Mei Zhuyu expressionlessly considered the current situation—somehow he had ended up in Madam’s body, so by extension, Madam was likely in his body. Just moments ago, he had been working as usual, not doing anything out of the ordinary, so the sudden body swap might have been caused by something Madam did.
He looked again at the two wooden figurines he was holding. Upon careful examination, he found they were crudely carved by an amateur, but the hairstyles and rough outlines of the clothing allowed him to distinguish one as male and one as female.
There was something strange about these wooden figurines, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Having determined this, Mei Zhuyu put the figurines away and turned to leave.
As he took a step, he stumbled and fell with a thud, his chest hitting a wooden box. A sharp pain immediately spread from his chest. Instinctively, he reached to rub the spot that had been hit, only to feel a soft mound. Mei Zhuyu silently removed his hand, ignoring the pain in his chest, and got up from the ground.
Several boxes were scattered on the floor, evidence that Wu Zhen had been rummaging around earlier. Mei Zhuyu placed these boxes on a side table and carefully stepped forward.
It wasn’t his body—the height, weight, and even the flow of energy within were all different. He struggled to adapt, feeling as if the world was lower than usual, and also… his chest felt heavy and uncomfortable. Was this weight normally noticeable?
Step by step, Mei Zhuyu made his way to the door, supporting himself as he walked out. Trapped in Wu Zhen’s body, he felt strangely constrained. This wasn’t his own body, and if he injured it anywhere, Madam would be the one to suffer. Just thinking about this made Mei Zhuyu feel as if he were carrying a fragile treasure through a field of thorns, where one misstep could lead to irreparable consequences.
Wu Zhen usually moved like a gust of wind, coming and going with great energy, but Mei Zhuyu was different. He had always been steady and composed, and now, in a different body, he was even more careful, appearing even slower than usual. As he made his way from Wu Zhen’s room to the gates of Duke Yu’s mansion, the servants he encountered along the way gave curious looks at his dignified gait and calm expression.
The uninformed servants wondered what had happened to Second Miss, why she looked so restrained.
Those who knew about Pei Jiya’s disappearance sighed inwardly, thinking that Pei Sixth must indeed be in grave danger. Otherwise, how could the usually carefree Second Miss wear such a serious expression and walk with such heavy steps? It made them all feel uneasy just watching.
But no one dared to say anything. The crowd, either puzzled or worried, watched as Second Miss left Duke Yu’s mansion and rode away on horseback.
Compared to Mei Zhuyu’s caution and care, Wu Zhen was much more casual. She stood up, hands behind her back, and strolled around the room. Her husband was very tall, and although the room hadn’t changed, the height difference made it seem somewhat unfamiliar.
Not content with just walking around the room, she abandoned the work entirely and ran outside. There was no way she would sit quietly and handle official documents for her husband. Even if she knew how to encounter such an interesting situation, she certainly wouldn’t be so well-behaved.
Walking through the Ministry of Justice, Wu Zhen realized how poor her husband’s relationships were with his colleagues. No one dared to approach him or greet him. The officials who had been chatting and laughing together fell silent when they saw him appear, only resuming their conversations after he had passed.
Wu Zhen walked past the group and quickly hid around a corner to eavesdrop.
She didn’t know what they had been discussing originally, but after seeing her pass by, they started talking about her—no, about her husband.
“I’m telling you, this Physician Mei is quite formidable. Isn’t he at odds with Vice Minister Xu? Previously, Xu assigned him several difficult cases, but he solved them all. Tsk, tsk. Just a mere Physician, yet Vice Minister Xu can’t do anything about him.”
Someone sneered, “What do you mean ‘just a mere Physician’? He has a powerful wife, you know. Haven’t you heard about that incident?”
“You mean the incident with Physician Cui?”
“Yes, I know about that too. Physician Cui was drinking in private and insulting Physician Mei. He was almost drowned by Wu Er Niang. They say the scene was terrifying. Now that he’s offended Wu Er Niang and her gang of young nobles, Physician Cui has even divorced his wife, lost his position, and fallen into poverty. With such a precedent, who would dare to provoke Physician Mei now?”
The group mocked Physician Cui while discussing Physician Mei with mixed tones—some contemptuous, some fearful, and some with a hint of sour envy.
It seemed that her husband’s isolated status in the Ministry of Justice was partly due to her influence. Although Wu Zhen didn’t think her husband would mind this, she still felt guilty. Her husband was truly suffering here. The food was bad, and there were hardly any pleasing sights to behold.
However, since these people already looked down on her husband, it wouldn’t matter if she taught a lesson to those who spoke ill of him. After all, the relationships were already poor. And that Vice Minister Xu—Wu Zhen vaguely remembered that he had also caused trouble for her husband before their marriage.
Well, she couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. She’d settle some scores for her husband first.
So, on this day, Vice Minister Xu was beaten badly by an unknown assailant. The attacker had covered his head with a sack, and each punch was heavier than the last, making him squeal like a pig. It was quite a while before someone found Vice Minister Xu. Miraculously, he hadn’t suffered any severe injuries, but his face was so swollen it looked like a cured pig’s head.
