"Then are we supposed to let them slander him? Or even hand Youheng over?" Xu Jiujiu asked urgently. She absolutely refused to accept such an outcome.
"Hand him over? Absolutely not!" Xu Jiawei rejected the idea outright, an emperor's resolve flashing in his eyes. "Dai Youheng is not only the key to keeping the Dai Family in check; his own talent and worth far exceed anything we imagined. Besides, if we yield to Shrek this time, what dignity will our Star Luo Imperial Family have left? Won't we become Shrek's parrots from then on?"
He stopped walking and said thoughtfully, "Now that Mu En is dead, Shrek's absolute deterrent power has diminished. Xuan Zi may be strong, but I refuse to believe they would truly dare to turn the Star Luo Empire into an outright enemy over a fabricated charge! They are testing our limits!"
"Then how should we respond now?" Xu Jiujiu asked.
"Stall!" Xu Jiawei said. "Reply to Shrek that Dai Youheng's whereabouts are currently unknown, and that the empire is doing everything in its power to find him. Once he is found, we will thoroughly investigate his actions. If he truly is an Evil Soul Master, the Star Luo Empire will show no leniency, but his punishment must still follow imperial law. In short, use every possible excuse to buy time!"
A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. "At the same time, assign more people to secretly search for Youheng! If he is alive, I want to see him. If he is dead-I want to see his remains. If Dai Youheng really has met with disaster..." The emperor's voice turned ice-cold. "Then sooner or later, I will settle this debt with Shrek!"
Xu Jiujiu nodded firmly. This was exactly the outcome she wanted. Just as she was