A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 401 Ge Hengtai

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng came over. Duan Rong was still holding the blackened piece of wood, sitting on the stone steps in front of the ruins, staring into deep thought.

There was obvious impatience on their faces.

Zhu Cheng coughed, took a few steps closer, and asked, "Master Duan, do you have something to talk to us about?"

Duan Rong raised his head and said, "Please come over here and take a closer look at this thing."

Duan Rong said this as he stretched out the object in his hand and handed it to the two of them.

The two of them could see clearly that what Duan Rong held in his hand was just a piece of broken wood that he had dug out from the ruins. He even asked them to take a closer look. Wasn't that just teasing them?

Anger was already welling up in Zhu Peng's heart.

Zhu Cheng was in a better mood, but he did not reach out to take the black piece of wood from Duan Rong. Instead, he frowned and asked, "Master Duan, what is so strange about this thing? What do you want us to see?"

Duan Rong said: "Although this thing is small, it can attract thunder from the sky! The culprit that caused Lord Zhu Shizhong to be struck to death by thunder is this thing."

"what?!"

When Zhu Cheng heard this, his eyelids twitched wildly.

"Are you saying that the thunderbolt that killed Master Zhu Shizhong was brought down by someone using this object?"

"That's right!" Duan Rong answered with a firm look.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at each other, both feeling as if they were listening to a fairy tale, but they still walked over and took the piece of burnt and blackened wood from Duan Rong's hand.

Zhu Peng disliked the dirty broken wood, so he let Zhu Cheng hold it while he stood aside and watched.

The two soon discovered that at the bottom of the deep groove on the wood block, there was a slender wooden handle sticking out from the side. There was also an inconspicuous hole on the broken wood, and a black needle tip was slightly exposed in the hole.

The two men looked surprised. Although they couldn't understand the piece of broken wood in their hands, why did it have these two strange arrangements?

But they also know that there must be something wrong when things are not normal. It is impossible that these two sophisticated and hidden mechanisms appear out of nowhere, right?

At this time, the expressions Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at Duan Rong had changed.

The impatience and anger on his face were gone.

Among such a large pile of ruins, perhaps only this piece of broken wood has these two inconspicuous mechanisms. Finding them is almost like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But Duan Rong actually found it by himself.

When they heard what Duan Rong said yesterday, they felt it was crazy talk, but now, they suddenly understood the meaning of those words.

Duan Rong said that the ruins in these broken walls and ruins can speak. He also said that they can't see it. He also said that he wants to pick up all the ruins.

Thinking about it now, every word hits the mark.

If Duan Rong hadn't given it to them and told them to look carefully, if they had picked up the broken wood from the ruins, they would probably have just glanced at it and wouldn't have noticed these two hidden and inconspicuous mechanisms.

At this moment, the one who felt the most regretful was Zhu Cheng.

He hated himself. Why didn't he stay and follow Duan Rong yesterday?
He didn't feel sorry for Duan Rong, who was working so hard alone. Duan Rong was able to find the only piece of broken wood containing a subtle clue from such a large area of ​​ruins overnight. He must have a very clever method.

If he was around at the time, maybe he could learn a thing or two from the others, which would be of great use to him in his future investigations!

Zhu Cheng bowed gently to Duan Rong and said, "Master Duan, are you saying that the small mechanism in the broken wood was the culprit that caused Master Zhu Shizhong to be killed by the thunderbolt?"

Duan Rong said: "That's right!"

Zhu Cheng looked puzzled and said, "This thing is indeed strange. But how terrifying is the Nine Heavens Thunder? How can such a small thing be attracted? Please disassemble it in detail, sir."

Duan Rong said: "It's fine to break it down in detail. But I don't know if you can understand it."

Friction generates electricity. Fur rubbing against a rubber stick will carry a negative charge. This is the knowledge learned in elementary school science class. He really doesn't know what kind of language model he should use to explain it to the ancients.

Zhu Peng said confidently: "Just keep talking, sir. Whether they understand or not is our business."

Duan Rong said, "Let's go back to the Dali Temple. Let's go to the street to get something."

The three of them then left the residence of Shangshu Ling Zhu Shizhong. Duan Rong bought some miscellaneous things from several shops on the street, and then they returned to the Dali Temple.

It was the same room where the three of them met for the first time.

Duan Rong fiddled with it for a while, then pinched a piece of black rubber with a thin needle stuck in the middle. He looked at the two and said, "This thing was originally inside the broken wood. The needle tip protruded from the small hole and pointed toward the sky. There is a wooden handle underneath, deep to the bottom of the groove."

"The water kept flowing in the groove, which drove the wooden handle to move back and forth, rubbing back and forth on a piece of fur inside."

"like this!"

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

After a while, Duan Rong took the rubber stick and sucked up the scraps of paper prepared on the table.

