The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Qinglan didn't even want to touch her. Before, he had Anmi in his heart, but now, he not only had Anmi in his heart, but also a concubine by his side!

Whenever she thought of this, she felt an indescribable sense of frustration!

"King of Bohai, Miss Anmi has arrived."

Just then, a eunuch announced from the doorway that Sima Yan's expression changed upon hearing the word "Anmi," and she instinctively gripped the jade prayer beads in her hand even tighter.

Upon hearing the sound, the Empress Dowager looked up at the doorway and saw two figures. The smile in her eyes deepened along with the kindness on her face.

At the entrance, An Mi followed Bai Yi, feeling the gazes of everyone around her. She walked slowly, her demeanor no less elegant than that of a lady from a prominent family in the capital. Sima Yan saw this and her brows furrowed. When she saw An Mi, Qing Lan, whose face was originally calm and composed, softened her gaze. However, when her eyes fell on the two people's clasped hands, her thick, handsome eyebrows tightened imperceptibly, and a strange glint seemed to flash in her eyes.

"Bai Yi pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."

"Anmi pays her respects to the Empress Dowager."

Upon reaching the center of the main hall, An Mi and Bai Yi respectfully bowed, but before they could finish speaking, Sima Yan's voice rang out...

"Mi'er, you've finally arrived. It's alright that we had to wait, but it's a shame that the Empress Dowager had to wait..." Sima Yan smiled. In front of the Empress Dowager, she shouldn't have so obviously picked on An Mi, but seeing An Mi's bright and beautiful appearance, especially Qing Lan's gaze lingering on An Mi, she couldn't suppress her jealousy.

In short, everyone's expression varied. Those present, more or less, knew that the Crown Prince's Consort and the future Princess of Bohai were at odds. They had previously witnessed the Empress Dowager's favor towards the Crown Prince's Consort. It seemed that An Mi was likely...

“Sister-in-law, Mi’er is always polite. She wouldn’t have come late on purpose. Besides, the banquet hasn’t started yet, so it’s not that late, is it?” Yan Bing, who had been sitting silently to the side, immediately spoke up. Naturally, she was protecting An Mi. In her heart, she felt even more contempt for Sima Yan. Did this woman never miss an opportunity to make things difficult for An Mi? She was truly a despicable person.

Sima Yan frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. She glared at Yan Bing without making it obvious, then looked at An Mi and said sourly, "Mi'er is so lucky. She is loved by the Prince of Bohai and has a good sister like Bing'er who protects her at all times. It is truly enviable."

An Mi merely smiled with her brows furrowed, showing no intention of speaking whatsoever. To some, this appeared as disdain. Just as Sima Yan was about to say something, the Empress Dowager's voice rang out...

"So you're the third son's wife?" the Empress Dowager said loudly, as if this were their first meeting. From beginning to end, her attention was on An Mi. How could she, being so shrewd, not see through Sima Yan's attempts to make things difficult for An Mi? But An Mi remained calm and composed. Compared to last night, she thought even more highly of this woman.

An Mi deliberately acted as if nothing had happened last night, and said softly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager's sharp eyes narrowed. "Exactly? Ha, what a perfect 'exactly'!"

She lowered her gaze and chuckled, "I almost forgot, you two aren't married yet, hehe. But I've heard it'll be in the next few days. Sooner or later you'll be members of the royal family. Come, sit here with me."

As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, everyone's face twitched involuntarily. They all went to sit next to the Empress Dowager.

Everyone looked at the situation in the hall. Empress Feng and the Crown Prince's wife, Sima Yan, were already seated to the left and right of the Empress Dowager. How should they be arranged after this peaceful period?

At this moment, Sima Yan's hostility intensified, and even Empress Feng frowned, becoming slightly wary. The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and no one made a move.

A bitter smile crept into An Mi's heart. She thought to herself, "The Empress Dowager truly lives up to her title. With just one sentence, she has pushed me into the eye of the storm!"

The concubines present glanced at An Mi, then at Empress Feng and the Crown Princess. Some couldn't help but cover their mouths with their embroidered handkerchiefs, waiting to see a good show. Empress Feng lowered her eyebrows, her lips slightly raised, and looked up at An Mi. Her eyes seemed to say, "Let's see how An Mi handles this!"

This was clearly a hot potato, and An Mi understood it all too well. If she didn't go, she would be clearly going against the Empress Dowager's wishes. If the Empress Dowager insisted on pursuing the matter, how could she possibly get away with it?

If she went there, the Empress Dowager could easily assign her a position, and whether it was Empress Feng or Sima Yan, it would give those two reasons to make things difficult for her.

This is indeed a difficult problem!

An Mi sighed inwardly, but remained calm and composed on the surface. In her view, there was a way to deal with it.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager..."

Beside her, Bai Yi's voice rang out, and An Mi was startled. She suddenly spoke, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Your Majesty's grace. But... but... but there are reasons why I cannot get close to Your Majesty."

An Mi interrupted Bai Yi. She understood Bai Yi's good intention to help her out of the predicament, but the Empress Dowager was currently targeting her. If Bai Yi helped her out, it would likely divert the Empress Dowager's attention to Bai Yi. Thinking of this, An Mi did not want Bai Yi and the Empress Dowager to have any further conflict.

As An Mi finished speaking, everyone's gazes flickered. Unable to approach the Empress Dowager? Ha! This An Mi is quite bold; isn't she disrespecting the Empress Dowager?

Empress Feng lowered her gaze slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. She knew An Mi was intelligent, but she wanted to see how she would deal with the Empress Dowager.

A hint of smugness rose in Sima Yan's heart, and a trace of disdain appeared in her eyes as she looked at An Mi. Hmph, in the end, she's just afraid of offending her!

"Ha, what reason is there for not being able to get close to me? Am I some kind of monster?" The Empress Dowager spoke coldly, her tone calm and her brows still carrying a slight, gentle smile, yet she exuded an indescribable pressure.

Almost everyone present felt this deeply and couldn't help but glance at An Mi again, thinking to themselves, "An Mi, she's offended the Empress Dowager as soon as she returned to the palace. She's probably going to suffer for it in the future."

An Mi understood this as well. However, she had offended the Empress Dowager not just now, but her very existence had already offended her!

An Mi smiled bitterly to herself. The Empress Dowager's current difficulties were waiting for her to resolve!

She lowered her brows slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, I was unaware that you were returning to the palace today, nor did I know that you would be summoning me. Yesterday, I broke the precept against killing; a rabbit died because of me... I..."

As An Mi spoke, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that everyone present frowned, their eyes filled with disgust. Their gazes were filled with condemnation, as if they were accusing her of cruelty. An Mi found it amusing. These concubines in the harem, who were probably willing to kill even without shedding blood, now thought she was cruel.