My Decoy Bride – Li Fei, Sun Xuening

In Yue Xing Lou, the owner Tian Gan posted a task for which someone offered a thousand taels of gold to kill Li Shubai, the son of the Pingnan Marquis. This person had forced the daughter-in-law of the Wei family to death in order to seize their property. The owner stated that whoever offered the lowest price would get the job, and so the people present started to bid against each other.

Ju Zi said that regardless of how much others offered, she would ask fifty taels less. Xuan Xiao said that if he didn't want any money, would Ju Zi have to pay him instead? The owner said that this mission was jointly owned by Xuan Xiao and Ju Zi and must be completed within a month.

Li Shubai was going to get married, but he didn't want to, so he ran away secretly. As a result, he encountered a masked person on the way, who shot a dart at him. Li Shubai dodged it but fell off his horse and passed out. The maidservant informed the Pingnan Marquis that the son was missing, and he ordered people to find him quickly.

The maidservant Hongyu told Jiang Yuxiao that Li Shubai had run away, saying that he found her too ugly. In fact, Jiang Yuxiao was not the real Miss Jiang, who had fallen in love with Mr. Wang. Jiang Yuxiao had taken her place as a substitute bride, allowing Miss Jiang and Wang to elope.

Jiang Yuxiao had originally planned to kill Li Shubai tonight to complete the task, but she didn't expect him to run away. She wanted to go out, but the maidservants had already brought Li Shubai back. The Marquis said that as long as Li Shubai was still breathing, they must consummate the marriage. Li Shubai woke up and realized that the woman was the girl he saved three years ago, and was definitely not Jiang Yuxiao.

Li Shubai was not sure about the current situation and decided to act crazy and hug Jiang Yuxiao, calling her mother and asking her not to leave him. Jiang Yuxiao was startled by Li Shubai's behavior and knocked him out. She took out her knife and intended to kill Li Shubai, but when she saw the pattern embroidered on his shoes, she remembered something from the past.

Three years ago, a girl was tied to a carriage with a man behind her. The woman said she wouldn't spare him even if she died. Jiang Yuxiao, with a veil covering her face, stopped their carriage and said the man was named Zhang Jinghui, who committed many crimes, colluded with Japanese pirates, and framed loyal officials, leading to the tragic death of County Magistrate Zhang Jiuling's family.

Zhang Jinghui claimed to be a court official, and if he were killed, his entire family would be punished. He got off the carriage with the woman and kidnapped her, claiming she was Zhang Jiuling's daughter. He threatened to kill Jiang Yuxiao if she tried anything.

Jiang Yuxiao rescued the woman, but the woman suddenly released a smokescreen. Jiang Yuxiao realized she had been tricked and that this was not Zhang Jiuling's daughter. The woman revealed that it was Mi Hun San from Wan Hua Lou, which made the poisoning more effective as the body circulated it. Jiang Yuxiao managed to hold on and scratched the woman's face, making her very angry.

Before Jiang Yuxiao lost consciousness, she noticed a man who saved her, but she didn't know if it was Li Shubai. Li Shubai wasn't sure either if she was the one he saved.

Three years ago, Li Shubai went out for a leisure trip and coincidentally encountered Jiang Yuxiao. He saved her and killed the woman who was with her. Li Shubai found the drug Mi Hun San too strong and couldn't leave Jiang Yuxiao alone, so he took her away.

The next day, Li Shubai woke up holding onto Jiang Yuxiao's leg and calling her "mother". Jiang Yuxiao threatened to kill him if he called her that again. The people in the mansion knew that Li Shubai had lost his memory due to a head injury. Li Shubai even chased after the Duke, thinking that the old man couldn't be his father. The Duke ordered his servants to arrest this rebellious son.

Jiang Yuxiao stopped Li Shubai and told the Duke that she was Jiang Yuxiao. The Duke found it strange, as he had heard that Jiang Yuxiao was very fat, but she looked beautiful. The eldest son, Li Shufan, was also there and told Li Shubai to calm down, thinking that he had spoiled Li Shubai too much. Li Shubai kept clinging to Jiang Yuxiao, calling her "mother", which made her very speechless.

The Duke called a doctor to examine Li Shubai's head injury. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong with the injury and that it would heal in a few days. He thought that Li Shubai was just very energetic and suggested that Jiang Yuxiao should accompany him more and help him.

Li Shubai asked everyone to leave and said that he would cure Jiang Yuxiao's illness. The maids quickly took the Duke away, thinking that they shouldn't eavesdrop. Jiang Yuxiao grabbed Li Shubai and asked him if he was the person from three years ago.

Li Shubai quickly confirmed that it was indeed him, and asked Jiang Yuxiao to let him go. Jiang Yuxiao asked if the person from three years ago was really him, and Li Shubai asked her which three years ago, saying that he only gave Xiang Er's younger sister Jiang Yuxiao's hairpin yesterday.

