The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Your Majesty, this old minister recognizes this token. Back then..." Old Master Feng turned to Emperor Mingde, but suddenly stopped, looking at Emperor Mingde's expression, and did not continue.

Emperor Mingde had already taken the token from Eunuch Qin's hand, tracing the patterns on it. His face was incredibly gloomy, and everyone could sense his anger. However, no one knew what he was thinking.

Everyone present was paying close attention to Emperor Mingde's expression and the token in his hand. They watched as the fingers stroking the token seemed to be exerting increasing force. Many people didn't know what the token represented and were secretly wondering what it was and whose token it was.

An Mi frowned slightly because, with her keen senses, she noticed that the moment the token was taken from the steward Feng Qing's arms, the aura of the person beside her seemed to change. That person was none other than the First Prince Qing Lan!

Almost subconsciously, An Mi glanced at Qing Lan without leaving a trace. He saw the wine in Qing Lan's cup sway, and some even spilled onto his clothes, but he didn't care at all. His gaze was fixed on the token, and his expression was extremely complicated.

Qinglan recognized that token! Moreover, the fact that the token appeared here even made Qinglan look somewhat fearful!

What does this mean? In her past life, she had never been close to the center of power, and she had no idea what that token was!

For some reason, even Anmi felt uneasy at this moment, and was vaguely worried about Qinglan.

"What a fine old man, Mr. Feng!" Bai Yi's voice rang out softly beside An Mi, sounding like a sigh, a guarded tone, and even a hint of solemnity.

An Mi was slightly taken aback; clearly, Bai Yi seemed to be familiar with that token as well.

Unbeknownst to everyone, a fleeting look of panic quickly gathered in the eyes of one of the people in the main hall.

"Your Majesty, this token is clearly from the Southern Frontier back then..." Empress Feng exclaimed as she looked at the token, a strong sense of pride rising in her heart. So, Father had such a scheme in mind!

That's truly ingenious! With this token, it's not hard to guess who sent someone to assassinate Father!

Ha! Now, she'll see how some people will react!

As soon as the words "Southern Frontier" came out of Empress Feng's mouth, everyone's eyes turned to the First Prince Qinglan. Perhaps some people present did not know what the token was, but no one did not know the relationship between the First Prince Qinglan and Southern Frontier!

Back then, the eldest prince's mother was a princess from the Southern Frontier!

Since the death of the Southern Border Princess, almost the entire Great Jin Dynasty has avoided discussing the Crown Prince's background. No one dares to mention it. However, even if they don't mention it, they cannot hide certain facts. The Crown Prince has the blood of the Southern Border royal family flowing in his veins!

Upon hearing the words "Southern Frontier," everyone seemed to point the finger at the First Prince, Qinglan.

If that token belongs to the Southern Frontier, then who is more likely to be its owner? Besides, in terms of interests, the Feng family and the eldest prince Qinglan have always been adversaries in the matter of succession to the throne, haven't they?

Almost without hesitation, many people present concluded that the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Old Master Feng was none other than the First Prince Qinglan!

"Your Majesty, it's best not to pursue this matter further. This old minister doesn't want my arrival to disrupt the peace of the entire capital. As for the mastermind behind it all, let's just let it go," Old Master Feng suddenly said.

Bai Yi listened intently, his gaze sharpening. Old Master Feng was indeed cunning. Even if he had planned it all out, so what? Old Master Feng had already used that token to stir up everyone's memories of the First Prince's background. If everyone remembered this, they would probably not forget this point when deciding who to support as the heir to the throne.

Qinglan is the son of the Southern Border Princess, and has the blood of the Southern Border royal family in his veins. How can he succeed to the throne of the Great Jin Dynasty?

So, apart from the eldest prince Qinglan, only the second prince, the son of Empress Feng, is qualified to inherit the throne!

As expected of Old Master Feng, his scheming is truly remarkable. This guy is really shrewd!

But so what if it's spicy?

Bai Yi looked at Old Master Feng, took a small sip of tea, and his eyes grew even more profound.

Qinglan felt everyone's gaze. Compared to his previous surprise, he calmed down. Even though everyone was watching and could guess what they were thinking, Qinglan's expression remained calm and composed, as if he had nothing to do with the token.

Emperor Mingde frowned. His shrewdness had already led him to suspect something when Feng Qing produced the token. Could it be such a coincidence? Or was it all part of Old Master Feng's scheme?

What could a token prove? Yet, he knew that for the officials present, a single token seemed to be enough to convict Qinglan, which was probably what Old Master Feng wanted to see!

Emperor Mingde looked in the direction of Qinglan, and a beautiful figure appeared in his mind. The woman's every smile and frown was still in his mind. However, what he remembered most was her appearance when she was dying!

The entire hall was eerily quiet, almost frighteningly so.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed throughout the hall as a cup shattered on the floor. All eyes that had been fixed on the Crown Prince Qinglan quickly turned toward the source of the sound. Everyone assumed it was the timid one who had accidentally broken the cup in the atmosphere. However, when they saw who had broken the cup, everyone frowned.

The man was dressed in ordinary white clothes, his tall figure carrying the same air of dejection as always. At this moment, he looked flustered and pale. When An Mi saw him, she was shocked. The Nalan Jue in front of her was completely different from the Nalan Jue she had seen before. If she hadn't recognized his face, she probably would have thought he was a completely different person.

What is Nalan Jue up to?

Everyone present knew Nalan Jue. He was originally the king of the Southern Frontier. However, the destruction of the Southern Frontier more than ten years ago led to the demise of this leader. However, the emperor was considerate and, after making the Southern Frontier his vassal state, sent this overlord of the Southern Frontier to the capital. He was nominally granted the title of king, but in reality, he was just a hostage.

In the capital, very few people were on good terms with him!

Under everyone's gaze, Nalan Jue suddenly stood up and knelt on the ground in a panic, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this humble subject..."

Nalan Jue seemed to be filled with fear, and could not even speak clearly.

However, his reaction at this moment has left much to the imagination.