The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Since he had the heart to do this good deed and took the risk to do it, he should let people see it and remember it.

Now, as time has passed, the Dzungars have finally quelled their internal strife, appointed a new Khan, and, feeling that their strength has stabilized, have set their sights on the Qing Dynasty once again.

This time, Mogg came in person.

He still wanted to propose marriage, and still kept referring to himself as the legitimate princess.

At the palace banquet, his eyes were fixed on the thirteen-year-old Ning Shou.

Yan Zhi raised his eyes with a forced smile.

According to the rules of our dynasty, a girl is not to be married before she turns sixteen and is of a suitable size.

Mog scoffed, clearly unconvinced by this argument, and instead brought up old matters again: "Ten years ago, the Qing Dynasty was just as arrogant. Ten years later, will it remain so? Do they truly intend to wage war against the Dzungars?"

With a snap.

Someone slammed their fist on the table and stood up during the meal.

"So what if it is?!"

Everyone turned around and saw Nian Gengyao with a murderous look on his face.

"You're a princess, of noble birth! What are you to dare covet such a thing!"

Mogg's expression changed, and he immediately stood up to confront him.

The atmosphere in the hall became tense and even the music stopped.

Yan Zhi merely watched coldly, then spoke softly: "Khan, please calm down. I originally intended to make another deal with you. It's more stable than a marriage alliance, and it will ensure that our two countries will never be at war again."

The palace banquet ended unhappily.

However, on the second day, Yanzhi ordered someone to personally lead Moge to the Weaving Bureau.

She didn't mention the princess, nor did she bring up the unpleasantness of the previous night, letting Mogg see for himself.

Look at the cotton yarn piled up in the warehouse, see how the Qing Dynasty craftsmen dismantled looms and improved spinning wheels day and night, and see how the women wove cloth at an unimaginable speed with the help of machines.

The more Mogg looked, the more envious and eager he became.

The wealth of the Qing Dynasty far exceeded his imagination.

Yan Zhi summoned him to the palace at the opportune moment and said calmly, "What the Qing Dynasty needs most right now is cotton."

If the Dzungars were to cultivate it on a large scale, the Qing Dynasty could consume any amount, no matter how much was planted.

Mogg was indeed tempted, but without hesitation, he made an outrageous demand, doubling the price.

Yan Zhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if with great reluctance: "Very well. Consider it compensation for my brother's rudeness to the Khan at the palace banquet."

Upon hearing this, Mogg felt even more confident that he had the upper hand.

He happily returned with the seeds and manpower provided by the Qing Dynasty and began planting cotton on a large scale.

Not enough food? The Qing Dynasty sold it at low prices.

Not enough silver? You can exchange it for cotton.

The people of Dzungar were initially skeptical, but after experiencing the benefits, they quickly followed suit.

In just a few years, most of the fields that were originally meant for growing grain were converted to cotton.

The Imperial Textile Bureau of the Qing Dynasty became increasingly prosperous, and the court took the opportunity to make two preparations.

On the one hand, in order to encourage the people of the Qing Dynasty to continue growing grain, taxes were reduced and grain prices were raised, openly telling the world that growing grain was not a loss.

On the one hand, they tightly controlled the cotton-producing bureau's access to cotton. Anyone who outwardly complied but inwardly defied the court's demands for grain and still grew cotton would have their cotton rejected, no matter how much they managed to collect it.

After several rounds of this, the situation gradually stabilized.

As it turns out, Yanzhi made the right move.

Three years later, a great flood struck Jiangnan, submerging fields and houses, causing a complete crop failure and triggering famine.

If the imperial court had not had the foresight to stockpile grain in advance and to quickly open granaries and transport supplies to areas that had never been affected by the disaster, this calamity would not have been as simple as just famine.

Meanwhile, the Dzungar Khanate became increasingly reliant on the Qing Dynasty's grain supplies.

