The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

He was so tormented by the divorce papers that he was in a daze, unwilling to see anyone, much less to handle affairs.

But he remembered that he was the head of the family. Now a woman had come to his door saying that they had forcibly taken a woman. This was no small matter. If things didn't go well, they would be in trouble with the authorities. He subconsciously felt that this was not unfounded, but that his two younger brothers had done something outrageous again, so he hurriedly went out to see what was going on.

Several bloody scratches on his face, inflicted by Qin's mother, were very noticeable, and Zhou Wanru recognized him immediately.

Alright, alright, all three bastards are here!

"The Marquis of Ningyuan has arrived! Look at him, he certainly looks presentable!"

"What a pity, a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"I heard that when you went to the Qin family to propose marriage, you sang sweet nothings, saying you didn't care that the girl was frail, and that you would only love her for the rest of your life. And what happened? She had just given birth to your child, and before she was even fully recovered, you wanted to divorce her and marry someone else, to steal another girl's dowry!"

"That scratch on your face, your mother-in-law did it, didn't she? Serves you right! But if you ask me, that Mrs. Qin is really spineless. If it were me, I'd tear your ear off!"

Gu Yankai had never been so bluntly insulted before, and he immediately blushed, just like his younger brothers, at a loss for words.

Zhou Wanru got more and more into her rant, pointing her finger at the three brothers:

"You entire Gu family are all the same! None of you are human! The mother is scheming, the sons are freeloaders, and after that, they'll go after women! They can't even pay off their debts, yet they blame other women for not giving them golden eggs or conjuring up mountains of silver. What kind of noble family is this? Bah! A whole bunch of debt collectors in human skin!"

"presumptuous!"

A sharp shout rang out.

Old Madam Gu, leaning on her cane, walked out with a livid face, being helped by others.

"Where did this shrew come from? Is she drunk? How dare she spout nonsense in my Ningyuan Marquis's residence! Gag her right now!"

Several burly women, upon receiving the order, immediately pounced on them.

Zhou Wanru was not afraid at all. She wielded the washing mallet horizontally and struck one person at a time, aiming for their arms and shoulders with ruthless precision!

"Ouch!"

"My arm!"

"Someone's been killed!"

In just a few moments, the old women were crying and screaming, rolling around in a heap. Not only were they not gagged, but they didn't even dare to come any closer.

Zhou Wanru put down her mallet and stood there, her face full of disdain.

"Is that all you've got? You dare to show your face like that?"

Madam Gu was so angry that her hands trembled, and she slammed her cane heavily on the ground.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Where did this troublemaker come from, daring to act so disrespectfully in our Marquis's residence! Guards, report this to the authorities!"

"Okay, let's go right away!"

Zhou Wanru wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she slung the mallet over her shoulder and shouted in a booming voice, "I want to see if there's any law left in this world! A perfectly innocent girl, promised to someone else, and your Marquis's mansion dares to snatch her away!"

Madam Gu frowned sharply.

She initially thought this was some crazy woman the Qin family had hired, but upon hearing this, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Explain yourself," she demanded, suppressing her anger, "Whose daughter is she, and who abducted her?"

"Who else?" Zhou Wanru sneered, "The Bai family of Yangzhou, do you dare say your Marquis's mansion didn't try to snatch her?"

Madam Gu was stunned for a moment before she reacted.

"Who said we were going to forcibly take her? We're going to propose marriage openly and honestly!"

"Propose marriage?" Zhou Wanru immediately interrupted her, scoffing, "What marriage proposal! The Bai family already arranged a marriage between their daughter and my son. They were just waiting for my daughter's wedding to be completed before they could get married. At the very last minute, you jumped in, hastily divorcing the previous one before coming here. Isn't this just using your noble status to try and force a marriage?"

Madam Gu's heart sank.

"Who are you?"

