Original subtitles

Your Imperial Majesty.

Many happy returns for Prince Maha.

-Many happy returns. -Many happy returns.

Thank you, everyone.

Your Imperial Majesty. Will you say a few words for our son?

Your Imperial Majesty, it is Prince Maha's birthday.

We have to hear your blessing.

The governors are here too. Please say a word.

Golta.

-Bring Prince Ayushiridara. -Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty, today is Maha's birthday.

All right.

It seems like you are all curious to know who will succeed my throne.

However,

I am in no rush.

When they grow up,

I will decide who the Crown Prince will be through competition.

Your Imperial Majesty, what are you talking about?

Your Imperial Majesty, did you forget the will

of Emperor Kublai to give the throne to the eldest son?

Grand Councillor is the one who had enthroned my younger brother.

Have you forgotten?

-But Your Imperial Majesty-- -You heard me.

I will hear no more about it.

Pardon my tardiness, Your Imperial Majesty.

Welcome. Grand Councillor.

Father.

So, is that Consort Ki's boy?

He is very handsome.

However,

today is Prince Maha's birthday.

What happened?

Your Imperial Majesty...

She is a nun with a burn scar.

She could not have left the Palace.

Make sure you find her.

Are you sure she was a nun at Hwanggak Temple?

If not, why would she run away?

If she was lucky enough to survive, she should have lived quietly.

How dare she try to take my boy away?

I heard the Empress's fake son might become the Crown Prince.

So I came to tell you the truth.

Are you willing to testify this at the Emperor's palace right now?

Yes.

I will reveal the truth for my fellow nuns

if anything.

We need decisive proof for them to believe you.

There is a secret that only the Empress and her attendants know of.

If I tell them that, that will be enough proof.

What is the secret?

-On the child's foot-- -Your Grace.

Her Imperial Majesty has soldiers looking for the nun.

Who are these soldiers?

The soldiers of Grand Councillor.

Grand Councillor is here?

Yes, Your Grace.

This is too soon.

We need to make preparations before we expose this.

Where are you staying now?

I am staying at Seoneop Temple, outside of the city.

Eunuch Bang and his men are nearby.

They will be less suspicious of them.

They can escort her out.

If the Empress found out about you, it will not be safe for you to stay there.

Do you have somewhere else to go?

There is a cave right behind Seoneop Temple.

I will hide there.

Search the library too!

Your Grace, the Empress and her attendants are headed here.

Search this place too.

What brings you here with soldiers?

It is none of your business.

Anyone can see that this is weird.

Should you not be at Prince Maha's birthday celebration?

Why do you care so much about my business?

Well,

is there a secret

that you cannot tell me?

Let us go to Seohwa Gate.

Maybe she left already.

We cannot find her anywhere.

Was it Seoneop Temple?

Send the men over there.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

Come this way.

You will be safe here.

It is late. Get some rest before you go.

It is all right.

I will leave before dawn.

-Thank you. -Have some.

I heard from Eunuch Park

that the Empress's son is not hers.

Do not worry.

Eunuch Bang and Eunuch Park are like family.

It is true.

Then she must be the one

who burned the temple down.

It is all my karma.

Only if I had not found the child under the Turtle Rock two years ago...

Before it gets cold.

Wait.

Turtle Rock?

The one near Hwanggak Temple?

Yes.

I was passing by,

and there was a baby in the arms of a man who fell to his death.

I placed my prayer beads on his body

and took the child with me.

Prayer beads?

I went down to the Turtle Rock,

but the baby was gone.

There were prayer beads on top of the dead Kheshig's body.

Did you never find the baby's body?

Seung-nyang, the baby is dead.

No.

There is no way.

-My child. -Seung-nyang.

-My child. -Seung-nyang.

My child is alive!

-My child. -Let us go.

-Let go of me! -Please, Seung-nyang.

My child. Byul.

-Byul. -Seung-nyang.

Byul!

Seung-nyang called on her baby's name.

Byul!

She was heartbroken.

What was the baby's name?

It was Byul.

-Byul? -Yes.

There were

three star-shaped moles on the top of his foot.

His Majesty...

also has those moles.

Is that so? The baby must have gotten it from the father.

Then by any chance,

does the baby have...

three star-shaped moles?

How did you know?

Eunuch Bang, what is wrong?

It is nothing.

How can this be?

I cannot believe this.

This cannot be.

How...

How can His Majesty's son...

What are we going to do now?

How can things change like this?

This will not resolve anything.

What do you plan on doing?

