The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

The old woman then led Wei Yanwan to a side courtyard where the palace servants lived, and pushed open the door to one of the rooms: "From now on, you will live here. There is another palace maid who has been here for two years as long as you. However, she is on duty today and will not be back until later. Put down your bundle first, and tidy up your own things. Do not stuff anything under the bed or in the closet. Someone will check the rooms every ten days. If they find anything unclean, you should know the consequences since you have followed all the palace rules."

Wei Yanwan quickly agreed and carefully placed her old bundle, which was so light it was almost weightless, beside the bed.

Without taking a break, they followed the old woman outside and explored all the areas around the Xiefang Palace.

He explained clearly where the eldest prince studied and rested, where the palace servants waited for their orders, which road they could walk on weekdays, and which place they were absolutely forbidden to enter without being summoned.

Wei Yanwan was afraid she would forget, so she kept her head down and silently memorized the words. Occasionally, if she couldn't remember something, she would quietly trace it on her palm with her fingertip to make sure she remembered at least a few words, thinking she would ask her roommate later.

Finally, the two arrived at the tea room, where the old woman stopped and said, "You're still young and haven't learned any delicate tasks, so we won't have you serve closely yet. For the first month, you'll work with the people here managing tea and snacks. The eldest prince is young, and although he studies hard, he shouldn't drink strong tea. He usually drinks weak tea, honey water, and warm water. Tea leaves are mostly used when entertaining guests. Don't think it's easy just to serve tea and water. There are tricks to knowing what kind of tea to use for whom, what snacks to serve at what time, what things shouldn't be kept for long in hot weather, and what teas should be warmed up in advance in cool weather."

After explaining the habits and taboos of some regular customers in detail, the nanny suddenly changed her tone: "It doesn't matter if you can't remember them all right away, you can learn them slowly. But you must remember that the most taboo thing to do while working here is to think you can fool your master just because the eldest prince is young. If you dare to have such thoughts, you don't need to wait for the assessment in a month; you'll be sent back to where you came from right now, and you might even save your life!"

Wei Yanwan was so startled by her last sentence that her shoulders shrank back, and she nodded hurriedly: "This servant wouldn't dare, this servant will definitely learn diligently."

The old woman nodded in satisfaction and casually told her to put the two cans of tea she had taken out back in their place, as if to test her memory.

Following the positions she had just observed, Wei Yanwan placed one tea leaf precisely where it should be, but the other was on the very top shelf. She stood on tiptoe and stretched out her hand for a long time, her fingertips barely touching the edge of the cabinet, but she just couldn't push it up. She could only look around somewhat embarrassedly, then moved a low stool next to her and stepped on it before finally placing the tea leaves steadily.

The old woman frowned as she looked at her. After she got off the stool, she couldn't help but look the person up and down again: "How old are you this year?"

Wei Yanwan hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Granny, I am thirteen years old, and will be fourteen after the New Year."

(According to official history, Wei Jia was only one year older than Yonghuang, but in the drama she appeared to be at least fourteen or fifteen years old. Perhaps this was to make it easier for her to have a childhood sweetheart relationship with Ling Yunche, or perhaps to make her bullying behavior seem more legitimate. In this article, for the sake of the plot and the couple, we choose a compromise and make her two years older.)

"You're already thirteen, how come you're still so tiny?" The old woman looked at her wrist, which was so thin that it could be grasped with one hand, and clicked her tongue in disdain. "Did your parents not feed you enough before? This is the age when you should be growing. If you grow up like this, you won't even be able to lift a bucket of water in the future."

Wei Yanwan's smile froze slightly. Before she could answer, the nanny waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, you've come at a good time. The current Empress, aside from other matters, is the least stingy when it comes to food. The palace servants are given their all the rice, vegetables, and meat they're entitled to. No one dares to skimp on food from the servants anymore. From now on, eat more at every meal. Don't be like those senior palace maids who refuse to eat in order to have a slim waist. Who knows, you might even grow taller."

Although her words still sounded disdainful, Wei Yanwan could detect a subtle hint of concern in them. Her eyes crinkled into a smile, and she sweetly replied, "Yes, this servant will definitely eat well."

She paused, then couldn't help but add, "I've been in the palace for over half a year now, and I know how good Her Majesty the Empress is."

Thanks to the Empress's reform of the palace rules after taking over the six palaces, the food for the lowest and most inconspicuous palace maids was much better than before.

The food these days may not be fancy, but at least it's warm and filling. She hasn't been woken up by hunger in the middle of the night for a long time.

Even though she is still considered short by outsiders, she has grown quite a bit taller than when she first entered the palace.

If you're still at home...

Wei Yanwan's eyes dimmed.

Upon hearing this, the old woman's expression softened somewhat, and she said with a touch of emotion, "Yes, those of you who entered the palace later are all blessed."

The nanny continued to teach her to recognize tea canisters and tea sets, and then had her memorize the locations of several commonly used snacks twice.

