The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

During this time, he seemed particularly busy. Every time he visited her in her courtyard, he would leave in a hurry. Liu'er said that Bai Yi had not visited her for many days, which would never have happened before. How much Bai Yi loves Liu'er! Unless something difficult happens, who can stop him from visiting Liu'er?

Anmi arrived outside the study and was about to push the door open when she heard a voice coming from inside. It was gentle and clear, unlike Bai Yi's deep voice or Qing Lan's refined manner. It was a voice that even Anmi found unfamiliar, but from the tone of the voice, Anmi could tell that the owner of the voice was very familiar with Bai Yi.

"I don't know what methods she used to get into Father's service. Third brother, as far as I know, she is from the Feng family. Father clearly knows this, yet he still lets her serve him. Although she is a palace maid, she is still very important..." The voice seemed to become more urgent. He stopped abruptly and then sighed.

An Mi frowned upon hearing this. Father? Third brother? Then this person must be a prince. Among the princes, she knew the fourth prince, the Prince of Donglin. This voice was not his. As for the other princes, the one who was so familiar with Bai Yi must be the fifth prince, the Prince of Qin!

The Prince of Qin? Emperor Mingde only issued an edict summoning the Prince of Qin back to the capital for his wedding a little over a month ago. Even traveling day and night from the Prince of Qin's territory to the capital, it probably wouldn't take more than a month!

As Anmi pondered, the topic seemed to have shifted in the room. The same voice from before said, "Third Brother, I've heard that you're infatuated with my future Third Sister-in-law. I've heard quite a bit about your affair. That woman is really something, to make you so devoted!"

The voice sounded like a sigh, a tentative inquiry, and even carried a hint of bitterness, but more than anything, it was a profound and unfathomable sound.

An Mi hadn't expected the person to mention her. She shifted her foot and touched something. The next moment, she heard a low shout from inside the door, "Who?!"

Immediately afterward, a sense of danger rushed towards her. The door was flung open with a bang, and a hand reached for her neck. An Mi froze, the speed of the attack almost too fast for her to dodge. Just as the hand was about to touch An Mi, a tremendous force struck the hand that was attacking her, causing it to deflect. In the next instant, An Mi was pulled into an embrace.

"Third brother, you..." The King of Qin looked at his third brother with a furrowed brow. This man had clearly overheard their conversation. If he guessed or recognized that he was the King of Qin, then he would be a great threat to him. The King of Qin was not yet ready to enter the capital!

Bai Yi was only concerned with the woman in his arms and didn't even glance at the King of Qin. "Are you injured?"

An Mi was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses from the situation just now. Feeling this familiar embrace and familiar concern, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head. Before the King of Qin could even touch her, he blocked her. How could she be hurt?

Even though she was a little frightened just now, An Mi was not a delicate woman who could be easily frightened, and she had already calmed down.

Seeing her shake her head, Bai Yi was still worried. He personally checked her carefully to make sure she was unharmed before letting An Mi go. He then glanced displeasedly at Lao Wu, who was standing to the side, looking at him strangely. "You're really too reckless!"

The King of Qin's already furrowed brows tightened even more. "Third Brother, she..."

This was the first time the King of Qin had ever seen his third brother so nervous about a woman. He looked her over carefully. In terms of looks, she was only considered above average. There were many women more beautiful than her. However, he had to admit that this woman had an indescribable charm that was irresistibly attractive.

Could this woman be the rumored future third sister-in-law?

"Anmi greets Your Highness, the Prince of Qin." Anmi curtsied to him, already calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

The King of Qin's eyes suddenly sharpened. Had this woman indeed guessed his identity? Then…

Before the King of Qin could figure out how to deal with An Mi, An Mi seemed to see through his concerns and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, An Mi has never seen Your Majesty before Your Majesty arrived in the capital."

The King of Qin paused, meeting An Mi's ambiguous smile. He understood her meaning; she was telling him that no one would know he was already in the capital. The King looked at An Mi for a long time, as if searching for something. After a long while, a smile finally appeared on his lips. "In that case, thank you. My third brother and I have something to discuss. Please..."

"No need." Bai Yi seemed to know what the King of Qin was going to say, and before he could finish speaking, he interrupted him, took An Mi's hand, and went into the study.

The King of Qin stood there stunned for a while, seemingly processing something. His third brother's attitude towards An Mi seemed even closer than he had imagined, to the point that he was completely unguarded towards her.

Even their closest confidants wouldn't be completely unguarded when discussing something, but Third Brother was wary of An Mi...

The King of Qin frowned, closed the study door, and turned to look at Bai Yi and An Mi with a beaming smile. "Third Sister-in-law, I have long admired your name. It is truly an honor to meet you today."

The address "Third Sister-in-law" carried a sense of respect and was also an acknowledgment of An Mi's status. If it were anyone else, they would be overjoyed, but as intelligent as An Mi was, the smile on her lips was exceptionally calm. "What are you saying, Prince Qin? I have heard Bai Yi mention you before and have long admired your name. Among the Emperor's princes, Prince Qin is the most genuine and righteous. It is An Mi's good fortune to know you!"

An Mi knew that the King of Qin's polite greetings meant he didn't want to discuss some "important matters" with Bai Yi in front of her; he was ultimately wary of her!

However, An Mi didn't mind at all. On the contrary, she felt even more favorably disposed towards the King of Qin. She had seen Yan Bing's character. A man who could make Yan Bing like or even fall in love with him must be a gentleman. His wariness of her was only due to his loyalty to Bai Yi.

The more he values ​​his elder brother Bai Yi, the less likely he is to easily approve of the women around him!

In his previous life, even during the most intense period of political turmoil in the court, the Prince of Qin remained hidden, serving as Bai Yi's last line of defense!

If it were anyone else, An Mi wouldn't care about their opinion of her. But this Prince Qin... An Mi frowned, her eyes flickering. It seemed that getting this Prince Qin to accept her would take some effort!

"Not at all. If we're talking about skill, I'm afraid Third Sister-in-law is more capable." How could the King of Qin not see An Mi's flattery? The more he looked at this woman, the more he felt that she was a capable person. His guard seemed to grow stronger, and he subconsciously showed a slight hostility.

"Fifth Brother, since you call her Third Sister-in-law, you need to know your place!" Bai Yi's deep voice rang out, carrying an imposing aura.