Chapter 630 - 402: Gu Daoling (2)

Gu Daoling picked up the tea leaves, sniffed them in front of his nose, and the familiar fragrance evoked many memories. He hadn’t tasted the tea from Changling Mountain in years.

Gu Daoling weighed the light package of tea leaves in his hand and mumbled, "So stingy, finally came by and only brought this little..."

Ten miles southeast of Divine Cloud Prefecture, at Wild Lake, the thunder dispersed, and the wind and rain ceased.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at Duan Rong with astonished delight.

Wang Maochun’s eyes gleamed sharply. Duan Rong used that object to draw down the thunder, which meant that Minister of the Secretariat Zhu Shizhong did not die from a natural disaster but was murdered.

A grand Minister of the Secretariat, a First Grade official, and a bloodline of the sect’s Elder—someone dared to murder him?!

The political situation in Divine Cloud Prefecture is indeed becoming increasingly chaotic!

The summer storm came quickly and dissipated just as fast. As the dark clouds cleared, the sun reemerged! Yet, there on Wild Lake, a vast expanse of white was visible, a layer of fish killed by thunder floating on the surface.

Suddenly, Duan Rong leaped back into the lake. With a swift scoop of his hand at a certain spot in the lake’s center, he returned to where Wang Maochun and the others stood under the shade of a tree.

Opening his hand, Duan Rong revealed a dark, wet object.

Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Ge Hengtai’s eyes all focused intensely; the object in Duan Rong’s hand looked almost identical to the piece of dark wood they had seen in the central hall of Ge Hengtai’s manor.

Duan Rong looked at Ge Hengtai and said, "Since this object can draw down thunder, the death of Minister Zhu Shizhong means those craftsmen cannot escape blame! May I ask, Master Ge, can the Ministry of Justice proceed with arrests?"

Ge Hengtai was initially accusing Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng of handling the case improperly, with accusations of implicating people carelessly, but with Duan Rong’s public question, it now seemed as if he was intentionally obstructing the investigation.

Ge Hengtai’s face darkened, and he said sternly, "Of course! Since the Ministry of Justice is handling the case normally, I naturally will not interfere!"

Receiving this response, Zhu Cheng, Zhu Peng, and Duan Rong immediately rode away from the crowd, heading back to Divine Cloud Prefecture.

Watching the three ride away, Wang Maochun turned to Chen Shanmeng next to him and said, "No wonder Master Zhu He wanted to transfer this young man here. He does have some skills."

Chen Shanmeng replied, "In the Four Southeast Prefectures over the past two or three years, he has repeatedly solved unusual cases and earned a reputation as a ’divine detective.’ Remember the largest case of the tainted blood two or three years ago? That was also uncovered by him!"

"Is that so?" Wang Maochun’s eyes flickered, and he said, "Isn’t he just another Yang Sixuan?"

Chen Shanmeng chuckled and said, "Hard to say. Changes in rulers bring changes in ministers. Once Master Chu steps down, how can the Chairman of the Judgement and Rectification Department not be replaced?"

Wang Maochun sighed, "But with two tigers fighting in the Sect Elder Hall, we are suffering the consequences as well!"

Having said this, Chen Shanmeng suddenly gave him a meaningful look.

Knowing he had misspoken, he immediately fell silent, for not far away stood Ge Hengtai, who was of Ge Rusong’s lineage. In the Sect Elder Hall, Ge Rusong had always been at odds with Zhu He.

This time, Zhu He coveted the position of Sect Leader, yet Ge Rusong strongly supported Lv Zhongtang to come out and compete. The death of Minister Zhu Shizhong, ultimately, was caught in the whirlpool of this struggle for the position of Sect Leader.

Lv Zhongtang and Ge Rusong targeted Minister Zhu Shizhong to weaken Zhu He’s control in the Mortal World, thus gaining more leverage in their struggle for Sect Leader.

Though they plotted meticulously with very covert methods, Duan Rong still unearthed their scheme. Should this continue to be dug up, it’s feared this unrest will only escalate.

On one side, Duan Rong and the others rode back to the city to make arrests, while by Wild Lake, the onlookers began fishing out the fish. Some of the larger ones weighed nearly twenty pounds, requiring two people to carry them steadily.

An impressive crowd, all carrying fish from Wild Lake, heading into the city!

A scene of joy and excitement, quite spectacular!

Duan Rong, Zhu Cheng, and Zhu Peng transported the craftsmen from Ge Hengtai’s manor to the Ministry of Justice.

Zhu Cheng then called upon his deputy, Zhou Wei, the Temple Director.

The structure of the Ministry of Justice was such, with a Third Grade Temple Chief partnered with a subordinate Fourth Grade Temple Director, forming a separate entity responsible for handling the cases assigned to them.

Zhu Cheng had worked with Zhou Wei for many years; he was steady and meticulous, and Zhu Cheng had long regarded him as a trusted confidant, entrusting him with many important tasks.

Zhu Cheng looked at Zhou Wei and said, "Lock these craftsmen in the dungeons, and handle it personally. Except for the three of us, nobody else should approach them!"

"Yes," Zhou Wei saluted with a fist.

He glanced at Duan Rong, it being his first time seeing him, though with all the commotion in the city the past few days, standing with Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng quickly identified his identity.

Zhou Wei led the men escorting the craftsmen towards the dungeons.

Standing there, watching the craftsmen being led away, Zhu Cheng turned his head and asked Duan Rong, "How should we interrogate these criminals? Brother Duan, any thoughts?"

Duan Rong rubbed his nose and said, "I’m not well-versed in interrogations. You’re the Temple Chief of the Ministry of Justice, you should understand this better than I do. Now that we have solid evidence, they’re as good as dead. As for whether they’ll reveal their mastermind, it depends on if they have any weaknesses held by the other side."

Zhu Cheng nodded thoughtfully.