Zhou Wanru raised her chin and said frankly, "My surname is Zhou, and my husband's surname is Wang. My uncle is Minister Wang of the current court. My son, Wang Shinian, was betrothed to the Bai family back in the summer, and the two families had already exchanged tokens. It's just that we have other marriage matters to attend to at home, and Yangzhou is far away, so we haven't finalized the engagement yet."

As she spoke, her gaze sharpened, sweeping across the faces of everyone in the Gu family.

"Who knew we'd be met with a bunch of bandits like you!"

Madam Gu was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Before she could speak, a trembling voice suddenly rang out from beside her.

"Minister Wang... isn't that the future Empress's father?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the fifth son's wife who was speaking.

She had somehow squeezed into the corridor, her face still bearing a clear handprint, red and swollen, and it was unclear what had just happened.

Madam Gu, however, had no time to ask that question.

Following that sentence, she immediately recalled the widely circulated rumors in Bianjing City six months ago—

The new queen has been chosen.

She was not from a noble family, but the youngest legitimate daughter of Minister Wang.

The young woman who organized disaster relief and saved many elderly, weak, women and children during the earthquake in the suburbs of Beijing was said to be like a goddess descended from heaven in the eyes of the disaster victims.

What's even more remarkable is that Minister Wang was an upright official. To avoid the suspicion of interference in politics by the empress's relatives, he was willing to give up this enormous wealth and status, and gave his daughter, who was about to become empress, to his second brother, who was still a commoner. He himself was willing to become a distant uncle.

With such integrity and vision, who wouldn't praise him from both the government and the public?

If this woman in front of me addresses Minister Wang as my uncle...

Then wouldn't she be...?

Madam Gu's brow twitched, and she immediately raised her hand to stop the stewardess who was about to step forward to grab the person.

Just then, a series of heavy and orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside the gate of the Marquis's mansion.

The next instant, the door burst open.

A group of officers strode in, each dressed in military uniform, with swords at their waists and grim expressions.

Upon entering, without saying a word, they immediately surrounded Zhou Wanru, protecting her completely.

Madam Gu, who came from a distinguished family and was well-informed, recognized the group's identities from their attire.

"Imperial City Guard".

Madam Gu murmured, and the color drained completely from her face.

The last glimmer of hope that remained in my heart was completely extinguished.

Madam Gu felt a tightness in her throat and forced a smile that was more like a grimace: "It's...it's Madam Zhou. I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner."

She paused, then quickly added, "What you just said must be a misunderstanding. We really didn't know that Miss Bai had already arranged a marriage with your family."

"Now you know?"

Zhou Wanru raised her chin, emboldened by the confidence given to her by her daughter and son-in-law, and spoke with great self-assurance.

"Now that you know, keep your men quiet. The wives of the Wang family must be pure and innocent, with impeccable reputations. Whether your Gu family wants to divorce his wife or remarry, that's your own messy business, and I can't be bothered with it."

She slammed the washing mallet on the ground, stared at the Gu family members, and said, word by word:

"But if I find out you're spreading rumors and ruining my future daughter-in-law's reputation, I'll never forgive you!"

Madam Gu dared not say anything else and repeatedly replied, "Of course, of course."

Zhou Wanru coldly swept her gaze over them.

Seeing the people in the courtyard, who had been so arrogant just moments before, now looking as if they had been hit by frost, she finally felt much of the anger she had been holding in.

She walked out with her head held high and chest out, carrying the washing mallet like a victorious hen.

The Imperial Guards immediately protected her and left together.

After everyone had gone far away, the large and spacious courtyard, which still had dozens of servants, old women, guards, young servants, and maids standing there, fell into a deathly silence.

The wind blew through the corridor, and even the sound of breathing seemed to be heard clearly.

Old Madam Gu stood frozen in place, her face alternating between pale and flushed, her chest heaving violently. She gripped her cane tightly, as if trying to say something, but her lips trembled for a long time, and she couldn't utter a single word.

The next moment, everything went black before her eyes, and she fell straight down.

"Madam!"

A flurry of activity erupted in the courtyard.