My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 22 Mirror Lake Academy

Shen Yan held a teacup in one hand and a scroll in the other. His gaze swept over the contents of the scroll, and he was immediately startled.

"Ji Boyan, a student at Jinghu Academy, beat Meng Jiu to death because he suspected the handyman Meng Jiu of stealing his essay. It was later found that it was not Meng Jiu who did it, but that he had accidentally left it at the poetry gathering and had not retrieved it."

"His surname is Ji, and he's a student at Jinghu Academy. Could he be the son of Ji Ju'an, the Minister of Works?"

Shen Yan looked at his information, his brows furrowing slightly.

This is like sending him an ancestor; the prison guards least want to encounter this kind of son of an official.

Officials might care about saving face and wouldn't bother with lowly jailers and clerks, but the pampered children of officials don't care about such things.

Once you're in the prison, let alone being mistreated, even a slight disagreement with him could lead to retaliation.

He knew in his heart that Ji Boyan would be released from prison soon. He would only have to pay some money to his family; the reason he was imprisoned was merely to teach him a lesson.

"A human life is worthless just to teach this kind of rich young master a lesson. Meng Jiu is really unlucky."

Shen Yan's guess was not without reason. Jinghu Academy was a sacred place for scholars of the Great Zhou Dynasty and was founded by Mr. Jinghu, the teacher of the founding emperor Li Yuan.

It not only teaches academic knowledge, but also allows students to cultivate internal martial arts techniques. Students who come out of there can be described as both literate and martial.

None of the students who graduated from Jinghu Academy were weak, and 80% of the civil officials in the imperial court had studied there.

This demonstrates the immense influence of Jinghu Academy; even princes would attend to learn there, all in an effort to cultivate relationships with these future pillars of the nation.

Those who can enter Jinghu Academy are all outstanding individuals. If candidates for the imperial examination in Bianjing can study here, their success in the examination will be just around the corner.

There was a saying in the Great Zhou Dynasty: "If you want to become an official, you must first enter Mirror Lake."

Therefore, it's not a place that just anyone can get in; you either need to be from a prominent family or have exceptional talent.

"Has this young master's family sent money?"

"Shen Tou, you've given him quite a lot! A full five hundred taels."

"Now that the money has arrived, nothing else matters. Have Chen Xiaoshuan and the others take good care of them."

Seeing Jinghu Academy suddenly reminded him that if he wanted to find a teacher who knew oracle bone script in the Great Zhou Dynasty, Jinghu Academy would definitely be one such place.

However, he could only dream about it; Mirror Lake Academy was not a place he could enter.

At this time.

Sun Fugui came to see him; it seems to be about news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Brother Shen, we've got a lead. I asked the brothers to find out that it seems the 'Birthday Tribute' was robbed, which is why the Imperial Guards are acting like wild dogs, attacking everywhere."

"Birthday tribute? No wonder there was such a commotion; someone's trying to provoke us!"

Sun Fugui clicked his tongue and said, "That's right. I heard they lost a million taels of silver. Goodness, if that were piled up, it would be like a small mountain. It would be enough for me to gamble for a lifetime."

"All you do is gamble. Sooner or later, the casino will chop off your hands to pay off your debts. Do you know anyone who knows oracle bone script?"

"No, why would I ask you that? You can't even read a few words. Go back to your job!"

Upon hearing Shen Yan's words, Sun Fugui patted his chest and smiled broadly.

"Brother Shen, I actually know that. I have a cousin who should know him, and you might even know him too. He teaches at your clan school!"

Shen Yan was somewhat surprised: "Really? What's your name?"

"His name was Qi Xiu. He was obsessed with oracle bone script, but since oracle bone script was not tested in the imperial examinations, he remained a mere scholar for his entire life. My aunt almost ran away because of this, but luckily she later found a job at the Duke's mansion."

Unexpectedly, Sun Fugui was related to Master Qi, who had once taught him. After searching for so long, he realized that the answer was right beside him.

After Sun Fugui left, Shen Yan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

"The birthday gifts? Could they be in that secret room I stumbled upon?"

The prison was unusually lively today.

The Imperial Guards have gone mad; they started arresting people outside the capital last night. Sun Fugui said the imperial prison is already full.

Now many prisoners have been thrown into the dungeon, which makes Ma Danian very happy.

What they're throwing in isn't people, but piles of silver. If they don't get more, the jailers in cell C will be starving next month.

Xu Shaogong withheld all their share of the profits, so the only way to get money was to take it from the prisoners.

Shen Yan instructed him to keep an eye out for anyone in the martial arts world who was willing to teach him.

Shen Yan did not see Xu Shaonian until the end of his shift.

He didn't show up all day; I wonder if he was too tired last night.

According to convention, even if a new official does not establish authority, he should at least point out some faults and point out the shortcomings of his subordinates.

The foremen had already discussed it and prepared some small baskets, waiting for him to come and scold them, then give them some guidance and a few words of comfort.

This way, one can both project authority and build closer relationships.

Perhaps, as the other guards said yesterday, Xu Shaonian inherently looked down on the lowly job of a prison guard.

However, it's also good news. With him not coming to the prison, Shen Yan and the other guards are much happier.

Shen Yan bought two jugs of wine and carried a roast chicken, heading towards Master Qi's residence.

He lived not far from Shen Yan's house, both near the Duke's mansion.

The difference is that Shen Yan bought his house, while Master Qi's house was lent to him by the Duke as a perk for teaching at the school.

Shen Yan gently knocked on the brass ring on the door: "Master Qi, are you home?"

A man around fifty years old appeared before Shen Yan, looked at him, and asked, "Who are you?"

"Master Qi, I am Shen Yan, your former student."

"Oh, you must be Changqing's son. Come in quickly."

Since leaving the school, Shen Yan has never visited Master Qi again. However, when his father was still alive, he would occasionally come to drink with Master Qi.

Master Qi didn't ask him why he had come, but took the wine and roast chicken and led Shen Yan into the house.

The house was a bit messy. His wife and children hadn't come to Bianjing with him; they were still in their hometown.

The expenses in Bianjing were considerable, but the few acres of land he had accumulated over the years while teaching at the Duke's mansion were enough to support his wife and children.

Master Qi began to recall Shen Yan's performance in school.

Looking at Shen Yan now dressed in a long robe, he has the appearance of a scholar, just like a student taking the imperial examination.

"Has Shen Yan passed the imperial examination and gained official rank?"

Shen Yan laughed and said, "Master, you are joking. I am not cut out for that. I am now working in the prison to make a living."

Master Qi sighed softly: "It's a pity that you've studied so hard all these years. But then again, times are tough, so having a job isn't bad."

Seeing that they had almost finished drinking, Shen Yan explained his purpose.

Take out the rubbings of the oracle bone inscriptions and ask him for advice. These characters were copied by Shen Yan, and the order has been scrambled.

Master Qi was somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect that you could still stay true to your original aspirations and study diligently while you were in prison. Not bad."

He took the paper from Shen Yan, examined it carefully, told him the meaning of the characters, and taught him how to read and write them.

I copied only a hundred or so characters today. By the time Master Qi finished explaining them all, the moon was high in the sky and it was already dark.

Not wanting to bother him any longer, Shen Yan could only take his leave and promise to visit again another time.

Back home, I reviewed the oracle bone script I had learned that day and began piecing together the contents of the ancient scroll.

The book contains more than two thousand words, and Shen Yan can decipher it completely in less than a month. Then he will know what it is.