Chapter 404: Ge Hengtai

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng walked over, while Duan Rong remained sitting on the stone steps in front of the ruins, holding that charred piece of wood and staring in deep thought.

The expressions on their faces were clearly somewhat impatient.

Zhu Cheng coughed, walked a few steps closer, and asked, "Lord Duan, is there something you need from us?"

Duan Rong raised his head and said, "The two of you, please come over and take a close look at this object."

As he spoke, Duan Rong reached forward, extending the object in his hand toward them.

The two saw clearly that what Duan Rong held in his hand was nothing more than a piece of broken wood scavenged from the ruins. To tell them to look at it closely—was he not just playing them for fools?

A surge of anger rose in Zhu Peng's heart.

Zhu Cheng had a better temper, but he did not reach out to take the blackened piece of broken wood from Duan Rong's hand; instead, he frowned and asked, "May I ask, Lord Duan, what is strange about this object? What is it you want us to look at?"

Duan Rong said, "Though this object is small, it can draw down heavenly thunder! The culprit that caused Lord Zhu Shizhong to be struck dead by lightning is this very thing."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng's eyelids twitched wildly.

"Are you saying the heavenly thunder that struck Lord Zhu Shizhong dead was drawn down by someone using this object?"

"Exactly!" Duan Rong replied with a firm gaze.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng exchanged a glance, both feeling as if they were listening to a tall tale, yet they still walked over and took the charred, blackened piece of broken wood from Duan Rong's hand.

Zhu Peng, finding the broken wood dirty, let Zhu Cheng hold it while he leaned in to observe from the side.

The two soon discovered that at the bottom of a deep groove on the wood block, a slender wooden handle poked its head out from the side. On the broken wood, there was also an inconspicuous little hole, inside of which a blackened needle tip was slightly exposed.

The two looked on in surprise, though they could not understand why this piece of broken wood in their hands would have these two strange arrangements.

However, they also knew that where there is an anomaly, there must be a demon; surely such intricate and hidden mechanisms would not appear for no reason?

At this moment, the way Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at Duan Rong had changed.

The impatience and anger that had been on their faces were now completely gone.

In such a massive pile of ruins, perhaps only this one piece of broken wood contained these two inconspicuous mechanisms. Finding it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Yet Duan Rong had managed to find it all by himself.

The words Duan Rong had spoken yesterday sounded like the ravings of a madman at the time, but now, they suddenly understood the meaning behind them.

Duan Rong had said that the ruins in these broken walls could speak. He had also said they couldn't see it. And he had said he would pick through this entire ruin.

Thinking of it now, every word had hit the mark.

If Duan Rong hadn't handed it to them and urged them to look closely, even if they had picked up this piece of broken wood from the ruins themselves, they likely would have only given it a cursory glance and never discovered these two hidden and inconspicuous mechanisms.

At this moment, the one who regretted it most was Zhu Cheng.

He hated himself for not staying behind to follow Duan Rong yesterday.

It wasn't that he felt sorry for Duan Rong working hard alone. Duan Rong had been able to find this single piece of wood containing a hidden, subtle clue from such a vast ruin in just one night; he must have had a very ingenious method.

If he had been by his side at the time, perhaps he could have stolen a trick or two, which would have been of endless use in his future investigations!

Zhu Cheng bowed slightly to Duan Rong and said, "Lord Duan, are you saying that the small mechanism inside this broken wood is the culprit that caused Lord Zhu Shizhong to be struck dead by heavenly thunder?"

Duan Rong said, "Exactly!"

Zhu Cheng said with a puzzled look, "This object is indeed suspicious. But the thunder of the nine heavens is a terrifying force; how could such a tiny trinket draw it down? I ask that you explain it in detail, my lord."

Duan Rong said, "I can explain it in detail. But whether you can understand it, I do not know."

Friction-generated electricity, fur rubbing against a rubber rod creating a negative charge—this was knowledge learned in elementary school natural science, and he truly did not know what language to use in this world to explain it to the ancients.

