Original subtitles

(Characters, places, and events associated in this series...)

(are not historical facts but fictional.)

(Episode 4)

What's the matter?

Oh, it's nothing.

Your Highness.

I was surprised you were gone while I was away.

I felt stuffy, so I went out to get some fresh air.

Why did you not have anyone escort you?

I will make some tea to warm you.

Your Highness.

I don't need it tonight.

I am given enough of warmth from outside.

Where on earth did you go...

while I was away?

I went to the toilet.

Toilet?

I mean, it is a hassle to call the servants whenever I do my business.

I will make sure to have them serve me next time.

"Get me a chamber pot." "Bring me the king's toilet."

I will ask for it even for a fart.

Did you already get used to the life in the palace?

Well, kind of.

Then again, ignorance makes you fearless.

Do not let your guard down.

Some could have sensed...

that the King has changed and is acting different.

You sent Lord Yoo to exile...

and spared the hound as you pleased.

His Majesty would never do such things.

You let your guard down first, not me.

What do you mean?

Someone was after my life during the hunt today.

Why are you telling me this now?

When were you going to tell me that I could be in danger...

of an assassination?

I put my life on the line when I returned,

but I never said I would die in vain.

If you fool me again, I will not stand idly.

All right.

Whenever I need to use you as bait,

I will make sure to remind you.

"Today is the day you die." How is that?

Is that what you want?

That is much better than getting fooled.

It is my fault.

I was distracted, chasing Lord Jinpyeong.

I will tell His Majesty and be punished for my negligence.

That is not your priority right now.

You must find out first who shot the arrow,

aimed at the King.

While I was after Lord Jinpyeong,

I was attacked by an arrow and lost him.

I am certain Lord Jinpyeong is behind this plot.

We cannot inform the King our assumption.

We need the proof first.

I will check where this arrowhead was made first.

Be careful. You must not be caught.

Yes, my lord.

Eunuch Cho.

I have a favor to ask of you.

Please go on.

Can you teach me how to read and write in Chinese letters?

What? Chinese letters?

At the hunting event,

I was able to weasel out with my skills,

but it will not be the same in the palace.

I need a weapon to protect myself.

No matter how much I think about it,

learning how to read and write is the only way.

But I have no experience in teaching others.

Perhaps, it'd be better to ask Chief Royal Secretary for help.

You know what he will say.

"Nonsense."

It is obvious.

I do not intend to read all these.

Teach me one by one slowly.

Fortunately, I have a good memory.

I learned Korean letters from a tailor when I was little.

It didn't take me long to learn them all.

I see.

Thank you.

What are all these?

These are the books His Majesty read recently.

He read all these books?

He read day and night. Sometimes, until late at night.

A king has to study all the time.

I told you to teach me how to read and write, but not like this.

We do not have the time to start with the basics.

I will translate these books in Korean.

You can start learning...

the meanings of each Chinese letter.

What do you say?

This will not do. This is too...

Let us start with "Classic of Poetry".

Eunuch Cho.

I told you to teach me one by one slowly.

"A heavy rain pours down on the beautiful Kijang Temple."

"A heavy rain pours down on the beautiful Kijang Temple."

"A noisy fly sits on a hazel tree."

"The sly talk endlessly."

"They come between people."

"Will you not take a rest under a willow tree?"

Your Majesty, I will go get you some tea.

"Do not be close..."

"with dangerous people."

What is he doing?

He said he wanted to learn how to read and write.

I will tell him to stop then.

No, leave him be.

Will His Majesty not return to the palace for the time being?

Your duty...

is not to estimate when His Majesty will come back.

It is to keep a close eye on him.

Understood.

(Will you not take a rest under a willow tree?)

"When I left by that road,"

"the willows grew thick."

"Now that I think of returning,"

"the snow..."

Yes.

"There is only snow and sleet."

"My progress is slow and I am thirsty..."

"and hungry."

"My heart aches and breaks,"

"but no one knows."

Ha Seon.

My gosh. I am out of breath.

Ha Seon. You take my place.

I am exhausted.

My goodness.

Come on now, Gab Soo.

You are tired already?

I guess you have grown old and useless.

What did you just say? Are you done? How dare you?

Am I wrong?

Am I, Dal Rae?

It was rude of you to say that.

The reason poor Gab Soo has aged so quickly...

was because he had to feed us.

Poor Gab Soo. You haven't even been married yet.

What was that you said?

I will break all your bones.

Come back here!

