On the other side, early in the morning while He Mengshu was still fast asleep, he was roughly shaken awake by a maid.
He opened his eyes and cursed in anger, “How dare you!”
Hearing the crisp and familiar woman's voice coming from his own mouth, he froze in a daze and looked at the maid—it was Cui'er, the maid beside Li Suye.
“You're not even the madam anymore, so what are you putting on airs for?” Cui'er, who usually showed him utter respect, now looked at him with contempt and impatience. “Still not leaving? Master has already issued the letter of divorce. Don't cling around here, or I'll have someone kick you out.”
He Mengshu pressed his lips together and stared at her, then looked around the room. It was Li Suye's chamber.
An ill omen rose in his heart. Throwing off the blanket, he didn't even have time to put on his shoes before trying to rush over to the bronze mirror.
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside.
He Mengshu looked up, his pupils shrinking as he stood frozen on the spot.
The person who walked in was “himself.”
Cui'er hastily bowed to the newcomer, deferentially saying, “Master.”
The person who had arrived was none other than Li Suye, who had swapped souls with He Mengshu.
Shi Yu rested her chin on her hand as she watched the scene, continuing to observe.
She saw Li Suye clear her throat softly and call out to He Mengshu, “Wife.”
Cui'er and the few maids who had followed Li Suye inside looked at each other in bewilderment.
What did Master... mean by this?
He Mengshu gradually pieced the situation together, realizing that he and Li Suye had encountered some supernatural event that exchanged their souls. Right now, he was trapped in Li Suye's body, with no idea when they could swap back. He had no choice but to respond dryly, “Mm.”
Li Suye then waved her hand, signaling for the servants to withdraw.
Once everyone had left, He Mengshu glared at Li Suye. “What is going on here?!”
Li Suye knew in her heart that the spiritual talisman bestowed by the heavenly immortal maiden had taken effect. She was no fool, naturally knowing this matter could not be told to anyone else, so she merely shook her head with a hint of confusion. “I don't know either. When I woke up this morning, it was already like this...”
He Mengshu took several deep breaths and said decisively, “This matter must not be leaked. Do not tell Mother either.”
He was a government official. This matter was uncanny; if word got out, it might bring unknown trouble. His mother had a straightforward disposition and couldn't keep a secret, so it was best not to let her know.
Li Suye softly agreed.
Neither of them had anything more to say, falling into silence.
He Mengshu had only just handed her a letter of divorce yesterday, yet now he was stuck in her identity. Irritated, he rubbed his temples. “For now, I still need to stay in the He Manor. Go explain to Mother and retract the letter of divorce.”
Li Suye nodded and stood up. “Then, Husb... I shall go now.”
...
When Li Suye arrived at Old Lady He's quarters, the person who usually picked on her and found fault with her at every turn was now filled with affection, holding her hands and chatting continuously.
Hearing Li Suye say he was no longer divorcing his wife, Old Lady He frowned. “Her status was never worthy of my son to begin with, and usually she's dull and wooden, not to mention a hen that can't lay eggs—why aren't you divorcing her anymore?”
Li Suye let out a bitter smile as she listened. She was born into a scholarly family; her father was a somewhat famous teacher in the capital, deeply learned, who had trained two successful imperial exam candidates and was treated with great respect by many prominent officials.
Back then, it was Old Lady He who had eagerly come to her family's door, proposing marriage with utmost sincerity and lowering her stance to the absolute lowest, only for it to end in the line “not worthy of my son.”
Li Suye paused for a moment before making up an excuse: “Mother, your son is in officialdom, where every step requires caution. Divorcing a wife without good cause might invite public criticism and impeachment, which would be detrimental to my career.”
At these words, Old Lady He was startled and hurriedly said, “If that's the case, I'll listen to my son.”
Li Suye then took her leave.
On the other side, He Mengshu remained in Li Suye's room, feeling thoroughly stifled and uncomfortable.
Now trapped in Li Suye's body, he could neither step out the front door nor pass through the inner gates, nor could he go to his study. After pacing back and forth restlessly, he had no choice but to go sit in the small garden.
Sitting on a stone bench and gazing up at the tiny, square sky enclosed by high walls, He Mengshu couldn't help but wonder: Is the inner courtyard belonging to women really only this small? Does Suye usually stay in such a tiny courtyard every day?
He was lost in thought for a moment until footsteps approached from behind.
Looking back, as he caught sight of a fluttering pink dress, joy lit up He Mengshu's face. “Wan—”
Upon seeing the unfamiliar expression on the newcomer's face, the call of "Wan'er" choked in his throat.
