Two Choices
After the storm passed, the scene at the Asan magistrate's office was unrecognizable from the night before. The magistrate, the provincial governor, and every local clerk entangled in the scheme had been bound in red arrest cords and thrown into the dungeon. Left State Councillor Maeng Sa-seong wrapped up the situation, declaring that once his recuperation was over, he would string the culprits together like dried croakers, drag them up to Hanyang, and present them directly to His Majesty. Thanks to him, I was completely spared the tedious paperwork and the hassle of escorting prisoners. With the Left State Councillor himself detaining the head of Chungcheong Province, there was absolutely no room for anyone to complain.
Just before leaving the town of Asan, as I was about to mount my horse, I turned back. I walked over to the Left State Councillor, who was overseeing the cleanup of the courtyard, and offered my departure greetings.
"My Lord. We shall take our leave now."
"Very well. Safe travels on your long journey."
Maeng Sa-seong nodded gently, his gaze sweeping over the companions standing behind me. Passing over Jincheol, who stood like a sturdy rock, and the fidgeting Gaetdong-i, the old minister's eyes lingered on one spot.
At the very back of our group stood a fellow holding a fan, wearing a vacant, silly grin. It was Han Myeong-hoe.
Stroking his beard, Maeng Sa-seong asked casually, "Is he close to you?"
He was subtly testing to see if the man was a trusted subordinate I kept by my side. I replied calmly, "Our paths merely happened to cross, so we are traveling together for a short while."
"Is that so?"
Maeng Sa-seong quietly stared at Han Myeong-hoe. The eyes of the old minister, who had weathered all of life's hardships and survived the brutal political storms of the late King's reign, flashed with a brief but razor-sharp light. Maeng Sa-seong took a step closer to me. Leaning in so that only I could hear, he lowered his voice.
"There is venom in his eyes, and a shadow hangs over his jaw. He does not have the face of a scholar who would ever be content with merely reading books."
It was not a mere reading of physiognomy; it was a clear warning.
"His talents are extraordinary, so he may be useful for now. However, he has the face of one who would gladly cut down others to seize their place the moment an opportunity arises. If you keep him close, be on your guard."
Internally, I marveled at the old minister's keen insight. In that brief instant, he had pierced right through to the core of Han Myeong-hoe—the man who would one day instigate the Gyeyu Jeongnan, decapitate countless high officials, and rise to the absolute pinnacle of power. I did not bother to deny his words. I, too, knew all too well that the physiognomy he saw would become precise, bloody history.
"I will keep that in mind, My Lord. I leave Chungcheong Province in your hands."
At my response, Maeng Sa-seong stared at me for a moment before letting out a short chuckle.
"Indeed. At any rate, watch your step on the road, and I shall see you in Hanyang."
Leaving that brief farewell behind, I turned my horse's head south without delay.
As we rode out of the town of Asan, Jincheol, who was leading the way, turned back with a deeply troubled expression.
"Brother, is it truly alright to leave everything to the Left State Councillor?" Doubt was thick in Jincheol's voice. "What if he quietly releases them or covers it up while we are away in Jeolla Province? For all we know, the Left State Councillor himself might be involved. After all, Asan is his hometown."
Just as I was about to speak, a sly, cheeky voice chimed in from behind.
"Ah, now that is a statement made by someone who doesn't know the Left State Councillor at all."
Turning my head, I saw the fellow riding alongside us—though when exactly he had caught up, I couldn't say. He snapped his fan open with a flourish and offered a silly grin. It was Han Myeong-hoe.
Even after witnessing that chaotic mess last night, the fellow had shamelessly latched onto the tail end of our party. He continued with effortless glibness.
"Lord Maeng Sa-seong is such an obstinate scholar that during the late King's reign, he stubbornly insisted on executing the royal son-in-law until his own head was nearly chopped off. In other words, he is a nobleman who recognizes no hierarchy when it comes to the law. Furthermore, these bastards dared to covet the state treasury right in his own backyard. He is absolutely not the kind of man to sweep this under the rug."
