The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"you--"

Gao Xiyue's temper flared up, and she was about to speak when Qingying turned to look at the main hall door, where Hailan was carrying a booklet and slowly walking out.

Qingying looked at her, her tone perfectly calm: "Miss Hailan knows the rules of this household best. I wonder if Consort Gao's words to me just now constitute insubordination, and whether she should be punished?"

Hailan paused slightly, and before she could answer, Gao Xiyue became anxious:

"Who has committed insubordination?"

She pointed at the people around her and said, "There were so many people here just now, everyone heard it. I clearly said that Consort Su was brainless and easily believed others. Which word or sentence mentioned Consort Qing's name? Consort Qing insisted on admitting it herself, how can you blame me for that?"

Gao Xiyue spoke with increasing righteous indignation: "As for Consort Qing, since you know that the Prince values ​​rules most, you should also know that what the Prince detests most is intercepting favor. Last night was originally the day for Consort Su to serve the Prince, so why did the Prince go to Qingzhi Courtyard instead? Did the Consort Qing intentionally try to win favor? Do you know that this also breaks the rules! Consort Qing has been a veteran in the household for many years, and she has copied the household rules no less than a hundred times, so she should know them. Did you also knowingly violate them?"

Qingying opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

Su Luyun suddenly raised her head and looked at Gao Xiyue with eyes full of gratitude.

Although the words were harsh, they were ultimately fair.

Qingying remained silent for a moment, then a hint of helplessness finally appeared on her face: "Since Princess Gao has already made up her mind that I did this intentionally, then so be it. I have no way to defend myself, and I don't want to say anything more."

She sighed softly, "However, the innocent will remain innocent."

After saying that, she looked at Su Luyun with gentle and frank eyes: "I have always treated the sisters in the manor the same, without any distinction of closeness or distance. What happened last night was an accident. If you misunderstand me because of it, I have nothing to say."

Su Luyun's face stiffened.

Qingying seemed unwilling to argue any further, and turned to leave, holding Suxin's hand.

She stood ramrod straight, her chin slightly raised, her steps calm and firm.

Gao Xiyue grumbled irritably, "Here we go again. You think you're the most aloof person in the world!"

Hailan finally approached and softly reminded her, "Gege, we're still in front of the main courtyard gate, and there are many people coming and going. It would be best to keep your voice down so as not to disturb the Princess's peace and quiet."

Gao Xiyue was quite polite to Hailan, nodding and saying, "I understand."

She didn't bother to stay any longer and turned to leave.

As he passed Su Luyun, he finally stopped and couldn't help but say, "Be more careful in the future!"

Su Luyun nodded quickly: "Thank you for the reminder, Princess Gao."

Gao Xiyue then left satisfied.

……

In the main hall, Ruofu was leaning against a soft couch, flipping through the booklet that Suxin had just sent.

She was genuinely curious about what Qingying had said to Su Luyun that made the latter believe it so readily, willingly disguising herself as a second Qingying, even to the point of losing her first night with her.

Su Xin rarely had a proper job with Ruo Fu, so she naturally did it very carefully. She recorded everything Qing Ying had said, what Su Luyun had asked, when the poem was sent, and what lines were written in the poem. She wrote it all down without missing a single detail.

Ruo Fucai started laughing as soon as he saw the sentence, "The prince prefers delicate fragrances and dislikes heavy cosmetics."

Further down, it says things like disliking gold and jade, disliking noise, not daring to talk much when upset, loving tea, loving porcelain, loving light side dishes...

He was so happy his shoulders were shaking.

"She really dares to teach!"

Shen Guang, standing to the side, couldn't help but smile as well.

Just then, the maidservant came in and reported the whole story of the quarrel that had just taken place in the corridor.

After hearing this, Ruofa laughed again: "Let them be."

She waved her hand dismissively, "What's a few words? If everyone in the household were always peaceful and harmonious, without ever uttering a single argument, life would be truly boring."

Shen Guang responded with a "yes," and then asked, "So, will Su Gege still be serving the Prince today? After what happened last night, she will surely be on high alert today and won't easily let anyone intercept the Prince again."

In the end, Shen Guang couldn't help but laugh.

Ruofu also imagined it for a moment, following her words: Su Luyun closed the courtyard gate tightly, and all the old women in the courtyard guarded the entrance, as if facing a great enemy when they saw people from Qingzhi Courtyard coming...

The more I think about it, the funnier it gets.

However, after laughing, Ruofu shook his head: "That won't do. I've already given her a chance, but she didn't appreciate it. She foolishly listened to Qingying's nonsense and even pushed her towards Qingzhi Courtyard. Do I have to make it up to her again today?"

At this point, Ruofu wanted to laugh again. He had been in the manor for more than two years and had never heard of such amusement.

Someone actually managed to get Qingying to successfully intercept a pet!

