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

Wearing black official boots with gold thread, a black suit of armor, and a long sword hanging at his waist, the man's delicate features clashed sharply with his bloodthirsty and murderous eyes.

Xiang An excitedly grabbed the wooden pillar at the prison door: "Ding Yinan, you've finally arrived! Has your general gone mad?"

Ding Yinan didn't even glance at her, his gaze fixed on Fu Qingbai, who was sitting cross-legged in the prison. He slowly knelt down on one knee: "General, I'm late."

Fu Qingbai lowered his eyes, his face expressionless: "How's the situation outside?"

Ding Yinan: "His Majesty did not find the military tally in Marquis Anwu's study. In a fit of anger, he set fire to the Marquis's residence, but no one was injured or killed. General, you can rest assured."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has recently offered a large reward for Taoist priests. Alchemists from all over the country have now gathered in the palace. The border areas have been quiet lately, but rumors of miraculous elixirs are frequently circulating outside the border."

"A Taoist priest? Seeking immortality?" Fu Qingbai sneered. "Is that even possible? Would he forget how the late Empress died?"

“I am unaware that there are sorcerers building alchemy furnaces, setting up talismans, and creating arrays all over the palace. Master Xuanqing seems to be supporting this.” Ding Yinan frowned, his eyes bloodshot. “General, there is something I don’t understand.”

Fu Qingbai: "What is it?"

Ding Yinan was somewhat nervous: "You have a large army under your command, why didn't you take advantage of the situation back then to... seize power and usurp the throne?"

His hands, gripping the wooden cell bars, were so tense that his knuckles were white, as if he were enduring some invisible pressure.

Xiang An tilted his head and looked at Fu Qingbai, equally curious.

To be fair, the first thing that came to mind after her death was that the Yuan emperor had died young, and many people would die in the struggle for the throne among the princes. Later, I learned by chance that Fu Qingbai held a large army, and I wondered if he would take the opportunity to ascend the throne.

Fu Qingbai lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before his voice became hoarse: "I know, of course I can, but... I can't. Compared to the desire for power, the people are more important. The Fu family has always protected only the country and its people."

Xiang An's gaze lingered on Fu Qingbai for a long time, the words he wanted to say turning into a single sentence: "Foolish!"

She understood Fu Qingbai's meaning—the Yuan Kingdom had not established a crown prince. If he took advantage of the situation, the other princes would surely band together to resist, raising the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials" to legitimately fight him to the death. At that time, the people's hearts would be unstable, and the forces of various countries would join forces to fight. The final result would inevitably be the destruction of the country and the destruction of the family.

If any of the princes were to become the new emperor, the remaining princes would still rebel, but the harm to the people and the original country would be minimized. As long as he was alive, the military camps would not be in chaos, the army would be able to suppress the restless border states, and the new emperor would have enough time to consolidate the people's hearts.

Faced with the choice between himself and his country, Fu Qingbai chose the latter.

A great but utterly foolish choice.

Xiang An looked down on his selfless dedication to sacrificing himself for the benefit of others.

The reason is simple. For example, he has been imprisoned by the emperor for who knows how many days. Apart from the civil and military officials who may have heard rumors but dare not speak out because of the emperor's suppression, the common people do not even recognize his face or know his name, let alone rescue him.

Suffer the sins yourself, and let others enjoy the blessings.

System: [So you understand now?]

The sudden appearance of the system startled Xiang An: "What do you mean?"

System: [If you become the Empress, they will no longer suffer.]

He straightened his face and said coldly, "They brought this on themselves."

System: [Aren't they wrong? Does he think he can hold onto the throne if he uses violence to ascend it? Can the people really let an emperor who harms them remain in power?]

Xiang An: "...No." This is a fact that must be acknowledged.

Because once Fu Qingbai seizes the throne by taking advantage of the chaos, the surrounding countries will surely take the moral high ground and legitimately join forces to divide up the Yuan Kingdom. At that time, the Yuan Kingdom will be attacked from both sides. Even if Fu Qingbai has military power, he will not be able to stop the destruction of a Yuan Kingdom riddled with problems.

System: [Host, the harmony and equality of future generations, thousands of years from now, were achieved only after lessons learned through blood and tears. Justice and fairness depend on who sets the rules.]

[If the host desires harmony, equality, integrity, and benevolent justice in future generations, the system has already told you from the beginning. Otherwise, you have no other choice but to accept, submit, and endure.]

Xiang An scoffed: "That sounds nice, but do you think that if I ascend the throne, I'll be any better than Fu Qingbai?"

After a while, the system didn't reply. Xiang An was speechless: "It ran away again."

In the short few minutes that Ding Yinan spoke to the system, his eyes were already red: "General, recently I've inquired about His Majesty's intentions several times, and they've all been unfavorable. It seems His Majesty intends to imprison you for life. You've risked your life for the Yuan Kingdom for so many years; your later years shouldn't be spent in prison. His Majesty hasn't even obtained the military seal yet, and we..."

"Shut up!" Fu Qingbai suddenly raised his head, unwilling to delve any further. "Before I was imprisoned here, His Majesty personally stated that 'no one is allowed to see me.' Why were you able to enter today?"

Ding Yinan raised his hand and fiercely wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, sniffling as he said, "The morale of the troops at the border has been unstable recently. His Majesty has not been able to find the military tally and cannot send anyone over. Knowing that I used to follow you and manage border affairs, and that the border troops are very familiar with me, His Majesty ordered me to take a few men and falsely convey your orders to stabilize the morale of the troops. Today, I am granted permission to meet the general before setting off."

"Why are you crying?" Fu Qingbai chuckled. "You're not willing to go to the border in my place?"

Ding Yinan: "I am willing. I am just worried about you. We don't have to do this."

Fu Qingbai: "If you really care about me, then do a good job. Do you have pen, ink, paper, and inkstone? If not, go ask the jailers for them."

Ding Yinan rushed out and returned shortly after, scratching his head dumbfounded: "This is really strange. There are actually pens, ink, paper and inkstones readily available in this prison. Do criminals also need to read and write?"

Fu Qingbai placed the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the only table in the prison, lowered his eyes, and smiled, "Did you really think His Majesty just sent you to see me? Of course not, it's for my keepsake."

"General, this is strange," Ding Yinan asked疑惑地, "Why didn't His Majesty torture you even though he didn't obtain the military tally?"

It wasn't that he wanted Fu Qingbai to suffer, but rather that he was asking about what would normally happen.

Fu Qingbai handed him the letter he had written: "If I die, no one in the army will be able to keep order."

Ding Yinan's eyes instantly lit up with undisguised joy: "General, do you mean His Majesty will release you?"

"As long as you complete this mission well," Fu Qingbai's usually expressionless face showed a rare hint of expectation, "it has to be you, not the person traveling with you."

The key point is "you," which refers to Ding Yinan himself.