The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Ms. Xu was indeed tempted.

The thought, once it popped into her head, seemed absurd to her, yet she couldn't suppress it.

As Lin Qinshuang said, you can know a person's face but not their heart, especially a man.

Even if you lend a helping hand when he is at his lowest point and has nowhere else to go, and help him plan for his future, you may not be able to earn his lifelong sincerity in return.

There are countless examples of those who, once they achieve great success, will turn their backs on you without hesitation.

Not to mention anything far away, there's a Shenghong right here in front of us.

With such a background, if it weren't for her help back then and her dedicated nurturing over the years, who knows where she would have ended up? How could she have achieved such academic success? And how could she have risen so high and become so prominent in front of others today?

Even so, when his good wife constantly called him an old hag, saying that she was too old and had nowhere to go but the Sheng family, and that she had no other hope but the Sheng family, and that even her dowry should be given to the Sheng family, he actually acquiesced to it.

There was not a single rebuttal, nor a single rebuke.

What's even more terrifying is that she learned all of this little by little by having people keep a close watch on her after she became suspicious of Sheng Hong.

On the surface, Sheng Hong still acted as if he were a dutiful son to her.

He would visit her morning and evening, care about her daily life, and feel puzzled and even saddened by her estrangement.

Thinking back to the day she moved out of the Sheng family, when Sheng Hong lay prostrate on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, filled with remorse, Xu still feels a chill run down her spine.

Is he just putting on an act?

No.

No matter how hard a person tries to pretend, they can never fake it convincingly.

This is precisely the most terrifying aspect.

Sheng Hong felt genuinely grateful to her.

His repeated calls of "Mother" to her were not entirely based on etiquette and saving face.

It's just that when it comes to interests, when it's time to make choices, her influence isn't strong enough.

Wang Ruoyu represents too many interests: the father-in-law of the Grand Master, the sister-in-law of the Empress, and the brother-in-law who is on par with other Jinshi graduates.

Compared to them, she was too light.

So lightly that even though Sheng Hong knew something was wrong, he could remain silent. So lightly that even though Sheng Hong knew she had been wronged, he could pretend not to know. So lightly that now, when she thinks back on it, she doesn't know whether to hate his ruthlessness or laugh at herself for misjudging him back then.

Now that they've finally left the Sheng family and Sheng Hong, and are determined to start their own business, what should they do if they bring in someone similar to Sheng Hong, or even worse?

Xu remained silent for a long time.

Lin Qinshuang didn't dare to urge her.

The room was so quiet that even the soft popping of the silver charcoal in the brazier could be heard clearly.

However, such a thing is simply too shocking and unconventional.

No matter how tempted Xu was, she couldn't agree immediately.

She spoke slowly, asking softly, "You think it's easy. But how will you explain it to others after the child is born? You're an unmarried young woman, suddenly pregnant. There will be so much gossip, the spittle alone could drown you."

Lin Qinshuang gritted her teeth: "Then let's tell everyone that I've found a son-in-law. The wedding will still be held, but there's no need for a big banquet. We're not the kind of family that needs to invite a lot of guests these days. Whether there's a groom or not behind closed doors is still up to the family, isn't it?"

"Once the child is born, if we can keep it a secret, we'll continue to do so. If we really can't keep it a secret, we'll say that the man died of illness or had an accident while traveling. Anyway... anyway, the man we're taking in isn't exactly a person with any real connections."

Madam Xu then asked, "What about the man? What if he comes back and causes trouble later?"

Lin Qinshuang immediately said, "Then from the beginning, we shouldn't tell him his real identity."

"Choose someone from out of town, preferably someone who is poor and desperately needs money. When you meet him, don't reveal your real name or residence, and don't let him know who I am afterwards. If Mother is still worried, have someone keep an eye on him as he leaves the capital, or simply wait until he leaves the capital to take up his post and returns home before cutting off all contact."

Madam Xu looked at her for a long time.

The child's face was clearly flushed with embarrassment, yet each word he uttered was more eloquent than the last.

It was clearly not an impulsive decision, but a well-considered one.

Even so, Xu was still unsure and couldn't help but look at Fang Mama.

Even Fang's mother was unusually at a loss.

When she had nothing to do, she would listen to the gossip in the city with the other old women. She had heard all sorts of things, from the neighbors' gossip to widows seeking husbands and sons-in-law plotting to make money.

Such a case of abandoning the father and keeping the son is truly unheard of.

...But it seems we can't say there's absolutely none.

In some families, if the husband is infertile, they secretly ask their brothers or cousins ​​for help. This does happen, but most families keep it very secret, and the general public wouldn't know about it.

Now, the situation is reversed, with women choosing their own partners, making their own decisions, and keeping their children instead of their fathers. It sounds absurd, but upon closer examination, it's not entirely without reason.

Mrs. Fang blushed slightly. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that although this matter was unconventional, it also had many advantages.

If Lin Qinshuang really does this, then she will truly be betting everything on her daughter in the future.

The child's surname is Xu, and he is a descendant of the Xu family.

Without a son-in-law whose background is unknown interfering, the family's daughter can have a real grandson.

As people get older, they should listen to the voices of young children more often.

Otherwise, life would just be lonely and boring day after day.

Thinking of this, Madam Fang finally nodded very slightly to Madam Xu.

Xu saw it.

Her heart skipped a beat.

After a long pause, she hesitantly asked Lin Qinshuang, "Then... do you have someone in mind?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qinshuang's eyes lit up immediately.

She knew that Madam Xu had finally given in.

She quickly suppressed her joy and whispered, "The triennial imperial examination is approaching again. I've heard that in previous years, many impoverished scholars would stay at the Great Xiangguo Temple. Some, out of pride, refused to bow to the powerful and wealthy, nor to accept financial aid that came with marriage contracts. They stubbornly held on, but in the end, they couldn't make it and disappeared without a trace..."

In the end, she still became coy.

Xu had already understood.

She coughed awkwardly and said, "After a few days, I'll have Aunt Fang go and check on things."

Lin Qinshuang quickly lowered her head and agreed.

She still looked shy, but inside she felt an indescribable joy.

The room remained quiet for a while after she left.

Madam Xu sat there upright, her eyes still somewhat unfocused.

Fang's mother is the same.

The master and servant stared at each other blankly for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter at the same time.

That smile eased much of the tension and absurdity from before.

Madam Xu said, "I used to think she was someone who lacked assertiveness. She would only cry when things went wrong, and she was very weak in her actions, so I actually looked down on her a bit. Now I realize that this child may seem quiet, but she has a lot of ideas."

If she had such a big idea and such a big decision when she was unmarried, and dared to do such a shocking thing, would everything be different?

Having followed her for most of her life, Fang's mother could easily read her expression, so she quickly smiled and changed the subject.

"Yes. That day at the side gate, I was terrified when I saw that villain covered in blood. She was just a young woman, yet she managed to hold her nerve and remained composed during her statement. In truth, her courage and willingness to risk everything are quite like those of us from military families."

Xu came to her senses and deliberately glared at her: "You old hag, just pick me."

Madam Fang immediately laughed and said, "How could this servant dare?"

The master and servant looked at each other and laughed again.

Xu Shi secretly admitted that what Fang Mama said was right.

If it weren't for Lin Qinshuang's courage in front of the villains that day, and if it weren't for her words during her speech that completely changed her mind, she wouldn't have made up her mind and accepted her so quickly.

Just then, someone came to report from outside.

"Madam, the head of the Sheng family requests an audience."