The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the man on the horse again. He was dressed in a green robe. Who else could it be but Qing Lan?

Qinglan leaped off his horse, and a thunderous applause erupted from the crowd. Qinglan paid no heed to it and was about to walk toward Anmi when the woman in purple stepped forward and curtsied before him. "This humble woman is Sima Yan. I thank Your Highness the Crown Prince for saving my life."

Sima Yan?

Qinglan frowned slightly and glanced at the woman again. The Sima family? Isn't that the Yong Prince's mansion?

"It was nothing, not worth mentioning," Qinglan said calmly, her brows furrowed.

Sima Yan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but she quickly recovered. "If it weren't for the Crown Prince, I would probably have already lost my life under those horse hooves. I am naturally grateful."

Qinglan frowned slightly, but before she could say anything, Sima Yan spoke again, "There is a teahouse ahead. I wonder if Your Highness would do me the honor of serving tea instead of wine to express my gratitude for saving my life."

Qinglan hadn't expected Sima Yan to be so eager to thank him. She was about to refuse, but Bai Yi spoke up, "Elder brother, you did indeed save Miss Sima's life, so it's only natural that she's grateful. Since you can't refuse her kind offer, why not have a cup of tea and accept her thanks?"

"Yes, I just wanted to thank the Crown Prince." Sima Yan looked at Qing Lan with a hopeful expression, her beautiful eyes revealing sincerity that no one could bear to refuse.

Qinglan was naturally unwilling, but the shrewd Bai Yi saw this and chuckled, "Does Your Majesty fear a woman?"

Such provocation would be disliked by anyone. Qinglan glanced at Bai Yi, who simply smiled and turned to An Mi, saying, "Get in the carriage. Liu'er might be unhappy if she can't find you at home."

An Mi glanced at Qing Lan, then turned her gaze to the woman in purple. Sima Yan? In her previous life, although she rarely interacted with the royal family, Liu Zhan was focused on currying favor with the powerful and influential, cultivating relationships with various parties, and thus knew quite a bit about some things. She also happened to know that Sima Yan in her previous life had been a concubine of the eldest prince.

An Mi glanced at the woman in purple again, a smile playing on her lips. Sima Yan came from a prominent family, and the Yonghou Mansion held a high position in the capital. Sima Yan standing next to Qing Lan was quite a good match.

Judging from the way Sima Yan looked at Qing Lan, there was clearly some affection in her eyes, and the two could be considered a good match.

An Mi felt much more at ease and then boarded the carriage. Bai Yi followed closely behind, lifted the curtain slightly, glanced at Qing Lan, whose brows were furrowed, with a half-smile, and loudly instructed the driver, "Back to the manor!"

The curtain, which had been lifted, suddenly fell, and the carriage slowly drove away in Qinglan's sight. Sima Yan followed Qinglan's gaze and watched the carriage leave. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she still did not give up her idea of ​​expressing her gratitude for being saved. "Please grant my request, Your Highness. Your Highness risked your life to save me just now. If I do not properly thank Your Highness, I am afraid I will feel guilty for a long time."

As the carriage carried Anmi away, Qinglan felt a sudden surge of irritation. He glanced at Sima Yan, his thick brows furrowing even more. Thinking of the Yonghou Mansion, he couldn't very well refuse her. Gradually, Qinglan's brows relaxed, he nodded to her, and then took a step.

Sima Yan was secretly delighted. Being a clever woman, she immediately understood Qing Lan's meaning. She concealed the unusual joy on her face, gave a wink to the maid beside her, and immediately followed Qing Lan's steps.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Bai Yi's eyes, still gleaming with a half-smile, remained unwavering. An Mi also noticed the strangeness in Bai Yi's eyes. Thinking back to what had just happened, the appearance of that horse was far too sudden, and Bai Yi... had intentionally prompted Qing Lan to accept Miss Sima's thanks. There was more to it than that...

An Mi lowered her brows slightly, parted her lips slightly, and tentatively said, "It was really fortunate that Qing Lan acted quickly just now, otherwise, wouldn't such a delicate woman have really become a dead soul under the horse's hooves?"

Bai Yi raised an eyebrow. "Hehe, that's not necessarily true. Sima Yan is not a short-lived person. On the contrary, she is a shrewd and bold woman!"

An Mi frowned even deeper, confused by Bai Yi's words. "What do you mean?"

Bai Yi laughed heartily, "She's even willing to gamble with her own life, tell me, isn't she bold?"

An Mi's mind raced as she processed Bai Yi's words. A jolt of shock shot through her as the image of the wild horse charging towards Sima Yan replayed in her mind. Some things became clearer, and with them came only more shock. She never imagined that all of this was not Bai Yi's design, but rather the work of that dignified and elegant young lady.

Sima Yan? An Mi had to re-evaluate this young lady!

"However, the risk she took wasn't great." Seeing An Mi's surprised expression, Bai Yi found it quite endearing. This woman, who was usually so shrewd, was rarely seen like this.

An Mi frowned and looked at Bai Yi again, thinking to herself, "This man is too shrewd. He sees everything so clearly. He deliberately said those provocative words to Qing Lan just now because he saw through Sima Yan's scheme!"

Haha, what a troublemaker!

but……

"Not much risk? You mean, Sima Yan was certain Qing Lan would intervene?" An Mi asked calmly. Upon reflection, it made sense. Just now, Qing Lan was closest to Sima Yan. Putting aside the fact that she was a young lady of the Yonghou Mansion, even if it were an ordinary person in such danger, Qing Lan wouldn't have abandoned them. Thinking of the help Qing Lan had given him in Rongjin City, he realized he always had the compassion of a healer; it was probably ingrained in his very being.

An Mi smiled. If Qing Lan became emperor, the people of the Great Jin Dynasty would be blessed!

Bai Yi smiled and nodded, the light in his eyes somewhat unfathomable. It seemed that the Yonghou Mansion was starting to take sides. Clearly, the Yonghou Mansion wanted to support Qinglan, otherwise they wouldn't have sent Sima Yan to scout the way.

Although the capital city has been calm recently, the undercurrents have never stopped.

The Grand Flame Restaurant was an instant hit in the capital. An Mi dismissed Cheng Ying from her position as manager and had her stay by her side with her daughter in the palace. There, she and Liu'er became good playmates.

With Bai Yi as the mastermind behind it all, the name of Shengshi Lieyan quickly spread throughout the capital. Everyone knew that the boss behind Shengshi Lieyan was a seamstress who had been summoned by the emperor to the palace to embroider clothes for the concubines, and who had a very good relationship with the Prince of Bohai.