The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Zhao Zhen was tricked out by Zhao Xu.

Although Zhao Xu was a reckless and unruly person, among the imperial clan, he and Prince Yong were the closest to Zhao Zhen by blood. In fact, he should call Zhao Zhen "uncle."

Early this morning, he was ordered by his newlywed wife to do something.

They brought the emperor out of the palace.

Use whatever means you want, whether it's throwing a tantrum or being shameless, the person must be brought along.

Zhao Xu responded quickly and handled the matter efficiently.

He sent a message to the palace, saying that he was dying and could not bear to see his newlywed wife suffer in the future. He wanted the emperor to come and decide on his behalf and divide his inheritance.

When Zhao Zhen received the news, he almost stood up from behind his desk.

They hurriedly left the palace, and halfway there, the man stammered that the Prince of Yan's heir was actually fine.

Zhao Zhen's face immediately darkened.

Just as he was about to decide to go all the way and make sure Zhao Xu was really in trouble, the man added just in time:

They were on their way to the orphanage, where Wang San Niangzi, a close friend of the Crown Princess when she was still a young lady, was also present.

Zhao Zhen remained silent for a moment.

He then understood his nephew's intention.

Now that their eyes met, he finally saw the person who had haunted his dreams again.

Langhua quickly composed herself, stepped forward, and gave a gentle curtsy.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Zhao Zhen said gently, "No need for such formalities."

The two were clearly engaged, but both restrained themselves and followed proper etiquette, neither rushing to get closer.

Zhao Xu watched from the side and grimaced.

They were truly two pieces of wood, perfectly sculpted by the rules and regulations of etiquette.

uninteresting.

He had barely finished his internal monologue when he received a slightly warning glance from Qin Yanwan.

Zhao Xu immediately remembered his real mission and hurriedly waved to summon his servant.

The servant was carrying several sets of clothes, which, judging from their style, were ordinary clothes worn by common people.

Zhao Xu chuckled and said, "It's rare to have some free time today, and everyone's here. Why don't we change our clothes and go out for some fun? I'm treating today, I guarantee you'll have a great time."

Zhao Zhen glanced at Langhua.

Langhua lowered her eyes and remained silent, but there was a clear hint of a smile in her eyes.

Zhao Zhen tapped Zhao Xu on the head with his folding fan.

"You're the one with the most mischievous ideas."

But he did not refuse.

Seeing this, what else could the crowd not understand?

Langhua also put on a face mask.

Since we're already here, why spoil the fun?

They changed their clothes and went out quietly.

Meanwhile, Gu Yankai and Qin Yanyun each returned to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, each harboring their own resentment.

However, Gu Yankai's anger was clearly written on his face, but Qin Yanyun still had to put on a guilty and sad look.

When the carriage stopped, Gu Yankai helped her out of the carriage and gently comforted her, "It's just a relative, isn't it? Just pretend we're not related from now on. No matter how wealthy the Prince of Yan's mansion is, our Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion won't be unable to survive just because we can't get close to them."

Qin Yanyun nodded obediently.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw the gatekeeper rush out in a panic.

"My lord, madam, something terrible has happened! The old lady has fainted!"

The two men's expressions changed, and they hurriedly rushed to Shou'an Hall.

The room was already packed with people; the whole family had come, standing in a dense, imposing mass.

The fourth and fifth brothers' eyes lit up as soon as they saw Gu Yankai, and they rushed over to grab him.

"Big brother, you're back! Please save us!"

"Where did you go today, brother? Why are you only coming back now?"

"Have you forgotten? Today is the day my sister-in-law is returning to her parents' home. She's marrying the heir of the Prince of Yan's mansion, so her status will be very different from now on."

Upon hearing this, the fifth brother immediately grasped at a straw: "That's perfect! Big brother, quickly go and ask your sister-in-law and brother-in-law for help, let's get this family through this difficult time first!"

The crowd was chattering away, giving Gu Yan a headache.

"Shut up, all of you!"

There was silence in the room.

Gu Yankai said with a stern face, "Fourth brother, you tell me. What exactly happened?"

The fourth brother, bracing himself, said, "An imperial edict arrived this morning. The court is demanding the repayment of outstanding debts. All noble families who have borrowed money from the national treasury and have not yet repaid it must do so by March of next year. If they fail to do so, their property will be confiscated and their titles stripped."

Gu Yankai frowned sharply.

The fifth prince hurriedly said, "However, His Majesty is benevolent and willing to make an exception. If the full amount cannot be paid at once, even half can be paid first, and we can grant an extension of one year."

Gu Yankai asked in a deep voice, "Does our family owe money too?"

The fourth and fifth brothers didn't dare to look at him.

Gu Yankai's expression grew increasingly grim: "How much do you owe?"

The two stammered.

"explain!"

The fourth son trembled with fright and finally stammered, "Eight...eight hundred thousand taels."

Gu Yankai almost thought he had misheard.

"What?"

He grabbed the fourth son's collar, his eyes wide with shock: "Eight hundred thousand taels? How could there be so much!"

The fourth and fifth brothers' eyes darted around, and neither dared to answer.

Is there anything Gu Yankai doesn't understand?

"you!"

He raised his hand to discipline his younger brother.

"stop!"

When everyone turned around, they saw that the unconscious Old Madam Gu had woken up at some point and was being helped to sit up.

Her face was ashen, but her eyes remained sharp.

"The 800,000 taels isn't entirely your brothers' fault. Everyone was poor when the country was founded. This house was built with silver borrowed from the national treasury. Over the years, no one has mentioned it or pressed for repayment. Who knew that one day we would suddenly have to pay it back? The most urgent thing is not to hold them accountable, but to think about how to raise the silver to fill the hole."

Gu Yankai gritted his teeth: "Mother makes it sound so easy! Where are we supposed to find such a large sum of money?"

Madam Gu closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her voice was heavy.

"The estate and shops have all been sold. All the antiques and paintings in the house that could be sold have also been sold. The extra maids, servants, and maids have all been dismissed. Let's see how much we can raise."

Her gaze swept over the women in the room.

"You should all go back to your families and ask if they have any spare money to borrow to help the Marquis's mansion get through this crisis. After all, we are family. If the Marquis's mansion falls, no one will benefit. Now is not the time to worry about saving face. If you care about saving face now, you will be kicked out later, and that will be truly shameful."

The women in the room all changed their expressions.

Madam Gu's voice softened slightly, but it was still firm: "We should also borrow from our relatives and friends. His Majesty has already issued the decree. If we can't repay them, our whole family will have to go out and beg for food next spring."

In the corner, Qin Yanyun's face was deathly pale.

She wasn't thinking about whether her family had any money to lend her.

Since the imperial court is pursuing the old debts of the nobility, it is impossible for it to pursue only the Ningyuan Marquis's family.

What about the Qin family?

Have the Qin family ever borrowed money from the national treasury in recent years?

If... is there any possibility of paying it back?