The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Hongli had no choice but to have a meal first.

After the meal was nearly finished, he waved for the wet nurse to take Hualan away, and then told the servants in the room to move back. Only then did he speak, his tone even carrying a barely perceptible hint of flattery:

"I heard that it was just a few packets of medicine sent from the Ulanara residence, and Qingying took a few of her own things to help her family. It's nothing, my lady. You don't know, but the Ulanara family has indeed been in a difficult situation these past two years."

Although her aunt was the Empress, she was imprisoned by order of her father, and her father was not capable of supporting the family. The family's expenses were largely covered by her mother's dowry.

Qingying was merely thinking of her maternal family and wanted to fulfill her filial duty. She was also shy and afraid that if she revealed the truth, she would be ashamed to face Xiyue and Zhuying, the other princesses, in the inner courtyard. That's why she acted this way. I know that the Princess Consort is always kind-hearted; this time, I'll let her off the hook!

He tried to be charming by saying a few words, but Ruof looked at him seriously and asked in return:

"Who's stopping her from being filial?"

Hongli was taken aback.

Ruo Fu said, "It's only natural for a daughter to miss her parents' home; who can laugh at her for that? But filial piety is one thing, but if the way you do it is wrong, it's still unacceptable!"

"Those items aren't her private property. They were gifts from the palace during festivals, or things you took from the Prince's treasury to give her. Just because you gave them to her doesn't mean they disappeared from the Prince's treasury!"

If she doesn't like it, she can simply return it to the storeroom. If she's really in a hurry to help her family, she can come and talk to me. Whether it's in silver or something else, there's always a way.

But her secretly smuggling things out without saying a word is a different matter.

Ruofu got more and more excited as she spoke: "Who doesn't have a family to rely on? My mother just brought Fuheng to visit me a few days ago, didn't she? I gave her quite a few things when she left! Not to mention Xiyue's father, he's always stuffing things into our mansion, sometimes coming twice a day. Doesn't she ever give anything in return? The Zhu Ying family are all a bunch of scoundrels, let's not even mention them. In short, who else is like Qingying, sneaking around like a thief? And she even deliberately sent Suxin away!"

Ruo Fu snorted coldly: "You say she's concerned about saving face? I'd say she's hiding something! She doesn't keep a record of all the things she gives away. What if she forgets which one she gave away tomorrow and assumes some servant stole it? And then, after investigating, they find that the servant actually has two extra items in their room? What will we do then? Who will we believe?"

Hongli immediately frowned, his tone solemn: "Qingying is not that kind of person."

"She isn't, but she's stupid!"

If you don't blurt it out.

Hongli: ...

"She's stupid, there are plenty of people who can use her!" Ruofu argued vehemently, "She's always so forgetful, what else could she be but giving people ammunition against her? Who knows if her subordinates will use her name to smuggle out their own agendas, or frame others?"

Hongli was speechless.

I wanted to refute it, but I couldn't find the words.

"Besides, even if she really didn't have bad intentions, she's meticulous in her work and leaves no trace..." Ruofu said, then laughed to himself.

Hongli: ...He hated that he understood.

If Qingying were truly so meticulous in her actions, how could she have been caught red-handed by Hailan at the door today?

Ruofu continued, "Even if you have no ill intentions, you can't do things like this! I am the primary wife, and I am in charge of the whole family!"

If she has difficulties, why doesn't she come and tell me?

"If it's really as you said, she's shy and doesn't want others to know how much she sent to her family, she could just tell me privately, and I'd have someone keep a secret record for her. Do you expect me to shout it from the rooftops throughout the entire palace, saying her family has fallen on hard times? Why does she have to go through all this trouble, doing it so secretly!"

Ruof sneered, "I think what she's afraid of isn't others laughing at the Ulanara family's current decline; what she's afraid of is having to beg me! She's terrified that if she bows her head and begs me, she'll truly be subservient to me from now on!"

Hongli was speechless again.

After a long pause, she said weakly, "Qingying...wouldn't think that way! Why does Your Highness have to say such hurtful things?"

"Was I being rude?" Ruof glared at him. "Did she do it well?"

Hongli could not answer.

"You think this is the only thing she misunderstood?"

Ruo Fu suddenly stood up, walked to the side of the multi-treasure pavilion, picked up a wrapped medicine packet, and turned around to put it on the table.

"This is what really matters!"

Hongli glanced at it, and his tone immediately softened: "This packet of fertility-enhancing medicine was given to her by her own mother, and she took it herself."

Ruo Fu's eyes widened suddenly: "If whatever she says is true, then what about back in Jiangxue Pavilion when she said she was only there to appraise your eyes and that you only had a brotherly relationship with her? In the past year or so, Your Highness, every time you went back to Qingzhi Courtyard, did you sleep side by side with your own brother?"

