Original subtitles

Hand me the sword.

With this sword,

I will also fight to the death.

I beg you not to.

We will put our lives on the line to protect you.

Give us the honor, Your Imperial Majesty.

Then can everyone make a promise to me that you will not die?

Starting now, I will issue an imperial order.

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

Your Imperial Majesty.

I order you to stay alive and kill Yeoncheol,

so I can share the glory with you all.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

I will comply with your order.

Tell me exactly what you need me to do.

First,

the eunuchs need weapons to protect this place.

Weapons?

Deputy Minister Chang, you must find weapons with the eunuchs

and bring them inside the Pavilion of Women.

Be careful.

Cover them.

Concubine Oh, put the grains in the straw bags with the court ladies.

We will block the gate into the Pavilion of Women with the bags.

You must fill them up.

Hurry. This way.

We must prepare for their fire arrows.

You must not forget to prepare buckets of water for firefighting

all over the Pavilion of Women.

You will be fighting against a unit of trained elite soldiers.

How will you defeat them with just eunuchs?

Once they penetrate into the capital,

Governor Baekan will sweep in here first.

It is a fight

to hold out until then.

By the way,

how come His Imperial Majesty is running so late?

I have not had the pleasure of having a drink with you in private.

Drinks make people generous.

Tell me what is on your mind.

Do you still wish to rule?

Yes, I do.

I am the Emperor after all.

I would like to use the imperial seal and give out imperial orders on my own.

After ascending the throne,

you have wronged me in many ways.

Despite that, do you care to know why you are still sitting on the throne?

It is because you have forfeited your power.

Had I not been here,

and had you ruled over the Great Yuan,

someone else would have already replaced you.

Baekan probably would have taken over my post.

Power is like a wicked curse that quickens your death.

And I am paying for the curse.

Should you be ungrateful and complain to me,

I will be disappointed.

What about the rebel forces?

They are in a battle now.

If so, where are you headed to?

I am on my way to deliver a message to the Grand Councillor.

There is no need. I have just sent him a messenger myself.

No, General Won Jin had given me his order to deliver--

If Yeoncheol finds this out,

those at the palace will be in danger.

There is no reason to worry.

To South, East, and West Gates

along with other gates, I have already dispatched our soldiers.

Wear bands

so that Baekan's soldiers can recognize our people.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Put on your headbands.

-Yes! -Yes!

Fire!

Attack!

Go!

Climb over the walls!

Pour the oil on them.

Wang Yu should have already been here!

Shoot the fire arrows!

Burn them all! Do not let anyone live!

Uncle Baekan, tell our men to retreat now.

If they shoot fire arrows at them, our soldiers will burn to death.

-Retreat! -Retreat!

Retreat!

-Retreat. -Kill them all!

Die in the hellfire.

Archers, come forward!

Dodge the fire arrows!

Retreat now!

Fire!

Here is our traitor, Wang Yu. Stop him!

We must penetrate through this cordon.

Kill everyone who gets in our way.

Give me your best shot! I will crush all of you!

-Lieutenant General. -Yes, General.

Do not let them get through.

The rest of you will follow me!

Wang Yu must have made his move.

It is time. Go over the walls.

Let us go.

-Charge! -Go!

Stop them!

Wang Yu! If you wish to go past here,

you must die and pass here as a spirit.

Things do not look good.

It only takes one to go up and open up the gate.

I will take the lead and make way.

I will help you make way.

I will protect His Majesty.

Heed my words, everyone.

If we penetrate at our first attempt,

we will succeed at the expense of ten soldiers.

In our second attempt,

half of us will die.

In our third attack,

all of us will die, and we will have been defeated.

I forbid you not to die.

We have only one chance.

-Yes! -Yes!

I will kill every single one of those assholes!

After me!

Stop them!

Open the gate!

Father!

Dang Gise has sent a messenger hawk.

A messenger hawk?

Has he not captured Baekan yet?

Please take a look.

The governors sided with Baekan?

He and the Emperor

have deceived us from the start to raise armies.

Is there any news from the city guard?

No, not yet. I have not heard anything.

Tell Wang Yu and Won Jin that the rebels are to arrive shortly.

