The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Langhua, arm in arm with Zhou Wanru, emerged from the pharmacy with a smile still on her face.

Zhou Wanru was overjoyed.

"The location of these two shops is truly excellent. One faces the main street with a constant flow of traffic, while the other is near the bridge entrance, with teahouses and taverns nearby. No matter what kind of business you do, you won't have to worry about a lack of customers."

Langhua smiled and said, "Mother has good taste."

Zhou Wanru immediately appreciated the compliment, but still feigned modesty, saying, "I don't have any discerning eye; it's just a rare opportunity!"

Since the emperor issued an edict to collect old debts, many noble families in Bianjing City have been scrambling to raise money to repay them. Their estates, shops, and houses, which were usually kept tightly under wraps and were impossible for others to buy, are now being put out to the public one after another.

Of course, ordinary merchants dare not lower prices too much, for fear that these nobles will recover and come knocking on their door one day demanding double the amount back.

But my own family doesn't have this concern.

Zhou Wanru glanced at her daughter beside her, overjoyed.

Naturally, he should take this opportunity to convert the cash he brought from Sichuan and the money his eldest son had earned in Jiangnan over the years into assets to increase his financial strength.

Including the two shops they bought today, the mother and daughter have acquired a farm and two houses in the past few months.

Whether you rent out the house or shop in the future, or decorate it and start your own business, it will be excellent.

As for the estate, Zhou Wanru was even more satisfied.

"The produce from the estate will be perfect for our own consumption in the future." She had it all figured out: "It will save your father from always complaining that the produce in Bianjing is too expensive. It's not just expensive, it's also not fresh. From now on, we can grow our own produce on our own estate, and have it delivered to us. We'll be able to eat it with peace of mind."

As Langhua listened to her rambling, she felt a sense of peace in her heart.

Winter was approaching, and the wind on the street was getting colder, but the mother and daughter remained in high spirits. Today, besides the important matter of buying a shop, they also needed to prepare gifts for the Winter Solstice.

The Winter Solstice is a big day, and generous gifts are a must. Gifts should be sent to the eldest son's family; no matter how much she dislikes her sister-in-law, she must acknowledge her eldest brother.

"We should also send something to the palace. The Emperor has been very polite to us these days. Whatever he prepares for you, he always sends a share to us two old folks. I don't understand the big principles, but it's only polite to reciprocate. On holidays like this, we should send something to express our gratitude."

Langhua smiled and said, "Mother is right."

Zhou Wanru spoke with increasing confidence: "We can't neglect the orphanage either. If you're going to do a good deed, you should see it through to the end. Besides, you've found such a good match, so it's a case of good deeds being rewarded."

"Mother is right."

Zhou Wanru seemed to remember something, and her eyes lit up: "And then there's the Bai family. Don't you think the things we sent ahead of time have arrived?"

Langhua couldn't help but laugh: "This is my mother's most beloved daughter-in-law, the person she cherishes most now. Who would dare to neglect her? Someone wrote to say she had arrived three days ago. They specially waited until the Winter Solstice to deliver her to our door, hoping for good luck."

Zhou Wanru was relieved, but then gave her a reproachful look: "What are you saying? You're the only one in my heart, and there will always be no one else."

"But your older brother is almost twenty years old. It wasn't easy for him to find such a lovely person. Can't Mother not be more careful? What if he runs away without her? Wouldn't he be a bachelor for life? Wouldn't we be the ones laughing at him then?"

Langhua laughed, amused by her: "Yes, yes, Mother is absolutely right."

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed for a while, then Zhou Wanru suddenly stopped, looked around, and asked, "Why hasn't Wan'er arrived yet?"

Langhua then remembered that Qin Yanwan had always been proactive in acquiring Xun Gui's properties. She had even shared many of the information with her family on her own initiative. For example, she had clearly said she would come and take a look at the shops today, but she had not yet shown up.

Just then, a small sedan chair came to a hasty stop not far away.

The sedan curtain was lifted, and Ji'an quickly stepped down.

She tried her best to maintain a calm expression, but the panic in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Mrs. Wang, something has happened at home, and my wife really can't make it. Please forgive us."

Lang Hua's expression immediately turned serious: "What happened?"

Ji'an's eyes reddened. He looked around before lowering his voice and said, "Something happened to the Qin family... The old Marquis was so angry that he vomited blood."

