The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

As the year draws to a close, a festive atmosphere permeates the capital.

When Gu Yankai came to pay his respects to his mother, he brought some New Year's gifts.

It wasn't exactly shabby, but it certainly wasn't lavish either.

Grandma Gu glanced at it, neither saying it was good nor bad, and simply told someone to accept it.

She sat at the head of the table, holding a teacup in her hands, looking down at her son through the rising steam.

Gu Yankai is no longer the spirited young man he once was.

He was once a famous nobleman in the capital, tall and handsome, with striking features and an impressive presence.

But now, his once handsome face looks much more haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and even faint gray hairs at his temples. He's still the same person, but his back looks bent as if something is weighing him down, and he looks utterly颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, and a sense of dejection).

Grandma Gu felt a slight pang of sadness.

But as soon as the sour feeling arose, she forced herself to harden her heart and look away.

He said coldly, "I understand. Since you're so keen on this, I'll devise one more plan for you."

Gu Yankai's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mother."

Grandma Gu didn't look at him much, nor did she seem inclined to talk to him much.

"Go back and wait for news."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The joy on Gu Yankai's face gradually faded.

His mother was unwilling to even let him stay for one more meal.

Gu Yan felt bitter inside, but dared not disobey, so he could only respond in a low voice. Just as he was about to take his leave, he stopped in his tracks.

After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Mother, may I go see Yu-ge'er?"

Grandma Gu paused.

She looked up at him, her gaze devoid of warmth: "He's at the private school; he won't be back for another hour."

"A private school?"

Gu Yankai was stunned.

Grandma Gu's face immediately darkened: "What? Yu'er is already seven years old, of course he needs to start his education. You parents are all so indifferent, but I, as his grandmother, am not allowed to arrange things for him?"

Gu Yankai quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I was just saying, regarding Yu-ge'er's health... why don't we invite a doctor back?"

He had barely uttered the words when he looked regretful.

As expected, Old Mrs. Gu immediately gave a cold laugh.

"How can we invite him? What's the point of bringing him back? Do you think our family is still the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion of yesteryear? Do you think you're still the Marquis Gu whom everyone fawned over? This impoverished family dares to put on airs? I'm already doing everything I can to provide for Yu-ge'er, ensuring he has everything he needs. But do you think he's still the eldest son of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, the heir apparent who will inherit the title?"

"Mother……"

"Don't call me!" Old Mrs. Gu's voice trembled, her anger flaring. "If you truly cared for him, you shouldn't have let this family fall into such a state!"

Gu Yankai was humiliated and lost all face.

In the end, he could only lower his head and say goodbye.

But before he could even leave the main room, a maidservant rushed in to announce, "Old Madam, Madam Qin has arrived. She says she's here to deliver New Year's gifts and also... wishes to see the young master."

Old Mrs. Gu was already seething with anger, and her face grew even uglier upon hearing this: "Yu-ge'er's surname is Gu, what does he have to do with someone surnamed Qin?"

Gu Yan stopped in his tracks, his face showing even deeper shame.

Old Madam Gu said coldly, "Let alone Yu-ge'er, I have no affection for her whatsoever. Return the things and send her away."

Gu Yankai held back for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back and said with difficulty, "Mother, she is, after all, Yu'er's birth mother..."

Under the cold gaze of Old Mrs. Gu, he could no longer continue speaking.

"I've never seen a birth mother like this!"

Grandma Gu said, word by word, "When the child was so sick that even the imperial physicians said she wouldn't survive, she didn't ask. When the child was so thin that she was just skin and bones, and couldn't sleep at night because of coughing, she didn't ask. But when the child started to remember things and became stronger, and it seemed like she could live, she suddenly remembered that she wanted to be a mother and wanted to win her over."

Gu Yankai's expression grew increasingly grim: "Mother!"

"roll!"

Gu Yankai dared not say another word and slunk out the door.

He walked all the way to the door, feeling both ashamed and angry, but unable to vent his anger. Unexpectedly, he bumped into Qin Yanyun just as he left the Gu residence.

Qin Yanyun had obviously been rejected before as well.

She wore a light blue cloak, her face was pale, she held a handkerchief in her hand, and her shoulders trembled slightly from coughing.

The maidservant stood by, trying to soothe her, her face full of worry.

Seeing Qin Yanyun's appearance, Gu Yankai finally couldn't help but step forward and whisper, "You're not feeling well, why are you here at this time?"

Qin Yanyun heard his voice and looked up abruptly.

She was taken aback at first, then her eyes immediately reddened, and she spoke hastily, but her question was rather pointed:

"What does your mother mean by this? That's my son, the son I almost risked my life to give birth to, and now I don't even have the right to look at him or have a meal with him?"