Dang Gise will bring them a large troop.

Our men will be able to wipe them out by tomorrow.

I understand, Grand Councillor.

I want you to kill the Emperor, the Empress Dowager,

Consort Ki, and all the other concubines.

Father, what is your plan?

The governors and the Emperor plotted an uprising.

Then who will protect the people in the capital?

-Then... -The heavens

have given us a justification for killing the Emperor.

-Do you understand? -Yes, Father.

I will kill every single one of them.

-Let us go. -Yes, General!

The Emperor is headed to the Pavilion of Women.

That actually worked out for me.

Gather the soldiers.

I will exterminate all of them at once in the Pavilion of Women.

As you wish, General.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty!

Your Imperial Majesty.

What is all this fuss in the middle of the night?

It is not time for you to be sleeping.

There is a political upheaval in the palace.

-A political upheaval? -Grand Councillor

has ordered to kill His Imperial Majesty.

Why all of a sudden?

I am not aware of the details.

He has ordered to kill Her Highness and Consort Ki,

along with His Imperial Majesty.

What should we do about it?

There is nothing we should do.

Father will take care of everything.

We just need to sit back and watch.

All I have left to do is to live my life in luxury until my last day...

in this peaceful world without the Emperor and Ki.

You only speak the truth, Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Is everything ready?

Yes, we are fully ready.

As I am incompetent,

I have put you through such an ordeal.

Please do not say so.

We plan to stay with you to the end.

Thank you all.

The Emperor is in the Pavilion of Women.

Kill them all!

Harder! Bang it harder!

Bang it harder. I said, harder!

It is impossible to open the gate from the outside.

-Jump over the walls. -Yes, General.

We will jump over the wall and attack them!

What kind of soldiers are inside?

They are not soldiers. They are only court ladies and eunuchs.

Continue!

Do not just stand there! Jump over the walls!

Stop them!

I turn to Amitabha and the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion.

I turn to Amitabha and the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion.

Maha.

Soon,

you will become the Emperor of the Yuan dynasty.

I will be your regent

and rule this empire smoothly.

Do not worry. Grow up healthy and strong.

My dear son, Maha.

-No, they can't. -Hold the gate.

Do not let anyone survive. Kill them all!

I will handle them.

Please head over to the Cold Palace.

I will no longer back down.

Escort His Imperial Majesty now.

-Your Imperial Majesty. -Even if I die,

I will die here.

Do not give up!

The moment you give up, your enemies will kill you!

Fight to the end!

-Find His Imperial Majesty! -Right away!

His Imperial Majesty is locked up in the Pavilion of Women.

-To the Pavilion of Women! -On our way!

Let us go!

If this is what the heavens wish,

I am in no position to say no.

Yes.

I, Yeoncheol,

will become the Emperor.

I will dedicate...

the last days of my life...

to bring back the glory of the Great Yuan.

Grand Councillor!

You must leave now.

Leave? Tell me why.

The city guard has been defeated.

Is that true?

Baekan's soldiers headed over to the Pavilion of Women just now.

You must leave now to save yourself.

Lay down your arms.

I am the Emperor of the Yuan dynasty.

How dare you swing your swords at me!

My father...

has ordered me to kill everyone.

If so,

which one of you will kill me?

Will it be you?

Or...

will you be the one to kill me?

Do you think they are not capable of killing you?

The reward for the head of the Emperor is 10,000 yang of gold.

Kill all of them now!

Your Imperial Majesty, where are you?

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Do not move!

If you take another step forward, I will kill the Emperor.

Order Baekan to retreat with his soldiers.

If they do not retreat, all of you will die!

-Your Imperial Majesty. -I order Yeoncheol's soldiers.

Those who surrender and lay down their arms will be spared.

However,

for those who continue to take part in the treason,

I will find their parents, wives, children, and all of their relatives...

and exterminate them all.

-Kill him. -Drop your weapons.

I told you to kill the Emperor!

This is an imperial order.

Drop your swords.

What are you doing?

Pick up your sword now!

General.

Stay back.

Tapjahae.

I will end that filthy life of yours.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Please pardon my delay.

I ask for your forgiveness.

