The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

She was taken aback.

"How is Fifth Prince today?" Yixiu's voice rang out.

Jianqiu snapped out of her daze and hurriedly said, "Reporting to Your Highness, the Fifth Prince is ill again. Consort Geng said that it's probably because the Fifth Prince isn't used to the wet nurse's milk, and she wants to feed him herself."

A hint of mockery flashed in Yixiu's eyes, but her words were filled with the utmost concern: "How can this be? It's against the rules. I suppose it's because Sister Geng is young and doesn't know how to take care of children. It's also my oversight. The Master doesn't have many children, only three princes in total, so there's no room for the slightest mistake."

She looked at Jianqiu and said calmly, "Go and bring the Fifth Prince here. From now on, I will raise him myself."

Jianqiu's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Yes! This servant will go right away!"

"What's the rush?" Yi Xiu's lips curved slightly. "Have you forgotten? Master instructed us that we still need to make a trip to the Zhen family."

The joy on Jianqiu's face instantly faded, replaced by a hint of disappointment.

Looking at her, Yixiu couldn't help but smile again, but his smile was full of meaning.

"Of course, I cannot just come to your door without permission." She slowly adjusted the beaded necklace on her chest and said unhurriedly, "I should first send a visiting card to show that it is proper etiquette. To show that you value this matter, you should go there in person and convey my intentions to him."

She spoke very slowly, revealing only a few words, as if she meant something.

Jianqiu was taken aback at first, but then she understood.

She lowered her head and said respectfully, "This servant understands."

-

In the palace, in the rear hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Before dawn, Yinwu was urged to attend court. After he left, Yanzhi did not continue to sleep in, but got up and began to handle palace affairs.

There were account books sent by the Imperial Household Department piled on the table. She flipped through two of them, then lost interest and gave a cold laugh.

These lackeys are so arrogant that it's unheard of.

Relying on their long-standing presence in the palace, their influence was widespread and they protected each other, daring to falsify any accounts and to embezzle any amount of money.

That makes sense. During Emperor Kangxi's reign, how many women were in the harem? With the empress's position vacant for many years and factions becoming increasingly numerous, how many women were vying for a share of power in the palace?

To profit from this, one must win people's hearts.

How to bribe them? By offering them concessions.

With such a top-down influence, the practice of corruption naturally grows.

Over the decades, their appetites have grown so large that they're no longer small.

Yanzhi raised his head and looked at the maids serving him.

Fuling and Chenxiang were standing in the corner, drowsy, their heads nodding.

A slight thought crossed her mind.

These maids followed her day and night, never having a moment's rest; it was hard work for them too.

She should think of a way to find more reliable people to help her.

Just then, the wet nurse arrived with Hongwei and Ningshou.

Hongwei can already run and jump. When he sees her, he rushes over and calls out in a soft, sweet voice, "Mother."

Ning Shou was still young, held in her wet nurse's arms, her big, dark eyes looking around.

Yan Zhi first responded to his son, patted his head, and then took his daughter and hugged her. Seeing that the two children were changing every day, his feelings for her grew stronger.

Not long after, Yinwu returned from court.

The family of four sat together having breakfast.

Hongwei ate obediently by himself, occasionally glancing up at his father, the Emperor. Yinwu would then wink at him, making him giggle.

After the meal, Yinwu, feeling playful, pulled Hongwei into a game of flipping cards.

It involves flipping over a cardboard sign with large characters written on it, then flipping out a pair from memory. If you flip the wrong one, you have to wait for the next round.

This was a game that Yanzhi came up with to help Hongwei with his early education. Hongwei liked it very much and indeed memorized quite a few characters as a result. He is only five years old now, and when he is a year older, he will go to the Imperial Study. However, Yanzhi still has some ideas in mind, waiting for the right time to put them into practice.

"Father, it's your turn!"

"Let me look for...this! Is it right?"

