The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Bai Yi raised an eyebrow, but smiled without saying a word. In the hall, apart from Feng Xianglan's still ferocious and crazy cries of pain, everything else was silent, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely strange.

Bai Yi scanned the area, and as his gaze passed over An Mi, a strange glint flashed in his deep eyes. He then said loudly, "Your Excellency, aren't your constables going to arrest anyone yet?"

The prefectural magistrate was taken aback for a moment before he realized what was happening. He quickly gave the head constable a look, and the head constable, of course, did not dare to delay. He immediately waved his hand and signaled his men to arrest An Xinhe and Yi Zhuxuan.

"No, you can't! You're not allowed to touch Xinhe!" Yu Fangfei panicked even more when she saw the constables rushing up. If Xinhe were imprisoned, not to mention the reputation of the An family, her own reputation and many other things would likely be affected.

Yi Zhuxuan, standing to the side, was already terrified. She knelt there blankly, her face deathly pale, as if she had been drained of all her blood.

An Mi looked at everything before her, feeling exceptionally happy. Then she heard Bai Yi's deep, angry voice echo throughout the hall, "Anyone who obstructs the work of the government will be thrown into prison!"

In the hall, Yu Fangfei, who had been entangled with the constable, suddenly felt a pang of fear and lost all her strength.

No one dared to question the words of the dignified King of Bohai. Yu Fangfei knew that if she continued to obstruct him, she would really be thrown into prison along with him. No, she could not go to prison. Now that Jin Qiaoyu was in the An family, how could she feel at ease if she left the An family?

Regardless of what awaits her in prison, given Jin Qiaoyu's cunning, she might just seize this opportunity to usurp the throne.

At this moment, she was faced with a dilemma. As if she had thought of something, Yu Fangfei turned to An Yuefeng and said, "Master, please say something! Please plead for Xinhe."

An Yuefeng was a seasoned veteran. He merely frowned and remained silent for a moment. What could he say? In front of the King of Bohai, An Yuefeng was nothing. If he spoke, he would surely implicate himself.

An Yuefeng's reaction made Yu Fangfei's heart sink. "She's your daughter. How can you be so indifferent?"

An Yuefeng was clearly displeased. This woman only knew how to hold him back, and she even dared to criticize him in front of so many people!

"Xianglan, you...you wake up, don't scare your mother!" Suddenly, Jin Qiaoyu started wailing. Everyone looked at her and saw that Feng Xianglan, who had been tormented by pain and looked like a ghost, had fainted in her arms.

Even without those painful cries, seeing Feng Xianglan's appearance, they couldn't help but frown and shake their heads, expressing their regret.

Bai Yi's gaze fell indifferently on the corroded face, his deep eyes turning cold. This was the face he hated, so it was better that it was destroyed!

And that woman... Ha, I didn't expect Jin Qiaoyu to be so capable, she actually became An Yuefeng's concubine. A certain image flashed through his mind, and Bai Yi clenched his fist tightly until the gloom in his eyes gradually disappeared, and then he loosened his clenched fist.

Jin Qiaoyu seemed to sense that sharp gaze, her body trembled, and she dared not raise her head again. Thinking of Xianglan's instructions last night, she felt even more uneasy. She was told to avoid the King of Bohai, but she had nowhere to avoid him. At this moment, in front of Bai Yi, she was like a fish on a chopping board.

An Mi keenly noticed Bai Yi's reaction and pondered in her mind. She was curious. Although she knew that Bai Yi had a past with Jin Qiaoyu and her daughter, and could roughly guess that the past was not pleasant, she wanted to know more about what had happened to make Bai Yi's eyes show such intense hatred.

"Take them away." Bai Yi's voice turned cold as he flicked his sleeves and left the hall.

The constables dared not delay any longer, and no one in the hall dared to utter a word. Everyone could clearly feel the anger of the King of Bohai, and they were all trembling with fear. Who would dare to provoke such a tiger? Would they be courting death?

The constables escorted An Xinhe and Yi Zhuxuan away. Both of them were unusually docile, as if they were scared out of their wits.

The guests left in the hall dispersed upon seeing this, and soon only the people from the An family and the Liu family remained in the hall. When Jin Qiaoyu saw Bai Yi leave, she started crying again. An Yuefeng, looking displeased, ordered people to carry the unconscious Feng Xianglan into the house and had already sent someone to find a doctor.

An Yuefeng had not anticipated anything that happened today. At this moment, his biggest worry was the marriage between Xinhe and the Liu family...

“Madam Liu…you see…there must be some misunderstanding here. Xinhe is a kind child, she would never…” An Yuefeng said with a frown.

This made Madam Liu feel a touch of irony. This An Yuefeng, just now when the King of Bohai was here, asked him to say something, but he chose to protect himself. Now he comes to explain to her that An Xinhe is a kind child? Humph, this is probably the biggest joke she has heard in days.

As shrewd as Madam Liu was, she could naturally see through An Yuefeng's thoughts. She curled the corners of her mouth and interrupted his disgusting words, "Master An, I naturally know Xinhe's kindness. You can rest assured that the Liu family will not cancel this marriage. Xinhe is Zhan'er's future wife, and the Liu family will naturally protect her. The Liu family should still have some face in front of the prefectural magistrate. I will instruct Zhan'er to pull some strings. It's nothing more than sending some money. You can stay at home and wait for Xinhe to return."

Upon hearing this, An Yuefeng and Yu Fangfei immediately became excited. "That would be perfect! It would be an honor for our An family to become in-laws with the Liu family. In the future, if Madam Liu needs anything, just give us a word, and the An family will do everything in its power to help."

Madam Liu smiled faintly, said nothing, remained silent for a moment, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then took her leave.

The two left the An residence and got into the carriage. Liu Zhan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, “Mother, things have already come to this. An Xinhe is a spoiled, willful, and arrogant woman. Why do you still insist on this marriage? Now everyone knows that I, Liu Zhan, am going to marry such a woman. Where will my face be?”

Madam Liu glanced at Liu Zhan, "Zhan'er, you need to think long-term about some things. What does saving face matter? Many rumors will fade away, but some benefits are long-term. Besides, do you think that proposing marriage today and then immediately breaking it off will stop people from talking? In the future, the rumors will probably be even worse. Your most urgent task is to please your father, quickly find a way to marry An Xinhe, coax her, and get her embroidery skills. That's the important thing. Let your father see his abilities so that he can hand over the power of the Liu family to you as soon as possible. Don't think that no one is competing with you. Your father and that slut outside..."

Madam Liu paused abruptly as if she had just thought of something, and a surge of hatred welled up in her eyes.

“Mother…” Liu Zhan frowned, trying to understand the meaning behind his mother’s words.

"Alright," Madam Liu interrupted Liu Zhan listlessly, "We must find a way to get An Xinhe out."

Meanwhile, in a servants' quarters of the An family mansion, An Mi sat at a table, a slight smile playing on her lips as she pondered Madam Liu's promise to An Yuefeng. She took out an embroidered handkerchief from her bosom. This handkerchief was one she had embroidered herself. Those mother and son truly valued embroidery skills so much; did they intend to get An Xinhe out? Heh…