Chapter 639 - 405: Case Closed (Part 3)

At first, Zhu Peng blamed Duan Rong for being abrupt with the lady, but now he understood Duan Rong’s intentions, as he had a virtuous wife at home and wouldn’t betray her!

Truly a man of great talent and noble character!

Zhu Peng said, "Big brother, not only are you great at solving cases and drinking, but your poetic talent is also that high. Please accept my humble admiration!"

Duan Rong laughed and said, "What would I do with your admiration? Cook it in soy sauce, or steam it?"

Zhu Peng laughed and said, "I’d better keep it for walking." Zhu Peng continued, "Brother Duan, from whom did you learn your poetry? Earlier, in the Qin Building, when you were discussing poetry, I could barely understand, but I felt it was innovative and profound, unlike those cliché sayings."

Duan Rong replied, "Those poems, they were made by my countrymen. I just cobbled a few lines."

"Really?"

"Of course! Why would I lie to you!"

Duan Rong thought, since he had traveled to this world, those people on Blue Star, whether dead or alive, weren’t they all his countrymen?

The two chatted as they made their way back to the Ministry of Justice.

The room appeared empty, and Zhu Cheng had not yet returned.

Duan Rong’s expression changed; he didn’t believe Zhu Cheng would rest for so long. That guy was a worrier!

As expected, just as they sat down, not even warming their seats, Zhu Cheng walked in.

Zhu Cheng entered and placed the Black Iron Shuttle Dart on the table, sighing, "I’ve checked; this thing wasn’t forged in Divine Cloud Prefecture!"

Duan Rong glanced at the Black Iron Shuttle Dart. He had already guessed this result. He suspected it was made in the homeland of that pockmarked face. But if he didn’t expose it, who would take this Black Iron Shuttle Dart to question his countrymen?

Zhu Cheng took a sip of water and began discussing the case with Duan Rong.

He hoped Duan Rong could offer some new ideas.

But Duan Rong stated he saw no signs of new clues and directly told Zhu Cheng that the case had reached a point where it was difficult to investigate further.

Because Zhou Wei was a hidden spy planted for many years, and his exposure and handling must have had a mature plan on the opponent’s side. How could they leave clues for them to pursue?

Zhu Cheng, after some pondering, generally agreed with Duan Rong’s assessment, but he still wanted to dig deeper. Whether it was Zhou Wei’s exposure or the murder of Minister Zhu Shizhong, both had been impactful on him.

Duan Rong naturally saw that Zhu Cheng wasn’t ready to give up, and he understood.

In the days that followed, Zhu Cheng continued to painstakingly investigate the case. Meanwhile, Duan Rong and Zhu Peng spent their days leisurely exploring various parts of the Divine Cloud Prefecture.

Because Zhu Peng greatly admired Duan Rong, he took him to visit many hidden places, some of which were inaccessible even to wealthy or official families.

Several days later, Zhu Cheng, looking gaunt with sunken eyes, finally realized that continuing the investigation would likely yield no results.

That morning, Duan Rong and Zhu Peng arrived at the Ministry of Justice for attendance. They had already planned where to enjoy themselves that day. But as soon as they entered, Zhu Cheng informed them to prepare for the case’s closure.

Duan Rong was taken aback and said, "Is the case closing?"

"Yes, there’s no point in continuing." Zhu Cheng said, looking a bit haggard, "But before closing, you still have to meet someone with me."

Duan Rong, surprised, asked, "Meet someone? Who?"

Zhu Cheng replied, "Director of the Imperial Secretariat, Zhu Zhengfu."

Duan Rong’s heart skipped a beat, another with the surname Zhu.

But the Director of the Imperial Secretariat was one of the Four Ministers!

The Mortal World of Qingzhou had one Minister and four Ministers, and Zhu He’s bloodline occupied two of these posts: Minister Zhu Shizhong and Director Zhu Zhengfu.

No wonder one had to be eliminated! Among the one Minister and four Ministers, one family holding two seats was somewhat unbalanced!

It seemed, after the Minister’s death, Director Zhu Zhengfu became the head of the Zhu family’s bloodline in the Mortal World. No surprise Zhu Cheng wanted to meet him before closing the case; perhaps whether the case could be closed still depended on this man’s say!

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