My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 58 National Mourning, Unexpected Changes in Bianjing

For the next few days, Shen Yan and the others did not see Zeng Wenyuan.

Shen Yan had already secretly handed the account book to Yao Jing. Yao Jing saw the account book but didn't say anything.

Zeng Wenyuan didn't appear until the fifth day, when Fang Jingxing came to the prison to collect money.

Fang Jingxing arrived at the prison with a stern face.

Seeing that Zeng Wenyuan and the three prison guards were all present, he didn't waste any words and spoke directly:

"Lord Zeng, are the supplies ready?"

"Brother Jingxing, everyone's here."

After a few days of adjustment, Zeng Wenyuan's face no longer showed any abnormalities.

He then asked Yao Jing to bring over the banknotes and account books.

Fang Jingxing counted the silver notes, his expression not very good.

Last month, the number of prisoners increased, so the amount of money should have increased, but now it has decreased by 30%.

Fang Jingxing opened the ledger and examined it carefully. Some of the money had been misappropriated by Xu Shaogong, but it had already ended up in Ding Anzhi's pocket.

Fang Jingxing didn't dare to pursue the matter further, and there was also the vacancy during Zeng Wenyuan's tenure.

How can he be happy if he has less money?

This was an important source of income for officials in the Ministry of Justice.

He thought to himself, "Fortunately, we've managed to collect quite a bit these past few days, otherwise we wouldn't even be able to get through the New Year."

He didn't dare say much to Zeng Wenyuan, just exchanged a few words, and then left the prison.

Lu Youcai and Ma Danian breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate that they had finally gotten through this ordeal.

They knew there was a significant shortage of silver, though the responsibility did not lie with them.

But if the truth were to be investigated, someone would always have to take the blame. Looking around the entire prison, the two of them were the most suitable candidates.

Zeng Wenyuan's expression was not good. He had not only failed to complete his task but also suffered a setback, and the matter had even reached the clan.

Secretly, everyone was treating it as a joke.

He didn't stay in the prison any longer. He took Yao Jing and left the prison directly, without even taking his share of the money.

The jailers were naturally happy to receive the money.

The sounds of gambling, which had been absent for several days, began to ring out again.

During this period, the atmosphere in Bianjing became increasingly strange, and the actions of people in the martial arts world became increasingly rampant.

I don't know where the rumor came from, but it is said that the "Longevity Manual" is a legendary immortal cultivation method.

If one can learn this skill, it is not impossible to attain immortality and live a long and prosperous life.

This prompted some old monsters who had originally lived in seclusion in the mountains to come out of the mountains and come to Bianjing.

Most of them were stuck at the critical point of breaking through, their lives were numbered, and they wanted to come to Bianjing to try their luck.

If such a miraculous technique truly existed, it would be no less than being reborn.

Shen Yan lives in a new house, and often hears the sound of someone stepping on the roof in the middle of the night.

Someone broke into his house and was killed on the spot by Shen Yan. The soil in the yard was like land to be plowed in spring, about to be turned over completely.

If more people came, Shen Yan felt that his courtyard would be too small to be filled.

This bothered him so much that he even wanted to move back to live near the Duke's mansion.

Emperor Xuanwu has ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Six Doors to deal with these martial arts figures.

As a result, cell number C is almost full of prisoners again during this period.

Among them were many experts of the seventh or eighth rank, who were buried in the Heavenly Prison like a powder keg.

Shen Yan dared not imagine what would happen if someone broke into the prison and released the prisoners at this moment.

This could cause a huge mess.

clang!

clang!

clang!

……

The dull bell tolled nine times.

The imperial prison erupted in commotion, and the bell tolled nine times, signaling a national mourning.

Shen Yan's face showed surprise, and he thought to himself, "Could it be that the emperor is dead?"

Ma Danian and Lü Youcai rushed in and said, "Boss Shen, what should we do?"

This was the first time Shen Yan had encountered such a situation, but he should be notified soon.

"Send someone to the street to buy some grain and white cloth. During this time, no one should leave the prison."

Without further ado, the two immediately sent people to the street to buy supplies.

If the emperor had truly passed away, then this period would have been the most turbulent.

At this point, choosing to close the prison and remain there will absolutely not be a mistake.

