The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

After dinner, the family chatted for a while before going their separate ways.

Anjie returned to her courtyard, washed up, but couldn't fall asleep.

She leaned against the headboard, looking at the moonlight outside the window, and her earlier conversation with her mother resurfaced in her mind.

A life-long commitment.

These four words are like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples that spread outwards.

She was still young, and when the topic of the future came up, she was naturally somewhat fearful and confused.

What kind of person will I marry? What kind of life will I lead? Will I marry the wrong person? Will I end up like Aunt Hai, who entrusted herself to the wrong person and had to go through a lot of trouble to navigate the situation?

After thinking for a long time, she couldn't help but laugh again.

Who can predict the future?

There are indeed men like Uncle Sheng in this world, who appear gentle on the surface but are cold-hearted inside, and who say one thing but mean another.

But there are also men like fathers who are devoted to their mothers for over a decade.

How life turns out, and what kind of people you meet, you'll only know in the future.

The only thing she was certain of was that her mother treated her like a precious treasure, and her father and brother also treated her well in general.

Of course she wants to live this life well so as not to let them down.

Yes, no matter what, we must live this life well.

After figuring it out, the confusion in my heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of certainty.

She lay down in bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

-

Meanwhile, the lights were still on in the study of the Duke of Qi's mansion.

When Princess Pingning brought in the late-night snack, she saw her son still hunched over his desk, which was covered with open books and half-finished articles.

She walked over with concern and placed the tray aside, saying, "Heng'er, take a rest. That scholar Zhuang is really something. How old are you? He still assigns so much homework. If it all goes on until the middle of the night, how will you get any rest?"

Qi Heng raised his head, his expression showing exhaustion, but he still smiled and said, "Mother, it's a blessing for a student to have high standards from their teacher. Besides, today... it was my own fault for delaying the time."

Princess Pingning sat down opposite him and pushed the bird's nest porridge towards him: "What's going on?"

Qi Heng took the bowl, lowering his eyes somewhat guiltily: "After school today, Yan Rui dragged me to a teahouse. I hadn't seen him for a while, and I thought it would be nice to relax for a bit. I didn't expect him to have made an appointment with someone else and he wouldn't let me leave."

"A teahouse?" Princess Pingning paused, her eyes sharpening. "Could it be the Furui Teahouse where the second young lady of the Zhang family caused such a scene today? You're here too?"

Qi Heng responded, his voice even lower.

Princess Pingning's face darkened: "Heng'er, from now on, don't associate with that boy Yan Rui too much. He refuses to study diligently and now spends all his time with those纨绔 (spoiled brats), he's becoming increasingly unruly. Playing drinking games in a teahouse, humph, he really did it!"

The children of the Duke of Liang were ultimately spoiled rotten!

Princess Pingning thought to herself, then couldn't help but mention the Jingbian Marquis's residence: "Those two young ladies from the Zhang family are also quite good. They were both beautiful and graceful. It's a pity they've been spoiled rotten by their mothers. How dare they join in a drinking game with a group of young gentlemen? Don't they have even a shred of ladylike decorum?"

When asked about not associating with childhood friends, Qi Heng nodded in agreement and silently drank his porridge. After all, Yan Rui's behavior today was truly disgraceful, and it would be good to ignore him for a while.

But when he heard his mother mention the Zhang family, he couldn't help but speak up again: "Mother."

He put down his bowl, his expression serious: "Don't you think...they were incredibly vibrant?"

Princess Pingning was taken aback.

Qi Heng continued, "Miss Zhang is known for her righteousness and clear sense of right and wrong. Today's situation must be because Li Wei offended her first. Perhaps she wasn't the one who offended him, but rather she was standing up for someone else, which is why she made such a fuss."

If Li Wei had only offended herself, she might have been let off the hook.

Princess Pingning stared at her son for a long time, her heart filled with alarm bells.

She suppressed her displeasure, keeping a calm expression, and changed the subject: "Her brother Zhang Qin and cousin Qin Chengbo are also at the Sheng family academy, right? How are their studies?"

Seeing that his mother had stopped criticizing An'er, Qi Heng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "She's much better than me. Especially Chengbai, the teacher has said more than once that as long as he can maintain his current level, he has a good chance of passing the imperial examination this year. If Fu'er can guess the questions correctly, his chances of passing the examination will not be small either."

