The Trust – Song Yanfei, Zhang Haowei

Xu Yu is a cartoonist who married Xiao Jinyun, a screenwriter, after a long courtship. However, due to their lack of understanding of each other’s thoughts, they gradually entered the grave of marriage and were about to divorce. Xu Yu changed her and Xiao Jinyun’s comic work "The Trust" to understand her husband’s feelings through the crack in their relationship.

The story takes place in the city of Wenzhi during the time of Da Sheng. The Queen of Wenzhi, Xu Yu, heard that her father had returned and disregarded all protocol by donning the attire of a minister just to see him. Since Xu Yu's marriage to City Lord Xiao Jinyun, her father had gone to the borderlands and, after three years of separation, she felt that he had aged considerably.

The city lord, Xiao Jinyun, was a thoughtful and vigilant man who was especially wary of Xu Yu's father, who had earned many military accomplishments. However, when Xu's father presented a proposal in court, Xiao Jinyun dismissed it and was even criticized by other ministers. Unable to bear it any longer, Xu Yu immediately stood up for her father, but her act of wearing ministerial clothes caused a great uproar in the court.

Xu's father quickly kneeled and begged for forgiveness, willing to take the punishment on behalf of Xu Yu. Xiao Jinyun ordered Xu Yu to be taken away and punished by the Mother Queen, and then he left the court. The incident caused waves in the harem as well, with Concubine Pei Xinzhu thinking that such a scandal would elevate her status and leading a group of concubines to the Mother Queen's quarters to watch the spectacle.

Mother Queen is scolding the queen of the city, Xu Yu, who caused a disturbance in court, demanding that she give up her rightful place. However, Xu Yu refuses to do so unless Xiao Jinyun divorces his wife himself, otherwise, she will always be the queen of the city. Mother Queen is very angry, but Xu Yu gets up and goes to find Xiao Jinyun. Pei Xinzhu, Mother Queen's niece, is currently instigating trouble, but Mother Queen scolds her and tells her that improving oneself is more important than harming others, as family status is important. Xu Yu is usually very good to everyone, so even Xiao Jinyun's eunuchs are pleading for her in front of him. Xiao Jinyun believes he has no choice but to divorce his wife, but at that moment, Xu's father arrives with news of an invasion by an outside tribe and says he will leave the city to prepare for war, but he is worried about his daughter. Xiao Jinyun immediately puts aside his thoughts and goes to see Mother Queen. Xu Yu meets her father outside the palace, and the father and daughter have a rare moment together. Xu's father gives her a pearl that he found on the border, but he does not have time to wait for his daughter to give him a peace charm.

Xiao Jinyun warns Xu Yu to stay in the inner court and then goes to see Mother Queen. Xiao Jinyun's lack of an heir is a concern for Mother Queen, so she arranges for him to choose a concubine. Xu Yu practices sword fighting in the courtyard and her figure is exceptional, making Xiao Jinyun think that she has let go of her anger.

Waking up again, Xu Yu found that her body had turned into Xiao Jinyun’s. Mother Queen was taking care of him. Xu Yu was confused and quickly drove Mother Queen away. After confirming that this was not a dream, Xu Yu was stunned. When Pei Xinzhu learned that Xiao Jinyun had awakened, she immediately cried and ran to find him. Xu Yu looked at her shadow almost pouncing on him and immediately asked her to pray for him. On the other hand, Xiao Jinyun woke up and found that he had become Xu Yu. Before he could react, Mother Queen and his body rushed over.

When Xiao Jinyun woke up, he found that he had become Xu Yu. Xu Yu chased after him with his body in confusion. Xiao Jinyun finally came to the mirror to carefully examine this absurd experience. Their consciousnesses had been exchanged. Xiao Jinyun nervously pounded his chest and Xu Yu widened his eyes and punched him. Xu Yu punished Pei Xinzhu to pray for him. Xiao Jinyun saw her obediently praying for him and felt emotional. He was angry that he had not let her go back so late. Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu came out from behind the rock and asked her to go back. Xiao Jinyun also found that Pei Xinzhu was treating him differently in front of him and behind his back.

Xu Yu and Xiao Jinyun wanted to recreate the scene and try to regain their consciousness, but they still had no change after waking up again after falling into the water. They did not give up and tried to kiss each other to exchange their bodies again, but it didn’t work. Xiao Jinyun felt that they should not continue to mess around like this and should find someone to help them. This person is Xu Youran, a diviner from Zhai Xing Ge. When he saw Xiao Jinyun looking at Zhai Xing Ge with a strange look on his face, he was surprised until he learned about the situation. Xu Youran immediately began to deduce, but this matter was somewhat complicated and would take some time. Before that, they must play their respective roles well.

