Guang frowned. She knew about the sachet from last night, and she became even more wary. She moved closer to An Mi and sniffed her carefully. Apart from An Mi's unique body fragrance, there was something different. Although it was very faint, she was sure that the fragrance was there.

"Musk... mixed with the scent of saffron!" Liu Guang was taken aback and subconsciously looked at An Mi, as if trying to glean something from her reaction.

An Mi frowned. "Is that so? It seems that the Empress summoned me to her palace not out of consideration for my fatigue, but to let me rest."

An Mi lowered her brows, her eyes flickering slightly, a hint of coldness emanating from them. After a moment of silence, An Mi spoke, "Liu Guang, Yi Fei, prepare some water for me. I want to take a bath. Remember, prepare it secretly, so no one can find out. Also, prepare another set of clothes exactly the same for all of my clothes."

Liu Guang and Yi Fei exchanged a glance, understood An Mi's meaning, and immediately withdrew to begin preparations according to An Mi's instructions.

From that day on, Empress Feng continued to summon An Mi for a chat every day. Each time, An Mi noticed the fragrance in the Empress's palace and understood it perfectly, but she didn't say anything.

As expected, Empress Feng kept the woman named Yunxiu by her side, and they did the same things as Hanyu on a daily basis.

An Mi knew that on the Ghost Festival, Empress Feng would present this cloud sleeve to the Emperor. However, Empress Feng probably could not have foreseen that this woman's future favor would eventually become an obstacle for her.

To An Mi's surprise, she didn't see Yi Zhuxuan, who had followed Yunxiu into the palace that day. She had a premonition that the entanglement between her and that person with whom she had a deep connection would not end there.

On this day, An Mi had just come out of the Empress's palace when she ran into Feng Yu, who was going to the palace to see Empress Feng. An Mi and Feng Yu brushed past each other, neither of them paying much attention to the other. However, An Mi took a second look at Yi Zhuxuan, who was following behind Feng Yu.

An Mi thought that catching up with her in the palace would not be a simple matter, but as soon as An Mi stepped out of the palace, she heard the voice behind her that she used to know all too well.

"Miss……"

Anmi paused slightly, her gaze narrowed, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Liu Guang and Yi Fei frowned. "Miss... this..."

"Liuguang, Yifei, wait for me ahead. When old friends meet, there must be things to say," Anmi said softly.

Liu Guang and Yi Fei glanced thoughtfully at Yi Zhuxuan and walked forward as An Mi instructed. However, they did not go too far away. At that distance, if An Mi's safety was threatened, they could protect her immediately.

Yi Zhuxuan also sized up the two maids. The two maids seemed to listen to An Mi. As for An Mi, after not seeing her for many days, she was no longer the pitiful illegitimate daughter who was bullied. Her brows and eyes revealed an aura that made Yi Zhuxuan envious and even somewhat ashamed of herself.

She thought An Mi had come to the capital because of the Prince of Bohai, but after inquiring, she learned that she had been summoned by the Emperor to enter the palace to do embroidery.

In the end, she was just an embroiderer, but the Empress's attitude towards her that day, and the Empress's kindness and daily summons over the past few days, suggest that even if she was just an embroiderer, she was probably more than just a simple embroiderer!

Yi Zhuxuan secretly sized up An Mi. This An Mi was living a better life than her!

Just this alone stirred a pang of jealousy in her heart. And thinking of the embroidery skills that even the emperor and his concubines now praised, she felt even worse. Back then, at the embroidery competition, she had begged her to give the top prize to her, but in the end, she never expected it to turn out like this.

"Miss, Zhu Xuan thought she would never see you again in this lifetime. I never expected that we would meet here. Life is truly unpredictable." Yi Zhu Xuan's attitude was neither warm nor cold.

Although she was jealous of An Mi, it was not advisable for her to have a falling out with An Mi in the palace.

She hadn't forgotten how she had begged An Mi for help while she was in prison, but in the end, An Mi still hadn't come to her rescue. She had to admit that, besides being jealous of An Mi, she also hated her.

During the time she was away from Rong Jincheng, she learned a lot, including how to be patient and how to feign compliance. Yi Zhuxuan's smile became even brighter. "Miss, it's been so many days. I've missed you terribly."

Anmi looked at the smile on her face. Smile? Yes, she could too!

A smile curved her lips. "Yes, it's been a long time. I was worried about your safety. I'm glad to see you're alright. You seem to have grown a lot. At least you know to call me 'Miss' now instead of my name."

Yi Zhuxuan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting An Mi to suddenly bring up this matter. She felt a little guilty. An Mi was accusing her, but her smile was so bright. It was just a casual greeting, but Yi Zhuxuan felt that her voice had a sinister quality that sent chills down her spine.

"What's wrong? Your expression seems to have changed!" An Mi noticed her reaction and asked calmly.

Yi Zhuxuan suddenly came to her senses, and forced a smile. "No, no, Miss, I'm still your maid, so of course I have to call you Miss."

"Will you always be my maid?" An Mi's smile widened, but the sarcasm in her eyes quickly hardened. "I'm truly touched that you think that way."

Yi Zhuxuan's eyes lit up, and she affectionately pulled An Mi along, "Miss, you and the Prince of Bohai...is it not long before you become the Princess of Bohai?"

How fortunate we are to have this peace!

She heard that An Mi had come to the capital with the Prince of Bohai, and she also discovered that the doctor in the blue robe who had treated An Mi's injuries at the An residence was actually the eldest prince of the Great Jin Dynasty. From Feng Yu, she learned that the eldest prince and the second prince of the Great Jin Dynasty now had the right to inherit the throne!

An Mi lowered her brows, but only smiled and remained silent. Seeing that she did not answer, Yi Zhuxuan did not press her further. The two chatted for a while. As for how she met General Feng Yu, Yi Zhuxuan only briefly mentioned that she was rescued by Feng Yu when she was down on her luck.

However, when she said those words, An Mi did not miss the fear that flashed in Yi Zhuxuan's eyes.

An Mi saw this but didn't say much. It seemed that Yi Zhuxuan must have encountered some hardships after escaping from prison.

An Mi smiled faintly. Not long after, Feng Yu came out of the Empress's palace and called out to Yi Zhuxuan. Yi Zhuxuan's expression changed, and An Mi then made an excuse to leave.