Duan Rong said: "Look, did you see it? It's sucking up!"

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng blinked their eyes, feeling that Duan Rong was performing a magic trick on them.

Duan Rong looked at the two and knew it was useless. Then his eyes moved and he suddenly said, "Draw the curtains tightly."

"Draw the curtains?"

"Yes!" Duan Rong shouted as he stroked the rubber stick with fur.

Zhu Peng had no choice but to get up and draw the curtains tightly, and the light in the room suddenly became dim.

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

As he spoke, Duan Rong drew out his Minghong Sword with a loud noise.

In the dim light, the knife shines like water.

Both of them were startled and their bodies tensed up instantly, but they saw Duan Rong raise the knife and slowly move the blade towards the tip of the needle in the middle of the rubber stick held in his other hand.

When the distance was about half an inch, a flash of electricity suddenly appeared between the tip of the needle and the blade.

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

"Electric arc?" Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at each other in confusion.

Zhu Peng said: "Isn't that the same spark that flashed off my body when I took off my clothes in autumn?"

Duan Rong's eyes lit up and he said, "Yes, that's it. That's also an electric arc!"

Zhu Cheng's eyes slightly moved, and he said, "Master Duan, what do you mean by... electric arc... and what does it have to do with the Nine Heavens Thunder?"

"Yes! Aren't spark seeds very 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 and the Nine Heavens Thunder are actually the same thing. Do you believe it?"

The two were startled and then shook their heads.

Duan Rong suddenly laughed. He actually wanted to explain to these two ancient people the discoveries made in the age of scientific prosperity. He was really overestimating his own abilities.

Duan Rong sighed and said, "In short, there is definitely something wrong with the craftsmen who built the summer house for Lord Zhu Shizhong. Catch them and torture them severely, and they will definitely confess! Then you will know whether what I said is true or false."

Zhu Cheng then glanced at Zhu Peng and asked, "Those craftsmen have been under surveillance, right?"

Zhu Peng said: "We have been keeping an eye on them. These days, they are building a summer house at the home of the counselor, Mr. Ge." When they first took over the case, they had examined the group of craftsmen. At that time, they did not find any problems.

But now, it was obvious that the broken wood contained some kind of trick.

They absolutely did not believe that the small mechanism could draw down thunder. But why did the craftsmen set up the mechanism above the pavilion? It was obvious that they had ulterior motives and must be investigated.

Zhu Peng then went to the Privy Council to mobilize another team of cavalry. Zhu Cheng also brought two teams of secretaries from the Dali Temple with him. Duan Rong also followed with the charred and blackened piece of wood. The three of them went to the residence of the Counselor in a mighty manner.

Although the Counselor was also a first-rank official, Zhu Cheng felt that they were not arresting people in his mansion, but the craftsmen. Since they were involved in the case, it was legal for them to bring them back to the Dali Temple for interrogation.

At this time, it was already dusk. Zhu Cheng first sent someone to inquire about the Imperial Counselor Ge Hengtai, and confirmed that he had returned to the mansion from the government office before setting out.

This would make it easier to negotiate, otherwise running back and forth would easily lead to chaos. They also couldn't just rush into Ge's house to arrest people, as that would be like slapping Ge Hengtai in the face.

This Ge Hengtai is the descendant of Ge Rushong, the elder of the Council of Elders. Otherwise, he would not have been able to take the position of Grand Counselor and be in charge of the supervisory power of the entire Qingzhou.

Ge Rushong was the director of the sect's Tongzhengshisi and had quite a bit of influence within the sect. Zhu Cheng was unwilling to create a feud with him unless it was necessary.

The three of them arrived at the gate of Ge Mansion.

Zhu Cheng asked his men to wait outside.

The purpose of transferring this team here is to let them escort the craftsmen to the Dali Temple dungeon and detain them in order to ensure their safety along the way.

Zhu Cheng was there and handed a visiting card to the doorman, explaining his reason.

The gateman took a look at the black mass of cavalrymen outside the gate and his face suddenly became grim. He took the visiting card and hurried into the mansion.

After a while, the doorman came back and said that the master wanted everyone to come in.

Zhu Cheng, Zhu Peng, Duan Rong, and two secretaries from the Dali Temple walked into Ge's mansion together.

The concierge led them into a flower hall.

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

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

Zhu Cheng stepped into the flower hall and immediately clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Master Ge, I am sorry to bother you at dusk and disturb your rest. I hope you will forgive me!"

Ge Hengtai sat there motionless, just clasped his fists slightly and said, "As long as it's official business, it doesn't matter if I disturb you or not."

As Ge Hengtai spoke, he glanced at the two clerks behind Zhu Cheng. The clerks were brought along, so they were definitely on official business.

Zhu Cheng smiled and said, "It's about the case. If it wasn't something urgent, how dare I bother you?"

