The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

When Shilan arrived at the main courtyard of the Dongchang Marquis's residence, the doctor was bowing to Qin Zhengyang and Wang Ruofu on the bed, congratulating them: "My lord, the lady is pregnant, just over a month along. However, she has been overwhelmed with grief today, which has affected the pregnancy. She needs to rest and recuperate, and must not experience any more extreme joy or sorrow."

Including Shilan, everyone in the room wore genuine smiles.

The birth of a child is always a joyous occasion.

Qin Zhengyang held Wang Ruofu's hand tightly, his eyes filled with undisguised joy.

Wang Ruofu leaned against him, her hand unconsciously touching her still flat stomach, and a hint of life finally appeared on her ashen face.

Shilan stepped forward, and a maid brought over an embroidered stool and placed it beside the couch.

"Sister-in-law," Shilan called out, her voice low, but it made Wang Ruofu look up at her.

Upon seeing Shilan, Wang Ruofu felt a lump in her throat and was about to cry again: "Shilan, I..."

"I know everything," Shilan interrupted her, her tone calm, even decisive. "I won't say anything more gentle; you know my temperament. I just want to tell you, look at me, then look at my second brother, and you should understand that which child our parents favor is not something we children can force."

Wang Ruofu's eyes flickered.

"Does not receiving preferential treatment, or even a word of fairness, mean that we are inferior to them in terms of excellence and ability, and that we will never be as successful as them in this lifetime?"

Shilan sneered, "Of course not. It's clearly that they, as parents, lack the ability to judge people; they're blind and incompetent."

These words were utterly treasonous, yet they were like a potent medicine, poured directly into Wang Ruofu's confused heart.

She couldn't find the words to refute it, nor did she want to.

Even from the bottom of my heart, I couldn't help but applaud and cheer for Shilan.

"Alright." Seeing that she was already interested, Shilan softened her tone and looked at her still flat stomach: "You are also a mother, and now you are about to have a second child. Hua'er was outside just now, and she was so scared that she cried. Can you bear to let her continue to live in such fear? And this one in your belly, when Hua'er was born into your womb, how happy you were, how much you cherished her, and now it should be the same."

She paused, her voice calm yet firm: "Our parents were blind to the truth and biased in their judgment. We must not follow such corrupt practices. From now on, no matter how many children we have, we should love them clearly and fairly, shouldn't we?"

Wang Ruofu listened blankly, tears welling up again, but this time, her tears carried a sense of relief.

She suddenly broke free from her husband and threw herself into Shilan's arms, bursting into tears like a child who had suffered a great injustice.

Shilan stiffened slightly. She wasn't used to such intimate comfort, but she didn't push him away. She simply raised her hand and patted Wang Ruofu's trembling back somewhat awkwardly.

Qin Zhengyang: ...

After crying, Wang Ruofu finally cheered up.

She raised her swollen eyes, looked at Shilan, nodded heavily, her voice still trembling with tears, but much clearer: "You're right."

Qin Zhengyang tactfully got up and brought over some meat porridge.

Wang Ruofu finally opened her mouth and, following his feeding movements, ate the whole bowl in small bites.

Only then did he have the energy to smile and coax Hua Jie'er, who was finally allowed to enter the house.

Shilan left the inner room with peace of mind; Qin Zhengyang was already waiting in the corridor.

He bowed deeply to Shilan: "Thank you so much, sister, for today."

Shilan rolled her eyes: "You're being too polite. What, is Second Brother trying to distance himself from me?"

Qin Zhengyang laughed and said, "How dare I?"

After exchanging a few words of laughter, Shilan took her leave. Wang Ruofu was currently pregnant and could not look after Hua Jie'er for too long, as Qin Zhengyang had many other things to attend to.

On the carriage back to the Duke of England's mansion, Shilan leaned against the carriage wall. The calm and decisiveness she had displayed when persuading Wang Ruofu gradually faded. Unconsciously, she placed her hand on her flat stomach, and an indescribable sense of loss quietly crept into her heart.

Wang Ruofu is about to have a second child.

But what about her?

She and Zhang Yun have been married for some time now, and the two are very much in love. Zhang Yun is particularly energetic, and they make love almost every night.

But her belly still showed no signs of pregnancy, and yesterday she even had her period.

Could it be because this body ultimately belongs to Lady Qin? But in the original story, Lady Qin also gave birth to children, which means there's nothing wrong with this body.

Zhang Yun was young and strong, and had no hidden illnesses.

That must mean that the time is still too short.

She'll have to try harder after her period ends.

Shilan made up her mind.

