The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

By the time the group returned to the Prince's residence, it was already very late at night.

If Ruofu got off the car first, the wet nurse would come up and take Hualan from her.

"Wait a minute." Ruofu immediately reached out to protect them. "First, take the eldest princess and the prince back to the main courtyard. Is the heating in the house working? They ate a lot of sweets tonight. If they get an upset stomach tonight, send someone to let me know immediately."

The wet nurse quickly agreed.

Bai Ge'er struggled to get out of the carriage and was quickly picked up by the little eunuch. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked unusually soft and cute.

Ruofu really wanted to lean over and kiss him on the cheek, but when she thought about the look on her son's face when he woke up tomorrow... she held back and just reached out to pull his cloak tighter.

On the other side, Hongli also handed Yonghuang, whom he was carrying, to his wet nurse, asking her to take the child back to Fucha Zhuying's courtyard.

Ruofu whispered, "Be careful on the way back, and don't walk too fast. You two carrying lanterns, keep them low and make sure you see where you're stepping before you go."

The two lantern-bearing maids and the wet nurse quickly agreed.

Just as Ruof had finished sending the children away safely, Hylan came to greet him.

She walked up to Ruofu and curtsied, about to speak, when Ruofu immediately raised his hand: "As long as it's not something earth-shattering, we can talk about it tomorrow. Today is New Year's Eve, you've been busy from morning till night, have you eaten yet?"

Hailan paused, then smiled and replied, "Yes, Your Highness, I've already eaten."

If you don't nod in satisfaction, then say, "Then you should rest early. It's the New Year, and there's no reason for you to work yourself to death. No matter how hard you work, I won't give you any extra money."

Hailan's eyes flickered slightly, and she curtsied, saying, "Yes, this servant understands."

Ruofu nodded, then turned to Hongli: "Where does Your Highness plan to stay tonight?"

Hongli felt a chill run down his spine. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could only helplessly reply, "Today is New Year's Eve, so naturally I must stay up all night with my wife."

Ruo Fu raised an eyebrow, looking quite satisfied.

She chuckled smugly, then turned and ordered, "Is there anyone left in the kitchen? Quickly cook a few dishes and heat up a pot of wine. At the palace banquet earlier, I didn't dare drink too much, afraid of getting drunk and saying the wrong thing, or that those little devils would cause trouble. I didn't even get to eat to my heart's content."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the main courtyard.

Hongli's eyes lit up slightly, and he immediately followed.

Hailan stood there, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, her smile deepening as she bowed respectfully to see them off.

……

Qingzhiyuan.

Standing by the window, Yi Xin looked at the faint lights coming from the main courtyard in the distance and couldn't help but sneer: "When it comes to being petty, no one is more ruthless than our Fujin... Looking at the whole of Beijing, which family's primary wife manages the household like this? She treats all the concubines in the mansion like prisoners in jail, and they have to report to her every step of the way just to leave the courtyard."

Su Xin sat to the side, tidying up the clothes she would wear the next day. Her face was calm, but in her heart she rolled her eyes.

Yi Xin, however, became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke: "She now has both a son and a daughter, an eldest daughter and an eldest son, and her family is prominent... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's as secure as Mount Tai! Yet she still treats the Prince like the apple of her eye, not wanting anyone to even glance at her. Such pettiness, where is the magnanimity a principal wife should have?"

Su Xin's hands never stopped moving, and her mind was racing: Who forbade you from going out? On New Year's Eve, you think you can go out and intercept the emperor's favor? No wonder you're a maid who's served me since I was a child, just like A'Ruo!

Besides, if the Princess Consort truly cherished the Prince like the apple of her eye, where did Consort Gao's monthly nights of service to the Prince come from? How did Consort Fucha conceive? Were Consort Su and Consort Chen both living like widows?

Qingying stood by the window, draped in a light-colored cloak, and upon hearing this, she merely smiled faintly: "Never mind... You know, I don't ask for those things, I only ask for..."

Please, you old man, do me a favor!

Su Xin cursed under her breath, and her movements became more forceful.

Yes! Throughout the entire manor, no one has a deeper bond with the Prince than you.

There is no such thing as a consort who has been married to the prince for many years and has given birth to two children. It's just that the prince is wary of the Fucha family. He counts down the days every month to make his mark, afraid of offending the Fucha family. Without the Fucha family's support, he would be stripped of his title and become a bald prince tomorrow!

The beautiful and talented Princess Gao, who was always a favorite of the Prince, was not available. However, the Prince was wary of her father's ability to control floods, fearing that if Princess Gao was unhappy, her father would not be satisfied, and the Yellow River would flood, inundating Beijing and the Prince Bao's mansion!

Princess Fucha, who was pregnant, had none of those; her child was simply a gift from heaven, a freebie!

Neither Su Gege nor Chen Gege have it, only you do!

Someone like you, who rarely sees the prince more than five times a month, and even when you do see him, you have to check if his confinement has been lifted first—yes!

Most!

You don't ask for anything, you just go with the flow. You've been sitting by the window since dusk, the charcoal fire in the courtyard has been added three times, the tea has been changed twice, and you've even put on your cloak, yet you still refuse to go back to your room to rest. You're waiting for the moon to keep you company on New Year's Eve. It's not that you're asking the Prince to disregard the rules and slap the Princess Consort's face on New Year's Eve just because of your relationship with her!

Su Xin was so engrossed in her thoughts that Qing Ying suddenly turned around and said, "Alright, it's late, you should all get some rest."

Yi Xin immediately agreed.

Qingying seemed to suddenly remember something, and revealed a meaningful and unfathomable smile: "Oh right, I left a little trinket in each of your rooms as a New Year's gift."

Yi Xin's face lit up with joy, but she froze for a moment, even subconsciously turning her head to look at Su Xin.

Coincidentally, Su Xin also raised her eyes.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Yi Xin seemed to suddenly realize something and immediately looked away.

Su Xin felt puzzled, but remained silent.

The two bowed to Qingying and took their leave together. Neither of them spoke a word on the way. They did not live in the same room, but their rooms were very close to each other.

Upon reaching the door, both of them moved very slowly, neither of them appearing impatient.

Su Xin pushed the door open first, and slowly turned on the lamp on the table. Once the room was lit, she looked at the small table and saw a piece of red paper folded into a square.

Upon opening it, I found, as expected, a few lines of sentimental poetry.

What is the meaning of peace year after year, what is the meaning of moonlight shining on the old heart?

Su Xin stared blankly for a moment, then casually swept the red paper aside, too lazy to even look at it again.

She was indeed Consort Qing.

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small purse, opening it with an expectant look on his face—

Two golden sunflower seeds!

Su Xin's eyes lit up immediately.

As expected of the Princess Consort!

In the next room, Yixin also turned on the light, looked at the red paper on the table, sighed softly, and was too lazy to even open it.

Just push the red paper aside, out of sight, out of mind!

He then got up, walked to the corner of the room, picked up a medicine bowl, and poured the dark, cooled medicine into a pot of flowers under the windowsill.

……

The following day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ruofu and Hongli entered the palace again before dawn. After performing the court ceremony, they returned to the Prince's residence after noon.

She changed into some light clothes and was just about to lean back on the couch to rest when Gao Xiyue came to the door excitedly.

Before she even entered the room, her voice rang out: "Princess Consort, come and see what wonderful things I've brought for the Eldest Princess!"

If you don't raise an eyebrow, you'll see Gao Xiyue carrying a sandalwood box in, followed by Moxin carrying two brocade boxes.

"What good stuff has your father found for you this time?"