The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Grandma Wang paused, her breath almost stopping.

But she resolutely lifted her foot and walked forward.

They never looked back.

The door closed behind him.

Wang Ruo's sharp, piercing cries still managed to escape through the crack in the door.

Standing under the eaves, Old Mrs. Wang suddenly seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

She looked up at the gray sky and finally understood that some of her sins were sown by her own hands in the past.

Now, we can only watch helplessly as it bears bitter fruit.

After returning home, Old Mrs. Wang collapsed and fell seriously ill.

Even though he was later rescued, his spirits had been greatly diminished.

The once shrewd, assertive, and never-say-die old lady Wang seemed to have lost all her strength.

Once she was able to get out of bed, the first thing she did was to have someone bring Sheng Changsong and Yuan'er over.

He asked them if they were willing to return to Sichuan with him.

Yuan'er was still young, and upon hearing this, she subconsciously turned to look at her brother, then at Grandma Wang, her eyes reddening: "Grandmother, how is Mother? Can we take Mother back with us?"

Grandma Wang paused for a moment, then shook her head: "If she doesn't come, don't mention her again in the future."

Yuan'er was stunned.

Sheng Changsong couldn't hold back any longer: "If you won't save Mother, I won't leave. I don't have a cold-blooded and heartless grandmother like you!"

When Old Mrs. Wang looked up, she immediately saw the resentment in his eyes.

The same as Wang Ruoyu's is almost identical.

Grandma Wang glanced at him quietly, then looked away and turned back to Yuan'er: "Are you willing to come with me? When we get to Sichuan, I will personally raise you. When you reach the right age, I will find you a good marriage."

Seeing that he was being ignored, Sheng Changsong turned and walked away.

Yuan'er hesitated for a long time.

She missed her mother, but she was also afraid of her mother.

She missed her brother, but his current appearance also frightened her.

Finally, she slowly nodded.

That afternoon, Old Mrs. Wang took Yuan'er and left.

They traveled lightly and quietly, without disturbing anyone.

When Sheng Changsong woke up from his afternoon nap, he was convinced that his grandmother would regret it and send someone to coax him, only to find that the courtyard was already empty.

There wasn't even a servant.

He suddenly felt scared and hurriedly ran to find his uncle, Wang Shiping.

Wang Shiping looked at his nephew with a complicated expression and said coldly, "You only have two choices now. Either set off now to catch up with your grandmother, kowtow and apologize, and beg her to take you back to Sichuan. Or go back to Youyang now. She is my mother. Since you spoke so rudely, if you don't sincerely apologize and beg for her forgiveness, I will no longer care about you."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changsong immediately started arguing and shouting, saying that not only was the old lady heartless, but Wang Shiping was no less so, and that the Wang family was greedy and ungrateful, leaving his mother to die without helping her.

Seeing this, Wang Shiping closed his eyes and finally realized where his mother's words, "He looks too much like me, I don't want him anymore," came from.

He waved his hand, and soon someone stepped forward and subdued Sheng Changsong.

Sheng Changsong was both shocked and furious. Just as he was about to struggle, he heard Wang Shiping say coldly, "Take your son back and teach him properly."

Sheng Changsong was startled and turned around stiffly.

Someone was standing at the door at some point.

It was his father, Sheng Hong.

In just a month and a half, Sheng Hong seemed to have aged considerably. He was wearing an old blue long gown, and the gentle and refined brilliance in his eyes was gone, replaced by a stagnant stillness.

He didn't speak.

He simply raised his hand and made a gesture.

Several servants of the Sheng family immediately stepped forward and dragged Sheng Changsong away.

Sheng Changsong panicked and struggled to call out to his uncle, grandmother, and mother, but Wang Shiping just turned away and refused to look at him.

Sheng Hong led him back to the Sheng family in silence and then ordered Wang Ruoyu to be released.

When Wang Ruoyu was led to the ancestral hall of the Sheng family, she had no idea what was going on when she saw Sheng Changsong being forced to kneel in front of the ancestral tablets.

Sheng Hong held a whip in his hand and was personally enforcing family discipline.

Sheng Changsong screamed in agony.

"Sheng Hong! What are you doing! How dare you hit my son!"

Sheng Hong ignored her.

As the second lash fell, his voice was terrifyingly calm: "Disrespect for one's father."

The third lash.

"Disrespectful to elders".

The fourth lash.

"Arrogant and conceited."

With each stroke of his pen, he would recount a single instance of disrespect shown to him by Sheng Changsong.

Wang Ruoyu couldn't bear to watch her son be tortured, so she immediately pounced on him and started tearing at Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong's hand was scratched by her, but he only looked up at Granny Kong standing to the side.

Granny Kong remained calm, as if she hadn't seen anything.

Sheng Hong suddenly smiled, switched the whip to his injured hand, and lashed down again!

But he said quietly, "If a son is not taught properly, it is the father's fault. I am his father, and no matter how I discipline him, it is not too much."

Wang Ruoyu understood in an instant.

Sheng Hong knew he couldn't do anything to himself.

But what can he do to Sheng Changsong?

Because, as he said, he is a father.

It is a father's right to discipline his son.

Sheng Changsong knelt on the ground and wailed. Wang Ruoyu stared intently at Sheng Hong, and Sheng Hong looked back at her.

The two locked eyes, each with their own madness shining within them.

-

Not long after, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruoyu set off back to Youyang.

Langhua then turned her attention back to her own affairs, waiting for good news from Granny Kong while attending to her own business.

Inside the Kunning Palace, a long list of names and portraits were laid out on the table. They were all young men from Bianjing City of suitable social standing and of similar age to Jingning.

Jingning is almost fifteen, and it's time to put her marriage on the agenda.

This child was the first child she lost in her past life, and the first child she regained in this life, so Langhua naturally cherished him dearly.

All she asks for is to find her daughter a man of good character, from a family with a pure and upright tradition, who can respect, love, and protect her, so that she can live a comfortable and peaceful life for the next few decades.

Comparing Wang Ruofu's memories, Langhua listed several women from respectable families who were also quite good-looking and had good personalities. She planned to discuss it with her mother when she went to the palace next time.

If there really is someone suitable, then find an excuse to hold a palace banquet or a polo match, so that Jingning can also go and take a look.

Just then, a palace maid came from outside the hall to report: "Your Majesty, the eldest princess has arrived."

Langhua quickly closed the booklet and pressed the portrait under a scroll.

She wanted to wait until a suitable person was chosen before telling her daughter, so as not to make the child anxious before anything was even confirmed.

A short while later, Jingning walked in.

With just one glance, Langhua realized that something was wrong with her daughter.

Normally, when Jingning came in, he would first happily greet her, then affectionately tug at her sleeve, half-coquettishly and half-playfully snuggling into her arms, before starting to coo and explain his purpose.

Today, however, she simply bowed respectfully and stood there, her expression complex and her eyes somewhat evasive.

Langhua's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm, simply smiling and asking, "What's wrong? Who upset our Ning'er?"

Jingning pursed her lips, as if she had mustered a lot of courage, before slowly raising her head.

"Mother..."

The way you address them is also incorrect.

Langhua inwardly grumbled, but her gaze softened as she looked at her: "Hmm?"

Jingning twisted her cuffs with her fingers, hesitated for a long time, and finally stammered, "I...I've taken a liking to someone."