Moonlit Reunion

Taoist Priest Mei's bewildered face showed a hint of foolishness, a touch of uncertainty, and a heavy dose of panic.

Empress Wu noticed something amiss, her smile turning into suspicion. She patted his hand and said, "What's the matter? Aren't you happy about being pregnant?"

The pat finally brought Taoist Priest Mei back to his senses, and he managed to regain some composure. He exhaled deeply and asked Imperial Physician Liu with utmost seriousness, "I accidentally fell today. Could it have harmed the baby?"

Before Imperial Physician Liu could even bow and respond, Empress Wu's expression turned reproachful. "You're always so reckless, never able to stay still for a moment. Even as a child, you were climbing roofs and tearing off tiles. I thought you'd settled down a bit after getting married!"

Then she turned to Imperial Physician Liu and ordered, "Quick, examine her thoroughly."

Imperial Physician Liu gave a lengthy explanation to reassure the pair—who appeared to be sisters but were actually sister-in-law and brother-in-law—before prescribing some medicine to stabilize the pregnancy and offering further instructions. After he withdrew, Empress Wu took her 'sister's' stiff hand and began lecturing her.

Taoist Priest Mei endured this 'sisterly' affection in a daze, glancing at his belly every now and then as if under some evil spell.

Empress Wu continued, "Now that you're with child, you must stop sparring and fighting. I've heard you often visit those two training grounds to challenge others. That has to stop now. Hunting is also off the table for the time being. Focus on taking care of yourself."

Mei Zhuyu mustered his energy to respond to Empress Wu, "Yes, I understand. I'll be more careful." He had never been able to mimic Wu Zhen's carefree demeanor, and now, with this sudden news—shocking, joyous, and terrifying all at once—he couldn't even begin to think about how to act natural in front of Empress Wu.

Even if Empress Wu were blind, she would have noticed her 'sister's' odd behavior today. Frowning, she scrutinized her closely, her gaze growing sharper. "What's really going on with you?"

Mei Zhuyu: "...It's nothing."

Just as the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly strange, one of Consort Mei's attendants entered quietly and reported that Mei Zhuyu, the Vice Minister of Personnel, had requested an audience at the palace gates.

Consort Mei was surprised. She didn't see this nephew of hers often, but she knew he was somewhat solitary—much like herself—so this request was unusual.

As Consort Mei's nephew and Wu Zhen's husband, Mei Zhuyu's request was naturally granted by Empress Wu, especially since Wu Zhen was already present. While waiting for Mei Zhuyu to arrive, Empress Wu and Consort Mei sat together, speaking softly and occasionally glancing at the silent 'Wu Zhen.'

Empress Wu wasn't the only one who found this odd. Though Consort Mei had remained silent earlier, she had been studying 'Wu Zhen' closely for some time. The more she looked, the more this 'Wu Zhen' seemed unlike Wu Zhen—and far more like her nephew Mei Zhuyu. When she shared this observation with Empress Wu, the latter's expression also turned peculiar.

Having recently experienced Consort Mei's own transformation into a cat, the two women immediately recalled tales of the supernatural. Their gazes toward 'Wu Zhen' grew increasingly uneasy. Empress Wu's eyes even held a hint of wariness.

What if some wandering spirit or malevolent entity had possessed her sister's body?

When 'Mei Zhuyu' strode confidently into the hall, clearly familiar with the surroundings, Empress Wu eyed him and said with measured dignity, "What brings Vice Minister Mei here today?"Wu Zhen caught sight of her elder sister and instinctively flashed a roguishly charming smile, cupping her hands in greeting. "Of course, I missed—" Mid-sentence, she noticed her own body seated nearby and abruptly choked on her words. Clearing her throat, she stiffly replaced "sister" with "wife."

"...I missed my wife and came specially to fetch her."

Empress Wu found that dashing bow all too familiar—so familiar it made her fingers itch. Then came that irreverent tone and those spirited eyes, nothing like the composed brother-in-law Mei Zhuyu she'd known. Clearly, not only had her younger sister been bewitched, but her brother-in-law as well.

Surveying the bizarre couple, Empress Wu shot Consort Mei a meaningful glance. The consort immediately dismissed all the palace attendants. Once only the four of them remained, the empress addressed "Mei Zhuyu" slowly: "Wu Zhen, what mischief are you up to now?"

The empress had merely been testing the waters, but to her surprise, "Mei Zhuyu" broke into a grin and unceremoniously plopped down before her, praising, "As expected of my brilliant sister—you saw right through me!The tone of acting cute and the sudden switch from "Your Highness" to "sister" made the empress nearly choke on the dissonance between voice and face. She suppressed it for a beat before snapping, "Stop grinning like that! You're ruining Minister Mei's dignified features!"

Wu Zhen remained unperturbed, even smiling at the silent Mei Zhuyu—the real one—and adding, "My husband doesn't mind."

Though unused to seeing his own face wear such a radiant expression, Mei Zhuyu reasoned that since their body swap was distressing enough, he shouldn't restrict Wu Zhen's behavior. Let her be as she pleased.

Observing this, Consort Mei summarized, "So to confirm—you two have indeed switched bodies?"

Neither Mei Zhuyu nor Wu Zhen had anticipated being summoned to the palace and exposed by Empress Wu, leaving them no prepared explanation. When Consort Mei posed the question, Mei Zhuyu—knowing his own inability to fabricate stories—remained silent, leaving it to Wu Zhen.

