Chapter 8
Then what would you do, Layeon wanted to ask. If you had seen it, what would you have done? Could you investigate why the divine revelation appeared, or could you examine the corruption of your cousin?
Of course, Layeon wasn’t foolish enough to let her emotions take over in front of a “serious warning.”
“I couldn’t see clearly from that distance.”
“Is that so….”
There would be no good in facing this man any longer. Layeon lowered her head quietly.
“I apologize. I suppose the girl should be on her way now.”
“Ah.”
Yehun nodded.
As Layeon quietly began to leave, she paused.
Should I just go? Better not to speak unnecessarily. That would be safer, right?
Even knowing that, her feet refused to move. If she left like this, the foolish commoners would speak honestly, forgetting that this well-built man was a relative of the magistrate.
Then surely someone would take a beating for it, because of what he had done.
“Inspector.”
Finally, Layeon turned to face Yehun directly. Yehun raised an eyebrow lightly.
“Yes?”
“Pardon me, I am a humble girl, but I must speak.”
Her voice was polite, but her gaze was unwavering.
“The notice has been posted everywhere. It warns that anyone who mentions the will of Heaven will be severely punished. And yet you ask here, in a public place, whether ‘the characters appeared’?”
Yehun didn’t answer. Layeon continued.
“If you wanted to ask about the characters, this was not the proper place. If someone actually saw the characters and answered truthfully… wouldn’t that itself put them in great danger?”
Her voice and expression were gentle, softening the weight of her words. Perhaps it wasn’t advice for the inspector himself, but for the people present.
“The words of a ruler can be a burden a thousand times heavier than a thousand loads to the people. Every word an official utters, every step they take, can become life or sin to someone. I beg you to understand this.”
Ah, this is addressed to me? Yehun slightly raised the corner of his mouth in acknowledgment.
“You speak wisely. I will remember your advice deeply.”
“The words of a ruler can be a burden a thousand times heavier than a thousand loads…”
Back at the government office, Yehun replayed the girl’s words in his mind for some time. He was certain he had heard them somewhere before. Tapping his left palm lightly with a fan, he tried to recall, but no answer came.
It wasn’t just the words he couldn’t place. The girl herself seemed familiar—but he had no memory of seeing her before. Who was she? Where had he seen her?
“Is there anything I can assist you with?”
The assistant had been lingering nearby for some time, probably intending to observe and report back to the magistrate. Yehun thought to tell him it was fine to go, but the assistant asked, as if remembering.
“Do you recall the girl we saw at the tavern yesterday? The one who blocked my way?”
The assistant thought for a moment and then clapped his hands in recognition.
“Ah, yes! I remember.”
“Do you know who she is?”
“She’s likely the granddaughter of the head of the Baek family. The child with her must be the head’s son, so it’s certain.”
The Baek family of Seochang was already known to Yehun. Descendants of General Baek Young, a founding hero of the nation. After being appointed as a meritorious official, he had settled in Seochang rather than continue struggling in politics, gaining land there.
“Granddaughter?”
“Yes. A few years ago, her parents were killed by bandits, and Elder Baek Yun-gi took her in. That’s when she came to Seochang. Why do you ask? Do you suspect anything?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
A few years ago… perhaps that was the source of the déjà vu? Had he passed by her before coming to Seochang? If so, when? Where?
“The wall where the characters appeared was painted black.”
It was after dinner. Lee Han, who had visited the ancestral shrine with others, came to Lee Dam’s house.
“It’s a bit visible, though.”
“How is it visible?”
Lee Han was about to answer Lee Dam’s question when someone knocked on the door. Layeon jumped in surprise.
“Who is it at this hour?”
Widening her eyes, Layeon looked startled. Lee Dam gently held his sister’s shoulder.
“I’ll go see who it is.”
He carefully peeked outside from the porch. When a servant opened the door, someone entered the house, hiding their face behind a fan.
It was Jang Yehun. Even behind the fan, it was unmistakable.
Not long after, Yun-gi stepped out into the yard. Could she hear his voice? She listened closely.
