The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Hua Lan was satisfied when she saw that he admitted his mistake. She reached out and pinched his ear to finish him off. Then she turned to look at Wei Yanwan and saw that the little palace maid still had red eyes. Her heart softened, so she simply took a small magnolia hairpin from her own hair and put it in Wei Yanwan's hair: "You served the tea and snacks very well today, and you are very thoughtful. This is a reward for you."

Wei Yanwan suddenly opened her eyes wide.

Although the hairpin wasn't particularly valuable, it was a very respectable reward for a young palace maid who had only recently entered the palace.

She instinctively reached out to kneel and express her gratitude, but then suddenly remembered something, paused slightly, hesitated for a long while, and finally mustered her courage to say, "Princess, this servant has a presumptuous request... Could this servant please forgo this reward and ask for something else in return?"

Hua Lan wasn't annoyed; instead, she found it intriguing: "What do you want?"

Wei Yanwan glanced at the book in her hand, her voice growing softer: "I never knew that my name could be related to such a beautiful poem. I want to... I want to be bold enough to borrow this book to take a look. Although I can't write it yet, if someone could copy this poem for me, I would like to take it back and slowly learn how to write my name."

Upon hearing this, Hua Lan and Heng Ti's expressions softened simultaneously.

Hengti immediately replied, "What's so difficult about that? You don't need to go through the trouble of finding someone to copy it; I, the princess, can copy it for you myself right now."

After saying that, he actually turned around and went to the study next door.

Wei Yanwan was overjoyed that her request would receive such a response, and she was so happy that she didn't know how to thank her. She quickly took the hairpin off her head and returned it to Hua Lan, saying, "This servant has already received the Princess's calligraphy, so I cannot accept this hairpin."

"Why not?" Hua Lan pressed her hand down. "Your aunt copied the poem for you; that was a reward from her. The hairpin was a gift from me; they're two different things. You did a good job today, so you deserve a reward. Besides..."

She paused, looking at Wei Yanwan's slightly red eyes, and her tone softened: "Consider this my reward for your filial piety. If your father knew how much you cherish the name he left behind, he would surely be pleased."

Wei Yanwan's eyes reddened even more.

She dared not refuse again, and solemnly bowed, saying, "This servant thanks the Great Princess."

When Hengti finally transcribed the poem stroke by stroke and took it out, she took it with both hands and looked at it again and again as if it were a priceless treasure.

She didn't recognize most of the words, but she had already memorized the beginning and the end, as well as the line where her name was located.

She carefully folded the paper and put it in her bosom, then thanked Hengti sincerely before stepping back to continue her duties.

Looking at her like this, Hua Lan and Heng Ti felt that this little palace maid was really pure and innocent, truly pitiful and adorable.

Meanwhile, Fu Heng and Chang Bai were already talking about other things.

Fu Heng is almost fifteen, a spirited young man who has long harbored the desire to serve in the army. However, his mother, Lady Jue Luo, was alarmed upon hearing this. Not only was her son still young, but the Fucha family also didn't need a teenager to risk his life on the battlefield. Naturally, she refused to agree to it. This time, she brought him to the palace hoping to ask Ruo Fu for a position as an imperial bodyguard, so that he could stay in the capital and temper his character.

Fu Heng, however, always felt resentful.

"Although being a royal bodyguard is a privilege, one still spends every day in the palace. But a true man should go to the battlefield and fight for his future with real swords and spears if he wants to make a name for himself."

Changbai, however, said, "Uncle, your ambition is commendable, but you're being a bit too hasty. Father Emperor has only recently ascended the throne, and the borders are still relatively stable. Even if you join the army, there's no guarantee you'll immediately have a battle to fight. Instead of rushing to find a so-called place to use your skills, it would be better to first master what you need to learn. Military strategy, archery, Manchu and Mongolian languages, even maps of various regions and the transportation of money and provisions—none of these can be mastered overnight. Grandmother is also getting old and hopes you'll first become a royal bodyguard. Why don't you stay here and learn with us for a few more years? This way, you can accumulate strength and also spend more time with Grandmother. When you're truly needed in the future, you won't just be rushing forward with nothing but youthful vigor. Wouldn't that be better?"

Fu Heng listened and pondered.

Yonghuang, who was still eating snacks nearby, suddenly interjected, "Big brother is right. Besides, Uncle, you're all grown up now, you should get married first, right? If you go to war without even having a child, not only will Consort Fucha not be willing to let you go to the front lines, but even the Empress Dowager will definitely not want to let you go!"

The room fell silent again.

Fu Heng: ...

Changbai slowly turned his head.

Hengti and Hualan also looked at Yonghuang at the same time.

Yonghuang still had half a pastry in his mouth, and his chewing became slower and slower. He belatedly realized that he seemed to have said something he shouldn't have.

"I……"

He was about to shrink back when Hua Lan pounced on him, grabbing him by the back of his collar: "You brat, who have you been learning all this from lately! Getting married, having children, is that something you should be talking about all the time?"

"I...I..."

"You dare talk back!"

A powerful Iron Palm strike.

Yonghuang: ?

"I didn't say anything!"

"Talking back again!"

The house was thrown into chaos, and the outcome of the older sister disciplining her younger brother is self-evident.

-

In Changchun Palace, after hearing Jue Luo's purpose, Ruofu made a decision almost without thinking: "Of course not! How old is he? What's the point of going to the battlefield? I finally got to this position and was thinking about how to promote my own brother. But he, instead of being a proper imperial guard, is single-mindedly trying to get into the army. Doesn't he remember when I first married into Prince Bao's mansion, who was it that made a fuss about coming to see his older sister every few days? Unfortunately, I was busy with this and that back then, and it was difficult to keep him around for even a little while. Now that I can finally keep him under my nose, he wants to run away instead."

At this point, she couldn't help but touch her increasingly prominent belly, and continued, "Being a royal bodyguard is so good. It's a respectable career path, and I can come to the palace often. It'll also be a good opportunity for Bai-ge'er and Hua-er to get closer to their little uncle. He can also gain more experience; serving in the imperial court is the best way to broaden one's horizons. What's all this talk about joining the army? Wait until you're old enough to be married and have children before thinking about going out to make a name for yourself. Right now, he's just a young boy, what's he rushing around for?"

Lady Jue Luo was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty is wise, that's exactly what I meant. But this child has always been stubborn since he was little, once he's made up his mind, he'll never turn back. I say ten things to him, and he always has eleven things to say back. I really don't know what to do with him, so I thought of bringing him to the palace to ask you to persuade him. He's always listened to you the most since he was little, so if you speak up, he'll at least listen to some of it."

She finished speaking with a smile, then reached out and gently touched Ruofu's belly: "I also came to see you while I was at it."

Ruo Fu didn't refuse at all: "Don't worry, leave this matter to me. I'll talk to him personally later. If he's still stubborn, I'll have the Emperor issue a decree directly and see if he listens."

Lady Jue Luo smiled even more happily: "With Your Majesty's words, I am relieved."

The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer about everyday things.

If they don't ask whether everyone in the household is well, how my brother and sister-in-law are doing, how my nephews and nieces are looking, or if anyone has caused any trouble.

Jue Luo answered each question one by one, her smile never stopping when she talked about her children and grandchildren. She said that everything was fine at home, and with the Empress Dowager always thinking of her, no one dared to slack off.

As she finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly remember something, her smile fading slightly. She glanced around before lowering her voice and saying, "However, the palace is much more complicated now than the former royal residence. You must be careful in everything you do. I heard the other day that Ulanara was banished to the Cold Palace?"