The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

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

Gao Xiyue smiled, her eyes crinkling: "You'll see when you see it!"

When the box was opened, inside was a set of exquisitely crafted gold toys.

There are small ruyi (a type of scepter), small locks, small fish, and even a palm-sized golden abacus.

Hua Lan was playing in the side room with the Western doll that Gao Xiyue had recently found for her. The doll was dressed in layers of Western clothing, with azure eyes and golden hair. It was said to be made based on the noble ladies of the West. Hua Lan loved it so much after receiving it that she held it day and night.

But now, as soon as she heard the noise, she knew that her favorite Aunt Gao had come and brought some nice things. She immediately dropped the doll and ran over. When she saw what was in the box, her eyes widened!

"Wow—uh!"

Ruo Fu reached out and covered her daughter's eyes and mouth: "Don't do that. Your Aunt Gao will raise you to be a money-grubber sooner or later."

Gao Xiyue scooped Hua Lan up in her arms: "Our eldest princess has excellent taste! Ordinary things wouldn't catch her eye!"

Hua Lan had already grasped the golden abacus, turning the pages with a clattering sound, and her smile grew even brighter.

Gao Xiyue was even more delighted: "Look, our eldest princess will definitely be just like the Fujin (princess's wife) in the future—a woman who knows how to manage a household and make money!"

Ruofu was pleased to hear this, but said aloud, "Just keep spoiling her! If you keep spoiling her, I'll have to find her another teacher. She's been learning from you for half a year, and I don't think she can even tell what each string does... Aren't you just letting her run wild?"

Ruof asked, squinting.

Gao Xiyue's hand, which was fiddling with the abacus, suddenly paused, and she looked away: "How could that be? Learning the pipa is not something that can be done overnight, but the basics are the most important. It takes time and gradual progress."

Hua Lan quickly chimed in, "That's right, that's right."

But how could Ruofu's sharp eyes escape their identical guilty consciences, one big and one small?

Just as she was about to speak, a maidservant came in to report: "Madam, Kexin, who serves Consort Su, has arrived. She says she has good news to report."

Ruofu had no choice but to let the two go for now.

"Let her in."

Gao Xiyue and Hua Lan exchanged a glance and couldn't help but chuckle.

Kexin quickly entered, her face beaming with undisguised joy. She knelt down and bowed, saying, "This servant greets the Fujin, the Gao Gege, and the Da Gege! This servant has good news to report. Just now, the physician of the manor took the pulse of our Gege and said that she is nearly a month pregnant."

"That's good news." Ruofu laughed. "She's a smart and lucky one, knowing to choose such a day to tell everyone. Get up quickly, go back and take good care of your princess. Tell her that from today onwards, the monthly greetings will be waived. However, she should stay in her own courtyard and rest more. If she needs anything, she should ask. If she has any worries, she should also speak up. Don't keep them to herself."

She thought for a moment, then added a special reminder: "Also, now that you're pregnant, you have to be extra careful about what you put in your mouth... Oh well, even though this is your daughter's first pregnancy, she knows just as much as I do. She should be aware of what's going on. Just take good care of her and watch out for her occasional tantrums!"

Kexin replied, "Yes, this servant thanks the Princess for her concern on behalf of the Princess."

Ruofu nodded and, as was customary, gave her some gifts. Kexin thanked him and happily withdrew.

The lively atmosphere inside the room suddenly quieted down.

Gao Xiyue was still holding Hualan, but the smile on her face had faded at some point: "Fujin."

She asked in a low voice, "Why is it that only my belly is failing me? I've served the emperor more times than Madam Su."

Ruofu looked at her for a while, then patted her hand: "What's the rush? It will come when it's meant to. Your girl is probably a cautious one, still hiding in the corner, waiting to see if you're suitable to be her mother."

"Perfect, of course it's perfect!"

Gao Xiyue quickly replied.

"Then why are you hiding and refusing to take your medicine, and being lazy and refusing to walk?"

Gao Xiyue paused, then fell silent.

Ruofu added, "Besides, it's not just you who hasn't gotten pregnant." She gestured with her chin towards Qingzhiyuan, "That one over there, hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy either?"

Gao Xiyue paused, and the sadness on her face faded at a visible speed.

