The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Not to mention how Zhen Huan tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.

Thousands of miles away in Jeju and Songyang, Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong had mixed feelings upon hearing the news.

Jeju Shin Mansion.

Madam Shen held the official gazette, reading it over and over, her smile barely concealed. Holding Shen Meizhuang's hand, she chattered on, "What 'female official' nonsense! They're still just palace maids and servants. It's just something to fool those from humble families. With our family's status, we certainly wouldn't look down on such things. His Majesty and the Empress wouldn't be that foolish. Don't worry, even if you don't get selected, marrying into the imperial family is good too. The Seventeenth Prince is about your age; it's all good. It's good that you can participate, it's good that you can participate!"

She started planning again: "When would be a good time to go to the capital? We need to send someone to inform your maternal grandparents as soon as possible, so they can look after you when you arrive. It would be best to leave a few days early, and spend some quality time with your maternal grandparents. They haven't seen you for many years, and they must miss you terribly..."

Shen Meizhuang listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word.

As she gazed at the leaves outside the window that were gradually turning yellow, she thought of the article she had read in her room that day.

Female officer?

Songyang County, Anfu.

An Lingrong stood by the window, and those two words were on her mind.

She had never even heard of it. Could a woman really become an official?

What good is the official position that the mother bought for that man, even though she went blind from exhaustion?

Unfortunately, she was illiterate and her handwriting was terrible. All she had to offer was her embroidery skills. Could she possibly become an embroiderer for the emperor and empress and gain an official position through that?

As soon as the thought arose, An Lingrong laughed to herself.

But the smile quickly turned bitter.

The palace is the richest place in the world. What good things can't she have? Even if she became the Empress's top embroiderer with her outstanding embroidery skills, how far could she go?

Can I earn a decent and stable life for my mother, so that she will no longer suffer in this family?

She sighed softly and glanced around the room.

Since the news of the talent show came out, her and her mother's treatment has visibly improved.

Meat dishes started appearing on the table, the window that had been broken for a long time was finally repaired, the bedding was replaced with clean and thick ones, and even on the dressing table, there were several boxes of rouge and face powder that she had only dared to secretly dream of before.

An Lingrong knew why.

As she gazed at the boxes of rouge, another possibility began to surface in her mind.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

The imperial family members are all the chosen ones, how could they be easy to curry favor with?

If possible...

She still needs to aim for something even higher.

Not for any other reason than to let my mother live with her head held high.

-

Time flies, and the autumn election is just around the corner.

On this day, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the Imperial Garden was decorated in a brand new way.

The pavilions and towers are adorned with seasonal chrysanthemums and osmanthus, their rich fragrance wafting in the breeze.

The young ladies were led into the garden, where the leading lady smiled and instructed them, "Please feel free to rest here. Whatever you would like to drink or eat, or if you have any other requests, please don't hesitate to ask. Her Majesty the Empress has specifically instructed that you need not be so reserved in this banquet."

As soon as Zhen Huan stepped into the garden, she was immediately captivated by the scenery before her.

The winding path leads to a secluded spot, where flowers and trees flourish.

Beside the pavilion stood a small table, upon which lay a complete set of tea utensils; not far away was another long table, covered with Xuan paper, inkstone, and brushes, with several fine Huzhou brushes hanging on a brush holder. Further on, the bronze pot for pitching in the game of pitching stood quietly, and the path for playing ball with hammers was laid out smoothly.

Everywhere you look, you see ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Some of them resemble aristocratic banquet scenes depicted by Song Dynasty painters.

"Huan'er!"

A surprised voice rang out.

Zhen Huan turned around and saw Shen Meizhuang walking quickly towards her, and she was immediately overjoyed.

"Sister Mei!"

Shen Meizhuang looked Zhen Huan up and down, her eyes filled with amazement: "Huan'er, you look so beautiful in this outfit."

Today, Zhen Huan wore a very light lotus-colored cheongsam embroidered with exquisite crabapple blossoms, which made her look even more elegant and refined.

