A secret royal inspector.
A special envoy personally appointed by the king and secretly dispatched to local counties and districts.
Even since the age of Ghost Gates began, secret royal inspectors had never lost their necessity for inspections, and the prestige of that name had never faded.
And now, Clerk Lee Wonhyeok said, “You said the Office of Ghostly Inspection should not interfere in the affairs of people.”
“The post of royal inspector takes precedence.”
“Why is he a Messenger of the Office of Ghostly Inspection rather than the Office of Inspector-General...?”
If a secret royal inspector had come from the Office of Inspector-General, Wonhyeok would have welcomed him with tears in his eyes.
Secret royal inspectors usually came from the Office of Inspector-General!
Whether Wonhyeok was confused or not, Haje brought this “secret royal inspector” into the guest hall and sat on a cushion.
“This is my accompanying inspector, Lee Wonhyeok. Clerk, this is Park Yehu, a secret royal inspector, an Eul Grade Messenger of the Office of Ghostly Inspection, and Joseon’s fifth-ranked Messenger.”
“For once, you did not introduce me with my epithet as well. I’m deeply moved.”
Park Yehu then turned to Wonhyeok with a bright smile.
“It is a pleasure to meet Clerk Wonhyeok, Haje’s accompanying inspector, whom I had only heard about through rumors. I am Park Yehu.”
“P-please do not lower your speech for me. I am Lee Wonhyeok. ...Wait, did you say rumors?”
“I’m delighted to meet you at last!”
Park Yehu quickly evaded Wonhyeok’s question.
He had short gray hair, and wore only a military hat without a headband or anything else.
He looked around thirty. Despite his thick brows giving him a fierce and taciturn appearance, every time he opened his mouth, friendly words and expressions poured out in a flood.
He wore a pleated robe similar to Haje’s, but unlike Haje’s entirely black attire, his had ornamental pendants and belts adorned with colorful tassels.
Wonhyeok’s head spun at the sudden situation, but he somehow managed to exchange greetings with him.
Smiling amiably, Park Yehu said, “Goodness~ I was surprised. I never expected Haje to be here! You must have known I was coming because you saw it on the communication network beforehand, yes?”
At that, Wonhyeok slowly turned to Haje.
“...So you knew beforehand that a secret royal inspector was coming....”
“Well, I never said I was going to report them. Now that things have turned out this way, it is good for both of us, isn’t it?”
So Haje had known through the communication network that a secret royal inspector was coming to Tanghangseong, then obtained a wish token from Wonhyeok!
This damn scammer of a Ghost Gate Messenger!
Biting his lip hard, Wonhyeok forced a smile and said to Yehu, “Y-you must have suffered on such a long journey....”
“Haha, not at all! His Majesty gives us royal horse passes for occasions like this.”
“But is it all right for you to come straight to the guest hall where we are? I do not think I heard anyone outside announcing your arrival, Messenger.”
When secret royal inspectors came, should they not go, “A secret royal inspector is here!” with a crack and a flourish?
As if reading Wonhyeok’s thoughts, Yehu laughed heartily.
“Well, once we find evidence that these bastards have skimmed off byproducts or neglected management, then I can kick down the gates of the county office and shout, ‘Come out here!’ For now, I merely need to move covertly and observe the local administration. With Haje here, the job will be easier!”
At that, Wonhyeok looked Yehu up and down despite knowing it was rude.
He did not look like someone operating undercover at all.
If he had dressed all in black like Haje, that would have been one thing. But in his loose attire, he looked more like a corrupt official himself.
Whether Wonhyeok thought so or not, Haje said to Yehu, “I have already seized the logs and ledgers. Everything is piled up beside us, but from what I saw, nearly all of it is forged.”
“See? How fortunate that Haje arrived first. He makes everything so much easier.”
Do not trust that man. He is the one who made me stare at ledgers despite knowing everything.
Wonhyeok reined in the growing insolence deep within his heart and nodded.
Haje had outrageously scammed him again, but in the end, they could truly punish the corrupt officials and improve the people’s lives.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“We need to find the real ledgers they have hidden. Dirty money is still money, so it will surely be somewhere. And....”
“And?”
“We need to inspect the Ghost Gate.”
Damn it!
Park Yehu shattered Wonhyeok’s futile hope of avoiding the Ghost Gate, then asked with a laugh, “I hear that you are still an unawakened civilian, Clerk Wonhyeok. Have you ever seen a Ghost Gate?”
“There were no Ghost Gates near my family home, so I have never gone anywhere near one, much less seen one.”
“I see. Take a look this time! It will be quite a sight.”
At Yehu’s words, Wonhyeok felt himself relax.
Right. They were not going inside the Ghost Gate, merely checking it from outside.
If it were only Haje, Wonhyeok would have worried that Joseon’s Number One might pick at his ear and say, “Ah, my mistake,” before forgetting Wonhyeok altogether.
But surely a Ghost Gate Messenger who had become a secret royal inspector would not neglect a civilian.
Even so, Wonhyeok said timidly, “...Should we not find the hidden ledgers first...?”
Yehu merely laughed heartily.
As Wonhyeok wished, the group did not go to the Ghost Gate. Instead, they borrowed Park Yehu’s ability to secretly climb onto the roof of the county office’s work office.
