Xin 'an City, Ancestral Hall.
Dong A's death was a sacrifice for the country.
He died in battle while holding the position of Deputy Minister, so he deserved to be honored.
Hence, his coffin was placed in the Ancestral Hall.
After the country war ended, Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhui immediately returned to Xin 'an City. They did not even wait to settle down the army, leaving the heavily injured Huangfu Duanming to deal with it alone.
Duan Li could die, He Badao could die, as long as their deaths were worth it.
However, Dong A's death was something that shook the country.
Generals were easy to find, but ministers were hard to find.
Previously, Dong A's death shook the entire battlefield, forcing Zhuang Gaoxian to bring forward the final battle.
In hindsight, Dong A's death caused a lack of talent after Du Ruhui. It also prevented Du Ruhui from focusing on cultivation and reaching the Truth Realm.
Apart from Dong A, no one else had enough ability and prestige to become Deputy Minister.
Now, Dong A's dismembered corpse was lying in the coffin.
The various parts of his body were simply pieced together.
His eyes were open, and his expression before he died was actually a smile.
Dong A had not smiled for many years. Regardless of whether it was her promotion or the advancement of her cultivation, she always had a serious expression on her face. For so many years, he did not even smile politely. So much so that Du Ruhui even forgot that he could smile too.
Furthermore, he smiled so wildly and so insolently.
This guy had followed him for so many years.
Unknowingly, he had grown from a serious young man to a serious middle-aged man.
From a small constable who ran into walls everywhere, he grew up to be an awe-inspiring and extremely reliable Deputy Prime Minister of the country.
Then, he died and became a dismembered corpse.
Du Ruhui lowered his head and stared at Dong A's open eyes. It was as if he wanted to see the face of the murderer in those eyes.
Of course, it was futile.
Those eyes had once imprinted the face of the murderer, right?
However, it had already disappeared.
Even though Du Ruhui's battle prowess was extraordinary and he was a first-rate Divine Descent expert, he still couldn't find an answer from those eyes.
Zhuang Country had obtained victory in the country war, but the Deputy Minister of the country had died. They still did not know who the murderer was. Be it Yong, Luo, Mo, or Cheng, there were no signs of them doing anything.
The first to investigate the cause of death was one of the Six Heroes of the Academy, Lin Zhengren, but he didn't find any useful clues.
The corpse would never speak again, would never stand up against him.
It sounded like a good thing, but it wasn't that good.
Du Ruhui watched silently for a long time.
Zhuang Gaoxian was standing beside him. Looking at his expression, he felt that his prime minister was getting old.
"What jade is this?" Zhuang Gaoxian asked.
He reached out and picked up a cyan jade slit ring from Dong A's corpse, which was right in front of her heart.
Dong A's belongings were still in good condition. Even the most precious Double-World Ruler was not lost. This piece of jade was one of the things he left behind. It was said that when the body was found, this piece of jade was just lying there and no one had moved it.
Du Ruhui glanced at it, thought carefully, and said, "If I remember correctly, it should be left behind by Dong A's good friend, Zhang Xinliang."
"Zhang Xinliang?" Zhuang Gaoxian was obviously unfamiliar with this name.
Du Ruhui sighed, "Your Majesty, you shouldn't forget him. During the Nine Heavens Altar Meeting on Mount Yujing, he fought for resources for the Zhuang Kingdom and died of exhaustion. "
"So he's a hero of the Zhuang Kingdom." Zhuang Gaoxian said seriously, "I shouldn't forget him."
Du Ruhui didn't say anything else. He just reached out and took the piece of jade, about to put it back in Dong A's chest.
But when the jade slit touched his finger, he suddenly frowned, "I remember that Dong A hasn't worn this piece of jade for a long time."
"You mean …" Zhuang Gaoxian turned around, "This piece of jade could have been left behind by the murderer?"
"I suddenly remember that Dong A once told me something." Du Ruhui rubbed the piece of jade in his hand and said suddenly.
Zhuang Gaoxian looked at him with a questioning gaze.
"The old city master of Maplewood City, Liu Yian, asked for an explanation for the fall of Maplewood City. He said that he would kneel in front of the ancestral hall."
Du Ruhui pointed outside the hall, "It's probably in that position."
"What happened after that?" Even though it was a question, Zhuang Gaoxian's voice was emotionless.
"Dong A killed him to prevent any repercussions and announced that he died of illness."
"Dong A did the right thing." Zhuang Gaoxian said with a tone that seemed to be looking down on the world, "But Liu Yian's family should be compensated. His children and juniors can be sent to the Daoist Academy to be nurtured."
"Liu Yian didn't have any children. When he stepped down from his position as the city master due to the decline of his cultivation, he didn't ask for anything …" Du Ruhui's face was expressionless. He shook his head and said, "Dong A told me this not to ask for credit, but to ask for forgiveness. He said that he shouldn't have killed a meritorious official and asked me to remove him from his position. "
After ascending to the Dongzhen Stage, Zhuang Gaoxian had been consolidating his cultivation and exploring the new world of cultivation. Du Ruhui was still in charge of all matters of the country. That was why he didn't know about Liu Yian's matter.
At this moment, his expression finally became serious, "Master Du, that was our decision."
"No." Du Ruhui continued to shake his head, "Your Majesty, you are a wise ruler and cannot be tainted. That was my decision alone. I just … "
He finally sighed, "Dong A seemed to want to say something to me at that time, but he didn't say anything."
His expression finally became bleak.
It was as if he had endured an entire long winter, only to be met with late autumn.
"Dong A was buried with national rites," Zhuang Gaoxian said.
Using national rites for a funeral was already the greatest honor.
Du Ruhui gripped the green jade in his hand tightly. After a moment of silence, he said, "I think I know why Zhu Weiwo suddenly knew the truth of Maplewood City and chose to betray the country."
Zhuang Gaoxian's gaze was deep, "He knew the culprit?"
The possibility of this jade that originally belonged to Zhang Xinliang and was later worn by Dong A appearing in the hands of the culprit was not high.
Dong A had always been upright and plainspoken. He didn't get close to women and was unmarried. It was impossible for him to have an illegitimate child.
Connecting it to Zhu Weiwo's sudden betrayal, the possibilities were very small.
Someone in Maplewood City, or Maplewood City's Dao Academy, had survived …
"This person must die."
Du Ruhui gripped the jade and said seriously, "It doesn't matter who he is."
"Naturally." Zhuang Gaoxian said, "The Vice Minister of the Zhuang Country cannot die without knowing why."
Du Ruhui's hand that held the jade clenched into a fist. He was silent for a moment.
Then, he bowed towards Zhuang Gaoxian and turned to leave!
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