The Fog Clears (1)
At my urging, Heo Cheong ended up drinking the same tea as us.
Flower Bird Clear Sound.
Plum in Moonlight.
By the time he'd reached that point, Heo Cheong tilted his head quizzically.
And when he sipped the Green Plum Person, his face turned grave.
The moment he laid eyes on the jujubes sitting on our table, his expression drained of all color.
There was no way the Supreme Patriarch hadn't noticed.
"What's wrong with you? Is something the matter? Why has your face gone so pale?"
"I-I'm sorry, Supreme Patriarch. It's just my suspicion, but if I'm right... it's a truly tragic affair."
"What on earth is it?"
"In truth, while I paint, I also take on another task."
"I know that much. You're treating the ailments of the townsfolk as a physician, aren't you?"
"Yes, but what I mainly deal with are antidotes for those poisoned by toxins."
"Antidotes?"
"Painting is my family's trade, so I paint as well. But I grew curious why painters like us fall ill so easily and die young. In investigating the cause, I discovered that the pigments we use in our paints are poisonous."
Heo Cheong continued.
"Realizing that my household staff were being poisoned by those pigments, suffering health issues, and dying prematurely, I began studying antidotes to save them."
"I see. But what does that have to do with your sudden pallor?"
"When you study antidotes, you inevitably learn about poisons as well."
"That makes sense. To create an antidote, you must understand the poison."
"Exactly. Poisons and medicines may seem opposites, but they share the same roots."
I glanced at his white hair.
It had turned that way as a side effect of his poison research.
Because of that white hair, people in the future would call him the White-Haired Painting Physician.
In my previous life, the White-Haired Painting Physician had been an unparalleled master of antidotes.
He was the one who uncovered that the late Empress had been poisoned to death—the very painter sitting before me, who would become that legendary figure.
And at this point in time, officially, he was likely the only one who knew about the Fourfold Overlapping Poison.
"So you're saying there's poison in my chambers."
"Yes."
"Then tell me this: where is the poison?"
At the Supreme Patriarch's question, Heo Cheong bowed low and replied.
"To my utmost regret... it was in the tea."
"The tea?"
"Precisely, in the three kinds of tea I just drank and in the jujubes. These are components of the Fourfold Overlapping Poison, which only takes effect when all four types are ingested."
"......"
At those words, the Supreme Patriarch squeezed his eyes shut.
"......I see. My guests yesterday and today ingested that poison too... are they alright?"
I was moved by the Supreme Patriarch's words.
He must have consumed more of it himself, yet he was more concerned for his guests' safety than his own.
Heo Cheong answered the question.
"They're fine. The poison I mentioned requires steady ingestion for at least a year to take effect. After that year passes, the body gradually weakens, leading to death—but the cause of death won't show up as anything unusual."
"I see."
The Supreme Patriarch nodded.
"The fortunate part is that you haven't been taking this poison for long."
"How do you know that?"
"Your complexion tells me. If it were poor, I would have noticed the moment I saw you."
"But......"
The Supreme Patriarch posed the most crucial question.
"How did you come to know of this poison? Even I was unaware of it, despite your studies in antidotes for that purpose."
"Someone who ingested the same poison as you—and died from it—passed away."
In his previous life, the White-Haired Painting Physician had left these words behind.
"I learned of this poison eighteen years ago. A man from the same village fell gravely ill. He summoned every physician in the Central Plains, but none could cure him."
"Eventually, I was called. Probably out of desperation, thinking there was nothing to lose. I realized he was poisoned and investigated what had caused it."
"I uncovered the reason, but for him, it was too late—after-the-fact medicine."
For some reason, the White-Haired Painting Physician never revealed the dead man's identity, but some had pieced it together.
It was the Left Censor of the Office of the Inspector General.
There must have been a reason for his silence, but the point was that this poison had already been used by this time, and the White-Haired Painting Physician knew of its existence.
Heo Cheong pressed on.
"I can't say who he was, but the poison is certain. And you've likely never heard of it because of its unique traits."
"Traits of the poison?"
"Yes. The ingredients are rare, it's hard to make, the method of administration is tricky, and it requires a long period."
"True. Needing three specific teas and a year of consistent dosing... it must be very difficult to deploy."
Stroking his beard, the Supreme Patriarch asked,
"Is there a way to detect this poison?"
"There is."
"Can it be done here?"
"Of course. Vinegar and blood are all that's needed."
Soon, those items were prepared, and using pre-brewed tea, he demonstrated the detection method just as I had.
Seeing this, the Supreme Patriarch rose and clasped his fists toward Steward Yu and me.
"Forgive me. It was my failing as your host that nearly put you in danger."
"No, how could I blame my brother for this?"
"Indeed, Supreme Patriarch. There's no need to apologize."
"I'm truly grateful you say that."
The Supreme Patriarch turned to Heo Cheong.
"Come with me to the Tea Brewing Hall now."
At that moment, someone was hurrying somewhere.
He relayed a message to another.
"The County Magistrate Lord has learned of the poison."
"What? How did he detect it? We were told it was impossible to discover."
"One of today's invited painter guests is an expert in antidotes."