I ask for your forgiveness, Your Imperial Majesty.

Yeoncheol committed high treason. Bring him to me.

I will comply with your order.

Grand Councillor, our men at the North Gate are wiped out too.

Grand Councillor, we still have the South Gate left.

Let us head there.

-To the South Gate. -Yes!

Grand Councillor, the South Gate is seized as well.

All eight gates of the capital have been captured by the governors.

There is no way out of the capital.

Where should we go, Grand Councillor?

I am very exhausted.

I must go home and sleep.

-Grand Councillor! -Grand Councillor!

They are of the city guard.

They are Wang Yu's troop.

Wang Yu has come!

We have no time to lose.

Before Baekan's men arrive, we must--

-What... -How dare you!

His Majesty is waiting for you inside.

Even you?

How could you betray me too?

Do you want a drink?

I had a grand plan with you.

I thought

you would be a great candidate for serving my grandson, Maha.

I believed in you to be the most important asset for my grand plan.

I was so close to ascending the throne.

To be reinstated as the King of Goryeo, a good-for-nothing country,

you have betrayed me.

You are indeed foolish and stupid.

Goryeo is my everything.

And you trampled upon Goryeo.

My dream, my future, and my hopes...

You have trampled...

on everything I had.

You may have a chance to dream again,

but the heavens do not give you second chances.

Get me out of the capital.

Outside the capital, I still have thousands of followers.

I will go and regroup them.

I have enough money to rule the whole empire.

If you help me this time,

I will grant you everything you ask for,

whether it be the kingship of Goryeo or more than that.

If you gain hegemony,

what do you plan to do?

I will kill the Emperor.

I, myself, will become the Emperor.

And then?

A tiny spark has brought this disaster upon us.

Consort Ki!

I will rip that wench into million pieces.

Take that cup.

It is my last glass to you...

on earth.

How come I have not heard any news yet?

If there is an upheaval, there must be news for me.

I am sure everything is going smoothly.

Please allow me to go and find out in secret.

Do not worry about other things.

Find out if Ki is still alive.

If she is still alive,

I will kill her with my bare hands.

Tell them to spare her.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

Why are you so surprised?

Were you wishing for my death?

What?

Have you lost your mind?

How dare you speak informally to Her Imperial Majesty!

Be silent.

You all must have death wishes.

Your father caused a rebellion and tried to commit regicide.

What happened to my father?

Wait.

You will meet him in the netherworld.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

-Drag her out. -Yes.

Grab her.

Let go!

-Your Imperial Majesty. -Let go of her.

-I told you to let go! -Let go of her!

Let go!

How dare you! Let go of me at once!

You will pull all my hair out.

Please let go of me. Let go!

That wench. What are you doing?

Let go!

Let go of me.

I am the Empress of the Empire

and the mother of the eldest prince.

You cannot hold me accountable

for the mistake my father had committed on his own.

His Imperial Majesty has ordered to depose you.

Depose me?

What have I done to deserve such treatment?

Are you not aware of the gravity of committing treason?

An act of treason is enough to exterminate a whole family!

If you are punishing the whole family, you must also punish His Imperial Majesty,

my father's son-in-law.

That is absurd.

You still refuse to acknowledge your crime.

I am wronged.

I am innocent.

You feel wronged?

Look me in the eye.

Do you still not know of your crime?

I do not.

As I stand before the heavens, I have not committed--

Lock her up in the Cold Palace now.

Let go of me. I will go on my own.

Do not gloat.

As long as I am breathing,

this fight will not be over.

It sounds like...

you are asking me to end your life.

I will gladly grant your wish.

Do not worry.

Let go. Let go of me!

She is indeed exceptional.

No.

She is frightening.

His Imperial Majesty has ordered me to transfer the offender.

Untie him.

Uncle Baekan.

This is my last act of respect for you.

His Imperial Majesty has asked for your presence in the palace.

You have contributed the most.

I must let my men drink and rest today.

I will get in touch with you again.

Let us go!

-Yes, Governor! -Yes, Governor!

That's Yeoncheol, the traitor!

He ruined our empire!

He sucked in our sweat and blood!

