The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Ruo Fu continued, "What about Yonghuang, born to Zhu Ying? What about Yongzhang, born to Lü Yun? Aren't they all your sons, princes of our Great Qing Dynasty, of noble birth? They are all healthy, grew up peacefully, and are very clever and quick-witted. How can they lack good fortune? How can they lack nobility? And what about the one in Xi Yue's belly? We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet. If it's a prince, he'll steal the limelight from his brothers before he's even born, leaving a grudge in the hearts of his stepmother and stepmothers. How can the brothers live in harmony in the future? He'll cause chaos and enmity in the family even before he's born. Is this a noble child or a jinx?"

Hongli's heart skipped a beat, but he stubbornly said, "Zhuying, Lüyun and the others are all honest and upright people, not to mention Xiyue. They have always listened to you the most, and Yonghuang respects Baige'er, his elder brother, the most... It's not that bad."

But his voice trailed off, sounding weak and lacking confidence.

Seeing that he finally understood, Ruofu decisively said, "Let's send Jin Yuyan to the Cold Palace, or better yet, kick her out of the palace altogether. Keeping such a menace in the palace is always a potential hazard."

The solemnity that Hongli had just cultivated instantly crumbled.

"Jin Yuyan is a tribute girl of the Yu family. If we drive her out without reason, what if the Yu family is unhappy..."

"Do they dare?"

Ruofu glared and said, "I've already asked Brother Bai. He said that the Yu family's place is insignificant. They're too busy paying tribute and becoming vassals to dare to give you attitude. Besides, who told you to do this for no reason? Just give her a crime and that'll be enough."

Hongli's eyelids twitched: "What crime?"

"Intending to harm the prince and wreak havoc in the harem!"

If Fu had spoken so succinctly, then, fearing it wasn't enough, he pointed to himself and added, "How dare he, with audacity, covet the Empress's position!"

"Using this as an excuse to hold the Yu family accountable, they'll probably be scared to death. Forget about seeking justice for Jin Yuyan then; they'll likely rush to punish her parents and clan first, and then send you a beauty as an apology. No, maybe ten!"

Ruof looked him up and down and said, "You're so beautiful."

Hongli looked helpless: "What are we talking about now? If I had known that the women her family sent were all such stupid and clumsy women, I would never have dared to take them."

He paused for a moment, then shook his head: "But right now there's no evidence. You've thrown her into the Cold Palace just because she said a few words to Consort Xian. That's going too far. I have no intention of protecting her. I'm just afraid that the court and the harem will start gossiping about you, the Empress, and eliminating your rivals. You'll have no tolerance for others whatsoever."

They don't know anything!

Ruo Fu almost blurted it out.

This is clearly what she calls taking precautions.

As the Empress, the head of the six palaces, it's only natural that she stands tall and sees far!

Knowing full well who is bound to cause trouble in the future, does she really have to wait until the other party has ruined the person, lost the child, and bled profusely before slowly coming over to confront them?

But as the words were about to come out, she suddenly remembered something Changbai had said to her before:

"Throughout history, those arrested by the law and convicted by the court have all been those who have already broken the law. If a person has only had a thought in his mind, or even planned something, but has never put it into action, he cannot be convicted based on mere speculation."

Ruofu was still very unconvinced at the time: "Once she puts it into practice, who knows how many people will be harmed by her, or even lose their lives. What's the use of punishing her then?"

"Planning is one thing, breaking the law is another."

Changbai remained calm throughout, saying, "Everyone in this world has countless thoughts in a single day. Yet some people plan for a long time, only to suddenly realize their mistake at the last minute and turn back in time. Should all these people be punished as murderers?"

Ruo Fu thought it was all a mess at the time. How could she not know what Jin Yuyan was?

It's always better to kill it off as soon as possible!

Changbai looked at her for a while, then suddenly asked, "Empress Mother, what if one day, someone of higher rank and greater power than you also makes a decision based solely on their intuition?"

If you don't frown.

"He felt that someone's rebellious intentions were growing stronger and that they would surely cause trouble in the future, so he exterminated their entire family in advance... He felt that a certain son would surely be disobedient and unfilial in the future, so he executed him first, even without asking for evidence, killing him first and then trying him..." Changbai said slowly, "I'm afraid this will cause great chaos."

Ruof's first reaction was that this child was worrying unnecessarily.

My second reaction was... well, it seems there's some truth to that.

Upon further reflection, staring at Hongli for a while, he seemed to understand something deeper.

"become."

Ruo Fu gritted his teeth and said, "Then we'll wait. When she actually tries to do it, we'll catch her on the spot and throw her into the cold palace!"

Hongli breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly: "Okay."

Ruof suddenly narrowed his eyes: "You wouldn't have gone and tipped them off, would you?"

Hongli almost laughed in exasperation: "Who am I tipping off?"

"Who knows you?" Ruofu looked at him suspiciously. "Jin Yuyan might not be the case, but Ruyi has a past relationship with you."

Hongli's temples throbbed with anger at her words: "I promise you, if it is truly found that someone masterminds this murder, the mastermind will be banished to the Cold Palace, and the accomplices will be sent to the Garden, never to enter the palace again for the rest of their lives. Is that acceptable?"

