The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Empress Feng couldn't figure it out. She had been thinking about it over and over these past few days, but she still couldn't come up with a conclusion.

But there are some things she has no choice but to do!

Anmi quietly observed everything from beginning to end, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty..."

The last blow landed heavily, and Yunxiu lay on the ground, seemingly dead. Everyone stared at her blood-stained body, wondering if she was alive or dead.

Empress Feng glanced at Yunxiu on the ground, gave Hanyu a look, and Hanyu understood. She immediately stepped forward to check on her, then quickly withdrew, saying, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's..."

Han Yu didn't finish speaking, but even without finishing, everyone could vaguely tell what the situation was like. He might be dead, or even if he was still alive, judging from his appearance, he wouldn't live more than a few days.

"Take her away!" Empress Feng said coldly, as if the person on the ground was not a living being.

The eunuch received the order and dragged his wretched body away. The eyes of everyone present followed his figure for a long time, including Bai Yi, An Mi, and even Emperor Mingde!

Emperor Mingde's gaze was deep. With each blow, his previous guesses seemed to crumble. What kind of show was this?

Empress Feng clearly wants Yunxiu dead!

What's going on? Is there some internal strife within the Feng family?

Emperor Mingde's gaze darkened slightly, but he didn't think too much about it. However, when he glanced at the person being dragged out one last time, a trace of regret rose in his heart. It was a pity for such a peerless woman. He had to admit that such beauty was even better than that of Consort Rong back then. If it weren't for the fact that she was sent to the palace by the Feng family, he might have kept her by his side.

Emperor Mingde's eyes darkened for a moment, then he flicked his sleeves and left the Imperial Garden without saying a word. Bai Yi naturally followed Emperor Mingde. Before leaving, he glanced at An Mi and met her gaze. With that one look, An Mi understood Bai Yi's meaning: he was telling her to be careful in the palace.

Even after Emperor Mingde left, the atmosphere in the Imperial Garden remained tense. The palace maids carrying the exquisite jade artifacts were all trembling with fear and extremely cautious. At this moment, who had the mind to appreciate these rare objects?

Empress Feng, however, was in high spirits and began to have people comment on the jade artifacts one by one. Anmi, on the other hand, was in low spirits. Her mind was still on what had just happened. There were some things she just couldn't understand. Earlier, she had clearly noticed some of Empress Feng's tricks, but in the end, did Empress Feng intend to put Yunxiu to death?

But she just couldn't believe it!

What exactly is the clue behind this?

“Your Majesty, Anmi is feeling unwell. May I use the restroom…” Anmi suddenly spoke up, and everyone was stunned. They seemed not to have expected that the future Princess of Bohai would bring this up in front of the Empress. Although it is natural for people to need to use the restroom, it was still too disrespectful to be in front of the Empress.

Empress Feng glanced at An Mi indifferently, thinking to herself, "Those from small places are indeed from small places!"

"Go," Empress Feng waved her hand, then ignored An Mi.

This was exactly what Anmi wanted. Anmi curtsied and quietly withdrew. Was it really just to use the restroom? It was far more complicated than that!

There were just some things she desperately wanted to find out. If she didn't figure them out this time she entered the palace, she feared she would never have another chance.

An Mi's eyes flickered slightly; she wanted to see what was really going on!

In the Imperial Garden, everyone was still admiring the treasures that Empress Feng had brought up. As time went by, they gradually forgot about the palace maid who had been beaten so badly earlier, and the Imperial Garden became lively again.

Once Anmi was out of sight of everyone, she quickened her pace. Before long, she saw the eunuchs who had dragged Yunxiu away earlier. Yunxiu was still being dragged by them, so roughly that it was as if she were just a corpse.

Anmi watched as they walked in increasingly remote directions, still following cautiously. Suddenly, Anmi saw the group stop in the distance, blocked by a woman. The distance was too great for Anmi to see the woman's face clearly, but she could tell from her clothing that it seemed to be the attire of a high-ranking palace maid. The woman said something to the group, and the eunuchs exchanged glances, seemingly hesitant. But the next moment, the palace maid produced a token, and the eunuchs became noticeably more respectful, placing Yunxiu on the ground and retreating.

Seeing this, An Mi felt that something was amiss. After the eunuchs left, several other palace maids appeared. The senior maid gave them some instructions, and then the maids replaced the eunuchs, carrying Yunxiu and walking in another direction.

An Mi frowned, even more certain that there must be something fishy going on. Without thinking further, she followed them. Following them, An Mi arrived at a palace garden. The garden was remote and dilapidated, surrounded by a desolate scene, as if no one had lived there for a long time.

Anmi saw that the palace maids had placed Yunxiu in a room, so she came out. Anmi hid in the corner of the wall and heard the senior palace maid instructing a junior palace maid at the door, "Take good care of her. She can't have any scars on her body!"

"Yes, Aunt." The maidservant bowed and replied. The senior maidservant nodded and instructed the maidservant to go into the room to take care of Yunxiu. Then she led the maidservants who had brought Yunxiu earlier out of the courtyard.

An Mi watched the palace maids pass by. They were close enough for her to see their faces clearly. Although it was only for a short while, An Mi had already recognized the senior palace maid.

Isn't that a palace maid from Empress Feng's palace? Although she hadn't seen her many times, it was enough for her to remember her.

"Are they Empress Feng's people?" An Mi's eyes flickered, her gaze tightening slightly. Empress Feng, in front of so many people, even Emperor Mingde, had shown such ruthlessness in punishing Yunxiu that she clearly intended to kill her. And now, the palace maids in Empress Feng's palace were actually ordering people to take care of Yunxiu.

No scars? Then we can be quite certain that Yunxiu's life is safe!

However, why would Empress Feng and Yunxiu put on such a tragic show in front of so many people?

An Mi frowned. After the palace maids from the Empress's palace had all left the palace garden, she emerged from her hiding place and quietly came to the front of the house. Through the broken window, An Mi saw that Yun Xiu had changed into clean clothes, and the rough-working palace maid was treating Yun Xiu's wounds with exceptional skill.

Yunxiu was lying on the bed, and Anmi couldn't see the specific situation clearly, but Anmi was certain that Yunxiu wouldn't die. Not only would she not die, but there was probably a conspiracy brewing behind it. As for what the conspiracy was, Anmi had no way of knowing at the moment, but she could predict that the palace would probably not be peaceful in the future.