The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

At this moment, Emperor Mingde, upon seeing Yunxiu, felt a complex mix of emotions. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Yunxiu? Was it Yunxiu last night? Shouldn't it have been the Empress? What on earth is going on?!

Emperor Mingde naturally understood what this matter meant; it was not merely a matter of having slept with a palace maid!

Emperor Mingde glared at Empress Feng. Recalling her actions last night, he had many reasons to suspect her. However, all he saw in Empress Feng's eyes was anger. If Empress Feng had orchestrated this, what was the reason for her anger?

"Acting?" Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her. Suddenly, Han Yu knelt down, stammering, "Your Majesty, please calm down, this...this matter..."

Han Yu's eyes flickered, glancing between Yun Xiu and Empress Feng, looking as if she were in a very difficult position.

Empress Feng frowned. "What exactly is going on? How could it be her?"

Empress Feng's chest heaved violently as she looked at Emperor Mingde and said urgently, "Your Majesty, I am guilty, please punish me!"

Emperor Mingde's already furrowed brows tightened even more, and his tone became frighteningly cold, "So it really was you who did it!"

"No, Your Majesty, I didn't know it was her. I have my reasons!" Empress Feng panicked.

"What is your predicament? I have not forgotten that you originally intended to arrange this woman to be my concubine. Yesterday, I bestowed this woman upon the Prince of Bohai. You must be unwilling to accept this, so you devised this scheme, right?" Emperor Mingde jumped off the bed. His fierce aura frightened Empress Feng so much that she hurriedly knelt on the ground, shaking her head incessantly.

"No, that's not how it is, Your Majesty, please let me explain..."

"Your Majesty, it has nothing to do with the Empress. It is my fault..." Han Yu also confessed her guilt. Emperor Mingde looked at the three people kneeling on the ground. Although he tried his best to suppress his anger, he was still somewhat furious.

Empress Feng had to admit that Emperor Mingde's guesses were all correct. However, she could not allow Emperor Mingde to believe this fact. "Your Majesty, I did intend to have another woman serve you for one night, but I would never dare to do as Your Majesty said and arrange for Yunxiu to serve you. Your Majesty, as Empress for so many years, I naturally know what is important. Yunxiu is no longer a palace maid by my side. She is the fiancée of the Prince of Bohai. Do you think I don't know what the consequences would be if Your Majesty took Yunxiu? It would be a direct slap in the face of our Great Jin Dynasty. I would never dare to do such a thing. Last night, I deliberately invited Your Majesty to drink because I suddenly felt unwell and was unable to serve you. So I thought I would delay and arrange for someone else. But the person I wanted to arrange was just an innocent palace maid. How could I have imagined that it would become Yunxiu? I don't know what happened. I beg Your Majesty to investigate."

"Your Majesty, this is indeed not the Empress's fault. Last night, the Empress instructed me to arrange this matter, and I arranged for Fu'er, but... but I never expected..." Han Yu explained, just then, a palace maid's panicked scream came from outside...

"Ah...someone's dead...someone's dead..."

Emperor Mingde's expression immediately changed. He gave Eunuch Qin a look, and Eunuch Qin immediately went out. After a while, when he came back in, he had brought back a message: "Your Majesty, a palace maid has just hanged herself. Her name seems to be Fu'er."

"Damn it!" Emperor Mingde roared. He had originally wanted to find Fu'er and ask her what had happened, but he hadn't expected that there would be no way to verify the story. Emperor Mingde felt more frustrated than ever before. He had been tricked, but he wasn't sure which person present had tricked him.

Empress Feng? Or Yunxiu?

"Yunxiu, what did you do to Fu'er?" Empress Feng questioned angrily, her sharp gaze fixed on Yunxiu.

Yunxiu met Empress Feng's eyes. From the moment she was slapped until now, she had gleaned some meaning from Empress Feng's words. Empress Feng, oh Empress Feng, she did it on purpose, deliberately trying to shift the blame onto her. Although Empress Feng would spare her life, after all, if she really wanted her dead, she had many ways to do so. She wouldn't have made her take the poison last night to control her.

Empress Feng's purpose was simply to teach her a lesson. It seems that her bold deal with Empress Feng last night had ultimately made Empress Feng unhappy.

A hint of irony surfaced in Yunxiu's heart. She understood that the only way forward was to go along with Empress Feng's wishes. Biting her lip, Yunxiu deliberately increased the pressure, causing a trickle of blood to flow from the corner of her lips. One could imagine that such a peerless beauty, with her clothes disheveled, was engaging in such self-harming behavior, which truly evoked pity. Even the furious Emperor Mingde couldn't help but feel a little softer.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty! It was I who bribed and persuaded Fu'er, promising her benefits, which led to everything that happened last night. But Your Majesty, I had my reasons!" Yunxiu knelt and crawled a few steps, grabbing Emperor Mingde's robe and looking pitifully at the man looking down at her. "Your Majesty, I know that what I did is a capital offense, but my heart belongs to Your Majesty!"

Yunxiu's words clearly explained everything. She admitted that it was all her own fault and had nothing to do with Empress Feng.

Yunxiu's actions undoubtedly pleased Empress Feng. However, her pitiful appearance made Empress Feng frown. She thought to herself, "This woman is indeed clever. She knows where her advantages lie and how to use them. What man could be so humble in the face of such a delicate beauty's confession? Even the most hard-hearted man would probably soften."

However, Empress Feng had already made up her mind. Today, she would make Yunxiu pay the price. She wouldn't let her win the Emperor's heart with pity. Empress Feng's eyes narrowed, and she shouted angrily, "Yunxiu, Yunxiu, are you really confused! You admire the Emperor, and you could have refused the marriage decree yesterday. But now, what have you done? Yesterday, the Emperor bestowed a marriage between you and the Prince of Bohai, and all the officials know about it. The Emperor even issued an imperial edict. This news will soon spread throughout the capital. Now, with what you've done, what position have you put the Emperor in?"

Emperor Mingde's heart had suddenly softened and hardened, and Yunxiu's heart skipped a beat. Empress Feng, Empress Feng, do you really have to be so aggressive?

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and have not considered the consequences. If I had thought about what the consequences would be, I would rather die than do such a thing and put Your Majesty in such a difficult position," Yunxiu said urgently, her eyes flickering with unease. "Your Majesty, please kill me! I have done something that has so disgraced Your Majesty and the royal family. I deserve to be executed!"