In order to let Xu Yu pretend to be himself properly, Xiao Jinyun had to train her in the manner of a city lord. Xu Yu acted out how Xiao Jinyun’s attitude towards her changed from being meticulous at first to being annoyed later, from the time she first entered the palace to half a year later. Xu Yu acted it out perfectly. Xu Yu also asked Xiao Jinyun to learn from her. Seeing his performance, Xu Yu realized that he had never really paid attention to her. In order not to let Xiao Jinyun reveal himself, Xu Yu asked him to remember three things. First, he should wander around every day with the mentality that he might meet Xiao Jinyun. If he really met him, he should keep his heart hot and his appearance cold and dress up hotly to make his heart beat faster. Xiao Jinyun did not expect that Xu Yu would think like this on weekdays and also gave him many reminders. When they went to court, the ministers asked Xiao Jinyun to deal with Xu Yu, but Xu Yu said that this was just a quarrel between husband and wife and there was no punishment. She even wanted to cancel this selection. Xu Yu listened to the minister’s lecture with a headache and fell asleep on the dragon chair after finally finishing it. Xiao Jinyun kept staring at Xu Yu from behind and Xu Yu wanted to slip away but was also driven back by him.

Xiao Jinyun accompanied Xu Yu to review official documents, but Xu Yu turned her head and fell asleep. Everyone realized that the city lord’s wife had become much calmer and the city lord had become much more lively. Xu Yu forgot to greet Mother Queen when she woke up from her nap. Xiao Jinyun felt that it was okay not to go for a day, but now that he was Xu Yu’s body, of course, he was treated differently than before. Xu Yu was afraid that Mother Queen would make things difficult for Xiao Jinyun and especially accompanied him to go together. Mother Queen spoke kindly to her one second and scolded Xiao Jinyun the next. Xu Yu grumbled in her heart that she really favored her own son. Xu Yu followed Xiao Jinyun to Fengyi Palace, and Xiao Jinyun was embarrassed to refuse because of this body.

The news that Xiao Jinyun slept in Fengyi Palace spread throughout the entire backyard the next day. Pei Xinzhu was very angry. She became even more angry when she learned that Concubine Jingyao had a child. Jingyao said she dared not tell Mother Queen and Xiao Jinyun and wanted to recognize Pei Xinzhu as the mother of the child in her belly. Xiao Jinyun was anxious when he saw Xu Yu practicing with his body, but Xu Yu was very disdainful of his body. He practiced diligently these days and wanted to help him strengthen his body. Recently, Xiao Jinyun always felt that someone was whispering behind his back. Xiao Jinyun knew that it must be because of what happened when he stayed in Fengyi Palace that they started to gossip. Of course, nothing happened between them last night. Xiao Jinyun even took the initiative to sleep on the ground. Xiao Jinyun ignored Xu Yu for several months, and her ears became much quieter, so she decided to give up Xiao Jinyun from the bottom of her heart and live her own life gracefully.

The second day Xu Yu went to court for Xiao Jinyun, he was hypnotized by the ministers again. Xiao Jinyun was there to greet Mother Queen. In the face of the backyard’s harassment, Xiao Jinyun put on the city lord’s wife’s posture for Xu Yu, but did not expect that his mother was not as public and private as she usually saw her and was kind to Xu Yu. She also did not expect that Pei Xinzhu was also a person who could not be trusted. Xu Yu was afraid that Xiao Jinyun would have trouble and hurriedly asked Wudu to call him back. Xu Yu described the process of greeting, and she only asked Pei Xinzhu to do what she should do. On Xiao Jinyun’s side, he was annoyed by all the civil and military officials in the court. The two ministers quarreled from the court to the study. It was about border supplies. Xu Yu agreed decisively. Zhenbei Marquis accused Xu’s father of holding back military pay and Xu Yu was very angry. Of course, he had to protect his father and wrote a note and sent it back to Zhenbei Marquis. Zhenbei Marquis received the memorial and saw a turtle drawn on it. He thought that the city lord was helping him scold Xu’s father as a turtle. He even interpreted another meaning and said that Xu’s father should be beaten more often. He was very happy.

Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu if she knew why he married her back then. When the former lord died and he ascended to the throne as a teenager, he married her just to consolidate his position. Xu Yu didn’t have the mind to listen anymore and quickly interrupted him and said she wanted to go out for a walk. Inadvertently, Xu Yu heard the sound of singing and dancing. She went over and found that Pei Xinzhu and Tao Shuren were dancing in the pavilion. Pei Xinzhu saw Xiao Jinyun coming over and pretended to be shy and invited him to rest in her palace. She didn’t expect him to refuse, so she had to dance another dance for him. Xu Yu was full of Pei Xinzhu’s false accusation of pushing her down at first, and subconsciously avoided her, which caused Pei Xinzhu to sprain her foot. In order to retaliate, Xu Yu sent someone to tell Xiao Jinyun that she wanted to favor the inner courtyard. Xiao Jinyun was angry, but did not expect Xu Yu to drink with several concubines. After drinking too much, several people talked big with red faces. Pei Xinzhu wanted to take advantage of the situation and keep Xiao Jinyun there, but Xu Yu ran to Jingyao’s place, took her pearl hairpin and went to grab osmanthus wine, making the three palaces and six courtyards very uneasy.

Back in Fengyi Palace, Xu Yu put on the pearl hairpin she snatched from Jingyao for Xiao Jinyun, and also sent her favorite osmanthus wine as if it were a treasure. She even snatched Mother Queen’s quilt to cover her up. When she was young, Xu Yu wanted to give Xiao Jinyun the best things, but he ignored her completely. But in Xiao Jinyun’s heart, Xu Yu was a little crazy girl when she was young. Xu Yu slept soundly on Xiao Jinyun’s body. Her childhood wish was to marry him, but she didn’t expect him to be that kind of person.

Mother Queen asked Pei Xinzhu to help Xu Yu choose the concubines business, but everyone saw the pearl hairpin on Xu Yu’s head. Pei Xinzhu was very dissatisfied and immediately called Tao Shuren and Jingyao to change Xu Yu’s favored status. Jingyao believed that Xu Yu was favored only because her father and brothers were fighting outside, and it didn’t matter as long as they endured it for a while. Tomorrow’sconcubines choosing, Pei Xinzhu specially called her cousin Zhi’er, hoping that she could enter the palace, and her father’s promotion was also expected.

The next day’s concubine choosing, Zhi’er’s heightening insoles were exposed when she was caught. Xiao Jinyun sneered at such a small trick and ordered someone to drag her down and whip her twenty times. Zhi’er begged Pei Xinzhu to help her, but Pei Xinzhu could only smash it and swallow it into her stomach. Xu Yu heard that this year’s girls were very spiritual and came to join in the fun. Xiao Jinyun had already selected those that were beneficial to the court and secretly gave them to Xu Yu, asking her to choose a few according to the list. Xu Yu didn’t follow Xiao Jinyun’s ideas and began to talk about entering the palace, all of which were Xu Yu’s personal experiences. They survived spring, summer, autumn and winter, but they lost everything except white hair and wrinkles. Instead of waiting for a man who would never see them again in their lifetime, Xu Yu encouraged them to find a man they truly loved. She even publicly announced that she only had one person in her heart, her wife, and didn’t like these girls at all.

The inner courtyard was empty, and the ministers were teaching in the court. Xu Yu directly ordered taxation and couldn’t be bothered to talk to them. The early court had already ended, but Xiao Jinyun had not yet returned. Xu Yu was worried that he would be in danger and immediately sent someone to check the situation. Unexpectedly, Xiao Jinyun was helping Mother Queen fumigate with mugwort. When his mother gave birth to him, she left behind a disease root, which he knew very well. Mother Queen was very pleased with this because the city lord also fumigated himself like this when he was a child. The concubines were stunned to see the rare harmony between Mother Queen and Xu Yu, who were usually at odds with each other. The atmosphere was clearly very harmonious.

Xu Yu was drinking tea peacefully when Xiao Jinming came to ask him for money. He asked for eight hundred taels of gold. Xiao Jinming said he had his eye on a gift and wanted to buy it as a birthday gift for Mother Queen, but he lost all his money gambling two days ago, and he lost it to his own third uncle. Xu Yu thought about it and agreed, and also asked Xiao Jinming to replace Xiao Jinyun. Without saying a word, Xiao Jinming ran to Mother Queen’s palace. However, when he saw Xu Yu’s eyes, he felt inexplicably familiar. Why did her eyes look so much like Xiao Jinyun’s? Before Xiao Jinyun left, Xiao Jinming whispered to her that her elder brother had asked him to come and save him. Xiao Jinyun thought Xu Yu was worried about him and returned to the palace only to find that she was snoring loudly with drool all over her memorial. Mother Queen’s birthday was approaching, and Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to embroider a picture of a hundred birds facing the phoenix. But she only knew how to wield a sword and gun and didn’t know how to sew and mend things.

Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to help him grind ink, and when she woke up, she saw that Xiao Jinyun had drawn a picture of a hundred birds facing the phoenix according to the picture. When she saw Xu Yu’s face full of ink, Xiao Jinyun laughed out loud. Xiao Jinming was puzzled when he saw Xiao Jinyun embroidering flowers. He came to ask Xiao Jinyun for money.

When Xiao Jinming came to ask for money, Xu Yu had someone call Hengshan Gong and asked Xiao Jinming to hide and watch the show. Hengshan Gong cheated children out of their money. Xu Yu asked him to compare archery with her. If she lost, she would have to return all the money Xiao Jinming lost to him. Xiao Jinming was worried when he saw this and thought Xu Yu was going to lose. He quietly followed her to save the day, but Xu Yu didn’t even take the bait.

When Xiao Jinyun learned that Xu Yu had gone to compare archery with Hengshan Gong, he sighed silently. Xiao Jinming thought his elder brother was going to lose, but he didn’t know that Xu Yu’s consciousness was in Xiao Jinyun’s body. Not only did she hit several arrows in a row, but she also won back the eight hundred taels of gold that Xiao Jinming had lost. Of course, Xu Yu also tricked Xiao Jinming into donating the eight hundred taels of gold. The strange phenomena between Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu made Xiao Jinming think that his brother’s brain was broken. Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to act low-key, and Xu Yu nodded quickly. In Xiao Jinming’s eyes, this became Xiao Jinyun being afraid of his wife and thinking that Xu Yu didn’t let his brother participate in the selection process and made him miserable. So the two of them disguised themselves and took him out to have fun. Xu Yu realized that she could now leave the palace at will and happily followed Xiao Jinming out. The two of them had a great time eating and shopping along the way. Xiao Jinming deliberately took his brother to a flower building, which made Xu Yu very happy. No wonder men like going to flower buildings so much. She didn’t expect it to be so much fun.

Mu Dan sat beside the two of them and called Xiao Jinyun “Jin Gongzi”. Xu Yu was shocked to hear that Xiao Jinyun had been here before. When he learned that Xu Yu and Xiao Jinming had gone out, Xiao Jinyun was once again at a loss. After Xu Yu came back, Xiao Jinyun used the authority of the city lord to question her about where she had gone. Xu Yu turned around and questioned him about going to the flower building. Xiao Jinyun couldn’t be bothered to explain. He wasn’t fond of those birds and flowers; he just went to find out some things. Xiao Jinyun handed Xu Yu a cup of honey water, and Xu Yu took a sip and immediately forgot about what had just happened.

Xiao Jinyun warned Xiao Jinming not to take Xu Yu out to play again in the future, and Xiao Jinming was afraid of his authority and quickly agreed. However, he couldn’t resist Xu Yu’s pestering, and the two of them went out again with a jade pendant. This time, Xu Yu accidentally learned that the collection of taxes and levies affected the lives of the people in the city. There were many beggars in the city now. At this moment, Xu Yu realized that Xiao Jinyun’s “pulling one hair and moving the whole body” was true. Laws and regulations were not just words. By chance, Xu Yu learned that her elder brother often came to the flower building, but not to have fun; it was more like doing business. Xu Yu understood that these words were clearly spoken for the city lord to hear. Xu Yu hurried back to the palace and found out that she had started menstruating. Xiao Jinyun was taken aback when he saw this scene for the first time and cried out for a doctor. It turned out that being a woman was not easy.

Pei Xinzhu always felt that Xu Yu couldn’t understand the account book. But now she was unusually studying the accounts and even called in those purchasing servants to ask them questions. Pei Xinzhu had long prepared them with excuses and thought that it would be enough to fool Xu Yu. But she didn’t expect that Xiao Jinyun would punish these servants ruthlessly. Pei Xinzhu didn’t dare say anything. Seeing this, Xu Yu felt that Xiao Jinyun was too scary and decided not to provoke him anymore and left in a hurry.

Xiao Jinyun was cooling his feet in the yard when he was bitten by mosquitoes several times. Seeing Xu Yu’s quick departure, he couldn’t help but take the account book to find her to settle accounts. But these things were not under Xu Yu’s control before. If it weren’t for Xiao Jinyun’s cousin Pei Xinzhu, how could she have fallen into such a situation?

Pei Xinzhu couldn’t beat Xiao Jinyun and went to Mother Queen to talk about him. She said that the city lord had been staying with his wife every day recently, but Mother Queen didn’t seem to care. Mother Queen invited Official Taicheng to dinner. He was Pei Xinzhu’s father and also Mother Queen’s brother. They rarely got together as a family, but Official Taichen still had to abide by those rules. Mother Queen’s birthday banquet was coming up soon, but no one had come from the back yard yet. Xiao Jinyun saw that Xu Yu’s accountant was not in order and could only call Hao Yun to come and keep accounts. Afterward, Xiao Jinyun personally went to the palace and gave those concubines who were making excuses a warning before waking up Xu Yu who was sleeping in, and asking her to change clothes.

