The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

An Mi instantly understood Yi Zhuxuan's meaning. Was Yi Zhuxuan already eyeing the position of the young mistress of the Liu family?

She gave an ambiguous smile. "The Liu family is the richest family in Rongjin City. Young Master Liu is handsome and talented, and many people admire him. Has Zhuxuan taken a liking to Young Master Liu?"

Yi Zhuxuan blushed. To be honest, the young master of the Liu family was not the focus of attention in front of the King of Bohai or even the young master Qinglan. However, in Rongjin City, he was a rare good match. To her, the King of Bohai was too high and unattainable, and the young master Qinglan was just a poor doctor. He was not what she wanted. But Liu Zhan was someone she could look forward to, and she had a chance to seize the opportunity, didn't she?

“Second Miss An… could you…” Yi Zhuxuan looked at An Mi cautiously, “could you… let Zhuxuan win? Don’t worry, if Zhuxuan wins, she will be grateful to Second Miss. Zhuxuan has always regarded Second Miss as a sister, and you know that best.”

An Mi saw the unusual eagerness in Yi Zhuxuan's eyes and felt a deep sense of irony. Treat her like a sister? What a fine way to put it!

"I know, of course I know, Zhuxuan, I won't compete with you!" Anmi lowered her brows, her eyes shining with a gentle and harmless light.

"Really?" Yi Zhuxuan was overjoyed. She had thought An Mi had changed, which made her deal with her carefully, but now she realized that An Mi was still so easy to control.

Anmi nodded. "Of course it's true." Then, as if remembering something, she continued, "Zhuxuan, I hope you get everything you want."

She wouldn't compete with her for Liu Zhan, because Liu Zhan wasn't worth it at all. The one who should compete with Yi Zhuxuan would be someone else!

What she has to do is... push them to a certain height with her own hands, and then push them into hell with her own hands. This is what they owe her, and in this life, she will take it back tenfold!

Yi Zhuxuan was overjoyed to receive Anmi's promise. She glanced at Liu Zhan on the stage without making it obvious, her eyes gleaming with a determined light. She had lived such a lowly, poor, and subservient life for too long, and she didn't want to continue. Thinking of how the eldest and fifth young ladies had deliberately made things difficult for her recently, Yi Zhuxuan was even more determined to win today's championship.

"I will get it." She absolutely wouldn't let this opportunity slip away; she would seize it firmly and never let go!

An Mi saw her confidence, and a half-smile played on her lips. Would she get it? Well, she'd wait and see!

"Ladies, if you are ready, let's begin! Today, we will each embroider a piece based on the beautiful scenery of the garden, with a time limit of one incense stick!" Liu Zhan announced loudly. His words immediately caused an uproar. Everyone looked at each other in surprise. An Xinlian, An Xinhe, Feng Xianglan, Yi Zhuxuan, and others all changed their expressions.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn? Even under normal circumstances, it would take quite a while to embroider a small handkerchief, but... on such an occasion, the embroidery is even more exquisite. Who could finish it in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?

Yi Zhuxuan's previously confident aura seemed to have been torn open, instantly weakening her considerably.

An Xinlian and Feng Xianglan also frowned, and An Xinhe, who couldn't hold back, even spoke up, "Young Master Liu, isn't the time it takes for an incense stick to burn a little too short?"

"Does Fifth Miss think she can't embroider something good within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?" Liu Zhan said calmly, his attitude even more forceful. "If Fifth Miss is not capable, she can withdraw immediately. Neither Liu Zhan nor the Liu family will force her."

You must know that today's leader is none other than Liu Zhan's wife. This temptation should have been the bargaining chip to attract that person. However, he did not find what he was looking for earlier. At this moment, he has to worry about what to do if he cannot find that person among these people today.

Does he really want Liu Zhan to marry one of them?

His gaze swept over the group, a hint of disdain in his eyes. In terms of status, none of them were worthy of Liu Zhan. Would he really risk his marriage for such a thing? No, absolutely not!

By setting a time limit, he was leaving himself an escape route. It was indeed difficult to complete an exquisite piece within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, which was exactly what he wanted. If he couldn't find the person he was looking for, then he had a way to make them give up.

With this plan in mind, Liu Zhan smiled with satisfaction.

An Xinhe's face stiffened, and she quickly said, "It's just an embroidery piece, so what if it's only a stick of incense burning?"

Quit? What a joke, how could she quit?

Everyone could see Liu Zhan's attitude. The matter of one incense stick's time was a done deal and could not be changed, so they could only accept it. Those who were watching the show were excited because of this one incense stick's time, looking forward to seeing what kind of works these people could embroider within that time.

"In that case, let's begin." Bai Yi's deep voice rang out, his gaze never leaving a trace on An Mi. He thought of what he had just seen: when Liu Zhan said "one incense stick's time," almost everyone's expression changed drastically, but An Mi's eyes were calm, with a composure that showed she had everything under control.

Her composure suggests that he hadn't taken his mischief seriously at all!

Thinking of this, the light in his deep eyes shone even brighter, and he felt a greater sense of anticipation for Anmi.

When the King of Bohai gave the order, no one dared to delay. Liu Xu, the eldest daughter of the Liu family, personally lit the incense sticks in front of everyone. Upon seeing this, the five people each took a needle and thread, not daring to waste a single bit.

An Mi glanced subtly at the focused group. In her past life, she had also been one of those focused on this embroidery appreciation event, not daring to slack off in the slightest. But in this life… An Mi's gaze fell on the white silk spread out before her, a smile playing on her lips. Her left hand gently caressed the fine fabric, while her right hand held an embroidery needle, piercing it from the back into the silk. Her eyes darted around as the fine needle pierced the fabric, disappearing into her left hand's fingers. Watching the blood trickle from her finger and gradually spread across the white fabric, An Mi smiled with satisfaction. But the next moment, she suddenly gasped, abruptly withdrawing her hand and exclaiming, "Ah… Oh no!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to her. They looked at the second young lady of the An family with puzzled expressions, but when they saw the bright red on her hand, they understood and couldn't help but show their mockery.

This second young lady probably doesn't have any real skills. She pricked her hand as soon as she put the needle in. This is clearly not the level of an embroidery expert. It seems that she was able to get into the group of five because of the King of Bohai's favor!

At this point, many people felt that the relationship between the two was not innocent.

An Xinlian, An Xinhe, Feng Xianglan, Yi Zhuxuan and the others glanced at An Mi's situation and all looked at her with disdain. She had dirtied the fabric right from the start. How useless!