The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen looked at her, both amused and exasperated, and asked, "What do you mean by 'unforgettable'?"

Langhua blinked, looking extremely innocent.

Zhao Zhen put down his teacup, coughed lightly, and tried to adopt the composure of an emperor: "Wei Jing'an has indeed done a good job these past few years. The current situation in the western border war is certainly inseparable from generals like Di Qing, who are brave and skilled in battle and can lead troops to break through enemy lines, but relying solely on frontline charges is far from enough."

"Relocating people, stabilizing public morale, transporting grain and supplies, replenishing military equipment, repairing defensive fortifications, and even coordinating and communicating between various passes and prefectures and counties—every single task requires human intervention."

"Although Wei Jing'an is young, he is willing to endure hardship and put in the hard work. After several years of training, he has achieved considerable results."

At this point, Zhao Zhen's eyes revealed a hint of genuine appreciation: "That's why I've made an exception and promoted him to the sixth rank this time. I believe that if we give this young man some more opportunities to gain experience, he might just become a useful person in the future."

Langhua listened attentively and couldn't help but nod.

But before they had even finished discussing serious matters, Zhao Zhen suddenly seemed to remember something and casually asked, "As for that face, what does Third Sister think?"

Langhua looked up and met Zhao Zhen's eyes, which seemed nonchalant but were actually full of hidden thoughts.

She couldn't help but laugh.

"Does the Emperor want to hear the truth, or a lie?"

Zhao Zhen's expression turned solemn. He carefully considered the matter for a while before cautiously saying, "I would like to hear Third Sister say some nice things."

Langhua nodded very seriously: "Your Majesty is indeed very discerning. Even if Pan An were reincarnated, he wouldn't be much more handsome than Lord Wei."

Zhao Zhen: ...

There was a moment of silence in the carriage.

Zhao Zhen looked at her intently and said, "A man being handsome is actually of little use."

Langhua almost couldn't help but laugh, but deliberately said, "Didn't His Majesty just say that he was very capable?"

Zhao Zhen choked again.

Langhua finally burst out laughing.

Seeing her smiling with her eyes crinkled, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but laugh along. But even as he laughed, he still reached out to pinch her fingertips, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Third Sister is getting better and better at teasing people these days."

Langhua held his hand, her smile still lingering, but her tone softened slightly: "Alright, let's stop teasing the Emperor."

She sat up slightly and bowed to him with a rather solemn expression: "I would like to congratulate Your Majesty on having such a handsome and talented subject. You are truly blessed."

Zhao Zhen was taken aback at first, then returned the greeting with great seriousness: "Congratulations, congratulations."

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

Outside the carriage, Zhang Mao rode alongside. Hearing the faint laughter coming from inside, he couldn't help but lower his head, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

By the time they returned to the palace, it was already quite late.

The two intended to change their clothes and wash up, but as soon as they entered the hall, they saw several children sitting in a row on the couch.

From Jingning to Fangge'er, from the oldest to the youngest, everyone crossed their arms and stood with their backs to the door.

Fang-ge'er secretly turned to the side and watched the two of them enter the hall before letting out a heavy snort through his nose and turning back.

Zhao Zhen paused in his steps.

Langhua almost burst out laughing.

The palace servants inside the hall all hung their heads, struggling to suppress their laughter.

Zhao Zhen glanced at the row of small figures with their backs turned, then looked at Langhua, pleading for help with his eyes.

Langhua pursed her lips, then shrugged, indicating that she couldn't help, and went to the side hall to wash up on her own.

Zhao Zhen cleared his throat, walked over, and said softly, "What happened? Who upset Father's darlings?"

No one cares about him.

Zhao Zhen sighed, "Today is your second uncle's wedding, and there are just too many people. You are still young; what if someone bumps into you?"

Jingning finally turned around, his eyes red and looking very aggrieved: "Your subject is already seven years old."

Yuan Nian also turned his head, and said seriously, "Cousin Ye went too. He can drink alcohol."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen's eyes narrowed immediately: "Who said that? How old is he? Who would dare to give him wine? This brat is definitely just bragging to deceive you."

