The market was still bustling, even in the cold. Life had to go on, and people had families to feed, regardless of the biting temperature.
Myung Yu and Uk strolled through the early morning market, having left their warm beds at the tavern inn. They wanted to see what life was like beneath the surface of the town, the darker side of it. For Uk, this was nothing new; he had seen plenty back in the kingdom. But for Myung Yu, it was a different story. She couldn't stop glancing around, fully alert, her eyes wide with unease.
"Act natural, Gongju-nim," Uk whispered, noticing her tension. "The more anxious you look, the more they'll notice something's off. And believe me, they don't take kindly to anything out of the ordinary."
"I'm trying, but it's hard..." Myung Yu replied, trying to maintain her composure. Uk noticed her hand constantly touching the leather binder around her waist. The tight fit was clearly uncomfortable, and she wasn't used to wearing such attire.
Uk stopped her for a moment. He took a long, thin shawl from his bag and pulled her aside, away from the crowd, to a secluded stall. "Loosen it up a bit," he said. Myung Yu struggled to reach the rope, so Uk gently turned her around and undid it for her.
Carefully, Uk wrapped the shawl around her, then adjusted the binder back into place.
"This should reduce the friction between the leather and your skin. It'll help prevent blisters," Uk said, patting the binder to ensure it was secure.
"Thank you..." Myung Yu murmured, touched by his thoughtfulness. She smiled faintly, suppressing the admiration she felt. She knew Uk was aware of her feelings, but she wasn't the type to flaunt her emotions excessively.
Uk simply nodded in response, guiding her back into the market. Myung Yu walked gracefully, with Uk subtly directing her from behind.
"It's double the price from yesterday! Are you kidding me?!"
A loud voice from one of the stalls halted them.
"You have to understand! The government increased the rent again this week. If I sell at the same price, I won't survive until next week!" the seller argued.
Myung Yu observed the old shop, wondering how high the rent must be now. Back home, it wasn't this extreme.
"Aish, they raised the tax again! That's the third time in six months! I don't know if we can survive at this rate!" another voice complained nearby.
"All the prices are going up because production is down! The demand is high, but the supply is low! We can't even sell much because of these prices!" a third voice chimed in.
Myung Yu frowned and looked at Uk, who remained calm, casually examining some merchandise as if the situation was nothing new to him.
"Yarh! What do you mean you can't sell to me? There's plenty right there! Why are you keeping it to yourself?!" A heated argument suddenly drew a crowd. Myung Yu craned her neck, trying to see what was going on. Uk noticed her curiosity.
"Do you want to check it out?" Uk asked. Myung Yu nodded quickly and headed toward the commotion.
"You have to understand. I'm supplying all of this to the tavern inn. The royal convoy is visiting the town. They need food, by order of the Governor!"
"Why should we let them eat while we starve? How can we let those royal pigs feast on food that should be ours, while we scrape by every day?!" The man yelled at the seller, unaware that Myung Yu and Uk were standing right behind him.
Myung Yu glanced at Uk, who listened to the harsh words with a calm expression. She knew the tavern inn staff worked hard to provide a comfortable stay, but if it meant the locals had to sacrifice their food, it felt meaningless.
"Does this happen often?" Myung Yu bravely asked one of the bystanders.
"Yes. Every time there's a royal visit, we have to give up our supplies to feed them," the bystander replied.
"Sometimes, we end up with nothing for ourselves," another joined in.
"I thought the kingdom provided ample supplies to the town, even lending land for agricultural activities..."
"Tsk, that's what outsiders like you think! Those lands belong to the rich barons. Not only do we pay hefty mortgages, but they also take all the crops for themselves, leaving us with nothing!" The man's words shocked Myung Yu to her core.
"So, you're telling me the barons and even the Governor are misusing the power given by the kingdom?" Myung Yu asked in disbelief, turning to Uk, who watched the scene with sympathy.
"They're a bunch of pretenders, fooling the kingdom with their lies. The situation here is worse than during the war. We hoped things would get better, but instead, they force us into labor, raise prices, taxes, and rent. Even the middle-class merchants and stall owners struggle to get by. Imagine us, mere farmers—what can we do?" the man said, making Myung Yu sigh deeply, contemplating what action she should take.
Someone had to do something!
***
"What should we do now?" Myung Yu asked, tension clear in her voice as she sat down.
"What do you think?" Uk turned the question back to her. He had ideas, but he wanted Myung Yu to decide on her own.
"I have one idea, but I'm not sure if it will work," Myung Yu admitted.
"Go ahead, let's hear it. It might be brilliant!" Uk encouraged.
"We could visit the governor's office and request an inspection of their documents," Myung Yu suggested. The idea seemed plausible, but her hesitation showed she wasn't confident.
"I sense a 'but' coming..." Uk pointed out gently. Myung Yu looked down, slowly nodding.
"I know they'll forge the documents. They're probably doing it right now. If we ask the finance department to visit, they'll just pull out fake records. That's how they pass the financial evaluations," Myung Yu explained.
"May I ask a question, Gongju-nim?"
"Go ahead," she replied briefly.
"When the finance department visits, do they only inspect the documents at the governor's office?" Uk inquired.
"Yes. They assume those are the final summaries of all the town's financial activities," Myung Yu answered. Uk frowned, deep in thought.
"Auditing shouldn't be done like that. They should check every document, making sure everything matches up. How does the team conduct their inspections?" Uk's question planted a seed of doubt in Myung Yu's mind.
"All this time, they've been lying to the kingdom. I bet the financial inspector is someone they appointed themselves, playing the part instead of doing a real audit!" Myung Yu gritted her teeth in anger.
"So, what should we do now?" Uk asked.
"Let's send a letter back home. In the most traditional way," Myung Yu decided, a determined smile forming on her lips.
This had to end, once and for all!