The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"How is it?"

Inside the Dongchang Marquis's residence, Qin's mother gazed at her husband with anticipation.

But as soon as Qin's father entered the door, she only glanced at his expression, and her heart sank.

"Is this child really so heartless?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Qin's father raised his hand and wiped his face, his whole being exuding an indescribable weariness.

He slowly sat down and took a sip of water: "She said she already lacked confidence, and this happened so soon after she got married. If she were to ask her in-laws for help again, she'd probably be even more ashamed in the future. Oh well, let's not make things difficult for her."

He didn't say anything more.

The image of his youngest daughter sneering at him earlier flashed through his mind.

"Now that something's wrong, I'm the first person you think of? What about my eldest sister, whom Father and Mother doted on and spoiled since she was little? Has Father gone to look for her? And her wonderful husband, my dear brother-in-law, has Father inquired about him?"

"A mere fifty thousand taels is only half of the dowry Father gave to my eldest sister. The family is in dire need of funds right now; wouldn't it be better to let her use some?"

"As for me, my father should know how much silver I had hidden away when I left home. So, I'll give it all to my father to take back with me, just in case."

"Father, please don't think it's too little. After all, the more you give me, the more I can repay. If this is all you've given me, this is all I can give back."

Each sentence was like a needle, piercing Qin's father's heart.

Overwhelmed with shame, he finally managed to say awkwardly, "No need," before getting up and fleeing in disarray.

Even now, thinking about it makes my face sting.

The youngest daughter has completely broken ties with them, and the son has also set off to join the army, leaving behind only a letter and a letter of annulment, showing no concern for the future of the family.

Qin's father looked ashen and asked in a muffled voice, "How much can the family scrape together now?"

Qin's mother burst into tears: "There wasn't much left in the house to begin with. Everyday food, drink, and expenses cost money. We sold some to pay for Erlang's betrothal, and some more to prepare for Sanniang's dowry. What's left, I've scraped together and calculated again and again, but it's still not enough for 20,000 taels."

Father Qin frowned sharply: "Aren't all those antiques and ornaments in my room top-quality items? When I bought them, each piece cost at least a thousand taels of silver. How come you can't even scrape together tens of thousands of taels now?"

Qin's mother cried even harder: "How dare you say that! I had people take all your treasures out to check, and they all said they're worthless. You've been cheated!"

Qin's father sat there, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

After a long pause, as if unwilling to give up, he asked again, "Are you really unable to come up with the money?"

Qin's mother shook her head, crying.

Qin's father's back hunched over instantly. He seemed to have all his energy drained away in an instant.

The Ningyuan Marquis's residence was in a similar situation.

The atmosphere at the Gu family's residence was even more tense than at the Dongchang Marquis's residence.

The fourth and fifth brothers have changed their former playboy ways. These days, they go out before dawn every day and don't return until it's completely dark. Gone is their former carefree and extravagant lifestyle; instead, they have become visibly more irritable.

"One hundred thousand taels."

Madam Gu sat at the head of the table, fiddling with the abacus in her hands, her voice terribly weary: "Only one hundred thousand taels."

In just a few days, her hair, which was originally only gray, turned snow-white.

The faces of everyone in the room were grim.

The fourth brother gritted his teeth and finally looked at Gu Yankai: "Eldest brother, I don't want to say anything harsh. But look, even if our wives' families are useless, each of them has contributed at least two thousand taels. Our fourth branch has even diverted money from our daughters' future dowries. Not to mention our second and third sisters, who sent money back as soon as they heard about the trouble at home. Eldest sister-in-law, the eldest daughter of a marquis, can't even contribute a single penny?"

Gu Yankai's face suddenly turned ugly: "What do you mean?"

These days, he, like his brothers, has been trying to raise money everywhere, either by selling off his property, borrowing money from old acquaintances, and even, when he was desperate, shamelessly went to the Prince of Yan's mansion.

But as soon as he handed over the invitation at the door, the doorman raised his eyes, looked him up and down, and finally pushed the invitation back indifferently.

"Our Crown Princess said that quite a few poor relatives have been coming to her door to ask for money these days, and she can't see them all. Please come another day."

Such blatant contempt and humiliation caused Gu Yankai to storm off on the spot.

He left with a carefree air, but now, looking at the money that is far from enough, he can only frown in worry.

Hearing the fourth brother mention his wife in such a sarcastic tone, his anger flared up immediately.

The fourth brother was already afraid of him, and seeing this made him even more trembling.

But after glancing at his mother seated above him, he regained some composure.

"Why do you look at me like that, elder brother? Mother said that in times of great difficulty, the whole family should be of one mind. Now is not the time to distinguish between 'yours' and 'mine'; the most important thing is to work together to get through this crisis."

Gu Yankai said coldly, "That's a woman's dowry."

The fourth brother immediately said, "She's a member of the Gu family!"

Gu Yankai's forehead veins throbbed: "Why didn't you use your wife's dowry?"

The fourth brother retorted confidently, "How does my eldest brother know I'm useless? But what about our wife's background? How can she compare to my sister-in-law?"

Gu Yankai lifted his foot to step forward.

That's enough.

Madam Gu finally spoke.

The room fell silent instantly.

"Even if we only repay half, it will still be 400,000 taels. Right now, we still have a shortfall of 300,000 taels. Even if we use all the dowries of your wives, it will still be a drop in the ocean."

Her voice turned colder: "Stop scheming here. Haven't you lost face enough these past few days?"

The wives of the fourth and fifth sons stood aside, exchanged glances, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's true they lived off the plaque of the Marquis's mansion outside the Gu family's gate, but these days they've all come to their senses. Eight hundred thousand taels—that's a huge hole, probably impossible to plug. If the day ever comes when their property is confiscated and their titles revoked, according to the rules, a woman's dowry belongs to her and isn't considered part of her husband's family's property, so it won't be confiscated.

That was their last resort.

Unless absolutely necessary, it's best to keep it firmly in your own hands.

Madam Gu rubbed her temples and waved her hand, saying, "Everyone, step back. Eldest son, stay."

No one dared to say anything more and they all withdrew.

Soon only Old Madam Gu and Gu Yankai remained in the room.

The candlelight flickered slightly.

After a long silence, Madam Gu slowly spoke: "A few years ago, a salt merchant in Yangzhou wanted my help to find a suitable match for his daughter to marry into a prominent family."

Gu Yankai was taken aback, not understanding why his mother had suddenly brought this up.

Madam Gu continued, "That family is extremely wealthy; the dowry was no less than a million."

Gu Yan's eyes gradually brightened.

"Does Mother mean that our Gu family can find someone to arrange a marriage with her?"

Madam Gu gave him a deep look.

"Yes, a marriage alliance, but the salt merchant also said that his daughter would never be a concubine."

Gu Yankai frowned. She was just a merchant's daughter, yet she had such high aspirations.

"So, Mother wants my fourth or fifth brother... to divorce his wife and remarry?"

"They wouldn't even look at your two useless brothers."