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

"Lord Wei, how can war be treated like a game? As the sage said, 'An army marches on its stomach.' How much grain can two hundred thousand taels of silver buy? Sending soldiers to the border hastily when there isn't enough grain is not fighting a war, it's sending them to their deaths!" Xia Lingguang shouted.

Wei Wenrun smiled slightly: "Oh, in that case, does Lord Xia have any good ideas to solve the silver problem? Or is there anyone in the court who can solve it? If so, please let us know."

Xia Lingguang opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhang Liyu, the Minister of War standing in front of him, slightly tilted his head and shook his head, indicating that he didn't need to say anything. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his anger, flicked his wide sleeves, coldly snorted, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

Wei Wenrun's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, and he was still smugly choosing his words when Zhong Zan, who was in the corner, suddenly said, "Your Majesty, the Yan Kingdom marched south seeking food. If they have food, they will have a glimmer of hope. If they have a glimmer of hope, they will no longer seek death. We might as well let them enter the pass..."

Hearing what Zhong Zan said, Qi Cheng couldn't help but interrupt him angrily: "Lord Zhong! Are you awake today? Do you know what you're saying? Do you have any respect for the people who died on the border? Do you have any respect for General Fu?! Do you have any respect for the soldiers who are defending the border?!"

He was truly in pain and felt truly ashamed.

My heart aches for the soldiers who lost their lives guarding the border. If their spirits were to open their eyes and see how ruthless the court they were protecting was, they would probably never close their eyes again, and would likely regret their desperate efforts. I am ashamed that I know everything, yet I have no power to change the current situation, and I have long since lost the right to go to the border.

Back then, he was full of ambition, wielding an iron sword, his heart soaring higher than the sky, ready to fight the Yan Kingdom to the death.

But before the war had even begun, and before he had killed a single person, he glanced at the bright red, pungent blood on the ground and fainted while still on his warhorse. He woke up again in a carriage after being rescued and sent back to the capital by General Fu.

During the journey, he learned from the doctor that the cause of his fainting was hemophobia, a disease that was painless and did not require treatment, but was enough to ruin the future of a military general.

Wei Wenrun smiled contemptuously and said sarcastically, "Lord Qi, it's you who faints at the sight of blood, not me. If you were the commander of the Yan Kingdom's army, and a city ahead was allowed to enter without any reason, would you dare to go in?"

Of course, we dare not enter; who knows if there are ambushes inside the city? But if we do enter, the entire population of the city will be wiped out.

The strategic border region was treated like a gambler entering a casino, risking countless lives for a single chance of survival.

"My lords, please calm down. Besides fighting, settling things, and letting things go, we have another option." Bai Yuchen's interjection abruptly interrupted the deadlock in the court. He smiled slightly, "We can also seek peace."

"Lord Bai, surrendering without a fight is a cardinal sin in military strategy, and it is unacceptable!" Xia Lingguang declared resolutely.

"Is that so?" Bai Yuchen asked softly, bowing to the emperor on the dragon throne. "In that case, I beg Your Majesty for your wise decision."

Everyone fell silent and returned to their places, awaiting the emperor's decision.

On the high throne, in the golden dragon chair, the emperor's voice descended like the heavens: "I will think about this matter carefully after the court session and then inform you all."

The crowd, who had just been arguing heatedly, said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."

Three days later, the emperor summoned Fu Qingbai to the palace.

At that time, Fu Qingbai was a handsome young man who had not yet come of age. Although he was eloquent, his experience at the border was limited to one trip with General Fu when he was thirteen, where he helped his father and brother handle many matters in the camp.

Strictly speaking, he was not qualified to interfere in military affairs, but the news was later reported to the emperor by the censor.

Everyone in the court thought that the Fu family had become arrogant because of their merits, and that they had casually let a mere child handle important border affairs. This time, the Fu family was bound to suffer.

Strangely enough, the emperor kept this memorial hidden and did not issue it.

The court officials couldn't figure out the emperor's thoughts, and no one dared to bring it up again, but this move undoubtedly demonstrated that the Fu family was very special to the emperor.

In fact, the fact that the Fu family had held great power since the founding of the Yuan Kingdom, yet had been favored and trusted by the emperor for a century, was a rare and special thing.

What makes the Fu family so special that they have stood the test of time for a century? The secrets behind it remain unknown to anyone.

Just like now, the ministers did not know why the emperor summoned the young prince to the palace at this critical juncture. It was Fu Qingbai's father who was trapped on the border. Even if the emperor wanted to appease the Fu family, he should not have summoned him.

Qi Yuanshen was equally puzzled. He wanted to ask Qi Cheng, but since returning from the palace, Qi Cheng had only called him to the study to explain the pros and cons of the arguments among the officials in the court over the border issue. After that, he had not said another word and had driven him out of the study.

Presumably, if it weren't for the fact that he was the eldest son and would be an official in the court in the future, Qi Cheng probably wouldn't have said a word about anything in the court. He stared at the clusters of plum blossoms drawn on the paper, lost in thought. Suddenly, his thoughts were scattered by the knocking sound outside the window.

He got up and opened the window, only to see his mentally challenged younger brother, Qi Yuanshi, about to knock on his face. He slapped his brother's hand away and asked in a low voice, "Well, did you find out?"

Qi Yuanshi, clutching his hand that had been slapped, said awkwardly, "I guess so."

Qi Yuanshen: "What do you mean by 'consider'? If it exists, it exists; if it doesn't, it doesn't. What's the point of 'considering' it?"

"Ouch, my feet, my knees, my back hurt so much! I can't stand up anymore! Quick, quick, help me up!" Qi Yuanshi suddenly collapsed against the servant behind him, feeling as if his bones had been pulled out, slapping his thigh and wailing, "All day long, I've run to the Zhang residence, the Ren residence, the Xia residence, running around just to gather information. I haven't even had a glass of water all morning. Why is my life so miserable!"

"explain."

Five taels of silver were thrown into Qi Yuanshi's arms.

Qi Yuanshi, quick as a flash, grabbed the silver with one hand and stretched his other free hand under Qi Yuanshen's eyes, howling, "Whose second son is as miserable and obedient as me? My elder brother tells me to go east, I dare not go west, he tells me..."

"...Shut up and talk."

Another handful of silver was slapped hard into his palm.

Qi Yuanshi was satisfied. He quickly put away the silver, dismissed the servant behind him, leaned closer, and whispered, "Brother, Ren Xueqing wouldn't say much. She just told me that Fu Qingbai will be escorting winter clothes and provisions to the border tomorrow."

"What?!" Qi Yuanshen was shocked. "Isn't it that we don't have enough silver?! Besides, how can we gather enough food and warm clothing for hundreds of thousands of people in just one day?"

"Ren Xueqing said she didn't know either, but Fu Qingbai himself agreed to it in front of the Emperor. Hey—what's with that look? Are you looking down on me? Let me tell you! I'm already pretty good at getting so much out of Ren Xueqing. You know, Ren Xueqing's father is a scoundrel, and Ren Xueqing has inherited his talent perfectly. Her mouth is as tight as if it were glued shut with rice paste. If you ask her too many questions, she'll cry. She's such a good actress, she..."

"Shut up." Qi Yuanshen closed his eyes in annoyance, rubbing his temples with two fingers. He'd heard a ton of nonsense, but hardly anything useful. "What time does Fu Qingbai depart tomorrow?" [The last day of 2024~~]