-Hack him into pieces right now! -Hack him!

-Kill him! -Kill him!

-Kill him. -Kill that man!

Hey.

Hail to General Baekan!

-Hail to General Baekan! -Hail to General Baekan!

-Hail to General Baekan! -Hail to General Baekan!

-Hail to General Baekan! -Hail to General Baekan!

Hail to His Imperial Majesty!

-Hail to His Imperial Majesty! -Hail to His Imperial Majesty!

-Hail! -Hail!

The heart of the people is the heart of the heavens.

The fury of the people is the result of your ruling

for the past 30 years.

The great sin of yours

is not regicide, but your flawed ruling.

You have ruined this empire as your governing has been flawed.

Baekan, do you remember?

A long time ago, I suppressed the rebels and returned in triumph.

Back then, the people chanted my name.

They ceaselessly praised me.

The people wanted me to take over the sovereignty

in place of the sick late Emperor.

For now, the people are cheering for you,

but someday, they will curse and resent you.

They will say that times when I ruled were better than when you did.

They will miss those days.

The heart of the people is the most fickle thing in this world.

In the end, you will live your life, drunk with power,

and end your life as a lonely man.

That is life, Baekan.

When he is about to retreat after launching his attack,

I will open up the gate and counterattack him.

I will take the lead.

I, the governor of Yeongbuk province, must take the head of Dang Gise.

No.

I will take the lead.

We should use this chance to wipe out Yeoncheol's bloodline.

General!

General, other gates are captured by the governors' soldiers as well.

We will launch our attack soon.

It is impossible to go through the gate with our force.

My father is inside!

My brother and my sister are waiting for me!

I beg you to stay calm.

Upon hearing the Grand Councillor's capture,

the morale of the soldiers has taken a sharp dive.

Let the scared men run away.

I will attack by myself if I must.

General!

I will break through the gate.

Everyone, attack!

Take Dang Gise's head!

Who killed Tapjahae?

I did.

That is a relief.

He did not die at the hands of a mere soldier.

End his suffering.

Bury him.

His Imperial Majesty has ordered

to leave him as it is and behead him on the street.

Take him inside.

He used to be my hero.

What a bitter passing to witness.

It's not a passing of a hero.

It's the fall of the defeated.

Uncle Baekan,

you must let his failure be a lesson to you.

I ended this wicked era with my hands.

Do you think I would walk on the same foolish path he was on?

Your Imperial Majesty.

Do you believe

you can become the true Emperor of this empire once I pass?

Many of the courtiers have witnessed

my taming you with my stick very clearly.

The courtiers watched the pathetic side of you.

Do you think they can respect and look up to you?

That is a huge error in your thinking.

Even if I die,

other people with the same agenda as mine

will try to change this frustrating world.

The bloodbath will not stop.

There will be no peace or stability in the palace.

I will kill all of them.

I will not hesitate to strike my iron mace

on people who do not respect me as the Emperor.

And do you believe that you are capable of doing so?

The very first place

my iron mace will land on is...

the top of your head.

You claim you tamed me with your stick.

Sure.

You sure did. That is why...

I will show to all the courtiers that treating me with such disrespect...

will only bring them misery and agony.

How did you tame the Emperor?

What have you done to change the Emperor that much?

I did not change...

the Emperor.

It was you.

Your greed and cruelty...

turned His Imperial Majesty's fear into rage.

My grand plan for the coming millennium...

crumbled down because of a mere concubine.

You have brought me a greater disgrace than death.

Even if I had not gotten involved,

you would not have achieved your grand plan for the coming millennium.

What are you implying?

You would not have been able to make Prince Maha the Emperor

because Tanashilli did not give birth to him.

She brought an abandoned baby and pretended that he was her son.

She deceived the world.

Do you think I will believe you?

The truth will not change whether you believe me or not.

If Prince Maha, to whom you are not at all related by blood, was your hope,

now,

you must only have despair.

I declare...

that I will skin and kick out

those who do not get drunk tonight.

-Eat a lot! -Dig in!

Where have you been?

Have a drink!

Dang Gise...

was completely defeated.

Is that so?

He lost most of his soldiers while trying to launch an attack.

