The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

On this day, she put aside all her affairs, changed into a very plain dress, even removed her usual headdress, and quietly left the garden with fewer than ten guards.

My mother always loved to burn incense at that small temple in the suburbs.

The temple was quiet and secluded, not conspicuous, but it was exclusively for the female relatives of high-ranking officials in the capital to offer incense and practice meditation.

Over the years, my mother has become increasingly fond of quiet.

As the younger generation in the family gradually grew up and her two daughters-in-law had already taken over the management of the household, she often went there.

Today is the fifteenth.

According to her usual habits, she would definitely come.

Yanzhi's carriage stopped at an inconspicuous corner outside the temple.

She sat in the car, her palms feeling a little cold.

Songzhi stayed by her side the whole time, but seeing that she didn't move for a long time, she didn't dare to urge her.

It wasn't until the scouts returned quietly and whispered, "Your Highness, the Old Madam has arrived."

After a while, a voice came from outside again: "Your Highness, the Old Madam has gone in."

Yan Zhi then slowly raised his eyes.

She couldn't quite explain what she was afraid of.

In both her past and present lives, she has weathered many storms, from the inner quarters to the imperial harem, from seizing titles to vying for the throne. She has experienced both triumph and heartbreak.

But I never knew how to write the character for fear.

But at this moment, my heart is pounding.

She disliked this feeling, and even loathed it.

I was so disgusted that I almost wanted to extinguish it immediately.

She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

enough.

Since doubts have already arisen in your heart, then seek the truth.

Rather than living a life of superficial peace, it's better to die a quick and painless death.

Thinking of this, she raised her hand to lift the carriage curtain and decisively got off the carriage.

The temple is small, but very quiet.

The air was filled with the scent of cigarettes, and the faint sound of a wooden fish drum drifted from afar; even the wind seemed to slow down.

Guided by his informant, Yan Zhi walked all the way to the back and finally stopped outside a secluded courtyard.

The old nanny who usually served by the mother was guarding the door. When she saw that the person who came was Yanzhi, she was so surprised that her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to call for help, but before she could make a sound, Songzhi quickly ordered someone to cover her mouth and half-supported, half-carried her away.

The courtyard suddenly became even quieter.

Yanzhi walked step by step toward the most secluded little house.

As she reached the door, her hand paused for a moment.

In just a moment.

The next moment, she finally reached out and pushed the door open.

The sunlight slanted in.

In the small Buddhist hall, there are lamps that burn eternally, their warm yellow light casting shadows throughout the room.

But the two largest ones are the most eye-catching.

Yan Zhi spotted the sign under one of the lamps almost instantly.

My beloved daughter, Nian Shilan.

At that moment, Yan Zhi felt as if his chest was being gripped tightly, and even his breathing stopped for a moment.

The light outside the door, the shadows under the lamp, the offerings on the incense table, the rows of ever-burning lamps on the wooden shelf—everything seemed to suddenly become distant, blurred, and silent.

She could only see those few words.

Nian Shilan.

The silence inside the house clearly startled Nian's mother.

The elderly lady slowly turned her head.

When she saw the person standing at the door, there was a moment of surprise in her eyes, but that surprise was only fleeting and quickly dissipated.

She smiled gently, just like always.

"Why are you here?"

The smile was so natural, so loving, just like always.

Yan Zhi suddenly realized that he couldn't even manage a decent smile.

She walked step by step into the small house.

the first time.

He knelt before the Buddha.

Standing side by side with the elderly lady.

She clasped her hands together, but her eyes were fixed on her mother.

Their eyes met, and in just one glance, the old lady understood everything.

The smile remained on her lips, but her eyes softened, as if she had finally waited for this day.

"What mother wouldn't recognize her own child?"

She spoke, her voice still gentle and peaceful.

"Besides, you and she have completely different personalities."

"I didn't mean to say Shilan was stupid. It's just that she's not as smart as you. She hates reading, her handwriting is always crooked, and her piano playing is barely better than her cotton-fluffing skills."

"She's not as considerate as you. Knowing that I get coughs and wheezing every time the seasons change, you specially studied pharmacology for me and even made herbal tea for me. If she encountered something like that, she would probably just bang on the table and yell for the royal physician to come over right now."

At this point, the old lady herself laughed.

"Not to mention matters of state. How could she be like you, thinking of everything for the Nian family and doing everything possible to secure a safe and prosperous future?"

Yan Zhi was speechless.

Tears kept falling, one by one, and no matter how much I wiped them away, they wouldn't stop.

She couldn't remember how many years it had been since she had truly cried like this.

She didn't cry even though she was mistreated by her brother and sister-in-law after her parents died.

She didn't cry when forced to choose between marrying her brother-in-law or marrying the old man.

Later, when she gave birth to Tingwei, she was in pain for a whole day and night. After waking up, she still had to force herself to face the Gu family, that den of wolves. She didn't cry.

Even when the ancestral hall was burned to death, she did not cry.

She always thought that tears were just something she used to put on an act.

When you want it to fall off, it will fall off naturally.

When you don't want to fall, even if the sky collapses, not a single drop will fall.

But at this moment, they were completely out of control.

The elderly lady reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face, continuing softly:

"She has a sharp tongue, but she loves sweet things, especially my crab roe pastries. You, on the other hand, prefer things that taste bitter at first but have a sweet aftertaste."

"She wears her heart on her sleeve, whether she's happy or not. But you always keep everything bottled up inside, never saying a word."

"She treats people with a fiery temper. You treat people with a needle hidden beneath ice."

Yan Zhi choked back tears, finally managing to ask the question with difficulty:

"Since you know I'm not her... why do you still..."

Why are you still treating me so well?

Why do you still treat me like your own daughter?

Why did she never expose me or hold a grudge, even though she knew I had taken her body?

The old lady looked at her and sighed softly.

Do you remember this place?

Yan Zhi paused for a moment.

The old lady slowly said, "When you first arrived that year, although I didn't know what you had been through, I could tell that you were completely despondent. At that time, I realized that you were not Shilan, but I couldn't bear to hurt her, so I brought you here, hoping to ask the gods and Buddhas for protection and see if we could switch you back."

As she said this, she couldn't help but smile.

"But you told me that gods and Buddhas are heartless and have no spirit, and that praying to them is a waste of effort. You told me to take care of myself and not to make things difficult for myself."

Yan Zhi looked at her with teary eyes.

The old lady's eyes were filled with smiles, which also contained endless love and tolerance.

"At that time, I thought, how could there be such a bold and audacious yet so considerate and understanding wandering ghost in this world?"

"But since the gods and Buddhas couldn't bring you back, I understand now, perhaps this is fate."

At this point, the old lady slowly raised her hand and pointed to another large ever-burning lamp next to her.

The lamp was half-hidden in the shadows, and Yanzhi hadn't noticed it for a moment.

Looking in the direction she was pointing, I saw another plaque under the lamp.

It says on it—

My beloved daughter, Yanzhi.

Yan Zhi stared blankly, and suddenly her tears fell even more fiercely.

The old lady's voice was as soft as a sigh and as gentle as spring water in her ears.

"From the moment you genuinely cared about me and the Nian family, I knew I hadn't lost my daughter, Shilan."

"I just have another daughter."

"Call him Yanzhi."