The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Bai Yi stroked the embroidery in his hands. The familiar embroidery technique made his smile deepen. This was her skill level. It was made by the same person as the purse An Mi had given him that day. Why had she hidden her skills beforehand?

His reserved eyes shifted slightly. Thinking of what he had just witnessed An Mi embroidered and the chaotic mess it was in, Bai Yi's gaze deepened. Was she hiding her talents? An Mi was probably hiding more than just her talents!

His gaze fell on the signature in the corner. The name made Bai Yi frown suddenly, as if he were falling into greater doubt. His eyes, which were subtly fixed on An Mi, became more and more inquisitive.

Everyone watched as the King of Bohai's expression subtly changed, but they couldn't discern what he was thinking. After an unknown amount of time, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed, and his sharp gaze swept over An Xinlian and the others. Instantly, the atmosphere became even more tense. Each of them understood that the King of Bohai already knew who the leader was, and his every move at this moment might reveal information.

An Xinhe and Yi Zhuxuan felt as if their hearts were about to jump out of their chests. Their emotions rose and fell with the gaze of the King of Bohai. They secretly prayed that they would win the championship!

When that gaze fell upon her, Feng Xianglan's heart tightened, and she hurriedly lowered her head, as if afraid that something would be exposed under those sharp eyes.

Finally, under everyone's expectant gaze, Bai Yi's eyes gleamed with a smile as he announced loudly, "Well-deserved, the undisputed champion, congratulations... Miss An... Xinhe!"

The moment the name "An Xinhe" was uttered, Yi Zhuxuan and Feng Xianglan's expressions changed, their hearts skipping a beat. An Xinhe? How could it be? How could it be her? She won first place, but what about them?

At the same time, almost everyone's eyes were fixed on the lucky winner.

"It's her! The fifth young lady of the An family. I've heard that the fifth young lady of the An family is arrogant and domineering, unlike the eldest young lady, An Xinlian, who is virtuous and gentle. It seems that the rumors were false!"

"Yes, yes, yes, to be able to embroider something that even Madam Liu and the Prince of Bohai praised so highly, one must naturally possess some skill. No wonder she's the daughter of the An family! She must have been influenced by them since childhood..."

"Congratulations... Miss Anwu..."

Immediately, everyone offered their congratulations. An Xinhe was stunned for a moment before realizing that she had won the championship. She came back to her senses amidst the congratulations and could hardly believe the fact before her eyes. Had she really won the championship?

This was something she had been looking forward to all along! The thought that today's champion was Liu Zhan's wife made An Xinhe even more excited, and her expression became more smug.

At this moment, everyone's attention was on An Xinhe, but no one noticed that when Bai Yi said the name "An Xinhe", his gaze was fixed intently on An Mi.

Qinglan, curious, walked over to Bai Yi's side. When she saw the embroidery in Bai Yi's hand, her calm eyes narrowed. That... wasn't that embroidered by An Mi? He had an embroidered handkerchief in his arms, and she was certain she wouldn't mistake An Mi's craftsmanship. But... the signature was clearly "An Xinhe"!

How is this going?

Qinglan was always clever. Connecting everything, she quickly noticed some clues. Following Bai Yi's gaze, she caught sight of An Mi's figure. Her restrained eyes flickered slightly. From An Mi, she could not see any disappointment in failure, but rather the pleasure of achieving her goal!

An Mi did it on purpose, deliberately letting An Xinhe win the championship, but why did she do it?

"Madam Liu, I have a favor to ask. I wonder if you would be willing to grant my request?" Bai Yi's deep voice rang out again, once again attracting everyone's attention.

Madam Liu frowned slightly, but her expression relaxed in an instant. "Please speak freely, esteemed guest. I will do my best to help."

Bai Yi raised his handsome eyebrows slightly, his gaze sweeping over An Mi's calm face without leaving a trace. A strange glint flashed in his eyes, but although it disappeared quickly, An Mi still felt it. Her heart trembled, and she thought to herself, "What is Bai Yi going to do now?"

"Madam Liu has won the top prize. I wonder if she would be willing to give this embroidery to me?" Bai Yi's smile was harmless. He deliberately used the self-reference of "this king," making his meaning all too clear: he had his eye on the embroidery and was determined to have it, even if it meant using his power to force it.

Madam Liu was slightly taken aback. As experienced as she was, she naturally understood Bai Yi's meaning. She felt extremely reluctant. How could she be so foolish as to offend the King of Bohai for such an embroidery?

Suppressing her reluctance and secretly considering something, Madam Liu then forced a smile and said warmly, "Since Your Highness likes it, this old woman will naturally present it to you. However, the embroidery is not yet finished... In this old woman's opinion, how about this: this old woman asks the Fifth Miss of the An family to finish embroidering the entire piece of white satin, and then deliver it to Your Highness another day..."

Lady Liu was plotting to use this opportunity to push Liu Xu towards the King of Bohai.

Who is Bai Yi? Even seasoned business magnates wouldn't dare to scheme against him, let alone a mere Madam Liu. He saw through the scheming in her eyes at a glance.

At that moment, Bai Yi interrupted her, "No need. Since it's already in my hands, why bother? Uncle Ji, please put it away for me."

As he spoke, Bai Yi casually tossed the embroidery in his hand, and it landed precisely in the hands of Uncle Ji, who was not far behind him.

Seeing Madam Liu's somewhat stiff expression, a sense of pleasure rose in her heart. Recalling Madam Liu's words from earlier, she couldn't help but sneer, "You want the fifth young lady of the An family to finish embroidering the entire piece of white satin?" But how could she know that this was not something An Xinhe could embroider at all!

He was looking forward to seeing what kind of interesting expression Madam Liu would have when she learned that An Xinhe was not the person they were looking for!

His gaze subtly fell on An Mi, his smile deepening. Was this what An Mi wanted? Heh, interesting. Even he couldn't help but want to get involved!

"Madam Liu, since Miss An Xinhe is the champion, shouldn't we fulfill the Liu family's promise as a reward?" Bai Yi's handsome eyes sparkled as he deliberately reminded everyone of the promise Liu Zhan had made in front of everyone: whoever won the championship, he, Liu Zhan, would bring her home in a grand wedding procession!

An Mi was slightly taken aback. She looked up and met Bai Yi's smiling eyes. She felt a little awkward. Just now, Bai Yi was making things difficult for her and deliberately tripping her up. Why was he helping her now?

Look at his malicious gaze, his calm yet silent smile—it's clear he's adding fuel to the fire, waiting for a spark to fly across the river.

The Liu family's encounter with Bai Yi can only be a misfortune!

It seems that her move to find Bai Yi as an ally was very wise. The Liu family's encounter with Bai Yi and then with her can only be a disaster!