After the system set its sights on the dragon throne, the princess started courting death every day.

"explain."

What is the relationship between the princess and General Fu?

Xiang An raised an eyebrow, looked at him, and didn't answer.

Qi Yuan sighed deeply, and in his heavy mood, the events of that year resurfaced before his eyes once again.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, a rare night in the capital where the curfew was extended, the streets were brightly lit, and the people of the capital strolled around the alleys and streets with lanterns in hand.

The snow fell in swirling motions like cotton wool, yet strangely, it wasn't cold. People wondered about the unusual nature of this winter while marveling at how warm it was.

At the end of the street, the rapid sound of hooves shattered this warm and harmonious scene. A soldier in black armor on a black horse looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes. He carried a bamboo tube on his back with a bright red flag stuck inside. His black horse was panting heavily, clearly needing a rest after a long journey, but the soldier dared not stop.

The streets were crowded with people, and it looked like people and horses were about to collide. Instead of ordering them to slow down or stop, the soldier whipped his horse's rump and shouted from his horse, "Make way! Make way!!"

Amidst the chaos and commotion, the people on the street were forced to make way, and the soldier rode wildly all the way to the palace gate, where he collapsed from his horse.

His legs and hands were so tired he had no strength left. Gritting his teeth, he took the bamboo tube he dared not part with from his back and shouted, "Urgent report from 800 li away! Urgent report from 800 li away!!"

Upon hearing this, the guards dared not delay any longer. They hurriedly lowered the bamboo basket from the city wall, retrieved the bamboo tube, and then delivered it to the minister on night duty, who in turn passed it on to the emperor.

Half an incense stick later, the palace gates opened wide, and a line of guards rode out of the palace and headed straight for the residences of ministers in the capital. Half an incense stick later, the ministers, dressed in their official robes, entered the palace by lamplight that very night.

—A sudden heavy snowfall hit the border, and tens of thousands of soldiers froze to death overnight. Half a month ago, when we led our troops south, we faced General Fu head-on, and suffered 30,000 casualties, including 10,000 who froze to death. The camp is now short of food, clothing, and manpower!

"Your Majesty, with the year-end approaching, we need to prepare for the festival, and after the spring, we need to allocate silver for spring planting. At present, the Ministry of Revenue can only spend 500,000 taels of silver."

"Five hundred thousand taels is too little, can't you give us more? So many people have already frozen to death in the heavy snow overnight, do you want even more people to die?" Qi Cheng said without any patience.

"A little more?" Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue immediately sneered, "It's easy for you to talk when you're not in the same boat. The end of the year is fast approaching, and last year's taxes haven't been collected yet. After the New Year holiday ends, the first priority is to send people to the local areas to collect them. What? You're going to collect them and count the silver?"

Qi Cheng scoffed: "Hmph, I can't control you. It's snowing heavily at the border, and even worse in Yan Kingdom. They're starving and freezing. Going back means certain death, but attacking us gives them a sliver of hope. Just watch, for a bite to eat, they'll decide whether to retreat or attack. If you're unwilling to give up now, it'll be too late once they invade."

"Is it enough that I'm willing to sacrifice? Just for the sake of fighting a war, we're disregarding what's to come? Are we all going to starve to death? If my sacrifice alone can bring peace to the border, I'll offer it up with both hands. What do you say?" The Minister of Revenue's words were sharp and sarcastic, leaving Qi Cheng speechless.

Having won a brief verbal victory, the Minister of Revenue continued, "The border is important, but the people in the city are equally important. To repel external aggression, we must first secure internal stability; this is of paramount importance. Oh, I forgot, your family rose to power through military means. How could you possibly understand reason? All you know is how to fight. It's a pity you're such a coward, not daring to go to the border to lend General Fu a hand, only daring to point fingers in the court."

When Qi Cheng was young, he loved martial arts and stick fighting. His father forced him to attend a private school. He would sleep during class, and when the teacher hit him, he would beg the teacher to hit him harder. When the teacher asked him to recite, he would go home and fall asleep as soon as he got home.

After studying for less than half a month, he had barely learned any characters. He even used the book to wipe his bottom and complained that the paper was too hard. This angered the teacher so much that he gave the teacher no dignity and kicked him out of the private school.

