The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Li Wei is dead.

He died in a very undignified manner.

He indulged in pleasure in a secret place, even asking for double the amount of medicinal wine, and eventually died of a stroke while riding a horse.

The Li family naturally kept the news extremely secret, but the place where the secret gatekeeper was located was frequented by all sorts of people, and there were many busybodies, sharp-eared and gossipy ones.

Therefore, within half a day, the whole city of Bianjing knew about it.

Upon receiving the news, Yang rushed over immediately. When she saw Li Wei's barely clothed corpse, she couldn't catch her breath and fainted again. After waking up, she went mad and demanded to get to the bottom of the matter.

She said she couldn't believe that her son, who was just going out to listen to storytelling, could have died in such a filthy place!

She refused to believe that Li Wei's downfall was truly due to his own incompetence and excessive indulgence in wine and women. Instead, she insisted that the brothel owners had conspired to murder her son. She then led the Li family to Kaifeng Prefecture, forcing the prefecture to seize the entire brothel.

The madam, hangers-on, thugs, servants, and even the clerks who usually relayed messages and introduced customers to them were not spared.

Later, the Kaifeng Prefecture sentenced her according to the law, but Yang felt it was too lenient.

With nowhere to vent her resentment, she led the Li family servants and, before those people could be punished, forced her way in and beat the madam and several hangers to death. She didn't even leave their bodies to the government office, but instead ordered them to be dragged out of the city, saying she would throw them into the wild forest to feed the beasts, so that they would die without a burial place!

By the time Zhao Zhen learned of this and sensed something was amiss, and wanted to order a thorough investigation, it was too late; there was no way to verify the story.

The people he sent out actually discovered something new.

For example, Li Wei had a habit of seeking out women and hanging out with many bad friends. Relying on his status as the cousin of an official and the son of the Li family's brother-in-law, he bullied men and women in Bianjing, acted arrogantly, and even committed murder.

Zhao Zhen sat at his desk, looking at the secret report handed to him by Zhang Maoze, and remained silent for a long time.

He had always known that Li Wei was not outstanding; from appearance to talent, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was utterly useless.

But this person, after all, shares the same blood as his birth mother.

For him, the Li family was the only place where he could express his longing for and make amends to his deceased mother.

But he never imagined that Li Wei could be so despicable!

The thought that he had even considered marrying Jingning to such a person made Zhao Zhen feel nauseous, as if he had swallowed a fly.

He was unwilling to investigate any further.

It wasn't that he wasn't suspicious, but he was afraid that if he investigated further, he would uncover even more things that he himself couldn't accept.

As for Yang, the evidence shows that she tacitly approved many of Li Wei's actions and even covered up for him. Calling her an accomplice is quite fitting.

After much deliberation, Emperor Zhao Zhen finally issued an edict:

Yang used private punishment and disregarded the law, and should have been severely punished. However, considering that she had just lost her only son and was pitiful, her imperial title was revoked, and she was ordered to enter a nunnery to live a life of quiet cultivation, spending the rest of her life eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures to atone for the sins of her deceased son and herself.

-

At night, the candlelight in the Kunning Palace was gentle.

Zhao Zhen held Langhua in his arms for a long time without letting go.

"Thanks to Third Sister."

He buried his face in Langhua's neck, his voice muffled: "If it weren't for Third Sister stopping me, if I had insisted on my own way and really betrothed Ning'er to the Li family, that would have truly harmed our daughter."

Langhua reached out and hugged him, gently stroking his back. She smiled inwardly, but said softly, "It's also because of the Emperor's benevolent fatherly heart. Otherwise, it would be useless for me to say anything more."

Zhao Zhen shook his head, gently released her, and looked into her eyes, his eyes filled with relief.

"No, it's that every time Third Sister advises me, she's trying to prevent me from going down the wrong path."

Langhua was slightly taken aback.

Zhao Zhen held her hand, his fingertips slowly tracing her knuckles, his tone almost solemn with tenderness: "Sometimes I can't help but think that Third Sister must be the best treasure that Heaven has bestowed upon me. She can warm my heart, save me from the pain of losing a child and the regret of having no children, and give me the best advice."

Langhua's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Your Majesty..."

"To have a wife like San Niang, and an empress like Lang Hua, is my greatest fortune."

Under the candlelight, Zhao Zhen's face was serious.

As Langhua looked at him, it was as if a long-standing flaw in the most hidden part of her heart had been gently and solemnly mended.

In her past life, she had also longed for this...

She was carefully raised by her family from a young age, and she was born to be a virtuous wife. Later, when her marriage to Hongli was finalized, she became a virtuous empress.

Bearing the name of Empress Fucha, she sat regally in the empress's palace, abandoning personal feelings and desires, solely to be the most virtuous empress in people's hearts and in history books.

She was willing, but she always hoped that someone would praise her for doing a good job.

But things didn't go as planned.

Everyone hated her, everyone laughed at her for being foolish, for not knowing what was important, and for wasting her efforts.

They laughed at her, saying that a dignified empress couldn't even protect her own child.

……

In this life, however, she received these words in someone else's arms.

Langhua lowered her head, her voice much softer: "It is clearly I who should thank Your Majesty."

It was Zhao Zhen who enabled his former uncles and aunts, now his father and mother, to live a dignified and respectable old age, just as he wished. His two elder brothers also married their ideal wives, and their children were able to grow up in abundance and peace under his protection, without fear of a hopeless future.

More importantly, her children, one by one, returned to her side.

They remained noble princes and princesses, but were no longer confined to the Forbidden City, their vibrant personalities gradually worn away by cold rules.

In this life, she finally has the ability to protect them, allowing them to laugh and run freely, and to boldly express their feelings to the person they love.

Langhua really enjoyed these kinds of days.

Seeing her suddenly softened expression, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but chuckle. He took her hand and said, "Alright, let's not be so modest. It's all good, all very good. I and Third Sister are each other's good fortune."

Langhua looked up at him.

After a moment, she smiled and nodded solemnly.

"Um."

A warm and cozy night.

The next morning, Zhao Zhen still had to attend court.

Langhua got up as usual, personally tidied his clothes, fastened his jade belt, and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his sleeves. Zhao Zhen looked down at her with a smile in his eyes, and shook her hand before leaving.

When Zhao Zhen left and A Chang came in, it was still early.

Looking at the lingering tenderness in Langhua's eyes, she smiled and asked, "It's still early, Your Highness, would you like to go back and sleep a little longer?"

A faint blush rose to Langhua's face, and she gave her a reproachful look: "You're always making a fuss. Let's not rest anymore, let's get ready."

Ah Chang smiled and agreed.

Palace maids brought warm water, perfume, and a jewelry box. Langhua sat in front of the dressing table and let them comb her hair.

Her beautiful features were still reflected in the bronze mirror. Although the pearls and jade in her hair were not yet in place, she already possessed a natural elegance.

As she did her hair, her thoughts drifted back to the Li family, and a slight smile crept onto her lips: "Has the departure date for Ye-ge'er been set?"

Ah Chang picked out a phoenix-headed gold hairpin for her and replied softly, "Your Majesty, I will be leaving in ten days."

Langhua nodded: "Find some things to send to him. The journey north is long and the wind and frost are heavy. Prepare some medicine, clothing, and silver notes, so that he won't run out of money while he's away."

Ah Chang agreed and was about to step back when Lang Hua added, "Tell him that he did an excellent job this time."

Ah Chang understood immediately: "Yes."