Dai Yutian looked into Zhu Ming's eyes, his tone filled with thick killing intent and extreme suspicion.
"Zhu Ming, oh Zhu Ming, do you take me for a three-year-old child?"
"Give me the truth! Are you sure it wasn't you who secretly let them go?!"
Facing Dai Yutian's interrogation, Zhu Ming did not appear overly flustered.
He merely gave an extremely miserable, bitter smile and said in a desolate tone, "Your Majesty, please be the judge! You know my character!"
"The Star Luo Imperial Family and my Zhu Family have intermarried for generations. This deep bond of shared honor and disgrace for over ten thousand years stands here, greater than the heavens!"
"Even if I had the audacity of the heavens, how could I be so reckless as to risk the execution of my entire clan just to let them leave?"
Zhu Ming raised his head, continuing his sophistry with tears and snot streaming down his Face. "Moreover, their two Spirits have undergone a rare mutation."
"This matter concerns the very foundation of the Empire. I still haven't investigated the cause clearly even now; how could I possibly let them go?"
Seeing Dai Yutian's expression soften slightly, Zhu Ming quickly threw out the explanation he had prepared long ago.
Zhu Ming said through gritted teeth, "Last night, I might have been too careless."
"Without any suspicion, I drank a cup of water they prepared for me."
"Thinking back now, it is highly likely that someone spiked that water beforehand with an extremely rare, colorless, and odorless potent sleeping pill!"
Zhu Ming's Face was filled with frustration and anger as he beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying:
"It was precisely because of that bowl of water that I slept very heavily all night."
"This morning, the servants of the manor called out to me from outside the door for a long time before I finally jolted awake, as if from a deep dream."
"This matter is absolutely true. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can send the Royal Imperial Guard to my manor to inquire at any time."
Immediately after, Zhu Ming hurried to express his loyalty.
"Your Majesty, before coming to the palace to beg for your forgiveness, I had already made emergency deployments!"
"I have dispatched all the elite forces from the Duke's Manor to begin a carpet search both inside and outside Star Luo City!"
Zhu Ming guaranteed solemnly, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Once their tracks are discovered, my men will surely capture these two rebellious daughters and bring them back!"
"When that time comes, even if I must sacrifice my own kin for the sake of justice, I will certainly bring them before the throne to await Your Majesty's judgment!"
Zhu Ming spoke these words with great conviction and a sense of righteousness.
However, Dai Yutian only narrowed his eyes slightly, looking coldly at the kneeling Zhu Ming below.
Both of them were old foxes who could devour people without leaving a trace.
How could they not understand exactly what scheme the other was plotting?
Zhu Ming understood this iron-blooded Emperor's temperament very well, and Dai Yutian, naturally, also understood Zhu Ming, this calculating Nether Duke, perfectly.
Dai Yutian snorted coldly in his heart, cursing silently:
"This insidious old fox, trying to deceive me with such petty tricks?"
"What colorless and odorless sleeping pill? A dignified Spirit Douluo of over Rank 80 could be knocked out by a sedative? What kind of sleeping pill is that? It's simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!"
However, even though Dai Yutian's heart was as clear as a mirror, he couldn't lash out on the spot.
Because on the surface, Zhu Ming's words were airtight.
He had even taken the initiative to invite the Imperial Family to investigate, lowering his posture to the extreme.
Furthermore, there was that inseparable marriage alliance between the Zhu Family and the Dai Family.
The Star Luo Imperial Family could absolutely not heavily punish the deeply-rooted Zhu Family over a 'disappearance case' without concrete evidence.
If this had happened to any other prince or noble...
Dai Yutian would likely have been in a thunderous rage long ago, directly ordering the seizure of their home, the extermination of their clan, and severe punishment through collective responsibility.
But for the Zhu Family, he couldn't do that. At most, he could only give them a symbolic warning and punishment.
In the end, although the Zhu Family was merely an appendage used by his Star Luo Dai Family to stabilize imperial power in terms of political status...
The Imperial Family also needed to constantly consider the other Family's emotions and Face.
Otherwise, if the Zhu Family were pushed too far and chose to rebel, it would definitely be of no benefit to the Star Luo Imperial Family; it would only allow others to reap the rewards.
Moreover, what made Dai Yutian feel even more constrained was...
Now, the two most talented legitimate daughters of this generation in the Zhu Family had already successfully escaped!
Among them, Zhu Zhuqing even had Innate Full Spirit Power!
With such talent, as long as she didn't die prematurely, she would surely become a Titled Douluo in the future if no accidents occurred!
If Dai Yutian dared to drop all pretenses and strike a lethal blow against the Zhu Family at this critical juncture...
Then the Star Luo Imperial Family would likely have to Face the revenge of a Titled Douluo in the future!
Such a price was something the Star Luo Empire absolutely could not afford.
Unless he could dispatch top-tier experts to successfully capture and eliminate these two girls of the Zhu Family before they fully matured.
But how easy was that?
If the two girls of the Zhu Family had really escaped under the cover of darkness last night, as Zhu Ming said...
Several hours had already passed since then.
With a whole night's head start, it would already be very, very difficult for the Star Luo Empire to catch them now.
Furthermore, Dai Yutian could guess with his eyes closed that the direction they were fleeing was definitely toward the Heaven Dou Empire in the north!
Only by escaping to the territory of a hostile nation would they be safest.
Because once they successfully crossed the border and entered the heartland of the Heaven Dou Empire...
No matter how long the Star Luo Empire's reach was, it could absolutely not reach into Emperor Xue Ye's territory to capture people.
Therefore, Dai Yutian cursed Zhu Ming in his heart for being a complete old fox.
Zhu Ming's move was extremely risky, but he had calculated perfectly that Dai Yutian would be wary and absolutely wouldn't dare to truly act against the Zhu Family!
Moreover, besides the two highly talented juniors, Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing...
Zhu Ming himself, like Dai Yutian, was a Spirit Douluo expert!
Although Zhu Ming's Rank might be a few levels lower than Dai Yutian's...
One must not forget the characteristics of the Nether Spirit Cat Martial Soul.
As an agility-attack system Spirit, the Nether Spirit Cat's greatest specialty was speed!
If they really tore Faces and fought, Zhu Ming indeed couldn't defeat Dai Yutian, who possessed the White Tiger Spirit, in a direct confrontation.
However, if Zhu Ming were determined to escape, he could definitely outrun Dai Yutian. No one could stop an agility-attack system Spirit Douluo who was intent on fleeing!
So, considering all these factors...
Even though Dai Yutian was the Emperor of Star Luo...
For the sake of Zhu Ming, the Spirit Douluo expert, and for the sake of the Zhu Family's ten-thousand-year alliance, he could not impose any substantial, destructive punishment on the Zhu Family.
And all this compromise made Dai Yutian's current mood very oppressed and gloomy.
But such a major scandal had occurred in the Empire; it couldn't just be brushed aside so lightly.
To reclaim Face for the Imperial Family and to give the people of the world an explanation, someone had to step forward and take the blame!
Thus, Dai Yutian took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart.
His Face was as grim as still water as he stared at Zhu Ming below and said in a heavy voice, "No matter how you defend yourself, the fact that people were lost from your manor is a serious dereliction of duty by your Zhu Family!"
"Zhu Ming, since you repeatedly claim to be guilty, how do you intend for me to handle this matter?"
...