The Seventeenth Prince imprisoned Magistrate Lou, then personally led men to Magistrate Lou's house again to search for the stolen silver. Meanwhile, Duolong began to torture the mysterious men.

After the Seventeenth Prince and his men thoroughly searched Magistrate Lou's house, they found no silver. He then remembered the concubine who had tipped him off, and ordered his guards to summon all of Magistrate Lou's wives and concubines to the main room for questioning.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, several guards led seven or eight women to the main courtyard. Leading them was a woman around forty years old, dressed in an ordinary purple rufu (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and with a simple hairstyle. The other women were similarly dressed, and didn't quite seem like the family members of a county magistrate.

Seventeen frowned, his eyes sweeping over the group of women before finally settling on a woman standing in the crowd with her head bowed. She was indeed the concubine who had come to report Magistrate Lou that day. At this moment, she kept her head down, seemingly not wanting Seventeen to see her.

The Seventeenth Prince keenly noticed her timid expression, so he didn't let her out in front of him. Instead, he said to the woman who appeared to be the principal wife, "Magistrate Lou has been corrupt and lawless, and he has already been imprisoned by this Imperial Envoy. You are all Magistrate Lou's female relatives. Once his crimes are proven, you will all be exiled or enslaved by the Imperial Household Department. If you have anything to say now, say it quickly. Considering that you are all female relatives and that you did not participate in Lou Zhiting's actions, this Imperial Envoy will plead with the court to reduce your punishment."

Upon hearing the Seventeenth Master's words, the expressions of the women below changed. They began to whisper among themselves, their faces filled with anxiety, except for the woman in the lead, who remained calm.

"My lord, we are all women and children, please don't frighten us. What terrible crime has our master committed? Please tell us, Your Excellency!" said the woman in purple at the head of the group.

"Lou Zhiting colluded with cults, trafficked local able-bodied men, accepted bribes, and even conspired with thieves to assassinate this imperial envoy. These are all heinous crimes that warrant execution," Seventeen said, staring at the woman in purple.

The woman in purple seemed prepared. Far from being afraid, she smirked and said, “Sir, everything requires evidence. You say our master colluded with a cult and abducted able-bodied men. Do you have any testimonies? If you torture our master, we will go to the Dali Temple to accuse you of coercing a confession. You say our master accepted bribes. Where is that money? Where is it? Sir, look at us women, we are all dressed in ordinary clothes, we don’t even have a decent piece of gold jewelry. Sir, our master has always been honest and upright, where did this talk of accepting bribes come from?” the woman in purple asked.

Seventeen was caught off guard by the woman's question. Indeed, without evidence, Seventeen couldn't bring down that magistrate Lou. After all, he was an official appointed by the imperial court, and the case had to be submitted to the Court of Judicial Review for trial.

Seeing that Seventeen's face froze, the woman in purple felt even more certain and said to the other women around her, "Come on, let's take this imperial envoy to see our master's bedroom. His clothes and socks are all patched and repaired; he can't bear to throw them away. Ganzhou is a poor county; there's no money to be made here. Our master is honest and upright, and now he's being framed by villains."

Several women chimed in, their expressions a stark contrast to their earlier timid and hesitant demeanor. Seventeen glanced at the group of women, especially the wife of Magistrate Lou.

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