The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

An Lingrong said gently, "Yes, this servant is from Songyang County."

Hongwei then said, "Ningshou mentioned in her letter that there's a very delicious dish in Jiangnan called... Water shield and perch soup? She praised it several times, which makes me want to try it too. Since Aunt is from Jiangnan, she must know how to make it."

An Lingrong laughed upon hearing this: "If you don't mind my clumsy skills, I'll give it a try."

Hongwei nodded, and after a moment, as if remembering something, he said, "I heard that my aunt has recently asked people to look for a house in the capital. Has she made any progress?"

An Lingrong's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained calm as she replied, "We've made some progress."

Hongwei then said, "If you can't find a suitable place, you might as well wait until Li Deyu returns to the palace and ask him to take a look for you. I heard that he also owns a house outside, so he should know which locations are good and which are free of bad neighbors. If you can live nearby, you can look out for each other if anything happens in the future."

An Lingrong was taken aback.

Just moments ago, the crown prince was calm and decisive, but now, as he spoke of these things, he inexplicably revealed a hint of his childhood self.

The young prince, who had been crying all the way back from the Imperial Garden with his injured little cat in his arms, his face streaked with tears, begged her to save the kitten.

My heart softened involuntarily.

She smiled faintly and replied softly, "Yes. Thank you for your concern, sir."

But she didn't mention that she was going to live next door to Sister Mei.

When I came out of the Imperial Study, the daylight was just right.

She had just stepped out of the door when she bumped into Yinzhen.

An Lingrong's smile vanished instantly, and she curtsied respectfully, saying, "Fourteenth Prince."

Fourteen walked past her without even glancing at her.

An Lingrong waited respectfully for him to pass by, and without pausing, she walked with light and steady steps toward the inner palace.

The spring sunshine fell on her, warm and bright. She held her head high, facing the light, leaving all the conspiracies and schemes behind.

-

Far away in Jiangnan, Yan Zhi looked at the secret letter sent from the shadows in his hand and smiled slightly.

"He's really smart."

She gave a soft compliment.

The letter was brief, but it clearly addressed the key points.

How An Lingrong followed the clues, how she kept her composure, and how she destroyed the most direct evidence in her hands—every word and sentence revealed a rare skill and tact.

Yan Zhi gently folded the letter, his fingertips lingering on the word "fourteen," and the smile in his eyes faded slightly.

Pity.

He clearly has the talent to train soldiers and command the navy.

Yinwu was a sentimental person, and he was unwilling to easily give up any of his brothers.

If Fourteenth Prince is willing to stay in the southeast and not keep trying to find out the truth, she really wouldn't mind supporting him for the rest of his life.

This would both provide the court with an extra manpower to stabilize the southeastern navy and reassure Yinwu.

What a wonderful thing.

What a pity...

She sighed silently, then her gaze slowly fell on another name on the secret letter.

Hongli.

Yan Zhi sneered.

Ever since Yinzhen became paralyzed, Yixiu has stayed indoors, single-mindedly clinging to that cripple until he dies.

In Prince Yong's mansion, power almost entirely fell into the hands of his concubine, Li Jingyan. That woman was as foolish as ever, completely incapable of managing the household, but she was undeniably lucky.

Seeing that there were no men left to fight over, the women in the backyard actually quieted down a bit.

Those with children only care about their children, while those without children are busy having affairs. Knowing that she is stupid and easy to fool, they are happy to give her some face on the surface, and life goes on peacefully.

Hongli, however, seized upon this point in the garden.

He first took the initiative to curry favor with Hongshi, pretending to gain Hongshi's sympathy, and returned to the Prince's mansion as a study companion.

Like his birth mother, Hongshi was simple-minded and easily swayed by Hongli's words of brotherly affection, placing great trust in Hongli.

Hongli smiled obediently on the surface, but secretly he took the initiative to flirt with Ulanara Qingying, who came to the mansion to visit Yixiu, and also handed the Fourteenth Prince the leftover perfume powder that Fei had used back then.

