Extra 3-18: Interpenetrating Daily Life (Part 2)

Today was bound to be a busy day.

Just as he was about to leave the office, Luo Ming told Tao Sheng that her grandfather wanted to invite her for tea.

In Tao Sheng’s experience, her grandfather, Grand Master Luo, was always calm and composed, not someone who would casually invite others for a chat. If he had asked her uncle to deliver the invitation, there might be something important going on.

Tao Sheng had someone inquire about the Ministry of Gewu earlier and found out that Xiao Ze had called Ji Yanming to Xuanzheng Hall.

Tao Sheng knew that when Xiao Ze invited her for private talks, they usually lasted for hours, so she agreed to her grandfather’s invitation.

When Grand Master Luo saw Tao Sheng, he first invited her to sit and play two games, then had someone bring new tea for her to taste. After chatting about the court, he asked how the children at home were and if everything was going well.

Tao Sheng was surprised by how much her grandfather could talk when speaking to her husband.

After talking about court affairs, Grand Master Luo moved on to family matters. “Last time we talked about the construction by the Ministry of Works, you mentioned that Nanxing Street was a good location. Someone sold two shops there a few days ago, so I had them bought in your name. You can take the deeds with you today.”

Tao Sheng: …

Luo Xin had mentioned a few days ago that her grandfather bought her two shops in a prime location. 

Tao Sheng had been confused, but now it made sense.

It was clear that Grand Master Luo was very fond of his grandson-in-law and took his words seriously.

In the past, Grand Master Luo often praised Ji Yanming in front of Tao Sheng, but she had thought he was just being polite. Now she realized how genuine his praise was.

When Tao Sheng returned home, it was already dark outside. Ji Yanming followed her in. 

Tao Sheng was curious about Ji Yanming’s schedule: “You stayed in Xuanzheng Hall for so long?”

“It’s hard to refuse the emperor and empress’s kindness,” Ji Yanming said helplessly. “The queen invited me to the harem, but it was too late, so I declined. She seemed disappointed. Seeing this, the emperor invited us to have dinner in Xuanzheng Hall. Later, the prince invited me to the East Palace to resolve a dispute between his wives and concubines.”

Tao Sheng couldn’t believe it: “You can solve those problems?”

Ji Yanming explained, “The East Palace isn’t like a regular household. Their disputes aren’t about small things like clothing or jewelry. They’re fighting for power. They should focus on supporting the Crown Prince, so he can do his job well. If they stop being distracted by the harem’s affairs, everyone will benefit.”

Tao Sheng understood that Ji Yanming was using the same approach to motivate the officials as he did for the concubines. They needed to realize this if they wanted to maintain their positions in the Crown Prince’s household.

After he finished talking about his day, Ji Yanming asked Tao Sheng, “How was your day?”

Tao Sheng said, “It was similar. My grandfather invited me for a talk, and then my uncle invited me to dinner. During the meal, he asked me to help choose a wife for my cousin. I’m surprised they asked you instead of me.”

Ji Yanming smiled. “Maybe they think my taste is better than yours.”

Tao Sheng was confused. “Why would they think my taste is bad?”

“Well, I had good taste when I chose you. So, they probably think my judgment is better. They might think you’re just okay since you chose me.”

Tao Sheng thought to herself that men’s sweet words shouldn’t be trusted, but she still couldn’t help smiling.

The next day, Xiao Ze kept his promise and sent the iron-eating beast to Tao Sheng’s garden. 

Tao Sheng was overwhelmed by its cuteness and wanted to shout, “Ahhh, it’s a giant panda!” But she restrained herself to maintain Ji Yanming’s cool image, even though she was bursting with excitement inside.

The frustrating part was that even though another day had passed, Tao Sheng and Ji Yanming still hadn’t switched bodies back, and there were no signs of it happening soon.

After seeing the new addition to her garden, Tao Sheng returned to her office.