If this gets out,

both His Majesty and Seung-nyang will end up dead.

Then should we stop the nun from talking?

I will talk to her.

Sister.

She is gone.

Darn it. Did you say she is staying at Seoneop Temple?

What are we going to do?

-They are Yeoncheol's soldiers. -Why are they here?

Those jerks could not have killed the nun, could they?

Darn it.

We are too late.

The Empress did this again.

How can she kill a nun?

Merciful Buddha.

Let us bury her.

The nun disappeared?

Yes, Your Grace.

We cannot find her whereabouts.

You cannot go that way.

I will take him, Your Grace.

May I hold him for a bit?

Pardon?

Yes, Your Grace.

What is the secret?

On the child's foot...

What do you think you are doing?

Hello, Your Imperial Majesty.

How dare you touch my son?

Why are you still here? Take him back inside.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

If you wish your son to be well,

do not even think of letting him be crowned as the Crown Prince.

You may have His Imperial Majesty's heart.

But I will never allow

your son to rule over mine.

If you want that position that badly,

you can have it.

What?

Go crown Prince Maha as the Crown Prince.

Are you mocking me with your empty talk?

I mean it.

You are not the one to give up.

What is your reason?

Keeping peace

in the Imperial House is more important than any crown.

You are only a concubine, but you talk as if you are an elder of the Inner Court.

I do not wish to argue with you over this matter.

Are we supposed to believe her?

It does not matter if we believe it. She said it,

so she will be held responsible.

You should not have said that to her.

What if she uses it against you?

It does not matter.

We will be at war with each other...

before any boy is crowned.

Faster!

What do you think?

They look quite impressive.

I cannot believe he turned those morons like this.

Wang Yu...

He is quite a man.

You are here.

His Majesty wishes to meet you at his place.

It is time for us

to get rid of Yeoncheol.

Tell me about your plan.

Once we leave,

this letter of appeal will reach you.

Yeoncheol and His Imperial Majesty read the letters of appeal together.

That is why we are submitting it.

This letter will serve as a declaration of war

as well as a warning for Yeoncheol.

Why are you so surprised?

It can put Consort Ki in danger.

It is not just Her Grace.

You will have to risk your life too.

My life has not been mine

since I became the commander.

-However-- -The same goes for everyone.

I, myself, His Imperial Majesty, and everyone who are involved

put their lives at risk.

Is this...

the only way?

It is the best way.

No matter which path you choose, all of them are dangerous.

I want you to leave the Palace

before everything begins.

Yeoncheol cannot hurt me even if this letter gets disclosed.

However, Yang, you may be--

I am not...

leaving this place.

-Yang. -I will help you

and witness the end of Yeoncheol.

No one knows

how this will unfold.

That is the more reason not to leave

because we do not know the outcome of this war.

I will stay here and fight.

And...

we will win.

Did you send for me?

I had a dream about demons chasing after me.

They all brought their sword from all over the world

to kill me.

Then

you suddenly appeared,

took me by the hand, and began to run from them.

I went to a place where you told me to hide.

And there was a cliff overlooking a bottomless precipice.

-That is enough, Father. -I saw

flames reaching up to us.

I have never seen such a scary scene.

And you pushed me

into the fiery pit.

The demons did not kill me. You did.

That is nothing but a dream.

-Explain yourself. -Father.

If I do not like your explanation,

I might kill you right here.

Kill me.

I have failed to serve you.

I deserve death.

Whether it happened in your dream or not,

it is still my fault.

I am glad I like your explanation.

I would not have to kill such a talented man.

He has been under a lot of pressure. Please understand.

Does he feel pressured too?

He is very thorough.

He must be too stressed out overthinking things.

Look after him.

He is the pillar of this nation.

Do not worry.

He will be better in no time.

-Go. -Bring it here.

-Hurry up. -Hurry up!

-Darn you. -Get up!

Get up quickly, you useless scum!

Get up!

-Goodness. -Hurry!

Hey, are you all right?

Yes, Headman.

The heavens must not be on our side,

seeing how we ended up in a place like this.

But I am so relieved to see everyone from Goryeo Village here.

All right, now.

You over there.

Move it.

-Yes. -Push.

All right.

You are here, Master.

He does not have the blood vow,

but still, is it okay to leave him like this?

I asked Grand Councillor,

but he wants us to work him to death.

Anyway, is this all you have done?

I beg your pardon.

There is a mysterious epidemic among the slaves.

When are we going to deliver 10,000 geun of tin?

Give us three days--

You idiot. The Eagle House will be here today.