Hearing the man speak with such silver-tongued eloquence, Jincheol nodded as if convinced. Indeed, the rumors and gossip he had picked up on the streets of Hanyang were remarkably accurate. Dumbfounded, I clicked my tongue.
"Scholar Han, just how long do you intend to follow us?"
Despite my scolding, Han Myeong-hoe didn't even bat an eye. Instead, he covered his mouth with his fan, feigning exaggerated shock.
"Oh, my! Lord Auditor, really! Didn't I ask a clerk I know back in the courtyard earlier? It turns out my cousin-uncle recently packed up his entire estate and moved down to the Jeolla region!"
"Moved?"
"Yes! My, what an incredible coincidence! How on earth could our paths align so perfectly... Haha!"
It was a load of utter, shameless nonsense. Yesterday he claimed he was visiting his grandchild, and now, in a single day, his entire extended family had supposedly fled to Jeolla Province under the cover of night?
"This cousin-uncle of yours must be remarkably fleet-footed. Jeolla Province is at least a ten-day journey from here."
"Oh, he has always been exceptionally fast on his feet! Hahaha!"
I let out a hollow laugh at his sheer audacity and shook my head. Trying to argue with a tongue like his on the open road would only wear me out.
"Do as you please."
"Oh, do not worry! I shall travel with you as quietly as a shadow."
Elated, the fellow gripped his reins and began humming a tune.
The location the magistrate had confessed to the previous night was a secluded mountain valley not far from Asan. On the surface, it looked like a shabby mountain hamlet where slash-and-burn farmers huddled together, but fierce-looking men kept watch at every path leading to the village entrance. It was clearly no ordinary settlement.
On a dim forest path overlooking the village, I halted our party and dismounted. Then, from my robes, I drew an object I hadn't dared to pull out in front of Maeng Sa-seong the night before. It was a wooden plaque made of solid blackwood, exquisitely engraved with two characters: Daedong.
The sharp-eyed Han Myeong-hoe recognized the plaque instantly, his eyes widening.
"Is that not an item from the Daedong Merchant Group Headquarters? And a highly exclusive one carried only by those of great status, at that."
"You certainly have a keen eye."
It was then. Han Myeong-hoe's eyes flashed as his gaze darted back and forth between the plaque in my hand and the merchant outpost below. The corners of his mouth twitched before stretching into a wide, irrepressible grin.
"Lord Auditor. If that is the case, rather than raiding those bastards in our capacity as government officials, I, Han Myeong-hoe, have a brilliant scheme."
"Let's hear it."
When I nodded with feigned interest, Han Myeong-hoe let out a hum of excitement and began eagerly setting the stage.
"Since the Asan magistrate's office was raided yesterday, we tell them we've come to cut the tail before those fools open their mouths. We claim the Chief Administrator is furious and terrify them by saying we must seize all the ledgers and silver bars traded with the magistrate, take them back to headquarters, and erase every trace."
"Go on."
"If they thought government officials were coming to arrest them, they would burn the ledgers and flee. But if they believe headquarters has sent someone to erase the evidence and save their skins, it's a completely different story. They will hand over the hidden ledgers and silver bars of their own accord! What a flawless deception!"
I let out a soft chuckle at the sheer ingenuity of the excited fellow. Staring straight at Han Myeong-hoe, I thrust the wooden plaque toward him.
"Then you, Scholar Han, shall present this plaque and lead the way."
"Pardon? Me?"
Han Myeong-hoe blinked, utterly bewildered.
I gestured with my chin toward the merchant outpost down the mountain and replied, "Indeed. I am a man who has spent his entire life buried in government ledgers. No matter how hard I try to hide it, the moment I open my mouth, the stench of bureaucracy is bound to leak out. There is no one better suited to put on a show of bluff and bravado than you, Scholar Han."
"Is that an insult?" Han Myeong-hoe asked, twitching an eyebrow.
"It is a compliment."
Instead of arresting thieves as government officials, we were going to pose as their superiors and run a blatant scam. It truly was a compliment.
