Chapter 461: The Lacquered Secret Letter

Lu Geng was sitting before a small table, stuffing his face, when Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng suddenly walked in through the door; the moment the two entered, they immediately knelt to pay their respects.

"Subordinates Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng pay respects to you, my lord!"

Lu Geng was in the middle of drinking a bowl of soup; the two men's shout nearly made him choke. He wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth, glanced at the two figures prostrate on the ground at the doorway, and said, "Rise, you two lords. We are not in the Ya Men, there is no need for such rigid formalities."

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng rose accordingly, and while they were getting up, Lu Geng tilted his neck back and gulped down the last of the soup.

Lu Geng let out a satisfied belch, set down the empty soup bowl in his hand, looked at Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng, and laughed, "You two lords are certainly well-informed!"

Wang Maochun glanced at the empty bowls and dishes on the table, cupped his hands, and said, "Just before you arrived, my lord, the official dispatch from the Sect had already arrived. I specifically called my colleague Chen to come with me to pay respects to you, my lord."

Lu Geng smiled slightly, having already understood the meaning behind Wang Maochun's words.

Chen Shanmeng also stepped forward half a pace, cupped his hands, and said, "Since you have arrived, my lord, please enter the Dali Temple to preside over the case investigations."

Lu Geng stood up and said, "There is no rush to preside over the case investigations. Once Yang Yi and Jiang Zhe arrive, we will enter the Dali Temple together. For now, I must go see my Disciple first."

"Disciple?" Wang Maochun's expression froze, then he suddenly realized, blurting out, "Has Lord Wang Yue arrived as well?"

As Lu Geng walked outside, he said, "Not Wang Yue, it is Duan Rong!"

"Duan Rong?!"

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng looked at each other in dismay, both feeling a jolt of shock, but by then Lu Geng had already walked out of the room, gone downstairs, mounted his horse, and galloped out of the post house.

Both of them had heard half a year ago that Duan Rong had been taken in by Zhu He and become a personal disciple of the Sect, but when had this Duan Rong arrived in Shenyun Prefecture?

Zhu Zhengfu had gone to Guanglu Prefecture that morning to handle several important official matters, and after giving a few instructions to his three deputies, he had headed back to his residence. It was not that he wanted to slack off; he had been focusing on the public sentiment in the streets of Shenyun Prefecture these past few days and had no time for anything else, so he had to set aside the matters at the Ya Men.

The reports from those informants usually did not arrive at the residence until the afternoon or evening.

At this moment, Zhu Zhengfu sipped some ginseng tea, preparing to sit on a recliner to rest his mind.

Just then, the Old Butler Zhu Yu rushed in in a panic; perhaps he was walking too fast, for he bumped into a tea table by the entrance, causing it to shift with a creak.

Zhu Zhengfu opened his eyes, a flash of displeasure clearly crossing his gaze. Before Zhu Yu could even step forward, he scolded, "How many years has it been, and you are still this flustered, with no sense of decorum..."

Before Zhu Zhengfu could finish, Zhu Yu interrupted him, saying, "Master, Lord Lu Geng has arrived!"

"Lu Geng!?" Zhu Zhengfu immediately straightened his posture on the chair and asked urgently, "Where is he? Where?"

Zhu Yu said, "He has already entered the residence and will be at the Rockery soon."

"Quick, come with me to welcome him!"

Zhu Zhengfu jumped up from his chair immediately; his plump body was as agile as an old ape as he darted out the door and hurried toward the Rockery.

Once outside, Zhu Zhengfu saw from a distance that the gatekeeper was leading a tall, burly man around the Rockery and toward him.

Zhu Zhengfu rushed over, knelt on the ground, and cried, "I did not know Lord Lu was arriving; I failed to welcome you in time."

"Enough, Lord Zhu, I have been here several times! Stop with these empty formalities!" Lu Geng asked, "Where is my Disciple?"

"Lord Duan?" Zhu Zhengfu looked up and said, "Lord Duan is in the Separate Courtyard!"

"Let's go, take me there!" Lu Geng knew where the Separate Courtyard was, so he lifted his foot and headed in that direction, with Zhu Zhengfu immediately rising to follow.