Zhu Peng, however, said quite confidently, "My lord, just speak. Whether we understand it or not is our business."

Duan Rong said, "Let's return to the Dali Temple. And we'll pick up some things on the street on the way."

The three then left the residence of the Secretariat Chancellor Zhu Shizhong, and after Duan Rong bought some miscellaneous items at several shops on the street, they returned to the Dali Temple.

It was the same room where the three had first met.

Duan Rong tinkered for a while, then held a blackened piece of rubber with a slender needle stuck through the middle, and said to the two, "Inside that piece of broken wood, this was originally the thing. The needle head extended out from the small hole toward the sky. The bottom was connected to the wooden handle, reaching deep into the bottom of the groove."

"Water flowed constantly through the groove, driving the wooden handle to move back and forth, rubbing against a piece of fur inside."

"Just like this!"

As he spoke, Duan Rong picked up a piece of fur and rubbed it back and forth on the rubber rod.

After a while, Duan Rong took the rubber rod and used it to pick up the paper scraps prepared on the table.

Duan Rong said, "Look, do you see? It picked them up!"

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng blinked, feeling as if Duan Rong were performing a magic trick for them.

Seeing their expressions, Duan Rong knew this was useless, so his gaze shifted, and he suddenly said, "Draw the curtains tight."

"Draw the curtains?"

"Yes!" Duan Rong called out while rubbing the rubber rod with the fur.

Zhu Peng had no choice but to get up and draw the curtains tight, and the light in the room instantly dimmed.

Duan Rong put down the fur and suddenly said, "Watch closely!"

As he spoke, Duan Rong drew his Minghong Saber with a clatter.

In the dim light, the blade's glow was like water.

Both men were startled, their bodies instantly tensing, but they saw Duan Rong raise the saber and slowly move the blade toward the needle head in the middle of the rubber rod he held in his other hand.

When it reached a distance of about half an inch, an arc of electricity clearly flashed between the needle tip and the blade.

Duan Rong smiled slightly and said, "Did you see that? The arc of electricity just now!"

"An arc of electricity?" Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng exchanged a puzzled look.

Zhu Peng said, "Wasn't that just the kind of spark that flashes on my body when I take off my clothes in autumn?"

Duan Rong's eyes lit up, and he said, "Yes, that's the thing. That is also an arc of electricity!"

Zhu Cheng's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "Lord Duan, what you call... an arc of electricity... what does this have to do with the thunder of the nine heavens?"

"That's right! Isn't that spark quite common?" Zhu Peng said.

Duan Rong pointed at the needle tip and said, "I want to say that the spark that flashed here just now is actually the same thing as the thunder from the nine heavens. Do you believe me?"

The two men looked stunned, then shook their heads.

Duan Rong let out a dry laugh. He had actually wanted to explain these discoveries from an age of scientific enlightenment to these two ancients; it was truly overestimating his own capabilities.

Duan Rong sighed and said, "In any case, the craftsmen who built the cooling house for Lord Zhu Shizhong definitely have a problem. If you arrest them and interrogate them under torture, they will certainly confess! When that time comes, you will know whether what I said is true or false."

Zhu Cheng then glanced at Zhu Peng and asked, "Has someone been keeping an eye on that group of craftsmen?"

Zhu Peng said, "They have been watched the whole time. These past few days, they have been building a cooling house at the home of Advisory Grand Master Ge."

When they first took over the case, they had already interrogated that group of craftsmen. At that time, they indeed found no problems.

But now, that piece of broken wood clearly contained some kind of mechanism within it.

As for that small mechanism being able to draw down heavenly thunder, the two of them absolutely did not believe it. But why those craftsmen would arrange such a mechanism on the cooling house was clearly harboring evil intentions and required strict interrogation.

Immediately, Zhu Peng went to the Privy Council to mobilize another troop of iron cavalry, and Zhu Cheng also brought two teams of clerks from the Dali Temple to accompany them, while Duan Rong followed along with the charred, blackened piece of broken wood, the three of them heading toward the residence of the Advisory Grand Master in a grand procession.

