The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"My maternal grandmother was chanting scriptures very earnestly in her small room, and she even cried."

Ning Shou nestled in Yan Zhi's arms, still chattering away, her dark eyes sparkling with innocence and curiosity.

"There are words written on that sign, and I recognize a few of them."

"It is written about... my beloved daughter, Nian Shilan."

Yan Zhi felt a buzzing sound in his ears, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Ning Shou tilted her little face up and asked earnestly, "Empress Mother, does Ning Shou have an aunt? Empress Mother?"

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Hongwei stood to the side, his smiling face gradually fading as he noticed her expression was off.

Ning Shou immediately became anxious and reached out to touch her face: "Empress Mother, are you feeling unwell?"

Yan Zhi forced a smile, wanting to give them a smile, but found it difficult to even do so.

She could only raise her hand and rub Ning Shou's head, whispering, "It's nothing. Your Majesty just suddenly feels a little dizzy."

Upon hearing this, Ning Shou immediately tried to climb off her lap: "I'll go fetch the imperial physician!"

"No need." Yan Zhi subconsciously pulled her back, his voice still gentle, but it revealed a hint of fatigue: "It's nothing serious, I'll be fine after a rest."

As Hongwei grew older, he became more adept at reading people's expressions. He glanced at Yanzhi and knew that she probably didn't want anyone to accompany her at the moment, so he stepped forward, took Ningshou's hand, and coaxed her softly, "Since Mother Empress says she'll be fine after a rest, let's go back first and let her have some peace and quiet. If you really go and call the imperial physician, it will only make things more complicated, and Mother Empress will feel even more uncomfortable."

Although Ning Shou was unwilling, she always listened to her brother, so she could only look back at Yan Zhi a few times with reluctance before following Hong Wei and leaving with a long, drawn-out look.

Once the person left, everything became quiet.

The wind was still blowing, the bamboo shadows under the eaves swayed gently, and the water surface rippled with fine waves.

Yan Zhi seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he stood there motionless for a long time.

When Yinwu returned at night, Yanzhi had already suppressed all his emotions.

The family ate together as usual.

Ning Shou spoke animatedly about the pilgrims he had met at his maternal grandmother's house during the day;

Hongwei slowly and methodically corrected her mistakes.

Yinwu listened and laughed, occasionally interjecting a few words, the atmosphere at the table filled with the ordinary warmth of home.

Yanzhi smiled, served food to the children, and talked with Yinwu.

There is nothing wrong with it.

After the children had all left, the couple washed and tidied themselves up. Only then did Yinwu recline on the couch and start chatting with her about recent gossip.

He spoke of trivial matters in the court and the recent changes in Nian Gengyao, his tone even carrying a hint of emotion.

"Second brother has been quite well-behaved these days."

As he spoke, he glanced at Yan Zhi with a smile: "As expected, the Empress still has a way."

This sentence reminded Yanzhi of the incident a few months ago.

At that time, a great victory was achieved in the Northwest, and Nian Gengyao returned victorious.

Unfortunately, he did not heed Yanzhi's earlier advice to stay true to himself and not become arrogant, and just like in the original story, he became carried away with himself.

Especially his subordinates, relying on their master's power, engaged in buying and selling official positions, reaching a point where they had no scruples whatsoever.

Furthermore, he had a dispute with the thirteenth emperor over the issue of the Ministry of War's grain and fodder allocation. In the heat of the moment, he brazenly declared in front of the entire court: "The stability of the Qing Dynasty is largely due to my great contributions, Nian Gengyao."

In that case...

In that instant, all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace fell silent.

The matter had escalated so much that Yinwu could no longer cover it up.

There was no intention to cover it up.

Upon returning, he recounted the entire incident to Yan Zhi and entrusted her with the task of handling it.

Yan Zhi didn't tolerate Nian Gengyao being like that.

The next day, an imperial edict was issued.

He was ordered to abstain from alcohol and to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors.

He also demanded that Nian Gengyao personally write a letter of repentance, attributing all his outrageous remarks in court that day to drunken ramblings and nonsense.

Finally, he demoted the man to a post at the city gate.

This punishment is neither too severe nor too light, especially for someone who is on duty at the city gate. Isn't this putting his reputation as a general and a first-class duke to shame?

Nian Gengyao was dissatisfied and smashed things and cursed in anger at home.

Yan Zhi then simply summoned the person into the palace.

That day, no one served them in the warm pavilion; only seats and tea were reserved for the brother and sister.

