Memories of the PalaceCh29 - Pretending To Be My Wife

Same Day: Meanwhile…

Thankfully, the tigers were separated from Jin Xiyan. They did not do anything except hover around him growling, but he insisted to Shen Pei that he needed some peace. With the lure of large flanks of steak, the tigers happily ran outside. However, Jin Xiyan couldn’t let out a sigh of relief because Li Changyu’s Mother was expected to arrive at any moment. w2OAaq

The door was carefully slid open, with Shen Pei filling the frame before she stepped in and allowed Li Yuyan in. His Mother-in-law looked puffy eyed and a bit disheveled in her night clothes. As an alpha male, he had a brief moment of embarrassment at seeing a married woman in this state, but he tried to hide his embarrassment with a pained expression.

“Was he breathing when you found him?” Li Yuyan asked Shen Pei as she sat down at the edge of the bed. Her warm hands touched his face tenderly, examining it closely. Jin Xiyan instinctively shrunk in on himself, then winced. She frowned.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

It took Shen Pei a moment to answer, her face looking troubled. Eventually she said, “Yes, but shallow.”

It was a smart move to not reveal that Li Changyu did in fact die. Needing to direct the conversation to maintain his cover, Jin Xiyan spoke next. “I was attacked, but I do not know by whom. They gave me a poison that rendered me unconscious, and I was apparently hung. Luckily, Shen Pei found me.” e NXRD

Li Yuyan blinked, her hands stilling. “Why such proper speech, A-Chang?” Looking around, she lowered her voice and added, “Are you worried we are being listened to?”

Shen Pei flinched and rushed to explain when Jin Xiyan opened his mouth to respond, “Physician Li, I noticed that Li Changyu…has been experiencing a bit of amnesia.”

The way Li Yuyan’s face fell tugged at Jin Xiyan’s heart. He could see her noticeably pale in the lamp light, and he felt a bit guilty that they would have to lie to her like this. He and Shen Pei had agreed that it would be best to feign forgetfulness after such an attack to explain his possible missteps in impersonating or remembering things about Li Changyu. Her touch became a bit more frantic as she felt down his arms and then checked his pulse.

“He’s been poisoned once already over such a long period of time, and now this…” murmured Li Yuyan under her breath.

Jin Xiyan frowned. Was Li Changyu really poisoned? It was strange because he had conflicting emotions about it. On one hand he wanted to believe him, and Jin Xiyan thought at one time he perhaps did, but he couldn’t recall what made him dismiss Li Changyu’s claims. Sighing, he resigned himself to the fate that there were real gaps in his own memory.

“Do you really believe Li–ah, I mean Z–” Jin Xiyan stumbled over his words, but it hurt a lot less to speak now. Physician Li’s medicine really does work wonders… He took a deep breath before trying again. “Do you believe you could narrow down the poison?”

“Without a sample, it would be difficult, but your pulse is strong now.” She covered his hand with her own. “For the next few days, please record any symptoms you may have. This can help determine what it is.”

She proceeded to undress him, which flustered him even more, but he was shocked out of his embarrassment by the state Li Changyu’s body was in. Thick bruises marred his legs, his feet had broken blisters, and there were likely bruises on his back and shoulders by how much they hurt. He hadn’t seen any of this at the hearing, but then again, Jin Xiyan had a hard time focusing during that time. euf5V6

Li Yuyan continued with her examination, and Jin Xiyan was unsure what to think about the fact Li Yuyan would be willing to sneak into the Palace under the cover of night. It was nice to know how dedicated of a Mother she was, but as an Emperor, she was a subject defying the sanctity of the rules of the Palace. It was, in a way, a betrayal – one that he would ignore for now, especially as she rubbed a soothing balm into his aching back that melted the pain away.

Jin Xiyan shrugged on his robe when she finished and tested his muscles with a stretch. He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder with a small smile. “Your medicine truly works wonders, Mother.”

His Mother-in-law’s smile looked a little sad, “You call me Mama, and your Father Papa. To better treat you, what are some things you don’t remember? Do you remember your Brothers’ names?”

“A-ah…” Jin Xiyan hesitated. The only reason he recalled Li Yuyan’s name was because Shen Pei told him. She must have been told by Li Changyu about his trouble with memory because she gave it without needing to be asked. It helped him save a bit of face, but now he was in trouble of losing it again. “I know Mama is Li Yuyan, and Papa is Li Beidou, but…I know I have two brothers.” akoV0F

“Who love you dearly,” she said, stretching her hand out to smooth it along his hair. “You also have a Brother-in-law. Do you remember that?”

