If Erniang and Shiyi have exchanged marriages would their fate changed as well?

What ifs are interesting. 

I have thought about this too. If Erniang married Houye; she would have a higher status and a husband who didn’t beat her, therefore treat her much better. However, Erniang is too prideful and stuckup. She is kind to her maids but I don’t see her as a person who is kind like Shiyinang is. I don’t think that she would’ve won Houye’s heart. 

Erniang mostly likely wouldn’t have handled the rice situation or the dog incident well. She also would have argued about having the right to manage the household in the beginning. She would have had alot on her plate having to deal with Concubine Qiao. I don’t even know how well she would’ve treated her stepsons. She would most likely thought that the fifth’s brother’s illegitimate son was Houye and had a fight with him. I don’t think that their marriage would’ve been a successful one. Houye would have treated her well in the beginning but through time their marriage would be like his marriage with Yuannang’s. 

The dynamic between the members of the family wouldn’t have changed. Houye and his brother would’ve continued to have their rift. Houye probably won’t be as home so much. 

If Shiyinang had to marry Wang Yu, she would have  ran away.  If her mother didn’t die at the shrine she would have been back to her hometown with her mom and maid. She probably would’ve gotten to know the SML more and became his wife. And if the SML resumes his identity as the second son of the Ou family she would have helped her husband against his brother and his wife. That is if  her family didn’t try to get her back. But if she marries the SML without permission I don’t know if his father would accept her. 

But she didn’t want  to marry essentially but I think that she would’ve have a successful marriage with the SmL lead too. He was unfazed with her looking into his brother’s room. Plus she could’ve helped him with his businesses. 

@hvnlyangel yes Erniang would be eaten alive by the concubines and Madam Tai. She thought Shiyi had it easy but she was not aware how hard Shiyi works to gain what she has now. Yes the other possibility is she would be with the 2nd ML, but they have to live outside the capital to avoid the Luo and Wang family.

Let's all agree that if Erniang married Lord Xu, that would be a painful and boring story. But seriously, I don't think she would have lasted. She is too hot tempered and she acts on emotions at the moment. She is not calm enough to handle a situation and she is easily swayed by words and material goods. She would definitely be another Concubine Qiao but without the backing of her Mother-in-law. And Lord Xu I think would get fed up with her as he sees her as another woman who is after his reputation and money. Which is correct of course. And she would live out her life lonely without the love of Lingyi. BC jealous b's don't get no love, lol. 

Shiyi if she married Wang Yu would be interesting. I would imagine both case scenarios.

1. She gives off the cool and IDGAF attitude towards Wang Yu anytime he does anything annoying. He would get annoyed with her attitude and ask why she doesn't care for him.. (cuz you're an a hole) And if he dared to beat her, she would come up with a threat to scare him. I think if she truly was to stay with him, she would be able to tame him. But he is a jerk and I don't want them to end up together so I'd rather she just cut his little brother and runaway with the 2nd lead.
2. I imagined after being so fed up with Wang Yu, they get into a fight. She tells him if he signs the divorce paper, she'll give him all her dowries. Because Shiyi does not care for riches. Once she and her maid leave, she would start her own embroidery shop and 2nd lead would come woo her. 

I think that with Erniang personality she would not be as happy and she is trying to delude herself into thinking so. As many have said at the top what might have been her faith and what actions she would take. 

For me I would carry the what if way back before the marriage. If she had not shown her face to him and lied about being Shiyi and made him like her with her pitiful and innocence act. 

If he hadn't fallen (fallen for her face anyway) for her and when he realised that she was lying and said it was her he wants. After he realised the lengths she was willing to go just to not marry him, it wounded his little itty bitty pride. So now he has to exact revenge on her and as he is a monster by nature her life is very hard. Maybe he would not have treated her so bad maybe he would. She has a slick mouth and a paranoid mind. We noticed this from the time Shiyi came back she was mean and plotting. 

As for Shiyi, she had a very unpleasant run in with the Wang's son on her first day back. He might want to beat her into submission but again when we look at personality she would handle him I believe. Even if he had beaten her the 1st night she wouldn't given him the opportunity for another time.

I don't believe that she should or would end up with the second male lead. I do not like his character as he is a liar and is putting Shiyi in an uncomfortable situation. He knows that she is a young lady from a respectable family and he eventually finds out that she is from the XU family yet he is still hanging around as if he doesn't know the consequences of his presence for her. Also although he is an illegitimate son he knows the hostility between the two families. Why would you still keep approaching this married women from the family that your family is trying to bring down? One word "selfish!".

What I would do if I was in Erniang's situation was poison that scumbag, but slow so that there would be no trace. Let everyone believe that he died as a result of his dutty behaviour. But alas he is dead. Plus find away to fix up my mother-in-law (not kill) too as she did nothing to control her son the monster.

However we will never know; "what ifs and should haves will eat the brain."

Wang yu is a despicable person, who is essentially a spoiled brat. I think the first time he was disciplined by his mom is when she slapped him cause Erniang was pregnant. 

He needs alot of discipline and he actually started ro treat his wife better because he was scared or Houye. He respected Houye alot and if he didn’t think that Houye was dead he might have conditioned to treat her okay. You can tell that he respects and fears Houye. If he interacts with people who don’t coddle him he might change his ways. 

But again he does enjoy his vices. I don’t know if Shiyinang can handle him if he continues to drink. However, since  they won’t have such a bad start as Erniang and him. She is very patient and her mentality of living out your path would’ve helped her in that household. Maybe she would’ve turned things around. Who knows? But if Wang yu husband l continues to drink and womanize he would’ve still been killed. Maybe she could’ve left then, but that marriage she had with Wang yu would’ve left scares on her both physically and mentally. I don’t see her being the same person. It would’ve been a tragedy for all of them if their marriages were reversed.  

Houye’s life would’ve been a mess with his wife and concubines scheming against each other. Concubine Qioa could’ve eventually been his wife due to her mechanisms. He would’ve had 3 loveless, unhappy marriages. Poor guy. His children probably wouldn’t have grown up well because after his mother dies no one would truly care for them, since their father would probably avoid being at home. It will be disharmony and the Xu household will decline. 

@funnypeopleswim yes the most difficult to change aside from drug addicts are woman beater. I know many womanizer who changed but wife beater just stopped when they are too old and weak already. But with personality of Shiyi she can think of something to make her life better. Unlike Erniang who only knows how to complain. :)

Reasons why and how Houye fall in love with 11 and found to trust her was by observing her actions, How she handled the rice incident, she looked at the bigger picture and not as an opportunity to get back on Qiao concubine, how she handled 5th master's illegitimate son, and another thing but I can't rmb. Anyways, I don't think she would've handled these situations well, she's too selfish. So in the end, Houye wouldn't be able to open his heart to her and have heart to heart talks, which would allow him to get to know her and vice versa. So in the end, the marriage would've been doomed also.