The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Lin Qinshuang of Linxi Pavilion, upon learning that the plan had failed again, smashed another tea set in anger, but there was nothing she could do.

When Madam Hai found out, she simply smiled and said, "Lady Lin's allowance for this month has already exceeded its limit. As for the broken tea set, you can get it next month. If you really need it urgently, you can make do with the rice bowl for a few days."

When the original words were circulated, it caused quite a stir and became a laughing stock.

Shou'an Hall.

After hearing the conversation being repeated verbatim by the person who had spoken, the old lady was greatly shaken. She then looked out the window alone and remained motionless from afternoon until evening.

Only after Madam Fang frantically called out to her repeatedly did she let out a long sigh, her eyes reddening, and say, "She's absolutely right. I've lived most of my life, and I pride myself on having stumbled and suffered, and on having a clearer perspective than others, yet I'm still influenced by my likes and dislikes, blinded by a single leaf, and biased. When we get back to the capital, tell Master Polo that all our children will go. From now on, the gifts given to the children must be four of each kind, and Mo Lan must not be left out either."

"……yes."

-

Time slipped by peacefully in the ordinary days.

At the end of the year, Wei Xiaoniang gave birth to a son, named Changdong.

As soon as the child was born, without exception, he was taken to the main courtyard to be raised.

This time, Wei Xiaoniang was no longer as fearful and uneasy as she was when Minglan was taken away last time, but rather calm with complete trust.

Soon after, Sheng Hong's performance evaluation came out, and as Hai had predicted, he received an excellent grade.

The imperial decree followed, ordering him to return to the capital after the New Year to report for duty and assume his post.

The entire Sheng family began busily preparing for their trip to the capital.

-

Meanwhile, in Bianjing city...

Shilan's family returned to the capital before winter arrived.

After only two days of rest, my sister-in-law, Wang Ruofu, arrived at our door beaming with joy. Her face radiant with delight, she exchanged a few brief pleasantries before getting straight to the point—

"There's progress on Hua Jie's marriage."

Shilan perked up immediately: "Whose is it?"

Wang Ruofu couldn't keep the answer a secret any longer and blurted out, "Rui-ge'er!"

Shilan was genuinely surprised: "Zhang Rui? My elder brother's eldest son?"

"Indeed!" Wang Ruofu clapped her hands and laughed, "I didn't expect it either! This isn't some adults randomly matchmaking; the two children just confessed their feelings for each other. It's quite an interesting story. A few days ago, both the Marquis of Zhongjing's and the Marquis of Weibei's families hinted at a marriage alliance. The Marquis of Zhongjing's eldest son, Zheng Jun, and the Marquis of Weibei's eldest son, Shen Congxing, are both from military families. I thought they were a good match, and I was even discussing with Madam Wu about organizing a polo match to test the character and abilities of those two young men. Who would have thought that our Rui-ge'er would get restless first!"

She described it vividly, her eyes and brows brimming with the lively anticipation of watching a good show: "That silly boy rushed to the back gate of our mansion, blocked Hua-jie'er's way, and confessed his feelings."

Shilan was pleased to hear this. Ruige was a child she had watched grow up. He was of good character, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and the eldest grandson of the Duke of Yingguo. He had a bright future ahead of him.

If this marriage goes through, Hua Jie'er will have married into a family she knows well, and she will no longer have to worry about having no one to support her if something happens.

Shilan was naturally a thousand times, ten thousand times willing.

Despite her joy, a lingering doubt remained: "The two children have known each other since childhood. Since Rui-ge'er had this intention all along, why didn't he express it sooner? Why wait until now, at this crucial juncture of marriage negotiations?"

It would have been better if he hadn't asked; the question only made Wang Ruofu laugh even harder.

"Don't even mention it! Hua-jie told me that this silly boy has had his eye on her for years, sending her messages and gifts both openly and secretly. But our Hua-jie is just like me; she's very straightforward in these matters and never even considered it! Once, she even returned the gifts directly, saying a few polite words. Rui-ge'er, that honest boy, thought he'd been clearly rejected and was heartbroken. For years, he's avoided Hua-jie! This time, when he heard we were going to seriously arrange a marriage for Hua-jie, he was burning with excitement, thinking he'd give it one last try, and if that didn't work, he'd give up... But unexpectedly, it actually worked out!"

Shilan found it both amusing and intriguing: "This silly child, how did he express his feelings? How could he have misunderstood Hua-jie like this?"

Wang Ruofu laughed so hard she almost fell over: "It's nothing more than sending some pastries and jewelry that young ladies like. The key is that we don't dare to do it openly; we can only secretly pass them on like thieves. Once, our Hua-jie caught us red-handed, and she said: 'So it's you! I thought some clumsy thief was up to no good, and I almost called someone to catch you like a turtle in a jar!'"

Wang Ruofu spoke and laughed, tears welling up in her eyes.

Shilan initially laughed along, but as she laughed, she couldn't laugh anymore.

This plot... why does it seem vaguely familiar?