Original subtitles

Seung-nyang!

Seung-nyang!

Seung-nyang, it is me.

Your Majesty.

Yang!

Seung-nyang!

I am sure I just saw her.

Seung-nyang!

Your Imperial Majesty!

Yang!

You rushed off so quickly.

Seung-nyang was around here somewhere.

Yang is just as fast as a boy,

so she is probably already at her quarters.

Your Imperial Majesty.

You look beautiful.

Your Majesty,

what are you doing here?

You must be cold.

-I am fine. -Stay still.

Yang!

She is not here.

I will go find her.

Never mind. She will eventually come back.

You may go.

Are you going to wait for Yang in this hovel?

Your Imperial Majesty.

Looking at it now,

even if it is just a court lady's quarters,

this place is so shabby.

Let me see.

All right.

I shall put a vanity here for her.

I shall get a new bed for her as well.

This is Seung-nyang's handkerchief.

Seung-nyang...

Seung-nyang's scent is so good.

There is a blood vow?

Emperor Myeongjong wrote a will in his own blood before he died.

Then the person who killed Emperor Myeongjong was...

There is no doubt it was Grand Councillor Yeoncheol.

That is why

he tried to kill the Emperor on Daecheong Island.

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol

will now begin to suspect his own men.

I will make his suspicions grow

and make him turn away

from his own men.

It is dangerous for you here.

With one wrong move, your life can be put in danger.

Since the moment I lost my throne,

I have been feeling like

I have died inside.

Your Majesty...

No matter what,

I will get my throne back as the King of Goryeo.

And to do that,

I must get rid of Grand Councillor Yeoncheol.

I will help too.

Command me, Your Majesty.

-You do not need to help. -Your Majesty.

I cannot make you risk your life for me again.

If it means restoring your throne,

I do not mind...

risking my life.

Seung-nyang.

Do you only see me

as a court lady who serves the Yuan Emperor?

I have and always will belong to Goryeo.

I am your faithful servant.

So please let me do my part.

Even if I am caught, I will never...

cause you trouble.

I have made a mistake.

I should never have come to see you.

Your Majesty.

This is an order.

You will not get involved in this.

It is the hour of the Pig.

THE HOUR OF THE PIG: 9 P.M. TO 11 P.M.

It is the hour of the Pig.

I must go now.

Your Majesty.

There you go.

I am sorry, Seung-nyang.

If you get into trouble,

neither I nor the Emperor

can save you.

Seung-nyang.

Come lie here.

Your head is as light as a feather.

It is so comfortable to rest my head

on Your Imperial Majesty's arm.

Is that so?

Well then,

come closer.

Let me hold you.

Come here, Seung-nyang.

Come on.

-Your Imperial Majesty. -Come here.

Now is the time.

What are you doing?

This bed is...

Well...

What about you?

Why is a woman out at this late hour?

You gave me trouble last time when you were drunk.

Was that not enough?

When I was drunk?

When was that?

Do you not remember?

I do not remember at all.

Ask your eunuch.

I am sure he remembers what happened when you were drunk that day.

Was I...

that awful that day?

Please return to your quarters.

Well, all right.

I will get going now.

Seung-nyang, what did I do that day...

All right, I will get going now.

Get some rest.

Do you really not remember?

I really do not.

You were very drunk and ran into her quarters--

You fool. You should have stopped me.

Did you just stand around and watch?

Your Imperial Majesty was so tenacious.

So...

Did I...

do something

to Yang?

I do not know about that.

I am going to kill you.

Goodness.

Everyone fawns over Wang Yu even when he just stands like this.

Gosh. Nothing I do works.

What are you looking at?

I am cool too.

Yes.

I must make the Grand Councillor angry enough

to turn away from his own men.

If I were as powerful as him,

what would infuriate me the most?

Long time no see, Deputy Minister Chang.

I heard Her Highness invited you over for the luncheon.

Yes. I am on my way there now.

Please have a good time.

What is it, Your Majesty?

It is an appeal.

May I beg your pardon?

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol is using the imperial seal

in the Emperor's stead?

They say the Emperor is illiterate.

