The council order allowed the archive group to return to the ancestral hall, but Yao and Jian asked to stay in the antechamber while Daro sought permission to open the family cabinet. They did not want a clerk to decide for them that the index reference was enough.
Muo returned with a narrow amendment. The family seal cabinet could be opened only with Yao’s consent, and she could stop the search at any point. Jian would witness the reading. Any copy would be made only for the person who requested it, and the originals would remain inside.
“Does the cabinet contain the whole family record?” Yao asked.
“It may contain the pages named in the index,” Muo replied. “I will not tell you what is inside before we open it.”
“That is fair,” she said. “I want to proceed.”
Jian stood beside her. “I’ll stay with you.”
They descended again, accompanied by Daro, Lian, and the others named in the amended order. The formation recognized the new authorization. Muo led them through the west aisle, past the pylon manuals and the inspection notice. At the next row, a low cabinet bore the family mark Yao had recognized from her own papers.
