The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"Sister Hua, watch carefully!"

With a whoosh!

A rain of arrows fell steadily into the pot, without missing a single spot.

"Auntie is amazing!"

Two-year-old Hua Jin clapped her little hands, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Anything else?"

After speaking, Shilan stepped back five paces, turned her back to the spout of the pot, and threw it with a backhand motion.

With a soft tinkling sound, it landed on the handle of the teapot and got stuck.

"Wow—" Hua Jin's mouth dropped open, and she clapped her little hands even louder: "Auntie is so amazing!"

A smile appeared in Shilan's eyes, and she changed to several different poses, such as turning to the side and blindfolding herself.

Each time she hit the target, Hua Jin would cheer, her little hands almost red from clapping. Her silvery laughter echoed through the cool plum garden, and the servants attending to her couldn't help but laugh along.

Just as the atmosphere was getting right, a fiery voice came from the other end of the veranda:

"What a piece of trash! She's so immature even at that age. Do I deserve to owe her something?"

Wang Ruofu walked over in a flurry, her skirt almost flying up.

She walked to the stone table, picked up Shilan's untouched cup of warm tea, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. Her chest was still heaving, clearly still seething with anger.

"Mommy, don't be angry." Hua Jin ran over with her short legs, tried to stand on tiptoe, and patted Wang Ruofu's back with her little hands, coaxing her in a childish voice: "I won't be angry if others are angry, because if you get sick from being angry, no one can take your place."

Wang Ruofu chuckled, her anger instantly dissipating by more than half. She bent down, picked up her beloved daughter, and kissed her soft cheek: "My dear Hua'er, who could be more considerate than you!"

Shilan then walked over, took the empty teacup, poured half a cup back, and handed it to her: "Sister-in-law, who are you upset with?"

"Who else could it be?" Wang Ruofu sat down with her daughter in her arms, her brows furrowing again. "It's my dear sister. The plum blossom viewing banquet is coming up in a few days, and the invitations haven't even been written yet. But she's already sent her maid, Qian Mama, to my door, subtly asking me to send her an invitation, and she even specifically asked to sit at the head table."

Shilan frowned slightly.

When the mourning period for noble families is over, they usually find a reason to hold a banquet to announce their return to the social circle of nobles.

The plum blossom appreciation banquet that the Qin family is about to hold also serves this purpose, and is extremely important in itself.

Furthermore, this was the first banquet hosted by Wang Ruofu alone after Qin Zhengyang inherited the title and Wang Ruofu became the wife of a Marquis of the highest rank, making it even more significant.

Given the Kang family's status, they certainly don't qualify for being among the first to be invited.

But considering that Wang Ruoyu is her sister, Wang Ruofu absolutely had to send her an invitation, otherwise it wouldn't look good if word got out.

But to send a maid to demand it so hastily, and even try to take over the main table, is just too foolish.

"Indeed, there's no manners at all." Shilan's voice turned colder.

"It's more than just rude!" Wang Ruofu grew angrier the more she thought about it. "You didn't see the face of her maid, acting as if I was begging her to come! The banquet hasn't even started yet, and she's already trying to put on airs! If we actually let her come, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause!"

Shilan smiled and said, "That's easy. You might as well not send an invitation to the Kang family separately, but only to the Wang family. Just say that you invite Old Madam Wang and her female relatives to come to your residence to appreciate the plum blossoms. Let her come with Old Madam. With Old Madam watching over her, she probably won't dare to be too presumptuous."

Wang Ruofu's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! My sister is so thoughtful!"

As long as her mother is informed, not only will someone keep an eye on Wang Ruoyu on the day of the banquet, but her mother can also avenge her today.

Thinking of this, Wang Ruofu's mood improved greatly.

"Mother, look at me."

Hua Jie'er had somehow gotten a light bamboo arrow from Shi Lan and, imitating her aunt's earlier actions, wobbled as she threw it onto a small embroidered stool a few steps away.

The arrow flew out crookedly and landed with a thud beside the embroidered stool, without even touching the ground.

He fell to the ground because he used too much force.

But it was cold in winter, so she was already dressed warmly in a bright red and gold-trimmed thong.

That lunge just now, the movement was so similar...

A round, plump hydrangea.

"Hahahahaha..."

Wang Ruofu burst into laughter without any restraint.

Ah Chang and Song Zhi rushed to help him up, and luckily he was dressed warmly enough that he didn't fall.

Shilan was startled at first, then chuckled softly.

Hua Jie'er looked aggrieved, glanced around, and after weighing the laughter from both sides, chose to snuggle into Shi Lan's arms, whose laughter was relatively quieter. She turned her back to her unrestrained mother and fiercely accused her, "Mother is bad!"

