They Called Him Zhuge Munhyuk
At Gong Minwoo's mention of seeking out Munhyuk, a murmur rippled through the gathering.
The author of the book — Munhyuk.
Not a single fact about that person's identity was known. Whether he was a man or a woman. Where he lived, or who he even was. How old he might be. All anyone had were guesses, and those guesses were multiplying by the hour.
"Might I be permitted a word?"
One of the Chamdokhwi members stepped forward and addressed Gong Minwoo. The moderator, sensing the man had something of substance to say, granted him the floor, and he began to speak of what he had been turning over in his mind.
"I am Jo Madeuk. I operate a modest little shop called Geoin Bookstore in the markets of Jingzhou."
Jo Madeuk introduced himself with careful humility — and well he might. The men assembled here ranged from Gong Minwoo, headmaster of Baegwon Academy, to some of the most renowned scholars in the province. He, by contrast, was merely a bookseller from the marketplace. Caution was only natural.
But he possessed a piece of information that no one else in the room had.
"It was my good fortune to be admitted as a member of this Chamdokhwi. And yet, each time I listen to the fervent discussions in this hall, I am reminded of how shallow my own learning truly is."
Jo Madeuk gave an awkward little smile.
"Even so, there is one fact I know that you gentlemen do not — a fact known only to a man who sells books for a living."
The room stirred at that.
"Surely you don't mean you know who Munhyuk is?"
"Have you met the author in person?"
Jo Madeuk waved the questions away.
"No. I, too, have no idea who Master Munhyuk might be."
Disappointment flickered across every face. But Jo Madeuk was not finished.
"I do, however, know where the book is printed, and by what route it reaches the markets of Jingzhou. I know this because I am one of the booksellers who distributes it."
Gong Minwoo's eyes flashed.
"Go on."
Every gaze in the hall locked onto Jo Madeuk.
"The book is currently being distributed by the Cheonpung Merchant Guild. I imagine several of you already know that much."
He looked around the room as he continued.
"But the Cheonpung Merchant Guild was not the original distributor."
A few heads lifted.
"When this book first appeared in the world, it was the Zhuge Clan Manor itself that came to us and pressed us to sell it."
"So it was connected to the Zhuge Clan after all."
"Yes. And I have one further piece of information."
"Information?"
"Yes. This one is rather significant."
The room leaned in.
"To the best of my knowledge, before this book was ever published, a storyteller performed in the front courtyard of the Zhuge Clan Manor. And the tale he told was none other than the life of Zhuge Liang."
"What? Is that true?"
The assembly erupted in surprise at Jo Madeuk's words.
"It is. In fact, some who were present claim they even heard what comes next in the story — material that has yet to appear in the book."
"Th-that's...!"
The hall buzzed. If Jo Madeuk was telling the truth, that storyteller was almost certainly someone with a direct connection to Munhyuk.
"Where can this storyteller be found?"
The questions came thick and fast as the crowd grew restless.
"Unfortunately, I am told the storyteller vanished without a trace after the book was published."
Sighs of frustration broke out around the room. The trail they had so painstakingly uncovered had gone cold once more.
But Jo Madeuk still had more to say.
"And this, I must stress, is merely my own conjecture..."
Every eye returned to him.
"If one considers all of these circumstances together, I believe there is a very high likelihood that Master Munhyuk is a member of the Zhuge Clan."
"Hrm..."
"Consider it, gentlemen. A storyteller performed the life of Zhuge Liang — and he did so in the front courtyard of the Zhuge Clan Manor itself! And the moment that performance ended, The Tale of Zhuge Liang was published."
Jo Madeuk laid out his reasoning in a calm, measured voice.
"What's more, the Zhuge Clan printed the book themselves and even provided us with promotional materials, urging us to sell it with all our might."
His deductions were sound enough that people began nodding, one after another.
"Above all else — is the Zhuge Clan not descended from Master Zhuge Liang himself? I do not believe Master Munhyuk is an outsider. I believe he is one of their own."
"Plausible."
"An entirely possible account."
Voices of agreement rose from every corner. Jo Madeuk hesitated a moment, then added one last thought.
"It may even be that his surname is Zhuge."
The hall went silent.
Someone murmured the name without thinking, and it sank deep into every mind in the room.
And in that instant—
"Rather than sit here talking — what if we simply went to the Zhuge Clan Manor at once?"
The words had barely left the speaker's mouth before a chorus of agreement exploded around him.
"He's right!"
"If anyone knows something, it would be the Zhuge Clan!"
"If Master Munhyuk truly is one of theirs, we might even meet him there!"
In a matter of seconds the hall had descended into uproar. What had begun as a single man's suggestion spread like wildfire, and the frenzy swallowed them all.
"Agreed!"
"To the Zhuge Clan Manor, at once!"
"If it means meeting Master Munhyuk, that much trouble is nothing!"
Men who had been sitting with all the dignity of learned scholars only moments before were now on their feet, talking over one another as if they meant to set out that very second.
"Ahem..."
Gong Minwoo cleared his throat. Truth be told, his own heart was no different. He wanted nothing more than to race to the Zhuge Clan Manor and meet this Munhyuk for himself. But he was the headmaster of Baegwon Academy. To lead a stampede of Jingzhou's scholars to hammer on a great clan's gates — that was hardly becoming of his station.
Then a man shot to his feet.
"Master Gong must come with us! We are dealing with the Zhuge Clan. If men of our standing go alone, we may well be turned away at the door!"
"That's right! The Zhuge Clan would never dare treat Master Gong with disrespect!"
Every gaze in the room swung toward Gong Minwoo.
"Master Gong!"