Upon hearing this, the children immediately showed expressions of doubt.

In the eyes of these younger ones, Bai Ye has always been extremely capable.

She dared to climb trees, scale walls, catch frogs in the pond, and even sneak snacks when her husband turned away.

It's not entirely impossible for them to drink like adults.

Zhao Zhen, however, did not give them a chance to doubt, and pressed on while the iron was hot: "Here's what we'll do, the day after tomorrow, your second aunt will be returning home for her third wedding anniversary, and I will grant her special permission to come into the palace for a visit. We'll also have that brat Bai Ye come along, and then we'll ask him in public whether he drank anything today."

The children's eyes gradually lit up.

In the first year, he couldn't help but ask, "What if he didn't drink it?"

Zhao Zhen said, "Then let's make a good fool of him. Let's say that at such a young age, he's already learned to boast and deceive people, let's embarrass him!"

Fang-ge'er asked blankly, "What if he really drank it?"

Zhao Zhen's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Then he should be punished even more severely!"

The children all opened their eyes wide.

"They dare to steal alcohol at such a young age, what will they be like when they grow up? They must be severely punished! You can do it yourselves if you want."

At that moment, the children even forgot how angry they were.

Fangge'er even slowly lowered his little arms, a hint of anticipation appearing on his face.

Bai Ye has always been the leader of the younger generation.

Everyone wanted to learn from him, thinking he was the most daring and capable, able to do anything.

But the boss's courage is admirable.

If one day we discover that the boss was exaggerating, and we can witness him being publicly punished, that would be a kind of excitement that no one could resist.

The children were quickly captivated by the matter.

Jingning was the first to break down, awkwardly moving closer to Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen didn't expose her, but simply reached out and patted her head: "Alright, it's your father's fault. If there's a suitable opportunity next time, I'll definitely take you out."

Jingning whispered, "You keep your word."

Zhao Zhen nodded: "A ruler's word is his bond."

Only then did the children finally speak to him affectionately, and each of them pestered him with many questions about the wedding banquet.

Zhao Zhen was overwhelmed by the questions, but he still had to patiently answer them one by one. It took quite a while before he finally managed to coax the children to sleep contentedly.

Meanwhile, Langhua had already returned to her bedchamber and whispered a few instructions to Yudie.

Yu Die accepted the order and left, while another palace maid stepped forward to remove her hairpins and jewelry.

The bronze mirror reflected Langhua's thoughtful expression.

Today, at the women's banquet, her mother brought two young ladies to see her, saying they were the second and third young ladies of the Wei family, and their brother was Wei Jing'an, who had been working in the Northwest with her second brother for the past three years.

Both young ladies were exceptionally beautiful, especially the older one, who possessed a serene demeanor and captivating beauty.

But when she saw the person for the first time, her heart skipped a beat.

She was very impressed with that face.

More precisely, Wang Ruofu was extremely impressed by this face.

If the story continues as it was in the original narrative, in about three years, Sheng Hong will be transferred to Yangzhou, and Wang Ruofu will buy a beautiful concubine to counterbalance the increasingly favored Lin Qinshuang.

That was exactly what Wei Shuyi wanted.

She was the sixth daughter of the Sheng family born out of wedlock, and the birth mother of Sheng Minglan.

She also suffered the loss of both her and her unborn child due to Lin Qinshuang's actions when she became pregnant with her second child.

Her only sister who came to demand an explanation was the pretty and bright young woman sitting next to Wei Shuyi today, whose eyes held a hint of stubbornness.

He is from Yangzhou, surnamed Wei, his mother has passed away, and his father is currently bedridden.

If it weren't for his elder brother Wei Jing'an's success in passing the imperial examination three years ago, this family's life would have been even more difficult.

Zhou Wanru chattered on and on with Langhua all day.

Langhua found it increasingly strange the more she listened.

Everyone else's family background matches, but where did Wei Jing'an come from?

If Wei Shuyi had a brother who was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in her previous life, why would she have sold herself into prostitution to become a concubine just for her father's money for medicine?

That's why Yu Die was sent to investigate.

To everyone's surprise, the investigation revealed that pulling out the radish brought out mud along with it.