01x15 - Episode 15

[bunniefuu]

Do you still…

find me unworthy?

Is it because of the crime I committed?

That crime is not solely yours.

My brother and I had a hand in it…

as well as the Queen Dowager

and the Principal Director.

I refuse to accept your affection…

for claiming you as mine

would be reprehensible in that

I would be exploiting you

and hurting you yet again.

Do you resent me?

Your Majesty.

To speak the truth,

I knew that you would refuse

my final request.

Knowing your true nature…

might have been what led me

to love you.

This cannot be.

Did you take poison?

Is anyone outside?

Eunuch Kim!

Why are you standing around?

Bring the royal physician immediately!

Yes, Your Majesty.

Why in heaven's name

would you take poison?

Your Majesty.

I have received an order

to k*ll you.

I was told…

that you would never forgive me

for harming the late king

and that this was the only way

for me to survive.

I was also told that if you forgave me,

you would become

a depraved tyrant

who forsook the bond set by the heavens.

You were coerced.

Who was it?

Was it the Queen Dowager

or the Principal Director?

What made you change your mind?

Why did you take the poison

instead of using it to k*ll me?

Your Majesty.

My lifelong wish…

was to be loved by you.

However,

what I desired

and hoped for more

was to protect you…

until the end of my days.

Your Majesty.

Since the day you promised

to grant all my requests,

I have wished…

to say these words to you one day.

What are they?

Your Majesty.

I have…

no more…

requests to make.

Senior Court Lady Dong.

Your Majesty!

Here comes His Majesty!

Your Majesty.

Forgive me, but I have not received

any word of your visit.

May I ask what brings you…

Tell her I am here.

Your Royal Highness.

His Majesty is here.

Your Majesty.

Why is there blood on you?

This blood is not mine,

but Senior Court Lady Dong's.

Senior Court Lady Dong's?

What do you mean?

She is dead.

She received an order to poison me

just like my brother,

but she could not bring herself

to follow the order

and took the poison herself and died.

His Majesty cannot dare to cast me away.

If he dares to bring me down,

he will crumble before I do.

Mother.

I do not understand

how you could remain silent

at the news of a threat to my life.

I cannot fathom

what spite she may have had

to take her own life before you,

but poisoning?

As you well know,

the late king passed away

due to his chronic illness.

Mother.

Senior Court Lady Dong

confessed before she died.

Her words are all lies!

You must believe in your mother.

All this has come to pass

because of Chu Dal-ha's report.

You must behead him

and hang up his head for display

to show the world your authority

and bring an end to this case.

That is the only way

to preserve your reign.

I cannot and will not do so.

- Your Majesty!

- Enough!

Enough.

That is enough.

Do you still not see it?

I could not bring myself

to ask you the question

on the day my brother died.

However,

I already…

know its answer!

I have no idea what you are talking about.

You would have also known for long

that my uncle

is the spy who colluded with the Qing…

and that he poisoned my brother to death.

When I sought to punish him for it,

he turned against me

and tried to poison me as well.

Tell me.

Did you order him to poison my brother?

That is ridiculous.

As his crimes have been revealed,

I shall interrogate him

without further ado.

I would rather bite my tongue

and take my own life on this spot

than see that happen!

Your Majesty.

Reconsider what you are about to do.

The Principal Director

is your one and only kin

and a loyal subject

who will help you maintain your reign.

Do you not see

that you will be endangered

if you punish him?

Mother.

Let me be clear.

Do not act as the leader of traitors.

Using my authority as the king,

I will do everything in my power…

to make sure

not to let such an act slide.

Your…

Your Majesty.

- Your Royal Highness!

- Your Majesty!

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty…

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your quarters are being cleaned up,

so let us head to Yeongchwijeong.

Gidaeryeong Kang should be in the palace.

- Go summon him.

- Yes, Captain.

Your Majesty.

I heard the news…

of Senior Court Lady Dong's death.

Back when…

you told me Kim Myung-ha confessed

that the Principal Director

was plotting treason,

I should have ordered

his immediate arrest and interrogation.