When the servants from Vice Minister Xu’s household came to take him home, the officials from the Ministry of Justice all gathered to watch. Wu Zhen was among them, rubbing her knuckles and feeling immensely satisfied. The frustration from being tricked by her cousin had been mostly vented. Also, her husband’s strength was indeed impressive—she felt she had only lightly punched, yet it had such an effect.
Vice Minister Xu left early due to his injuries, and Wu Zhen, finding the Ministry of Justice boring, also left. However, remembering she was using her husband’s identity, she at least asked for leave from her superiors.
As noon approached, Wu Zhen walked out of the palace gates and saw a figure holding a horse under a distant tree. It was her own body, and when that person turned to look, Wu Zhen immediately recognized that it was indeed her husband inside her body.
Wu Zhen ran towards him and then, suddenly, lifted him and burst into laughter.
The action was effortless—Wu Zhen felt her own body was as light as a cloud, easily lifted. Finding it amusing, she even spun around a couple of times.
Censor Liu was just walking out of a palace gate when he saw the two embracing in public. Realizing that the one lifting the other was Mei Zhuyu, whom he had always admired, his eye twitched. He turned away immediately, taking a detour, his heart filled with disappointment. What a fine young man, ruined by that Wu Zhen! Look at him now, with no sense of propriety!
Mei Zhuyu watched expressionlessly as his wife gleefully used his body to lift him and spin him around. He grabbed her arm and said, “Put me down.”
Wu Zhen grinned and set him down, looking down at him. “Are you angry?”
Mei Zhuyu shook his head. “No, I’m worried you might not control my body well and end up hurting your own body.”
Seeing his expression, Wu Zhen laughed, “My body isn’t made of porcelain or crystal. It won’t break so easily. Why are you so nervous? Look how relaxed I am.”
She was indeed relaxed. She even squatted down to look at him at eye level, then teased, “My lord, you’re short now.”
Mei Zhuyu: “…” Do you realize who you’re talking about?
He shook his head helplessly and took out the two wooden figurines from his sleeve, getting to the point, “Is our current situation because of these?”
Wu Zhen: “Probably. My cousin sent these. He’s not a good person. He sent them as a wedding gift, likely intending for me to open them on our wedding night, and then…”
She shrugged. “Unfortunately, I forgot about them and only opened them today.”
At this point, she briefly explained about Pei Jiya’s disappearance. Mei Zhuyu didn’t know much about Pei Jiya, having only met him twice briefly. He wasn’t concerned about Pei Jiya’s situation, but asked, “Do you have a solution?”
Wu Zhen answered frankly: “No. Do you have any ideas, my lord?”
Mei Zhuyu: “The one who ties the bell must untie it. We might need to find him first.”
The two looked at each other for a moment, then Wu Zhen threw up her hands and said, “Alright, then we’ll go look for him on the road to Kunzhou. But it will take at least a month round trip. We need to arrange things in Chang’an, but it should be fine.”
Wu Zhen spoke confidently, but problems arose that very afternoon when the Empress summoned Wu Zhen to the palace.
Wu Zhen had gone to the supernatural market to discuss matters with her two deputies, so Mei Zhuyu received the Empress’s summons. With no other choice, he had to steel himself and enter the palace in Wu Zhen’s body.
The Empress had no urgent matter in summoning her sister; she simply hadn’t seen her in a long time and wanted to check on her. Before her marriage, Wu Zhen used to frequent the palace, especially in summer. The Empress found it strange that she hadn’t visited in such a long time. Concubine Mei, noticing the Empress’s concern for her sister, suggested calling Wu Zhen to the palace.
The Empress met her sister at the Imperial Lake Pavilion. However, this meeting had a particularly strange atmosphere. Empress Wu was startled as soon as she saw ‘Wu Zhen’ because her sister loved to smile most, with a vibrant and unrestrained laugh. Usually, before even calling out, she would flash a smile at the Empress. But this time, her sister’s expression was bland, without a trace of a smile, looking uncharacteristically composed.
“What’s wrong? Have you encountered some trouble?” Empress Wu furrowed her brow, wondering if someone had upset her sister recently. For her sister to not even smile, she must be facing a significant problem.
As she pondered, Empress Wu’s expression grew stern. She said, “If there’s any issue, just tell me. Although I’m confined to the palace, I won’t allow anyone to bully you.” She looked ready to stand up for her sister immediately.
Mei Zhuyu could only reply, “It’s nothing. I’ve just been feeling a bit unwell lately.”
His response made the Empress even more worried. Is a physical discomfort severe enough to cause such a drastic personality change? How could that be a small matter? Without needing her order, Concubine Mei had already sent palace servants to summon Imperial Physician Liu from the Imperial Dispensary.
The Imperial Dispensary was specifically responsible for the medical care of the Emperor, Empress, favored concubines, and Empress Dowager. Among them, Imperial Physician Liu was the most skilled. Hearing the Empress’s summons, he hurried over immediately. Seeing that he was to examine Wu Zhen, he said nothing more and respectfully took her pulse.
Imperial Physician Liu checked and rechecked, finally breaking into a smile. He said to Mei Zhuyu, “Congratulations, you’re with a child.”
Daoist Master Mei, who had remained impassive since the body swap, finally lost his composure and widened his eyes in shock.