The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

When Hongli finished tidying up and returned to his bedroom, Ruofu was already dressed and sitting at the round table having breakfast.

The table was laden with an extremely lavish spread.

There are crystal shrimp dumplings, shredded siu mai, chestnut cake, and soft steamed flower rolls, as well as a bowl of steaming hot chicken porridge.

There was even a bowl of venison soup and a bowl of goat milk pudding.

Hongli stood at the door for a moment, and a surge of anger inexplicably rose in his heart again.

Why didn't you wait for me?

Ruofu swallowed what was in her mouth, looked up at him, and asked, "What are you waiting for me to do?"

"Shouldn't a husband and wife wait for me when they dine together?"

"No one told me about this rule when I got married yesterday."

Ruofu wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and gestured for the maid to add another half bowl of porridge. "Besides," she said, "there's so much food on the table, surely you'll have enough to eat? If you had come back any later, would I have gone hungry?"

Emperor Hongli said displeasedly, "As a wife, you don't even know how to serve your husband meals?"

"Don't you still have Wang Qin?" Ruofu was very puzzled. "If I'm here to serve you food, then what's Wang Qin for? To manage the affairs of the court and bear your children?"

Wang Qin had just stepped across the threshold when he heard this and almost tripped.

Hongli was in a state of mental stagnation.

He knew that this woman was incredibly difficult to reason with once she opened her mouth. If he continued to argue, she could always come up with ten twisted arguments. Besides, he was indeed exhausted from last night and was already hungry. Smelling the aroma of the food on the table, he simply didn't have the energy to argue with her anymore.

He sat down with a cold face, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

After the two had rinsed their mouths, someone came again to urge them, saying that the concubine and the princess were already waiting outside the main hall, and that it was indeed almost time.

If Ruofu helped Chenguang to his feet, Hongli also stood up.

But when he stood up, his waist stiffened again.

If Fu were to speak without thinking,

Hongli immediately turned his head and stared at her warningly.

Ruo Fu swallowed back the "slow down" that was on the tip of his tongue, and a very considerate smile appeared on his face.

"What I mean is, rules are important, but so is your health. If Your Highness goes out walking unsteadily, people will think I did something to you last night."

Hongli sneered: "Don't you have any?"

Ruof blinked.

"Your Highness, what you're saying is quite something. It was clearly you who refused to sleep during the latter half of last night."

Hongli's expression changed repeatedly.

First it was red, then white, and finally it faintly turned bluish, just like a large dye vat that had just been pulled out of the dye house.

The servants inside all lowered their heads, but their shoulders were trembling violently.

Hongli suddenly realized that the Fucha family might not have married their daughter to him in order to assist him.

It was to infuriate him.

The main hall of Prince Bao's mansion had already been prepared.

When Ruofu and Hongli entered, Qingying and Gaoxiyue were standing in the hall, each supported by a nanny, with their red veils covering their faces.

Today, Qingying is wearing the auspicious robes of a concubine. Although she cannot enter the mansion through the main gate, her entourage is still quite dignified.

Gao Xiyue wore a wedding dress in the style of a princess.

Her father, Gao Bin, has recently been given important responsibilities. Although she has only received the title of Princess, the Imperial Household Department does not dare to neglect her too much. There are quite a few people accompanying her and carrying her sedan chair. However, compared to Qingying, she is still far inferior, and even her standing position has to be half a step back.

Ruofu glanced at it and couldn't help but sigh at the strangeness of the Qing Dynasty's rules.

As a prince and his wife, they were not required to go to the palace to express their gratitude on the second day after their wedding.

There's no need to kowtow to thank the emperor for bestowing the marriage, nor to thank the elders for raising him; he can simply stay in the mansion and take in his concubines.

Although Ruofu felt it was absurd, he was not entirely without relief.

Fortunately, I didn't have to get up before dawn to go to the palace.