I can use the appeal

to add to Grand Councillor Yeoncheol's fury.

But getting an appeal to him will not be easy.

Leave that to me.

I can use my connections.

They must be trustworthy.

Not to worry, Your Majesty.

If you need my help,

draw a dot on your face.

You want me to draw a dot?

If I see a dot on your face,

I will be here at the same time and place.

Okay, Seung-nyang.

His Majesty must not know

that I am helping you.

If he finds out, I will end up like this.

We have no choice.

We need Seung-nyang for this.

What? The Empress Dowager is having a luncheon?

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

She invited that deposed king of Goryeo

to have lunch with the Emperor and Her Highness.

And she left me out?

So I am nothing now.

Secure me a seat there as well.

Your Imperial Majesty, they may call it a luncheon,

but it is just a small get-together.

You were not invited. Going all the way to Her Highness--

Do as I say.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

They invited the King of Goryeo?

Wang Yu.

Please have a drink with me.

How could I refuse such a gracious request

from Your Highness?

They say you excel at martial arts,

so I only thought of you as a rough warrior,

but you are well-mannered as well.

Manners resonate with loyalty,

and loyalty resonates with chivalry.

Manners and martial arts are not as different as they seem.

That is true.

The sword of an ill-mannered warrior cannot be one of valor.

There is nothing more servile than being well-mannered yet uneducated.

And there is nothing more dangerous

than doing martial arts without knowledge.

That is right.

I finally agree with what you are saying.

How are you so sure that Wang Yu is uneducated?

According to the rumors, he has a vicious temper

as well as wanton desires for women.

Wang Yu is my honored guest.

Watch what you say.

Her Imperial Majesty is not wrong.

I get vicious when I see an enemy in battle.

And when I drink, the sight of a beautiful woman

takes my breath away.

Oh, my. How can he come at me so explicitly?

You are incredibly witty.

Nowadays,

I have been reading poems before I go to bed.

You have, Your Imperial Majesty?

Your Imperial Majesty knows how to read?

I will recite a poem for you.

Will you reply with another poem?

At your service.

"A white-headed crow flies over Chang'an."

"A white-headed crow

flies over Chang'an."

"It perches on the southern city gate and cries in the night."

"It perches on the southern city gate and cries in the night."

"It flies to..."

A great...

"...a great...

a great..."

What was it again?

It is on the tip of my tongue.

That was an excellent choice of poem.

What does it mean?

Well, you see...

It tells of a crow...

-The crow... -Crow?

It has his head turn white.

And in the night,

the crow cries like this.

So what does it mean?

Goodness.

You are the only one here who does not understand the meaning.

Well then, it is your turn.

"The country has been ruined, yet the mountains and rivers still remain.

Spring comes to the city walls,

where grass

and trees still grow.

In this sorrowful time,

even the flowers shed tears.

Resentful of parting,

the birds grow fearful at heart.

The beacons of war

have been lit for three months.

Even with 10,000 pieces of gold,

there is no way of getting a letter from home.

My gray hair has grown thin.

It can barely hold a hairpin."

That was not a very good poem.

You need to brush up on your poems, Wang Yu.

Why?

It was wonderful.

You are quite good at writing poems.

I believe that was Spring View by Du Fu, right?

It is a lament for his declining nation and family.

You excel at both literary and martial arts.

I can see why the ladies cannot

resist your charm.

I am flattered, Your Highness.

Du Fu?

-Come along, Golta. -Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

You owe me an apology.

Have you forgotten your rude actions toward me

at the pagoda that night?

For someone who excels at both literary and martial arts,

you sure have no manners.

Do the Yuan etiquette rules say

it is okay to slap a deposed king?

I think it is Your Imperial Majesty who owes me an apology.

It was late at night. How was I supposed to know that it was you--

Nor did I know it was Your Imperial Majesty.

The circumstances were against us.

Let us keep it at that.

He has some nerve acting like that for a deposed king.

He is truly discourteous.

Can you get an appeal into the Emperor's office?

I will find a way.

Yeoncheol is persistent.

If the appeal is discovered, he will arrest all the secretaries

in charge of handling appeals and anyone who has entered the Emperor's office.

