My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 136 Shen Yan Burns Down the Zeng Mansion! If you don't want to eat, then don't eat any of it!

Shen Ci looked at the guards and servants in front of him and said indifferently, "Get out of my way!"

He did not stop Shen Rong from turning the place upside down in a fit of anger.

If it weren't for the consideration for the family's refined manners, this house would probably have been set on fire by now.

The servants did not recognize Shen Ci and his companions, nor did they know who Zeng Yue had invited them to be.

However, Zeng Yue is practically a god in Jiangnan Prefecture, so there probably isn't anyone more powerful than him.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble at the Zeng family's residence is, in their eyes, courting death.

They couldn't easily let a few people leave, otherwise, where would the Zeng family put their face?

Shen Yan had already sensed that Zeng Yue was in the pavilion not far away, secretly observing them.

His mind raced, and a smile appeared on his face.

He said, "Since you're unwilling to move aside, then don't blame me."

After saying this, Shen Yan made a sudden move, and these servants were no match for him.

In an instant, the servants were knocked to the ground by Shen Yan.

The torches and lanterns in their hands were also kicked away by Shen Yan.

Unfortunately, it landed on the curtains inside the room.

The open flames quickly ignited the silk curtains, and the fire raged instantly.

It swallowed up the hall that was originally used for banquets.

Zeng Yue, who was hiding in the shadows, changed his expression drastically upon seeing this scene.

He cursed, "That Shen Ci dared to burn down my house!"

He bought the house from a wealthy businessman, which took a lot of effort.

With Shen Yan's secret help, the fire was growing increasingly fierce, and the servants were desperately trying to put it out.

Zeng Yue did not go out, but just glared at the group from the shadows.

Seeing that no one had come out yet, Shen Yan thought to himself, "That old tortoise is really patient!"

He wasn't idle either; he quietly took action and spread the fire even further.

They used their strength to direct the fire towards the pavilion where Zeng Yue was.

The servants and guards who wanted to put out the fire felt as if their hands and feet had been struck by something, making it difficult for them to move.

The fire quickly spiraled out of control, and Shen Ci witnessed the scene before him.

Knowing that it must have been Shen Yan who made the move, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Ci felt extremely pleased. If the Vermilion Bird Army hadn't yet arrived, he wouldn't have had to suffer such humiliation.

Just as they were about to leave Zeng Yue's residence, the officials from Jiangnan Prefecture, who had been hiding for a long time, finally appeared.

However, his expression was not very elegant, and he ran out of the attic with the help of the fire behind him.

They ran right into Shen Ci and his group.

Seeing their disheveled appearance, Shen Ci laughed and said, "Where are you gentlemen going in such a hurry?"

Zeng Yue and the officials behind him, having served in office for many years, quickly adapted to the slight awkwardness.

"I was delayed by matters at the yamen and have neglected Lord Shen. Please forgive me."

Shen Yan smiled and said, "Lord Zeng has not been negligent at all. He spent a lot of money to invite me to watch a good show. I am in a very good mood right now. You all continue with your official business and don't need to worry about me."

Zeng Yue's heart was bleeding; this house was about to be engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes.

However, one must not show the slightest change in expression, and must pretend to be indifferent.

After tonight, the two will have completely broken off relations.

As Shen Ci and his companions left the Zeng residence, the firelight had already turned the night sky a fiery red.

The fire was already out of control; all we could do was wait for it to burn out.

Seeing Shen Ci and his group leave so easily, the officials behind Zeng Yue couldn't help but ask, "Sir, are you just going to let them go like this?"

"I think Shen Ci did this on purpose. We embarrassed him, so he retaliated by setting fire to the place."

"Yes! Why should we be afraid of him?"

Zeng Yue listened to their chatter and paid no attention to Shen Ci and his group.

These people had served as officials in Jiangnan Prefecture for generations, and most of them were scions of prominent families in Jiangnan.

I've never been to Bianjing. Although I've heard of Shen Moxuan's reputation and know he's powerful, I don't know just how powerful he really is.

They were not afraid of the Shen family, and they didn't even respect Emperor Xuanwu.

Emperor Xuanwu did not attend court for thirty years, and even his once-renowned reputation had long since faded.

Zeng Yue served as an official in Bianjing for ten years, and he knew everything perfectly well.

His original intention was to make Shen Ci back down and return to Bianjing to stay put; he did not want to kill him.

Although Shen Ci encountered many attacks and assassinations on the way, he did not actually fight back.

Judging from Shen Ci's actions tonight, he seems to want a fight to the death.

Zeng Yue watched their departing figures, narrowed his eyes, and said viciously, "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish."

At this moment, he didn't care about offending Shen Moxuan. Jiangnan was the root of the Zeng family, and they had finally managed to get rid of Yan Fan.

Why would they want another Shen family to come along?

Zeng Yue did not lower his voice, and the officials behind him heard him clearly.

"It should have been done long ago; otherwise, Shen Ci wouldn't have even made it to Jiangnan Prefecture."

"Even if the Shen family has extraordinary abilities, how could they possibly control the entire Jiangnan Prefecture?"

'

Shen Yan and the others returned to the prefectural government office.

Although I felt relieved tonight, I didn't get a single clue.

I also witnessed how arrogant the officials in Jiangnan Prefecture were; no wonder they dared to kill the imperial envoy time and time again.

For a moment, Shen Ci was also at a loss.

He began by asking, "What are your views on the current situation?"

He looked at Shen Rong and Shen Yan, hoping to get some advice.

Shen Rong said, "The powerful families in Jiangnan Prefecture are deeply entrenched and interconnected, making them difficult to conquer."

Shen Ci was well aware that these powerful families in Jiangnan Prefecture had been operating for thousands of years. If they were so easy to conquer, they would have been dismantled long ago.

He looked at Shen Yan, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yan said, "The safest approach is to slowly unravel the mystery and clarify the ins and outs of the matter. Then, we need to divide the powerful families, win over some, suppress others, and make them turn against each other. Only then will we have a chance."

Shen Ci sighed: "What you said makes sense, but they won't give us that much time, and neither will His Majesty. The Vermilion Bird Army's provisions can't support my slow investigation."

He naturally knew what Shen Yan was thinking, but he didn't know how long it would take.

What he lacks most right now is time. The powerful families in Jiangnan Prefecture aren't fools; they won't just wait for them to get into position before making a move.

Shen Yan laughed and said, "There's another simple way: beat them up first, and then ask them all the questions while they're beating them. Just like the Embroidered Uniform Guard interrogating criminals, they can find something to talk about even if there's no crime. Not to mention these aristocratic families have all sorts of trouble behind them."

Shen Ci's eyes turned fierce as he made up his mind.

"You're right. We'll make our move as soon as the Vermilion Bird Army arrives."

Calculating the journey, the Vermilion Bird Army would take at least three to five days to arrive.

Shen Yan thought to himself, "These next three to five days probably won't be easy."

Shen Ci thought this way, and Zeng Yue and the others naturally could too.

I only hope that the soldiers of the Jiangnan Prefecture Garrison will not become too decadent.

If they defect, it will have a significant impact on the situation.

Although the Vermilion Bird Army was incredibly brave, they only numbered ten thousand this time.

Although the number of people was considerable, Jiangnan Prefecture was also quite large.

Fearing that Zeng Yue and his men would resort to desperate measures, Shen Yan sent assassins to carry out the attack.

Therefore, he could only live next to Shen Ci to avoid any trouble.

After all, this wasn't the first time Zeng Yue and his team had done something like this.

>