Original subtitles

Enough.

Everybody, get out.

-Yes, General. -Yes, General.

Even if I cannot have your heart,

I will take your life.

You are not allowed in here.

Get out right now.

Just now,

your father gave me permission to take Seung-nyang back.

What?

If you have something to say, take it up with your father.

Seung-nyang.

Also,

tell him about this as well, if you dare.

Seung-nyang...

Seung-nyang.

Seung-nyang.

Seung-nyang!

-Put her on my back. -Yes, Your Majesty.

Put her down.

This is an imperial order.

Put her down!

The moment you leave this place,

you are all dead.

Seung-nyang is no longer a court lady.

What?

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol laid an order

that she is under my command now.

An imperial order, you say?

If you think you can defeat the Grand Councillor,

go ahead and try to stop me.

Move!

Where are you going, Your Imperial Majesty?

I am going to see the Grand Councillor.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

The Grand Councillor sent Yang away...

from the Palace.

So what if I did?

You are not in love

with that lowly girl, are you?

Do not forget that the Empress is my daughter.

Please stop with your foolish acts.

Damn it.

How is she?

Is she all right?

She has endured intense pain.

She has become very weak.

That imbecile Dang Gise.

As the aftereffects of torture,

she will have a high fever for the time being.

I will look after Seung-nyang.

-Everyone may leave. -Yes, Your Majesty.

Do not be afraid, Seung-nyang.

From now on,

I will protect you.

No one will...

ever hurt you again.

I have ruined it all.

Looking for the blood vow

and making Yang suffer like that...

It is all because of my foolish and pathetic self.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Any news on Yang?

She has not regained consciousness yet.

Your Imperial Majesty, what is it at this hour?

Wang Yu and Grand Councillor Yeoncheol are working together now.

Did you know that?

What do you mean?

The two are conspiring something together.

What are they conspiring?

I want you to find that out.

Find out why Wang Yu is meeting Grand Councillor Yeoncheol in secret

and what they are plotting.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

Has something happened?

I want both of them to be out of my sight forever.

In addition to Grand Councillor Yeoncheol,

I want Wang Yu dead as well.

The look in His Imperial Majesty's eyes has changed.

I think it is because of that court lady named Yang.

Yang?

He changed that much because of a mere court lady?

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol sent that court lady, Yang, to Wang Yu.

Do you not find that strange?

It sure is strange.

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol would not grant something like that.

There is no doubt

that there was some sort of deal between those two.

Starting tomorrow, keep an eye on Wang Yu and his men.

Watch their every move.

Yes, Uncle Baekan.

Her Highness has arrived.

What brings Your Highness

all the way to my place?

Last night, your brother put His Imperial Majesty in danger.

He secretly left the Palace

to look for the blood vow, right?

Why is my brother being blamed

for the rash act that His Imperial Majesty committed?

A rash act?

My father was quite shocked

to see His Imperial Majesty there.

His Imperial Majesty has done something that could raise suspicion.

A son would definitely want to look for his father's will.

Why on earth did General Dang Gise set up a trap and...

Your Highness,

do not drive a wedge between His Imperial Majesty and my father.

I cannot stand it any longer.

If there are too many leaves, the branch will bend.

The officials hold too much power.

How would His Imperial Majesty stand up to them?

That does not mean the tree should be cut down.

His Imperial Majesty is not fulfilling his duty.

Of course my father should get involved.

You must bear a son, Empress.

Yes. Soon I will.

If your son becomes an emperor and gets threatened by General Dang Gise,

would you consider it reasonable?

My brothers would not do such a thing.

Of course they would.

Fathers fight with sons,

and brothers shed each other's blood out of their desire for power.

Why would they not do the same to their nephew?

That is enough.

Someday, General Dang Gise will become

much more dangerous than Grand Councillor Yeoncheol.

Only then will you understand what I am going through.

However, it will be too late by then.

Your Highness.

Then again, we never even know when you will conceive.

It must all sound unfamiliar to you.

I must be getting ahead of myself.

Have a child of your own.

You can listen to my advice then.

