The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Hongli was a prince. Although his birth mother died early and he was not favored in his childhood, he was later taken in by Consort Xi and everything he needed was made up for in one go.

This includes palace maids who were to undergo trial marriages.

That person also had the surname Fucha, but of course, he couldn't be compared to the Fucha clan of Shaji, where the Fujin (wife) resided.

Hongli felt that he had experienced this, so he could not be considered completely ignorant.

But how could he possibly care about the feelings of others?

He was a prince, a master. The palace maid who was to be his trial wife was just a toy given to him by his mother and father. Even if she was in pain or uncomfortable during the process, she only dared to bite her lip tightly, for fear of spoiling his fun.

No matter what happens afterward, she must grovel in gratitude, for to receive his favor is already an immense blessing for a palace maid undergoing trial marriage.

But to his surprise, when it came to the real Fujin (wife of the emperor), not a single word of her agreement was agreed to his request!

If you're too lenient, you'll complain that he's dawdling; if you're too harsh, you'll complain that he doesn't know his limits. One minute he'll say that he's uncomfortable from being pressed down for too long, and the next minute he'll mock him. That's all the time you need to do. Just fulfill your duty and that's enough. Don't overthink it!

Emperor Hongli was almost driven to his death by her!

But the more she complained, the less he would admit defeat; the more she said he couldn't do it, the more he wanted to prove himself!

The two of them, one unwilling to suffer injustice and the other unwilling to lose face, kept arguing from nightfall until the window paper gradually turned white and the dragon and phoenix red candles outside the tent burned down to a short stub before the room finally quieted down.

Hongli finally got his wish and no longer heard any complaints, criticisms, or disdain from that lousy mouth.

Her usually strong voice gradually faded, and she could barely finish her curses. In the end, she weakly told him to shut up.

Hongli remembered it clearly.

What she said was, "That's enough."

Rounding down is nothing short of begging for mercy.

So when he woke up the next day, before he even opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth had already involuntarily turned up, and he felt a little smug.

The moment he opened his eyes, he couldn't wait to look down, hoping to see his exhausted, unconscious new wife nestled in his arms like a limp rag doll—

Empty.

He paused for a moment, looked up and glanced around, and then saw Ruof in front of the dressing table.

Morning light streamed through the window screen, falling on her fair and rosy cheeks. She was wearing a newly changed light red casual dress, her dark hair cascading down her back. Zhaoying was combing her hair, while Chenguang stood beside her holding a jewelry box.

He was full of energy and radiant.

She was applying makeup when she suddenly saw Hongli awake in the bronze mirror. Her expression showed no shyness: "Awake?"

Hongli opened his mouth blankly.

Ruo Fu urged, "If you're awake, get up quickly. Your beloved concubine and the lovely Princess Gao are about to enter the house. If you're late, they'll complain to you. Remember, the grievances must be settled with the perpetrators."

Hongli's face darkened slightly, and he subconsciously wanted to retort, but the words caught in his throat as if he remembered something. He said casually, "If you're jealous, you don't need to beat around the bush. You are the primary consort bestowed upon me by Father Emperor, and they were also bestowed upon me by Father Emperor. Even if I want to take care of you, I cannot disobey the imperial decree."

As he spoke, he slowly sat up, intending to adopt a composed demeanor and then casually make a sarcastic remark, telling Ruofu not to think too much about him tonight.

Unexpectedly, just as her body left the pillow, a sudden soreness shot through her lower back.

Hongli froze, and subconsciously looked up at Ruofu, only to see his own reflection in the bronze mirror.

His eyes were faintly bluish, and his hair was a bit messy...

Standing next to his radiant and charming wife, he looked like a hapless scholar from a storybook who spent half the night in a deserted temple and had his life force drained by a mountain spirit.

Who won and who lost last night is clear at a glance.

With a sullen face, Hongli lifted the brocade quilt and prepared to get out of bed.

His movements paused again as soon as his foot touched the ground.

Ruo Fu saw in the mirror that he was supporting himself on the edge of the bed with one hand, and his other hand was instinctively pressed against his lower back. Finally, she couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Does your back hurt?"

Hongli immediately lowered his hand.

"It doesn't hurt."

Hongli stood up expressionlessly, trying to prove with his actions that he had no problem.

