The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Langhua in the back garden was completely unaware of the panicked summons of the imperial physician in the front hall, how they hurriedly carried Li Wei and the "poor" palace maid to the side hall, and how they pinched his philtrum while feeding him a calming soup in order to find out what had happened.

She was so engrossed in the news her mother had told her that she couldn't pull herself away.

"Did you know that troublemaker has returned to the capital?"

Langhua was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and it took her a while to realize who her mother was talking about.

"Wang Ruoyu?"

"That's her!"

Langhua frowned slightly.

She had no recollection of sending a message to the Ministry of Personnel requesting that Yun Shenghong be transferred back to the capital.

"The performance review was before the Lunar New Year. Now that spring has arrived, almost all the new batch of officials who were transferred to other posts have left. What are they coming back for now?"

"It wasn't them," Zhou Wanru said. "She came back on her own. She only brought her two children with her; Sheng Hong didn't come with her."

Zhou Wanru sighed, "Over the years, that ungrateful bastard surnamed Sheng has been doing a bad job and has been stuck in Dengzhou, unable to come back. We've finally had a few years of peace."

"In the early years, Wang Ruoyu would write three or four letters home to Sichuan every month, crying to your aunt about how hard life was and what the family was lacking, asking your aunt for everything."

"You know your uncle. If she wants him to help someone surnamed Sheng get a promotion, or to help him out of some trouble, he definitely won't agree."

"But if all she wants is some money, some manpower, some food, clothing, and daily necessities, what parent could resist such a request from their daughter?"

"So the money was given, the people were given, everything was given."

She waved her hand: "It's only natural, and there's nothing we can say. Anyway, it's not like they're using our things to give away, so we'll just pretend we don't know anything."

Langhua nodded gently.

"But you don't know, that guy surnamed Sheng is ruthless."

Langhua was taken aback.

Zhou Wanru became more and more animated as she spoke: "A few days ago, Wang Ruoyu sent another letter to Sichuan. This time, it wasn't a plea for help, but a plea for assistance."

Langhua listened intently, leaning slightly forward involuntarily: "What's wrong?"

"After Sheng Hong learned that his future was ruined because of Wang Ruoyu, he didn't say anything on the surface, but secretly put the people the Wang family had given her under surveillance. He wouldn't let her leave the courtyard, nor would he allow her to see outsiders. He only told the outside world that she had become pregnant again unexpectedly, but due to her ignorance, she had accidentally miscarried, damaging her body and making it impossible for her to see guests."

"He had a housekeeper manage everything, both inside and outside the home."

Langhua's expression slowly changed. Wasn't this a disguised form of house arrest?

"When Wang Ruoyu saw that things were not going well, she tried to trick her eldest son into sending a message out so that your aunt would know, and that's when she sent someone over."

Zhou Wanru said, "I heard that when the person was rescued, she was already extremely weak! That Sheng guy is really ruthless; he even fed her medicinal soup. If your aunt's people had arrived any later, they probably would have found a corpse!"

Langhua's pupils contracted slightly.

This was a deliberate murder of his wife!

Is Sheng Hong really such a heartless person?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Langhua immediately dismissed it.

How could it not be?

Sheng Hong was never a truly good person.

He appears timid and cautious, even somewhat fearful, and always treats people with gentleness and a smile.

But upon closer examination, who do they truly care about?

He seemed to respect Wang Ruofu, the daughter of the Grand Tutor who married him and accompanied him to Dengzhou, where she truly suffered. In reality, he secretly disliked her, thinking that she was rude, ignorant of poetry and literature, and lacked romantic understanding.

Therefore, with just a little seduction from Lin Qinshuang, he surrendered completely.

Furthermore, while Wang Ruofu was pregnant, he secretly conceived a child with Lin Qinshuang. In broad daylight, in front of all the servants in the mansion, he brought the already pregnant Lin Qinshuang into the house.

Using the child, social status, and the ways of the world, they forced Wang Ruofu to drink that cup of tea meant for a concubine.

For the next ten years or so, he favored his concubine over his wife, repeatedly disregarding the dignity of his first wife and favoring Lin Qinshuang, which led to unrest in the Sheng family and internal strife.