After everything was ready, Xiao Jinyun arranged everything in an orderly manner. The concubines came obediently before the birthday banquet and didn’t embarrass him. At Mother Queen’s birthday banquet, everyone gave their own gifts. Xu Yu’s gift was a hundred birds facing the phoenix picture that she embroidered herself. Xiao Jinyun saw her embroidered “little yellow duck playing in the water” and turned green with envy. Everyone laughed out loud. Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to help him explain, but she pushed it back to him. Xiao Jinyun made up a set of lame excuses to get through it. Mother Queen didn’t say anything when she saw that Xiao Jinyun praised Xu Yu.

Xiao Jinming said that he had prepared a surprise for Mother Queen, but he said that he had to wait until the time was right to reveal it. When the music and dance were in full swing, Xu Yu suddenly said that she wanted to go out for some fresh air. Xiao Jinyun was very worried and also said that he wanted to go out for a walk alone. Mother Queen’s family was happy together, but Xu Yu was worried about her father and brothers who were fighting in her sleep. Xiao Jinyun helped her put on her coat and his eyes were filled with tenderness. Since Xu Yu entered the palace, she has never seen her father again. No one has cared about Xu’s father’s life or death. Xiao Jinyun said that even the birthday of a king or a duke could not be as carefree as an ordinary person. What she saw was just an illusion. Xiao Jinyun took Xu Yu to the Star Picking Tower to see the moon. Xu Youran said that there was a solar eclipse on the day they fell into the water, so what they needed most was an eclipse. After hearing Xu Youran say that there was a meteor falling today, Xu Yu excitedly pulled Xiao Jinyun to the window to watch and made a wish with him. Xiao Jinming set off fireworks under the eclipse to make Mother Queen happy. After the birthday banquet ended, when he went to thank Xu Youran, Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu were about to leave.

Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to familiarize herself with politics so that she wouldn’t be caught off guard by political orders, but Xu Yu didn’t want to do it after watching it for a while. When the two were walking in the back garden, they met Jingyao. Jingyao pretended to have a stomachache. Xiao Jinyun kindly went up to help her, but Jingyao fell down and accused Xu Yu of pushing her. Then she covered her stomach and said that she had lost her child. When Mother Queen learned that Xu Yu was viciously framing the emperor’s heir, she was very angry and rushed over. Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu both felt that something was wrong at the scene. Mother Queen came without saying a word and slapped Xu Yu in the face. In fact, Xiao Jinyun was the one who was slapped. After being slapped, Xiao Jinyun was stunned. Jingyao cried and begged Mother Queen to help her make a decision. Xu Yu was worried about Xiao Jinyun and decided to accompany her to take a look together.

Xiao Jinyun did not panic because of this and asked someone to invite Jiang Yuanzheng. Pei Xinzhu also came when she heard the news and was surprised to see blood all over the room. Mother Queen asked someone to take these things down, but Xiao Jinyun stopped her, making Mother Queen think that he was disobedient to her and raised her hand to give him a slap. Xu Yu raised her hand to stop Mother Queen’s slap and said that she wanted to investigate the matter first. After Jiang Yuanzheng came to pulse Jingyao, he found out that the medicine used in the medicine had been used for abortion. Xiao Jinyun ordered someone to interrogate the servant who did it. Later, Jiang Yuanzheng pointed out that Jingyao’s fetus had been dead in her belly for many days, and today’s matter was clearly framed. Mother Queen was angry and looked at Xu Yu’s face with a little more guilt. Jingyao begged Pei Xinzhu for help, but Pei Xinzhu naturally kept as far away as possible. Mother Queen held Xiao Jinyun’s hand and said that she would give him justice. Xu Yu also felt that he had wronged him, but he was actually emphasizing his own situation. Now that he has changed his identity, Xiao Jinyun knows that he has misunderstood Xu Yu many things before, and now he feels a little sorry for her.

Doctor Hu confessed, and Xu Yu hurried over. With such chaos in the inner courtyard, Xiao Jinyun couldn’t figure out why Jingyao wanted to frame the queen. The mother queen said he could interrogate Jingyao himself to ask for the reason. The mother queen called Xiao Jinyun alone to talk. Recently, he has been doting on Xu Yu very much. The mother queen still reminded him that Xu’s father was a senior official in the previous dynasty and he should be more guarded and master the art of balance. Xu Yu finally understood in his heart that the mother queen had such considerations for herself when she used to favor Pei Xinzhu.