"So, you mean to say you will stand weightily in the back with your hands behind your back, while I drive those bastards out of their minds? My, this is going to be fun."
Already brimming with excitement, Han Myeong-hoe slipped the plaque into his sleeve and grinned widely.
I turned to the two men standing behind me.
"Jincheol, stay close to my side and guard me. Do not draw your sword unless we are under direct threat."
"Yes, Brother."
"Gaetdong-i, you stay quietly by my side for now."
"Yes, Lord Auditor."
With our roles assigned, we descended the mountain slope without delay and headed toward the entrance of the village.
As expected, the moment we reached the outskirts of the village, three or four rough-looking men blocked our path. Instead of farming tools, they carried proper military swords and clubs—unmistakably the private soldiers of a merchant group.
"Halt. This is no place for outsiders to wander. Turn back at once."
One of the men stepped forward menacingly, jutting his chin out.
It was at that exact moment. Han Myeong-hoe, standing half a step ahead of me, snorted. He whipped the wooden plaque out of his sleeve and tossed it straight at the man's face.
Clack!
The man caught the plaque in a daze. Engraved clearly upon it were the two characters: Daedong.
"You insolent fool! How dare you block our path!"
It was a thunderous, domineering roar.
Confusion washed over the man's face as he inspected the plaque.
"A-Are you from headquarters?"
"Indeed! We have ridden day and night from Hanyang on the direct orders of the Chief Administrator! What are you lazy bastards doing idling about when the magistrates of Asan have been thrown into prison! Bring your leader to me this instant!"
Han Myeong-hoe's booming voice echoed through the mountain valley.
The raid on the Asan magistrate's office had only occurred yesterday. News could not have reached this deep mountain valley yet. When an inspector from headquarters suddenly arrived and delivered the thunderbolt that the magistrates had been imprisoned, the guards were thrown into utter panic.
"I-Imprisoned? Even the provincial governor?!"
"Do I look like I am jesting! Those brainless fools left a trail a mile long, and the royal court descended upon Asan! If they break under torture and utter our merchant group's name, will you take responsibility for it?!"
I stood silently behind Han Myeong-hoe with my hands clasped behind my back, listening to his tirade. I kept my brow furrowed, putting on the air of someone whose patience was wearing thin. Behind me, Jincheol glared at the guards with a ferocious expression, his hand resting heavily on the hilt of his sword.
Terrified, the guards scrambled back toward the village.
"Chief! Chief! We have a disaster! High officials from Hanyang... from Hanyang have arrived!"
Amidst the chaotic shouting, the tightly shut doors of a large warehouse deep inside the village burst open. A middle-aged man clad in silk robes rushed out. It was the chief of the outpost, the leader of these scoundrels.
They took the bait.
Swallowing my laughter, I tilted my chin high and approached him with arrogant, deliberate strides. The chief had been marching over, demanding to know what the commotion was about, but the moment his eyes fell upon the blackwood plaque, he froze as if struck by lightning.
"M-My god...! Is that not the blackwood plaque of Daedong?!"
Just as the pale-faced chief took the plaque with trembling hands, heavy, imposing footsteps echoed from the dark depths of the open warehouse.
"The headquarters of the Daedong Merchant Group has graced this remote mountain valley?"
The chief's shoulders flinched violently. Soon, a man draped in a luxurious overcoat stepped into the light. Behind him stood several fierce-looking bodyguards.
The man glanced at the plaque in Han Myeong-hoe's hand and snorted.
"I heard that not long ago, due to the affair involving the Chief State Councillor's in-laws, the chief administrators of the Hanyang headquarters were dragged off to the Uigeumbu one after another. The entire merchant group must be in utter chaos, yet you claim headquarters sent an inspector all the way here?"
The man strolled forward with leisurely steps and casually swiped the plaque out of the chief's hand.
"Who is to say someone didn't steal this wooden plaque during all that confusion? How can we trust that you are truly from headquarters just because you swagger in here waving a single piece of wood?"
The man's sharp gaze swept past Han Myeong-hoe and locked onto me, standing with my hands behind my back.