The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

An Mi deliberately slowed down, and only got off the carriage after Sima Yan entered the mansion. Uncle Ji seemed to have noticed Sima Yan's dislike for An Mi, so he escorted An Mi into the mansion gate and specially instructed Liu Guang and Yi Fei to take good care of An Mi before leaving.

Inside the vast mansion, lanterns and decorations were everywhere. Anmi walked around the mansion for a while, looking at the festive atmosphere in the courtyard. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her wedding with Bai Yi. After this, what the capital city should be looking forward to is her wedding with Bai Yi.

"Mother, will our mansion be decorated like this soon? Liu'er loves the whole courtyard full of red." Liu'er's childish voice seemed to be unable to hide her anticipation and excitement. Her clear, watery eyes sparkled like jewels.

An Mi felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this. Meanwhile, Liu Guang and Yi Fei exchanged a glance and laughed, "Miss Liu'er, when Miss and the Prince get married, our Prince's Mansion will be more than just this lively and festive."

"Yes, yes, can't everyone see the Prince's love for Miss? He wants to give her the most beautiful things in the world, and the wedding must be the grandest ever!" Yifei chimed in, unable to stop talking as she saw the joy on Anmi's face. "No matter what kind of wedding it is, our Prince can pull it off!"

"Ah!"

Just as Yifei finished speaking, a cold snort came from behind. The sound made Anmi's smile freeze. She thought to herself, "It's like a vengeful ghost. Wherever I go, I can hear Sima Yan's sharp tongue."

Thinking of her entanglement with Sima Yan, An Mi couldn't help but sigh. Women are truly strange creatures. They're all women, so why make things difficult for each other? And yet, she was seen as a thorn in Sima Yan's side!

"Mi'er is so lucky to have the Prince of Bohai doting on you. What this maid said is true. No matter what kind of wedding it is, the Prince of Bohai can put on. Your Highness, shouldn't we be happy for Mi'er?"

Following that cold snort, Sima Yan's voice rang out again. This time, her words not only froze An Mi's smile, but also caused her brows to furrow. "Your Highness, that is Qing Lan!"

For a long time, she subconsciously avoided Qinglan. Whether it was to avoid Sima Yan's suspicion or because seeing Qinglan always brought an indescribable awkwardness, looking into his eyes always reminded her of his declaration to her in the carriage that day, and the unease in her heart would gradually spread like the tide.

Whether it was Sima Yan behind her or Qing Lan was there, she had no choice but to turn around!

An Mi took a deep breath, and when the smile returned to her face, she finally turned around and curtsied, "An Mi greets His Highness the First Prince and His Highness the First Princess!"

Sima Yan glanced at An Mi, then subconsciously looked at Qing Lan. Her dark eyes seemed calm, but in Sima Yan's eyes, they seemed to be suppressing something.

Sima Yan's lips twitched, her eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward with a smile, taking An Mi's hand. "Mi'er, we're all family, no need for such formalities."

An Mi felt the strength of that hand, which made her hand ache. An Mi frowned, looked up to meet Sima Yan's eyes, and tugged at the corner of her mouth. With Sima Yan holding her hand, she walked to Qing Lan and also placed Sima Yan's hand in front of Qing Lan. "Your Highness, the Crown Princess is joking. Even if we were to get married and become family, these formalities are still necessary. Your Highness, the Crown Princess's hands are a little cold. Please don't let them get cold."

As soon as she finished speaking, An Mi clearly felt Sima Yan loosen her grip on her hand. She glanced at Sima Yan without making it obvious and just happened to see a flash of panic in her eyes. Sima Yan quickly let go of An Mi's hand, which clearly had a faint red mark. Although it was not deep, it did not seem to fade away for a while.

Sima Yan naturally saw it, and her heart pounded with even more panic. If His Highness saw it, then…

Just as she was panicking, An Mi covered the red mark with an embroidered handkerchief. Sima Yan breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to meet An Mi's eyes, only to see a half-smile in them.

Sima Yan's heart skipped a beat. Was she doing this on purpose? Was she deliberately helping her?

Sima Yan frowned, but instead of feeling grateful to An Mi, she felt an even stronger resentment. An Mi shouldn't think that just because she had done her these favors, she should be grateful to her!

Just then, a commotion arose outside the door. Many guests inside the mansion rushed towards the door upon hearing the noise. Sima Yan had a sudden inspiration. She knew that if Qing Lan noticed the red marks on An Mi's hands at this moment, she would probably be angry with her. So she forced a smile and said softly, "Your Highness, the Prince of Qin's wedding procession should have arrived by now. Let's go out and take a look, and share in the joy."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, it seems quite lively over there!" Another voice rang out, one that An Mi was unfamiliar with. Following the voice, An Mi finally saw the woman standing with Qing Lan and Sima Yan.

An Mi quickly sized up the woman. Her attire was that of a young lady from a wealthy family—not ostentatious, but not shabby either. She was elegant and refined. Although she couldn't compare to Sima Yan's beauty, she was still a stunning beauty, especially her smiling eyes, which made people feel close to her at first glance.

This woman must be the concubine that the Emperor has chosen for Qinglan!

His father was a court official. Although his family background was not as illustrious as Sima Yan's, it was still enough to make him a worthy prince of Qinglan.

Sima Yan glanced at the woman, her eyes revealing no emotion. From beginning to end, Qing Lan had not uttered a single word, and his gaze remained fixed on An Mi. With his keen insight, how could he not have noticed the red marks on An Mi's hands?

At that moment, his anger surged, but when he saw An Mi covering herself with her embroidered handkerchief, he suppressed his anger. If he vented his anger on Sima Yan, then when he couldn't see, Sima Yan would always turn her attention to An Mi.

Doesn't he understand Sima Yan's heart?

Having realized this, he calmed down. He hadn't uttered a single word the entire time, but now he opened his mouth and said, "Let's go!"

After saying that, Qinglan gave Anmi a deep look, then looked away and walked towards the gate of the mansion. Sima Yan was stunned for a moment, then finally breathed a sigh of relief. When she met Anmi's gaze again, a smile appeared on her lips. The upward curve of the smile was hard to read. Anmi, however, understood that the smile was probably not a good omen.

"Mother..." Liu'er's tender voice rang out after seeing Sima Yan turn and leave. She clung tightly to An Mi, looking in the direction Sima Yan had left with some fear.