The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Shilan was unsurprisingly the most relieved about her second brother's marriage to Wang Ruofu.

The Dongchang Marquis's mansion is about to welcome a capable and virtuous matriarch. She will no longer have to worry about Qin Zhengyang being influenced by her future wife and becoming stingy and vicious again.

And once this happy event was confirmed, her mother Ying Qiongfang's complexion improved day by day, and she was able to walk in the courtyard for half an hour with the help of her maid in the morning.

The wrinkles on Qin Muchuan's father's face have also smoothed out considerably.

It's perfect in every way.

Apart from Anluo, Qin Zhengyang's servant.

Since the marriage was arranged, the shadow of failing the imperial examination that had been hanging over Qin Zhengyang has long since disappeared. Now he is full of energy, running out early every morning and never returning home until evening. He wishes he could gather all the novelties in Bianjing City and send them to the Wang family to please his fiancée.

It has everything for eating, drinking, and having fun.

Anluo's legs got so thin from running.

Thinking of this, Shilan smiled, feeling a pure, youthful affection between two people...

It's truly captivating.

"Miss, we've arrived."

The carriage stopped, and Songzhi lifted the curtain. Shilan helped her out of the carriage.

The polo field was already bustling with noise.

A gentle spring breeze blew, and the grass was lush and green. Several groups of people were galloping back and forth on the field, their clubs swinging and creating gusts of wind and cheers.

In the stands, groups of elegantly dressed men and women sat in twos and threes, occasionally whispering and commenting on the performance on the field.

Shilan changed into her riding clothes, chose her usual chestnut horse, and was about to go on stage when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure on the west side of the stands.

Zhang Yun, the second son of the Duke of England.

This was her tenth time at the polo field, and the ninth time she had met him.

No wonder he has such superb skills; he is truly well-versed in the art.

Zhang Yun was dressed in a dark blue riding outfit today, with a jade belt around his waist, his posture as upright as a pine tree. He did not go on the field, but sat in the stands, holding a cup of tea in his hand, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the entire audience.

On several occasions, he and Shilan locked eyes.

With such keen senses, one would expect their archery skills to be quite good as well.

Shilan thought to herself.

However, once the game started, Shilan quickly became immersed in the joy of polo and had no time to think about anything else.

The chestnut horse and she worked together seamlessly, with several beautiful runs, interceptions, and swings, the ball hitting the goalposts and drawing cheers from the stands.

Just as the game was in full swing, the opposing team substituted one player.

Shilan looked up and was slightly taken aback.

She was a lady of about thirty years old, dressed in a dark purple riding outfit, with her hair tied up in a high bun and secured with a single white jade hairpin, simple and neat.

She had a dignified and elegant appearance, and her posture on horseback was calm and steady, clearly indicating that she was someone who had practiced horsemanship for many years.

The game continues.

Shilan soon discovered that this lady's horsemanship was exceptionally superb.

She controlled the horse with ease, swung the pole with precision, and moved with disciplined ease, unlike those young men who relied solely on brute force or skill.

Despite using all her skills, Shilan could only manage to match her beauty.

The two players went back and forth, their cues striking each other with a crisp sound.

The lady's gaze toward Shilan initially held scrutiny, gradually turning to appreciation, and finally revealing a hint of surprise.

As they brushed past each other, she suddenly whispered, "Impressive skills."

Shilan proudly raised her chin, about to happily reciprocate with a few words of praise, when the lady urged her horse to ride away.

The match ended in a draw.

When Shilan dismounted, fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead, but she felt extremely happy—besides Zhang Yun, she had encountered another equally matched opponent.

The only strange thing was the way the lady looked at her.

It was as if they were testing her.

Back at the rest area, Songzhi had prepared warm water and clean clothes.

After quickly washing up and changing her clothes, Shilan was about to sit down and rest when her gaze fell on a plate of snacks on the table.

It was a plate of crab roe pastries, golden and crispy, with a wonderful aroma.

"Did you see who sent it this time?" Shilan asked.

Songzhi turned around and, seeing the crab meat pastry, was quite exasperated: "How come it's here again, Miss? It wasn't here when I went to fetch water just now... This time I really paid attention, and I really didn't see anyone suspicious."

Shilan picked up a piece and took a small bite. The savory aroma of crab roe melted in her mouth; the outer skin was crispy, and the filling was rich and creamy—even better than the dishes made by the cooks she had trained in her household for many years.

This was the third time something had inexplicably appeared in her room.

At first, she thought it was a surprise that her second brother or Wang Ruofu had specially arranged for someone to make it for her, but the two of them later denied it.

Speaking of which, these strange and inexplicable things have been happening quite frequently lately.

Last time, an orchid hairpin also mysteriously appeared in her carriage.

A few days ago, when she went shopping, she took a fancy to a rare piece of Yun brocade. The shopkeeper clearly said it was sold out, but the next day someone delivered it directly to her residence, saying that there was a mistake in the bill and that there was one left, so they immediately sent it to her.

He also wanted to leave her the precious brocade without charging her a single penny, saying it was for making amends.

Yun brocade is so precious that every inch of it is worth its weight in gold!

The shopkeeper was either drunk or mentally unstable.

Or perhaps, the fool behind the scenes is drunk.

Shilan put the remaining half of the crab roe pastry back on the plate: "Let's tidy up and go home."