The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

At this point, he seemed to remember something and couldn't help but chuckle: "However, he was too arrogant and actually said that the reason why our Great Song lost several battles against the Western Xia was because the officials in the court loved to interfere and talk about war on paper."

A perfectly timed look of shock appeared in Langhua's eyes.

"He said that?"

Zhao Zhen chuckled: "At least you were careful not to say it in public. It was a letter you had your second brother deliver to me."

Langhua felt somewhat relieved.

Zhao Zhen continued, "Isn't your second brother getting married? Di Qing's second son has also come to the capital this time, not only to receive his father's reward, but also to attend the wedding banquet, and even more so to deliver this letter."

He paused, his expression gradually becoming serious: "Di Qing has requested military command for two years."

"He wants me to hand over all military power in the western border to him within two years. He will be solely responsible for training troops, commanding them, and deploying them in battle formations. To this end, he has made a solemn pledge to me that he will defeat the Western Xia within two years, or else he will offer his head."

"To put my mind at ease, he even offered to send his wife and children to Bianjing until the western border was pacified and he returned military power to me."

Langhua was startled.

Although she was in the inner palace, in this life, she never again followed the ironclad rule that the inner palace should not interfere in politics.

Because she already had a history of nearly a hundred years ahead in her mind, she knew how many hidden dangers were lurking in the so-called prosperous age, and she also knew what kind of destruction and pain this land would experience in less than a hundred years.

Having entered the game and now sitting in the position of Empress, she had no reason to stand idly by and watch everything unfold.

Moreover, this empire will ultimately fall into the hands of her child.

She wanted her children to have the best of everything in the world.

It's not just about fine clothes and delicacies, or prestigious titles; it's about a truly stable and peaceful land.

Di Qing was not brought here by the king's father.

She's the one who found them.

Even her second brother, Wang Shi'an, was sent to the Western Frontier by her own intention.

She has intentionally or unintentionally revealed her meaning.

Her second brother was always the one in the family who understood her best, and he was also the most shrewd. She was quite certain that her second brother already knew what kind of situation she was going to create in the Western Region and what kind of purpose she wanted to achieve.

Therefore, this handwritten letter likely also contains the handwriting of the second brother.

Langhua remained silent for a moment before asking softly, "What has His Majesty decided?"

Zhao Zhen did not answer immediately.

The two walked a little further.

After a long silence, Zhao Zhen finally said, "I want to trust him this once."

Langhua's eyes lit up slightly, but she said, "But the court officials..."

Zhao Zhen held her hand, and suddenly tightened his grip.

"Third Sister".

Zhao Zhen looked at her, his gaze clear and firm.

"You said that ultimately, I am the ruler of this Great Song Dynasty, isn't that right?"

Langhua answered without hesitation: "Of course."

Zhao Zhen slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"Then I'd like to take a gamble."

Langhua looked at him.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that the Zhao Zhen in front of her was very different from the Zhao Zhen she had first met.

The former Zhao Zhen was refined, kind, and humble; he was a true gentleman.

But a virtuous person may not be suitable to be a monarch.

Now, he is increasingly resembling an emperor.

Gentle, yet decisive.

Kindness and compassion are coupled with sharpness.

When did it start to change?

Langhua actually knew the answer.

It started when children were born one after another in the harem, and when Yuan Nian and Fang Ge'er gradually stood up and became physically strong.

With the continuation of the bloodline, the nation has a sustenance.

His heart settled down.

Once the mind is made up, courage will naturally follow.

"it is good."

Langhua grasped Zhao Zhen's hand in return, speaking gently yet firmly:

"Then let's take a gamble."

-

Meanwhile, in a village on the outskirts of Beijing, Lin Qinshuang was planting trees with Changfeng in the yard.

It's called a tree, but it's actually just a branch.

Changfeng was young and was easily fooled by the village head's children. He really thought that this was the offspring of some giant tree that, if planted in the yard, would grow tall and big in a couple of years, and then he could tie a swing to it and play with it.

Even if Lin Qinshuang found it troublesome, she couldn't say to her son that it was just a broken tree branch.

Although this suburban estate was spacious, it hadn't been inhabited for a long time. The owner's house, though cleaned daily by the estate manager and farmers, wasn't dilapidated or dirty, but it still couldn't compare to the comfort of the Xu residence in the city.

Changfeng had been pampered since birth, and Xu Shi had given him the best of everything. He couldn't bear this grievance and cried for several days when he first arrived.

But a child is still a child.

There wasn't much else in the village, but there were plenty of places to run around freely. Later, Changfeng was drawn to the village head's children and followed them around every day. Before he knew it, even his walking became more steady than before.

And every day when they come back, they bring some souvenirs.

The first day, they brought back an egg, saying that if you put it in your bed overnight, it would hatch into a chick.

Changfeng believed it without a doubt and secretly stuffed the egg into his blanket.

When he woke up the next day, he was covered in egg yolk and crying loudly. Lin Qinshuang was almost scared out of her wits.

The next day, he simply brought back a chicken.

They said that since the hen lays eggs every day, he will no longer need to incubate them.

Lin Qinshuang was so frightened by the hen's flapping and squawking that she was in a flurry of activity. In the end, it was Fang's mother who helped out and skillfully built a chicken coop out of old bamboo strips, which finally settled the hen down.

On the third day, which was yesterday, Changfeng brought back this branch again and insisted on planting it.

Lin Qinshuang couldn't bear to disappoint her son.

So today, she specially changed into a simple outfit, wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, and came to the yard to shovel soil herself.

She was simply not cut out for farm work.

The branch, though thin, was far too long. She had to hold it with one hand and push the soil with the other, so she couldn't manage it all. The concubine's mother had gone to town again today to deliver a letter to her mother and bought some things on the way back; right now, she didn't even have anyone to help her.

Lin Qinshuang had no choice but to call her son.

"Feng'er, hold on tight, straighten up."

However, Changfeng was still young and couldn't control his strength. He kept tilting to one side or falling to the other, which exhausted Lin Qinshuang to the point of exhaustion, and she still couldn't plant it properly.

I refuse to believe it.

Lin Qinshuang was determined to fight this thin branch, clenching her teeth and revealing a fierce glint in her eyes.

But the physical exhaustion and the filth on her hands gradually made her irritable, and her patience was almost completely exhausted.

While digging again, she struggled to support the branch with one hand and scraped away the soil with the other... Watching her delicate, white fingers scrape away the wet mud, Lin Qinshuang couldn't help but curse the culprit who had caused her to end up like this—

"That damn bookworm!"

"Wouldn't it be better to get promoted and make a fortune in the Northwest?"

"My mother and son live a wealthy and comfortable life in Beijing."

"You go your sunny path, I'll go mine!"

"I'm determined to come back."

"They insisted on forcing me to come here."

"Right now, I should be in my warm chamber, enjoying tea by the fire and reading a book!"

Seeing that the branches were about to lean again, she slammed a shovel into the soil: "Can't you straighten it now! Feng'er, come and help your mother again!"

Perhaps it was this sound that truly brought the child back to his senses. The next moment, the branch finally straightened, and Lin Qinshuang's eyes lit up. She quickly used both hands to push soil into the pit.

After finally managing to cover the soil with earth, she straightened up, took a light breath from exhaustion, and then stomped her feet on the soil twice.

"Alright, alright, Feng'er is such a good boy, just as worthy of his mother—"

She stopped talking abruptly when she saw a handsome face suddenly appear in front of her.

Wei Jing'an smiled warmly: "I've been looking for you everywhere, and it turns out you brought Feng'er here to play."

"My lady is in high spirits."