The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

However, this was exactly the effect An Mi wanted. She glanced at the Empress Dowager without leaving a trace, and the Empress Dowager's slightly gloomy expression made her extremely satisfied. The Empress Dowager was a Buddhist and a vegetarian, and she could not bear to see killing. There was a rule in the Empress Dowager's palace that those who served by her side were not allowed to have any blood on their hands. When she said this, the Empress Dowager naturally would not let her get close. Even if she blamed her for killing, she would at most say a few words, but she could not be punished, right?

Empress Feng lowered her gaze and chuckled, "It's truly a pity that Anmi is so unlucky. She could have chosen not to kill earlier or later, but she had to do it on the eve of the Empress Dowager's summons. She missed the chance to get close to the Empress Dowager."

Although Empress Feng said this, she couldn't help but think more highly of An Mi. An Mi was really clever. By saying this, even if she displeased the Empress Dowager, she didn't offend anyone.

Sima Yan felt a slight displeasure. She thought that An Mi's displeasure would give her a good show, but who knew... In the current situation, even if the Empress Dowager was unhappy, she had no legitimate reason to punish An Mi.

Even if the Empress Dowager blames Anmi, she cannot bring about any real punishment.

Suddenly, the atmosphere became extremely strange. The Empress Dowager held the teacup in her hand, feeling an indescribable unease in her heart. This Anmi was truly cunning!

"Since that's the case, then let it go." After a long silence, the Empress Dowager finally spoke. It would seem petty of her to blame An Mi for this.

Having achieved her goal, Anmi hurriedly thanked the Empress Dowager, saying, "Anmi thanks the Empress Dowager for her mercy in not punishing me."

The Empress Dowager gave a faint "hmm," then glanced at the last seat and said, "You can sit there."

After speaking, as if deliberately trying to keep An Mi and Bai Yi at a distance, she turned to exchange pleasantries with the Empress and Sima Yan. Having received the Empress Dowager's favor, An Mi breathed a sigh of relief. She tightened her grip on Bai Yi's hand and, as she turned, her eyes met Bai Yi's. She noticed the faint smile in his eyes and glanced at the two empty chairs at the back. An Mi frowned slightly, feeling sorry for Bai Yi, because she had to sit in such an inconspicuous position with him.

Bai Yi seemed to understand what her frown meant, and his gaze towards An Mi softened even more. Bai Yi had not expected An Mi to handle the Empress Dowager so well, and he felt much more at ease.

An Mi and Bai Yi took their seats, and everyone's attention was focused on the Empress Dowager. They exchanged pleasantries with her. An Mi and Bai Yi were quite content, but some people couldn't stand An Mi's leisure. After a brief moment of quiet, someone pulled An Mi back into the storm.

"Grandmother, Yan'er also has a Buddhist heart and often copies Buddhist scriptures to calm her mind. I originally thought of hand-copying a scripture for the Empress Dowager, but hand-copying is ultimately not presentable. I thought of embroidering one, but Yan'er's embroidery skills are too clumsy. However, if we're talking about embroidery, Grandmother, you don't know, our future Princess of Bohai is a skilled embroiderer." Sima Yan's voice echoed in the hall. To everyone else, it seemed like she was praising An Mi to the extreme, but to An Mi, it was extremely grating.

Why would Sima Yan praise her? It's probably a trap!

Sure enough, Sima Yan continued, "Grandmother, how about this? Mi'er's embroidery is far more exquisite than Yan'er's. Since she is Grandmother's granddaughter-in-law anyway, why not let Mi'er embroider a Buddhist scripture for the Empress Dowager? What does the Empress Dowager think?"

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, and even the Empress Dowager had an inscrutable look flash across her eyes.

Even copying a Buddhist scripture by hand requires a great deal of effort. Moreover, this scripture, which is to be presented to the Empress Dowager, cannot afford to make the slightest mistake. If it were to be embroidered... well, it would probably require even more effort. If An Mi were to take on this task, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep day and night.

An Mi smiled bitterly to herself. Sima Yan was really good to her, always thinking of her and how to make things difficult for her!

"How can this be?" Qinglan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, secretly glaring at Sima Yan. This woman was truly despicable.

“Why not? If Mi’er can present such a Buddhist scripture to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager will be very happy.” Sima Yan raised the corner of her mouth and raised her voice. There was a hint of provocation in her eyes as she looked at An Mi. The more Qing Lan protected her, the more she wanted to push An Mi into the eye of the storm. “I think Mi’er, like Yan’er, hopes that the Empress Dowager will be happy.”

How could she not want that? A hint of sarcasm flashed in An Mi's eyes, and Qing Lan's brows furrowed even more. She wished she could take Sima Yan away. When would this woman ever stop!

“Anmi naturally hopes that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will be pleased,” Anmi said, “However…”

At this point, An Mi paused, glancing subtly at Sima Yan. Sure enough, she noticed a slight flicker in Sima Yan's expression, as if she were on guard. An Mi smiled and continued, "Since the Crown Princess has long had the idea of ​​embroidering the sutra for the Empress Dowager, it would be unfair to An Mi to take all the credit. How about this, the Crown Princess and An Mi embroider this sutra together, which can also be considered a way for the Crown Princess to show her filial piety to the Empress Dowager."

Seemingly unprepared for An Mi's move, Sima Yan was also taken aback. To have her participate in embroidering the scriptures? No, that wouldn't do. If she participated, and something went wrong with the scriptures, she would definitely be held responsible. How could she act according to her previous plans?

But An Mi saw this as the key point. Sima Yan twitched her lips, about to refuse, but An Mi spoke first, "Does the Crown Prince's Consort not want to show her filial piety to the Empress Dowager? Then what the Crown Prince's Consort said earlier about copying scriptures for the Empress Dowager and wanting to embroider scriptures for her was all a lie?"

Anmi's tone was firm and resolute, like a heavy hammer blow that slammed into Sima Yan, seemingly sealing off all her escape routes.

What could she say? Sima Yan felt a weight lift from her heart. Could she possibly admit it?

Sima Yan glanced at the Empress Dowager, whose face was smiling, but that smile made her feel a little displeased.

"What are you saying, Mi'er? You are not yet the Empress Dowager's granddaughter-in-law, but I have been for a long time. Just based on that, my filial piety towards the Empress Dowager should be much greater than yours, right? I also think your suggestion is very good. It would be most appropriate for the two of us to embroider this scripture for the Empress Dowager." Sima Yan said with a smile, but she was actually gnashing her teeth with hatred in her heart. She had no choice but to give in to An Mi's wishes.

"That's wonderful." An Mi said with satisfaction. Although embroidering the scriptures was not a simple task, it was even easier for her. Her only concern was that someone might use this as an excuse to do something underhanded. In that case, embroidering the scriptures would become a hot potato.

However, now... An Mi lowered her brows, a hint of satisfaction flashing across her eyes. If Sima Yan is involved and something goes wrong, Sima Yan will also be responsible, won't she?