The Switched Marriage Husband

Zhao Jingqing is a seventeen-year-old young man who has spent his life enduring abuse and neglect from his stepmother, Li Changju, and his younger half-brother, Zhao Jingming. After the death of his biological mother, he was forced into hard labor selling tofu to support the family, while his stepbrother received all the affection and resources. Despite his suffering, Zhao Jingqing remains gentle and hardworking, harboring a deep, conflicted desire for his father's approval. His life takes a drastic turn when his stepmother fabricates a story about his father being critically ill to extort money from him. Although suspicious of the sudden request for ten taels of silver, Zhao Jingqing, driven by filial duty and hope for reconciliation, provides what money he has and visits his father with his partner, Yuan Mu.

Upon visiting the Zhao household, Zhao Jingqing and Yuan Mu discover that Zhao Si is physically healthy and refusing medical treatment only to save money. They suspect the illness is a ruse to extract funds, a suspicion confirmed when Li Changju becomes agitated at the mention of seeking a different doctor. The situation escalates on the day of a double wedding, where both Zhao Jingqing and Zhao Jingming are to marry. Zhao Jingming, who had recently shown uncharacteristic kindness, drugs Zhao Jingqing with a substance called Soft Muscle Powder and swaps their wedding veils. In his drugged and weakened state, Zhao Jingqing is mistakenly married to Yuan Mu, while Zhao Jingming wed Pei Xi’an, a poor scholar whom Zhao Jingming had secretly desired, hoping to replicate a past-life scenario where he became the wife of an official.

The deception unravels on the wedding night when the Yuan family realizes the groom is not Zhao Jingming. A chaotic confrontation ensues at the Pei residence, where Li Changju attempts to blame Zhao Jingqing for stealing her son’s husband. However, Zhao Jingqing, empowered by Yuan Mu’s protection, reveals that he was drugged by his brother. A local doctor confirms the presence of Soft Muscle Powder in Zhao Jingqing’s system. Faced with irrefutable evidence and the Yuan family’s refusal to accept the initial arrangement, the families negotiate a resolution. Zhao Jingming agrees to marry Pei Xi’an, and Zhao Jingqing officially marries Yuan Mu, with the Zhao family required to return the betrothal gifts given to the Yuan family.

After the wedding, Zhao Jingqing moves into the Yuan household, where he experiences a stark contrast to his previous life. Yuan Mu, Lin Cui’e, and their son Yuan Xing treat him with kindness and respect. Lin Cui’e provides him with warm clothing, nutritious food, and medical care, while Yuan Mu ensures he has financial independence by returning the betrothal silver. Zhao Jingqing, who has never owned personal belongings or received genuine care, begins to heal emotionally and physically. He integrates into the family, learning to sew and helping with household chores, finding a sense of belonging and peace that was absent in his childhood home.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jingming, now married to Pei Xi’an, harbors resentment and plots revenge. Believing that Yuan Mu will meet the same fate as in his past life—returning from the mountains crippled—Zhao Jingming anticipates that the Yuan family will lose their wealth and status. He remains confident that his marriage to Pei Xi’an will eventually lead to a life of luxury as an official’s husband. The story concludes with Zhao Jingqing settling into his new life, unaware of the schemes brewing against him, while Yuan Mu prepares for a hunting trip into the mountains, setting the stage for future conflicts.