Otherwise, after all that commotion last night, having to wear heavy formal attire and those awful platform shoes this morning, and kowtow all the way to the palace to pay her respects, even someone with the best constitution couldn't withstand such an ordeal.

Ruofu and Hongli sat on the left and right sides of the center, respectively.

Emperor Hongli was still wearing a bright red wedding robe.

Ruo Fu then wore a bright red everyday dress.

The nanny loudly announced the ceremony.

With the help of the matchmaker, Qingying and Gao Xiyue knelt down and respectfully bowed to Hongli and Ruofu.

"This humble servant greets Your Highness and Your Highness's wife."

The maid brought over two trays.

Ruo Fu first took a jade bracelet of excellent quality and personally handed it to Qing Ying, and then took a bracelet of red gold inlaid with white jade and gave it to Gao Xiyue as a reward.

The gifts, in terms of both material and style, were differentiated according to the two individuals' titles, leaving no room for criticism.

"Now that you've entered the household, you're all one family."

Ruofu's tone wasn't stern; it even carried a hint of a smile: "Although the Prince's residence doesn't have as many rules as the palace, it's not an ordinary small household where you can do whatever you want. I've already instructed the people I sent to serve you in each courtyard to follow the rules. Once you've settled in, someone will explain them to you in detail."

Qingying and Gao Xiyue responded in unison.

Ruofu continued, "I only have one thing to tell you: in this life, one's duty and adherence to rules are of utmost importance. Everyone should do what is appropriate for their status. Masters should have the demeanor of masters, and servants should have the sense of propriety of servants. The distinction between嫡庶 (legitimate and illegitimate children) and 尊卑 (superior and inferior) must never be disordered."

"I will certainly not mistreat those who follow the rules. If you have been wronged, just tell me, and I will investigate and give you justice."

"But if someone refuses to follow the rules, taking advantage of the prince's extra glance, they don't know their place, or they form cliques in the inner quarters, spreading rumors and causing unrest in the manor—"

Then don't blame me for turning ruthless.

The hall was quiet.

Gao Xiyue couldn't see Ruofu's expression through the veil, but she could sense the weight of those words. Her heart tightened, and she quickly whispered, "This concubine will obey the teachings of the Fujin."

Qingying echoed in agreement.

Although she felt a moment of displeasure, she did not show it.

Lady Fucha comes from a distinguished family and is now the rightful primary consort. As a newcomer to the household, I cannot afford to confront her directly at this time.

Ruo Fu, seeing that the two had behaved properly, softened his expression: "Get up. You've only just entered the manor today, there's no need to stand here for long. Go back to your courtyards and settle in. If there's anything you need, just come and let me know."

Qingying and Gao Xiyue thanked her and each accepted the bracelet.

Emperor Hongli didn't say much throughout the entire process.

He had originally thought that Ruofu would take the opportunity to make things difficult for Qingying, or even deliberately intimidate her in front of everyone. Unexpectedly, although Ruofu spoke the rules sternly, he was not lacking in manners on the surface, and even prepared the rewards properly.

Hongli breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He was about to instruct people to take good care of Qingying when Ruofu, supporting Chenguang's hand, stood up and took two steps. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned back to look at Hongli.

"By the way, Your Highness."

A sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Hongli's heart.

"What's wrong now?"

Ruofu asked with concern, "How is Your Highness's back? What did the doctor say? Is it... advisable to overexert yourself tonight?"

The hall fell silent.

Hongli's face instantly turned frighteningly dark.

Wang Qin stood to the side, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Hongli gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "No need for your concern, Madam."

"That's good."

Ruo Fu looked relieved, and with Chen Guang's help, gracefully returned to the main courtyard.

He ordered the courtyard gate to be closed, and Ruofu paid no further attention to where Hongli was going.

She first had someone open the dowry chests and check each item according to the dowry list.

