The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The sky was high and the clouds were light that day; it was a rare and beautiful day.

Zhen Huan, along with Liu Zhu and Huan Bi, rode in a carriage towards Shangshan Temple.

Halfway through the journey, the carriage suddenly heard a mournful and sorrowful cry. Zhen Huan couldn't help but ask what was wrong. Liu Zhu then ordered the driver to slow down, lifted the curtain herself, and turned back to say, "Miss, there's a woman by the roadside ahead, holding a child. She looks so pitiful."

Zhen Huan followed her gaze and saw a ragged young woman holding a young child, huddled under a withered tree by the roadside, sobbing uncontrollably. She looked incredibly pitiful.

"Stop the car," she said softly.

Huanbi was taken aback: "Miss?"

Zhen Huan had already lifted the curtain and gotten out of the carriage. She walked up to the woman and squatted down.

When the woman saw that she was dressed in bright clothes, her crying stopped abruptly. She shrank back in fear, looking even more pitiful. Zhen Huan quickly spoke up to comfort her.

"Don't be afraid." Zhen Huan looked the child over; he looked no more than two or three years old, so thin he was skin and bones, nestled in his mother's arms, drowsy. "What happened?"

Seeing that the three of them, mistress and servant, were all women, the woman relaxed her guard and tearfully explained the situation.

It turned out that her husband had passed away before the Lunar New Year, and her in-laws could not tolerate her and her son, so they kicked her out.

She wanted to go to her parents' home with her child, but her parents' home wouldn't accept her either. Now her child is starving and she is sick and can't find a job to support him.

Zhen Huan felt a pang of sorrow as she listened.

She stood up and said to Huanbi, "Do we still have some food in the carriage? Go and get it quickly."

Huanbi's eyes widened: "Miss, those are all for offering to the Bodhisattva!"

Zhen Huan said softly, "Giving it to the Bodhisattva is also to seek good karma. Now that we're in the middle of nowhere, if I give them gold and silver, how long will it take for these orphans and widows to walk back to the city to buy food? If we're going to save people, we should be quick to help them. If a child is too weak from hunger, we should feed him first. I think even the Bodhisattva would do the same here. Don't say any more, just do it."

Huanbi opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to refute it. She could only turn around, take out a food box from the carriage, and reluctantly hand it to the woman, muttering under her breath, "You're lucky to have met such a wonderful person as our young lady."

The woman, holding the food box, was stunned by the aroma of the pastries wafting towards her. She then knelt down, clutching her child, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss! Your kindness is beyond measure..."

Zhen Huan quickly helped her up and took off a jade bracelet from her wrist, telling her to sell it and use the money to rent a house and settle down. If there was no way back, she should come to the residence of Zhen Yuandao, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and she would think of another way for her. Then she turned and got into the carriage.

The carriage continued on its way.

Not far away, behind a large tree.

Yinli watched this scene, his eyes flashing.

Ah Jin leaned closer and whispered, "Master, Shangshan Temple is just ahead."

Yinli withdrew his gaze, a slight smile curving his lips: "I want to see if the Bodhisattva here is truly that efficacious."

Having said that, he spurred his horse and quickly followed after them.

Looking at his master's suddenly energetic appearance, Ah Jin shook his head helplessly and quickly urged his horse to catch up.

The person who was dawdling and looking unwilling just a moment ago is now running faster than anyone else.

-

Shangshan Temple is not large, and its incense offerings are not particularly prosperous, but it has many female members of the family.

Zhen Huan offered incense in the main hall, knelt on the prayer mat, and closed her eyes to pray silently.

"I, Zhen Huan, though I cannot achieve great things like men, do not wish to easily betray myself. If I am to marry, I must marry the best man in the world and be united with him in marriage."

"His Majesty is undoubtedly a dragon among men, but if he and the Empress are truly deeply in love, I would never want to enter the palace, much less become the one who destroys their relationship."

"If I am blessed with mercy, I wish to meet my soulmate, to pledge our love and stay together until our hair turns white."

After she finished praying, she opened her eyes and looked at the Bodhisattva statue with its lowered brows and downcast eyes, her heart filled with clarity.

After leaving the temple, walk down the mountain path.

In the distance, you can see someone has set up an easel by the roadside and is sketching.

The man was handsome, dressed in a moon-white robe, and had an elegant demeanor. However, the easel he set up was rather domineering, taking up half the road.

Ah Jin spotted the figure of the Zhen family's master servant in the distance and quickly whispered a reminder: "Master, they're here."

Yinli lowered his head, pretending to be focused on painting.

Zhen Huan approached and saw that the person was taking up most of the road, and frowned slightly.

Huanbi was stunned by the man's appearance and couldn't speak for a moment.

Liu Zhu, however, was straightforward. She leaned close to Zhen Huan's ear and whispered, "Miss, should I go ask them to move aside?"

Zhen Huan shook her head and pressed her down, saying, "It's better to avoid trouble. Let's take it one step at a time."

Having said that, the three of them, master and servants, kept their eyes straight ahead and walked along the side of the road.

