The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

With a swish, Sima Yan felt a burning sensation on her face, unable to tell whether it was from shame and anger or from the slap she had just received.

Her anger flared up completely. Protecting An Mi, huh? Hmph, she'd like to see how she could protect her!

With gritted teeth, Sima Yan cried out, "Grandmother, you must do justice for Yan'er! Those Buddhist beads are clearly a result of An Mi's dislike of Yan'er, an attempt to frame her. Grandmother, please investigate thoroughly."

Instantly, everyone looked at the Empress Dowager, seemingly waiting for her to speak and make a decision.

Anmi lowered her brows. Sima Yan kept saying that she was good at both singing and acting, so she must have come prepared. Suddenly, a sense of unease arose in her heart. Was it a Buddhist rosary bestowed by the Empress Dowager?

"Yan'er, you say An Mi took your Buddhist beads, but there's no evidence. You can't just falsely accuse someone." After a long silence, the Empress Dowager finally spoke.

"Grandmother, it hasn't been long since then. Whoever took those prayer beads must still have them on them. Whether Yan'er has wronged anyone or not, Grandmother can find out by having someone search them," Sima Yan said loudly.

The words caused an uproar. Search? An Mi was, after all, the future Princess of Bohai. To be searched in front of so many people was probably more humiliating than being slapped in the face in front of so many people!

How could such tranquility allow them to sit idly by and await their doom?

An Mi, of course, would not sit idly by and wait for her fate. With Sima Yan's attitude so resolute, An Mi, being no fool, naturally began to suspect something.

Under the gaze of everyone, even now, knowing that she had probably fallen into someone else's trap, An Mi remained remarkably calm. Recalling everything that had just happened, she couldn't help but frown as she thought of something.

Under the seat, Anmi quickly touched a certain part of her body, and when she touched something, she was suddenly startled.

really!

What a clever trick by Sima Yan! Just now, I thought I could get close to her, but she managed to transfer the item to her without anyone noticing in front of so many people. What a skillful tactic!

An Mi took a deep breath, her eyes flickering slightly. This subtle reaction was noticed by everyone, who watched with even more anticipation for a good show.

A hint of smugness rose in Sima Yan's heart. Hmph, are you panicking?

Even she has moments of panic!

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to order a body search, An Mi suddenly stood up, walked to the front of the hall, and knelt down beside Sima Yan. "Your Majesty, please investigate. An Mi would never dare to do anything petty or despicable, nor would I dare to deliberately frame anyone. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty."

As soon as An Mi finished speaking, before anyone else could speak or react, she bit her lip slightly, looked at Sima Yan, and weakly questioned, "Princess Consort, why do you have to wrong me like this? An Mi is not afraid of being searched, but An Mi cannot disregard the face of the Prince of Bohai."

Sima Yan was taken aback, looking at An Mi in front of her, she couldn't figure out what she was going to do.

Her eyes flashed, and she coldly snorted, "Since you dared to take these prayer beads, what do you care about saving face? Hmph, are you afraid? Afraid that the prayer beads will be found on you, so you dare not let anyone search you!"

Sima Yan was even more aggressive. Under such pressure, An Mi appeared increasingly vulnerable and trembled as she took a step back. This action, however, stirred up a deep sense of pleasure in Sima Yan's eyes.

Ha! In the past, when she clashed with An Mi, An Mi was always incredibly clever. When had she ever suffered a loss? When had she ever yielded?

And this time... ha, is she really afraid?

She's scared. Great, that's perfect!

Thinking of this, Sima Yan's momentum rose even higher, "An Mi, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress are all here. Even if you don't want to be searched, you have no choice!"

After saying this, Sima Yan turned to the Empress Dowager, "Grandmother, I beg you to have someone search her body."

"Let's see who dares to search!" Bai Yi stood up abruptly, his cold expression sending chills down one's spine.

The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed, but she spoke calmly, "Guards, search the place!"

At the command, An Mi seemed to see a fleeting smile in Sima Yan's eyes, and a hint of sarcasm rose in her heart. This Sima Yan, so aggressive, what does she have to worry about?

Hmph, she was unkind to her, so she'll be unjust to her in return!

With a furrowed brow, An Mi looked at Bai Yi and said tremblingly, "Your Highness, save me."

Bai Yi flashed to the front of the hall. The people who had been ordered by the Empress Dowager to search An Mi surrounded her and tried to get closer, but Bai Yi stood in front of An Mi and said, "Father, I guarantee with my life that there are no Buddhist beads on Mi'er."

“Yes, An Mi will soon become a member of our royal family. Such a search is a disgrace to our royal family. I urge Father and Empress Dowager to reconsider,” Qing Lan said.

Qinglan and Baiyi protected Anmi at the same time. Seeing that the people who were ordered to search Anmi could not get close to her at all, Sima Yan became a little anxious. Looking at the slightly furrowed brows of Emperor Mingde and Empress Dowager, Sima Yan was even more uneasy. If the Empress Dowager changed her mind and stopped searching, then all the arrangements and calculations would be in vain.

No, this can't be! We absolutely cannot let Anmi get away with this!

With a hardened heart, Sima Yan's eyes narrowed. Fine, since they couldn't get close to An Mi, then she would search her herself. As long as she found that string of Buddhist beads on An Mi, let's see how An Mi could escape. Even if she had a hundred mouths, she probably wouldn't be able to explain herself.

"Hmph," Sima Yan made up her mind. Looking at An Mi, she was right next to her. She leaned forward and bumped into An Mi. To her surprise, An Mi was startled and instinctively tried to stop Sima Yan's intention.

Suddenly, the two women in the hall were locked in a struggle, twisting and turning.

"Heh, this is quite a sight to behold." Empress Feng chuckled, glancing at the Empress Dowager and Emperor Mingde. Seeing the gloom on their faces, her eyes gleamed with even more anticipation for the spectacle.

Everyone looked at the two women, then at the Empress Dowager whose face was growing increasingly grim, and thought to themselves, "This is bad, the Empress Dowager is probably going to be furious!"

Sure enough, with a loud bang, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand heavily on the table, the resounding sound startling everyone.

"Enough!" the Empress Dowager shouted angrily. Her voice made An Mi and Sima Yan stop and coldly said, "Look at yourselves! What kind of behavior is this? Don't you have any manners at all?"

Sima Yan glared at An Mi, pushed her away, and knelt down to beg for forgiveness. "Grandmother, please calm down. Yan'er only wanted to find the Buddhist beads. Yan'er knows she was wrong. Grandmother will naturally preside over the search."

Sima Yan's voice was full of confidence. She glanced at An Mi without leaving a trace. So what if An Mi tried to tear things apart? She wouldn't escape the body search. Hmph, once she was searched, An Mi would be in for a world of hurt!