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

"The Wang family has stolen the royal bloodline; their crime is unforgivable. They are hereby given a cup of poisoned wine."

Soon, Imperial Guards stepped forward and dragged Wang away. Prime Minister Ye took one last look at Wang, a hint of pity in his eyes, but he did not plead for her.

He knew that he was lucky to have saved the Ye family's lives, but he couldn't save Wang's life.

Wang's eyes, however, were filled with relief. As she left the main hall, her reluctant gaze fell upon her adopted daughter, whom she had always treated with indifference since childhood.

She thought that if she hadn't been greedy and hadn't acknowledged Qixia as her husband, their lives might still be the same as before.

But there's no going back in this world.

"Court adjourned. Prime Minister Ye, please remain."

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

After the court session ended, the emperor went to the Imperial Study, with Prime Minister Ye following closely behind.

Ye Simiao, no, she should now be called Princess Chang'an.

Consort De held her hand tightly; the mother and daughter were quite a bit behind the emperor.

"Don't be afraid, your mother will definitely fight for you later."

At this moment, Princess Chang'an felt a rare maternal love from Consort De, something she had never felt from Lady Wang before.

"it is good."

After saying just one word, Consort De couldn't help but press her handkerchief against the corner of her eye again.

Her poor daughter, her unfortunate daughter, who knows how much suffering she endured under Wang's rule.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Prime Minister Ye knelt down. Palace servants brought chairs, and Consort De and Princess Chang'an sat to the side.

The emperor sat at the head of the imperial study.

"Minister Ye, now tell me how you discovered it?"

From the very beginning, the emperor never believed that it was Prime Minister Ye who discovered Wang's unusual behavior and thus uncovered the truth about the woman being switched.

Wang acted so secretly; how could she possibly admit it without substantial evidence?

Moreover, based on Wang's behavior in the Golden Palace just now, he didn't feel that Wang had any particular fondness for Qixia.

The Emperor was inherently suspicious, and Prime Minister Ye had always known this, so he did not heed his daughter's advice and burned the letter that had been found in the study.

He presented the letter with both hands, while Princess Chang'an, sitting beside him, had a complicated expression on her face.

Once this letter is handed over, Prime Minister Ye will have effectively withdrawn from the power circle of the Ming Dynasty. Regardless of whether the letter is genuine or not, the emperor will no longer give him important positions, and she doesn't think Prime Minister Ye is unaware of this.

"Father, let me tell you the truth. Actually, I was the first to discover the truth of the matter."

You could say it wasn't me. I know you might not believe what I'm saying, but everything I've said is true.

A few days ago, I unexpectedly bumped into Lady Anshun at a jewelry shop, and there was a child's voice beside her the whole time.

After confirming with multiple sources, I have determined that the voice was the voice of the child in her womb, and the whole truth was told by the child in the womb of Lady Anshun.

At first, my daughter didn't believe it either, but after I found the letter plotting a rebellion in Prime Minister Ye's study, she had no choice but to believe that it was true.

Later, they had Zhao Kuo followed and discovered that he frequently visited the princess's residence. This further convinced them of the unborn daughter's true intentions, which led to today's events.

Initially, Princess Chang'an intended to say that she followed Zhao Kuo and overheard him conspiring with Princess Qixia, thus learning the truth.

But now that she saw Prime Minister Ye honestly produce the letter, she didn't use the prepared explanation, but instead told the truth honestly.

Whether the Emperor and Consort De believe it or not, this is the truth.

When it comes to scheming, how could she possibly outmaneuver the two of them?

The Emperor and Consort De couldn't believe it; how could such an absurd thing happen? But the truth was right before their eyes, proving that the daughter they had just recognized was indeed their biological child, and there was no way to fake it.

"Did the unborn child of Lady Anshun tell you what your fate would be?"

"Ten days later, the Imperial Guards searched the Ye residence and found letters of treason. More than one hundred members of the Ye family were executed."

Because I was a married woman, I escaped this calamity, but without my family's support, I was tortured to death by the courtesans Zhao Kuo took into his household. In the end, I was left to die wrapped in a straw mat.

Consort De held her daughter's hand even tighter, feeling only relief in her heart.

This was the first time Prime Minister Ye had heard of it; Miao Miao had never even mentioned it to him before.

"Your Majesty, it's actually quite simple to find out whether what Chang'an said is true or not. Just wait until things calm down and have the Empress host a banquet in the palace, with Lady Anshun in attendance. Then we'll know whether it's true or not."

"My beloved concubine is right, let's do it that way."

"Your Majesty misses Chang'an. Let her stay with me in the palace for a few days. It won't be too late for Your Majesty to grant her a residence after things are settled."

"Let's do as my beloved consort says. Prime Minister Ye will stay in his residence and reflect on his mistakes for the time being. He is not allowed to go anywhere."

"I obey your decree."

After leaving the Imperial Study, Prime Minister Ye bid farewell to Consort De and Princess Chang'an, his figure becoming noticeably hunched as he walked out.

Consort De took Chang'an's hand and walked to a secluded place before whispering, "Your father is a very suspicious person, but don't worry, once he figures things out, he will definitely give you what you deserve, otherwise your mother wouldn't have agreed."

"Thank you, Mother."

Consort De brought her newly reunited daughter back to the palace, but before she even reached her own palace, a palace attendant summoned her.

"Her Majesty the Empress summons you."

It seemed they couldn't go back now, so the two changed their route and went to the Empress's Phoenix Palace.

The incident happened in the Golden Palace, and now the news has spread throughout the entire palace. Everyone knows that Consort De's daughter was deliberately switched by the Prime Minister's wife twenty years ago.

Just then, a palace servant reported that the Empress had summoned Consort De and Princess Chang'an. Many concubines hurriedly prepared to pay their respects to the Empress and also wanted to see Consort De's newly recognized daughter.

Outside the palace, Qixia was thrown out of the palace gate by the Imperial Guards like a dead dog. Qixia stood up and wanted to enter the palace again, but was stopped by the Imperial Guards.

"You are no longer a princess. The Emperor has decreed that you are not allowed to enter the palace without an imperial edict. Please leave immediately."

Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to linger at the palace gate.

Princess Qixia had no choice, knowing that with the emperor's decree, these people would never let her in.

She turned to look for the carriage, only to find that it had disappeared, leaving her no choice but to walk.

It was an hour later when she returned to the princess's residence, and by then the news had spread throughout the streets that Princess Qixia was actually the daughter of Prime Minister Ye, who had been switched at birth by the Prime Minister's wife twenty years ago.

This happened in the Golden Palace, and all the civil and military officials knew about it. The emperor didn't intend to hide it, because he knew it was impossible to conceal.

Having finally arrived at the gate of her residence, Princess Qixia, looking disheveled, tried to step forward, but was stopped by the guards at the gate.

"Miss Ye, the palace has just sent an imperial decree to your residence, saying that you are no longer Princess Qixia and that you are no longer allowed to enter this residence. We are simply following orders, so please leave."