The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Sima Yan told herself this again and again, but the price of enduring it was still pain. Anmi, how long will she affect her happiness?

All of Qinglan's love should have been hers. She took a deep breath, but couldn't suppress Sima Yan's jealousy and hatred towards An Mi. However, in recent days, she had gradually honed her acting skills and knew how to hide her true emotions. She also knew what kind of Sima Yan she should present to Qinglan.

Throughout, Sima Yan wore a smile, and her eyes were full of tenderness as she looked at Qing Lan. Qing Lan glanced at Sima Yan, but her brows furrowed unconsciously.

If the woman beside him were An Mi, then... even without the throne, he would be content. But...

Qinglan's eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly averted her gaze from Sima Yan. The tenderness in An Mi's eyes earlier was gone, replaced by a cold stare. Ignoring Sima Yan, Qinglan followed the group.

Qinglan brushed past her, and the smile that had been on her face froze instantly. At this moment, Sima Yan could no longer maintain that smile, and her heart was boiling with excitement.

Does he hate her that much?

Sima Yan unconsciously clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She told herself that this was only temporary, and one day, she would make Qing Lan's eyes only have her!

Sima Yan's gaze lingered on An Mi's retreating figure. If she weren't here... if she weren't here... maybe things would be better!

Sima Yan tried her best to calm herself down, and only when a smile reappeared on her face did she catch up with Qing Lan. Her original decision became even more firm.

Emperor Mingde led his officials into the palace, leaving Empress Feng alone to wait outside the palace gates. Time passed by, but the old master Feng still hadn't arrived. As the sun began to set, even Empress Feng grew impatient. Her previously smiling face was now gloomy.

"Your Majesty, how about we return to the palace..." Han Yu carefully observed Empress Feng's expression and suggested in a low voice.

However, before she could finish speaking, Empress Feng glared at her with a sharp gaze, "Returning to the palace at this time? How can you return to the palace without waiting for your father?"

The Emperor was already displeased. The welcoming banquet was originally scheduled for noon, but by this time, she didn't know what the situation was like in the palace, but she could imagine that the Emperor must be furious.

Han Yu frowned slightly, becoming even more cautious. "Has something happened to the old master?"

Empress Feng's brow furrowed even more, a hint of worry rising in her heart. It had been so long since her father arrived, and she had suspected this before, but she was unwilling to believe it. Her father would not come to the capital alone; his guards would surely protect his safety.

"They're here, that must be the old master..."

Empress Feng was just thinking this when she heard Han Yu beside her shout excitedly. Empress Feng came back to her senses, looked up and looked ahead, and sure enough, she saw several carriages rushing towards them, a procession of about a hundred people.

Empress Feng was overjoyed. The weight on her heart had finally been lifted. The Emperor had finally arrived. Now, she needed to think of a way to find a good excuse in front of the Emperor so that he would no longer be bothered by her father's lateness.

Empress Feng disregarded everything else and, with Han Yu's support, went to greet her.

Several carriages stopped, and Empress Feng had already arrived in front of them. As soon as the carriages came to a complete stop, Steward Feng Qing was the first to jump down from Old Master Feng's carriage, his face showing undisguised urgency, "Quick, quick, find a doctor!"

Upon hearing this, Empress Feng frowned, a bad premonition rising in her heart. Feng Qing, seeing Empress Feng, quickly knelt and bowed, "This old servant greets Your Majesty, the Old Master, the Old Master..."

Empress Feng frowned even more deeply, "What's wrong with Father?"

Before the question was even out of his mouth, Old Master Feng's voice came from inside the carriage, "I'm fine, Feng Qing, don't make a fuss, quickly help me out of the carriage, cough cough..."

As he finished speaking, something seemed to trigger him, and he coughed weakly. Before Feng Qing could make a move, Empress Feng stepped forward and lifted the carriage curtain. She saw the old man inside the carriage, who was leaning against the carriage wall. His face was extremely pale, and a bloodstain on his white robe was particularly noticeable.

"Father, what happened?" Empress Feng got into the carriage. Inside the spacious carriage, Empress Feng touched the wound on Old Master Feng's waist and abdomen. The shocking blood made her completely forget her previous impatience while waiting, and countless guesses flashed through her mind.

Old Master Feng struggled to get up, but Empress Feng stopped him. "Father, don't move. I'll have someone fetch the imperial physician right away!"

Just as Empress Feng was about to issue her orders, Old Master Feng weakly said, "Your Majesty, please forgive this old minister for being unable to pay his respects to Your Majesty..."

"Father, why are you saying all this? The key thing now is you... I'll call the imperial physician..." Empress Feng said nervously. In her memory, she seemed to have never seen her father so weak.

"No, I should pay my respects to the Emperor first!" Old Master Feng coughed again, his brow furrowed, as if he was trying to suppress the pain from his back injury.

Empress Feng was slightly taken aback, as if something had exploded in her mind. She looked up and met Old Master Feng's eyes, and for a moment felt somewhat dazed. "Father, this..."

"Your Majesty, take this old minister to see the Emperor." Old Master Feng stared intently into Empress Feng's eyes, his sharp gaze contrasting sharply with his frail appearance.

Empress Feng seemed to understand something instantly, but at this moment, she did not ask too many questions. She knew that her father had his reasons for making such arrangements. Earlier, she had been thinking about how to find an excuse to absolve her father of his lateness, but now she calmed down. Perhaps, she no longer needed to worry about what she had been thinking about.

"Quickly, bring the old master to the palace!" Empress Feng's voice rang out from inside the carriage, unusually forceful. "Also, inform the Emperor that Old Master Feng has arrived and wishes to apologize to him! And also, fetch the imperial physician!"

Empress Feng issued her orders methodically, and Han Yu outside the carriage took the order and made arrangements. Then, Empress Feng and Feng Qing helped Old Master Feng down from the carriage.

After alighting from the carriage, Master Feng gave the same instructions before entering the palace: "You all wait outside the palace. Feng Qing will accompany me to the palace to meet the Emperor!"

Empress Feng glanced at Old Master Feng, understood his meaning, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. She felt much more at ease. With her father around, some things should be easy to resolve!

At this moment, inside the palace hall, the atmosphere was oppressive, and everyone in the hall felt suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere.