This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 148 The Platform of Wise Men

The literary atmosphere in Yong'an City was flourishing, and the city was prosperous and thriving. With the arrival of numerous envoys, the influence of the Poetry Society was at its zenith.

In that instant, all the gloom vanished without a trace, and people unanimously chose to turn a blind eye to the dark side of Yong'an, as if things like the Immortal Pavilion and the massacre of the Chen family had never happened.

Even at the entrance to the anthill, there were special imperial guards with dragon patterns standing guard, strictly prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving during the Poetry Immortal Gathering.

All the prefectures were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the atmosphere was as lively as during the New Year. After all, it was a matter of face for the Great Qian Dynasty, and everyone was secretly competing with each other to show the most beautiful side of Yong'an.

Nowadays, if you don't recite a few poems when you meet someone, you're embarrassed to say you're a native of Yong'an.

As for Xiancai Terrace, it was bustling with activity, packed with people every day, making the entire street impassable. Ruoxue had been back at Huayu Tower for some time now. She sat on the top floor of Huayu Tower, gazing at Xiancai Terrace across the street.

From this angle, the people there looked as densely packed as ants, and some were engaged in a fierce battle on the stage, but unfortunately she was distracted and had no time to pay attention.

She had been racking her brains over Xiao Xingchen's words. If Emperor Wu was holding a grudge against them for breaking into the ancestral temple last time and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible, then she would probably be in danger as well.

Emperor Wu had no reason to kill only one while letting the other go; if he was going to kill, he would definitely eliminate all traces of her, which meant that she would also face a life-or-death test in the future.

After careful consideration, she finally decided to handle the matter alone. She did not reveal a word to Consort Xian, as she could not drag Consort Xian into this bottomless quagmire.

As for attracting hatred and using envoys from various countries to exonerate Xiao Xingchen, the plan, while risky, is also somewhat feasible.

However, it is important to carefully select a suitable person, as the effect of certain words spoken by ordinary people is quite different from that of those spoken by people of high status.

She looked up at the Terrace of Wise Men in the distance. Every three days at dawn, a word would be uttered from the Imperial Palace like a thunderclap. This word would be the theme of the upcoming Heavenly Arena competition.

Around this core, anyone can take to the stage to compete, with the event jointly organized by the Confucian Temple and the Ministry of Rites.

Anyone who wins the title within three days can directly enter the winners' group of the Poetry Immortal Competition, just like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Don't underestimate the winners of the Poetry Immortal Competition. The competition is large in scale and has many participants. Initially, everyone has to draw lots like a swarm of locusts to participate in the seven-day elimination rounds.

During the knockout stage, each person must undergo at least five tests, which undoubtedly increases the risk of advancing exponentially. The winner is then determined based on the combined scores from these five tests.

The top-ranked person enters the winners' bracket, the middle-ranked person enters the losers' bracket, and the last-ranked person is directly eliminated.

What follows is a brutal life-or-death struggle. The losers only have one chance. Losing once means falling into an abyss and being eliminated. Moreover, they have to play several more rounds before they can possibly meet their opponents in the winners' bracket.

The winners' bracket, on the other hand, is a double-elimination format, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. If a team loses in the winners' bracket, it will fall to the losers' bracket like a phoenix crashing to the ground.

This also gives the winners another chance to defy fate.

Therefore, many people are eager to enter the winners' bracket directly, because this not only means that they do not have to participate in the large number of participants in the first elimination round, but also that they have an extra chance to fail. This has indirectly led to the fierce competition for the Talent Platform being as intense as a volcanic eruption.

Those scholars who were penniless, powerless, and of low status and unable to directly enter the winners' group all fought for this opportunity like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey. Rewards and such were not important; being able to enter the winners' group of the Poetry Immortal Competition was the ultimate honor. After all, scholars sought fame more than anything else.

Today is the crucial moment for the theme of "loyalty" to determine the winner. She noticed that many important figures had gathered around the Talent Platform, shining like stars and attracting attention.

Among these important figures were the royal families of the Great Qian Dynasty, whose majesty was as imposing and unshakable as towering mountains.

There are leading families in other regions of the Great Qian Dynasty, like surging waves, with a magnificent momentum.

The newly arrived envoys from various countries, like the rising sun, were full of vigor and hope.

Since this is the first time this topic has been discussed, many people have not had the opportunity to showcase their talents on stage. Therefore, although these people are focused on the current struggle over the word "loyalty,"

In reality, it's a trial balloon for tomorrow's new round of core topics.

Upon their arrival, the delegations from various countries eagerly signed up for tomorrow's new theme in order to ensure that more of their members would be ranked highly.

At this moment, they are all watching intently, trying to learn valuable lessons from the first selection of talent, "Loyalty," which has led to today's lively scene.

Ruoxue didn't care about this result at all. Her gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the group led by the eldest princess.

If Xiao Xingchen's words could be spoken by the Princess, they would surely be as powerful as thunder and as awe-inspiring.

However, she had not yet come up with a good plan on how to get the princess to speak.

