Exasperated, Xu Mutou dragged several people out of the crowd. "We're the ones who lost the most! This whole trip has been one hardship after another, and now we're looking at our last chance. Are you all really going to let it slip away? What if we find our things?"
His words actually persuaded a few of them, and slowly, one person, then another, stepped forward.
"Lord," one of them said, "we'll just take a look. We promise not to disturb the Madam."
Lichun snorted. "You people are certainly bold. You think you can just come to the Madam's residence and turn the place upside down?
"Even if you wanted to search, you have no right. Our Madam is a gentlewoman from an official family. Even if we were willing to cooperate, the decision would have to come from the local government.
"I wonder, Lord County Magistrate, what is your official procedure for this? Can these men before you be considered to be falsely accusing an official family?"