The body-swapping days had been peaceful, but a small event happened. After work one day, Tao Sheng was invited to another dinner and drinks.

Tao Sheng had accompanied Ji Yanming to such gatherings before and knew that he acted very seriously at these events, making others feel tense around him.

She couldn’t understand why people kept inviting Ji Yanming to these gatherings if he made them so uncomfortable.

But she couldn’t refuse the invitation. When she heard that Xie Huaian, someone she knew, would be there, she decided to go with her uncle, Luo Ming.

After a few drinks, Lord Tong from the Honglu Temple brought two beautiful maids to Tao Sheng.

Xie Huaian frowned. “How many times has this happened? Why is it happening again?”

Tao Sheng was surprised.

“Again? I’ve never heard about this before. Ji Yanming hasn’t brought anyone home either.”

Was there something she didn’t know?

Lord Tong approached with a flattering smile. “These are a small gift for Lord Luo. Please accept them as a token of my respect, Lord Ji.”

Tao Sheng was even more surprised. He was trying to give her these maids?

She knew that Ji Yanming was always cautious, preferring to work with people he trusted. Hiring people like this was something he avoided, just as much as he avoided taking bribes.

Tao Sheng politely declined Lord Tong’s offer.

Though Lord Tong seemed disappointed, Ji Yanming’s reputation was well-established. Lord Tong decided to keep quiet for the sake of his future career.

Tao Sheng also knew Ji Yanming’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t high, so she made sure not to drink too much. After two glasses of wine, she excused herself to take a walk and promised to return soon.

Naturally, no one dared to stop her.

As she walked away, Tao Sheng overheard Lord Tong and Lord Miao from the Hanlin Academy whispering to each other.

Lord Miao didn’t seem to approve of Lord Tong’s gift. “I’ve told you before, no one has ever been able to send a girl to the Ji family, so why did you try today?”

Lord Tong responded mysteriously, “You don’t understand, Brother Miao. There’s more to this. The other day, at the Marquis of Changle’s mansion, the marquis got drunk and let it slip that the emperor had hinted to send a beautiful maid to Ji Yanming, saying that Lord Luo liked her. But Ji sent her back because their zodiac signs didn’t match ^[1]means in Chinese culture, zodiac signs are believed to influence compatibility..”

Lord Tong believed this would please both Lord Luo and the emperor, and it might even bring him some good fortune.

Tao Sheng was amazed. There were so many hidden stories in the world that she wasn’t aware of.

Later, Ji Yanming came home early since he didn’t have any social engagements that day. As soon as he entered, his mother, Su Jia, pulled him aside to talk.

“I heard you gave in again and followed Xiaobai’s wishes during Qing’er and Yu’er’s birthday banquet a few days ago. He’s used to being demanding. You can’t just let him do whatever he wants and follow his every idea. If you feel troubled, tell me, and I will handle it for you.”

Su Jia knew Ji Yanming’s personality since childhood. She worried that Tao Sheng might always put herself in difficult situations. If Tao Sheng kept accommodating Ji Yanming, she feared Tao Sheng might one day refuse and that it would cause a rift in the family.

Ji Yanming thought for a long time before realizing what his mother was referring to.

Tao Sheng had once suggested traveling to celebrate the two children’s seventh birthdays. Ji Yanming found it a fun idea and had no objections. Later, however, since Yu’er had recently had a weak stomach and might not adjust well to the local climate, Tao Sheng decided to cancel the trip.

Ji Yanming knew Tao Sheng wanted to travel, so he suggested they go without the children, just the two of them. But since Tao Sheng was worried about the kids, she refused, so they dropped the idea.

Ji Yanming wondered what kind of rumors were spread by the servants to make his mother misunderstand him.

He didn’t expect that his mother would support Tao Sheng, both publicly and privately. No wonder she often told others that her daughter-in-law was stronger than her son.

