Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

Ye Simiao did not stop despite Wang's call, and walked straight out of the hall as if he hadn't heard it.

She didn't know how to face Wang Shi now; if she hadn't been replaced, she would be a princess now.

But if she were to complain, she herself didn't know whether she should or shouldn't.

One by one, members of the Ye family left the main hall, each with their own thoughts, until only Wang was left in the entire hall.

A person lay on the ground, filled with endless regret.

The next morning, before dawn, Prime Minister Ye, along with his wife and daughters, boarded a carriage to the palace. The rest of the Ye family members prayed in their rooms, hoping that the Ye family could safely overcome this difficult time.

Knowing that Princess Qixia would definitely send people to keep an eye on the Ye family's movements, the safest way to enter the palace was during the morning court session.

As the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, Prime Minister Ye had to attend the morning court session at the palace almost every day, and today was no exception.

The spies guarding outside the Ye residence did not notice anything unusual. The only difference was that Prime Minister Ye used to board his carriage at the gate of the residence, but today the carriage went straight out of the residence to the palace gate.

No one noticed anything amiss about this unusual occurrence, and naturally, it wasn't reported to Princess Qixia.

Upon arriving at the palace gate, Prime Minister Ye dismounted from his carriage and gave instructions to his wife and daughters.

"You all stay in the carriage. A eunuch will come to inform you in a little while."

"Don't worry, Dad."

Prime Minister Ye didn't even glance at his wife. Seeing that his daughter had agreed, he turned and got off the carriage.

Once Prime Minister Ye left, only the mother and daughter remained in the carriage. Madam Wang opened her mouth as if to say something, but Ye Simiao had already closed her eyes and leaned against the carriage wall, looking as if she didn't want to be disturbed.

Wang's tears flowed instantly, her eyes swollen like walnuts. She couldn't even count how many times she had cried since last night.

Ministers arrived at the palace gate in an endless stream to attend the morning court session. After disembarking from their carriages, the carriages of the various government offices turned around and returned to their residences. Only the carriages of the officials on duty at the various government offices remained waiting at the palace gate.

The carriage from the Ye family was not conspicuous among the many carriages.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister."

Along the way, he encountered familiar officials, and many of them greeted Prime Minister Ye.

However, they felt that Ye Cheng was more serious than usual today, and they wondered which unlucky person would be in trouble at the morning court session.

You should know that being caught red-handed by Prime Minister Ye is not just a matter of getting a few scrapes.

Upon arriving at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the ministers stood in their designated positions. Less than a quarter of an hour later, a high-pitched voice came from the head of the hall.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

All the ministers knelt down and kowtowed.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"My beloved subjects, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As the ministers rose, the eunuch standing to the side stepped forward.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, Prime Minister Ye stepped forward, and all the officials looked at him.

Prime Minister Ye's knee slammed heavily onto the white marble floor. The dull thud reverberated through the quiet hall, striking the hearts of every official.

Everyone was on high alert; it seemed that something big was going to happen today.

"I am guilty."

"Oh, what crime have you committed, my dear minister?"

Almost all officials and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty knew that Prime Minister Ye was strict with himself; otherwise, he would not have been able to rise to the position of prime minister.

He is very self-aware; a small mistake that would be a minor matter for others is unforgivable to him.

The emperor didn't take Prime Minister Ye's actions to heart. As long as it wasn't treason, Prime Minister Ye's mistakes weren't a big deal to him.

Anyone could discern a hint of detachment in the emperor's words.

"I am guilty of failing to manage my household properly, which allowed that wicked woman, Wang, to switch her daughter with the daughter born to Consort De when she gave birth twenty years ago."

"Your Majesty, I am guilty, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

These words exploded like a thunderclap in the Golden Palace, and all the officials disregarded their decorum and whispered among themselves.

"Has Prime Minister Ye become senile? How could this be?"

"The Prime Minister's wife is the most approachable person imaginable, how could she do such a thing?"

"Could there be a mistake?"

The emperor, who had been leaning back on the dragon throne, straightened up a bit and stared at Prime Minister Ye, who was prostrating himself before him, with a serious expression.

"Is what you say true, my dear minister? You should know what the punishment will be for confusing the royal bloodline."

Prime Minister Ye's voice was bitter.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated and found no evidence of fraud. My wife, Lady Wang, personally confirmed it."

Why would the Wang family do this?

The Emperor's question echoed the sentiments of all the ministers: Yes, why did Lady Wang do such a thing?

Many veteran officials believed that Lady Wang had a chance to switch daughters.

Many ministers had experienced what happened in the summer resort twenty years ago. They knew that Consort De and the Prime Minister's wife gave birth together in a side hall. It was not impossible that they could have switched the baby girls when no one was looking.

"Your Majesty, this is a long story, and it all started with my mother."

More than twenty years ago, before I was married, my mother went to Dajue Temple and drew a fortune stick that said our Ye family would be ruined by a woman from the Ye family.

Very few people in the Ye family knew about this; apart from Prime Minister Ye's deceased father, only he knew about it.

The Ye family only knew that the old lady favored sons over daughters, but they didn't know the reasons behind it.

"After Wang married me, my mother mentioned more than once that if she gave birth to a daughter, she would throw her away."

Perhaps Wang heard this and, upon learning that she had given birth to a girl at the Summer Palace, conceived the idea of ​​switching the babies.

She had kept this a secret from the Ye family, and even Chen was unaware of it.

The emperor's face was cold as he thought that Qixia was not his biological daughter, but rather Ye Simiao, the daughter of Prime Minister Ye.

The emperor can no longer remember what the eldest daughter of the Ye family looks like; he only has a vague image in his mind.

It seems that the eldest daughter of the Ye family rarely attends many banquets in the palace.

"Not long ago, because she missed her daughter so much, Lady Wang secretly met with Princess Qixia in the palace and reunited with her. I only found out because I noticed something was wrong with her."

"Your Majesty, Lady Wang and the princess are currently outside the palace gates. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may summon them in and ask them directly."

"Announce!"

The emperor uttered only one word, and eunuchs rushed to the palace gate, not daring to stop for a moment.

This matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed.

The eunuch ran to the palace gate and spotted the carriage bearing the Ye family's insignia among the many officials' carriages.

He trotted to the carriage.

"By imperial decree, the Prime Minister's wife is to be summoned."

The eunuch paused for a few moments, unsure whether to address her as Miss Ye or Her Highness the Princess.

"Miss Ye, please come with me to the palace."

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Ye Simiao was the first to get off, followed closely by Wang Shi.

The two followed the eunuch into the palace.

Many people were curious about why the Prime Minister's wife and the eldest daughter of the Ye family were summoned to the palace by the Emperor.

The person secretly following Prime Minister Ye was a trusted confidant sent by Princess Qixia. Upon seeing the two alight from the carriage, he was shocked and rushed forward with his sword without thinking twice.