As dusk settled, the Imperial Household Department staff delivered the newly issued uniforms for the palace maids. The head maid glanced at them and finally relented, saying, "Alright, that's enough for today. I'll train you for another day tomorrow, and the day after that, you'll learn on your own from the tea room staff. Take the new uniforms back and have a eunuch bring you some hot water so you can take a good bath and change. The First Prince is very particular about cleanliness; it doesn't matter if the clothes worn by those serving him are old, but they absolutely cannot be sloppy. Your hair and nails must be kept clean, understand?"

Wei Yanwan hurriedly hugged her clothes and agreed.

After the old woman finally left, she asked for a bucket of hot water as instructed, washed herself thoroughly from head to toe, and changed into the new palace dress that had just been issued to her.

When she returned to the side courtyard, she saw the clean bedding that had been laid out for her, and then looked at her own little wooden box on the table. Finally, she couldn't resist any longer, and after closing the door, she gently walked around the room.

He burst into silent laughter.

She truly never imagined she would have such luck.

She entered the palace through a preliminary selection process by the Imperial Household Department half a year ago, and had only been learning the rules for a month when the late emperor passed away.

During that period, the palace was in great turmoil. New and old personnel were being replaced, those in power were busy re-aligning themselves, and those below were all concerned about their future. Some people gained power overnight, while others fell from grace and disappeared without a trace. Palace servants with connections rushed to those who seemed poised to gain power.

Unfortunately, the old nanny who used to discipline them was also dismissed at that time by someone with whom they had a long-standing feud.

The new nanny had long intended to retire from the palace and was too lazy to teach the group of newcomers who didn't know where they would be assigned in the future. She just dumped the dirtiest and most tiring jobs on them every day, and took a cut of their monthly wages.

Later on, even their food rations were cut.

During that period, she almost thought she wouldn't make it through.

Fortunately, the funeral rites for the late emperor have finally ended, and the Forbidden City has welcomed a new master.

Along with this came a series of new rules imposed by the new empress.

At first, these young palace maids didn't know what those rules meant. They only knew that one day, the old nanny who always had a stern face and took money from their monthly allowance was suddenly taken away.

Two days later, the eunuch in charge of meals was replaced, and then the monthly wages that had been withheld were returned to them in full.

For the first time, the bowls were filled with food delivered from the kitchen, and every few days there was even a little bit of meat.

After that, she still had to get up early every day to do chores, still had to listen to the nanny's lectures, and still fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow at night because she was so tired. But at least her stomach was full, and the work in her hands was only within the range that a young girl could bear.

For the first time, she realized that life in the palace didn't necessarily have to be endured through sheer grit and determination to survive.

When the new assignments finally started to be distributed, she and her friends Chun Chan and Lan Cui were prepared to be assigned to do laundry, sweeping, or even scrubbing chamber pots because they had no money and no managers they knew to bribe.

To everyone's surprise, what awaited them in the end was not some bribery or favoritism, but a proper examination.

Although she was barely literate, she managed to stand out from a group of palace maids by relying on the keen eyesight she had honed in the palace over the past six months, as well as her ability to observe, memorize, and think more. This earned her the coveted position at Xiefang Palace.

Not only is the monthly wage two hundred coins more than before, but more importantly, there is a proper master here!

As long as she is willing to learn diligently and serve the eldest prince well, she will always receive extra rewards during festivals or when she performs her duties effectively.

She kept some of the money for herself, and sent the rest home to her mother and younger brother. Who knows, in a few years, she might actually be able to save up a considerable amount of money on her own.

The more Wei Yanwan thought about it, the clearer her mind became.

She lowered her head and smoothed the sleeves of her brand-new clothes, then rushed to the bedside and touched the clean, soft bedding. Finally, she couldn't help but bury her face in it and laugh for a while.

Things will definitely get better and better from now on.

-

"She wants to embroider?"

Early that morning, Ruofu got up refreshed and dressed. After having breakfast, he was sitting by the window arranging flowers to aid his digestion when Hailan came in from outside to report.

Hailan nodded: "Exactly."

When Qingying entered the Cold Palace, in order to show that she had severed all ties with Hongli, she took nothing but the plain clothes she was wearing with her.

Emperor Hongli had even issued a special decree, saying that she was allowed to take away all the clothes and jewelry he had previously bestowed upon her, but she did not take any of them.

The result was predictable—she couldn't take it anymore.

Although it's not yet late autumn and the days aren't particularly cold, the nights are a different story; the howling wind can penetrate right to the bone.

The Cold Palace was located in a remote and shady place, and the buildings were dilapidated and much more damp than other places. Qingying was only wearing a single garment and did not even have a thick quilt at night, so it was bound to be difficult for her.

In addition, some of the old people who had been imprisoned during the reign of the late emperor still lived there. Over the years, some of them had become mentally unstable. When they saw Qingying, they went crazy and almost scared people to death.

Despite her fright, Qingying was indeed in good health. She stayed up all night without catching a cold or showing any signs of panic. However, knowing that she couldn't tough it out in the long run, she spoke a few words with the guards outside the Cold Palace this morning. After learning that money could be spent inside the Cold Palace, she suggested that she take on some needlework to exchange for some fabric and daily necessities.

As Ruofu listened, he was about to make a sarcastic remark, but then he suddenly realized something was amiss: "Wait, the guard on duty outside the Cold Palace... what's that Yun guy?"