The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

After finishing her sentence, Ruofu turned to look at Ruyi, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Did you hear that? Is this the 'beauty trap' you were talking about? The beauty who whipped someone's arm with a feather duster? Wang Qinruo, after being beaten like that, is still single-mindedly trying to get close to her. What kind of audacity does he have? This Forbidden City really can't tolerate him!"

The Empress Dowager lowered her head to drink tea, the teacup lingering at her lips for a long time, but she never made a move to swallow.

Fuga's lips were pursed into a straight line.

Wang Qin lay prostrate on the ground, wishing he could stop breathing.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yu bowed and answered crisply, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Your Majesty the Emperor, this velvet flower was indeed a gift from this servant to Su Xin. This servant would not dare to deceive you. It is because Su Xin and I are from the same hometown and knew each other in our childhood. Later, we were separated by disaster and fled to different places. Neither of us expected that we would meet again in the palace after so many years, so we feel especially close."

That day happened to be my youngest sister's birthday. I was closest to her when we were young, but sadly she died young. I was already feeling sorrowful that day when I happened to meet Xinxin. In a moment of distraction, I gave her the velvet flower I had bought to keep as a keepsake. I know it's against the rules for men and women to exchange gifts privately in the palace. It was my carelessness that caused this misunderstanding. I am willing to accept punishment, and I only ask that my masters understand. I had absolutely no intention of using this to relay messages or inquire about matters concerning the Emperor.

Ruyi paused, then stared intently at Li Yu: "Li Yu, do you truly not love Suixin? Can you swear to heaven that you have never felt even a hint of romantic affection for her?"

Without even a moment's hesitation, Li Yu raised his head and said, "This servant swears before the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress today that if this servant has even the slightest improper thought for Sui Xin, may this servant be plagued by a hundred illnesses in this life, die a miserable death, fall into hell after death, be lonely and destitute for all eternity, be deprived of the bond of parents and siblings, and have all his relatives and friends leave this servant!"

If this servant has ever used matters concerning the Emperor to curry favor with Xin Xin, or used the Emperor's whereabouts, words, likes, or dislikes to please any woman, then these vows will also come true, without the slightest falsehood!

This oath was so fierce that even the Empress Dowager slightly raised her eyes.

Hongli's eyebrows twitched, and Ruofu did not speak immediately. Everyone in the hall fell silent for a moment.

Su Xin knelt a short distance away, staring blankly at Li Yu for a moment before quickly regaining her senses. She then bowed deeply and kowtowed, saying resolutely, "This servant agrees! If Consort Xian and Aunt Rong Pei are only accusing me of secretly accepting gifts from Eunuch Li, I will admit it and accept punishment according to palace rules. But if you say that I was acting on the Empress's orders, using my beauty to curry favor with Eunuch Li and inquire about imperial matters for the Empress, then I would rather die today than admit to this crime!"

Ruyi gritted her teeth and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Even if you swear an oath, it cannot prove that there was truly no affair between you. If everyone in the world could prove their innocence by making a few solemn oaths, what would be the point of investigation?"

"Do you have any evidence?"

If Fu suddenly asks.

Ruyi raised her eyes and said, "The velvet flower is evidence, the sachet ball is evidence, and Xiao Yuanzi's testimony is also evidence."

"Not enough!" Ruofu interrupted her almost immediately, her face, which had just been carrying a somewhat absurd smile, turning completely somber: "Did you personally witness those two embracing and kissing so intimately, or did you personally see them hiding and conspiring to harm someone? Or did you personally hear Wang Qin and Li Yu trying to curry favor with me by mentioning the Emperor's affairs, and what benefits did I promise them? If none of these things exist, you dare to trample two girls' innocence into the mud based on a flower, a sachet from who-knows-where, and a few vague words from a lowly eunuch who ran errands for them, and then conveniently accuse me of forming cliques and deceiving the Emperor. This isn't investigating a case; this is you convicting others based on your own preconceived notions, and incidentally, convicting me as well!"

Ruyi was momentarily stunned by her words, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and after a long while she whispered, "Right and wrong, justice resides in the hearts of the people."