If that happens, you will not be safe either.

-I understand. -It is not just you.

Remember that His Majesty's life is also at risk.

I will take extra care.

Let me know when the appeal is ready.

We will meet here...

We cannot let anyone notice our plan.

We shall not use the same method twice.

Then...

ATTACK ON THE NORTH

By tomorrow night, I will put it...

right inside this book.

Understood.

Do not be too upset at His Majesty.

He is just worried about you.

-I know that. -All right.

Seung-nyang needs to do this right.

I am so mad that I cannot sleep.

Look at me.

Not you.

Look at me.

Shall I read to you?

What is it that Wang Yu cannot do?

There is probably nothing Your Imperial Majesty is better at.

What did you just say?

How can you say that?

How about we have a football match?

Football?

That is what Your Imperial Majesty is best at, is it not?

Well...

I have played in many matches against the eunuchs ever since I was little.

I guess I am pretty good.

Is Wang Yu good at football?

-I have never seen him play. -Is that so?

Not even once?

However,

he is probably great at it.

How could someone be great at something they have never tried?

Let us suggest a football match with Wang Yu.

We will gather all the court ladies, and you can put on a great match.

Everyone will cheer on your victory.

You are a great fellow when you are not nagging me.

Get all of the eunuchs. I need to practice.

-At this hour? -Let us go.

Why are you not following me?

I told you to stay within three steps of me.

Congratulations.

Your skills are unmatched

when it comes to handling a ball.

You were so swift that I could not see you.

-You are amazing, Your Imperial Majesty. -Goodness.

How will any of you be able to guard me?

I will not go easy on you this time.

Try your best to block me.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

Why you...

How dare you take His Imperial Majesty's ball?

My apologies.

Kick the ball over here.

Never mind.

It is harder to kick the ball than it seems. Carry it over here.

Emperor Myeongjong is dead and buried.

Yeoncheol is gloating for all to see.

The day that Emperor Myeongjong's blood vow is read,

the earth and heavens will roar, and blood will be shed.

Jeom-bak, can you read?

Of course not.

Your calligraphy would be best for this.

Look at this text

and copy it.

Me?

These hands were meant to wield a sword.

I have never even held a brush.

That is why he is telling you to do it.

Just draw it like a painting.

So I do not have to write it?

I am just copying it like a painting?

All right.

-Do you have hand tremor? -Hold on.

It is not me who is shaking. It is my hand.

What is wrong with my hand?

Relax your wrist and take your time.

All right.

Easy now.

-Do it well. Goodness. -All right.

Okay. Slowly.

Relax.

It is done.

This is good enough.

Have you found a way

to get this appeal into the Emperor's office?

Yes, Your Majesty.

The Chief Eunuch is also from Goryeo.

He will help us.

I am going to make my attack.

Try your best to block me.

-Your Imperial Majesty! -Your Imperial Majesty!

-Your Imperial Majesty. -Help him.

Are you all right?

Now you make an attack.

I will not go easy on you. Remember that.

Look here.

I have blocked you as well.

This is how you play football.

Understood?

-I have won. -What?

I will not play with you.

Why you...

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty, I will take care of you tonight.

Am I that irresistible?

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Where have you been?

What is going on?

I have been waiting for Your Imperial Majesty.

Why is she doing this?

Please hold me, Your Imperial Majesty.

Court Lady Noh!

-Who was that? -She is an insane court lady.

My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty.

Court Lady Noh!

What is a madwoman doing in the palace?

Who are you?

The only person His Imperial Majesty adores is me.

No one else can have him.

She must be around here. Search every room.

Let go of me.

Please let go of me. Please.

Has a court lady come in here?

She had not shown any symptoms for a while.

I am sorry. Please forgive me.

Please forgive me this once.

Just once. Please.

Take her.

You wenches.

This is my room.

I'm telling you, this is my room!

-Okay, let us go. -This is my room.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty, where are you?

Your Imperial Majesty!

Who is that and why is she like that?

She was Emperor Myeongjong's favorite once,

so she became a court lady.

After Emperor Myeongjong passed away,

the shock caused her to lose her mind.