He saw Shen Wan'er, who was usually delicate, innocent, and worldly-naive, now wringing her handkerchief, looking at him with deep hatred and disdain.
He Mengshu was somewhat confused. In the past when he was around, whenever Wan'er saw Li Suye, she would hide behind him, looking timid and pitiful.
Why now...? He composed himself and addressed her using Li Suye's usual form of address: “Little Sister.”
Slap! A fierce slap landed squarely across his face.
His face went numb from the slap. Raising his eyes, He Mengshu looked at Shen Wan'er in shock.
“Sister sure has impressive skills,” Shen Wan'er said, casually waving her hand as she gritted her teeth in anger. “I wonder what tricks you used or what spell you cast on Husband! To actually manage to stay in the He Manor.”
She paced around He Mengshu and let out a light snort. “Just you wait. The position of the mistress of the He family will be mine sooner or later.”
Even after she left, He Mengshu had still not recovered from the shock.
Deep down, he still favored Shen Wan'er. Cupping his face, he couldn't help but make excuses for her in his mind: It must be that Suye usually bullied Wan'er too harshly, which is why Wan'er acted this way.
Still, a principal wife was a principal wife, and a concubine was a concubine. For Shen Wan'er to strike and berate the principal wife as a concubine was truly lacking in discipline.
He Mengshu frowned. Once Suye and I swap back, I must give Wan'er a proper lesson.
Yet He Mengshu never expected that for half a month straight, there was no sign of their bodies swapping back.
Panic slowly took root in him. He had Li Suye find an excuse for them to visit a high monk together under the pretext of burning incense and praying for blessings, secretly seeking a way to swap back.
However, the high monk had no solution either, offering only the line: “Heaven's secrets must not be revealed.”
Left with no choice, He Mengshu could only temporarily accept the situation. However, he was a government official after all, with official duties to handle that could not be neglected, so he had no choice but to ask Li Suye to go in his place.
Fortunately, Li Suye was quite clever. After he explained the government affairs to her in detail, outlining what needed to be done every day and what to keep in mind, Li Suye noted every single point down. Aside from her initial panic and discomfort, she actually did quite well afterward, making no mistakes at all, which left He Mengshu somewhat surprised.
Only then did he remember that before this wife of his married him, she seemed to have enjoyed quite a reputation for her intellect and talent.
Observing all of this, Shi Yu merely shifted her thoughts and immediately understood the entire backstory: Li Suye's father was a renowned teacher who did not merely teach reading, writing, and poetry, but focused heavily on teaching students how to answer policy essays and draft administrative compositions.
Current affairs strategies, historical codes and regulations, river engineering, water conservancy, and the like—these were the focus of his teachings. His goal was so that when his students became officials in the future, they wouldn't merely possess a bit of pedantic ink, but would be genuine officials who understood governance and benefited the people.
“Li Suye was influenced and instructed by her father since childhood. In matters of governance, she is likely even better than this husband of hers; she merely lacked experience.”
In contrast, He Mengshu was nothing more than someone who wrote flashy, empty essays, possessing no real talent for governance at all.
Shi Yu found it amusing and continued watching.
Li Suye handled official duties outside in her husband's identity, returning home only during her rest days.
Thus, most of the time, He Mengshu stayed at home alone.
Seeing that she couldn't divorce this daughter-in-law, and finding her an eyesore anyway, Old Lady He simply used “teaching rules” as an excuse to frequently force He Mengshu to kneel whenever he came to pay his morning respects.
Each kneeling session lasted at least half an hour.
He Mengshu had grievances he couldn't speak of, nor could he tell his mother that he wasn't Li Suye, but her precious son. He could only blame Li Suye in his heart: It seems Suye must have disobeyed Mother quite often in normal times, which is why Mother dislikes her so much.
On this day, after rising early to pay his morning respects, Old Lady He found another excuse to punish him with kneeling.
This time, after barely a quarter of an hour, his body began to sway unsteadily.
He Mengshu thought to himself that a woman's body was indeed so weak. His knees ached, his abdomen felt heavy, and he felt miserable all over.
Old Lady He looked at him coldly, twirling her prayer beads as she said unhurriedly, “What? You've only kneeled for a few days, and already you're putting on an act?”
He Mengshu truly couldn't take it anymore and thought he might as well just tell his mother the truth. However, just as he opened his mouth, a sudden sharp pain struck his abdomen. The world spun around him, and he collapsed backward, passing out cold.
Shi Yu, watching from the side, focused her gaze on his belly, where a faint, hazy glow rested.
She blinked. “Oh, she's pregnant...”
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