The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"What should I do then?"

Just then, the curtain outside was lifted, and Chuntang, the maid she had brought from her maiden home, quickly walked in and whispered, "Princess, someone came from the front courtyard just now to say that Princess Chen will be serving you tonight."

Su Luyun was stunned. She had still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that she had been wronged last night and that the Fujin might give her another chance today.

Even if we don't stand up for her, we should at least make her make up for the night we didn't get to serve her.

who knows……

Su Luyun was filled with regret once again.

Seeing this, Kexin felt a pang of pity. After a moment's thought, she cautiously said, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, the Fujin (principal wife) is always fair in her dealings, and her status is the most noble and secure. Both the Gao and Fucha princesses in the household follow her lead. One is currently favored, and the other is pregnant… Since Your Highness only wishes to live a peaceful life in the household, why seek something so far away?"

Su Luyun was stunned.

Kexin's words were like a heavy hammer blow, finally shattering the last layer of confusion in her mind.

She originally thought that Qingying was the prince's darling, and if she wanted to make her stance clear from the beginning that she did not want to participate in the power struggles in the inner court, she should have taken the initiative to bow her head and show goodwill.

If... if Consort Qing finds her pleasing to the eye, mentioning her more often to the Prince might help her gain an advantage.

But who would have thought that the seemingly magnanimous and gentle Consort Qing was actually the one who even tried to steal her away for her first time serving the emperor, making her a laughingstock known to everyone in the harem!

On the contrary, it was the Fujin (principal wife)...

Su Luyun slapped her thigh hard: "Did I get earwax stuck in my head?!"

Kexin and Chuntang were both startled.

Su Luyun grew angrier the more she thought about it, wishing she could slap herself again.

"What was I even doing going through all this trouble for?!"

-

From then on, Su Luyun devoted herself to working hard in the main courtyard every day.

Today she sends a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup that she has personally stewed; tomorrow she will embroider a small sachet to hold calming incense; the day after tomorrow, when several bolts of new fabric are sent from home, she picks out the two bolts with the brightest color and the softest texture and eagerly asks someone to send them to the Fujin (princess's wife), saying that they are perfect for making summer clothes for the eldest princess.

We will not refuse those who do not come.

However, he only accepted all comers, and although he treated her kindly, that was all he did.

After Chen Wanyin served the emperor, the order of who would serve him continued as before. First Gao Xiyue, then Qingying, and then Hongli would decide where to go for a few days. After going around in circles, he just couldn't remember her.

Su Luyun didn't dare to say it, but she couldn't help feeling discouraged and anxious.

He feared that his hasty "worship of a fake Buddha" upon entering the mansion had angered the Fujin (principles), and that he would have no hope for the future.

Seeing that she had once again refused to eat, Kexin had no choice but to say gently, "Princess, the Fujin is of noble status and is never short of people flattering her. Princess Gao and Princess Fucha are both senior members of the household who have been here for many years. Their seniority and the time they have spent there are evident. Their relationship with the Fujin is naturally not something that can be compared to a few meager gifts from us in a short time."

"Besides, what Princess wanted in the first place was fairness and stability, wasn't it?" She paused, then added, "If we really come from behind and win over the Fujin's favor too much, it might not be a good thing."

Su Luyun was taken aback.

After thinking about it carefully, it seems that this is indeed the case.

She is just a newly arrived concubine, with no prominent family background and no special favor. If the Fujin immediately treats her as a confidante after only a few bowls of soup and a few bolts of cloth, keeping her by her side to talk every day, not to mention what Gao Xiyue and Fucha Zhuying think, others would probably think she is scheming and manipulative as soon as she enters the household.

Su Luyun immediately sat up straight: "You're so smart! I almost got stuck on this again."

Kexin smiled and said, "This servant has simply stayed in the manor longer and seen more. It is Your Highness's good fortune that you are willing to listen."

Su Luyun nodded repeatedly.

Since that's the case, she stopped racking her brains every day about what to send. She continued to stew soup, but drank more of it herself, only occasionally sending a bowl to the main courtyard if she found something truly suitable.

She slowly worked on her needlework, and when she had free time, she would chat with Kexin and Chuntang, truly settling down to live her quiet life.

