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

"Your Majesty, now that Bei Qi has been eradicated and there’s no possibility of restoring the kingdom, isn’t it time to restore Jing’er’s identity as the Ninth Princess?" Consort Li asked.

Jing’er is the true princess, her biological daughter.

If it weren’t for Bei Qi’s cruelty, she wouldn’t have been separated from her flesh and blood since birth. She didn’t even dare to inquire for fear of Bei Qi finding out.

Whenever the longing overwhelmed her, even if she could find an excuse to meet Jing’er, she couldn’t be too close without breaking that barrier.

In the past, when Cui Chen sent Jing’er to Bei Qi, he suggested that the Emperor and she recognize Cui Chen as their adopted daughter, which made both the Emperor and her feel uneasy. After Jing’er returned, they never proposed to recognize her as an adopted daughter.

Every time this thought arose, Cui Chen’s voice echoed in their minds, making them uncomfortable.

When Jing’er fled back from Bei Qi, the Emperor, under the pretext of appeasement, granted her the title of Commandery Princess and bestowed a mansion in the Capital City. At the same time, he gave Cui Chen a minor official position, ostensibly to commend his bravery, but in fact to reward him for bringing Jing’er back from Bei Qi.

Jing’er lived in the Capital City, so close that she was afraid Bei Qi would notice something amiss, so she dared not summon her.

Now that Bei Qi is gone, she could meet Jing’er without much concern, casually find an excuse, or host a banquet to bring her before her.

However, without revealing the true identity, there’s always a barrier, preventing them from being closer.

Song Chong shook his head in denial: "The incident caused such a stir before, how can we restore Jing’er’s identity? If word gets out, wouldn’t that bring infamy upon Jing’er? Do you want the world’s gossip to drown Jing’er?"

Not only would Jing’er’s reputation be affected, but so would he as the Emperor of Nan Qi.

Song Chong carefully analyzed the pros and cons with Consort Li, and she finally dismissed the idea, her brows filled with worry.

Song Chong, who cherished Consort Li the most, felt a twinge of heartache seeing her so distressed. He held her hand and said, "Now that Bei Qi no longer poses a threat, perhaps we can find an opportunity to recognize Jing’er as a daughter. However, it can’t be done rashly; it must be justified with a reason that won’t arouse suspicion, making it known that Jing’er is a valuable asset to us before acknowledging her as an adopted daughter."

After all, nothing must appear amiss, lest someone uncovers the truth, which would harm their reputations.

Because the incident involving Cui Chen at that time was highly controversial.

If the truth were exposed, it would become a laughingstock for the whole world.

Consort Li then became joyful and said, "Your Majesty, how about I feign illness, pretending to be ill with longing for my daughter? Then you can bring in some noblewomen to keep me company, but none other than Jing’er will make me feel better. Jing’er was fortunate in returning from Bei Qi relatively unscathed despite the dishonor, so let’s brand her a ’lucky star.’ With her good fortune, it’s only natural she would bring comfort to me, isn’t it?"

Song Chong thought it over and found it feasible.

He immediately called for a trusted aide to arrange the matter and spoke a couple of words to Consort Li before departing.

Within the Commandery Princess’s residence of Cui Jing in the Capital City.

Cui Chen arrived, discussing matters of Bei Qi—no, it should now be Canglan Country—with her.

"The situation in Canglan Country is complicated now, making information-gathering difficult," Cui Chen said. "We haven’t been able to find out what happened to Song Chen," he added with a hint of frustration, "Jing’er, you were nearly killed by her, so why are you still so concerned about her? Whether she lives or dies, that’s her fate. You don’t need to be too concerned."

"Let’s get this straight: if you do find out anything about her, don’t make any moves. Even if not for your own sake, you should at least consider our parents, and both me and our elder brother, right? If anything happens to you, what will we do? We’ve just been through hardships and finally settled down; we can’t afford any more incidents."

Cui Jing sighed, "Second Brother, I’m just asking; I won’t act recklessly. Besides, that’s Canglan Country, a long way away. Even if I found out, what could I do? After all, we were sisters for years, and no one expected Bei Qi to fall overnight. I just want to know how she’s doing. As for the rest," she lowered her head regretfully, "I’m really powerless."

Cui Chen couldn’t see her eyes, unaware there was no trace of concern or worry in them.

How could she care for Song Chen?

If not for Song Chen, she wouldn’t have suffered so much in Bei Qi.

She just wanted to know how Song Chen was doing, whether she was alive or dead, and what hardships she might have endured to ease her own depression.

Rumor has it that Canglan Country seems alright, and they likely wouldn’t do anything to a hostage like Song Chen, which left her a bit irritated.

By the timing, Bei Qi was overthrown the very night she and her second brother left.

Before this, Song Chen hadn’t endured much suffering. Why did Canglan Country have to act so hastily? Had they delayed a bit longer, Song Chen wouldn’t have escaped Bei Qi’s royal family’s torment.

The thought of Song Chen not suffering as she deserved bothered her deeply.

What concerned her even more now was the possibility that once Canglan Country stabilized, to show goodwill to Nan Qi, they might send Song Chen back.

Having been to Bei Qi, not only did she escape hardship, but she would also be returned honorably by Canglan Country, enjoying endless luxury and prosperity as the Ninth Princess, which left Cui Jing deeply unsettled.

Why should it be so?

Just because Song Chen is a princess of Nan Qi, does that mean she can’t hold grudges against her?

Cui Jing clenched her fists tightly, feeling so powerless inside, yet she didn’t dare voice these thoughts to anyone, not even her family. To them, she was gentle and kind, generous and considerate. If she revealed such an unseemly side, she didn’t know how they would perceive her.

"That’s good." Cui Chen didn’t catch on to Cui Jing’s true thoughts. Hearing her reassurance, he laughed, "Our parents and elder brother should arrive in the Capital City in two days. Then our family will be reunited."

"This time, it’s just us, no outsiders."

Cui Jing nodded gently, a faint smile appearing on her face.

This time, the Cui Family benefited from the misfortune. The current Emperor turned out to be reasonable, giving Jing’er compensation, and their father was reassigned to the Capital. They had expected the Emperor to be angry over the previous incident, especially because Song Chen was the pampered daughter of the Emperor.

Yet, to their surprise, he was a wise Monarch King, not venting his anger on the Cui Family over Song Chen.

Such a monarch earned Cui Chen’s loyalty willingly, dispelling his previous resentment toward the Emperor.

Even Consort Li sent comforting gifts to Jing’er, saying after all, it was the Ninth Princess’s duty, and others shouldn’t be implicated.

Thus, Cui Chen bore no resentment toward Consort Li.

For two people of such stature to comfort them in this way, even Cui Jing harbored little resentment.

But toward Song Chen, she still felt great loathing. If the other really came out unscathed, it would deeply trouble her, hoping Song Chen isn’t that lucky.

The other party should suffer...