What did you say?

The Principal Director asked Myung-ha

to join him in a plot of treason?

Yes, Your Majesty.

Yoo Hyun-bo served

as the Principal Director's messenger

and tried to convince

the Sixth Royal Secretary.

He insisted on reporting them

to you himself, but I dissuaded him.

With Yoo Hyun-bo as the messenger,

the Principal Director

can simply deny his involvement,

which would make the Sixth Royal Secretary

a criminal who falsely accused your kin.

I thought it would be wiser

for me to report the matter

and await your orders.

This is better.

I shall exploit it

to trick the Principal Director

into lowering his guard.

Tell Myung-ha to accept his offer.

This is a golden opportunity

to make him reveal his own crimes.

I am responsible

for Court Lady Dong's death.

My greedy pursuit of exposing

all the crimes of the Principal Director

led to her death.

Your Majesty.

Please do not blame yourself.

They say even the wisest of the wise

cannot fully fathom another's thoughts.

I also once witnessed

Senior Court Lady Dong crying in despair,

but I failed to understand

the reasons behind her sorrow.

Court Lady Dong…

was the only one who knew of my crime.

I forced her to commit a crime for me,

but I never gave her my warm regards.

Throughout her service to me,

I suspected her of being the subject

of my mother and uncle

and begrudged her.

She must have believed…

that I would never forgive her,

which would have made her afraid.

She did not take her own life

because she feared punishment from you.

She only did so

as she knew you would forgive her.

As she knew your secret,

she would have believed her death

was the only way to protect you.

The reasons that I cannot forgive

the Principal Director…

are only piling up.

Your Majesty.

With Senior Court Lady Dong gone,

you no longer have a witness.

Do you still intend

to carry out the interrogation?

The court will be against it,

saying that it now lacks merit.

Even Inspector General Kim Je-nam

will not be able to support me.

However,

even if I have to quash

all resistance from the court,

the interrogation will be held.

I cannot overlook

the Principal Director's crimes.

Are you certain…

that Court Lady Dong

died from this poison?

Yes, Your Majesty.

What about the late king?

I would have a more accurate result

if I could examine it further.

But based on the looks of the silver spoon

and the time it takes to change colors,

I believe his passing

was caused by the same poison.

You may leave.

Your Majesty.

Do you think the Principal Director

gave Court Lady Dong the order?

I suspect so,

but she did not confess as much.

What is the matter?

To speak the truth,

my men are chasing after

one of his servants who has disappeared.

And we have learned

that he was headed to the border.

I am concerned that his next move

after giving out an order for your death

may be an attempt to collude

with the Qing's envoy, Jung Je-pyo,

bearing a document approving

the appointment of the Crown Prince.

I did not expect…

that wench to be this foolish.

This is no time to mull over nothing.

What will you do now?

Thankfully, His Majesty is a tactician

who calculates all possibilities ahead.

Without Court Lady Dong,

who would have been his witness,

he no longer has the grounds

to summon me as a criminal.

As an interrogation without cause

will only face the court's resistance

and incur the suspicion of Prince Rui,

it will not take place.

What if His Majesty

insists on holding an interrogation?

And what about Kim Myung-ha?

If he gets cold feet and makes a report

A report shall be fought

with another report.

"Kim Myung-ha

and Yoo Hyun-bo joined hands…

and proposed that we plot treason."

My lord.

I only raised the issue out of concern.

Why are you threatening me

when I am on your side?

Kim Myung-ha cannot make rash moves

because of the Crown Prince,

but you are different.

Humans are creatures of habit.

Your habits have not gone anywhere.

Remember this.

My doom will lead to your doom.

Do you understand?

I will remember that, my lord.

My lady.

The Sixth Royal Secretary is here.

The last words of the late king

were to protect the Grand Prince

and appoint him the Crown Prince.

His Majesty

is carrying out those last words.

Am I wrong?

When did you realize that?

I thought something was off

when the King spared my life

and appointed me

the Executive Assistant of Uiju.

I questioned his decision

as my crime deserved death.

