I'm still confused

Um I think that was just mao mao's prediction. It wasn't really the real story behind Jinshi's lineage. He's the son of the empress dowager (or the current Emperor's mother) therefore he is the emperor's younger brother. It was depicted that the empress dowager was impregnated when she was very young (pregnant w/ the current emperor) then later on when she was older she forced the previous emperor to sleep with her by scaring him since the emperor only talks/sleeps with younger girls (ew) When the empress dowager grew older the emperor won't talk or get near her anymore so she did that.

That's when she got pregnant with her second child (Jinshi), that's also the reason behind the huge age gap between the emperor and Jinshi. Jinshi actually thought the current emperor (his brother) was his father but then he realized the the previous emperor was in fact his biological father.

I think Mao mao thought that he was the first concubine's son because they kinda look the same, but she also said that she wasn't sure if it was the real story. Anyway, this is what I understand from the story but do correct me if I misunderstood haha

Then how about Maomao's adoptive father during those childbirth? I think that one most confused me

Agree with Erza, we aren't sure Jinshi was switched but the concubine does say her son "left her" not "died" so its definitely hinted at.
My take on it was that the concubine was worried her son would not be well treated compared to the empress dowagers son (forcing the dr to leave to take care of the empress was a huge red flag for her and led to her losing her ability to have any other children) so by switching them, her son would be better cared for and protected. Then by chance the baby she swapped with died per her maid giving it honey.
That death (and possibly even the fact that a switch occurred under his supervision) was blamed on the dr and he was punished and banished.

Hmm like ash said, it could also be that the empress dowager's second child and the first concubine's child were swapped when they were born at the same time, and mao mao's father was the dr. at that time, it got revealed that the babies were swapped and mao mao's adoptive father got punished and banished from the castle. Anyway this is truly confusing because we only got hints from the story so it's up to us how we try to understand it haha, we gotta have mao mao's brain. ╮(￣▽￣)╭

i got the spoils from novel updates forum from someone who read the light novels. I also thought that what Ezra and Ash said was the truth.


.

.

but turns out we're wrong. this was revealed very much later, i think its part of the recent volume of the ln they said. turns out. jinshi is indeed son of ah dou and emperor. during the her flashback, empress dowager was enraged by the pedo emperor and raped him right? it resulted to a son. but the empress didnt love the second child but loved her grandchild. so after her and ah dou giving birth. she, dowager, and emperor agreed to switch the sons. so only them three knew. even jinshi also believes that he is a brother not a son. heck everyone thought he is the brother not the son. so the son that died was the emperors brother. and that death caused the banishment of the adoptive father. that part i was confused too. because i have a feeling that the banishment was a cover up to keep the truth hidden. cos as a doctor, of cors he would know that the children were swapped. given the doctor's character, i have a feeling that he chose to leave to keep the secret hidden.

Okay...so basically mao mao's thought of the matter is the real story. But instead of being swapped unknowingly, both of the mother agreed to swap their sons as well as the emperor. The real second child of the empress died and the first concubine's child is alive which is Jinshi. Right?