Jiang Yuxiao asked about the pattern on Li Shubai's shoes, and he explained that all the men in his household wore shoes like that. Jiang Yuxiao was shocked and went outside to confirm that even the servants were wearing the same shoes. She thought that the person from three years ago must be someone in the Duke's household, but she didn't know who.

Li Shubai entered a secret room, and his subordinates told him that Jiang Yuxiao was an impostor. Li Shubai said he already knew, and before the wedding he had met the real Jiang Yuxiao. The school reported that this person's background was mysterious, and even her maidservants were skilled in martial arts. Li Shubai suspected that she was an assassin.

The person who had attacked Li Shubai before was actually arranged by Li Shubai himself, as part of a scheme. Li Shubai said that Jiang Yuxiao had tried to kill him several times, but he had always managed to resolve it. Now, he wanted to play a game with her before doing anything else.

Hong Yu asked Jiang Yuxiao why she didn't just kill Li Shubai directly. Jiang Yuxiao explained that someone had saved her three years ago and she wanted to find him before completing her mission. Li Shubai came to find Jiang Yuxiao and said he wanted to consummate their marriage.

Jiang Yuxiao asked Li Shubai if he knew how to consummate their marriage. Li Shubai said he knew and they only needed to sleep together. He asked which side Jiang Yuxiao wanted to sleep on. Jiang Yuxiao felt speechless and put away the knife. Hong Yu told Jiang Yuxiao that tomorrow was the day to return to her natal home. Jiang Yuxiao felt upset because she had forgotten about it.

Jiang Yuxiao wore a mask to meet Grand Secretary Jiang and held a knife to him, scaring him. Jiang Yuxiao took off the mask and said she was his daughter.

Jiang Yuxiao returned to the Duke's mansion and found a man in black, whom she fought with. Jiang Yuxiao asked who he was, and he said he was Xuanxi. Jiang Yuxiao exposed him, saying that if he wanted to impersonate someone, he should use a better name. The man realized that she knew Xuanxi and was indeed Juzi.

The next day, someone informed Li Shubai about what had happened and asked if they should arrest Jiang Yuxiao, as it might be related to the Crown Prince's investigation of Grand Secretary Jiang. Li Shubai said to wait and see. When Li Shubai went to Jiang's residence, he found that there were no servants there. Grand Secretary Jiang saw Jiang Yuxiao but didn't say anything.

It turned out that yesterday Jiang Yuxiao told Grand Secretary Jiang that his daughter eloped with someone else and she had taken her place to marry Li Shubai. This marriage was granted by the Emperor himself, and if Grand Secretary Jiang dared to speak out, it would be a betrayal of the Emperor. He was ordered to replace all the servants who had seen Jiang Yuxiao.

Li Shubai left first, and Jiang Yuxiao asked Grand Secretary Jiang what was going on. Grand Secretary Jiang said that everyone in the mansion knew Jiang Yuxiao, so he had to dismiss them all. Jiang Yuxiao worried that if she was exposed, she might not even be able to keep her life. Grand Secretary Jiang suggested that they should not meet again in the future, and Jiang Yuxiao felt that she might not even have the chance to see him again.

Li Shubai's four maids went to Grand Secretary Jiang's study to look for clues. Hong Yu suggested playing hide and seek with Li Shubai, and Li Shubai agreed to hide while she looked for him. Li Shubai also went to the study, but after careful inspection, they didn't find anything suspicious. Li Shubai felt that Grand Secretary Jiang's study couldn't be so clean and he couldn't pretend to be clueless anymore. He needed to find a chance to act normally.

Jiang Yuxiao noticed that something was off with Li Shubai and found her way to the study. She heard some commotion and saw the four maids surrounding Li Shubai, claiming that he had fallen into a well and couldn't wake up. Jiang Yuxiao found it strange that Li Shubai would fall into a well for no reason. Hong Yu explained that she was playing hide and seek with Li Shubai, and he might have hidden in a place where no one could find him.

Duke interrogated Li Shufan, asking if he was the one who spread the news that Li Shubai had become foolish, and if he wanted to inherit the title. Li Shufan denied having any intention of competing with Li Shubai and said that he would even refuse the emperor's decree.

Li Shubai was carried back, and the Duke asked Li Shufan to quickly go and invite the imperial physician. Jiang Yuxiao noticed that Li Shufan also had the same fragrance on his body and thought that the person from three years ago might be him.

The Duke was very angry and asked what was going on. Jiang Yuxiao said that she and Li Shubai were playing in the garden when she almost fell down the well. Li Shubai saved her from falling. Jiang Yuxiao felt it was her fault, and the Duke quickly asked if she was okay.

