The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Sheng Hong was taken aback: "The Wang family? Which Wang family?"

Xu looked at him, her tone very calm: "And which other Wang family? Wang You, the Minister of Revenue."

Sheng Hong's eyes lit up immediately, and a bright and lovely face instantly appeared in his mind.

Sheng Hong's heart fluttered, and he quickly suppressed his joy, saying, "Mother, rest assured, your son will do his best and will never let you down."

Xu listened without commenting.

"Remember what you said today."

"Yes."

Sheng Hong bowed again, then, using the excuse that he still had homework, told his mother to take care of her health and to get settled as soon as possible before leaving.

But as soon as he stepped out the door, Xu's face suddenly darkened.

Madam Fang stepped forward and whispered, "Madam... the young master smells of perfume."

Xu sneered and slammed her teacup down: "I'm not so old that my nose won't work."

Mrs. Fang immediately dared not say another word.

After a moment of silence, Madam Xu said bitterly, "No wonder he's his father's son. He hasn't achieved any fame or success, but he's already been poisoned by a woman."

Madam Fang hesitated before saying, "Should I arrange for someone to keep an eye on things...?"

Xu shook her head.

"No need."

She slowly leaned back on the cushion, her eyes filled with mockery, but her tone was firm: "I know the men of the Sheng family. It's true that lust is a double-edged sword, but when it really comes down to it, what they value most is their own future."

"I've already brought up the Wang family's daughter. He knows in his heart whether the daughter of the current Minister is more helpful to him or those shady things outside."

"After all, I'm not his biological mother, so I have to maintain this level of boundaries."

Mrs. Fang hurriedly agreed, but she swallowed back the words, "The fragrance of the cosmetics is unusual, not something ordinary people can afford."

-

In the end, Langhua was not confined to the Wang family.

That evening, when Wang's father returned home from his official duties, his face immediately darkened after hearing his wife's account of the whole story.

"Nonsense!"

But he turned to the Queen Mother and said, "Based solely on what you saw from afar, you concluded that Third Sister was having an affair, and you even forbade her to implicate First Sister? How could you be so foolish!"

"Go and call Third Sister over."

The next sentence was spoken by Mrs. Shao, who was waiting outside.

Shao's mother went to carry out the order, while Wang's mother looked aggrieved. She had thought that when her husband returned, he would definitely stand on her side. After all, wasn't it clear enough who was right and who was wrong in this matter?

"My lord!"

Wang's father ignored her, changed into his everyday clothes, and sat down in the main hall to wait, his brows furrowed with exhaustion.

Langhua arrived quickly.

"Father, Mother."

Wang's father looked at her and raised his hand: "Get up. Your mother said that she saw you meeting with a strange man in private at the orphanage and even accepting things from him. Third Sister, is this true or false?"

Langhua raised her eyes and looked at her father seriously, her heart immediately trembling.

Mr. Wang is not yet fifty years old, but his hair is already mostly white, and his face is full of wrinkles, making him look even more weathered.

Honestly, I don't think Wang's father was a very good father.

He wasn't particularly attentive to his household affairs or his children.

But he was indeed a good official.

With a heart devoted to the people and the public good, even at this age, he still works tirelessly day and night, and the gray hair at his temples seems to have been earned for the sake of the people.

Langhua's heart softened suddenly, and her tone became gentle: "Daughter has indeed met someone, and indeed... is fond of him."

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother's expression immediately changed.

"Listen to this! Listen to this! Even after all this, am I not allowed to discipline her?"

Unlike her mother, the father was not in a hurry to scold her for being shameless. He simply gestured for Langhua to continue.

Langhua felt much better, and her voice became warmer: "He is a good person and a kind-hearted person. These days, he often visits the children at the orphanage. In my interactions with him, I have always been self-disciplined and respectful, and have never overstepped the bounds. What Mother saw that day is true, but we did not exchange anything privately."

"Not to mention that on that day in the corridor of the orphanage, there were so many people coming and going, and I only exchanged a few words with him in public."

"In a few days, he will formally send someone to propose marriage."

"My relationship with him was based on affection, but remained within the bounds of propriety; it was completely innocent and aboveboard."

"I hereby swear that in this life I will never do anything to disgrace our family and bring shame to my father and mother."

"Marriage has always been a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words!" The Queen Mother nearly jumped up from her chair. "You two have secretly pledged yourselves to each other; isn't that a disgrace to our family? My lord! Listen to this yourselves! A young woman, not yet married, has fallen for someone behind her parents' backs—do you dare say this isn't foolishness? If we don't intervene now, what will become of her later?"

Only then did the father slowly turn his head and glance at the mother.

The room was quiet for a while.

He asked, "Who is that person?"

