The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Sheng Hong's heart softened at Lin Qinshuang's tears. He sighed, reached out to help her up, and said in a gentler tone, "Alright, don't cry. Mo'er is our daughter; how could I mistreat her?"

He gently wiped away her tears with his fingertips, but his words were uncompromising: "We can't reach the wives of dukes and marquises, but we can find her a young and promising husband."

Lin Qinshuang raised her tearful eyes, a glimmer of hope flashing within them.

Sheng Hong pondered for a moment and said, "Speaking of which, I have a student who recently passed the provincial examination this autumn. Although his writing is still a bit lacking, his foundation is good. With two more years of practice, he may have a chance in the spring examination."

He was reluctant to discuss his children's marriages with Lin Qinshuang, because even in his muddle-headedness, he understood that such important matters should ultimately be discussed with Madam Hai, not with a concubine like Lin Qinshuang.

In recent years, for some reason, Hai Shi has caught the eye of the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jingbian. She has not only become the eldest daughter of the Marquis, but also half a tutor to the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion.

Their daily interactions were mostly with the wives of wealthy and powerful families.

And then there's her maternal family, the Hai family.

Even if he was unwilling, he had to admit that Madam's vision, abilities, and connections were incomparable to Lin Qinshuang, who was confined to her boudoir.

Especially after the annual drama unfolded when Yuan Wenshao, in the Zhongqin Earl's Mansion, was bewitched by a singing girl, insisted on separating from the family and running away, only to be abandoned by the singing girl in the end.

To be honest, he no longer dared to make decisions on his own regarding the marriages of his remaining children.

But now, in order to appease Lin Qinshuang, he could only say a little more: "That child comes from a family of farmers and scholars, with a clean family background and no bad deeds in three generations of his ancestors. I think he is a good match for Mo'er. I plan to talk to Madam about it in a few days."

Lin Qinshuang's face gradually turned pale as she listened.

A family of farmers and scholars? That sounds nice.

Isn't he just a poor scholar?

I'm afraid there isn't even a servant in the house to take care of things; I have to do everything myself.

Her Mo'er was raised in a life of luxury and pampering!

"Then...who else is in his family?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"He has a mother." Sheng Hong said casually, "She was widowed early and raised him with great difficulty, which was not easy for her."

Lin Qinshuang's heart sank even further.

A widowed mother and her only son! How could that be allowed?

A mother-in-law like this will definitely treat her son like the apple of her eye, and will try to interfere in the young couple's lives whenever something happens.

Mo'er has been raised to be a truly docile person by that vile woman Hai, and her brain has become stagnant. If she marries into that family, won't she be completely controlled by them?

"Honglang~" She clutched her handkerchief, trying to make her voice sound even more pitiful: "Our Mo'er may be a concubine's daughter, but she was still pampered and never lifted a finger. How... how could she marry into such a family?"

Sheng Hong frowned: "What kind of family? What kind of family? A real man must ultimately rely on his own abilities to establish himself in this world. Back then, I was just a minor official of the seventh rank, and you were still willing to follow me, weren't you?"

Lin Qinshuang was speechless for a moment, then stammered, "How...how can these be the same..."

The old woman was also a widow, but Sheng Hong was not her biological son, so she couldn't be considered a proper mother-in-law. As long as she had Sheng Hong under her control, the old woman wouldn't be able to easily interfere with her.

However, her most treasured possessions, since the old woman has no biological son and has severed ties with her maternal family, will eventually remain in the Sheng family and be left to Sheng Hong.

Moreover, before her affair with Sheng Hong was made public, Hai Shi appeared to be gentle and easy to manipulate.

What she saw was the wealth and power of the Sheng family, the lack of respectable elders for Sheng Hong, and the promising future of Sheng Hong.

But how can I say these words?

Sheng Hong was getting impatient. He stood up and said, "Alright, I know what's going on with Mo'er. Neither Madam nor I will mistreat her. You can rest assured."

Having said that, he didn't say anything more and turned to leave Linxi Pavilion.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Lin Qinshuang stood there in a daze for a long time, then suddenly grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it hard on the ground!

"Clang—"

Porcelain shards scattered everywhere.

"Young lady!" Zhou Xueniang was so frightened that she hurriedly went into the house, turned around and carefully closed the door. She thought to herself that it was fortunate that her master had already gone far away and had not heard any noise.

"What are you doing? Be careful not to hurt your hands!"

Lin Qinshuang's chest heaved violently, her eyes filled with resentment.

She gritted her teeth, her voice low but venomous: "Back then, if it weren't for his wealthy background and the fact that the Hai family was a mild-mannered person, who would have been willing to deal with him?"

In front of her trusted confidante Zhou Xueniang, she finally spoke her true feelings.

Her biggest regret in life was that she prided herself on being able to read people's expressions, but failed to see through Hai Shi!

She never imagined that beneath Hai Shi's gentle and kind exterior lay a heart colder than ice!

They said they would take her child away and raise him on their lap, and they really did.

Over the years, Changfeng and Mo'er have only ever treated her as their own mother, but when it comes to her, they only call her "little mother."

There was too much respect, but not enough intimacy.

Even more terrifying.

Compared to Hai Shi, she at least once believed that she had won Sheng Hong's heart.

But after most of her life, even she, as foolish as she was, could see that this man had no sincerity whatsoever.

Even if he had the money, he used it all for his own future and the future of the Sheng family.

She and Hai Shi, one a wife and the other a concubine, were nothing more than tools and playthings dependent on him, whose fates were decided by him.

The more Lin Qinshuang thought about it, the colder she felt.

Just as a trace of regret was about to emerge, she closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again, that fleeting moment of confusion and vulnerability had vanished without a trace, leaving only a resolute determination as firm as a rock.

"There's no turning back now." She spoke each word slowly and deliberately, as if declaring her stance to Zhou Xueniang, or perhaps admonishing herself: "My Mo'er deserves better no matter what."

Zhou Xueniang's heart skipped a beat as she looked at her face, her voice trembling as she said, "Young lady, what are you trying to do? Since the master has already made up his mind, let's not go against him. After all, the Fourth Miss's marriage is ultimately a matter for the master and the eldest mistress to decide..."

"What do you know?" Lin Qinshuang sneered, "Since he said that, for the sake of his reputation, my Mo'er will probably have no choice but to follow the same path I took back then."

She recalled the peasant family that the old lady of the Sheng family had almost found for her many years ago.

Mud-brick houses, simple meals, a lifetime spent toiling in the fields.

She was terrified and desperately seduced Sheng Hong.

Now that most of her life has passed, she still shudders when she thinks back to the days she almost lived.

"I can't accept my fate." She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. "For my child, I absolutely cannot accept my fate!"