The next moment, she even laughed out loud: "That's true."

Ruof: ...

If she had known this would happen, wouldn't she have just brought up Qingying directly? Why bother wasting her brainpower?

Gao Xiyue felt increasingly relieved as she thought about it: "At least I haven't taken any fertility-enhancing medicine. What I drink every day is just a prescription for treating cold symptoms given by Lady He. They really eat medicine like food over there. Every time the Prince spends the night at her place, the smell of medicine in the courtyard is stronger than mine; it's pungent even from afar!"

Ruof was somewhat surprised: "It's that strong?"

"Yes!" Gao Xiyue nodded repeatedly. "If you don't believe me, ask Hailan."

Ruofu then looked at Hailan beside him.

The latter was standing by the window tidying up Hua Lan's toys. Upon hearing this, she curtsied and said, "Yes, but the medicinal materials used in Qingzhi Courtyard are all obtained from the pharmacy. The prescription has also been shown to Madam He. It is indeed just a tonic for pregnancy, and there is nothing else unusual."

After thinking for a moment, Hailan added, "However, Madam He also said that the so-called 'fertility-enhancing medicine' is, in the end, just a slightly stronger tonic. There is no reason why drinking it will definitely result in fertility."

If Fu nodded in agreement, then this is the truth. If those pregnancy-enhancing drugs were truly effective, there wouldn't be people in the world who longed for their children to become ill and still couldn't have their wishes fulfilled.

"Since there's nothing wrong with the recipe, let her drink it if she's willing."

In any case, she's the one who suffers.

After saying that, she turned to Gao Xiyue and warned, "You are not allowed to follow suit! You drink whatever Madam He tells you to drink, and don't put any medicine in your mouth just because you see others taking it."

Gao Xiyue nodded obediently: "I understand."

Ruo Fu looked at her and softened her tone: "Your health is much better than before. Since Madam He said that cold symptoms can be treated slowly, it means there is still hope. Don't stare at other people's bellies every day, and don't scare yourself. Sooner or later, you will be able to have your own child."

Gao Xiyue was stunned.

She pursed her lips, and after a long while, she softly replied, "I understand."

He then continued to accompany Hua Lan as she worked on the little golden abacus, a smile returning to his face.

-

Life goes on, day by day.

The number of children in Prince Bao's mansion also increased one after another.

In May of the eleventh year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Fucha Zhuying gave birth to the second princess, Jingxuan, and in early September of the same year, Su Lüyun gave birth to the third prince, Yongzhang.

The addition of a princess and a prince to the Prince's mansion within a year was naturally a great joy, but it caused Ruofu's biological mother, Jue Luo, so much worry that she couldn't eat or drink.

She had just planned to go to the palace to give her innocent and kind daughter some advice when suddenly an imperial decree was issued, allowing Yongheng to enter the palace for further studies.

In the Imperial Study, he shone even more brightly without any attempt to conceal it!

His photographic memory, quick comprehension, and respectful demeanor earned him high praise from the most experienced and prudent scholars in the Imperial Study within just a few days.

When the news reached Yongzheng's ears, the latter became increasingly restless. Originally, he would only occasionally summon the child to the emperor to ask a few questions, but later he gradually began to summon him every few days.

Later, he even personally guided him in reading and writing, and did not shy away from him when reviewing memorials. Sometimes, Yongzheng would even take the initiative to test him on political matters.

The two people were decades apart in age and had very different temperaments, yet they got along very well.

Later, as everyone knows, Prince Yongheng was the most beloved person in His Majesty's heart, and even the Sixth Prince Hongzhan had to avoid his sharp edge.

Jue Luo was completely relieved and smiled broadly, her eyes practically disappearing from her smile.

Hongli was extremely proud of this, but of course, he couldn't help feeling a little envious.

Once, Yongheng returned from the palace carrying an inkstone that Emperor Yongzheng had recently bestowed upon him.

Hongli recognized it at a glance: it was a Songhua stone inkstone with a poem inscribed by his father, the Emperor. It was a treasured possession of his father, and even he was not allowed to touch it…

He tried his best to control his eyes, not to look at the inkstone, and even more so, not to look at it red.

