The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Looking at her grandson's pale and handsome face, Grandma Gu felt both pain and anxiety.

She had considered finding a proper wife of equal social standing for Yu Ge'er.

But what is the state of the Gu family now?

The title is gone.

Although he still had some farmland and shops, so life wasn't too difficult, he was still a commoner after all. In this huge city of Bianjing, any ninth-rank official could bully and trample on him!

Let alone the daughters of nobles, even ordinary officials would find it difficult to marry them.

Not to mention her useless eldest son, Gu Yankai...

Nine years ago, she went to great lengths to use the last bit of connections and influence the Gu family had to send him to the Northwest battlefield, hoping to earn some military merit and restore some dignity for the Gu family.

But who would have thought that he was too greedy for credit and refused to obey orders. He even relied on his past experience of leading troops and fighting battles to rashly lead his own army. In the end, not only did he not gain any merit, but he also almost delayed the battle, dragged others down, and caused everyone to lose their lives.

In the end, he was lucky enough to survive and return alive, but he lost both legs, becoming another big joke in Bianjing.

This has caused Yu Ge'er to lose all hope in his marriage prospects.

Her poor Yu-ge'er, so naturally intelligent, could almost memorize what he read. Many teachers said that if it weren't for his physical condition, he would not only have passed the provincial examination, but he would have been able to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations!

The provincial examination that just ended a few days ago was a case in point.

He answered perfectly, but after finishing the draft, he suddenly developed a high fever, felt dizzy and disoriented, and could no longer write a single word.

In the end, they had to be carried out!

The more Mrs. Gu thought about it, the more regretful and heartbroken she became.

If the Gu family still holds their title, then failing the imperial examinations is no big deal; they can simply be granted official positions through hereditary privilege. With Yu-ge'er's intelligence and talent, he should still be able to rise through the ranks.

If Yu-ge'er is healthy, so what if the family has fallen on hard times? He is capable in both civil and military affairs, and he can take the imperial examinations and join the army. She believes he will definitely achieve great things!

But fate is so unfair!

Her wonderful grandson has been dragged down to this state by his parents. Now he's almost sixteen, and they still can't arrange a decent marriage for him.

When it comes to marriage, one can only marry someone of lower social standing, and the lower the better.

But the thought of such a young man marrying a woman of humble origins, spending his life with a shallow, vulgar, and uninteresting woman, filled her with unbearable sorrow.

Manniang is good; she's smart, quick-witted, and good-looking.

Her family had saved her life, and Yu-ge'er and she had grown up together since childhood.

Unfortunately, her status was simply too low!

Although she was of good birth, she was ultimately bought by the Gu family back then. Over the years, she has remained in the mansion, and both inside and outside the household, she has always been referred to as a maid.

Moreover, her parents and her brother were all greedy and foolish people.

Over the years, they have come to our door several times, either asking for money or trying to associate themselves with the Gu family and take advantage of us.

Each time, she responded without hesitation.

How could one possibly arrange a marriage with such a family?

The Gu family has fallen from grace, and Yu-ge'er's future is uncertain, but no matter what, it's not right for him to marry a woman who has been a maid in his family since childhood as his principal wife.

If such words get out and old friends and enemies find out, they will truly have their last shred of dignity torn off.

It would be better to take her into the house first and make her a concubine.

If they could have a son or daughter early on, Yu-ge'er would have someone by his side, and the Gu family would have a continuation of the family line.

If Yu-ge'er finds a good match in the future and marries a wife of equal social standing, she will never wrong Man-niang.

If not...

Grandma Gu lowered her eyes and sighed softly to herself.

Then, after I pass away, I'll have Yu-ge secretly elevate Man-niang to the position of official wife.

Even if she isn't officially recognized as the wife, behind closed doors, she will always be the true mistress of this house.

When she is no longer here in the future... or when Yu-ge'er is also unfortunate and passes away early... then Man-niang will be the sole owner of this house.

All her belongings will be left to Man Niang and her children.

Grandma Gu believed she had thought things through thoroughly enough, considering all the necessary considerations for Man Niang's reputation and giving her the benefits she was entitled to. She had practically taken everything into account.

Unexpectedly, she was still defeated by her own grandson's soft heart.

Gu Tingyu raised his head, looking at the white hair at his grandmother's temples, and said in a gentle but clear voice, "Grandmother, I know you mean well. I also know that you are afraid that I will be all alone, afraid that no one will take care of me in the future, and afraid that the Gu family line will end with me."