“To come to this humble place…”
“I apologize for the late hour. I came to investigate a matter that occurred recently in Seochang…”
The voice cut in and out. What could it be? Was he suspicious of my sister? Why? There’s no evidence… is there? Could it be a problem?
“Shi!”
My sister always wrote poetry. Watching her write was profoundly beautiful. And the words she completed were just as beautiful—the poetry, the calligraphy.
Yet once finished, she paid little attention to her work. No, it was more than that. She never showed her writing to anyone outside the family. There was nothing good to come of it.
Thanks to that, Lee Dam was able to collect her works without difficulty.
Some bamboo slips were hidden carefully in his room, others hung on the porch. When visitors asked whose poems they were, he would shrug and say he had obtained them by chance.
“We need to remove the bamboo slips first.”
Believing the will of Heaven should be beautiful, his sister had painstakingly completed the writing. She likely wanted to ensure no innocent commoner would be punished. Even if it turned out to be human handiwork rather than Heaven’s will, few commoners could write like that.
In that case, if her skill became known, it might arouse suspicion. Claiming to have obtained them somewhere wouldn’t be enough.
Lee Dam quickly retrieved the bamboo slips from the wall and ran to his room.
Since he didn’t read books anyway, all the bamboo slips in the room were his sister’s poems. He gathered them all and hid them in a box, then ran to his sister’s room.
“Who is it?”
As if waiting for the question, Layeon asked.
“Jang Yehun.”
A name he didn’t want to think about. Why? Why now? Because of what I said earlier? Or… did he find out something?
“What brings him here?”
“I don’t know…”
“Alone?”
Lee Dam nodded. Layeon looked somewhat relieved.
“If he wanted to arrest me, he would have brought the guards. He wouldn’t have come alone.”
Lee Han was still calm.
“I think so as well. As the head of the Baek family, he is a prominent figure in Seochang. Perhaps he came to check on the people here?”
“Miss.”
A voice called from beyond the door.
“Elder requests your presence.”
Layeon was startled.
“Me? Only me?”
“Yes, only you. The reception room.”
“Why call only my sister?”
Lee Dam asked instead.
“I’m not sure about that…”
It’ll be fine, Layeon muttered to herself. What I said earlier was nothing more than reasonable advice. That alone couldn’t be used to punish me.
“Alright. I’ll go over shortly.”
Still, since there was a guest, she couldn’t appear sloppy. Etiquette must be observed, even for Yun-gi’s sake.
Layeon looked into the mirror and combed her hair. Her delicate features were neatly revealed. Unlike her usual mischievous self, she now looked like a refined young lady.
After adjusting her clothing, she headed to the reception room.
“Did you call for me, Uncle?”
“Yes, pay your respects. He is an inspector from the capital.”
Layeon bowed politely.
“I have seen you earlier, but this is my first formal greeting. I am Layeon Chae of Yangcheon.”
“I apologize for calling so late.”
Yehun’s gentle tone was polite in a way uncharacteristic of capital nobility.
“Yet how is it that a humble girl like you…”
“Humble? Who doesn’t know the Baek family of Seochang? How could anyone consider someone with Baek blood humble?”
She deflected the question. Why? Layeon frowned slightly. Yun-gi, however, laughed awkwardly.
“You flatter me.”
“Not at all. When our ancestors were defeated in war and fled, General Baek Young personally drove the carriage, did he not?”
Yehun paused, sipping tea.
“When the carriage slowed, the founder urged abandoning his children to save himself, but General Baek Young declared that even beasts do not abandon their offspring. Every scholar knows this story.”
His gaze was sharp, as if piercing right through them.
“Later, when the founder unified the continent, he granted the Baek surname, saying, ‘For the next hundred years, it is entirely due to you saving the crown prince.’ Truly a distinguished family. It is an honor to meet the descendants of General Baek Young, loyal minister and founding hero.”
In Seochang, the story was well known, though outside the region, less so. Layeon stiffened slightly, but recovered gracefully.
“The honor is mine, truly.”
“Moreover, to take in and raise the granddaughter, it is a family of remarkable character indeed.”
Yehun’s smiling eyes suddenly seemed sharp.
“Pardon me, may I ask your age, Miss?”
