This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 146 The Poetry Festival is Approaching

When Ruoxue heard this news, she was thunderstruck. A jailer dared to come to Huayu Tower, wanting to find a girl to serve men in the prison. She was furious and almost went berserk.

Hearing that she was specifically asked to go, her already annoyed mood erupted like a volcano, and she became completely enraged.

However, on second thought, which jailer would have the audacity to make such an impolite request at Huayulou?

After calming down, she thought of Xiao Xingchen.

Since Xiao Xingchen was imprisoned, the past few days have been filled with dramatic changes. The news of Chen Haoran's death reached Hanhai City like a thunderbolt, and the Chen family's envoys are rushing to Yong'an without stopping.

The young talents sent by Dali, Dayan, and other Western Regions kingdoms to participate in the Poetry Immortal Gathering have also arrived outside Yong'an City.

As for Yong'an, he deliberately downplayed Chen Haoran's death and vigorously promoted the Poetry Immortal Gathering, making it the hottest topic at the time.

Even the Second Sage himself took to the stage to set up a Talent Platform not far from the Flower Language Pavilion, which was named "Talent Platform to Select Talented Individuals, Where Poetry, Literature, Etiquette, and Music Compete for Excellence." With the support of the Second Sage and the organization of the Ministry of Rites, this Talent Platform was elevated to an officially recognized level.

Every day, a steady stream of students take to the stage to recite poems and compose couplets, creating a lively atmosphere. The students of Yong'an Academy, in particular, are eager to participate, afraid of falling behind.

Some people lamented that a prosperous era for literature in the Great Qian Dynasty was about to arrive, which was due to the influence of the Poet Immortal Society.

Every Poet Immortal Gathering becomes a grand event in the literary world, attracting scholars from all over the country who display their unique talents in vying for the title of Poet Immortal.

At that time, all eyes in the world will be on this place. As long as you can create excellent poems, you will be famous for all time and will be highly respected wherever you go in the future.

Faced with this cultural feast, everyone ostriched themselves, deliberately avoiding the news of Chen Haoran's death. Even Yong'an Prefecture and Dali Temple only made a show of it and remained inactive.

As for Xiao Xingchen, he undoubtedly became the scapegoat, which created an insurmountable obstacle for Ruoxue's rescue efforts.

Now, finding out the truth is no longer important; instead, everyone from top to bottom hopes that Xiao Xingchen can take the blame for killing Chen Haoran.

The Poet Immortal Gathering is approaching. He will not be publicly tried; he may be executed in secret, and then a case report will be compiled.

As for why he is currently safe and sound in prison, it is probably because the Chen family of Hanhai has not yet arrived.

Since the real culprit is to be punished, the Chen family must be given an explanation.

When the Chen family enters the capital, it will likely be the time when Xiao Xingchen faces imminent disaster.

These past few days, Ruoxue has been extremely busy, first mobilizing everyone to investigate everything about the ritual.

When she received a reply to the letter she sent to the anthill, a look of shock crossed her eyes. The letter contained only one sentence: "Heaven and Earth are beyond words; those who steal offerings will face calamity."

She was momentarily bewildered, unable to grasp the deeper meaning behind it.

However, she understood the first half of the sentence. With these two sentences placed side by side, it was clear that the second half was no less important than the first half. This was tantamount to placing the secret of the sacrifice on an equal footing with the first sentence. How could she not be astonished?

At this very moment, public opinion surrounding the Poetry Society erupted like a volcano in Yong'an. She knew that whether the truth was true or not was no longer important, and there was no need to investigate Chen Haoran's death any further.

Moreover, Consort Xian also sent word that the real culprit was actually Emperor Wu.

This made Ruoxue feel powerless. Since he was the Martial Emperor, how could she resist him and save people?

This is also why she has not yet gone to see Xiao Xingchen. She is speechless. Should she tell him, "Just wait to die. No one can save you?"

