The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Your Highness, Your Highness, what should be done with her?" asked the man standing to the side. He was Qi Shaoshang, Bai Yi's most trusted confidant in business.

Just now, An Mi entered the Prince's Mansion through the back gate and was received by Qi Shaoshang, who was waiting there. Then, Qi Shaoshang led her here. Over there, Uncle Ji also brought the fake bride into the room, and the group was quickly switched.

However, before they could send the fake bride away, Empress Feng arrived.

In her haste, Anmi decided to leave the fake bride there. Fortunately, the woman hadn't made any noise, otherwise, if Empress Feng had noticed something amiss, it could have caused a lot of trouble.

"There's no need for him to stay." Bai Yi said coldly. He had already had this person's identity investigated. Did he want to replace Mi'er? Hmph, he really doesn't know what's good for him. If he stays in this world, he'll probably only cause trouble in the future.

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head repeatedly.

An Mi was also slightly taken aback. Kill her?

Today is, after all, her and Bai Yi's wedding day. They've already lost Granny Li; if this woman were to join them...

"Shao Shang, I'm leaving this to you." Bai Yi spoke again, seemingly noticing An Mi's hesitation, and tightened his grip on An Mi's hand.

Feeling the force and Bai Yi's determination, An Mi's brow gradually relaxed. She glanced at the woman on the ground pleading and shaking her head, begging for mercy. Finally, An Mi turned her gaze to Bai Yi and smiled slightly.

She knew that Bai Yi was not a bloodthirsty and cruel person, but keeping him around would indeed be a huge hidden danger for them, and they couldn't let him live!

"Yes, Your Highness. Leave this to me. Don't worry. Your Highness and Your Highness, please don't miss the auspicious time for the wedding ceremony." Qi Shaoshang accepted the order and urged his master.

Bai Yi and An Mi exchanged a glance and ignored everything else in the room. Bai Yi personally covered An Mi with the bridal veil. The door opened again, and Uncle Ji breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Bai Yi and An Mi come out. At the same time, he loudly instructed the matchmaker who had just arrived, "Quickly, quickly prepare for the wedding ceremony."

The fire in the study has been brought under control, and everyone's attention has once again turned to the newlyweds. The atmosphere is lively as the guests surround the bride and groom and head towards the front yard.

In the hall, Empress Feng returned disappointed, but the guess she had just made still lingered in her mind.

The Empress Dowager had vehemently opposed the marriage, but in the end, it was An Mi who was married off from the Empress Dowager's palace. This was truly perplexing. Based on her understanding of the Empress Dowager, she knew that the Empress Dowager would never easily compromise on what she insisted on, just like Bai Yi's mother back then...

Thinking of something, Empress Feng's eyes flickered, but she quickly dismissed that past memory.

The Empress Dowager's straightforwardness was highly unusual; there were clues to it...

"The bride and groom have arrived." The wedding officiant's voice came from outside the hall, and the guests inside all looked towards the entrance.

Empress Feng was also pulled back to her senses by the sound. When she looked up, she saw the groom, Bai Yi, holding one end of the red silk ribbon in one hand, while the other end was tightly held by the bride. Empress Feng followed the direction of the ribbon and her brows furrowed even more.

Is there true peace beneath this veil? Or is it someone else?

Lost in thought, Bai Yi led his bride to Emperor Mingde and Empress Feng. Emperor Mingde had a smile on his face, and his imperial majesty was tinged with a father's satisfaction.

"The bride and groom bow to heaven and earth."

The fire in the study had already delayed things considerably, so the matchmaker dared not delay any longer and miss the auspicious time. Skipping some of the more trivial steps, she followed the custom and led the bride and groom in bowing to heaven and earth three times.

Meanwhile, compared to the bustling activity at the Bohai Prince's Mansion, the Empress Dowager's palace was much quieter. As soon as Bai Yi's wedding procession left, the Empress Dowager closed the palace gates and successively drove out all the concubines in the harem.

Although everyone was surprised by the Empress Dowager's actions, no one dared to pursue the matter further.

"Where is Granny Li? Has she not returned yet?" The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea and spoke calmly. Granny Li was always efficient in her work. As an old servant in the palace, she naturally knew that she had to report to her master after completing her tasks. However, this time, quite some time had passed, and she still hadn't seen her. Even the reserved Empress Dowager felt a little uneasy.

"Your Majesty, I have sent people to search, and we should have news soon," a palace maid serving nearby said, her voice trembling with the oppressive atmosphere.

The Empress Dowager frowned, seemingly displeased, but ultimately said nothing more. The palace maid beside her breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by panicked shouts, "Something terrible has happened...something terrible has happened..."

The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed, and a palace maid serving nearby stepped forward first. As soon as the maid entered the room, she heard a reprimand, "What are you rushing about for? You've disturbed the Empress Dowager. Can you bear the consequences?"

The palace maid was startled and restrained herself somewhat, but then, as if remembering something, fear still lingered in her eyes. She suddenly knelt on the ground and cried out, "Your Majesty, we've found Granny Li!"

"Where is she?" The Empress Dowager glanced at the palace maid, whose slightly flickering gaze only intensified the unease she had felt earlier.

The palace maid bit her lip, hesitating to speak.

"The Empress Dowager is asking you a question!"

"Your Majesty, Granny Li...Your Majesty, you should go and see her yourself!" the palace maid said in a panic. How could she explain herself?

The Empress Dowager frowned, already having a guess in her mind. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and she abruptly stood up. "Lead the way."

With a cold command, the Empress Dowager's sharp aura seemed to permeate every corner of the room. The palace maids serving her dared not be negligent and followed her, hurriedly heading in a certain direction under the guidance of the maid who had spoken earlier. Judging from the Empress Dowager's expression, a bad premonition arose in their hearts...

The Empress Dowager didn't say a word along the way. The closer they got to their destination, the more frightened the palace maid who was leading the way became. When they arrived at a courtyard, the palace maid stopped and said, "Your Majesty, Granny Li... she's in here."

The Empress Dowager's eyes grew even darker. Without pausing for a moment, she went straight into the courtyard. After only a dozen steps inside, she saw the scene: several guards lay on the ground, and among them lay a woman covered in blood. Just by looking at her clothes, one could tell who she was—none other than Granny Li.

"Your Majesty, this..." The palace maids who had come along were all terrified at the sight and wanted to run away, but they dared not leave because the Empress Dowager was there.

what happened!

Granny Li was a palace maid favored by the Empress Dowager. Who would dare to be so bold as to commit such a heinous act in the palace? They truly have no respect for the Empress Dowager!