The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Ruyi paused, took a closer look, and her heart skipped a beat. All her sorrow vanished instantly, and even her eyes became clear.

She nodded hastily: "No need for formalities."

My first instinct was to quicken my pace and leave.

As soon as he took one step forward, Hailan moved to the side, blocking his way.

Ruyi's unease grew stronger.

Hailan calmly raised her eyes, her gaze passing over Ruyi and landing directly on Rongpei beside her:

"This servant has heard that the head maidservant serving Consort Xian just slapped Lianxin, the Empress's head maidservant. Is this true?"

Ruyi's heart sank immediately. She then noticed that behind Hailan, there were no longer the little palace maids who were helping her with the abacus and account books, but several tall and strong old women.

Without thinking twice, she quickly said, "It was just a misunderstanding. Lianxin's words were somewhat inappropriate, and Rongpei was only acting out of concern for her master—"

"Then may I ask, Your Highness Consort Xian?"

Hailan interrupted her calmly: "Just how exactly did Lianxin speak so rudely?"

Ruyi choked for a moment.

At this moment, Rong Pei spoke up loudly: "How dare she, a mere servant, lecture Consort Xian in front of everyone! This is insubordination! What's wrong with me slapping her?"

Hailan's expression remained unchanged: "Then I'll trouble Consort Xian, or this old nanny, to recount every word Lianxin said at the time. I'll write it down myself, and then have everyone present verify it. If there was indeed any deceit or inappropriate speech, then Lianxin was at fault first, and she twisted the truth, making a false accusation. According to the new palace rules Your Highness has established, she should be fined six months' salary, demoted one rank, and placed under observation for six months."

Ruyi's expression turned even more unpleasant.

Of course, she couldn't say.

It is true that she was momentarily distracted at the time and allowed Su Xin, who was dressed in the Empress's auspicious robes, to bow for a long time.

She simply said, "As I've already said, it was just a few words exchanged. Since both sides acted impulsively, we don't want to hold a grudge against Lianxin any longer. Let's let this matter rest."

Hailan replied, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. This matter cannot be turned over."

Ruyi's face stiffened.

Hailan said, "If you and Rong Momo cannot prove that Lianxin was indeed disrespectful first, then we can only deal with it according to the existing testimony. That is, Rong Momo slapped the palace maid without cause, and according to palace rules, she should be punished ten times over."

Her gaze gently fell on Rong Pei's face: "In other words, if Lianxin was slapped once, then Rong Mama should slap her ten times."

The maids behind her immediately took a half step forward.

Rong Pei's expression changed.

Ruyi's face also darkened abruptly: "It was just a few words of quarrel, did you have to escalate things to this point?"

His tone was tougher than ever before.

Hailan didn't even flinch, and slowly said, "That's the rule. This is only the punishment for injuring someone without cause. According to Lianxin's report, the reason she offended Her Highness was because Suxin was wearing the Empress's auspicious robes when she bowed to Consort Xian. Lianxin believed that although the palace maid was just borrowing the clothes for the painting, she was still wearing the Empress's auspicious robes and shouldn't bow to others in that way, so she helped Suxin up. If that's really the case, then it wasn't just a dispute between palace maids."

Hailan looked up at Ruyi: "Consort Xian is also suspected of disrespecting the Empress. If this is found to be true, even Your Highness will have to give an explanation."

Ruyi's chest heaved violently, and she said coldly, "I didn't mean that."

Hailan immediately asked, "What exactly did Lianxin say?"

We've come full circle again.

Ruyi stared intently at her.

Hailan didn't dodge.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Ruyi suddenly turned her head and looked at Rongpei: "Take responsibility for your own mistakes."

Rong Pei was stunned. Before she could react, several nannies behind Hai Lan had already stepped forward.

Two people held her shoulders, one on each side, while another old woman deftly rolled up her sleeves.

"Snapped!"

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The sound of the slap carried far down the long street.

Ten strokes completed.

Rong Pei's face was swollen and red, and her lips were slightly cracked. After being released, her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

She was panting heavily, but her eyes were still fixed on Hailan.

Ruyi was also looking at Hailan, and even asked softly, "Are you satisfied now?"

Hailan glanced down at Rong Pei on the ground, then bowed respectfully to Ruyi again.

"I hope that Consort Xian will pay more attention in the future and keep the servants in check. If you want harmony in the six palaces, you must follow the rules set by the Empress."

"understood."

Ruyi interrupted her directly, her voice clearly tinged with anger: "When I get back, I'll copy the palace rules ten times! Is that enough?"

Hailan paused for a moment, then smiled slightly.

Her eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, gentle and tender, making her exceptionally beautiful.

She curtsied gracefully: "Your Highness Consort Xian is humble, intelligent, and eager to learn, truly a model for the six palaces. This servant has other duties to attend to, so I must take my leave now."