The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

After a night of debauchery, Wang Ruofu awoke to find the sun already high in the sky.

Feeling the soreness all over her body, and seeing Ah Chang secretly laughing in the bronze mirror, Wang Ruofu's cheeks flushed slightly.

"What are you laughing at, you naughty girl? Wait until spring, and I'll marry you off too! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget."

Ah Chang's cheeks flushed red, and he scolded, "Girl! You're becoming more and more risqué these days."

Wang Ruofu scoffed, "You laughed at me first!"

As the master and servant bickered while tidying up, a maid's voice came from outside announcing:

"Madam, the Duchess of Yingguo, accompanied by the matchmaker, has arrived at the mansion gate!"

Wang Ruofu's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the jade hairpin.

British Duchess? Matchmaker?

Didn't we just verbally agree to the marriage yesterday? How come a matchmaker is already at our door today?

She was stunned for a moment before fragments of her memory from last night surfaced—yes, after the plum blossom viewing banquet yesterday, Duchess Chen Ning of Yingguo had indeed held her hand and said with a smile, "I will go to your door with the official matchmaker tomorrow. Let's exchange the betrothal certificates first. My second son is really not young anymore. The border has finally become a little more stable, so I want to settle this matter as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

She thought about how this marriage with the Duke of England had indeed been full of twists and turns. It had been agreed upon before her parents-in-law passed away, but it had been delayed until today without the betrothal ceremony. Fearing that what Madam Chen had said about things getting complicated might come true, she simply agreed, thinking that she would discuss it with her husband Qin Zhengyang after the banquet...

Unexpectedly, in a moment of joy, I drank two extra cups of osmanthus wine, and later...

Wang Ruofu covered his face and sighed.

Drinking alcohol really does lead to trouble!

She completely forgot about such an important matter!

"Quickly! Quickly help me with my hair and makeup! Where is the Marquis? Go find him and bring him back!"

In an instant, the room was in a flurry of activity.

When Wang Ruofu finished her hurried dressing and rushed to the courtyard in front of the main hall, she froze on the spot.

In the spacious courtyard, rows of red-lacquered and gold-painted chests were neatly arranged, dazzling the eyes in the sunlight.

That's not all; what's most eye-catching are the items placed separately in front of the box—

The neatly stacked furs gleamed with a luxurious sheen in the sunlight: deep purple-black sable, dazzling silver-white fox fur, and colorful and majestic snow leopard fur.

A necklace made of pearls about the size of a thumb, each one round and lustrous white;

Ornaments carved from beeswax and amber are simple and mysterious;

The saddle ornaments, inlaid with gold and silver, gleamed brilliantly...

The yard was filled with valuables, taking up most of it.

Lady Chen Ning, the Duchess of England, was standing on the veranda when she saw her arrive. She said quickly, "You've finally come! If you hadn't come, I almost thought you'd back out of the marriage."

Wang Ruofu then came to her senses and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him: "Madam, what are you saying? It's just that I was too tired yesterday. My lazy bones, which are used to an easy life, haven't been able to get back into shape yet."

As for how tiring it was, I'll skip the details.

Wang Ruofu blushed slightly, afraid that her youth and delicate skin would give her away, so she quickly changed the subject, glancing at the valuable items displayed in the courtyard: "These are..."

Following her gaze, Madam Chen smiled with a mixture of helplessness and pride: "It's all because of my second son. He has some affairs to attend to at the border and can't get away, but this child is so stubborn. He feels that it would be a real injustice for Shilan if he couldn't personally attend to such an important matter as the engagement. So, he sent people all the way here to bring these back."

Madam Chen added a special explanation: "These are all the savings that the brat has accumulated over the years through his own hard work. They are his own money, so they won't be included in the betrothal gifts."

Wang Ruofu gasped.

She used her best skills and did a rough calculation in her mind. These hides alone were enough to buy two of the best farms in the suburbs. If she took them to her shop for further processing or sold them to Jiangnan, the profits could at least double!

This isn't even considered part of the betrothal gifts?

That's incredibly extravagant!

She was still in a daze when Qin Zhengyang rushed back.

He happened to overhear Madam Chen's words and, seeing the scene unfolding in the courtyard, couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

He can finally feel at ease about this marriage today.

