My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 52 Song Mingli's Second Visit to the Palace, the Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Shen Yan went out to deliver money to Han Ningshuang, who had given birth to a son for Lin Changfu.

I wonder if Lin Changfu would be happy if he knew this in the afterlife.

Ma Danian made up his mind to keep Kongkong'er's prison break a secret, so he stopped looking for Shen Yan.

Not long after they arrived at the cell, Chen Xiaoshuan rushed in.

"Boss Shen, Song Mingli has come in again."

"Huh!? Why is he here again?"

Shen Yan's mouth gaped open in surprise. Song Mingli had only been out of prison for a few months, hadn't he?

He was arrested again.

"What did he do? Let me see."

Chen Xiaoshuan had already prepared the case files.

Shen Yan shook his head after reading it.

"It's all because of your mouth again."

original.

Since the beginning of winter, there has been no snow or wind for many days.

Rumors spread among the people, and even Emperor Xuanwu, who was living in seclusion in the Western Garden practicing Taoism, heard about them.

Emperor Xuanwu held several grand Taoist rituals to pray for snow, but unfortunately, no snow fell.

Left with no other option, they summoned Zhou Yun, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and asked him to come up with an explanation for the unusual weather.

After all, it's almost the end of the year, and farmers rely entirely on the weather for their harvest. If there isn't heavy snow this year, there will be pest infestations next year, leading to reduced yields.

To everyone's surprise, he not only failed to understand the emperor's intentions, but also directly criticized Emperor Xuanwu for neglecting state affairs, saying that this was a warning from Heaven.

This enraged Emperor Xuanwu, and Zhou Yun was punished with twenty strokes of the cane in court.

Before the execution, the eunuch asked him if he was willing to repent.

pity.

Zhou Yun did not bow his head and was eventually beaten to death outside the palace.

Song Mingli and Zhou Yun were good friends. Upon hearing of Zhou Yun's misfortune, Song Mingli was naturally indignant and spoke out for him.

The censors of the Censorate had the right to offer advice, and his words quickly reached the ears of Emperor Xuanwu.

Although Emperor Xuanwu was angry, he wanted to kill him along with the newly appointed top scholar.

Fortunately, his ministers intervened, which saved his life.

He was imprisoned in the imperial jail for the crime of great disrespect.

Although officials were not to be punished for their words, Emperor Xuanwu was in a fit of anger, and no one dared to stop him.

Shen Yan arrived outside Song Mingli's cell, which was the same cell as before.

"Brother Song, how have you been? It's good to see you again."

This time, Song Mingli seemed much calmer in prison, even having the mind to joke with Shen Yan.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you, and I've missed you dearly. I heard you've been promoted, so I came here to stay for a few days."

"It's best to get out of this place as soon as possible. If you need anything, Brother Song, just ask the jailer. I've already given instructions."

The two chatted for a while.

Shen Yancai learned that Song Mingli had been released from prison and was now working at the Censorate. He thought he would be able to offer advice that would reach the Emperor's ears and do something for the people.

However, after a while, he discovered that Emperor Xuanwu would not listen to him or hear him.

He couldn't help but feel disheartened and wanted to resign and leave.

These are some of the reasons why he lost control this time and lashed out at Emperor Xuanwu.

Shen Yan shook his head after hearing this.

Song Mingli's ideas were too idealistic; it was as if a few words of political strategy could govern the world.

Then there will be no chaos in the world, and the people will be able to live and work in peace and contentment.

And then there's Emperor Xuanwu. If he had truly listened to others' advice, he wouldn't have gone thirty years without holding court in the morning.

Shen Yan offered words of comfort.

"Brother Song, if you are so willing to save the common people, why not start with a county and protect the people in that area? That way, your years of hard study will not have been in vain."

After hearing this, Song Mingli fell into deep thought.

"A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study. Every time I talk with Brother Shen, I gain something new. What you say is absolutely right. After I leave, would you be willing to work under me?"