Langhua's heart sank, and she immediately grabbed her hand: "Let's talk in the car."

Zhou Wanru stopped joking and hurriedly got into the carriage.

The carriage curtain was lowered, and Langhua immediately asked, "Where is your young lady right now?"

Ji'an choked up as he said, "At the Marquis of Dongchang's residence."

Langhua immediately instructed the coachman, "Go to the Marquis of Dongchang's residence."

After saying that, she looked at Gian and said, "I'll take you there now. Tell me slowly what happened."

Jian touched the corner of his eye with a handkerchief before he began to speak haltingly.

It turns out that in order to make up for the debt and avoid being stripped of their title and having their property confiscated, the Gu family had become desperate and set their sights on the only daughter of the Bai family, salt merchants in Yangzhou.

The Bai family is wealthy, and the young lady Bai is an only child. Her dowry is so large that it could revive the entire Ningyuan Marquis's mansion.

The Gu family initially wanted to take her as a concubine, but the Bai family refused, saying that although they were merchants, their daughter was also their precious jewel, and they would never allow her to become a concubine.

The Gu family then proposed a marriage alliance between Gu Si and Gu Wu, promising them the position of principal wife.

The Bai family still refused, saying they didn't think much of it.

Left with no other choice, the Gu family could only discuss having Gu Yankai divorce Qin Yanyun and then remarry the Bai family girl.

Ultimately, all they wanted was to use the Bai family's money to preserve their noble titles.

Unfortunately, Qin Yanyun overheard these words.

She was already more than seven months pregnant and had always been in poor health. Upon hearing this terrible news, she immediately went into labor.

The Ningyuan Marquis's mansion summoned many doctors overnight, even including several imperial physicians, and used almost every trick in the book to barely save the lives of the mother and child.

Literally, it means that the mother and child each have half a life.

Qin Yanyun is still unconscious, and the newborn child is extremely weak. The doctor said frankly that it is still unknown whether the child will survive past one month old.

Such a big matter could not be kept from the Qin family.

Qin's parents rushed to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence overnight. After learning the whole story, Qin's mother immediately started making a scene, and Qin's father was also very angry. He kicked Gu Yan several times.

Gu Yan didn't dodge or flinch, letting Qin's mother kick him, and even scratched his face with several bloody marks.

Qin's mother pointed at the Gu family and cursed them, saying they were ungrateful and went too far.

Madam Gu was already very dissatisfied with Qin Yanyun, and now that her eldest grandson, on whom she had placed high hopes, was born so weak that it was uncertain whether he could even survive, she couldn't help but tear off the mask of civility upon hearing this.

She then listed Qin Yanyun's misdeeds over the years: "Disrespectful to her parents-in-law, bad at managing the household, childless for many years, and unwilling to let her husband take a concubine. We, the Gu family, cannot afford to keep such a daughter-in-law."

Qin's mother was furious.

"What a shameless family! You've squandered your family fortune, and now that you can't pay your debts, you're willing to stoop so low as to marry a merchant's daughter to fill the hole. If your ancestors knew this in the afterlife, they'd be ashamed to death!"

He then turned to Gu Yankai and asked, "Is that what you think too? My daughter has been frail and sickly for a long time. I told you this when you first proposed! I originally planned to keep her by my side for the rest of my life. I don't ask for anything else, I only ask that she can live a peaceful life. I'm sorry for not being able to give her a healthy body, but I can give her a peaceful life."

"You said you didn't care. You said you would treat her well for the rest of your life. That's why I agreed to this marriage."

Others see the bright future of your Ningyuan Marquis's family, but I don't care about that. I just want my daughter to be well and loved by someone for the rest of her life.

Qin's mother's voice became hoarse as she spoke: "Those words are still ringing in my ears. Now it's all my daughter's fault?"

Gu Yankai was so embarrassed by the question that he wanted to disappear.

Qin's mother wiped away her tears and cried, "Although my daughter hasn't been good at managing the household all these years, she has always wholeheartedly thought of you all!"

"Putting everything else aside, she even gave you her dowry during this difficult time for the Gu family. Even if it can't compare to the immense wealth of that salt merchant's daughter, it's still a genuine expression of her heart. Even if you look down on her, you shouldn't treat her like this, pushing her to this point!"