The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Yu Ying'er.

Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow.

She remembered this person.

To be honest, this person is quite a character.

On New Year's Eve in Yimei Garden, a sentimental poem and a false identity led to her rising from a lowly palace maid to the emperor's favored concubine.

Unfortunately, she came from a humble background and had a narrow perspective. After suddenly gaining favor, she became even more arrogant and domineering, making enemies on all sides, all of whom were mortal enemies.

Whether it was sending Consort Xin, who was of higher rank and even had children, to the Shenxing Division, or bribing people to drug Zhen Huan, or mistreating the imperial eunuchs and maids on a daily basis.

One case after another, she handled matters that often involved lives.

But it hasn't come to fruition yet.

They didn't kill a single person, but they made quite a few mortal enemies.

So when the impersonation was exposed and the real Zhen Huan gained favor, the imposter naturally couldn't escape being punished. When someone falls from grace, everyone pushes them down; how could her mortal enemies, who had been eagerly waiting for her to fall out of favor, let go of such an opportunity to collect their debts?

Her final fate, being strangled to death with a bowstring in the cold palace, can only be described as befitting her stupidity.

Yan Zhi pulled himself out of his thoughts, unwilling to waste too much energy on this kind of person.

But then I thought, Yimei Garden, New Year's Eve—

This experience differs from the original story only in that the impersonation occurred.

"Go and summon Shadow."

As Yan Zhi gave instructions, the palace maids helped him change his clothes and comb his hair. Once everything was finished, he leisurely sat back down on the couch.

Before long, the shadow silently entered the hall, bowing as usual without even disturbing the hem of his robe.

Yan Zhi asked directly, "What exactly happened in Yimei Garden last night?"

"In early autumn, the Fourteenth Prince disguised himself and entered the death row, where he met Li Si'er. After returning, he ordered the activation of the other half of the spies left behind by the Uya clan, to find the truth of last year's New Year's Eve at all costs."

"Xia Sibo was the first to appear in the garden last night."

"The Fourteenth Prince believed that the Fourth Prince intentionally sacrificed the pawn to save the king. After the incident, the Fourth Prince immediately distanced himself from the matter to save himself, instead of exonerating Wuya and recanting her confession. He even became an accomplice, which led to Wuya's death. For this, the Fourteenth Prince beat the Fourth Prince severely."

"Cripple Fourth Master's arm and leg."

Yan Zhi paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

"Xia Sibo was so frightened that he exposed his whereabouts and alerted Yu Ying'er, who was closer, during his escape. The Fourteenth Prince could only arrest the closest person first, and Xia Sibo was able to escape."

Yan Zhi nearly spat out his tea.

She raised her hand to touch the corner of her lips, her smile deepening.

It turns out that there were indeed cases of impersonation.

But it wasn't Zhen Huan, it was Xia Dongchun.

The latter was lucky.

Otherwise, at this very moment, she would be the one who was casually handed over to Yinzhen by the Fourteenth Prince, and caught in adultery in that cold little house.

Under these circumstances, Yu Ying'er was destined to enter Prince Yong's mansion.

Even if you enter the mansion, you might not survive.

Yinzhen must have considered her a great disgrace, and he also knew that she had most likely overheard something she shouldn't have. If she ever regained even a little power to give orders, Yu Ying'er would surely die.

Even if Yinzhen were to spend the rest of his life paralyzed in bed, unable to speak or write with his left hand, the jealousy and anger of the women in his harem would still be enough to give Yu Ying'er a hard time.

So Xia Dongchun truly escaped a calamity.

"Since Fourteenth Prince insists that Consort De and Longkodo are innocent, has he mentioned any other clues?"

Yan Zhi asked again.

"No," Shadow said. "But when I followed this lead, I discovered that the person who tried to seduce His Majesty with the aphrodisiac from the Western Regions a month ago was a spy left behind by the Uya clan. That spy wasn't originally intended for His Majesty. According to the old records and traces of the secret network, it was initially meant for the Fourteenth Prince. However, its course was changed, and after many twists and turns, it eventually ended up in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Yan Zhi gave a cold laugh.

"Just as I thought."

She looked up at the shadows: "Have you figured out all those spies?"

The shadow bowed his head: "I have fulfilled my mission."

"Very good," Yanzhi said. "Then get everything cleaned up."

When she said this, her expression was even calm, as if she were merely asking someone to pull up a few weeds.

Shadow knew what her words "cleaned up" meant, so he simply replied in a deep voice and then silently withdrew.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and Hongwei ran in first, followed by the wet nurse carrying Ningshou, who also followed with a smile.

Hongwei was wearing a brand-new dark blue robe today, with fine fox fur trimmed on the collar and sleeves, which made his little face look even whiter and more energetic.

As soon as he entered, he stood properly and bowed to Yan Zhi in a proper manner, saying in a clear voice, "Your subject wishes Your Majesty a Happy New Year, and hopes that Your Majesty will have a peaceful and prosperous New Year."

Ning Shou, of course, couldn't say such auspicious words yet; she just waved her hand and babbled in her wet nurse's arms. When she saw Yan Zhi, she grinned, revealing a bit of her tender gums.

When Yanzhi saw his children, his expression immediately softened.

She first reached out and pulled Hongwei closer, gently kissing him on the forehead, and smiled, "Hongwei is being very sensible today. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Hongwei nodded and obediently replied, "I've already used it."

After saying that, she turned her head to look at her younger sister with a rather mature air and whispered a tattletale: "Empress Mother, my sister ate a lot today."

Ning Shou couldn't understand anything; he just held his chubby white fingers and gnawed on them enthusiastically, his round face making him look adorable.

Yan Zhi couldn't help but laugh, raising his hand to tap his little daughter's cheek: "It's good for her to eat more. The more your little sister eats, the faster she'll grow up. When she's grown up, she can run behind you."

Upon hearing this, Hongwei thought about it seriously for a moment, and then said to Ningshou in a solemn tone, "Then, little sister, you should eat more next time."

This sentence made everyone in the room laugh.

Yan Zhi also smiled. After smiling, his gaze lingered briefly on Hong Wei's face.

The child is still young and can't keep secrets. After the laughter and chatter just now, he seemed hesitant to speak, as if he had something to say but was unsure whether he should.