Gab Soo.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty. What is the matter?

Eunuch Cho.

Can you do something for me?

I was going to eat the red bean porridge...

when a chestnut flew out of the fire and hit it in the eye.

The tiger ran off looking like this.

Dal Rae, look at my face.

The tiger ran off with a bruised eye...

when it slipped on some dog poop and rolled backwards.

It kept rolling until it ended up in the stream. Dal Rae.

Will you look at me?

Please, Dal Rae.

You must get better before Ha Seon comes back.

My goodness. This is so infuriating.

It is okay.

She does not do well around unfamiliar faces.

We owe you so much.

We hope not to stay for too long.

Even if it is for one day, I hope you can relax.

Thank you.

This is... This is a pheasant.

But I thought that this is...

a temple that serves Buddha.

It is. You are the Buddha I must serve.

Pardon?

What nonsense was that?

Excuse me.

Is there a courtesan called Woon Shim here?

Yes. If this is your first visit, you cannot spend time with her.

Oh, I do not need to see her for long.

I only need to pass her this.

Chief Royal Secretary, did you just leave work?

It has been many years since we parted...

without agreeing when to meet again.

I write to you again, hoping to hear news of the others.

Welcome, my lord.

Why do you keep writing...

when you never get a reply?

Because you never know what the future holds.

Endless hope is like a disease.

It is time to give up.

You have withered away.

What happened to the magnanimous man...

whom Lord Gil favored so much?

It hurts if you get close...

and makes you sad if you drift apart. That is life.

It is time for you to give up too, Woon Shim.

The Queen wishes to see you.

I put my meager skill to use for you and the King.

It is beautiful.

It must be good to have a skill.

But then, you were a palace seamstress for 10 years,

so I guess you can sew in your sleep.

I could work as a seamstress for 20 years...

and still not embroider something as lovely as this.

Royal Consort, could you give me a few tips one day?

Any time you wish, Your Highness.

Drink before your tea gets cold.

What is the matter?

Call the royal physician.

Yes, Your Highness.

Seon Hwa Dang fainted after drinking tea with the Queen?

Is the Queen all right?

Yes.

The Queen and the other concubines are fine.

Only Seon Hwa Dang fell ill.

She looked like she could digest steel.

What happened?

His Majesty the King.

My Queen.

Your Majesty.

Why are you standing out here?

The Left State Councilor is in, so I decided to wait.

The Left State Councilor?

Your Majesty.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Please enter, Your Highness.

Do not strain yourself by sitting up.

I am honored, Your Majesty.

What seems to be the issue?

I must do a more thorough check,

but her systems seem to be caused by a poisonous plant.

A poisonous plant?

Your Majesty, for days,

I have been suffering from a fever and an upset stomach.

I endured the pain not knowing what it could be,

but now I know for certain.

Is what she's saying true?

It's true that she has been experiencing these symptoms.

Also, they worsened after...

drinking tea with the Queen.

It has not yet been confirmed if the tea itself was poisoned.

I will order for what she drank to be presented,

so do a thorough check.

What difference would checking the tea make?

There's no need for any of this.

What do you mean there's no need?

Court Lady Cho,

show His Majesty.

What...

What is this?

It is proof...

that someone has been trying to curse me.

There are witnesses...

who saw someone put this near my chambers.

Inform His Majesty of all that you saw.

It was the day of the full moon.

I was on my way to turn in for the day...

when I saw someone burying that particular object.

Who was it?

It was Court Lady Park.

Check again before you answer.

Are you sure you saw Court Lady Park that night?

Yes, Your Highness.

Hers is the face I saw.

Your Highness, I have been wrongfully accused.

Please believe my innocence.

Your Majesty,

I beg you.

Please reveal who gave the order to put a death curse on me...

and punish whomever to the full extent.

Turn a blind eye.

But the Queen could be wrongfully accused.

How could I not do anything?

What if it's true?

What if Seon Hwa Dang really is a victim?

The Internal Court is where the King's women and...

their families and parties...

constantly challenge each other to obtain power.

One wrong step will result in a bloodbath...

and also an incident which challenges the throne.

That's why, instead of taking one's side,

His Majesty always only observed.

I don't understand what you're saying.

Do you remember the two ways to survive in this place?

Yes.

Step on everyone and crush them for good, or...

- to ignore them for good. - Exactly.

What you can and must do is turn a blind eye.

That's your only option.

But my lord...

- Have Court Lady Park arrested. - Yes, ma'am.

