The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Zhao Zhen nodded as if possessed.

Yuanbao was the first to cheer, tugging at his sleeve as if afraid he would change his mind, urging him to hurry up.

Zhang Maoze watched from the side, his eyelids twitching. Since the concubine's family had already agreed, he couldn't say anything. He could only drive the carriage himself, settle half of the children, including Yuanbao, into it, and follow the Wang family's carriage slowly out of the city.

The carriage traveled for about half an hour before stopping at the bottom of a gentle slope.

Wildflowers were in full bloom on the hillside, yellow, white, and purple, scattered across the ground. In the distance, a shallow stream shone like broken silver in the sunlight.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the children jumped off with their small bamboo baskets and swarmed up the slope, shouting that they were going to pick flowers. But once they got there, they just wanted to run around and have fun.

Zhao Zhen recognized him at a glance.

This is the place where he had seen the group of children picking flowers by the roadside earlier.

Meanwhile, Langhua, supported by Ah Chang, slowly got out of the car.

She was dressed simply as usual today, with her face covering removed and her hair wrapped only in a piece of coarse cloth. Far from looking rustic, she created a very strange contrast.

It's like a bright pearl falling into an ordinary earthenware pot.

It's not glaring, yet it makes you want to keep looking at it.

Langhua didn't even look at him, she was only concerned with settling the children first, first telling them not to run to the stream, not to go into the woods alone, and then telling Achang and the two old women to start a fire on the slope to prepare something to cook for them later.

The children were obedient; they went to play on the hillside for a short while and then came back to her.

One minute he'd be showing her the flower, asking if it was pretty and big; the next minute he'd be complaining, saying other kids were uncivilized and had snatched the prettiest flower from her when she wasn't looking.

She never gets annoyed; she responds to anyone who calls her, her voice is not loud, but she is extremely patient, and she does not show favoritism when it is time to uphold justice.

The children were convinced.

Zhao Zhen stood aside and watched for a long time.

My mind gradually relaxed.

At first, I just watched.

Later, Yuanbao came and pulled him, saying he would take him to the stream to catch fish.

Zhang Maoze's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stood behind him, wanting to stop him but not daring to.

Zhao Zhen looked down at the small hand gripping his sleeve, and then, as if possessed, followed.

The stream was very shallow. The children rolled up their trousers and stepped on the stones, sometimes screaming and sometimes laughing, splashing water onto their clothes.

At first, Zhao Zhen remembered his identity and stood by the stream watching the children, reminding them to be careful from time to time.

But Yuanbao and his children were too noisy and their hands were too small. Several times, the big fish slipped away from them at the last minute, which made him more and more anxious.

In the end, he couldn't care less. When the children chased the fish to the stream where he was, he simply lifted his robe, bent down, and boldly reached out!

He touched the fish, but was also startled by its slippery texture. He quickly withdrew his hand, and the fish swam away. The children, however, were amused by his exaggerated reaction and burst into laughter.

Zhao Zhen scratched his head in embarrassment, then simply laughed along with them: "It's because your brother is useless, making you all laugh at me."

"It's alright, Brother Li Liu, I'll teach you!" Little Yuanbao, who had a chivalrous spirit, patted his thin chest with great enthusiasm and began to teach him fishing skills.

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to study diligently.

He himself didn't realize that amidst the chattering, childish words, by the picturesque stream, the pent-up frustration in his chest seemed to dissipate considerably.

In the end, no fish was caught.

His robes were mostly soaked, yet he continued to be laughed at by the children.

Zhao Zhen didn't take it seriously at first, and a relaxed smile was still on his lips. He thought that it didn't matter that he couldn't catch fish with his bare hands. Next time he would bring a net and make Yuanbao look at him with new eyes.

He only snapped out of his daze when he looked up and saw Langhua standing not far away.

Their faces started to turn red.

It's like doing something wrong when you're young, and then the person who shouldn't have seen it sees it.

But Langhua didn't laugh at him.

She was standing on the slope, distributing hot soup to the children. Several children surrounded her, standing on tiptoe to put wildflowers they had picked into her hair.

The children, with their clumsy hands and feet, made her once neat hair a mess, and the flowers were scattered here and there, with different colors and sizes, which looked rather comical from a distance.

Zhao Zhen looked at it and suddenly felt relieved.

Why laugh at someone who has taken fifty steps when they themselves have taken a hundred?

So when it was lunchtime, Yuanbao and the other children were already sitting on the grass. After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Zhen, under Zhang Maoze's horrified gaze, followed Yuanbao's example, took off his shoes, stepped on the grass, and sat down.

The grass was soft, and the soil was slightly warm.

He looked down at his feet and found it both strange and funny.

So this is what it feels like to walk barefoot on the ground.

He closed his eyes, looked up, took a deep breath, and felt completely refreshed.

After the meal, the children were tired from playing and their eyelids were drooping with sleep, so several adults carried them one by one onto the carriage.

By the time they returned to the orphanage, the sun was already setting. Madam Chen came out to greet them personally. Seeing the children's faces glowing from playing, she smiled too.

She was also carrying a small bamboo basket and was distributing things to everyone one by one.

Zhao Zhen had one, Lang Hua had one, Zhang Maoze and A Chang, as well as several old women, and even the coachman each got one.

It's a small pendant.

The pieces are about the size of a thumb. Some are shaped like official hats, some like gold cakes, and others like longevity knots and auspicious knots. The stitching is not particularly exquisite, but the designs are novel and cute, making them pleasing to the eye at first glance.

Madam Chen explained with a smile, "The fourteenth of April is the Qian Yuan Festival. Recently, a shop owner wanted to make some clever little trinkets. She plans to send some to her shop to sell, and have her children sell the rest on the streets—it'll be a source of income. These first few are for you as a token of good fortune. I wish you long life, a peaceful world, and good health, promotions, and wealth!"

Zhao Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

He took the small pendant in his hand, rubbed it a couple of times, and then unconsciously looked at Langhua.

The woman who owns the shop is most likely her.

On the way back, he examined the pendant carefully, finding it increasingly exquisite and charming.

What's even more wonderful is that the pendant has a very faint fragrance.

He brought it closer and could smell that there were probably some dried flower petals mixed in.

Then he remembered the flowers that the children had picked all over the hillside that day.

A hint of a smile flashed across Zhao Zhen's eyes.

What a clever idea!

-

From that time on, Zhao Zhen visited the orphanage more often.

Even Zhang Maoze noticed that if the Emperor got annoyed in the palace, he would unconsciously turn towards that place.

There were no courtiers, no memorials, no endless quarrels and tears in the inner palace.

Only children.

And a gentle-looking young woman who always stood among the children.

She never spoke much, never overstepped her bounds, and never even went out of her way to get close to him.

She is very law-abiding.

But somehow, he could never ignore her.

After returning to the palace, he would often inadvertently recall that when she spoke softly to her maid, the corners of her eyes would curve slightly beneath her veil.

I recall the way her clothes fluttered gently as she wiped the child's face or bent down to tie a sachet.

A glimpse of her fair wrist was inadvertently revealed.

Before he knew it, he went to the orphanage not just to seek peace, nor simply to enjoy the joy that the children's whimsical ideas brought him.

I also hope... to see her there.