The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

An Mi smiled and looked back at the embroidery in her hands. As she continued embroidering, she said, "The two maids the prince gave me are capable!"

It turns out to be Liuguang and Yifei!

Bai Yi chuckled, his eyes flashing. "Then I have another piece of information that Liu Guang and Yi Fei cannot find out."

Anmi paused in her embroidery. "Oh? What's the news?"

Bai Yi sat down on the stone bench next to An Mi, but his gaze never left her. "Father Emperor wants Feng Yu's body placed in the residence where he is temporarily staying, and he wants to give him a grand funeral!"

As Bai Yi had expected, An Mi's eyes sharpened. A smile appeared on Bai Yi's lips. He knew that simply letting Feng Yu die like this would not be enough to quell the hatred in her heart!

"Is that so?" An Mi came back to her senses, her eyes flickering as if she was plotting something.

A lavish funeral? What did Feng Yu do that warranted a lavish funeral?

To house him in his temporary residence? That would be wonderful!

Bai Yi saw through An Mi's thoughts at a glance. After a moment of silence, he continued, "If you're going to do something, you should choose a good time. That way, you might get better results!"

An Mi looked at Bai Yi with a puzzled expression, not quite understanding the meaning behind his words. Was it for a better effect?

Bai Yi understood An Mi's doubts and chuckled, "The day after tomorrow, Father Emperor will be hosting a welcome-back banquet for Old Master Feng. Since we haven't seen each other for so long, it would be appropriate for me to send some gifts!"

And this gift must be substantial!

"A welcome-back banquet?" An Mi's eyes narrowed, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them. "That must be a grand occasion. I wonder if I can attend."

Bai Yi's smile widened, and he let out a deep laugh, "Of course, now that you are my fiancée and the future Princess of Bohai, you naturally cannot be absent!"

Anmi was overjoyed; that was wonderful!

The day after tomorrow is the welcoming banquet. It seems she needs to make some plans and figure out what to do!

The news of the welcome banquet for Old Master Feng spread quickly. At the same time, the news that Feng Yu had committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment was also widely circulated. Everyone who heard these two pieces of news had a strange feeling in their hearts and were guessing that this banquet was probably not a good one.

However, there was one person who, like An Mi and Bai Yi, was particularly looking forward to this welcoming banquet. That person was none other than Yun Xiu, the woman who had been sent to the palace by Old Master Feng through Feng Yu some time ago, with the intention of being sent to serve Emperor Mingde.

These days, Yunxiu was assigned to the most arduous laundry department in the palace. Only she knew how much she suffered. Empress Feng had promised her that she would be allowed to remain silent in the palace for a while before making further arrangements for her. However, since then, Empress Feng had never paid any attention to her. She even knew that the reason she was suffering in the laundry department was because Empress Feng had secretly instructed her to do so.

But even though she knew, she remained silent. She was waiting, waiting for an opportunity, and now, the opportunity seemed to be coming soon!

Yunxiu smiled, holding a stack of washed clothes. She looked up at the courtyard in front of her. The desolation of the courtyard seemed to indicate how powerless the master living here was!

However, even if she is out of favor, perhaps one day she can use her for her own purposes?

Thinking this, Yunxiu slowly walked in and softly called out, "Your Highness Consort Rong, this servant has brought you some clothes!"

In the desolate palace courtyard, the woman inside, hearing the voice, beamed with joy. She quickly put down what she was doing and hurried to open the door. Seeing the woman approaching, she was momentarily stunned. This woman's beauty was unparalleled in the palace; even she herself hadn't been able to match her. And now… Thinking of her own current situation, a pang of jealousy rose in Consort Rong's heart. However, this jealousy quickly vanished, and a smile spread across her face. "You've come! Quickly, come in!"

Since she moved into this secluded courtyard, the people who used to fawn over her were long gone. All she faced was a desolate room, and she couldn't even get a meal. For a long time, she resisted and made a scene, but to no avail. Only when she finally realized that she was no longer the Consort Rong she once was did she slowly accept this reality.

She's practically been banished to the cold palace now.

It wasn't until she met Yunxiu that her life became more colorful. At least, someone would come to chat with her every day. Sometimes, she would secretly bring Yunxiu some food. In this palace, Yunxiu was her only friend.

"Your Highness, here, these are the steamed buns I secretly saved. You must be hungry, eat them quickly." Yunxiu entered the room, put down the clothes she was carrying, took out the steamed buns from her bosom, and poured a cup of water for Your Highness using the pot on the table. "Eat and drink at the same time, don't choke."

Yunxiu asked with concern, watching Consort Rong happily eat the steamed bun. A deep look flashed in her eyes. She had seen Consort Rong's former beauty and glory. She was no ordinary person to have won the Emperor's favor in the past. But now, she had lost her beauty and suffered such a tragic end due to a miscarriage. However, her approach to Consort Rong was not out of pity.

"Delicious, so delicious." Consort Rong ate heartily. In the past, she would have been picky and disgusted with even the most exquisite delicacies, let alone steamed buns. Such a difference between heaven and earth made her seem even more desolate.

"If it's delicious, please eat slowly. In the future, Consort Rong will have plenty of delicious food." Yunxiu said meaningfully. Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Consort Rong's hand, which was originally biting into a steamed bun, suddenly stopped. She took a bite of the steamed bun and even forgot to chew.

Consort Rong turned to Yunxiu in a daze, her brows furrowed, countless complex emotions flashing through her mind. After a moment, a look of disappointment, mixed with a hint of self-mockery, appeared on Consort Rong's face. She slowly chewed the steamed bun in her mouth, savoring it carefully, as if she cherished it dearly. When she finished the bun, Consort Rong's voice slowly rang out, "Now that I'm in this state, what chance do I have to turn things around? I'm only able to have a steamed bun to eat because of you. If one day you don't care about me anymore, I'm afraid I'll just starve to death."

Yunxiu twitched the corner of her mouth. "Your Highness, you mustn't lose your confidence like this. Today's setback doesn't mean you'll never recover. Your Highness is a noble person, and I believe you won't be stuck in this predicament for long. This is only temporary."

Consort Rong chuckled. In the past, this smile would have been incredibly charming, even Emperor Mingde was captivated by it. However, now, with her disfigured face, this smile revealed an indescribable ferocity, making it unbearable to look at.