The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Anmi listened quietly, and just from that sentence, she could guess that the next topic was the purpose of Emperor Mingde having asked her to come along today.

"but……"

Sure enough, just as An Mi thought this, Emperor Mingde's voice came again, "However, An Mi, you must promise me that after you marry Bai Yi, you must behave yourself as the Princess of Bohai, and you must leave behind those embroidery shops, embroidery workshops, and silk reeling factories!"

Anmi's body stiffened. Was this a signal for her to distance herself from those public appearances?

In Emperor Mingde's eyes, a woman's obedience meant staying at home to guard her husband and that huge mansion!

Memories of her past life surfaced in her mind, and a smile played on An Mi's lips. "If Bai Yi wants An Mi to do this, then An Mi will do this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Mingde slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, stood up abruptly, and roared angrily, "This is my order!"

Bai Yi made her do this, so would she do it?

He knew how infatuated Bai Yi was with this woman. If An Mi was unwilling, would Bai Yi force her?

This woman is truly shrewd; her words are clearly a blatant rejection!

All the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall were startled. Even Yunxiu, who was inside the room, couldn't help but move closer to the door when she heard the commotion. She listened carefully to the sounds coming from the hall. Instead, she knelt calmly on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

"Calm down? No one dares to disobey my orders!" Emperor Mingde roared angrily. This An Mi was indeed bold, defying the imperial decree. He could punish her severely at any time!

“Your Majesty, if either Anmi or the Prince of Bohai must disobey your orders, then Anmi hopes that the one who disobeys your orders will be Anmi!” Anmi said, bowing her head and enunciating each word clearly.

Upon hearing this, even Emperor Mingde, who had been furious, was momentarily stunned. He naturally understood An Mi's meaning. Given Bai Yi's affection for An Mi, he would certainly not allow her to suffer any injustice. In that case, it was likely that Bai Yi would disobey his orders!

What a peaceful place!

If she were truly this considerate and caring towards Bai Yi, that would be good. But the fear is that she's just clever and good at dealing with people!

Emperor Mingde remained silent. He couldn't fathom An Mi's feelings for Bai Yi, nor could he fathom them for the time being. He took a deep breath and lowered his gaze slightly. "Has Bai Yi mentioned his mother to you?"

An Mi was slightly taken aback. Bai Yi's mother?

He rarely mentions it!

Just as he was thinking this, Emperor Mingde's voice rang out again, "Baiyi's mother was not born into a prestigious family. She was a capable and shrewd woman, I..."

Emperor Mingde paused, then continued, "That kind of woman was truly charming, but even after I made her a concubine in the palace, what she still longed for was to be in the public eye. I indulged her, but this made the Empress Dowager quite critical of her, and she disliked her even more. Later..."

Emperor Mingde stopped there, as if what followed was something he could not bear to say.

Anmi listened quietly. All she knew was that the King of Bohai's mother had died long ago, and as for the Empress Dowager...

In the Jin Dynasty, women showing their faces in public was considered immoral by many.

She seemed to be able to imagine why the Empress Dowager, who was a defender of morality, would dislike Bai Yi's mother!

What was Emperor Mingde's purpose in saying all this?

"I don't want what happened to Bai Yi's mother to happen to you, not because of An Mi, but simply because you, An Mi, are the woman Bai Yi deeply loves!" Emperor Mingde's gaze fell on An Mi, and his voice, uttered with a tenderness that An Mi had never seen in Emperor Mingde before, spoke each word with a tenderness that An Mi had never seen in him before.

An Mi subconsciously looked up and met Emperor Mingde's deep and experienced eyes. Suddenly, she realized that the color in those eyes was remarkably similar to Bai Yi's. An Mi suddenly understood.

It turns out that Emperor Mingde opposed her marriage to Bai Yi time and again because of his love for Bai Yi!

Anmi's mind was filled with many thoughts. She had to re-examine this monarch. As an emperor, he had to take care of the world. As a father, he also had to do his best to fulfill his responsibilities as a father while balancing the rights of his sons.

As for men, even with three thousand beauties in the harem and countless concubines, they may sometimes feel helpless when facing the woman they truly love!

Bai Yi's mother... must have won Emperor Mingde's genuine favor!

This is the tragedy of royalty!

And what about her and Bai Yi?

Thinking of this, Anmi's expression turned serious.

"You are a wise woman. If you have taken my words to heart, then think it over carefully. As for your final choice, that is entirely up to you!" Emperor Mingde's voice rang out again. "Very well, you may take your leave now! I presume..."

As Emperor Mingde spoke, he glanced outside the hall, a hint of bitterness and other indescribable emotions flickering in his eyes. He paused, then continued, "If you don't go out soon, someone might rush in and demand the person from me. Don't keep Bai Yi waiting outside for too long!"

Emperor Mingde left these words behind and turned to walk into the house. By the time An Mi looked up, Emperor Mingde had already entered the house. An Mi, left behind, was still swirling in Emperor Mingde's eyes and his words, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

Outside the palace, even though it was late at night, several figures still stood in the darkness, gazing in a certain direction, silent but with different expressions.

Finally, someone came out from that direction, and many people visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Bai Yi strode forward and embraced An Mi, asking, "Mi'er, what did Father Emperor do?"

Even Bai Yi, who is usually calm and collected, looked anxious and worried after such a long time.

Anmi leaned against Baiyi's chest. The familiar warmth made her feel inexplicably at ease, a sense of security that seemed much stronger than ever before.

"His Majesty merely gave Anmi some guidance; he did not make things difficult for me." Anmi peeked out from Bai Yi's embrace, a smile blooming on her face. Meeting Bai Yi's eyes, she couldn't help but think of Emperor Mingde and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him.

As an emperor, how much of his own true happiness did he sacrifice!

As for Bai Yi... she understood Bai Yi's personality. He was passionate and decisive, and even though he was a member of the royal family, he still had an unrestrained nature!

"Oh my, Mi'er, you've finally come out! If you hadn't come out, Brother Baiyi would have rushed in and asked the Emperor for you." A clear voice rang out, and An Mi looked over to see Yan Bing.

Behind Bai Yi, besides Yan Bing, there are also Qing Lan, the King of Qin, the King of Donglin, and even Sima Yan!