The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

After saying this, Yanzhi finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the old lady's lap, sobbing uncontrollably.

For so many years, whether in her past or present life, she has felt like a lonely soul, without any support, with no origin and no destination.

Therefore, no matter what the situation, whether it's a dangerous place or a perilous one, she would never show any weakness.

She always thought that all she wanted in this life was to win a decisive victory, to shatter that so-called fate, and to make all those who had wronged her and Nian Shilan taste the bitterness of a terrible end.

She was always trying to prove one thing.

Even if no one loves her, no one supports her, no one truly stands behind her to plan for her, even if she is the only one left in the world, even if she has to defy fate...

She can win too.

She will definitely win.

She was well aware of how good her family had been to her.

She saw and remembered her mother's favoritism, her father's tolerance, her two older brothers' protectiveness, and her two sisters-in-law's care.

She would be touched because she was not, after all, a heart of ice, born so cold and hard.

But she never took it seriously.

Because she always knew in her heart that she ultimately possessed Nian Shilan's body and benefited from Nian Shilan's influence.

The better her family treated her, the more she realized that part of that kindness originally belonged to someone else.

She endured it all, yet always retained a degree of clarity.

Only at this moment did she truly understand—

They probably recognized her a long time ago.

But he accepted her early on.

It's not Nian Shilan.

It is derived knowledge.

The old lady didn't say anything more, but just patted her back gently, like comforting a child who had suffered a lot of injustice and was finally willing to go home.

The wind was gentle outside, and the incense burned quietly.

Under a lamp is Nian Shilan.

Under a lamp lies Yanzhi.

The elderly lady knelt before the Buddha, her gentle demeanor suggesting that she was using her life's care and compassion to find a final resting place for both of them.

-

That day, Yanzhi returned to the garden with red eyes.

But her mood was lighter than ever before.

That lightness wasn't ostentatious or lively; rather, it was like a stone that had been weighing on her heart for many years, a stone she herself had barely noticed, suddenly being gently moved aside. She felt a sudden sense of relief, even her breathing became lighter.

So cheerful was she that when the sixteenth prince came to the garden to pay his respects to Yinwu as usual, she gave him a rare kind look and even asked him to stay for a cup of tea before leaving.

The sixteenth prince was flattered, but also felt uneasy.

As soon as Yanzhi left, she hurriedly tugged at Yinwu's sleeve, lowered her voice, and said nervously, "I really haven't let Lady Li make things difficult for the Fujin lately. Surely my sister-in-law still doesn't like me?"

Yinwu was preoccupied with Yanzhi's red, tear-filled eyes and had no time to listen to his rambling. He simply gave a few perfunctory replies and then shook him off to catch up.

sixteen:……

In the palace, Yan Zhi washed his hands and turned around to see Yin Wu rushing after him.

He walked up to her again and looked her up and down carefully.

"Don't worry," Yan Zhixian smiled. "I'm fine."

Yinwu remained silent, only raising his hand to gently touch the corner of her reddened eyes.

"I've never seen you cry."

He said.

Yan Zhi paused for a moment, then smiled again.

"It's a good thing, a joyous occasion," she said softly. "It's worth crying over."

Yinwu still looked at her with concern.

Looking at Yinwu like this, Yanzhi's heart softened again, and she suddenly took the initiative to hug him.

"I'm really fine," she whispered. "I just feel so happy, happier than ever before."

Yinwu was taken aback at first, then reached out and hugged her.

He held me very firmly, his chest was warm, and even my breathing seemed to slow down carefully.

He could tell that her words were neither a perfunctory remark nor a consolation.

So that little bit of worry slowly subsided, and he simply whispered, "As long as you're happy."

He paused, then added very seriously, "I just love seeing you happy."

Yan Zhi chuckled softly.

The atmosphere was just right when Fuling's voice came from outside.

"Your Majesty, Registrar Shen requests an audience, saying he has important matters to report. Imperial Physician Wen has also come along."

Yan Zhi then released Yin Wu and looked at the outer room, saying, "Please ask them to wait in the side hall. I will be there shortly."

Poria cocos immediately withdrew.

Yinwu watched as Yanzhi quickly went behind the screen to change her clothes, observing her busy work, and suddenly said, "Next spring, shall we take a trip to Jiangnan?"

Yan Zhi was slightly taken aback.

She instinctively thought that there were still many things to be done: the imperial court, the Mongol Empire, maritime transport, and the navy—none of which could be completely abandoned.

But the words caught in his throat.

The sunlight is lovely today.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, spreading a warm glow across the floor.

She suddenly felt that on such a beautiful day, she should really seize something and not let those unfinished matters and unresolved issues fill her days completely.

So she nodded.

"it is good."

"Let's discuss this in detail tonight."

Yinwu's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded heavily, as if he had received some great promise. Only then did he leave, satisfied but also reluctant.

Yan Zhi smiled as he watched his retreating figure before turning around to continue changing his clothes and heading to the side hall to see Shen Meizhuang.

-

Shen Meizhuang's trip was extremely solemn.

She didn't come empty-handed; she was carrying a neatly folded booklet. Wen Shichu followed beside her, his expression also solemn.