Hongli's face instantly turned from red to green, and then from green to purple.

His fingers were trembling with anger.

Outside, Wang Qin silently raised his eyes and looked at Shen Guang, who was pursing his lips tightly across from him.

He silently shifted his gaze to the darkening sky and sighed deeply.

Your Highness

You really shouldn't have just gone straight to Qingzhi Courtyard.

Inside the house, Ruof continued, "What, did I say something wrong?"

She pointed to the medicine packet on the table: "Now, including me, there are two pregnant women in this household. My belly carries your only legitimate son! And Zhu Ying's child, whether boy or girl, is one you've longed for. If there's something wrong with this medicine, who will be held responsible for any mistakes?"

Hongli frowned: "It's just a fertility-enhancing medicine, why the fuss—"

"The imperial physician has already examined her!"

Ruo Fu interrupted him: "This is indeed not poison, but the medicine is too strong. Qingying is already prone to feeling cold. According to the imperial physician, if she really drinks that prescription, it may not only fail to help her conceive, but it could also very likely harm her health!"

Hongli's expression changed slightly.

Ruo Fu scoffed, "Yes, it was medicine sent by her own mother. She secretly brewed it herself and drank it secretly. If she really got sick from it, what will people outside say?"

She abruptly lowered her voice, mimicking Lin Qinshuang's eagerness to stir up trouble, and emphasized, "Oh dear, that Consort Qing has been in the Prince's residence for several years and hasn't had a child. Perhaps the First Consort is afraid that she's favored by the Prince and won't allow her to have children?"

Then, her voice changed again: "I won't take the blame for this!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Hongli could only say in a low voice, "It's not as serious as you make it out to be."

"Yes, there is!"

If you insist, "I'm telling you this clearly today: if you want the women in your harem to at most compete for favor and bicker, leaving you secretly pleased without ever causing any real harm, then don't set that precedent for them!"

"If Qingying can smuggle medicine in today, can Xiyue do it tomorrow? And Zhuying the day after? And then you'll bring in ten or eight more, each with a family secret recipe—one saying it can help with conception, another saying it can help with having a boy—"

Ruo Fu slammed his fist on the table: "If everyone ends up with a bowl of soup, and the whole household is filled with medicine bottles! And everyone will be childless! Who will be held responsible then?!"

The room was quiet for a while.

Hongli sat there, looking just like an eggplant that had been hit by frost.

After a long while, he finally sighed.

"Since the Princess Consort has said so, I will naturally give you this face."

Ruof couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Hongli seemed not to notice her gaze and continued to find a way out: "I have always remembered that I promised you that you would be in charge of all matters in the inner palace. Since Qingying has broken the rules, she should be punished accordingly."

He paused here.

"But..." Hongli coughed lightly, "Could the confinement and copying of books begin tomorrow night?"

Ruof squinted: "Why?"

Hongli looked slightly uneasy: "I have already promised Qingying that I will take her out of the manor to watch a play tomorrow."

"To see a play?"

"Yes. A superb new troupe has arrived at the South City Theater." At this point, Hongli's expression softened somewhat: "They sing exceptionally well right from the moment they step over the wall. Qingying and I used to—"

"Rules are rules, and they cannot be broken."

If Fu interrupts directly.

Before Hongli's expression could darken, she added, "But we can still listen to the opera."

Hongli was taken aback: "What?"

"Why not just invite the opera troupe into our house?"

Ruo Fu's eyes gradually brightened:

"I've never really seen a proper opera before! My family was very strict when I was a child, and after my father passed away, I had to observe mourning. Then I married you, and soon after, I had Hualan. Now I'm pregnant again, so it's even more troublesome to go out."

Zhu Ying is now pregnant, and Xi Yue is not feeling well. Everyone is bored staying at home all day, so they decided to invite the opera troupe in and set up a stage in the open space in the back garden!

The place was spacious enough, so we called over everyone from the courtyards, set up tables and chairs, and prepared plenty of melon seeds, fruit, and snacks. Hua'er has never seen a proper opera before; let her broaden her horizons!

Hongli said with difficulty, "That Qingying..."

"Qingying can hear it too," Ruofu said matter-of-factly. "Qingzhi Courtyard is next to the garden, and there's a window on the outer wall, right? Just have someone set up the stage outside the wall! She's inside Qingzhi Courtyard, so she can just open the window and listen. If that doesn't work, we can have someone build her a ladder so she can climb over the wall and listen!"

"That's good, the lockdown won't be extended." Ruof counted on his fingers: "It's already evening, so let's count tonight as half a day. The sooner we start counting, the sooner we can finish!"

Suddenly, he remembered something, and his eyes lit up completely: "Hey! It's perfect for over the wall!"

Ruof clapped his hands: "Isn't it perfect to look at it through a wall? We don't even need to build any new scenery!"