Jin Xiyan did remember that! His Grandmother had given them a set of cups. He nodded, and she continued.

“Then this shouldn’t be permanent. Your body has gone through so much, and as long as you and your mind rest at ease, things should become clearer.”

At her urging, Jin Xiyan rested back against the pillows. She held one of his hands and the other kept gently stroking his hair. Her caresses were full of tenderness that felt familiar and strange at the same time. It was weird to receive such intimacy from his Mother-in-law, whom he barely spoke with. dR5n2q

“Do you remember if you have had a heat recently?”

Jin Xiyan blinked and his face flushed at the question. He answered truthfully, “Zh–I do not remember.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Li Yuyan lifted her head to Shen Pei, and she shook her head no. Apparently, Li Changyu did not have his heat yet. Something about his heats nagged at the back of Jin Xiyan’s brain, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

“If you still aren’t having your heats, let me know.” Her hold on his hand squeezed tightly. “I can give you herbs that make it appear you are in heat. While I doubt the Emperor would accompany you since you aren’t in his favor, we can at least fool him and his people into thinking nothing is wrong.” ySd Nz

Appear that he’s in heat? Fool me? Anxiety clenched his stomach in a grip. Is something wrong with Li Changyu? Jin Xiyan noticed Shen Pei visibly stiffen and her pale colored eyes widened, but he cut her off before she could say something.

“His Majesty would not do that!” he blurted out. “Even if there was something wrong, he would take responsibility.”

Li Yuyan blinked down at him then shook her head and sighed. She turned away and dug through her bag, “Regardless…”

When she faced him again, she pushed a small satchel in his hands. “You have two weeks. Use this if you do not experience anything.” W10a8V

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Physician Li…” Shen Pei stepped up and cleared her throat. “I have to get you back before the sun comes back up. I promise, Li Changyu is in good hands. He is not imprisoned anymore.”

“But how long will it be until he finds another excuse? Jin Xiyan…” Li Yuyan spat out his name like it was a curse, making him wince. Her frustration wasn’t over. “Your Fathers are sworn Brothers, and you grew up alongside him. How dare he accuse you let alone the Family of collusion and rebellion!”

Perhaps it was his shorter size, but her anger made him feel small. Jin Xiyan weakly defended himself, “I…I think His Majesty is gathering all the information he can. He did not make a decision…a-and besides, this all clears my name. Someone wanted to attack His Majesty and I.”

Li Yuyan scoffed, but her angry face fell into a long frown and tears welled up in her eyes. “I could have lost you, A-Chang. If it wasn’t this, it could have been something else.” oHTPm0

She flung herself across him and scooped him up close. Her sudden embrace startled him, but he tried to not stiffen too much until she squeezed hard. Hot tears landed in his hair and trickled down his temple where she kissed him.

“I will go, and I will inform your Father what you and Shen Pei told me,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Please, please defend yourself. If you need to run away, I–”

“Moth–Mama–there will be no need for that.” Jin Xiyan pulled back and spoke more confidently this time, because it was the truth. “His Majesty will take care of things. Please have faith.”

Li Yuyan’s wet eyes still looked reluctant to believe him, but she smiled and kissed his forehead. After one last squeeze, she let him go, and Shen Pei led her along. Before leaving, Shen Pei looked at him. 1PzeOG

“Meimei and Bowen are still being held in confinement. I will let them know that they will be released shortly.”

Jin Xiyan nodded and waited until the two women left before relaxing fully. His body was less sore now, but he still felt weary. Lifting up his hands, he examined the fine details of Li Changyu’s palms as he thought out loud.

“Sadly, Li Yuyan did lose Li Changyu tonight…She would have lost him thinking I disliked him.” He frowned, “Would…would she have thought the same thing Li Changyu did?”

He balled his fingers into two fists and dropped them down onto the bed. Li Changyu would have died thinking I hated him. M6kw87

And he didn’t hate Li Changyu. Wildly frustrated, sometimes angry, and bizarrely fascinated by him – that was what he felt. Even when he hit Qin Yuze, hatred wasn’t something that came up in his whirlwind of emotions that day. He tried to recall that day again, but it felt fuzzy, like a fog was clouding his mind. It was a lot like how his dreams were lately.

Then there were the strange clues Li Yuyan accidentally provided. We grew up with one another? Then surely Qin Yuze must have known them too. Is that why there is such animosity between them? His lack of memory frustrated him now more than usual.

