The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

While reciprocating Lady Xue's words, Shilan was actually busy with another important matter:

move.

The new mansion, bestowed by the emperor, occupies a vast area and is in an excellent location, adjacent to the east side of the imperial city.

This house was originally the residence of a duke, but unfortunately, his descendants were unworthy and extravagant, and the debts they incurred were even greater than those of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion back then.

The head of the household was an even bigger fool. When the court demanded repayment, he saw that he couldn't pay the debt, but instead of pleading for mercy, he relied on his ancestors' merits to go to the emperor's front to cry and coerce him. As a result, Grand Secretary Yu and several other grand secretaries joined forces to drive him out of the palace and impeach him.

In the end, not only was their title stripped and their imperial residence reclaimed, but the whole family also slunk back to their ancestral home.

Now it's Shilan who benefits.

To be fair, the atmosphere in the British Ducal House was excellent.

Brothers, friends and brothers respect each other, and we are united.

Although Shilan was the second wife, she was never slighted or mistreated.

Mother-in-law Chen Ning treated her two daughters-in-law equally, and her elder sister-in-law Shen was even more kind and reasonable. Sometimes, when she got something good, she would even give it to Shilan first.

but……

Who can resist the temptation of establishing their own government and being in charge of their own affairs?

Besides, Fu Ge'er is growing up day by day, and as his parents, they should plan for him as soon as possible.

The move is in full swing.

Shilan was in high spirits and personally directed the servants to repair and clean, planned the functions of each courtyard, selected furniture and decorations, the color of curtains, and even carefully considered what flowers and trees to plant in the courtyard, all with the intention of making the new home warm and comfortable before the cold winter at the end of the year.

On this day, which happened to be the fifteenth, the Zhang family members had dinner together in the main courtyard of the two elders, as was their custom.

A freshly served, steaming hot sea bass and tofu soup was brought up by the maid.

Shilan, who had been smiling, suddenly changed her expression as she watched Zhang Yun personally serve her food.

A strong feeling of nausea suddenly appeared and rushed straight to my throat!

"vomit--!"

"vomit--!"

Almost at the same time, Chen Ning also suddenly covered his mouth with a handkerchief and let out the same short, dry heaves.

The table fell silent instantly. The men froze in unison and quickly called for the physician.

Only Madam Shen, looking at the fish soup on the table, had a bold guess in her mind.

Shilan blushed deeply with embarrassment, quickly waving her hands and saying weakly, "I'm sorry, I..."

Before she could finish speaking, the fishy smell wafted over again, and she couldn't bear it any longer. She suddenly stood up and rushed outside.

Madam Shen reacted swiftly, immediately raising her voice, "Quick! Go fetch the family physician! Hurry!"

The Zhang family was instantly thrown into chaos.

A moment later, the royal physician arrived.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency! Your wife is pregnant! She's over a month along!"

A pregnancy pulse?!

Shilan froze on the spot, her hand unconsciously touching her lower abdomen.

Zhang Yun was also stunned. Their eyes met, and almost simultaneously they recalled the palace banquet a month ago, that absurd and ridiculous night.

A wave of regret and self-blame washed over Zhang Yun.

—What a waste!

Seeing the regret in her husband's eyes, Shilan smiled gently instead.

—A blessing in disguise!

She even secretly hoped that this pregnancy would be wonderful if it resulted in a sweet and obedient daughter.

The physician prescribed some mild remedies to help with pregnancy and gave some instructions before leaving.

Shilan leaned against Zhang Yun's chest, gently comforting her husband, whose face was contorted with "I'm so damned!": "Alright, having a child is fate. It's destiny that it came. Let's happily accept it. Don't you want another daughter as beautiful as me?"

What if it's another brat?

Before Zhang Yun could finish speaking, his sister-in-law, Shen, walked in, and the two immediately separated and sat up straight.

However, Madam Shen seemed oblivious to the affection between the young couple, her face bearing an extremely strange expression.

Congratulations, sister-in-law! This is truly a joyous occasion!

Shilan smiled and thanked her, but suddenly remembered that her mother-in-law Chen Ning's reaction earlier was also a bit strange, and she wondered why.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. By the way, how is Mother—"

Her heart skipped a beat; her mother-in-law's reaction just now seemed to be the same as her own.

Is it...

"It's all your fault!"

Inside the main room, Chen Ning covered her face with a handkerchief, both ashamed and angry. With the other hand, she pushed Zhang Qing, the Duke of Yingguo, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with an equally interesting expression: "It's all your fault! It's all your fault! You said nothing would happen, and now look what's happened! How can I face the children now?!"

Duke Zhang Qing of England, over fifty years old, was usually dignified and composed, but now his face was slightly flushed, his eyes darting around, wanting to laugh but daring not to. He could only cough twice, trying to appease the family: "This...this is an omen of prosperity for the family, a good thing, a good thing..."

"What's so great about it!" Chen Ning angrily punched him again. "I've completely lost face!"

Just then, the maidservant who had been sent to gather news from Shilan entered beaming with joy: "Congratulations, Your Excellency! Congratulations, Madam! The Second Madam has been diagnosed; she is indeed pregnant! It's been over a month!"

Chen Ning was initially delighted: "Really? That's wonderful!"

But this joy lasted less than a moment before a huge embarrassment struck again.

She let out a wail, grabbed a soft pillow, and threw it at the Duke of England: "Now look what's happened! My uncles or aunts are almost the same age as my nephews and nieces! How am I supposed to face anyone now? People will laugh at me behind my back for being an old woman who gave birth to a pearl!"

The British duke nimbly turned his head to avoid the pillow, touched his nose, and suppressed the secret pride in his heart that came from the fact that his manhood was still going strong.

The addition of a new member to the family is naturally a good thing for the prosperity of the family, especially for someone his age to be able to get his wife pregnant, which is something to be very proud of.

But soon, he realized that his wife was no longer young, and the risks of childbirth were far greater than for a young woman. His pride was immediately replaced by worry.

He waved for the maid to leave, then leaned closer to Chen Ning and cautiously asked, "Otherwise, shall we abandon this child?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another, thicker pillow struck him squarely in the face, right on the bridge of his nose!

"Are you trying to kill me, Zhang Qing?!" Chen Ning's eyebrows shot up, her earlier embarrassment and anger transforming into fierce protectiveness. She even began to address the Duke of Yingguo by his full name: "This is our own flesh and blood! How dare you say no?! Have you set your sights on some young hussy outside, thinking I'm too old and faded, and brought me back to replace me?"

The Duke of England, seeing stars from the blow, was even more terrified upon hearing this, waving his hands repeatedly and begging for forgiveness: "Madam, please calm down! Please calm down! How could I dare! It was a slip of the tongue, I was foolish! Please don't be angry, take care of yourself!"

He dared not utter another word and quickly declared, "Whether you want it or not, I will listen to my wife. If you say yes, even if I were to invite every gynecologist in the world, I would still protect you and our child. If you say no, I will still do the same, and I will ensure that nothing goes wrong for you!"

Chen Ning glared at him fiercely before she calmed down.

"That's at least human language."

She stroked her still-unchanged belly, her eyes gradually shifting from confusion to unwavering determination. She gritted her teeth and said in a deep voice:

"Go find her! Go now and bring me the best gynecologist in the world! Now that this child is here, there's no reason not to want her. I'm her mother, and you're her father. We must deliver her safely! Nobody can stop us!"