After Becoming Cannon Fodder, I Join the Villain to Conquer the World

War ravaged the land, with smoke and flames rising as the kingdoms fought one another without end. Qi Qingyu transmigrates into a book and becomes a doomed heir apparent who won't survive three chapters. To stay alive, he acts with caution, keeps a low profile, and secretly builds his power, with the word "yield" etched into his very genes. Everyone who meets him praises the heir apparent, Qi, for his elegant bearing and star-bright eyes, and calls him the greatest painter alive. They say he cares only for refined pursuits and has no interest in power. But that's only a facade. The Kingdom of Qi is already on the brink of collapse, beset by troubles within and enemies without. With the armies of five kingdoms at its borders, its fall seems imminent. The late emperor has passed away, yet no one is willing to take the throne. If the kingdom falls, its ruler will die with it, and the new emperor will surely be buried alongside Qi. After keeping his head down for five years, Qi Qingyu is forced to don the crown and take his seat on the tottering throne. The Son of Heaven guards the borders; the sovereign dies for his realm. Everyone thinks he is doomed. Qi Qingyu remains as composed and dignified as ever. But no one expects that, after ascending the throne, Qi Qingyu will use iron-fisted measures to purge corrupt officials, punish treacherous ministers, weaken the great clans, debate the scholars, and strip the countryside of supplies to deny them to the enemy... Yet beyond the kingdom's borders, the rebel army led by the head of the coalition of five kingdoms, whose commander's banner bears the character Qin, suddenly switches sides and joins Qi. The coalition falls apart, and its troops collapse like a landslide. Qi reverses its decline and becomes one of the foremost among the feudal states. In a single night, the world is left dumbfounded. Qi Qingyu smiles. In five years, he has never smiled so wildly. He will not die. He will make Qi's banners fly over the capitals of other nations. He will make the mountains and seas peaceful, the rivers and embankments calm, the people secure, and the nations come to pay tribute! Later histories will clear his name. He truly accomplished it all. Qin Ji is a slave who lives a wretched life, but then he meets someone: a graceful, gentle man who stays by his side and teaches him to read, write, and conduct himself. Later, Qin Ji becomes one of the foremost figures in the rebel army. Everyone urges him to declare himself king and become a warlord in this chaotic age, but at the most crucial moment, he instead joins the Kingdom of Qi, which is on the verge of destruction. It isn't only to repay a debt of gratitude. He wants to witness the miracle Qi Qingyu will create with his own hands. He also wants to become a blade in Qi Qingyu's hand, and, more than anything, to make the emperor admired by countless people his own. As he watches Qi Qingyu gasp in his arms, the corners of his eyes reddening as he trembles, biting down hard but unable to stifle his moans... Cool-headed, yields when needed, ruthless and ambitious beauty uke x gloomy, vicious, possessive, faithful and obsessive seme Theme: Live positively. Life is beautiful.