The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The smiles on the faces of the master and servant vanished instantly.

"What is he doing here? I won't see him," said Madam Xu.

The servant hesitated and said, "Master Sheng said that if the eldest mistress refuses to see him, he will not leave."

Madam Xu coldly replied, "If he doesn't want to leave, then he doesn't want to leave. Let him go. The long street outside is public property, the Emperor's land, not mine. Everyone is free to walk on it; it's none of my business."

As Sheng Hong listened to the gatekeeper's account, his face gradually paled.

These days, he has been reflecting on how things have come to this point.

His mother, who had been strict with him since he was young but always doted on him, abandoned him and started her own household with her adopted daughter.

Now everyone in the capital knows that she is looking for a husband for her adopted daughter, who will then take care of her in her old age and see her off in her final days.

What's the difference between this and announcing to the world that Sheng Hong is an ungrateful wretch who repays kindness with enmity, a villain who received the kindness of his stepmother's upbringing but doesn't think of repaying it?

And Wang Ruoyu.

When he first fell in love, the woman he loved deeply turned out to be a jealous and vicious woman after he married her.

At the slightest disagreement, he threatened to sell the girl his mother was raising, which even led to a murder case.

Even though the powerful Yue family covered up the matter and Wang Ruo and Ping An were unharmed, Yue family members, who originally had a bright future and were even expected to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, submitted their resignations and withdrew from the limelight.

With the year-end just past and the court newly established, his appointment was also announced, and he arrived at the scene immediately.

The place he was to take up his post was neither Yangzhou, which Wang Ruo had so confidently promised, nor Huaizhou, which his brother-in-law had previously vaguely hinted at.

It was Dengzhou, where he had been for three years!

The moment he saw the appointment, Sheng Hong knew that he was finished, that everything was over.

There has never been a precedent in the world for someone to return to the capital to report on their work and then go back to their original post.

Even though he was promoted one rank in his official post this time, as was customary.

But this is not an appointment; it is exile.

He could almost foresee that once he went to Dengzhou, he might never be able to return to the capital again.

He could also foresee what kind of expression those old foxes in Dengzhou, who were only pretending to be friendly with him out of politeness, would show when they saw him again this time.

Just imagining it made Sheng Hong wish he could hang himself with a rope.

He stood at the entrance of the Xu residence, looking up at the plaque above.

Xu.

It is no longer prosperous.

He no longer has a mother.

In heaven and on earth, there was nowhere else he could come and go as he pleased, kneel whenever he wanted, and always find a place to soften his heart.

Snowflakes suddenly began to fall from the sky, gently settling all over my shoulders.

Standing in the snow, Sheng Hong vaguely recalled a sentence his mother had told him many years ago:

"The woman I'm going to marry for you is the third daughter of the Wang family. Only the third daughter. Are you willing?"

Before losing consciousness, what flashed before Sheng Hong's eyes was a charming and kind face.

It was completely unfamiliar, yet he felt strangely familiar with it.

Sheng Hong felt a sweet taste in his throat, and his vision suddenly went black. By the time the gatekeeper cried out in alarm, he had already collapsed straight into the snow.

-

in the palace.

Zhang Bihua was sitting happily in the room, looking at the rewards the Empress had given her.

It was an extremely beautiful hairpin, with the head shaped like a small sprig of winter plum blossom, its stamens dotted with tiny gold beads. It wasn't particularly valuable, but it was exquisitely crafted.

She held the hairpin up her hair, comparing it again and again, liking it more and more each time.

There was also a piece of cloth next to it, a fashionable new material, brightly colored, and soft and smooth to the touch.

I heard that there wasn't much of this kind of material in the palace this year. The Empress herself only got five bolts, but she gave one to her.

Zhang Bihua couldn't bear to waste the money and had already planned in her mind to have a new dress made when spring came.

It will definitely look good if you wear it in spring.

When Steward Jia came in, he saw her looking at herself in the mirror with a happy expression.

Upon seeing her, Zhang Bihua immediately held up the hairpin and asked, "Mother-in-law, is it pretty?"

Before Steward Jia could answer, she couldn't help but boast, "And this piece of cloth, it was also a gift from Her Majesty. Her Majesty is so good to me; I've never seen such fine material before."

Manager Jia looked at the things on the table and a fake smile appeared on his face.

