The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye.

After the mourning period ended, the Imperial Household Department presented the green plaque again.

Meanwhile, as the weather grew colder day by day, the palaces began to busy themselves with changing into autumn clothes, adding charcoal, and preparing for winter supplies.

On this day, which happened to be the day for paying respects to the emperor, the Changchun Palace was unusually well-organized.

Ruo Fu, dressed in a loose, light brown casual outfit, sat at the head of the table, her belly already slightly protruding.

She has been taking excellent care of herself these days. Apart from her appetite fluctuating, she is otherwise in good health, and her complexion is even rosier than before.

Gao Xiyue sat to her left, her belly also showing a noticeable curve.

She seemed to be in good spirits. As soon as she entered the house today, she excitedly told everyone that the baby had moved twice last night, which had scared her so much that she hadn't slept for most of the night.

"At first I thought I was feeling unwell, but then Moxin said it was the baby moving!" She touched her belly, her eyes sparkling. "Your Majesty, do you think he heard me playing the pipa yesterday?"

Ruof said seriously, "Then you'd better play well. What if he thinks it sounds bad and covers his ears inside, and you can't see him?"

Gao Xiyue:......

The hall erupted in laughter.

Although Ruofu liked to display the majesty of the Empress, she didn't like to do so all the time. Especially when everyone truly respected her, she was the most approachable one.

Today, as autumn approaches and expenses are being rearranged, she took out the booklets she had reviewed a few days ago and went over them one by one.

The newly tailored autumn clothes for each palace have been distributed as usual. They can choose the colors and patterns themselves, and if they need more, they can just report it.

The autumn and winter clothing and health-preserving medicines prepared for the Empress Dowager have already been sent. We need to be even more careful with the princes and princesses, especially Yonghuang and the others, who are at the age of growth. Their autumn and winter diets should not be too heavy. Cheese, beef and mutton should be added, and vegetables and fruits should not be lacking.

Upon hearing her mention Yonghuang, Zhu Ying quickly stood up to express her gratitude.

Lüyun couldn't help but laugh, "Your Majesty is so thoughtful in everything you do, it saves us a lot of trouble."

Wan Yin said softly, "The Imperial Household Department sent two extra bolts of autumn clothing fabric a few days ago. I thought it was a mistake, but then I learned that Her Majesty said that I am thin and easily feel cold in autumn, so she specially added some."

Ruo Fu, praising everyone, couldn't suppress the smile on his face, but he still pretended to be nonchalant.

"What's the big deal? Now that I've become Empress, it's my duty to take care of these things. Do you expect me to just make you kowtow every day without even making you a single piece of clothing? What kind of person would I be then?"

This caused another burst of laughter in the room.

Gao Xiyue, ever the obliging one, immediately said, "That's right. If we dress up beautifully and come to pay our respects and kowtow to Your Majesty every day, Your Majesty will be happy too."

Without hesitation, Ruof nodded: "That's what I mean."

The hall was filled with joy and harmony, but one person seemed out of place.

Ruyi sat to Gao Xiyue's left, her head slightly tilted, her eyes half-closed, as if she were dozing.

Ruo Fu initially ignored it, but after glancing at it a couple of times out of the corner of his eye, he became increasingly annoyed.

Let's just stop talking.

"Consort Xian".

Ruyi opened her eyes.

The hall quieted down a bit.

Ruof looked at her: "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Ruyi opened her mouth, but before she could explain, Ruofu said again, "That doesn't make sense either. What could possibly be keeping you up at night? The emperor's bedchamber arrangements were just rearranged today, and it was Consort Wan who was chosen. What does that have to do with you?"

Wan Yin blushed instantly when she was suddenly called out.

Ruyi's expression froze, and she stammered, "Your Majesty, I just—"

"Never mind, never mind."

Ruo Fu waved her hand, clearly too lazy to listen: "I don't care what you do behind closed doors. If you're sleepy, go back to sleep. What are you pretending for, lying here with your head tilted?"

No one in the hall dared to laugh, and no one spoke up for Ruyi.

Gao Xiyue lowered her head to drink her tea, but her shoulders trembled slightly.

Ruyi was completely embarrassed and could only stand up: "Your Majesty, I am indeed feeling a little tired, so I will take my leave now."

Ruof: "Go."

His tone could even be described as cheerful.

Ruyi's expression grew increasingly grim, and she took Rongpei's hand as she rose and walked outside.

Just then, Su Xin came in from outside carrying fresh tea. As they passed each other, Rong Pei's gaze suddenly fell on Su Xin.

To be precise, it's on the head.

Unaware of anything amiss, Su Xin simply bowed respectfully and went inside to serve tea.

Rong Pei couldn't help but look back once more, and then once more.

