Ga-ram looked on fondly as her Aashi stepped out, the epitome of the handsome scholar she dressed as. Her orange and green silk hanbok, paired with a hat that had pretty green beads, completed the picture.

Ga-ram had not seen her Mistress in such a jolly mood for a long time, which she credited to the Procession two days earlier. The melancholy around her young Mistress had been challenging to dispel since Gaeseong.

It had been a little better after Master Mun Jeon had entered their lives. It had been a fine day about five months ago, and they had been helping Master Myung Jin on a case.

"What are you worried about, Master Kim?' Jay Yi had regarded Master Myung Jin inquisitively, giving a once over to the notes she had taken.

"I have not heard of a disease like this," said Myung Jin, confusion creasing his brow. "Something is not right."

"What makes you say that?"

"Do you not find it odd there are almost no symptoms before the sudden death of these children? It's the third such case." He studied the chart featuring human anatomy absent-mindedly.

"Did these children live close to each other?" Ga-ram asked as she scrubbed the table where the poor little child's body had recently been under Myung Jin's investigation.

"No, their people live in the villages outside of Hanyang but do not belong to the same community. What bothers me is that the cause of death is the same - their heart stopped without warning. How can that happen to such a young child?"

Jay Yi chewed on it thoughtfully. "Interesting. If we determine how the children catch the disease, we can get to the root cause. It is worthwhile to find out if the families recently gathered in one place, had food together in a wedding or a similar event."

Myung Jin received Jay Yi's suggestion with a thoughtful nod. He had been a busy man after returning from Gaeseong. The Royal Investigation Bureau had officially appointed him to autopsy bodies where the cause of death was a mystery but not subject to a crime. Poor neighbours approached him with odd cases inside and outside Hanyang's gates.

"Did you find anything suspicious with the families?" Jay Yi enquired.

"No. But the story is identical. The girls were normal throughout the day, with no fever, vomiting or any other kind of symptom. But once they went to sleep, they never woke up."

"What made them come to you?" Jay Yi asked.

"The villagers heard this happened to two more young girls in the surrounding village. Fearing some plague, the Royal Investigation Bureau approached me to find out. But I found nothing unusual except that their heart suddenly stopped." All three children were under five years old, female and belonged to impoverished families.

The door creaked open loudly as someone came in, interrupting their discussion. Jay Yi and Ga-ram were always used to people coming in and out of Manyeodang. Jay Yi had reverted to wearing Men's clothes whenever they visited Myung Jin. It was simply easier to avoid answering awkward questions and questioning glances. Joseon was still not used to noblewomen in public places doing intelligent work. Ga-ram, however, happily wore comfortable hanboks and had been promoted to Myung Jin's assistant.

Myung Jin sauntered out to greet the new arrival. Judging by the effusive greetings Myung Jin was giving the newcomer, the person must have promised to fund something. Jay Yi and Ga-ram exchanged amused glances.

Reaching out to a cluster of bags in a tray, Ga-ram picked one and handed it to Jay Yi. "Aashi, this is the herb I was telling you about. It soothes pain in the head and makes sleep come easier."

Jay Yi sniffed the little pouch experimentally, then tucked it in her sleeve. "I am leaving now. Don't be too late, Ga-rama," affection evident in Jay Yi's firm tone.

Ga-ram nodded. as she followed Jay Yi out. "Try to get some rest, Aashi. You look tired."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Myung Jin and a tall man in a green, expensive-looking hanbok stood close to Myung Jin's display boards, deep in conversation. Jay Yi executed a quick bow of hello in their general direction while heading out of the door.

With lightning speed, the man reached Jay Yi and exclaimed, "Have we met before?"

Ga-ram had bit back a surprised cry at the sudden movement. Jay Yi stopped dead in her tracks and glanced at the man, instinctively uttering, "I don't think.....Master Mun Je-On? What are you doing in Hanyang?"

"I could ask the same of you," the man named Mun Je-On replied sardonically.

Myung Jin appeared at their side. "You know each other?"

Jay Yi's face creased into a smile. "Yes. We met over a case in Gaeseong."

Ga-ram excitedly chipped in, "Master Mun aided us in a case and helped Aashi and me evade some bad men chasing us."

Myung Jin looked at Ga-ram with interest. "He....knows?"

"Yes, he knows I am Min Jay Yi. He was the only person who figured it out when he saw me." Jay Yi laughed.

"You can't say that, Lady Min. I figured it out long before anyone did! That too without seeing you!" Myung Jin sulked.

