The Hidden Scroll
The middle-aged beauty shot Son Ji-heon a sharp look, as if to say he should stop.
Son Ji-heon quickly pretended to be interested in something else.
“Before that, Lord Son, are you certain the scholar truly committed suicide?”
For a moment, Son Yu-baek’s face hardened.
“Are you suggesting he was murdered?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Son Ji-heon burst out.
“Nonsense! If you don’t know anything, you’d best keep your mouth shut! This was the careful conclusion reached by County Magistrate Jo of Jangan County after a thorough investigation!”
“Well, then keep believing that if it makes you feel better.”
“What did you just say? A mere cloth shop worker couldn’t possibly—”
“Enough!”
At Son Yu-baek’s thunderous rebuke, Son Ji-heon clamped his mouth shut.
Soon after, Son Yu-baek turned his gaze toward Dan Yeop.
“Young Master Dan, this matter concerns not only Magistrate Jo but our entire Son-taek estate. It is not something to be spoken of lightly. Do you have any evidence?”
“Evidence that a dead man was hanged? Or evidence that someone artificially created the sound of ghostly wailing?”
“Hah! You claim to have such evidence? Then show it.”
“It’s not something I can simply bring. After the meal, let us go see it together.”
Having said his piece, Dan Yeop calmly resumed enjoying his food.
He, too, had taken quite a liking to Son-taek’s cuisine—just as much as the original dull-witted Dan Yeop had.
Son Yeon-hwa glanced at him.
This was the first time she had seen someone remain completely unfazed in front of her grandfather, who had once served as the Inspector of Saju, the highest authority in the Luoyang region.
Even the hot-tempered Son Ji-heon could barely hold his head high before their grandfather, yet this delicate-looking boy who seemed like he might collapse if tapped spoke to him without the slightest hesitation. It was astonishing.
She was not the only one who felt that way.
Son Yu-baek himself was inwardly impressed by Dan Yeop’s bold and composed demeanor.
At first, he had thought the youth was nothing more than a weak scholar. Later, he learned otherwise, but had still accepted him on No-bang’s recommendation.
As long as the man had courage, anyone would do—except criminals, of course.
Hmm. It seems he really isn’t just an ordinary clerk…
Could he truly have found a clue that even County Magistrate Jo Mu-jin had missed?
Meanwhile, Son Ji-heon, now anxious after hearing Dan Yeop’s words, bit his lip.
What? He wasn’t just talking nonsense?
He had made such a fuss earlier. If this turned out to be true, he would look like a complete fool.
Damn it! There’s no way something like that exists. Even Magistrate Jo concluded it was suicide…
A short while later, after finishing his tea, Dan Yeop left the inner hall with Son Yu-baek.
The entire household of Son-taek trailed after the two of them in a noisy procession.
The annex.
Standing in front of the annex, Dan Yeop spoke to the old servant who had followed them.
“If there is a ladder, please bring it.”
Old Man Jang ran off at once and returned with a ladder.
Dan Yeop leaned the ladder against the main beam and climbed up first.
He then gestured for Son Yu-baek to come up as well.
Son Yu-baek carefully climbed the ladder and joined him on the beam.
Dan Yeop pointed at a spot where the dust had been swept away and asked,
“This is where the scholar tied the rope, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Look at the corner of the beam. It is perfectly square. If a living person hangs themselves, they struggle in agony. Their body weight would leave scrape marks on both corners. Yet it is clean. That means the scholar never moved at all. In other words, a dead body was hung here.”
Son Yu-baek, who had been examining the squared edge closely, spoke to Old Man Jang.
“Go to the storehouse and bring a rope identical to the one used that day.”
“Yes, sir!”
Old Man Jang hurried off and soon returned with a thick rope.
Son Yu-baek looped the rope over the beam and told Son Ji-heon,
“Grab the rope and hang from it. Struggle as if you’re dying.”
Son Ji-heon reluctantly took hold of the rope, but only made a half-hearted show of struggling.
