The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Days flow like a stream over pebbles, light and quiet.

Shilan now truly understands what it means to have a son and be content with everything.

It was as if Fu Ge'er was a compensation from heaven, returning all the blessings that had been owed to her for two lifetimes.

After the full moon, the little one seemed to grow rapidly, not only becoming sturdy and healthy, but also developing incredibly soft and delicate skin.

Anyone who sees him will sincerely praise the boy under Guanyin's seat.

What's even more remarkable is his bright and clever spirit. He's faster than other children at everything—lifting his head, rolling over, crawling, and learning to talk. When he looks at people with his big, dark eyes, it's as if he understands what adults are saying. Occasionally, he'll babble a couple of times, his soft and adorable voice melting everyone's heart.

Sometimes, when no one was around, Shilan couldn't help but think that if she had really had this child in her previous life, the dragon throne in the Golden Palace and the throne in the Cining Palace would surely have been in their hands.

What Empress, Zhen Huan, what Third Prince, Fourth Prince, who could be her match?

Even an emperor as suspicious and fickle as Yinzhen would surely be unable to resist the allure of such an intelligent and healthy heir.

But the thought only flashed through her mind, and she immediately chuckled, hugging Fu Ge'er in her arms even tighter.

This is the best it can be.

Those illusory powers are nothing compared to the real warmth I feel in your arms.

In the blink of an eye, it will be Fu Ge'er's first birthday party.

The British Duke's residence was brightly decorated and filled with guests.

Wang Ruofu arrived early with Hua Jie'er and Bai Ge'er. Madam Wu Yueyin also brought generous gifts. Even Madam Bai Qing from the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion brought Gu Tingye, who was one and a half years old, and Gu Tingyu, who was almost five years old.

Gu Tingyu looked much better than before, but he was still thin and not as robust as Gu Tingye, who was full of energy and vigor.

The little guy is like a little bull; one wet nurse can't even keep an eye on him, and it takes two wet nurses to barely keep him in check.

In contrast, Gu Tingyu was unusually quiet. When he saw Shilan and Wang Ruofu, he politely greeted them as his aunt and maternal aunt, and then stayed close to Bai Shi. His eyes showed a maturity beyond his years, and he no longer had the intimacy and dependence he had shown when they first met a few years ago.

Shilan had no intention of getting close to him, so she gave a curt reply and didn't say anything more.

The child's features bore a resemblance to Qin Nanyan's, but this had little impact on people like Wang Ruofu and Bai Shi, who had only met him a few times or had never even met him before. What they saw more was Gu Tingyu's vulnerability and helplessness due to losing his mother at a young age and being frail and sickly; a mother's heart was inevitably drawn to him.

But she could always recall the grievances and injustices she felt with her younger sister, Qin Shi, when she looked at the memorial tablets of the two elders of the Qin family in the mourning hall.

Therefore, it is really difficult to feel close to this child.

The biggest concession she could make was tacitly allowing the Bai family to bring him along as a hub for their cooperation.

His knowing how to maintain a proper distance was exactly what Shilan wanted.

In the courtyard, four-year-old Hua Jie'er was playing in the snow with the two brothers, Zhang Rui and Zhang Ming. Her little face was rosy from the cold, and her laughter was like the sound of silver bells.

She ran over and called to Gu Tingyu to play together, but Gu Tingyu just shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "It's cold outside, I'm not going, little sister, you play."

Hua Jie tilted her head in confusion, but time flies. They had only met once before, at the plum blossom banquet after the mourning period at the Dongchang Marquis's residence. Later, Shi Lan got married, Bai Shi gave birth to a son, and Grand Tutor Wang passed away. Although Wang Ruofu was a married woman, she was willing to observe the full eighteen months of mourning for her father and did not attend any banquets. Naturally, the two younger ones had no chance to meet again.

Therefore, Hua Jie'er had long forgotten this handsome cousin playmate whom she once liked very much. When he refused, she did not insist and was soon dragged by the Wu family boy to make snowballs.

