My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 30 The Crown Prince Falls Out of Favor

Shen Yan went to Chang Le Gambling House to look for Wu Ping's whereabouts, but unfortunately, he was not able to succeed this time.

Since it would take three days to investigate, Shen Yan had no choice but to search for it himself.

After spending half a day, Shen Yan finally found him at his lover's house in Wuping.

As winter approaches, it always gets dark particularly quickly.

Shen Yan burst through the door and subdued Wu Ping before he could react.

Although Wu Ping had practiced martial arts, he had not reached the required level, so how could he be a match for him?

Shen Yan grabbed him off the bed, while the woman beside him screamed repeatedly. Her thin clothes, illuminated by the dim candlelight, accentuated her curvaceous figure.

He was somewhat annoyed, so he could only knock her unconscious with a single slap.

Looking at the unconscious woman, Shen Yan thought to himself, "Nice figure."

They then grabbed Wu Ping and left.

It was dark and cool at night, and there were hardly any people on the streets.

Without attracting much attention, Shen Yan pulled him aside and began questioning him.

"Tell me, who ordered you to drug Song Mingli?"

"Song Mingli? Who is Song Mingli? I don't know him!"

"Hehe, it seems you've forgotten. Let me help you remember."

Having spent so long in the prison, although I haven't used torture much, I've learned quite a few techniques.

A short while later.

Wu Ping's screams echoed from the alleyway as he desperately begged for mercy.

"Ah! I'll talk, I'll talk."

"You remember now, don't you?"

"A gaunt middle-aged man approached me, gave me five hundred taels of silver and some medicine, and told me which jailer I could bribe."

Shen Yan was not satisfied with this answer and continued to torture him for half an hour.

He couldn't say who had ordered it either, and Shen Yan was somewhat disappointed. It seemed that Wu Ping really didn't know.

He was just used as a pawn, thrown into the dungeon and put under the watchful eye of Chen Xiaoshuan.

Although this operation was not in accordance with regulations, no one spoke up to question it.

After what happened, Shen Yan couldn't very well accept Shen Rong's money.

The matter wasn't handled well, and accepting this money is like catching a hot potato.

Upon arriving at Shen Rong's house, he told him about Song Mingli's situation and returned the five hundred taels of silver notes.

"I am aware of this matter. I heard you have already captured the jailer and Wu Ping?"

"Indeed, Butler is so well-informed?"

Shen Rong smiled but did not reply.

"The Second Young Master has already found out who is behind this. Yan-ge, you don't need to worry. He will come to the prison to meet you in a few days. Please treat him well then."

Upon hearing this, the gloom in Shen Yan's eyes vanished.

"Okay, I'll definitely entertain him personally then."

He spoke from the heart, expressing his deep hatred for the person behind the scenes.

Shen Yan didn't ask who it was; Shen Rong would tell him when the time was right.

Shen Yan was not surprised at all that the Duke's mansion would retaliate. To be schemed against like this and not fight back was simply too much to bear.

Shen Rong did not accept the silver note and returned it to Shen Yan.

"Yan-ge, you should keep it! Consider it a reward for your hard work in catching the murderer."

Shen Yan returned home satisfied, already looking forward to when he would be imprisoned.

The case of the robbery of the "birthday gifts" that had caused a great uproar has finally been solved.

It was done by the Song family of Liu County, in collusion with the county magistrate and the local bandits of Black Wind Village. Black Wind Village has already been razed to the ground by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Meanwhile, the direct descendants of the Song family and County Magistrate Du Fu were being escorted to Bianjing.

Liu County can be considered a protective barrier for Bianjing (Kaifeng). It is a place with towering mountains and treacherous terrain, and has been occupied by bandits since ancient times.

Like weeds, they cannot be eradicated; they spring up again with the spring breeze.

After passing Liuxian, the road becomes flat.

The Song family was the most powerful family in Liuxian County, and they were so influential that they could practically control everything in the area.

The Song family had such power only because their daughter was incredibly beautiful and married the crown prince as a concubine more than a decade ago. But unexpectedly, the family's power collapsed in an instant.

