This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 204 The Mission of the Great Qian

"What if I insist that you go?"

Emperor Wu's voice, like a dark, gloomy cloud, pressed down heavily.

"That's not up to Your Majesty to decide. Ever since I accepted this title of king, I've known that Your Majesty wouldn't easily send me to my death. With such a grand undertaking, how could you bear to let me die in vain before I've realized my own worth? Isn't that right?"

"Now that you know all this, my intention in letting you enter the ancestral temple is definitely not to send you to your death. Perhaps you will gain something unexpected there. Don't you want to give it a try?"

"With the Heavenly Blade entering your body, you are already on the verge of breaking through to the second realm. All you need is an opportunity, and that opportunity lies hidden beneath the ancestral temple. Don't you want to consider it?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xingchen fell silent. He was not so sure that the Martial Emperor would be so kind. But what exactly did the Martial Emperor intend to do?

He was truly unfathomable. The investiture of the king, the earth sacrifice, and the opening of the Silent Temple beneath the ancestral temple—all these actions seemed to be proclaiming to the world: what you pursue is utterly insignificant in my eyes.

However, is this really the case?

After all, the Silent Temple, which enshrines demons, is of great importance. If we rashly break in, what will we do when the immortals arrive?

"Your Majesty, I have a question I would like to ask you." "Whatever the question, as long as I can answer it, I will certainly tell you. After all, you are now the Prince of Kao Shan and are qualified to know some things."

"Could the Great Qian Dynasty have survived to this day solely to suppress the Silent Temple?"

"What do you think?" A strange smile appeared on Emperor Wu's lips.

“I can’t be sure either. The Silent Temple is suppressed by the Jade Capital, but the Jade Capital is far away. I guess the Great Qian might be the Jade Capital’s prison guard on earth. That’s why, even when there was a mutiny in the Northern Region, even when the Chen family of Hanhai had problems, even when the Xiao family of Nanling acted recklessly, you didn’t do anything. It’s not that you didn’t want to, but that you couldn’t, or that you didn’t have time to care, right?”

"The Great Qian Dynasty may seem prosperous, but in reality, it is trapped in a desperate situation with enemies on all sides. That is why His Majesty has joined hands with the Confucian Temple to hold the Poetry Immortal Gathering and invite heroes from all over the world. You firmly believe that this Poetry Immortal Gathering will be the key to breaking the deadlock, and the way to break the deadlock must be closely related to the sacrificial rites."

For the first time, Xiao Xingchen laid bare his inner thoughts, eager to witness the Emperor's reaction to his words in order to verify whether his guesses were accurate.

As expected, as the words fell, Emperor Wu's face grew increasingly gloomy, and even a look of horror appeared in his eyes as he looked at him.

At this point, Xiao Xingchen secretly realized that his words had been proven true.

As expected, Emperor Wu had been trying to break free from the suppression of the great demon under the ancestral temple. Perhaps the arrival of the waters this time was also part of Emperor Wu's careful plan.

Otherwise, how could the waters far away know so much about the secrets of the Great Qian capital?

Meng Qianfan's powerful words had astonished him.

He had only stumbled into the Silent Temple by chance, yet they seemed to have known everything all along. This greatly shocked Xiao Xingchen.

However, it now seems that the information about the waters may have been deliberately leaked by Emperor Wu. He attempted to use the people of the waters to release the great demon below.

In this way, even if Yujingtian investigates the matter, it will have nothing to do with Daqian.

The Great Qian Dynasty will truly break free from its constraints, soaring high like a bird taking flight.

Not only was Emperor Wu utterly shocked by these remarks, but Ruoxue and Huangfu Lingxue beside him were also struck dumb, their minds reeling. If, as Xiao Xingchen had said, the Great Qian Dynasty, beneath its facade of prosperity, was truly on the verge of collapse, this was the first time they had come to understand the true state of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Even if I were to say those words to someone else, it would be like casting pearls before swine; no one would believe me.

"You have truly surprised me. I always thought my actions were flawless, and I was even secretly pleased that my plans were kept secret. I never expected that you were the one who saw through the whole thing. I am becoming more and more curious about your true identity. Who exactly are you? Or rather, what mysterious place do you come from?"

Emperor Wu did not deny it as expected. His tacit agreement was like a heavy hammer, striking Xiao Xingchen's heart hard, making his already unbearable headache even more severe. Because now, he had completely fallen into this bottomless trap and could not extricate himself.

"I am Xiao Jianren, just the eldest son of the Xiao family,"

"No matter who you are, you are now the powerful king of the Great Qian Dynasty, so I'll tell you about the King's authority so you won't become arrogant."

Emperor Wu chuckled, a confident smile, like that of a cunning fox. This made Xiao Xingchen's heart sink again, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

"Do you know why so few kingdoms in the world have bestowed the title of king? Zhan Aotian has made great military achievements, but no one has ever thought of bestowing the title of king upon him. Even in Dali, there are only three kings. Don't you think there's something fishy about this?"

