The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

As soon as Yan Zhi stepped onto the path, he saw that Yin Wu was already waiting there.

The night was quiet, and the river breeze was cool. A table of food and wine was set out on the terrace, and the lamplight illuminated each dish, all of which were foods she had casually mentioned liking along the way.

Yan Zhi's heart softened immediately upon seeing this, and she scolded, "Where did all these tricks come from?"

Yinwu, however, argued, "It's lively during the day, but I'm always surrounded by people, which makes me feel uncomfortable. It's better to be in the palace, at least in the evening I can sit alone with you, talk, and read books."

As he spoke, he pulled her to sit down next to him.

Yan felt a warmth in his heart, so he stopped laughing at him and instead picked out a few of his favorite dishes for him, saying gently, "Okay. It'll just be the two of us tonight."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then raised their glasses and clinked them together lightly.

After several rounds of drinks, the night deepened, and starlight reflected on the distant water, with the boat gently bobbing on the river.

The two sat close together, shoulder to shoulder, watching the scattered stars in the sky.

As Yinwu gazed at the distant night scene, he suddenly sighed, "Jiangnan is beautiful, but it's too delicate. If we were in the borderlands, we could have ridden dozens of miles away by now, instead of being so restrained."

Upon hearing this, Yanzhi turned to look at him and suddenly said, "Then let's go to the borderlands next year."

"Perfect timing for border patrol."

Yinwu was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard, but the next moment his eyes lit up with surprise: "Really? Then I'll go back and have people prepare. You mustn't lie to me."

Seeing his delighted expression, Yanzhi couldn't help but smile: "I'm not kidding you. But you'll have to talk to Hongwei about it."

"What's so difficult about that?" Yinwu immediately sat up straighter, quite pleased with himself. "Just you wait and see, convincing my eldest and second brothers will be a piece of cake."

Hongwei is now closest to his two imperial uncles. If he can persuade them, his little son will be a piece of cake.

Yan Zhi laughed.

After a while, Yinwu turned to look at her again and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? You don't mind that I'm lazy and shirking my duties?"

"When did I say that?" Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly and retorted without hesitation: "It's clearly you who thinks I'm dull and old-fashioned, and that I'm too hasty in doing things, so you're always given endless work."

Yinwu immediately reached out and hugged her even tighter, laughing, "Then it seems we really are a match made in heaven. You lead me to exertion, and I lead you to relaxation; you give me work, and I give you leisure. We'll just keep working and relaxing like this, with a good balance of tension and relaxation, living in harmony and happiness. Even the gods would envy us."

Yan Zhi chuckled at his words, raised her hand and gently lifted his chin, her tone a mix of teasing and seriousness: "Yes, I've said it before, you're the perfect match for me."

In short, it made the night seem even softer.

This southern tour lasted for a full three months.

The cost was considerable, but the result was well worth it.

Yanzhi felt very happy.

Over the years, she has rarely taken such a complete break.

Now, with family by my side and my loved one by my side, I have seen the mountains and rivers and enjoyed the beauty of nature, which brings me a great sense of fulfillment.

Yinwu was even happier.

Along the way, the Empress treated him much more gently and affectionately than before, and indulged him even more, to the point that she would agree to almost anything he said.

The inexplicable connection between the two seemed to have deepened considerably since their time as princes.

He quickly came to a conclusion—

Although the positions of Emperor and Empress are prestigious, they still involve too much work.

We must find a way to lighten the Empress's burden.

In this way, the Empress could devote more attention to romantic encounters with him.

So on the way back, Yinwu often secretly began to plan the next imperial concubine selection, the division of power in the court, and...

How can we help Hongwei grow up quickly so that he can take on important responsibilities on his own as soon as possible?

Unfortunately, his plans were soon interrupted by an urgent report.

The day the message was delivered to the ship, the sky was overcast and the river wind was strong.

When Li Dening brought in the secret report, his expression was very unpleasant.

As soon as the secret fold was unfolded, the room fell silent.

Yinzhen committed murder.

They killed someone else.

It was his own nephew, the fourth son of his elder brother Yinzhen, named Hongli.

The cause was also absurd.

One of Yinzhen's newly acquired concubines was having an affair with Hongli, which he caught in the act.

In a fit of rage, Yinzhen drew his sword and killed both of them.

Still not satisfied, he wanted to tear the adulterous couple to pieces. Fortunately, Hongshi noticed something was wrong and quickly went to find Thirteen for help, which barely saved Hongli's body.

Holding Hongli's body, Hongshi broke down in tears and said to Yinzhen, "Even if Hongli was at fault, he was still my fourteenth uncle's nephew. How could my fourteenth uncle have come to this? She was just a woman—"

"Just a woman?"

Yinzhen interrupted him directly, sneering, "No wonder. Ulanara Qingying was originally the consort your mother chose for you, but now she's been tricked into going with him. They've even exchanged tokens of love, and her body might not even be clean anymore. You knew all about it, yet you didn't care. What a deep brotherly affection."

Hongshi's expression changed drastically.

He disliked Qingying from the start, finding her arrogant and hypocritical. He claimed to be visiting his stepmother, but in reality, he wouldn't even step into the courtyard, afraid that the smell of medicine would soil her new clothes.

His mother had only mentioned it once, but he rejected it without hesitation. He couldn't possibly be worthy of such a noblewoman.

But Qingying kept coming to his door, and fearing trouble, Hongli volunteered to shield her.

How did it become a deception?

Where did this token of love come from?

Hongshi was almost speechless.

But Yinzhen was still not going to let him off the hook, and with a cold smile, he added another blow:

"What brothers? His mother, Li Jingui, was nothing more than the ugliest, lowest-ranking slave girl found in the hunting grounds. Your Ninth Uncle specially hired her to humiliate your father. Whether they actually slept together that night, nobody knows. Whether she's your father's child or not, whether she's your brother or not, is still up in the air. You idiot, back then, to humiliate your father, we forced him to admit to this, and he was so ashamed that he left her in the garden to avoid seeing her. And you, you eagerly invited her back, almost getting sold off and then counting the money for her. You're such a fool."