Shen Yan was somewhat surprised to hear this news, as Liu County was only a few hundred miles away from Bianjing.

"Could this gang of bandits and the county magistrate have dared to rob the 'birthday tribute'?"

Recalling the ancient scrolls and gold he had obtained, and the room full of silver and armor he had seen, Shen Yan felt that things were definitely not that simple.

Although she was curious, she knew it was not something she could interfere with.

He began to recall the more than two thousand characters of the incantation deciphered from the ancient scroll.

Although he could recite the formulas backwards, he still couldn't grasp the method and found it difficult to get started.

This made him wonder if it was a cultivation technique.

"It's a pity I don't have any reliable experts around to consult."

The only martial artist Shen Yan knows now is Li Wu, who lives in the No. 1 prison and is determined to take Shen Yan as his disciple.

Shen Yan didn't even dare to see him, for fear that he would discover that he had broken through to the eighth rank.

If he were to spread this around, who knows what kind of bad things might happen.

After all, breaking through to the eighth rank in just over a month is truly astonishing.

With nothing else to do, he went to Song Mingli's cell.

One was trapped and unable to move freely, while the other was of low status and uncertain about his future. Yet, they got along remarkably well, like close friends who had known each other for many years.

Seeing the worry in Shen Yan's eyes, Song Mingli offered words of comfort.

"Brother Shen, there is no need to blame yourself for what happened to me. Everything in the world has its cause and effect."

"The person who administered the drug and the mastermind behind it have been caught. I'm not troubled by that; there's something else going on."

"Oh! Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Brother Song, you have obtained an ancient scroll of wisdom from a sage, yet you still cannot grasp its profound truths. What are your thoughts on this?"

Song Mingli pondered for a moment: "That means I am dull-witted and unable to understand it yet. Perhaps I will gain something when I am more knowledgeable in the future and look back on it."

"If we don't decipher this ancient scroll, will our studies have to be interrupted?"

Song Mingli gave a wry smile: "This...that just means I'm not destined for this path. I'll just have to let nature take its course."

Shen Yan was momentarily confused, then said decisively.

"I don't believe in fate, I'm going to fight it!"

Upon hearing this, Song Mingli's eyes lit up.

"Yes, we must fight for it; we cannot simply accept our fate."

It seemed to be said to Shen Yan, but it also seemed to be said to himself.

"Brother Shen, I have a favor to ask of you."

……

……

Bianjing, the Crown Prince's Residence.

The Crown Prince's residence was surrounded by imperial guards, so heavily fortified that not even a mosquito could escape.

In the Crown Prince's residence, only the Crown Prince remained in the spacious hall.

He was acting crazy, smashing things repeatedly.

"Hahaha!!!"

"Heaven has no eyes; how can there be a prince who reigns for thirty years?"

"Thirty years!! A full thirty years!! If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to be a carefree prince, living a more leisurely life."

After the birthday tribute theft was exposed, the father and son, who had not seen each other for more than ten years, had a brief reunion.

Emperor Xuanwu was subtly hinting to the Crown Prince that he should hand over the "Longevity Secret".

The crown prince was also speechless, as the cultivation technique had long been stolen by someone, leaving behind only a million taels of silver.

But how could such an explanation possibly convince Emperor Xuanwu, who was so stubbornly unrepentant about the Crown Prince's beliefs?

In a fit of anger, Emperor Xuanwu ordered him to remain in the Eastern Palace to reflect on his mistakes, and he could only be released when he realized his error.

Li Chengde's concubine, Song Yuyan, also suffered the same fate. She was robbed in Liuxian County, where the Song family was the local tyrant.

Thus, Song Yuyan became a victim of the birthday tribute incident. She was given a cup of poisoned wine and died, and her entire family was to be buried with her.

Emperor Xuanwu did this to teach Crown Prince Li Chengde a lesson and to make him realize his mistake as soon as possible.

He's now completely speechless, with the blame piled on his head that he can't shake off.

With the real culprit apprehended, the theft of the birthday gifts remained only a topic of casual conversation in teahouses.

The county magistrate and the Song family, who are the real culprits, are about to be escorted to the capital.