True to form, Wu Zhen effortlessly spun a tale, adopting a solemn expression: "It's a long story. Days ago, I encountered a deranged Daoist priest and accidentally offended him. He pointed at me randomly, saying he'd teach me a lesson. I noticed nothing amiss and thought he was bluffing—until today, when my husband and I suddenly swapped bodies. It must be his doing."

"I've already traced that mad priest to Kunzhou. My husband and I plan to seek him out there, apologize properly, and hopefully persuade him to reverse this." Wu Zhen sounded so convincing that even Mei Zhuyu—who'd heard her brief account—began wondering if this was the actual truth.

"So, sister, I need your help. My husband's duties at the Ministry of Justice will require temporary arrangements until we return from Kunzhou." Wu Zhen smoothly tacked on this request.

Empress Wu hardly knew what to say. Out of habit, her finger nearly jabbed at Wu Zhen's forehead—except now that face belonged to Mei Zhuyu. Forced to abort the gesture, she hissed through gritted teeth, "I knew this was your doing!"

Recognizing her sister's thwarted urge to smack her, Wu Zhen grew even bolder. "Well? Will you help me?"Empress Wu was furious, but she still nodded in agreement, though she couldn't resist scolding Wu Zhen for quite some time. Wu Zhen was long accustomed to being lectured like this by her father and elder sister—it went in one ear and out the other—and she even found time to wink at Mei Zhuyu.

Mei Zhuyu, who had nearly lost his composure upon hearing the news of the pregnancy, couldn't help but smile faintly when he saw Wu Zhen like this.

After watching for a while, Wu Zhen suddenly sighed and said, "I really am good-looking. Even my smile is incredibly charming."

Empress Wu, hearing her sister's shamelessly flirtatious tone, nearly wanted to break her legs. Gritting her teeth, she said, "He's carrying a child now. You better behave yourself and take good care of him on the way to Kunzhou, understand?!"

Wu Zhen's playful expression froze. She straightened up, her smile vanishing, and looked utterly confused. "What?"

Empress Wu also recalled this absurd situation and didn't know how to phrase it properly. "Just now, Imperial Physician Liu examined your body. You're pregnant."

Wu Zhen: "..."

She stared at Mei Zhuyu in disbelief, her gaze drifting uncertainly toward her abdomen. After a long pause, she swallowed hard and forced out a dry laugh. "Oh. So that's how it is."

Consort Mei, who had been quiet all this while, suddenly covered her lips with a light chuckle. As all three turned to look at her, she spoke softly, "The first three months of pregnancy are the most delicate. Zhen is far too restless—if left to her own devices, it would truly be worrisome. Though Zhuyu is younger than Zhen, he's steady and reliable. If it were him, there would certainly be no problems."

In an instant, Empress Wu, Wu Zhen, and Mei Zhuyu were all convinced by her reasoning. Mei Zhuyu even glanced at Wu Zhen and thought to himself, Perhaps we should wait until after this initial period to switch back—otherwise, it would be too much for Wu Zhen to bear. Imperial Physician Liu had mentioned the need for medicinal soups, and Wu Zhen hated bitter-tasting things. Moreover, pregnant women often suffered from nausea—it sounded like pure misery. It might be better to stay like this for now and switch back later.

Truthfully, Daoist Mei also didn't trust his wife to handle this alone. He felt much more at ease taking care of it himself.

Empress Wu also looked relieved and said to Consort Mei, "You're right. If we leave it to this wild monkey, something is bound to go wrong."

Only Wu Zhen, after careful consideration, said solemnly, "No, it's better to switch back as soon as possible."

Mei Zhuyu finally spoke up to persuade her. "There's no rush."

Wu Zhen: "No."

She was uncharacteristically firm. Mei Zhuyu asked, "Are you uncomfortable in my body?"

Wu Zhen suddenly pouted. "How could I let my husband endure the hardship of carrying a child?"

Mei Zhuyu hadn't expected her to say that. His heart softened, and his gaze grew tender as he looked at her. "I can't let you suffer like this either."

Consort Mei chimed in at the perfect moment. "When you're pregnant, you can't jump around, fight recklessly, ride horses too fast, or eat cold foods carelessly. You also have to drink a lot of nourishing tonics—Imperial Physician Liu just prescribed a list of them..."

Wu Zhen immediately changed her tune. "Oh, then let's stay like this for now. Once we get to Kunzhou and find that idle, meddling mad Daoist, we can discuss it further."

Making her drink those things would be nothing short of torture.After leaving the palace, Wu Zhen suddenly said, "I need to leave Chang'an, but the matters of the Demon Market must be explained to Little Snake in person. She should be at the Liu residence now. Come with me, husband."

As she spoke, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "Let's go give her a scare."

Mei Zhuyu looked at the unfamiliar expression on his own face and didn't know what to say. Before he could voice any objection, Wu Zhen suddenly rubbed her cheeks and sighed, "Husband, you never smile and show so little expression every day. Just smiling a bit more has already made my face ache. When we switch back, I'll definitely make you smile more often."

Just as Mei Zhuyu was about to say that he was simply used to it, Wu Zhen lowered her head and whispered to him, "When I used the toilet earlier, I actually found it more convenient to be a man than a woman."

Mei Zhuyu hesitated, "...You saw that..."

Wu Zhen dismissed it casually, "It's not the first time I've seen one. Are you still shy?"

Unable to bear hearing more, Mei Zhuyu turned his head away and pressed his hand to his forehead.