The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Inside the main courtyard, Ying Qiongfang was leisurely sipping fresh tea. Ever since her eldest daughter's wedding, the heavy weight that had been weighing on her heart for so many years had finally been lifted, and she was living a more and more carefree life.

But thinking about her meager dowry, she frowned again.

Although the youngest daughter is still young, she will be of marriageable age in a few years, and her dowry must be prepared as soon as possible. However, in recent years, the income from the shops and estates has not been good, and the household expenses have increased as the children grow up. Nothing can be lacking. What should we do?

Should I really agree to my sister's request to lend money at exorbitant interest rates?

As she was making plans, she suddenly saw a large group of people coming to the door. Leading the group were her two children. Her son was holding a familiar booklet, and their expressions were not good.

As the two men entered, seeing Granny Zhang being escorted in by two servants, Ying Qiong's heart pounded like a drum, and she quickly stood up:

"What, what is this for?"

"Mother, your son caught a huge rat today!"

Qin Zhengyang angrily recounted what had just happened.

After listening to the story in horror, Ying Qiongfang opened the ledger that recorded outrageous prices and felt a wave of dizziness and her blood rush to her head.

"Zhang Mama...you, how dare you..." Ying Qiongfang pointed at her trusted old woman, who was tightly bound and slumped on the ground, her fingers trembling. "Is what's written here true?!"

Zhang's mother was terrified, tears streaming down her face, only able to kowtow and beg for mercy: "Madam, spare me! Madam, spare me! This old servant was confused for a moment..."

Ying Qiongfang was so angry that her chest tightened, but she forced herself to say to another old woman beside her, "Go, immediately send someone to the street to ask about the prices of things outside..."

"Mother, what's there to ask!" Qin Zhengyang interrupted, his gaze sweeping over the other head maids standing respectfully in the courtyard. He sneered, "In this mansion, every servant who's married and has a house outside, knows exactly what groceries they buy and cook for. They know the market prices perfectly well! They just cover for each other, colluding to deceive their superiors and subordinates!"

These words were like a resounding slap in the face, not only hitting Zhang's mother but also making the other women in charge of the courtyard look embarrassed and lower their heads.

Upon hearing this, Ying Qiongfang felt a sharp pain in her heart: "Good, good, a bunch of insolent servants! Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Start from the main kitchen, investigate every place!"

Just then, Qin Muchuan returned to the mansion and immediately sensed the tense atmosphere upon entering the courtyard.

After listening to his wife's tearful account of what had happened, and then flipping through the account book, Qin Muchuan was instantly enraged.

He was mediocre, but he hated being deceived by his servants the most.

He immediately pointed at Zhang's mother and shouted, "You audacious wretch! Keeping her around is just asking for trouble. Call the slave traders and sell her whole family off!"

"Father, please calm down and take care of your health."

After he finished venting, Shilan thoughtfully poured him some warm tea and gently helped him catch his breath, saying, "Second Brother is right. The servants in this Marquis's mansion have been deeply entrenched for years. It's true that the main kitchen is the most lucrative, but are other places necessarily clean and honest? The paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones in the study, the fabrics and needles in the embroidery room, even... the rouge and powder that we masters use every day, where are the purchases handled without loopholes? If we're going to investigate, we should investigate thoroughly."

The once immense wealth of this marquis's mansion has, over the years, almost dwindled to an empty shell.

With such a large deficit, how can selling just one company be enough?

Qin Muchuan looked at his youngest daughter with some surprise, only to find that she was calm and composed at the moment, which was completely different from her usual charming and cute appearance.

He hesitated and said, "A thorough investigation... wouldn't that be too much of a commotion? If word gets out, wouldn't our Dongchang Marquis's mansion become a laughing stock in Bianjing?"

After spending the past two years together, Shilan had long since seen through her father's gentle and refined exterior, which concealed a heart that was indecisive.

Yeah.

As the head of the family, such indecisiveness is an absolute disadvantage, and will only lead the family down a downward spiral.

But as a father, such a temperament is just right.

Shilan said without room for argument, "If Father and Mother are worried about making too much noise and are concerned about the household accounts, how about temporarily entrusting the management of the household to your daughter?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Muchuan and Ying Qiongfang were both stunned and stared at her in surprise.

Shilan calmly explained, "As my daughter grows older, she will eventually have to learn how to manage the household. To the outside world, we can simply say that her parents are enlightened and intend to train her, thus entrusting her with the management of the household. This will not only not damage the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, but will also become a good story, demonstrating that our Dongchang Marquis's mansion has excellent family education, and that my daughter is not the kind of mediocre person who only knows how to enjoy herself."

Looking at her daughter's composed demeanor, and recalling how she had become increasingly assertive and decisive in recent years, and glancing at that wretched account book, the scales in her heart had already tipped.

Qin Muchuan pondered for a moment, then realized that his daughter's words made sense; they could solve the problem while saving face. He finally nodded and said, "Alright, I'll do as you say. Let you give it a try."

Shilan smiled with satisfaction.

Parents who are too soft-hearted and indecisive will never be able to persuade their children.

Stepping out of the main courtyard, Qin Zhengyang looked at the heavy bunch of keys in Shilan's hand, and his expression finally brightened: "So this was your backup plan! Very well, you'd better manage it well and make sure you accumulate a hefty dowry!"

Seeing that he was genuinely happy for her and repeatedly placed her dowry before his "family property," Shilan felt a warmth in her heart and said, "Second brother, managing the household is only the first step. Next, I have another request that I need your cooperation with."

"Go ahead!" Qin Zhengyang replied readily, in high spirits.

"Second Brother, do you still remember the youngest daughter of the Wang family whom I helped at the Ningyuan Marquis's residence the other day?"

Qin Zhengyang: "Of course I remember."

Shilan: "Madam Wang has already sent a visiting card and will be coming to express her gratitude soon. I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Wang family to find a renowned scholar to be my second brother's teacher. I have thought it over and over, and in this world, it is always good to study hard. Even if he doesn't take the imperial examinations and instead pursues a career through patronage, having knowledge in one's mind will always make a difference."

Upon hearing the words "studying" and "great Confucian scholar," Qin Zhengyang's smile instantly froze, his expression turning extremely unnatural. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, no! Your brother knows his own limitations; I'm simply not cut out for that! I'm fine with wielding swords and spears, but classical Chinese? Please spare me!"

Shilan had anticipated his reaction and wasn't in a hurry. She simply said slowly, "Whether you have the talent or not is another matter. The key is that you need to show an ambitious attitude. A marquis's heir who is good at neither literature nor martial arts and only knows how to play and inherit the title is worlds apart in the eyes of matchmakers and those high-ranking nobles from a perspective of hard work and ambition. Second brother, don't you want to arrange a perfect marriage?"

That last sentence hit Qin Zhengyang's nail on the head.

He paused, looking at his sister's all-knowing eyes, his face flushing and turning pale before finally letting out a helpless sigh and scratching his head: "...You always have so many reasons! Fine, fine, whatever you say!"