Suddenly, a clear pipa melody and a burst of laughter came from behind.

Ruyi paused for a moment; her departure only made things more lively.

This realization made her feel indescribably sad.

Just then, another person came towards them.

Lianxin came over from the other end with two maids, carrying things in her hands. When she saw Ruyi, she stopped and bowed.

"This servant greets Consort Xian."

They were very proper and orderly, without a trace of warmth.

Ruyi called out softly.

Lianxin stepped aside and waited for her to pass before continuing on her way.

Rong Pei stopped looking again.

Once the two reached the long street, Rong Pei finally couldn't help but speak up: "Your Majesty, please don't take those things to heart. They're just a bunch of opportunists who play favorites. Now that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine are both pregnant, they're naturally vying to flatter them, their words sweeter than honey, but who knows what they're really thinking?"

Ruyi, who had been holding her breath, suddenly felt a little relieved after hearing these words.

"It's alright," she said indifferently. "I've never bothered to argue with them. Every time I come to pay my respects, it's the same old routine. Either I'm praising you, or you're praising me. I'm tired of hearing it."

She looked up at the high, clear autumn sky and suddenly said, "The weather is nice today."

Rong Pei: "Yes."

"Accompany me to the Imperial Study for a stroll."

Rong Pei's eyes lit up: "Yes."

The master and servant walked towards the imperial study. However, when they got close, they saw Wang Qin leading a group of women into the room. There were six or seven women, all dressed identically and carrying pipa (a type of Chinese lute).

She was a pipa player from the Southern Prefecture.

Ruyi paused, her expression darkening slightly.

These days she has been confined to Yanxi Palace, where she has to copy palace rules and keep an eye on Yixin and Suxin. Unless she has to go to Changchun Palace to pay her respects, she really hasn't taken the initiative to go out and move around.

However, during this period of time, Hongli never set foot in Yanxi Palace.

She asked Rong Pei to bring her soup every few days, but there was never a reply.

Ruyi's eyes glazed over for a moment.

"Your Majesty..."

Rong Pei called out to her worriedly.

Ruyi forced a smile: "Perhaps His Majesty is tired from handling state affairs and wants to listen to some music to relieve his boredom. Let's go quickly and listen to some music as well."

Rong Pei sighed inwardly, "Yes."

-

Wang Qin lifted the curtain and led the women from the Southern Mansion, each carrying a pipa, inside one by one.

When it was the last person's turn, he subtly turned his head and made a quick eye contact with the woman.

Not long after, the sound of a pipa rang out from the imperial study.

"Stop. There's a wrong note. Who made that mistake?"

"It seems that the performing arts skills are not yet proficient enough."

"Only those who are not well-versed in music can hear the difference..."

She paused for a moment before looking up at Hongli: "If the music is wrong, Zhou Lang will notice."

The slender and beautiful woman instantly caught Hongli's attention, especially the flirtatious look in her eyes and brows, which made him secretly raise an eyebrow and become very interested.

A long-lost joy welled up in my heart.

He smiled, sat up straight, and waved.

"Come forward."

The woman, holding a pipa, slowly approached as instructed.

The closer you get, the more slender she appears. Her cheeks are fair, her nose is delicate, her chin is small and pointed, and her eyes are moist, as if they always hold a hint of affection.

Hongli glanced at her twice, then simply reached out and lifted her chin.

The woman's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she did not flinch. Instead, when she looked up, her watery eyes showed even more tenderness.

Hongli felt increasingly relieved, and his tone softened: "What's your name?"

The woman said softly, "My surname is Bai, and my given name is Ruiji."

"Bai Ruiji".

Hongli slowly read the three characters aloud, his smile deepening: "She is delicate and lovely, and her name is quite pleasant to hear."

A smile flashed across Bai Ruiji's eyes. Just as she was about to bow her head shyly to express her gratitude, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"Your Majesty, the First Prince requests an audience—"

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly froze.

The smile on Hongli's face vanished instantly.

The hand that had been hooking Bai Ruiji's chin was immediately withdrawn.

Before Bai Ruiji could even react, she saw the Emperor stand up. His previous leisurely and lazy demeanor had vanished completely, and he instantly reverted to his usual upright and dignified appearance, even showing a hint of inexplicable panic.

"Get up, all of you!"

Hongli pointed to several pipa players: "Go stand over there, stand against the wall, all of you, stand properly!"

Everyone looked bewildered, but dared not disobey, and quickly did as instructed.

Bai Ruiji was left alone and didn't know what to do.

When Hongli saw her, his brows furrowed instantly, both anxious and angry: "What are you standing there for? You go too! And you stand at the very back, and don't you dare look up!"

Bai Ruiji was completely dumbfounded.