Qi Cheng retorted angrily, "Reading a few more words won't help. Wars aren't won by talking; they're won by us military generals. I may lack courage, but I know how to fight. I'm not like you, a mere bookworm."

Qi Cheng had a very fiery temper. In his early years, he had accompanied General Fu to the border, fought in battles, and endured hardships.

Logically speaking, he came from a family of military generals and had loved martial arts since childhood, often talking about going to the border.

One day, luck finally smiled upon him, and he patiently followed the army. After a bumpy half-month journey, he arrived at the border in just three days. For some reason, he fled back to the capital in disgrace. Later, the emperor, in accordance with military regulations, had him flogged fifty times.

From then on, he never mentioned the "border" again.

In fact, many people cannot withstand fifty strokes of the rod. He is still alive because of his deceased father's influence. Later, due to the chaos on the border, he submitted several memorials praising his merits. Whether the emperor appreciated his talent or truly valued him, he recalled him to the court three years later.

"Wait a minute, why hasn't the Ministry of Revenue collected last year's taxes yet? In previous years, they should have been collected before winter." Prime Minister Yang Li interrupted their argument.

The Minister of Revenue glanced at him, hesitated for a few moments, and then said hesitantly, "Last year, the region suffered many disasters. We repaired this and that, and the money just flowed out like water."

He didn't elaborate further, especially on the word "repair," where he hesitated and seemed unsure of himself, causing the entire court to fall silent for a moment.

Last May, the emperor renovated the roof of the palace. In August, to please his concubine, he built a peony garden in the palace and transplanted peonies from all over the country day and night into the palace. At the end of September, the concubine was banished to the cold palace, and the peony garden has been abandoned ever since.

"I remember that General Fu won several battles with only 200,000 taels of silver."

The emperor, who had been sitting firmly on the dragon throne observing the court officials' debate, finally spoke. The beaded curtain hanging from his crown partially obscured his face, preventing the officials from directly observing his expression. His solemn and imposing presence made it difficult for people to breathe.

"Yes." Qi Cheng lowered his head and said bitterly, "Thirty years ago... General Fu did indeed win."

After he finished speaking, the court immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"General Fu is truly a war god of our nation," the emperor exclaimed. "Thirty years ago, my father believed in him, and today I also believe in General Fu, and I believe that he can win with 200,000 taels of silver. It is my good fortune to have him here."

"...Your Majesty, times have changed. As the sage said: 'Use order to deal with chaos, use tranquility to deal with turmoil, this is how to govern the mind. Use what is near to deal with what is far, use ease to deal with exhaustion, use satiety to deal with hunger, this is how to govern strength.' At present, the Yan Kingdom is suffering from both hunger and food shortages. If our soldiers are well-fed and watered, the Yan Kingdom will undoubtedly lose." Xia Lingguang stepped forward and spoke.

The emperor behind the beaded curtain frowned, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "If all the silver is taken to the border, how will I conduct the imperial concubine selection next year?"

Every day, silence reigns once more.

Wei Wenrun then cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty’s selection of conscripts is for the sake of the continuation of the nation. Conscripts must be selected, and the funds must be sufficient. When General Fu was young and did not know how to use troops, he could easily win. There is no reason why he has been using troops for thirty years and does not know how to fight.”

"In war, we just need to have more men than them. In my opinion, we should use all 200,000 taels of silver to recruit soldiers. The weather will get cold, but it will get warmer. Who knows, the weather might improve as soon as our newly recruited troops arrive at the border. His Majesty's dragon aura blesses our country, and even the heavens wouldn't dare to deny us good weather."

Upon hearing this, the emperor on the dragon throne leaned back slightly, his expression subtly moved. "To prepare for chaos with order, to await turmoil with tranquility—this is the way to govern the mind. To prepare for distant enemies with proximity, to await the weary with ease, to await the hungry with abundance—this is the way to govern strength." This quote, from Sun Tzu's *The Art of War*, Chapter 1, "Military Maneuvering," refers to using one's own abundant provisions to exploit the enemy's lack of food, thereby achieving victory.

Merry Christmas Eve!