Unlike Gu Zhuo’s utter despair, Xue Wanyao was filled with immense joy.
From a concubine who should have been confined to the inner chambers, she had become the most favored young prince in the flourishing capital. It was nothing short of a rebirth—how could she not be overjoyed?
Seeing the young man before him break into a smile, Gu Zhuo glared angrily and said, “Try laughing again, I dare you.”
Xue Wanyao cleared her throat lightly and asked, “State Preceptor, do you know why the young prince and I swapped bodies?”
Daoist Yuan Tong replied, “This matter is far too peculiar. Even this old Daoist cannot fathom the reason. The two of you share the same birth characters, and yesterday’s sudden thunder on a clear day was already strange. Perhaps it was due to this that the two of you encountered the opportunity to exchange bodies.”
Xue Wanyao pressed further, “Then, will the young prince and I swap back the next time it thunders?”
“That is hard to say,” Daoist Yuan Tong said, making a Daoist gesture. “Everything depends on the will of heaven. Perhaps when the opportunity arises, you will each return to your rightful places.”
“Thank you, Daoist, for dispelling our doubts.”
After bowing politely to Daoist Yuan Tong in gratitude, Xue Wanyao turned to Gu Zhuo and said, “Since even the State Preceptor cannot provide answers, let us return for now and wait to see how things unfold.”
Gu Zhuo took a deep breath. There was indeed no other way at the moment; they could only wait and see what fate had in store.
On the way down the mountain, Gu Zhuo frowned at the sight of the winding, serpentine mountain path.
It is often said that going uphill is easier than going downhill, but Gu Zhuo actually found the descent more bearable—at least he wasn’t gasping for breath or unable to lift his legs.
However, after taking a few more steps, he felt a sharp pain in his knees, his feet ached terribly, and they trembled uncontrollably. There wasn’t a single part of his body that felt comfortable.
“Xue Wanyao, what kind of wretched body is this…”
“Will I truly die on this mountain today?”
“No, no, I need to lie down here for a while before continuing.”
“They say good deeds are rewarded, but why do all my good deeds end with ingratitude?”
Gu Zhuo grumbled the entire way and finally lay down, refusing to move any further.
Xue Wanyao watched as Gu Zhuo sprawled shamelessly on the road in her body. She could only be grateful that no one was passing by, or else it would have utterly humiliated Xue Wanyao.
No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than she heard the voices of two women approaching from a distance.
Truly, what one fears most always comes to pass.
“Speaking of which, the second daughter of the Xue family is truly unfortunate. The Wuding Marquis’s household and the Xue family are utterly heartless. For the sake of so-called reputation, they would sacrifice the life of the second daughter of the Xue family, wouldn’t they?”
“Exactly. This second daughter of the Xue family is truly pitiful. Her in-laws despise her for being rescued by an unrelated man after falling into the water, and her own family believes that being held by an unrelated man after falling into the water has tarnished the reputation of the Xue daughters. They even demanded she take her own life to preserve the family’s honor. It’s truly despicable.”
Hearing the voices from afar, Xue Wanyao hurried over to help Gu Zhuo up and said, “Someone’s coming.”
Gu Zhuo also recognized the two familiar voices. He looked up at Xue Wanyao and whispered, “Your family actually forced you to take your own life? Falling into the water wasn’t your fault. I merely rescued you and didn’t ruin your chastity. Why should you have to die to prove your innocence?”
Xue Wanyao sighed helplessly. “The Xue family’s principles are extremely strict.”
Gu Zhuo said, “The ones coming up are Du Rouzhi, the daughter of the Duke of Ning’s household, and Princess Yuyue of the Prince of Qin’s mansion. Don’t show any weakness. No one else must know about our body swap.”
Xue Wanyao nodded lightly.
"Huh? Little Prince?"
"Cousin!"
Xue Wanyao saw two noble ladies before her. Both wore flamboyant red dresses, adorned with lavish jewelry. Their complexions were fair and rosy, their cheeks smiling, radiant and splendid.
Xue Wanyao nodded gently and said, "Miss Du, cousin."
Princess Yuyue walked up to Gu Zhuo beside Xue Wanyao, examining the girl's lovely, pitiable appearance. "Cousin, when did such a beauty appear by your side?"
Gu Zhuo coughed lightly and said, "I am Prince Chu's maid."
Du Rouzhi, who had been watching Gu Zhuo warily, relaxed upon hearing her claim to be a maid.
Seeing that Gu Zhuo was unwilling to admit she was his concubine, Xue Wanyao frowned slightly and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Not a maid. This is my newly taken concubine, Concubine Xue."
Du Rouzhi frowned slightly. "Little Prince, you actually took a concubine? How can you face Sister A-Yin?"
Gu Zhuo glared angrily at Xue Wanyao.
Xue Wanyao slowly released Gu Zhuo's shoulder and whispered, "I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave down the mountain first. Miss Du, cousin, I bid you farewell."
After speaking, Xue Wanyao turned and left down the mountain.
Gu Zhuo hurriedly chased after her.
Yuyue frowned. "Huh, cousin seems rather odd today."
Du Rouzhi said, "Yuyue, could that girl really be Prince Chu's concubine? She does have the face of a seductress."
Yuyue smiled. "Even if she is a concubine, what does it matter? She can never surpass the position of Princess Chu."
Xue Wanyao walked with her head lowered along the mountain path. Gu Zhuo caught up to her and said, "From now on, you are not to tell anyone that Xue Wanyao is Prince Chu's concubine."
Xue Wanyao looked at the girl before her. She truly did not want to switch back to her original identity now. If she were to revert, she wouldn't even be acknowledged as a concubine.
Was there truly no place in this vast world where she could belong?
"Are you listening to me? Don't use my face to make such a pitiful, effeminate expression."
Xue Wanyao whispered, "Is it because of Miss A-Yin? Who is Miss A-Yin? Please inform me, Your Highness, so that I may avoid any disrespect when I meet her and ruin your marriage prospects."
Gu Zhuo frowned. "This has nothing to do with any Miss A-Yin. I simply do not wish to take concubines, approach women, or break my female chastity vow. Do you understand?"
"Oh."
Xue Wanyao responded softly.
The descent down the mountain was pure torture for Gu Zhuo.
By the time they neared the base, his legs were trembling violently.
Gu Zhuo had no choice but to ask Xue Wanyao to support him.
Xue Wanyao stood aside and said, "You are not my concubine, only my maid. Why should I support you?"
Gu Zhuo widened his eyes. "Xue, how dare you defy the natural order?"
Xue Wanyao whispered, "You are the one surnamed Xue now."
Xue Wanyao could only be grateful that heaven had treated her kindly. If she truly had no place to stand and faced certain death, it would be better to take advantage of Gu Zhuo's identity and live as the little prince for a few days—carefree, relaxed, and happy. Even if she died, these few days of enjoyment would not be in vain.
"You repay kindness with ingratitude!"
Gu Zhuo accused, "Xue Wanyao, you truly are a petty person."
Xue Wanyao whispered softly, "Though you saved my life, what lies before me now is still a path to death—either to end my own life to preserve my reputation, to enter a convent and endure humiliation, or to willingly degrade myself and become your maid."
"It would have been better not to save me. Drowning in the water would have spared me this suffering of drifting without support. After drowning, I could have been buried in the ancestral tomb of the Wuding Marquis's estate. How unlike now, where even after death, I don’t know where I’ll be buried…"
Gu Zhuo regarded her merely as a maid. If a maid died, it would be nothing more than wrapping her in a straw mat and burying her in a mass grave.