I avoided facing the truth even after

the Grand Prince became the Crown Prince.

But the Principal Director's recent offer

made me realize it.

It was I

who was captivated

by the need for vengeance.

I am relieved

to hear you say so.

Do you think His Majesty

will interrogate the Principal Director?

I am afraid he will push ahead

despite the unfavorable circumstances.

Let His Majesty know

that I shall attend the interrogation

and report the Principal Director

for his attempt to plot treason.

That cannot happen.

If you take action,

His Royal Highness will be in danger,

and His Majesty will not approve of that.

There is no other way.

Without the interrogation,

the Principal Director will cover up

his crimes with aid from Prince Rui.

Were that to happen,

the Qing troops may invade

like they did three years ago

and attempt to take His Majesty away.

We cannot let that happen.

The horses are ready

outside the city walls, my lord.

But where are you going?

I will head to the Qing through Uiju

and seek refuge

under Prince Rui's service.

Hurry up. We must leave

the capital before morning.

Yes, my lord.

Damn it.

I am sure I heard footsteps.

Let us go that way.

Your Majesty.

Did you summon me?

Summon the judges

as I shall hold an interrogation today.

Your Majesty.

Though you ordered us not to appoint one

among the Border Defense Council members,

we will need a minister-level official.

We seek to appoint

Minister of w*r Min Ji-hwan as one.

Please give us your approval.

You have my approval.

Your Majesty.

Please name the criminal

to be interrogated today.

Principal Director…

Park Jong-hwan.

I shall follow your royal command.

Criminal Park Jong-hwan,

come out and follow the royal command!

Tell them to wait awhile

for me to get changed.

Yes, my lord.

Be honest with me.

Did you know that the spy

who colluded with the Qing

was the Principal Director?

Those are the exact words

I want to ask you.

From what I recall, you were closer to him

than I was three years ago.

I had no idea.

You know how reticent

the Principal Director can be.

What do you think will happen?

As one of the judges,

you should be able to tell how it will go.

Do you think His Majesty

will summon me to the interrogation?

No one knows.

Depending on

what the Principal Director says,

anyone could be summoned.

How dare an accused criminal

wear a court robe?

He must be out of his mind.

Some may even think

he is here to receive commendations.

Here comes His Majesty!

Why is the criminal

dressed in a court robe?

I apologize, Your Majesty.

Strip him of his robe.

Your Majesty.

I only came to clear my name

of the false charges.

I do not stand before you as a criminal.

As I wish to pay my respects to you,

please allow me

to answer your questions in this robe.

That is preposterous, Your Majesty.

For a loyal subject,

merely being accused of being a criminal

warrants one to be disrobed

with their hair loosened,

awaiting their punishment.

Please order him to take his robe off.

I shall take off my robe

and await your punishment

if I fail to answer your questions.

Principal Director.

You colluded with the Qing,

brought their troops into our land,

and ordered Senior Court Lady Dong

to…

You also ordered Senior Court Lady Dong

to assassinate the late king.

Do you confess to these crimes?

Your Majesty.

Your question does not make sense.

If I had given out such an order,

for whom do you think

I would have done so?

Then tell me, for whom

did you give her the poisoned rouge

and order her to assassinate me?

Answer my question!

I swear by the heavens' name

that I have never colluded with the Qing

or plotted the late king's death.

Moreover, I have never

even considered harming you.

Do you have evidence or witness

that I have done so?

Without a cause, justice falls apart.

I beseech you to see reason

and stop this reckless interrogation,

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty.

We have a witness

to right the cause and justice.

- Bring them in.

- Yes, Your Majesty.

What on earth are you doing?

I am here on a royal command

to arrest a criminal plotting treason.

Treason? That is ridiculous.

Who informed you of such a lie?

That little…

The Principal Director

openly boasted about his misdeeds.

Colluding with the Qing three years ago

to bring their troops into our land

and ordering Senior Court Lady Dong

to assassinate the late king

were all claimed as his own doing.

