The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Hua Jie'er continued, "These people have always been arrogant and domineering. They think that just because they have a title, all the common people in the world should bow down to them, and whatever they want should be theirs. It would be a good thing to curb their arrogance, just like Auntie did."

Wang Ruofu picked up a gold and kingfisher feather butterfly hairpin and carefully placed it beside her daughter's neatly styled hair. She then selected a delicate jade hairpin on the other side and compared it, muttering to herself, "Isn't that right? Even the best children will be corrupted if they go to a family like theirs. I wouldn't want ten of those crooked kids even if they were given to me for free."

"Look at the Xue family, and those other families. They've been declining all these years. The clothes they wear and the headwear they adorn are styles from years ago. They can barely manage their own expenses, yet they keep having children."

"With more children, the dowry and betrothal gifts also increase. The family was not wealthy to begin with, and when divided among ten or so children, it became even more meager. In the end, the social standing of the families they married also had to be lower."

She put down the jade hairpin, picked up the bronze mirror and showed it to Hua Jie'er, her tone tinged with disdain: "With their looks, they dare to talk about branching out and spreading their branches? Do they really think they are still that upright and tall tree? I think they are nothing more than dandelions, which will scatter in all directions when the wind blows and take root wherever they land."

By the time I've settled all the kids' affairs, I'll be bald myself!

"Dandelion? Pfft!" Hua'er laughed again at her mother's apt metaphor, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Mother, your mouth is truly blessed today!"

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they finished getting ready. They left the changing room, and Wang Ruofu looked around but couldn't find her son. "Where's Chengbai? He was just eating fruit here a moment ago, where did he go in the blink of an eye?"

Hua Jie looked around and laughed, "They must be with Gu Jiaye, those two little rascals."

Now that she's grown up, she's become more and more like a mature older sister. She instructed her personal maid to go and search for the body while she sat down with her mother to wait.

Behind a low wall in a secluded, sheltered spot on the west side of the polo field.

Gu Tingye sat on the ground, his shirt pulled down to his waist.

Qin Chengbai applied the medicine to his back with a look of disgust, and looking at the crisscrossing wounds, asked irritably, "Why did I hit you this time? Did you get caught climbing over the wall to leave the mansion, or did you knock over some treasure in your father's study again?"

Gu Tingye grimaced, and upon hearing the question, replied nonchalantly, "He wanted to arrange a maid for my eldest brother. Mother felt that my eldest brother's health hadn't fully recovered and it wasn't appropriate for him to be involved in such matters at this time. He thought Mother had ulterior motives and was trying to prevent my eldest brother from having children. I couldn't stand it and argued with him a bit."

Cheng Bai paused in applying the ointment, looked up at the back of his head, and said incredulously, "How could you interfere in your brother's room? How old are you? Is this any of your business?"

"Why can't I interfere?" Gu Tingye turned around abruptly, his face full of indignation. "Am I supposed to just stand by and watch him bully my mother? He's a complete idiot! Don't think I don't know, he clearly listened to those bastards from my fourth and fifth uncles, thinking that my older brother, who's about to die, wants to leave behind a bloodline as soon as possible! What does he take my older brother for?"

Cheng Bai was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

Gu Tingye also lowered his head and turned back.

After a while, he spoke in a low voice: "Chengbai, do you think it's true that you can find ginseng that's over a thousand years old in the old forests of Northeast China? I've heard that kind of ginseng can prolong life and replenish vital energy..."

Cheng Bai snapped out of his daze, practically laughing in exasperation. He pressed hard on Gu Tingye's injury, eliciting a cry of pain from Gu Tingye: "Give me a break, Gu Erlang! What good medicine doesn't the palace have? Is the Imperial Hospital just for show? Even if the palace doesn't have it right now, with your father, the Marquis of Ningyuan's status, sending people with money to Liaodong to search for it, what good stuff can't they find? What, so many people with your money and your orders couldn't find it, and you think you can find it by yourself on a single trip? Are you more knowledgeable about the mountains than a ginseng spirit?"

Gu Tingye was speechless, but he still stubbornly muttered, "They say that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. Who knows, those people might take the money and go out and do the same thing? Who can guarantee that they will do their best? What if they happen to find some that are not old enough to be found on a cliff face and they are afraid to risk their lives?"

Fu Ge'er had also arrived at some point and was standing a few steps away. Upon hearing this, he rolled his eyes and said, "You're hopeless. Cheng Bai, let's go."

After saying that, he actually turned around and left.

Cheng Bai sighed helplessly.

He shoved the jar of bruise-reducing ointment into Gu Tingye's hand: "Apply it yourself. Gu Tingye, let me remind you, your Ningyuan Marquis's family is a noble family, capable of promising futures. Your maternal grandfather's Bai family also possesses immense wealth. Ginseng gatherers may cherish their lives, but they love wealth and glory even more. What you can't get back even with the lure of power can only be something you don't have."

He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and gave Gu Tingye one last look: "Your older brother's illness has been treated by countless renowned doctors over the years, and they all say that the most important thing is to rest quietly and avoid worry and anxiety. Instead of wasting your time on these things, you should talk to your father. A peaceful and harmonious home is worse than any thousand-year-old ginseng."

After saying that, Cheng Bai quickly caught up with Fu Ge'er, who had already walked some distance away.

Gu Tingye stared blankly at the porcelain medicine pot, still warm from Cheng Bai's palm. After a long while, he murmured very softly, with endless grievances, "A harmonious family. Easier said than done. You all have loving fathers and filial sons, and happy families. How could you understand the bitterness in my heart?"

Cheng Bai caught up with Fu Ge'er and saw that he had a tense little face and his lips were pursed tightly, so he softened his tone and advised, "Don't take Gu Er seriously. You know he's stubborn and reckless. He doesn't actually have a bad heart, he just lives a twisted life."

Fu Ge'er paused, shook his head, and looked tired and irritable for his age: "I'm not angry with him. It's just that lately... I'm really impatient to listen to these things, and even more impatient to give him advice."

Cheng Bai, always perceptive, immediately sensed something upon hearing this: "Is it because of the border war?"

Fu Ge'er remained silent and nodded slightly.

My father went to war three years ago and has never returned.

At the end of last year, it was said that the garrison would be rotated, and letters were sent home saying that he would return. However, taking advantage of the year-end, the Liao Kingdom suddenly launched a large-scale invasion, and the flames of war broke out, which has lasted for three months now.