Choice

When He Mengshu woke up from his faint, he saw Li Suye, wearing his face, sitting by the bedside.

Li Suye gripped his hand, silently mouthing “Husband,” before gently asking, “How are you feeling?”

He Mengshu gazed at her, finally recalling that they too had once been deeply in love, sharing tender, affectionate moments.

Inside the room, behind Li Suye, stood Old Lady He and Shen Wan'er. He Mengshu only saw his mother glare fiercely at him before turning to speak softly to Li Suye, “My son, you rushed back and have been keeping vigil here for so long; you must be exhausted.

“Since Suye has woken up, she is fine now. Go get some rest. Wan'er and I will take care of things here.”

As Old Lady He spoke, Shen Wan'er nodded as well, speaking in a coy, timid voice while casting a loving look at Li Suye. “Yes, Master, please don't overexert yourself. You haven't returned for quite a few days...”

He Mengshu naturally did not miss the implicit meaning in Shen Wan'er's words, nor did he miss her tightly wrung handkerchief and gnashing teeth when she glanced at him.

He suddenly felt a sense of dull weariness.

He used to think Shen Wan'er was innocent and charming, but now, watching as an outsider from a different shell, he gradually saw through certain things.

The favored concubine was like this, and so was his mother. His eyes had been blinded for so long; he had been a man who failed so miserably to see people for who they really were.

So... this was the kind of life Li Suye had been living all along.

He gripped Li Suye's hand back, the two of them looking at each other in silence.

After a moment, Li Suye averted her gaze and said to the two behind her, “Mother, Wan'er, please step out for a moment. I wish to speak with my wife.”

Shen Wan'er's face turned unsightly, and Old Lady He was also displeased. She shot a warning glare at He Mengshu lying on the bed to tell him not to speak carelessly before leaving, supported by Shen Wan'er.

Silence settled over the room.

Only then did Li Suye slowly and gently reach out to touch the belly that originally belonged to her.

After Shen Wan'er entered the household, the two of them had not shared a bed for a long time. It was only two months ago, when He Mengshu got drunk and she brought him sobering soup, that it happened once.

Li Suye lowered her eyelashes, and after a long silence, she pleaded softly, “Husband, please help me protect this child, alright?”

He Mengshu stared down at the belly. As a man, he technically should never have experienced what it felt like for a woman to be pregnant, but now, because their bodies were swapped, experiencing it felt truly bizarre.

For a moment, his heart was filled with a mixture of humiliation and distressed sympathy.

After a long pause, he said rather awkwardly, “Mother has long wanted a grandchild, so she will naturally take good care of this child. As long as my—your body is fine, how could the child not be saved?”

Li Suye gave a bitter smile. “I am afraid Concubine Shen might—”

“How could Wan'er do such a vicious thing?” He Mengshu instinctively interrupted her, coming to Shen Wan'er's defense.

In the end, he still favored his young and charming concubine.

Li Suye said nothing more. After a moment of silence, she said, “I have been busy with official duties lately and need to return shortly to handle them. I likely won't be back until late this month. Take care of yourself.”

A sense of anxiety and apprehension rose in He Mengshu's heart. He both wished she wouldn't leave and was astonished by how she had become increasingly adept in political affairs, gaining the trust and reliance of her superiors.

Yet in the end, he couldn't bring himself to utter any words to keep her, merely nodding.

...

Shi Yu saw that He Mengshu almost failed to save that child.

Shen Wan'er couldn't keep her patience and bribed a maid in Li Suye's room to put abortifacient medicine in the pastries. Fortunately, He Mengshu only ate a few bites and caught it in time. Though the pregnancy became unstable, the baby was ultimately saved.

Old Lady He disliked Li Suye, but she would not allow anyone to harm her grandchild. In a fit of rage, she ordered Shen Wan'er beaten and driven out of the household.

Lingering fear consumed He Mengshu. As he watched Shen Wan'er weeping, wailing, and clamoring for the master to return and stand up for her, a deep chill settled in his heart.

Only now did he understand Li Suye's suffering.

