This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 151 Who is the fisherman and who is the bait?

"The meeting of the Poet Immortals is imminent, and all the focus is on this. We still have time to break the deadlock."

Ye Zhichen spoke slowly and deliberately. Decades of experience in the imperial court had allowed him to maintain a calm and composed demeanor at all times.

Moreover, these two prime ministerial residences have deep roots in the Great Qian Dynasty, so how could Emperor Wu possibly manipulate them at will?

"What are your thoughts?" Mu Tianhe pressed.

"I have a few ideas. His Majesty's real concern is not us. Our little matter has only made him unhappy. As long as he feels that we still have value to him, he will not easily touch us."

"Shifting the blame?"

Ye Zhichen nodded and continued,

"The heart of an emperor is unfathomable, like a vast ocean. However, there are only a few things stuck in His Majesty's mind. Any one of them would be enough to save us from disaster."

Mu Tianhe wholeheartedly agreed. After pondering for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"At this stage, all eyes are on the Poetry Gathering. We must not touch upon the matter of the Immortal Pavilion or Chen Haoran, lest we completely enrage His Majesty. If we want to keep him from paying attention to us, we must turn our attention to the affairs outside Yong'an City. In the Northern and Southern Regions, pick out a tough nut to crack and give His Majesty a good whack. In this way, he will not only be too busy to deal with us, but he will also need us to coordinate and handle the situation. At that time, we can then show our loyalty, and we should be able to get through this crisis safely."

“You’re absolutely right. Doesn’t Yong’an have a little pawn we can use? I think it’s time to put him to good use.”

Ye Zhichen gently fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, exuding confidence, which made Mu Tianhe frown.

He asked in confusion, "Who is this 'small fry' you're talking about?"

"Xiao Xingchen".

"The Xiao family of Nanling?" Mu Tianhe was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly realized what he meant.

"I see. Regardless of his identity, from this day forward, he is the direct descendant of the Xiao family. With his status as the direct descendant of the Xiao family, his current imprisonment can be easily resolved. Not to mention killing Chen Haoran, even if he massacred the entire Chen family of Hanhai, he could be pardoned with the prestige of being a descendant of Xiao Jianxian. Therefore, from now on, he is the direct descendant of the Xiao family, Xiao Jianren."

"For the past century, Xiao Jianxian's formidable reputation has been like a poisonous thorn, deeply wounding the emperor's heart. His Majesty's intention in summoning the eldest son of the Xiao family to the capital this time was to punish the Xiao family. Unfortunately, an unexpected event occurred, allowing the Xiao family to escape disaster by chance. Now, it is time to push them into the limelight. The disappearance of the Xiao family of Nanling is what everyone wants, and I believe His Majesty will think so too."

"Wouldn't this put the Xiao family in the spotlight? Is that really the right thing to do?"

Mu Tianhe looked worried, but Ye Zhichen didn't say much. Instead, he gazed at the sky, pondering something to himself.

"Actually, there's something you don't know: the attempt to flatter and destroy the Xiao family was premeditated. This is a grand scheme meticulously laid out by Emperor Wu, allowing them to become arrogant and ruin their reputation. Otherwise, how do you think the Xiao family could act so arrogantly in Nanling, like local tyrants? It's all due to deliberate indulgence. Now, the time is ripe; all we need is a fuse, and we will personally deliver that fuse to Emperor Wu. This is our pledge of allegiance, and also our life-or-death pact."

"With the title of Xiao Jianxian, Xiao Xingchen will be portrayed as a ruthless tyrant who can even be pardoned for a heinous crime like murdering Chen Haoran. This will inevitably incite public outrage, and with just a little trickery, all the public outrage will surge towards the Xiao family like a tidal wave. In this way, Emperor Wu will have a legitimate excuse."

"Moreover, the Chen family's anger is spreading like wildfire, and they will become sworn enemies with the Xiao family as well. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone! His Majesty will certainly not refuse."

"Old Ye, you're ruthless enough!"

Mu Tianhe's lips twitched slightly. Murder and arson are not terrible; what is terrible is this kind of scheming in people's hearts. This will undoubtedly plunge the Sword Immortal family into an abyss of no return, and completely destroy the name of the Sword Immortal of the Ages that has been passed down for hundreds of years.

Moreover, since this incident occurred during the Poetry Festival, any movement within the Xiao family would spread like wildfire throughout the land.

At that time, with public outrage at stake, Emperor Wu's prestige will not be affected in the slightest; on the contrary, he will be praised as a wise ruler.

"At this critical juncture, decisive action is necessary. I will send someone to handle this matter, and you will secretly cooperate fully. Within three days, I will make sure everyone in Yong'an City knows that the descendant of Xiao Jianxian actually murdered Lord Chen Haoran's entire family and is now imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison."

"Why three days? This kind of thing can be done in one day."