Xu Youran deduced the celestial phenomenon but encountered some obstacles. Xiao Jinming came to take a peek under the pretext of thanking her. Xu Youran thought that deducing with blood from the same root would be more accurate, so she called Xiao Jinming to take some blood. Xu Yu wanted to tell Xiao Jinyun about someone slandering the Xu family, but Xiao Jinyun said that it didn’t matter whether it was true or false. What was important was that rumors were terrible. Xiao Jinming came to them to complain that Xu Youran bullied him. Xiao Jinyun quickly hid and despised him for being embarrassing. News came from the front that Xu’s eldest brother was injured. Xu Yu was suddenly panicked and begged Xiao Jinyun to go and see his brother for him. After all, he is now the lord of the city. Xiao Jinyun was very pleased in his heart. He didn’t expect Xu Yu to consider him so much.

The next day, Xiao Jinyun took Jiang Tang to visit Xu’s eldest brother. Xu’s eldest brother treated her as a younger sister, but Xiao Jinyun was very uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do with the rare thing Xu’s eldest brother gave him. Xu’s eldest brother suddenly told him that Yunyang Bo might have some recent changes and was worried that they would be harmful to the lord of the city. He hoped that Xu Yu could protect the lord of the city. The second brother pulled Xiao Jinyun to spar, but Xiao Jinyun didn’t know how to do it and could only be forced to be a target. When he tried to decline, Xiao Jinyun could only blurt out that he was pregnant. When Jiang Yuanzheng was bandaging Xu’s eldest brother’s wound, he unexpectedly recognized him as his lifesaver from the past and was naturally very grateful.

When Xu’s eldest brother heard that Xu Yu was pregnant, he immediately told Xu’s eldest brother about it. Although they often fought outside, they had heard a lot of rumors in the inner courtyard and knew that the lord of the city did not favor Xu Yu. So he comforted her that she didn’t have to give birth to a son, as long as she was safe. When Xiao Jinyun heard these words, his heart was ups and downs. Jiang Yuanzheng observed Xu Yu in front of him and found that her behavior was like a man’s. Could it be some kind of disguise? Where did the real wife of the City Lord go?

Jiang Yuanzheng secretly pointed out Xiao Jinyun’s acupoint. She was not pregnant and definitely not the Queen. Xiao Jinyun’s tone was serious. Did he not know that his pulse had changed? Jiang Yuanzheng didn’t believe it at first, but when she took her pulse, she found that this person was indeed the lord of the city Xiao Jinyun. For a while, she was stunned. She didn’t expect such a strange thing to happen in the world. Xiao Jinyun quietly asked Jiang Yuanzheng to help him with something. Xu Yu was practicing martial arts with Xiao Jinyun’s body and couldn’t help but sigh that his body was too weak and needed to be practiced diligently. Xiao Jinyun appeared silently and told Xu Yu that he couldn’t practice martial arts because he had told the Xu family that he was pregnant. Xu Yu was worried about his future reputation instead. In a few days, it will be autumn hunting season. Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to pay more attention to Yunyang Marquis at that time. Xu Yu only wanted to ride horses and shoot arrows, and Xiao Jinyun had no choice but to support his forehead. Xu’s eldest brother still expected her to protect him, but this time, Xiao Jinyun would protect Xu Yu instead.

For the autumn hunting season, Pei Xinzhu made a gorgeous dress to try to win Xiao Jinyun’s favor. But Xu Yu despised their soft bodies and decided to only bring queen with her. Pei Xinzhu was angry when she heard this news, but her feet were on her body, and no one could stop her if she wanted to go! At the beginning of the autumn hunting season, the lord of the city needed to shoot a deer. Xu Yu despised that the deer was tied up and there was nothing to shoot at, so he asked someone to untie the deer and let it run around. Xiao Jinyun was very worried that she would do something stupid, but Xu Yu’s archery skills were very accurate. After all, she was the daughter of a general and the Queen. Xiao Jinyun reminded Xu Yu that she could officially start and complained that her opening remarks were a bit too much. He advised her to be more restrained. Sometimes it’s best to hide your abilities and bide your time. It’s better to be careful in everything.