"Hurry and swap out the tea caddies. That way, we can blame it on someone else's scheme."
"That might be difficult."
"Has the County Magistrate Lord already arrived at the Tea Brewing Hall?"
"Not that......"
"What then?"
"Lady Yu-a is throwing a tantrum at the Tea Brewing Hall right now."
When the Supreme Patriarch and Heo Cheong headed to the Tea Brewing Hall, I requested to join them.
After a moment's thought, he nodded.
"You're a victim of the poison too, so it's a fair request. Very well."
"Thank you."
Soon after, we arrived at the Tea Brewing Hall.
Those present bowed their heads at the sight of the Supreme Patriarch.
"Greetings, Supreme Patriarch."
The Supreme Patriarch selected three of the tea caddies from where his personal tea was stored and handed them to Heo Cheong.
"Examine the insides of these."
"Understood."
He immediately spread out paper and upended the caddies onto it.
After meticulously inspecting each one, he set them down.
Having done this with all three in succession, Heo Cheong scraped something from inside the caddies and performed the detection test.
But the tea mixed with vinegar remained clear.
"Nothing was detected," Heo Cheong said.
"Is that so?"
The Supreme Patriarch frowned.
Now it was my turn to step in.
"Supreme Patriarch, if I may speak."
"What is it?"
"Yesterday, with your permission, I had a chance to look around here."
"Ah, yes."
"But the caddies I saw yesterday seem different from these."
"The caddies are different?"
"Yes. The ones from yesterday looked quite worn, but these don't appear so old."
The shapes were identical, but these looked far newer.
Tea caddies are usually kept as-is to absorb the tea's aroma, so they're rarely replaced.
"I see."
At that moment, someone stepped forward.
"If I may address that."
It was a woman, and upon seeing her, the Supreme Patriarch said,
"What is it?"
"In truth, Lady Yu-a took all the caddies from the shelf where those teas were kept just moments ago."
"Yu-a did?"
"Yes. So I just prepared these new caddies and filled them with tea."
"Meaning the leaves in the tea I drank weren't from these caddies."
"Yes, exactly."
From her words, I realized she was the one in charge of brewing the Supreme Patriarch's tea.
I absolutely had to learn her brewing method someday.
Setting aside the poison, the tea I'd drunk ranked among the finest I'd ever tasted in both this life and my previous one.
Of course, that would have to wait until this matter was resolved.
"When did Yu-a leave here?"
"About the time it takes to eat a meal."
At that, the Supreme Patriarch whirled around.
A man was walking along, scanning his surroundings warily.
His name was Wang Gyeong.
He was currently carrying out his master's orders.
Of all the painter guests to invite, it had to be one versed in antidotes.
In the end, the Supreme Patriarch had learned of the poison.
'I went through hell planting that caddy there... damn it.'
To avoid detection, the tea caddies needed swapping.
But a problem had arisen.
The clan lord's daughter, Jegal Yu-a, had swept them all away—including the three containing the poison.
She'd always been a wild headache, and now she'd become a critical nuisance at the worst possible time.
'Once Master seizes the clan, I should suggest we deal with that wench first.'
Wang Gyeong glanced at the caddy in his bundle.
He was heading to Jegal Yu-a's quarters.
He had to swap the three poisoned caddies she'd taken with the ones he carried.
If the Supreme Patriarch learned of this and inspected her caddies, poison couldn't be found in them.
Failure here meant his master would discard him without hesitation for the greater plan.
This mission could not fail.
He soon reached Jegal Yu-a's quarters.
Due to her unruly nature, she lived in a separate annex.
There were fewer people about than usual, but in his haste, he didn't notice.
After a cursory check of the surroundings, he slipped into her annex and spotted the caddies she'd taken.
They sat on a table in the main room.
He crept toward the table and began untying his bundle. Just as he reached to swap the teas—
Swish.
Something cold pressed against the nape of his neck.
"......!"
A heavy voice rang out.
"That's far enough."
A familiar voice. He slowly turned his head and saw the face of the one holding a sword to his throat.
It was Clan Lord Jegal Yeol.
'Damn it all.'
He realized it then.
He was finished.
By the time we arrived at Jegal Yu-a's quarters, the Jegal Clan Lord was there.
At his feet lay a man bound and gagged.
"What happened?"
The Supreme Patriarch's question was met with the clan lord's reply.
"This man sneaked into Yu-a's quarters, and I caught him. I was in the midst of interrogation."
The Supreme Patriarch sighed in relief.
What was that...
He'd spoken so coldly before, but he'd been worried about Jegal Yu-a after all.
I glanced at Jegal Yu-a standing beside the clan lord.
She had executed my request perfectly.
But the reliable ally she'd mentioned yesterday—the clan lord? Really?
I recalled our conversation from the night before.
"First, inspect the Tea Brewing Hall. Confirm the teas are being taken out as I described, and the moment the last one, Green Plum Person, is removed—that's your chance."
"Then I make a scene."
"Yes. But not actual mischief—draw everyone's attention to you. Make sure no one touches those caddies."
"Got it. And then?"
"Take all the caddies from that spot, including the ones I mentioned and the others, back to your quarters."