The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"What's wrong with Liu'er?" An Mi didn't expect that Bai Yi would talk about Liu'er.

Bai Yi was overjoyed, but he couldn't help feeling jealous of Liu'er. He glanced helplessly at An Mi's nervous reaction and sighed, "I thought you were fine just now, so I told Liu'er that you would be attending my eldest brother's wedding with me today. Now, it seems that I, as your uncle, will have to break my promise to Liu'er."

An Mi thought it was something serious and breathed a sigh of relief. She realized that her reaction was a bit too much. She knew that Bai Yi was waiting for her to fall into his trap, but when it came to Liu'er, she lost her composure and couldn't help but twitch her lips. Even though she knew that this Liu'er was not the same Liu'er as before, those two words still stirred up quite a bit of emotion in her.

“Your Highness is wise and resourceful; I imagine you have the ability to comfort a little girl.” An Mi lowered her brows, having already calmed down.

But Bai Yi's act wasn't over yet. He paused and continued, "That's true, Mi'er. Don't worry, it will take some effort to appease her, but it won't be in vain. You rest at home, and I'll head over right away. I hope Liu'er won't be too willful and cause trouble at the eldest prince's wedding after hearing that you can't go. The eldest prince is magnanimous and won't hold it against you, but if the empress and others find fault with it, things will get complicated."

As Bai Yi spoke, he shook his head, his helplessness mixed with a hint of urgency and worry. Before he finished speaking, he had already reached the door, leaving An Mi with only his back view.

An Mi was stunned for a moment, but quickly processed Bai Yi's words. If Liu'er were to cause a scene at the wedding, the consequences would be...

Although Liu'er is the emperor's niece, in terms of how much she is favored... An Mi frowned again, realizing once more Bai Yi's intentions.

Bai Yi's figure had long since disappeared from sight. An Mi glanced at the clothes placed beside her, sighed helplessly, and instructed the two people beside her, "Liu Guang, Yi Fei, help me change my clothes."

The three maids in the room exchanged glances, and Liu Guang quickly stepped forward to pick up the clothes. "Yes, Miss."

Liu Guang and Yi Fei were both quick and efficient, and soon helped An Mi change her clothes. From the moment An Mi put on these clothes, she could feel the unusually eager gazes of the three maids.

Thinking of Liu'er, An Mi didn't care about anything else and hurriedly walked towards the door...

The two weddings were held simultaneously, and both required the Emperor and Empress to preside over them personally. Originally, the two weddings were to be held separately, but it was ultimately decided that the two couples would perform the wedding ceremony together.

Early in the morning, the two grooms went to the Yonghou Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion respectively to fetch their brides, while Emperor Mingde and Empress Feng were already waiting for the two couples in the palace.

The Prime Minister's residence and the Marquis of Yong's residence were located on the same street. Standing at their respective gates, they could even see each other's lintels. The street was already crowded with people. On two tall horses, the eldest prince Qinglan and General Feng Yu each led two wedding processions toward the street.

As the two teams met, the two riders stopped simultaneously, exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a multitude of emotions that were difficult for outsiders to discern. However, on their faces, both smiled and nodded politely to congratulate each other.

When the two groups walked together, even the onlookers noticed something amiss.

"Has General Feng lost his mind? Look at this display..."

"Yes, the eldest prince is a prince after all, and he might be the heir to the throne in the future. General Feng, aren't you afraid of gossip? Aren't you afraid of bringing trouble upon yourself?"

"Hehe, who the heir is is still undecided, isn't it? Don't forget, General Feng also has an heir behind him. The fact that he can make such a grand wedding procession overshadow the eldest prince shows that he's not afraid of anything."

After this person spoke, everyone quieted down, and looking at the wedding procession that resembled two long dragons, they seemed to be deep in thought.

The onlookers treated it as a show, not their business. However, the middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the Yonghou Mansion, whose face was originally happy, visibly froze when he saw the two wedding processions. His gaze fell on Prime Minister Yang outside the Prime Minister's Mansion, and the smugness in the other man's eyes made him even more displeased.

That old scoundrel's daughter married a general, so what if he's from the Feng family? The Great Jin Dynasty isn't the Feng family's domain. His daughter married the Crown Prince, and might become the Empress in the future. But now, the wedding procession is no match for that old scoundrel's.

He and that old scoundrel had been secretly competing with each other, so how could he be happy in such a situation?

"Your Highness the First Prince..." No matter how unhappy he was, when he saw the First Prince dismount, he still managed to hide his emotions and bow with his hands clasped. He was a subject, and he had to understand that.

Qinglan could easily see her future father-in-law's displeasure. She frowned slightly but didn't seem to mind. "Father-in-law, there's no need for such formalities, Miss Sima..."

Qinglan, with a meaningful tone, urged the bride to leave.

Lord Sima glanced at Qinglan and chuckled, "What Miss Sima? My dear son-in-law, it's too formal to call you Miss Sima from today onwards. You two are about to become husband and wife."

Lord Sima was testing Qinglan's expression, expecting him to at least give him face and call her Yan'er. But after a while, Qinglan did not react at all.

The eldest prince was a shrewd man, and he couldn't possibly have missed his meaning, yet he still acted as if he hadn't heard a word he said... Lord Sima thought of Yan'er's tearful complaints in front of him a few days ago, and his brow furrowed imperceptibly. He quickly realized that this marriage was merely a mutually beneficial cooperation.

With a sigh in his heart, Lord Sima quickly regained his enthusiasm, as if nothing had happened, and instructed the people inside the mansion gate, "The eldest prince has arrived. Tell the young lady to hurry up and not miss the auspicious time."

Soon, the bride was brought out. Sima Yan was wearing a bright red wedding dress embroidered by An Mi herself. Even with her face covered by a veil, she was still stunning. However, despite wearing this wedding dress, Sima Yan could not feel happy for her big day.

As long as Qinglan's heart is not filled with her, and as long as Qinglan's heart is filled with Anmi, she will go crazy out of jealousy. How can she feel at ease?

However, after today, she will be the rightful Crown Prince's consort, and this is the only thing she is proud of.

The moment Qinglan saw Sima Yan leave, she visibly froze. Although the movement was subtle, the sharp-eyed Marquis Sima noticed it.

"Yan'er looks absolutely stunning today," praised Marquis Sima. He had just thought that Yan'er had no chance of winning over the Crown Prince's heart, but now he had a glimmer of hope. His daughter was one of the most talented women in the capital. Once the two of them got married and had more opportunities to spend time together, who was to say that the Crown Prince wouldn't fall for Yan'er?