"The items are naturally of high quality. But in the end, all the good things in the world belong to the Emperor. Even the Empress cannot obtain them without the Emperor's bestowal."

Zhang Bihua's smile faded slightly.

She put the hairpin back in the box, and her tone was no longer as warm as before.

"What brings you here today, Mother-in-law?"

He paused, then added, "According to palace rules, we can't talk behind closed doors for too long."

Manager Jia was momentarily speechless.

That's right. Ever since Her Majesty the Empress set these palace rules, the lower-ranking palace servants are alright, but those who can serve in front of the Emperor have even more rules to follow.

The shifts change almost every ten days, and the partners are frequently rotated, making it impossible for anyone to figure out who they are.

Sending messages and placing people in positions is no longer as convenient as it used to be.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have repeatedly tried to send Zhang Bihua to the emperor's court.

Steward Jia looked at Zhang Bihua's bright and beautiful face again and again.

Over the years, she has never found a more beautiful woman in the harem than Zhang Bihua.

But this child seems to have been bewitched by the Empress. She used to love dancing so much, but now she hardly dances anymore. All she cares about is learning etiquette and memorizing palace rules. She takes exams several times a year, all in order to continue working as a palace maid in Kunning Palace.

That's incredibly stupid.

But the more simple-minded and stubborn she was, the more reluctant Steward Jia was to give up on her.

Such a person is simply the best pawn.

Once she rises to power and truly falls for the emperor, she won't need anyone else to persuade her; she can turn the harem upside down on her own.

The muddier the water in the pool, the better it is for doing things.

Instead of what it is now.

Everything was orderly and clear, leaving no room for even the slightest selfishness.

After thinking for a moment, Steward Jia decided to be more open about it: "You're fifteen now. If your parents were still alive, they should be planning your marriage."

Steward Jia sighed, as if he genuinely felt sorry for her: "From the time you entered the palace, of all the young ladies, you were my favorite, and I truly care for you. If you can find a good home, I will be at peace."

Zhang Bihua was indeed somewhat moved, but what she said was, "What's wrong with you all today? One after another, you're all trying to arrange marriages for me?"

Manager Jia's heart tightened, but he forced a smile and asked, "Who else?"

Zhang Bihua lowered her head slightly: "The Duchess of Anguo asked me what kind of husband I liked."

Manager Jia almost lost his smile.

"So what did you reply?"

Zhang Bihua gently toyed with the hairpin with her fingers, her voice softening slightly: "I said, I finally managed to get to the Empress's side, how can I give up halfway in repaying her kindness? A bowl of hot porridge from her saved my mother and my life back then. Later, when my mother unfortunately passed away, she also helped with the funeral arrangements. I had already sworn that if I could make something of myself, I would repay her kindness tenfold."

"But she's already the Empress, what else can I give her?"

"Then I will diligently follow her orders until I reach the age to leave the palace."

Steward Jia breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "What a silly child. You're only fifteen, and it'll be many years before you're old enough to leave the palace. Besides, you're already so respectable now, how could you possibly bear to marry an ordinary man and live a mundane life as a wife and mother?"

Zhang Bihua raised her eyes: "Entering the palace was solely for survival. Who would willingly serve others every day if they could rise above others and become a superior person?"

Just as a hint of satisfaction appeared in Steward Jia's eyes, she said again:

"But no matter how much you want to get ahead, you can't go and upset your benefactor."

"Besides, she's such a kind and compassionate person as the Empress."

Zhang Bihua looked at Steward Jia, her smile bright and frank: "Don't you agree, Mother-in-law?"

Steward Jia's heart sank.

After a long pause, he forced a smile and said, "Of course."

She didn't linger and quickly found an excuse to leave.

Once the door closed again and the room quieted down, Zhang Bihua finally stopped smiling.

She looked again at the fabric and hairpin on the table, and then at the rabbit lamp hanging above the bed.

The lamp was not very well made; in fact, it could be described as crude.

One ear is higher than the other, and the eyes are also a bit crooked; upon closer inspection, it's rather ugly.

But as Zhang Bihua watched, she couldn't help but laugh.

"I just like ordinary people."

"They can laugh, they can make a fuss, they can argue, they can grab."

She gently touched the rabbit lamp with her fingertips.

"I don't want that high and mighty Bodhisattva."