The Central Pavilion of the district was packed with anxious local officials, low-ranking nobles, and sweat-stained clerks. The air was thick with the scent of unwashed silk and panic.

Taehyung stood near the back corner of the grand hall, tucked neatly behind a thick wooden pillar where the shadows were deepest. He wore a faded blue robe that was two sizes too large for his narrow shoulders, his long dark hair tied back loosely with a simple cloth ribbon. He held a wooden tray bearing five heavy volumes of local land registries.