The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Meanwhile, Xia Dongchun saw them off and breathed a long sigh of relief.

These past few days, she had been living in constant fear, terrified that the incident at Yimei Garden on New Year's Eve would suddenly resurface.

Fortunately, heaven has eyes now; the Fourth Master is paralyzed and can't utter a single word!

Not long after, the Fourteenth Prince was sent to the southeast to train the navy.

She waited and waited, and finally the storm passed. She hurriedly wrote home, urging her father to arrange a marriage for her.

Now that the marriage is settled and she can leave the palace tomorrow, she can finally put her mind at ease.

She really didn't want to stay in that terrifying palace any longer.

The Emperor was completely devoted to the Empress; no one else could be relied upon. The Empress was no saint either; anyone who dared to flatter her would be dragged out and killed.

If one cannot become a noble person, who would be willing to waste their time in the palace?

Why not go home and continue living a life where you're waited on hand and foot?

So what if our family is now in decline and not as prosperous as it used to be?

After all, I still have my parents.

As long as they exist, she, the eldest daughter of the Xia family, will never suffer any injustice.

-

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye.

As the summer heat recedes day by day and the sky grows higher, the wind that blows through the eaves no longer carries the sticky, sultry heat of midsummer, but instead brings a touch of indescribable coolness.

Zhen Huan and Seventeen finally got married.

This time, she got married in a grand and glorious manner.

She was married off properly and formally, as the primary consort of Prince Guo.

The wedding hall was bright red, with dragon and phoenix candles, and all the traditional rituals, such as the nuptial cup ceremony, the hair-tying ceremony, and the wedding ceremony, were performed without exception.

Seventeen was already handsome and dashing, and when he put on a bright red wedding dress, his smiling eyes and radiant spirit were even more accentuated.

Wearing a phoenix crown and with her veil hanging down, Zhen Huan took a step, and the gold thread on her skirt swayed gently, as bright and beautiful as a dream that refused to fade away.

Zhen Huan was naturally happy.

Not only because she married the man she loved, but also because this man never just said a few pretty words to make her happy.

During the past year of preparations for the wedding, Seventeen was willing to discuss everything with her. He let her ask about everything, from how to arrange the household, where to go on business, the social interactions and financial accounts in the household, and even who to take with him and what routes to take if he went out in the future. He also let her make the decisions.

He never treated her merely as a bride-to-be.

Instead, they should be regarded as people who stand shoulder to shoulder with them and walk alongside them.

More importantly, Seventeen had promised her.

After marriage, no matter where he was ordered to go on official business, he would take her with him.

This sentence almost completely erased Zhen Huan's regret that she couldn't become a female official like her sister Mei.

If one cannot serve in the palace, but can follow him to see the world and experience the warmth and coldness of human relationships, that is another kind of fulfillment.

On their wedding night, when Seventeen lifted her veil, the candlelight reflected the smile in his eyes, making it shine brightly.

Zhen Huan looked at him and smiled too.

Two hearts intertwined, two hearts in love, a lifetime of peace and happiness.

-

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the height of summer that year, Yan Zhi was sitting in the garden, enjoying the cool air and taking a short rest.

The Forbidden City is really not suitable for people to live in.

In summer it's as hot as a steamer, and in winter it's as cold as an icebox. It's square, layered, and so spacious that it's hard to breathe.

The longer Yanzhi lived there, the more he understood why those nobles of the Eight Banners, if they had any wealth, were so eager to build gardens.

I finally understand why Emperor Kangxi lived in Changchun Garden for many years in his later years, and even someone as stingy as Yinzhen spent a lot of money to expand his garden after he ascended the throne.

She wasn't someone who craved pleasure, but she also refused to wrong herself unnecessarily.

When he ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, he was still young and did not have his own garden, but the Changchun Garden left by Emperor Kangxi was readily available.

She wasn't pretentious.

Having taken over the throne and the empire, Yanzhi naturally didn't mind having a garden. So he simply transferred the garden to his own name and expanded it according to his own wishes.