He took a deep breath and asked in a heavy tone, "What did your Grandfather say to you today?"

Changbai replied, "We talked about the military affairs in the Northwest for a few minutes, and then I asked about the important political matters of the Zhenguan era."

Hongli's expression froze. At this age, talking about military affairs in the Northwest?

If Ruofu overheard this and then glanced at Hongli's expression, her eyes immediately crinkled with a smile. She deliberately brought up the very thing she shouldn't have: "When you were this age, did Father Emperor ever discuss state affairs with you?"

Hongli understood the implication and glared at her angrily: "I started my education late, so naturally I haven't had any contact with her."

"Now that you've begun your studies, why does Father still only talk to Brother Bai?"

Hongli: ...

This is unbearable.

……

In the twelfth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, an envoy from the Dzungar Khanate came to Beijing and proposed to marry a princess of the Qing Dynasty in order to establish an everlasting alliance between the two regions.

Empress Zhonggong had no biological princesses who had grown up, and the only one in the harem who was of the highest status and the most suitable age was Hengchu, the eldest daughter of Consort Xi.

In an instant, everyone's attention fell on Yongshou Palace.

As the voices advocating for marriage alliances grew louder in the previous court, Consort Xi began to suffer from insomnia, and within just a few days, she lost a lot of weight.

Emperor Yongzheng was equally indecisive.

The Grand Councilors summoned wave after wave of ministers, but could not make up their minds.

But almost everyone knows that this matter is probably already a done deal, and the emperor's hesitation at this moment is just a father who can't let go of the last bit of guilt in his heart.

That afternoon, the Imperial Study was unusually quiet, and Changbai was sitting by the window reading as usual.

Yongzheng looked at him and, as if possessed, asked, "Bai'er, do you think Grandfather should send your Aunt Hengchu to marry a foreign ruler?"

The expressions of the servants inside all changed, and Su Peisheng even secretly raised his eyes to look at the young prince sitting by the window.

Changbai gently closed the book in his hand, thought for a moment, and asked in return, "Grandfather, did the previous imperial court also use marriage alliances to appease the various Mongol tribes?"

"Of course it has."

"After those princesses married into the tribes, did the tribes that married them never cause trouble again?"

Yongzheng paused for a moment, then said, "Not necessarily."

Changbai then asked, "Did those princesses who married far away all receive proper treatment in their husbands' homes, live peaceful and prosperous lives, and die peacefully in their old age?"

This time, Yongzheng remained silent for an even longer period.

In the end, he said, "If the princess is not married off, the border may become unstable. Once the two armies clash, countless soldiers will die. The people will be displaced and lives will be lost. As the emperor, I am supported by the people and cannot abandon them for my own selfish reasons."

Changbai said softly, "So what the Emperor Grandfather did was make a choice, sacrificing Aunt Hengchu for the sake of all living beings. Exchanging one person for ten thousand is the choice the Emperor Grandfather, as a monarch, made for the sake of the country and its people."

Yongzheng's expression softened slightly.

"But there's still one thing I don't understand," Changbai said. "If Aunt Hengchu gets married, will it necessarily bring peace to the frontier?"

Emperor Yongzheng's brow twitched slightly.

Changbai said, "If the Dzungars truly regard our Great Qing as their master, are willing to submit to us, and see this marriage as an honor bestowed upon them by their imperial grandfather, a sign of the Great Qing's goodwill in wanting to be close to them, then they will naturally cherish Aunt Hengchu and, because of this favor, have even greater reverence for the court."

"But what if they think that the Qing Dynasty agreed to marry off the princess because it was afraid of them, dared not fight them, and could only back down and compromise? Grandfather, I've been reading history lately and I find the Former Song Dynasty very interesting."

"Even though their people were prosperous, their treasury was full, their culture was flourishing, and the lands under their control were not barren, they once sent annual tributes to the Liao, Jin, and even Western Xia in order to secure peace on the borders. The Song people told their own people that those coins and silks were a gift from the Celestial Empire to the barbarians on all sides. It was a good deal to avoid war by spending a small amount of silver."

"But what did that money really mean to the Liao, Jin, and Western Xia people?"

Yongzheng's expression gradually turned ugly.