The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Master, the tea has been drunk, and Jing'er has presented you with your birthday gift. Now it's Zhan'er's turn. Zhan'er is getting married today, and he's marrying Xinhe, the champion of the Embroidery Society. Just now, you agreed to let Xinhe embroider a piece in public as a birthday gift from the couple, so that everyone can feast their eyes on it. Master, don't you think it's time for Xinhe to embroider it?" Madam Liu tried her best to calm her anger and all the resentment in her heart. She told herself that she still had Zhan'er. Now that Zhan'er had married Xinhe, and Xinhe had the lost embroidery technique that their Liu family had been searching for for many years, she had shown the embroidered handkerchief that Zhan'er had obtained from Liu's Embroidery Shop when the master returned earlier. The master was very pleased. When Xinhe embroiders an even more perfect one, it will surely make the master very happy.

She has now placed all her hopes on An Xinhe, and she is confident that An Xinhe will not let her down!

"Let's begin." Liu Xuan glanced at An Xinhe and said loudly, he was also very much looking forward to the embroidery.

"Xinhe, hurry up and go. Remember to embroider the one you embroidered at the embroidery appreciation event last time. But this time, you have to finish it first," Madam Liu said softly.

An Mi looked at An Xinhe, only to see that her original displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by a smile. She curtsied to Liu Xuan and Madam Liu, replied "Yes," and walked towards the shelf that had been prepared for her.

A strange smile crept across An Mi's lips beneath her veil, and An Xinhe's words from earlier that morning echoed in her mind.

The only young master! Ha! How ironic it must be for Liu Jing to exist right now!

An Xinhe probably hates her to the core too.

Thinking of Fu Laoliu, and how vicious An Xinhe and her daughter were to her, then An Mi shouldn't be surprised if she didn't treat them politely.

As everyone drank, they watched the newlywed eldest daughter-in-law of the Liu family intently embroidering in front of the shelf. Her every move showed the grace of a skilled embroiderer.

An Yuefeng, Yu Fangfei, and An Xinlian watched An Xinhe skillfully and elegantly embroidering, their brows revealing pride. This was their An family's daughter, and now she had become the eldest young mistress of the Liu family!

Anmi took in their expressions, and a faint chill ran through her heart.

While An Xinhe was focused on her embroidery, Liu Xuan, the King of Bohai, the King of Donglin, and others were exchanging pleasantries at the table. The atmosphere was wonderful, but who knew that beneath this pleasant atmosphere lay a trap that could send some people to their doom?

After an unknown amount of time, An Xinhe finally put away her needlework. The maidservant who was serving her immediately reported, "Master, Madam, the young mistress has finished embroidering."

Immediately, everyone who had been exchanging pleasantries stopped and looked at An Xinhe. Madam Liu stood up with a smile and urged An Xinhe, "Xinhe, why don't you present it to your father-in-law yourself?"

“Yes.” An Xinhe was thrilled. She knew her task. If she pleased her father-in-law, it would be the same as pleasing her husband. So she didn’t dare to be negligent for a moment. Only after the maid took down the embroidered brocade from the rack did she carefully take it and walk steadily towards the richest man in Rongjin City.

As she walked, her gaze met An Yuefeng's. Remembering what her sister had told her father earlier, she nodded slightly in that direction, as if to reassure him. In her heart, she was also planning that when her father-in-law praised her later, she would speak up for the An family. If her father-in-law was happy, he would no longer have any grudges.

As An Xinhe thought this, being looked at with such expectant eyes by everyone, her vanity suddenly surfaced. Hehe, in the future, she, An Xinhe, the young mistress of the Liu family, would probably be surrounded by people and receive attention wherever she went. She really liked this feeling, it was so delicious.

An Xinhe's expression grew increasingly smug, but little did she know that she was gradually moving closer to destruction.

Finally, An Xinhe arrived in front of Liu Xuan and respectfully presented the embroidery in her hands, saying, "Father-in-law, Xinhe wishes you boundless happiness and longevity."

Liu Xuan nodded in satisfaction. The steward serving him was about to take the embroidery presented by An Xinhe, but Liu Xuan reached out and took it first. His expression revealed a hint of excitement. Was this the lost embroidery technique that their Liu family had been searching for for so long?

He had searched for a long time but could not find the successor of this embroidery technique, but now... that thing was in his hands! How could Liu Xuan not be excited when he thought of this?

Some were even eager to unfold it and pay their respects.

His reaction was observed by everyone, and their expressions varied. Those who did not know the inside story naturally assumed that Master Liu was just like them, deeply curious about the work of the champion of the Embroidery Appreciation Association. Liu Zhan and Madam Liu exchanged a glance, looking at Liu Xuan with smiles on their faces, waiting for him to unfold the embroidery. Madam Liu even secretly planned to praise An Xinhe and Zhan'er to her husband later. She glanced at Liu Jing without leaving a trace, and her eyes, besides resentment, also showed a hint of disdain.

Once Zhan'er takes the Liu family's embroidery business to new heights, how can Liu Jing compare? In the end, Liu Jing will only be an ordinary illegitimate son.

Even though he was an illegitimate son, she wouldn't let him live in peace. She would make him and his eyesore mother disappear completely from her sight.

Bai Yi and Qing Lan, on the other hand, seemed to be watching the show with a bit more amusement. They both knew very well that An Xinhe was not the person the Liu family was looking for, so naturally she couldn't embroider anything that would satisfy the Liu family.

An Mi remained calm and collected, secretly observing everyone's reactions. When she caught a glimpse of Madam Liu and Liu Zhan's smugness, she couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Smug? Smug now? It's too early for them!

Meanwhile, Liu Xuan slowly unfurled the brocade, his gaze falling on the embroidery. His expectant expression stiffened slightly, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing into a tight line. Everyone was curious about Liu Xuan's reaction, and someone couldn't help but say, "Master Liu, quickly let everyone see the young mistress's embroidery. We can't wait any longer."

Liu Xuan's face darkened further, his hands gripping the brocade tightly, and obvious anger emanated from him. Everyone was stunned. What was wrong with Master Liu?

An Mi raised her eyebrows slightly and idly stroked the teacup in her hand. How could she not know why Master Liu's expression had changed so drastically?

Madam Liu realized something was wrong and immediately leaned over, asking softly, "Master, what's wrong? Is something amiss?"

"Is there something wrong with it? You ask me if there's anything wrong with it? Look at this, isn't it wrong!" Liu Xuan didn't care about the many guests present. He threw the brocade in his hand into Madam Liu's arms. When he saw that the embroidery on the brocade was not what he had expected, his anger surged up. The more he had expected it, the more disappointed he was now.