The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The wind was soft.

When Langhua arrived, all the palace servants in the corridor lowered their heads and bowed. When they saw her, they were about to kneel down to announce her arrival, but she stopped them by raising her hand.

Before even entering the house, a heart-wrenching cough could be heard from inside.

Langhua paused for a moment before slowly stepping inside.

The room was filled with a strong medicinal smell.

The woman on the sickbed was wearing a plain nightgown, her hair loose, and was being helped by a maid to drink her medicine.

Hearing the noise, the woman struggled to lift her head.

"Your Majesty the Empress..."

She hurriedly pushed away the medicine bowl and struggled to kneel up.

The maid was startled and hurriedly knelt down.

Langhua raised her hand: "No need for formalities."

Langhua glanced at the increasingly thin person in front of her, sighed slightly, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"How have you been lately?"

Yang Huining looked down at the medicine bowl and smiled faintly: "If nothing else, then so be it. A person with little fortune doesn't deserve a peaceful life."

There was silence in the room.

Zhang Bihua, standing behind Langhua, frowned upon hearing this.

Langhua did not respond immediately.

She simply observed Yang Huining quietly.

To be honest, Yang was not particularly outstanding in appearance. She couldn't compare to Miao Xinhe's delicate and lively charm, nor could she match Yu Qingran's plump and captivating beauty.

She had delicate features and a not particularly graceful figure, but she possessed a rare scholarly air about her.

Unfortunately, he never won Zhao Zhen's favor.

Or rather...

Langhua lowered her eyes, for she herself did not wish to get too close to Zhao Zhen.

"Is it because you're unworthy, or because you're unwilling?"

Yang Huining's fingers tightened.

Langhua didn't wait for her reply, but simply turned her head slightly and glanced behind her.

Yu Die understood, stepped forward with the tray, and gently lifted the cloth to reveal a small bottle.

The bottle is plain white, without any markings, and looks ordinary, like something any ordinary person would use.

But the moment Yang Huining saw the bottle, her expression completely changed.

She stared intently at the bottle for a moment, then suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with indescribable sorrow: "Your Majesty is indeed shrewd."

"Ever since Your Majesty became Empress, the palace has become like an iron barrel; not even a moth can fly in or out."

Zhang Bihua's face darkened.

Langhua, however, remained calm: "Now that I've become Empress, this palace is my home."

"I do not wish for my home to be filled with filth and secrets, nor do I wish for my children to live in fear and unease every day."

"If possible, I would like to protect all the children in this imperial city."

She looked at Yang Huining and said, word by word, "Including yours."

Yang Huining was suddenly startled.

A moment later, when she looked up again, her eyes were already wet with tears.

"Your Majesty the Empress..."

She opened her mouth as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end she only uttered one sentence.

"You are a good person."

She slowly turned her head to look at Zhang Bihua, who was standing next to Langhua.

There was envy, melancholy, and a touch of indescribable bitterness in his eyes.

"If only I had followed you back then."

Zhang Bihua was taken aback by her gaze, and the anger in her heart inexplicably eased a little.

Yang Huining closed her eyes briefly, as if finally letting go of the last bit of her bravado: "This is not a drug to harm the imperial heir. I don't want to harm anyone, and I would never lay a hand on innocent children."

"I know."

Langhua spoke.

Yang Huining was stunned.

"The imperial physicians have already examined it and had it tested. After taking this medicine, a person will develop a rash all over their body, unbearably itchy, resembling smallpox. It looks horrifying, but in fact, it will heal in just three days. You want to use it to feign illness and leave the palace, don't you?"

Yang Huining's eyelashes trembled.

She chuckled softly, but tears finally fell.

"Yes."

"I want to leave here, I'm going crazy with the urge."

The hall was completely silent; even the maids serving her dared not breathe loudly.

"I am a maidservant to Empress Guo," Yang Huining said slowly. "She has been married to the Emperor for many years without having children, so she wanted to give me to him to secure his favor and bear him a child. However, because I am not particularly beautiful, even if I were to serve him in bed, I would not pose a threat to her."

"I was an orphan, I had no choice."

"The Emperor favored me, but I know he didn't want to, and he didn't like me either. He just didn't want to embarrass Empress Guo."

"Lady Miao and Lady Yu are both good people. One genuinely likes the Emperor, and the other is easygoing and never makes things difficult for others. Especially since Your Majesty entered the palace, you have been both fair and kind in your dealings. You have also treated us with utmost care and consideration, never showing any contempt or disrespect... To be honest, I have never had such a peaceful and carefree life since I was born."