"why?"

"Being conferred the title of king is by no means just an empty title. When the edict conferring your title of kingship descends from the Ninth Heaven, your name is as if branded, deeply engraved into the very essence of the Great Qian Dynasty's destiny, becoming a crucial link in maintaining the nation's fate. Once the Great Qian Dynasty's destiny collapses, the first to suffer will be you kings. So, do you understand now?"

"What the hell?! You're messing with me!"

Xiao Xingchen was shocked. Did this mean that his fate was closely linked to the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty, like grasshoppers on the same rope?

"I am very pleased that I chose you. Your name is now closely linked to the fate of the nation and has been bestowed with great fortune, Xiao Xingchen! If you do not wish to perish, then do your utmost to make the Great Qian prosperous and help me get out of my current predicament. Originally, I still had some concerns, but you were able to see through my plans. You are already qualified to be king! Strive on, I will never take the initiative to kill a king unless you seek your own death."

"Furthermore, I will continue to issue edicts throughout the land. Prince Kao Shan ranks first among the kings. Whether he can handle the ensuing situation is not my concern. If you want to live, then strive to improve yourself! I look forward to the day you serve the Great Qian. The Nanling Xiao family, I'm keeping them for you, waiting for you to personally wipe them out, hahaha!"

Emperor Wu laughed heartily, feeling immensely pleased. The stronger Xiao Xingchen became, the stronger the support for the Great Qian Dynasty would be, which undoubtedly added a glimmer of hope to his side by accident. Moreover, Xiao Xingchen always managed to do things beyond expectations. At this moment, Emperor Wu's views had subtly changed. Perhaps there was much to be done with Xiao Xingchen, and he was definitely not just a pawn.

With a smile on his face, Emperor Wu departed like a spring breeze, and the grand ceremony of bestowing titles upon kings slowly came to a close.

As the Dragon Pattern Army retreated like a tide and the blockade was lifted, Xiao Xingchen understood that, regardless of the truth, from this moment on, his life seemed to have reached a crucial turning point.

He nodded slightly to the two women beside him and said softly, "I know you have many questions in your hearts. I will answer them one by one after we go in."

After saying that, he floated down into the Flower Language Pavilion like a light butterfly.

Inside the Flower Language Pavilion, Consort Xian had been waiting for a long time. When Xiao Xingchen learned that Consort Xian wanted to see him, he turned his head to look at Huangfu Lingxue. Ruoxue quickly said, "It's alright. Since Your Highness has not avoided His Highness, it means that His Highness is qualified to know everything."

Huangfu Lingxue's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had sensed something unusual here, and an astonishing secret was waiting for her to uncover.

“Very well, I also have a lot to say to the Princess. In that case, let’s go together, so as not to make things chaotic by acting independently.”

Huangfu Lingxue brought the eldest princess to the ground floor of Huayu Tower. When she saw the appearance of Consort Xian, she was so shocked that she looked as if she had seen a ghost. She never expected that Consort Xian would not care at all about her falling out with the Crown Prince, and instead let her discover such a major secret.

The owner of Huayu Tower is actually Consort Xian. If this matter is exposed, the entire Daqian Dynasty will probably be ripped open.

"Ling Xue, this is our second meeting. Are you surprised? Well, I thought about it for a long time and finally decided to meet you. After all, that woman has left Daqian and what she worries about most is you."

Consort Xian sat listlessly on a chair in the main hall, looking like a wilted eggplant, a sense of melancholy spreading from her like a thick fog.

"What exactly happened? Can any of you answer my questions?"

Although Huangfu Lingxue was incredibly shocked, she forced herself to remain calm, because she had so many questions that needed answering. Her mother had left without a word, without even a chance to say goodbye. Who were her biological children?

On this point, she was filled with resentment and even felt a touch of jealousy towards Xiao Xingchen.

She realized she knew less about her mother than this outsider did; she had no idea when her mother had taken in a godson.

All sorts of mysteries have surfaced like a flood bursting its banks, with the events of today all coming to light.

"Let me go first," Xiao Xingchen said, his heart filled with guilt.

“I have encountered many difficulties in Yong’an, and my adoptive mother has always been there to protect me in secret. Today’s impulsive act was due to my momentary negligence. I always thought that no matter what mistakes I made, my adoptive mother’s extraordinary cultivation could resolve everything for me. I neglected the knife within me, which led to my adoptive mother having to leave. All of this is my fault. You can scold me, even hit me, I will never fight back.”

"Shut up! Get to the point!" the princess snapped, her anger barely contained.

"The key point? The key point is that the incident happened suddenly, and my adoptive mother had no choice but to step forward. This involved a deal between her and Emperor Wu. Standing up against the Heavenly Blade was also part of the deal. And the one who ultimately benefited was me, as well as this Blessed Fortune Token. I suspect that my adoptive mother also got it for me."

Xiao Xingchen looked helpless. If you think about it this way, the debt of gratitude he owes is as heavy as mountains and seas.