Inside the Separate Courtyard, Duan Rong was teaching Ruyi how to trace characters; the two were huddled together, tracing the copybook while laughing and chatting from time to time.

Just then, Zhu Zhengfu ran in, knelt at the doorway, and said, "Subordinate pays respects to you, my lord!"

Duan Rong was holding Ruyi's soft, fair hand, tracing the character for 'evening', and a faint smile hung on the corners of Ruyi's mouth.

Duan Rong frowned as he glanced at the prostrate Zhu Zhengfu at the door. He was puzzled; Zhu Zhengfu usually came to pay respects in the evening to report the day's public sentiment, so why had he come to pay his respects so early today?

Just as Duan Rong was about to tell Zhu Zhengfu to rise and ask what had happened, he saw a figure step in from the doorway.

At this moment, the sun was shining at the entrance. Duan Rong was standing before the table where they were tracing characters, and he saw a tall, dark shadow enter, shrouded in a halo of sunlight; under the glare, he could not make out the person's face for a moment.

"Disciple! We are all back on the peak, worrying about you every single day! Especially Senior Sister, who doesn't mention you a few times every day? You, on the other hand, are truly enjoying the comforts of a beauty's embrace!" The man said this to Duan Rong the moment he stepped into the room.

Once that familiar voice rang out, how could Duan Rong not know who had come?

By now, Lu Geng had walked out of the glare of the sun and stood not far from Duan Rong.

"Senior Brother Lu, why have you come?" Duan Rong asked with a look of surprise.

Lu Geng sat down brazenly on a grand armchair nearby and said, "Why can't I come? Ah, I see, I'm disturbing you, Disciple, in your late-night reading with a beauty by your side!"

As Lu Geng spoke, he lifted his buttocks slightly off the seat, stretched his neck, and peered at the copybook on Duan Rong's table, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Oh—writing, are we! How very elegant!"

Lu Geng had entered so suddenly that Ruyi only just reacted; she pulled her hand away from Duan Rong's, set down the brush, and stood to the side, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Lu Geng sat there, staring at Ruyi the whole time, making clicking sounds with his tongue as he watched, saying, "Truly radiant! You have such good fortune, Disciple! Sigh..."

By now, Duan Rong had no mood to banter with Lu Geng. He knew that Lu Geng must have a reason for coming at this time. He looked at Ruyi and said, "Ruyi, serve my Senior Brother some tea!"

"No need!" Lu Geng said, "I just drank a big bowl of soup, my stomach is full." Upon hearing this, Ruyi stood there, feeling caught in a dilemma.

Lu Geng glanced at her and said, "Girl, you go out first; I have something to discuss with your lover."

The 'lover' Lu Geng spoke of naturally referred to Duan Rong.

Upon hearing this, Ruyi felt even more shy and embarrassed, yet she could not suppress the joy rising in her heart.

Ruyi lowered her head, walked past Duan Rong's side, and headed outside.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhengfu was still kneeling at the doorway. Lu Geng turned his head to look at him and said, "Lord Zhu, you should go as well."

"Yes! My lord!"

Only then did Zhu Zhengfu rise, turn around, and step out the door.

Duan Rong sat not far from Lu Geng with a solemn expression, saying nothing.

Ruyi carefully closed the door and walked toward the gate of the Separate Courtyard.

The moment the door closed, Duan Rong felt a strand of Divine Sense released from Lu Geng, sweeping outward. Clearly, Lu Geng was uneasy about the surroundings and feared someone might be eavesdropping on their conversation.

Duan Rong looked at Lu Geng and said coldly, "Senior Brother, when did you arrive? How did you get here?"

Lu Geng looked at Duan Rong upon hearing this, his face now devoid of any playful expression. "I arrived this morning, rode my horse in through the East City Gate."

The muscles on Duan Rong's face twitched as he asked, "You rode your horse in through the East City Gate and came straight to find me?"

Lu Geng said, "That's not it! I went to the post house to eat something first, then Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng came to the post house to pay their respects. I told them I was coming to find you, and then I came over."