-Three days? -I apologize.

Bleed them or sweat them, I do not care.

Make sure you have it by tomorrow.

Yes, Master.

Speed it up!

Anyone who slacks off

will not get to eat!

Buying gold is the best way to embezzle money.

The Imperials have nothing on me.

Master, the master of the Eagle House is here.

Give me a second.

-Let her come in. -Yes.

Welcome, Master Yeon Bisu.

I heard you do not have my delivery.

I am afraid not.

I will have it by tomorrow.

You can stay in our guest room tonight.

Master, I brought you dinner.

Come in.

-Master Yeon. -Did you find out?

Are you sure Yeoncheol hid his secret fund here?

I am sure. I got the information from the heads of the Eagle House.

It is not in any other tin mines,

and there is one place I am suspicious of.

Suspicious?

There is this useless abandoned mine,

but Yeom Byeong-su will not let anyone near it.

-Does that not seem suspicious? -An abandoned mine?

Make sure no one enters.

-Yes! -Yes!

-Come along. -Yes.

I am sure Yeoncheol's secret fund

are at the end of this shaft.

My goodness! No!

I apologize, Master.

We gave up last time because we could not find it.

It is deep and has many forks.

It is too much for us to take.

But it is not like we can use the soldiers.

Patience.

Our chance will come.

What makes you so sure that his fund is here?

Why else would Yeoncheol

tell me to consider this place more valuable than my life?

I am sure this is the place.

Give this to Wang Yu.

Wang Yu should know what you did to get here.

What you had to go through to go back into the Eagle House.

Do not say anything unnecessary.

Is this because you are in love with him?

I told you to be quiet!

I beg your pardon.

Wang Yu and I are just comrades who are after the same goal.

Do not ever say that again.

Yes, Master.

The fight begins now.

Start writing.

To my allies, hear your Emperor's vow.

Yeoncheol has no respect for the heavens

and looks down on our subjects, inflicting vast cruelties on them.

This angers the deities

and cursed this land with famine and disease.

The subjects paid the price for his wickedness.

Therefore, I will punish him

by eliminating him and his family to appease the angry heavens.

My friends,

the heavens will not turn their backs on our subjects.

When you establish virtues,

you must let their leaves and vines grow wildly.

Wickedness must be torn out root and stem.

Hence,

I have drawn my sword to root out the evil.

I ask for your help

to cleanse the land that Yeoncheol has defiled.

SPIRITUAL BODY OF EMPEROR MYEONGJONG

All eight governors are here

except for Governor Baekan.

Thank you all for coming.

Your Imperial Majesty.

We would move heaven and earth to answer your call.

I already told you my intent on the letter that I sent you.

It is...

your turn.

Your Imperial Majesty.

We have waited for this day to come.

You have the mandate of the heavens.

We are at your service, Your Imperial Majesty.

Your word is my command.

We will gladly accept your word.

Muster your men.

I mean, we need to raise an army.

Your Imperial Majesty. We could not raise our army

because Yeoncheol's men are positioned throughout each province.

The moment we do that,

Yeoncheol will accuse us of treason.

Even if we raise our armies,

the entire country will be engulfed in war.

I know. That is why...

we will have to make him want you to raise your armies.

Is there a way to do that?

The men are ready to be deployed.

Have the centurions move out in secret

every hour on the hour.

Before the cock crows tomorrow,

we will be out of Yoyang and at the rally point of Mount Yobaek.

Get to Daedo within three days.

But make sure you only march through the mountains.

Warriors of Baekan.

We may die, but we will never lose.

We move like tigers, strike like eagles,

and hold out like brown bears.

The heavens are on our side.

Our lives are yours, General.

-Our lives are yours, General. -Our lives are yours, General.

The appeal will be disclosed at last.

What is it that you need to say to me?

Soon,

the Palace will be turned upside down.

What do you mean?

We have begun to carry out the plan to get rid of Yeoncheol.

Perhaps you have forgotten.

I do not need your help anymore.

It looks like the Office of Religious Affairs is short-staffed.

Do not be hasty.

I am not in a good mood.

You must be cautious.

Your servant, Governor Baekan of Yoyang dares to appeal to Your Imperial Majesty.

Yeoncheol's wickedness is too vast to list on this letter,

and his crimes are absolutely atrocious.

He must be beheaded 100 times and more.

I cannot take this any longer. I wish to draw my sword

and get rid of this traitor.

Please enlist all the governors to do the same.

Help your humble servant.

"I have

a secret weapon stronger than Yeoncheol's troops.

