The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Your Majesty, I am not worthy of him, being of limited talent and learning." Yan Bing spoke in a deep voice, neither humble nor arrogant, but with an unusually firm tone.

Everyone gasped in shock, thinking to themselves, "This Yan Bing, she's even defying the Emperor's will! How audacious!"

Emperor Mingde chuckled, "My son, though a prince and grandson of the emperor, is still worthy of you given your status!"

As soon as Emperor Mingde finished speaking, everyone was taken aback. The Emperor's son? Could it be that the Emperor wanted Yan Bing to become the royal family's daughter-in-law?

Now, the eldest prince Qinglan has already married a concubine, and the Prince of Bohai has a fiancée. Among the princes in the capital, only the second prince has not yet married. Could it be that the emperor intends for Yan Bing to marry the second prince?

Empress Feng had this suspicion in her mind, and immediately became nervous. "Your Majesty, this is probably not a good idea."

She had already thought it through. The reason her son was not married was entirely because she wanted to find a good match for him. She had to find someone whose family background and other aspects were worthy of her son and who could also help them. Her son would surely become the ruler of a country in the future, and a woman who would be the mother of the nation would naturally have to be chosen carefully.

But Yan Bing, she had already been rejected by her!

"What's wrong with it? The man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried. Moreover, Yan Bing is a young lady from the Marquis of Jin's mansion. How is she not a good match for my son?" Emperor Mingde asked rhetorically, seemingly having already made up his mind.

Yan Bing panicked even more, "Your Majesty..."

"What? You really don't want to marry my fifth son?" Emperor Mingde seemed displeased when he saw that Yan Bing was about to refuse again. His face darkened and he even raised his voice.

The fifth prince? Everyone was stunned when Emperor Mingde finished speaking. The fifth prince? Wasn't the fifth prince the Prince of Qin? So, the Emperor was referring to the Prince of Qin!

Empress Feng subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't the Second Prince!

Sima Yan's face had already darkened. The Prince of Qin? She wanted Yan Bing to be paired with a low-quality man, so why was it the Prince of Qin?

Sima Yan glanced at Emperor Mingde, wanting to say something, but hesitated and ultimately didn't speak her mind. However, when she looked away, her gaze met An Mi's in the air. In that instant, she saw a faint disdain and sarcasm in An Mi's eyes.

With a bang, something exploded in Sima Yan's mind. So that's it... So that's how it is. It was An Mi... Sima Yan understood. The Prince of Bohai was by the Emperor's side, so who else could have mentioned Yan Bing's marriage to the Emperor?

Besides Bai Yi, there is probably no one else!

It must all be Anmi's doing; Anmi designed all of this!

Anger surged within her, and Sima Yan longed to grab An Mi by the collar and teach her a lesson. However, in front of so many people, her remaining rationality told her that if she interrupted again, it would only be detrimental to herself.

Taking a deep breath, Sima Yan had no choice but to swallow her anger.

Empress Feng, however, twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Now that Your Majesty has said that, I also think they are a good match. Your Majesty is wise. I was just thinking about how to arrange this marriage, and now Your Majesty has resolved a major issue on my mind."

Emperor Mingde lowered his gaze slightly, not looking at Empress Feng, but instead shifting his attention to Yan Bing. "So? Are you satisfied with the marriage I have arranged?"

Ever since Yan Bing heard that the man was the Fifth Prince, the King of Qin, this matter had been the only thing on her mind. She even pictured that figure and looked somewhat dazed. The King of Qin?

"Bing'er, the Emperor is asking you a question!" The eldest young mistress of the Marquis of Jin's mansion was overjoyed. Prince Qin was a prince! Was the Marquis of Jin's mansion going to form a marriage alliance with the royal family? That was a great joy for the Marquis's mansion!

Yan Bing was suddenly startled, as if she had been awakened. Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, her face suddenly turned red. "Wh...what?"

"Bing'er must be overjoyed. The Emperor asked you if you are satisfied with the marriage he has chosen!"

In an instant, Yan Bing's face turned bright red, completely different from before. "Satisfied...!"

Yan Bing knew that now that the Emperor had spoken, no matter how much resentment she harbored towards that person, this was not the time to be willful. If she refused the Emperor's request, then she would probably be forever separated from him. Besides, Sima Yan was also eyeing her covetously!

As soon as Yan Bing finished speaking, Emperor Mingde burst into laughter, "Haha, good, that's good. In this way, our royal family and the Marquis of Jin's family will become even closer through marriage."

When Emperor Mingde was pleased, everyone else naturally followed suit. Only one person looked embarrassed. Even though she had a smile on her face, it looked rather ugly to others. She hadn't expected that her previous plan would completely fail.

But what could she do now that things had come to this?

However, she was still filled with resentment. Her gaze shifted and unintentionally fell on An Mi's face. She saw the faint smile between An Mi's brows, which looked like the smugness of a victor. Instantly, the flames in her heart burned even more fiercely.

Are you smug? Anmi, one day she'll make sure you're not so smug!

She refused to believe that she, the Crown Prince's Consort, couldn't handle a woman from Rong Jincheng!

Even someone as perceptive as An Mi could sense the hostility in Sima Yan's gaze and couldn't help but frown. She sighed inwardly, realizing that someone else probably saw her as an enemy.

Anmi knew that she couldn't control some people's thoughts, but she would deal with whatever came her way, wouldn't she?

An Mi quickly dismissed her thoughts, not feeling the slightest bit upset because of Sima Yan. Looking at the shy Yan Bing, she couldn't help but feel happy for her. She knew that Yan Bing had feelings for the King of Qin. Such a genuine woman would probably not marry anyone else if she couldn't marry the man she loved.

When she learned that Sima Yan was after Yan Bing's marriage, she already had a plan in mind. Yan Bing was being targeted by Sima Yan because of her, so An Mi naturally wouldn't just stand by and watch such a woman be schemed against by Sima Yan.

So when she returned to the Bohai Prince's Mansion, she told Bai Yi about it, and the effect seemed to be much better than she had expected.

"Since that's the case, then I will take charge of this matter. I will issue an edict immediately to summon the Fifth Prince to the capital!" Emperor Mingde seemed to be in a very good mood.

However, Yan Bing suddenly frowned. Her previously shy face now showed some disappointment, even worry. This expression seemed to stir something in Sima Yan's eyes.

"What's wrong with Bing'er? Is she unhappy about this marriage?" Sima Yan asked meaningfully, her eyes slightly narrowed.