The True Land Deed
“……A farmland document?”
Yoo Eunhyeon furrowed his brow and took the paper from Ji Heun-dong’s hand for a clearer look. Ji Heun-dong had offered it for inspection in the first place, so he handed it over without protest.
The paper bore the large, bold characters for “Farmland Document.” Of course, that was not all it said. Beneath the title, the following was written:
The rights to the lands around the third and fourth peaks of Mount Taesan are hereby entrusted, on behalf of the landowner, to the bearer of this certificate.
— Seal of An Cheol-jung, Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shandong Province
The gist was simple. What was written on the document was a certificate proving land ownership rights—and a formal one issued by the state, no less.
A Provincial Administration Commissioner was a high-ranking official who oversaw an entire province. A certificate bearing the recognition of such a man carried weight that needed no further explanation.
“Do you grasp the situation a little better now? I certainly hope so.”
Ji Heun-dong smiled at the dazed Yoo Eunhyeon as if daring him to say something even after seeing this.
But Yoo Eunhyeon still had no words. What could he possibly say here? From what he had heard, this land had never belonged to anyone in the first place. Yoo Pyo-gyeong had simply come here to make a living.
As if unable to believe it, Yoo Eunhyeon fumbled over the document and asked Ji Heun-dong,
“Is this real?”
“I have heard that forging official documents is a capital offense. I only have one life, so I would never play such a joke.”
Ji Heun-dong still spoke with a smile. Yoo Eunhyeon remained half-doubtful, yet at least the red seal stamped on the paper in his hand looked genuine.
Could it actually be real? That doesn’t make any sense either…….
When Yoo Eunhyeon said nothing, Ji Heun-dong tilted his head.
“Young hero? I would appreciate an answer.”
“I cannot accept being driven out like this. My family has lived here for over fifty years. Does it make any sense to simply tell us to leave?”
In the end, all Yoo Eunhyeon could manage was stubborn insistence. Even he knew such insistence would never work.
“Of course I understand your circumstances, young hero, but you must understand ours as well, must you not? If you wish to lodge a formal objection, I suggest you visit the government office yourself.”
“That……”
Hearing words so similar to what he himself had said the day before, now coming from Ji Heun-dong, left Yoo Eunhyeon speechless. Watching the young man flounder in confusion, Ji Heun-dong wore the smile of a victor. That was when it happened.
“I knew it would come to this in the end. Hand it here.”
“Mother?”
Su Hwa-seon, who had been quietly watching the situation from behind, stepped forward with a gentle smile.
She lightly stroked the head of her bewildered son, who had turned to look at her, as if to say he had done well.
“You’ve worked hard. From your position, there was nothing else you could do. No—rather, I’m glad you weren’t too late.”
“Glad about what?”
Yoo Eunhyeon asked again, but Su Hwa-seon gave no answer. She simply snatched the farmland document from his hand as if intercepting it and stepped forward, as if to say he would understand once he saw.
With things turning out this way, Yoo Eunhyeon quietly retreated and asked Ju Yu-ryeon behind him,
“Did she prepare something before we left the house?”
“How should I know? I don’t think there was anything special, but……”
When even Ju Yu-ryeon said that, all Yoo Eunhyeon could do was watch the situation unfold.
He silently observed Su Hwa-seon as she advanced.
“Does Madam intend to decide the matter? The young hero certainly seemed quite flustered. I trust that Madam will make a swift decision.”
Seeing Su Hwa-seon come forward, Ji Heun-dong looked as though it made no difference whether his opponent was Yoo Eunhyeon or Su Hwa-seon. He clearly had absolute confidence in his weapon.
But Su Hwa-seon paid Ji Heun-dong no mind at all. She waved the farmland document about and suddenly plopped down onto the ground right where she stood.
“……Madam?”
Ji Heun-dong called out in fluster, yet Su Hwa-seon still did not so much as glance at him. She simply tore the farmland document to shreds and scattered the pieces into the air.
Naturally, Ji Heun-dong’s eyes wavered, and he soon raised his voice in a cry of shock.
“No—Madam. You cannot possibly think that will solve anything, can you? There is not only one copy of the document. Doing this will not erase its effect!”
“You—step aside and call out the one in charge.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by……”
Ji Heun-dong was thrown by Su Hwa-seon’s sudden change in attitude, but she still was not looking at him. And by that point, Yoo Eunhyeon could tell whom Su Hwa-seon was actually staring at.
“Someone you know?”
Su Hwa-seon was fixed on the man in silk robes among the three standing behind Ji Heun-dong. Watching that, Ju Yu-ryeon gave a small shake of her head.
“She definitely knows something. But what about you? Do you know that veiled ajumma? She’s been staring only at you this whole time.”
“That’s what I want to ask. I don’t know any ajumma like that.”
“For someone who doesn’t know her, she’s sending you some pretty heated looks.”
“Just shut up. Is this really the time for word games?”
When Yoo Eunhyeon snapped at her, Ju Yu-ryeon grasped the situation and fell quiet.
In truth, Yoo Eunhyeon had been deliberately ignoring the veiled woman who kept staring at him because it made him uncomfortable; Ju Yu-ryeon’s remark only made him more conscious of it again.
But he forced himself to ignore it once more and turned his gaze back toward Su Hwa-seon.
“You didn’t come all this way just to play around. Come out already. There’s a reason for everything.”
Su Hwa-seon continued to urge Ji Heun-dong to step back, and when he finally glanced behind himself without meaning to, the silk-robed man she had been watching slowly walked forward.
“Counselor Gong, will you be all right?”