The dowry prepared for her by the Fucha family was extremely generous, including gold, silver, jewelry, silks, antiques, and paintings, not to mention farmland, shops, and several residences in the suburbs of Beijing. The account books alone filled two whole chests.

Ruo Fu's eyes lit up when he saw the stacks of account books.

Things only truly belong to you when they are recorded in the books and held in your own hands.

Especially the estates and shops; as long as they are managed well, they can send money back to her every year!

If you sit down at the table, casually open a shop ledger, and the more you look at it, the better you feel.

"Have all the stewards, eunuchs, and matrons from the manor been summoned?"

"Zhaoying has already gone to deliver the message; they should all be here in about fifteen minutes."

Shen Guang went behind Ruo Fu and gently massaged her shoulders. He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Everything the Fujin asked for has been put away properly. The side Fujin's courtyard, the Gege's courtyard, and the place where Fucha Gege originally lived—nothing has been left out."

Ruo Fu paused for a moment while flipping through the account books.

Shen Guang continued, "According to the Princess Consort's wishes, the royal physician was first asked to privately take Princess Fucha's pulse to confirm that she was not pregnant before the arrangement was made as instructed by the Princess Consort."

Ruofu hummed in agreement.

"Well done."

She looked up at Chen Guang, her eyes filled with approval: "I knew you were capable of great things."

Shen Guang lowered her head and said, "Serving the Fujin is my duty."

Ruof reopened the ledger, his tone remarkably calm: "This prescription is quite rare. It doesn't require people to drink those bitter medicines every day, nor does it tamper with what they put in their mouths. It simply means they can carry it with them, delaying their joy for a while. It's a rare and gentle approach."

Ever since she learned of the existence of Linglingxiang in the original story, she has been convinced that it is a good thing, especially for the main wife.

She had no intention of taking anyone's life, nor did she want anyone to suffer any losses as a result. However, she would never agree to watch as one of her concubines became pregnant before her and gave birth to a son born out of wedlock.

Ruofu never considered herself a saint. Everyone has their own relationships, so naturally she would first think about her own children.

"Once I give birth to my legitimate son, I will remove all these things," Ruofu said. "At that time, whoever is capable can give birth. As long as they follow the rules, even if they give birth to ten or eight, the Prince's Mansion can afford to raise them."

Shen Guang said in a low voice, "Master is still kind-hearted."

Ruo Fu nodded in deep agreement.

"That's natural."

In the Qing Dynasty, while the status of the eldest son of the principal wife was certainly prestigious, the troubles brought by the eldest son of a concubine were never lacking in any dynasty.

Rather than waiting for trouble to arise and then having to deal with it, it's better to avoid it altogether from the start.

Only when both the legitimate and eldest children are in power can she truly ensure everything is foolproof.

Ruo Fu thought more and more that he had made the right arrangements, so he lowered his head and started flipping through the account books again.

Soon, footsteps could be heard outside. The eunuchs, nannies, accountants, and heads of various courtyards who were originally in charge of the Prince's Mansion lined up under the corridor one after another, waiting to kowtow and pay their respects to the new Princess Consort.

Ruofu closed the ledger, sat up straight, and cleared his throat: "Let them in."

The languor and laughter from just moments ago vanished without a trace.

She merely raised her chin slightly, and her expression naturally conveyed the authority of someone who had long held a high position and was in charge of the household affairs.

-

Meanwhile, Hongli and Qingying were deeply in love.

"It's rare to see you sitting so properly; it's really not something I'm used to."

"I'm not used to it either."

"How about I lift the veil for you so you can relax a bit?"

Qingying sensed the restraint and tenderness in the young man's words, and felt a mix of shyness, sweetness, and a hint of secret pride.

She knew that if it were the primary consort or any other woman, Hongli would never have spoken in such a tone.

He only acts this way when he's with me.

"it is good."

Qingying responded softly, unusually obedient.

Hongli smiled gently and bent down—

The smile vanished from his face the next moment.