Since Xiao Xingchen didn't ask her to go find the Eldest Princess, he probably didn't want others to know about this.

If the path of the eldest princess is not feasible, then the only option left is the fourth prince.

Ruoxue spotted the Fourth Prince in the crowd and saw him excitedly cheering for the person on stage. She suddenly smiled knowingly, realizing that she had been worrying for nothing.

If Xiao Xingchen's poems can regain their former glory and spread, wouldn't the Xiancai Terrace be the perfect place?

Although Xiao Xingchen himself cannot come in person, isn't there still me?

With that thought in mind, she no longer hesitated and decided to go and register in person before the registration deadline tomorrow.

"Xiao Chun, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back later."

Ruoxue lightly brushed her veil, descending like a fairy, leaving only a soft whisper before disappearing in the direction of the Terrace of Talents like a wild goose treading on snow.

Meanwhile, a fierce competition is taking place on the Talented Persons Platform, and unexpectedly, one of the top three is a wild and untamed man who is not known for his literary talent.

Wu Xie and his group arrived early and naturally participated in the first round of registration.

In this first round, because many people had not yet registered, they were able to get in on the spot and thrived, successfully winning second place.

This result delighted Wu Xie, and his heart was filled with a vast and turbulent sea, unable to calm down for a long time.

Wild men are skilled at killing; when would they have become proficient in something as refined as reading?

Now that someone has actually surpassed Daqian and won second place, how could he not be overjoyed?

He shouted at the top of his lungs from afar.

He roared, "Haha, a reward, a hefty reward! I never imagined that the literary level of the Great Qian would be so pathetic, that they couldn't even beat my Wilderness people! I think the next Poetry Festival should be held in Wilderness! As for the Great Qian, your faces are worse than bitter gourds. Are you sick? Or are you just naturally weak? It's one thing to be physically weak, but I didn't expect your intelligence to be so low as well. I'd like to see if you dare to laugh at my Wilderness people as barbarians again! Haha, that's great!"

Ruoxue frowned slightly, clearly surprised that one of the top three was a wild and untamed person.

"Stop talking nonsense, you barbaric dogs! Our main force hasn't even participated yet. You've just gotten lucky and taken advantage of the situation! Once our heroes take the stage, there won't be any place for you!" someone immediately retorted.

“Brother, I think you are mistaken! The barbarians have always been despised by other nations precisely because of their lack of intelligence. But now, a mere barbarian has overpowered you. Your Great Qian should really reflect on whether they are exceptionally strong, or whether you are... too weak?”

A mocking laugh came from somewhere, like a sharp sword piercing the hearts of the people of Yong'an, causing them to glare angrily.

The crowd dispersed like a tide, revealing the group of people who had been mocking and ridiculing the Great Qian Dynasty.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Wu Xie was momentarily taken aback, but then immediately understood—it was them! They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend; seeing the Dali people here…

A slight smirk played on his lips as he continued his sarcasm: "Poetry and literature have always been a weakness of the Wilderness, a fact known to all. I know you Great Qian people have always looked down on other nations, constantly putting on an arrogant air of 'we are the best in the world.' But have you ever considered how good the Great Qian you so often praise is? Is it just an excuse to show your insecurity? Even now, I, whom you demean by calling a barbarian, am ranked second. This Great Qian, I think, is nothing but a facade, like a paper tiger, all show and no substance! Brother, do you agree with me?"

"Oh, I forgot. Your so-called number one in the world is nothing but self-praise. In reality, you were once besieged by an enemy army and almost suffered the fate of national ruin and destruction. Haha, isn't that right?"

Wu Xie's provocation was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into everyone's hearts, causing many people's faces to instantly turn ashen.

However, that wasn't all. The Dali man who had spoken earlier stepped forward as well, his face filled with arrogance, and replied, "Barbarians are barbarians after all. Even if what you say makes some sense, you are still just barbarians, and I still despise you. Neither you nor Daqian have the right to speak before my Dali!"

Upon hearing this, the eldest princess's beautiful eyes flashed with anger. She stepped forward gracefully and said, "Dali people, do not be arrogant. The battle of the past was merely a moment of carelessness. The Poetry Festival is a grand literary competition, how can we allow you to run wild here? With such behavior, are you afraid of the talented men and women of my Great Qian? If you are not satisfied, you can send your people to the stage for a contest. Why bother with empty words here?"

The Dali man snorted coldly: "How dare a woman speak so rudely here? No one from Daqian has come here, yet a woman has to step forward."

At this moment, the Fourth Prince, who had been watching silently, stepped forward: "The Dali envoy is mistaken. In our Great Qian, women can also write and paint, and their talents are in no way inferior to men. Your contempt only makes you appear narrow-minded. Furthermore, these barbarians are merely taking advantage of our weakness. Tomorrow, when the true talents of our Great Qian take the stage, they will surely convince you."

The Dali people laughed loudly: "Anyone can talk big, let's wait and see."

Everyone was indignant, but they knew that the only way to redeem themselves was through tomorrow's competition.