But after taking only two steps, his feet swayed almost imperceptibly, and his back stiffened as if someone were tying him up with a plank from behind.

Ruo Fu blinked, then considerately turned to instruct, "Zhao Ying, tell the kitchen to prepare an extra bowl of goat's milk broth and a stew of venison soup. If there's any squab left, stew one too, but remember to use less salt and keep it light."

Hongli's face darkened: "I don't need any more."

Ruofu went along with it, saying, "Yes, yes, it's not that Your Highness needs to replenish, it's that I, the Princess Consort, need to replenish. I really should."

Hongli stared at her.

Ruofu continued, "You've worked hard all night, and you have to meet with everyone in the manor today. How can you not eat something to keep up? If Your Highness is feeling peckish, you can have a couple of drinks. If not, we won't force you."

Hongli felt a lump in his throat.

The servants inside lowered their heads even further.

Seeing that he looked unwell, Ruofu became genuinely concerned: "But no matter what, you can't avoid seeking medical help. If the pain is really severe, remember to call the family physician to take a look and prescribe some medicine to improve blood circulation. You're so young, your back is a serious matter, you can't delay treatment just because you're worried about your appearance."

"I told you it doesn't hurt."

Hongli gritted his teeth.

"Okay, okay, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Ruo Fu readily agreed, but then turned to Chen Guang and said, "Anyway, just put it on the stew."

Shen Guang suppressed a laugh: "Yes."

As Hongli watched the master and servants singing in unison, he felt increasingly unable to stay in this room.

With a cold face and stiff movements, she walked out of the house and called Wang Qin to go to the washroom to wash up.

Just then, someone rushed in to report.

"Your Highness, the First Princess, the Second Princess, and Princess Gao's sedan chairs have entered the main street and will arrive in another quarter of an hour."

Hongli's expression shifted slightly, and he subconsciously quickened his pace. However, Ruofu turned back again, his tone extremely sincere: "Perhaps, Your Highness, you shouldn't go out."

"What did you say?"

"I suggest that Your Highness rest in your room first."

As Ruofu had Zhaoying put earrings on her, she slowly said, "The Left and Right Consorts and the Princess are coming to the manor, so the important thing is for them to pay their respects to me. Whether you are there or not is not important. Take this time to rest and recharge so that no one will notice anything amiss tonight."

Hongli's temples throbbed as he listened, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke each word: "I am perfectly fine!"

Ruofu glanced at him, sighed softly, and said with great understanding, "I'm only thinking of you. Think about it, today is the first day your childhood sweetheart happily enters the manor. If you look haggard and walk unsteadily, she'll inevitably worry. What will you say if she asks? You can't exactly say that you talked all night with your new wife by candlelight until your back and legs ached, can you?"

Hongli gritted his teeth: "Fucha, are you trying to provoke me? You're pretending to advise me to rest, but you actually want me to come back tonight and continue with you—"

Hongli was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized there was a group of people standing in the room, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

But Ruofu already understood.

She chose to kill the game with a single word:

"Oh."

Hongli's face flushed red.

"What do you mean?"

Ruofu had already turned back to the mirror, letting Zhaoying put the last hairpin on her head, and casually said, "It doesn't mean anything. Your Highness is exceptionally gifted and has boundless energy, so naturally I was overthinking it."

"you!"

"The auspicious time is almost here."

Wang Qin had to remind the two ancestors who were so engrossed in their bickering that they couldn't extricate themselves.

Hongli could only glare at her fiercely before turning and heading towards the washroom.

As soon as he stepped out of the inner room, avoiding the gazes of Ruofu and the maids who had accompanied him, his straight back immediately relaxed.

Hongli paused, one hand bracing against the door frame.

Wang Qin was startled and quickly stepped forward to support him: "Sir?"

"Shut up."

Hongli gritted his teeth, took a few steps with Wang Qin's help, and after making sure no one was following behind, lowered his voice and said, "Go find some ointment."

Wang Qin was stunned for a moment.

"What ointment?"

Hongli slowly turned his head to look at him, his eyes were frighteningly gloomy.

Wang Qin immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "This servant understands. This servant will go find some ointment to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, relax muscles, and relieve pain."

"Go quietly!"

"Yes, sir."