The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

She kept telling herself, repeating to herself, that her father and the others would save her, that they would definitely save her. She could plead with the Emperor; the Emperor would consider the Yu family's sake and not pursue the matter. Yes, and there was also the Empress; wasn't she still Feng Yu's fiancée? She wouldn't let the Prince of Bohai deal with her…

However, the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Little did she know that she had fallen into Anmi's trap. What Bai Yi did to Yu Ling'er was his business, which was justified and harmless. What she wanted to do was to torment Yu Ling'er psychologically.

An Mi could easily guess how conflicted Yu Ling'er must have felt after she left.

An Mi was heading to Liu'er's courtyard when Liu Guang, who was following behind, frowned upon seeing Yi Fei hurrying towards her. Moments later, Yi Fei was in front of An Mi, her eyes darting around with worry. "Miss, someone from the palace has arrived... the Prince... the Prince isn't here..."

People from the palace have come? An Mi frowned and glanced at Yi Fei's expression. Judging from the look, it seemed that the people from the palace were looking for her!

"Whose people are they?" An Mi asked, two voices echoing in her mind. Her brow furrowed unconsciously. If someone from the palace was looking for her, it couldn't be anything good. Whether it was Emperor Mingde or Empress Feng, An Mi couldn't help but sigh. The troubles in the capital were really going to drag her into it.

"Someone from the Empress's palace said that Her Majesty the Empress wants you to come to the palace to admire the flowers," Yifei said seriously. "Miss, the Prince isn't here, we can't go. The palace is a place that eats people alive, and that Empress Feng..."

Yifei wanted to say that Empress Feng's summoning of her daughter to the palace must have been for ill intentions, but before she could finish speaking, Anmi interrupted her, "Have the people sent from the palace returned yet?"

Upon hearing this, Yifei's face fell even more, and she shook her head, "No."

Those people were clearly acting on Empress Feng's orders to bring Miss into the palace. They wouldn't go back without bringing Miss.

"Let's go!" An Mi frowned, said only two words, and then changed direction, walking towards the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.

Yifei and Liuguang were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and hurriedly chased after her, saying in unison, "Miss, you can't go to the palace."

"Empress Feng's attitude is clear. If I don't go to the palace, I'll be playing right into her hands. She can easily convict me of some crime of disobeying an imperial decree, and that will be enough for me to suffer. She's just waiting for me to not go to the palace!" An Mi said calmly.

"But……"

"Liuguang, you come with me to the palace. Yifei, you stay at the Prince's residence. If the Prince returns, tell him that I was invited by the Empress to the palace to admire the flowers." Anmi calmly instructed the two of them, without slowing down her pace.

Liu Guang and Yi Fei exchanged a glance. With their unspoken understanding, Liu Guang immediately understood the meaning in Yi Fei's eyes. She was telling her that she must protect her young lady.

Liu Guang nodded and quickened her pace to catch up with An Mi. However, Yi Fei did not stay in the palace to wait for the Prince of Bohai to return as An Mi had instructed. Instead, she left the palace through the back door first. She had to find the Prince as soon as possible so that he could get to the palace quickly. The sooner the Prince arrived, the safer the young lady would be. No matter what Empress Feng's purpose was in summoning the young lady to the palace this time, she could not let the young lady stay in such danger for too long.

Anmi arrived at the main hall, exchanged a few pleasantries with the people from the palace, and then followed them out of the palace. They boarded a carriage, with Liuguang attending to her the whole time. However, once they reached the palace gates, the carriage stopped.

Anmi and Liuguang, both inside the carriage, were slightly taken aback. Just as they were about to ask, the eunuch's voice came from outside the carriage, "Miss Anmi, please have your maid come down. Her Majesty the Empress has only invited Miss Anmi to come alone. Please forgive her."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guang's face darkened further. He made a move to argue with the eunuch, but before he could make a move, An Mi grabbed his wrist. Liu Guang turned to face An Mi, who simply smiled and shook her head. Then she said to the eunuch outside, "Then I'll trouble you, sir, to find a place to settle the maids of the Bohai Prince's Mansion."

An Mi deliberately emphasized that Liu Guang was a maid of the Bohai Prince's Mansion, which was to remind the eunuchs that Liu Guang was a member of the Bohai Prince's Mansion and that they had to give her some face.

"Yes, yes, yes," the eunuch outside echoed.

Anmi gave Liuguang a wink. Although Liuguang was unwilling, she had no choice but to obey Anmi's orders. Liuguang got off the carriage, and the carriage continued to move forward. When they arrived outside the inner palace, Anmi got off the carriage and, led by a eunuch, headed towards the Empress's bedroom.

Outside the Empress's palace, some rare flowers were in full bloom. Empress Feng leisurely sipped her tea, her gaze wandering among the flowers, but a closer look revealed that her attention was not on admiring them.

Han Yu was serving at the side. When she saw the eunuch bringing An Mi in, Han Yu whispered in Empress Feng's ear, "Your Majesty, Miss An Mi has arrived."

Empress Feng looked up and indeed saw An Mi walking towards them. These past few days, this woman from the small town of Rongjin City had exuded an even more noble air than before. Her graceful, dignified steps resembled those of a well-bred young lady from a prominent family in the capital. Empress Feng narrowed her sharp eyes. Such a woman—no wonder the Prince of Bohai… ah… even Qing Lan…

"This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress." An Mi approached Empress Feng and bowed.

Empress Feng snapped out of her reverie, put down her teacup, beckoned to An Mi, and chuckled, "An Mi, come here and sit next to me."

Empress Feng's warm attitude made An Mi even more wary. Just as Yi Fei had worried, Empress Feng's invitation to the palace was definitely not just to have her accompany her to admire the flowers. An Mi did not refuse, thanked Empress Feng for offering her a seat, and went over to sit next to Empress Feng.

As soon as she sat down, Empress Feng took her hand and said, "Anmi, you've been out of the palace for some time now. I've really missed you. How are you doing at the Bohai Prince's residence?"

"Your Majesty, the King of Bohai is very hospitable and naturally takes good care of us." An Mi's tactful reply and calm demeanor made her appear gentle and refined to onlookers.

However, Empress Feng dared not underestimate An Mi. She frowned, thinking of the purpose of summoning An Mi today, and her gaze darkened. "I'm afraid the Prince of Bohai is only being enthusiastic towards you, Miss An Mi. Over the years, he has never taken such good care of any other young lady as he has towards you. You two are a perfect match, a match made in heaven. As for Bai Yi, his mother died early, and I have always been worried about him. I also want to see Bai Yi marry someone he likes as soon as possible. Alas, let's not talk about Yun Xiu. It's just that Yun Xiu is not blessed. An Mi... Bai Yi's happiness is in your hands."