The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

That evening, the servant brought the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jingbian to the teahouse, where, during a drinking game, she spoke rudely to Li Wei, the son of the Emperor's brother-in-law...

No, loudly insulting them.

The news even included the incident of someone throwing a glass of wine at him.

Liang Han was stunned.

He knew Zhang Chaoyu had a fiery temper, but to be this fiery... that was the son of the Emperor's brother-in-law! A relative of the Emperor!

How dare Zhang Chaoyu humiliate him in public like this?

How dare his mother have designs on a girl like that?!

Liang Han felt a chill run down his spine and said resolutely to the servant, "Remember this: from now on, wherever my mother wants me to go, if Miss Zhang is there, you must say I'm sick—headache, leg pain, body aches! In short, you must stop me!"

This girl is terrifying.

-

When the news reached the Marquis of Jingbian's residence, Shilan was looking at the account books.

Upon hearing this, Shilan remained silent for a moment, then closed the account book: "Has the young lady returned?"

Having married and had children, and now serving as a respectable first-class servant in the Marquis's household, she greeted her mother, "You're back. I'm inside."

"I'll go check on her."

Shilan stood up.

An'er's courtyard was on the east side of the Marquis's mansion, next to a small bamboo grove. At night, the wind would blow and the bamboo leaves would rustle.

She had indeed just returned and had just taken a bath. The maids, carrying her discarded clothes, walked by and, upon seeing Shilan, curtsied and greeted her: "Madam."

Shilan responded softly, her gaze falling on the scarlet riding outfit the little girl was holding. As she got closer, a faint smell of alcohol wafted over her, and the hem was still covered in mud.

She shook her head, dismissed the maids, and went inside. An'er, being dried by two maids, saw her and her eyes lit up: "Mother!"

Shilan softly hummed in agreement, sat down on the embroidered stool by the window, and quietly waited for her hair to dry and be combed before pointing to the spot next to her: "Sit."

Anjie sat down as instructed, already expecting this: "You knew?"

Instead of answering, Shilan asked, "I don't know everything, after all, you haven't told me what he did to offend you."

An'er smiled brightly and couldn't help but rush over, softly clinging to her mother's arm: "Mother, you're so good... I knew you loved me the most and were the most reasonable. If it were anyone else, they might have made me kneel in the ancestral hall all night before listening to an explanation."

Shilan's heart softened at her rubbing against her, and she was amused by her words, but she still complained, "Sit properly, you're like you have no bones."

Even so, she couldn't bear to push him away, and said, "You're my son, how could I not know you? It must be that Li Wei who upset you, otherwise why would you embarrass him in front of so many people? Tell me quickly, otherwise it will be too late and something else will go wrong, and I won't be able to help you fix it."

An-jie's smile deepened, but she didn't rush to speak. Her eyes darted around, and she got up and walked to the door, instructing the maids outside, "You can all leave now. You don't need to serve me anymore. Xiang Mama, please stay."

He smiled at his mother, but looked at Shilan instead.

Shilan said, "Stay. You're not an outsider."

The joy in Xiang Mama's eyes deepened, but she said, "This servant will go outside and guard the door for Madam and Miss."

Shilan nodded.

After everyone left, Anjie returned to her mother's side and, in a low voice, recounted in detail how Li Wei had provoked Yu Yanran, how he now had the opportunity to marry the princess and wanted to climb the social ladder, yet he refused to part amicably and insisted on humiliating Yanran.

Shilan listened quietly, her brows gradually furrowing.

After her daughter finished speaking, she slowly said, "Since that's the case, I'll forgive you this time."

An'er's eyes lit up: "Mother!"

Shilan added, "Although Li Wei is a member of the imperial family, our family is not to be trifled with. With a Marquis's mansion and a Duke's mansion, as long as we suppress the matter and define it as a junior's play, the Li family will not dare to go too far. Don't worry, they won't be able to expose your little sister."

Anjie breathed a sigh of relief.

Shilan chuckled softly.

This dynasty, in a way, was both good and bad.

Your Majesty...

To put it nicely, it's benevolence; to put it bluntly, it's cowardice.

Despite being the emperor, he was constantly hampered.

