The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

On the other side, Yuanxin finished her errands absentmindedly. After returning to her room from her shift and closing the door tightly, she sat down on the couch and pondered the day's events.

Since the late emperor's death and the current emperor's ascension to the throne, no one from that side has contacted her.

Based on her master's reaction, she knew that she had probably already given herself away.

As for Ruyi, her mistress, she was a maid who had followed her since childhood. She wouldn't say she knew her inside and out, but she was confident that she saw through her most clearly.

Let's set aside for now what kind of talent or intelligence they possess.

To put it simply, her most prominent trait since childhood is that she never speaks her mind about what she truly wants. Instead, others have to urge her repeatedly and deliver it to her personally before she reluctantly accepts it.

But to say she was truly cruel wouldn't be an exaggeration.

She has never liked to break ties with others. It's unclear whether she genuinely disdains them, lacks the courage, or pretends to be indifferent despite lacking the courage.

But there's one thing Ruyi truly understands—

That is, as soon as she believes that someone she once trusted has wronged her, her face can immediately turn as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month. Even if she doesn't say anything, she will definitely look at you with those icy eyes, as if she has already seen through everything and is just waiting for you to kneel down and confess your sins.

Yuanxin didn't know exactly where she had slipped up, but she just knew.

But so what?

Without evidence, at most Ruyi would just ignore her and stop letting her get close.

Even if it gets exposed, it's better this way.

Back then, she and A'Ruo were both head maids serving Ruyi, yet Ruyi always favored A'Ruo.

Ruo is unrestrained, cunning, and always picks the easiest tasks. When there are finally any rewards, she tries to snatch the best ones. She also acts coquettish and silly. Even if her master notices something is wrong, he only says a few gentle words to Ruo not to do it again, and then says nothing more.

Being cautious and speaking less will only make you seem clumsy and tongue-tied.

Later, when the mistress got married, she could only choose one maid to accompany her in her dowry. Without the slightest hesitation, she chose A'ruo, causing her to stay in the mansion and be talked about openly and secretly by everyone for several months.

Later, when A'Ruo got into trouble and was sent back to the mansion, Ruyi remembered her again and wanted her to serve her.

Even Aruo couldn't be protected, and was even kicked out in less than a year. It's obvious what the master's status was in the palace.

If I were to fill a vacancy at this time, what kind of good job could it be?

It would be better to have my mother pick a decent man for her and marry him off as soon as possible.

Just when she had asked her mother to find a suitable candidate, someone came knocking on her door.

First they threatened her, then they bribed her, wanting her to continue serving as a maidservant by Ruyi's side in Prince Bao's mansion.

That person even thoroughly investigated the families that the old woman had chosen for her. Of the four or five candidates, not one was decent. They were either in debt due to gambling or already had lovers outside. There was also one who looked the most honest, but in private, he was a violent person who would beat people when drunk.

But her mother was blinded by greed; she only cared about which family offered the highest dowry and then married her off to them.

After Yuanxin finished reading the stack of documents, looked at the hundred-tael silver note the man had placed on the table, and listened to the other party's meticulously arranged method of communication, she no longer hesitated.

Do it! Why not do it?

No one has ever cared about her fate, nor has anyone taken her good or bad for granted. Why can't she even think about her own future?

First, save up the money. At least then the silver won't look down on her for being a maid, nor will it suddenly change its mind.

Now that we've been exposed, we might as well just stay hidden and live a quiet life.

Such things are best kept secret, and she was afraid that one day Ruyi might suddenly become stubborn and insist on dragging her down with her.

It would be better to do your job honestly, get paid as usual, and when you reach the age to be released, use the money you've saved over the years to find a way out for yourself.

Who would have thought that the master would suddenly change his mind again.

Yuanxin sat on the couch, staring blankly at the candlelight, frowning as she wondered, "Could it be that I was just being paranoid? Did my master not notice what I was doing?"

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she suppressed it.

impossible!

In this world, perhaps no one understands Ruyi's temperament better than himself.

Moreover, what he said today was really a bit too deliberate.

What precious child? What about serving the emperor again next month? What about the possibility of it happening?

Yuan Xin couldn't help but scoff.

Competing for favor? She'd have to be willing to lower herself for it.

What the master loves most is when others fawn over her, beg her, and think she is special.

If she were to compete for it like other women, she would immediately complain that it was unseemly!

As for his son? That's a joke!

In the master's heart, as long as the child was born by her own hand, the child should be different from others. Why would she need the title of "noble child" to gild her own image?

If that's the case, why did she deliberately say these things today?

Yuan Xin's gaze gradually settled, and after a moment, she suddenly let out a cold laugh.

Is this some kind of ploy to lure the snake out of its hole? Are they deliberately letting me hear that she's about to become pregnant and give birth to some precious child, waiting for me to lose my composure and leak the information, so they can catch me red-handed?

If that's true, then the master is now a bit more cunning than before, but unfortunately, he might not be using it wisely.

But a problem remains: should we continue with the medication?

Of course, she couldn't make decisions on her own.

It was the people on that side who asked her to change the quantities in the first place. If she does nothing now, and they blame her for stopping without permission, she can't bear the consequences.

But if they continue to administer the drugs and are caught, she can't be the only one to take the blame.

They plotted to murder the imperial heir and betrayed their former master.

She was just a lowly palace maid; how could she possibly endure all this!

I need to find someone to ask what to do!

But how do we get the message out?

Just as she was racking her brains, a door next door suddenly opened, interrupting her thoughts.

It must be Su Xin who has returned.

Yuan Xin's eyes suddenly lit up.

-

"Your son?"

Ruofu chuckled, rolling her eyes, and said to Hongli with a look of utter disdain, "Such a stupid and absurd idea, without a doubt, was probably conceived by Jin Yuyan! Even if Ruyi were stupid, she couldn't have come up with such a claim! The idea that the first child born after the new emperor's ascension is a son of great nobility, the most blessed and honored? According to that logic, your sixth brother should have been the late emperor's most blessed and honored son! How come he was adopted in the end?"