The family of Mrs. Mo, her maternal relatives, did not escape this calamity either; they were all beheaded too.
As for Mrs. Mo herself, Prince Jing did not mention her, but it is assumed that her fate would not be any better.
There was also another matter Prince Jing did not bring up, because it involved the Crown Princess Consort, his eldest sister-in-law.
At this moment, the Crown Princess Consort had already accompanied the Princess Consort into the imperial temple. Officially, it was to pray for blessings for the Empress. However, the real reason was obviously not something they could hide from their own hearts!
The incident of switching the children, though it seemed like a momentary impulse of the Liu Family, had unexpectedly seen so many hands involved in silence, unbeknownst to anyone.
The reason he had been delayed for so long before coming here was that he had been investigating this matter in the capital city.
However, all the clues ultimately pointed to the Crown Princess Consort. As for the Crown Prince, as soon as he found evidence implicating the Crown Princess Consort, the Crown Prince had proactively approached him to apologize.
It was due to the Crown Prince being drunk that year that he carelessly revealed that the child in the Princess Consort’s womb was a "Lucky Star". Because of his deep affection for his sister, the Princess Consort, and fearing that the birth of the "Lucky Star" could be disadvantageous to her, he orchestrated the subsequent events.
Including Mrs. Mo’s bold attempt on Ye Jiu’s life, which was also by the command of the Crown Princess Consort.
As for not revealing the switch of the Princess Consort’s child, and instead finding another child to send to the Royal Residence, it was done to forever control the Princess Consort, thereby dedicating herself wholly to supporting the Crown Prince.
Even the Crown Prince’s involvement was discovered by Prince Jing during his investigation of the Crown Princess Consort, and after further probing, the true nature of the events of that year was finally unveiled.
But what no one expected was that the newly born child, having been fed poison, had not died. Moreover, he had met He Shi, a woman who, without concern for right or wrong, cherished her daughter as her own life.
Otherwise, even if Ye Jiu had not been poisoned to death that year, given his frail body, he probably would not have lived until now.
However, the plans the Crown Princess Consort had devised were indeed well-calculated.
Prince Jing spoke of the fate of the Liu Family, the fate of the Mo Family, and even the fate of Mrs. Mo’s maternal family, yet he conspicuously did not mention that woman.
Her birth mother, the instigator responsible for her being switched at birth.
In the oppressive silence, Ye Jiu still could not help but ask, "What about her? What happened to her?"
Prince Jing raised an eyebrow, clearly understanding who Ye Jiu was asking about.
Still, he felt a tinge of sorrow.
Even for the person who harmed her, she showed concern; why can’t she care and affection for her own father, who loves her wholeheartedly!
Thinking this, Prince Jing answered, "She’s in the temple praying for blessings with the Crown Princess Consort."
Ye Jiu was skeptical, "Praying for blessings?"
If she wasn’t mistaken, this nominal praying for blessings must be a disguised form of punishment.
Don’t ask her why she knows, because that’s how it’s always portrayed in TV dramas.
When a woman commits a misdeed that’s not easy to categorize, they find a pleasant-sounding pretext to send her to a temple. In reality, spending the whole year in the temple consuming vegetarian meals and chanting scripture is not the kind of hardship any noblewoman would willingly endure!
She could understand why the Princess Consort was sent there; after such a grave mistake, it was fortunate she still had her life. But, "The Crown Princess Consort made a mistake, too?"
To be praying in the temple alongside the Princess Consort suggests that her mistake must not be a minor one.
This reminded Ye Jiu of the reason for the war between Nanchang and Dongyue.
When she was in Nanchang, she seemed to have heard that the Crown Princess Consort caused the princess sent from Nanchang for a marriage alliance to suffer a difficult labor, which was the catalyst for the war between the two nations.
Could it be that what the people of Nanchang claimed was indeed true?
If that were the case, then the sins of the Crown Princess Consort were indeed great.