The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The marriage alliance between the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion and the Dongchang Marquis's Mansion truly caused a sensation throughout Bianjing City.

The grandeur and scale of the event kept the city's residents excitedly discussing it for over a month, their enthusiasm undiminished.

The Dongchang Marquis's residence was also filled with joy. From Qin Muchuan and his wife to the maids and servants, everyone was all smiles.

That's the heir of the Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion!

In a few more years, their eldest daughter will be the Marquis's wife, a certainty!

Only Qin Zhengyang remained somber ever since returning from escorting the bride, showing no sign of joy.

When Qin Nanyan returned to her parents' home in grand style, accompanied by Gu Yankai and carrying three carriages full of valuables, the gloom in Qin Zhengyang's eyes deepened even further.

Shilan saw this and her plan became clearer.

That afternoon, Shilan sent someone to invite him to the backyard.

There is a small training ground here specially set up for him.

A few years ago, Shilan personally begged and pleaded with her father to give it to her.

When Qin Zhengyang arrived, his mood worsened. Shi Lan remained silent, and he followed suit, repeatedly drawing back his bow and shooting arrows at the distant target. The arrows pierced the air, carrying an obvious sense of frustration.

"Second Brother," Shilan teased him, fanning herself with a round fan, "The eldest sister has found a wonderful marriage, which will be a great help to you and our Marquis's Mansion. You always have such a long face; people who don't know any better would think that our Marquis's Mansion has suffered some kind of disaster."

Qin Zhengyang abruptly dropped the bow, his brows furrowed, his tone sharp: "Help? Do you know that most of Mother's dowry, which was kept at the bottom of her chest, was taken away by Qin Nanyan!"

In this world, although wealthy families are not short of money, the dowry of the matriarch has always been implicitly distributed to her children, especially her daughters, so that they can establish themselves in their husbands' families.

As the eldest daughter of the main wife, Qin Nanyan married in a grand ceremony, taking most of the wealth with her, which meant that little was left for him and Shilan.

"I knew she was shameless! And Gu Yankai is a man of his word. What he said at the Duke of Qi's mansion that day was completely ignored by him and his wife!"

Qin Zhengyang gritted his teeth.

Upon hearing this, Shilan sneered and leaned back leisurely on the stone bench beside her: "I thought it was something serious. I never expected Mother to stop her from taking it. A dowry is a woman's private property, and even the husband's family, if they have any sense of shame, wouldn't easily covet it. But there's no rule that says it must be divided equally among all the children. My elder sister is marrying into the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, which is of a higher social standing, so it's only right that she take more things with her."

"Should?" Qin Zhengyang looked at her incredulously. "What nonsense are you talking about? I might as well still have this marquisate and title, but what about you? What are you going to do?"

Shilan glanced at him with some surprise, and when she realized that this man was truly thinking more about her, she felt a surge of joy.

She chuckled softly, a sly glint in her eyes: "Second brother, don't worry, I have my own backup plan."

Seeing her like this, Qin Zhengyang quickly pressed, "What backup plan? Tell me quickly, don't keep me in suspense!"

Shilan did not answer directly, but casually glanced at a woman not far away, where she saw an old woman carrying a tray carefully walking along the path.

She smiled and said, "Second brother, no matter how far the target is, it's still an inanimate object. Why don't we try a new, live target?"

Her slender finger pointed at the old woman. "Shoot there."

Qin Zhengyang was taken aback.

"Shoot the tray in her hand," Shilan said lightly, with a hint of encouragement, "and I'll tell you the answer."

Without hesitation, Qin Zhengyang nocked the arrow, drew the bow, and aimed—all in one fluid motion!

With a "whoosh," the arrow left the bowstring, grazing the old woman's hand with perfect accuracy, and then "thud" into the edge of the tray in her hand. The force was just right, hitting the target without harming the old woman in the slightest.

The tray fell to the ground with a thud, scattering the ledgers on it.

"Good! Brother's archery skills are getting better and better." Shilan clapped her hands in praise without reservation, her laughter clear and crisp.

The old woman was already terrified, her face turned ashen, and her legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the ground.

Mo Hua, the second-class maidservant beside Shi Lan, quickly stepped forward, helped her up, and brought her to the brother and sister.

When she got closer, everyone recognized her as Zhang Mama, the head of the main kitchen.

Shilan smiled gently and said, "Mother was frightened. My brother just misbehaved and was just joking with you. Please don't take offense." As she spoke, she reached out and pulled out a heavy, red-gold hairpin inlaid with jewels from her hair. "Consider this hairpin a token of my appreciation for Mother's good health."

The unexpected disaster suddenly turned into a windfall. Zhang Mama's face, which had been pale with fright, instantly flushed red, and her eyes were full of joy. She quickly bowed and thanked her, saying, "I dare not accept such a favor, I dare not accept such a favor, thank you for the gift, Third Miss!" As she spoke, she happily stepped forward, ready to accept the gold hairpin.

Her eyes were fixed on the heavy gold hairpin in her hand, and she didn't notice that Baoqin had picked up the account book from the ground and handed it to Shilan.

By the time Shilan realized something was wrong, she had already opened the booklet and softly read out the words: "...Ten shi of rice, eight liang. Twenty live chickens, twenty liang. Brother, you see, it turns out that our monthly allowance is only enough to eat twenty chickens a month. How ridiculous."

She smiled sweetly, as if she had really discovered something interesting, but Qin Zhengyang's expression changed instantly.

In the past two years, he often went out of the mansion with Shilan to play polo. On their way there and back, they would pass through bustling markets. His sister would often drag him shopping, so he was already very familiar with the prices of goods outside the mansion.

He immediately shouted angrily, "Nonsense! The best rice in the East Market costs only four qian per shi, and a live chicken costs at most three qian! Where did your men go to buy these things, from the heavens or some celestial palace?!"

Zhang's mother was shocked. Her face turned from red to white, and cold sweat poured down her back. Her lips trembled as she tried to explain, "Second Young Master, please understand. The price of these purchases fluctuates, and the quality varies..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Zhengyang snatched the booklet from Shilan's hand and quickly flipped through it. The more he looked, the more ashen his face became. In the past two years, to prevent Qin Nanyan from emptying the family's coffers, he had specifically consulted the family's accountant. After a thorough examination, he discovered that the accounts were full of loopholes, with inflated prices and duplicate entries, which was simply shocking!

"Fine! A fluctuating fortune indeed! A difference in quality indeed!" Qin Zhengyang laughed angrily, slamming the booklet shut, his eyes flashing coldly. "Guards!"

The servant waiting nearby immediately stepped forward.

"Tie up this audacious and wicked servant!" Qin Zhengyang's voice was icy. "Take him, along with this booklet, to Mother for questioning!"

Zhang's mother immediately collapsed like a limp rag doll, her face ashen, unable to even utter a word of pleading.

Shilan stood aside, quietly watching her second brother handle the matter swiftly and decisively, a faint smile playing on her lips.