The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The next day, as expected, news that An Jie'er had splashed wine all over Li Wei in public spread throughout Bianjing.

Amidst the gossip, the women's impression of An-jie plummeted. Those who had previously praised her for being lively, generous, and possessing the bearing of a military family now saw her as tactless, arrogant, and domineering.

When the news reached the Yongchang Marquis's residence, Madam Wu was having breakfast.

The maidservant carefully relayed the rumors circulating outside, causing Madam Wu's hand to tremble and some of her fish porridge to spill out.

Yes, the Zhang family is prominent, and An'er's dowry is generous. If he can marry her, it will definitely be a help to Liu Lang.

But this girl's temperament... was even more fiery than Shilan's back then.

She started to have second thoughts.

The news even reached the palace and the emperor.

Upon hearing this, the official's expression shifted for a moment before he chuckled, "These children nowadays are much more mischievous than we were back then."

He spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he had just heard an amusing anecdote, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

After reviewing several memorials, he simply went to sit with Consort Zhang.

After some casual conversation, he casually remarked, "The Zhang family is now very prominent. The Marquis of Jingbian has distinguished himself in military affairs, and the Duke of Yingguo is a veteran of three reigns. They are highly respected both in and out of court. I remember all of this."

Zhang held her breath.

"But the Li family is, after all, my maternal uncle's family. Not to mention, they have suffered injustices in the past. Now that I finally have a chance to make amends, it is only natural."

"People should always give you some face, shouldn't they?"

After saying this, the official chatted for a few more minutes about everyday matters before getting up and leaving.

Zhang respectfully escorted the emperor to the palace gate, watching his figure disappear at the end of the palace road. The smile on her face slowly faded, leaving only a chill in her eyes.

She turned back to the palace and wrote down her conversation with the Emperor verbatim, then handed it to her personal maid: "I really enjoyed yesterday's pastries. Send some to Prince Wei as well."

The palace maid took the letter, accepted the order, and left.

Consort Shu sat alone in the hall, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

Never mind, let our son worry about these things.

-

When Zhao Yang received the message from his mother at the Prince of Wei's residence, Fu Ge'er happened to be there.

The two were playing chess in the study. After Zhao Yang finished reading the note, his expression darkened slightly, and he casually handed the note to Fu Ge'er across from him.

Fu Ge'er took a look and frowned: "Does Your Majesty think that I want to marry the princess?"

Zhao Yang placed a piece on the board, his voice calm: "Father is getting old. As people age, they become more soft-hearted and more attached to the past."

Fu Ge'er did not respond. As a subject and a junior, he had no right to comment on his sovereign.

Zhao Yang did not force the issue. On the contrary, what he valued most about Fu Ge'er was that he had lofty ambitions but also knew how to maintain proper boundaries.

After a long silence, Zhao Yang slowly spoke: "The Li family is the maternal clan of Father Emperor's birth mother, yet for many years they had to live in subservience, hidden in places where the sun never shines. It wasn't until the Empress Dowager passed away that Father Emperor was finally able to give them some respect in a legitimate way."

He paused, his voice tinged with sarcasm: "Now they want to marry the princess off, even ignoring the fact that Li Wei and Huirou are uncle and niece... It's nothing more than their fear that after a hundred years, a new maternal relative will emerge, and the Li family will be replaced and fade into obscurity."

Fu Ge'er listened quietly.

These are well-known secrets.

The Emperor had only two sons who grew up—the Prince of Wei, Zhao Yang, and the Prince of Yu, Zhao Xin.

When Zhao Xin was three years old, she fell seriously ill, and since then her health has been weak from time to time, so she has never married.

Although the emperor loved her dearly, he ultimately dared not place too much hope in her.

Although he appeared physically strong after reaching adulthood, Zhao Yang, who was ahead of him, matured earlier, received his education earlier, and was enfeoffed as a king and entered politics earlier.

With the added advantage of being the eldest son, although he has not yet been officially named the crown prince, 99% of the people in the court have already tacitly accepted him as the heir apparent.

Zhao Yang's birth mother, Consort Zhang, came from a collateral branch of the Zhang family of the Duke of Yingguo.

Although the Zhang family claims to never take sides, with this relationship, everyone tacitly agrees that the Zhang family is the most solid backing for Zhao Yang and his mother.

There's no need to win them over; they can't escape anyway.

The Zhang family was a leading family of nobles and a family of military generals;

Zhao Yang was the eldest son, and he was a refined and easy-going person who won the hearts of civil officials.

With these two advantages, its position can be described as rock solid.

However, this rock-solid position has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage was that the court was stable for many years, the imperial family was well-behaved, and the situation inside and outside the court was very good.