Clutching his belly, he felt uncomfortable all over. These past days, morning sickness had gradually set in, leaving him frequently nauseous and vomiting. Coupled with the agony of the abortifacient medicine, he was exceedingly weak and miserable.

Yet enduring such suffering actually cultivated genuine affection in him for the child in his belly.

Later, Li Suye was recognized by her superiors and dispatched to another region to manage flood control.

When Li Suye left, she brought He Mengshu along with her.

They arrived at a county town devastated by the floodwaters, witnessing commoners ill-clothed, starving, and crying out in despair everywhere. Li Suye resolved to use the knowledge her father had taught her in her youth to govern this place well and restore peace and prosperity to the people.

Shi Yu watched as they gradually came to understand each other's hardships and situations, supporting one another in a foreign land as their feelings deepened, and seeing Li Suye personally go to the collapsed embankments to measure and draft plans.

Before the six-month period of the Soul-Swapping Talisman expired, Shi Yu appeared before Li Suye and asked her, “Do you wish to return to your proper places?”

Li Suye hesitated.

“The floodwaters have not been fully controlled yet... I... I don't want to return just yet...”

Shi Yu understood her choice and bestowed another Soul-Swapping Talisman upon her.

Li Suye threw herself even more fervently into flood control.

Half a year later, as the control efforts began showing results, Shi Yu asked her again if she wished to return to their proper places.

Li Suye once again made her choice using the flood control as her reason.

By this time, He Mengshu had given birth to a daughter. He had suffered greatly during childbirth, nearly dying along with the baby due to labor complications. Fortunately, the midwife was highly experienced, and both mother and child ultimately emerged safe and sound.

Thus, half-year after half-year went by until the sixth Soul-Swapping Talisman. When Shi Yu handed it to Li Suye, she told her, “If you use six Soul-Swapping Talismans consecutively, the soul swap between you two will become permanent for this lifetime. But if you do not use this sixth one, you will never have another chance to swap souls again.”

Li Suye took the Soul-Swapping Talisman, hesitating.

Over these two and a half years, she had genuinely accomplished many great feats. Now, this place was governed in perfect order, with a growing population, thriving shops lining the streets, and commoners singing her praises without end.

Her achievements had been presented before the Emperor's desk, and the imperial court had already issued a decree ordering her to return to the capital to report on her mission, receive rewards, and be promoted.

Swap souls permanently, or return to their proper places from now on?

She was torn with indecision.

Shi Yu saw that on the day of Li Suye's departure from her post, commoners lined the long streets for miles, crowding around her carriage, calling out “Lord He” along the way, shedding tearful farewells to her and her family.

Sitting inside the carriage and listening to these voices, Li Suye did not dare lift the curtain to look outside.

Her heart felt heavy with bittersweet emotion, yet a smile touched her lips.

Inside the carriage, her husband gazed at her tenderly, feeling proud of her. Her young daughter leaned innocently against the window, shouting, “Daddy, Daddy is so amazing!”

That single cry of “Daddy” made Li Suye tremble all over.

She thought that these past few years had allowed her to witness a completely different realm of possibilities. But in the end, she was a woman—not the child's father, but her mother, and the wife of her beloved husband.

It was likely enough. It was time to be content.

She took He Mengshu's hand and asked, “Do you want to swap back, my husband?”

Watching this scene, Shi Yu already knew Li Suye's choice.

...

After swapping back into their bodies, He Mengshu treasured Li Suye like a precious gem. Furthermore, because he had personally carried and birthed their daughter, she was extraordinarily special to him, and the family of three shared an immensely deep bond.

Even when Old Lady He wanted to take several concubines for He Mengshu, he rejected every single one of them.

Immersed in such family harmony, Li Suye's lingering disappointment of no longer serving as an official and returning to the inner courtyard gradually faded away.

If the story ended here, it would probably be considered quite nice. But reality was not like the stories in storybooks, ending abruptly with a neat line like “and they lived happily ever after.”

Having watched for so long, Shi Yu felt a bit weary. She shifted her posture and continued watching.