The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Outside the delivery room, Hongli had paced back and forth countless times.

Several charcoal braziers were burning in the corridor, and the heat made people sweat on their foreheads, but he only felt cold in his hands and feet, and every now and then he would look up at the tightly closed door.

The maids and servants carried in hot water and clean cloths, and then came out carrying blood-stained ones, moving so fast they seemed to fly.

A few low moans of pain occasionally drifted from inside the room. The more Hongli listened, the more agitated he became. Fortunately, he grabbed the imperial physician who was guarding outside: "When the Princess Consort gave birth last time, she cursed me so loudly that I could hear her through two doors! Why is there not a sound this time? Has something happened?"

The imperial physician, his official hat askew from being grabbed, hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please calm down. Lady He and several midwives are taking care of things inside. If anything goes wrong, they will summon me in."

"What do you mean by 'calm down'?" Hongli wouldn't listen. "There's not a sound from inside. I can't tell if it's good or bad. How can I be calm? No, I have to go in and take a look."

As he spoke, he was about to walk towards the door, but someone stopped him from the side.

"Brother Hongli," Qingying's face remained as gentle and calm as ever, "The delivery room has always been a place of filth. You are of noble status, how can you go in rashly? The Fujin has already given birth once, and there are several midwives inside, all of whom are the most senior elders in the palace. I think there will be no problem."

She paused, then said softly, "Childbirth is nothing more than this for women. Just listen to the imperial physician and don't be anxious."

Before she could finish speaking, Gao Xiyue frowned: "What Consort Qing said is quite strange! You've never been a mother yourself, and I've heard that the Ulanara clan is quite small. Where did you get the idea that childbirth is all the same for women?"

Qingying choked on her words.

She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to explain something, but Gao Xiyue had already turned her face away, too lazy to listen anymore.

Just then, the curtain of the delivery room was suddenly lifted, and Shen Guang strode out of the room. His eyes swept over Qing Ying with a cold glint, as if covered with frost.

Hongli hurriedly went to greet him: "How is it inside?"

Shen Guang steadied his breathing and bowed while replying in a low voice, "Your Highness, the midwife said the baby is in a slightly breech position, and Lady He and several other midwives are helping the Princess Consort to correct it. The Princess Consort is afraid of wasting her energy and not having the strength for the actual delivery, so she has been enduring the pain and refusing to make a sound."

Hongli's face suddenly turned pale: "Broken position? How could the baby be malpositioned? Everything went smoothly when I gave birth to Hualan, so why is it malpositioned this time?"

Just as Shen Guang was about to answer, Ruo Fu's voice suddenly came from inside the room: "Why ask so many questions! Can you give birth for me, or suffer for me? You can't do anything, so just stay outside and stop causing trouble!"

Even as he finished speaking, a suppressed cry of pain still escaped from between his teeth.

Hongli's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, but he dared not press the matter further. Through the door, he repeatedly said, "Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore! Don't get angry, just listen to the midwife. I'll wait outside and won't cause any trouble!"

"Send everyone in to serve me!" Rufu continued cursing from inside. "What are they all doing standing outside serving a nobody like you!"

Hongli immediately turned around: "Didn't you hear what the Princess Consort said? Those who are supposed to go in and serve, go in. Don't crowd around me!"

The people in the courtyard suddenly sprang into action.

Hongli stood there, his face growing increasingly pale.

Su Luyun and Chen Wanyin stood a little further away, both looking worried.

Qingying stood to the side with her eyes lowered, her expression unreadable.

Suddenly, the sound of a child crying came from the direction of the warm pavilion, growing closer and then stopping outside the courtyard gate.

"Your Highness, Princess Gao!"

Everyone turned to look and saw the wet nurse standing by the courtyard gate, holding Hua Lan, her forehead covered in sweat: "The eldest princess has been crying for her mother ever since just now. I can't soothe her no matter what I do, I really don't know what to do."

Gao Xiyue's expression changed, and she immediately went to meet her.

Hua Lan's little face turned red from crying, and big tears streamed down her face.

Upon seeing Gao Xiyue, she immediately stretched out both arms, sobbing uncontrollably, "Aunt Gao... Aunt Gao..."

Gao Xiyue quickly took the child in her arms and patted her back gently. "My dear princess, your mother is giving birth to your little brother. We can't go in. We'll wait outside. Once your little brother is out, your mother will come out too."

Hua Lan couldn't understand at all, she just clutched her mother's clothes and cried, "Mother... I want Mother..."

Ruofu, who was in the delivery room, seemed to have heard it too, and immediately yelled through the door, "Who brought Hua'er here? Quickly take her away, don't scare her!"

Gao Xiyue quickly replied loudly, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I'm holding you!"

"Then you should try to comfort her!" Ruofu sighed, then added, "Don't let her cry too; it makes me anxious!"

"I know, I know!" Gao Xiyue didn't care about hierarchy or decorum anymore. Holding Hua Lan in her arms, she yelled back, "You just focus on having your baby, I'll take care of the child!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a suppressed cry of pain suddenly came from inside the room.

The sound lasted only a moment, but perhaps because of the connection between mother and daughter, Hua Lan's crying, which had gradually subsided, suddenly rose again, as if it could pierce through the clouds!

"Mother! Mother—"

Hongli's heart tightened even more.

Gao Xiyue was also very uneasy, but she could only force herself to comfort Hua Lan. She looked up at Hongli and said, "Your Highness, the eldest princess is still young and cannot bear to hear such things. I will take her to the front hall first, to keep her away, so that she won't keep crying and distract the Fujin."