Putting aside the British Duke's family background and traditions, Zhang Erlang's dedication to Shilan is truly remarkable.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Madam." Qin Zhengyang stepped forward, cupped his hands, and handed the betrothal letter to the matchmaker beside Madam Chen.

As the official media busied themselves with the betrothal gifts, the servants in the courtyard began to count and register the betrothal gifts.

Boxes of Shu brocade, Song brocade, and Yun brocade were carried in, gold and silver jewelry, gemstones and jade artifacts were marked on the register, and the boxes of estate deeds were heavy and cumbersome.

Both families felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.

The marriage has finally been arranged.

Not far away, Shilan, who had rushed over after receiving the news, stood under the eaves. Her gaze swept over the chests and boxes in the courtyard and those particularly conspicuous border treasures. Even though she prided herself on having lived two lives and seen a lot of the world, something still gently bumped into her heart.

After the Zhang family left, Wang Ruofu took two lists and came to Shilan.

Unable to hide her joy, Wang Ruofu explained, "The Zhang family is very methodical. Zhang Erlang is, after all, the second son, with an elder brother above him. Although he married a daughter of a military family, her social standing is not as high as ours, but she is still the eldest daughter-in-law. The betrothal gifts we give you cannot exceed hers, lest there be discord between sisters-in-law in the future. So those things are Zhang Erlang's own sentiment; you should keep them safe."

After saying that, Wang Ruofu took out several tightly sealed letters from his sleeve and stuffed them into Shilan's hand, half-jokingly saying, "And this one, sent along with the gift. Considering how sensible he is, I won't pursue his audacity."

Shilan held the letter tightly, feeling a strange emotion welling up inside her.

After Wang Ruofu left, she even sent Songzhi away before carefully opening the package.

On the snow-white letter paper, only two words were written with force:

wait for me.

The strokes were strong, yet the turns carried a subtle urgency that caught her off guard and struck the deepest part of her heart.

Shilan stared blankly, a thin blush slowly spreading across her ears.

For the past three years, the letters and items that Zhang Yun sent every month on the fifth day of the lunar calendar have been like a steady stream of companionship, bringing her an unprecedented sense of security and peace.

But this tranquility, after a while, can inevitably become somewhat boring.

For at least a year now, she has lost the initial excitement she felt when faced with those regularly delivered letters.

But today, Zhang Yun's heartfelt sentiments and those two simple words made her feel her heart race again, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.

-

After exchanging the betrothal gifts and completing the engagement ceremony, the wedding date was set for the bright spring day in March of the following year.

Shilan thought she would have to wait until at least the new year to see Zhang Yun again.

Who would have thought that on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, with the end of the year approaching, the whole household was busy cleaning and preparing for the New Year, and everywhere was filled with festive activity.

She was making lanterns with Hua Jie in the warm pavilion.

News had come from the palace early on that the Emperor would personally visit the Xuande Gate tower to celebrate the Lantern Festival with the people this year.

To this end, noble families and skilled craftsmen in Bianjing will join forces to build an unprecedentedly magnificent lantern mountain, where thousands of lanterns will be lit together to pray for favorable weather and a prosperous new year, and for the dynasty to rise to even greater heights.

Of course, the most interesting thing is the "joy of seizing the mountain".

It is said that at the very top of Lantern Mountain, there will be an extremely exquisite phoenix lantern with outstretched wings, which is the result of the painstaking efforts of many skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works. At that time, whether they are noble sons or commoners, they can climb the mountain to snatch the lantern. Whoever can take down this lantern will be richly rewarded by the emperor.

Of course, in addition to the head lanterns, hundreds or thousands of lanterns were needed for other parts of the lantern mountain. These noble ladies were invited to make one or two lanterns by hand, which would be given as gifts to decorate the lantern festival, a kind of elegant pleasure.

Hua Jin was small, but she insisted on joining in the fun. Her chubby little hands held bamboo strips, and the lantern she made was crooked and crooked, and it was impossible to tell what it was. But she was very proud of it, and she would grab anyone she could and ask, "Isn't my rabbit pretty?"

Amidst the laughter and merriment, Songzhi entered from outside, her expression somewhat strange. She leaned close to Shilan's ear and whispered, "Miss, at the side door... a distinguished guest has arrived and says he wishes to see you."

Shilan paused in her movements.

Side entrance? Distinguished guest?

At this hour, who would be looking for her through the side door?

In a flash, a vague idea suddenly popped into my mind.

My heart started racing.