You have the wrong person. It wasn't me!

Let me go. Please let me go!

Please...

Court Lady Kim, you know me.

You must believe me.

I never did such a thing to Seon Hwa Dang.

Do not stop until she confesses who gave the order.

Yes, ma'am.

No, please don't.

Don't...

Your Highness.

Court Lady Park hasn't named anyone despite the continuing torture.

Your Highness...

I must talk to His Majesty.

The Queen will be in danger...

if Court Lady Park doesn't speak?

What do you mean by that?

As servants of the palace, we are forever bound to one master.

It is our duty to follow his or her orders unconditionally.

If Court Lady Park refuses to name anyone,

everyone will think that...

she is keeping silent per the Queen's orders.

Your Majesty, I beg you.

Please reveal who gave the order to put a death curse on me...

and punish whomever to the full extent.

Your Highness, what is it?

I can't.

I shall head back.

However, you came all this way...

Your Highness!

If you throw it there,

the goblin will not grant your wish.

Your Majesty.

If that wasn't the case,

were you just throwing it away?

Your Majesty, what brings you here?

I followed you after seeing you walk away from my chambers...

without coming into see me.

You must've come to say something,

so why didn't you?

As you saw,

I planned to beg you to trust my innocence.

But the thought of seeing you...

scared me.

I was afraid you might doubt my words.

I do trust your innocence.

I have never doubted you from the start.

Now that makes me even more scared.

Will you say...

you trust me but choose not to be on my side?

Well...

My Queen.

That is enough.

It is enough for now...

to hear you say you trust me.

Give me some time.

I will find a way to save you from this.

I am in awe again to see how you handle your matters.

Nothing in this world beats money.

Three times a day.

Overdosage could be lethal.

Hide it in the chambers of Court Lady Park.

Do not forget. It is three times a day.

It was crucial that Seon Hwa Dang did get poisoned.

She is greedy but naive.

If we had told her the truth,

her lies would not have lasted so long.

I thought...

you were considering her as the new queen.

I have a lot of pretty, obedient nieces.

You have another job to do.

Get rid of Court Lady Park.

It is not necessary, so why?

The Queen who poisoned a consort...

and took the life of her loyal servant.

That would be the perfect justification for a petition.

Deliver this to government offices in each province.

Yes, my lord.

Did you find the source of the arrowhead?

I looked into all the smithies in the capital and nearby towns,

but none of them made such an arrowhead.

I checked the court officials' and Lord Jinpyeong's arrowheads as well,

but none of them were a match.

I didn't think this would be easy anyway.

What should we do now?

Three attempts were made to assassinate the King.

The deities helped His Majesty so far,

but we cannot leave his safety depend on luck.

Keep an eye on every move of Lord Jinpyeong and court officials.

Report to me immediately if you find anything suspicious.

Yes, my lord.

There is going to be a bloodbath.

It might spread to the entire Internal Court,

so tell me if there is anything I should know.

- Lord Jinpyeong. - Yes, Your Highness.

I will take care of the internal issues.

You do what you have to do.

You should not be all talk without bringing any outcome...

just like the last hunting occasion.

I will keep that in mind.

Your order, Your Highness?

Proceed.

Others might see you.

Eat some.

Thank you.

Please put in a word for me to the Queen Dowager.

I will never speak up...

about what I did to the Queen.

Tell her not to worry...

How...

Thanks for your hard work.

Rest in peace with the Queen Dowager's grace.

How could you do this to me?

How...

How could you...

Your Majesty, it is time to go to bed.

This will not do.

Where are you going?

Court Lady Park died last night?

Yes, Your Highness.

I am afraid to tell you so.

How did it happen?

If she was tortured to death,

I will not forgive you.

His Majesty and Your Highness are present in the palace.

I would never dare do such a thing.

I am not sure, but someone seems to have poisoned her...

to keep her mouth shut for good.

Your Highness.

Someone killed her to frame the Queen.

That is what you think.

Everyone else will think the Queen had her killed...

to stop her from speaking the truth.

Your Majesty, Officer Jang wishes to see you.

Let him in.

Your Majesty, we have Court Lady Park's cause of death.

- Was she poisoned? - Yes.

It is the same poison that killed the court maid who ate your snack.

Are you sure?

I had them triple check to be sure.

I am positive.

Was the Queen Dowager behind it all along?

The ringleader might not be the one who killed Court Lady Park.

The Queen Dowager has a dirty secret as well.