No sooner had she calmed down than good news arrived: "Princess Su, the Prince is coming tonight. Please prepare in advance."

Su Luyun was stunned for a full three breaths, then suddenly stood up from her chair: "Really?"

"How dare this servant try to appease the princess with such a thing?"

Su Luyun was overjoyed and her eyes lit up. She immediately told Chuntang to bring the reward money and then personally escorted the person to the door.

As soon as the curtain fell, she turned around and grabbed Kexin's hand: "It's my turn! It's really my turn!"

Kexin was happy for her: "I told you long ago, the Fujin is fair in her dealings and would never overlook the princess without a reason."

Su Luyun nodded repeatedly, but her mind was entirely focused on how to dress herself up.

This time, she decided she would never listen to anyone else's advice again.

What color clothes she wears, what set of jewelry she wears, what incense she burns in the room, and what she prepares for dinner—it's all up to her own preference!

In the evening, Aoshie-in sent another congratulatory gift, a folding fan.

The fan is painted with palace walls and the setting sun, and a figure can be vaguely seen in the distance, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

Qingying had been quite polite to Su Luyun lately, sending people over with soup and water every now and then. Su Luyun was initially so angry that she wanted to smash them, but was persuaded by Chuntang and Kexin to accept them all as usual, and even prepared a proper return gift each time.

However, he never took the initiative to step into Qingzhi Courtyard again, and all the soup was given to Chuntang and Kexin.

The same goes for this time.

Su Luyun smiled and thanked her, then asked Chuntang to bring two boxes of newly made pastries as a return gift. As soon as the maid left, her smile vanished, and she threw the folding fan onto the table: "Throw it into the back of the storeroom, and never let me see it again!"

"Yes."

Su Luyun took a deep breath, looked at herself in the mirror, and suddenly felt refreshed.

Elegant? She prefers sweet.

She can't actively seek favor? She'll do it anyway!

The day Hongli entered the room, the first thing he saw was Su Luyun.

She stood under the lamp, her begonia-red cheongsam making her skin look as white as snow and her figure as voluptuous. Her face showed undisguised joy, yet also a hint of shyness due to nervousness.

When she saw him come in, she blushed at first, but then she mustered up her courage and went forward to take off his cloak.

Her movements were clumsy, and her hands trembled violently, but her eyes were determined, as if this was something that absolutely had to be done.

It amused Hongli.

Not only that, in the following days, Hongli took the initiative to think of her twice more when he had some free time.

Su Luyun was gentle and kind. She always looked genuinely happy when she saw him. She loved to eat and laugh, and she didn't have the scheming thoughts that Qingying had.

After a long day in the front yard, Hongli would come to her place for a hot meal and listen to her tell him funny stories about her brothers and sisters, which made him feel relaxed.

In no time, Su Luyun's popularity firmly surpassed Chen Wanyin's, and was close to that of Gao Xiyue and Qingying.

Su Luyun became somewhat carried away by her success.

She still greeted Ruofu every day, but she no longer worried about what the main courtyard lacked as she had before. When fresh food was sent from home, she would first think about whether Hongli would like to eat it, and what she would look good in. Only after it was all distributed would she occasionally remember to send a portion to the main courtyard.

Kexin noticed this and gave her a silent reminder twice.

Su Luyun verbally agreed, but in her heart she thought, "The Princess Consort is of noble status, what good things doesn't she have?" She was currently favored by the Prince, so if she served him well, she would naturally bring honor to the Princess Consort in the future.

Until that day, when she went to the main courtyard to pay her respects, Ruofu was sitting on the couch, holding several paintings in his hand, his face full of surprise.

"Did you draw this?"

Chen Wanyin stood quietly to the side, and upon hearing this, she lowered her head and said, "Your Highness, it was just a casual drawing I did when I had nothing else to do."

Ruo Fu turned the pages of the paintings one by one.

There are pictures of Hua Lan dozing off while holding a cloth tiger, pictures of her watching birds by the window, and pictures of her being held by Gao Xiyue while reaching out to grab her hairpin.

Although it's just a few strokes on paper, the liveliness is palpable.

Ruo Fu would be amused at the sight of it.

"It looks so lifelike!"

She remembered that in the original story, Chen Wanyin was also skilled in painting and had painted many portraits of Emperor Hongli.