The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"You..." Emperor Mingde lost face after being confronted by Bai Yi, and his attitude became even more forceful. He slammed his hand heavily on the table, "This matter is not up to you!"

Everyone was startled and looked at Bai Yi with concern. However, the determination on Bai Yi's face did not diminish in the slightest. "Father, I will make my own decision about my marriage."

"You..." Emperor Mingde's heart skipped a beat again. He really wanted to give an order to cut off Bai Yi's head, but putting aside their father-son relationship, just considering his important role in the economy, Emperor Mingde had to calm himself down.

Silence fell over the hall, an eerie silence descending upon it. Empress Feng had never wanted to bestow Yunxiu upon Bai Yi. In her view, the only way to control Bai Yi was through Anmi. Bai Yi was not someone who could be swayed by beauty alone; Yunxiu would have no effect on him whatsoever.

These cloud sleeves can only be most effective when they are by the Emperor's side!

Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, Empress Feng spoke up, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry. It's not worth hurting your health. It is time for the Prince of Bohai to take a concubine, but there's no rush. Let's discuss this matter another day."

Empress Feng's words broke the deadlock. Emperor Mingde also realized that he might have acted too hastily and might have provoked a stronger reaction from Bai Yi. He had no choice but to go along with Empress Feng's suggestion and waved his hand, "Alright, let's discuss this another day."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Bai Yi frowned. He knew that his father did not want him to marry An Mi, and even if the matter were discussed again in the future, it would only end up like the situation just now. It seemed that he had to quickly give himself more leverage to fight for his right to choose his own marriage.

Bai Yi tightened his grip on An Mi's hand, then looked down and met her gaze. He instinctively whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I will fulfill my promise to you as soon as possible."

She wants to be unique, and he will definitely give her that!

An Mi remained silent. She knew Bai Yi's resolve at this moment, and if she were to express her unwillingness to be with him again, how dejected he would feel.

Anmi didn't realize that, at some point, she started thinking about his difficulties and feeling sorry for his hardships.

An Mi frowned, but then heard Bai Yi's low murmur in her ear again, "I will not marry her."

An Mi raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, "Could it be that you already have a solution?"

Bai Yi's lips curled up subtly, his words carrying a hidden meaning, "Heh, no matter what, Father Emperor cannot bestow his own woman upon his son as a princess!"

An Mi was startled and instantly understood Bai Yi's meaning. She thought to herself, "This Bai Yi is really shrewd. Perhaps, after the Ghost Festival, Bai Yi will make his move."

Yunxiu… Anmi looked at Yunxiu. In her previous life, Yunxiu was Emperor Mingde’s concubine. Although there were some twists and turns at today’s banquet, fate is not something that can be easily changed!

Qinglan looked at the two holding hands, his brow furrowed from beginning to end. Just a moment ago, he had actually hoped that his father would forcefully bestow Yunxiu upon Baiyi, so that Anmi would no longer be able to accept Baiyi.

But... immediately, he couldn't help but curse himself in his heart. Even if he liked An Mi and wanted to get her, he should have used fair and square means to compete with Bai Yi head-on.

After what just happened, the atmosphere in the main hall suddenly became somewhat strange. Consort Rong thought that Yunxiu being bestowed upon Bai Yi was a foregone conclusion, but she did not expect it to turn out like this.

In her view, as long as there was no clear outcome regarding Yunxiu's matter, she would still be a threat. Moreover, the Empress's attitude clearly indicated that she intended to hand Yunxiu over to the Emperor. Her delay at this time was to leave room for future opportunities, and the Empress would not give up so easily.

Consort Rong understood, and a sense of displeasure gradually surfaced. She took a deep breath and thought, "So what if that's the case? Don't I still have a grand gift to give to Empress Feng today?"

A faint smile played on her lips, but Consort Rong's brows suddenly furrowed. "Ah... Your Majesty..."

The sudden exclamation startled Emperor Mingde. Knowing that Consort Rong was pregnant, he took her reaction very seriously. "What's wrong?"

"Your Majesty...this concubine...this concubine's stomach...is so...so painful..." Consort Rong tightly grasped Emperor Mingde's hand, placing one hand on her lower abdomen, as if she were truly enduring pain and fear.

Emperor Mingde panicked immediately, "Quick, where is the imperial physician? Quickly, summon the imperial physician..."

The imperial physician had already been summoned, and upon hearing the emperor's call, he immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty, please allow me to examine Consort Rong."

"Alright, hurry up. If anything happens to Consort Rong or the child in her womb, you will be held responsible." Emperor Mingde immediately gave up a seat.

The imperial physician was filled with trepidation, but he managed to calm himself and examine Consort Rong. Emperor Mingde noticed the physician's solemn expression and could not relax his brow.

"What's wrong with Consort Rong? Is the child in her womb alright?" Emperor Mingde asked anxiously.

The imperial physician stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the prince in Consort Rong's womb is fine, but..."

"But what?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Rong's reaction just now seems to be due to the use of musk, which is why there are signs of instability in the fetus. Your Majesty should know that musk is not a good thing for pregnant women," the imperial physician said cautiously.

Before she could finish speaking, Consort Rong cried out in terror, “How could there be musk? Your Majesty, ever since I learned I was pregnant, I have been extremely careful. I know the dangers of musk to pregnant women, so naturally I dare not come into contact with it. Your Majesty, someone must be trying to harm me, and even more so, the child in my womb. Your Majesty, even if you don’t care about me, you must do justice for our child! Don’t let him fall into the hands of villains before he is even born!”

These words made Empress Feng frown. Thinking of her special arrangements, if the musk on An Mi's body really worked, then Consort Rong's child would probably not exist anymore. Therefore, she was not panicked at the moment. Even if they investigated, they should not be able to find her.

"Consort Rong, don't worry. I will not let anyone who dares to harm the child in your womb off lightly." Emperor Mingde said solemnly and firmly. In this harem, there are quite a few concubines who are pregnant with the imperial heir, but only a handful are able to give birth safely. How could he not know about the sordid things that happen in this harem?

He was overjoyed by the child in Consort Rong's womb, and he was determined not to let anyone harm it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. With Your Majesty's words, I... I am at ease." Consort Rong had achieved one of her goals by obtaining the Emperor's promise, but that was not all she wanted.