The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Yan Zhi's heart stirred, but he didn't rush to point it out. He first asked the wet nurse to take Ning Shou to sit on the warm kang (heated brick bed) to the side, and then pulled Hong Wei to his knees, straightened his collar, and said in a very gentle voice: "What's wrong? You came to pay New Year's visit so early in the morning, but it seems like you have something else on your mind."

Hongwei subconsciously shook his head: "No."

Yan Zhi then laughed: "Really not?"

Hongwei pursed his lips and remained silent.

Yanzhi didn't press him, but gently patted his head and said slowly, "If you don't want to talk about it, your Empress Mother won't force you. But your Empress Mother hopes you can remember that it's common for children to be unsure of what to do when they're young, which is why we give these little ones parents. So, as parents, we should teach our children how to make decisions from birth. In the future, if you encounter anything you can't decide, come and ask your Empress Mother and your Father, understand?"

Her words dispelled most of Hongwei's fear and confusion, and even a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.

He lowered his head and tugged at his sleeve. After a long while, he whispered, "Last night... I saw with my own eyes that the little flags in my palace were stealing things."

Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.

Hongwei continued slowly, "After returning from New Year's Eve last night, I had already gone to sleep. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly heard a noise. When I got up, I saw Xiaoqi hurriedly closing the cabinet door. Inside were all the gold and silver treasures that my mother had given me, so that I could give them to people to play with."

"When he realized I had discovered it, he tried to coax me, saying he wanted to show me if anything was missing."

"I was furious and ordered Chang'an to arrest him and send him to the Censorate. But he said... that his mother was seriously ill and would die if they didn't have money to buy medicine."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhi already understood about 70-80% of what was going on.

This child, with that naivety and kindness in his bones, is exactly the same as in his previous life.

I don't know who he took after.

Sigh, with his temperament, even if he had actually inherited the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion in his previous life, he would probably have just been a leisurely and wealthy marquis, without much ambition.

What about the crown prince, or even the emperor, in this lifetime?

Teach it slowly.

Thinking of this, Yan Zhi sighed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, only asking in a low voice, "So what do you think?"

Hongwei hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Your subject feels that stealing is certainly wrong. But if there is a real reason... it would be inhumane to punish them according to the rules."

Yan Zhi looked at him, not immediately pointing out right or wrong, but asked gently, "Is this his first offense?"

Hongwei was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

Yanzhi gave Fuling a look, and the latter immediately understood. She returned less than half a cup of tea's time after leaving, saying, "Your Majesty, the First Prince is committing his first offense."

Yan Zhi then asked, "Is it true that his mother is seriously ill?"

Fuling: "I asked Xiaoqizi, a fellow villager, and it's true. The family letter is also there."

Yanzhi turned to Hongwei: "Although there are extenuating circumstances, it is still an act of insubordination. He is now willing to take such a risk while you are sleeping for a few pieces of silver. When he was discovered, his first reaction was not to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but to use clever words and sophistry, trying to take advantage of your young age and deceive you. This is deceiving one's master. If everyone says they have their own difficulties and extenuating circumstances, then everyone will try to deceive you, the young master. What will become of the rules of this palace?"

Hongwei was slightly taken aback by the question, clearly having not considered this possibility before.

Seeing his expression, Yanzhi knew that her words had touched his heart. She didn't stop, but continued to slowly guide him: "You just said that he was pitiful, and that's true. But whether someone is pitiful and whether they should be punished for their mistakes are never the same thing."

Hongwei pursed his lips.

The kinder a person is, the more they like to empathize with the suffering of others.

But precisely because of this, she had to teach him to understand—

Being soft-hearted and making a firm decision should never be confused.

She gently pulled him closer to her, her voice softer yet more steady than before: "If an ordinary person encountered someone like him, they would just say 'pity' and that would be it. But you are different, my dear Hongwei. You are a prince, you are not just Xiaoqizi's master, but the master of all the palace maids and eunuchs in this Forbidden City. Do you think that in the event of this, you only have to deal with Xiaoqizi? No, in fact, everyone in your palace is watching, watching how you deal with a servant who has betrayed and deceived his master."

"Only then will they consider how to treat you."

"Will he betray you like Little Flag when he has his reasons, or will he, when his mistakes are discovered, confess and admit his guilt, or deceive and coax you?"

Hongwei raised his head and looked at her, his eyes now showing a hint of seriousness.

Yan Zhi then asked, "Think about it again, should this person be punished?"

Hongwei remained silent for a while, then slowly nodded: "He should be punished."

Why?

"Because... he committed insubordination." Hongwei spoke slowly, clearly still thinking as he spoke: "If we let him go this time out of pity, others will follow suit. Then the rules will be in chaos."

As he finished speaking, a hint of reluctance appeared on his small face.

"But Little Flag, who has always been very good, is really pitiful this time."

Yanzhi looked at him: "So what do you plan to do?"

Hongwei was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't expected her to actually hand over this question to him.

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the soft popping of silver charcoal in the brazier.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Without rules, there can be no order. Punishment is still necessary, and it must be done according to the rules, just as it should be."

"But he did serve me after all, so I can't completely ignore him if he's in trouble."

As he spoke, he looked up at Yanzhi and said cautiously, "Could you allocate a portion from my own annual allowance? This way, we can both avoid disrupting the rules and ensure that my compassion is truly effective."

This time, Yan Zhi genuinely laughed.

She reached out and patted Hongwei's head, whispering, "That's right."

People can be pitied, but rules cannot be disregarded.

"If you sit in a high position, the worst thing you can do is to mistake a soft heart for benevolence. True benevolence is not about indulging people just because they are pitiful. You must know that focusing on the small and letting the big will lead to endless troubles. True decisiveness is not about punishing people without asking why, but about finding out the whole story, not being deceived, and upholding the law."

She paused, her gaze calm and gentle.

"Remember this: the best way to manage subordinates is to have clear rewards and punishments."

Hongwei listened very attentively, even straightening his back unconsciously, as if he had truly taken those words to heart.

Yan Zhi looked at him, and sighed slightly in her heart.

In her past life, this child had seen her kind and benevolent bodhisattva-like appearance many times, and later learned to be just as gentle and kind, valuing siblings, loving family, and always leaving room for everyone. That's certainly not bad, but if she were to truly sit on the supreme throne, it would be too soft.

What she wants to teach him in this life is not to be cold-blooded and ruthless.

Instead, one can have compassion, but not be led by the nose by compassion; one can understand the warmth and coldness of human relationships, but must also guard the ruler in one's hands.

Thinking of this, Yanzhi pulled him closer and whispered, "Remember what happened today. In the future, if you see someone crying, pleading, or saying they have their own difficulties, don't rush to soften your heart. Think about the rules first, then about human feelings; distinguish right from wrong first, then consider pity. Only in this way can you protect more people."

Hongwei nodded. Although his little face still showed a hint of understanding, he was no longer the completely indecisive person he had been before.

On the warm kang (heated brick bed) to the side, Ning Shou was holding a rattle drum and making cooing noises. Her wet nurse was soothing her with her head down. The whole room was filled with the warmth and tranquility unique to a festive morning.

In stark contrast to the tranquil scene here, this is the Yong Prince's Mansion at this very moment.