She looked at Langhua, her eyes filled with gratitude and guilt:

"You know that the Emperor is prone to overlooking me, and you were afraid he wouldn't remember me, so you specially arranged for me to serve tea before the Emperor. I remember all of these things."

"I will never repay kindness with enmity and harm your child."

She suddenly stopped talking at this point.

She seemed to have something stuck in her throat, swallowing repeatedly, but unable to spit it out.

Langhua didn't urge her, but waited quietly.

After a long while, large tears suddenly fell from Yang Huining's eyes.

As if she had finally made up her mind, she choked out, "It's just... it's just that I have someone in my heart."

Yang Huining gripped the corner of the quilt tightly: "I know that from the moment I agreed to serve Empress Guo in bed, I was destined to be with him but not to be together in this life, and I dare not hope for anything else. I originally wanted to keep him in my heart for the rest of my life and never let anyone know."

"Can……"

"But he's dead."

She looked up, her face streaked with tears: "I just found out that he had been waiting for me all this time. For so many years, he has never married. He has kept his promise to me before I entered the palace, that I would earn enough money to leave the palace and marry him. He has waited for me for more than ten years."

"I don't want anything else... I just want to go out and see him one last time."

"I'll light incense for him myself."

Even... to be buried with him.

No one spoke again inside the room.

Everyone's eyes turned red.

Langhua sat quietly, but her gaze fell on the potted plants beside her sickbed.

The potted plant was of unknown species; its branches and leaves were already somewhat withered, but the soil underneath was damp and dark, as if it had been repeatedly watered too much, and the roots were about to rot inside.

Langhua sighed softly.

"You are indeed sick."

Langhua said slowly, "She is very ill."

Yang Huining was taken aback at first, then laughed twice: "Your Majesty is right. I am terminally ill and no medicine can cure me. I have also violated the palace rules, so please grant me death, Your Majesty."

Langhua stood up: "I will ask the Emperor for permission to send you out of the palace to recuperate."

Yang Huining was taken aback.

"Your Majesty..."

Langhua didn't say anything more and left on her own.

Tears streamed down Yang Huining's face as she bowed deeply in the direction Langhua had left.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Langhua has already gone far away.

-

After leaving the palace, Zhang Bihua remained silent.

She was never one to hide her feelings; even a hint of unhappiness would show on her face. Now, following behind Langhua, she kept her head down, her eyes red.

After walking quite a distance, she said in a muffled voice, "Your Majesty, I initially thought she was a bad person."

Langhua didn't turn around, only saying, "It's not just you."

Zhang Bihua recalled how Lady Yang had mentioned wanting to go out and offer incense to that person, and her heart ached terribly.

"Fortunately, she encountered the Empress."

"Fortunately, I also met an empress."

Langhua stopped and looked back at her.

Zhang Bihua sniffed, but smiled and said, "Not only me, but also Sister Achang who has already left the palace to get married, Sister Yudie who is already engaged, and all the sisters who have happily left the palace to get married over the years thanks to the matchmaking of the Duchess of Anguo. We are all very lucky."

Zhang Bihua felt that she could understand Lady Yang.

To outsiders, the palace appears as a place of wealth, grandeur, and an empress revered as the mother of the nation, surrounded by attendants and enjoying unparalleled honor.

But in her eyes, none of this could compare to being with the one she loved.

Even if one wears gold and silver and lives in these magnificent palaces, if one's heart is empty, one may not be able to live a happy life.

She couldn't help but wonder, if the Empress and the Emperor were not on good terms and did not have each other in their hearts, what would be the point of the Empress's position?

The more Zhang Bihua thought about it, the warmer her heart became: "Your Majesty, this servant will definitely repay Your Majesty in the future."

Langhua smiled when she saw her solemn expression.

She reached out and patted Zhang Bihua's hand.

"Don't overthink it. Once you marry into the Wang family, just live your life well. If you're truly grateful, then please take good care of my mother for me."

Zhang Bihua nodded emphatically.

"I will."

She answered quickly, but with a serious expression.

Langhua's smile deepened, and she turned to continue walking forward.

However, Zhang Bihua repeatedly appeared as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

As they approached the Kunning Palace, she finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Your Majesty."

Langhua turned her head: "Hmm?"

Zhang Bihua leaned closer and lowered her voice:

Is it really possible for a man to have a child with a woman he doesn't like?