The father and son were playing around, their laughter filling the entire house.

Yan Zhi sat to the side, watching them, a smile unconsciously curving his lips.

Just as they were having a good time, the wet nurse checked the time and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's time. The eldest prince should go back to rest."

In half an hour, Zhang Tingyu would be giving a lecture. Yinwu usually took a short nap to recharge.

Hongwei's smile vanished instantly, his big eyes filled with a hint of grievance. Yet, he sensibly stood up, reluctantly put down the nameplate, and bid farewell in a childish voice.

The smile on Yinwu's face faded considerably, and he seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit in an instant.

Yan Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

Without thinking, she blurted out, "Wait."

Everyone looked at her.

Yan Zhi composed himself and said, "How about we... take a break today?"

Yinwu's eyes suddenly lit up with an alarming light.

Without asking why, he immediately turned to Li Deyu and ordered, "Did you hear what the Empress said? Hurry up and tell Zhang Tingyu not to go to the palace, but to go home and rest!"

Knowing his master's personality well, Li Deyu quickly responded and ran off, seemingly afraid that Yanzhi would change his mind.

Seeing that he had disappeared from sight and Yanzhi hadn't uttered a sound, Yinwu was overjoyed, beaming with delight. He even excitedly picked up Hongwei and exclaimed, "Come on, let's continue! Father will have a good fight with you today!"

The father and son started arguing again.

Looking at the genuine smiles on their faces, Yan Zhi smiled along with them.

The sudden disappointment she felt towards the father and son made her realize something.

What is the purpose of all this planning she's undertaking now?

Naturally, one should give their children the best future and ensure the family's long-term prosperity.

But she couldn't repeat the mistakes of her previous life, focusing only on her own goals while neglecting her son's upbringing, which ultimately led to a rift between them.

The child does not know the mother, and the mother does not know the child.

In this life, she not only wants to take the best of everything from him, but also wants him to truly understand what kind of person his mother is.

He had to willingly take over everything.

Besides, she was indeed attached to appearances.

No matter how capable a person is, they are still just a person; they can't have three heads and six arms.

The accounts of the Imperial Household Department need to be investigated, the appetites of those servants need to be curbed, and the control of the harem cannot be entrusted to others, otherwise what will happen to the safety of her two children?

The previous dynasty cannot be neglected either. Yinwu has not yet fully matured. Her previous method of persuading him to be a wealthy and idle person was too successful. To this day, he has not developed the slightest ambition or courage.

If she hadn't used the child, the Empress Dowager, the Sixteenth Prince, and even the common people as excuses to keep him in check, she was truly afraid he would have simply given up.

They were genuinely worried about letting him handle state affairs on his own.

Of course, it's true that she was willing to stay with him.

It's a good thing that Yinwu clings to her and depends on her.

Sincerity can change in an instant, but habits can stay with you for a lifetime.

She did not intend to treat Yinwu as a puppet, merely issuing orders from behind him. Firstly, one should not be too hasty in all matters. Although Zhang Tingyu's attitude had softened somewhat, and he had shown some appreciation for her talent during his lessons, she was still capable of doing so.

However, there are still many ministers in the court who are more powerful and cunning than him.

The Eight Banners are not just for show. Yinwu's brothers are only under house arrest, not dead. If she really does something drastic, there are plenty of people who would want to use this opportunity to purge the court of corrupt officials.

Secondly, even though true feelings can change in an instant, as long as they are genuine in the moment, they are still precious, and she is unwilling and unable to easily betray them.

Both of them need to rest, to balance work and rest, and to combine work with relaxation.

We also need manpower.

Whether it's the imperial court or the harem.

Just then, someone came to report: "Your Majesty, someone from the Empress Dowager's side has come and says they wish to see you."

Yan Zhi looked up: "What is it?"

The man replied, "Your Majesty, Prince Guo has entered the palace, requesting the Empress Dowager to grant him a marriage."