The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Eunuch Qin, I'm afraid there are some matters that cannot be delayed!" Bai Yi's calm voice rang out, though not loud, it was firm and resolute.

Eunuch Qin surveyed the situation outside the palace gates once more, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. General Feng being bound like this must be no small matter, and it was probably... something that couldn't be delayed any longer. Finally, after a moment, Eunuch Qin made his decision: "Open the palace gates and let the Prince of Bohai and the others into the palace!"

"But..." The military officer still hesitated. If he opened the door, he would be responsible if anything happened.

Eunuch Qin seemed to have seen through his concerns. After all, he had served the Emperor for many years and knew how to assess the situation. He glanced at the people outside the palace gate and said loudly, "How about this, Your Highness, please invite Miss Anmi, Lord Wang Meng, and... General Feng. That's enough. The rest... can be omitted."

Everyone present understood Eunuch Qin's intention; a few of them entering the palace wouldn't pose any significant danger. After considering it, the military officer felt relieved and instructed the guards at the gate, "Open the gate!"

Feng Yu's face showed even more panic. When he met Bai Yi's eyes, he saw a mixture of smile and coldness, and his bad premonition grew stronger.

Outside the palace of Emperor Mingde, a row of palace maids and eunuchs stood in neat rows. When they saw the lights come on inside, Emperor Mingde gave a low, angry shout. Everyone held their breath and dared not utter a sound.

Inside, Eunuch Qin spoke in a low voice, and Emperor Mingde seemed silent for a moment before angrily saying, "Tell them to wait for me in the Imperial Study!"

"Yes, yes." Eunuch Qin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Then the door opened, and Eunuch Qin gave a wink. "Go quickly and help the Emperor change his clothes. Be careful."

Inside the imperial study, Emperor Mingde glanced at the people in front of him, his gaze finally settling on Feng Yu. Perhaps it was Feng Yu's current disheveled state that caused a hint of surprise to cross his brow. The anger he had felt from being woken from his sleep gradually subsided, and he asked in a deep voice, "It's so late, what exactly is going on with you all?"

Emperor Mingde glanced at An Mi, his brows furrowing even more. Could today's events be related to this woman again? Thinking back to the time he was forced to bestow a marriage upon her and Bai Yi, he still felt somewhat resentful.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Someone has framed me! Your Majesty, you are a discerning judge, you must do justice for me!" Before Bai Yi and Wang Meng could accuse him, Feng Yu took the initiative to exonerate himself. Since entering the palace, he had been scheming about how to extricate himself unscathed. Although he was usually resourceful, he was completely at a loss in this situation.

Emperor Mingde's eyes narrowed. Feng Yu was always arrogant. Even in front of him, he thought highly of himself because of the Feng family and Empress Feng behind him. This was the first time he had ever seen him cry out for justice in such a disheveled state. It seemed that today's matter was probably more serious than he had imagined.

Emperor Mingde frowned slightly. "You woke me up so late just to stand up for you? Come on, tell me, what is it that's worth waking me up?"

Wang Meng glanced at Bai Yi, who then smirked, "I think my matter can be put on hold for now. Let Lord Wang Meng report to Father Emperor and ask him to make a decision first!"

Emperor Mingde's gaze fell on Wang Meng, who was holding a wooden box in his hands with a solemn expression. Emperor Mingde nodded and gave a soft "hmm".

Wang Meng knelt heavily on the ground, his voice strong and clear, "Your Majesty, tonight, I chased a thief to a mansion outside the city. I ordered my constables to search for the thief, but unexpectedly, General Feng Yu and the Prince of Bohai were also in that mansion. Even more unexpectedly, my men found this thing in the mansion!"

Emperor Mingde looked at the wooden box, his eyes narrowed, and he gave Eunuch Qin a subtle wink without saying anything. Eunuch Qin understood immediately, quickly walked up to Wang Meng, and opened the wooden box. When the contents of the box were revealed to him, Eunuch Qin was so frightened that he took several steps back, and even the lid of the box fell to the ground.

Emperor Mingde's face darkened, and his gaze fell upon the contents of the wooden box. Almost instantly, veins bulged on his gloomy face, and with a loud slap, he slammed his hand heavily on the table, standing up with a face full of anger.

"Your Majesty...this..." Eunuch Qin's gaze shifted between Emperor Mingde and the wooden box. The box clearly contained the imperial robe! But the Emperor's robes were managed by special personnel; how could they be in Wang Meng's hands? And he found them in a residence outside the palace! What did this mean?

Eunuch Qin had no idea that things would be so serious!

Emperor Mingde clenched his fists, and the atmosphere in the imperial study was so tense that it felt as if a needle could pierce it. "What exactly is going on?"

"emperor……"

"Your Majesty, I found this dragon robe in General Feng Yu's residence. Please make your decision!" Wang Meng interrupted Feng Yu's explanation loudly.

"Feng Yu's residence?" Emperor Mingde's deep voice seemed to explode in the room, his sharp gaze shooting towards Feng Yu, his eyes full of anger and accusation.

Feng Yu became even more anxious. "No, Your Majesty, that is not my residence. The Feng family is located in Bohai. It is not allowed to have a residence in the capital. I dare not disobey Your Majesty's rules and privately own a residence. Your Majesty, please do not believe them. They are deliberately framing me."

Emperor Mingde's eyes narrowed, and he saw Feng Yu's expression growing increasingly gloomy. He was determined to find out if this was a setup.

Emperor Mingde's expression seemed to gradually calm down as he walked step by step toward Wang Meng. All eyes were on Emperor Mingde, their expressions varied. Under everyone's gaze, he reached out and picked up the dragon robe from the wooden box. It was clear that the knuckles of his hand gripping the robe were slightly white. Suddenly, he noticed a certain spot on the dragon robe, and the anger that quickly gathered in his eyes was even stronger than before.

Feng Yu sensed Emperor Mingde's anger and became even more flustered. No one knew better than him where Emperor Mingde's anger came from. It seemed that what he feared had finally come to pass.

"Feng Yu, how have I treated you? How have I treated your Feng family?" Suddenly, Emperor Mingde shouted angrily, initially with suppressed anger, but then with a high-pitched question.

Almost everyone present was taken aback. Feng Yu suddenly knelt on the ground, completely losing his usual imposing general's aura. "His Majesty has treated me very well, and has also treated the Feng family very well. This..."

"Ha! Very well indeed! If I have treated you and the Feng family very well, why have you committed such a treasonous act?" Emperor Mingde interrupted Feng Yu angrily, throwing the dragon robe in his hand at Feng Yu. "Someone framed you? Hmph, don't think I'm confused. Who could frame you, Feng Yu, who could frame your Feng family?"