The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"Princess!"

That afternoon, Qingying sat by the window as usual, holding a book of poems in her hands, but she didn't turn a single page for a long time. She only occasionally picked up her teacup to take a sip and stared blankly at the fallen leaves in the courtyard.

A'Ruo suddenly walked in from outside like a gust of wind, her expression very strange.

"What's wrong?" Qingying asked.

Aruo quickly walked to Qingying's side: "Princess, do you know that these days, the Fujin has actually gathered all the maids serving in the mansion together to teach them some self-defense skills?"

"What skills do you have?"

Qingying didn't react for a moment.

"Self-defense skills!"

Aruo explained, "They say that when a young lady goes out, she must know how to protect herself. If she encounters a bad person, she can't just cry for help. She must learn to protect her vitals and break free from restraints. If she's even more capable, she can beat the bad person until they're crying for their parents and running away in terror!"

"The Princess Consort has hired two skilled nannies from somewhere, and borrowed several maids who know martial arts from the Fucha family. Every afternoon, they teach for an hour in the empty courtyard in the west. All the maids in our mansion, whether they are personal servants or in the needlework room, tea room, flower room, or even the embroidery room, can learn as long as they are willing to go."

"The lady also said that after a full month of study, each person would receive an extra five hundred coins."

"Not only that, the Princess Consort also specially ordered a batch of sticks to be made, about this long—"

She gestured with her hand.

"They should ideally carry it with them during the day and keep it by their bedside at night, so they can easily reach it!"

Qingying was even more puzzled: "Why is the Princess Consort suddenly doing these things?"

"Who knows?"

A'Ruo pursed her lips and finally blurted out what she had been holding back for half a day: "This is Prince Bao's mansion, not some dilapidated temple in the mountains. There are guards patrolling outside and eunuchs and maids inside. What kind of madman would dare to come to the backyard and lay a hand on a maid?"

"The front and back yards were clearly separated. The only men who could come to the back yard were either eunuchs working in the palace or the prince... Why is the princess so blatantly teaching self-defense..."

As A'Ruo was speaking, she suddenly raised her hand and gently tapped her temples twice.

"Princess, do you think our Princess Consort is here...?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Qingying immediately frowned and interrupted her.

A vague thought flashed through her mind very quickly.

But the thought flashed by so quickly that she couldn't grasp it before it vanished without a trace.

Qingying decided not to delve any further, and simply said, "This is getting more and more absurd. The Fujin is the head of the Prince's household, and she must have her reasons for making these arrangements. Even if there is something wrong with it, she will have to bear the consequences herself."

Qingying picked up her teacup, her tone slightly more serious: "We just need to focus on doing our own thing."

Aruo reluctantly replied, "Yes."

She dared not say it aloud, but she still felt it was absurd.

What self-defense techniques do the maids in the Prince's mansion learn?

Is there really any woman who would be willing to refuse the prince?

joke.

-

Aruo wasn't the only one with the same thought.

In Gao Xiyue's courtyard, Granny Dai looked at the bustling scene inside the room, hesitated several times before finally refraining from offering any words of advice.

Gao Xiyue had just returned from training in the empty courtyard in the west. Her forehead was still covered with a layer of fine sweat, her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were surprisingly bright.

Before she could even change her clothes, she grabbed the newly acquired short stick and excitedly discussed the moves she had just learned with Xingxuan and Moxin.

Granny Dai couldn't help but say, "Princess, you are of noble birth and are always protected by others. Why would you need these things?"

"It's better if we don't need it."

Gao Xiyue didn't care at all: "But it's better to learn than not to learn. The Princess said that this is called being prepared! On ordinary days, it's just like exercising, so that if something really happens, at least we won't just cry."

She swung the short stick twice with great interest, causing some teacups on the table to fall over.

Mo Xin swiftly grabbed the teacup and took it away, startling Granny Dai so much that she took a half step back.

Gao Xiyue, however, was completely oblivious and remained engrossed in it, unable to extricate herself.

After a moment of silence, and glancing at her princess's cheerful expression, the doubts in her heart lessened.

That's it.

Most likely it was just the wife having a whim and leading the women in the household in a playful charade.

Although the Fujin was the mistress of the inner palace, she was ruthless in setting rules, but in private she loved lively gatherings and got along exceptionally well with her own princess. Whenever the two of them got together, they always had endless things to talk about.

If someone could get along well with her own princess, and their status was low, Granny Dai would suspect that they had ulterior motives and wanted to use Gao Xiyue to curry favor with the Gao family.

But the princess was clearly the one in a superior position.

If you can play together, it's probably because you're truly compatible.

Since the princess is happy and the wife is willing to indulge her, let them be.

-

Wang Qin was not as optimistic as Granny Dai.

He stood outside the empty courtyard on the west side, watching a group of maids inside who were wielding short sticks and shouting loudly. Among them was the embroiderer, Keliye, whom the prince had asked him to keep an eye on. He felt a chill run down his spine when he saw how diligently and earnestly she was learning, and how powerfully she wielded the short stick with her slender hands.

A terrible thought suddenly popped into Wang Qin's mind:

Surely the princess consort couldn't have come here specifically for the prince, could she?

He quickly shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind.

No, no.

How could the princess consort know the prince's thoughts?

The prince took a liking to Lady Keliyete only a few days ago. He only privately instructed him to investigate once, and at that time the words were whispered in his ear. He never let a word of it out to anyone else.

Even when checking the roster of the embroidery workshop, he went through several roundabout ways. First, he asked his eunuchs to inquire, and then the eunuchs would ask the people in the needlework workshop to find out.

The Princess Consort couldn't possibly know.

Besides, which woman in this mansion doesn't hope to catch the prince's eye?

Keliyete was an orphan who worked in the embroidery workshop. How much was her monthly allowance? She had to work with her head down every day, and if she was not careful, she would be scolded by the supervisor. If she was lucky, she might be able to marry a eunuch after ten or eight years. If she was unlucky, she would have to serve him until she was old.

However, if a prince takes her into his household, even if she is initially just an untitled concubine, she will immediately be served, have a courtyard to live in, and be dressed in fine silks and satins.

If she were to gain even more favor, be elevated to the rank of princess, and have another son or daughter, she would have someone to rely on for the rest of her life.

This is a blessing that many people would beg for.

How could I not be willing?

So no, no.

Wang Qin repeatedly reassured himself.

Fortunately, the prince never asked about this Keliyete woman again after that.

Now that the Princess Consort is pregnant again and can no longer serve the Prince, she has taken the initiative to rearrange the days for serving the Prince. As a result, both Princess Gao and Princess Fucha have received more favor during this period.

The prince is either busy with court affairs or walking around several courtyards every day. It seems that with so many things to do, he has temporarily forgotten about the embroiderer he has only met twice.

It's better to forget it, it's better to just forget it!