Just as they were about to pass by, Yinli suddenly spoke, his voice clear and bright, tinged with a hint of regret:

"What a pity about this Bodhisattva portrait. No matter how hard I try, I can't capture the compassionate spirit in the Bodhisattva's eyes and brows."

Zhen Huan paused slightly.

These words piqued her curiosity, and she glanced at the person in the direction they were looking, only to be stunned at first glance.

The drawing on the paper depicted the scene of her doing good deeds with the mother and child on the mountain road.

Her clothes, her posture, and the expressions of Liu Zhu and Huan Bi standing behind her are all vividly portrayed.

She herself was looking down at the child, her features hidden in the shadows, making them difficult to see clearly.

The entire painting thus lost its charm.

Zhen Huan instantly understood.

She looked up at the person.

Yinli was looking at her and smiled calmly.

He was already handsome, and this smile made him even more dashing and captivating.

Zhen Huan turned around and faced the portrait.

Under Yinli's surprised gaze, she stepped forward and snatched the paintbrush from his hand.

"What's so difficult about that?"

She dipped her brush in ink and, with swift strokes, sketched a figure hiding in a corner—

It was Yinli himself, dressed exactly the same as the others, and even the patterns on the jade pendant hanging at his waist were clearly visible.

Yet he bowed deeply to her from afar, his posture incredibly humble, yet subtly conveying a sense of reverence.

Zhen Huan put down her pen and said calmly, "Even mortals who have the opportunity to see the true face of a Bodhisattva should feel ashamed of their own insignificance. Besides..."

She paused, her eyes filled with disdain: "A lecher like you."

After saying that, she picked up her brush again and added two veils to the faces of Liu Zhu and Huan Bi.

He tossed aside his paintbrush, turned, and walked away.

Liu Zhu and Huan Bi were stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.

Yinli stood there, staring at her departing figure, unsure how to react for a long time.

Ah Jin stamped his foot, looking at the pen that had rolled down the mountain with heartache: "Master! This was a gift from the late Emperor! There will never be another one like it in the world!"

Yinli ignored her, staring blankly in the direction Zhen Huan had left, murmuring, "There really is such a beautiful and talented woman in this world..."

-

Inside the carriage, Liu Zhu was still smiling.

"Girl, didn't you see? That guy was completely dumbfounded by your retort! You lecher! Hahahaha!"

Huanbi shook her head thoughtfully, "Seeing how dashing he was, I thought he was a peerless gentleman, but I never expected him to be so reckless. You really can't judge a book by its cover." She paused, then added, "Next time we go out, we should bring two more guards."

Liu Zhu suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "How strange! This road is usually bustling with people, why is it so quiet today?"

Zhen Huan's heart stirred slightly.

Just as I was about to think it over, the carriage suddenly lurched forward, then with a loud crash, the entire carriage lurched forward—

"what!"

The master and his two servants rushed forward together.

Liu Zhu reacted quickly, grabbing Zhen Huan and shielding her with her own body; the two rolled around in a ball.

Huanbi bumped into the carriage wall, wincing in pain.

"What's going on!" Huanbi rubbed her arm and lifted the curtain to scold.

The driver's voice came from a panicked voice: "Miss, please forgive me! There's a big stone slab on the road, and the wheels are stuck."

With Liu Zhu's help, Zhen Huan sat up, straightened her clothes, and lifted the curtain to look outside.

Sure enough, a bluestone slab half-buried in the soil lay across the middle of the road, and the carriage wheel got stuck on it, leaving a gap.

"It needs some repairs, but luckily I brought the tools. It'll just be a bit of a hassle for you to wait, Miss." The driver rubbed his hands together, looking troubled.

Huanbi panicked: "There's no village or shop in sight!"

Zhen Huan, however, had already spotted a grove of trees by the roadside.

It was late spring, and some late-blooming apricots were still in bloom in that grove.

Pink and white petals adorn the branches, and when the wind blows, a shower of petals falls.

She suddenly smiled.

"Perhaps it's fate that we should stay a while longer," she said softly, helping Liu Zhu out of the carriage. "Look at that apricot grove, how beautifully it's in bloom. Why don't we go into the grove to rest and enjoy the scenery? It's a bit sunny today, so be careful not to get your delicate skin sunburned."

Huanbi wanted to complain a bit more, but after being silenced by her words, she was too embarrassed to say anything more.

The three of them, master and servants, entered the apricot grove.

The further she went, the more delighted Zhen Huan became.

The apricot blossoms are like clouds, and the falling petals create a scene reminiscent of a fairyland.

To her even greater surprise, there was a swing deep in the woods.

The swing was simple to make; two thick ropes were tied to the branches of an old apricot tree, and a wooden board hung down below, covered with fallen petals.

"A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise." Zhen Huan smiled and said, "The ancients were right."

She stepped forward, sat on the swing, and gently rocked back and forth.

Liu Zhu pushed from behind, while Huan Bi watched from the side. The three of them, master and servant, chatted and laughed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Petals fluttered down, landing in her hair, on her shoulders, and on the hem of her slightly swaying skirt.

She looked up at the sunlight filtering through the branches, her smile even brighter than the apricot blossoms.

Seeing Yinzhen not far away, he was utterly bewildered.

...Wanwan.