The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Ah... her... her stomach!" Yi Zhuxuan suddenly cried out in terror. This cry drew everyone's attention to An Mi's stomach. Just now, the old lady Liu had already frightened them by throwing the newborn baby to its death. Now, seeing An Mi's once flat stomach growing larger and larger, they couldn't help but swallow.

"Oh dear, what should we do? Quick, get a doctor!" the midwife cried out in panic. The worst thing for a woman in labor is to get upset, and this...this belly is even bigger than before she gave birth! This...this could be fatal!

"Don't call a doctor!" Old Madam Liu shouted sternly, looking coldly at An Mi. It's good that she's dead!

No one dared to move in the room.

"Mother...Mother, what's wrong?" Liu'er got up from the ground, already crying her eyes out. "And my little brother...what happened to my little brother?"

An Mi's eyes flickered. She struggled to get off the bed, her frail body falling heavily. This caused Liu'er to burst into tears. Pain and hatred overwhelmed An Mi. She gritted her teeth and crawled forward with difficulty. Everyone watched this with different expressions.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Anmi reached the baby's side, carefully cradling the mangled body in her arms, overwhelmed with grief, "My daughter, my daughter..."

"Mother..." Liu'er's cry made An Mi pause, turning to look at Liu'er's red, tear-filled eyes. She raised her hand to wipe away her daughter's tears. "Liu'er, be good, Mother is alright. Mother... Mother is sorry... Mother can't..."

She knew her physical condition; she could almost feel her life slipping away. But she couldn't bear to leave her young daughter. Liu'er was too young to even know that her mother hadn't given birth to a younger brother. She was too young to realize that her newborn sister was already dead! Strangled to death by her grandmother!

What will happen to Liu'er if she dies?

Similarly, she was not resigned to it.

An Mi tightly hugged her newborn daughter, who had been killed by Old Madam Liu's own hand. The hatred in her heart was rampant and uncontrollable.

Her swollen belly seemed to be devouring her life; was she going to die? No, she refused to accept it!

Even in death, she would do her utmost to bring this despicable woman and her heartless husband to justice!

But what can she do?

An Mi looked at everyone in the room one by one, her gaze finally settling on Old Madam Liu and Liu Zhan. She then burst into laughter, the sound echoing eerily in the room. "Haha, son… Liu Zhan, you wanted a son; Old Madam Liu, you wanted a grandson! But what did my daughter do wrong to deserve such cruelty? If Heaven has eyes, I will curse you with my life, cursing your Liu family to never have the baby boy you desire! I will watch you from heaven… watch you suffer retribution, be childless and extinct, and pay for your blood debt!"

Anmi poured out all her hatred and life force. As the last note fell, she collapsed to the ground, but the curse echoed in the room, lingering for a long time. Almost everyone was pale and had different expressions.

To be childless and without descendants?

The four concubines, each clutching their embroidered handkerchiefs, stared at the mother and daughter lying dead on the ground, a fear they had never felt before filling them with. They all turned to their husbands, Marquis Liu and his wife, Old Madam Liu. Anmi was dead—this was what they had hoped for. Without Anmi, the position of the principal wife would be vacant, and they would all have a chance. But… Anmi's curse remained like a hand gripping their throats, condemning them to childlessness…

"Hmph, nonsense, utter rubbish! What do you mean by childlessness? What do you mean by retribution? My Liu family is so large and powerful, are we afraid of not finding a woman who can bear a son?" Old Madam Liu straightened her expression, regaining her previous coldness and sternness, and swept her gaze over the four concubines present. "Listen up, all of you! You all better work hard. Whoever gives birth to the eldest grandson first will be the rightful wife!"

Upon hearing this, the fourth concubine was overjoyed, shaking off her earlier fear and jumping for joy.

The legal wife...

It's just a curse, what's there to be afraid of?

Anmi died a good death, a very good death!

She was just a merchant's daughter, yet she occupied the position of the principal wife!

Before, they put so much effort into scheming for peace and tranquility. Now that they're dead, they can finally relax!

An Mi frowned upon hearing those voices. She felt herself floating in the air. She didn't know why, even though the concubines hadn't spoken, she seemed to hear them saying something.

A sarcastic smile played on their lips—was this what they truly felt?

She had always treated them very well, but she never expected that these people who were kind to her on the surface were hiding such thoughts, wishing her dead sooner? They even... plotted against her time and time again!

"Mother..." the girl choked out, lying on the peaceful body and shaking it repeatedly, "Mother, what's wrong? Waaah... Mother, Liu'er is scared... Mother... Don't stay silent..."

Anmi was startled. Liu'er!

She's dead. What will happen to her daughter who's left in this world?

The tranquil, floating soul wanted to reach her daughter, but someone stepped forward first, lifted her willow off the ground, slapped her across the face, and angrily scolded, "What are you crying for? What are you yelling for? Your short-lived mother is already dead. You've disturbed the old lady. Be careful with your life, you're really unlucky! If you cry again, you'll go see your mother sooner!"

Anmi looked at the person who was hurling insults and rebuking her. It was none other than Yi Zhuxuan, the woman who called her sister!

She usually dotes on Liu'er, but now... is this her true nature?

Haha... How ridiculous! Is this the kind of woman who always talks about sisterly affection?

Hateful!

Her gaze swept over everyone in the room: her hypocritical sisters, her heartless husband, her cruel mother-in-law, and finally settled on her daughter who had died shortly after birth…

If she could live her life again, she would give everything to defy fate and change her destiny!

Liu'er... An Mi looked at Liu'er's aggrieved expression as she held back her tears and wanted to hug her, but a huge gravitational force pulled her from behind, and before she could struggle, she was sucked in...

Rongjin City, Anfu.

In the sweltering summer heat, the scorching sun overhead made people drowsy. Even the servants in the mansion hid in the shade to work. Yet, under such intense sunlight, a woman knelt, her face pale, large beads of sweat sliding down her face, falling to the ground, and drying quickly.

After an unknown amount of time, the door in front of them opened, and a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old walked out of the room. The girl was dressed in a lotus-colored dress, and the lotus flowers embroidered on the hem of her skirt were even more lifelike as she walked.