Hurry and drink this medicine.

I can tell that His Majesty cherishes you a lot.

Your father would have been glad to know

how much His Majesty cares for you.

Please get me some clothes to wear.

We only have men's clothes here.

It does not matter.

Please get me some baby arrows as well.

Baby arrows?

I will go back to being my old self

and help His Majesty.

His Majesty will not allow it.

Then do you want me to cook

and do laundry here?

All right. I will get some for you.

Anyway, did His Majesty

go somewhere?

Look. This is a dried poisonous toad with its skin on.

And this is dried skin of a poisonous toad.

I think this will be good.

-Thank you. -Let us go.

Jadan and Mujin, keep following them.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Welcome.

What kind of medicinal herbs did those people buy?

They bought dried skins of poisonous toads.

What is it used for?

When it is boiled down to a liquid, it becomes a strong anesthetic.

Why are you asking though?

An anesthetic?

What are they using it for?

Wang Yu also bought this.

Did he buy liquor?

It is a red wine from the West.

Red wine?

They are planning to feed someone some wine with an anesthetic.

That is right.

We just need to find out why

and to whom they are trying to give the wine.

General, Wang Yu went to the Grand Councillor's place just now.

Grand Councillor,

you always seem to drink the same tea.

I am still waiting

to hear about your secret plans.

What do you think...

your enemies want the most?

They probably want me dead.

Then why not...

give them what they want?

What kind of talk is that?

They say you should fish in troubled waters.

If you purposely cause a stir,

you will be able to take advantage of a troubled situation.

Are you telling me to fake my death?

If you go unconscious,

the enemies will split into two.

Some of them will stay loyal and try to protect you,

but others will betray you

and use that chance to take over your power.

We would be able to separate

the jade from the rocks.

But Father,

it will not be easy to trick them.

That is right. If they find out what we are up to,

it will cause even more trouble.

This is a red wine from the West.

It is a very rare wine made from grapes.

Try a sip of this.

When you drink this,

you will realize how perfectly we will be able to

deceive them.

It just tastes like sweet fruit wine.

Nothing is happening.

Father, we should no longer be deceived by his--

What is going on?

Pull yourself together.

What have you done?

He will come around in about half a day.

Do not worry.

It is a drug that induces paralysis.

It slows your breathing and pulse rate down.

You will then fall into a state of suspended animation.

If you drink this wine,

you can fool anyone.

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol will drink the wine containing the anesthetic?

He will fake his death

to find the man behind the mysterious documents.

We could have been put in danger.

Did it go well?

Do you know what the third stratagem

in chapter one of The Thirty-Six Stratagems is?

Is it not "Killing the enemy with another's sword"?

They will now begin

fighting among themselves, going at each other's throats.

That will surely be a sight to see.

You have not lost your touch.

What are you doing?

You are in no condition to shoot arrows.

It is my fault.

-I wanted to see Seung-nyang's-- -That is not true.

I asked if I could try shooting.

What if you get a relapse?

I am fine now.

Look, Your Majesty.

The arrows all hit the center...

You are still burning up.

Your Majesty...

The torture you went through is hard to withstand even for men.

This is nothing.

Just like in the old days when I was a thug,

all I need is a cup of rice wine--

You do not need to act tough.

If you are tired, say so.

If you are sick, say so.

Do not endure it by yourself like a fool.

You will make yourself sick.

Please eat.

Any news...

on Yang?

If it means that much to you, I will go check.

No.

It just means she is not better yet.

I will wait until she comes.

Your Imperial Majesty, Yang is now...

under Wang Yu's command.

-She will not come. Why are you-- -Shut your mouth!

There must be room for me

in Yang's heart.

Your Imperial Majesty, General Baekan has arrived.

Let him in.

Report.

Did you find out what Wang Yu is up to?

Are you all right now?

Yes, Father.

Are you...

really going to drink that?

This is my chance to find out who is trying to stab me in the back.

How could I not drink it?

I still do not trust Wang Yu.

It is not because of jealousy.

If something goes wrong--

You woke up just fine after drinking this.