We felt bad for her,

so we kept her hidden in the Pavilion of Women to look after her.

But she suddenly went mad again.

What are you doing here?

Why does it matter to you what I am doing in here?

Why are you looking at this book?

His Imperial Majesty requested I read to him

before he goes to bed.

I will be going now.

Why are you doing this?

I am a court lady at the Emperor's palace now.

You insolent wench.

I killed your mother?

I have killed many tribute women.

How would I know that I killed your mother?

Make no mistake.

It is not that I cannot kill you.

I just choose not to.

One day,

I will kill you.

You two, the members of the Kheshig,

have killed your commander.

-We did not kill him. -Please believe us.

You have two choices.

If you admit that you killed the commander,

you can die painlessly.

If you do not admit it,

you will suffer pain beyond measure before you meet your end.

We really do not know.

-I do not think they did it. -Listen.

If we cannot find the criminal, we might as well make one up.

If we do not find the criminal,

General Dang Gise said he would kill us.

Did you get their confession?

They will not say it.

Do not worry.

We will torture them soon.

Why are you sweating so nervously?

I do not know.

I have got the chills. It could be a cold.

-Show me your hands. -All right.

Do you have any other symptoms?

Maybe it was something I ate. I have had diarrhea all day.

Show me your tongue.

Uncle Baekan,

he has the plague.

What? The plague?

You dirty little...

The plague? There is no way.

Lock him up and isolate him.

You should have kept yourself clean.

-Lock him up. -General.

General!

I have never even left the palace. The plague? It is impossible.

General!

General.

This is strange. He has never even left the palace.

How could he have caught the plague?

It must be the corpse.

The corpse?

The Kheshig commander's?

There is no doubt.

He caught it from the Kheshig commander's corpse

that I threw into the well of Goryeo Village.

General!

General, there is no way I have the plague.

General.

General...

GORYEO VILLAGE NEAR YEONGYEONG

-My goodness. -How could this happen?

-Why is this happening? -I cannot believe this.

In your next life,

I hope you are reborn as a dog or a pig.

Anything but a man of Goryeo.

Headman, they have returned again.

What do you mean?

Are you talking about that useless deposed king?

Why are you back?

Did you come to kick us when we are already down?

-I would like to help you. -With what?

Oh, you want to help us clean the corpses?

We do not have anything to offer on our offering tables.

Are you going to give us your own flesh?

Watch your mouth.

His Majesty has brought you money.

Money?

This is all money.

He is giving all of the Emperor's reward to you.

I am well aware that you all resent me.

But those who live must live.

Look around you if you are not blind.

Abandoned by our country,

we are barely scraping by in a foreign land.

Do you think

you can win our hearts over with that small amount of money?

We do not need it.

If you do not want things to get rough, leave now.

You guys have some nerve.

Do you know what this money is?

His Majesty risked his life in battle and returned as a survivor.

This is the money he got from that!

Your Majesty, there is no need to help ungrateful people like them.

That is enough.

If that is how you feel, then I will leave today.

But since we have come all this way,

at least let us pass through Goryeo Village.

-Your Majesty. -They have got the plague.

What is the use of risking your life to pass through Goryeo Village?

I am willing to pay a toll to pass through Goryeo Village.

I will pay you ten yang of gold for every ten steps we take.

How does that sound?

Oh, my.

What? Is it not enough?

Then how about 20 yang of gold?

-Twenty? -I cannot believe it.

-As a toll? -Really?

That is as high as I will go.

KEEP OUT

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

It is...

-Grab it. -Oh, my.

-Give it here. -My goodness.

-I cannot believe it. -Let me have some.

Money!

-This is unbelievable! -Oh, my!

-It is mine! -Let me have it!

Money!

-Look here. -Over here.

-Yes! -Amazing!

-We have money! -Yes!

Your Majesty, the money...

It appears we ran out of money before even leaving Goryeo Village.

What should I do?

I am thirsty.

May I have a cup of water at your house and have a chat?

You can get your water from the well.

-Hey. -Yes.

We will make them pay the rest later.

So make sure to count their steps and record it down.

-All right. -All right.