Hongli nodded quickly: "Okay, take her there."

He paused, then said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Gao Xiyue hugged Hua Lan tightly: "This is what I should do."

She turned and left, and the wet nurse and several maids quickly followed.

However, before the group had even stepped out of the courtyard, a particularly loud cry suddenly rang out behind them.

The voice was even more powerful than Hua Lan's crying, and it instantly pierced through the entire courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, the midwife's joyful voice came from the delivery room: "It's born! It's born! It's a baby boy! Mother and child are safe and sound!"

Gao Xiyue stopped abruptly.

The next moment, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Her eyes were still red, but a smile had already appeared on her face as she looked down at Hua Lan in her arms: "Did you hear that, Princess? You have a younger brother now."

Hua Lan still had tears on her face. She blinked blankly, seemingly understanding but not quite, but at least she stopped crying.

Hongli stood there, stunned for a moment, then the worry on his face vanished, replaced by an overwhelming joy.

Su Luyun breathed a long sigh of relief, put her hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer. Chen Wanyin also smiled, her eyes filled with joy.

Only Qingying's expression changed several times in a short span of time.

First, he was stunned, then he turned pale, and then he managed a weak smile.

The legitimate son, or the eldest legitimate son.

The princess consort first had a legitimate eldest daughter, and now she has a legitimate son... Is there really such a thing as a person born with good fortune?

Standing amidst the festive atmosphere of the courtyard, she suddenly felt out of place with everything around her.

Not long after, the delivery room door opened again, and the midwife came out carrying the swaddled baby with a happy expression.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness!"

Hongli went to greet him almost immediately.

But when he actually got close, he didn't dare to reach out, just like with Hua Lan that time—it was too small.

Hongli could only stare without blinking.

The child was red and wrinkled, with eyes that hadn't opened yet, but that didn't stop Hongli from liking him more and more as he looked at him.

The legitimate son, this is his and his wife's eldest legitimate son.

The midwife seized the opportunity and said, "The little prince has a loud cry and is very healthy! He cried a few times when he was born, but he quieted down when we were cleaning him. He didn't cry or fuss, as if he understood everything."

Hongli was overjoyed to hear this; his eldest son was in good health!

This is the most joyous occasion we've had in years!

The midwife, observing the child's expression, spoke even more enthusiastically, offering auspicious words: "In all my years of delivering babies, I've rarely seen a child as composed as this young prince. Such composure at such a young age indicates he's destined for greatness!"

Hongli's eyes widened with a smile: "A reward!"

He waved his hand dismissively: "All those who served the Princess Consort in the delivery room shall be richly rewarded! A year's salary! The imperial physicians, midwives, and Lady He, everyone will receive one! The entire household will also receive a month's salary!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"

A chorus of thanks immediately filled the courtyard, and the joy almost spilled over the walls.

Gao Xiyue carried Hualan back and hurriedly asked the midwife, "Where is the Princess Consort? How is she? Can we go in and see her?"

The midwife quickly said, "The Princess Consort is just exhausted; she's perfectly fine. Everything inside is almost ready. If Princess Gao wishes to go in, she may do so now."

Gao Xiyue immediately carried Hualan inside, and Hongli, seeing this, also came to his senses and quickly followed her in.

The room was filled with the aroma of medicine, but a faint smell of blood could still be detected.

Ruofu lay on the couch, his face pale, his hair soaked with sweat, looking as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

She was so tired that she could barely open her eyes. When she heard footsteps, she could only barely lift her eyelids.

Gao Xiyue carried Hua Lan to the bedside.

When Hua Lan saw her mother, her eyes reddened again, and she twisted her body, trying to rush into her arms, but fortunately Gao Xiyue caught her in time.

Ruofu quickly said, "Hua'er, be good. Mother is a little tired today and doesn't have much energy. Why don't you stay with your Aunt Gao for the night? Mother will carry you tomorrow, okay?"

Hua Lan gripped the edge of the bed with both hands, looking at Ruo Fu with teary eyes: "Does Mother hurt?"

Ruofu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She reached out and touched Hualan's little face, her voice gentle: "Mother doesn't hurt. Hua'er is such a good girl. Hua'er, do you see? Mother has given birth to a little brother for you. Now you'll have someone to play with."

Hua Lan turned to look at the swaddled baby in her wet nurse's arms. This was the younger brother and sister that her father, mother, and several aunts had always told her about... Hua Lan finally saw the 'real' baby, but after looking at it for a while, she felt that the baby was small and red, not as pretty as her cloth tiger.

She then honestly frowned and said, "It's really ugly."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Gao Xiyue couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Hongli was amused: "You were like this when you were born."

Hua Lan immediately shook her head: "Hua'er is beautiful!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Ruofu was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open, but he still didn't forget to defend his own: "Our Hua'er was born beautiful. Your brother isn't. He still needs to grow taller."

Everyone laughed again.

While Ruofu spoke, his mind was already on the baby in the swaddling clothes.

The midwife only had time to hold the baby up to her eyes for a quick look after the baby was born.

A rosy little face, eyes tightly closed, but brows slightly furrowed, as if she had already found fault with many things since she was born.

But the more he acted this way, the more at ease Rofer felt.

That's right, that's her Changbai.

That brat, even after being reborn as her son a second time, still didn't forget to make her suffer first.

If he doesn't strive harder in this life than he did in the last, and doesn't secure a glorious position for her as Empress Dowager—

She broke his legs!

(That's all for today. The rest will be after midnight. See you tomorrow.)