“Having been pointed out so directly, I have little choice. And I believe we must also discuss the matter of daring to tear a document bearing the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s seal.”
The silk-robed man was a middle-aged fellow with a neat appearance and a glossy beard. He gave a light nod at Ji Heun-dong’s question and stepped forward with measured strides.
“At last the one in charge has appeared.”
“Madam’s words are rather rough. One’s manner of speech reveals one’s character. Will you be all right?”
“You don’t look particularly all right yourself, but I’m fine.”
Su Hwa-seon still spoke as if it were nothing, yet her counterpart seemed long accustomed to such exchanges; his expression did not change in the slightest. He simply cupped his fist with a deep, settled gaze and gave a light bow.
“I am Gong Yeo-ak, holding the post of Counselor and assisting Provincial Administration Commissioner An Cheol-jung of Shandong Province. I have come today as the Commissioner’s proxy. It seems you have something to say to me.”
“I am Su Hwa-seon, mother of Eunhyeon here.”
When Su Hwa-seon gave her name, the expressions of the two people behind her shifted for an instant.
The name Su Hwa-seon seemed to catch their interest, but that was as far as it went; they showed no further curiosity.
“I am uncertain what message you wish to convey, yet may I ask the reason you destroyed a document bearing the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s seal?”
“Because that thing is no longer needed.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
Gong Yeo-ak pressed sharply, but instead of answering, Su Hwa-seon rummaged in her robes and, just as Ji Heun-dong had done, produced a paper.
The paper was completely faded, making it clear that a great many years had passed. Su Hwa-seon held it out to Gong Yeo-ak.
Still looking utterly bewildered, Gong Yeo-ak unfolded the paper she had given him—and the moment he saw it, the expression that had seemed unbreakable cracked completely.
“……A land deed?”
Startled by Gong Yeo-ak’s mutter, Ji Heun-dong hurried to his side. As he read the document in Gong Yeo-ak’s hands, his eyes began to widen.
In accordance with this document, the lands around the third and fourth peaks of Mount Taesan are hereby established as the property of the Yoo family. This document shall remain valid until the Yoo family relinquishes ownership……
Notarized. Seal of Maeng Gyeong-ji, Minister of Revenue……
As Ji Heun-dong read through the detailed contents, his expression grew steadily harder. By the final portion, his voice had become almost as if he were chewing and swallowing the words.
“Notarized. Seal of Maeng Gyeong-ji, Minister of Revenue……”
Once Ji Heun-dong had finished reading everything, a quiet silence settled over the surroundings. No one was willing to speak first, but in the end it was Ji Heun-dong who opened his mouth.
“Is this real?”
“Pfft.”
At Ji Heun-dong’s dazed words, Ju Yu-ryeon could not help bursting into laughter. Listening carefully, was it not exactly the same thing Yoo Eunhyeon had said just a moment ago?
But Ji Heun-dong’s mind was in such turmoil that he could not even notice that.
What they had brought was merely a land lease certificate. Yet what Su Hwa-seon had produced was nothing less than a document proving ownership of the land itself. And the Minister of Revenue was the highest official in charge of the imperial court’s finances—far higher in rank than a Provincial Administration Commissioner.
Moreover, Gong Yeo-ak would naturally know the authenticity of such a document better than anyone. Though the paper had faded somewhat with age, Gong Yeo-ak stared fixedly at the official seal stamped upon it, bit his lip, and muttered,
“It is genuine……. This is the seal used when the Ministry of Revenue approves documents.”
“Th-then? Does that mean the other side is the true owner of the land?”
“That is correct.”
“The land entrustment certificate issued to us……”
“When the Black Lotus Merchant Guild inquired about ownership of this place, our side had no information regarding it. Therefore, after recent investigation, we found no problems on paper, and so……”
Su Hwa-seon added a word at that point.
“Somewhere along the line the paperwork must have gone wrong. It is old, so the document may have disappeared while being transferred. And even if we are often away, if you had come in person you would at least have known people were living here, would you not?”
“We did investigate to that extent. However, for the past year there had been no signs of anyone living here, and so……”
“Even so, we paid our taxes on time without fail. It may have been recorded as going out through Doryeon County, but still.”
“……”
Hearing that they had paid every last bit of tax, Gong Yeo-ak had nothing more to say. In the first place, ownership of remote places like this often went uninvestigated properly and simply faded into obscurity. With no potential for problems, it was only natural that the hand of administration never reached this far.
But that was entirely their problem. In the end, it was Gong Yeo-ak’s side that had erred by issuing such an entrustment certificate without thorough investigation.
“Will you return that now? Why? Planning to tear it up or something?”
When Su Hwa-seon held out her hand, Gong Yeo-ak obediently handed the certificate back to her. As a man who ate the nation’s salary, his conscience would not allow him to destroy something like this.
And as Ji Heun-dong had explained earlier, doing so would solve nothing anyway.
As long as a deed like that existed, even a little investigation in the capital would turn up the records.
Then the matter would grow even larger, and the entire aftermath would fall solely on Gong Yeo-ak—something he absolutely wished to avoid.
“Counselor Gong?”
Watching this, Ji Heun-dong shot Gong Yeo-ak a look as if urging him to come up with some plan. Gong Yeo-ak seemed to sink into thought for a moment before asking Su Hwa-seon again,
“Might you tell us who received this document?”
“My father received it about twenty years ago.”
“And your father’s honorable name?”
At Gong Yeo-ak’s question, Su Hwa-seon answered with a subtle smile.
“Su Gyeong-tak.”
“……Su Gyeong-tak?”
Hearing that name, Ji Heun-dong’s face filled with pure shock.