The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Wang Ruoyu clutched her handkerchief tightly, the sound of the person outside banging a gong still echoing in her ears.

What she had worried about for two whole years finally happened.

The Empress gave birth to a prince, and both mother and child are safe and sound.

But she clearly remembered that in her previous life, the official family had no children!

It's not that they never gave birth, but that they all died young after birth; none of them had the fortune to grow up.

It was precisely because of this that twenty years later, there was that thrilling palace coup, that group of people from Yuzhou entered the capital, and that little beast Gu Tingye rose to power!

As a result, Sheng Minglan's status rose with her, and the Sheng family became even more prominent.

Two years ago, when she heard in Dengzhou that the wandering ghost was making a fuss about moving out of the palace and had given birth to a princess for the emperor, she already had a bad feeling.

That person probably really knows something, or perhaps they really have the ability to change the course of events.

So for the past two years, she has been trying her best to stay in Dengzhou and has not made a rash move to return to the capital.

Now, that wandering ghost has indeed given birth to another prince for the emperor!

Mother and child are both safe!

She didn't want to admit it, but she had to, that the future had truly changed! Many things would probably never turn out the way she remembered them.

This also means that she can no longer rely on those old memories to make moves and seek profits in advance.

For example, he could make good relations with the people in Yuzhou beforehand, or after returning to the capital this time, he could simply ask his father to use his connections to assign Sheng Hong to Yuzhou.

If we can cultivate that relationship, why worry about Sheng Hong's future career advancement? It might even be possible for him to earn her a first-rank imperial title!

But now, it's all ruined!

The emperor has a legitimate son, born to the empress, whose status is now perfectly legitimate.

As long as this child can stand firm, what need will there be for Yuzhou in the future?

Unfortunately, she has now completely broken ties with that wandering ghost, and dares not even get close to him, let alone benefit from his presence.

otherwise……

The Empress's sister, the Crown Prince's aunt, and even... even the Emperor's own aunt—which of them wasn't more prestigious than a first-rank imperial consort?

A feeling of missing out on millions of taels of silver surged up, making Wang Ruoyu feel a tightness in her chest, almost unable to breathe.

Seeing that she remained silent, Sheng Hong frowned even more deeply: "Wife?"

Wang Ruoyu snapped back to reality and forced a smile: "It's nothing. I'm just a little tired from rushing back."

Sheng Hong glanced at her, still feeling a sense of unease.

But with a great commotion outside and the carriage almost at the Sheng residence, he didn't ask any more questions.

By the time the carriage stopped in front of the Sheng residence, Wang Ruoyu's complexion had barely returned to normal.

After entering the Sheng residence and freshening up, Sheng Hong took Wang Ruoyu to pay their respects to Madam Xu.

After many years, Xu Shi still looked the same as before, only her clothes were more plain and her eyebrows and eyes were more delicate.

She sat at the head of the table, and when she saw Sheng Hong, she only nodded slightly, her expression neither warm nor cold.

Sheng Hong's heart sank.

Before he could think about it, he saw a young girl standing beside Xu.

The girl was not very old, slender, dressed in a light-colored dress, and had very beautiful features.

Yet it also exudes a delicate, gentle, and pitiful charm, like a pear blossom wet with rain in spring.

Just standing there, she evoked a sense of pity in people.

Sheng Hong glanced at it, then immediately lowered his eyes to conceal the fleeting look of amazement.

Madam Xu said calmly, "This is Qinshuang, the daughter of an old friend of mine. Something happened in her family, so she has been raised by me all these years."

Upon hearing this, the girl stepped forward and gracefully bowed, saying, "Greetings, brother and sister-in-law."

Sheng Hong was taken aback.

Have you been raised by your mother all these years?

But why did my mother never mention it in her letters?

He was puzzled, but didn't dare to ask directly, so he simply said gently, "Sister, there's no need for such formalities."

The moment Wang Ruoyu saw the girl clearly, his eyes suddenly turned fierce.

Lin Qinshuang!

It seems that not much has changed in the future.

She felt somewhat relieved.

That vixen finally came to the Sheng family.

Wang Ruoyu sneered inwardly, but forced a smile on her face. She stepped forward, took Lin Qinshuang's hand, and spoke in a tone so intimate it was almost cloying: "What a beautiful and graceful younger sister. Mother actually kept such a gifted and talented girl hidden from us."

She pressed hard with her fingertips, her nails almost digging into Lin Qinshuang's palm.

"Good sister, what's your surname? Whose daughter are you?"

Lin Qinshuang winced in pain, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Looking up, she met Wang Ruoyu's icy gaze, and a chill ran through her. She answered timidly, "I...my surname is Lin. My father was once the registrar of the Imperial Academy..."

She spoke vaguely.

But Wang Ruoyu suddenly laughed.

"Registrar Lin? Is that Lin Mao, the one who was dismissed and had his property confiscated for cheating in the imperial examinations?"

Lin Qinshuang's face immediately turned pale.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Lin Qinshuang's eyes almost immediately turned red. She looked at Xu Shi with a pitiful expression, her eyes filled with helplessness and humiliation.

Sheng Hong saw her expression and felt a pang of pity. He frowned and quickly pulled Wang Ruoyu's hand back, saying, "My wife."

He winked at her, saying, "Don't talk nonsense."

Wang Ruoyu's inward sneer deepened.

Okay, so you're feeling sorry for me now?

Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, Madam Xu said, "Her father has made a mistake, and the court will punish him accordingly. However, this matter does not involve the family, otherwise how could she be here safely today? This is the grace of the Emperor's golden words."

Wang Ruoyu chuckled. This was an attempt to use the Emperor to pressure her. "Old slut," she thought. She knew that even if Wang Ruofu was stupid back then, she couldn't possibly be unable to handle a lowly concubine. So that's where it all started.

No rush, let her figure out the situation first, then we'll deal with it all at once!

"I was just saying it casually, look how nervous you all are. Oh dear, I was so busy talking that I forgot to let Mother meet our Song-ge'er. Song-ge'er, go and pay your respects to your grandmother."

Sheng Hong quickly smoothed things over, "Yes, Mother, this child was born in Dengzhou and hasn't paid his respects to you yet. Song-ge'er, come here quickly."

The wet nurse quickly put the two-year-old child on the ground.

But to everyone's surprise, the child did not bow after landing, but rushed forward and kicked Xu Shi.

"You old hag, you're bullying my mother!"

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

Fang's mother frowned deeply.

The last trace of a smile in Xu's eyes vanished completely.

Lin Qinshuang stopped crying and covered her face with a handkerchief, peeking out from behind it.

Sheng Hong realized what was happening, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"You little beast! What nonsense are you spouting!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped the child's bottom a few times.

Song Ge'er immediately burst into tears.

Wang Ruoyu immediately rushed forward to protect the child, shrieking, "Why are you hitting him? How old is he?"

Sheng Hong was so angry his hands were trembling: "How old is he to dare to insult his elders like that? Who taught him to say such things?"

Wang Ruoyu's eyes flashed, and she immediately said, "It's because Dengzhou is a small place, and the people they found to take care of the children were all uncouth and corrupt. They've ruined the children's lives. If only we had found someone from the capital to send there!"

That's enough.

Xu finally spoke.

She watched the farce with a cold eye, her tone indifferent: "Your family must be tired from your journey, go back and rest early."

She stood up: "There's no need to come over for dinner. Everyone can eat in their own courtyard."

Lin Qinshuang immediately stepped forward to help him up.

Xu glanced at her but did not refuse.