"Please, come with us!"
"If we do meet Master Munhyuk, should it not be you who speaks with him first?"
The requests poured in from every side. Gong Minwoo stroked his beard, looking thoroughly put upon.
"Now, I merely..."
But he never finished the sentence.
"Master Gong!"
"You must come with us, Master Gong!"
"That's right! Master Gong!"
The voices swelled until Gong Minwoo finally closed his mouth. He looked around him. Countless eyes, bright with expectation, were fixed on his face. There was no refusing this.
"Heh heh..."
Gong Minwoo rose slowly from his seat.
"When you all put it like that, what choice do I have?"
The hall erupted in cheers.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
"To the Zhuge—"
"—Clan Manor!"
And so the foremost intellectuals of Jingzhou set out as one. Straight for the Zhuge Clan Manor.
Zhuge Hyeok had not been in such fine spirits in a very long time.
The reason was the novel Lee Munhyuk had written.
When Lee Munhyuk had proposed they print the book, Zhuge Hyeok had agreed for no greater reason than to spread the Zhuge Clan's name a little farther. That was all.
And then it had exploded. Not merely a success — a phenomenon. Even with every member of the clan throwing themselves into the printing, they could not keep up with the orders flooding in. Today's print run was gone by tomorrow, and the next batch was already fully reserved. Silver taels piled into the clan's coffers without pause.
But it was not the money that had Zhuge Hyeok in such a good mood.
Even walking the markets in secret. Even slipping into a teahouse unnoticed. Everywhere he went, the Zhuge Clan was on people's lips.
"Have you read The Tale of Zhuge Liang?"
"Ha! Of course I have!"
"Then did you know? They say the Zhuge Clan are the descendants of Zhuge Liang himself!"
"What! Is that true?"
"So I've heard."
"No wonder they're a great clan of such distinction — even their ancestor was no ordinary man. There's a reason they're called the foremost family in Jingzhou."
The more popular The Tale of Zhuge Liang became, the more people's interest naturally turned toward Zhuge Liang — and that interest, in turn, became reverence for the Zhuge Clan.
A perfect, virtuous cycle.
Zhuge Hyeok could not keep the smile from spreading across his face. Had he ever been more satisfied since taking the patriarch's seat? He could say with certainty: never.
And so Zhuge Hyeok was sipping his tea, savoring the moment, when—
"Patriarch! Patriarch!"
A servant came bursting in, his voice urgent.
"What is it?"
Zhuge Hyeok, who had been enjoying his tea in such pleasant spirits, looked up in puzzlement.
"Th-there's a crowd at the front gate!"
"A crowd?"
"Yes! And not just one or two people!"
Zhuge Hyeok frowned. He had been having such a rare, pleasant afternoon, and now this interruption. Worse still was the sheer audacity of it. Making a commotion at the front gates of the Zhuge Clan? Given the clan's standing in Jingzhou, such a thing was almost unheard of.
"Who on earth has come that would cause such a stir?"
So saying, Zhuge Hyeok rose from his seat to see the culprits for himself.
A short while later, he arrived at the front gate — and stopped dead in his tracks.
"...?"
The gates were packed with people. And they were no ordinary people. Scholars of considerable name in Jingzhou. Academicians from the private academies. Confucian students who had passed the provincial examinations. Even officials in government service.
And standing at the center of them all was Gong Minwoo, headmaster of Baegwon Academy.
"Master Gong?"
Zhuge Hyeok recognized him at once. As patriarch of the Zhuge Clan, he had attended any number of functions and had made Gong Minwoo's acquaintance on several occasions. Other men he might have dismissed. Gong Minwoo was another matter entirely. The man was as good as a teacher to every scholar in Jingzhou. To make an enemy of him was to risk souring relations with the government itself.
And so Zhuge Hyeok slowed his stride and approached them with due courtesy.
"Is that not Master Gong? To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"
At Zhuge Hyeok's appearance, Gong Minwoo stroked his beard and spoke.
"Patriarch Zhuge. It has been some time. Ahem... The reason I have come here today is, well..."
Gong Minwoo paused, choosing his words, then cleared his throat. Had they met elsewhere, the two of them might have blossomed into a fine discussion of scholarship. Not this time. The subject he was about to raise was, for a man who stood as teacher to Jingzhou's scholars, rather embarrassing.
"Ahem..."
He cleared his throat once more and opened his mouth with care.
"...?"
Zhuge Hyeok's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected question.
"Munhyuk... You have come seeking the author of The Tale of Zhuge Liang, then?"
At those words, Gong Minwoo's face lit with the look of a man who knew he had come to the right place, and he spoke at once.
"Precisely so! I have come here because I dearly wish to meet Master Zhuge Munhyuk."
Zhuge Hyeok was so stunned, so utterly at a loss, that he could not find his voice.
Zhuge Munhyuk?
For a fleeting moment, he even thought it was rather a fine name. Then the words of the people before him snapped him back to reality, and he began to piece the situation together.
Judging by everything in front of him, they had clearly come looking for Lee Munhyuk. He had no idea who had started such a ridiculous rumor, but somewhere along the way, Lee Munhyuk had become Zhuge Munhyuk.
But there was a far greater problem than that.
That was what Lee Munhyuk had said, looking thoroughly fed up, after the people of the Zhuge Clan had pestered him at every opportunity — asking what happened next, asking what became of Zhuge Liang.
And now, standing before Zhuge Hyeok, was Gong Minwoo — a man even he could not afford to treat carelessly. Asking to see Lee Munhyuk.
Hearing those words, Zhuge Hyeok had a sinking feeling that this day was not going to end quietly.