The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

At the entrance of the Xu residence, when Sheng Hong heard the gatekeeper's reply, he felt as if the last bit of strength had been drained from him.

He stood outside the black lacquered gate, his face ashen, his eyes devoid of any light.

A carriage was parked not far away, its curtains hanging, but Sheng Hong knew that the person behind it was watching him.

The guards and servants beside the carriage were also eyeing him covetously. If he made the slightest move, they would swarm him, subdue him, and hand him over to the authorities.

He gave a wry smile.

Then, he slowly knelt down and kowtowed three times towards the gate of the Xu residence.

My forehead slammed against the bluestone ground, one dull, clear sound after another.

"Mother, I thank you for raising me!"

After he finished shouting, he slowly got up and left, feeling utterly dejected.

Huai Hui followed him all the way until she was sure he had left the vicinity of the Xu residence before turning back to report.

Wei Jing'an sat in the carriage, lifting a corner of the curtain to gaze at the direction Sheng Hong had departed, his eyes cold and deep: "He shouldn't have returned to the capital. Immediately send someone to inform the Wang family and find a way to bring him back to Youyang. Leave two more people behind to guard the gates. The safety of my wife and the young master and lady is of utmost importance. In addition, go to the city's escort agency and hire a few capable men. These days, they must stay close to the young master, lady, and wife, and absolutely nothing can go wrong."

Huai responded to the sound and left.

Wei Jing'an then instructed the driver, "Let's go."

Sheng Hong wandered aimlessly through the streets of Bianjing like a ghost, not knowing where he should go or why he should keep going.

When he came to his senses, he was already standing at the gate of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

The high-hanging plaque comes into view, bearing the four characters "Duke of Anguo's Mansion," upright and dignified.

He looked up at it for a long time.

Just then, the door suddenly opened from the inside, and several people walked out talking and laughing. He quickly dodged to the side and hid in a blind spot.

Wang Shinian looked at his nephew, who had grown even taller and more handsome, and smiled broadly: "Go back quickly. If you stay any longer, your mother will worry."

Zhao Xuan scratched his head sheepishly: "I caused my uncle trouble last night."

Wang Shi'an laughed from the side, "We're all family, why say such formalities? But you really can't hold your liquor, so you must drink less in the future. If you really have to drink, just let me know, and I'll find you a secret weapon."

Wang Shinian rolled his eyes and bluntly exposed him: "I heard that Wei Jing'an has earned a manor with two hundred acres of land all these years by helping you drink alcohol?"

Wang Shi'an, far from being ashamed, wore a proud expression: "We're all brothers, and he's just an unknown figure. If he wants his child to acknowledge him, he'll have to buy a lot of things. Those people are eager to get married, so it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. Besides, it'll only be a couple of years. Once his official position is higher, he won't be able to earn this much money even if he wanted to. Making money so quickly, even just by drinking a few cups of water, who could resist saying no?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but ponder, "I wonder if this is a skill that the Wei family was born with... Next time, I'll have my wife try it out on Minglan."

"Shut up!"

Wang Shinian quickly pushed away his unreliable younger brother and turned to Zhao Xuan, saying, "Your second uncle has gone mad again. Don't pay him any mind. Your second aunt will handle him in a bit. It's getting late, hurry back to the palace. Don't let your mother worry."

Zhao Xuan smiled and nodded, bowed to his two uncles, and then got into the carriage.

The Wang brothers stood at the gate and watched him leave. Once the carriage was far away, they punched each other and pushed each other as they entered the mansion.

The heavy vermilion gate closed again, and the two stone lions in front of it still stood majestically, symbolizing the most unshakeable wealth and prestige in Bianjing City.

Sheng Hong slowly walked out from around the corner.

He looked at the departing carriage, at the tightly closed vermilion gate, at the imposing stone lions in front of the gate, and suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter grew louder and louder, and the more bizarre it became, as if he were going crazy. Two lines of clear tears slid down his cheeks.

"Wrong, all wrong!"

He remembered.

He remembered everything.

But he shouldn't have thought of it.

Because it's all too late, it's all over!

His first wife, Wang Ruofu, had long been replaced by a wandering ghost from who-knows-where. She lost her biological father and mother, her own brothers and sisters, but entered the palace and became the empress. She even gave birth to two sons and two daughters for the emperor, who should have been childless. Her position was as solid as a rock, and her eldest son was even made crown prince.

This is an honor that many people would never dare to dream of in several lifetimes!

However, he gave Wang Ruoyu, who had also returned but remained as vicious, foolish, and selfish as ever, to him as his first wife.

This caused him to become estranged from his stepmother, Xu, and he was trapped in Dengzhou for many years.

What's worse, he's now been stripped of his official position, and his future is ruined.

His son Changbai, who was capable of bringing glory to the family and had the talent of a prime minister, was gone. In his place was Changsong, who inherited Wang Ruo's selfishness and malice.

His bright future, his prosperous descendants, and his potential to become a high-ranking official and retire with honor—all of that was gone.

It's all gone!

and also……

There's also Lin Qinshuang.

Sheng Hong then thought of the man who had swaggered out of the Xu residence earlier.

He was exceptionally handsome and, despite his young age, already wore a scarlet robe.

Lin Qinshuang!

A flash of resentment and embarrassment crossed Sheng Hong's eyes.

This woman, who in her past life could only seduce him with sweet words and brothel tricks, secretly conceive a child with him, and marry into the Sheng family in the most dishonorable way, enduring everyone's scorn and contempt, living at his mercy...

He actually replaced him in this lifetime!

She became the adopted daughter of her stepmother, Madam Xu, spending the money that should have been left to him, living in the house that should have been inherited by him, and finding herself a lover.

She openly and legitimately entered his home and even had children with him.

The children born were also named Changfeng and Molan.

This is the most unforgivable humiliation he could ever suffer!

There's also Lady Wei, and her daughter Minglan.

None of them belong to him anymore.

One by one, none of them were his anymore.

Sheng Hong stood at the alley entrance outside the Duke of Anguo's mansion, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

He thought of Hua Lan, Chang Bai, Ru Lan, and Ming Lan from his previous life, of the Sheng family's later prominence, and of how, despite his resentment and bitterness, he had lived a respectable life, with successful descendants and a relatively smooth official career. But what about now?

There's nothing left.

He had no virtuous wife, no favored concubine, no capable legitimate son, and no seemingly insignificant illegitimate daughter who eventually climbed into the Marquis's mansion.

In his life, all he had left were Wang Ruoyu and Sheng Changsong.

A wicked woman, a wicked son.

Like two chains, they were tightly bound to the rest of his life, forcing him to drag his broken body back to Youyang, back to that cage where there was no future.

Sheng Hong laughed until the very end, then let out a hoarse gasp.

He looked up at the gray sky, and a deep resentment suddenly surfaced in his eyes.

This shouldn't be the case.

His life shouldn't have turned out this way.