“One of my techniques makes hiding easier. I did not have it originally, but I gained it after becoming a secret royal inspector. Honestly, it seems like the perfect ability for thievery, but I have only used it for good deeds so far! Haha!”
What made His Majesty decide to appoint such a frivolous man as a secret royal inspector?
Unused to this sort of thing, Wonhyeok clung flat to the roof tiles in fear of falling and watched the two Ghost Gate Messengers.
The two sat chatting casually, as though they were seated in a main hall.
“But what happens to you if the royal inspector appears, Messenger? An Eul Grade Messenger has shown up at a place being inspected by a Gi Grade Messenger.”
“Does it make a difference? Just act as though that is how things are.”
“No, it does! Haje will have to show me the proper courtesies. I am your superior right now!”
As Yehu spoke with a broad grin, Haje stared into the air for a moment.
Yehu’s face suddenly turned pale.
“I misspoke. My apologies.”
“Good.”
What just happened...?
Judging by the situation, Haje must have said something through the communication network. It was bitter to be a civilian who could not see the communication network.
With a disloyal expression, Wonhyeok said to Haje, “Then why are you pretending to be a Gi Grade Messenger? If you called yourself Joseon’s Number One Messenger, everyone would be eager to show you proper courtesies.”
At those words, Park Yehu glanced at Haje.
He looked as though he were marveling, He truly knows nothing about Ghost Gates!
Seeing that expression, Haje merely let out a long sigh.
“Forget it. The work office is empty.”
“Oh!”
Yehu descended from the roof like a shadow sliding along a beam of light.
Haje descended like flowing oil as well, leaving Wonhyeok alone on the roof.
“......”
How many times do I have to tell them that I’m an unawakened civilian before they understand?
Wonhyeok struggled to climb down from the tiled roof.
As he hurriedly pulled out the book he had tucked into his robes and recorded the work office’s location and the time, Haje and Yehu found the desks of the Military Clerk and Revenue Clerk.
While watching the two, Wonhyeok kept glancing outside the building in case someone came.
“Can’t you find it with your ability?”
“The requirements for my <Search and Destroy> are stricter than you would think.”
“So we have to search the old-fashioned way after all.”
As their murmured conversation continued, Wonhyeok completed his record diligently and began searching the desks and bookcases as well.
Since all Ghost Gate-related documents had been handed over to Wonhyeok and Haje, the books left in the work office were records of other duties.
As Wonhyeok thoroughly searched even the document chests, he felt something in one that seemed to belong to the Military Clerk.
“What is this?”
Something was attached atop a partition inside the document chest. Crouching down to examine it, Wonhyeok read the faintly visible writing.
[The document chest is north (North). Go to the desk in the southwest among the four directions.]
“......”
It was a riddle that somehow smelled clumsy and familiar.
Wonhyeok remembered playing such games with friends as a child, running through his family’s servants’ quarters. He deliberately drove the memory away.
The document chest is north... The desk to the southwest.
A glance revealed the desk used by a lower-ranking local clerk.
When he examined it, another piece of writing came into view.
[The desk is east (East). Place a chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum) beneath where bamboo (Bamboo) grows.]
Honestly, it was a riddle even children could solve.
Once Wonhyeok began to doubt whether it was connected to the ledger they sought, he decided to handle the matter wisely.
“Do local functionaries usually enjoy attaching written notes to furniture and playing treasure hunts?”
“What is this nonsense quiz all of a sudden? Do you think they buried all the wealth they have extorted on a deserted island?”
“What kind of word is ‘nonsense quiz,’ Haje?”
“There are notes written as though someone is playing a game, but I cannot tell whether they are simply jokes.”
At Wonhyeok’s words, the two Ghost Gate Messengers, who had been idly searching furniture, rushed over.
Startled despite himself, Wonhyeok hurriedly pointed out the notes he had found.
Yehu seemed to have the same thought as Wonhyeok, wearing a baffled expression.
“These are amusing fellows. After lining their pockets for years, I suppose they found themselves with plenty of leisure.”
“They thought only those in the know would search seriously.”
Haje gestured at Wonhyeok with his chin, telling him to continue looking.
Wonhyeok grumbled inwardly as he examined the furniture.
The desk is east....
There was no bamboo or chrysanthemum indoors.
Then this was not a riddle solved by some idiotic act, such as placing a drum painted with chrysanthemums into a bamboo tube.
The added elements were the Four Gentlemen: plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo. Based on the directions so far, plum would be east, orchid west, chrysanthemum south, and bamboo north, in that order.
Looking north from the desk positioned in the east, Wonhyeok saw the Revenue Clerk’s document chest.
Sure enough, there was a faint gap beneath it.
“There is a gap here. But I still do not know what it means to place a chrysanthemum....”
“Heave-ho.”
Before Wonhyeok could finish, Haje shoved the document chest aside and tore up the floor.
“Oh! There really is a ledger! What an incredible discovery, Clerk Wonhyeok!”
“......”
Wonhyeok fell silent for a moment.
Why strain your brain? Only people weak in body use their heads.
Come to think of it, while Wonhyeok had diligently solved the riddle, those Ghost Gate Messengers had simply stood with their arms crossed and watched.
They had been freeloading.
Nanny, are you well?
I, Lee Wonhyeok, am with a pair of highway robbers....