Shen Yan shook his head. He neither wanted to live under someone else's roof and be inferior to them for no reason, nor did he want to leave the prison.

"I am naturally carefree, and this prison is perfect for me. If I were to work under Brother Song, wouldn't I be missing out on having you as a friend?"

Song Mingli felt quite sorry after hearing this, but did not continue to persuade him.

He thought to himself, "Brother Shen is clearly a shrewd and insightful person, yet he prefers to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. It's truly a pity."

I beg Shen Yan to tell Shen Rong to help investigate why Zhou Yun did such a thing.

Shen Yan returned to his cell and sighed inwardly.

"You all advised me to leave the prison, yet you all lined up to come in."

He finally understood that the ultimate fate of officials was imprisonment.

Whether you are a powerful minister or a lowly official of the ninth rank.

In the end, everyone inevitably has to go through a period of imprisonment.

The three Heavenly Kings of the White Lotus Sect offered sacrifices to Heaven, but no auspicious snow was brought.

Perhaps their lives had come to an end, and serving them as sacrifices would indeed have no effect.

Before parting, Song Mingli asked him to deliver a message to the Second Young Master's residence, thinking that he probably wouldn't be staying for more than a few days.

Shen Yan couldn't help but shake his head.

"This prison is not much different from the Spring Breeze Pavilion. If you have money and power, you can come and go as you please."

……

……

Bianjing, at Yan Fan's residence.

Yan Fan was sitting in his study reading when his son, Yan Shi'an, ran in.

"The matter concerning my father Zhou Yun's family has been settled. The newly appointed top scholar has also been implicated and imprisoned because of this. What if this offends the Shen family? What if they keep pursuing us?"

Yan Fan sneered, "Do you think Shen Moxuan was seriously injured by the Wusheng Buddha Mother and his bunch of scoundrels? If Shen Moxuan were really that useless, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion should be renamed the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion by now. He probably hates the current emperor more than anyone else, and he might have been the one pushing us to do what we did."

Yan Shi'an was visibly shocked, clearly not expecting that Shen Moxuan's serious injury had this connection.

Yan Fan continued, "Last time, the White Lotus rebels didn't die on the spot in the Heavenly Prison, and they even managed to hold a grand Taoist ritual. We need to deal with the aftermath of that. Also, let's spread Zhou Yun's message throughout Bianjing. If Bianjing isn't in chaos, how will we have any opportunities?"

Yan Shi'an looked somewhat worried.

"His Majesty has already discovered what happened with the Crown Prince last time. Should we...?"

Yan Fan opened his eyes wide, looking at his son with disappointment and frustration.

"His Majesty is almost seventy. I asked the imperial physician; he only has a few years left to live. The day he dies will be the day our entire Yan family is wiped out. Do you want to die?"

Yan Shi'an shook his head, his expression resolute.

"I'll arrange it right away."

Yan Fan was left alone in the study again.

He watched the candlelight flicker on the corner of the table, its light seeming to mirror the uncertain fate of the Yan family.

He offended too many people in his life, including His Highness the Crown Prince.

He had to do this to gain Emperor Xuanwu's favor, because he understood that Emperor Xuanwu needed him to do so, which is why he became like this.

Even a favored minister is a lonely minister. Everyone else has a way out, but he doesn't, and he can't afford to.

So he sent people to the crown prince's side to incite him to rebel.

They secretly provided Li Chengde with a great deal of assistance, including armor, weapons, money, and people.

Only when things fall into chaos will there be an opportunity.

He knew that the Crown Prince also wanted to ascend the throne.

pity.

The Crown Prince was incredibly foolish; he actually let his scheme be exposed for the sake of a vague and unrealistic cultivation technique.

Emperor Xuanwu imprisoned him in the Crown Prince's residence without firing a single shot.

So much so that he had to create new opportunities.

Yan Fan didn't want to die, so he had to act before Emperor Xuanwu died.

Yan Fan did a lot of work behind the scenes to get the crown prince deposed.