The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The two maids quickly agreed and left with the things in their arms.

From Qingzhi Courtyard to the main courtyard, they almost traversed half of the Prince's mansion. The two maids walked quickly, beads of sweat appearing on their noses. When they finally reached the outside of the main courtyard, they happened to meet Shen Guang.

Shen Guang couldn't help but wonder, "Didn't I tell you to pack up A'Ruo's things, send them directly out of the West Gate, and hand them over to Wei Da so he could deliver them to the Ulanara Mansion? Why did you come back again?"

"Replying to Sister Chenguang, it was Sister Suxin who asked us to come here first."

The older maidservant quickly explained what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Shen Guang's expression hardened slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

"Let me see it."

The two maids then put down the bundle.

Chen Guang looked through them one by one, but they were all clothes and jewelry that A Ruo usually wore. Although there were a few nice items, they were not over the bounds of regulations, and there were no letters or notes.

She felt a little relieved and was about to re-tie the bundle when the maid suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "There's also this. It was specially taken out by Consort Qing from her room at the end, saying it was for treating Sister A'Ruo's injuries."

Shen Guang calmly accepted it, uncorked it, smelled it carefully, and then used a clean silver hairpin to pick out a tiny bit of ointment.

The ointment is clear and has a cool smell; it is indeed an excellent external wound medicine.

"Alright, there's no problem. You can take it there."

"Yes."

The two maids then picked up their bundles again and ran all the way to the West Gate, where they handed them over to the coachman who was waiting there.

After finishing their errands, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, we're done. My legs are about to give out."

"Me too."

The two walked hand in hand back to the servants' quarters in the main courtyard. As soon as they entered, they saw two bowls of steaming sweet soup on the table, with two red envelopes next to them. The maid in the same room said that they were given by the Princess Consort and that everyone received one. They were overjoyed and immediately opened the red envelopes.

Inside the red envelope was a perfectly round, lustrous little pearl.

The other is a small silver nude shaped like a peanut.

"Well, I must have at least two coins' worth!"

"How come you're so lucky? No, no, let me touch it, so I can share in your good fortune."

The two maids burst into laughter, their fatigue from running errands instantly vanishing.

After taking a couple of sips of the sweet soup, the little maid who had received the pearl couldn't help but recall the scene at Qingzhi Courtyard earlier. She pouted and said, "The Princess Consort is so generous! You know, this Qingce Princess Consort is really strange. Although Sister A'Ruo is usually sharp-tongued, every time she argues with someone else, it's always for Qingce Princess Consort's sake. This time she suffered even more, receiving a full thirty lashes and being kicked out of the Prince's mansion. Qingce Princess Consort said she had something for her, and I originally thought it was something good."

She held up her palm and gestured: "And all it was was such a tiny jar of medicine, not even half the size of my hand. We grew up together, master and servant for over ten years. Over ten years! And this is all it's worth, just a jar of medicine?"

Another maidservant stuffed the silver ingot back into the red envelope and nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "That's right! My godmother works in Qingzhi Courtyard and told me long ago that Consort Qing almost never gives anything away during festivals. It's a pity that the Prince dotes on her so much, sending all sorts of good things to Qingzhi Courtyard like water, but she can't let even a drop slip through her fingers."

"My godmother is a manager, and she's quite respected. She's been in Qingzhi Courtyard for over half a year now, and the total reward money she's received isn't even as much as I've earned today! She says if she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have tried so hard to get into Qingzhi Courtyard through connections and gifts. She's really regretting it to the core!"

The maidservant, Little Pearl, was immediately puzzled: "Then why did your godmother insist on going to Qingzhi Courtyard in the first place? Wasn't it good enough for the Fujin here?"

"Oh dear!" Another looked around and lowered her voice, "This is all the fault of the Imperial Household Department! When they were choosing a primary and secondary consort for the Prince, they insisted that the Prince only favored Consort Qing, and that he wouldn't have married a primary consort at all if it weren't for the imperial decree. The old lady thought that while the primary consort was certainly respectable, she was still the principal wife, and everything had to be done according to the rules. How could a favored concubine be willing to spend money like that? But who knew..."