It is the blood vow Emperor Myeongjong wrote.

I wish to use the blood vow of the late Emperor

who was murdered by Yeoncheol

as a justification for punishing the traitor.

Your Imperial Majesty,

please accept your servant's intent."

This is a letter of appeal from Baekan.

Grand Councillor, you must make an explanation

about this blood vow that Baekan mentioned.

Bring it.

This is the real blood vow of the late Emperor.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Baekan dared to deceive the Court with a fake blood vow.

You must read your father's will for yourself.

Go on and read it, Your Imperial Majesty.

"My dear son,

your foolish father is the one to blame.

When you become the Emperor after I die,

trust Grand Councillor Yeoncheol and rely on him.

Grand Councillor Yeoncheol is the only one

who will protect you and the Yuan dynasty.

I am sorry, my dear son."

Did you all hear that?

The seal of Emperor Myeongjong

is on this blood vow.

This is my father's blood vow.

Instead of using his seal,

he drew a sign only I can recognize.

It is this.

A butterfly.

It is proof that this is the real one.

Your Imperial Majesty, we now know that Baekan is a traitor.

Please give the order to destroy Yoyang.

I, Governor Oh Gwang of Unnam Province,

will raise men to put down the traitor.

Please give me your permission, Your Imperial Majesty.

I, Bu Sagwi of Yeongbuk Province, will not stand for this.

I, Seol Dogan of Sacheon Province, will join the effort too.

I am at your service too.

And I.

And I.

As am I.

-And I. -And I.

Your Imperial Majesty,

it seems like we have no other choice,

considering how determined the governors are.

You have my permission.

Muster your men, put down the rebels,

and bring me the head of the traitor,

Baekan.

First, there is an important matter we need to take care of.

The traitor's adopted daughter

is still flaunting herself as a consort in the Imperial Palace.

Your Imperial Majesty.

You must show the strictness of the law by beheading Ki

and put it on a pike for all to see.

I must protest.

Protest?

It would not be enough for us to destroy his entire family.

Do you suggest that we let her live?

She is the mother of Prince Ayushiridara.

How can we kill a prince's mother?

Your Imperial Majesty, give your order to kill her.

If you do not,

you are making a mockery of the governors' loyalty.

Your Imperial Majesty, send her to the Cold Palace for now.

We are not in a rush to behead her.

-The Cold Palace? -Yes, Your Highness.

Yeoncheol may turn the Palace into a bloodbath,

but the Cold Palace can be used as an impregnable fortress.

The Cold Palace...

That is not a bad idea.

Send Consort Ki...

to the Cold Palace.

I am sorry,

Yang.

Everything

is going according to our plan.

The thought of you in that freezing place

rips my heart out in pieces.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Governor Baekan fights with a sword,

but we must fight with our hearts.

We must be brave and bold.

In order to take Yeoncheol down, we shall not be swayed by anything or anyone.

All right.

Do they call this the irony of fate?

Look at how this stuck-up tramp became a laughingstock overnight.

Is that what you think I have become?

You can

feel the cold in your bones in the Cold Palace.

It is not a bad idea to kill you after you go through that.

You can laugh for now.

You will

be wailing soon.

She will be dead soon. Why is she so full of herself?

She cannot think straight because she is too scared.

I hope you make her die a painful death.

You do not need to ask.

She will have to go through pain that is a thousandfold worse

than the one I went through.

It is so chilly.

Did you give a word to the Imperial Concubines?

They will come here when you call.

He may have a few men,

but Baekan's men are well-trained.

If we let them hole up behind their walls,

it may turn into a long war.

We should combine all of our forces and take them out in one blow.

I agree.

Station your men

right here, Jungchu Field.

It will take a while for everyone to get there

because they will be marching from all the provinces.

We will strike them first as soon as we get 10,000 men.

We will meet at Jungchu Field in four days.

All right.

We are going to move out.

Capture Baekan alive.

He betrayed me.

I will kill him myself.

I will do that.

Once you return,

I will tell you where the secret fund is.

From now on, I will entrust all the decisions

regarding military operations and funds with you.

Father.

You shall be the grand councillor of this country.

Do you...

trust me now?

There was not a moment that I did not trust my son.

You are my firstborn.

If I do not trust you, who will?

Father.

Go.

Look after him

while I am gone.

Do not worry, Dang Gise.

Move out!

Let the elite force know that the war has begun.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, Yeon Bisu is here.

It has been awhile.

I received your letter.

So what brings you here?

I heard about you from Suri.