Although the Advisory Grand Master was also a First-Rank Official, Zhu Cheng felt that they were not there to arrest people from his residence, but rather that group of craftsmen; since they were involved in the case, it was in accordance with the law for them to take them back to the Dali Temple for questioning.

By this time, it was already dusk. Zhu Cheng first had someone go to inquire about the Advisory Grand Master, Ge Hengtai, to confirm that he had already returned to his residence from the government office before setting out.

This way, it would be easier to negotiate; otherwise, running back and forth would easily lead to trouble. They could not just charge into the Ge residence to make arrests, as that would be equivalent to slapping Ge Hengtai in the face.

This Ge Hengtai was of the bloodline of the Elder Council's Elder, Ge Rusong; otherwise, he could not have sat in the position of Advisory Grand Master, holding the power of inspection over all of Qingzhou.

That Ge Rusong was the Chief of the Sect's Office of Transmission and held quite a bit of influence within the Sect. If it were not necessary, Zhu Cheng did not wish to easily forge a grudge with him.

The three of them arrived at the main gate of the Ge residence.

Zhu Cheng had the men and horses wait outside.

Mobilizing this troop was to have them escort that group of craftsmen to be locked in the Dali Temple's Dungeon later, ensuring safety along the way.

Zhu Cheng stood there, handed a calling card to the gatekeeper, and explained their purpose.

The gatekeeper took one look at the dark mass of iron cavalry outside the main gate, his expression immediately turning somewhat ugly; he took the calling card and ran hurriedly into the residence.

Before long, the gatekeeper returned to report that the master had invited the lords to enter.

Zhu Cheng, Zhu Peng, Duan Rong, and the two clerks from the Dali Temple then walked into the Ge residence together.

The gatekeeper led them all the way to a flower hall.

As soon as they entered the flower hall, they saw a burly middle-aged man sitting there, wearing casual clothes.

Duan Rong glanced at the man and saw that his eyebrows were thick, his cheekbones were high, and the lines of his chin were hard and resolute.

Zhu Cheng stepped into the flower hall and immediately cupped his hands, smiling: "Lord Ge, apologies for the disturbance at dusk; I hope you will forgive us for interrupting your rest!"

Ge Hengtai sat there without moving, merely cupping his hands slightly, and said, "As long as it is official business, it does not matter whether it is a disturbance or not."

As Ge Hengtai spoke, he glanced at the two clerks behind Zhu Cheng. Since clerks had been brought along, it was naturally official business.

Zhu Cheng smiled: "It is about the case. If it were not a matter of urgency, how would I dare to disturb you?"

Ge Hengtai remained silent. Zhu Cheng gave an awkward smile and continued: "It is like this. The group of craftsmen who built the cooling house for Lord Zhu Shizhong are currently at your residence, building a cooling house for you. They are individuals involved in the case, and I wish to take them back to the Dali Temple for investigation. I ask for your accommodation."

Ge Hengtai coughed and said, "If I remember correctly, at the beginning of the case, Lord Zhu was at the Dali Temple and already interrogated them, right? If you want to interrogate them again today, there must be a reason, right?"

Zhu Cheng said, "Yes. It is just that during the investigation over these past two days, we discovered some new problems and need to re-interrogate this group of craftsmen."

"What problems?" Ge Hengtai asked with a cold face.

At this moment, Duan Rong and the others could already feel that Ge Hengtai clearly did not want to let them go easily. Perhaps he did not want to delay the construction of his cooling house, or perhaps he had other thoughts.

"This..." Zhu Cheng's expression was somewhat hesitant. He actually did not want to disclose the specific details of the investigation.

Ge Hengtai naturally saw through Zhu Cheng's thoughts at a glance and said in a deep voice, "I am an Advisory Grand Master, holding the power of inspection over all of Qingzhou. As far as matters in Qingzhou are concerned, there is nothing that I, Ge, cannot ask about!"

