She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 350 - 349 She is Not Anyone’s Substitute

The Northern Border welcomed a harsh summer.

Outside, the delicate skin of young ladies could literally peel off after just a brief exposure to the sun.

As a result, there were hardly any figures on the streets at the moment.

The tea houses, however, were packed with people drinking tea to cool off, which made the sight of someone riding a horse through the streets all the more conspicuous.

The rider headed straight for the Marquis Residence and then collapsed at the gate, apparently having fainted from heatstroke.

Shen Shuyun watched as the gatekeepers dragged the person inside and later shared this bit of gossip with Yan Wanqing.

" Can you believe it? The people at the Marquis Residence are so heartless, to let a person and horse suffer in the heat outside like that. Now the person has passed out from the heat, who knows if they’re okay now."

Yan Wanqing shook her head helplessly.

She wasn’t interested in this.

But Huai Yu furrowed her brows, "Did you get a good look at this person?"

Shen Shuyun shook her head: "I wasn’t the one who saw it; I just heard it from the servants."

"What’s wrong?" Yan Wanqing was in the middle of helping Huai Yu unwrap the bandages.

Huai Yu felt uneasy, shook her head and said, "It’s nothing." She hoped it wasn’t what she was thinking.

Yan Wanqing helped Huai Yu to sit up, "It’s been so hot these past days, Xiaoliu said we could take off the bandages and let your skin breathe. You can only use a cloth to wipe down, and don’t be tempted to bathe in the coolness."

Huai Yu nodded, "I’m not a child."

Shen Shuyun looked on at the interactions between Yan Wanqing and Huai Yu with a bit of envy.

How nice.

This must be Yan Wanqing’s way of interacting with friends, she wondered when she herself could become her friend.

"Cong Ge, go get a set of men’s clothes," said Yan Wanqing as she was almost done removing Huai Yu’s bandages.

Cong Ge was about to leave when Huai Yu suddenly said, "How about women’s clothes? Bring a set of women’s clothes, I want to try."

A glint of light flashed through Yan Wanqing’s peach blossom eyes, and she curled her lips, directing Cong Ge, "Do as the Young Marquis instructs."

Shen Shuyun stood by, dumbstruck.

Women’s clothes?

Why does the Young Marquis want to wear women’s clothing?!

Could it be that she is—

Shen Shuyun’s gaze fell upon the lithe figure behind the curtain, thinking she might have stumbled upon an incredible secret.

It was Huai Yu’s first time wearing women’s clothes, and she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Cong Ge smiled reassuringly, "Let this humble servant do it."

Cong Ge had skillful hands and quickly helped Huai Yu get dressed, then pulled her long hair up into a simple yet beautiful bun, fixed with a jade hairpin, making her look clean and elegant.

"...Does it look good?" Huai Yu asked somewhat shyly, standing before Yan Wanqing.

Yan Wanqing nodded, a surge of excitement in her chest for reasons unknown, "It looks good, really beautiful!"

Huai Yu touched the soft fabric on her body and saw herself in the bronze mirror, both strange and familiar. freēwēbnovel.com

This was the first time in her memory that she had dressed as a girl.

Feeling somewhat awkward, she stood in place, suddenly unsure of how to walk.

Just then, Yan Lingzhen woke up and came inside. As soon as she entered, she exclaimed, "Wow, where did this fairy sister come from? So beautiful!"

Huai Yu’s complexion, which had been turned pale by the shock, now flushed with a touch of red.

Yan Lingzhen stepped forward with a cheerful smile, "Isn’t this my Sister Huai Yu~ You look so pretty dressed as a woman; you should wear it more often!"

Huai Yu wrapped her arms around her, responding softly, "Okay."

She had decided to accept the real her.

To reconcile with herself.

During those hours in the small room, she cried bitterly, shrieking and howling, begging Wu Zhen to let her out, but Wu Zhen kept asking her whether she was wrong, pressing her to retrieve the marriage certificate, completely indifferent to her life and death.

At that moment, she felt her heart had died.

It seemed as if the little maternal affection that existed had also dissipated completely.

She was a woman from birth.

She was Huai Yu, not anyone’s substitute.

"Have some more medicinal soup to reinforce your strength. I’ve been concerned about Sister Huai Yu’s body not holding up before, but now that you’re up and about, we can start using the Golden Red Feather in the medicine today," she said, looking at Huai Yu. "The Golden Red Feather is the natural enemy of poisonous insects. Sister Huai Yu has been exposed to various toxins since childhood, so after taking the medicine, your body may experience severe pain."

"It’s okay, I’m not afraid of pain." Just a bit of pain, what’s there for her, Huai Yu, to fear?

Could it be more terrifying than the moment when a room full of poisonous insects in the small chamber swarmed towards her?

"One benefit of using the Golden Red Feather in the medicine is that it can completely eliminate the toxic scar tissue left on your body from the poisonous insects over the years," Yan Lingzhen continued. "The residue can be used for a medicinal bath, which should last for at least half a day. You mustn’t allow the water temperature to drop, but with the weather being so hot, that won’t be a problem."

"Starting today?" Huai Yu seemed somewhat impatient.

She truly wanted to change herself and embrace a new life.

Yan Lingzhen nodded, "Whenever Sister Huai Yu is ready, we can begin at any time."

...

Northern Border Marquis Residence.

A room full of people sat upright, listening to a subordinate who had returned from the Capital City report the news.

"I knew it; that wretched woman must have caused trouble in the Capital City, which is why she had to move her entire family!" Wu Zhen slammed her hand down on the armchair in anger.

Huai Min’s face darkened, "I didn’t expect that Princess Anping would conspire with the Empress to force the King to abdicate. It’s audacious."

"How can we tolerate such a traitorous and outrageous person who parades around our Northern Border, using her identity to lord over us!" Wu Zhen said through gritted teeth.

Huai Xinmei frowned, "But isn’t the Crown Prince in charge of the overall situation? Why did he allow Yan Wanqing to escape from the Capital City? Such conspirators should be executed along with their entire clan, according to the laws of Dawei."

"You don’t know this, but Yan Wanqing has immense power. By the time the Crown Prince finished dealing with state affairs, the Yan Family had already left the Capital City far behind. I heard she also has some connections with the King of the Qin State," Wu Zhen continued.

"What should we do now?" Huai Xinmei posed the question.

Wu Zhen and Huai Min exchanged a glance, "We’ll call a meeting of the Elders to discuss this matter. Relying solely on the power of our Marquis Residence isn’t enough to deal with Yan Wanqing, not to mention the entire force of the Stormy Building behind her."

"Yes, we must seek the help of the Elders for this matter," Huai Min, the second master, nodded.

"This time, our main and secondary branches must work together in unity, presenting a united front. We cannot afford any more conflicts," Wu Zhen uttered with concern.

Huai Xinmei sneered inwardly, thinking how this old wretch was always the first to turn against her own. Once Yan Wanqing was defeated, she was certain the old woman would betray the secondary branch for the sake of that gold mine.

Huai Xinmei had a thousand reasons not to trust Wu Zhen.

Outside, the heat made the cicadas’ chirping deafeningly noisy, causing an oppressive feeling.

The cramped room was sweltering with heat.

"As long as Yan Wanqing is killed, I promise to divide the gold mine equally among everyone!" Huai Min stood in the center of the room, promising to all the influential figures of Northern Border City.