The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

On this day, when Zhao Zhen arrived at the orphanage, the children were sunbathing in the courtyard.

Yuanbao broke off a tree branch from somewhere, straddled it, and was swinging it vigorously, shouting that he would become a great general in the future, go and conquer the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and then be ennobled and appointed as a prime minister, so that all the younger brothers and sisters in the courtyard could live a good life.

He spoke with such great bravado that everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter.

Even Zhao Zhen couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

But after laughing, Zhao Zhen suddenly sighed softly:

"A life of ordinary wealth is enough. Climbing to a higher position and taking on greater responsibilities only brings more worries."

These words came out of nowhere.

Zhang Maoze, who was listening nearby, felt a jolt in his heart and dared not look up.

Zhao Zhen continued, "The higher and more important the position, the less room there is for people to have normal likes and dislikes. If joy or anger is slightly revealed, someone will advise you; if favoritism is slightly excessive, someone will remonstrate. It is as if, once you are in that position, even what you like or dislike becomes a mistake."

He seemed to be speaking from the heart, or perhaps just wanting to vent.

Unexpectedly, Langhua chimed in, "Rules were originally created for order, not to extinguish human desires. If everyone fulfills their duty, no one will make big mistakes. If no one makes big mistakes, no one will easily hurt others. Sages created rules to make the world a better place, so that the strong would restrain themselves and the weak would be cared for, not so that everyone in the world would lose their love and hate and live like statues."

"There's nothing wrong with rules themselves, and there's nothing wrong with people who follow them. People's likes and dislikes are just human nature, and they're not wrong either."

As she said this, she slightly raised her eyes.

"The one who is wrong is selfish, who only uses the rules to demand things of others, while he himself wants to do whatever he wants to do for profit, without caring about the lives of others."

Zhao Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

Langhua continued, "For those in positions of power, rules should be like a scabbard, lest their own blades become too sharp and cause too many injuries."

"But for ordinary people, rules can also be a shield, an armor. They are meant to protect them, at least to give them a place to reason and a place to stay, so that they are not trampled on at will."

After she finished speaking, she paused to reflect.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

The smile was very light, yet indescribably lively, like a spring breeze ruffling a pool of water under the eaves.

"Likes and dislikes should not belittle rules, but rules should not suppress likes and dislikes either."

"If you could balance these two, that would be ideal. Unfortunately, despite reading so many books, I haven't seen a single sage who truly put these two into practice... Therefore, I've come up with a method that isn't really a method..."

She winked at him, with a hint of slyness that was almost encouraging.

"Why don't you just secretly do those things that make you happy, but are considered improper by others, behind their backs?"

Zhao Zhen was taken aback at first.

The next instant, it was as if something, extremely light and precise, struck the softest spot in his heart.

-

When we returned to Zhaoshui Pavilion, it was already close to dusk.

After washing up and changing, Langhua waved her hand, dismissing everyone.

In the quiet room, Langhua suddenly chuckled softly.

She remembered the look in Zhao Zhen's eyes when he turned back to look at her before he left.

she knows.

I succeeded.

The original story did not describe in detail what this official looked like in his youth.

He was only described as kind and benevolent, but childless.

The first two words were fine, but the last two were enough to draw her attention to him.

She is destined to have two sons and two daughters.

If one wants to give their children the best future, who in this world is more suitable to be their father than a childless emperor?

Later, she consulted many historical books and pieced together books she had read in later generations, and gradually realized that the current emperor was most likely Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen of the Northern Song Dynasty.

They also knew that Empress Guo would be deposed sooner or later.

Empress Cao, who was famous for her "ugly appearance that did not bring disaster to the emperor" and almost became a model of a virtuous empress, was about the same age as her, but had not yet fulfilled her marriage contract with the Li family.

She then truly became interested.

But she also knew better than anyone that to be an empress, one must be dignified, composed, and impeccable in the eyes of the entire court. Otherwise, how could one be a model for the nation?

In her previous life, she received the most orthodox upbringing as a noblewoman and learned the ways of a proper wife.

She was adept at how to be an empress, how to manage the harem, how to restrain the concubines, how to speak to the emperor when he was furious, and how to remain composed when the world was in turmoil.

But no one had ever taught her how to seduce men.

But that doesn't mean she can't.

She was simply dismissive.

If she were like an ordinary woman, relying on her singing voice, her playing the zither, her looks, and a touch of shyness to seduce men, such methods might be somewhat effective against ordinary men, but on an emperor, they would be too low, too insignificant, and too cheap.

Favors gained through begging are destined to be humble.

Moreover, an emperor like Zhao Zhen never lacked gentleness, consideration, or beauty.

The historical record states that Zhao Zhen was given the temple name Ren, which shows that he was kind-hearted.

The story of "The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat" is a well-known anecdote.

Official historical records have never denied that his biological mother was someone else.

The fact that the legal mother was Empress Dowager Liu E, who wore the dragon robe, demonstrates her powerful influence.

Unable to see her birth mother, she was separated from her two empresses by death...

As these events are laid out one by one, whether in official or unofficial history, upon careful examination, the person's character will inevitably emerge.

She is soft-hearted, cautious, and occasionally willful, but quickly comes to her senses.

They yearn for the freedom outside the rules, yet cannot bear the cost of completely breaking free from the shackles.

Such an emperor.

What's most lacking is someone who knows he's trapped in the rules, yet doesn't advise him to endure or accept his fate, but can quietly open a window for him without crossing the line.

Thinking this, Langhua's smile deepened.

He compared himself to a caged bird.

She became the butterfly that flew into the cage.

So that he may see that even in that cage there is another way of life.

Be like him, bound by rules, yet still able to maneuver and maneuver within a limited space, even dancing with a smile.

Judging from the look in Zhao Zhen's eyes when he left, she succeeded.

She is currently close to rightfully ascending to the position of empress.

It's just one last step away.