The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

After waiting for a while, the carriage of the Prince of Bohai finally arrived. A smile immediately appeared on his handsome face, and his tall figure went to greet it.

As soon as the carriage stopped, the curtain was lifted from the outside. An Mi looked up and met Bai Yi's deep black eyes. She was slightly taken aback. With just one look, An Mi knew that Bai Yi had been waiting for a long time.

Liu Guang and Yi Fei exchanged a quick glance, and instead of helping An Mi get off the carriage, they automatically made way for her. With the King of Bohai here, they were superfluous.

Bai Yi smiled and extended his hand to An Mi. An Mi didn't give him a friendly look and glared at him, but still gave him her hand.

Bai Yi held her hand in his large palm, a smug smile on his lips. The two entered the palace, where guests had already gathered. When Bai Yi appeared in the crowd with An Mi, many people looked over, especially when they saw An Mi. Their eyes widened in surprise, but some people's eyes held a strange light.

Emperor Mingde's smiling face flashed with anger for a moment, and his sharp eyes narrowed. This woman is really capable!

Even Qinglan and Fengyu, who were preparing for the wedding ceremony, changed their expressions when they saw the clothes An Mi was wearing. How could they not know what it meant that Bai Yi had allowed An Mi to appear in the palace dressed like this?

The two glanced simultaneously at the man walking beside An Mi, who was full of vigor and had a carefree smile, and their brows furrowed even more.

Empress Feng, however, was slightly taken aback when she saw An Mi's attire. After subtly observing the expressions of everyone present, her smile deepened. She couldn't help but think to herself, "This Bai Yi is far too audacious!"

However, judging from the Emperor's ugly expression, she knew that there was going to be a good show to watch later.

An Mi noticed the strange looks from everyone and frowned, feeling puzzled.

"Our Great Jin Dynasty is truly blessed with one happy event after another. Today, His Highness the First Prince is getting married. Before long, it will be His Highness the Prince of Bohai's turn."

A voice suddenly rang out, coming from Empress Feng. Empress Feng's lips curled up gracefully, and her voice, neither too loud nor too soft, was impossible for anyone to ignore in such a large crowd. All eyes were on Empress Feng, lost in thought.

Empress Feng lowered her brows, paused, and then spoke again, a hearty laugh escaping her lips, as if genuinely pleased. "Your Majesty," she said, "I will also arrange the marriage between the Prince of Bohai and An Mi. What do you think?"

An Mi became even more puzzled, and a thought arose in her mind. She subconsciously looked at Emperor Mingde, only to see the obvious suppressed anger on his face.

"Who said there was any wedding planned?" Emperor Mingde's deep voice rang out, and the originally festive atmosphere suddenly froze.

No one dared to utter a sound, all cautiously observing the emperor's every expression, as if afraid that his anger would affect them.

However, Emperor Mingde's reaction was exactly what Empress Feng wanted.

She naturally understood the reason for Emperor Mingde's sudden anger, but as experienced as she was, acting was a piece of cake for her. Almost as soon as Emperor Mingde finished speaking, Empress Feng's expression changed slightly, and she asked with feigned confusion, "Your Majesty... what... what do you mean by this?"

"Oh! Your Majesty, could it be... that you haven't yet intended to bestow a marriage?" Empress Feng exclaimed in surprise, a hint of smugness rising in her heart. "I thought Your Majesty had already intended to bestow a marriage, which is why the Prince of Bohai had Miss Anmi wear this dress, but it turns out..."

Empress Feng stopped there, but the implication was clear.

Everyone present understood that this was no simple matter; the Emperor had not yet agreed to the marriage?

Everyone turned to look at the King of Bohai. This King of Bohai was far too audacious. Wasn't he openly provoking the Emperor?

For a moment, everyone's mind was in turmoil, each observing how things would unfold.

Now, An Mi completely understood. She looked at her clothes—a magnificent palace gown, seemingly unremarkable at first glance, even more understated than the gowns worn by some court ladies. But a subtle embroidery on the inconspicuous neckline caused An Mi's mind to go blank. Oh! The silver embroidery outlined the emblem of the Bohai Prince's Mansion!

What does this mean? An Mi has always been an intelligent woman, and she must understand the profound meaning behind this. It's just that she was too careless. Bai Yi made her wear this outfit, so it's no wonder that it angered Emperor Mingde.

An Mi glanced at Bai Yi, but saw that he remained calm, as if Emperor Mingde's anger was not a concern to him at all.

An Mi knew that if this matter was not handled properly, it would inevitably cause quite a stir. However, given Bai Yi's personality, he wouldn't do something so audacious without being confident. He must have a plan. Thinking of this, An Mi felt less worried. But what exactly was Bai Yi trying to do? "Father, shouldn't we start the wedding ceremony?" Qing Lan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, breaking the eerie silence.

His words brought everyone back to their senses, and they seemed to remember that this was the auspicious day for the Crown Prince to marry a concubine and for Feng Yu to get married. These two couples seemed to be the main characters today. However, despite this, everyone still felt that the main characters today were probably someone else.

An Mi glanced over and her eyes met Qing Lan's. As if by unspoken agreement, they quickly looked away after that brief moment of eye contact. An Mi knew that Qing Lan was trying to divert everyone's attention.

Empress Feng also saw through Qinglan's thoughts, but how could she let Qinglan ruin the situation she wanted to see?

"Yes, Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived. Let's not delay. In my opinion, we should let the two couples pay their respects to heaven and earth first. As for... the meaning behind Miss Anmi's attire, we can ask the Prince of Bohai after the ceremony. I believe he will give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer." Empress Feng seemed to be smoothing things over, but inwardly she sneered. Did Qinglan want to protect Anmi? Not so easy!

Emperor Mingde's sharp gaze swept over An Mi and Bai Yi, his emotions unfathomable. After a long while, his face, which had been full of anger, returned to its original smile, and he loudly ordered, "Let's begin the wedding ceremony."

At Emperor Mingde's command, no one dared to be negligent. The master of ceremonies immediately presided over the two couples' wedding ceremony. Although the guests present watched the two couples perform the ceremony, their minds were still on the Prince of Bohai and the woman beside him. They were all secretly guessing how things would turn out.