Furthermore, when you sought to uncover

his crimes of colluding with the Qing,

he said he would order

Court Lady Dong

to assassinate you as well.

I did not believe his words at first.

But upon hearing her of death,

I came to believe them.

Why did the Principal Director

share his intent to plot treason with you?

If you do not confess

your involvement in the treasonous plot,

I shall tell His Majesty

the lies you told three years ago

and request that you be punished

in the same way as my father.

You will then

be slaughtered like an animal

in front of everyone

and face a gruesome death.

That is because…

the Principal Director and I

plotted treason together.

The news of Court Lady Dong's death

led me to finally realize

the wrongs of my ways

- and confess my crimes to you.

- Your Majesty!

Every single word

of Yoo Hyun-bo's attestation is a lie.

I have committed no crimes!

Disrobe the criminal.

Begin the t*rture.

Do not stop…

until he confesses all his crimes.

Cease the t*rture.

Leave us for a while.

I must speak with the criminal alone.

Every single one of you shall leave.

- But Your Majesty

- I seek to question my uncle…

on the disgraceful secrets

of the royal family, so leave.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Three years ago,

the night when my brother passed away,

I told you that I would accept my fate

before the main hall.

Do you remember it?

That was the moment

I set my mind for today.

I ascended to the throne…

for this very moment.

I ensured your ascent to the throne

by fair means and foul.

Is this truly

the reward for my loyalty?

How do you call yourself loyal

when you colluded with the enemy

and assassinated the king?

Uncle.

You are merely a base, treacherous subject

who sought to fulfill your selfish needs

by taking advantage of the king's power.

I took you for a dragon

that inherited our family's blood,

but you were nothing but a lowly worm.

You fool.

You are not a true king.

You are a fool

and nothing but a spy of the late king.

I have mulled over that notion

for the past three years.

"Am I worthy of the throne?"

"Is it right for me

to be this nation's king…

when I ascended to the throne…

with the help of a traitor?"

However, I now clearly understand…

that punishing you for your crimes

is my duty and right

as the king.

I swear to the heavens…

that I will not forgive you

for your crimes.

Your Majesty.

I am your one and only kin.

Abandoning me would be

severing the bond set by the heavens.

How would you endure

such disgrace and dishonor?

I already told you

that anyone who opposed me

should face death,

even my own kin.

Have you forgotten?

I am the king of this nation.

The king shall not be insulted.

Anyone who opposes me shall face death

and that includes

my kin who shares my blood.

What is your decision?

Look.

Will he be taken to the State Tribunal?

His Majesty commanded

that he be confined to his residence

until his punishment is decided.

There has never been a case

where the Queen Dowager's kin

went through such horrific interrogation

in the history of our nation.

It just may become

a more common occurrence now.

I owe Myung-ha a big debt.

The Sixth Royal Secretary

will not consider it a debt.

He now understands

the ordeal you went through

for His Royal Highness.

I am relieved he thinks that way.

Your Majesty.

What is the matter?

I do not understand these feelings.

On one hand,

I feel so hollow.

But at the same time,

I am afraid.

You have held on so far

for this day to come, Your Majesty.

As you would have forced yourself

to ignore your emotional

and physical exhaustion,

it would be abnormal for you

not to be engulfed by such emotions.

Your Majesty.

Please return to your quarters.

You must rest.

Staying with you…

is resting to me.

"Chu Dal-ha has committed a grave crime.

But as his report on the matter of the spy

has contributed greatly

to the exposure of treason,

his sentence shall be reduced

to being flogged 80 times

and 3 years of hard labor."

I shall sentence him accordingly.

"Yoo Hyun-bo's crimes are serious

as he plotted treason with Park Jong-hwan.

But as his attestation

has averted the treason from taking place,

he shall be exiled

far away from the capital."

I shall sentence him accordingly.

Your Majesty.

What is the punishment for Park Jong-hwan?

I am still deciding.

I only seek to make

the most prudent decision,

so await my verdict.

Wait one moment.

Do you have anyone to see you off?

How dare you presume

that no one would see me off?

Let us just go.

You have a long way ahead of you.

