The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Master Yu knew that the Bohai King's revenge would not end there. He couldn't sleep all night, racking his brains for a solution, while also being tormented by fear. The entire Yu family was on edge.

Inside the Bohai Prince's Mansion, however, all was unusually calm. The next morning, An Mi was about to go out when a decree came from the palace, saying that the Empress summoned An Mi to the palace. Bai Yi heard the news but did not say anything. Until An Mi reached the door, Bai Yi took her hand. This sudden touch startled An Mi. She turned around and her gaze met his deep eyes.

"Just be yourself when you enter the palace. If anyone bullies you, bully them back. Don't worry about anything," Bai Yi instructed, stroking her palm with one hand while raising his other large hand to smooth the stray hairs that had fallen around An Mi's ears. His implication was that An Mi had him as her backer and had nothing to fear.

An Mi felt a warmth in her heart, her eyes flickered slightly, but only for a moment before she met Bai Yi's gentle eyes again, smiled slightly, and that smile revealed an unprecedented playfulness, "Even if it's the Emperor and Empress, do you still want to bully them back?"

Bai Yi's eyes darkened, and he tightened his grip on An Mi's hand without answering. However, as intelligent as An Mi was, she understood the meaning behind his gaze and actions. It seemed that Bai Yi was confident in protecting her.

An Mi's smile softened, and their eyes met. Time seemed to stand still. Even Liu Guang and Yi Fei, who were watching from the side, exchanged an ambiguous glance. They understood their prince's feelings. The prince loved his young lady, but in the past, the young lady's attitude towards the prince was always ambiguous. Their relationship always seemed to be separated by a thin layer of paper. Even the two of them couldn't help but worry for the prince. But seeing the young lady's attitude now, they couldn't hide their joy. It was all good. The thin layer of paper between the prince and the young lady seemed to be slowly disappearing!

Liu Guang and Yi Fei both wished this moment could last a little longer and were reluctant to make a sound to disturb the warmth of the moment. However, someone, whether intentionally or unintentionally, suddenly made a sound that broke the atmosphere.

"Mi'er, are you going to the palace?" The woman's voice was gentle as water. Sima Yan, dressed in blue with flowing sleeves, lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down from the carriage. Every movement she made revealed her dignified elegance as a lady from a prominent family.

An Mi was slightly taken aback and looked at the person who had come. After a moment of surprise, she wondered why Sima Yan had suddenly come. What was she doing here? An Mi knew what was going on. From the first time they met, Sima Yan had been unusually enthusiastic towards her, an enthusiasm that made An Mi's scalp tingle.

Although countless questions flashed through An Mi's mind, she quickly smiled at Sima Yan and said, "We're on our way to the palace, Sister Yan'er, what brings you here..."

The address of "Sister Yan'er" made Bai Yi's already furrowed brows, which were already tight due to Sima Yan's arrival, furrow even more. Sister Yan'er? He didn't like this affectionate way of addressing her, but he could tell that An Mi's attitude towards Sima Yan was more of a perfunctory one.

Before An Mi could finish speaking, Sima Yan had already walked to An Mi's side, affectionately took An Mi's hand, and said warmly, "I also came to the palace by order of Her Majesty the Empress. I heard that Her Majesty the Empress invited many young ladies to the palace today. I thought that my sister Mi'er must be among them, so I came to the palace with my sister Mi'er."

On the way? An Mi's lips twitched involuntarily. The Yonghou Mansion and the Bohai Prince's Mansion were in completely opposite directions. This "on the way" was a bit too far-fetched.

An Mi naturally knew that Sima Yan had come on purpose. She lowered her brows but did not expose Sima Yan. Instead, she said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Yan'er."

"Of course, of course." Sima Yan chuckled and glanced at Bai Yi. She curtsied gracefully and said respectfully, "Your Highness, please rest assured to entrust Mi'er to me. I will take good care of her for Your Highness."

Bai Yi nodded with a smile, looking at An Mi, "Go, remember what I just said."

An Mi frowned, thinking about what he had just said, and felt inexplicably safe. An Mi didn't say much and was about to get into the carriage of the Bohai Prince's Mansion when Sima Yan immediately stopped her, "Sister Mi'er, since we're going together, if you don't mind, then get into my carriage. We can chat along the way and relieve your boredom."

That one sentence made it difficult for An Mi to refuse, and she smiled slightly, "That's fine too."

After saying that, the two of them got into the carriage together. An Mi was not afraid that Sima Yan might have any ulterior motives. She got into the Yonghou Mansion's carriage in front of Bai Yi. If Sima Yan really wanted to do something, she should consider the threat posed by the King of Bohai.

Besides, she wanted to see what Sima Yan was trying to do by being so enthusiastic towards her!

"The King of Bohai is so good to his sister Mi'er."

After the carriage had been traveling for a while, Sima Yan suddenly spoke up. She had been looking at An Mi with an elegant smile on her face, expecting a response from An Mi. However, An Mi only tugged at the corners of her mouth and smiled faintly.

Sima Yan's smile froze slightly, but only for a moment before returning to normal. Deliberately ignoring An Mi's aloofness, she became even more enthusiastic, "Sister Mi'er, the Prince of Bohai dotes on you so much, your good news must be just around the corner, right?"

Sima Yan deliberately concealed the probing in her tone, but even someone as perceptive as An Mi could still catch some subtle clues. Was Sima Yan still worried about whether she had designs on Qing Lan?

An Mi felt a pang of irony. She understood why Sima Yan would have such thoughts. She had never shown Qing Lan any enthusiasm beyond friendship, so what was there for Sima Yan to worry about?

This time, An Mi didn't beat around the bush or deliberately avoid the topic. She looked at her superior, Ma Yan, with a strange expression.

This made Sima Yan a little uncomfortable. She tugged at the corner of her mouth and said, "Sister Mi'er, why are you looking at me like that?"

“Miss Sima, His Highness the First Prince and I have known each other since Rongjin City…” An Mi began, not calling her ‘Sister Yan’er’ affectionately, but calling her Miss Sima made her feel much more relaxed and at ease.

Seemingly not expecting An Mi to suddenly bring up Qing Lan, and even less expecting her to talk about how she knew Qing Lan, Sima Yan felt even more embarrassed. However, she wanted to hear An Mi continue.

Sima Yan avoided An Mi's gaze. An Mi saw this and the corners of her mouth curved upwards slightly. She continued, "He has helped me a lot, and I have always regarded him as an invaluable friend. However, that's all. No matter when Miss Sima becomes the Crown Prince's consort, An Mi will never be a threat to you. Miss Sima, do you understand what I mean?"