If you are against it, think of a better plan.

He said we should fish in troubled waters.

Are you not surprised by how wise Wang Yu is?

What if Grand Councillor Yeoncheol

drinks it and never wakes up again?

The drug in the wine only causes temporary paralysis.

If we switch it with poison,

we will be able to kill Grand Councillor Yeoncheol.

Your Imperial Majesty.

If Grand Councillor Yeoncheol dies after drinking the poisoned wine,

Wang Yu will be blamed for giving him the wine.

Go and kill...

the two of them like that.

Switching the wine is a very risky thing to do.

It is like reaching down a tiger's throat.

The two of you can do it.

Your Imperial Majesty, if we make even the smallest mistake--

That kind of thinking does not help.

Do whatever it takes.

Just do it.

You must kill Wang Yu.

Yang,

I will bring you back

no matter what.

Are you mad at me...

for disobeying your orders?

I thought helping the Emperor

would ultimately help Your Majesty.

I wanted to find the blood vow myself--

I have never seen anyone as obstinate as you.

But then again, you were like this ever since I met you.

You were as stubborn as a bull.

You were the first one

to make me so anxious.

That might be why you are so special to me.

I have somewhere to go with you, so hurry and eat.

Where are we going?

There are shops here in Daedo

that sell Goryeo specialties.

Let us take a look around there.

Go and have some rice wine today.

-Yes! -That sounds great.

Let us make Jeom-bak pay for tonight's drinks!

What are you talking about?

It looks like Yang is recovering well.

Come take a look.

Your Majesty, isn't this Goryeo ginseng?

It is six years old.

-Would it be useful for you? -It smells good.

This would probably be useless for you.

-It would be useful. -How? It is not like you have a lover.

Goryeo's ginseng, celadon, calligraphy tools, and lacquerware

are considered to be top of the line here.

Most of them are smuggled,

becoming the main source of revenue for Pro-Mongol aristocrats.

-Would it not look good on her? -Look at that.

-That is right. -We will take this one.

You have to get her this.

Do you know the Yuan dynasty's

greatest weakness is when it comes to the commercial sector?

I heard they do not have the ability to produce domestic products.

So you know.

When I get to reclaim my throne,

the first thing I will do

is root out the smuggling Pro-Mongol aristocrats are involved in.

In that case, Your Highness would be able to control

the Yuan dynasty's commercial sector for the most part.

Your Majesty.

We cannot leave this place just yet.

Can we go for a drink before calling it a night?

I will look around a little more with Seung-nyang. You can all go ahead.

-All right. -Okay.

I will stay with you two.

No wonder you are still single.

Where is this all from?

The girls will love it.

How is everyone?

Yeon-hwa has become a court lady for the Emperor.

She has been transferred to the Emperor's palace.

Yeon-hwa?

I do not know what is going on with His Imperial Majesty,

but he is abstaining from food.

He just drinks all the time.

I know where the blood vow is.

She has gotten worse since you left.

When she is her normal self, she demands to see you.

The bald man took it.

My lady, you cannot talk about the blood vow.

The bald one has it.

You do not believe me either, do you?

I believe you. The bald one has it.

He is very ugly.

He was a eunuch, and he dared to have feelings for me.

Eunuch?

Does his name happen to be...

Jeok-ho?

Yes, that is right.

Do you know where he is right now?

He flew over the wall like a fast tiger.

To where?

He went home. Where else would he go?

Where is...

his home?

Look at this. Is it not pretty?

Look. It is pretty, right?

It is so pretty.

What?

Yeom Byeong-su?

Gosh, I thought you were someone else.

Why on earth were you watching a man take a bath?

I am not a weirdo.

I heard a noise and just peeked in to see where it was coming from.

Wait.

Why did you shave off your mustache?

What?

Why?

Will they take me away and punish me for shaving my mustache?

No, that would not happen.

-Headman. -What?

I will be gone for a few days.

My uncle from Goryeo is coming,

-so I have to-- -Who is stopping you?

Do not even bother to come back.

It will only be a few days, Headman.

I will be back.