Seeing his grandson’s attitude, Son Yu-baek frowned, but it was enough.
Clear scrape marks had appeared on the upper edges of both squared corners.
Son Yu-baek stared at the corner with a stunned expression, then silently climbed down the ladder.
Son Yeon-hwa immediately asked,
“Grandfather, what happened? Were there really marks?”
“Yes… It appears a dead man was indeed hung here.”
He then turned to Dan Yeop.
“You said the ghostly wailing was created artificially?”
“I will show you.”
Dan Yeop walked behind the annex and pointed at a spot beneath the eaves.
There, in a place one would never notice without close inspection, was a long, narrow pipe attached to the structure.
Upon seeing it, Son Yu-baek asked Old Man Jang,
“Old Jang! What is that? Who installed such a thing?”
“Master, I have no idea. This is the first time I’ve seen it as well.”
Dan Yeop explained,
“It only made that crying sound when a strong wind blew. It seems someone wanted to spread rumors about a ghost.”
Just then, a powerful gust of wind swept through.
Yet no sound came from beneath the eaves.
Son Ji-heon shouted triumphantly,
“What sound? A strong wind just blew and it was completely silent!”
“They must have blocked the wind hole during the day. It would only make noise at night so people would think it was the work of a ghost. Bring the ladder and check for yourself.”
A young worker quickly ran into the main house and returned with a ladder.
Once the ladder was in place, Son Yu-baek told the young worker,
“Old Jang is older than me, so you go up.”
“Yes, sir!”
The young worker climbed the ladder, examined the pipe, and shouted down,
“Master! There’s something stuck in the wind hole!”
Carefully, he pulled the object out of the pipe and climbed back down.
Son Yu-baek took it and saw that it was a leather awl—a leather needle (ge-zhen)—used for punching holes in leather.
As he inspected the awl, another strong wind blew.
Hooooooo—
An eerie, wailing sound swirled around the annex.
Son Yu-baek looked at Dan Yeop with a stunned expression.
To think he had trembled in fear for two whole months over something this young man had uncovered in a single day.
“Who do you believe caused this ghostly disturbance, and why?”
“Obviously, the ones who killed the scholar.”
“And the reason for the ghost act?”
“To keep people from entering the annex.”
“For what possible reason? What grudge could they hold against the Son family?”
“It seems they killed the scholar to steal something. But they failed to obtain what they wanted. That’s why they created the ghost rumors to prevent anyone from using the annex.”
“Remarkable. Truly remarkable. If what you say is true, then whatever they’re looking for must still be inside the annex?”
“Most likely.”
Seeing that the culprit had been removing and reinserting the awl as recently as last night, it was clear they were still targeting the annex.
“Can you find it? If we find the object, we should be able to identify the murderer, no?”
“Finding it won’t be difficult, but whether it will reveal the killer’s identity… that, I cannot guarantee.”
“Find it anyway. If we hand it over to the magistrate, those people will no longer dare come near Son-taek. That alone would be enough.”
“Me?”
“Think about it. The killers have been watching this annex—the very place you’re staying. Doesn’t that make you uncomfortable? And that’s not all. If they mistakenly believe you’ve taken the item, you’ll be the one in danger.”
“Ah… that’s true. Very well. I’ll find it right now.”
Dan Yeop strolled casually into the annex as if it were no big deal.
Son Yu-baek followed behind him with a dazed expression, as though he had seen a ghost.
Once inside, Dan Yeop examined the floor and walls for a while before suddenly pushing the bookshelf to the side.
From a small hole in the wall behind the shelf, he pulled out a tightly rolled scroll and handed it to Son Yu-baek.
“If Lord Son didn’t hide this himself, then this must be it.”
“How in the world did you know?”
“There were drag marks on the floor. Perhaps the scholar wasn’t simply the victim of a thief.”
“You mean to say…”
“He approached Lord Son because he needed a place to hide.”
Son Yu-baek smiled bitterly.
The circumstances made it seem as though he had been the one played by the scholar.
Son Yu-baek tucked the scroll into his robes and left Son-taek.
