The people who received news from the Cui Family were all shocked. But they didn’t have time to think too much; if that false princess really succeeded, it would be a joke. For now, it’s best to take her down, and wait until Your Majesty recovers to make any decisions.

The princes did have additional thoughts, but the news was not only known to their side; now is not the time for internal conflict, relationships are unprecedentedly good.

The five princes each felt a sense of relief; it turns out that the overbearing Crown Princess was not actually their sister. Their father truly put in so much effort for their Ninth Princess. This news was good for the princes because at least their father had no intention of establishing the Crown Princess. Once everything stabilizes, it will be even less likely that their father will have this thought.

As for their true Ninth Princess, they used to have a good relationship with her, no wonder they got along well; it turns out they really are siblings. Of course, they automatically ignored their previous rejection of her when Chenchen was the Ninth Princess.

Late at night, the busy Cui Family members all returned to their rooms.

Cui Chen sat in the room, dazed. What happened in the afternoon seemed like a dream. He thought it was a dream, but he still hasn’t woken up. Pinching his arm hurt, so this is not a dream.

Why did it turn out this way?

What he said to her back then now seems laughable, what right did he have to say such things to her? She was the one oppressed by royal power, forced to suffer as the Emperor’s ninth daughter. Though she didn’t have a nice temperament, that was the truth.

Cui Chen slammed his fist onto the table, thinking about her fate afterward, it didn’t sit well with him. But there’s nothing he could do, and he couldn’t possibly tell her about the current arrangements.

She was already plotting for that position; if today’s arrangements were revealed, she would certainly not let anyone off.

At this moment, the door was knocked.

He opened the door, standing outside was Cui Zhao.

Letting him in, the door was closed again, Cui Chen then asked: "Why haven’t you rested so late, big brother? Is there something going on?"

"You’ve been distracted all afternoon, still thinking about Chenchen? I know you can’t accept it, she is indeed our sister but now she’s bewildering Your Majesty and plotting to seize the throne. We cannot avoid doing what is right for the greater good; otherwise more people will suffer, not just the Cui Family, but all of Nan Qi’s citizens. Second Brother, do you think if she really succeeded, she could be a good emperor?"

"These things cannot be predicted, but before that, she would surely eliminate dissenters, and rivers of blood would flow in Nan Qi."

"And she might not even succeed; any mistakes and the entire Cui Family would be implicated. So, the Cui Family must do something to ensure safety, ending this chaos as soon as possible is best. It’s good for the Cui Family and good for all of Nan Qi."

Cui Chen felt a bit irritable, he understood these things well.

"Big brother, I just felt something was wrong from the start; we used to resent her for sending Jing’er to Bei Qi to suffer, even if she was a princess, it shouldn’t have been so. After all, Bei Qi specifically named the Ninth Princess, Jing’er shouldn’t have borne this. But now the truth is Jing’er is the Ninth Princess, she’s not, she’s our sister, used as the scapegoat."

"Big brother, aren’t you angry? Aren’t you furious? Whether it’s us or her, we were all deceived. Although I couldn’t bear for Jing’er to suffer, Bei Qi wanted the Ninth Princess, not her. She was kept in the dark, thinking she was the Ninth Princess and sent away. If not for luck, the matter might have ended there."

"Later when Jing’er returned, Your Majesty compensated and pacified our Cui Family, conferring the title of Commandery Princess to Jing’er, and granting me an official position. I thought he was a wise Monarch King; his thoughts seemed similar to mine, thinking a princess should not be sent to substitute for death." Cui Chen’s eyes reddened in pain, "But today I realized it wasn’t like that; Your Majesty probably conferred my title merely as a precaution, so people wouldn’t wonder why only Jing’er was granted. What he really wanted to confer upon was his own daughter, and it just so happened he didn’t have an excuse to treat his own daughter well; isn’t this it?"

"And later when Consort Li fell ill, it was also because of Jing’er that she recovered; wasn’t this a scheme to elevate Jing’er’s true identity as the Ninth Princess?" Cui Chen chuckled sarcastically, "No wonder her title was Changning."

"Why did I only realize all this now?"

"I’m truly foolish."

Cui Zhao said: "Second Brother, Your Majesty is king, we are subjects; when a king commands something, the subject cannot defy it. Father and Mother chose as they did out of helplessness, if they had defied Your Majesty’s orders, the Cui Family might not have existed long ago."

"From childhood, Jing’er was the most favored in this family. Father and mother always praised her sensibility and obedience, wherever she was, it was all to present the best in front of her. What did father and mother and Chenchen say? They said they couldn’t show off because they feared villains would uncover her identity, pushing out Jing’er merely as a scapegoat." Cui Chen laughed, "Big brother, only today did I truly understand why Chenchen wouldn’t be happy, why she’d fight for it."

"Had she not fought, she might not even have the semblance of fairness."

"From the moment they brought back the Ninth Princess and raised her, they probably had long prepared to let Chenchen substitute for death, hadn’t they?"

"Since they were going to send her to death, why didn’t they treat her better?"

Cui Zhao sighed: "Second Brother, think about the Cui Family’s circumstances back then, a whole family needed to live, you and I had to attend academy, the cost wasn’t small. Your Majesty feared Bei Qi people might notice something wrong, so he banished father far away; Jing’er was a princess, she certainly couldn’t be wronged."

"Father was not a corrupt official; the family was not wealthy."

Cui Chen fell silent.

Cui Zhao said: "Second Brother, her returning was her fortune; furthermore, she didn’t suffer, returning was glorious. If she did nothing, she would inevitably be safe and sound for life. But she wasn’t satisfied; ambitious, she used means to bewitch Your Majesty, seeking the title of Crown Princess and usurpation, which is a crime punishable by execution of the entire family. If things go wrong, not only her, but the entire Cui Family would be implicated, and all would die since Your Majesty knows she is not the real Ninth Princess."

"Reaching this point is her own doing; she originally could live a stable and glorious life, but her greed was excessive."

Cui Chen said: "If she hadn’t gone to Bei Qi, none of this would have happened; she’d merely be the third Miss of the Cui Family. Even if her temperament wasn’t great, something might occur this lifetime, but it wouldn’t be this path of no return. Actually, pushing her to this point wasn’t just her own doing, big brother."

Like initially when Cui Jing was sent to Bei Qi to suffer, Cui Chen again grew resentful towards the high-standing royal power.

How hateful it is.

Must they die when the Emperor wants anyone dead?

Why?