And so, she stood like a statue on the roof of the Flower Language Building, gazing intently for three days, until the jailer appeared.

"Xiao Chun, I'll be right back."

In the end, she resolutely chose to go with the jailer, feeling it was necessary to see Xiao Xingchen no matter what his fate would be.

The jailer was astonished. With just a few words, he was able to bring back a woman who looked like a fairy. His regard for the young master in the prison increased even more.

It should be noted that no prisoner has ever been able to attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, the Eldest Princess, and the girls of the Flower Language Pavilion at the same time.

Is he alright inside?

Along the way, Ruoxue asked softly, which made the jailer feel uneasy, his face showing difficulty.

"Sigh, looks like he's suffered quite a bit,"

“Miss, that’s not how it is. I don’t know where I got these injuries. I swear, it was definitely not us. With the Princess here, even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn’t dare to mistreat him.”

"The eldest princess has been there?"

"Yes, just two days ago."

The jailer recounted everything that had happened in the prison, all the way to the imperial dungeon, where he hesitated again, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Just say what you have to say, why hesitate like this?" Ruoxue snorted coldly.

"Uh... it's like this, young lady, please go in by yourself. I'll guard the door here for you. Don't worry, this place is absolutely safe. I'm sure you've been waiting anxiously for me. Take care, young lady!"

After the jailer finished speaking, he clasped his hands in a fist salute and left, then tightly closed the gate.

Ruoxue froze on the spot for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she was already furious.

"Xiao Xingchen, you bastard!" Ruoxue's angry curses echoed throughout the prison, which made Xiao Xingchen overjoyed. The person had finally arrived.

"Here, over here,"

He quickly shouted at the top of his lungs,

Before long, Ruoxue, with a pale face, appeared before him.

"It seems prison life is quite comfortable here, with people waiting on you. You dare ask me to wait on you? You don't want to live anymore, do you?"

Ruoxue's tone was unfriendly, and she said with fierce contempt,

"You've finally arrived! I thought you'd completely forgotten about me. I've been waiting for you with bated breath."

Xiao Xingchen said with a grin,

"Hmph, do you know you're about to die?"

"Of course I know what the situation is like outside. I urgently need your news."

"News? The news is that all the blame will be crushed on you like a mountain pressing down on an egg. Once the envoy from the Chen family of Hanhai arrives, you will be beheaded at the Meridian Gate as the culprit in the murder of Chen Haoran."

Ruoxue responded angrily, her gaze towards him filled with helplessness and pity.

"As expected, it seems the mastermind is undoubtedly Emperor Wu. Is he intimidating or warning the Chen family, or does he have ulterior motives?"

Xiao Xingchen pondered the information he had obtained from the black-robed man over the past few days. He had summoned Ruoxue in person to verify the authenticity of this information so that he could find a way to break the deadlock. However, Ruoxue interpreted his words completely differently.

Do you know who the murderer is?

She asked in astonishment,

"That's natural. The Immortal Pavilion is the executor, and the Martial Emperor is the mastermind. But whether it's for the so-called sacrifice, or a warning to certain people, I'm still unsure, or perhaps both. That's why I asked you to come and help me investigate a few things."

Ruoxue's expression turned serious, her face filled with astonishment. She had also received the news from Consort Xian, but where did Xiaoxingchen find out? Could it be from the Eldest Princess?

She pondered to herself, then added a word of caution, “The Princess is not someone to be trusted. Don’t let her bewitch you and end up being sold out while still helping her count the money.”

"Hmm, uh? The eldest princess? What does she have to do with this?"

A look of surprise appeared on Xiao Xingchen's face, and she asked in confusion,

"Didn't she tell you all this?"

"Of course not, I just deduced it myself. Alright, let's not dwell on this issue. Tell me in detail what happened outside, especially how the two prime ministers' residences reacted,"

Ruoxue looked at him with some skepticism, then began to describe the situation outside.