Li Shubai woke up and behaved very normally. He even asked Jiang Yuxiao if she was his wife. The Duke realized that Li Shubai was no longer foolish and was very happy. The Duke said that the marriage was the Emperor's decree and asked them to get along well and have a grandson soon. The Duke said that he would leave Li Shubai to Jiang Yuxiao and handed over the family rules to her.

Jiang Yuxiao punched Li Shubai, and his eyes turned black. Li Shubai asked if his subordinates had found out who had paid for his life. The subordinate said no, but recently, many people in Qingliu have been cursing the Donglin King's faction, saying that they framed loyal officials. Jiang Yuxiao saw Li Shufan practicing swordsmanship and wondered if he was the person from three years ago.

Jiang Yuxiao came to find Li Shufan in the middle of the night wearing a mask and asked him where he was on the day of the Beginning of Summer three years ago. Li Shufan said that they were all invited to the palace that day to enjoy the lotus, but Li Shubai didn't go because he was drunk.

Li Shubai was wearing a mask when he heard it outside. Jiang Yuxiao chased after him and found out that she couldn't hurt him at all. She realized that the person in front of her was Xuan Xiao, who had already developed tough skin and strong bones. Li Shubai revealed that Ju Zi had slept with the caravan leader to complete the mission, and he was fortunate to have her. They fought and Li Shubai discovered that Jiang Yuxiao's swordsmanship was so powerful that she could draw blood from him. Li Shubai left, and Jiang Yuxiao cautiously continued forward. Suddenly, Li Shubai appeared and subdued her. He told her that his success as the leader of the Star Moon assassins was not just due to his strong defense. Jiang Yuxiao was surprised by his inner strength and noticed that he also had a certain fragrance.

Li Shubai warned her that if she couldn't complete the task, he would take action. Jiang Yuxiao promised that she could do it, and Li Shubai gave her three more days. Jiang Yuxiao returned to the Duke's residence and saw Li Shubai lying on the bed. She thought she would kill him today. However, she suddenly felt weak and found that she had been drugged. The Duke had locked the door and didn't believe that they wouldn't have sex. Jiang Yuxiao fell onto Li Shubai and even kissed him. Li Shufan discovered the drugs in the room and realized the door was locked. He carried Jiang Yuxiao out through the window and jumped into the lake.

Li Shubai rescued Jiang Yuxiao and prepared medicine for her, but she couldn't drink it, so he had to feed her with his own mouth. Jiang Yuxiao woke up very angry, but Li Shubai told her that he had given her everything he had, and he was also at a loss. Jiang Yuxiao wanted to hit Li Shubai, but accidentally tripped and fell on him, and they kissed. When a maid came in and saw it, she quickly ran out. Li Shubai came to the prince to say that he still hadn't figured out the identity of the owner of Xing Yue Lou. The prince showed him something, and Li Shubai believed that Wang Jue and the corrupt officials in the court were definitely involved. The prince asked Li Shubai to start with this person and investigate further. The owner of Xing Yue Lou released a task to kill Wang Jue, and Ju Zi volunteered to take the job. She asked Xuan Xiao if he was going to compete with her again, and he turned off the light. The task was given to Ju Zi, and the owner asked what she wanted. Ju Zi said she wanted the last piece of intelligence from the Yunjing War. The owner said tomorrow was the best time for her to take action since Wang Jue would appear at the Lanling Pond. Li Shubai and Wang Jue drank together and talked about the unfortunate death of Lu Qian's daughter. Wang Jue revealed that he had hidden the girl in his house and she had been searching for life and death. He offered to give her to Li Shubai, but he declined. Wang Jue then had his steward send the girl to Li Shubai.

Li Shubai was surprised to see Jiang Yuxiao come so early and realized that she still didn't want Wang Jue dead. Jiang Yuxiao intended to kill Wang Jue, but Li Shubai blocked her and got injured. Wang Jue had prepared for this and had his men surround Jiang Yuxiao and fight her. Li Shubai secretly helped Jiang Yuxiao and she managed to kill all of them.

Lu Qian's daughter, Lu Qingyue, was brought to Li Shubai's residence and his maids took care of her. They were surprised to see how badly injured she was. The maids thought that Li Shubai had again resorted to his lecherous ways to get someone and his bad reputation would only get worse, but they knew that he had saved someone's life. Jiang Yuxiao overheard their conversation and realized that Li Shubai was not what he appeared to be.

Li Shubai went back to his residence to recover from his injury, which had completely healed. He went to see Lu Qingyue and asked if she believed that Lu Qian was innocent. Lu Qingyue said that her father was always upright and honest and was only framed because he refused to associate with corrupt officials. Li Shubai asked if she had noticed anything unusual when she was at Wang Jue's residence, but Lu Qingyue said that she was so depressed at the time that she didn't pay attention.

Li Shubai asked if Lu Qian had given her anything before he died, but Lu Qingyue said that he hadn't. Li Shubai promised to help her and asked her to stay there to recover.