The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

After the funeral rites concluded, Qin Zhengyang ordered the gates of his residence to be closed, beginning a three-year mourning period.

Of course, the days of mourning were not without their share of ups and downs.

In the second month of the mourning period, an imperial edict arrived from the palace.

It was the Emperor's decree that allowed Qin Zhengyang to inherit the title.

The petition to inherit the title was submitted together with the payment of the silver owed to the court.

Unlike other families who feigned poverty and delayed, the Qin family promptly and decisively handed over the entire 200,000 taels of silver without missing a single penny. The Emperor was very satisfied with the Qin family's attitude and was willing to make them a model for others. Therefore, he not only quickly granted them permission to inherit the title but also doubled the usual amount of favors.

They even sent a message through an angel that once Qin Zhengyang finished his mourning period, he could enter the Ministry of Works and take up a position.

Although it was a sinecure, it was still a job, undoubtedly a favor and reward from the sage to the Qin family and to Qin Zhengyang.

The plaque of the Dongchang Marquis's residence was hung upright on the door. With her second brother, Qin Zhengyang, able to enter officialdom again, Shilan finally felt a great weight lifted from her heart.

In the fourth month of mourning, shortly after the start of spring, the Gu family held an extremely simple, even shabby, wedding.

There was no grand banquet for guests, no horseback parade through the streets, and even the two stone lions at the main gate were only adorned with red silk for half a day.

The bride's sedan chair was carried in one step and then immediately taken down the next.

But everyone in Bianjing knew that Gu Yankai's second wife was the daughter of the Bai family, salt merchants from Yangzhou.

Female merchant.

The day after the wedding, the Gu family escorted a long procession of carriages to the Ministry of Revenue to repay their debts.

The boxes of silver on the cart were recognized by busybodies as the ones that Bai's daughter had unloaded in a grand procession at the dock when she arrived by boat.

"I heard that the Bai family girl has a full million taels of silver in her treasury!"

"No wonder the Gu family is in a hurry to remarry; this is their life-saving money."

"How long has it been since the eldest daughter of the Qin family left? Her body is barely cold..."

"A jealous woman who can't even tolerate a concubine, a golden boy who can keep his title—which would you choose?"

"What golden girl? She's just a mere merchant's daughter. The Gu family's actions have utterly disgraced their ancestors."

The gossip circulating in the streets is never without foundation.

Shilan was reading a storybook in her room when Songzhi whispered her reply, saying only four words:

"Evenly matched".

One wanted to maintain the family's prestige, while the other wanted to preserve the family's immense wealth.

One is short of money, the other needs power.

They really are a match made in heaven.

This Bai woman was far from being as stupid and foolish as she was in the original story, only knowing how to sit and wait for her death.

She even knew to have the dowry brought along openly and to have people stir up trouble among the people, which was much more sophisticated than in the original story.

It seems that this marriage did not bring the Gu family all benefits.

She put down her pen, looked at the blooming flowers outside the window, and gave a soft chuckle.

His eyes were full of anticipation for a good show.

In the sixth month of mourning, the gatekeeper came to report that Madam Wu from the Yongchang Marquis's residence had come to visit.

Shilan received Wu Yueyin in the flower hall.

In just one year, Wu Yueyin looked much more haggard. Although her clothes were still luxurious, the weariness in her eyes was undeniable.

After exchanging only three pleasantries, she twisted her handkerchief and spoke with difficulty:

"Sister Shilan, I'd like to borrow some money from you."

"How much?" Shilan asked without surprise.

"One hundred thousand taels."

Shilan paused slightly in her teacup: "How much interest, and when will it be repaid?"

A glint appeared in Wu Yueyin's eyes: "Three years, just three years! To be honest, all the estates and shops I own are profitable. If the court hadn't given such a short deadline, I wouldn't have bothered to ask you for money. Sister Shilan, if you're willing to lend me the money, I'm willing to pay three percent interest."

Shilan knew she wasn't lying.

She remembered that the Yongchang Earl's Mansion was one of the wealthiest families in Bianjing City, and Wu Yueyin often took the lead in organizing polo matches, holding a prominent position among the women in the inner quarters.

In short, the money she gives away today will come back in the future, and she will also gain a favor in the process.

As the saying goes, doing others a favor is doing yourself a favor.

If the Liang family can retain their title, the favor of the Marquis of Yongchang will naturally be greater than that of the Earl's Mansion.

"If you are willing to draw up a contract, in black and white, I will agree."

Wu Yueyin's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Of course! Even brothers should keep clear accounts. Thank you, sister."

Wu Yueyin said sincerely.

The contract was drawn up on the spot, and both parties signed and sealed it.

Later, Shilan heard that the old Marquis of Yongchang's mansion went to the palace the next day and made a tearful plea before the emperor. Of course, he did not ask for the debt to be forgiven, but only for an extension.

He then swore to heaven that he would guarantee the future of his entire family and that he would definitely pay off the remaining debt within three years.

Finally, they persuaded the sage.

With his family taking the lead, the sage had no choice but to relent: "If the other families can repay half of their debts first, they can be granted an extension of three years."

In a short time, several once-prosperous families that were on the verge of collapse actually survived this ordeal.

Even during the long and monotonous days of mourning, good things sometimes happen.

On the fifth day of every month, a letter from Yunzhou would be delivered to Shilan on time.

It was written by Zhang Yun. As a grandson, he had completed his one-year mourning period and returned to the border army.

His letters were extremely restrained, and never contained any inappropriate remarks.