Ruofu laughed for a while before slowly composed herself: "However, in the end, this matter is about the Prince and Qingying wronging Madam Su. What does it have to do with me? Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If she wants to hate, she should hate the person she should hate. Besides, it was originally Madam Chen's turn today. What did she do wrong? Why should Madam Su have to wait again just because she couldn't succeed last night?"

Shen Guang respectfully agreed, but inwardly he admired him even more.

The princess's move, seemingly just following the proper order, was actually incredibly clever.

In this way, Su's plan to rely on Qingzhi Courtyard was completely thwarted. Seeing that the Fujin did not show any special favor to her because she was wronged, she should understand that the rules in the Prince's Mansion are ultimately up to the Fujin.

If she were smart, she would have figured out as soon as possible who was really in charge of the backyard.

And then there's Madam Chen, who will surely remember the kindness shown to her husband's wife.

Although Madam Chen appears unassuming and her family background and appearance are ordinary, who can truly underestimate the women in the inner quarters? Giving her a bit of justice today may very well bring a tenfold reward in the future.

Although the princess consort held a firm position as the principal wife, she never felt she needed more people to genuinely support her.

The more Shen Guang thought about it, the more reassuring it seemed, and he happily withdrew from the arrangements.

Ruofu continued flipping through the booklet, finding more and more enjoyable as he read.

"Oh my god, that's hilarious!"

As she laughed, a thought suddenly occurred to her: this Su woman seemed to be just as naive as she was in her past life, believing whatever others said...

No, no, no, Ruofu quickly shook his head. "My mother is much smarter than her, and all her children are smarter than hers!"

If you don't nod emphatically, you're sure that's how it is.

She looked back again.

Su Xin remembered everything in great detail, even copying down the last few lines of poetry that Qing Ying had sent over verbatim.

If Fu glanced around casually, sure enough, he saw the four characters "墙头马上" (Qiangtou Mashang) again.

She immediately wrinkled her face in disgust, dipped her fingertip into the teacup, and smeared it directly on the line of words. Only after the four words were blurred into a mess did she feel her eyes were clear again.

"unlucky."

She turned the page and continued reading.

……

As soon as Su Luyun returned to her courtyard, she could no longer hold on.

As soon as the door closed, she threw herself onto the bed, covered her face, and began to cry.

I stayed up all night and forced myself to go and offer tea this morning. Then, Qingying apologized to me in person.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and the more she felt like a huge joke.

Halfway through her crying, she suddenly noticed the new clothes she wore last night hanging on the rack, and the anger in her heart immediately reignited.

"Throw it away!"

She sat up, pointed at the clothes, and cried, "Take them out and throw them away! I'll never wear them again!"

Kexin hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward to take off the clothes.

Holding the clothes, Su Luyun was about to leave when she looked up at him with teary eyes.

Suddenly, she froze, and Qingying's outfit from today flashed through her mind.

The hairpin features a light color and a simple design.

It was exactly the same as what she taught herself.

Then, thinking back to that meal, that poem, and the sudden dazed look on Hongli's face after seeing them...

The bewilderment on Su Luyun's face gradually disappeared, replaced by disbelief.

"So that's how it is!"

What Qingying taught her was not how to dress up in a way that the prince liked!

It was clearly instructing her to dress up as another Qingying, another Qingying who was neither fish nor fowl!

Su Luyun grew angrier the more she thought about it, and all the grievances in her heart instantly turned into rage.

"She did it on purpose!"

She gritted her teeth, jumped off the bed, grabbed the scissors from the embroidery basket, and snatched the clothes from Kexin's arms.

"Princess!"

Kexin was startled.

Before anyone could stop her, Su Luyun had already snipped the sleeve of the new dress with a pair of scissors, cutting a large gash in it.

She got angrier the more she cut.

She cried as she cut the cloth.

"I call you elegance! I call you simplicity! I call you natural and effortless!"

"The water has reached her Green Branch Courtyard!"

The scissors snipped and slashed, and in no time, the newly made clothes were cut into long and short strips, which were piled up messily on the ground.

Su Luyun finally felt some relief.

She sat on the edge of the bed with her hair disheveled, her makeup already washed away by tears, leaving streaks of white and red. Su Luyun sobbed as she looked at Kexin, then suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.

"My dear Kexin! It's my fault for being so foolish, believing everyone's words and getting myself into this mess. Although you were assigned to the household after I entered, since you belong to the Xin generation, you must have been carefully selected. Could you please ask around for me? I don't need to know anything important, and I have no intention of harming anyone. Just let me find out who is good and who is bad in this backyard, who can be trusted and who cannot, so that I can protect myself in the future."

Kexin's face immediately showed a troubled expression.

"Princess, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but the rules in this manor are strict. If I want to leave the manor, I must have a proper job no matter where I go. Even if I meet maids from other courtyards, I cannot gather together to reminisce without reason, let alone inquire about my master's private affairs."

Su Luyun looked frustrated.

"What should I do then?"