"What?!" Duan Rong could not comprehend Lu Geng's actions for a moment and asked, "Senior Brother, I think you're worried I haven't been exposed enough! Isn't this just making it obvious to the entire Shenyun Prefecture that I'm here?"

Lu Geng smiled slightly and said, "Disciple, do you still think your presence in this Separate Courtyard is some kind of secret? It's not just in Shenyun Prefecture; in the Sect Elder Council hundreds of miles away, who doesn't know you are here!"

Duan Rong did not immediately grasp Lu Geng's meaning. Those who had come to investigate these past few days were nothing more than that waiter from Taihe Tower, and they had retreated without even catching a glimpse of him. They might know someone was in this Separate Courtyard, but how could they guess it was him?

Lu Geng suddenly changed the subject, his expression turning gloomy as he asked, "Disciple, let me ask you, how did you kill Li Shensi?"

Duan Rong's brow furrowed, and he said, "Killed him with poison!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Geng suddenly stood up and began pacing before Duan Rong, asking, "Jiang Zhe has brought a Pharmacist from the Sect Medicine Pavilion and is already on the way. Can that poison be detected?"

Duan Rong calmly replied, "It cannot be detected."

Lu Geng stopped abruptly, turned his head to stare at Duan Rong, and asked, "Disciple, this matter is of great importance; do not be overconfident! Are you certain it cannot be detected?"

Duan Rong nodded and said, "Certain." Of course he was certain; Li Shensi hadn't been killed by poison at all, so who could possibly detect it!

Lu Geng remained standing there, staring blankly at Duan Rong, seemingly waiting for an explanation.

Duan Rong had already prepared his excuse before planning the Wuji Mountain incident, so he spoke unhurriedly: "That type of poison is volatile. After the deceased dies, the toxins in the body will evaporate completely within about a day. Li Shensi fell from a cliff, and by the time he died, he was already a pile of mush, which further accelerated the evaporation of the toxins; I fear it would have mostly evaporated within an hour!"

Lu Geng's grave expression suddenly eased significantly. His eyes flickered as he continued to ask, "Even the Sect's Pharmacist won't be able to detect it?"

Duan Rong said, "It has already evaporated, how could they detect it? Even I wouldn't be able to detect it myself."

Only then did Lu Geng finally chuckle, reaching out to pat Duan Rong on the shoulder, saying, "Disciple, I couldn't tell! You're quite the expert at using poison!"

As Lu Geng spoke, he sat back down in his chair and said, "Master is very satisfied with your operation this time. He praises you for being resourceful and unconventional!"

Duan Rong smiled noncommittally; if that poison could be detected, Lu Geng probably wouldn't be saying this.

Duan Rong asked, "Is Jiang Zhe coming to investigate the Li Shensi case?"

Lu Geng said, "This is Sect Master Chu's intention! Yang Yi, myself, and Jiang Zhe are the three in charge of the Li Shensi case at the Dali Temple."

Hearing this, Duan Rong pondered for a moment and said, "This arrangement seems somewhat unusual."

In the case of the former Minister Zhu Shizhong, Duan Rong had only intervened to assist in the investigation; the main office in charge of the case was the Dali Temple, and the officials in charge were Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng. In other words, that case was handled entirely within the secular judicial structure.

Lu Geng said, "The situation itself is unusual, so how could the arrangements be ordinary?"

In truth, when Zhu Shizhong died, firstly, his death was suspicious, and it was initially thought to be a natural disaster. Secondly, he was of Zhu He's bloodline. Within the Elder Council, everyone else tacitly understood and did not interfere; the case was entirely directed by Zhu He alone.

But this time, Li Shensi was different. Within the Elder Council, Zhu He and Ge Rusong were already arguing incessantly, so the arrangements were naturally unusual.

Lu Geng continued, "Disciple, do you know? In the Sect Elder Council, Ge Rusong insists that you killed Li Shensi."

Duan Rong's expression remained unmoved, and he sighed, "Doing dirty work and bearing the infamy—isn't that a common occurrence?"