Every year, they eagerly transport cotton here, exchanging it for money, grain, and cloth.

At first, I thought I had gotten a good deal, but later I realized that I had actually fallen into a huge trap...

That year, Hongwei was twenty years old.

He married the eldest daughter of the Fucha family.

With a group of top craftsmen, Nian Xiyao finally built the cannon that truly possessed the power to change the world.

The first shot wasn't fired at the Dzungar Khanate.

It's England.

In recent years, the English have become increasingly restless, repeatedly coming to our door under the pretext that the Qing Dynasty stole the model of the textile machine, attempting to take back the improved blueprints through coercion and inducement.

Seeing that the Qing Dynasty refused to back down, they simply started stirring up trouble around Haikou in Guangdong.

Over the years, deep-seated resentment had accumulated between the two sides, eventually leading to a major military conflict.

The Qing Dynasty won.

The sound of those cannons not only scattered the English fleet, but also truly terrified those forces that had been eyeing this land from across the sea.

Upon seeing the battle report, Yanzhi smiled with satisfaction and immediately said to Yinwu, "Strike while the iron is hot."

The next day, the imperial court quickly lowered the price of cotton purchased from the Dzungar Khanate and raised the price of grain.

Mogg, of course, refused.

After weighing the pros and cons, I realized that I was essentially working for the Qing Dynasty for free, becoming a serf who didn't need any money!

His response was to Nian Gengyao's army pressing in, along with ten of the newest cannons.

Beneath the city gate, Nian Gengyao rode arrogantly on horseback.

"To fight or not to fight?"

"If you're not going to fight, then get over here and submit!"

"If you're going to fight, you'd better build yourself a coffin first and wait to die!"

Mog was so angry his face turned blue, but he still didn't forget to yell, "Idiot! We Dzungars practice the Five Elements Burial Method!"

You can criticize as you please.

When both food and artillery pressured down, the so-called toughness was nothing but an empty shell.

In the end, the Dzungar Khanate submitted to the Dzungar Khanate.

For the next twenty years or so, the Qing Dynasty was slowly eroded and dismantled, like a dull knife cutting flesh, until Hongwei took personal control of the government and the Dzungar Khanate was finally destroyed.

But now that things have come to this point, Yanzhi suddenly feels that enough is enough.

The situation that followed was no longer one that she had to personally guide.

When Yinwu saw her nod, the thoughts that he couldn't suppress immediately surged up, and he almost couldn't wait to pass the throne to Hongwei.

He wants to become the retired emperor.

Yanzhi became Empress Dowager.

The couple immediately began their real journey around the world.

Ning Shou never married.

Although Fucha Fuheng was very much to her liking.

But Ning Shou still wanted to see the legendary West.

She wanted to see if there were truly women in those places who could inherit the throne and be called empresses.

She brought along Ye Lanyi, the maid she had met in her youth at Baijun Garden, with whom she had grown increasingly close over time, and embarked on her own journey with her uncle, Yinti.

Yan Zhi did not stop him.

Looking at her daughter, who looked almost exactly like herself when she was young, she couldn't hide the pride in her eyes and brows.

Ning Shou had the exact same ambition as her.

They are vibrant and unrestrained, unwilling to be subservient to others.

Yet they also have the softest heart towards their blood relatives.

"Go."

Yan Zhi said softly, but his gaze seemed to see his younger self through Ning Shou.

"Go ahead and do whatever you want."

"Your mother is waiting for you at home."

Ning Shou smiled brightly as always, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

She no longer concealed her growing ambition, which had become increasingly strong with age.

"Once I've conquered a vast territory over there, I'll come back and bring Mother over to enjoy a life of luxury!"

She hugged Yanzhi, her laughter ringing out brightly.

Yanzhi looked at her and smiled softly.

"it is good."

The wind blew by, lifting the hem of the daughter's dress and stirring a strand of hair at her temple.

At that moment, she knew that she had no regrets in her life.