Xu Yu originally wanted to ride horses with Xiao Jinyun, but Xiao Jinyun is now a girl and doesn’t want to. Then Xu Yu and Xiao Jinming ran to hunt. Xiao Jinming and Xu Yu snatched a rabbit from Hengshan Gong and made him very angry. Xu Yu’s maid said that Xiao Jinyun was becoming more and more like the lord of Dacheng City. Xiao Jinyun also learned that in Xu Yu’s eyes, she was always perfect. At night, Xu Yu hugged the rabbit and told Xiao Jinyun that they should raise it together. Xiao Jinyun said that it was not appropriate for the lord of the city to hold a rabbit and confiscated it immediately. Xu Yu wanted to make a fuss, but Xiao Jinyun threatened to swallow the rabbit alive.

At night, someone sneaked in to assassinate Xiao Jinyun. Xu Yu easily dealt with it and Jiang Yuanzheng came to help. Xiao Jinyun had already made arrangements and guessed that something would happen at night, so he and Xu Yu slept in separate rooms. Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu asked Yunyang Bo to investigate the assassination. Yunyang Bo searched all night but found nothing. The next day, Xu Yu captured the assassin alive. The assassin claimed that Xu’s father had instructed him. Xiao Jinyun pointed out that Yunyang Bo was guilty of three crimes and did not believe his words at all. He planned to let Xu’s elder brother handle the case. But Xu’s elder brother and Yunyang Bo have always been at odds. After thinking about it, they decided to let Xiao Jinming handle the case. Although Xiao Jinming didn’t look very smart, Xiao Jinyun said he would not disappoint everyone’s expectations. Xiao Jinming’s intelligence is not inferior to that of Xiao Jinyun. Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to rest assured.

Xiao Jinming went to Zhai Xingge again under the pretext of passing by and said that he didn’t want to investigate the case. Xu Youran promised to help him but said that his deduction required some blood from people of the same root. Xiao Jinming immediately changed his mind and decided to investigate the case.

Xu Yu was worried that Xiao Jinming wouldn't be able to solve the case, but Xiao Jinyun comforted her by saying that Jiang Yuanzheng had already paved the way, and the evidence had been collected. Xiao Jinming only needed to go through the formalities in front of the courtiers and block their mouths. Xiao Jinming would tell everyone in front of the courtiers that the Xu family would withdraw from the investigation and explain that the Xu family was avoiding suspicion. Then, they would surround the Yunyang Count's mansion to prevent the evidence from escaping. Xiao Jinyun had already sent someone to intercept those who wanted to destroy the evidence. The evidence was in its proper place, and Xiao Jinming successfully searched for it. Later, Xiao Jinming went to the Seeking Fragrance Courtyard. Mudan was an omniscient person, and they went there to investigate the case. Xiao Jinyun analyzed Xiao Jinming's thoughts clearly, and Xu Yu listened with a big appetite.

Xiao Jinming came to report the case to Xu Yu and Xiao Jinyun. The assassin was indeed sent by Marquis Yunyang, but he didn't admit that he wanted to assassinate Xiao Jinyun. Marquis Zhen Bei was also implicated in the matter. Unexpectedly, news came that Jingyao had hanged herself, but she was rescued. Previously, Xiao Jinyun had stripped her of her position, but he didn't expect Jingyao to commit suicide. Xiao Jinyun met Jingyao, and she kept saying that she only wanted to make her life a little better. She didn't care about anyone's feelings, even if they were in Xu Yu's position. Every woman in the harem was like this, which made Xiao Jinyun very disappointed. He couldn't help but think of Xu Yu and how she had suffered from neglect over the years. Jingyao was originally a spoiled young lady, but she was sent to such a ghostly place for the sake of her father and brothers' future. Her original life was trapped inside this inner courtyard.

Pei Xinzhu disregarded the obstruction and broke in, and Jingyao sent a message to Xiao Jinyun, then Pei Xinzhu, while Jingyao was not paying attention, took out the hairpin from her head and committed suicide. Xu Yu and Pei Xinzhu happened to see this scene when they came in. Pei Xinzhu was startled and wanted to say that there was something unusual about it, but Xu Yu supported her, and Pei Xinzhu did not dare to say anything. The few lines of poetry Jingyao recited made Xiao Jinyun quite puzzled. Perhaps Jingyao's death was caused by her pregnancy. Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu if she married him because of her father and brother's prospects. Xu Yu was a little angry and a little shy. Suddenly, Xiao Jinyun told Xu Yu that Jingyao did not die. The truth was that Xiao Jinyun told Jingyao that she could go out and live the life she wanted, but she had to tell him who instructed her to do so. So there was the scene of Jingyao's suicide, in fact, Jingyao had quietly left this prison that had confined her.

