The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Sima Yan pointed at An Mi. Instantly, everyone's attention shifted to An Mi. Qing Lan's face darkened further. Ignoring the presence of so many people, she shouted at Sima Yan, "Enough! When are you going to stop causing trouble?!"

Just as he expected, this woman was determined to frame An Mi.

An Mi lowered her gaze, feeling the warmth from the large hand of the man beside her holding hers. She subconsciously looked up and met Bai Yi's eyes, but a bitter smile came to her heart. Wasn't she already used to Sima Yan's difficult behavior?

But this time... what reason did she give?

Those Buddhist prayer beads?

Anmi sat there, unmoved as a mountain, bearing the gazes of everyone without the slightest panic. Qinglan's shout startled Sima Yan, but what followed was an even stronger sense of jealousy and resentment in her heart.

He yelled at her? Qinglan actually yelled at her in front of so many people, all for Anmi's sake!

Hmph, so, will she still hold back?

Sima Yan had already planned it all out, and now she was even more determined. Her body trembled as if she had been frightened. "Your Highness, please calm down. I am terrified. I am not making a scene. I just want to find the Buddhist beads that the Empress Dowager gave me."

Find the Buddhist prayer beads? She's clearly just stirring up trouble!

Just as Qinglan was about to say something, the Empress Dowager spoke again, "Qinglan, the Buddhist beads were lost, and it's unlikely that she did it on purpose. As long as the Buddhist beads are found, I will not pursue the matter any further."

"Thank you for your grace, Grandmother." Sima Yan was overjoyed. She paused, then turned her gaze to An Mi. She knelt down and took several steps towards An Mi, looking at her pleadingly. Instantly, the atmosphere at the banquet became strange. Everyone looked at An Mi with a different gaze, secretly wondering what was going on.

However, some people were looking forward to a good show, as they all knew that the future Princess of Bohai and the Crown Prince's wife had always been at odds!

At the banquet, Bai Yi, Qing Lan, Prince Qin, and Emperor Mingde all frowned. Then, Sima Yan's voice rang out again, "Mi'er, please return those prayer beads to me. Those prayer beads were given to me by my grandmother. If I lose them, it will be a great crime."

The entire audience erupted in uproar, finding it all quite amusing. What did it mean that the Crown Prince's Consort was asking the future Princess of Bohai to return her Buddhist prayer beads?

Could it be that the future Princess of Bohai stole these prayer beads?

This guess popped into people's minds, and everyone was taken aback. If it were true, the Princess of Bohai would dare to steal even the Buddhist beads bestowed by the Empress Dowager. She was truly audacious!

An Mi endured everyone's gaze, but a bitter smile appeared on her lips. Sima Yan had really put a lot of effort into this whole thing, talking to herself and directing it herself!

“Mi’er, I know we had some past grievances, but that’s all in the past, isn’t it? I sincerely want to resolve our past grievances and be sisters with you again. Even if you hate me, I’ll find a way to help you get revenge and make you happy. But why… please return those prayer beads to me. As for your resentment towards me, I’ll make amends, okay?” Sima Yan suddenly stepped forward, reaching An Mi’s side, grabbing An Mi’s hem, pleading desperately…

An Mi looked at the woman kneeling in front of her and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips. Sima Yan really went to great lengths to frame her!

He actually knelt before her and begged her? Such realistic acting, he really put in a lot of effort!

What is she thinking at this moment? The price she's demanding for kneeling before her is probably a death without a proper burial!

"Sima Yan, stop making false accusations!" Bai Yi, who was standing to the side, could no longer bear it. This woman had targeted An Mi time and time again, and now she was resorting to such clumsy means. How could he tolerate her wronging Mi'er like this?

Sima Yan bit her lip nervously, but a hint of smugness rose in her heart. Ha, even Bai Yi can't sit still anymore?

Hmph, the show isn't over yet!

Although Sima Yan thought this in her heart, the fear on her face was enough to make anyone feel sorry for her. "Your Highness, Sima Yan would never dare to make false accusations. Everyone here knows very well how Your Highness feels for Mi'er. To wrong her, An Mi, is to go against the Prince of Bohai. Who would dare to offend the Prince of Bohai? Others wouldn't dare, and neither would Sima Yan. However, today, even if the Prince of Bohai insists on protecting his own, Sima Yan has no choice but to offend him, even if she is afraid. If it were something else, Sima Yan would turn a blind eye and suffer in silence. But this is something given by the Empress Dowager. I know the stakes involved. I cannot afford to offend her, so I have no choice but to beg Mi'er to return the Buddhist beads to me."

Sima Yan is a talented singer and composer; every word and phrase reveals her pitiful state and accuses An Mi of her sins.

Even a fool could understand from these words that the future Princess of Bohai was probably framing the Crown Prince's wife because of a grudge between them. She stole the Buddhist beads bestowed by the Empress Dowager, hoping to implicate the Crown Prince's wife and get her punished.

For a moment, the people sitting at the banquet had different expressions. Emperor Mingde glanced at An Mi, picked up his wine cup unhurriedly, and drank his wine by himself. Even Empress Feng was watching the show from the side. Whether it was An Mi who framed Sima Yan or Sima Yan who framed An Mi, she was just watching from the sidelines and enjoying the show.

The Empress Dowager, however, had a slight frown between her brows, seemingly extremely displeased by the loss of the string of Buddhist beads, but no one could see the deep glint in her eyes.

"Sima Yan, don't embarrass yourself." Qing Lan's face grew increasingly ugly, and even the veins on his forehead bulged. Just as he had guessed, this woman had always regarded An Mi as a thorn in her side, and she would find any opportunity to find fault with An Mi. She was truly despicable.

Sima Yan's eyes narrowed, and she sneered, "Disgraceful? I'm just trying to find the Buddhist beads. The ones who are disgraceful are the ones with dirty hands, those who want to harm others."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud slap landed heavily on Sima Yan's face. A burning pain spread across Sima Yan's face, almost making her mind go blank for a moment. Everyone who saw this slap was stunned. Looking at the man in the blue robe, they all seemed to have never expected that the usually gentle and refined First Prince would slap Sima Yan in such a situation, in front of so many people.

Sima Yan was stunned, and it took her a long time to come to her senses. He hit her? In front of so many people, he hit her for An Mi's sake!

Ha! Sima Yan felt everyone's gazes, those eyes seemed to be mocking her, as if to say: See, the Crown Prince's Consort? It seems she has the title but no real favor!