"Roughly around the time when Your Highness was speaking with His Majesty regarding Xiao Yuanzi."
Ting Xue had been standing relatively close to Li Dehai earlier and had caught a few fragments of conversation by chance.
"It seemed someone from the Ministry of Rites had an urgent matter to report to His Majesty, and it involved the Crown Prince."
The timing. The Ministry of Rites. The Crown Prince. The Emperor's sudden displeasure.
Tch. Was it about the Crown Prince taking a secondary consort? Would she, as his imperial sister, be expected to send a congratulatory gift?
She was rather reluctant to do so.
As for the Crown Prince's reckless decision to wed that Shen Jingshu, Yun Shu had no desire to inquire further.
Citing the early morning court session on the morrow and the need to rest properly, she dismissed all her attendants, including Ting Xue, then happily lay upon her bed.
Her intention had been to enter the villa space and pass the time watching some modern drama. However, the moment she stepped inside, she found herself stunned—though she was not the only one.
There, seated within the villa, was a girl who looked exactly like her—identical to how she had appeared in the modern world—cheeks puffed from munching on chips, wide-eyed in equal shock.
Their gazes locked, and for a breath, even the air within the villa seemed to freeze.
After two seconds, the girl with the chips attempted to bolt, only to be caught by the wrist as Yun Shu swiftly regained her composure and seized her.
"Do not run! Who are you? Why are you here?"
"…"
"You must be the original Fifth Princess of the Tian Sheng Dynasty, are you not? Am I to call you Yun Ni now?"
Seeing how nervous the girl was, utterly refusing to speak, Yun Shu slowly calmed herself and began to reason aloud.
"You and I have switched places, have we not?"
"I…"
Realizing Yun Shu had already deduced the truth, Yun Ni hesitated for a moment, then sheepishly admitted it.
"It is true. I am sorry…"
"Why would you apologize?"
Staring at the face she had lived with for twenty-two years, Yun Shu felt a strange discomfort. Yet she also perceived something else: Yun Ni appeared to know far more about their body-switching situation than she did.
"Wait. Was it your doing?"
"Well…"
Yun Ni pressed her lips together, as though summoning courage.
"In truth, I have a system."
Yun Shu: "?"
"It calls itself the Superstar Development System. It was never meant to appear in the Tian Sheng Dynasty, but due to a mishap, it ended up here and bound itself to me.
"It claimed it could bring me to a world ten thousand times better than this one. At first, I refused. But then…"
Yun Ni deliberately paused, cautiously observing Yun Shu's expression.
"It told me I was merely a dispensable side character in a novel, destined to die tragically in a political marriage at the age of fifteen.
"I panicked. So I agreed to go. When I next opened my eyes, I had arrived in the modern world. But I truly did not know this was a body swap!"
Sensing that Yun Shu's emotions had shifted slightly, Yun Ni quickly continued.
"I do not know what this villa space is to you, but to me, it is something provided by the system—a place where I can practice and improve various skills, like acting.
"Time flows differently here. A day inside the villa is only a minute in the outside world."
Yun Shu: "??"
Why was it that someone else's golden finger came with such powerful bonuses, yet when it reached her, it became so… ordinary?
She would have dearly loved such a time ratio herself.
Yun Shu picked up an unopened bag of chips with quiet grievance as Yun Ni went on.
"I usually practice in the gym, in front of the mirror. Once, after finishing a session, I came out intending to eat some ice cream and unexpectedly saw you watching a variety show in the villa.
That was when I guessed your identity. I asked the system about it, but it said it didn't know the details either. Only that even if we had swapped, we could never return to our original bodies.
I… I was too afraid to face you. That's why I've always been cautious, never stepping into your room, just so you wouldn't find out.
Today, I thought you wouldn't be coming in at this hour. My manager has had me eating nothing but boiled eggs and lettuce for a week, and I couldn't take it anymore. I gave in, and… well…"
The more Yun Ni spoke, the more guilty she became. Her head drooped lower and lower until her chin was almost resting on her collarbone.
"You must be furious. You came from a world that was so wonderful. You had beauty, wealth, everything. But after switching with me, you ended up in Fengyang Palace, living as an inconspicuous little princess. And in the future, you might even…"
Be married off in a political alliance. Die a tragic death. Those words caught in Yun Ni's throat.
If their positions had been reversed, and she were Yun Shu, she might have wanted to tear her apart on the spot.
"How about this!"
Summoning all her courage, Yun Ni spoke earnestly.
"If there is anything I can do to help, say the word! I will do my utmost to help you avoid the fate of a political marriage. I will find you a suitor with excellent character, appearance, and family background…"
"That will not be necessary."
Thanks to the countless novels Yun Shu had read, and the fact she had experienced all this firsthand, she had already digested Yun Ni's flood of revelations with surprising speed.
Interrupting her without the slightest trace of anger, Yun Shu replied calmly, far from the furious reaction Yun Ni had anticipated.
"Father Emperor has already agreed that my marriage shall be decided by my own will. Whether I marry or not is entirely up to me."
"Truly?"
Yun Ni stared in disbelief.
"Father Emperor actually consented to that? Are you referring to Emperor Xuanwu of the Tian Sheng Dynasty?
Are you truly the one who swapped with me? You have already met Father Emperor?"
"You knew already, didn't you? I am from the modern world. I simply made use of that advantage."
As someone who had always taken a relaxed approach to life, Yun Shu's greatest strength since childhood had been her ability to maintain an even temperament.
Even when the occasional emotional setback occurred—
Such as learning she had to wake before dawn every day just to attend school—
She was always able to recover swiftly.
She had accepted the fact she had entered a novel from the moment it happened.
Now, there was merely another person in her villa. Someone who kept to themselves, maintained healthy boundaries, and rarely appeared. A roommate, so to speak. Hardly worth fussing over.
"If you truly feel guilty, perhaps you could assist me with something else."
"What is it?"
The moment Yun Shu mentioned needing help, Yun Ni straightened at once, no longer concerned with how different Yun Shu's impression of Emperor Xuanwu was from her own memories.
She sat up like a newly enrolled schoolchild, back perfectly straight, as though even a slight slouch would diminish her credibility.
"Just say the word. If it is within my power, no matter how difficult, I shall aid you."
===
So, the original princess's name is Yun Shu, and the MC's original name is Yun Ni. When the MC transmigrated and became the 5th princess, she took the name Yun Shu, and the original 5th princess became Yun Ni. It seems the MC's original world is different from the modern world where the original 5th princess currently lives.