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Shaking his head in disgust, he reminded himself that none of that mattered right now. What mattered the most was that Li Changyu had been wronged, and they were both played with. Through some miracle they did not die but instead switched bodies, they were still in a dire predicament. Furthermore, Li Changyu was hiding things from him – because he hated Jin Xiyan. It wasn’t a surprise, really, but he felt a little lost at what to do to correct the situation. Maybe I should think of a way to thank Li Changyu…would that show I do not hate him? He bolted upright when a brilliant idea came to mind.

I can get him something! Something very nice, and…Jin Xiyan slid out of bed and rummaged around in the small desk situated in the corner. He took out a piece of paper and prepared some ink to write out a quick note to the merchant he usually bought goods from. He made sure to add that the man should invoice his main Palace. Jin Xiyan’s handwriting was still the same, so no one could think it was someone else making the order. He signed it and set the brush down with a triumphant swell in his chest. kwHp2

“When Shen Pei comes back in the morning, I will have them deliver this and I will have my gift in no time!”

——–

Li Changyu’s servants were some of the most bizarre, rude, and resistant servants Jin Xiyan had ever come across. When they came to greet him, they hugged and clung to him like crying children. When he corrected them about calling him Li Changyu’s name, they looked at him funny. Shen Pei explained that “Yanhe is a little loopy,” whatever that meant. He relented in the end, because he was supposed to try and keep up the act that he was Li Changyu. Only a little bit of his behavior could be excused by suffering an attack.

The girl – Meimei – looked at him like he had three heads when she finished dressing him. “Um, Li Changyu…why are you wearing this?” oE0nul

Jin Xiyan blinked at her, confused, then examined himself once more in the mirror at his vanity. He wanted to wear his gift to Li Changyu so he could see it on a real person. The robes were a light blue accented with a sheer white outer robe that was embroidered with shimmery white cranes. The collar was high to hide the neck, and the skirt was pulled up to mid-chest with a wide embroidered dark blue band. Sure, it was a tad bit more feminine, but the color complimented Li Changyu’s tones and gave his lithe frame shape a billowy, bamboo like shape. His chest was broad enough that the details of the embroidery were on prominent display, drawing the eye away from the neck where they could potentially spot any bruising that managed to peek out.

Without looking back at her, he reached for the red corded necklace that was neatly placed on the vanity. It had a small silvery stone that almost had a shimmer to it. He put it on before he finally spoke, his tone even. “His Majesty will be visiting. It would be nice to look presentable.”

Meimei tilted her head, her forehead wrinkling with her confusion. “Are you trying a different plan then?”

“Plan?” Jin Xiyan sat up straighter. He was alone with Meimei, and perhaps he could press her for some information. He scrambled for a lie, “Zh–I…I am still a little foggy. Could you tell me a little bit of the plan so that I might get some memories back?” qc8gsW

“Sure, Changyu!” Her smile was warm, and she took his hand to guide him to sit in front of the vanity. She took a comb and stood behind him to work it through his hair, which looked more like its old self.

“Well,” she began as she sectioned off his hair, “We have to make other people think you’re unwell and too weak to fight back, and the Emperor is helping us behind the scenes while you get information.”

“I am doing what?!” he asked, alarmed.

Meimei paused and blinked at his reflection, “You are pretending to be weak so our enemies will underestimate you.” fCWLRO

“Ah,” he cleared his throat, “Ah, I mean…what is His Majesty doing?”

“You said His Majesty agreed to help you when you met in the study,” she said very matter of factly, a beaming smile on her face. “You said your plan is going well.”

His breath caught in his chest. Is she talking about that day? Jin Xiyan tried to recall the events, and he knew everything that happened until he went to speak to Qin Yuze. He wanted to dig in further, but it felt like there was a visible wall in his memory that prevented him from remembering point A to point B. He knew he wanted to speak to Qin Yuze, but he came away from whatever it was believing that Li Changyu was lying.

Li Changyu had wanted his help…and replaying those events, that was certainly true. If Meimei was to be believed, Li Changyu didn’t reveal that Jin Xiyan had acted poorly. He wasn’t, in fact, helping Li Changyu at all because he thought Li Changyu was lying. But…but he was not. Jin Xiyan hung his head and looked at his hands which had unconsciously balled up some of the fine silk of the robe in them. Guilt festered in his empty stomach, churning the acid enough that he tasted bile in the back of his throat. 39DETQ

It will take more than a robe to apologize… Jin Xiyan straightened and lifted his head high, trying to instill a bit of confidence in himself. But this will be a good start! A shrill cry rang out, startling them both.

“His Majesty has ariiiiived!”

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“Ah!” Jin Xiyan bolted onto his feet. His hair was undone, but freshly combed. Not wanting to go out there with his hair untied, he settled for grabbing a ribbon on the vanity and tying his hair back at the nape of his neck as he hurried. It was a rush job, but it would have to do.