"Mother isn't bad, Mother is just happy. Our Hua'er is really capable, she's learned to play pitch-pot at such a young age."

After laughing, Wang Ruofu quickly came to comfort her daughter.

Hua Jie'er thought she was being sneaky and turned her head to peek at her mother out of the corner of her eye, as if to see if what she said was true or false.

Wang Ruofu said earnestly, "Hua'er is so capable, what should Mother prepare as a reward? How about Mother cooks her favorite steamed egg custard herself?"

Hua'er's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she turned and ran into her mother's arms: "Okay!"

Her eyes darted around, and she exclaimed loudly, "Mom is good! Mom is the best!"

Everyone was amused by her.

After playing with the children, Wang Ruofu looked at Shilan and said with some difficulty, "There's one more place, and I really can't decide... The Ningyuan Marquis's residence, Shilan, what do you think, should we invite them or not?"

When the Gu family was mentioned, Wang Ruofu's expression became complicated.

Wang Ruofu: "That Bai family... they know how to handle people. In the past two years in Jiangnan, they've made things much easier for our chamber of commerce. A few days ago, my second brother had a shipment of goods that ran into trouble in Yangzhou. Fortunately, the Bai family stepped in to smooth things over, so we didn't miss the deadline and saved a lot of money."

She paused, then continued, "And there's Yu-ge'er... He looked weak when he was born, but he's getting better every day. In the past two years, whether it's his birthday or just a minor ailment, Madam Bai has always sent someone to deliver a message. It seems she doesn't want to sever our marriage ties. I've also heard... Yu-ge'er has already called her 'Mother'."

Shilan listened quietly, her expression remaining calm: "Then please."

Shilan: "Bai Shi now controls the household affairs of the Marquis's mansion. She acts discreetly yet meticulously, and has even gradually won over Lady Gu. Although Gu Yankai is still in that half-dead state, isn't Bai Shi already pregnant?"

If it were the Bai family from the original story, Shilan would never have any connection with them.

But now, looking at it with a cold eye, it seems that Bai Shi, having seen through the vanity of romance, is a rare and insightful person.

After entering the family, she no longer hoped for a man's love, but instead firmly grasped the management of the household and the eldest son, even raising Gu Tingyu to be close to her.

Such a clear-headed, resourceful, and unkind matriarch of the Marquis's household is worth befriending.

What pleased Shilan even more was that Bai's presence was gradually erasing the traces Qin Nanyan had left in the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

Gu Tingyu called her Mother, and the servants in the Marquis's mansion called her Madam. Over time, people will only remember her as a virtuous and gentle Lady Bai.

As for her background as a merchant's daughter?

It's common for people to fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak. Back then, the Gu family clearly only wanted the Bai family as dowry, and Bai herself was just an object in the transaction between the two families, so people naturally looked down on her.

But now that Madam Bai is in charge of the household affairs, she has used her wealth to control a group of masters, big and small, in the Marquis's mansion. First, she won over Gu Tingyu, and then she had Gu Tingye. With two legitimate sons by her side, her position is secure, and people naturally dare not offend her easily anymore.

Perhaps that's why the Bai family showed goodwill towards the Qin family.

She had long seen that Qin Zhengyang, the current head of the Qin family, had no affection for the deceased Qin Nanyan, and consequently, he also paid little attention to Gu Tingyu, the child who combined the bloodlines of the Qin and Gu families. Only then did she dare to win him over with peace of mind.

Since she is so good at understanding people's hearts and so good at currying favor with the Qin family, Shilan will certainly not let her down.

After finishing this matter, Shilan suddenly remembered something, casually picked up her tea, and said as if by accident, "By the way, the Zhang family will be coming on the day of the banquet, so please make preparations in advance, sister-in-law."

The Zhang family? The Duke of England's mansion?

So what if they come? They'll be her future in-laws, she'll naturally treat them well...

Ok? !

Wang Ruofu initially didn't take it seriously, but then something suddenly occurred to him, and he realized: "They're coming, could it be...?"

Seeing Shilan's slightly flushed ears, she was both surprised and delighted: "Good, good, good! I will definitely treat you well that day!"

Wang Ruofu was so excited that he almost stood up, but his mood quickly dropped again. He held Shilan's hand, and his eyes even turned a little red.

After the mourning period is over, Shilan will be eighteen years old, and she really cannot be kept any longer.

The Zhang family is an excellent family, and Zhang Erlang is also a promising young man.

That's right. Once Shilan gets married, she will live with the Zhang family from now on. Although they are both in the capital and can see each other, it's still not as convenient as living under the same roof.

She was filled with reluctance.