The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

She never fought for anything, nor did she ever do evil to anyone, yet Lady Fucha was wary of her from the very beginning.

A contraceptive soup that couldn't be made to see the light of day had been drinking her for so many years, preventing her from even having a biological child with her brother Hongli.

The women in the backyard are all the same. No matter how virtuous and generous they pretend to be on the surface, they can't help but be jealous and quarrelsome in the end.

Indeed, what woman in this world would willingly give up her beloved husband to someone else?

What woman could stand by and watch her husband spend time with another woman, enjoying romantic moments, having children, and growing up with a house full of grandchildren, without feeling anything?

Some people openly expressed their jealousy, while Fucha, in self-deception, hid it behind a facade of shrewishness and magnanimity.

How hypocritical!

As Ruyi thought about this, the anger in her heart gradually faded, turning into an indescribable weariness.

Then came the death of my aunt.

She was prepared to give her own life to save her aunt's life.

I am also prepared to never see my brother Hongli again in this life, and to be separated from him by life and death.

But her aunt made her choice before her, drank the wine first, and passed away in front of her.

She cried all night, but eventually convinced herself to put the family first and obey her aunt's dying wish.

Ulanara could not withstand any more turmoil; she had to live to be the last support for her parents and brothers.

She couldn't even harbor hatred; she had to personally testify to her brother Hongli, to all the civil and military officials, and to the people of the world, proving that her aunt had died suddenly out of resentment and that it was not due to the Empress Dowager's coercion.

Only in this way can one secure a last chance of survival.

...But she never expected to hear those cold words from her beloved.

He used filial piety, rules, and the phrase his aunt had hated for so many years—"never to see each other again"—to personally erase his aunt's existence, again and again.

This extinguished my aunt's last hope.

He must not be buried with the late emperor.

He should be buried in the imperial concubine's mausoleum.

She felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.

I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave.

Is that really her brother Hongli? How could her young lover have turned out like this?

It's one thing for others to forget, but does he not even remember how sincere his aunt was for his uncle?

Does he really not understand that what his aunt could never let go of from beginning to end was not the cold, hard throne of the empress, but the bond between her and her husband?

Aren't sincerity and affection the most precious things in this world?

Even the Empress Dowager was visibly taken aback when she heard her say that their love was deep and that they were devoted to each other.

It is evident that the women in the deep palace, no matter what they eventually became, all initially longed for a sincere heart.

Later, some people couldn't get what they wanted, and some couldn't hold onto it, so they simply stopped believing altogether.

Why did her young lover forget her first?

The sedan chair swayed slightly, and Ruyi frowned slightly.

And... Yixin.

It turns out he had already been bribed.

This was what truly pained her, and even made it hard for her to accept. Yixin was not Suxin, nor was she someone who came into her life later; she was a confidante who had grown up with A'ruo since childhood. It was just that she favored A'ruo more, and when she married on the spot, she chose A'ruo first among the two.

If it weren't for trust, she wouldn't have entrusted her alone with preparing the fertility-enhancing medicine all these years.

She would never have remained childless for so many years. She watched as Su Luyun and Fucha Zhuying, who were not as favored as her in the Prince's residence, became pregnant one by one, while she could not. She would rather doubt that she was destined to be childless and that she was unlucky than doubt Yixin even slightly!

But because of this, she finds it even more difficult to accept such betrayal.

She suddenly didn't know who she could still trust in this world.

Ruyi closed her eyes and suddenly felt very tired.

Just then, the sedan chair had already left the palace gates and traveled some distance when a woman's angry voice suddenly rang in my ears.

"Use silver? Why should we use silver! This palace belongs to the Emperor, not some eunuch! Why should those who use silver be allowed to stay in the palace, while those who don't deserve to be transferred to the Yuanmingyuan? There's no such logic in the world!"

Ruyi suddenly opened her eyes and turned her head slightly.

-

After some time, the funeral rites for the late emperor finally ended, and the new emperor ascended the throne, bringing with them a flurry of activity both inside and outside the palace.

Emperor Hongli finally sat on the dragon throne he had longed for for many years. His first decree was to make his primary consort, Lady Fucha, empress, and to honor his birth mother, Lady Niohuru, as empress dowager, residing in Cining Palace.

When the heavy golden seal of the empress was finally in his hands, Ruofu held it and looked at it from left to right, almost unable to help but grin out loud.

After all these years, she has finally gotten her wish!

Fortunately, Zhao Ying coughed lightly beside her in time, which made her quickly press her lips down and put on a dignified and composed demeanor as if she were the mother of the nation.

As soon as she returned to her inner room, she immediately took out the gold seal and carefully examined it from head to toe and back to toe.

Great stuff, really great stuff!

Her greatest dream used to be nothing more than to become a noblewoman, but who would have thought that Heaven would be so kind to her, sending her to the position of Empress in one fell swoop.

If it weren't for the fact that the national mourning period had just ended and it was really inappropriate to hold a grand celebration, she would have loved to immediately have someone heat up a few more pots of wine and have a good time!

However happy as I am, I can't neglect the important business at hand.

Soon, everyone from the Prince's residence will be moved into the palace. What rank will be given to each person, what palace will they live in, how many palace servants will be kept by their side, and what rank will be used to determine their allowances—all these things need to be planned out in advance.

She took the Phoenix Seal first, intending to lead her people to the palace to inspect the locations.

"My Ladyship~ My Ladyship~"

Ruo Fu paused in his steps.

She knew who it was without even turning around, from that sticky, guttural way of calling out.

She deliberately kept a straight face, pretending not to hear, and took Zhaoying's hand to get into the car.

Sure enough, Gao Xiyue was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet behind her, and kept giving Hualan meaningful glances. Hualan felt helpless under her gaze, so she had no choice but to quickly lift her skirt and catch up, tugging at her mother's clothes.

If not, then you have no choice but to turn back.

He glanced at it once, then immediately looked away.

Tsk!

What's with this beautiful woman, as lovely as a snow lotus on a high mountain, making such faces and being so obsequious?

But once he got in the car and turned around to see Hua Lan, her cold face almost cracked open on the spot.

On Hua Lan's two slender wrists, there were six or seven bracelets on each wrist, some gold, some jade, and some inlaid with gemstones, layered upon each other, as if they were stacked from her wrists all the way to her elbows.

His ten fingers were also busy; apart from his two thumbs, he wore a total of seven or eight rings, the largest of which was as big as a fingernail, so dazzling that it made Roosevelt's eyes blur.

Ruofu finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, scolding, "You, Lady Gao, are really getting worse with age! You've even learned the art of bribery, and you're specifically targeting a money-grubber like me. How much of this is yours, and how much is mine?"