The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Wang Ruoyu wants to marry Sheng Hong, that's great news!

Langhua was happy to see it happen.

To outsiders, Sheng Hong was truly blessed.

Despite being a mere illegitimate son, he was personally raised by Madam Xu, a legitimate daughter of a noble family. In terms of food, clothing, daily necessities, teachers, and tutors, he was on par with the sons of true aristocratic families.

After passing the imperial examination in his early twenties, Xu went so far as to ask for the second daughter of the Wang family to marry him.

At that time, the Wang family was very powerful. With just a word from Grand Tutor Wang, he was better than others who had waited three or five years for a position. So while others were still waiting for a vacancy in the capital, his official position was secured along with his marriage.

Even after Grand Tutor Wang passed away, he was honored with the privilege of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Thanks to this legacy, coupled with Sheng Hong's cautious and meticulous approach to his career, which made him avoid making mistakes, his official career was relatively smooth.

At the age of thirty-five or thirty-six, he successfully returned to the capital and became a government official.

He had two sons and four daughters. His sons all entered officialdom, and his eldest son, Sheng Changbai, later became a prime minister. His daughters also married into high-ranking families, becoming either nobles or prominent officials.

The only legitimate second daughter who seemed to have married into a lower social class later earned the respect of an imperial title.

In the end, who wouldn't say that Sheng Hong was exceptionally blessed?

Is the Sheng family really such a good place to go?

No one knew the taste of this better than Wang Ruofu.

For the first two years after the marriage, the two were able to be described as a harmonious and respectful couple.

After all, she was marrying down, and with her father, Grand Tutor Wang, keeping her in check, Sheng Hong disliked that she wasn't elegant or refined enough, that she spoke bluntly and was rude, and that even her appearance wasn't attractive enough. At least, she wasn't the delicate beauty he had hoped for in his youth.

At least on the surface, he was still willing to show some tenderness and humility, and he hid his dislike very well. At least Wang Ruofu did not notice, and was still immersed in the idea that this marriage was acceptable.

What happened next?

Later, when she was pregnant with Sheng Changbai, Sheng Hong had an affair with Lin Qinshuang, who was being raised by the old lady, right under her nose.

He waited until Lin Qinshuang's belly was big enough to hide it no longer before confronting her.

He looked somewhat ashamed, but held Lin Qinshuang tightly in his hand, standing in a protective posture, as if he was terrified that his wife would suddenly go crazy and hurt the person he cherished most.

But they forgot that she was also heavily pregnant, eight months along, and about to give birth.

At that time, my father, Grand Tutor Wang, was away dealing with floods and couldn't spare the time.

She couldn't bear to part with Hua Lan, nor with the child in her womb. She locked herself in her room and cried for several days. In the end, she accepted it and drank the concubine's tea.

For more than ten years after that, despite being his wife, she was inferior to others in every way.

With her father dead, her husband's heart was lost, and his power to manage the household was frequently taken away. Her eldest daughter, Hualan, was taken to be raised by the old lady. Later, even Changbai, whom she had raised with great difficulty, was taken to the front yard for his early education when he turned four.

When he returned, he looked much older than his age, speaking and acting in a very formal and mature manner, like a little old man.

He no longer wanted to snuggle up to her and act coquettishly like before.

She felt sad, and when she looked back at Hualan, she found that her daughter, who was originally lively and bright and whose temperament was quite similar to hers when she was young, had also been raised to be a dignified, composed, and well-mannered young lady.

It's alright.

But he doesn't kiss her anymore.

Only when she gave birth to her youngest daughter, Rulan, did she seem to find a little bit of sweetness from God amidst all her grievances.

That child was lively, straightforward, and cheerful, and even her temperament was somewhat similar to hers. In Wang Ruofu's eyes, she was simply a treasure sent by God to make up for the injustices of her life.

However, in the eyes of outsiders in the Sheng family, the Fifth Miss was just like the First Madam—reckless and clumsy, not worthy of being presented in a respectable manner.

Therefore, the marriage he ended up with was the worst among his siblings.

Yes, the Sheng family later saw the flowers in full bloom.

But amidst all that splendor, Sheng Hong possessed a certain genuine skill, unknown to others, yet clearly seen by Lang Hua.

Hua Lan married into a wealthy family, paving the way for her younger sisters. She endured hardship and humiliation for nearly ten years before earning the Sheng family a respectable reputation for raising daughters well.

Needless to say, without this prodigy who rose through the ranks, even if forty daughters were to marry out, let alone four daughters marrying into high-ranking families, the Sheng family would not have the foundation to prosper.

Rulan may seem to have married the lowest social class, but it was precisely this marriage that covered up the embarrassment for Sheng Hong. The concubine's daughter married up high while the legitimate daughter married down. Rulan's marriage managed to absolve the Sheng family and Sheng Hong of the suspicion of selling their daughter for personal gain.

In Langhua's view, the Sheng family's later prosperity was not simply due to Sheng Hong's good fortune.

Wang Ruofu clearly deserves half the credit.

If it weren't for Hualan, Changbai, and Rulan, whom she gave birth to.

Even if Sheng Minglan, the sixth daughter of the Sheng family, becomes the wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan, what difference does it make if Lin Qinshuang only has her two children?

The Sheng family will not enjoy the same glory as before.

That's always been her thought, and that's how certain she was of it.

As for whether this is true or not, since Wang Ruoyu has developed the idea of ​​marrying Sheng Hong, let her go and verify it.

Therefore, Langhua not only stood by and watched, but even took the initiative to cover her tracks several times, and helped her to meet Shenghong in secret.

Wang Ruoyu's appearance is indeed superior to Wang Ruofu's. If the latter can only be described as pretty and charming, Wang Ruoyu is truly bright and beautiful. It's just that her willful appearance makes her look somewhat repulsive.

Now that she is intentionally seducing him, she is naturally gentle and charming, and Sheng Hong has always pretended to be serious, but in reality he is a womanizer and has all the vices that men should have.

How could one not be moved by such a beautiful woman's flattery?

If such a thing truly existed, it would vanish without a trace once Wang Ruoyu's identity was revealed.

Langhua watched coldly as the two drew closer and closer, and even made up her mind to act as a matchmaker and do everything she could to bring this couple together.

After all, there was a hypocritical and fickle husband like Sheng Hong, a restless concubine like Lin Qinshuang, and an old lady who always sat high in the hall, claiming to see everything but never actually taking action.

Such a Sheng family is indeed a good match for Wang Ruoyu.

-

Meanwhile, in the Funing Palace, Zhao Zhen was being pestered by the old minister Shen Wencheng, who was giving him a headache.

Despite his advanced age, the old man sat upright in the hall, showing no intention of leaving. He stared intently at the emperor on the throne with his dark eyes, refusing to yield an inch.

"Your Majesty!" Shen Wencheng cupped his hands in greeting, his voice booming, "The matter of establishing an empress concerns the very foundation of the nation. Now that I have come, I cannot return in confusion. Your Majesty must give us a clear answer as to what your plans are."

Zhao Zhen rubbed his forehead and said gently, "Minister Shen, I have other matters to attend to today. The matter of establishing an empress will be discussed another day."

"Another day?" Shen Wencheng's brows furrowed. "Your Majesty said the same thing last time. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows are there! Are you trying to fool me like a child?"

Zhao Zhen: "..."