Chapter 6
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Mun Haesang has returned!
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He walked into the magistrate’s office on his own and even had a grand trial before returning to his rightful place!
From the snot-nosed children to the hunched old men, no one in the village was left out of the gossip. If a person could speak, they were discussing the event.
Whether they were making medicine in the pharmacy, buying dishes at the pottery shop, or reading books at the local school, the news of Mun Haesang’s return was all anyone could talk about.
Changnyeong, the wife of the pottery merchant, mimicked Lee Yeon’s speech at the laundry. The women and young girls who had gathered to hear her were clapping and laughing.
“Oh, oh, there’s no reason why that man isn’t my husband! He’s my man!”
“Really?”
“Wait, are you serious?”
Changnyeong, encouraged by their enthusiastic reactions, continued energetically.
“I saw it with my own eyes at the trial! He was so dignified, looking down shyly, saying ‘That man is my husband!’ I swear!”
“Oh my! Lady Yeon, what a bold woman!”
Nothing is more entertaining than love stories, especially when it’s about a husband who has returned after disappearing. The excitement in the village was palpable.
“By the way, before the marriage, she even disguised herself and followed him, right?”
“Of course… She’s not a normal woman! How could she think of such a bold thing?”
“She should have been born a man!”
“Exactly! She could have been more capable than some men! Plus, didn’t they say her husband showed up looking like a beggar?”
“What’s wrong with that? Clothes make the man—soon, she’ll be wearing silk robes every day!”
“Though, his appearance… he’s really filled out!”
“I saw it! He’s not a joke…”
One woman, seeming to share something private, looked around cautiously before speaking. It was Yangpyeong.
“Well… I followed Jang to the trial…”
Yangpyeong’s gaze was distant, as if lost in thought. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
The others laughed and teased her, “Haha, look at her! What’s she thinking? Tell us what you saw, don’t keep it to yourself!”
Yangpyeong snapped back to reality, wiping her mouth and bowing her head.
She motioned for the others to lean in closer, as if she had a great secret to share.
“Well, you see… I went to the trial, and oh my! In just nine years, he’s turned into a completely different man… He’s got broad shoulders, almost like he has three heads stacked together. His old face is still handsome, but now with a more manly aura. He’s like one of those handsome men from the mainland… like Ban An or Song Ok! Our Lady Yeon would just fall into his arms… Such a strong man now! No longer just a pretty face—now he’s a real man!”
“Oh my goodness!”
“Doesn’t she have a way with words! Haha!”
The women’s laughter echoed through the air.
“Well, isn’t it lucky for her? Our lady deserves all the love from a man, especially with her beauty.”
“Right, but where has he been all this time? What could have happened to him to turn into such a different man?”
“I’m not worried about that. It’s that gisaeng… ‘Morang’ I’m worried about… You know, the one who was always with Haesang?”
“I saw her at the trial! Her eyes were glaring at him like she wanted to eat him alive. I wonder if she’s trying to sabotage him…”
After Haesang returned, the women spent the whole day gossiping at the laundry, forgetting the hard work of washing clothes.
Of course, their main purpose was to gossip.
“Ah, I’m so relieved. I was more excited about my husband coming back than anything else!”
“Hahahaha!”
News of Haesang’s return had already spread far beyond the village. “The runaway husband, Mun Haesang, has returned!” was now common gossip even in Hanyang.
As the gossip swirled in the air, Lee Yeon’s sleepless night grew deeper.
Her thoughts kept circling back to the night before her appearance in court.
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He must be my husband!
Lee Yeon had truly said that.
The only people who knew about the book from that day were her and Haesang.
But…
Even after declaring him as her husband and receiving confirmation that he was truly Mun Haesang from the governor, there was a reason she couldn’t fully be at ease.
It was because of what happened that night.
The night before she had to testify, sleep was impossible.
Wondering if the heat from the floor tiles was keeping her awake, she opened the door and stepped out into the chilly night air.
And then it happened.
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Whoosh, thud!
An arrow flew from the darkness, landing in a nearby tree.
Though it was too far to be aimed at her, the sight of an arrow suddenly flying through the air made anyone freeze in place.
It wasn’t something an ordinary person would be able to stay calm about.
She almost fell to the ground in shock, but quickly steadied herself. She noticed a white cloth tied to the arrow’s shaft.
‘What could this be…? Who…?’
Lee Yeon, raised with brothers skilled in martial arts, quickly deduced that the arrow wasn’t meant to harm her. Slowly, she calmed herself.
She untied the cloth from the arrow and felt a chill run through her as she recognized it. The cloth was a handkerchief.
It was old and worn, but it was unmistakably hers. The handkerchief she had sewn and embroidered herself.
Though she never gave it to him, it had disappeared the day Haesang left—along with the flowered shoes she had worn at their wedding.
‘How could this be…? Did someone steal it? Or did he take it…? Could it be that he really has come back?’
Her thoughts were tangled, but the writing on the handkerchief was short and clear.
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Year Imo, evening (7–9 pm) Mun Haesang deceased.
If what’s written here is true, then who is the person at the magistrate’s office?
‘If the one at the magistrate’s office is truly my husband, why would they send such a strange message? Or… is the man there not really him? But then, how did this handkerchief come back?’
Lee Yeon’s mind spun in confusion.
Had someone sent this letter to frame him? If so, where did the handkerchief come from?
She instinctively suspected Jin-sang.