The succession of imperial power has always been accompanied by bloodshed and turmoil.

Shen Yan arrived at the watchtower outside the prison and looked down at Bianjing.

I couldn't help but sigh to myself, "What a turbulent time! They won't even let us have a peaceful New Year."

Soon, someone from the Ministry of Justice arrived; it was Ye Zhou.

Dressed in mourning clothes, he saw Ma Danian and asked, "Where is Warden Zeng?"

Ma Danian looked slightly uneasy: "Reporting to Your Excellency, Warden Zeng is not in the Imperial Prison; we do not know where he has gone."

"What about Shen Yan?"

"Shen Tou should be on the watchtower outside the prison. I've sent someone to find him."

Shen Yan returned to the prison and was puzzled to hear that Ye Zhou had come to see him.

I saw him coming to the prison from the watchtower; I never expected he was looking for me.

Ye Zhou spoke up, "Shen Yan, the Crown Prince has passed away. His Majesty is benevolent and has ordered him to be buried according to imperial rites. The Imperial Prison also needs some decorations. Since Warden Zeng is not here, you will be in charge of the arrangements for now!"

"Yes, Lord Ye."

Ye Zhou looked at the jailer meaningfully and said, "Zeng Wenyuan is really outrageous. At such a critical moment, he is not on duty in the prison."

However, no one dared to answer; the jailers all lowered their heads and remained silent.

After Ye Zhou left, Shen Yan immediately began making arrangements.

To his surprise, it wasn't the seventy-something-year-old emperor who died first; instead, it was the young and vigorous crown prince who passed away.

Hearing Ye Zhou's words, Shen Yan thought to himself, "To be the Crown Prince until death, I wonder if that's a blessing or a curse."

Shen Yan had never met the Crown Prince, but he had heard of the Crown Prince's legendary life.

After all, in the thousand-year history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was the only one who could serve as the crown prince for so long.

……

……

The Imperial Palace, the Western Garden.

Emperor Xuanwu stared blankly westward, in the direction of the Prince Ping's residence, which was also the former Crown Prince's residence.

"I have spent decades cultivating Taoism, seeking immortality, but I have forgotten the children around me."

The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was standing behind him, not daring to say a word.

Emperor Xuanwu stared for an unknown period of time before finally snapping out of his reverie and speaking:

"Wang Xi, draft a proposal to restore Prince Ping, Li Chengde, to his status as Crown Prince and to hold a state funeral for him."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will take care of it immediately."

After Wang Xi left, Emperor Xuanwu was left alone in the palace.

The palace felt desolate and lonely; the death of a child by an elderly person is always the cruelest thing.

Even Emperor Xuanwu, the ruler of the world, was not immune to this.

……

……

The national mourning lasted for seven days, during which drinking, merrymaking, and weddings were prohibited, and brothels and taverns had to close.

Shen Yan ordered all the prison guards to stay and guard the prison. Although it wasn't Emperor Xuanwu who had passed away, he was still afraid that something might happen in the prison again.

Unfortunately, Zeng Wenyuan did not appear for seven days.

It seemed as if the prison had lost its jailer once again.

During this period, officials from the Ministry of Justice came several times but did not see Zeng Wenyuan, which made them very dissatisfied.

Because of Zeng Wenyuan's influence, the revenue sharing was greatly reduced, forcing these officials to cut back on spending.

How can I make a good impression on him?

The matter of Zeng Wenyuan gradually reached the ears of Ding Anzhi and Yang Wanli.

At such a critical juncture, it is indeed unacceptable that the prison warden was absent from his post for an extended period of time.

Although Xu Shaogong was often not in the imperial prison in the past, he had managed to win over officials at all levels of the Ministry of Justice.

Everyone turned a blind eye and didn't investigate further.

Yang Wanli stated directly in the Ministry of Justice that Zeng Wenyuan should be dismissed from his post.

Ding Anzhi naturally refused. Although he didn't like Zeng Wenyuan, he was, after all, a distant relative of Zeng Shihong.

As Zeng Shihong's confidant, and someone who wanted to get promoted to Minister of Justice through him, he naturally couldn't sit idly by.

As a result, high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Justice actually started fighting over a minor prison warden position.