The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Once An Mi knelt down, the Empress Dowager rose from the cushion, turned around, and looked down at An Mi with a hint of coldness in her sharp eyes.

"What have you thought about the matter I discussed with you that night?" the Empress Dowager asked, her usual loving demeanor gone, each word dripping with pressure.

An Mi's eyes flickered, and for a moment she felt a little dazed. She had heard that Bai Yi's mother was also extremely disliked by the Empress Dowager. Could it be that many years ago, another woman was also being harassed like she was now?

Thinking of this, An Mi felt as if something had touched her heart, but feeling the cold gaze fixed on her, she quickly regained her composure and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, this matter is far too important. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me more time."

"Heh! I'll give you a little more time?" The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed, a hint of sarcasm appearing in them. She knew An Mi's cunning all too well. Just now, at the welcoming banquet, she was able to turn the tide so quickly; she was truly not to be underestimated.

The Empress Dowager looked at Anmi, whose calm and composed demeanor was becoming more and more like that of a person. She was just like that, wasn't she?

Hmph! The Empress Dowager's heart tightened, and she disliked An Mi even more.

"Very well, I'll give you some more time. You can kneel here and think it over carefully," the Empress Dowager said loudly, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

After speaking, she glanced at An Mi, then walked past her and headed out of the Buddhist hall. The palace maids serving inside the hall followed the Empress Dowager. The creaking sound of the door closing echoed behind her, and the once brightly lit Buddhist hall was instantly plunged into darkness.

Inside the Buddhist hall, only Anmi remained kneeling before the Buddha statue, her eyes still filled with unwavering resolve.

It seems the Empress Dowager intends to force her to kneel!

A smile played on her lips. So what?

The next morning, just after the Empress Dowager had finished her breakfast, she heard a palace servant announce that the Prince of Bohai was requesting an audience, saying he had brought some clothes for An Mi. As astute as the Empress Dowager was, she naturally knew that Bai Yi's purpose in coming to the palace this time was not as simple as bringing clothes. Thinking of An Mi, whom she had punished to stay in the Buddhist hall the day before, the Empress Dowager frowned and slowly instructed, "Have the Prince of Bohai leave the clothes behind. An Mi and I are chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall and have no time to see him."

Outside the Empress Dowager's palace, Bai Yi heard the palace servant's message and his hand tightened unconsciously. No time to see him? Then Mi'er's situation is probably...

Bai Yi suddenly felt a pang in his heart as he thought of something. "Please trouble you to tell the Empress Dowager that I will come later!"

After saying this, Bai Yi frowned and left. When his words reached the Empress Dowager's ears, she chuckled. "Come back later?" This Bai Yi is still as unlikable as ever.

"Then let him come back later!" the Empress Dowager said coldly. Even if he came back later, she had ways to make him continue to be turned away.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, remained silent for a while, and then asked, "How is the situation in the Buddhist hall?"

The personal eunuch, having overheard the Empress Dowager's inquiry, hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, in the Buddhist hall, Miss Anmi is still kneeling. We servants, following Your Majesty's orders, have not provided her with any food or water, I fear..."

"Ha! Do you feel sorry for her? Do you think I've been too cruel to her?" The Empress Dowager chuckled, her expression unreadable.

The eunuch was taken aback and hurriedly knelt on the ground. "This servant is terrified. This servant would never dare to do such a thing. The Empress Dowager has her reasons for treating her this way. It's just that Miss Anmi doesn't know how to be virtuous."

"How ungrateful! How ungrateful indeed." The Empress Dowager gave a soft snort, her sharp gaze shifting as if she had thought of something. She then ordered, "Go and ask her if she has anything to say to me."

Having knelt all night, I suppose I've learned my lesson!

If they are pragmatic and intelligent, then there should be a result by now!

"Yes." The old eunuch accepted the order and went down to the Buddhist hall. When he arrived, the hall was quiet. With a creak, the door opened from the outside. In the light shining in from outside, a figure was still kneeling in front of the Buddha statue. Looking at him, he seemed to be frozen in place, without any movement.

"Miss Anmi, the Empress Dowager has sent this old servant to ask if Miss Anmi has anything to say to the Empress Dowager?" The old eunuch asked tentatively from outside the door.

The figure remained motionless, and the old woman was startled, wondering if something had gone wrong. Just as she was about to go in to see what was going on, a gentle female voice came from inside the Buddhist hall, "Please ask the eunuch to tell the Empress Dowager that Anmi will be here to pray for her."

The old eunuch froze, then breathed a sigh of relief, understanding the meaning behind the words. He shook his head and gave a wink to the palace maids waiting on either side. The door to the Buddhist hall was closed once again. The old eunuch sighed, almost able to imagine the Empress Dowager's expression upon hearing the news.

As he expected, when the Empress Dowager heard what An Mi asked him to convey, her originally calm face suddenly turned angry.

"What a peaceful place! If she wants to pray for me in the Buddhist hall, let her be. I'd like to see how long she can keep up this act." The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, her anger seemingly impossible to contain.

Throughout the day, Bai Yi was turned away several times at the entrance of the Empress Dowager's palace and could not enter. By evening, Bai Yi could no longer sit still. Thinking of An Mi's situation alone in the Empress Dowager's palace, he felt a pang of pity. After thinking for a moment, as if he had thought of something, the color in his eyes became even deeper.

The night grew darker, but in the dark Buddhist hall, the time didn't seem so significant to An Mi. However, her kneeling legs reminded her that quite a bit of time had passed since last night.

Anmi could foresee how the Empress Dowager would react when she delivered the message!

Sigh! Anmi looked at the Buddha statue and sighed slowly. It seemed that she was going to have to kneel down this time. However, she told herself that her wedding with Baiyi was in a few days, and the depression in her heart lessened a lot.

Just as she thought of this, a creaking sound came from outside the door, and the door swung open again, startling An Mi. "They're here again?" she wondered. "But what news do they bring this time?"

"Miss Anmi, the Empress Dowager requests your presence." It was the same old eunuch again, his voice cold and hard, devoid of any emotion.

An Mi frowned, and as she moved her leg, a tingling sensation made her wince. But An Mi still insisted on getting up and slowly walked out of the Buddhist hall. When she reached the old eunuch, she forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch."

Seeing her pale face, weak appearance, and dragging her legs which she probably had no feeling for long, the old eunuch couldn't help but look at Anmi a few more times, then shook his head. "Miss Anmi, this old servant has something to say, but I don't know if I should."

“Please speak freely, Father-in-law,” Anmi said softly.

“Miss Anmi, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager hasn’t treated anyone like this in a long time. Even the Emperor has to give her some face. This old servant thinks you are a smart person, and you should know better than to go against Her Majesty’s wishes.” The old eunuch glanced at Anmi, thinking to himself, “Angering the Empress Dowager will not end well.”