Xu Yu remembered a few months ago when Pei Xinzhu had hit Jingyao. Pei Xinzhu was jealous, but Xiao Jinyun believed that she wouldn't harm anyone, and someone might be trying to frame her. Although it was an internal affair, the mastermind might not be in the inner palace. Xiao Jinyun asked Xu Yu to stay and rest in Fengyi Palace tonight. When they were sleeping together, Xiao Jinyun asked her if she had ever regretted marrying him. Xu Yu naturally hadn't, and Xiao Jinyun was very happy, leaving a kiss on her head.

Early in the morning, Xu Yu went to Pei Xinzhu's palace. To please her, Pei Xinzhu gritted her teeth and exchanged her jewelry for silver coins to serve as military pay, which was heartbreaking for her. Xu Yu asked if Pei Xinzhu knew the truth about Jingyao's incident. When Xiao Jinyun woke up and heard that Xu Yu had gone to Pei Xinzhu's place, he hurried over and witnessed Pei Xinzhu's confession of hanging herself, claiming that she had harmed Jingyao. Xiao Jinyun was very unhappy and decided to rectify the atmosphere in the inner palace.

Xiao Jinyun summoned everyone from the harem to tidy up the atmosphere inside. He formulated rules for the harem and expected them to follow. However, everyone seemed to have turned a deaf ear, especially Pei Xinzhu who left arrogantly after the meeting. Xiao Jinyun stayed alone to speak to Concubine Qin, while Xiao Jinming went to inform Xu Yu about an important lead. Xu Yu thought that it was out of their control and suggested seeking Marquis Zhen Bei's help to solve the matter.

Xiao Jinyun said that Jing Yao had told him the truth before she died, which made Concubine Qin shocked. If it was Concubine Qin who was instructed by Duke Hengshan, then this matter could be explained. Xiao Jinyun was already 90% sure about this and felt relieved. Xu Youran came to look for Xu Yu and Xiao Jinyun, and found a bracelet in the room. It was a strange stone bracelet that Xu's father had given to Xu Yu before he left. It was said to be able to cure all kinds of illnesses and even reverse aging. Xiao Jinyun, who was supposed to die, exchanged identities with Xu Yu. Xu Youran still couldn't fully understand and wanted to go back to Zhai Xing Ge to think about it carefully. Xu Yu was very anxious and worried that Xiao Jinyun would be implicated with her father, but Xiao Jinyun defended her proactively. Xu Youran said that they had to wait for the next lunar eclipse and find a new strange stone in order to switch back their bodies, and only the North Territory had the Meteorite Crystal.

Marquis Zhenbei went to Duke Hengshan for help, but Duke Hengshan had already made up his mind to push the matter to the Xu family. Concubine Tao interceded for Marquis Zhenbei, as she is the niece of Marquis Zhenbei's wife. However, she was scolded by the Mother Queen for doing so and Pei Xinzhu was punished as well. The investigation reached a deadlock, and both Xu Yu and Xiao Jinyun were not willing to give up. They comforted Xiao Jinming but ended up driving him away. Xiao Jinming was very upset, and suddenly Xiao Jinyun began to have stomach pains, which frightened Xu Yu as they had swapped bodies before. Jiang Tang checked Xiao Jinyun's pulse and found that he had been poisoned. The poison was not deadly, but it had caused some damage to his body.

Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu ordered a thorough investigation. They carefully examined the ginger used in Xiao Jinyun's daily meals and finally found the culprit - a fragrance called Huan Yi Xiang. Long-term use of this fragrance can lead to infertility. The fragrance was given to Xu Yu by the Mother Queen earlier, but she never used it because she didn't like incense. However, Xiao Jinyun recently brought it from Fengyi Palace because he has been overworked. Xiao Jinyun was at a loss and asked Xu Yu to inquire about it with the Mother Queen.

Xu Yu went to the Queen's palace and gathered the courage to ask Huan Yi Xiang. The Queen admitted that she was the one who did it. Xiao Jinyun had previously said that the Xu family was ambitious, so the Queen resorted to this plan. Although the Queen likes to see the love between them, the harem most taboo is favoritism, and the official Pei is the closest person to the main family. Pei Xinzhu went to find Concubine Tao, who originally avoided her, but couldn't resist the temptation of food.

After returning from the Mother Queen, Xu Yu had a falling out with Xiao Jinyun. Xiao Jinyun was very worried and could only urge Xu Youran to quickly switch back their bodies. Xiao Jinming came to find Xu Youran and misunderstood their conversation as a plot to rebel, so he hurriedly went to find Xu Yu. Xu Yu couldn't explain clearly, so she decided to take him to find Xiao Jinyun and let him explain it himself. When Xiao Jinming found out that they had swapped bodies, he suddenly understood everything that he had been unable to comprehend before.