The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Ruyi knelt there and slowly closed her eyes.

Yuanxin continued, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Empress, I am truly innocent! If I had truly been ordered by someone to harm my mistress, since the medicine had already gone wrong, I could have simply pretended not to see it and brewed it for her as before. Why go through all this trouble, letting Aunt Rongpei know, and making a public trip to the Imperial Hospital? If my mistress has indeed been using contraceptive soup for many years as she claims, her body must be severely weakened. Even if she stops taking the medicine temporarily, what difference will it make?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed, and she said, "That makes sense. Then you should take Consort Xian's pulse again to see how her health is now and whether there are any traces of long-term use of harmful medicines in her body."

"Yes, sir."

Three imperial physicians stepped forward in turn.

This time, the wait wasn't long.

Qi Ru was the first to reply: "Consort Xian's pulse is normal, and she is in good health, showing no signs of weakness."

The other two also agreed.

Rong Pei panicked at this point and quickly turned to look at Ruyi, only to find that the latter's eyes were closed, as if she had no breath left.

Rong Pei's eyes instantly reddened: "Master!"

The Empress Dowager remained composed, even taking a sip of her tea before saying, "Rongpei, you just said that the perpetrator was caught red-handed."

Rong Pei trembled.

The Empress Dowager asked, word by word, "Now that everyone is kneeling here, where is the stolen goods?"

Rong Pei opened her mouth, and after a long while, she managed to say, "Empress Dowager... this medicine must have been switched. Perhaps, perhaps they were prepared in advance and did it on purpose—"

"Who changed it?" the Empress Dowager interrupted her, asking leisurely, "When was it changed? Where was it changed? Did anyone see it?"

Rong Pei couldn't answer a single question.

Upon hearing this, Ruofu suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I've been listening for so long, but I still don't understand. It turns out I didn't prepare the prescription, I didn't deliver the medicine, I didn't order Yuanxin out today, Hailan was just doing her routine check at the Imperial Hospital, and even the one who kidnapped the person was Rongpei… So, at what point did I harm Consort Xian?"

The Empress Dowager picked up her teacup again.

"I'm listening too."

Hongli's lips seemed to twitch slightly.

No one in the hall dared to laugh.

After a moment of silence, the Empress Dowager asked calmly, "Consort Xian, is there anything else?"

Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.

"have."

Ruyi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze now devoid of any fear: "Your Majesty, I must also accuse the Empress of secretly cultivating relationships with the Emperor's close attendants, using her own maids as bait to manipulate Wang Qin, Li Yu, and others to serve her. This allows her to keep track of the Emperor's daily movements, likes and dislikes, and words, and she then uses these people to deceive His Majesty and exclude those who disagree with her. What I am saying is not mere speculation. Wang Qin secretly gifted me a lotus-scented sachet, and Li Yu secretly gifted me a velvet flower; both gifts have already been delivered to Cining Palace."

Perhaps she really wronged the Empress about the contraceptive soup.

Since the real mastermind is someone else, this outcome is somewhat expected.

She looked quietly at the Empress Dowager, who was high above her, her face showing neither sorrow nor joy.

Then, his gaze fell on the Empress.

But another thing must be true.

"What is it?"

Before anyone else could speak.

Ruofu's mind went blank for a moment, then she came to her senses and slammed her hand on the armrest: "Bah! Back then at the banquet where the Third Prince was choosing his primary consort, were you just spouting empty words?!"

Ruofu's chest heaved with rage: "Two perfectly innocent young women, diligently serving me, and you, mistress and servant, with just a few words, have turned them into prostitutes using their bodies to form cliques for me! Did you come here today to accuse me, or to ruin these young women's reputations? What do you mean by using palace maids as bait? So, if any man in the world takes a fancy to a maid in my Changchun Palace, I, the Empress, get a powerful general for free? Oh, even non-men count? According to you two, then what right do I have to manage the six palaces? What right does the Emperor have to promote guards? Tomorrow, I'll drag all the maids from Changchun Palace out and parade them around the Forbidden City three times. Anyone who glances at me twice will be my assassin. In the blink of an eye, the harem and the court will all be mine!"