The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

When Qi Heng received Fu Ge'er's invitation, Princess Pingning was checking the household accounts.

Upon hearing that Gu Tingye had returned to the capital, the Jingbian Marquis's residence and the Dongchang Marquis's residence held a banquet to welcome him. The princess frowned slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed across her face.

Although she shares the same lineage as the Gu family, strictly speaking, Gu Tingye should call her his cousin.

However, Gu Tingye's birth mother's background as a merchant's daughter was always a thorn in her side, which made her dislike having much contact with the Ningyuan Marquis's family.

But then she thought about it again, and realized that her Yuanruo was an only child, with no brothers or siblings to support him.

It would be better to get to know more capable and promising young people than to spend all day with the纨绔 (playboys) of the Liang family.

No matter how unbearable Gu Tingye's birth mother was, or how fiercely she quarreled with his father, he was the only legitimate son of the Ningyuan Marquis's family. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely inherit the title in the future.

Besides, Gu Tingye himself has proven himself quite capable.

Furthermore, the children of the Zhang and Qin families are well-known and reliable in both character and academics.

After a moment's hesitation, she finally nodded: "Go. Come back soon, and don't drink too much."

A smile appeared in Qi Heng's eyes, and he respectfully replied, "Yes."

-

As dusk settles, steam rises from the private rooms of Fanlou.

The young men sat around a table, clinking glasses and laughing so loudly they could practically lift the roof off.

Gu Tingye was surrounded by people who kept pouring him drinks, and he accepted them all. After several rounds, his face was flushed, but his eyes became even brighter.

"Alright, alright," Cheng Bai said with a smile, stopping his hand from raising his glass again. "Let's get down to business—how long will you be staying this time?"

Gu Tingye put down his wine glass and wiped his face. "About a month. If we're lucky, we can arrange a marriage and then come back at the end of the year to get married."

He spoke frankly, but the room suddenly fell silent.

Several pairs of eyes turned to him at once.

"What did you say? What did you say?" Fu Ge'er was the first to react: "You want to propose marriage?"

"Look at all you ambitious kids," Gu Tingye grinned, revealing his white teeth. "I'm this old, what's wrong with wanting to get married?"

He paused, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice: "I'm not like you, who can find better marriage prospects after passing the imperial examinations. I'm a military officer, and swords have no eyes on the frontier. One wrong move and I could lose my life. If I don't get married soon and leave an heir, my mother will only worry more and more."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed another glass. The liquor was spicy and burned all the way to his stomach.

Back then, full of youthful vigor and ambition, I left the capital, determined to earn fame and fortune on the frontier.

When he finally arrived at the border and endured many years of hardship, he realized how naive his ideas had been.

It wasn't that he wasn't brave enough, nor that he didn't dare to fight desperately, but that now that they had powerful firearms, neither the Liao nor the Western Xia dared to provoke him lightly.

This is a great thing for the people.

But for someone like him who tries to gain official rank and title through military achievements, it is also a kind of disappointment.

Day after day, year after year, the wind and sand of the border eventually wore down his youthful spirit and vigor.

In addition, his mother was waiting for him at home, worried sick, and he couldn't bear it. He thought he might as well go back to Beijing and settle his marriage first.

The atmosphere at the table became heavy.

The group exchanged glances, unsure of how to comfort him.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Gu Tingye smiled nonchalantly. Not wanting to appear weak in front of others, nor wanting to ruin this rare reunion, he half-jokingly said, "I remember you all have older sisters or younger sisters of marriageable age in your families? How about considering me?"

Upon hearing this, the sympathy that everyone had felt vanished instantly.

"Dream on!" Fu Ge'er blurted out, "You're never home all year round, am I supposed to marry you and live in constant fear for you?"

He paused for a moment after speaking.

Because he suddenly realized that he would eventually follow the same path as Gu Tingye.

He couldn't bear to see his sister marry such a man and live in fear, but he still couldn't prevent his future wife from living such a life...

No matter who she is, isn't she someone else's daughter or sister?

Cheng Bai shook his head repeatedly: "My younger sister is kind-hearted by nature, and she is not suitable for you."

Sheng Changlin drank silently, without saying a word.

Because he really does have younger sisters, and more than one, each one as beautiful as a flower.

However, the Sheng family's social standing was the lowest among those present, unlike the two young marquises who could directly refuse.

I'd rather pretend I didn't hear it than put myself in an awkward position.

Gu Tingye snorted lightly: "Fine, don't give it to me then, I don't care anyway."

He raised his glass again, saying, "Let's drink! Let's drink!"

He forcefully suppressed his disappointment and instead began to pour drinks for everyone, as if that would wash away all his worries.

As the banquet drew to a close, everyone except Fu Ge'er, who still retained some semblance of clarity, was slumped over.

Gu Tingye put his arm around Chengbai's shoulder and slurred about the embarrassing things that happened back in school.

Wang Lun listened with a smile, but his eyes were clear, indicating that he hadn't drunk too much.

Sheng Changlin lay on the table, muttering sentences from the article.

Fu Ge'er helped each person up and handed them over to their respective servants.

When it was Qi Heng's turn, this usually dignified young master was quite drunk. Upon seeing Fu Ge'er approach, he grinned and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you... Brother!"

But then he stumbled.

Fu Ge'er quickly reached out to support him, feeling both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected Qi Heng to be so... adorable and silly when drunk.

He handed the man over to Buwei and instructed him, "Wipe his face thoroughly on the way back, and give him a hangover soup as soon as you get home, to at least sober him up a bit. If you go back like this, the princess will definitely be angry, and she probably won't let him out easily in the future."

Qi Heng, still half asleep, heard this and looked up at me with a wronged expression: "Why did my brother say that too... Do you all think I'm just a good child who listens to Mother?"

Just now at the banquet, Gu Tingye used these words to provoke him and trick him into drinking a lot of wine.

Fu Ge'er sighed helplessly and coaxed, "No way! Yuan Ruo is just being filial and doesn't want the princess to be sad."

Qi Heng was truly drunk. Upon hearing this, he leaned forward and mumbled, "Then...would you be willing...?"

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he made a move as if he wanted to vomit.

Fu Ge'er reacted quickly, turning him around and urgently calling out to Buwei, "Hurry up and help your master into the carriage!"

The two of them worked together to help Qi Heng onto the carriage.

Seeing his distressed expression, Fu Ge'er, remembering their years of friendship, couldn't help but whisper, "Zhong Huai was just saying it casually, but you took it to heart, which means you've had your own thoughts for a while. If you're truly unwilling to accept this, then make some changes and don't just wait for others to plan for you."

Buwei listened with his head down, his eyes flickering, but he remained silent.

"Take good care of him," Fu Ge'er instructed.

It is not out of politeness that one should respond.

The carriage rumbled away into the distance.

Fu Ge'er rubbed his throbbing temples and was about to turn around and go back upstairs to pay the bill when he stepped on something hard.

He bent down and picked it up. By the light of the large lamp at the entrance of Fanlou, he could see that it was a small white jade monkey, no bigger than a thumb, with exquisite carving.

look familiar.

The way the tassels are tied looks more familiar.

He looked up at the street corner where the carriage had disappeared, his brows furrowing slightly.