In the imperial court, civil officials were even more arrogant than military generals. They dared to speak their minds and contradict the emperor directly in the main hall if they had any complaints about government orders. And if the emperor didn't accept their suggestions? They became even more aggressive.

It is said that military generals risk their lives to fight and secure their future, but these civil officials are clearly the ones who truly carry their heads on the line to serve in the imperial court.

They were willing to die for their cause at the slightest disagreement, and even considered it an honor to do so. This forced the emperor to appease them with various forms of reassurance.

As a result, it was common for the emperor's own decrees to be unimplemented every few days, or even for his decrees to be changed frequently.

It should be understood that in the Qing Dynasty, the emperor was the true ruler of the land.

The court officials were called the emperor's arms, but in reality they were his henchmen; not a single word could be disobeyed. Unlike now, where some elderly censors still dare to point their fingers at the emperor and curse him at the drop of a hat.

However, there are also advantages to this kind of world.

At least... people are treated like human beings.

Even if a servant in the household makes a serious mistake, at most they will be given a few lashes and sold off; their life must never be taken lightly.

Those who commit serious crimes are either handed over to the authorities or dealt with quietly outside the home under some pretext. Even so, it takes some effort to appease their families to prevent them from appealing for justice.

The greatest advantage of having such a monarch for nobles is that they can have a proper discussion no matter what the matter is.

Explain, clarify, and reason.

Just like the incident An Jie'er caused today, if the officials really investigate, even if Yu Yanran isn't implicated, there's still room for rebuttal.

Why has she felt comfortable with her life all these years?

It's not just because she married well, has both a son and a daughter, and is wealthy, but also because of the state of the world.

Although she was only a Marquis's wife, above her were the Duchess of the State, the Princess Consort, the Princess Consort, and even the Imperial Consort and the Empress, she did not feel the suffocating feeling of being crushed by a higher official rank.

On the contrary, because of her abundant assets, many people of higher status who are struggling financially have to treat her with utmost respect.

An identity is essential.

She has no patience to fawn over anyone.

But it doesn't need to be too high, since they're all the same anyway.

As long as she can protect her two children and let them live a happy life, she feels that's enough.

Anjie was unaware of Shilan's inner thoughts; she only knew that her mother had said everything was alright, so she completely put aside her worries.

Just like when I was a child, I leaned on my mother's shoulder and couldn't help but say, "Mom, you are so good to me. I must have been a miracle doctor in my past life, and maybe I even saved a whole city. That's why I'm so lucky to be your child."

Shilan affectionately touched her face: "It's good that you know. At least I didn't spoil you for nothing."

"How could I not know? I remember all the good things Mother has done for me."

A night breeze blew by, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Looking at her daughter's young and beautiful profile, Shilan suddenly sighed softly, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much."

She paused, then spoke even softer: "According to custom, I should be arranging a marriage for you. An'er, do you have someone you like? If so, you can't hide it, and don't be shy. You must tell your mother, understand?"

The mother and daughter always talked about everything, but this was the first time they had brought up the topic so seriously.

An'er paused for a moment, but her face lacked the usual shyness or awkwardness of a young woman. She looked up at her mother, her eyes clear, and said with a slight amusement, "Mother, are you afraid that I'm not good at judging people?"

Shilan replied magnanimously, "You are still young and unaware that in this world, some men can put on a show and even make poisonous oaths to get a woman. But once they succeed, they are also the ones who can turn their backs on you without hesitation."

An'er seemed lost in thought, then suddenly asked, "Like... Aunt Hai?"

Shilan was taken aback, then realized that her daughter was referring to Hai Mingyu.

He nodded with satisfaction: "You thought of this, so all my efforts to befriend her and even invite her to be your teacher have not been in vain."

Shilan was referring to the year she personally went to Yangzhou and witnessed the dramatic changes that occurred in the Sheng family due to Hai Mingyu's actions, which differed greatly from the original story.

This made me realize firsthand the urgency that teaching children how to make a living is more important than simply pampering them.

Therefore, she did not hesitate to lower herself and adopt the most sincere attitude she had ever shown in her two lifetimes, treating Hai Mingyu as an equal.

He had just secured this opportunity for his daughter to receive personal instruction from Mr. Hai every five days.