The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

What did he want? Emperor Mingde had no idea that this was exactly what Bai Yi was waiting for!

"Your Majesty, I dare to ask for a promise from Your Majesty." Bai Yi seized this opportunity. All that he had done just now was to make Emperor Mingde feel powerless, and now was his chance.

Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes. "A promise? What promise?"

Empress Feng also tensed up. A promise? What kind of promise does Bai Yi want?

She subconsciously thought of the position of heir, and became even more wary. What if Bai Yi used this matter to blackmail the emperor into making him the crown prince?

"Father..."

"Your Majesty..." Empress Feng anxiously interrupted Bai Yi. Instantly, everyone's gaze turned to Empress Feng. Under the gazes of Emperor Mingde and Bai Yi, Empress Feng forced a smile, knowing in her heart that she had to speak up and stop him. "Your Majesty, it is truly inappropriate for the Prince of Bohai to use this matter to demand a promise from Your Majesty. If what he wants is the throne of our Great Jin Dynasty, should we grant his wish? Your Majesty is the ruler of the Great Jin Dynasty. She is merely a woman. If Your Majesty wants her, so be it. If the Prince of Bohai does not wish to marry Yunxiu again, then he can marry whoever he wishes to marry. If he makes any excessive demands, then the Prince of Bohai is disloyal and unjust."

Empress Feng was determined to stop Bai Yi from making demands that would harm her and her son's interests, but she never expected that her words would ultimately help Bai Yi.

A hint of sarcasm flickered in Bai Yi's heart, but he remained serious and said, "Father, Empress, I am not a greedy person and I know my limits. What the Empress said is perfectly reasonable."

Emperor Mingde and Empress Feng both frowned, wondering what kind of promise Bai Yi was asking for.

"Tell me your story," Emperor Mingde's deep voice rang out, and his dark eyes regained their composure.

Bai Yi wasted no more time and said loudly, word by word, "Your subject begs Your Majesty to allow me to decide my own marriage, and no one shall interfere."

As soon as the King of Bohai finished speaking, Empress Feng and Emperor Mingde were stunned for a moment before finally coming to their senses. Something suddenly became clear in their minds...

He wants to decide his own marriage.

Emperor Mingde kept a close eye on his son. Among all his sons, Bai Yi was undoubtedly one of the most shrewd. However, he never expected that his son's shrewdness would be used to scheme against him!

Ah!

Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes, a strong urge to laugh rising within him. He now fully understood that his son had been planning all this from the very beginning, when he had requested the imperial decree to grant the marriage as he had wished. And... this Yunxiu...

Will Yunxiu be his ally?

However, there's no point in dwelling on that now; he should focus his attention on dealing with Bai Yi.

Should he grant his request? Emperor Mingde was extremely unwilling, but what could he do even if he was unwilling?

A silence fell over the air; no one spoke. Bai Yi knew that Emperor Mingde had already guessed his scheme, so there was no need to continue the act. "What is Father's opinion?"

"You... are threatening me!" Emperor Mingde felt a surge of anger in his chest, his hands already clenched into fists.

In contrast to Emperor Mingde's anger, Bai Yi remained calm. "Father, I am not a threat; I am merely fighting for my own happiness!"

"Fight for your happiness? So An Mi is happiness to you? Don't forget who she is!" Emperor Mingde roared. In the end, it was because of that woman named An Mi that Bai Yi had even tricked him.

Thinking about what he had asked An Mi to do yesterday, he thought she had done what he wanted, but he never expected it to turn out like this. That An Mi is full of ulterior motives, and she might even be involved in Bai Yi's scheme!

Thinking of this, the anger and sharpness in Emperor Mingde's eyes intensified. Bai Yi seemed to see what he was thinking and said calmly, "Father, this matter has nothing to do with An Mi. It was just my idea. I only want a satisfactory result. Please forgive me, Father."

"You insolent fool!" Emperor Mingde's eyes flashed. "Do you even respect me, your father? Since ancient times, marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. You think you can decide for yourself? No way!"

How could Emperor Mingde possibly agree to Bai Yi's wishes? If he did, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat, and where would his imperial dignity be?!

Thinking of something, Emperor Mingde roared, "Guards, bring Anmi to me!"

Having received his orders, Eunuch Qin quickly left the room, but Bai Yi did not stop him. So what if Emperor Mingde brought An Mi here? He was determined not to give him the opportunity to harm Mi'er!

Meanwhile, in Yanfu Palace, Anmi sat in a chair, leisurely drinking tea, while Liuguang beside her lowered his head slightly, as if whispering something to her.

"Miss, the Empress's palace gates are tightly closed, and we can't hear anything coming from inside. However, we can hear a woman's cries of pain. Also, the Prince has been inside for quite a while now." Liu Guang reported the results she had gathered to An Mi, and she was also very curious about what was happening inside the room.

An Mi swallowed a sip of tea, her eyes gleaming as if she were trying to guess what was happening inside. Bai Yi had been inside for quite a while, and she wondered if he had achieved his goal. She was somewhat disappointed. It would be a blessing if she could see Emperor Mingde's expression after being tricked by Bai Yi.

Thinking of the threat Emperor Mingde posed to her, An Mi's eyes narrowed, and then a coldness gradually spread out.

"Miss...should I go and inquire again?" Liu Guang could see that An Mi was quite interested in this matter, and asked in a low voice.

“Of course…” An Mi raised her beautiful eyebrows, but when she heard hurried footsteps approaching, and a moment later saw Eunuch Qin rushing towards them beside Emperor Mingde, she couldn’t help but frown. Could Eunuch Qin’s visit to Yanfu Palace be without reason? Almost instantly, An Mi understood, and a smile appeared on her lips, “It seems you don’t need to investigate.”

Without a doubt, Eunuch Qin had come on the Emperor's orders, and as for his purpose...

An Mi's ambiguous smile deepened. She immediately put down her teacup, stood up, and went to greet Eunuch Qin. "An Mi greets Eunuch Qin."

Eunuch Qin glanced at the smiling woman and, recalling the Emperor's anger when he ordered him to bring An Mi over, couldn't help but sigh. If An Mi knew she was about to face the Emperor's wrath, she probably wouldn't be so calm!

In fact, in his opinion, this tranquility was somewhat admirable. To be able to attract the King of Bohai, and even to make him go so far as to scheme against the Emperor to regain control of the marriage, this woman's abilities probably exceeded his imagination.