Min Soyon's response arrived in three days, which meant she had written it before she could possibly have received my letter.
She had already known.
Her letter was short, crisp, and furious in the way of someone who had learned to keep their fury in very clean containers.
*Lady Baek,* she wrote. *You will have received, or will shortly receive, a letter from my nephew Min Wei requesting the suppression of the document we viewed together at the Ministry archive. I am writing to make clear that he does not speak for me, has not consulted me, and does not have the authority he appears to believe he has. I am also writing to apologize, which I do not do lightly and do not do often. I am sorry that my family's complications have now become your complications. Please disregard Wei's letter entirely. I will handle him.*
The final line read: *What he has done is inexcusable. I look forward to explaining this to him personally.*
