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

It’s alright if she’s not dead. Given her experiences in Bei Qi, being alive might be even more unbearable than death.

But he certainly couldn’t say this to the court officials, so he pondered for a moment before saying, "We cannot be so rash; otherwise, wouldn’t Canglan Country perceive us as unfriendly? We still don’t know what Canglan Country is capable of, so it’s better to maintain friendliness and probe them first, to see whether they’re a tiger or just a cat."

If they’re a tiger, we must respect them and avoid angering them.

If they’re just a cat, he’ll be much more at ease, even considering the idea of capturing Canglan Country. If he could restore Da Qi’s territory, what a remarkable achievement that would be?

"As for the Ninth Princess, let’s wait until we’ve probed Canglan Country’s background before doing anything. We can’t allow her to implicate the entire Nan Qi. Although I also want to bring her back—as she’s my most beloved daughter," sighed Song Chong with an air of feigned sorrow, "We should gather more intelligence on Canglan Country and hold our ground for now."

These words indeed convinced the ministers, and they agreed with this decision.

Your Majesty went to great pains to ensure the Ninth Princess escaped catastrophe, painstakingly sending her away. His love for the Ninth Princess was a fact that no one questioned.

Shortly thereafter, it became known that Bei Qi had been destroyed, and a New Dynasty was established—named Canglan. The new emperor was a very courageous woman; her surname was Yu, but her given name and beauty were unknown.

But as the rumors spread, they became more exaggerated. Some said she was ugly, towering as high as a house.

Others said she was actually a spirit, exceedingly beautiful and enchanting, particularly her eyes, which could captivate anyone who gazed into them, leaving them at her command. Hence, upon meeting her, one should never make eye contact, or be under her thrall for life.

Upon hearing this latter rumor, Fan Shi found it amusing and retorted, "Do they think anyone can be under Your Majesty’s spell? Just look at themselves in a puddle and see their own reflections!"

Song Jie advised, "Sir, people are just talking casually. These rumors always get more exaggerated over time, isn’t that always the way? Don’t let it upset you, take care."

"I’m not upset," Fan Shi said, "It’s just that a little venting is better than bottling it up."

Fan Shi buried his head in his work and continued busily.

Song Jie thought: Well, the sir doesn’t seem angry; he just wanted to vent a little.

Nan Qi Palace.

Emperor Song Chong was dining with Consort Li. Once they had nearly finished, he dismissed the attendants.

Consort Li asked, "Your Majesty, has there been any news from Canglan Country?"

Her face showed eagerness, yet there was no concern, only hatred and anger. That Cui Chen really had the audacity to send her daughter to Bei Qi, causing her to suffer so much—fortunately, she returned.

Cui Chen remained there, never to return. She couldn’t even go looking for trouble.

Now that Bei Qi had been annihilated, she only hoped that before this, Cui Chen had tasted enough hardship, otherwise... it would be upsetting. Otherwise, once she returned, it wouldn’t be appropriate to openly make trouble.

"Canglan Country was just established; there are still many matters to attend to. They currently don’t have time for external affairs. According to the ministers’ predictions, they are likely to seek friendly relations with Nan Qi," Song Chong said.

He hoped Canglan Country was merely a little cat, but that was clearly impossible. After all, being able to overthrow Bei Qi, they couldn’t be a simple entity.

Moreover, it was impossible to go to war at this time, especially against Nan Qi; it was even more unlikely.

"Recently, some news has come through—a rebellion by the nobles was expected, constantly seeking opportunities to assassinate the emperor of Canglan Country, yet there’s no news of her being injured."

"Whether she’s truly unharmed or not, that remains unknown," Song Chong pondered. "Even if she were truly injured or even dead, I believe it would not affect Canglan Country’s existence. After all, the forces behind her could easily support another person."

He didn’t believe those outrageous rumors.

Many people were headed to Canglan Country seeking allegiance, seeing as Bei Qi was overthrown by Canglan, not necessarily believing in the abilities of their empress.

Indeed, there were those who thought like Song Chong, but aside from heading to Canglan Country, they seemed to have no other options. At least Canglan had conquered Bei Qi—a fact—making it a place worth defecting to for now.

However, when those slightly capable individuals met Ah Chen, their ideas vanished, and a thought emerged: the rumors weren’t false.

Some people, when you see them, you can sense their uniqueness—provided they are willing to let you see that side.

Three months after Bei Qi was destroyed, Canglan Country enacted new laws, reorganizing tax-related matters—preserving some, repealing others, all within feasible limits. After all, a vast country can’t have everything done overnight; it needs to proceed step by step.

Ah Chen was in no hurry; she had more and more capable people by her side. She simply needed to propose ideas, have them submit to her willingly and sincerely, and they would proceed accordingly.

So far, things were relatively smooth.

If her words made sense, they’d listen to her. If they felt it was unreasonable, they’d find a reason to convince her, and she’d listen to their opinions—it was all for the future development of Canglan Country.

To her, being the emperor required no ulterior motives, as she didn’t care about such things.

Still, having chosen this path, she wanted to make it as good as possible—she has always been serious about her tasks.

Moreover, she didn’t want to disappoint those who followed her; their eager expressions were much more pleasing to the eye than at first.

Seeing them happy was quite nice.

Those who followed her from Nan Qi, who once had an air of death about them, were now invigorated, as if they had come to life.

Annihilating the Bei Qi Royal Family and so many nobles enriched the national treasury significantly, making things much more convenient for Ah Chen.

Fan Shi murmured while flipping through the accounts, "Truly, we had to kill them. Filling the national treasury with such wealth and grain—what good would they do? Those tumors did nothing, constantly oppressing people, exploiting the populace, hoarding wealth and grain—being alive benefited only themselves, not others."

"Your Majesty is indeed formidable; the places you pinpointed were indeed likely hiding spots," Fan Shi praised again. "Otherwise, they might have been hidden away."

Ah Chen casually complimented, "The Think Tank is also impressive—without your foresight in placing spies, how could we have trailed those nobles to their other hideouts?"

Fan Shi smiled, feeling very pleased, continuing to peruse the accounts, becoming more and more astounded.

He knew those nobles harbored many treasures, but he hadn’t expected so many.

Now, these assets had entered Canglan Country’s treasury; with silver and grain, there’s no worry about anything, particularly sustaining the army—there’s enough there.

Ah Chen handed Fan Shi a book. "This is a book on agriculture; it should be of use. Make copies, arrange for people to study it, and pass on the knowledge."

Fan Shi accepted it, skimmed through it, and was filled with joy—it was useful indeed.

Truly, she was the one he had been waiting for.

[Host, this guy seems to have only admiration for you now. Don’t you have any other thoughts?] asked 997.

Ah Chen: [Isn’t this good? Look how happy he is. Stop thinking about love all the time. Are you a romance brain?]

Ah? 997 felt down—wasn’t he just concerned about the host’s love life?

[If you’re bored, gather more resources helpful for this world’s development,] said Ah Chen.

She was still busy now, with no time for anything else.

Considering this situation, she wouldn’t be able to return to Nan Qi soon. Oh well, she’ll wait a bit longer, no need to rush.

First, laying a solid foundation here, then move on to other things.

Let them be happy for a while longer.