It took two whole years and countless resources to finally complete.

Let's be frank, Lao Jiu deserves the greatest credit for this.

If he had not devoted himself to the cause, the national treasury would not have become so abundant so quickly.

Looking at the completed garden, not to mention Yinwu, even Yanzhi himself was extremely amazed.

In her previous life, she was born into the Dongchang Marquis's mansion. Her family was still prosperous when she was young, and her food, clothing, and daily necessities were comparable to those of a real princess. Moreover, her taste was exceptionally discerning. The garden she built according to her own wishes was naturally elegant in every aspect, while also being extremely practical.

After moving in, it was indeed much more comfortable than the Forbidden City.

Summer brings breezes, winter offers mild temperatures, and the covered bridges, waterside pavilions, flowers, trees, and terraces are all perfectly arranged.

Yan Zhi had his eyes closed, letting the breeze from the corridor gently blow through his hair, when suddenly a clear and loud call reached his ears—

"The Emperor's Mother!"

She recognized who it was even before she had fully opened her eyes.

The next moment, Ning Shou flew in from outside like a little bird, followed by Hong Wei, who had grown into a young boy.

In the past three years, Hongwei has grown taller, and his eyebrows and eyes have gradually relaxed, showing some of the features of a young man. Ning Shou also has a round, soft, and lovable appearance, with her hair neatly combed into two small buns. When she runs, the pearl flowers sway lightly, and her whole person looks like a small cloud wrapped in fragrance.

Yan Zhi wasn't annoyed at all; he simply reached out and took the small bundle into his arms.

Ning Shou pounced right on her, wrapped his arms around her neck, and said sweetly, "Empress Mother, I missed you so much."

Yan Zhi couldn't help but laugh at her.

Hongwei, standing nearby, shuddered violently and mercilessly exposed his sister: "Always causing trouble, I clearly saw her this morning."

Ning Shou immediately raised his head and retorted, "So what? A day without seeing the Empress Dowager feels like three autumns. If I haven't seen her this morning, it's been at least two autumns."

Hongwei was speechless for a moment, and could only raise his hand and gently tap her forehead: "I can't argue with you, you're always right."

Yanzhi watched the two children bickering with a smile, without interrupting or taking sides.

Only after they had finished their back-and-forth conversation did she raise her hand to adjust the small hairpin in Ning Shou's hair, and ask gently, "Did you listen to your grandmother today?"

Ning Shou immediately patted her little chest loudly: "I was very obedient! I even helped my grandmother up the steps!"

Hongwei immediately exposed her: "Yes, you just went up the steps and your grandmother entered the main hall, and you immediately started acting up. You said you wanted to burn incense, but then you disappeared. I wonder if Buddha even smelled your incense today."

Ning Shou refused to admit it and immediately retorted, "If Buddha is truly compassionate, he would naturally know that a lowly person like me is shallow and cannot kneel properly. He should be more considerate of me. If he is not even willing to show such consideration, then he is only falsely compassionate. If he is only falsely compassionate, why should I kneel before him?"

Hongwei couldn't argue with her, so he could only reach out and pinch her chubby little face with a mixture of love and hate: "You mouth."

Ning Shou laughed as she dodged, and even after she managed to dodge, she turned back to make a face at her brother, looking very smug. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging its tail in the air right now.

But as soon as she turned her head and saw Yanzhi, she immediately switched back to her most obedient expression, hugged Yanzhi's arm, and explained softly, "I wasn't particularly playful. I still went to find my grandmother. My grandmother is old, and her knees must have hurt a lot from kneeling for so long. With me there, I could help her. It's just that I searched for a very, very long time before I finally found her in a very secluded little house."

At this point, she suddenly seemed to remember something, blinked, and looked up at Yanzhi.

"The Queen's Mother."

Yan Zhi, still smiling, responded with a casual "Hmm?"

Who is Nian Shilan?

Yan Zhi's smile suddenly froze.