Princess Pingning's heart stirred.

Qin Chengbo is the eldest son of the Marquis of Dongchang and the cousin of the Zhang family's daughter.

Zhang Qin was not only the emperor's elder brother, but also had always been on good terms with the eldest son, Prince Wei, and the second son, Prince Yu.

If the two of them can truly both pass the imperial examination...

But when Princess Pingning recalled Qin Shilan's usual arrogant demeanor, which was even more arrogant than hers as a princess, she became unhappy again.

It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over one's head.

As the saying goes, "Kings never meet," which might refer to her and this Lady Qin.

Both of them are extremely competitive; if they were to become in-laws, who knows how much they would compete with each other.

She composed herself and asked her son, "And what about you? What did your husband say?"

Qi Heng stammered, "The teacher said... my son's articles are flowery and impractical. Compared to Brother Chengbai and Brother Zhang Qin, they are rather empty of substance..."

At this point, he couldn't help but look up at his mother with anticipation: "Mother, if I fail the exam this time, could I follow the example of my two elder brothers and travel for a year to study? As the saying goes, 'Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles,' perhaps I can make some progress."

Princess Pingning felt a lump in her throat.

About three years ago, after the children all passed the imperial examinations, Qin Chengbo and Zhang Qin traveled together for a year, visiting many places.

Qi Heng also wanted to go, but she looked at him like the apple of her eye and couldn't bear to leave him, so she held back and refused.

Looking back now, it's no surprise that my son, who grew up in a wealthy and privileged environment with nothing to worry about, wrote articles that were devoid of substance.

She forced a smile: "Don't talk such discouraging things. You might just be the one who wins."

This statement implies avoiding the topic and also carries a veiled sense of rejection.

Qi Heng's eyes dimmed, and he lowered his head to silently drink his porridge.

Princess Pingning felt bad seeing his dejected look.

My son is too ambitious, which is also a problem.

The mother and son waited in silence for Qi Heng to finish his late-night snack.

Princess Pingning gave a few more instructions to rest early before leaving the study.

After seeing his mother off, Qi Heng sat back down at his desk.

It wasn't until the third watch of the night that he finally finished his homework.

Qi Heng rubbed his temples wearily and summoned his personal servant, Buwei, to prepare hot water.

After packing his things, Qi Heng went to the bathroom, took off his outer clothes, and prepared to wash up.

Just as he unfolded his outer robe, a small object slipped from his sleeve and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Qi Heng's mind was foggy, and he hadn't noticed anything amiss. He bent down to pick it up, saying, "Young Master, this pendant... doesn't seem to be yours?"

And this tassel looks like something a young lady would use.

Qi Heng turned his head and his expression changed slightly. He quickly reached out and snatched it away.

He explained rather awkwardly, "I found it, and I'll return it in a few days."

He neither pointed it out nor revealed it, but simply smiled and said, "I see. Then I'll keep it safe for you, young master, so you don't lose it again."

He reached out his hand again as he spoke.

Qi Heng pushed her back, pretending to kick him, and laughed, "Mind your own business. Go to sleep, I can do it myself."

Without a chuckle, he withdrew.

Qi Heng finished washing up.

Once on the bed, I picked up the pendant by the light of the small bedside lamp.

This is a small monkey carved from white jade, no bigger than a thumb, yet it is carved with remarkable lifelike detail.

The monkey sat squatting, scratching its head with one hand and holding a peach in the other, its eyes crinkling into crescents, looking mischievous.

Today at the teahouse, when Sister An got up to spill wine, the jade monkey hanging from her waist swayed slightly.

She then strode away, and somehow the pendant fell to the ground and rolled to his feet.

He picked it up quietly when no one was looking.

Qi Heng looked at the little monkey swaying gently in front of him, and the scene from earlier that day flashed before his eyes again—

The young woman stood in the center of the private room, her eyebrows and eyes bright and her gaze sharp, pointing at Li Wei and shouting:

"You bitch."

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded.

"Pfft—"

Qi Heng, who had been holding back his laughter all day, finally let it burst out of his chest.

He burst out laughing, and the laughter grew louder and louder until he finally had to cover his mouth, his shoulders trembling.