The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The Ningyuan Marquis's Residence.

When Qin's parents arrived, Qin Yanyun was still unconscious.

She lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, a damp cloth stuck to her forehead, looking so frail that she seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Upon seeing this, Qin's mother's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"What happened to my eldest sister? She was perfectly fine yesterday. How did she become so sick overnight?"

Qin's father's expression was also grim, but he managed to remain composed and turned to look at Gu Yankai: "What exactly happened?"

Gu Yankai stood by the bed, his face grim.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Qin's father frowned even more: "Yan Kai?"

Gu Yan opened and closed his eyes, as if he was suppressing something, and after a moment, he said coldly, "If my father-in-law and mother-in-law want to know, then ask Caiyu."

Caiyu is a maid who has served Qin Yanyun since childhood.

Qin's mother's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked at her: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Caiyu's eyes were already red with tears. Upon hearing this, she knelt down with a thud and cried, "My lord, my lady, it's not that I wanted to sow discord between the two young ladies, it's just... it's just that our lady has been wronged so much!"

Qin's mother said urgently, "Just tell me!"

Caiyu wiped away her tears: "Yesterday, Ji'an, the maidservant of the Third Miss, came. Our lady was happily preparing for the Third Miss's wedding dowry when she heard that the Third Miss had sent someone. She was overjoyed and told the servants to welcome her in. But when Ji'an entered the room, she didn't even offer a greeting. Her face was as cold as if we owed her a million taels of silver. She didn't say a single kind word, only telling our lady not to go back today, lest she catch a cold and bring bad luck upon the Third Miss's happy occasion."

"What did you say?" Qin's mother suddenly stood up.

Caiyu cried even harder: "This servant wouldn't dare to talk nonsense! Madam, you know that our lady is the kindest of all. When she heard this, her face turned pale, but she still forced a smile and agreed, and even told this servant to bring out the dowry that had been prepared long ago."

She choked back a sob: "Who knew that Ji'an wouldn't even accept the gift, saying it was bad luck, and threw it back at us. My wife didn't want to make a scene, afraid of hurting her sister's reputation, so she swallowed her anger. She didn't sleep a wink last night, and she's not feeling well this morning."

The room fell eerily quiet.

Qin's mother's face was a mixture of pale and flushed.

Qin's father's face also darkened.

Gu Yankai sneered: "The Prince of Yan's family is indeed of a higher social standing than our Marquis of Ningyuan's family. If your sister-in-law has risen to a higher social status and looks down on us, just say so. Although our Gu family is not as noble as the Prince's family, we are not shameless enough to fawn over them."

He looked at Qin's parents, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm: "But they are sisters after all. How could they go to such lengths? Yan Yun is three months pregnant! If she and the child are alright today, that's fine, but if anything were to happen to her, I would risk my future rather than let her off the hook!"

Mother Qin was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "No, no, Third Sister would never do such a thing. Eldest Sister is her own sister! There must be some misunderstanding. I'll go back and find out in a bit. If she really did something wrong, I will definitely make her come back to apologize to Eldest Sister. She's young, and it's understandable that she might have made a mistake..."

Before she could finish speaking, the person on the bed suddenly stirred slightly.

"mother……"

Qin's mother immediately rushed to the bedside: "Yun'er is awake? Is anything wrong? Does your stomach hurt?"

Qin Yanyun slowly opened her eyes, her eyes still red. Before she could speak, tears rolled down her cheeks.

This crying made the three people in the room feel heartbroken at the same time.

Gu Yankai quickly sat down by the bed and took her hand: "Don't cry. The doctor said you shouldn't be upset right now."

Seeing his eldest daughter like this, Qin's father felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he still asked in a deep voice, "Did Ji'an really say that?"

Qin Yanyun was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked at Caiyu.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?"

Caiyu cried, "My lady, I truly feel wronged for you!"

Mother Qin hurriedly said, "It has nothing to do with her; we forced her to say it. Yun'er, did Third Sister really do that?"

Qin Yanyun lowered his eyes and gently shook his head.

"It must be a misunderstanding by the subordinates; they relayed the wrong message."

But no one in the room believed him.

In wealthy families, which of the master's trusted confidants doesn't watch their master's every move when speaking or acting?

Qin's father and mother both looked unwell.

They suddenly remembered that a few days ago, their youngest daughter had calmly said in front of them that from now on, they should pretend that they had never given birth to her.

At that time, they only felt that she was too stubborn and did not understand her parents' good intentions, and that she was stuck in a rut.

But now it seems that there is a real chasm between the two daughters that can never be crossed.

What should they do?

Whom should we favor?

How else can we make up for it?

Qin Yanwan did not give them a chance to hesitate.

On the day of the third-day return visit to the bride's parents' home, the Qin family was busy from early morning.

