The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

That day, Yinwu woke up early, looking expectant.

In previous years, he could smell the aroma of longevity noodles as soon as he woke up at this time.

Yan knew she wasn't good at cooking, but this was the one bowl of noodles she made herself every year. Kneading the dough, rolling it out, and cutting it into strips—she did it all meticulously and carefully. Sometimes, she'd even get a little flour on her nose. When he saw this, he'd laugh, and she'd glare at him, and the two of them would burst into laughter. In the end, he'd usually eat half and she'd feed him the other half, and it was hard to tell whose birthday it was.

But today—

It has no taste at all.

The bed beside him was empty. He reached out and touched the blankets; they were cold. Outside the bed curtains, all was quiet except for the occasional sound of footsteps.

He put on his robe, got up, and went around the screen to the outer room.

Yan Zhi was sitting at his desk, dressed in a plain, everyday jacket, his hair loosely tied up, flipping through a stack of reports handed to him by the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau. Several documents were spread out on the desk: a roster newly compiled by An Lingrong the previous night, old accounts from the Imperial Household Department handed to him by Shen Meizhuang, and several reports about the issues raised by Xia Dongchun…

The list was densely packed with things that required her to make a decision.

She heard the noise and looked up at him.

There was a very faint hint of fatigue in her eyes, but she still managed a smile.

"woke up?"

Yinwu stood there without saying a word.

He suddenly felt that the faint expectation in his heart seemed to have been emptied.

Yan Zhi noticed that he remained silent, and her gaze lingered on his face for a moment. As if remembering something, her fingertips paused slightly.

But it was only for one meal.

The next moment, she lowered her head, handed a slip of paper to the palace servant waiting beside her, and casually ordered, "Where's the longevity noodles? Hurry up and bring them to His Majesty!"

Fuling suddenly realized what was happening and quickly said, "It's my fault, I was so busy I forgot. Your Majesty, please calm down."

After a moment, the bowl of vegetarian noodles was served.

The soup was clear, the noodles were soft, the poached egg was neatly arranged, and the chopped scallions were sprinkled on top nicely.

Yinwu hesitated for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks and took two bites.

Then I put it down.

Yan Zhi was flipping through a list when he caught a glimpse of Yan Zhi's actions out of the corner of his eye, and his expression calmed down.

How could she not know his disappointment and awkwardness at that moment?

In previous years, she would cook for him herself. Although she wasn't good at cooking, that bowl of noodles was her duty as a wife, and also a tacit understanding that the two of them had had since they were young.

But she's been too busy lately.

She opened her mouth, as if to say she would make it up to her later.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Deyu's voice rang out from outside.

"Your Majesty, it's time for court."

Yan Zhi had no choice but to swallow back the words she hadn't said. She stood up, walked over, and straightened his collar, her movements light and natural, as if she had done it a thousand times before.

"Go to court first," she said. "I'll be back early later."

Yinwu's eyes brightened slightly.

Yan Zhi saw this and the corners of his lips curved into a smile.

She's still as easy to coax as ever.

-

However, I was so busy all day that I barely had time to breathe.

After court, the two had a meal together and spent some time with the children. But not long after, a memorial was delivered: the Ministry of War was discussing military pay, the Ministry of Revenue was recalling old debts, and the Ministry of Rites was requesting instructions on the winter sacrifice ceremony.

Yinwu sat behind his desk, surrounded by voices, and even the tea that Li Deyu brought him went cold twice.

As evening approached and darkness gradually set in, he finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He glanced at the water clock and a small sense of anticipation suddenly arose in his heart.

Today is, after all, his birthday.

According to past practice, the birthday celebrant is the most important person, and unless it's a catastrophe, he can always be a little excessive.

But this glimmer of hope was quickly dashed.

As dusk fell, he pushed aside what he was doing and was about to go find Yanzhi to return to his bedchamber together—

"Your Majesty."

A palace maid rushed in, knelt down, and reported: "Her Majesty the Empress has sent word that when Clerk Xia was checking the accounts today, she got into an argument with an old nanny. Because of a few extra words, the nanny... threw herself into a well and committed suicide. Your Majesty must go there personally to oversee things. Please have your dinner first, and don't wait for her."

Yinwu stood there, stunned.

After a long pause, he waved his hand and said, "I understand."

The palace maids withdrew.

The hall was unusually quiet for a moment.

Yinwu stood there, looking at the increasingly dark sky outside the window, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

He knew, of course, that the old woman's matter was no small thing. People had died in the palace in the past, but this matter was clearly aimed at the female official system established by Yan Zhi.