Ruo Fu sneered, "Your heart is crooked and filthy! You think you can use it to distinguish right from wrong? Let me tell you today, I don't believe in the so-called 'the innocent are innocent' or 'the truth will prevail.' I only believe that a clear conscience fears no accusation! People's hearts are hidden behind their faces, and words can lie, but under the clear sky, where a living person goes, who they meet, and what they do—there are always traces to follow. Anyone with eyes can see it! Like a reflection!"

Zhaoying, who had been waiting outside the hall, immediately responded and entered, followed by two palace servants from Changchun Palace, each carrying a thick stack of books.

After Zhaoying bowed, he placed the booklets one by one on the long table in front of Fujia.

Ruofu then bowed slightly to the Empress Dowager and said, "Your Majesty, I don't like the saying 'the innocent will clear themselves.' Why should someone throw dirty water on you and then expect you to stand there and wait for it to dry? I like to be serious about this. These are the records of all the people entering and leaving the palace since I entered it, including those who received and handed over their duties. It's not just Changchun Palace; all the duties that the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Hospital, and the Imperial Household Department had with the various palaces are recorded. All the records that were followed according to the rules can be matched up."

As she spoke, she reached for the top book, opened it to a page, and showed it to the Empress Dowager: "When people in the palace are on duty, it's not like no one knows where they've gone once they leave their own palace. For example, if someone from Changchun Palace is ordered to go to the Imperial Hospital, they must record their name, task, and time in the entry and exit register here before leaving Changchun Palace, and they can only leave after receiving an entry and exit pass."

Upon arriving at the Imperial Hospital, one's identification card would be checked by the staff on duty, who would record the arrival time and purpose of the visit in the logbook.

After the matter is settled, leave a note when you leave, and when you return to Changchun Palace to hand in the token, you should also make a note of it.

The same applies elsewhere. If someone says that they left Changchun Palace for the Imperial Hospital at 3:45 AM, there should be a corresponding entry for Changchun Palace and the Imperial Hospital.

If he switched to the Imperial Kitchen halfway through, the duty officer there would also have to keep a record. Unless he had the ability to grow wings and fly in, he couldn't very well say that he went to the Imperial Hospital, but actually sneaked away elsewhere without anyone noticing, and have three or four ledgers lie for him.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes subtly revealed a smile. Ruofu, however, simply instructed Zhaoying to spread out the books: "When did Wang Qin take his duty, and when did he retire? On which days did Li Yu accompany the Emperor, and on which days did he rest? When did Lianxin stand guard at Changchun Palace at night, and when was she ordered to leave the palace to run errands? What errands did Suixin perform..."

Even Rong Pei, who serves Consort Xian, has her whereabouts at the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Hospital recorded. If they were truly secretly colluding, they would have to meet, wouldn't they? Even just to deliver a message, someone would have to make the trip. Today, it's been said that Wang Qin and Lian Xin are having an affair, and Li Yu is secretly seeing Sui Xin. Then let's investigate and see how many times they've managed to secretly meet without anyone noticing.

Ruofu suddenly added, "Of course, there's no need to investigate the night Lianxin broke Wang Qin's arm; we have both witnesses and evidence now. After all, that dog of a servant was dangling in front of the Emperor with his arm in a sling for half a month; everyone saw it with their own eyes, so it can't be faked."

Hongli's forehead twitched again.

Fu Jia lowered his eyes, pretending not to hear, and turned the last few pages one by one before presenting the booklet to the Empress Dowager.

As the Empress Dowager read through the documents one by one, her initial slight interest gradually turned into genuine approval. She couldn't help but nod and said to Ruofu, "Indeed, it's very clear. The staff in each palace come and go in a lot of ways. Normally, as long as the tasks don't go wrong, no one would bother to investigate these minor details. But the Empress was able to think of linking the times and destinations of each place so early on. This makes it convenient to check tasks and also prevents people from taking advantage of loopholes... She truly has foresight."

(Just a moment, another chapter is on its way. Anyone want to send a free gift?)