Mu Tianhe remained puzzled.

"Three days, because tomorrow is the second Talent Platform, and the influence of this grand event will be beyond imagination. With the help of this powerful force, Xiao Xingchen can be rightfully confirmed as the eldest son of the Xiao family. After all, the Talent Platform is filled with young talents from various countries, and their recognition is far more convincing than some unfounded rumors."

Mu Tianhe sighed, feeling sorry for Xiao Xingchen. If this identity were confirmed, he would truly become a target of public criticism, standing at the center of a storm. However, he still had a lingering concern: would Xiao Xingchen willingly cooperate?

The answer was obviously no. Xiao Xingchen never dreamed that while he was still waiting in prison for a chance to reap the benefits, he had been used as bait and thrown out, becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

The Xiao family's identity is like a deeply hidden secret, which he desperately wants to bury. However, whether it was a deliberate mistake or an unintentional act, all the criticism is now aimed at the Xiao family like a rain of arrows.

Whether he is real or not is no longer important. What matters is that we firmly believe you are real, even if you are not. When Emperor Wu's decree arrives, whether it is you or not, there will be no way to refute it, and even jumping into the Yellow River will not be enough to clear your name of this fabricated crime.

There seemed to be an unspoken understanding between Emperor Wu and the Prime Minister's residence, and everything became natural.

As night fell, a rumor spread like a ghost through the wonton stalls of Yong'an City: "Have you heard? The descendant of Xiao Jianxian was ordered to enter the capital to be conferred an honor, but he mysteriously disappeared some time ago. Now it seems that his whereabouts have been found."

"Yes, this matter caused quite a stir some time ago. Emperor Wu, mindful of Xiao Jianxian's contributions to the Great Qian Dynasty, was going to bestow a great title upon Xiao's eldest son. I was wondering why the matter suddenly disappeared. It turns out the person in charge has vanished."

"Where was it found? It's a descendant of Xiao Jianxian! We must go and pay our respects."

"Shh, I'll tell you a secret, do you remember that young swordsman? He is the current heir of the Xiao family!"

"What? Are you serious?" Some people were stunned into silence, while others exclaimed in shock.

"Nonsense, of course it's absolutely true. Haven't you ever thought that he could solve the puzzle left by Akatsuki Kenshin and achieve the title of sword immortal at such a young age? What else could it be but Akatsuki Kenshin's bloodline?"

"That makes sense. So where is that young swordsman now? I heard he was deposed?"

"Someone must have known his identity beforehand, so is someone trying to ruin the future of the Akatsuki family?"

"You guessed right, very likely. I've also heard that the young sword immortal has been imprisoned and will probably never see the light of day again."

"That won't do. Xiao Jianxian has been kind to the Great Qian Dynasty. We can't be ungrateful. His descendants must not be framed."

"Yes, yes, yes, the descendant of Xiao Jianxian had his sword immortal power crippled as soon as he arrived in Yong'an, and someone even framed him. What kind of bastard did this? Damn it, he's going to make an enemy of the entire Daqian."

. . .

Seeing the crowd's curiosity ignite like dry tinder, a figure quietly left the wonton stall like a ghost.

He looked at everything before him with satisfaction, his respect for Xiao Jianxian flowing like a mighty river.

With just a few words, he could stir up a storm; this was the supreme prestige he had accumulated over hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, all of this will vanish like smoke with these words spoken today.

Yong'an City is never short of gossip. After a night of fermentation, the rumor that the young sword immortal was the eldest son of the Xiao family spread like wildfire, becoming known to every household.

Ruoxue was having breakfast when she heard the news. She couldn't help but spit out all the food in her mouth. Looking completely bewildered, she asked, "Are you sure everyone is saying Xiao Xingchen is the legitimate son of the Xiao family?"

"Yes, it's absolutely true. Overnight, the whole city was petitioning for Xiao Jianxian's successor, hoping to pardon Xiao Xingchen."

Xiao Chun replied with great concern. When she went out and heard the news, she knew something was wrong and rushed back to report.

"This is bad,"

Ruoxue put down her chopsticks and prepared to get up and leave, but her steps suddenly seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move.

"By the way, has the message from the Talented Persons Platform arrived? What is it?"

"It already exists; it's the character for filial piety."

"filial piety?"

Ruoxue suddenly realized.

"I understand, I need to go to the jail."

Having said that, she left as swiftly as the wind. With the appearance of the descendant of the Sword Immortal Xiao, who was suspected to be the young sword immortal himself, the water in Yong'an instantly boiled over, and even the envoys from various countries who had just entered the city were stunned by the news.

Xiao Jianxian, that's someone all the nations dream of eliminating! Because of him alone, their movements have been frozen in place for centuries. Now that his descendant has appeared, how can it not arouse curiosity?

Moreover, his descendant was a young sword immortal, and information about Xiao Xingchen was unearthed once again.