102.the General's very existence could be threatening to those who held power.
"After the victory at Haran, an imperial decree arrived ordering us to return to the capital.
There were several assassination attempts on the way.
We could not suspect His Majesty, so we suspected those beneath him.
Only belatedly did we realize that the General's very existence could be threatening to those who held power.
The General already knew this.
He wished to remain in Haran, yet when commanded to return to the capital, he came back with only a small force.
On the very day we established camp before the capital, the Chancellor came to see him, and the General submitted his resignation memorial.
I do not know what the two of them discussed.
I assume it concerned his resignation.
The following day, we left the capital and set out for Henan.
On the way, we changed routes several times, then altered direction entirely.
He believed that if he returned to his family estate in Henan, it would endanger them.
He could not return to his hometown, could not continue his work, and without having committed any wrongdoing, became a fugitive."
Lee Hee's voice remained even and low to the end.
It was neither an excuse nor a lament.
It was the tone of a man arranging facts.
Yet each word felt weighed down and pressed into place.
Lady Yi listened without breathing.
She did not yet know where this explanation was leading.
Was he clarifying the circumstances of death, or laying out the political background?
She could not tell, yet she did not look away.
"The General pondered deeply on loyalty (忠), and one day said he would go up the mountain to take the air.
It was not unusual for him to do so, so we thought little of it.
But he did not return.
When he failed to come back, we searched the entire Bokwu Mountain area.
At the summit we found his personal effects, and his outer robe and cloak hanging from a tree.
It looked as though he had ascended to immortality."
Up to this point, she already knew the story.
The wind of Bokwu Mountain and the image of the robe caught on a branch rose again before her.
She had revisited that scene countless times, hardening herself against it.
Her hand slowly clenched.
Lee Hee paused briefly, then continued.
"At the time, there was pressure not only from the palace but from others as well.
There are details that are difficult to reveal, but we devised a plan.
If the General had truly chosen to leave, we resolved to make it certain."
Lady Yi's eyes trembled.
It was not death but departure that lingered in her ears.
Her breath halted once.
"We found a body that had been buried not long before, exhumed it at night, and built a grave at the summit, burying his effects there.
Only the White Dragon Unit conducted the funeral rites and sent word to the family estate.
The one lying on Bokwu Mountain is not the General."
The final sentence fell slowly, clearly.
The air in the room grew heavy.
The candle flame flickered.
Lady Yi could not speak for a long moment.
The words not him echoed again and again in her mind.
She needed time to understand their meaning.
It had not been death, but staging.
The body buried was another's.
He had chosen to disappear.
And that meant there was a possibility he still lived.
Her shoulders trembled violently.
Tears did not come first.
Her breath broke first.
She drew in a deep breath and steadied herself.
"We believed they would surely dig up the grave.
They will find only a corpse.
If they believe it, so much the better.
To make it certain, we gathered his belongings and brought them here.
On the way, we spread word of his death…
What we desired was the General's freedom.
That was all.
A way to protect the family estate, to spare His Majesty concern, and to prevent those with ambition from exploiting him.
This was the only method my foolish mind could devise.
If it has brought sorrow upon the family, I am deeply ashamed and apologize, but it was a choice without alternative."
Lee Hee did not lift his head to the end.
His explanation was dry, but his responsibility was unmistakable.
When Lady Yi had heard everything, a desolate light filled her face.
Each turn of the story drew a long breath from her.
There was little warmth in Lee Hee's concise account of facts, yet she could sense how much he was restraining himself.
Perhaps it was because he was a soldier.
His tone was restrained and plain, yet she thought no one could have explained it better.
"So in the end, what the Emperor fears is rebellion.
Or that he might be used by rebel forces…"
"That is correct."
Lady Yi folded her hands and rose, then knelt.
Her shoulders shook as she lowered her head.
Gratitude for being told the truth mingled with gratitude for protecting the family estate.
Above all, she trembled at the knowledge that he was alive.
"This is wrong.
I should be the one bowing.
General Lee, I sincerely thank you for aiding my husband and for all the care you have shown."
Startled, Lee Hee rose and bowed as well.
"No. How could I accept such courtesy (禮)?"
Lady Yi insisted on finishing her expression of thanks before rising.
A smile bloomed upon her tear-streaked face.
To know he was alive was a blessing.
The future remained uncertain, yet it could now be imagined.
For this moment, that alone was enough.