He just crossed halfway through the receiving room before he stopped in his tracks. Li Changyu was in the center of the doorframe wearing a set of red martial robes with a long gold vest for an outer robe. The boots were soot black with a pointed toe, their stomp menacing as he entered. Jin Xiyan’s brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and held in a gold crown, but plenty of hair was left down to frame his face in an almost adolescent way. He stopped near him with a hand on his hip and a stalk of straw sticking out from his mouth. With all of this put together, Li Changyu made Jin Xiyan look like some anti-hero in a Jianghu novel! R6XPY2

Jin Xiyan’s jaw dropped, unable to formulate a response.

Li Changyu narrowed his eyes at him, his face taking on a stern quality. Meimei, who had followed Jin Xiyan, bowed on her knees alongside Bowen. Shen Pei came into the room and immediately stopped upon seeing them, her eyes whipping back and forth from one to the other. Su Ao stepped up from behind Li Changyu, prepared to say something, but Li Changyu held up a hand, effectively silencing the eunuch.

He reached out and grabbed Jin Xiyan’s wrist and pulled him along. He called out over his shoulder, “Zhen has need of his Wife.”

“Huh!?” squawked Jin Xiyan. That…the implication of that! He didn’t have an opportunity to protest as Li Changyu dragged him along effortlessly. sRLXdr

Once again he was tossed about like a doll, which made his heartbeat go out of control. Li Changyu brought him into the bedroom and slammed the slatted door behind him with his foot. He was overcome with something akin to motion sickness when Li Changyu spun him around and he was against the wall. Li Changyu’s fist struck the portion of the wall closest to his head, shocking him. He flinched instinctively, and Li Changyu hovered over him menacingly with a dark expression.

Jin Xiyan’s pulse pounded loudly in his ears and his breath came in quick pants. He stared up at his own face, the appearance unsettling. Do I…do I look like that when I’m angry?

When he finally worked up the nerve to speak, Li Changyu let out a snort. His scary face melted, shoulders shaking, and he covered them with a hand to contain his laughter. He threw his head back and laughed before taking a step back.

“W-what are you wearing?!” Li Changyu huffed out between laughs. A tear shone at the corner of his eye. “Where did you even get this thing?!” Ym6F8i

Jin Xiyan was stunned for a few blinks before realizing what Li Changyu said. Heat rushed to Jin Xiyan’s cheeks and he took a step forward and squared his shoulders.

“This…this is a gift from Zhen.”

Li Changyu’s eyebrows flew up and he struggled even more to keep his laughter at bay. “And you chose to wear it? Aren’t you embarrassed to be in such a girly thing?!”

“Well…” It was slightly weird to put it on, but it was something he needed to see to make sure the details he gave to the tailor were correct. Jin Xiyan cleared his throat then answered, “It is just a mild inconvenience. Zhen wanted to show his sincerity in an apology by demonstrating the dress Zhen purchased.” vqVh1d

“Wait,” Li Changyu’s face straightened, “You bought this…for me?”

At his nod, Li Changyu sat on the edge of the bed nearby. He rolled his eyes dramatically and slumped to put his head in his hand. He shook it before lifting it back up to look at Jin Xiyan.

“Since when have I ever worn something like this? Do you still mistake me for one of your dolls?”

“N-no…But, Zhen wanted to spare no expense to give an appropriate gesture of gratitude.” HQ0jCf

Li Changyu snorted, “Tossing a bunch of money at junk isn’t going to impress me, let alone give me feelings of your sincerity. If anything, it just shows how much you still don’t listen.”

Jin Xiyan held his hands in front of himself, hiding them in his sleeves as he gripped them tightly together. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to respond to the claim that he didn’t listen, because he had no means to refute it. Instead, he asked, “What can Zhen gift you then?”

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“Your treasures and money are useless to me, so keep it.” Li Changyu shrugged his shoulders. “Gift that dress to my Brother-in-law. He’s a little shorter than me, but he’s pregnant, so it should fit him. Oh!” He snapped his fingers, “Dress aside, I remember why I came here.”

Li Changyu stuck a hand into his robes and fished around for something. He pulled out a small scroll and handed it to Jin Xiyan, who unrolled it. He examined the text carefully, but Li Changyu explained it. zOX0Jo

“It’s an official stay of execution and kind of a pardon. We both know this is evidence that I wasn’t involved in anything, but your little cronies wouldn’t let me issue a full pardon. Oh and, I added a bit about how my Family can’t be implicated.” Li Changyu tapped his finger at the line about that, “I sent a copy to my Father.”