"Yes!" Zhu Cheng bowed respectfully. Ge Hengtai was speaking of the laws of the officialdom, and he could only comply: "Over the past two days, we searched the ruins of the cooling house at Lord Zhu's residence and discovered that a certain piece of broken wood contained two small, precise mechanisms. We suspect that Lord Zhu's death may be related to this."

Ge Hengtai's gaze tightened, and he asked, "Inside the broken wood? A mechanism?"

"Exactly!" Zhu Cheng said sternly.

"Where is the object? Bring it here for me to see!" Ge Hengtai said without ceremony.

Zhu Cheng frowned slightly, but still took the piece of broken wood from Duan Rong's hand, walked forward, and handed it to Ge Hengtai.

Ge Hengtai examined the blackened piece of broken wood in his hand. After looking at it for a while, he said, "Just this little trinket? Looking at this position, this was something on the roof, right?"

Ge Hengtai's own home was also building a cooling house, and he had previously seen the design drawings and samples of the key components.

Zhu Cheng stammered slightly. That place was indeed on the roof, and as for whether it had any specific connection to Lord Zhu's death, he could not answer for the moment.

Ge Hengtai said, "Lord Zhu's death was caused by a strike of heavenly thunder; many people on Changle Street witnessed this with their own eyes. That night, the heavenly thunder fell, and the light was dazzling; many people nearby witnessed it. You are now taking such a trinket and saying it is related to Lord Zhu's death—in my view, you are trying to treat human life like grass!?"

"This..."

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng were both stunned by Ge Hengtai's sudden attack.

In his anxiety, Zhu Peng suddenly said, "It was that trinket that drew the heavenly thunder down!"

"What?!" The muscles on Ge Hengtai's face twitched.

Zhu Cheng turned his head and glared at Zhu Peng.

Zhu Peng was even more flustered. He looked at Duan Rong beside him and said, "Lord Duan, is that so?"

Duan Rong's expression remained unmoved, and he said, "Exactly!"

Ge Hengtai's gaze moved past Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng, fixed on Duan Rong, and he asked, "Are you saying that this thing in my hand drew down that thunder of the nine heavens and struck Lord Zhu Shizhong to death?"

Duan Rong said, "That is indeed the case."

Ge Hengtai's eyes flickered. He looked Duan Rong up and down and suddenly asked, "May I ask, who are you?"

Duan Rong said, "My name is Duan Rong, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Sect. I am participating in the investigation of this case under the orders of Lord Zhu He, Chief of the Sect's Inner History Department."

Upon hearing this, Ge Hengtai let out a cold snort and said, "Fine! It is good to have a background!"

As Ge Hengtai spoke, he suddenly stood up and shouted, "Someone come!"

A capable-looking clerk dressed as a scholar immediately stepped into the flower hall and stood there with cupped hands.

Ge Hengtai said, "Go, take my calling card and invite Prefecture Master Lord Wang and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Lord Chen to the manor for a visit."

"Yes!" The clerk cupped his hands and left.

Seeing that this matter was about to escalate, Zhu Cheng felt even more flustered and immediately said, "Lord Ge, why invite the Prefecture Master and Lord Chen as well?"

Ge Hengtai coldly said, "This official intends to impeach you for making reckless accusations and treating human lives like grass! You are people of the Dali Temple, so naturally, you shall be handed over to the Dali Temple to be dealt with! As for how this Lord Duan is to be dealt with, that will depend on the Prefecture Master's intentions!"

"Ah?!"

Zhu Cheng said with slight anger, "Lord Ge, why bully people with your power like this? As the saying goes, if you are determined to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!"

"This official is bullying people with power!?" Ge Hengtai let out a cold laugh and said, "Then I must trouble you three lords to explain to me exactly how this thing managed to summon heavenly lightning?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng once again cast a sidelong glance at Zhu Peng with an ugly expression, clearly blaming him for having a loose tongue.

Duan Rong watched the few people in the hall but did not speak; this thing could not be explained clearly just by talking.

Yet Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng, who were standing to the side, both took Duan Rong's silence as a sign of a guilty conscience, and the two of them felt even more like they were burning with fire inside.

(End of this chapter)