The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Everything that happens in the mansion cannot escape Shilan's notice.

The same was true of the accident that occurred in the corridor.

Within half an hour, someone with eyes and ears reported the details to her in vivid detail.

Hearing that her second brother, despite his disheveled hair and miserable appearance, did not lose his composure and press her about the Sun family, but was instead amused by Wang Ruofu's twisted logic of "being unlucky in love but lucky in exams," she finally calmly returned to the front yard to continue studying. Only then did her heart, which had been pounding, slowly settle down, and she chuckled to herself.

This Wang Ruofu is truly a lucky star; by sheer chance, she has solved another of her troublesome problems.

In such a comical and thrilling way, the second brother was prevented from becoming overwhelmed by the shock of Sun Baoqi's engagement.

"It seems I really need to find her a suitable husband." Shilan tapped her fingertips lightly on the table and muttered to herself.

If such a capable and lucky man were to marry someone who lives too far away from her or someone who opposes her, what a loss that would be.

Therefore, she not only had to find someone, but also someone who perfectly met Wang Ruofuna's primary criterion of not being able to afford money, and whose family background was simple, allowing her to continue to freely appear in public and run her business.

As her thoughts turned to this point, Shilan inevitably thought about her marriage.

A sigh escaped my lips.

Over the years, she may have seemed busy with her business, but deep down she has always been thinking about her future.

Right now, it seems that she has only two paths in front of her.

One of the reasons was that, just as Wang Ruofu had envisioned, she married down.

Find a middle-class family with a modest reputation and lax family rules. With the generous dowry she has accumulated over the years and the support of the Dongchang Marquis's mansion, which, though not as powerful as before, still exists, she can be assured of a life of wealth and stability.

If her husband is ambitious, that's great. If he's mediocre, as long as he doesn't stop her from making money, she'll still be the one who has the final say behind closed doors.

This road is safe and worry-free.

But beneath this apparent security lay a deep-seated frustration that she found unbearable.

She is naturally flamboyant, and whether in her past life or this one, she has always been used to being the center of attention and admired by others.

But whether in the past life or this life, the world hasn't changed; the old saying still applies: a woman obeys her father after marriage and her husband after leaving home.

When a girl is still in her boudoir, her status is determined by the position of her maternal family.

Therefore, in ordinary banquets and social gatherings, her status as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dongchang naturally gave her an edge over Sun Baoqi, who came from the Earl's Mansion, and Wu Yueyin, who came from the General's Mansion.

But once she leaves her husband's family, how much respect others will show her depends entirely on the family's reputation.

If she marries a man of lower social standing than Sun Baoqi or Wu Yueyin, she will have to treat them with utmost respect and even humility when they meet at banquets in the future...

How could she accept this!

If you're not willing to accept that, then there's only one other option left—marrying into a wealthy family.

However, most of the wealthy and powerful families in Bianjing who were her age and of similar social standing were spoiled brats!

Every day they either engage in cockfighting and dog racing, or are utterly unruly and dissolute, or are lecherous and cause trouble in their own homes; in short, few of them are of any worth.

The few men who seemed decent enough were either already engaged or complained about her reputation being ruined by Qin Nanyan.

She had already been outmaneuvered by other girls who were slightly less capable than her.

However, she wasn't in a hurry.

Shilan's eyes turned cold, and she traced a circle with her fingertip along the rim of the teacup.

In a few years, the imperial court will begin to settle the outstanding debts to the national treasury. These seemingly powerful and wealthy families, such as the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion, and the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion, will all be subject to reckoning.

The Yongchang Marquisate, which Wu Yueyin had recently acquired in grand style, will be downgraded and become the Yongchang Earl's Mansion. Although it will still be wealthy, its social standing will be significantly lower, and its prestige will be greatly diminished.

Not to mention that if we push the timeline back another twenty years, there will be an opportunity for a change of dynasty.

When the old and new powerful figures are replaced, opportunities and risks will coexist.

The best way out for her is to find a family with deep roots that can stand firm through these upheavals.

But such families are extremely rare, so how could she, a second daughter of a marquis with a tarnished reputation, easily climb up to them?

...To be honest, besides these two paths, there is actually another one.

Highest risk, but also potentially highest reward.

It may seem like she's marrying down, but it's actually a gamble.

For example, marrying the current emperor who has difficulty conceiving and whose position is precarious.

If she is fortunate enough to give birth to a son, this vast dynasty will surely be in her hands in the future.

For example, there was Zhao Zongquan, a member of the imperial clan who was to be sent to the remote Yuzhou soon after his marriage, seemingly having no chance of ascending the throne.

When he one day ascends the throne by chance, she will be credited for his service and become a favored concubine of the new dynasty…

Thinking of this, Shilan's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously touched her flat stomach.

but……

She no longer wanted to be a concubine.

She no longer wanted to share her husband with anyone else.

She knew perfectly well that she was jealous, but she also loathed the feeling of jealousy—the burning sensation in her very being. She had had enough of it!

She no longer wished to confide her life's honor and disgrace to the emperor's favor, to compete for favor and beauty with others in the confined harem, and to yearn day after day for that illusory favor and offspring that might never come!

She'd had enough of being a tyrant by day and then a lonely, self-destructive figure by night!

Alas, the world is truly imperfect.

From this perspective, her marriage prospects are truly quite rare.

Shilan let out a long sigh of relief.

Enough of this, there's no point in thinking about it now. There's still time; let's wait until my second brother finishes his imperial examinations.

In any case, it's always good to strengthen your own capabilities.

She composed herself and called out, "Songzhi, go and bring me the account books for all the estates and shops we have."

Having money in your hand is the most real source of confidence.