Chapter 388
**Chapter 386: Is She Alive or Dead?**
She had grown accustomed to the cycle of life and death, relishing days filled with excitement and challenge. Deep down, she could not accept that her fate was being toyed with by others; lying flat like a salted fish would only make her anxious.
Shen Wei rolled out of bed, pushed aside the fish-skin curtain, and stepped outside. Just a few paces away, a dark-skinned boy suddenly appeared from nowhere, wrapping his bony arms tightly around her waist, crying out, “Sister! You can’t go to the Wu Wang’s residence! Boo-hoo, he’ll kill you!”
Shen Wei: ...
She gently patted the boy’s head. “Let go.”
The boy trembled all over, clutching her tighter. “No, I won’t let go! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t let go! Boo-hoo…”
Tears and snot streamed down his face, leaving Shen Wei’s clothes glistening with his bright, shiny mucus.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Wei calmed herself and reassured him, “I’m not going to see any Wu Wang. Come inside; I have something to ask you.”
The boy looked at her, still unsure.
They entered the small room together. It was cramped, containing only a bed and a small cabinet, with no extra stools. Shen Wei sat on the edge of the bed, while the boy shrank his neck and stood stiffly.
His shiny black eyes darted over to his sister, and suddenly he felt a twinge of fear. She was still his sister, yet as she sat there, her clear gaze sweeping over him, it stirred an impulse to kneel and worship.
It was all so strange.
Shen Wei tapped the edge of the bed. “I’ve been unconscious for too long, and my mind is muddled. Tell me, which country is this, and who am I?”
Her tone was authoritative without being angry, and the boy, who had always feared his sister, opened his mouth and told her everything he knew.
After questioning him for nearly half an hour, Shen Wei gained a rough understanding of her situation. She was at the border of Donglin Kingdom, in a poor little place called Wu County.
The original owner of this body was named Yuan Xi’er, a fisher girl from the Yuan family in Wu County. Yuan Xi’er was beautiful and had been doted on by her parents in her childhood, but as she grew, her lofty ambitions led her to dream of marrying a prince from Donglin.
Three years ago, Yuan Xi’er’s parents died in a fishing accident, leaving only her and her younger brother, Yuan Fu.
Yuan Xi’er had always been lazy and self-indulgent; she didn’t mourn her parents’ passing and had no desire to shoulder the family’s burdens, only dreaming of marrying a wealthy man. Her younger brother, Yuan Fu, was forced to cook and wash for her at a young age, while also scavenging on the beach for shells and fish to sell.
Last year, the fortieth son of the Donglin Emperor, Zhao Ziqi, came of age. According to Donglin customs, all adult princes must return to their fiefs and become self-sufficient.
However, Zhao Ziqi’s mother was a pearl diver, and his sister, Princess Zhenmin, had married off to the Kingdom of Qing years ago, leaving him in a position of little favor with the Donglin Emperor. The emperor assigned him the most impoverished Wu County and conferred upon him the title of Wu Wang.
Upon arriving in Wu County, the Wu Wang did not exploit the common people like other princes; he occasionally even reduced taxes, allowing the residents to live surprisingly well.
Though young, the Wu Wang had grand ambitions—he wanted to marry the “most beautiful woman in the world” to be his princess and sent people out to search for beauties. When the fisher girl Yuan Xi’er learned of this, she saw it as her chance to rise.
Even the least favored prince in the royal family was still a golden bowl in the eyes of ordinary folk.
Yuan Xi’er, confident in her beauty, deliberately presented herself to the Wu Wang. After being met with cold mockery, she couldn’t bear it and threw herself into the sea. After her death, her soul scattered, and by chance, Shen Wei found herself in her body.
“The Wu Wang… the brother of the Donglin princess,” Shen Wei mused, rubbing her temples. What a coincidence.
Years ago, Donglin had sent a princess to marry, and through Shen Wei’s covert machinations, the Donglin princess married Yan Yunting, the Minister of Rites. Later, Yan Yunting fell into depression over matters concerning Dan Tai Rou, making repeated mistakes and was assigned to a position of idleness.
Seizing the opportunity, the Donglin princess took control of the Yan family’s power and cleverly followed Shen Wei in business, earning a considerable fortune and living a prosperous and happy life.
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Wei suddenly asked her brother Yuan Fu, “Is the Empress Dowager of Qing, the Shen family, dead?”
Yuan Fu looked confused. “Empress Dowager of Qing? Sister, I don’t know her.”
The remote fishing village was isolated from the world, and the common folk only thought about filling their stomachs, unaware of the storms brewing outside.
Shen Wei pressed her fingers to her forehead. She needed to confirm whether the “Empress Dowager of Qing, the Shen family” was alive or dead.
If she was dead, it might mean Shen Wei’s soul was trapped in a cycle of rebirth; if she was alive, things could get interesting, suggesting that her “transmigration” might have been orchestrated by someone.
“Let’s hope the ‘me’ in Qing is still alive. I still have a chance to return… Li Yuanjing isn’t foolish; he’ll notice I’m missing.” Shen Wei still wanted to return to her original body and enjoy her well-deserved retirement.
“Sister, take your medicine.” Yuan Fu timidly brought over a shell bowl.
Shen Wei took a sip, and the bitter, sour, and foul taste hit her hard, likely the concoction of the village doctor.
She couldn’t swallow it. Setting the shell bowl aside, she casually asked her brother, “If you don’t know the Empress Dowager of Qing, who do you know from Qing?”
Yuan Fu scratched his head, suddenly looking indignant. “Shen Xiuming! The great plague of Da Qing, Shen Xiuming! He’s a wicked man, a demon in this world! May the Sea God protect him from ever finding a wife! Hmph!”
Shen Wei nearly spat out the bitter medicine.
The people of Donglin didn’t know the Empress Dowager of Qing, yet they recognized the scholar Shen Xiuming? And called him a plague?
Shen Wei was puzzled. “What wicked deeds has he done?”
Yuan Fu clenched his small fists in anger. “He’s building a dam upstream, blocking the river from irrigating the fields. It’s terrible!”
Shen Wei opened her mouth, unable to argue.
For the people of Qing, building a dam upstream in Donglin stabilized the border situation between the two kingdoms, preventing military collusion between Donglin and Nanchu, thus ensuring peace along the border.
For the people of Donglin, however, the dam disrupted their livelihoods and damaged their land and water.
A grain of dust in history weighs heavily on the shoulders of the common folk, like a mountain pressing down.
It’s hard to discern right from wrong.
...
Shen Wei temporarily settled in the Yuan family’s fishing village.
Since she was here, she might as well make herself comfortable.
Shen Wei planned to regain her health first; this body was far too weak, malnourished and frail, with only her face barely holding onto a semblance of beauty. It was no wonder the Wu Wang found her unappealing.
Once she regained her strength, she would find a way back to Qing, back to her original shell.
“Sister, are you really going to come with me to scavenge the beach?” As dusk approached, Yuan Fu looked at Shen Wei, who was holding a basket, hardly believing his eyes.
His lazy sister was actually going to start scavenging!
Shen Wei picked up an oyster with a pair of tongs. “It’s always good to learn something new. Teach me how to identify which seafood is edible.”
Yuan Fu, still in disbelief, nervously shared some tips and details about scavenging.
After the tide receded at dusk, many fishermen were out on the beach. Under Yuan Fu’s guidance, Shen Wei quickly filled half a basket with seafood.
At that moment, a commotion erupted from the other end of the beach. Shen Wei vaguely heard someone shouting—
“The Wu Wang is coming!”
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