Chapter 4
“I am Lady Gong Lee Yeon.”
As Lee Yeon uttered her name, her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst.
Was saying just three syllables of her name always this difficult? At least, it hadn’t been in the past. She had no idea how the last nine years had turned her into this.
She clenched the hem of her skirt with her fist, hoping the thunderous beating of her heart wouldn’t be heard by anyone.
Sweat from her palm soaked into the fabric.
“My testimony today will be entirely truthful. I sincerely hope this trial will put an end to all the disgrace and mockery that has surrounded both my family and myself.”
Though her voice trembled slightly, it was firm—only someone with no intention of backing down could speak that way.
Taking a deep breath, Lee Yeon continued.
“If this man is a fraud, I ask the governor to impose the severest punishment. Let this be a warning so that no one dares such disgraceful acts again!”
The court tensed at her declaration of punishment before the trial had even formally begun.
Jin-sang’s eyes sparkled.
Even the governor was taken aback.
He had expected Lady Lee Yeon, daughter of Lord Gong Seong-ung, to be composed, but perhaps weakened after nine lonely years. Clearly, he was wrong.
‘So this is how she’s managed to endure.’
The governor glanced at the beggar claiming to be Mun Haesang. Was that a faint smirk on his lips? A clenched jaw?
His expression was hard to read.
The governor returned his gaze to Lee Yeon.
“As the presiding judge, I will take your sentiments into full consideration.”
He turned toward Jin-sang next.
“Lord Jin-sang, third son of Lord Mun Seong-sik, your sister-in-law has requested strong punishment. Do you have any objections?”
“None at all. That is precisely what I request as well! The honor she seeks to protect is as precious to me as life itself!”
“Then let me ask both of you—should this man be declared the true Mun Haesang—”
At this point, Jin-sang glared at the governor.
“There’s no way—”
Everyone could guess what Jin-sang was about to say. The governor cut him off.
“This court will follow the law. According to the law of filial crimes, if he is guilty of abandoning his parents, he shall be punished accordingly. Do you agree?”
This had been the man’s own request from the moment he stepped into the court.
“A runaway son cannot be punished under the strictest law, but at the very least, punish him for failing to care for his late parents. That would be justice, would it not?”
The governor blinked in surprise.
This woman—whom he had only just met today—was stronger than expected.
He knew she had the presence to host grand banquets annually, but still, she had a reputation as a pitiable and lonely widow.
Yet now she proved the dignity of her noble lineage with her demeanor alone.
Even the audience was stunned.
A wife asking for her husband to be severely punished?
Someone in the back muttered with a chuckle, “Looks like she’s had enough. Using the law to get it off her chest, eh?”
Amid the murmurs, Jin-sang stood.
“You worry too much, dear sister-in-law. Even such punishment is too generous for this man. He will never be charged with anything. I will prove that claiming to be the second son of the Mun family is a grave crime.”
His voice was arrogant—he had no intention of accepting this man.
The governor knew this, and unless something drastic occurred, he figured the trial would go Jin-sang’s way.
But then—
“Governor, I have something to say!”
The man claiming to be Mun Haesang spoke with a bold voice full of strange confidence.
“There’s a scar on my right big toe from saving my younger brother. We were playing by the sea, and he fell in. I injured myself rescuing him. My brother also got hurt—his left pinky is crooked. Please verify this!”
The governor turned to Jin-sang.
“Is this true?”
Without hesitation, Jin-sang replied.
“Yes. Just as he said. He should have a scar on his toe.”
He raised his crooked finger for all to see.
“Everyone in town knows about my finger. Over the years, countless scammers have appeared, pretending to be my brother, each presenting some proof. They bribed tutors and old school friends. They were all meticulously prepared.”
He spoke directly to the governor, ignoring the accused man.
“One man even lured our uncle in Hanyang to be his witness!”
“So you’re saying this man’s scar might be fabricated?”
“How would I know? But yes.”
Jin-sang answered calmly, casting his eyes down.
It was obvious that all his testimony came from his sly legal aide, Won Sul-yong.
With his lawyer’s whispering guidance, Jin-sang continued.
“I simply know he is not my brother. The truth is simple; lies are complex. He will weave convincing tales to deceive you and the world.”
He sounded so reasonable, so impossible to refute. A smirk crept onto his lips.
“I just ask that you don’t let this man kill my brother’s name a second time.”
Just as the courtroom began leaning in his favor, the beggar’s voice rang out again.
“Governor!”
His voice boomed like that of a general, silencing the crowd.
“I’ve changed a lot over the years, through countless hardships. But you, Jin-sang… you haven’t changed at all. It’s all my fault. As your brother, I placed too much on your shoulders…”
Jin-sang flushed, shouting:
“You bastard! How dare you pretend to be my brother in this place?!”
“…Even now, I want to apologize. It’s all my fault.”
The man bowed his head in remorse. His sincerity shook the courtroom.
Suddenly, people began to wonder if he truly was the real one.
Jin-sang stammered, “Stop spouting nonsense! You’re nothing like my brother! His looks, his demeanor, everything—you’re not him! My brother was weak, not strong like you!”
He couldn’t stop trembling.
The man continued calmly.
“Governor, I am a sinner. I wronged my brother. I was an unfilial son… and—”
He faltered.
Everyone noticed the moment he choked up.
“…And to my wife… I was the worst husband the world has ever seen.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed painfully.
“If my brother can’t forgive me, I’ll beg another nine years! If I must be punished for being unfilial, I’ll take a hundred lashes! But to my wife… I don’t know how to atone…”
“You shut your filthy mouth! Don’t you dare speak of our family! I’ll never forgive you!”
Jin-sang lunged forward, but the guards blocked him.
His eyes were filled with fury, on the verge of madness.
“Silence! Compose yourselves—this is a courtroom!”
The governor was annoyed with both of them—the beggar and Jin-sang.
And Jin-sang… the governor had long wanted to put him in his place.
“This trial is mine to judge. I will listen, weigh the evidence, and decide accordingly. Do not overstep.”
He nodded to the officials, who closed in around Jin-sang.
Order was restored. The governor’s authority had been made clear.
He turned to Lee Yeon.
“Lady Lee Yeon. This man wishes to repent as your husband. But for that, he needs the right to be called such. Have you ever seen this man before?”
“I have not.”
“He claims to be your husband. Do you believe him?”
“I cannot say. My husband left at twenty-two. He’d be thirty-one now. It’s been a long time. I don’t know what kind of life he’s lived. Just because he looks different doesn’t prove he isn’t my husband—but it doesn’t prove he is, either.”
“Then… how would you verify his identity?”
“Please allow me to approach him.”
At once, Jin-sang objected.
“Sister-in-law! You’re already close enough to see his face. A noble lady shouldn’t be near such filth!”
“I must get close to confirm—even if it’s to reject him.”
With the governor’s permission, Lee Yeon stepped very close to the man. Far closer than anyone expected.
The crowd gasped. Jin-sang’s glare sharpened.
The man was the most shocked. He froze.
Lee Yeon’s soft, pale fingers hovered near his face, then gently brushed from his left cheek to his brow.
He closed his eyes tightly.
Held his breath.
She lightly pressed her pinky under his left eyebrow, then slowly pulled back.
She turned and walked away.
“Governor.”
“Yes. What did you observe?”
“Ask him… what I just did.”
“Sir, do you know what Lady Yeon just did and why?”
All eyes turned to the man.
A long breath escaped him.