Gu Yankai lowered his brows, his lips moved, but the words that came out were only a dry, curt "Yu-ge'er is not here."

Qin Yanyun stopped crying.

"Where?"

Gu Yankai was silent for a moment, but finally confessed honestly: "At Qingwu Academy."

"A private school?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Qin Yanyun's eyes, but it quickly turned into heartache: "How can his body withstand the daily back-and-forth travel?"

Having said that, she didn't say anything more to Gu Yankai, and turned to instruct the coachman: "Go to Qingwu Academy."

Just before getting into the car, she turned back and glanced at Gu Yankai one last time.

"Aren't you going?"

Gu Yankai's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Go, go, go."

He then got into the carriage.

Qin Yanyun lowered his eyes, concealing a hint of smugness in them.

The carriage moved slowly.

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

Qin Yanyun leaned back on the cushions, coughed lightly twice while holding a handkerchief, and then asked seemingly casually, "Have the fourth and fifth brothers asked you for money again in the past two months?"

Gu Yankai's joy froze instantly.

He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yes, but I declined. I just said I couldn't help."

Indeed, there was nothing more I could do to help.

Qin Yanyun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But she didn't show it on her face; instead, her eyes reddened again, and her voice softened: "Don't blame me for being heartless. Since the confiscation of our property, we haven't had any income, and all we have left is this little bit of wealth. I'm counting on it for Yu-ge'er to use when he grows up and gets married. If you continue to lend money out recklessly like this, what's the difference between that and throwing money into a bottomless pit?"

Gu Yankai didn't say anything.

Qin Yanyun then dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief: "Besides, you saw what those two are like. How could you relay our conversations to them? It caused them to come to our door and yell at us, making such a scene."

Her voice trailed off, almost breaking into a sob: "If it weren't for the fact that our Yu-ge'er is still so young, I would have loved, I would have loved to hang myself with a white silk ribbon!"

Gu Yan's heart clenched.

Seeing Qin Yanyun's shoulders trembling as she cried, he immediately felt sorry for her, sat down to wipe her tears, and patted her back: "It's my fault. Fourth and Fifth Brother really went too far this time. I... I won't help them anymore."

Qin Yanyun paused slightly in her sobbing.

The next moment, she leaned into Gu Yankai's arms, a hint of triumph flashing in her eyes.

She was indeed deeply hurt by Gu Yankai's letter of divorce.

In the end, she was willing to rekindle her relationship with Gu Yankai.

Firstly, it was out of consideration for him, seeing that he had finally seen the light and hadn't fallen for someone else. Secondly, she still harbored some lingering affection for the sincerity they once shared. Moreover, she was frail and sickly, and now that her parents were gone, she was alone with her vast fortune, and in the quiet of the night, she was always somewhat afraid.

Although Gu Yankai was no longer the powerful Marquis of Ningyuan, he was still a man who truly loved her and was the only man she could bring into her home.

More importantly, Gu Yankai can now finally let go of the burdens of his former large family and devote himself entirely to her.

After weighing the pros and cons, she actually benefited more.

So the two moved in together again, to the house that was part of her dowry, where she still had servants and was well taken care of.

Qin Yanyun actually liked this kind of life.

She was already frail and didn't like going out. Before, in the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, she had to endure her mother-in-law's cold face, her sisters-in-law's sarcastic remarks, and Gu Yankai's constant involvement in family matters, official duties, and social engagements.

Now all of that is gone.

Once the doors are closed, everyone in the house listens to her, and Gu Yankai can stay with her every day.

The only thing she couldn't tolerate was Gu Yankai's unconditional support for Gu Si and Gu Wu.

She never thought much of those two good-for-nothings. Besides, Gu Yankai was using her money.

That's why she made up her mind to cause a scene.

Although he lost face because of those two scoundrels, at least he got rid of them. Later, when Gu Yankai went back to being a martial arts instructor, he didn't earn much, just enough for his monthly expenses. After Gu Si and Gu Wu found out, they couldn't be bothered to talk to their good-for-nothing older brother anymore.

Qin Yanyun then deliberately went out under the pretext of visiting his son today, hoping for a chance encounter.

Now that the lesson has been learned and the shilling has been removed, it's time to coax the person back.

Gu Yankai was unaware of her thoughts.

He simply held his wife in his arms, savoring this rare moment of tenderness.

He even decided to tell her later that he had asked his mother to help him find a way to go to the Northwest.

He didn't want to live a life of aimless drifting anymore.

He wanted to go to the battlefield and fight for his future.

Since his ancestor could rise from a commoner to a marquis through military merit, why couldn't Gu Yankai? He was a true descendant of a military family, had studied martial arts and military strategy for many years, and had even led troops and fought battles.

Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped.

A maidservant outside whispered, "Madam, it's the Gu family's carriage. It must be the young master returning."