……

As for how Zhang Yun was overjoyed by Shi Lan's exceptional enthusiasm and initiative, I won't go into details here.

……

Because Grand Tutor Wang sacrificed his life for the country, the entire court mourned him. Empress Cao took the initiative to request the Emperor to postpone her originally scheduled birthday banquet in order to show her respect for the meritorious official.

This action naturally earned her a reputation for virtue, and she was praised both in and out of the court.

However, the birthday banquet still had to be held.

On this day, Shilan got up early and put on her formal makeup.

She followed her sister-in-law, Madam Shen, and under the guidance of her mother-in-law, Chen Ning, boarded the carriage of the Duke of Ying's mansion and headed towards the magnificent palace.

The palace layout, clothing, and etiquette of this dynasty were completely different from those of the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty. It lacked the solemnity and oppression of the Forbidden City and had more of the exquisite and refined atmosphere of the gardens in Jiangnan.

The banquet was held in a pavilion in an exquisite garden, with winding streams and pleasant music playing.

The noblewomen sat down according to their rank and their relationship with the Empress, chatting and laughing, their clothes fragrant and their hair elegant.

Mother-in-law Chen Ning sat next to a concubine surnamed Zhang, who was said to be a distant aunt of the Zhang family and had a close relationship with the Duke of Ying's mansion.

Shilan sat next to her sister-in-law, Shen.

Shilan was enjoying a glass of fruit wine with her sister-in-law, but her gaze casually swept across the room.

For the first time, Consort Hua sat at a palace banquet without being so high and mighty, attracting the attention of everyone, but this also allowed her to witness a different side of the palace banquet.

She saw the Empress Cao, whose name she had long admired.

Wearing a phoenix crown and pheasant robes, she sat upright in the main seat. Her appearance was dignified and beautiful, and her brows exuded a gentle and composed air. When speaking to the several older noble ladies, her voice was soft and her pace was slow. There was always a perfectly measured smile on her lips.

Then came several concubines of official rank.

A beautiful concubine dressed in a scarlet palace gown was smiling as she toasted the Empress, her tone charming but her words carrying a hint of barbs.

Empress Cao accepted the compliment with a smile, and praised the embroidery pattern on the concubine's dress with gentle words, but then subtly changed the subject, implying a warning.

Seeing this scene, Shilan couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

It was as if I was seeing myself back then, engaging in subtle and witty battles with the Empress!

Now let's look at Empress Cao.

That graceful and dignified demeanor, when faced with provocation from concubines, was the attitude of "If the palace doesn't die, you are ultimately just concubines."

Just like Ulanara Yixiu!

Shilan's thoughts drifted away.

In her past life, as a favored concubine, what she hated most was that the Empress always acted as if she had everything under control and disdained to compete with them, the other concubines.

Every time I see it, I can't help but go up and challenge it head-on.

But now that she has escaped that cage, Shilan can't help but ask herself these questions.

What would happen if I actually became empress?

Can you stop the emperor from taking concubines? No.

Can she suppress all the newcomers who come to compete with her for a man's favor without any scruples? No.

The patriarchal system and its associated social norms could not tolerate a jealous and unreasonable empress.

What's so interesting about becoming an empress?

Is it merely about clinging to the cold, golden seal of the Empress, reminding others day after day, and numbing oneself: Look, I am the true Empress, sharing the same bed with the Emperor in life and the same grave in death.

Shilan suddenly shivered.

He became even more certain of his decision never to enter the palace in his lifetime.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the empress of her past life and for Empress Cao, who now sat high above her.

Even being jealous can't be openly expressed. You clearly love a man, but you can't even have the slightest thought of wanting to possess him. How can this be a human life?

As she was lost in thought, the music in the waterside pavilion subsided, and palace maids filed in, carrying fresh dishes and soups.

The Empress seemed particularly concerned about Consort Zhang, who was sitting next to the Duchess of Yingguo, and gently instructed, "Consort Zhang, didn't you say a few days ago that you had some stomach discomfort and a poor appetite? This is a soup specially prepared by the small kitchen using shad, a new tribute from Jiangnan, paired with tender spring bamboo shoots and mushrooms. It's very light and delicious, so please try it."

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhang immediately rose to express her gratitude.

A palace maid carried a white jade covered bowl toward Consort Zhang. As she passed by Shilan, Shilan smelled an extremely faint, almost imperceptible, fishy-sweet odor.

That was a taste she would never forget, even in her death!

The soul sounds the alarm even before the body does.

Shilan suddenly stared intently at the white jade covered bowl.