The little pearl maid chuckled: "So you bet on the wrong horse!"

"I'm only telling you this, so you must keep it a secret."

"Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped!"

The two huddled together affectionately and began sharing the snacks on the table.

Halfway through the meal, the little pearl maid suddenly remembered something: "Hey, tell me, Consort Qing is so stingy, why is Sister A'Ruo still so devoted to her? What's she after?"

"Are you stupid? What else could you possibly want? Didn't you hear Sister Aruo always talking about being part of your dowry? A dowry, a dowry—that's something you bring along as part of the dowry. Tell me, who are you going to marry?"

The little pearl maid's eyes widened: "No wonder! What a pity, she'll get nothing now, she's been sent back!"

"It might not have been her turn anyway. My godmother said that Consort Qing has her eye on someone else."

"Who is it?"

"My godmother didn't say it explicitly, but she said that her trusted confidants, who have been with her since childhood, know too much. If she were given to the prince and gained his favor, they might not be loyal to their original master. It would be a loss for them. It would be better to find someone with a weaker foundation, give them a good beating first, and then give them a sweet treat. This way, they will both fear and be grateful to you, and they will naturally obey."

The little pearl maid looked completely bewildered: "What do you mean?"

"How would I know? My godmother always talks like that, her sentences are always convoluted and roundabout. I only remember that it was something like that."

"It's too hard to understand," sighed Little Pearl, the maid. "No wonder my mother always told me, 'If you can see it, see it; if you can learn it, learn it; if you can't see it or learn it, just shut up and get to work. Eat more and work more, you can't go wrong.'"

"Absolutely!"

The two nodded in deep agreement.

The next moment, the maid who had taken the silver ingot suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no, I must drink less of this sweet soup and save some for my godmother. She's in Qingzhi Courtyard, and she might not even have any sweet soup this year."

The two of them laughed again.

Outside the window, Hailan sat in the shadows against the wall, her face so pale it was almost bloodless.

The short stick from last night was still lying beside her.

Since being brought into the main courtyard by the Fujin last night, she had barely slept a wink. Whenever she closed her eyes, the image of the body pressing down on her would resurface in her mind, along with the slick, disgusting feeling on her lips that made her tremble all over.

She had wiped her mouth again and again, until the corners of her lips were chapped, but she still felt that sensation was still there.

Just when I'm about to fall asleep, I'm jolted awake as if someone is pressing me down again.

Finally, dawn broke, and after eating the sweet soup that the princess had brought, my stomach felt a little better after drinking it hot.

But then she immediately heard that Consort Qing was ahead of her, trying to get a formal title for her.

At that moment, Hailan felt a chill run through her body.

status.

If she were to receive a title, she would become a true princess in the prince's harem.

From now on, the man who forced his way into her room last night and pinned her to the bed to kiss her will rightfully become her husband.

If he touches her again, she cannot hit him, she cannot run away.

Even fear must be hidden.

Hailan's fingertips trembled with fear whenever she thought of this.

Fortunately, it was later heard that not only did the Fujin not respond, but she also punished Qingce Fujin, confining her to her quarters for three months. Even A'ruo, who was always arrogant and never gave him a friendly look, was given thirty lashes and expelled from the palace.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The princess saved her again!

As soon as this thought arose, the gratitude and unease in her heart grew even stronger. She felt that she had received too much care from the Fujin for no reason, and she felt uneasy even sitting down if she didn't do something.

The concubine, being considerate of her fright, specially instructed that she need not do any work today.

Hailan didn't dare to disturb others, and stayed in the room alone for a long time. In the end, she took the short stick and quietly found this secluded corner to practice.

Before long, they heard two maids chatting idly about Qingzhi Courtyard through the window.

Consort Qing, A'Ruo, dowry attendants...

Another one with shallow roots.

Give a beating, then give a sweet treat.

Make her grateful, make her obedient.

Hailan's heart was gradually and tightly gripped by an invisible hand.