He outwardly complied with but inwardly defied Old Madam Sheng, who had raised him from the very beginning of his official career. Later, when Wang Ruofu poisoned Old Madam Sheng at the instigation of Wang Ruoyu, even though Old Madam Sheng was on the verge of death, he repeatedly considered letting the matter rest when faced with Old Madam Wang's threats and inducements about his future, rather than pursuing the matter to the end like Sheng Minglan did.

And finally, Lin Qinshuang.

This woman, whom he supposedly loved deeply and couldn't control himself, had made him disregard social norms and even ruthlessly disrespect his legal wife and mother for over a decade, always showing him favoritism and bias.

She gave birth to a son and a daughter for him, and for more than ten years, she used sweet words to please him and entrusted her entire life and fortune to him alone.

If it hinders one's career.

He was also mercilessly beaten to death with clubs, and his body was dumped on the estate. He never looked at it again until his death.

How callous!

Now, he is watching his future be ruined because of Wang Ruoyu.

We have to do something, don't we?

Langhua lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently stroking the edge of the teacup.

After a moment, she asked, "So, is Wang Ruoyu coming back this time to divorce Sheng Hong, taking the child with her?"

Zhou Wanru shook her head: "That's what I thought too. With her temperament, she would make sure Sheng Hong suffers, even if she doesn't get a good time. Who would have thought she would refuse! Ping'er even went to Dengzhou to pick her up and make arrangements for her, but she still didn't agree to a divorce. When asked why, she wouldn't say. She just had Sheng Hong beaten so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for at least three months. After that, she packed her things and came to the capital with her two children."

Zhou Wanru's expression became somewhat complicated: "The three of them are now living in the Sheng family's house in Jiying Lane. They come to our house every now and then, and what they're saying is that they want us to help them find a decent marriage for their son and daughter."

Without hesitation, Langhua asked directly, "Who has she taken a fancy to?"

If it were someone else, she would probably sigh and say that parents have to bow down for their children, even if the couple hates each other to the core, they still have to cover up that last layer of face because of their children's marriage.

But if this person is Wang Ruoyu, she can't help but think the worst.

as predicted.

Zhou Wanru rolled her eyes and was about to speak when a cold laugh rang out beside her.

"She wanted her daughter to marry Ye Ge'er."

It was Zhang Bihua who spoke.

She was holding Wu'er when she heard this and finally couldn't help but speak coldly, sneering, "This is still a decision she reluctantly made! After all, Ye-ge'er also took his maternal grandfather's surname. He's clearly a son of a government official, yet he has to deal with lowly merchants all day long, unable to lower his status. But who can blame her when we're all relatives? She doesn't want to care about these things; she just wants to strengthen our family ties, and that's enough."

She deliberately imitated a different tone of voice.

With her chin slightly raised and eyes that held three parts disdain and seven parts condescension, Langhua could recognize Wang Ruoyu at a glance, even though she hadn't seen her for nearly fifteen years.

She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Zhang Bihua didn't laugh along; instead, she directly retorted, "A toad lusting after a swan! She should look in the mirror and see what kind of person she is, daring to make such a statement. So what if Ye-ge'er has the surname Bai? He'll uphold the Wang family's reputation, and he's capable of doing so. It's not her place to be picky!"

Zhou Wanru, who was listening nearby, not only did not stop her, but also reached out to pat her back to help her catch her breath.

"Alright, alright, stop being so angry."

Wang Ruoyu is an arrogant person who doesn't know how to read the room. Although she came to ask for help, she acted extremely high and mighty, and even tried to please everyone she met.

She was quite respectful to her eldest daughter-in-law, after all, she wanted to marry off her daughter and didn't dare to be too arrogant. But when it came to her younger daughter-in-law, she was completely unfriendly. Even though there were so many maids in the house, and she was a guest, she still ordered Zhang Bihua to serve tea.

As for Yue'er and the other children, he didn't even bother with formalities. The gifts he prepared for the children were only for Bai Ye and his brother.

How ridiculous!