The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

It is said that when Gu Tingyu died, Gu Yankai vomited blood on the spot and fainted. It took three whole days for him to wake up.

Even after waking up, his energy and spirit visibly declined, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

Gu Tingye rushed back from the border.

According to custom, when the eldest son dies, the second son should observe a nine-month mourning period. However, Gu Tingye did not set foot in the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

He went straight to the villa where Gu Tingyu had recuperated before his death, picked up his mother, Madam Bai, and they stayed there.

"The only elder brother in the Gu family who acknowledges us is gone, Mother. Let's not go back." He said to Madam Bai, his voice calm but resolute.

In reality, border soldiers don't have any strict mourning periods to speak of.

Back in Yangzhou, after he broke the basin for his grandfather, he turned around and went to Youzhou with the guards left behind by Uncle Zhang.

His return was merely a pretext for observing mourning; his real concern was for his mother.

Bai Shi has completely collapsed.

Within just two years, she lost both her father and eldest son.

The successive blows left this once bright and cheerful woman emaciated, barely clinging to life.

Gu Tingye was her only remaining hope.

Hearing her son's words, Madam Bai raised her head in a daze, looked at him for a long time, and suddenly threw herself into her son's now broad and strong embrace, crying out loudly, "Second Brother, Second Brother... Now I only have you left, only you left!"

Gu Tingye's heart trembled violently.

He held his mother's thin, trembling body tightly, his fists clenched.

"Mother, your son will definitely prove you wrong! He definitely will!"

He vowed to sever all ties with the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion and with his indifferent father.

On the contrary, Gu Yankai couldn't sit still any longer.

Six months after Gu Tingyu's death, it was the day that Hua Jie'er, with her magnificent wedding procession, entered the Duke of Ying's mansion.

The entire city of Bianjing was bustling with activity. The gates of the Duke of Ying's mansion were filled with carriages and guests, and firecrackers were set off from morning till night.

Gu Yankai sat weakly on the bench, listening to the faint sounds of gongs and drums coming from outside the high walls, and looking at the desolate courtyard in front of him, his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

After a long silence, he ordered his trusted confidants to prepare some mooncakes, clothing, and medicinal herbs to send to Gu Tingye and his mother as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.

Gu Tingye threw the things out untouched.

Chang Sui returned home looking dejected.

Upon hearing the report, Gu Yankai felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

Nine months after Gu Tingyu's death, Hua Jie'er was diagnosed with pregnancy.

When the news spread, the three mansions of the Duke of Ying, the Marquis of Jingbian, and the Marquis of Dongchang were all overjoyed.

But one child in the fourth generation truly became the center of attention.

The Duchess of England was overjoyed, and the Duke of England generously rewarded everyone in the household.

After observing the nine-month mourning period, Gu Tingye arranged proper guards for his mother and personally invited back Granny Chang, who had long since returned to Yangzhou to live out her retirement. He repeatedly instructed her to take good care of her and not to have any further contact with the Gu family.

He then embarked on his journey to Youzhou once again.

I vow not to return until I achieve fame and fortune!

Meanwhile, the sound of students reading aloud never ceased at the Sheng family school.

Fu Ge'er, Cheng Bai, the Sheng family's Chang Lin and Chang Feng brothers, and Qi Heng, a group of teenagers buried themselves in books, studying hard for their future ambitions.

At Hai Family Girls' School, the three Lan girls are also diligently pursuing their studies.

The Hai family specially hired female officials from the palace to teach them etiquette and manners, manage the household and accounts, and also hired talented women to teach them music, chess, calligraphy and painting, raising the three girls to be more and more graceful and poised.

On the polo field, Rujin was still the same lively and active little girl, always pestering Anjie and Zhang Guifen to let her score a goal.

That day, she acted spoiled again, but Liang Han, who appeared out of nowhere, snatched the candied fruit from her hand. She was so angry that she chased after him all over the place, her silvery laughter echoing all the way.

Time flows by silently, and the children grow taller and taller day by day amidst sunshine and laughter.

Spring comes and autumn goes, flowers bloom and fade, and nine years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Rujin has grown into a graceful young woman. Her eyes and brows have the softness of her mother, while her features have the refinement of her father. Dressed in a scarlet riding outfit, she holds a golf club and rides her horse around the field, attracting frequent glances from the crowd.

But she remained as unconventional as ever.

And she's clashed with Liang Han again!

The two players were locked in a fierce battle for the ball, neither willing to give an inch.

Seeing that she couldn't win the race, Ru Jin resorted to cheating, swinging her cue horizontally to block Liang Han's horse.

Liang Han has now grown into a handsome young man, but his lazy and playful nature remains unchanged.

Seeing that Rujin was about to act shamelessly again, he quickly snatched a bag of snacks hanging next to her saddle and threw it far away.

"Liang Liulang!" Rujin was so angry that her eyebrows shot up. Without thinking, she slapped Liang Han hard across the back.