I have practiced martial arts for years,

but my skills are no match for his.

Something is fishy.

It sure is.

-Are you drunk again? -Drunk?

I did not drink even a sip.

If you are drunk...

I am not drunk.

Who are you

to make me this pitiful?

Who do you think you are?

I am not a court lady anymore.

Stop thinking you can have your way with me.

I tried with all my heart.

How can you be so heartless?

Is that all I am to you?

Was I a person you could forget so easily?

I am sure there was

room for me in your heart.

It was not just for Wang Yu.

There was definitely room for me in your heart.

Do you think you know...

about how I feel better than I do?

There was never...

room for you in my heart.

That is a lie. Do not lie to me.

Before Wang Yu came, you definitely--

It is not because of His Majesty.

Then what?

What is it about?

Chief Ki Ja-oh...

died because of you.

I already had his family

fully compensated.

Do you think...

that buys you forgiveness?

-Is it merely because of Ki Ja-oh? -"Merely"?

He was...

He was my father.

He was your father?

You and Ki Ja-oh were not father and daughter back in Goryeo.

It was to avoid being taken away as a tribute woman.

We had to keep it a secret that we were father and daughter.

Do you know what I was thinking...

while I was serving you by your side?

I wanted to kill you.

Do not...

look for me ever again.

You should have killed me.

Just kill me.

Hurry and kill me.

Why can you not kill me?

Just kill me.

If you can forgive me that way--

Do you not understand?

If I kill you, all the people from Goryeo in this Palace will be killed.

Then...

what should I do?

If I cannot pay with my life,

what am I supposed to do?

Forget about me.

That is all...

I want.

That is a lie.

How could you tell a lie?

I saw it with my own eyes.

Ki Ja-oh...

Ki Ja-oh swung his sword at me.

Shut your mouth!

I am sorry, my dear daughter.

I am an awful father for not having been able to...

Father!

No, Father.

You cannot leave me like this.

Father!

Father!

No!

No!

Dang Gise has the key to the storage in the wall.

If we can get that key,

we can switch it with the poisoned wine.

How can we get the key when he carries it around with him?

I have an idea.

What is it?

Where are you in a rush to?

-Watch where you are going. -Look who is talking.

We can make a key in this shape.

It is imprinted very well.

Do you have the poisoned wine?

The Grand Councillor has gone to the Emperor's palace.

We said we would just wait here.

He commanded that no one can enter.

How dare you!

"No one"?

Are you looking down on me?

I am sorry, General Baekan.

-Get out. -Yes, General Baekan.

Welcome back, Grand Councillor.

Hello, Grand Councillor.

Set up a yurt in the Palace.

Are you declaring a state of emergency?

Get the Emperor, all six ministers,

the head of the Privy Council, and the leader of each district.

Yes, Father.

Get Wang Yu too.

Wang Yu is from Goryeo. How can you allow him into the yurt?

Enough!

How dare you talk back?

Yes, Grand Councillor.

Are you suspicious of Wang Yu too?

The worst enemies are those closest.

How would I trust Wang Yu?

What?

He set up a yurt in the Palace?

Yes, Your Highness.

Were you aware of this too?

Of course.

He is my father, after all.

Do you know what the yurt means?

He is declaring a state of emergency.

So what?

The whole nation is restless because of the mysterious documents.

If there is something to fix, it must be fixed.

Is it not the logical thing to do?

Listen carefully, Empress.

Emperor Myeongjong died

the day after the yurt was set up.

Oh, I see.

Stop Grand Councillor Yeoncheol.

You may be the Grand Councillor's daughter,

but you are also His Imperial Majesty's wife.

If something happens to His Imperial Majesty...

Is His Imperial Majesty behind the mysterious documents?

-Empress. -Or...

is it Your Highness?

Do not worry.

People might get the wrong idea.

-You are here, Father. -What brings you here, Grand Councillor?

If anyone dares to make a wrong move,

there will be no mercy.

What kind of disrespectful behavior is this?

Until the yurt is taken down,

you may not take a single step out of here.

Are you confining me right now?

