The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"That's wonderful!" An Yuefeng, who was usually reserved, couldn't hide his excitement at this moment. "The Liu family will be coming to propose marriage tomorrow, and our An family can't afford to be negligent."

“Isn’t that right? The Liu family is the richest family, and our An family can’t lose face in front of our future in-laws. Just now, Fangfei was thinking about whether the master has time to discuss tomorrow’s matters, so that Fangfei’s thoughts are not thorough and we don’t neglect the Liu family. I wonder if the master has time…” Yu Fangfei lowered her eyes slightly and spoke tentatively.

As soon as he finished speaking, An Yuefeng interjected, "Yes, of course we do. Let's go and discuss it now."

Upon hearing this, Jin Qiaoyu objected, "Master, didn't we agree that you would keep Qiaoyu company later..."

"Qiaoyu, I'll keep you company another day. What's happening right now is really important." An Yuefeng interrupted Jin Qiaoyu, frowned, and put Jin Qiaoyu on the ground. "You should rest early tonight. You don't need to wait for me."

Having said that, he turned and strode into the mansion.

Jin Qiaoyu was left looking resentful. What was going on? Just a moment ago she was in control, but how come in the blink of an eye… she didn’t have to wait for him? Did that mean he wasn’t going back to her room tonight? He was probably going to stay with Yu Fangfei!

"Sister, the sky is clear and the air is crisp today. The night view must be absolutely beautiful tonight. If you can't sleep, you can look at the night view." Yu Fangfei's voice rang in Jin Qiaoyu's ears. Jin Qiaoyu met Yu Fangfei's smug eyes, and her face turned pale and then red.

Yu Fangfei snorted coldly, turned around and led her two daughters into the house.

An Mi watched the play just now and didn't linger. However, as soon as she stepped inside, she heard Jin Qiaoyu's displeased rebuke from behind her.

"What's going on? How could your embroidery skills allow her daughter to win first place?"

"Mother, let's not talk about that now. I saw... him today!" Feng Xianglan knew her mother was displeased, but there were some things she had to let her know first.

“Him? Who?” Jin Qiaoyu frowned.

"King of Bohai." Feng Xianglan observed her mother's expression. Sure enough, upon hearing these three words, her mother's body stiffened noticeably, and fear spread across her eyes.

“Bohai… Bohai King…” Jin Qiaoyu murmured, her face pale, as if these three words represented “demon”.

The tranquility that had just ended became intrigued when it heard this terrified voice. Did it mean that not only did Feng Xianglan and Bai Yi know each other, but Jin Qiaoyu did too?

"You said...you said you saw him today, how could that be? What should we do? Xianglan, are you sure you didn't see wrong? Tell me quickly, you must have seen wrong!" Jin Qiaoyu looked even more helpless, frantically grabbing Feng Xianglan's hand. At this moment, where was the spirit of jealousy she had just displayed?

Just as An Mi was about to find out what was going on, Feng Xianglan spotted her with sharp eyes and quickly forced a smile, "Mother, let's go back to the room first."

After saying that, she forcibly pulled Jin Qiaoyu aside and walked towards the courtyard where they lived, bypassing An Mi. When they passed An Mi, Feng Xianglan gave her a glare that seemed to be there, but the warning in her eyes was not ambiguous at all.

An Mi smiled, appearing harmless, which reassured Feng Xianglan considerably. Although she didn't know how An Mi had gotten in touch with the Prince of Bohai, based on her inquiries about An Mi's past during her stay at the An residence, it was clear that An Mi didn't take her seriously at all.

What is there for a woman who lost her mother at a young age and could only silently endure the oppression and torment from her stepmother and stepsisters?

After Feng Xianglan helped the pale-faced and flustered Jin Qiaoyu away, An Mi's smile took on a slightly sinister tone.

Judging from Jin Qiaoyu's reaction, it seems that they and the King of Bohai have a long history together!

Jin Qiaoyu and her daughter Feng Xianglan returned to the courtyard. As soon as they closed the door, Jin Qiaoyu grabbed Feng Xianglan and wouldn't let go. "Xianglan, tell me quickly, what you just said wasn't true, right?"

Feng Xianglan frowned and said helplessly, "Mother, what I said is true. I didn't see wrong. How could I mistake him? He is the Prince of Bohai. He is in Rongjin City."

She can mistake anyone else, but she would never mistake him!

Jin Qiaoyu swayed, her eyes filled with even greater terror, and she kept muttering, "What should I do? What should I do?"

Feng Xianglan remained silent, her eyes filled with a heavy expression. Jin Qiaoyu's unease, however, was growing rapidly. Suddenly, she flung Feng Xianglan's hand away and screamed hysterically, her face contorted with rage, "What else does he want? Jinlan was at fault for Princess Yun's death back then, but Jinlan is already dead. My daughter and I have been expelled from the Feng family. Does he still want to wipe us out?"

Feng Jinlan and Feng Xianglan are identical twin sisters. They were originally daughters of the prominent Feng family, but... Feng Xianglan recalled what happened back then, and the color in her eyes darkened even more.

After a long silence, Feng Xianglan finally spoke softly to comfort Jin Qiaoyu, "Mother, my sister has already paid the price for what happened back then. I think that as long as we don't attract the attention of the King of Bohai, perhaps he won't continue to hold a grudge against us."

She could still feel the King of Bohai's anger at the embroidery appreciation event today, but now, this was all she could tell herself.

"Really?" Jin Qiaoyu was at a loss.

Feng Xianglan nodded. "I told you this so you'd be careful. If you encounter the King of Bohai, you absolutely mustn't let him discover you. After all, this isn't his fiefdom, and he might leave in a while. But let's not talk about this anymore, Mother. What we're dealing with now is Yu Fangfei and her daughter..."

Upon hearing Yu Fangfei's name, Jin Qiaoyu's attention shifted to what had just happened. After looking at Feng Xianglan for a moment, she scolded, "How could you let that wretched girl An Xinhe win first place? Your embroidery skills are truly my teachings..."

"Mother, do you think it's meaningful to blame Xianglan now?" Feng Xianglan said unhappily. She had always been confident in her embroidery skills, but how could she have expected that An Xinhe could beat her? Just thinking about it made her angry and indignant.

Jin Qiaoyu's mind flashed back to Yu Fangfei's smug face, and she clenched her hands tightly. "No, we can't just stand by and watch An Xinhe marry into the Liu family. The Liu family is the richest family in Rongjin City. If An Xinhe really marries into the family, then my daughter and I will have even less of a place to stand in the An family."

She had seen the master's attitude just now, and she understood the implications all too well.

"Xianglan thinks so too. She had inquired about An Xinhe's personality beforehand. She's never one to let people off the hook. Putting aside the bet between us that day, even without the bet, if An Xinhe really becomes the young mistress of the richest man, or even if she's just the young master's fiancée, she'll probably still make things extremely difficult for us." Feng Xianglan lowered her brows and said calmly, without a trace of worry in her voice.