The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Ruofu nodded, not taking the matter too seriously, and casually said, "Yes, she's been sent to the Cold Palace. She's a fool; after being egged on by Consort Jia with just a few words, she actually believed that talk about noble sons and even planned to use this to stir up trouble. If she had just been foolish behind closed doors, that would have been one thing, but she had to drag me into it. Do you think I'd tolerate that?"

Jue Luo Shi only knew that Ulanara Shi had suddenly fallen out of favor and been convicted, but she had never heard that Jin Yuyan was involved. Upon hearing this, her expression immediately turned serious, and she quickly asked a few more questions.

Once Ruofu explained the so-called noble son, and recounted how Jin Yuyan deliberately leaked the information and used Qingying to investigate the matter of the contraceptive soup from back then, Jue Luo's expression completely changed.

"My God."

She instinctively pressed her hand to her chest, feeling a lingering fear at the thought: "That Jin woman's intentions are far too deep! She's trying to use Ulanara to stir up trouble throughout the palace. If she really spreads the rumor about a noble child, what will become of us? Putting aside others, you're pregnant now, and as the Empress's legitimate child, so many eyes are already on your belly. When everyone's restless and agitated, all sorts of sinister thoughts will arise. Wouldn't you be in danger?"

"Who can argue with that?"

Ruo Fu nodded in deep agreement: "That's why I thought it was best to strike first, we can't let her really make a scene."

Lady Jue Luo, however, still frowned: "What has become of that poisonous woman? Has the Emperor not executed her outright?"

"No." Ruofu picked up his teacup and took a sip. "She was, after all, a tribute woman sent by the Yu family. Although her actions were most likely motivated by scheming for the Yu family, if we really ordered her to be executed, it would be easy to hold the Yu family accountable. But what would happen in the end? Would we really wage war for such a woman? How many people would die? But if we don't fight, they'll probably have to shamelessly send someone else over in a few years. Who knows if it will be a human or a ghost then? We might as well keep her. Since she's a tribute, we should treat her well to avoid causing trouble back and forth."

Jue Luo felt that there was some truth to what she was saying, but she still couldn't put her mind at ease: "That's true, but keeping someone like that in the palace will ultimately be a disaster. Besides, she has such a seductive look. The Emperor is currently angry and naturally dislikes her. What if he suddenly remembers her after a year or two and lets her regain his favor..."

"It can't be turned over."

Ruo Fu's tone was casual yet resolute: "The Emperor has already had her given a contraceptive potion. Even if she regains favor, she won't be able to produce any imperial offspring. Besides, I'm determined not to let her leave Qixiang Palace again. If the Emperor suddenly becomes lusting after her and insists on going in to see her, so be it. If he's in a good mood, he can promote her to a concubine or a high-ranking consort, I don't care. Anyway, she can't step out of Qixiang Palace, and the people serving her have all been re-selected by me. I know everything she says, sees, and wants someone to pass a message out."

At this point, a hint of smugness even appeared on her eyebrows: "How could Mother not know my methods of managing the household?"

Looking at her daughter's almost smug expression, Jue Luo couldn't find a way to refute her and could only nod: "I naturally trust you to manage the household... but in your opinion, is there any chance that Ulanara will ever be reinstated?"

She brought up the previous matter again.

Ruo Fu paused in his act of taking the snacks, thought seriously for a while, and said frankly, "Mother, you've really hit the nail on the head. I really can't answer that."

"How so?"

"Her character..." Ruofu thought for a moment, then said sincerely, "She is a bit foolish. All she thinks about all day is her affection and sincerity towards the Emperor, all that talk of longing from afar, heartbreaking and pathetic. She's not very ambitious, and she doesn't dare to have any bad thoughts, for fear of tarnishing these feelings and sincerity, tarnishing her clean reputation. But at least until now, she hasn't actually harmed anyone. This time is the same. If she hadn't insisted on pursuing that bowl of contraceptive soup, and if Jin hadn't happened to step in and say a few words of encouragement, she might not have ended up like this today."

She took a bite of pastry and mumbled, "So let her be. Whether she's reinstated or not, I don't care. As long as she doesn't come running to me and act crazy again, she can stay in the Cold Palace if she wants, or come out if she wants. Anyway, it doesn't matter where she is. As long as she's still in the Forbidden City, she has to live according to my rules."

As Jue Luo listened to her daughter's domineering declaration, her brows furrowed even more deeply.

"It's good to be open-minded." She put down her teacup and said earnestly, "But you're too open-minded! Men all love new things. I just entered the palace today and heard that the Emperor recently took a concubine named Mei, who is actually a pipa player from the Southern Palace?"

Ruof nodded: "There is such a one."

"Isn't that it? Now that the mourning period is finally over, and you and the Consort are both pregnant, the remaining few are either getting older or are old servants from the Prince's residence with dull personalities. The Emperor is probably already tired of them. Rather than waiting for the Emperor to pick those of unknown origin and unclear intentions from outside, why don't you first select a few pretty and gentle palace maids to recommend to him? Even if they gain favor in the future, they will always remember your help."

As Jue Luo Shi spoke, she became more and more enthusiastic, even counting on her fingers: "There are only so many positions in the harem, one radish per hole. If we can get our own people to occupy them early on, we'll know who will be favored and who will have children in the future. Isn't that better than letting others take them?"

Ruof's face had already begun to go numb.

Jue Luo, however, remained completely oblivious, turning to look outside. "Actually, the women around you are all quite good. Lianxin and Hailan are both exceptionally beautiful, and have served you for many years, remaining utterly loyal. Although Suxin is slightly less so, she is still charming and lovely. It's a pity they are all from bondservant families; even if they truly gain favor, a mere concubine rank will likely be their limit. But that would still be an immense stroke of luck..."

"Mother!"

Ruofu finally couldn't take it anymore and interrupted her, rolling her eyes without any hesitation: "Don't even think about it. None of them want to get married, and I've already promised them that no one can force them if they don't want to. Besides, why should I find women for him? There are so many concubines in the palace now, and I've taken good care of every single one of them. They get their allowances, they still have children, and I'm not jealous at all. I don't even bother to ask who he sleeps with today. Isn't that enough? I'm pregnant now, and I still have to go around the world looking for beauties for him? He'd be dying of envy!"

Jue Luo choked.

Ruo Fu, however, was quite self-righteous. She argued that Hongli was a lecherous man, and that the number of concubines would only increase over time. Why would she start searching for them herself now? Wouldn't it be better for her to use that time to sleep for an extra half hour?

She lowered her head and touched her belly: "I'm not doing that anyway. Right now, I just want to live a peaceful and respectable life as Empress, and give birth to my Ru'er properly. In a few years, when Hua'er is of age, I'll choose good husbands for her and her sisters, so they can marry in style, have someone to protect them for the rest of their lives, and live in peace and safety. That will be enough for me."

As Jue Luo listened, her expression grew increasingly strange. After a long while, she finally said, "Why do I get the feeling that you're completely content now and have no expectations for anything?"

"Who said that?" Ruof immediately retorted, "I'm hoping that Brother Bai will be even more successful in the future. As his older brother, won't he personally protect all his sisters?"

We can no longer protect other people's property like we did in our past lives.

I'll make him understand this in this lifetime: sisters born of the same mother are the most important!

Jue Luo was speechless: "I'm talking about the Emperor! Why don't you even think about winning over the Emperor's heart?"

Ruof was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "What's so great about winning his heart? You couldn't find it anywhere, not even with a lantern. Besides, I never managed to win him over in the first place."