Blockade the doors,

and do not allow anyone to enter.

Yes, Father.

Are you trying to ruin this nation?

Ruin this nation?

Have you thought about what the Great Yuan would be like without me?

The whole nation would be fighting for power,

running wild with their swords.

The commoners would riot.

The neighboring nations would claim national sovereignty and declare war.

Who would stop all this?

Would you be able to stop it?

Or would His Imperial Majesty be able to stop it?

Stop letting your imagination run wild, Grand Councillor.

You may be surprised to learn that the Palace is not everything.

You only want to protect what is within the Palace,

but I have a nation to protect.

Do you understand?

Nail down the doors!

Your Highness!

Your Highness.

-Your Highness. -Your Highness.

Your Highness.

-Your Highness! -Your Highness!

Your Highness.

I will never forget this day, Grand Councillor.

I will engrave it in my mind and carry it in my heart.

I will remember this forever.

-Your Highness. -Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

-Your Highness! -Your Highness!

What a sight to see.

This is what she gets for making you grovel for mercy.

Do you feel better now?

Not yet.

I will never forget the insult I faced that day.

But I think I will be able to sleep well tonight.

That is right, Your Imperial Majesty.

It has been a while, Deputy Minister Ju.

It has been a while, General Bang.

The court is convening.

Why did Grand Councillor Yeoncheol invite Your Majesty though?

That is obviously because he thinks they are on the same side.

It could be the opposite.

Are you saying they are suspecting him?

Be careful, Your Majesty.

Have you been doing well?

Welcome, General Bang.

Did you daughter's wedding go well?

Yes, Grand Councillor.

I am so grateful

that you remember such a triviality.

I, Deputy Minister of State Ju Gukcheong,

greet you, Grand Councillor.

I got the gift you sent the other day.

It was not something grand,

so I am quite embarrassed, Grand Councillor.

Is everything ready?

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol only needs to drink the wine now.

Welcome.

Why is he here?

I invited him.

Your face looks quite haggard.

Well, I am still a bit hungover.

Please take the seat of honor, Your Imperial Majesty.

Yes.

Out of concern over the recent state of affairs,

His Imperial Majesty has issued an imperial edict.

"Recently, a vicious group of people has been

spreading mysterious documents

to divide the people and cause confusion.

Therefore,

I, the Emperor of the Great Yuan, issue the rules every subject should follow

to tighten the discipline of this nation

and to drive out...

all the insolent people."

Pour their drinks.

Do not worry.

The poison needs time to work.

Long live His Imperial Majesty.

-Long live His Imperial Majesty. -Long live His Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

We, the Khongirad warriors,

celebrate victory

by dancing for the dead soldiers.

May I be allowed

to show you the dance?

Of course you may, Grand Councillor.

Bang Jin, is it you?

Or Ju Gukcheong, is it you?

-Are you okay? -The drug must be taking effect.

-What is wrong? -Oh, my. It is blood.

What is happening?

What is going on? She is vomiting blood.

-What do we do? -My goodness.

-What is happening? -I do not know.

The culprit

behind the mysterious documents is definitely one of them.

Who could it be?

Who would dare to challenge me?

Father!

Father!

Father.

Father.

Father. Hurry and get the physician!

Father!

Father.

-Father! -Father!

Father!

-Father! -Father!

Wake up, Father!

This is not the anesthetic.

This is poison.

Wang Yu,

you are next.

There is no doubt that Yeoncheol is on his way to death now.

I think he has been poisoned.

He died after drinking the wine His Majesty gave him.

Who do you think they would blame?

We must keep an eye on Yeoncheol's progress.

He keeps vomiting blood!

He has a small chance of living.

What will you all do when we go back to Goryeo?

Will you be my queen?

What do you want me to do?

It is almost time, Wang Yu.

I will steal Seung-nyang from you no matter what.

After tonight, everything will change.

Criminal Wang Yu, you are under arrest!

What crime have I committed?

Do you really not know?

-Your Majesty! -Do you want to be arrested

-as his accomplice? -If you are doing this because of me,

you are pathetic.

Subtitle translation by James Park