Did you come all the way here to help His Majesty?

Hey, do you know how dangerous this is?

I was headed here on business,

so the Eagle House was not suspicious.

Getting back into the Eagle House could not have been easy.

Thankfully,

they believed my story,

so it was not very hard.

Where is Mak-saeng?

He is going through a lot of trouble laboring in the mine

with the people of Goryeo Village.

Go to my quarters and get some rest.

She is willing to go to war for His Majesty.

How about that?

Yeon Bisu is quite loyal, I will give her that.

It is freezing.

We will freeze to death at this rate.

Your Grace, are you all right?

I am fine.

Do not worry about me.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Leave us.

Your Imperial Majesty should not be here yet.

I will...

stay here with you just for tonight.

I felt like I was sleeping on nails, lying on the bed

without you.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your body...

Your body is freezing cold.

Just for now.

Hold out for a little while.

Just for a little while.

Why are the governors not here yet?

It is past the day of our rendezvous.

The closest provinces should have sent their men already.

-Something is weird. -Weird how?

General!

-I am back. -How are things at Yoyang?

There were no soldiers in the province.

What do you mean, there were no soldiers?

I only saw a flag fluttering in the wind.

Get my men. I am going there myself.

Yes, General.

There is no one here.

Come out!

General!

Here.

You can have Yoyang province.

I, Baekan, will take the world.

We were tricked.

They are headed to Daedo.

What about the governors?

It will take time for them to begin attacking as a team.

Send word to my father.

Yes, General.

Just you wait, Baekan.

I will have your head soon.

Thank you for coming.

They did not suspect a thing

while we raised our armies thanks to your plan.

That is not all.

Dang Gise got his men out of the city,

so Yeoncheol has no other men but the city guard.

This is an amazing plan.

It is not my idea, but of Taltal.

We do not have much time.

It will take three days for Dang Gise and his men to return to Daedo.

We must destroy the city guard and capture Yeoncheol in three days.

Get to the strategic meeting.

There are eight gates into Daedo.

The four main gates are in the north, south, east and west.

There are also small entrances in between.

The North Gate is vital, so General Baekan will take that.

All the other governors will each take one of the remaining seven.

Let me see that.

Open the gates!

General Dang Gise has an urgent word for Grand Councillor!

What is your message?

Baekan and the governors joined forces and are headed here right now!

Report to Yeoncheol as instructed.

Yes, General.

All right, now. Have a drink.

My men are still on duty.

It is too early to drink.

What are you afraid of?

Do not tell me that you think Baekan will defeat all the men and barge in here.

Father, a messenger just came.

Yes, what happened?

Great victory.

Dang Gise captured Baekan alive and is headed back here.

Ride out to welcome Dang Gise and the governors.

Yes, Grand Councillor.

I must meet His Imperial Majesty.

General, you must close the gates.

What is it?

They are not General Dang Gise's men. They are Baekan's men!

What?

Close the gates and call for Commander Wang Yu.

-Now! -Yes!

Close the gates!

There is a huge tiger behind those gates.

Once we take it down,

the world will be yours.

Move out!

-Go! -Go!

Everything is up to us.

If we open the gates,

it will lead to victory.

If we do not, we will be defeated.

Won Jin may have

thousands of men,

but they all have

a thousand different hearts.

We may be only a hundred or so,

but we act as one.

That is why we do not fear fighting millions of men.

Your Imperial Majesty, Dang Gise reports victory.

Baekan will be dragged here soon.

That is great news.

This day calls for a celebration.

Will you join me for a drink?

Of course.

There is no reason to turn you down.

This is odd.

The Pavilion of Women seems awfully quiet today.

It does, Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty. What brings you here so late?

I wanted to have some tea with the Imperial Concubines.

Where are they now?

They are in the lecture hall.

The lecture hall? Why?

When he finds out that the gates were breached,

Yeoncheol will try to kill

everyone in the Palace.

The Kheshig, the soldiers,

and all the warriors in the Palace

serve Yeoncheol.

That is why people sitting here, the eunuchs, and the female attendants

are the only ones who can protect His Imperial Majesty.

Another war...

will break out...

right here.

-Do you still wish to rule? -I do.

Yes.

I, Yeoncheol, will become

the Emperor.

I will also fight to the death.

Do not commit an act of disloyalty by saddening me with your deaths.

-Let go! -Drag her out.

How dare you?

It sounds like you are asking me to end your life.

Do you want a drink?

Take that cup.

That will be your last drink on earth.

Subtitle translation by Eun-sook Youn