The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

An Mi's call only made Sima Yan feel more aggrieved, as if she had swallowed a dead fly, which was stuck in her throat and made her extremely uncomfortable.

The Empress Dowager, however, saw all of this. With her experience, she made it impossible for anyone to discern what she was thinking. After a long while, she said, "I am very pleased that you are all so filial."

Although Sima Yan was upset, she could only force a smile since things had come to this point. "This is what we juniors should do. We just hope that Grandmother will be happy."

"Happy, happy!" the Empress Dowager laughed heartily. "I'm getting old, and all I hope for is to have everything I want. That would be the best thing."

An Mi heard this and looked up, and sure enough, she met the Empress Dowager's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but were not. However, it was only for a moment before the Empress Dowager looked away.

"What are you saying, Your Majesty? In this whole world, who could possibly make you unhappy?" Empress Feng hurriedly said.

The Empress Dowager twitched the corner of her mouth and gave a soft hum, "What I fear most is that some people will bully this old woman like me."

For a moment, everyone present became cautious, not afraid of making even the slightest mistake and displeasing the Empress Dowager. Only An Mi understood perfectly well what the Empress Dowager meant. The Empress Dowager was simply reminding her of what happened last night.

An Mi lowered her brows and remained silent, as if she had not heard what the Empress Dowager had said.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her indifferently, but her displeasure only deepened. Was An Mi truly determined to oppose her?

Hmph, a mere girl dares to defy her. She'll see who ends up getting what they want in the end!

Just then, a eunuch rushed in from outside the hall, knelt in the center of the hall, and reported, "Your Majesty, the banquet is ready. Please move to the palace..."

"Alright, then let's go." The Empress Dowager chuckled, her expression as usual.

As soon as the Empress Dowager stood up, Sima Yan quickly helped her up, which drew another round of praise from the Empress Dowager: "Qinglan has married a good wife, she should cherish her."

Qinglan smiled, glancing subtly at Anmi and Baiyi, but a bitter feeling welled up inside him. A good wife, huh? He would rather not have the good wife she spoke of, but... thinking that Baiyi and Anmi's wedding was just a few days away, Qinglan felt even worse. These days, he tried his best not to think about it. He wanted to escape, but how could he escape some things?

Sima Yan smiled and slowly walked to An Mi's side, gently taking her arm. This action surprised An Mi.

“In a few days, it will be the wedding of Mi’er and the King of Bohai. The King of Bohai should cherish Mi’er. That way, I, as her older sister, will feel much more at ease, right? Don’t you think so, my husband?” Sima Yan’s voice rang out slowly, and she looked as if she and An Mi were truly sisters.

Suddenly, Qinglan's brows furrowed even more, and Anmi tugged at the corners of her mouth. Baiyi pulled Anmi into his arms, successfully "rescuing" her from Sima Yan's grasp. He said loudly, "Your Highness, you are overthinking this. I have finally managed to win your heart, so I will naturally cherish you."

Sima Yan was disappointed. Seeing An Mi nestled in Bai Yi's arms, her eyes narrowed, and she felt even more bitter. She really didn't know what was so good about An Mi. Qing Lan only had eyes for her, and she also got Bai Yi's affection. It was truly enviable.

She was jealous, an indescribable jealousy. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile appeared on her lips as she chuckled, "Mi'er is truly so happy, it's enviable."

As Sima Yan spoke, she glanced at the Empress Dowager without leaving a trace. Seeing the Empress Dowager's slightly lowered expression, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Anmi, oh Anmi, it's fortunate that the Empress Dowager returned in time. With the Empress Dowager around, it's probably not going to be easy for her to get that Bohai Princess.

"Alright, alright, no matter how envious you are, you still have to eat, don't you?" The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly rang out. "I just returned to the palace today, and it's been a long time since I've tasted the cooking skills of the palace chefs."

"Then we mustn't delay any longer," Empress Feng hurriedly agreed.

Sima Yan didn't seem to have gotten anything good out of it, but in the end she didn't say anything more. However, no one noticed the calculation that was faintly flashing in her eyes.

The group moved to the banquet hall, where Emperor Mingde was already seated. Just as everyone took their seats, Sima Yan suddenly exclaimed, "Ah..."

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to the direction from which the sound came. There, they saw Sima Yan with her brows furrowed and her expression panicked, searching around for something.

"What is it?" the Empress Dowager asked, voicing everyone's question.

Sima Yan froze, hurriedly got up, and knelt on the ground. This left everyone even more confused about what had happened.

Only Qinglan's brows were furrowed. She immediately stood up and walked to Sima Yan's side, saying, "Your Majesty, she should be alright."

After saying that, he glanced at Sima Yan and said in a low voice, "Get up and go back to your seat. Don't spoil everyone's fun."

Sima Yan looked up and met Qing Lan's gaze. The depth in Qing Lan's eyes startled her. Her eyes flickered as if she was thinking about something. After a long while, she finally spoke, "Grandmother, Yan'er has made a mistake. Please punish me."

Punishment? Sima Yan's initiative to apologize left everyone looking at each other in bewilderment. An Mi frowned, feeling uneasy for some reason. Her intuition told her that Sima Yan's sudden outburst was definitely not a good thing.

"Ah, Yan'er, you're enjoying your meal perfectly. I have no idea what you've done wrong." The Empress Dowager put down her chopsticks, seemingly intrigued.

When the Empress Dowager put down her chopsticks, the others followed suit, all looking at Sima Yan kneeling on the ground with puzzled expressions.

Qinglan's face grew increasingly ugly, and she glared fiercely at Sima Yan, "Shut up and don't cause any trouble."

Sima Yan's lips curled into a subtle smile, which quickly turned into a look of panic. She kowtowed heavily, her knees moving a few steps toward the Empress Dowager. "Grandmother, I know my sins. Just now, I was extremely fortunate to have won your favor and been rewarded with a Buddhist rosary. But... but I... I don't know where that rosary has gone..."

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone present frowned and subconsciously looked at the Empress Dowager. Sure enough, they saw that the Empress Dowager's face stiffened slightly and she looked displeased. They couldn't help but sigh in their hearts, "This is bad. Something big is about to happen."

Those prayer beads were the Empress Dowager's favorite possession, which she bestowed upon the First Prince's wife. But the First Prince's wife, well, who knows where they went.

Ha, let's see how she explains this to the Empress Dowager!

Sima Yan noticed the Empress Dowager's expression change, and hurriedly said, "Grandmother, Yan'er didn't mean it, Yan'er didn't know... Ah... Yes..."