After bidding farewell to Su Jia, Ji Yanming went to the study to check the children’s homework. This time, they weren’t stiffly reciting and writing like before. Instead, they first showed concern for their mother’s health and mood. Then, they shared a few interesting things that happened at school. Finally, they took out their homework and asked their mother to correct it.

Their love for their mother was overflowing, but it was different from how they treated their father.

When Tao Sheng returned to their room in the evening, she couldn’t help laughing when she heard Ji Yanming talking about this. “Are you really envious of me? If you were gentler with the children, they’d be close to you.”

Ji Yanming replied, “That’s good.”

As long as the world could treat her kindly, care for her sincerely, and protect her, he would be deeply satisfied.

Half a month passed, and officials noticed that although Lord Ji still preferred to be left alone and spoke little, his demeanor had become much more approachable.

However, those in the Investigation Department found Lady Luo in a noticeably bad mood lately. She wasn’t visibly worried or angry, but she exuded an air that made people keep their distance.

Xiao Ze, who had a close relationship with Tao Sheng, immediately noticed the change.

Recently, Tao Sheng had adopted a colder style. Though she acted and spoke the same way, it felt as if he were dealing with Ji Yanming.

Xiao Ze sighed. Spending time with one’s spouse naturally leads to influence, but he didn’t want Tao Sheng to pick up Ji Yanming’s bad habits.

Facing one Ji Yanming was hard enough; now he had to deal with two, and it was overwhelming.

On the Little New Year, Xiao Ze skipped the morning court session and went to Baohua Hall to pray sincerely, hoping that Tao Sheng would stay true to herself and not become like Ji Yanming.

Not wanting anyone to know, Xiao Ze left his attendants outside and knelt before the various gods and Buddhas, praying for two hours.

Xiao Ze had never prayed this earnestly before. After chanting for so long, he felt uncomfortable, eventually praying himself to sleep in the hall.

Fulai and the others, having been ordered by the emperor not to enter the hall, felt uneasy about the long silence. Still, they obeyed, not daring to go inside without his orders.

Xiao Ze, having no one to serve him, felt cold as he slept, and the heater next to him had gone out. He awoke feeling dizzy, suspecting he had caught a cold.

Meanwhile, Tao Sheng woke up and rubbed her eyes, surprised that she had fallen asleep while sorting documents for Ji Yanming.

But when she opened her eyes, she found herself in her own home. Something felt off as she touched her face.

Looking into the mirror, her heart skipped a beat.

Her body had returned!

And it had happened without warning.

This whole experience of switching bodies had been strange, from beginning to end.

Now, she felt lighter and more at ease. Tao Sheng spun around, checking her reflection and ensuring everything felt right.

Ji Yanming was likely still at the cabinet. Tao Sheng changed clothes and prepared to go see him.

Before she could leave, Aunt Lin from the Queen’s Palace arrived at her home, urgently asking her to go to Xuanzheng Hall.

The order had come in a rush. Tao Sheng asked, “What’s happened?”

Aunt Lin replied anxiously, “The emperor has caught a cold and has a fever. He called your name several times in his sleep, so the queen sent me to fetch you.”

Though they were friends, showing concern was natural, especially since Xiao Ze was a close companion.

Xiao Ze had been calling her name. Could there be some important business left unfinished?

Without further delay, Tao Sheng grabbed her cloak and followed Aunt Lin to the palace, heading straight to Xuanzheng Hall.

Xiao Ze had just woken up and was drinking medicine, with the queen and two physicians by his side.

Tao Sheng approached, saying warmly, “I heard you were unwell, so I came to check on you. How are you feeling now?”

Xiao Ze’s eyes brightened.

Today, Tao Sheng spoke gently, with the same frown of concern she used to have. She was the Tao Sheng he remembered fondly.

Sure enough, Xiao Ze’s prayers were not in vain—his daughter Xiao Tao came back!

Xiao Ze drank the bitter medicine in one gulp and smiled: “It’s just a cold, nothing serious.”

He added, “I’m happy you’re back.”