"Prince Qi has arrived." Su Ziji's heart stirred, and his gaze instinctively turned toward the distance before he gave a sinister smile. "It seems that neither the Prince Dai nor the Princess Consort is disguised as the great bandit."
"Since the two lords are acting on an imperial decree to investigate and capture the great bandit, how could I refuse to cooperate? Everyone in the residence is now present, though perhaps a few were not notified and remain in their rooms. Please, my lords, send your men to inspect them yourselves, lest anything be overlooked."
Prince Dai's attitude appeared open and aboveboard.
Ma Shunde's heart sank. He saw that Prince Dai had no fear, and thought, This time, not only did we fail to catch Prince Dai's weakness, but we have also offended him. I will have to guard against Prince Dai in the future.
He found it regrettable and baffling, but now that matters had come to this, further words were useless. He said to Huo Wuyong, "Lord Huo, conduct the inspection."
"My lord, inspect it," several of the accompanying Daoists said quietly.
One of them was already breaking out in a cold sweat, thinking, No, this cannot end like this. We must thoroughly inspect Prince Dai's Residence!
If we find nothing, with Prince Dai's influence, how could he fail to discover that I was the one who reported this? My crime would then be no small matter. My life would be over!
Had this matter not been impossible to conceal, he might even have felt the urge to pass off falsehood as truth and accuse the Princess Consort. Now, he too pressed, "My lord, inspect it!"
Huo Wuyong now felt like meat roasting over a fire; no matter what he did, it would be agonizing. He sighed, glanced