When Nian Gengyao entered, his face was extremely unpleasant, clearly still harboring a great deal of resentment.

Seeing his reaction, Yanzhi lost his appetite for tea and conversation, and his first question was:

"Second brother, do you want your sister to rise to even greater heights in the future, or do you want her to be doomed forever?"

Nian Gengyao was taken aback, then immediately frowned: "What do you mean by that?"

"What do you mean?" Yan Zhi looked at him, his tone extremely cold: "Second Brother, what exactly are you seeking by acting this way? Are you lacking in glory? The Nian family now has three first-class dukes. Throughout the entire court, which family can surpass our Nian family? Are you lacking in money? Two years ago, when we started shipping, it was originally only the royal family's official ships that were tested first. I specially requested a share for the Nian family. Didn't you receive the profits at the beginning of the year?"

Nian Gengyao was rendered speechless by her barrage of questions. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I know my sister is doing this for my own good. It's a fact that the New Gioro dynasty is already unstable without our Nian family! I've been in the Northwest for so many years, amidst the clash of swords and the shadows of war, every single day I've had my head hanging on the edge of a knife. Wasn't the success of this maritime transport all thanks to my elder brother painstakingly rummaging through old archives from the previous dynasty and painstakingly restoring the design blueprints for Zheng He's treasure ships from the Ming Dynasty? And, and this throne—"

"That's enough!"

Yan Zhi shouted to stop him, his eyes as cold as knives.

"Second brother, you've overstepped your bounds."

This sentence is like a bucket of ice water being poured over your head.

Nian Gengyao's lips moved, but his expression remained defiant. He even muttered under his breath, "I wouldn't really rebel. I know perfectly well that this empire will ultimately belong to Hongwei. As for the Empress Dowager's throne, I dare to guarantee you with my life that no one but you can sit on it. In that case, what harm is there in my somewhat arrogant actions?"

Upon hearing this, Yanzhi gradually calmed down.

"Of course I know how my brother feels about me."

"I also know that the Nian family will be my strongest support in this life."

"But brother," she looked at him, trying to speak calmly and sincerely, attempting to appeal to his emotions, "what you're doing is not only humiliating the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, but also my husband, your brother-in-law, and your nephew's father."

"I don't want to put him in a difficult position, nor do I want you to dig your own grave."

"If that day ever comes, I will naturally not let him hurt you. But just as I will not allow you to hurt him."

She spoke very softly at this point.

"If my brother truly cares for me and still considers me his sister, then he must be very careful in his actions from now on."

"Otherwise, it would be better to cut all ties today."

She knew perfectly well that no matter how arrogant Nian Gengyao was, as long as Hongwei was still alive, and as long as she was still alive, he would never be able to rebel.

But in this world, one cannot act solely according to one's wishes.

If Nian Gengyao doesn't restrain himself and his subordinates, allowing his weaknesses and shortcomings to be used against him, not only will he be in danger, but Empress Nian and Emperor Hongwei will also be implicated.

Therefore, although these words are weighty, Yan Zhi had no choice but to say them.

Nian Gengyao was extremely arrogant and did not believe that his trusted confidants, whom he had personally promoted, could betray him or turn against him. Therefore, simply reasoning with him would not work.

She could only use love as leverage.

What she was gambling on was the memory of her second brother, who always put her first and valued her above all else.

But to her surprise, Nian Gengyao remained silent for a long time after she finished speaking.

When he looked up again, his eyes were red.

He looked at her and said in a low voice, "Of course I consider you my sister."

"Don't worry, Second Brother understands. He will never do it again."

After saying that, he turned around and took his leave almost immediately.

His steps were somewhat unsteady, as if he would lose his composure in front of her if he stayed any longer.

At that moment, a strange feeling, indescribable, had already passed through Yan Zhi's heart.

But she hadn't thought about it in detail at that time.

Later, Nian Gengyao did indeed restrain himself much, just as he had said.

He voluntarily put away the items that exceeded the regulations, and restored all the official positions that had been sold. Although he looked unpleasant when he went to guard the city gate, he did not cause any more trouble.

But tonight, as he listened to Yinwu praise him for being clever, Yanzhi suddenly remembered the look in Yinwu's eyes when he left that day.

That night, Yanzhi barely slept a wink.

She kept thinking about Nian Gengyao's reddened eyes before he left.

He pondered over and over Ning Shou's words from earlier that day.

After much thought, the vague suspicion in my mind seemed to be slowly pulled tighter by a thread, and I could no longer pretend not to see it.

She endured until the fifteenth day of the month.