The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Yu's meaning couldn't be clearer.

This is to offer a beautiful woman as a sign of loyalty.

Unfortunately, their timing was unfortunate. Since the change of seasons at the beginning of this year, Emperor Yongzheng had been feeling unwell and had spent most of his time recuperating in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, where he even conducted state affairs.

Perhaps it is because he is getting older, but he has recently become more obsessed with chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist mantras to cultivate his mind and character, and has not taken any new concubines for a year and a half.

Even this exceptionally beautiful Lady Yu, Emperor Yongzheng didn't even see her before sending her to Prince Bao's residence with a wave of his hand.

……

"This humble servant, Jin Yuyan, greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace."

In the main hall, the woman gracefully bowed.

Ruofu sat at the head of the table and looked down at her carefully.

I must say, it is indeed beautiful.

She had fair skin, striking eyebrows and eyes with slightly upturned corners, and a charming smile. She was tall and slender, with a waist so thin it could be encircled by a single hand.

Just like her name suggests, she is exquisitely beautiful, with a face like a carved jade sculpture.

pity……

Ruof said calmly, "Get up."

Jin Yuyan stood up with a smile.

Ruofu continued, "Your courtyard has been prepared, and I have already selected the matrons to teach you manners and the maids to serve you. They will be sent over later. You have come all the way from the Yu family, and you are new here and unfamiliar with many things, so I will not make things difficult for you. Just learn the manners well."

Ruofu looked up at her.

"I've said this to every woman who enters the household, and you certainly can't be left out. I've never mistreated you, nor have I ever made things difficult for anyone. But I don't like people who don't follow the rules. Whoever dares to break my rules, I won't be polite to them."

Jin Yuyan's eyes flickered slightly, but her face remained gentle: "This concubine will follow the teachings of the Fujin."

Ruo Fu responded with a single word.

Jin Yuyan's smile deepened, and she said gently, "When I was still in the Yu family, I had long heard of Your Excellency's dignified virtue and extraordinary bearing. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, it is indeed well-deserved. I have never had any sisters since childhood, and seeing Your Excellency today, I feel an extraordinary sense of closeness. If Your Excellency does not mind, I would like to humbly call Your Excellency 'elder sister'—"

Before he could finish speaking, Ruofu lowered his eyes, reached out and fiddled with the string of beads hanging beside the headdress, his expression clearly showing some impatience.

Jin Yuyan's smile froze.

Hailan continued, "Our Lady of the First Rank is the eldest daughter of the Fucha clan, born into a prestigious family. She is also the Lady of the First Rank, personally chosen by His Majesty, and manages the entire household. Although Princess Jin is a noblewoman of the Yu clan, now that she has entered the Prince's residence, she is still just a Princess. She should know the difference in rank and how can she address the Lady of the First Rank as a sister?"

Jin Yuyan's smile finally faltered.

Hailan remained gentle and kind: "Considering that Princess has come from afar and today is her first day in the household, and she has not yet fully learned the rules, I will not pursue this matter this time. But if there is a next time... I will not tolerate it."

Jin Yuyan quickly lowered her eyes to hide her dissatisfaction, and said sullenly, "Yes, I will remember."

Ruofa then looked up again: "Alright, you've met the person, let's go back. Before you've fully learned the rules, it's best to stay home as much as possible. Otherwise, you might offend someone and not even know what you did wrong."

Jin Yuyan's lips stiffened slightly: "Yes."

She curtsied again, and Ruofu, supported by Zhaoying's hand, stood up. With a slight sway of her robes, she went into the inner room without looking back.

It is truly composed and elegant.

Hailan stayed behind and gave a slight curtsy: "Princess Jin, please come with me."

Jin Yuyan's expression changed several times before finally returning to normal, and she even managed a slight smile.

On his first day in the mansion, before he could even finish his first words of trying to get on her good side, he was scolded by one of the maids in front of him.

What a show of force!

But it doesn't matter, there's plenty of time, she refused to believe it—

Jin Yuyan was so shocked by the thick stack of things that were almost half an arm's length high.

She stared at it for several moments, then looked up at Hailan and asked in a trembling voice, "So many, are they all the rules of the manor?"

"Yes."

Hailan nodded: "But don't worry, Princess, you don't need to memorize them all in one day. The first ten are the most important; just memorize them within three days and read them through within ten days. You can learn the rest slowly."

Jin Yuyan: ...

Hailan then turned to Zhenshu: "Your mistress must remember, and your servant must remember even more. It is possible for Your mistress to forget for a moment. If your servant fails to remind Your mistress in time when she misbehaves, it is a dereliction of duty and should be punished more severely."

Zhen Shu forced a smile and replied, "Yes."

Hailan called out towards the door again, "Come in."

A pretty young maid entered and bowed respectfully: "This servant, Lixin, greets Princess Jin."

Hailan said, "This is Lixin. The Fujin specially assigned her to serve you, Princess. She has been working in the mansion for several years and is familiar with all the rules. If you have any questions, Princess, just ask her."

Jin Yuyan glanced at Lixin and nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your trouble, Miss."

Hailan then curtsied and said, "This servant will take her leave now."

Once she left, the house finally quieted down, and Jin Yuyan first looked around the small courtyard.

Although it's called a small courtyard, the place is spacious, and the furnishings inside are quite nice, with everything tastefully arranged.

At a glance, one could tell that the primary wife was not the kind of mistress who would mistreat her concubines in terms of food, clothing, and shelter.

That's the rule...

Jin Yuyan glanced down at the thick stack of household rules on the table, her brows furrowing.

Mustering my courage, I reached out and turned the page, and densely packed Chinese characters instantly came into view.

Jin Yuyan snapped the door shut, then stretched out her delicate hand and rubbed her temples.

Taking this opportunity, he gave Zhenshu a wink.

The latter immediately understood, and walked to Lixin's side with a smile, her attitude warm: "Sister Lixin, Princess and I have both come from afar from the Yu family, and we are unfamiliar with this place. I'm afraid we will have to trouble you to give us some pointers on many things in the future."

As she spoke, she took out a bright pearl from her bosom. It was about the size of a fingernail, with a lustrous color, and was obviously very valuable.

Zhenshu smiled and stuffed it into Lixin's hand: "It's just a small token, nothing much, just consider it a gift from the princess to her younger sister for tea."

Lixin, looking flattered, said, "Now that you've entered the manor, and I've been sent here, I will serve you wholeheartedly and be utterly loyal to you."

Zhenshu felt relieved and smiled, "Everything else is secondary. The most important thing right now is that our princess is new here and needs to know the temperaments of the masters in the mansion, so as not to accidentally offend them without realizing it. For example..."

Zhenshu lowered her voice: "Does my sister know which princess in the back courtyard the prince likes the most? If you know, please give me a hint."

The flattered look on Lixin's face vanished in an instant.

He shoved the pearl back into Zhenshu's hand.

"Sister Zhenshu, the rule is—you shouldn't ask such a question."

Zhenshu was taken aback: "What?"

"No matter which courtyard or which servant, no one is allowed to inquire about the prince and his wife's preferences in private, let alone speculate about their master's whereabouts, bedchamber arrangements, or private matters of each courtyard."

Zhenshu was a little incredulous: "Can't I ask?"

"cannot."

Lixin answered very decisively: "Especially matters concerning serving the emperor in bed, bestowing gifts, and what the prince likes in private—these are the most taboo topics."

"Then how do we know whether we should or shouldn't—"

"You can't go wrong if you follow the rules."

Lixin spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jin Yuyan and Zhenshu looked at each other in bewilderment.