He paused, then said softly, "But I promised Grandmother that I will take my medicine properly and take good care of my health from now on. I will definitely, definitely find a way to live to be a hundred years old."

"But Manniang... Grandmother is right, I don't want to hold her back. She's a good girl, I know that. And it's precisely because I know that I can't treat her like this."

She deserves someone to grow old with.

"She should have a clean and honest identity, and be someone's wife with dignity."

"Instead of taking advantage of her youthful passion to become my concubine."

Grandma Gu's expression shifted slightly.

Gu Tingyu didn't give her a chance to refute, and continued, "Besides, even now, she's often harassed by family members in the Gu family. With Grandmother and me around, we can still shield her. But if Grandmother is gone in the future, and I... how will she survive in this world alone with her child?"

Grandma Gu paused, and her eyes immediately reddened.

Gu Tingyu bowed deeply again, kowtowing repeatedly: "I beg Grandmother to choose a good man for her."

"The family doesn't need to be wealthy, as long as the person is upright. The family doesn't need to be prominent, as long as the number of people is small. If they have some ability to protect her, that would be even better. As for the grandchildren..."

"From now on, my grandson will definitely take his medicine properly and take good care of himself."

"Let's try again."

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Grandma Gu sat there, and finally, tears streamed down her face.

She turned her head away, pressed her handkerchief firmly against the corner of her eye, and said with feigned stubbornness, "Don't give me that! I'm just an old woman, I don't understand those big principles. I've already spoken to Manniang. In short, she's willing. If you want to marry her off to someone else, then talk to her yourself!"

After saying that, she seemed really angry, so she simply lay down on the couch, turned her back to him, and ignored him.

Gu Tingyu stood there, stunned.

"grandmother."

Grandma Gu didn't respond; she just turned the back of her head towards him.

Seeing her sulking, Gu Tingyu felt a pang of sadness and tenderness in his heart. In the end, he didn't say anything more, but slowly got up and bowed deeply to her.

"Grandson takes his leave."

He left the room, and the curtain fell gently.

Grandma Gu turned around almost the instant he left.

She sat on the tatami mat, her eyes still red, staring at the door for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Someone come here."

The personal attendant hurried in from outside.

"Go and call Manniang here."

Grandma Gu clenched her fists, her gaze resolute: "Call him quietly, don't disturb Yu-ge'er."

Forgive her, she was just a selfish grandmother.

There is no one more important in this world than her Yu-ge'er.

-

The imperial palace's rear garden was unusually lively today.

With spring in full bloom and Ye Ge'er returning home, Lang Hua decided to host a family banquet, inviting close relatives, friends, and children to gather together.

Although the back garden was large, with so many people, it was filled with laughter everywhere.

Langhua sat by the waterside pavilion, surrounded by several close female relatives, while the younger generation played together.

Bai Ye stood at the pitch-pot area, holding several arrows in his hand. He looked very lazy, but when he threw the arrows, his accuracy was almost frightening.

The first one is right in the middle of the spout.

He barely even glanced at the second one, tossed it casually, and it still landed steadily.

The third one was even more outrageous; he turned around, his back to the pot, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he took it all out.

The arrow traced a beautiful arc and, with a ding, hit its target again.

The younger siblings standing nearby gasped in surprise.

"My cousin is amazing!"

"One more! One more!"

"Teach me! Teach me!"

Bai Ye was being flattered so much that his tail was practically wagging in the air, yet he still had to put on an act of being nothing special.

"What's so difficult about that?"

After he finished speaking, he changed his posture again, and even flicked the arrow with two fingers.

The arrow once again nestled firmly into the jar.

The children were even more amazed.

Zhao Yu snorted and said to Zhao Xuan beside him, "I knew it. Old habits die hard!"

Zhao Xuan, who was unusually relaxed today, lay sprawled on the soft couch and said lazily, "If you're not convinced, go and show me what you've got."

Zhao Yu said, "Forget it, he rarely comes back, let him show off a bit, otherwise when these kids grow up, who will respect him?"

Zhao Xuan glanced at him, smiled, and gave him a thumbs up: "Great vision!"

Inside the waterside pavilion, Qin Yanwan's gaze drifted towards Bai Ye several times.

Bai Qing, sitting beside her, couldn't help but laugh when she saw this, "Itching to do something?"

Qin Yanwan immediately looked away, picked up her teacup, and smiled, "What are you talking about?"