The downside is—

The emperor, who had lost his drive due to years of childlessness and was once easy to talk to, seems to have become less agreeable in recent years.

In some matters, he even became somewhat stubborn.

For example, he was reluctant to follow the wishes of the court officials and establish a crown prince early.

For example, they insisted on marrying Princess Fukang to the Li family.

His thoughts were not difficult for others to discern.

He simply believed that after his death, his eldest son Zhao Yang would ascend the throne, and the Zhang family would become the new maternal relatives, enjoying wealth and glory for a hundred years.

The Zhang family is good.

With a good family tradition and a united family, both men and women are reasonable and know their place. They would never wrong their daughter, who has been pampered by him for many years and whose personality has even become somewhat timid.

But why would the Zhang family, already so privileged, need a princess to add to their already splendid existence?

On the contrary, the Li family will surely decline after his death.

And Li Wei, who has no future.

He needed the wealth and glory that a princess would bring when she married him, and he needed the title of Imperial Son-in-Law to ensure a peaceful life for the rest of his days.

"I will not marry the princess," Fu Ge'er suddenly said, his voice calm but firm.

Zhao Yang paused as he placed his piece, then looked up at him.

After a moment of eye contact, Zhao Yang said earnestly, "But as an elder brother, I would rather Huirou marry you."

Fu Ge'er was taken aback.

He then said, "You know what I want to do. Since the founding of this dynasty, I have never heard of a son-in-law commander gaining real power and entering the court."

His gaze passed over Zhao Yang and landed on the huge map on the wall.

The map clearly marks the territory of the Song Dynasty, as well as the unrecovered Yan-Yun land to the north.

Zhao Yang didn't even need to turn around to know what he was looking at.

He scoffed, "How can you compare yourself to them? Look at all those good-for-nothings! They rely on nepotism to maintain their wealth and status. How can people like Li Wei be compared to those with real talent and learning?"

Zhao Yang lowered his voice, his expression becoming serious: "You know what I want to do. With me here, how could I possibly wrong you?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Ge'er was truly shocked.

"From what you're saying, you really want me to marry you?"

Zhao Yang shook his wide sleeves and personally brewed a cup of tea for Fu Ge'er.

He seemed to instantly shed his princely aura, becoming merely a close friend seeking a favor, his posture utterly humble: "Huirou is to me what An'er is to you. If it were you, could you just stand by and watch An'er marry someone like Li Wei?"

Fu Ge'er put himself in the other person's shoes for a moment and immediately rejected the idea—he would take a knife and chop that thing down.

"But I..."

Do you have someone you like?

"No, not at all."

"Could you take three wives and four concubines, become addicted to a life of pleasure, lose your edge, and cease all ambition?"

"Of course not."

Zhao Yang clapped his hands: "That settles it then. Although my Huirou is a princess, you know her temperament. She is the most gentle and considerate. She will never have any spoiled temper or princess airs. When she comes to your family, she will definitely respect her mother-in-law and protect her husband's sister. She will definitely live in harmony with your mother and sisters."

He stretched out his hand and pressed it on his shoulder: "If you marry her sooner, have children, and leave your bloodline, you will have no worries when you go to the frontier in the future."

Before Fu Ge'er could say anything more, Zhao Yang continued, "As for official rank and title, I've already thought it through for you. Those old fogies are still around, so I can't be too forceful. Here's what we'll do: you take the imperial examination first, then lie low for two years. Once you're ready to go into battle, I'll send you there, and that will be more legitimate."

Fu Ge'er looked up at him: "You've even thought about this much later on? Did you plan this all along?"

Zhao Yang simply smiled and remained silent.

"But you've forgotten one thing," Fu Ge'er said. "What if the princess has someone else she loves?"

Zhao Yang's smile became even more meaningful: "You don't need to worry about that at all. With a handsome and talented young man like you before her, who else could she possibly fancy?"

Fu Ge'er suddenly remembered the Prince Yu who had insisted on dragging him into the palace yesterday, and realized: "Could it be that yesterday, you—"

Seeing that he had realized what was happening, Zhao Yang quickly increased the pressure on his hands and said, "Huirou is my sister, and you are my cousin. You are also my future general in the Northern Expedition. The two of you are equally important to me, and I certainly hope that you will both be well."

This is what they call keeping the good stuff within the family.

Fu Ge'er asked helplessly, "So, you're saying you're confident you can persuade the Emperor?"

Zhao Yang's eyes flickered slightly, his expression meaningful: "Didn't I say that Father is getting old? Old people are more prone to being soft-hearted."