Lu Geng said, "Disciple, rest assured. As long as the poison in Li Shensi cannot be detected, this matter will be simple. Even if it can be detected, Master has ways to ensure you pass through safely."

Hearing this, Duan Rong glanced at Lu Geng; the meaning in Lu Geng's words clearly implied they had a backup plan.

At this moment, Lu Geng suddenly raised his eyes and looked around, saying as he looked, "However, Disciple, you have something dirty here in your Separate Courtyard."

Duan Rong's expression tightened, and he asked, "What dirty thing?"

Lu Geng said, "In the Sect Elder Council, Ge Rusong described your movements with perfect clarity, precise even to the hour. Disciple, you tell me if there is something dirty by your side."

Duan Rong's eyelid twitched.

"What hour you left the Separate Courtyard and what hour you returned—he knows it clearly, despite being hundreds of miles away."

Duan Rong understood immediately who it was.

The guards on the perimeter of the Separate Courtyard could not approach it; only Chou Luan and Ruyi could enter. The only one who could know his movements down to the hour was Ruyi. Moreover, the night he snuck out before the Sacrifice to Heaven, he had not used Medicine Powder to knock Ruyi unconscious.

Lu Geng looked at Duan Rong and said, "It seems Disciple already knows who it is."

In fact, having walked all the way here, Lu Geng had already guessed. The perimeter guards couldn't enter, and the Guard in the courtyard only stayed on the large bluestone; the greatest suspect was clearly the alluring young maid from just a moment ago.

Cold light flickered in Duan Rong's eyes at this moment.

Ruyi had been brought by Zhu Zhengfu, but the person behind her was clearly not Zhu Zhengfu. Zhu Zhengfu was Zhu He's bloodline in the secular world; if he were to do such a thing, it would be betraying his own kin and digging his own grave.

Then there was only one possibility: when Zhu Zhengfu went to the courtyard to buy a 'thin horse', that slave trader or procuress must have been one of Ge Rusong's people, and they had seized the opportunity to plant Ruyi there.

Zhu Zhengfu looked at Duan Rong and continued, "Ge Rusong insists in the Sect Elder Council that you killed Li Shensi, so Master argued fiercely with them, saying that he sent you to Shenyun Prefecture to secretly investigate the spies in the city."

"Investigate spies?!" Hearing this, Duan Rong's eyelid twitched wildly. He had a premonition that another dirty job was coming.

Lu Geng laughed and said, "If Li Shensi's poison cannot be detected, the case cannot be pinned on you. However, since Master said he sent you to investigate spies, you must catch a few to plug those gossiping mouths!"

Duan Rong sat there in silence. Why did this old man only assign him these kinds of jobs!?

Seeing Duan Rong's lack of reaction, Lu Geng said, "Disciple! Master said that you have long known the details of the spies. Is that so or not?"

Duan Rong sat there and sneered. Why did he feel like that old man was plotting against him?

Those spies were the result of Ge Rusong's years of painstaking planning; even to plug those gossiping mouths, he would only be catching a few for show. If he really struck at Ge Rusong's vital point, wouldn't that be like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth?

Lu Geng said, "Regarding the matter of catching spies, Master has a message to bring to you!"

Duan Rong asked, "What message?"

Lu Geng said, "Cut the weeds and dig up the roots! Pull them out by the root!"

Duan Rong gasped, his scalp tingling. He did not respond to Lu Geng for a long time. Danger?!

Lu Geng glanced at Duan Rong and said, "I have delivered the message; how you do it is up to you, Disciple. By the way, there is one more thing."

Duan Rong raised his head with a bitter expression.

Lu Geng said, "Master also instructed that when you are catching the spies, do not move against the spy by your side yet!"

"Don't move against this spy yet?" Duan Rong asked in surprise.

"Correct!"

"Why?" Duan Rong was very puzzled; why would Zhu He give such an instruction?

Lu Geng said, "Master instructed it, how would I know. Also, Master has a secret letter for you."

As Lu Geng spoke, he took a secret letter sealed with wax from his lapel and slapped it onto the desk in front of Duan Rong.

(End of chapter)