The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Dragon and phoenix red candles burn brightly.

Inside the brocade tent, the sounds of breathing mingled.

Shilan could clearly sense that Zhang Yun was gradually losing control.

It is the awkwardness and recklessness of first experiencing desire, and also the complete immersion and oblivion in it.

She thought she could rely on her experience to stay sober from beginning to end, but who knew that when Zhang Yun's kiss landed tenderly and hotly, she also became confused and her consciousness became chaotic.

The rain has stopped and the clouds have dispersed.

Shilan's eyes were glazed over, and she looked as if she had been pulled out of the water, completely drained of energy.

Zhang Yun did not call anyone in to serve her, but instead personally carried her into the washroom.

After gently washing her, he brought her a clean nightgown and helped her put it on.

After doing all this, he carried her back to the bed and squeezed in next to her, sharing a thin blanket with her.

He pulled her into his arms and planted a tender kiss on her smooth forehead.

Finally, he buried his head in her neck and murmured, "Shilan, you are finally my wife."

A tear rolled down Shilan's cheek and quickly disappeared into her hair, leaving no trace.

Really different.

Once again, she realized the gap with crystal clarity.

It's not just the difference between being a concubine in her past life, quietly carried into the side gate in a small sedan chair, and being the principal wife today, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, receiving the three letters and six rites, and being welcomed in with dignity through the main gate.

More importantly, it's the difference between a man's heart—whether it's genuine or not, sincere or not.

In her past life, she spent her wedding night in a state of half-bewilderment and half-apprehension, and her only memory was pain.

Yinzhen comforted her, saying that every woman goes through this, and only after going through this can she be his true woman.

If one had not personally experienced this moment, one would not have felt Zhang Yun's pure and burning joy and sense of fulfillment.

She probably still doesn't realize that something is wrong.

The two were so close that Zhang Yun could not miss any of Shi Lan's emotional changes.

His body stiffened slightly, the satisfaction and joy he had just felt instantly replaced by unease. He asked anxiously, "Was I too rough just now? Did I hurt you?"

Shilan shook her head, then reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck to make herself more comfortable in his embrace.

It doesn't hurt.

She finally understood.

It turns out that when feelings truly exist, there's no need to rack your brains to guess, test, or prove them.

It's like rain hitting your face, fire burning your eyebrows, or the sun shining on you—an undeniable and absolutely impossible-to-ignore sensation.

Zhang Yun's love was so passionate, direct, and unreserved, laid bare before her, leaving her no room for doubt.

Let's try again then.

Shilan closed her eyes and said to herself in her heart.

Although marrying Zhang Yun and falling in love with him were completely different things in her original plan.

Regardless of past or present lives, this world is incredibly harsh on women. If a woman is over twenty and still unmarried, no matter her social status, she will become the laughingstock of the community. Her parents, family, and entire clan will lose face and be unable to hold their heads high.

He took a large sum of money and went to Jiangnan, living a carefree life in anonymity. While it seemed like he was living a carefree life, upon closer examination, it was actually an act of escaping cowardice.

The Zhang family, with its high social standing and excellent family traditions, was recognized throughout the capital as the best choice, and in the original story, they enjoyed at least thirty years of uninterrupted wealth and prosperity.

In addition, Zhang Yun himself, in appearance and temperament, suited her taste.

This marriage offers everything: prestige, substance, future prospects, and immediate benefits. She simply couldn't find any reason to refuse.

This is why, when Zhang Yun mustered the courage to express his feelings to her, and when the Duchess of England solemnly proposed marriage, she readily agreed.

In her past life, she had had enough of the idea that love could make you feel content, and she recklessly pursued that illusory affection, only to end up heartbroken, her family destroyed, and her life ruined.

In this life, she just wants to do what Sun Baoqi said back then: only choose what is most suitable, and stop fantasizing about romance or being unique.

But who would have thought that Zhang Yun, who clearly had a haughty and aloof demeanor when they first met at the polo field.

In the three years that followed, their correspondence was filled with words that described him as a gentleman of upright character.

Only now that she has truly gotten to know him do she realize that he is clearly a raging fire!

Behind his seemingly clumsy pursuit lies a heart that is so sincere as to be almost reckless, so passionate as to disregard everything.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, I saw him risk his life to climb the lantern mountain and pick the phoenix lantern just because he liked it.

Shilan seemed to see in him the version of herself who had once single-mindedly pursued Yinzhen, wishing she could tear her whole heart out.

It was at that moment that Shilan truly let go of her obsession from her previous life.

She suddenly realized that in her past life, she might have really done many evil things that she shouldn't have done.

In her quest for favor and to extinguish the burning jealousy in her heart, she had harmed others and stained her hands with blood.

She was the incomparably beautiful and favored Consort Hua in the Forbidden City, but she was also a terrifying figure who struck fear into the hearts of countless palace servants and was regarded as a demon.

The downfall of the Nian family and the tragic death of the elder brother were like a belated retribution, a bloody cause and effect.

She hated Yinzhen, but she hated herself even more.

Why take love and romance so seriously?

But now, looking at Zhang Yun, Shilan has figured it out.

She is by nature someone who likes even clothes to be colorful and flamboyant, so what's wrong with her love being more intense than others?

She just loved the wrong person.

Looking at Zhang Yun, who was approaching her and cherishing her in the same way she had always done, she felt nothing but joy.

She just wanted to reciprocate this kindness.

I want his kindness to continue for a long, long time.

Unlike Yinzhen back then, who enjoyed her passionate love while plotting how to use her and her family, and then discarded her and the Nian family like worn-out shoes after using them.

Once she understood this, she felt a sense of lightness throughout her body, as if a heavy shackle had been removed.

She snuggled deeper into Zhang Yun's arms, craving the warmth emanating from him.

However, the next moment, she felt the body next to her getting hotter and hotter, even starting to burn.

The man's breathing became heavy again, especially clear in the quiet night.

Having experienced life's ups and downs, she naturally knew why.

In the darkness, a silent smile curled at the corners of her lips.

She looked up and, by the candlelight filtering in from outside the tent, gazed at Zhang Yun's face, which appeared even more profound and sculpted in the shadows.

Then, she gently leaned in and placed a kiss on his slightly cool lips.

She whispered, "Mingyuan, how about we have a son?"

Zhang Yun trembled all over. This was really bad. Why was he talking about having a son at a time like this?

"Of course, that would be great, but a daughter would be good too, like Sister Hua..."

However, he didn't want to put pressure on Shilan at this time. Both of them were not young, but the Zhang family already had two nephews born to his sister-in-law, so he didn't have the task of carrying on the family line. He would just let nature take its course.

"I love daughters too. Our family is full of boys, we just need..."

The rest of my words were swallowed up by the sudden kiss of red lips.

"Okay, have them all."