The sound of hooves echoed.
Waves crashed against the shore as the last rays of the setting sun painted the sky. Several horses emerged along the beach. Shen Wei set down her basket of seashells and craned her neck to catch a glimpse of Prince Wu.
In this secluded fishing village, Prince Wu Zhao Ziqi was her best source of news from the outside world.
"Elder Sister, let's go home," Yuan Fu said, his sun-darkened face creased with worry as he tugged cautiously at Shen Wei's sleeve.
He feared his sister might provoke Prince Wu again and bring trouble upon them.
Shen Wei patted Yuan Fu's shoulder. "I just want to look."
The receding tide had left the beach scattered with fisherwomen. Most of the men were either out at sea or repairing boats, leaving the task of gathering seafood to the women.
From a glance, there were at least twenty or thirty young women on the shore.
The sound of hooves grew closer.
Prince Wu, accompanied by three guards, reined in his horse and leisurely rode along the beach.
Shen Wei lifted her gaze, studying the young prince from afar. Prince Wu Zhao Ziqi appeared to be around twenty years old, with the distinctive dark brown curls of the Eastern people. His hair cascaded loosely, with a single thin braid adorned by two shimmering pearls at the end.
His skin was slightly tanned, and he wore a white-gold robe that exuded an exotic and untamed charm.
His appearance reminded Shen Wei of the Eastern dancers she had once seen on a pleasure boat at Luoyue Lake.
Zhao Ziqi was the younger brother of an Eastern princess, and the siblings shared a striking resemblance.
Prince Wu hadn’t come all this way just to admire the sunset. At dusk, the beach was crowded with fisherwomen—making it the perfect place to search for his ideal "most beautiful woman in the world."
Unfortunately, as his gaze swept across the shore, all he saw were rough-faced fisherwomen. He gripped his riding crop, frustration evident. "Nothing but common faces! Not a single one stands out!"
One of his guards tried to console him. "Your Highness, Wu County is small, and there aren’t many eligible women here. If you wish to find a beauty, perhaps we could search the neighboring county?"
Prince Wu scowled. "The neighboring county belongs to my thirty-sixth brother. That lecher has already ruined all the good women there."
The guard gave an awkward chuckle, unsure how to respond.
Prince Wu was young and still unmarried. With so many imperial sons, the emperor had no time to arrange a bride for an unfavored prince like him—so he had to find one himself.
Gripping the reins, Prince Wu muttered, "My elder sister wrote to me, saying Qing State is full of beauties. Maybe the most beautiful woman in the world is there—"
Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly froze. Among the fisherwomen on the beach, he spotted a graceful figure.
Her silhouette was slender, her slightly dark curls swaying in the sea breeze. In one hand, she held a bamboo basket; in the other, a wooden tool for gathering shells. The fading sunlight cast a golden shimmer across the water, and the fisherwoman stood bathed in the radiant glow, as divine as a sea goddess descending upon the shore.
Prince Wu was spellbound.
That silhouette...
It reminded him of his mother. Years ago, his mother had gathered pearls by the shore, her back just as slender and beautiful.
He urged his horse forward, galloping toward her. "You—turn around!" he called out.
Shen Wei dropped a clam into her basket and turned.
The horse halted before her.
Prince Wu took in her face, and his expression twisted with unmistakable disappointment. How could someone with such an elegant bearing and enchanting silhouette have such an ordinary face?
His face fell. "Ugh, it's you again, you ugly wretch! What do you want this time? I’d sooner throw myself into the sea and feed the fish than marry you!"
Yuan Fu rushed over in a panic, pulling at Shen Wei’s arm as if to kneel and beg forgiveness.
But Shen Wei stood firm.
Over the past few days, she had gathered information about Prince Wu. He wasn’t truly wicked—just a spoiled noble who spent his days riding, shooting arrows, and chasing after his dream of the most beautiful woman in the world.
He hadn’t committed any heinous crimes, nor was he a true villain.
A faint smile touched Shen Wei’s lips as she replied calmly, "The land shapes its people. Born in a fishing village, weathered by wind and sun, it’s only natural my skin is rough and dark. If Your Highness seeks the world’s greatest beauty, I’ve heard rumors that the most beautiful woman resides in Qing State."
Prince Wu, still mounted, smirked. "Oh? And who might that be?"
Without hesitation, Shen Wei answered, "They say the Dowager Empress Shen of Qing State possessed celestial beauty—a single glance from her could outshine all the palace’s finest. But alas, she recently passed from illness. Truly, beauty is fleeting."
Prince Wu stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.
He laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
When he finally caught his breath, he wiped his eyes and said, "What does a fisherwoman know? Stop spouting nonsense. The Dowager Empress of Qing State was my elder sister’s closest friend. If she had died, my sister would have written to me immediately. Where did you hear such ridiculous lies? Hahaha!"
His laughter continued.
Shen Wei’s expression darkened.
By her calculations, she had been living as "Yuan Xi’er" for over half a month. Since Qing State bordered the Eastern lands, news of the Dowager Empress’s death should have reached the Eastern court by now.
But according to Prince Wu, the Dowager Empress Shen was still alive?
Her thoughts spun in confusion.
If the Dowager Empress hadn’t died, then who currently inhabited her body? Was it the fisherwoman Xi’er? Or someone else?
After a moment of disorientation, Shen Wei steadied herself. If the Dowager Empress Shen was still alive, that meant she still had a chance to return to her original body—and to the comfortable life of retirement she had planned.
She needed to return to Qing State as soon as possible.
A suspicion grew in her mind—she had been dragged into some meticulously crafted scheme. Perhaps due to an unforeseen mishap, her soul had ended up in Xi’er’s body.
Clenching her fists, she silently swore that once she found the mastermind behind this, she would stab them to death without hesitation.
"Ugly wretch, next time you see me, stay far away," Prince Wu sneered, giving Shen Wei’s sun-darkened face one last disdainful look before turning his horse and riding off.
The hoofbeats faded into the distance.
The fisherwomen who had gathered on the beach dispersed, disappointment etched on their faces.
One of them, carrying a basket, sauntered over to Shen Wei with a mocking grin. "Xi’er, no matter how much you show off, His Highness will never fancy you. Rejected again and again—if I were you, I’d have thrown myself into the sea by now."
Yuan Fu stammered, "Sister Qiao, please stop. My sister hasn’t fully recovered yet."
Sister Qiao shrugged, casting a scornful glance at Shen Wei before striding off to continue gathering seafood.
Yuan Fu clung to Shen Wei’s sleeve, his voice trembling. "Elder Sister, please... don’t lose heart. You’re really, really pretty. I mean it."
He was terrified she might be driven to despair and attempt suicide again.
Shen Wei flicked his forehead. "I won’t die. I plan to live to a hundred. Let’s gather more clams—we’ll sell them at the market tomorrow."
Yuan Fu blinked. "Oh... okay."
The siblings worked diligently, combing the beach.
Luck was on their side today—both baskets were soon filled to the brim with seafood. They headed home, their haul a satisfying reward.
As they walked, Yuan Fu hummed a cheerful, off-key fishing tune, his spirits lifted.
Yuan Fu, recalling the conversation between his elder sister and Prince Wu earlier that day, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister, is Empress Dowager Shen of Qing State truly the most beautiful woman in the world?"
Shen Wei awkwardly rubbed the bridge of her nose, answering without the slightest blush or hesitation, "She should be."
