She is the Side Character! — Watch Her Change her fate!

It’s a pity that he only has the talent to assist a monarch, not the ability to conquer the world. Fan Shi is very clear about his limitations.

If he had that kind of ability, he wouldn’t be wandering around various places trying to find a suitable person.

Even though he has lowered his requirements again and again, he still hasn’t met the right person.

Setting aside other matters, Song Yuheng barely qualifies. However, he is the Third Prince of Bei Qi, making it impossible to act against his father and siblings, which means it won’t work.

If he weren’t the Third Prince of Bei Qi, there might still be a faint hope. But even then, Fan Shi couldn’t assure that someone like Song Yuheng could achieve anything. He has many weaknesses and can easily be restrained in certain matters. It is only because there is no one else that Fan Shi considers him at all.

Fan Shi put down the book and paced back and forth in the room, appearing restless and uneasy.

Even Song Jie, who was practicing his calligraphy on the side, couldn’t help but put down his brush and ask, "Sir, what’s wrong today?"

Fan Shi paused his steps, looked through the window towards the direction of the Bei Qi Palace, and suddenly said, "The Imperial Palace is hard to enter."

His martial skills are decent, but faced with those high walls and strict guards, even if he had wings, it would be difficult to enter. If they were to rain arrows down, there would be no avoiding it. He is no Immortal.

Song Jie: ...

"Sir, even if you want to sneak in, you need to get clean first. It’s harder for a man to mix in; it’s somewhat easier for a woman." Song Jie stated frankly, "Although the Bei Qi Royal Family is quite loathsome to you, their guards are very strict."

"Even if you got in smoothly, the place is fraught with danger. The people of the Bei Qi Royal Family are quite crazy; they could take your life at any moment. If there aren’t enough slaves to amuse them, they might just grab you instead."

Fan Shi felt helpless. In truth, he wasn’t afraid of life or death.

It’s just that he hasn’t displayed his abilities yet, nor seen the world settle down. His heart remains unsatisfied.

When he first descended the mountain, he harbored great ambitions, wanting to assist a wise and powerful ruler. Now, he has gradually come to terms with reality and lowered his expectations by more than half.

Fan Shi sat down, still feeling uneasy, his entire heart in turmoil. He had no idea why.

"Perhaps I really need to go to the Bei Qi Palace. You can wait outside," Fan Shi said, "If anything happens, you can respond for me."

"Alright," Song Jie agreed. "Please be careful, sir." Knowing there was no point in trying to convince him otherwise, Song Jie had no choice but to comply. He had been used to it for so many years. He then reminded, "Sir, disguise yourself to look plain. I heard the Third Princess loves to toy with handsome men. If you catch her eye, you’ll be played with until ruined. Not even the eunuchs could escape; she has many ways of tormenting people."

Fan Shi replied, "I don’t need you to remind me of that. Go on and practice your calligraphy."

He knew clearly that there weren’t many good people in the Bei Qi Royal Family. It’s better to make one’s disguise as ordinary as possible.

"Then when will you go to the palace, sir? When the Nan Qi Ninth Princess is summoned?" Song Jie wasn’t really ignorant; he had already guessed that the sir’s anxiety might be due to the Nan Qi Ninth Princess.

"Didn’t you say you are not of the same path as her, and disapprove of her previous actions? Why do you now seem worried about her?" Song Jie was curious.

Fan Shi said, "I don’t know either."

He just thought about her being summoned by the Bei Qi Emperor and might encounter bad things, which made him feel very uneasy.

In the Capital City, at Lanxin Garden, the place where the Bei Qi has arranged for the envoys, Ah Chen was brought here to stay temporarily before being summoned by the Bei Qi Emperor.

Cui Jing was also here. Before her identity was exposed, the Bei Qi Emperor hadn’t summoned her.

Otherwise, given the violent nature of the Bei Qi Emperor, she might not have survived until now.

The anger wasn’t vented on Cui Jing. When the Bei Qi Emperor summoned Ah Chen, he would surely vent his anger on her.

It seems Cui Jing couldn’t hold on for more than a few days facing Bei Qi’s situation. She immediately revealed her identity as soon as she could speak. In the Commissioner’s memory, she spoke with such ease, making them think she was quite capable.

Here, the rope on Ah Chen’s hand was also untied. Clearly, no one thought it possible to escape from this place.

Upon hearing that Ah Chen had arrived, Cui Jing came over immediately.

There were guards at the door. When they saw it was her, they didn’t stop her. Presumably, someone had instructed them. She pushed the door open forcefully and rushed in to find the person. She saw Ah Chen leaning on a chair, flipping through a book. Ah Chen’s serene demeanor angered Cui Jing greatly.

"Why did you harm me like this?" Cui Jing was full of grief and anger. "I ask myself if I’ve ever wronged you. Why did you harm me? None of this was what I should have experienced. You are the Ninth Princess. Bei Qi wanted you to come, not me. This is the burden you should bear."

"No, this is not something I should bear." Ah Chen raised her eyes, still not rising from her seat. "This is due to the inaction of Nan Qi, not something I should bear."

"Even so, there was no way around it. Bei Qi is fierce and brutal. As a Princess, being summoned means you must come. If war breaks out because of you, whatever happens to Nan Qi will be your responsibility. Don’t you feel guilty?" Cui Jing loudly questioned. How could she be so cold and heartless? This was inherently what she should bear.

"The weak are prey to the strong. That’s a fact," Ah Chen said, "but it’s not something I should endure."

"If war erupts because of this, it can only be said that Bei Qi wanted to fight Nan Qi all along. If Nan Qi can’t win, being destroyed is inevitable. What does that have to do with me? If sacrificing me could truly bring peace, would things be as they are now? Don’t make excuses for them. What’s laughable is that they don’t even dare to fight. Not only do they send the princess over, but they also send tributes. A spineless nation like that should perish sooner."

"You..." Cui Jing was at a loss for words. She couldn’t believe Song Chen could say something like this. "If Nan Qi is really destroyed, will your life get better? You’re so short-sighted that if the Bei Qi Emperor really acts, who knows how many will suffer because of it."

"That would be due to the Bei Qi Emperor’s malice and the weakness of the Nan Qi people. I’ve already said it: Nan Qi getting beaten has nothing to do with me. Besides, Nan Qi hasn’t perished, yet they sent me to this place. What’s there to feel good about?" Ah Chen chuckled. "You can admit you hate me. No need to cloak it in grandeur. Just say you want to see me suffer. It’s more straightforward. Isn’t it tiresome playing pretense? It’s indeed my doing that you’re here, so you should hate me."

Cui Jing’s face flushed with some redness. Yes, she was eager to see Song Chen suffer.

Knowing the other had arrived, she felt a thrill inside. It was time for the other to experience firsthand the madness of these Bei Qi people.

Yet being called out still left her embarrassed.

She wasn’t like this before. It was Song Chen who turned her like this. Anyone making a tour through Bei Qi wouldn’t still hold onto perpetual kindness, would they?

She had let Song Chen get the better of her far too often before, but now the other got handed over just the same, whereas she was to return.

About her return, Cui Jing dared not disclose a word, lest Song Chen harm her again.

"From now on, there won’t be any sisterhood between us." Throwing down this line, Cui Jing left.

For a long while, Ah Chen laughed out loud and continued flipping through the book.

"Are you the Nan Qi Ninth Princess?" A voice suddenly sounded at the door.

Ah Chen looked up. It was a lavishly dressed, arrogant-looking lady who, according to the Commissioner’s memory, was Song Yishui, the Third Princess of Bei Qi.