She smiled, took Shen Meizhuang's hand, and said, "Sister Meizhuang is the one who's captivating."

After the two talked for a while, Shen Meizhuang suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Huan'er, you've always been clever, can you tell what kind of riddle Her Majesty the Empress is playing?"

She looked around, her eyes filled with confusion: "Those things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are fine, they're things I'm used to seeing. But what are those over there? Why is a proper talent show being turned into a banquet or amusement park? What my governess taught me is completely different from this."

Zhen Huan followed her gaze and examined each item one by one: "This is tea ceremony, that's flower arrangement. This is pitch-pot, that's ball-throwing. And those, the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, incense burning and tea tasting... these are all entertainments enjoyed by female officials and their families during banquets in the Tang and Song dynasties."

She paused, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes: "I just don't know what the intention is."

Shen Meizhuang glanced at her and sighed softly, "It's only because it's you. If it were me, I wouldn't even recognize you."

In a corner of the garden, An Lingrong was experiencing the same situation.

Looking at everything before her, she felt both anticipation and trepidation.

The carved beams and painted rafters of the palace walls, the well-arranged furnishings—everywhere felt unfamiliar and distant to her.

She couldn't even name the tools, let alone know how to use them.

Finally, his gaze suddenly fell on an incense table.

An Lingrong's eyes lit up.

On the table were various incense utensils: incense burners, incense boxes, incense spoons, incense chopsticks... all neatly arranged and complete.

At least it's something she recognizes!

Does the Empress also have incense-making skills tested?

She was overjoyed and was about to go forward for a closer look when she was suddenly bumped into.

"Ouch!"

A sharp sound rang out.

An Lingrong looked up and saw a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes and with an arrogant expression glaring at her.

The woman was dressed in an orange-red cheongsam, embroidered with intricate gold thread patterns, exuding an air of nobility.

"You blind fool!" The woman looked at the small tea stain on her cuff, her voice growing even sharper. "Do you know how much this outfit is worth? Can you afford to pay for it?"

An Lingrong was stunned by the scolding and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

The woman sized her up, noticing her simple attire and ordinary fabric, and couldn't help but sneer, "I wonder which humble family you come from. So shabby, and you dare to participate in the selection? Let me tell you, this dress of mine is Suzhou embroidery. Just this one piece is enough to feed your whole family for a year! How are you going to compensate me?"

An Lingrong's face flushed red, and tears were already welling up in her eyes.

"With the imperial palace so close, and the emperor so near, why must you be so aggressive, sister?"

A gentle voice rang out.

Zhen Huan approached unnoticed, a smile on her face, her tone gentle yet her expression resolute as she looked at the woman and said, "This young lady probably didn't mean it. Elder sister, you are so magnanimous, why bother with such a small matter? Besides, this is the Imperial Garden, where Her Majesty the Empress holds banquets. If this commotion gets out, it won't sound good to Her Majesty."

Xia Dongchun's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she subconsciously looked at her aunt who was looking in their direction not far away.

She glared at An Lingrong hatefully, then looked Zhen Huan over and saw that she had an extraordinary bearing and that although her clothes were plain, they were all of the highest quality. In the end, she didn't say anything more, just snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

An Lingrong breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhen Huan gratefully: "Thank you for helping me out, sister."

Zhen Huan smiled gently, about to speak, when she suddenly heard a eunuch's high-pitched announcement coming from afar—

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

The garden immediately fell silent.

The young women composed themselves, held their breath, and stood in accordance with the rules, heads bowed, waiting.

Yan Zhi slowly walked into the garden.

Today, she was dressed in full regalia according to her rank, wearing a dark blue satin embroidered with eight phoenix patterns as an empress's court robe. The collar and cuffs were adorned with pearls and rubies and sapphires. Behind her was a long procession of palace maids holding gold and jade ruyi scepters, palace fans, and incense burners, who surrounded her as she slowly walked forward.

His imposing presence and aura caused all the young women present to hold their breath involuntarily.