Ge Hengtai remained silent. Zhu Cheng smiled awkwardly and continued, "It's like this. The craftsmen who built the summer house for Master Zhu Shizhong are now in your residence, building a summer house for you. They are people involved in the case, and I want to take them back to the Dali Temple for investigation. Please be lenient, Master."

Ge Hengtai coughed and said, "If I remember correctly, Lord Zhu was in the Dali Temple at the beginning of the case and tried them, right? If he wants to try them again today, there must be a reason, right?"

Zhu Cheng said, "Yes. However, during the two days of investigation, we found some new problems and need to re-interrogate these craftsmen."

"What's the problem?" Ge Hengtai asked coldly.

At this time, Duan Rong and the others had already sensed that Ge Hengtai obviously did not want to let him go easily. Perhaps he did not want to delay the construction of the summer house, or perhaps he had other thoughts.

"This..." Zhu Cheng's eyes were a little hesitant. He didn't want to reveal the specific details of the case.

Ge Hengtai naturally saw through Zhu Cheng's thoughts at a glance, and said in a deep voice: "I am the counselor, in charge of the supervision of the entire Qingzhou. As for Qingzhou's affairs, there is nothing that I cannot ask about!"

"Yes!" Zhu Cheng bowed respectfully. What Ge Hengtai said was the official rules, so he could only obey. He said, "We have been investigating the ruins of the summer house in Mr. Zhu's mansion these past two days and found two small and sophisticated mechanisms in a broken piece of wood. We suspect that Mr. Zhu's death may be related to this."

Ge Hengtai's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Inside the broken wood? Is there a mechanism?"

"That's right!" Zhu Cheng said sternly.

"Where's the thing? Show it to me!" Ge Hengtai said bluntly.

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

Ge Hengtai looked at the black piece of broken wood in his hand. He looked at it for a while and said, "Is it just this little thing? Judging from its position, it must be on the roof, right?"

Ge Hengtai's own family was also building a summerhouse, and he had seen the design drawings and samples of key parts before.

Zhu Cheng hesitated for a moment. That place was indeed on the roof, but he couldn't answer what the specific relationship was with Master Zhu's death.

Ge Hengtai said, "Lord Zhu's death was caused by thunderbolt. Many people on Changle Street saw it with their own eyes. The thunderbolt struck that night with a dazzling light, and many people nearby witnessed it. Now you are taking something like this and claiming it is related to Lord Zhu's death. I think you want to take human life lightly, right?!"

"This……"

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

In a state of panic, Zhu Peng suddenly said, "It was that thing that attracted the thunder from the sky!"

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

Zhu Cheng turned his head and glared at Zhu Peng.

Zhu Peng was even more panicked. He looked at Duan Rong beside him and asked, "Master Duan, is this true?"

Duan Rong's expression remained unchanged as he said, "That's right!"

Ge Hengtai looked past Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng, fixed his eyes on Duan Rong, and asked, "Are you saying that this thing in my hand attracted the Nine Heavens Thunder and killed Master Zhu Shizhong."

Duan Rong said: "Indeed."

Ge Hengtai's eyes jumped, and he looked Duan Rong up and down, and suddenly asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"

Duan Rong said: "My name is Duan Rong, and I am an outer sect disciple of the sect. I am ordered by Master Zhu He, the head of the sect's internal history department, to participate in the investigation of this case."

Hearing this, Ge Hengtai snorted coldly and said, "Okay! As long as there is a door and a house!"

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

A capable clerk dressed as a scholar then stepped into the hall and stood with his fists clasped.

Ge Hengtai said, "Go, get my visiting card and ask the mansion master, Lord Wang, and the Supreme Court official, Lord Chen, to come to the mansion."

"Yes!" The clerk clasped his fists and left.

Zhu Cheng saw that the incident was going to get bigger and bigger, and he became even more panicked. He immediately asked, "Master Ge, why did you invite the Palace Master and Master Chen again?"

Ge Hengtai said coldly: "I want to report you for making random accusations and taking human lives lightly! You are from the Dali Temple, so naturally let the Dali Temple handle it! As for how to deal with this Lord Duan, it depends on the Lord's opinion!"

"what?!"

Zhu Cheng was slightly angry and said, "Master Ge, why do you abuse your power to bully others? As the saying goes, if you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext!"

"I am using my power to bully others!" Ge Hengtai sneered and said, "Then I'd like to trouble the three adults to explain to me how such a thing could attract thunder from the sky?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng glanced at Zhu Peng with an unpleasant expression again, obviously blaming him for being too talkative.

Duan Rong looked at the people in the hall but didn't say anything. This thing couldn't be explained simply by explanation.

However, Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng, who were standing by, regarded Duan Rong's silence as a sign of guilt, and they felt even more anxious.

(End of this chapter)