Now she has a way to avoid taking the blame.

It seems that someone just gained wings to fly high.

You did not kill Court Lady Park?

Was it the Queen?

No, my lord.

When I relayed the news, she seemed to have no idea.

Really?

Things are getting more exciting.

So,

it is time for you to take action.

- Yes, my lord. - Yes, my lord.

Your Majesty. Court Lady Park's sudden death...

means the Queen has all but confessed.

Jealous queens...

who persecuted royal consorts...

have been dethroned before.

I urge you make the right decision to preserve the court's honor.

Your Majesty. Censors are considering petitioning you...

to have the Queen dethroned.

If you delay too long,

scholars and nobles will begin to petition as well.

That could, in time, threaten your authority.

Your Majesty, please accept our plea.

- Please accept our plea. - Please accept our plea.

- Please accept our plea. - Please accept our plea.

- Please accept our plea. - Please accept our plea.

- Please accept our plea. - Please accept our plea.

- Please accept our plea. - Please accept our plea.

Give me some time.

I will find a way to save you from this.

Uncle. Tell me once more.

What did you just say?

At the meeting the day after tomorrow,

the ministers will request the Queen be dethroned.

I should order a brand new outfit immediately.

No, I must not look too pale. Should I take medicine first?

Court Lady Cho.

Court Lady Cho. Where are you?

Is she that pleased?

Do you have the petitions I told you to prepare?

They are all ready.

The Chief Royal Secretary will stop them from reaching the King.

What should we do?

That is no matter.

Forget the Chief Royal Secretary.

I will take the petitions directly to the King.

This time, we must get his approval.

Tell the scholars to prepare to kneel in protest.

Yes, Father.

Ae Yeong. Don't cry anymore.

Silly me.

Your Highness. I will go to the King's chambers...

and ask his maids how he is doing at the moment.

Do not go.

Your Highness.

Visit Court Lady Park's family as soon as day breaks.

What for?

She died a criminal,

but she had served me well for many years.

She has an elderly mother.

Leave as soon as day breaks and offer my condolences.

This is how kindhearted you are.

How dare someone frame you?

This has to be it.

Who are you?

Is this Court Lady Park's home?

I am from the palace.

Did the Queen Dowager send you?

She sent someone else this time.

Pardon?

Yes. Everyone else was busy.

Wait for a moment. I will go and get it.

Okay.

Court Lady Park's mother thought the Queen Dowager had sent you,

and gave you this letter and scroll?

Yes.

I thought it strange, so I gave her the money you told me to give...

and brought these back.

Who did this?

See for yourself.

Okay.

It is a letter.

"Queen Dowager, as per your command,"

"I performed witchcraft on the Queen's chambers."

The scroll to be buried under the building...

contains the curse administered by a powerful shaman.

You must pay extra for it.

The target of Court Lady Park's witchcraft...

was you, not Seon Hwa Dang?

Yes.

We might be able to use this to clear your name.

Your Majesty. There were witnesses to Seon Hwa Dang's incident.

These will not be enough to clear me.

These may not save me,

but they could be useful to you.

Do not worry about the promise you made me,

and use this to your advantage.

No, we must prove your innocence first.

I will do so, so wait for me a little longer.

Chief Royal Secretary Lee!

Where is Chief Royal Secretary Lee?

Your Majesty.

What brings you by?

Is there an urgent matter?

This.

Look at this.

What do you think?

This is great.

This is enough to eliminate the Queen Dowager.

His Majesty will be pleased.

Sorry?

What do you mean it'll eliminate the Queen Dowager?

I brought this to you to see if it will save the Queen.

His Majesty's safety takes priority.

We never know when the Queen Dowager will attack again,

so she must be eliminated first.

Then what about the Queen?

Do you not care about what happens to her?

I explained how things work here.

"To gain one, you must lose one." Is that what you're trying to say?

In certain cases, tens or thousands...

must be sacrificed to save one.

Darn it. What do these robes or any of this power matter...

when all the thoughts are nothing but garbage?

There's not an ounce of humanity here!

Why am I here listening to you...

when it's the King's decision anyway?

But...

I will bring His Majesty back, so get ready to leave.

We must prove your innocence first.

I will do so, so wait for me a little longer.

"Queen Dowager, as per your command,"

"I performed witchcraft on the Queen's chambers."

(Queen...)

(Dowager...)

Your Majesty, what brings you by so late?

Your Highness, it is the King!

Your Majesty, this is quite rude of you.