Why that nasty old man...

He is so greedy that he is willing to take everything we have.

How dare he?

My ear tickles

all of a sudden.

Clean it for me.

Pardon?

Did you not hear me?

What? Then should I be cleaning your ears?

Come and clean my ears.

I have never cleaned

anyone else's ears.

I have never cleaned my own either.

So come here and do it.

Hurry.

Come here.

Use this and do it slowly so that it does not hurt.

Hurry.

That is right. Very good.

You are not bad for a beginner.

That is the spot. It feels great.

Your Imperial Majesty, Wang Yu has arrived.

Do not stop.

Enter.

Welcome, Wang Yu.

I will be done soon. Wait there.

Clean them well.

Goodness. That hurt.

My apologies.

You may leave.

Why did you call me here?

What do you say to a football match?

Football?

Yes, football.

You and I.

No,

it would be a match between the Yuan dynasty and Goryeo.

How does that sound?

Will you take my offer?

Why?

Are you scared?

Surely we would need to bet on something if it is a match.

A bet?

You sure do know how to have fun.

Okay.

What would you like to bet on?

The secretaries gather all of the appeals.

After all the appeals are reviewed,

they are placed into a pile.

Carried across the palace courts

and past the hallways,

they are delivered to the Emperor's office.

To switch the appeals,

I would have to intervene during that process.

The wind is cold.

You want us to mop the corridor floors?

Yes, wet the rags and sweep the floors with them.

The water will freeze in this weather.

What if someone slips and gets hurt?

Just do it, okay, Hong-dan?

Okay. That will not be hard to do.

-Oh, my. Oh, goodness. -Oh, no.

-Oh my. -Are you okay?

Oh, my back.

Are you all right, Deputy Minister Chang?

-Oh, my. -Goodness.

Oh, my.

Gosh.

Goodness.

Why is it so slippery here?

I have a football match today.

Let us get through these quickly, Grand Councillor.

These are affairs of the state, and you are worried about football?

Let us check these then.

Go on. Enjoy your football match.

Is that okay?

Thank you, Grand Councillor.

-What is going on? -What is it?

-How exciting. -Look.

What is this ruckus?

And what are they dressed up for?

His Imperial Majesty is having

a football match with Wang Yu today.

Football?

Would Your Imperial Majesty like to spectate as well?

What is so fun about kicking around a stupid ball?

I would rather read a book than watch something like that.

I am going to be late.

How rude.

They did not even bother to tell me about the football match.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Why are you suddenly putting on makeup?

I must go

and support His Imperial Majesty so that he can do well.

That is true, Your Imperial Majesty.

Get ready.

-Massage me harder. -Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

We got word from the chief eunuch.

He said that the appeal was delivered safely.

Is that so? Give him my regards.

Yes, Your Majesty.

If we lose,

your wives and children will suffer.

Your Imperial Majesty, eunuchs do not have wives or children.

That is right.

I knew that.

Anyway, you play for the honor and dignity of your Emperor.

Risk your lives if you must.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

We play for the honor of Goryeo.

Do not fall behind.

-Yes, Your Majesty. -Yes, Your Majesty.

Since when are you interested in football?

It is a match between Goryeo and the Great Yuan.

I must show my support.

But...

what are the stakes?

Who knows?

They probably made a money bet.

Aside from no hands, there are no specific rules.

The first to place the ball

in the opponent's basket three times wins.

We will begin.

Block him!

-Get him. -Go.

Your Imperial Majesty...

Are you all right, Your Imperial Majesty?

I am fine.

Emperor Myeongjong is dead and buried.

Yeoncheol is gloating for all to see.

The day that Emperor Myeongjong's blood vow is read,

the earth and heavens will roar, and blood will be shed.

Who did this?

Who dares to challenge me?

Who is it?

Come on! Run!

Run!

What are you doing?

Who could it be?

Who dares to mock me?

Who on earth is it?

Do not even try to do anything. Live as if you are dead.

A rumor about a mysterious document is circling the Palace.

The world we want could arrive faster than we expected.

How bold of you.

About what you did when you were drunk...

Did I do something wrong?

Subtitle translation by James Park