The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

After the talent show ended, the first news to spread in the capital was not about which family's daughter had won favor and soared to great heights.

Instead, none of the women in the central palace were left.

Those who had been craning their necks to watch the spectacle were stunned.

The Empress Dowager was the sole favorite, while the Empress Dowager was prone to jealousy.

These eight characters seemed to have grown wings, spreading throughout the streets and alleys of the capital overnight, and people were discussing them everywhere in teahouses and taverns.

Even more meddlesome people added fuel to the fire, saying that the Empress was taking advantage of His Majesty's favoritism and didn't even respect the ancestral rules.

But before these words could be spread for more than a few days, another imperial edict descended from the heavens.

The three selected ladies-in-waiting will not enter the inner palace or be granted the titles of Lady-in-Waiting or Attendant. Instead, they will all be appointed as female officials in the Six Departments, starting from the eighth rank, and will be at the command of the Empress.

The news caused a moment of silence throughout the palace.

What followed was an even bigger uproar.

These so-called female officials actually had ranks?

Amidst the intense anticipation of the crowd, Xia Dongchun, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong entered the palace one after the other.

Shen Meizhuang had a good foundation, was worldly-wise, and was willing to calm down and do things, so she was first assigned to the Shangyi Bureau and concurrently managed the old files of the Imperial Household Department.

An Lingrong, with her meticulous mind and steady hands, entered the area where the Bureau of Clothing and the Bureau of Works met, and was responsible for organizing the roster of the palace servants in the Eastern Six Palaces and their salaries and rewards.

Summer, winter, and spring were then assigned to the Western Six Palaces.

When the news spread, even Yinwu was taken aback.

After dinner that day, he leaned against the couch looking at folded paper when he suddenly remembered this matter and casually asked, "Xia, you really dare to use that?"

He had heard about how arrogant and reckless Xia was in the Imperial Garden that day.

Yan Zhi was sitting in front of the dressing table removing her hairpins and jewelry when she heard this. She glanced at him in the mirror and smiled faintly.

"What's there to be afraid to use?"

She responded calmly, "Truly intelligent people have their own plans and know how to protect themselves; they rarely fight for others. She's different. She may be a bit foolish, but she's genuinely ruthless, which is perfect for taking down people."

"Slay someone?" Yinwu didn't understand.

"To untangle the mess that is the Imperial Household Department."

Yinwu wanted to laugh, but also became curious.

He put down the folding book, got up and walked to her side, leaning closer as he asked, "What about Madam Shen and Madam An? What do you see in them?"

Yanzhi noticed him approaching, but didn't move away.

"Shen Meizhuang is truly talented. There are advantages to being aloof. Such a person disdains to associate with those filthy dealings and can instead keep a clear record for me."

"As for An Lingrong, she is very smart and patient. She is very good at reading people's expressions and knows how to keep a distance. With her watching over us, we don't have to worry about Xia being too impulsive or Shen being too straightforward and offending everyone."

Yinwu did not respond.

He just watched her quietly.

The lamplight fell on her profile, making the calm, calculating look in her eyes even more distinct.

The way she spoke of human nature, of duties, and of who should be the sword and who should be the pen, was completely different from the dignified and graceful empress she was during the day.

It reminded him of the time when he was in the Prince's mansion, when he sat at the desk and analyzed with him who was trustworthy and who was not.

He loved seeing her like this.

Without making a sound, he controlled the whole situation.

As if bewitched, he leaned forward and kissed her without thinking.

His intentions were so obvious that Yan Zhi was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and pushed him away, scolding, "We have to go to court early tomorrow, go to sleep early."

Yinwu was pushed away, but he wasn't angry. He just looked at her with a pitiful expression.

Yanzhi was also helpless. She knew that she had neglected him during this period, but what could she do? She was the empress and had two children to take care of. Adding him would be too much.

She could only wrap her arms around his neck, offer him a kiss, and promise to make it up to him properly once this was over.

As for the idea of ​​accepting two gifts if it really didn't work out, it was because they remembered the phrase "It shouldn't be you who extinguishes this sincerity" that they didn't say it aloud.

Yinwu had no choice but to agree, partly because he felt sorry for her, as she looked visibly tired.

The two went to bed peacefully, and nothing was said that night.

-

The moment the three female officials entered the room, the harem immediately erupted in excitement.

Having been Empress for some time, Yanzhi had already thoroughly investigated the inner palace. She knew exactly who was corrupt, who was holding a position without working in the Imperial Household Department, and who was clinging to power in the Six Departments of Imperial Sacrifices because of their seniority. She simply hadn't had the time to deal with them before because she was preoccupied with the court and the new emperor's foundation. Now that she had someone to deal with them, she was determined not to wait any longer.

The accounts were the first thing to be moved.

Shen Meizhuang was led to look through old files for three days, and on the fourth day she found errors in several volumes of records. At first glance, they were just small amounts of silk, charcoal, and spices distributed to various palaces, but if you followed the clues, you would find a whole string of people from the Imperial Household Department, the Bureau of Clothing and Costumes, and the Imperial Kitchen.

An Lingrong carried the booklet with her every day, moving between the various bureaus with light steps, few words, and a faint smile. She seemed the most inconspicuous, yet she was the one who remembered everything best. She would silently remember which nanny's hand trembled when handing over accounts today, or which head eunuch offered a few extra words of explanation when submitting the booklet tomorrow. She would then meticulously analyze and clearly present the details to Yan Zhi's desk.

The commotion is loudest in summer, winter, and spring.

She was responsible for verifying and thoroughly investigating all the clues uncovered by An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang.

Yan Zhi did this intentionally. When the three entered the palace, Xia Dongchun received double the reward of the other two, making her believe that she was the Empress's favorite.

She was already arrogant to begin with, and now that she was receiving such preferential treatment, she became even more haughty.

If she disagreed with anything, she would rush in and start yelling. If she couldn't get through the yelling, she would lift the curtain. If she couldn't lift the curtain, she would smash things. When others asked her, she wouldn't even mention the name of Empress Yanzhi. She would just ask, "Do you know who my father is?"

With that stupid yet arrogant spirit, he forced several old nannies, who were usually the most adept at shirking responsibility, to turn pale.

Chaos erupted in the palace.

There was bound to be a lot of gossip outside.

Some say the empress acted recklessly, turning a proper imperial concubine selection into a government official selection process.

Some say these female officials are merely henchmen of the Empress, whose aim is to overthrow ancestral rules and influence the previous dynasty by subverting the inner palace.

But Yan Zhi ignored it all; as long as Yin Wu didn't say anything, he pretended not to hear it.

She was only responsible for overseeing the accounts, appointing staff, and assigning tasks. She managed palace affairs in the morning and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the afternoon.

The screen behind the Imperial Study stood there every day. She would sit behind the screen, sometimes listening to Yinwu and the ministers discuss matters, sometimes reviewing the inner court's reports, and after the ministers left, she would discuss the affairs of the previous dynasty with Yinwu.

She is becoming more and more comfortable with her role as empress.

The children grew up day by day, their bodies were healthy, the court was stable, and the harem was also under her control.

But somehow...

Yan Zhi, however, always felt that he had overlooked something.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye.

November 28th is Yinwu's birthday.