Sometimes it's about what I saw and heard at the border, sometimes it's a simple greeting, and occasionally it's accompanied by a dried wildflower or a small packet of local sweet apricots.

The handwriting is strong and powerful, penetrating the paper, yet it always becomes exceptionally neat and tidy at the end of the signature.

Every time Shilan opened a letter, the corners of her mouth would involuntarily turn up.

She liked this restraint.

There were no sweet words, no hasty declarations of love.

Only a careful, longing thought across thousands of miles, and a sense of distance that is cherished and valued.

This is a form of respect.

She would reply to his letters.

The content is equally concise, discussing the seasons in the capital and inquiring about the weather on the border.

Occasionally, a newly copied military treatise with annotations would be included, or a wound medicine that was obtained by chance but had remarkable efficacy.

Back and forth, as uneventful as still water.

Yet, day after day, it etched a unique warmth into my heart.

As the height of summer drew to a close, Wang Ruofu launched his attack.

From dawn till dusk, the cries of pain from the delivery room gripped everyone's hearts.

Qin Zhengyang paced back and forth outside the door, his forehead covered in more cold sweat than the woman in labor inside the room.

Shilan had no choice but to order someone to move him aside, otherwise her eyes would become blurry.

"Sister, I'm not shaking anymore, I'm not shaking anymore, I have to stay here and watch over her and her child," Qin Zhengyang hurriedly said.

The next moment, a loud baby's cry pierced the evening sky filled with colorful clouds.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency! It's a young lady, and both mother and daughter are safe and sound!"

Qin Zhengyang's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud, but his mouth was still grinning foolishly.

"Daughter, I have a daughter!"

When he saw the little bundle of flesh wrapped up tightly, his eyes immediately welled up with tears, his hands trembled, and he refused to hold her no matter what: "How can she be so small? No, I can't hold her. What if she falls?"

Shilan, unable to bear her brother's lack of ambition, took the child from him.

I must say, the little girl is exceptionally beautiful.

Although it was just born, its delicate features were already visible. Its little mouth was slightly pouting, and it would occasionally smack its lips, making it so cute that it melted everyone's heart.

Qin Zhengyang stayed by his sister's side, watching the child with envy and fear at the same time.

This is way too small.

When another midwife came out and said that the room had been cleaned up and that we could go in to visit, Qin Zhengyang immediately stumbled and rushed in.

Shilan shook her head repeatedly, and whispered to the child in her arms, "Don't be angry, your father is quite smart when he's not being foolish."

Whether or not the child understood, he grinned and revealed a toothless smile.

Shilan was both surprised and touched by what she saw.

How wonderful it would be if she could have a biological child in her life.

-

With the birth of a daughter, naming her naturally became the most important thing.

Qin Zhengyang locked himself in his study for a whole day, leaving crumpled pieces of paper scattered all over the floor. He thought of no less than a hundred names, but he felt that none of them were worthy of his precious eldest daughter.

It's either too vulgar, too superficial, or the meaning isn't profound enough.

Wang Ruofu grew impatient and ordered him to bring all the crumpled paper balls, place them in a large wooden bucket, and then bring a fishing rod. He then caught one.

Qin Zhengyang was speechless: "This is too casual!"

Wang Ruofu said, "It's not a matter of choice. Which word here wasn't carefully chosen by you? Which word is bad? Just do your best, and leave the rest to fate."

Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to decide on a name for our daughter even when she turns one.

Qin Zhengyang scratched his head; it seemed like a solution.

He was faster than anyone else at picking up the crumpled pieces of paper that were caught by fishing.

Upon opening it, I found the character "华" (Hua).

"Hua means glory." Wang Ruofu read the annotation softly, her eyes lighting up: "This character is good! How about Hua Lan? It would be wonderful if our girl could be like her aunt in the future."

She paused, then smiled, "Actually, I also wanted to call her Rulan."

Qin Zhengyang glanced at her and understood even more clearly the importance of his younger sister Shilan in his wife's heart.

Unable to suppress a hint of jealousy, she said, "That's inappropriate. How can a niece share a character with her aunt? Wouldn't that create a generational gap? People who don't know better would think they're sisters."

Wang Ruofu pursed her lips, somewhat disappointed.

She sincerely hoped that her daughter would be as smart and capable as Shilan, and ideally, she would inherit Shilan's looks, becoming bright, beautiful, and a great beauty.

But what her husband said made perfect sense, and besides, the Qin family also had generational naming conventions.

This generation of girls happens to be named after the character "槿".

"Qin Huajin".

Qin Zhengyang wrote these three words on the paper, examined them for a long time, and finally revealed a satisfied smile.

Hua means glory and brilliance.

The hibiscus, blooming in the morning and withering in the evening, yet it is reborn every day, resilient and unyielding.

May his daughter have both dazzling brilliance and a resilient spirit in this life, like a hibiscus, where each withering is for a more magnificent bloom.

When he told Shilan the name, Shilan was holding her little niece, her fingertips gently touching the baby's soft cheek.

"Hua Jin..." she repeated softly, a gentle smile spreading across her eyes, "A good name."

She not only thought of her title in her previous life, but also of the original story, in which Wang Ruofu gave birth to two daughters and one son, the eldest of whom was Hua Lan.

It seems that some things are predetermined.

Just then, the baby in her arms opened its eyes. Its dark, clear eyes were like a spring, and it grinned at Shilan with its toothless little mouth, revealing a blurry smile.

Shilan couldn't help but lower his head and plant a kiss on her soft, smooth forehead.

Yet a glimmer of hope arose in my heart.