"We are secretly hunting a wanted criminal of the imperial court. Please cooperate, everyone. Otherwise, those three just now will be your fate."
The middle-aged Yamen Leader continued.
Reasoning first, followed by the threat of force.
All the diners in the room fell silent. They had no choice but to be quiet—their lives were in someone else's hands.
The Yamen Leader cupped his hands toward the effeminate man.
"My lord, please rest for a moment."
"We will verify the identities of the diners at once."
The effeminate man slowly walked to the only empty table by the entrance and sat on the bench. With a wave of his hand, the waiter who had just been hiding by the stairs immediately hurried over with a teapot.
He lifted the teacup and took a sip. The entire room was silent, listening to the neither-loud-nor-soft sound of him tasting tea.
"Begin."
With his approval.
The yamen runners began questioning everyone.
They worked in pairs.
They separately questioned every table in detail: their names, where they came from, where they were going, and what they intended to do.
Shen Yi gripped his teacup.
His fingertips rubbed against the cup's surface as his thoughts raced.
The yamen runners' questions were easy enough to fool.
The truly troublesome one was the effeminate man.
While the yamen runners conducted their checks, the man's eyes swept across the room like those of a venomous snake.
He overlooked no detail.
Shen Yi did not know whether the other man could still recognize him.
Suddenly.
The effeminate man's gaze fell on Shen Yi and lingered for a moment. A dangerous glint abruptly flashed through his eyes.
Shen Yi curled his lips.
There was no room for wishful thinking. He had still been recognized.
That carriage driver...
The man narrowed his