That same day, around noon, notices were posted all across Chang'an Castle.
The notices read: ‘Seeking information on those who murdered Gwak Jin two months ago’ and ‘Gwak Jin’s belongings are currently held at the Jangan County Office. Any relatives or acquaintances should come claim them.’
The second part had been added by County Magistrate Jo Mu-jin out of concern for the safety of Son-taek and Dan Yeop.
It was a subtle message to the killers: The thing you are looking for is at the Jangan County Office.
Dan Yeop remained shut inside Son-taek all day.
He had nowhere in particular to go, and the cold weather made him reluctant to leave the warmth of the annex.
Within Son-taek, his status had changed from a mere guest with some courage to an honored guest.
The workers now spoke of him as the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang.
Yet despite all the praise from the Son-taek household, Dan Yeop did not seem particularly pleased.
He knew that the moment they learned he was a member of Haomun, they would turn their backs on him as if none of this had ever happened.
When lunchtime arrived, a maid from the main house came to escort him.
It was a remarkable change compared to just that morning, when Old Man Jang had been the one to fetch him.
The inner hall.
As Dan Yeop entered, a glint of interest flashed in his eyes.
Seated at the table were Son Yu-baek, the middle-aged beauty, her daughter Son Yeon-hwa, and an unfamiliar middle-aged man.
When Dan Yeop looked at the stranger with slight awkwardness, the man rose from his seat, clasped his hands together, and introduced himself first.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Do-gyeom, the County Sheriff of Jangan. I came in place of Magistrate Jo to express my gratitude to Young Master Dan.”
“Ah, my name is Dan Yeop.”
Dan Yeop returned the greeting and took the seat opposite Sheriff Do-gyeom.
Son Yu-baek, who had been watching them, gave an embarrassed smile and spoke as if making an excuse.
“Sheriff Do kept insisting he wanted to meet Young Master Dan, so I brought him along. Please understand if it feels awkward.”
“Not at all. Sheriff Do, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge.”
Dan Yeop understood that Do-gyeom had come to assess him.
Of course, Son Yu-baek had likely seen through the sheriff’s true intentions as well.
Even so, the fact that he had brought him here meant this was some sort of initiation rite.
They would continue digging into his background until they were convinced he had nothing to do with Gwak Jin’s murder.
I suppose the fact that I’m from Haomun might come out a little sooner than expected.
If the magistrate decided to investigate in earnest, everything would be revealed. Especially if one held a position like an instructor.
I guess they’ll ask me to leave the annex.
He could hold out by citing the rental agreement, but he had no desire to do so.
Sheriff Do-gyeom sensed that Dan Yeop had already figured out the purpose of his visit.
Then this conversation will be much easier.
While observing Dan Yeop’s face, Do-gyeom asked casually,
“Now that I think about it, I don’t even know where you’re from. Where is your hometown?”
“I remember it as Nakan County. I lost my way as a child and wandered around as a half-orphan before being adopted by a good man. That’s how I’ve been able to live like a proper person.”
It was the truth.
Dan Yeop was officially registered as the adopted son of Dan Bul-wi.
The members of the Son family looked at him with pity.
To think such a noble-looking young man carried such a tragic story!
Since they would find out anyway if they looked into it, Do-gyeom simply nodded.
“You’ve been through a lot. Still, thanks to heaven’s help, you’ve grown into such a fine young man. That is a blessing amid misfortune. By the way, how did you come to stay at Son-taek?”
Son Yu-baek interjected.
“I’ll explain that. I have an acquaintance among the brokers named No-bang. I asked him to find me a tenant with strong nerves. As I mentioned before, I believed a ghost was haunting the annex.”
“Ah, I see. Young Master Dan, Lord Son says your mind is exceptionally sharp… Is that true?”
Do-gyeom stared directly at him.
This was the most important question.
Hometown? Adoptive father? Introduction from No-bang? None of that mattered.
If he truly possessed the wisdom to see through the killers’ schemes, everything would make sense.
But if not…