Use it to get some drinks.

Allow me a moment.

Time travels fast.

I will see you soon.

His Majesty requests you inside.

I am here to confess my crimes,

Your Majesty.

What crimes do you mean?

Thanks to Gidaeryeong Kang's help,

I reported Park Jong-hwan

and Yoo Hyun-bo's plots for treason

and avoided being punished.

But to speak the truth,

my heart was swayed by their offer,

and I joined hands with them briefly.

As such, please punish me as you see fit.

I have decided…

on the Principal Director's punishment.

He shall be made to drink poison.

Myung-ha,

you shall take the poison to him.

Witnessing the final moments

of the Principal Director…

is your punishment.

Do not be swayed ever again.

Let his end serve as a warning

not to follow in his footsteps.

Your Majesty.

I will engrave your kindness onto my bones

and carry out your command

to the best of my ability.

Your Majesty.

Convention has it that the crimes

of a royalty's kin go unpunished.

If you must punish him, exile him instead

and spare his life.

Mother.

The Principal Director…

must die.

That is the only way to right the wrongs

and make the people

consider me as a true king.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

This is a desperate plea from your mother.

Will you still refuse it?

Escort her away.

Your Royal Highness.

- Let us go.

- Let me go!

I shall…

leave without aid.

Remember this.

This is the reward from His Majesty

for the sacrifices of his loyal subject.

It is truly delectable!

The Principal Director

seems to have dispatched a servant

to alert the Qing of his situation.

The Qing's envoy may bring approval

for the appointment of the Crown Prince

or lead the Emperor's general

along with its troops for w*r.

We cannot know for sure yet.

But should the Qing

attempt to interfere with our matters

using the Principal Director as a pretext,

I will fight back.

Your Majesty.

Your words are just and brave.

I shall

put my faith in your will and follow it.

I concur with the Inspector General.

And the court officials

will also support you as one.

I feel reassured to have you both.

Minister of w*r.

You shall keep your eye on the borders

and report back to me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

The Chief Royal Secretary is here,

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Jung Je-pyo has reached Uiju

with a document approving

the appointment of the Crown Prince.

Send the Sixth Royal Secretary

and the Great Lord to receive him.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I have heard of your troubles

on your journey to bring

the document approving

the Crown Prince's appointment.

My travels were nothing

compared to the difficulties I suffered

from the Principal Director's death.

While staying in Uiju,

I had to send word countless times

to Prince Rui in Beijing

to apprise him of the situation.

It was quite troublesome.

In the end,

Prince Rui concluded that Joseon's matters

are the purview of the King of Joseon.

I am relieved he thinks that way.

This…

is my gift to you.

My greetings to Prince Rui.

The King of Joseon

has become aware of

my communication with the Great Qing

and is attempting to punish me.

This is clearly an attempt to drive out

the faction close to the Qing

and cut off the Qing's influence.

I believe it would be prudent

to summon the King to the Qing

to warn him of his actions.

With the Crown Prince

who can inherit the throne,

you would not have to worry

about the aftermath.

Is my gift to your liking?

Yes, it is.

What do you mean

Jung Je-pyo wishes to return to Joseon?

It is as it sounds, Your Majesty.

Along with the Emperor's letter,

Prince Rui's letter

also contains such content.

"I shall send the loyal subject of Qing,

Jung Je-pyo, back to Joseon.

Appoint him an official of your court

and show him your benevolence."

So they intend to dispatch a spy openly

and not in secret.

I am almost grateful.

I shall accept the offer.

The court shall discuss

a position to give him.

Yes, Your Majesty.

We shall do that.

Your Majesty.

I apologize, but Prince Rui's letter

contains another element of surprise.

What is it?

The Emperor…

wishes to play baduk with the gidaeryeong.

Your Majesty.

Right.

My mind trailed off.

The Qing's envoy

must have caused you distress.

It is nothing new.

Are they perhaps making

unreasonable demands

over the Principal Director's death?

Do not worry.

I do not intend

to give them what they want.

My lord.

It has been a while.

