The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

In this way, although it was only a short month, the Bai family spent an unknown amount of money, but they did help the court solve its urgent problem.

By mid-August, one heavy rain after another arrived as expected.

The Yellow River's water level indeed rose sharply.

Fortunately, the residents were evacuated in time.

Fortunately, the Bai family discovered it early.

Fortunately, the imperial court reacted quickly enough.

Fortunately, the dam was repaired in time.

We barely survived this catastrophe!

Although there were a few leaks and collapses, they were all plugged in time, and the dam did not actually break.

Heavy rain fell for five consecutive days.

On the day the water finally cleared and the floodwaters subsided, the people, river workers, and officials guarding the dikes knelt down, and soon a large crowd followed.

The people cried out that the Emperor was incredibly kind and begged for his life-saving grace!

Many people wept and kowtowed to the king's father, to the river workers who toiled day and night, and even to the Bai family's caravan.

Afterwards, the local people specially made two umbrellas for the people.

One was given to the prince's father, while the other was sent back to Bianjing to be presented to Zhao Zhen.

When this news reached the court, it was praised by both the court and the public.

For a long time, Emperor Zhao Zhen was no longer subject to the advice of his civil officials on trivial matters. Every day at court, he heard nothing but praise for the emperor's benevolence and divine favor, as well as the miraculous elimination of the floods that saved hundreds of thousands of lives, which he considered a truly wise act.

The honest advice that was hard to hear suddenly disappeared, replaced by flattery, but Zhao Zhen, who finally experienced the treatment of a tyrant, was in an exceptionally good mood.

When it came to rewarding meritorious service, they became exceptionally generous.

The father promptly reported the matter to the authorities, and then personally went to the river works, where he skillfully coordinated the work, resettled the people, and reinforced the dikes. He undoubtedly deserves the greatest credit.

Emperor Zhao Zhen personally issued an edict appointing him as prime minister and also bestowing upon him the title of Grand Academician of the Jixian Hall.

The Bai family was the first to discover the danger and report it to the imperial court. They contributed manpower and resources during the disaster and donated money to help people rebuild their homes after the disaster, spending nearly two million taels of silver in total, which can be described as righteous.

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Zhao Zhen granted the Bai family salt permits for the next twenty years and personally inscribed a plaque with the words "Huaiyi Jimin" (meaning "cherishing righteousness and helping the people").

In addition, after learning from Langhua that the old master Bai had a history of conflict with his clansmen and now had only one daughter to worry about, and knowing that Bai Qing was about to marry into the Wang family and marry Wang Shinian, he generously bestowed upon Bai Qing the title of a county princess.

She was given the title Ci'an.

On the day he received the imperial edict, Old Master Bai couldn't help but run to the graves of his deceased wife and mother, wailing and saying that he had saved his daughter and that no one would ever wrong her again.

This time, saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people is truly a great achievement.

Many people benefited from this and were promoted.

Even Wang Shinian, because he played a very important role in the communication and information exchange, was appointed as a Light Cavalry Commandant, which was a nominal title but was still a fourth-rank official position, and he also received countless gold, silver and silk.

But the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives is not just a political achievement, but also a meritorious deed.

On the day the decree to reward meritorious service was issued, Langhua was in Yichun Garden, discussing with Miao Xinhe and Yu Qingran about making some refreshing pastries. They learned of the danger in mid-July, carried out disaster relief in August, and now that everything was settled, it was September, and the refreshing autumn days should be coming.

As they were talking about the rich fragrance of osmanthus and how sweet but not cloying the pastries made with osmanthus were, Langhua suddenly felt dizzy and fainted.

"Your Majesty!"

"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

The imperial physician arrived quickly. After examining the woman for a while, his expression gradually changed from serious to delighted: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, it's a pregnancy pulse."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then, it was as if the flowers had suddenly burst open in the spring breeze.

Miao Xinhe's eyes lit up immediately.

Yang Huining quickly stood up to offer her congratulations: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Really?!"

Suddenly, a voice filled with joy and disbelief came from the doorway.

Only then did everyone realize that Zhao Zhen had also arrived at some point.

Everyone hurriedly tried to bow, but Zhao Zhen had already strode in: "Quickly rise, no need for formalities."

He practically ran to Langhua's side, looked at her first, then immediately turned to the imperial physician, asking with a mixture of surprise and doubt, "Is it really true?"

The imperial physician smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Her Majesty is over a month pregnant."

Zhao Zhen felt as if he had been struck hard in the chest, and a surge of joy overwhelmed him.

But then, he suddenly remembered that Lady Langhua had fainted earlier, and his expression immediately changed: "If it's a pregnancy, why did Your Highness faint just now? Is it serious? Is she alright?"

The imperial physician smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. Your Highness, have you been feeling more tired than usual lately?"

Langhua thought for a moment and said, "That's true."

"That is it. Everyone in the world is different, and women's reactions during pregnancy are also different. Your Majesty and the baby in your womb are blessed, but you are a little sleepy."

Zhao Zhen felt somewhat relieved, but not entirely at ease: "Then, in your opinion, should we prescribe some medicine to prevent miscarriage?"

Before the imperial physician could answer, Langhua stopped him with a smile: "How could I be so fragile? Besides, all medicines have some toxicity; it's best to avoid them if possible. Your Majesty, rest assured, I'm fine."

She lowered her eyes and gently placed her other hand on her still flat stomach.

"I know she's a good girl. Maybe our child is just a little lazybones who likes to sleep, so let's just let her be."

Zhao Zhen followed her gaze to her lower abdomen, where there was no trace of pregnancy yet, but he could almost see a small, soft child, quietly curled up in his mother's womb, sleeping lazily.

Zhao Zhen's heart softened instantly, and he smiled foolishly, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say."

Seeing this, everyone in the room wisely withdrew.

Miao Xinhe walked at the back, unable to resist turning back every few steps.

She was genuinely happy for the Emperor, and for her childhood sweetheart and beloved brother.

Over the years, she knew best the anxiety beneath his calm exterior. For an emperor, nearly a decade without children was a terrifying prospect.

She had lamented to herself more than once that she was not fortunate enough to bear him a son or daughter to ease his heart and relieve his worries.

Now things are much better.

His new wife was not only someone he loved, but also someone who could ease his worries and anxieties.

It couldn't be better.

But I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed and regretful.

Her hand unconsciously went to her lower abdomen.

Yang Huining had been walking alongside her, but after a few steps she didn't see her follow. Turning around, she saw her like this and immediately understood what was going on. She couldn't help but walk back, take her hand, and gently comfort her:

"Didn't Her Majesty say that she would have someone take good care of our health? These past years, we've suffered so much from that cinnabar. If we don't recover our health, even if a child comes, it might not be meant for us. Rather than that, it's better if the child doesn't come for now."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. If we want to become mothers, we should first take good care of our health. That way, we can give our children strong bodies, which is more important than anything else, isn't it?"

Miao Xinhe looked at her, and the disappointment in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by renewed hope.