The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

“You…” Yan Bing frowned. Not only her, but even the eldest young mistress and An Mi had not expected Sima Yan to be so shameless!

Yan Bing only managed to utter one word before Sima Yan abruptly interrupted her, "Bing'er, kneel down right now!"

Yan Bing was stunned, glaring at Sima Yan. Kneel down? Kneel down for her? On what grounds?

Sima Yan had clearly anticipated Yan Bing's reaction. Seeing how much Yan Bing hated her and protested, she felt even more pleased. She glanced at An Mi and said, word by word, "Not only Bing'er, but you will all have to kneel down!"

An Mi frowned. Sima Yan's imposing manner had forced them to kneel, indicating that she had made thorough preparations and held some leverage.

An Mi glanced at the phoenix crown, countless thoughts flashing through her mind. Seeing Yan Bing's anger intensify, especially the way Sima Yan looked at Yan Bing, as if she was expecting something, she had already made up her mind. She took a few steps forward, pulled the seemingly furious Yan Bing, and knelt down first.

"Mi'er, what are you afraid of her for?" Yan Bing didn't expect An Mi to kneel down. The An Mi she knew looked gentle, but she was fearless at heart. Today, An Mi was actually afraid of Sima Yan?

What's wrong with Anmi? Is she perhaps possessed?

Are you scared? Anmi isn't scared at all!

An Mi remained silent, while Sima Yan's face darkened. She clearly hadn't expected An Mi to kneel. How could she kneel? She knew that with Yan Bing's personality, she would never kneel—this was exactly what she needed. But An Mi…

No, she couldn't let An Mi ruin her plans!

Just as she was pondering something, An Mi glanced at Yan Bing and said, "Bing'er, kneel down!"

Yan Bing was filled with anger, but when she looked into An Mi's eyes, she slowly calmed down. For some reason, the calmness in An Mi's eyes seemed to have a great infectious power, making her almost have no thought of resisting.

Mi'er is always shrewd and would never kneel without a reason, especially not to Sima Yan.

"Hmph!" Sima Yan snorted coldly. She knew that she had to shift the blame onto Yan Bing before Yan Bing knelt down. Even if An Mi was not involved, Yan Bing would not be able to escape the consequences.

Just as she was about to snort, before she could even make a move, Yan Bing suddenly knelt down beside An Mi. Seeing Yan Bing kneel, the eldest young mistress followed suit, followed by the maids from the Jin Marquis's mansion.

For a moment, Sima Yan felt a tightness in her chest, a feeling she couldn't release, a feeling that was stuck inside and made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Your Highness, I'm kneeling too. We're all kneeling. What are your orders?" Yan Bing said coldly, her heart filled with suppressed anger. She had secretly made up her mind that if this kneeling was just Sima Yan's deliberate attempt to make things difficult, she would definitely step forward and slap her across the face, without caring about her status.

An Mi met Sima Yan's gaze, a smile playing on her lips. To Sima Yan, this smile was blatant mockery, and Sima Yan's hands trembled instantly.

Sima Yan gritted her teeth, her chest churning with anger, but all she could do was suppress it, and even forced a smile. "I made you kneel down for your own good. This phoenix crown was sent by the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager's intention is for Bing'er to use this phoenix crown for her wedding. Shouldn't Bing'er kneel down to express her gratitude for the Empress Dowager's kindness?"

After she finished speaking, Yan Bing, the eldest young mistress, and An Mi were all stunned.

Yan Bing inwardly scorned Sima Yan even more. For their own good? If they didn't kneel, this woman Sima Yan would probably be happy to use it as leverage to make things difficult for them!

Yan Bing breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at An Mi, filled with gratitude. Thanks to An Mi, now let's see what kind of trouble Sima Yan can stir up!

But Anmi had a different thought in her mind: the Empress Dowager?

Many years ago, the Empress Dowager had already left the palace. It is said that the Empress Dowager was a Buddhist and moved out of the palace many years ago to live in the royal ancestral temple. She rarely returned to the palace, and even rarely returned to the capital. Almost the entire Great Jin Dynasty had forgotten the existence of this Empress Dowager. How could she send Yan Bing a phoenix crown?

An Mi glanced at the phoenix crown held in the maid's hands, and the color in her eyes darkened. Her intuition told her that the arrival of this phoenix crown was not a good thing!

"Bing'er, hurry up and thank the Empress Dowager for her great favor!" the eldest young mistress said excitedly. In her opinion, this was obviously a great thing!

Even when the eldest prince and his wife got married, the Empress Dowager didn't make any announcement. But when Bing'er and the Prince of Qin got married, the Empress Dowager actually sent a phoenix crown. This was an honor for the Marquis of Jin's family!

Yan Bing snapped out of her daze, glanced at the phoenix crown, and said, "Yan Bing thanks the Empress Dowager for her great kindness!"

After saying that, Yan Bing stood up and pulled An Mi up from the ground. She personally took the phoenix crown from the maid behind Sima Yan, and then looked at Sima Yan, "Thank you for making this trip, Your Highness. This phoenix crown is really beautiful!"

Yan Bing was filled with smugness. She hadn't let Sima Yan get away with it, and at this moment, she wouldn't let Sima Yan feel any better either.

Sima Yan's face stiffened, her smile cracking slightly. But then, as if remembering something, she glanced at An Mi, and a smile returned to her lips. She walked to An Mi's side and slowly said, "To be honest, as the Crown Prince's consort, I really envy you. When I got married, I didn't receive anything, while you two had quite the prestige..."

Sima Yan paused, then continued, "Even though the Empress Dowager didn't return to the palace for Bing'er's wedding, she instructed someone to have me deliver this phoenix crown to Bing'er, so that she could marry the Prince of Qin with the Empress Dowager's blessing. With her blessing, Bing'er and the Prince of Qin's marriage will surely be even more blissful. And Mi'er, you..."

As Sima Yan spoke, her smile deepened. However, to An Mi, that smile seemed malevolent. Her intuition told her that what Sima Yan was about to say was not good news for her.

“This makes me even more envious of Mi’er. The Empress Dowager sent a letter saying that she will be returning to the capital in a few days, and that she will personally officiate your wedding before you and the Prince of Bohai get married.” Sima Yan said with a chuckle, but there was no trace of envy in her words; instead, she seemed to be gloating.

To Yan Bing, the eldest young mistress, and the maids present, this was an incredibly good thing!

But An Mi knew that what everyone else saw as a good thing was an obstacle for her and Bai Yi.

Is he going to come back before she and Bai Yi get married so he can personally officiate their wedding?

She and Bai Yi are causing too much trouble!

"Mi'er, are you happy?" Sima Yan closely observed An Mi's every move, but what she saw was a calm expression, neither joyful nor worried. Sima Yan couldn't help but frown. An Mi was always like this, making it hard to understand her.