The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Wei Shuyi blushed instantly. She wanted to refuse on her own, but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she remembered what her father had said to her on his sickbed earlier that day.

As long as his own marriage remained unresolved, his father's worries could not be alleviated, and ultimately, this was not a solution.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Auntie."

Zhou Wanru's eyes lit up.

Wei Shuyi blushed and added, "I don't ask for much, just someone down-to-earth and upright."

"Alright, alright, I'm relieved to hear that. Leave everything to me."

While saying this, he was already quickly making plans in his mind.

Being down-to-earth and upright? What kind of requirements are those?

Isn't this the most basic requirement for being a decent person and living a fulfilling life?

If you want to marry a good wife, how could you possibly marry a womanizer who is a philanderer and a womanizer?

Pooh!

No matter how high one's birth, this kind of toad is still just a toad of high birth, and is not worthy of eating swan meat!

Especially someone as gentle, beautiful, and kind-hearted as Shuyi is not worthy of those scoundrels.

However, on the other hand, with a child's looks and temperament, if her husband's family is of low social standing, they may not be able to protect her.

As Zhou Wanru spoke to her with a smile, she slowly began to make her own plans.

The meal was a great success, and by the time the banquet ended, it was already late at night, and carriages and horses were already prepared outside the mansion gate.

The Wei siblings bid farewell to the Wang family members one by one. Wang Shi'an patted Wei Jing'an on the shoulder and said, "Come find me tomorrow, and we'll talk in detail."

Wei Jing'an smiled and agreed.

Everyone laughed again before the Wei sisters boarded the carriage. Di Yong, as usual, held the reins and drove the carriage.

As the carriage wheels rumbled out of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, Wei Shuyi was about to ask his sister to lean on him for a rest when Wei Yule suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and looked longingly outside.

"elder brother!"

Wei Jing'an responded from outside the car, "What's wrong?"

"I heard that as the year draws to a close, Fanlou Street is not only not quiet, but it's also busier than usual with many more vendors. Since it's still early, shall we go for a stroll?"

Wei Shuyi immediately said, "No. Brother and Second Brother Di have been traveling for many days and have attended a banquet today. They are already very tired. They should go back and rest as soon as possible."

Wei Yule's face fell: "Sister..."

Wei Shuyi remained unmoved: "Even pleading won't work."

Wei Yule was dejected.

Wei Jing'an, standing outside, felt a pang of tenderness. In recent years, he had been traveling and working away from home, leaving only his ailing father and two younger sisters at home. With no one to take care of them, they had no chance to go out at night, let alone visit the night market.

So he turned to Di Yong and asked, "Does Erlang want to go take a look? It's rare to have some free time."

Di Yong looked up at the brightly lit street in the distance, and a smile appeared on his lips: "Alright, I also want to take a good stroll around Bianjing City."

Amid cheers from Wei Yule, the carriage changed direction.

The closer you get to the night market, the louder the noise becomes.

The cries of vendors, the laughter of passersby, and the sounds of string and wind instruments emanating from the restaurants on both sides mingled together, and the lights stretched from one end of the street to the other, making the night seem a little lighter.

Stalls selling sugar figurines, lanterns, sachets, and other trinkets lined up one after another, while the steaming food stalls were surrounded by crowds.

As soon as Wei Yule got out of the car, she was like a frolicked deer, finding everything new and interesting.

Wei Shuyi followed behind, feeling both helpless and troubled: "Yu Le, slow down, don't get lost."

Wei Yule turned around and smiled at her: "Don't worry, sister. There are military patrol posts every three hundred steps or so, and there are also soldiers and police patrolling at night. It's very safe."

After she finished speaking, she ran forward without looking back, even deliberately heading towards crowded areas. Wei Shuyi had no choice but to hurry after her.

Wei Jing'an and Di Yong followed closely behind, one looking at his two younger sisters and the other keeping an eye on the crowd around them.

Wei Yule bought a rabbit lantern and then took a fancy to a clay figurine. Wei Shuyi said she was just being playful, but she paid for it readily.

