The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Zhang Tingyu's expression changed slightly, and he quickly cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, we have no such intention. It's just that Ulanara was once the Empress of the Great Qing Dynasty. Even though the late Emperor and Jingren Palace had been at odds for many years, even though the late Emperor once said that he would never see her again in this life—"

Even if?

Hongli suddenly stopped him and slowly asked, "If Minister Zhang says this, then you are admitting that Father Emperor did indeed say those words. Since you admit it, are you saying that Father Emperor's words are no longer valid?"

Zhang Tingyu's expression changed instantly, and he knelt down with a thud: "Your subject had absolutely no such intention! It was merely in accordance with ancestral rules—"

The Empress Dowager finally raised her eyes, and her gaze toward Hongli held a hint of surprise.

What Hongli thought of was Ruofu's words—an emperor should have the demeanor of an emperor.

His gaze sharpened, and he interrupted again: "Ancestral rules? Father Emperor reigned for thirteen years. Whether he valued rules or not, Minister Zhang and all the court officials should know better than I do. When he was alive, he stripped Empress Ulanara of her golden seal and imprisoned her in Jingren Palace, refusing to see her until his death. This shows that there must have been something improper that could not be known to outsiders. Father Emperor, out of consideration for the years of marriage, never issued an edict to depose the Empress, which was already leaving her with a last bit of dignity."

He paused deliberately, watching with satisfaction as cold sweat gradually beaded on Zhang Tingyu's forehead.

He then continued with satisfaction, "But you ministers, you've seized upon this very leniency of Father Emperor, completely disregarding his dying wishes, and are determined to elevate Ulanara to the throne. Elevate what throne?"

Zhang Tingyu couldn't answer immediately.

Hongli immediately said, "If she truly ascends to the throne, she will still be the Empress Dowager, the Emperor's legitimate wife. After her death, according to the ancestral rules and rites you speak of, shouldn't she be buried with the Emperor? If she is not buried with the Emperor, what kind of legitimate position is that? But if she is buried with the Emperor, where does that leave behind his own words, 'We will never see each other again in life or death'?"

Hongli straightened up and said coldly, "My father's body is barely cold, and you're already in a hurry to overturn what he said before he died, insisting that I, his son, send someone he refused to see in life and who he doesn't want to see in death to his side. Zhang Tingyu, you keep talking about ancestral rites and laws, but is the first rule of those rites and laws that children and grandchildren should disregard the late emperor's last wishes? Are you deliberately trying to make me disobedient and unfilial, so that my father, my father, will not rest in peace in the afterlife?"

Zhang Tingyu's expression changed drastically, and he immediately prostrated himself and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I had no such intention! I was merely offering my advice according to the old system, and I would never dare to go against the late Emperor's wishes!"

The Empress Dowager sat beside her, her expression growing increasingly strange.

But the corners of his mouth uncontrollably began to turn up little by little.

As Hongli looked at Zhang Tingyu, who had just entered with such confidence but was now prostrate on the ground in fear and trembling, a feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his heart.

That's right, this is the proper status an emperor should have.

A secret sense of pleasure slowly spread from the bottom of his heart, and his posture became even more forceful: "The passing of that person in Jingren Palace is a fact, and there is no need to go over the rights and wrongs again. Besides, the incident was witnessed by Consort Qing, who is also Ulanara's niece, and she personally sent someone to report that she died suddenly from resentment. If that is the case, then she died suddenly from resentment."

Zhang Tingyu frowned, but dared not speak without permission.

Hongli, seeing this, felt even more satisfied and said, "You said she was once the Empress of the Great Qing. Very well, I will grant her the honors of an Empress, thus ensuring her final dignity. However, as her son, I cannot disobey my father's dying wish. Since my father said we would never meet again in life or death, she cannot be buried in the same mausoleum as the Emperor. She will be buried in the concubine's mausoleum."

He paused slightly at this point, then continued, "This way, we can preserve the dignity of her former position as Empress, and it also does not go against Father Emperor's wishes. Minister Zhang, do you have any objections?"