"Of course!" Jay Yi quickly assured Myung Jin, peering at him placatingly. "You are the most clever, Master Kim Myung Jin. You see, Master Mun could piece it together only because he was my brother's friend. My brother and Master Mun went to the same Seowon {preparatory school for aristocrats}."

Mun Je-On expelled a short breath. "Master Yoon Jae was a good friend. I was away on a merchant ship, so I only learned about it a few months ago. I am deeply sorry for what happened."

Jay Yi nodded, feeling a sudden slump to her shoulders.

"Why do we not all catch a meal?" Myung Jin suggested cheerfully.

Ga-ram had not seen Jay Yi enjoy a meal with such a gusty appetite since she had left Gaeseong. Mun Jeon had regaled them with the mischief he and her brother had gotten into as children.

"I had no idea my brother was this naughty!" Jay Yi's eyes were tearing up with hilarity.

"It is more fun to lord over a younger sister. However, his adventures paled compared to the escapades you got into," Mun Je-On chuckled good-naturedly.

Jay Yi laughed in mock aggravation as he recounted some of her more daring escapades, like leading a small gang of lads to pilfer persimmons from an orchard that belonged to a cantankerous old man. Master Mun Je-On and her brother followed the children on a merry chase to rescue Min Jay Yi from the farmer's wrath.

"Master Mun, thank you for giving me your time today. I do not have many people I can speak to who know my family." Jay Yi's eyes were warm.

"Lady Min, after I returned, I searched for you everywhere I could think of. I knew you were innocent. My heart was heavy when I learnt you might have perished in a fall from the cliff. It never occurred to me you might have come to Hanyang." Mun Jeon became grave, his handsome face taking a sombre tone. "So tell me, what made you come here? How did you escape from arrest?" Mun Je-On was curious.

Ga-ram and Myung Jin fidgeted awkwardly at the question.

"I lived disguised as a man until they caught the real culprit." Jay Yi hedged. "Ga-ram and Master Myung Jin helped me."

"I heard your Father became a victim of a corrupt minister's deception?"

Jay Yi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Yes, I heard it too. Father had come to learn some kind of a secret about the Byeokcheon people and Minister Won Bo's treachery, for which Won Bo and the Queen tried to kill all of us. Luckily I escaped, so they tried to pin the murder on me."

"Is that why you came to Hanyang? To find more about it and investigate?" Mun Je-On asked perceptively.

Jay Yi knew they were treading on a dangerous ground. Keping her association with the Crown Prince a secret was important.

"It's hard to do that when the intrigue involves the most powerful Court Minister and the Queen. Luckily Young Master, "Jay Yi gestured to Myung Jin, " kept me updated of the developments until it was safe and I was exonerated. I will always be thankful to Ga-ram for helping me hide." Jay Yi was sincere as she turned to Ga-ram.

Ga-ram felt herself choke as she squeezed Lady Jay Yi's hands.

"Hmnn. I heard the Crown Prince resolved the Byeohcheon issue and that's when he probably found out. I guess sometimes our Joseon rulers do use their heads." Mun Je-On said disparagingly. "I heard the man who murdered your family also killed himself?"

"That man Shim Young must have felt guilty about what he did." Myung Jin interjected, making it up out of thin air.

If Mun Jeon read the uncomfortable air around the table, he gave no sign of it.

"To think a man whose life you saved and treated like family would do such a heinous thing. Anyway, I am very thankful you are safe."

"It's getting dark. I must head home," Jay Yi had ended the conversation firmly.

"Why don't I walk you home?" Mun Je-On offered.

Jay Yi shook her head. "I do not want anyone to walk me home. My neighbours think I live with my brother. It is better if they do not see other men near my house in the neighbourhood."

Since that day, Mun Jeon had become a permanent fixture, often dropping in at Manyeodang and always at the table whenever they had a meal at the Inn. Mun Jeon declared himself a collaborator in Kim Myung Jin's scientific discoveries, much to Myung Jin's ecstasy. Jay Yi also enjoyed his company, though she steadfastly refused his requests to visit her home.

Ga-ram sighed. She did not know what to make of Master Mun Jeon. Ga-ram liked the man and suspected he liked her Aashi a lot, but Jay Yi showed no interest in him beyond a close acquaintance she valued due to their past connection to Jay Yi's family. Ga-ram knew Min Jay Yi's heart was stubborn, promised to a man she had no hopes of attaining.