My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 11 Trouble: People Arrive from the Heavenly Prison

After practicing the Golden Body Technique for half a day, Shen Yan was about to go to the Heavenly Prison to serve.

He needs to stay on night duty today.

Shen Yan walked out of the house.

The gate of Widow Wang's house across the street hasn't been opened for the past few days; it seems Song Mingli has moved away.

Widow Wang did not continue to rent out this courtyard.

They are probably waiting for news of Song Mingli's success in the imperial examination.

This was very common in Bianjing. Generally, after a candidate who had taken the imperial examination stayed at an inn or courtyard, they would wait until the palace examination was over and the results were announced. If the candidate they had rented a room for passed the examination, they would be the one who passed.

Then the courtyard would be imbued with a scholarly atmosphere, and when it is rented out, the price would be many times higher.

Shen Yan arrived at the Heavenly Prison.

Upon learning that Nongyu Gongzi was about to be released from prison, one couldn't help but marvel at Yuan Qingshi's speed.

Shen Yan went to see him again.

Young Master Nongyu sat calmly in place, showing no joy at being released from prison.

Even though he was in prison, he still maintained the demeanor of a refined gentleman.

Anyone who sees it will have to say something.

"A gentleman as fine as jade, unparalleled in the world."

Shen Yan, who considered himself to be quite handsome, also felt a pang of envy.

However, the thought that he was about to become a two-way plug made him feel somewhat fortunate.

When Young Master Nongyu saw Shen Yan arrive, his face lit up with joy.

"Brother Shen, I am about to be released from prison today. Thank you for your guidance. If I ever achieve great success and rise to prominence, I will never forget you, Brother Shen."

Shen Yan quickly waved his hand, not daring to take credit, but he admired him for being able to adjust his mindset so quickly.

If it were me, I'd probably rather die in prison.

"Your Highness is able to endure what ordinary people cannot. One day, you may very well rise to the highest position among ministers."

"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Shen."

Soon, Young Master Nongyu was picked up by someone, who was none other than the steward of Yuan Qingshi's family who had come to see him yesterday.

Day two.

Shen Yan overheard people in the prison chatting about how Yuan Qingshi of the Censorate had taken a concubine the night before, and the scene was quite spectacular.

Almost all the officials from the Qingliu faction were present, and the news even reached the imperial prison.

Sun Fugui usually associates with all sorts of people in Bianjing, and he is very familiar with the gossip and chatter of these officials.

He was speaking eloquently at that moment.

"You have no idea how beautiful the concubine that Imperial Censor Yuan took is. I've heard that her name is Hua Nongyue. She has red lips and white teeth, skin like solidified cream, and a waist as slender as a willow in the breeze. I really don't know where he found such a beauty."

"..."

Shen Yan was drinking water when he heard Sun Fugui's words and almost spat it out.

After he finished bragging, Shen Yan went to Sun Fugui's side and asked about Yuan Huamei.

"Brother Sun, what about Yuan Huamei? She got rid of Nongyu Gongzi, is that all there is to it?"

"How could that be? I heard they're getting married next month. Tsk tsk, I really envy that young master Nongyu; not only did he get a beauty, but he also snagged a powerful man."

Shen Yan thought to himself after hearing this.

"If I were to give you this good thing, you might not be able to handle it."

Although he knew the truth in his heart, Shen Yan understood that it was best to keep it to himself, as revealing it would lead to endless troubles.

As for Yuan Huamei's former fiancé, Yan Huai'an's son, fearing the power of the Censorate, he could only back down. Fortunately, the two were not yet married, so they did not lose face completely.

The Censorate has the power to oversee all officials and submit memorials to the Emperor's court; no one wants to be targeted by them.

With Yuan Qingshi protecting him to the death, Yan Huai'an had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Night was falling, and the moon was high in the sky.

This was Shen Yan's first time on night duty in the prison. He had heard that prison breaks always happened at night.

However, I don't think I'll be that unlucky.