Qin's parents got up early, and Qin Zhengyang also got up very early, which was rare for him. Qin Yanyun and Gu Yankai originally did not want to come, but Qin's mother pleaded with them repeatedly, saying that the family was, after all, blood relatives, and they should take advantage of the day of returning home to talk things out and make up for past grievances in the future.

As a result, the whole family waited from dawn until the sun was high in the sky.

The food in the kitchen was reheated again and again.

They waited from noon until the afternoon.

The food got cold and was remade, then it got cold again, and eventually, even the ingredients we bought were almost gone.

Qin Yanwan still did not come.

Qin's mother finally couldn't sit still any longer and sent someone to the Prince of Yan's residence to inquire.

When the servant returned, his face was extremely pale.

"Reporting to the old master and the eldest mistress, the Prince of Yan's residence says... the young master and his wife left early this morning."

Qin's mother's heart sank: "He left so early this morning, why hasn't he come back yet? Have you gone to inquire about his whereabouts? Could something have happened to him?"

The servant lowered his head and said, "Nothing happened. As soon as the young master and his wife left the palace, they went straight to the orphanage in the south of the city."

"...bring the homecoming gifts along with you."

Qin's mother felt as if her heart had fallen into an ice cellar, and her whole body suddenly turned cold.

Qin's father's face turned ashen. He suddenly raised his hand and overturned the table in front of him.

The cups, bowls, and plates were shattered all over the floor.

Qin Yanyun's tears immediately fell.

Gu Yan was heartbroken and immediately supported her, saying, "Don't cry. It's not worth being sad for someone like that."

He stood up and looked coldly at Qin's parents: "Since she refuses to even return for the three-day homecoming ceremony, it's clear she doesn't want this relationship anymore. In that case, our Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion doesn't need to rush to acknowledge any kinship with the Yan Prince's Mansion anymore."

After saying that, he helped Qin Yanyun up and was about to leave.

As they reached the door, Qin Zhengyang, who had remained silent until now, suddenly picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he slammed the wine glass down on the doorway.

The sound of porcelain shattering was crisp and piercing.

The shards and the remaining wine splashed onto the hems of Gu Yankai and Qin Yanyun's clothes.

Qin Zhengyang sneered.

"It should have been done long ago."

After saying that, he got up and strode away without looking back.

Mr. and Mrs. Qin looked up at the direction Gu Yankai and Qin Yanyun had left, then at Qin Zhengyang's resolute back, and then at their youngest daughter who had truly kept her word and was now severing all ties with them. They felt as if their hearts were being torn apart.

Qin's mother covered her face and wept bitterly: "How could this happen—"

Meanwhile, in the orphanage, Qin Yanwan was sitting on the veranda, watching the children playing in the yard.

Langhua stood beside her, looking somewhat helpless.

"You won't even return for the three-day homecoming ceremony? Do you really intend to never have anything to do with them again?"

Qin Yanwan's expression remained unchanged, and her tone was calm: "I said that if they were willing to let me go out in style, we could still visit each other as ordinary relatives in the future. But since they can't even do that, there's no need to force ourselves to stay together in the future."

She paused, a very faint smile appearing on her lips.

"Since I was just an extra anyway, let's pretend I was never here. We'll be even, and we can both be at peace."

It was fine on ordinary days, but on the wedding day, the big day of the ceremony, even her biological parents were not by her side.

What difference does it make whether such parents exist or not?

She was just regretful that it took so long to realize this.

Langhua looked at her and said softly, "Even if you really don't have any contact, you should at least keep it a secret. The way you're acting, as if you're afraid others won't know you've fallen out with your family, aren't you afraid of being looked down upon in the future?"

Qin Yanwan followed her gaze and looked into the distance.

Zhao Xu was squatting on the ground, weaving a little rabbit out of grass to tease Yuanbao, showing no airs of a prince whatsoever.

"That's the path I chose myself. Whether it's bitter or sweet, I'm willing to bear it all myself."

She turned to look at Langhua, her eyes bright and open: "This is just the beginning. If I'm already planning ahead for when things don't go smoothly, what's the point of living like this?"

Langhua paused for a moment.

She scrutinized Qin Yanwan intently, as if it were the first day she had met her.

Qin Yanwan raised an eyebrow at her gaze: "What are you looking at?"

"You resemble someone very much."

"Who?"

"A person who fears neither heaven nor earth."

Qin Yanwan was about to ask another question when she suddenly noticed something, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

She leaned closer to Langhua and said meaningfully, "I'm offering you a day of peace by giving up my status as the Crown Princess of Yan, not to drag you here to listen to my nagging."

Langhua was puzzled.

Qin Yanwan smiled and said, "On our wedding day, you gave me a huge favor, and I'm not someone who doesn't know how to repay kindness."

She raised her chin.

"Today, I'm giving you a big gift."

Langhua turned around following her gaze.

He met a pair of gentle, smiling eyes.

Zhao Zhen, dressed in casual clothes, stood at the entrance of the orphanage, quietly watching her.