‘Could Jin-sang have stolen my handkerchief? Could he have kept it all these years?’
It was an absurd thought. There was no way Jin-sang could have held onto it all this time, especially to use it now.
She didn’t know who had taken the handkerchief, but she had assumed it was Haesang who took it when he left. She hadn’t thought much about it at the time.
‘No matter the reason, tomorrow’s trial should clear things up.’
The message on the handkerchief could be true—or a lie. It could be Jin-sang’s scheme, or it could be someone’s desperate plea.
Either way, Lee Yeon knew one thing for certain.
She had to question everything. She was standing on the edge of a sharp blade.
One wrong move, and she would bleed.
Lee Yeon couldn’t afford to get carried away like the women at the laundry. She might want to, but she knew better.
It had been ten days since the trial, but she hadn’t seen Haesang.
It was because of the punishment. Lee Yeon had no idea how to face her husband after all this time, and the punishment was a convenient excuse.
As soon as Haesang was recognized as Mun Seong-sik’s second son, he accepted the punishment.
Jang, the steward, had tried to arrange for someone to help with the punishment, but Haesang refused.
People had started calling him a stubborn man, but secretly, they admired his unwavering nature.
What had happened in the past nine years to turn the weak Haesang into this strong and impressive man?
He had taken thirty lashes, and when they carried him back to the house, his back was covered in blood. The servants couldn’t even bear to look at him.
Haesang couldn’t even lie flat, writhing in pain for days, regaining and losing consciousness multiple times.
Jang and the servants worked tirelessly to treat him, while the scent of medicine filled the house.
But amidst all this, Lee Yeon heard that Morang, the gisaeng, had sent someone to check on Haesang’s condition.
This complicated her feelings, and she spent many restless nights, turning over the sheets, unable to sleep.
At the trial, Morang had been seated in the back, her appearance striking.
‘Did we make eye contact through the veil?’
She didn’t know for sure.
It could have been just her imagination.
In any case, she couldn’t focus on jealousy while her husband lay bedridden in agony. Even though it bothered her, she tried to ignore it.
Morang had sent someone multiple times, but Lee Yeon never sought her out. She only asked Jang about Haesang’s condition.
The rumors about Morang’s obsession with Haesang had been circulating for years. Lee Yeon had tried not to care.
She didn’t want to stoop to the level of jealousy over a gisaeng, especially since she had no reason to believe Haesang would turn to her.
‘Why would she send someone to my husband? I’m here, alive and well…’
Her jealousy boiled over, but she couldn’t express it.
‘I’ve been so lonely, haven’t I? When you’re lonely, you start thinking all kinds of things… and honestly, seeing him as a man, I can’t help but feel my heart race. It’s natural for a woman to feel like this!’
But such thoughts only brought more confusion. Lee Yeon tried to settle herself and fall asleep.
But as she settled in, something caught her eye—something in the drawer.
It was the handkerchief and the arrow.
The memories of that day came rushing back.
‘Don’t doubt yourself. My choice is right.’
She focused on the handkerchief instead of the arrow. The handwriting was the same!
Lee Yeon stood frozen for a moment, the handkerchief still in her hands. She felt the weight of the truth and the unanswered questions pressing on her chest.
The handwriting on the handkerchief was undeniable. The short, cryptic message stared back at her with its clear, unsettling implication:
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Imo year, evening (7–9 pm), Mun Haesang deceased.
What did this mean? If this message was true, then who was the man standing in front of the magistrate? And why had the handkerchief come back now, after all these years?
A sense of dread washed over her. Could this letter have been sent to frame Haesang as an imposter? Or had it been sent by someone else entirely to complicate the situation? The questions piled up in her mind, and her thoughts tangled with the growing sense of confusion.
In her heart, Lee Yeon felt a deep suspicion toward Jin-sang. Could he have stolen the handkerchief? Was he involved in some kind of plot against Haesang? She couldn’t make sense of it all, and the more she thought about it, the more uncertain everything seemed.
But one thing was clear: tomorrow’s trial would be crucial. She couldn’t ignore the handkerchief or the message it carried. Whether it was a lie or the truth, Lee Yeon knew she had to confront these doubts head-on.
Her eyes focused on the handkerchief once again, its old fabric now more significant than ever. The truth, or the lies, were tangled up in these old, worn threads.
As the days passed, the weight of the trial continued to bear down on Lee Yeon. The court was scheduled, and soon, she would have to face everything head-on. The night before the trial, she couldn’t sleep. Her mind raced with thoughts of the handkerchief, the arrow, and the mystery that surrounded Haesang’s return.
Despite the chaos swirling around her, Lee Yeon knew that the trial would bring everything into the open. Whether Haesang was truly the man he claimed to be or not, the truth would come out.
But as she lay in bed, the words of the message on the handkerchief continued to echo in her mind, leaving her with more questions than answers.
The next morning, as the sun rose over the city, Lee Yeon prepared herself for the trial. She could no longer deny the growing unease in her heart. The trial was set to begin, and the mystery of Haesang’s true identity would soon be uncovered. Would it bring clarity, or would it lead to more confusion?
As Lee Yeon walked toward the courthouse, the weight of the past nine years seemed to press down on her. The handkerchief in her possession seemed to hold the answers, but whether those answers were true or false, she couldn’t yet tell.
She glanced at the handkerchief one last time before entering the courtroom, her heart pounding as she stepped into the unknown.
The trial would begin, and with it, everything would be laid bare.