The hall remained quiet for a long time.

Zhang Tingyu finally bowed his head: "Your subject... obeys the decree."

Hongli then slowly leaned back in his chair, his gaze immediately turning to the Empress Dowager: "What does Your Majesty think?"

The Empress Dowager met his gaze, her eyes showing a long-lost gentleness, and even the smile on her lips seemed more genuine: "Since the Emperor has thought things through so thoroughly, then let's proceed according to the Emperor's wishes. I have no objections."

Hongli felt increasingly relieved: "Then it's settled."

But just as they took two steps, a muffled thud came from behind the curtains hanging to their side, as if some heavy object had suddenly fallen to the ground.

"Master Qing!"

-

Prince Bao's Mansion.

Jin Yuyan was sitting by the window, tearing at the flowers in her hands, her movements becoming increasingly exaggerated: "They're both useless! Aunt and niece, both more useless than the other!"

"I had thought that with an aunt like this around, Qingying would at least be of some use. Even if she couldn't truly surpass the Empress Dowager, she could at least rival her. Who knew that one of them would die so suddenly in the palace, without even getting the title of Empress Dowager, and the other would lose her aunt for nothing, trying to testify in exchange for the Empress Dowager's favor, but she was so useless, fainting at the last minute. Stupid as a pig! Absolutely stupid as a pig, what a waste of such a good birth and her childhood friendship with the Emperor!"

Zhenshu sighed as well: "Who says otherwise? I originally thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Consort Qing could take advantage of her aunt's influence to expose the matter of the contraceptive soup, even if she couldn't bring down the Consort, at least she could make her restrain herself, or at least lose the hearts of the people in the inner palace. When she enters the palace in the future, we won't have to do much, and the inner palace will not be stable. Who knew that the matter would only have been stirred up for one night before she was gone."

They wasted one of their trump cards!

Jin Yuyan snorted coldly.

Zhenshu thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Princess, you've been taking this contraceptive soup for almost a year. Since the situation is different now, perhaps... you should just stop? Stop taking the medicine as soon as possible, take good care of your health, and give birth to a prince as soon as possible. Now that both the First Lady and Consort Gao are pregnant, if you also get pregnant at this time, it won't be too conspicuous. Who knows, you might even share in some of the good fortune."

To her surprise, Jin Yuyan rolled her eyes at her and said, "What good fortune? The good fortune of getting pregnant during mourning! Do you want it?"

Zhenshu was taken aback.

Jin Yuyan tossed the shriveled flower stem she was holding onto the table and slowly said, "What's in the Fujin's belly? A legitimate son and daughter. She already has the eldest princess and the eldest prince; now, with another one, regardless of gender, it will be a legitimate child, the icing on the cake! And Gao Shi? She's been hoping for a child for so many years; even the Emperor knows how hard it was for her to have this child. And yet, they were both diagnosed with pregnancy on the same day—one legitimate, one favored—double happiness! Who wouldn't say it's auspicious?"

She curled her lip slightly: "What's the use of me getting pregnant after them? And it's during the mourning period! Everyone outside could drown us, mother and child, with their spit! Besides, my child isn't the eldest son, nor is he legitimate. With so many older brothers and sisters above him, if he doesn't even have a proper name at birth, forget about him, Father Emperor, remembering him at first glance!"

Zhenshu whispered, "But after all, he is the Emperor's own flesh and blood..."

"There are plenty of biological children." Jin Yuyan didn't care at all. "Let alone the imperial family, even the children of ordinary noble families, if they are just born ordinary, grow up ordinary, and live an ordinary life, what's the difference between them and ordinary people? My son, since he is coming, should let people know that he is different from the moment he is born. Let his father see him and feel that this child has great fortune and great destiny."

Her gaze gradually turned cold: "If you spend your whole life mediocre and can't achieve anything, how can you be worthy of being my son? You might as well not have come at all."