“Excellent,” he praised. His eyes focused on the Emperor’s Seal stamped on it and he frowned. “How did you find the Seal? It’s kept safeguarded–”

Li Changyu interrupted him with a tone dripping in sarcasm, “Safeguarded behind your copy of the Book of Songs in your bookcase. Honestly, not even a smart hiding place.”

Ignoring his frustration at being mocked, he issued an order, “You are forbidden from writing any edicts or memorials.” BFchHo

“Forbidden?” Li Changyu tilted his head, “Me? Forbidden?”

“It is improper for a Wife to be handling affairs of the Court already, therefore you are required to bring them back here for Zhen to manage.”

Li Changyu barked a laugh and stood back up. Again he used his newfound height against Jin Xiyan, towering over him with a cocky grin.

“Your Majesty, I hardly think you have the ability to–” Li Changyu’s eyes snapped to something on him, looking alarmed. He reached out and grabbed the stone Jin Xiyan wore around his neck, choking him. “Where did you get this?!” 6Ym3qc

“Uh!” Jin Xiyan gagged momentarily but he moved quickly into Li Changyu’s space, forced to press flush against him in order to not be choked. He pushed on Li Changyu’s hand, “This…this is yours! It was on the vanity, and it matched well with the robes, and–”

Li Changyu’s lips turned down, his brow furrowed, “I threw this away in the pond…” He lifted his gaze to meet Jin Xiyan’s and a blush erupted over his cheeks. He dropped the pendant and moved away with two large steps. He turned his head and coughed into a fist before he held out a hand to Jin Xiyan.

“Give that necklace to me. I think it is a clue as to how this all came to be, and I can check on it with a few people.”

“Why not let Zhen check with your contacts? They know your face, and besides, you will be busy pretending to be me. Zhen is very busy, even when resting.” VwoZOk

“Did you forget your own rules? Omegas can’t leave on their own.”

“Well, with the pass issued to you–”

“Which you took away because I set a tiny little fire in front of my home.”

His anger flared, both at himself for forgetting that detail and for Li Changyu’s dismissal of his behavior, “It was not tiny! I had every right to take it back!” O9FbXV

Li Changyu yawned like he was bored, but didn’t respond. Jin Xiyan stuck out his hand, “You shouldn’t go outside, so just issue a new pass. A written one will suffice.”

“Hmm?” Li Changyu blinked all too innocently, “Zhen must have not heard you correctly. Last we spoke, Zhen is the Emperor.” Li Changyu took the necklace, bent forward slightly, and flicked Jin Xiyan between the brows. “Wives should stay inside the Imperial City walls like good little toys.”

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“Li Changyu!”

“Well! As you said, Zhen is a very busy Emperor.” Li Changyu made quick work heading to the door, and Jin Xiyan followed close behind him. “Remember, be a good little boy and Zhen might even reward you!” uJl4Kz

“I am not finished with you, Li Changyu!”

Jin Xiyan reached out to grab his ponytail but tripped on the long length of the skirt. With a cry, he fell face first onto the ground. He banged his knees and palms onto the wooden floor with a loud smack. Humiliated, he tried to scramble back onto his now sore knees to save face. Jin Xiyan looked up at a snickering Li Changyu, but he quickly sobered.

“Before I forget, don’t go anywhere near Jin Ai.”

“My Brother? Why?” 1y6UFd

Something shadowy passed over Li Changyu’s face before he slapped on a crooked smile, “Just trust me. He knows you the best, and will probably notice that you’re in my body. Again, the less people know, the better.”

Without another word, Li Changyu left Jin Xiyan embarrassed and worried. He didn’t start off on the right foot with making amends to Li Changyu, and worse, he was being shut out from helping. And now by this twist of fate, I am trapped here. His life had been regimented and scheduled for as long as he could remember, and without that, what was he supposed to do? He groaned and held his head.

Wait…A thought struck him and he perked up. No one is here to tell me what to do, and I have all the time I want now…And now in Li Changyu’s body, not only did he have license to do whatever it was he wanted, it would just add to the performance of pretending to be his Wife. Li Changyu never listened to me in the past – why should I?!

“Shen Pei!” cMq6aB

The woman in question hurried in. Looking down at him, she frowned and held out her hands to help him up. He took them gratefully and stood, then brushed off his hands.

“Shen Pei, you will take orders, correct?”

“Yes, Your Majesty…” She eyed him warily, “Do you require something?”

“First, you will send for the kitchens to make as many sweets as you can. Then…you will tell me everything you know about Li Changyu.” 4D1sKA