Chapter 621 - 399: Changle Street

Changle Street is the central district of Divine Cloud Prefecture, intersecting with the Danjiang River that winds through Prefecture City.

The buildings and river scenery complement each other nicely.

Those who can live in this district are either rich or noble.

Duan Rong, Zhu Cheng, and Zhu Peng, each riding a horse, were slowly making their way down Changle Street.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng were both dressed in official attire, and pedestrians they encountered all hurriedly moved aside, casting sideways glances as they went.

Minister of the Secretariat Zhu Shizhong’s residence is right on Changle Street.

But at this time, the three of them were heading first to Zhu Peng’s estate.

The season at present was late summer, and the weather in Divine Cloud Prefecture was still very hot and oppressive, unlike the Four Southeast Prefectures where it was gradually becoming cooler.

Zhu Shizhong was struck by lightning during a summer night thunderstorm. The place where he was struck was a cooling house within his estate.

This cooling house was not yet popular in the Four Southeast Prefectures, and Duan Rong had never seen one.

In Divine Cloud Prefecture, this cooling house had only been popularized among the influential figures in the past two to three years.

It is said that this cooling house was invented and designed by craftsmen controlled by the Divine Intent Sect in Jizhou, and slowly spread to Qingzhou.

A little over a month ago, the honorable Zhu welcomed the famous courtesan Li Muping from the Flame Moon Building as his sixth concubine.

To win the beauty’s favor, he built a cooling house within his estate for Li Muping to reside.

In the scorching summer, hiding a beauty in a cooling house is not stunning?

But it seems the heavens were envious, and struck him down with a bolt!

Duan Rong, having never seen a cooling house, wished to take a look. Zhu Shizhong’s cooling house had already been struck by lightning, so Duan Rong asked Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng if there was another cooling house to see?

Zhu Cheng glanced at Zhu Peng. Zhu Peng’s estate had a cooling house, built six months earlier than the one at Zhu Shizhong’s estate but slightly smaller in scale.

Zhu Peng rubbed his nose and agreed to take Duan Rong to visit his estate.

Duan Rong smiled and told him it was not a visit, but a field investigation.

Zhu Peng’s estate was not far from the Ministry of Justice, and the three of them rode their horses casually and arrived shortly.

They dismounted at the side gate, followed a small path shaded by bamboo, bypassed a pond, and arrived at the cooling house.

Beside the cooling house, a waterwheel was slowly turning, with clear water making a rushing sound as it turned.

Upon entering the cooling house, Duan Rong immediately felt the temperature drop distinctly, his eyes brightened slightly, feeling as if he had returned to the air-conditioned rooms of a past life.

The inner walls of the house had a constant stream of water curtains flowing down, with a recessed water channel along the wall on the floor.

The water channel ran through the house, circled around behind the screen in the bed area, and flowed back to the pond outside.

Zhu Cheng looked at Duan Rong and said, "The water in the pond is sourced from the nearby Danjiang River. The water flows through the waterwheel, reaches the roof, and then flows down the inner wall of the house, collecting and passing through to return to the pond outside. The design of this cooling house is quite ingenious."

Actually, even if Zhu Cheng hadn’t said, Duan Rong had already used his Divine Sense to thoroughly examine the design and construction of the cooling house.

This cooling house is indeed formidable, and in terms of effect, it might be even more comfortable than air conditioning from a previous life.

It seems the ancient dignitaries truly knew how to enjoy life!

The three of them had just seated themselves in the cooling house when the servants brought iced fruits.

Duan Rong ate the cool fruits, looked at the clear stream flowing by his feet, and thought about Zhu Shizhong. At times like this, he might have taken off his shoes and socks to dip his feet in the water while holding the most beautiful woman of Divine Cloud Prefecture. It’s no wonder the heavens struck him; even Duan Rong would’ve wanted to strike him!

Wasn’t it too sinful!? Too decadent!?

They only stayed in the cooling house for a short while before leaving. After all, they still needed to inspect the scene of Zhu Shizhong’s death, and if they stayed longer, Duan Rong figured he wouldn’t want to leave.

Indulgence can destroy oneself!

Zhu Shizhong’s estate was some distance away, and by the time they walked over, they were already sweating.

The estate had been surrounded by Heavy Armored Cavalry. Clearly, as long as the case remained unresolved, these men would not leave.

The three rode directly into the estate, arriving at the garden’s cooling house.

However, by now, it had already become a pile of charred debris.

A dozen Heavy Armored Soldiers were stationed in different positions guarding the area, their heavy armor casting a gleaming light beneath the sun.

Beside the cooling house was a small lake.

Duan Rong examined the lake carefully, and apart from a red dragonfly landing briefly, not a single fish emerged from the water.

Duan Rong had read the documents and already knew that nearly a thousand koi had been kept in this lake, but unfortunately, on the night of the lightning strike, the lightning hit the lake.

It was reportedly said that the entire lake glowed with the strike, and by the next morning, it was discovered that all the koi had died on the lake’s surface. Soldiers took several days to clean it up.

Duan Rong looked at the still as a mirror lake surface, contemplating the tragic scene of a thousand koi dying, feeling a sense of lament. He did quite like koi.

Duan Rong walked past the lake to the ruins where blackened debris and a few pillars still stood.

Zhu Cheng pointed to him the location where Zhu Shizhong and Li Muping’s bodies were found.

They died on the bed, already charred, and in an embracing position.