The laughter and chasing sounds of children filled the yard, dispelling the winter chill and leaving only vibrant life.

A fleeting look of envy crossed Gu Tingyu's eyes, before he lowered his head and leaned close to his mother, Madam Bai.

Seeing this, Bai felt a pang of heartache, but she only held Gu Tingyu tighter, her face still bearing a gentle smile.

Over the years, she has disregarded right and wrong, using money to pave her way and firmly established herself in the elite circles.

For those with impure intentions, give them a small amount of money to avert disaster;

For kind-hearted people like Madam Wu and Wang Ruofu, they would befriend them sincerely, make money together, and firmly bind their relationship.

Although she dares not say that she is highly respected among the noblewomen of Bianjing, no one dares to look down on her.

The same applies to the Gu family.

With abundant connections and wealth, her life was no longer as difficult as when she first married into the Marquis's household.

She no longer cared much about Gu Yankai.

Her father was right. With a son and money, she would have enough to rely on for the rest of her life.

As for the title, she truly had no intention of vying for it.

To rise from a merchant's daughter to the wife of a marquis is already an incredible stroke of luck; her father has accomplished something that nine and a half percent of people in the world cannot achieve in their entire lives.

She left the rest to time and her son's abilities, and didn't force him to change anything.

Therefore, she genuinely loved Gu Tingyu, this frail but precocious child.

Inside the warm room, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly.

Shilan, Wang Ruofu, Bai Shi, and Wu Daniangzi sat around the stove, brewing tea and chatting about everyday life.

On the kang (heated brick bed), Fu Ge'er, dressed in a bright red padded jacket, and Bai Ge'er, dressed similarly, sat facing each other. Between them was a colorful picture book, and they were pointing at the pictures and talking incoherently, their expressions serious, as if they were arguing about some important military and national affairs. Unfortunately, no one could understand their encrypted conversation.

With permission granted, the wet nurse brought Gu Tingye over. The little guy's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the two little dumplings on the bed, who were almost the same size as him. He shook off the wet nurse's hand, wobbled over, and reached out to grab the picture book.

As a result, Fu Ge'er and Bai Ge'er, one on each side, simultaneously reached out their chubby little hands and scratched his face.

"Ouch!" The wet nurse quickly stepped forward to separate them, afraid that the little darling would cry.

To everyone's surprise, Gu Tingye paused for a moment, touched the spot where he had been scratched, and instead of crying, he chuckled as if he found it extremely amusing.

The three adorable little dolls were making a ruckus, which amused and exasperated the adults in the room.

As Wang Ruofu observed, she suddenly exclaimed, "Have you noticed? Today, apart from Hua Jie'er, everyone inside and outside this house is a boy!"

Madam Wu also came to her senses, clapped her hands and laughed, "It's true! Our families are full of mischievous monkeys!"

Her eyes sparkled, and she joked, half-jokingly, "Looks like we both need to step up our game and have another sweet little girl! Otherwise, if we get together in a few years, the roof might just fall off."

Upon hearing this, Shilan was slightly taken aback, and then smiled.

Upon closer inspection, it makes sense; among those present, the mansion is predominantly male and weakly female.

She was already content with having Fu Ge'er, and her sister-in-law, Wang Ruofu, might be able to hope for another child... Just as she was thinking this, the sound of palace eunuchs announcing the reward came from outside.

The group rushed to the courtyard and received the imperial decree with full preparation.

It turns out that there was more good news coming from the palace today.

In the past month, not only were two more healthy princesses born, but today two concubines were diagnosed with pregnancy!

The Emperor was overjoyed and grateful for the blessing. He couldn't help but think of Shilan and her little lucky star. Upon learning that it was Fuge's first birthday today, he bestowed a generous reward upon her.

Watching Shilan and Fuge'er receive the imperial decree in such a grand manner and express their gratitude.

Madam Wu's desire to have a daughter grew even stronger.

Given her current relationship with Shilan, if she were to have a daughter in the future, it would be an absolute advantage.