The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

In the original story, Zhang Guifen was the highest-ranking, kindest, and most sensible person, yet she married the most complicated person.

She was to become the second wife of Empress Shen's younger brother.

It's one thing to remarry, but after all, she's a member of the imperial family. Moreover, the Shen family has both an empress and someone who helped the emperor rise to power. If nothing unexpected happens, the crown prince who will soon ascend the throne will also be born to the empress and have the blood of the Shen family flowing through his veins, just like the Wang family today, enjoying great honor and prestige.

However, Empress Shen also bestowed an imperial title upon the younger sister of Shen Guojiu's first wife, Lady Zou, and betrothed her to Shen Guojiu as a concubine.

She told the public that it was Lady Zou who had saved her, the Empress and her elder sister, with her own life, and that she wanted to repay her kindness.

But smart people actually know the truth.

Empress Shen's move was clearly intended to both win over the old nobles, led by the Duke of Yingguo, by using her brother's marriage to gain face in front of the emperor and to increase the power of her son.

He was also afraid that the emperor would become suspicious, so he tried to please the old faction too much, thereby losing the support of the new faction who originally came from Yuzhou.

That's why they let Xiao Zou into the family and specially bestowed upon her an imperial title, hoping to suppress Zhang Guifen's arrogance.

They even used the disputes within their own backyard to leave room for the grudges of the previous dynasty.

But this seemingly flawless scheme ultimately ruined the life of a noblewoman.

Imagine a young woman who grew up pampered and cherished by her parents, only to suffer a major setback in her marriage and have to swallow her pride and bear the pain.

So it was her.

Even if such a girl were to be reborn one day, she would only dedicate herself even more to assisting Erlang and protecting this land.

After pondering for a moment, Langhua instructed Achang to go to the storeroom to select some jewelry materials that the young ladies would like and distribute them in batches.

The Zhang family of the British Duke's Mansion must have it.

The Di family, which was recently promoted to Marquis of Wuxiang, should also be included.

Of course, her own daughters couldn't be neglected either.

To the young ladies, these things were at most extraordinary gifts from the Empress, a moment of glory.

But how much deeper meaning each matriarch could glean from it depended on their individual abilities.

-

The deaths of Wang Ruo and He Shenghong ultimately stirred up quite a storm.

The first to be affected were Wang's parents, who lived far away in Sichuan.

Upon hearing the news, the Queen Mother fainted on the spot.

When she learned that Sheng Hong had personally set the fire and that none of the three members of her family had survived, she was consumed by grief and anger. She cried and screamed, fainting repeatedly upon waking, which terrified those around her.

When she saw her father, she suddenly felt as if she had grasped at a last straw. She rushed to him, crying, "You're right! I was wrong. I shouldn't have listened to her! I shouldn't have spoiled her, indulged her, and let her be so willful! I've made her so confused; how can I let her be? My husband, I know I was wrong. Go and bring her back! Bring her back! You'll take care of her. I'll never argue with you again. Please save her!"

The father was also in tears.

In just one night, he seemed to have aged considerably. The pain of losing his son was heartbreaking. Now, hearing his wife, who had been proud all her life, plead like this, and seeing her completely shatter her pride, what welled up in his heart was not the taste of victory, but a deeper pain and helplessness.

The father, supporting his wife, could no longer muster the eloquence he once possessed in court, which had once allowed him to debate with a group of scholars. He could only say dryly, "In the next life, in the next life, we will be her parents again. We will definitely teach her well and never let her be willful again."

The Queen Mother suddenly paused.

What flashed through her mind was her daughter's heart-wrenching cries when she last saw Wang Ruoyu.

The Queen Mother stared blankly into the void, murmuring, "There is no afterlife."

The father was taken aback.

"lady?"

The Queen Mother said, distraught, "We...we will never see her again."

After saying that, she collapsed.

Although he wasn't dead yet, he was completely broken down. He lay in bed every day, barely breathing, unable to eat or drink anything, and vomiting up whatever medicine he was given.

Looking at his granddaughter Yuan'er, who was also crying uncontrollably, Wang's father mustered his last bit of strength and arranged a marriage for her. The family was a respectable one in Sichuan; their social standing wasn't extremely high, but their family traditions were upright, and the young man was kind and ambitious. After the engagement was finalized, Wang's father entrusted Yuan'er to Wang Shiping, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Perhaps the Queen Mother knew in her heart that her husband had already arranged everything for her last wish.

She died that night.

Wang's father sat on the edge of the bed, remaining silent for a long time.

As the candlelight flickered out, he suddenly felt a pang of emotion and said to Wang Shiping, who was kneeling beside him, "You must not make things difficult for Third Sister. You should tell Third Sister the same things you would tell Nian'er and An'er about my and your mother's funeral arrangements. If you dare to embellish a single word, I will disown you as my son."

Wang Shiping's crying stopped abruptly.

He looked up at his father's aged and weary face, and after a long while, he managed to reply with difficulty, "Yes."

Father Wang sighed again and waved his hand, "Go out, come back tomorrow."

"Father!"

The father still waved his hand.

Wang Shiping and Yuan'er seemed to realize something, turning back every few steps, tears streaming down their faces.

But the father stopped looking at them. After they left, he simply lay down next to his wife and slowly closed his eyes.

The next day, Wang Shiping hesitated outside the door for a long time before finally pushing it open.

As expected, he saw his parents lying side by side on the couch, already cold.

Wang Shiping suppressed his grief, slowly knelt down, and kowtowed without rising.

-

Meanwhile, the Sheng family of Youyang.

The matchmaker sat in the hall, her face full of embarrassment.

She stammered for a long time but couldn't make her point, and in the end, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and push the betrothal letter back.

"As you know, in our Youyang region, your Sheng family is a large and powerful family. But your brother is really courting death. In all these years, we've never heard of a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) who had passed the exam, become an official, and then be stripped of his title and reduced to commoner status. Now he's become even more ferocious, and he's even ruthless enough to kill his own wife and son."

"Any ordinary person wouldn't be afraid if they heard this, especially since Madam Sun is a widow who has endured so much hardship for so many years before finally having a son who is a scholar. That child is more than just her eyes; he is her lifeblood and her only hope for the rest of her life! It's understandable that she has many concerns."

The eldest son and his wife of the Sheng family both looked very unhappy and remained silent.

The matchmaker then cautiously said, "Look at this betrothal letter, why don't you just let it go? Let's pretend this marriage never happened, and I'll find another suitable match for your daughter later."