What is this?

Court Lady Park must have gone through...

a lot of trouble making that.

Which is why she wrote you this letter...

asking for more money in return.

(Queen Dowager, as per your command...)

Now, do as told.

Bring me the person who killed Court Lady Park.

If you do so, I will let this incident slide.

Fail to comply, and I will notify the court...

and have the Left State Councilor draw up your dethronement.

Your Majesty,

you're going to great lengths to save the queen.

Go ahead and inform the court.

I have nothing to hide anyway.

Even if more evidence is found in Court Lady Jang's chambers?

You have two hours.

After that, it'll be out of my hands.

Darn it!

Your Majesty, have you finally come to?

Your Majesty?

Your Majesty, what happened?

Yul...

keeps whispering in my ear.

Your Majesty. Your Majesty...

Why are you being this way?

Please... Please don't do this.

What am I supposed to do?

What am I to do now?

I remember the time I first entered this palace.

You were young at 16 years of age.

A sweet unwed girl entered the gate.

I seemed alone but I wasn't.

You were always with me.

I was blessed with my son Prince Gyeongin,

but the happiness didn't last long.

I soon lost my father...

and also my precious son.

If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have survived the pain.

Just thinking about it gives me the shivers.

I have lived my life being blessed by Your Highness,

so it will also be an honor...

to die for your sake.

When I finally rip the King apart and get my revenge,

I will make sure to give you a proper funeral.

Your Highness,

until the day you get your revenge,

I wish you good health.

Your Majesty, I'm here to confess my sin...

under the Queen Dowager's orders.

You may speak.

Please keep your promise with her first.

Left State Councilor Shin.

Father, what is this about?

I set fire to a rabbit's den,

and I am about to catch a fox too.

Chief Royal Secretary Lee said he would come with His Majesty...

before the court assembly.

I wonder what is taking him so long.

Left State Councilor Shin is here to see you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Let him in.

Your Majesty.

It has been revealed that the Queen Dowager...

forsook her duty as a mother.

Her sin is contemptible...

that even your filial duty will not condone.

I cannot turn a blind eye on this as your loyal servant.

Thus, I am here...

to demand her dethronement.

Please consider it.

If you are worried about the court and the scholars' disagreement,

I shall step forward...

and strengthen the justice for you.

This is your chance to lift your long-last grudge.

Please do not miss it.

You want me to dethrone not only the innocent Queen...

but also the Queen Dowager?

Is this what you want?

Making me the most disgraceful son in history?

Your Majesty.

That is not what I intend to do.

During the last uprising, I stayed unarmed by your side...

and was attacked in the knee which still hasn't healed.

You are aware of such incident.

How could you not see through my loyal advice?

I am sure Chief Royal Secretary Lee is trying to drive us apart.

Enough!

Court Lady Jang was found guilty,

but that has nothing to do with the Queen Dowager.

Also, Court Lady Jang's confession...

proved the Queen's innocence.

I will not accuse her for it anymore either.

That has been decided, so leave.

Dethroning the Queen will be out of the issue for the time being.

I do not understand why he decided not to accuse the Queen Dowager.

He must not want to be considered as immoral king.

Do you not agree, Left State Councilor Shin?

(Queen Dowager, as per your command,)

(I performed witchcraft on the Queen's chambers.)

Your Majesty, what wish did you make?

My wish is to see you smile big and bright.

That is what I prayed for.

Do not smile like that.

Please do not smile.

Eunuch Cho.

Come take a look at this.

(Thank you, Eunuch Cho)

This is not the time for this.

The Chief Royal Secretary will return with the real King.

Is it not funny? I was hoping to make you laugh.

Your Majesty.

Do well and I live, do bad and I die.

Whatever happens, I am bound to die once.

Do not worry too much.

Take off the robe and change into ordinary clothing.

Stay back unless you wish to die.

My lord. My lord.

Why are we going uphill?

Is the King somewhere up here?

I said I would tell you beforehand.

Today...

is the day you die.

No, wait. My lord.

My lord. My lord.

Ha Seon the clown is dead.

Now you are...

the King of this nation.

(The Crowned Clown)

We took a long detour, but the time has come.

I can no longer hide the reason my heart flutters.

I wish to create the world Lord Gil and our members dreamed of.

If only they accepted rice from the start.

There is a man who is great at mental calculations.

Will you work with me?

I thought the King's job was too simple.

Resign as Left State Councilor.

He bid you enjoy your trip to the afterworld.