The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"Who are you talking about? The Marquis of Dongchang's residence?"

Wang Ruoyu was initially delighted; her reputation for talent had actually reached the ears of the Marquis of Dongchang.

Why did it have to be the Dongchang Marquis's mansion, a semi-impoverished household? If only it were the prestigious Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, but unfortunately I was born two years too late; the Ningyuan Marquis's heir already had a consumptive wife.

"Yes, the Marquis of Dongchang's family has come to propose marriage to... the Third Miss."

"Who?" Wang Ruoyu whirled around, her beautiful eyes wide open, almost shooting out arrows. "Who did you say?"

The maid Chunxing took a half step back in fright, her voice even lower: "Reporting to...reporting to Miss, it's...it's Third Miss. Master and Madam have...have already tentatively agreed."

"Wang Ruofu? That silly girl?!" Wang Ruoyu's voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing. Her beautiful face twisted instantly, her previous smugness vanished, leaving only disbelief and anger.

A few days ago, the Sheng and Kang families came to propose marriage at the same time. She hid behind a screen and met both families.

Both her mother and father valued Sheng Hong from the Sheng family, but she had her eye on Kang Haifeng.

Sheng Hong was born out of wedlock. Although he had a father who was a third-ranked scholar, he died early and his foundation was very weak.

What's worse, he also has a nominal stepmother, Xu, the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi.

Others might respect Madam Xu for her selflessness, for treating Sheng Hong like her own son, and for even swallowing her pride to personally propose marriage. But in her eyes, Madam Xu was an undeniable fool!

Despite her noble birth, she couldn't even hold onto her husband's heart or protect her own son. In the end, she was reduced to raising a son born out of wedlock to care for her in her old age and see her off in death. She had utterly disgraced a noblewoman.

The thought of marrying into the Sheng family and having to respectfully greet such a mother-in-law made her feel as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.

The Kang family was different.

The patriarch of the Kang family is still in the court. Although his official position is not top-notch, he has real power.

With his father's protection and support, Kang Haifeng's path to officialdom will naturally be smooth.

Moreover, Kang Haifeng was handsome and had an outstanding demeanor, far surpassing Sheng Hong, whose appearance was merely decent.

She had already set her sights on the Kang family, but she didn't want to reject the Sheng family either.

Wouldn't it be better to leave such low-class things to my stupid younger sister?

When things get tough in the future, they'll inevitably have to rely on their older sister and brother-in-law and live at their mercy.

But now, this devastating news has shattered all her calculations and sense of superiority!

The Dongchang Marquis's Residence!

That's a proper noble family mansion!

Even if the established families that inherited the legacy of the founding of the dynasty seem somewhat dormant now, their foundation and social standing are something that newly emerging official families like those of the Kangxi and Shengli eras can hardly match.

Moreover, Qin Zhengyang is going to inherit the title! Once he does, he will be a Marquis of the highest rank! His principal wife will naturally be the future Marquis's wife, who will have an imperial decree!

Wang Ruofu? That fool who was raised by her uncle since childhood, whose manners were a complete mess, and who speaks bluntly without thinking? What makes her so special?!

Wang Ruoyu's mind was filled with Qin Shilan's bright and beautiful face.

She always had a large entourage when she went out, and her outfits were always stunning.

One moment it's Qin Zhengyang's handsome face, upright figure, and his unique, refined demeanor...

These images intertwined, gnawing at her heart like venomous snakes.

The honor of being the eldest daughter-in-law of a marquis's family, the handsome husband who inherited the title, the immense wealth, the envy of everyone... why should it fall on that useless younger sister's shoulders?!

"I don't believe it! There must be a mistake! Or the Qin family has lost their minds!" Wang Ruoyu suddenly stood up, pushed away Chunxing who came forward to help her, and rushed out of her courtyard like a whirlwind, heading straight for her mother's main room.

"Mother! Mother!" She practically burst through the door, her eyes instantly reddening, tears streaming down her face. She rushed to Madam Wang, who was looking at the betrothal gift list. "How could the person from the Dongchang Marquis's mansion who proposed marriage be Wang Ruofu! What makes her worthy of the Marquis's family? This must be a mistake. The Qin family clearly wants me. The matchmaker must have relayed the wrong message—"

"If so!"

Madam Wang frowned deeply as she looked at her eldest daughter's discomposure.

"Look at yourself! The news is correct, the person the Marquis of Dongchang is seeking to marry is your sister, Ruofu."

"Why?!" Wang Ruoyu's sobs abruptly ceased, replaced by a sharp question: "Mother! I am the eldest daughter of the Wang family! I have studied etiquette and manners since childhood, managing the household, accounting, poetry, and needlework—in every aspect, I am a hundred or a thousand times better than Ruofu! Shouldn't the Marquis's mansion choose someone like me as a wife? Qin Zhengyang is destined to be a Marquis; his wife will be responsible for managing the household and handling social interactions. Can Ruofu handle that? She will only bring shame to the Qin family and to our Wang family!"

The more she spoke, the more reasonable she felt, and her emotions grew increasingly agitated: "Mother, you can't be so biased! Since the Qin family intends to form a marriage alliance with our Wang family, then let's switch! Let me marry into the Marquis's mansion, and let Ruofu marry into the Kang family! Kang Haifeng is also a newly appointed scholar, and his family background is excellent; he's more than a match for her! Wouldn't that be perfect for both of us? I'll definitely be a good wife to the Marquis's mansion, bringing glory to our family. And if Ruofu goes to the Kang family, with me here, no one will dare to bully her..."

"Shut up!" Madam Wang abruptly pulled back her sleeve, her face turning completely grim. "Ruoyu, how can you be so unreasonable and disruptive?"

Madam Wang's chest heaved, clearly indicating she was quite angry and disappointed: "The Kang and Sheng families proposed marriage, only stating they wanted to marry a daughter of the Wang family, without naming her specifically. Your father and I considered the options and chose the best match—that's normal, and it left us room to maneuver. But the Marquis of Dongchang's family clearly and explicitly requested to marry Ruofu! This is their sincerity, and their choice!"

Looking at her eldest daughter's face, which had turned deathly pale, she felt a pang of pity, but more than that, she felt a resolute need to make her face reality: "A marriage exchange? What do you take the Marquis's mansion for? What do you take Lord Qin for? Where do you place the reputation of our Wang family and your father's official standing? If we were to actually engage in such a substitution, we would be trampling the Marquis's mansion's honor underfoot and turning a good thing into an enmity! Do you think the Qin family is easy to deal with? Even if by then it's a fait accompli and they have to accept it for the sake of their reputation, what good life will you have after marrying into that family?"

Wang Ruoyu completely ignored Madam Wang's earnest advice.

She had only one thought in her mind:

The Qin family specifically requested to marry Wang Ruofu.

These words were like a poisoned dagger, piercing deep into the proudest and most vulnerable part of her heart.

So, in the Qin family's eyes, was she, the eldest daughter of the Wang family, who excelled in every way, really inferior to Wang Ruofu, that crude and stupid country girl?

"No! I don't believe it!"

Wang Ruoyu, looking frantic, smashed all the porcelain teacups around her like a madwoman.

Madam Wang saw this and was both angry and heartbroken, but she didn't indulge or coax her anymore: "Someone, take the eldest young lady back to her room to calm down. Lock the courtyard gate. She can come out when she's calmed down."

"Yes."

The maids and servants responded.