The jailer's office was now unattended.

They all went to vacant prison cells to gamble, or simply went home to sleep.

Only Shen Yan remained in the office; there was nothing that could be done about the prison guards in the imperial jail.

Although a batch of people died a couple of days ago, it only lasted for two days. Now, some are skipping work, and others are gambling.

This has been the case for decades, and it's very difficult to change it.

As for the jailers and prison officials, they would not appear in the prison at night.

Without their leader in sight, it's even harder to get these undisciplined prison guards to obey.

Unfortunately, today was a bad day.

Yang Wanli, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, came to the imperial prison to interrogate the prisoners.

When Yang Wanli arrived at the prison, he saw that the office was empty except for Shen Yan, whose face was gloomy.

"Where are they? Where are the jailers? Where have they all gone? Get out here now!"

Seeing Yang Wanli's anger, Shen Yan could only proceed cautiously. Fortunately, he hadn't skipped work today, so even if he was punished, it shouldn't be his turn.

When your boss is angry, if it's not your fault, just keep your head down and don't say anything.

He glanced at Yang Wanli out of the corner of his eye. Yang Wanli was probably in his thirties, with an upright appearance, and could be considered a handsome middle-aged man.

Yang Wanli sneered when he saw that he had been there for a long time but only Shen Yan had appeared.

"Heh! You bunch of lowly officials, you've really made something of yourselves, daring to neglect your duties."

Shen Yan immediately characterized the guards' absence from their posts, and he knew in his heart that this was no small matter.

He didn't ask about the jailer's whereabouts, but turned to Shen Yan and said...

"Take me to Young Master Nongyu's prison."

"Your Excellency, Young Master Nongyu has been released from prison today."

"Huh!? You're out of prison?"

Yang Wanli felt a little regretful. He and Yuan Qingshi had never gotten along. Upon hearing that Yuan's family had committed a disgraceful act, he rushed to the prison as soon as he finished his work in another city.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the prison in the middle of the night, but he was still too late.

Looking at Shen Yan in front of him, he was handsome, neither humble nor arrogant, and acted with propriety. He was very different from the prison guards he had met before.

I couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Shen Yan, sir."

"Shen Yan? You're the relative of the Duke of Dingguo who works in the imperial prison?"

"I am already beyond the fifth degree of kinship with the Duke of Heguo, and dare not claim kinship with him."

"They all worship the same ancestor, and there can't be two Shens in the same writing. You're different from those lowly officials. It's not a waste that you've studied for a few years; you're quite good."

"Thank you for your praise, sir."

Having failed to achieve his goal, Yang Wanli left the prison with some regret.

Shen Yan saw Yang Wanli leave the prison; tonight's events could be big or small.

Although he didn't say anything openly, I'm afraid he'll settle scores later.

Such an important matter naturally required immediate notification to one's superiors.

He ran to the cell where the jailers were gambling and told them about it. The men who were gambling happily immediately fell silent.

They hurriedly went to inform their respective prison guards, as well as Xu Shaogong, the prison warden of the imperial prison.

Before long, the jailers who were on duty that night in the prison arrived at their posts.

Hu Youtian, Lü Youcai, and Ma Danian also arrived at the prison, and none of them looked too good.

With something like this happening in the prison, no one can escape. As for how to get through this crisis, it will have to be up to Xu Shaogong, the prison warden.

Even prison guards were considered lowly by their superiors in the Ministry of Justice, people they wouldn't even give a second glance to.

Only this prison warden was considered a human being by his superiors in the Ministry of Justice.

Not long after, a sleepy-eyed Xu Shaogong arrived at the office and saw Hu Youtian and two others standing inside.

He immediately started swearing.

"You bunch of sons of bitches, how am I supposed to talk to you! It hasn't been that long since what happened last time, and you've already caused me such a huge mess again."

Xu Shaogong had been cursing for a long time, but his anger had not subsided.

He sat in the chair, looking at everyone, seemingly lost in thought.