They are trying to dredge up old stories, stir up trouble, and fish in troubled waters.

So be it.

She can only suffer more.

Let's think of another way to make these two, uncle and nephew, behave themselves from now on.

Yan Zhi's eyes were cold.

"Your Majesty, there is also a letter, written by Aunt An herself."

Fu Ling gently reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Yanzhi reached out and took the letter with its neat and beautiful handwriting.

An Lingrong's letter was short, only briefly mentioning that she had recently been reading ancient books and discovered that ylang-ylang and cnidium monnieri could both be made into aphrodisiacs with very strong effects.

She also said that there was more than one formula with similar effects. She spent days going through medical books and incense recipes and found two or three other incense ingredients with the same effects.

Fearing that these drugs might fall into the palace and eventually corrupt the atmosphere and cause trouble, she proposed that all these formulas be listed as prohibited drugs, and ordered the Imperial Medical Academy to strictly control them to prevent palace staff from hoarding, mixing, or selling them.

The letter ends here.

There was no attempt to claim credit, nor was there any attempt to probe further down the line.

After Yan Zhi finished reading, a very faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.

It really is An Lingrong.

Intelligent, meticulous, and pragmatic.

It's easy to use and durable.

What Yanzhi found even more remarkable was—

She made the choice.

At this moment, An Lingrong truly chose to pledge allegiance to the Empress.

Being easy to use and being a source of comfort are ultimately not the same thing.

Since entering the palace, An Lingrong has been cautious, thorough, and knows when to advance and retreat in everything she does. She serves wholeheartedly whenever she is given a task, but she always leaves herself some room for maneuver.

That wasn't betrayal, it was just instinct.

But this letter meant that she had truly tied her future to Empress Yanzhi's ship.

She had no intention of using her discovery of the late emperor's past secrets to secretly accumulate a trump card that could save her life and bring her credit.

They also did not accept the olive branch offered by the fourteenth prince, but instead turned their attention to striving for a better future.

Instead, he decisively destroyed the remaining evidence and openly presented her with a plausible reason to ban the mention of such drugs in the harem.

Yan Zhi tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

"They understand it even better than I thought."

Fuling, who was standing nearby, changed her tea to hot tea. Hearing this, she knew it was probably good news, and said in a low voice, "Aunt An has always been a woman of good judgment."

"You've shown some restraint." Yan Zhi gently folded the letter and put it back in the box, her voice calm but carrying a hint of barely perceptible satisfaction: "You've finally decided to lean the restraint a little towards me."

Yan Zhi leaned back on the couch, his smile unchanged.

"Then so be it."

"If I do the math, it's been almost four years since she and Shen Meizhuang entered the palace as ladies-in-waiting."

Poria cocos is the correct one.

Over the past four years, one of them has been in charge of bookkeeping and internal affairs, helping her to gradually solidify the system of female officials.

One of them looked after the imperial heirs, was knowledgeable in incense and medicine, and managed to keep a firm grip on the most delicate and dangerous thread in the harem for her.

They did their jobs very well and were able to keep their subordinates in check.

Since the establishment of the female official system, it has been widely praised, and it's time to bring in a new batch of people next year.

In that case, their ranks should be elevated. Otherwise, if newcomers come from families with higher social standing than the two of them, they might be difficult to manage.

"Send a message back to the capital."

Fuling quickly replied, "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

"One new Palace Attendant will be appointed for each of the East and West Palaces, each of the fifth rank."

"Shen Meizhuang is the East Court Lady-in-West, and An Lingrong is the West Court Lady-in-West."

"Have the Imperial Household Department draft the regulations and send them over. After returning to the capital, I will personally issue the decree."

Fuling felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, but then couldn't help feeling happy for the two of them. She quickly bowed her head and replied, "Yes."

Yanzhi picked up the teacup again.

The tea is warm, slightly bitter at first, but with a very long-lasting sweet aftertaste.

Looking at the bright sunlight outside the window, her mood improved somewhat.

Only now has she truly won over An Lingrong.