Yan knew he couldn't be absent.

He understands.

But understanding is one thing...

He suddenly felt that all his expectations for the whole day had been in vain.

Li Deyu shrank back, desperately trying to suppress his laughter.

Yinwu caught a glimpse of his expression out of the corner of his eye, and his face darkened: "You dog of a servant, what are you laughing at?"

Li Deyu was startled and quickly waved his hands, "No, I wasn't laughing..."

"Didn't you laugh?" Yinwu narrowed his eyes. "Do you think I'm blind?"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Li Deyu mustered his courage and said, "This servant... this servant just feels that His Majesty's appearance is as if the Sixteenth Prince was right."

Yinwu was taken aback.

During the autumn imperial concubine selection, the Sixteenth Prince's wife personally selected a young woman from the Fucha family to be her secondary consort.

Sixteen then teased him about it, saying, "See? This is true virtue, unlike Eighth Brother's wife, who always makes a scene whenever the topic of taking a concubine comes up."

Brothers born of the same mother.

How could he not understand the hidden meaning in Sixteen's words?

She immediately retorted, "Being so dramatic shows you care. Aren't all women like that? True virtue comes from not caring. I think you've just annoyed your sister-in-law. She's fed up with you and would love to marry you ten or eight suitable women, just so you won't bother her."

Sixteen was taken aback, her face turning somewhat unpleasant, but she stubbornly retorted, "What are you talking about? Which woman doesn't revolve around her husband after marriage? Only my sister-in-law is a bit different. But in my opinion, it's because you spoil her, brother. Look at other people, which wife doesn't revolve around her husband? But you, brother, revolve around your sister-in-law all day long. The day your sister-in-law is busy and can't take care of you, you even get jealous. You're really pathetic."

"Outsiders say that the Empress Dowager interferes in politics, but that's completely wrong. It's not that the Empress Dowager likes to meddle in court affairs; it's clearly you, Fifteenth Brother, who enjoys these palace manners and spends all your time thinking about romantic moments with the Empress Dowager! You have no ambition whatsoever!"

In the end, Sixteen was chased and beaten out of the Imperial Study by him.

But now that I think about it—

Yinwu's face darkened even more.

Right now, isn't he just like a concubine in the harem who has suddenly fallen out of favor and has to spend the whole night alone?

"roll!"

He grabbed a book from the table and threw it at Li Deyu.

Li Deyu chuckled and dodged away, running a few steps before peeking back in: "Shall this servant have someone come in to help His Majesty wash up and prepare for bed?"

Yinwu glared at him, but ultimately didn't scold him anymore.

The palace maids filed in, made the bed, lit incense, and lowered the curtains.

Yinwu sat on the edge of the couch, his mind still a jumble of thoughts.

Sixteen's words, Li Deyu's sly smile, and Yanzhi's failure to return all day—

Just then, a meek and obedient palace maid came forward and helped him remove his outer robe.

The movement was very light, as light as the wind.

Yinwu didn't pay much attention, his mind preoccupied with other things.

But just as the little palace maid approached, he suddenly smelled an unfamiliar sweet fragrance.

It wasn't the light, calming scent that Yan Zhi always wore.

The taste was sickeningly sweet, like an overripe flower forcing its way into your nose.

Yinwu frowned.

But the next instant, his mind involuntarily became heavy, his body tensed, and a surge of heat rushed up—

"Your Majesty..."

A soft, seductive voice rang out, its tone trembling at the end, clearly indicating that it had been practiced.

Her soft body pressed against him, carrying a warm, fragrant scent and trembling breath, snuggling into his arms.

Yinwu was stunned for a moment.

Immediately, his face darkened, as if something dirty had covered his face.

He shoved the person away forcefully with his backhand.

The force was so great that the palace maid slammed into the footstool, letting out a muffled groan. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were half-open, and she looked utterly wretched.

"You bastard!"

This sound, though extremely low, was more frightening than any sign of rage.

Li Deyu, who was directing operations outside, heard the commotion and practically tumbled in. Upon seeing the scene, his face turned pale.

"Your Majesty—"

"Drag him out." Yinwu's voice was as cold as ice. "Gag him first."

The palace maid, who had been about to cry and beg, trembled upon hearing this and dared not utter a sound.

Li Deyu dared not ask any more questions and quickly ordered his men to hold her down. Several eunuchs acted swiftly and dragged her away in the blink of an eye.

Yinwu's face was flushed.

"Summon Imperial Physician!"