As soon as Yan Zhi entered, seeing the two of them looking like this, he knew it was no small matter. He raised his hand to dismiss the formalities and said directly, "Speak."

Shen Meizhuang presented the booklet first, and then said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Physician Wen and I have recently come to an end about a matter. After much thought, we feel that this matter is of great importance and we dare not keep it to ourselves. That is why we have come to request an audience."

Yan Zhi took the booklet, opened it, and found it filled with names, ages, marital status, and birth details. It also included annotations on pulse diagnosis made by Wen Shichu himself.

She looked up: "What's this?"

Shen Meizhuang replied, "They are all palace maids who are over twenty-five years old and came from the palace."

Yan Zhi's expression shifted slightly, signaling her to continue.

Shen Meizhuang has been in charge of the palace's records of comings and goings for many years, and is most familiar with the situation in all areas.

Last year, as usual, the palace released a group of palace maids who had reached the age of twenty-five. Since they were not young anymore, most of them had trouble finding husbands. Some became second wives, some became stepmothers, and some were simply taken as concubines. A few were luckier and returned home to serve their parents. With the savings they had accumulated in the palace and the filial piety of their nephews and nieces, they were able to make a living.

These are just old routines that happen every year.

But the problem lies precisely with those who are married.

Shen Meizhuang lowered her eyes and said, "I later heard from my subordinates that nearly 20% of the palace maids who were released were suspected of infidelity by their husbands' families after their wedding night. The reason was nothing more than... they did not bleed."

The hall fell silent for a moment after these words were spoken.

Fuling listened from the side, her expression subtly changing.

Yan Zhi remained calm, simply flipping through a few more pages of the booklet in his hand, and saw that it indeed contained many names and subsequent events.

Someone was punished.

Some people were divorced.

Some people, unable to bear the humiliation, almost went to the point of contemplating suicide.

Some women reluctantly stayed in their husbands' homes, but their lives became difficult from then on.

Shen Meizhuang said softly, "These past two years, I have been in charge of the trivial matters of the inner court. Many palace servants who have received my favors in the past still think of coming to me when they encounter difficulties. Not long ago, someone mentioned this matter, and I kept it in mind. Later, when I talked about it with Imperial Physician Wen, he also said that this matter may not be entirely as people think."

As she spoke, she glanced at Wen Shichu.

Wen Shichu hurriedly stood up, took half a step forward, and cupped his hands, saying, "I only had this idea by chance. At first, I thought that women's bodies were all different and should not be generalized. Later, after Shen Zhangbu and I investigated carefully, we found that there was more to it than met the eye. So the two of us spent nearly a year interviewing nearly a thousand palace maids who had been released from the palace in recent years, and we even personally took the pulse and examined many of them before we came to a conclusion."

He paused slightly, his tone becoming increasingly cautious.

"The common belief that a woman can get married and have children as soon as she starts menstruating is probably wrong."

Yanzhi raised her eyes and stared at him intently.

Wen Shichu became even more cautious after being looked at by her, but still forced himself to continue: "When a girl has her first period, it only means that her blood and qi are starting to move, it does not mean that her body has fully developed. Her internal organs, muscles, bones, skin, and even the uterus and blood vessels may not be fully developed yet. If she is hastily married at this time, at best the couple will be at odds and suspicious of each other, at worst it will harm the mother's health. Even if she becomes pregnant, she may not be able to carry the pregnancy to term, and even if she does, it will not be good for either the child or the mother."

"If a woman can wait a few more years until she is full of blood and energy and her muscles, bones and internal organs are fully developed, it would be best if she were over twenty years old before getting married and conceiving. The chances of a safe pregnancy and a safe delivery would be much greater, and the mother would suffer less pain."

Yan Zhi listened but did not speak immediately.

Her expression was somewhat inscrutable, as if she were thinking about something.

After a moment, he asked, "Really?"

Wen Shichu immediately bowed his head: "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you."

Shen Meizhuang stepped forward and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, everyone in the palace knows how skilled Physician Wen is. Two years ago, when the plague raged, he deduced a prescription within half a month, based solely on a few ancient books, a prescription that even so many imperial physicians couldn't figure out. This shows his exceptional talent. Moreover, this matter was not something that Physician Wen and I came up with on a whim."

She reached out and pointed at the booklet in Yanzhi's hand.

"This record contains information about nearly a thousand palace maids who have been released over the years. Your Majesty and Physician Wen interviewed them one by one and compared their information with that of others. We even had to ask them about the years after their marriages, how many times they had given birth, and how many times they had died in infancy before we were able to slowly verify this information."

As she spoke, her tone gradually became more subdued.

"I and Physician Wen did this without any ulterior motives. It was just that we saw those women who were clearly innocent, yet they were subjected to humiliation, suspicion, beatings, and even death by their husbands' families simply because of the common belief that not bleeding meant infidelity. It was truly unbearable."

"Therefore, I thought that if Your Majesty would be willing, could you issue an imperial edict ordering Imperial Physician Wen to make the findings of this study public? Even if it cannot change much immediately, it can at least clear the names of these women."