A crisp "snap" sounded particularly clear in the noisy polo field.

Liang Han screamed in pain.

There was a moment of silence.

On the stands, Madam Wu's smile froze.

Wang Ruofu was also startled and quickly stood up: "What are you doing!"

Ru Jin then realized she had made a mistake, stuck out her tongue, snatched back her candied fruit, made a face at Liang Han, and spurred her horse away.

Liang Han rubbed her aching back, stumbled off her horse, and returned to the stands, crying out, "Mother, Mother, Mother!"

He acted as if he was about to die.

The fact that she looked so pathetic made Madam Wu feel a little embarrassed.

Especially when you hear low laughter coming from the left and right.

"Trying to call back the soul? How much strength can a little girl like you have? Can't you be a little more dignified?"

Wang Ruofu quickly tried to smooth things over: "Liulang, are you alright? This child just needs a lesson. Don't be upset. I'll definitely scold her when I get home!"

Liang Liulang said with a bitter expression, "Auntie, you must keep your word."

Don't worry!

Madam Wu felt even more ashamed to face anyone.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Rujin slipped away to the shaded area where her friends were gathered, hoping to find her cousin Anjie and Aunt Zhang Guifen to come out of the mountains and provide her with protection. However, she looked left and right but could not find the two of them anywhere.

"Hey, where are my cousin and Sister Guifen?" she asked the girl next to her.

"They were just here a moment ago, they said they went to change their clothes."

Ru Jin was puzzled, so she went to the small dressing room to look for it.

From afar, one could see Anjie'er's personal maid standing guard outside the door.

A flicker of joy crossed her face, then she cleared her throat, deliberately adopting a pitiful expression, preparing to pour out her grievances later.

Give Liang Xiaoliu another lesson.

Before they even got close, they could faintly hear suppressed sobbing coming from the small pavilion.

Ru Jin paused in her steps.

When the maidservant guarding the door saw her arrive, she quickly stepped forward to stop her.

Rujin lowered her voice and said, "My cousin arranged for you to stay here to guard against outsiders, not me. What business is it of theirs that I can't hear? Get out of here!"

The maid knew about the friendship between the three of them and dared not stop them.

Rujin didn't rush in, but instead pressed herself against the door, eavesdropping.

"Outrageous! He provoked you first, and now he doesn't have the guts to tell his parents. Now he's marrying someone else, and he blames you for not being good enough for his parents? What kind of logic is that!"

This is Zhang Guifen's aunt's distinctive, straightforward voice, which sounds quite fiery.

Another weak voice choked with sobs: "It's not his fault... I lost my mother when I was young, and my father neglected me after he remarried. If it weren't for my grandparents' protection, I probably wouldn't be alive today. Perhaps, perhaps I am truly unlucky, destined to bring misfortune upon my loved ones..."

"Don't listen to his nonsense!" An'er's clear voice rang out, tinged with anger. "A hypocrite who's two-faced, a complete scoundrel! He himself uses the excuse of parents' wishes, saying that children can't go against their parents' wishes. If our parents' fates could truly be determined by us children, why did the First Emperor even bother seeking immortality? Wouldn't it have been better to just have more sons and pray at home?"

"No, we can't just let this go! I'm going to find him!"

"Don't go!" The weak voice urgently stopped her, trembling with tears. "The things he gave me were all given secretly, and thankfully no one knows about it. If you go, things will get out of hand, and Father will beat me to death!"

The sound of tables and chairs clattering came from inside the room, presumably because the hot-tempered Anjie had been pulled back.

The weak voice continued to plead, "I'm telling you, I don't want you to stand up for me, it's just that I'm so suffocated, and I don't dare let my grandparents know. Oh well, maybe this is my fate. I accept it... I'll burn all my things when I get back, consider it a lesson learned. From now on, I'll leave my marriage to my grandparents."

"Yanran!" An'er's voice rose a few decibels, exasperated, "This isn't your fault, why are you so eager to admit it? It takes two to tango. If it weren't for that despicable Li Wei who provoked you, you wouldn't be in this situation. How old are you? What do you know? Don't worry, I won't implicate you. I have my own ways of dealing with that mere Li Wei."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door was suddenly pulled open.

Ru Jin couldn't dodge in time and met An Jie'er's angry eyes, so she could only smile awkwardly.

An-jie glanced at her but didn't argue with her. She only said, "Keep your mouth shut. Don't say a word of what you heard today. If you dare to leak even a single word, I'll deal with you too."

Rujin quickly covered her mouth with both hands, nodded vigorously, and stared wide-eyed.

Anjie then strode out.

Ru Jin watched her menacing figure as she shrank back, her heart pounding with curiosity—Li Wei? Which Li Wei? How dare he bully Sister Yanran?

She knew Yu Yanran; she was the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Yu, whose parents had died early and who had been raised by her grandparents. She was extremely gentle and timid, and dared not even speak loudly.

People like this are being bullied?