Langhua lowered her eyes: "When he comes to propose, Father will know. If he doesn't come, I will never have anything to do with him again. In that case, who he is will not matter."

After listening, the father remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"understood."

The Queen Mother looked at him in disbelief: "My lord?"

But Wang's father said to her first, "I know you're just worried, but as your parents, we should understand Third Sister's character."

"It's not a big deal that a young man is infatuated. Third Sister isn't the kind of girl who doesn't know her place. Your overreaction and fuss will only offend her."

The Queen Mother's face turned pale and then red, but she dared not refute him, and just tightly gripped the handkerchief in her hand.

The father turned to look at Langhua, his tone softening.

"Third Sister, don't be so quick to anger. Your mother is just a woman, and after so many years of living a humble and obedient life with me, she's bound to be a little timid. You're still young, and when she suddenly saw that situation, as a mother, she naturally thought twice and was afraid that you would be deceived and ruin your life. That's understandable."

"I'll make the decision on this matter, and let it go. No one needs to mention it again. If the person you've chosen, Third Sister, is truly a good man, let him come to our door openly and honestly, and your mother and I will personally give him our opinion."

The Queen Mother opened her mouth to speak, but the King Father, already prepared, turned to her directly and said:

"And stop talking about seniority. There are plenty of families where the younger sister gets engaged before the older sister. If it's truly a good match, it's better to settle things sooner rather than later."

The position of the king's father as the head of the family is as secure as Mount Tai.

Even though the Queen Mother was unwilling, she could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger, saying, "I understand," after he had made the final decision.

Langhua bowed her head and said gently, "Father's teachings have been remembered by your daughter."

Mr. Wang nodded: "Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."

Langhua said goodbye and left on her own.

The Queen Mother resented her husband for making her lose face in front of her youngest daughter, and unwilling to stay any longer, she simply turned and went back to her inner room.

Watching the mother and daughter part ways, Mr. Wang shook his head helplessly. He wanted to offer a few words of advice, but then remembered the official business he still had to attend to. After hesitating for a moment, he simply got up and went to his study.

Let's put public matters first and private matters later. Once we've finished dealing with our current tasks, we'll think of a way to mend the rift between the mother and daughter.

The father sighed softly and went back to his official duties.

Unexpectedly, he simply made the decision to prioritize the country over his family, just as he always had.

Thus, he missed his last chance to win back his daughter, Langhua.

-

Wang Ruoyu only learned about everything that had happened in the mansion that day much later.

"What did you say? The evidence of her affair is irrefutable, and it was witnessed by Mother herself, yet Father not only didn't punish her, but even allowed her to get engaged first?"

Liu Yun stood with her hands at her sides and replied in a low voice, "Yes. That's what my godmother said, and my lord also said that if it's truly a good match, it would be a good thing to get engaged sooner rather than later."

Wang Ruoyu's expression changed several times.

She originally thought that Wang Ruofu was just lucky and had gained some fame by taking advantage of the disaster. Who would have thought that she would actually find a perfect husband without her noticing?

No.

She absolutely will not allow it!

Wang Ruoyu paced back and forth in the room twice, her face growing increasingly grim. Suddenly, she turned around, pulled out a plain handkerchief from under her dressing case, and wrote a letter.

Watching from the side, Liu Yun felt her heart pounding and couldn't help but whisper, "Miss, are you really going to do this?"

Wang Ruoyu suddenly looked up, her eyes wide: "What do you mean? Are you my maid, or Wang Ruofu's maid?"

Liu Yun panicked and quickly knelt down: "This servant dares not."

"If you dare not, then go now!" Wang Ruo slammed the letter into her hand, gritting his teeth as he said, "Send it to the Kang family. Use the method I taught you to find a gatekeeper named Shi Zhuang. Give him a string of cash, and he will find Kang Haifeng for you. Don't dawdle. If you ruin my plans, I will immediately report back to my mother and sell you off!"

Liu Yun dared not say anything more and could only respond with a low "Yes".

But as she walked out clutching the letter, Liu Yun couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The girl always called him Wang Ruofu.

But the third girl stopped being called that a long time ago.

Moreover, the Third Miss never made things difficult for the young lady, and often even gave in to her.

She really couldn't understand why her young lady had to compete with the third young lady and do such a thing... These were hardly blood sisters; they were mortal enemies with a blood feud.

But she was just a maidservant after all.

A maid whose fate was tied to her master's, with no say in her own destiny.

She had no choice.

Liu Yun lowered her head and hurriedly left the house.

Little did she know that her every move had already been observed by others.

Under the locust tree outside the courtyard, an inconspicuous little girl watched for a long time, then quietly turned around and retreated from the other end of the alley.