I was waiting for you

upon hearing the maddening news.

What news?

Have you not heard yet?

I hear Prince Rui's letter

contains a request

to have you sent to Beijing.

I told you I would not drink

even a single drop of water.

Do you take my orders as a joke?

Your Royal Highness.

You must drink.

At this rate, you will fall ill.

That is exactly my aim.

I must die

to make the King bitterly regret

not coming to visit me even once.

He seems to be busy

receiving the Qing's envoy.

Please do not be upset.

A visit from the Qing's envoy

is nothing out of the ordinary.

Word has it that Prince Rui of the Qing

ordered the gidaeryeong

to be sent to Beijing.

Why would it matter to me

that a lowly gidaeryeong

is being summoned?

How is it that

he cannot spare a moment to visit me

because of such a trifling matter

when I am at death's door

from hunger and thirst?

What an…

undutiful son I have birthed.

Her Royal Highness

has not eaten or drunk for days.

At this rate,

something may truly happen to her.

I understand.

I shall prepare herbal medicine for her.

You wench!

Watch where you are going!

I apologize, my lady.

You do not use your sight as you should,

but you are eager

to put your tongue to use.

- What is this?

- That is mine!

Whose residence did you steal this from?

I did not steal it.

I received it.

This is highly valuable.

Who would ever give it to you,

and for what reason?

It was given to me…

by the late Senior Court Lady Dong.

Court Lady Dong?

What did she ask you to do in return?

What are you waiting for?

Hurry and tell Her Royal Highness

what you have seen and heard.

Why are you causing this ruckus?

The matter

pertains to the gidaeryeong.

What about him?

When His Majesty left the palace,

he was with another woman.

And this girl saw that woman.

However,

that woman

was the gidaeryeong.

Have you seen it yourself?

I will take your life

if you are deceiving me.

How would I dare

speak falsehood before you?

I have seen with my two eyes

that the gidaeryeong is a woman.

Jageunnyeon.

What do you think of traveling to Beijing?

Why are you asking me that

out of the blue?

It is where my father is,

as is Bun-yeong.

They say the place has a market

for all rare items and records.

We could take it as an opportunity

to see the world and travel.

I would go if you would.

But do not even dream about it, my lady.

His Majesty would never approve of it.

Gidaeryeong Kang,

Her Royal Highness summons you.

Let me escort you.

I have prior engagement

with His Royal Highness.

May I ask why I am being summoned?

Could I not go see her later?

I am afraid not.

You will have to postpone

your visit to His Royal Highness.

I understand. Lead the way.

Master?

Why do you look so down

playing your baduk game?

Father.

I came by to see you

play against the gidaeryeong.

Where could he have gone

to leave you all alone?

It seemed like

Her Royal Highness had summoned him.

The Queen Dowager?

Yes.

I saw Master being escorted

by Senior Court Lady Han.

Your Royal Highness.

Human eyes can be so fickle.

You clearly look like a woman.

How did I not see it before?

You caught my eye

when you first greeted me

at the Queen's quarters.

That must have been…

because you were destined

to be my future daughter-in-law.

Let them in.

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

How do you like it?

Does it suit your taste?

Very well.

There.

The sewing and embroidery maids

stayed up all night to prepare this robe.

Try it on.

Come on now.

Your Royal Highness.

Forgive me,

but being His Majesty's gidaeryeong

is enough for me.

Who gave you

the permission to take it off?

Your distasteful habit

of not listening while I am being civil

slipped my mind.

Do not just stand about!

Strip her of this unseemly men's attire.

Let me go!

Here comes His Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Mother.

What is going on here?

Greetings, Your Majesty.

CAPTIVATING THE KING

Send the gidaeryeong to the Qing and issue

a decree for the selection of the queen.

They may call you their guest,

but who knows how they will treat you?

I will go to the Emperor.

Why do you insist on taking the risk?

I would gain means

to aid you and this nation.

There is no reason for me

to hesitate or dread it.

Even after three years,

I am no different

in that I still cannot protect you.

I promise

to return safely

and give you a chance to win against me.