Di Yong stood to the side, watching the two sisters speak in hushed tones, and the coldness in his eyes unconsciously faded a little.

Wei Jing'an, however, began to wander in his mind.

For some reason, over the years, the more lively and bustling the occasion, the more easily he would think of a certain figure—her smile, her words…

Despite the bustling crowd, a voice would involuntarily echo in his ears—

"Feng'er!"

Wei Jing'an's heart skipped a beat.

He turned around almost instinctively.

"Feng'er, look!"

Through the crowd, he saw a woman squatting down in front of a sugar figurine stall not far away, holding a small monkey sugar figurine and coaxing the child in front of her.

"Isn't this little monkey cute?"

Wei Jing'an stood there, stunned.

That sound...

His throat tightened, and his steps felt like they were nailed to the ground.

Just then, another, older voice rang out: "Young lady, it's getting late, we should head back."

Wei Jing'an's pupils suddenly contracted.

Grandma Ma!

Then wouldn't the other person be—

He stared intently at the figure.

The woman responded, slowly stood up, bent down and took the child's hand.

As she turned to the side, a strand of hair slipped from her temple, and the dim light of the lantern fell on her face, blurring her features yet making them frighteningly clear.

Shuang'er!

He was as if possessed, and took a step forward.

But the night market was crowded, a group of vendors carrying loads passed by, and several children who were watching the lanterns ran over laughing and blocking him from the spot.

His eyes reddened with anxiety as he pushed through the crowd, pleading, "Excuse me, please make way!"

But in that instant, the figure had already led the child away into the distance.

A strong sense of panic welled up in Wei Jing'an's heart. He disregarded everything else and squeezed through the crowd to chase after him.

He ran wildly with all his might.

But when he chased him to the street corner, the person was still gone.

The lamplight flickered.

He stood there, breathing heavily, his eyes gradually filled with confusion and despair.

He couldn't even tell whether he was dreaming of being a butterfly again, or whether he had truly missed his chance with her once more.

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly rang out from ahead.

"Help! Kidnappers have stolen my child!"

Everyone turned around at the same time.

A man in gray clothes was seen rushing out of the alley carrying a struggling and crying child.

Wei Jing'an seemed to wake up suddenly from a dream. Without thinking, he spread his arms to block the road.

The man in gray roared, "You're asking for death!"

He flipped his free hand, revealing a short blade.

The man's face was fierce, but Wei Jing'an didn't back down an inch. As the man rushed forward, he swiftly dodged the oncoming short blade, but grabbed the man's shoulder tightly, trying to seize the opportunity to snatch the child away—

He failed to succeed, ultimately proving that the strength of a scholar was ultimately insufficient.

The gray-clad man, stumbled as he was dragged, became enraged and slashed Wei Jing'an's arm with his short blade: "Get lost!"

Blood flowed freely, and Wei Jing'an's face turned deathly pale, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to let go. He even collapsed on the spot, clinging tightly to his leg.

"You're really asking for it!"

Seeing the crowd gathering, the man in gray, his evil intentions growing, raised his short blade high again, aimed it at Wei Jing'an's chest, and plunged it down—

At the critical moment, Di Yong finally arrived!

He grabbed the gray-clad man's wrist, twisted it behind his back, and the short blade fell to the ground with a thud.

Before the man in gray could even scream, Di Yong kicked him to the ground, and the child fell into Wei Jing'an's arms.

Several soldiers nearby heard the noise and rushed over, quickly restraining the man.

The child was held in Wei Jing'an's arms, crying and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Feng'er! My Feng'er!"

A woman stumbled over and hugged the child in Wei Jing'an's arms, crying out in fear, "Thank God, thank you, young man..."

Stopped abruptly.

Wei Jing'an also stiffened.

The moment their eyes met, they both froze.

The surrounding noise receded like the tide.

The lanterns, the shadows of people, and the cries of children all became blurred at this moment.

"Shuang'er..."