The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

This slight unease was so subtle, like being pricked lightly in the heart by an extremely fine needle; the pain was fleeting, so quick it seemed like a hallucination.

While he was still wondering whether the sting was real or not, Wang Ruoyu's voice rang out first: "How can there be so much talk in just the time it takes to have breakfast, and it all sounds better than singing?"

She put down her chopsticks and looked at Lin Qinshuang with a half-smile: "Could it be that before you entered the manor, you spent a few days in a Southern opera troupe?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.

Sheng Hong's expression changed slightly.

Xu, who had been eating porridge with her eyes down, slowly raised her eyes upon hearing this.

Lin Qinshuang felt as if she had been slapped hard in the face by those words, and all the color drained from her face instantly.

She stood up abruptly, tears streaming down her face, but she stubbornly refused to lose her composure, keeping her head down and her voice trembling violently: "It's my fault, it's all because I spoke too much and upset you, sister-in-law... Please, sister-in-law, have mercy on me. Although I have no relatives and only have your pity now, I am still a girl from a good family. I would never, ever dare to have anything to do with that opera troupe."

After saying that, she seemed unable to hold back her sobs any longer, covered her face, and hurriedly ran out.

Both Xu Shi and Sheng Hong's displeased gazes fell on Wang Ruoyu at the same time.

Wang Ruoyu, not daring to openly disobey her elders, merely sneered at Sheng Hong: "What are you looking at? Did I say something wrong?"

"We haven't been home all these years, unlike her, who was adopted by our mother and cared for her in every little way. But she received kindness and it's only right that she repays it."

"Besides, when did it become her place, an outsider, to interfere in the relationship between my husband and mother? This young lady, staying in someone else's home, keeps calling everyone 'brother' and 'sister-in-law,' as if she knows more about this family's affairs than the actual daughter-in-law. It's utterly absurd!"

"That's enough!"

Xu slammed her chopsticks on the table.

She looked at Wang Ruoyu with eyes as sharp as knives and said coldly, "Being grateful is a duty, so why haven't you two done anything about it?"

Wang Ruoyu's face stiffened.

Sheng Hong seemed to be stung by these words; his lips moved, but he didn't know how to defend himself.

However, Madam Xu had lost all interest in having breakfast.

She slowly stood up and said calmly, "From now on, you can eat in your own courtyard. You don't need to come over anymore."

"Mother!"

Sheng Hong panicked and quickly stood up, then grabbed Wang Ruoyu, saying urgently, "That's not what she meant. I naturally want to be by my mother's side to fulfill my filial duties, but I've been away from home for so many years, and many things can't be done at the moment..."

Xu didn't listen to the whole thing; she went straight into the inner room.

Fang's mother stepped forward and slammed the door shut without hesitation.

Naturally, he couldn't eat the meal.

Sheng Hong's face was extremely ugly, and he directly pulled Wang Ruoyu out of Xu's courtyard.

He didn't say a word the whole way until he got into the carriage and the curtain fell, at which point he finally couldn't bear it any longer.

"If you can't speak properly, then speak less!"

Wang Ruo's expression also darkened: "How am I not speaking properly? Aren't I just telling the truth? She looks down on you so much, even an adopted daughter of unknown origin can climb over us, and you don't dare to say a word, but I'm not allowed to speak up for you? Speaking of which, why don't you investigate Lin Qinshuang's true background? What if it turns out she's the biological daughter of some old woman and some random man?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Mother isn't that kind of person!" Sheng Hong's chest heaved with anger. A woman needs ten months of pregnancy to give birth. After all these years of living together, how could he not know how his mother behaved?

"Stop talking about adoption and being dutiful. Do you think you're talking about Lin Qinshuang? Aren't you just slapping me in the face?"

Wang Ruoyu was stuck.

She then realized that, to Madam Xu, both Sheng Hong and Lin Qinshuang were actually adopted sons and daughters; neither of them were her biological children. Her words earlier, intended to insult Lin Qinshuang, were actually meant to strike at Sheng Hong.

But she quickly regained her composure.

"How can that be the same? You are a young man, and you have achieved academic success. In the future, you will be able to earn her an imperial title and help her at her funeral. Our Song-ge'er still has to call her 'Grandmother'."

"What is Lin Qinshuang anyway? In the future, she'll just be a dowry to be given away, and then she'll have nothing to do with our Sheng family anymore."

At this point, she suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked at Sheng Hong with a dangerous gaze.

"You wouldn't be harboring any ulterior motives towards her, would you?"

Sheng Hong felt a chill run down his spine.

He almost immediately darkened his face, and said righteously, "This is getting more and more absurd! She's being raised by my mother now, so even without a formal title, she's still my sister. Didn't you hear her calling me 'brother' just now? Besides, don't I already have you?"

Wang Ruoyu sneered: "With me here, it won't stop you from taking a concubine."

She stared at Sheng Hong, her tone full of sarcasm: "With her looks, if she really tried to seduce you, could you have escaped?"

Before Sheng Hong could retort, Wang Ruoyu said coldly, "But you'd better escape. Otherwise, I will never let you off the hook."

Her eyes were fierce and cold.

"Let me tell you, Sheng Hong, I, Wang Ruoyu, am not a good-natured person. In this life, if you still want even the slightest bit of help from my Wang family, you'd better watch your manhood!"

Sheng Hong felt a tightness in his chest, and even breathing became difficult.

What a shrew! She can actually say such filthy things!

But he didn't dare to refute it.

What Wang Ruoyu said was harsh, but it was the truth.

He now wants to return to the capital to seek a good position and advance in the officialdom, which requires the Wang family's support. His father-in-law is now a high-ranking official, and the Wang family has produced an empress. If the Wang family is willing to give him a hand, his future will be much smoother.

But precisely because of this, Sheng Hong's feelings for Wang Ruoyu have become increasingly weak.

...almost disgusted.

The couple remained silent the entire way.

When the carriage arrived at the Wang family's gate, the two men, as if they had agreed beforehand, straightened their clothes and adjusted their expressions.

Wang Ruo adjusted the hairpins at her temples, and Sheng Hong also concealed the gloom on his face.

When they got out of the car, both of them had smiles on their faces.

From a distance, they still appear to be a harmonious and happy couple.

-

Inside the Kunning Palace, Zhao Zhen was holding and playing with the little Yuan Nian.

The baby was only a few days old and wasn't awake much. But Zhao Zhen seemed to think that the little bundle of joy could already understand him, holding him in his arms and calling out, "Second Brother, Second Brother, look at Daddy."

The child's eyes were closed, but his little mouth moved slightly, as if even in his dream he found him noisy.

Langhua leaned against the couch, looking on with a mixture of helplessness and amusement: "Let him go, he's so young, how would he know these things? Let him sleep."

Zhao Zhen then carried the child to Langhua's bedside and carefully placed Yuan Nian back beside her.

He looked at the mother and son with an incredibly tender gaze.

Langhua was bending down to swaddle the baby when she suddenly felt a flush on her cheek.

It turned out that Zhao Zhen had bent down and kissed her.

Langhua was startled and looked up at him.

Zhao Zhen's gaze softened, and his voice was gentle: "Thank you, Third Sister."