The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Remembering the Emperor's instructions, Eunuch Qin did not delay any longer and said in a high-pitched voice, "Miss Anmi, the Emperor summons Miss Anmi."

An Mi was not surprised and nodded to Eunuch Qin, "Thank you for leading the way, sir."

Eunuch Qin paused, surprised that An Mi didn't even ask him where the Emperor wanted her to go, or what the Emperor wanted to do with her.

Eunuch Qin nodded. "Miss Anmi, please come with me."

Having said that, he turned and walked ahead, with An Mi following closely behind. She was thinking to herself that she had been worried about not having a chance to see Emperor Mingde's frustrated reaction, and now that he had someone take her there, she naturally wouldn't refuse.

Was she afraid? No, Anmi wasn't afraid. Perhaps it was because she knew the King of Bohai was also there. That man, the one she wanted to protect, even if it was the Emperor, she wouldn't allow him to be harmed!

Thinking of Bai Yi, a smile naturally appeared on An Mi's lips.

“Miss Anmi, the Emperor doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.”

As they approached the Empress's palace, Eunuch Qin's soft voice came from ahead, startling An Mi. An Mi wasn't stupid; the tone was clearly a reminder to be careful when meeting the Emperor, to prepare her mentally.

"Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Qin. I understand." An Mi said, expressing her gratitude. Regardless of Eunuch Qin's reasons for reminding her, she was genuinely grateful for his concern.

The two remained silent thereafter. Upon arriving at the Empress's palace, An Mi sensed an eerie atmosphere permeating the air, which was particularly intense even outside the room. It seemed that the fierce confrontation inside was quite a spectacle.

As An Mi was thinking, she heard the door open. When she looked up, she met Emperor Mingde's angry eyes in the room. His eyes were fixed on her, and his burning gaze seemed to pierce through her.

"Your Majesty, Miss Anmi has arrived," Eunuch Qin reported, standing respectfully to the side. Ever since he entered this room again, every hair on his body had been on edge.

An Mi seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room, and respectfully curtsied, saying, "This commoner greets Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, and the Prince of Bohai."

"Kneel down before me!" Emperor Mingde roared angrily, the pent-up anger in his heart erupting as if he wanted to vent it all on Anmi.

Bai Yi was his son and played an important role in his life, so he couldn't be too harsh on his scheming. However, An Mi was different. This woman was the reason Bai Yi schemed against him, and he increasingly felt that this woman posed a huge threat to him.

He regretted it, regretted not investigating properly before issuing the imperial decree to summon An Mi to the capital. Otherwise, the current situation would not have occurred. Little did he know that his summoning of An Mi to the capital was nothing more than falling into Bai Yi's trap!

Anmi was slightly startled, but quickly regained her composure. She could not disobey the Emperor's orders. Just as she was about to kneel down, a large hand grasped her arm. The familiar warmth from that hand seemed to penetrate her clothes, enter her skin, and then spread to her limbs and bones.

Bai Yi pulled An Mi back, preventing her from kneeling. Emperor Mingde and Empress Feng reacted with different expressions. Empress Feng's lips curled into a subtle, cold, and disdainful smile. Bai Yi had ruined her plans, and she was seething with hatred. But now... Bai Yi was so audacious. This action was clearly intended to enrage the Emperor. Heh, at this moment, she actually hoped that Bai Yi would fall out with the Emperor because of this matter, which would be entirely beneficial to her.

Seeing this scene, Yunxiu couldn't help but feel envious of Anmi. Compared to the pretense of Baiyi protecting her earlier, his eyes now revealed true tenderness and fearlessness.

Just as Empress Feng had predicted, Emperor Mingde was even more furious. "Baiyi, are you really going to defy me like this for the sake of this woman!"

Emperor Mingde became even more convinced that Bai Yi's motive for plotting against him was that An Mi was indeed a source of trouble!

Bai Yi met Emperor Mingde's glare with his own fearless expression. "Father, I am not disobeying you. It is you who have wronged me!"

Bai Yi was a clever man. Emperor Mingde had summoned An Mi with the intention of taking his anger out on her. However, he could not allow him to shift his attention to An Mi. After Bai Yi mentioned it, Emperor Mingde's face indeed turned pale. He glanced at Yunxiu, whose clothes were disheveled on the ground, and could not help but curse under his breath.

Damn it! Although he knew it was Bai Yi's conspiracy, what was laid bare before everyone was the fact that he and his son's fiancée were having an affair. Even if he revealed to everyone that it was Bai Yi's conspiracy, it would not only fail to give him the upper hand, but would also make him, and even the entire royal family, a huge joke!

Yes, a king of a country, being outmaneuvered by his own son, where does he put his face?

At this moment, he was so eager to kill Bai Yi that he hesitated to act rashly.

Taking a deep breath, Emperor Mingde quickly pondered how to resolve the current stalemate. Bai Yi's intentions were clear: he wanted to control his own marriage, and the result of his control was to marry An Mi.

But... thinking of something, Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes. An Mi, ah An Mi, if she were an ordinary woman, it would be fine, but this woman has been showing her face in Rongjin City, so she is destined not to be someone who is content to stay at home. In addition... Emperor Mingde sighed deeply. Even if Bai Yi marries An Mi, it will ultimately not end well!

He's doing this for their own good, isn't he?

"Bai Yi..." After a long silence, Emperor Mingde spoke. At this moment, the anger in his eyes had lessened, and he seemed to have regained the shrewd and composed demeanor of a ruler. "The promise you just asked me for, I can grant your wish, however..."

Bai Yi seemed to have anticipated Emperor Mingde's "however," so he wasn't surprised and quietly waited for Emperor Mingde to continue.

"Even if I allow you to decide your own marriage, you must promise me that you will never marry this woman as a concubine in this lifetime!" Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Bai Yi and An Mi, and said each word clearly.

An Mi was slightly taken aback, only then realizing Bai Yi's other purpose: to control her marriage. It seemed that Bai Yi had already considered maximizing his own interests when he designed all of this; he truly was a cunning fox.

However, he is also facing an old fox, and who will win this duel?

An Mi couldn't help but glance at Bai Yi, as if guessing how he would deal with the condition proposed by Emperor Mingde. She also had to admit that hearing Emperor Mingde stop Bai Yi from marrying her again, she no longer felt the same calm as before.

Without even thinking, Bai Yi said, "Father, I cannot accept this condition!"