Chapter 642 - 406: Entering the Game (Part 3)

Duan Rong’s eyes shimmered with a certain fervor. He wasn’t coveting the object before him, but rather admiring the immortality of the poetic spirit.

However, Zhu Zhengfu saw this and thought he had chosen the right gift.

After Zhu Zhengfu insisted multiple times, Duan Rong finally accepted the gift. He could see that Zhu Zhengfu was sincerely offering it.

The two had a few more drinks and chatted for a while before Zhu Zhengfu personally escorted Duan Rong to the door.

Watching Duan Rong leave with the box of poetry manuscripts, Zhu Zhengfu’s eyes finally revealed a trace of pain. That singular poetry manuscript by Gao Qingqiu was also something he cherished. If it weren’t for the ancestor’s instruction to win Duan Rong over, he certainly wouldn’t have been willing to part with it.

It’s not that he’s stingy; an ancestor’s letter never wasted words, even a single mention was a big deal. If he didn’t execute it well, he wouldn’t be able to account for it when settled later.

Duan Rong rode his horse slowly in the dusk of evening.

He was quite puzzled as to why Zhu Zhengfu gave him such a generous gift.

And the phrase about attracting talents and teaching them, what exactly did it mean?

Was it Zhu He’s intention, or was Zhu Zhengfu merely using it as an excuse? Duan Rong couldn’t make up his mind.

However, he also noted that, by assisting in this case, even though they hadn’t uncovered the mastermind, at least they clarified the cause of Minister Zhu Shizhong’s death.

Duan Rong originally thought that by handling matters this way, he had mastered the situation well.

But upon reflection, even so, in the eyes of other factions, he was considered to be on the Zhu Family’s side. After all, he helped the Zhu Family with the investigation and uncovered some clues, which involved risking a lot.

This meant that, although he didn’t want to be embroiled in the situation, from the moment he stepped into the Divine Cloud Prefecture, he was already involved. He simply assumed at the time that he could pass through a field of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him.

This realization was why he accepted Zhu Zhengfu’s gift. Since other factions already considered him part of the Zhu Family, why should he continue to hide and win favor from neither side?

Even so, Duan Rong felt a strange feeling in his heart, as if he had been calculated against. Yet he couldn’t specify exactly what it was.

In the following days, while waiting for a response, Duan Rong, Zhu Cheng, and Zhu Peng began to tour around together.

Three days later, a response from within the sect arrived, simply stating: "The case can be closed."

That day, Zhu Cheng submitted the case closure documents.

After the documents were submitted, numerous invitations arrived at the Ministry of Justice, all addressed to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong opened each one; many officials from within the Divine Cloud Prefecture, including Mansion Master Wang Maochun and Minister Chen Shanmeng, had sent them. During the investigation, they dared not invite Duan Rong for fear of interfering with the investigation. Once the closure documents were submitted, invitations flew in like snowflakes.

Duan Rong only accepted the invitations from Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng.

After all, he understood that within the sect, the competition for the next Sect Leader was between Zhu He’s faction and the alliance of Lv Zhongtang and Ge Rusong.

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng were actually unaffiliated with any party. Thus, accepting their invitations wasn’t an issue.

For the rest of the officials, Duan Rong sent a response to politely decline, maintaining a very respectful tone. He couldn’t afford to offend any of the officials in the Divine Cloud Prefecture, but with so many, he couldn’t possibly attend them all. Given their complex backgrounds and his lack of knowledge about them, how could he recklessly go?

As for Adviser Ge Hengtai, he didn’t invite Duan Rong, perhaps due to the unpleasantness surrounding the case or other thoughts he had.

In a way, it was fortunate, because if Ge Hengtai had invited him, Duan Rong would indeed be in a dilemma. Not attending would be a slight to one of the Four Ministers; attending would make others see him as sitting on the fence. Thus, even if Ge Hengtai invited him, Duan Rong felt he would likely politely decline in the end.

Ge Hengtai probably anticipated this, so he didn’t extend an invitation to avoid the awkwardness.