Ruof was then satisfied: "That's more like it."

After saying that, he put the matter out of his mind for the time being and reached for a picture book next to him.

Hongli recognized it at a glance; it was a gift from Chen Wanyin that had recently given to her.

The paintings inside depict all of Hualan's appearance over the years.

From being a chubby little baby sitting on the tatami mat with a rattle drum in my arms, to learning to write for the first time when I was a little older and got ink all over my face.

And now, she sits upright with her hair styled in a little girl's bun, holding a pipa.

Ruofu liked it more and more the more he looked at it.

Turning to the last page, she gently traced the eyebrows and eyes of the painting of Hua Lan, then subconsciously stroked her own belly: "When our Ru'er is born, I'll have Wan Yin paint her like this too. One painting a year, until she gets married."

Hongli was listening with a smile, but after a couple of breaths, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

"What Ru'er?"

"Our third sister," Ruofu said with a smile, "I've decided on a name for her. She'll be called Rulan from birth, and her nickname will be Ru'er."

Hongli's expression was grave: "No."

If Ferdinand immediately became unhappy, he asked, "Why?"

Hongli reminded her: "Ruyi."

Ruo Fu was stunned.

I was stunned for quite a while.

His expression shifted several times, from bewilderment to shock, then to belated regret, before he suddenly slapped his thigh: "How could I have forgotten about her! No, I have to make her change!"

Hongli's eyelids twitched.

The next moment, she said angrily, "My third sister must be Rulan!"

Hongli felt a headache coming on: "How can you ask an elder to change the name of a child that hasn't even been born yet?"

"Who does she consider an elder?" Ruofu muttered, then added indignantly, "Besides, this name was originally bestowed by the Empress Dowager, not something she was born with. Why not just change it back to Qingying?"

Hongli frowned: "Why bother? Is the word 'ru' really that good? Do you have to argue with her over this one word?"

Ruo Fu looked frustrated.

How could she not be as beautiful as an orchid?

Why didn't I think of this sooner! She should have stopped it when the Empress Dowager bestowed the name upon her!

But if she were to actually change her name to Rulan, she would be a hundred times unwilling.

After a long while, Ruofu lowered his head and touched his belly, whispering, "I had a dream. I dreamt of Hualan, Baige'er, and this one in my belly, who has been my child since my past life."

Hongli was taken aback.

Ruo Fu lowered her head and stroked her lower abdomen, her eyes overflowing with affection: "I dreamt that the baby in my belly is a girl named Ru Lan. She is the most considerate and the best at coaxing people, but I didn't treat her well, causing her to suffer a lot of grievances, and I owe her so much."

Ruofu raised his eyes, his face stubborn: "So I think that the reason she came back to me in this life is to enjoy happiness. I have to make up for everything I wronged her and owed her in my past life."

When Hongli heard this, his heart softened. No wonder everyone else was hoping for a prince, but she had only been pregnant for a short time and told everyone she met that she was carrying a little princess, the most cheerful, smiling, filial, and beautiful little princess.

Recalling how she had spoken of the child with such anticipation every time she did so, Hongli's voice softened.

But he still said, "A dream is just a dream. Besides, names are bestowed by elders. How can we ask elders to avoid using our names just because we are younger generations?"

Ruo Fu pursed his lips.

"Okay, no problem."

Hongli was somewhat surprised that she had figured it out so quickly.

The next instant—

"Anyway, she'll probably get into trouble again. When that happens, I'll just banish her to the cold palace and erase her name while I'm at it. I'll let her go back to being Qingying, and return the 'Ru' character to my Ru'er. That way, no one will get in anyone's way!"

Hongli: ...

Hongli stared at her silently for a long time.

I don't want to say a single word.

That night, Hongli simply stayed at Changchun Palace.

If she were not pregnant, the two of them naturally could not share a bed, so they had already arranged for another bed to be placed on the other side.

Since he was still in mourning, Hongli was not allowed to go to the palaces of other concubines.

...and I didn't want to go to that empty, cold imperial study either.

It's all the Empress's fault for having such a foul mouth, talking so recklessly about how the late Emperor was a spirit!

It hurt him...

It's fine to do business during the day; there are people coming and going, and the yang energy is plentiful.

But every night, when the wind blew outside and the window paper rustled, he always felt as if there were a pair of eyes watching him from somewhere, to see if he was obediently observing mourning!

...The Empress must take responsibility!

After washing up, the two lay down. Ruofu soon became sleepy, and his breathing gradually became steady.

Hongli's consciousness was already somewhat hazy, but suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him.

He opened his eyes and, through the screen, softly asked, "Empress."

There was no movement from that side.

Hongli then called out, "Empress?"

Ruo Fu frowned unhappily and mumbled a reply, "What!"

"You just said that in your dream, Bai Ge'er, Hua Lan, and Ru Lan were all your children from your previous life."

Ruofu was so sleepy her brain wasn't working properly: "Hmm..."

Hongli was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then who is their father?"

The air in the hall seemed to freeze.

Ruo Fu suddenly opened his eyes, all sleepiness gone.