He is being pursued by the governors.

There is only one place he can run away to.

I am sure he is heading to the mine

where Yeoncheol hid his fund.

If he gets his hands on Yeoncheol's secret fund,

I am sure he will try to build another troop.

Then we must do something about it.

Let us go after him and take that secret fund.

Soon, the Yuan dynasty will confiscate all of Yeoncheol's assets.

Even if we get hold of the secret fund, we will need to forfeit it.

Let us wait and see for the time being.

Mak-saeng is at the mine.

I will send Suri to do recon.

-Get up now! -Hey, you!

Who told you to rest? Get up!

Get up!

Get up now.

Are you whipping him for fun?

He is working his ass off!

Why are you beating him up?

You must be in want of a good beating.

Please calm down.

I am sorry.

How dare you talk back to me!

General!

General.

May I ask what happened?

Where is Yeom Byeong-su?

Him? Please come this way.

Who is that man?

That's Yeoncheol's son.

But why does he look all worn-out?

Grand Councillor is captured?

Is he alive? Were you able to check?

What if we face the same consequence for staying here?

-You little... -My apologies.

Did the Grand Councillor

tell you the place he had hidden the fund?

He has not told me.

It must be the abandoned mine he told you to guard.

Where is the mine?

It is over the rocky mountain. It is not that far from here.

I must find the secret fund. Get the soldiers ready.

As the mine is deep and dangerous inside,

it will serve us better to use the slaves.

We must hurry. As soon as the sun sets, start moving.

Yes, General.

We will search the mine now.

You will see several paths down the way.

You will move in assigned pairs.

What on earth are we looking for?

That is not your business.

Since we do not even know what we are looking for,

should we just get you some bats?

-That scum. -It is gold.

-Gold? -Gold?

-Gold? -He said it was gold.

Inestimable chunks of gold are buried down there.

The one who finds the gold will no longer be a slave

-and receive 10,000 yang of gold. -Did he say 10,000 yang of gold?

Do your best!

-Is that true? -Really?

-Will he really do that? -That much?

-Go inside. -Yes, General!

Follow me.

If you find the gold,

what do you plan to do with it?

I will raise an army...

and attack Daedo.

I see.

I understand.

We would not have been able to succeed if it were not for Wang Yu's help.

I will not forget your service.

Thank you.

Transfer him with respect.

-As you wish. -As you wish.

Your Imperial Majesty, what is wrong?

Father.

My father...

Your Imperial Majesty, did you have a nightmare?

Your Imperial Majesty.

Dreams in the afternoon mean nothing.

Do not be alarmed.

Once you are done, put it outside.

What happened to the Grand Councillor?

He will be executed today.

It is probably happening now.

He got what he deserves.

My father.

Father.

I must save my father. Father...

Your Imperial Majesty. Please compose yourself.

Let go of me. She said my father will be executed.

-Your Imperial Majesty. -Please compose yourself.

Do not die, Father!

You cannot leave me like this.

What about me and Maha?

Your Imperial Majesty.

Do not kill my father. You will be punished!

-Your Imperial Majesty. -Father!

You scoundrels!

Father!

-Your Imperial Majesty! -Your Imperial Majesty!

Please wake up, Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

The criminal offender, Yeoncheol, killed my father

and caused a mutiny in order to kill me.

Moreover, he has committed numerous and indescribable acts of depravity.

Therefore, I order...

the offender...

to be executed.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Before my death, allow me to say a word of loyal advice.

The lady whom you wholeheartedly treasure,

Ki over there,

must be kept away from you.

I can see everything.

As my death is nearing,

I can see it clearly now.

She will destroy the Great Yuan.

Mark my words.

If she replaces Empress Tanashilli,

important posts of the Imperial House will be held by the people of Goryeo.

That is enough.

I mean to tell you...

that you will become a puppet Emperor once again.

Enough is enough.

Your Highness must be careful as well.

She defeated me.

Do you think she is not capable of defeating you?

You cannot install her son as the Crown Prince.

How could a bloodline from Goryeo become the Emperor of the Great Yuan?

Genghis Khan and many emperors who succeeded him...

will be ridiculed by this.

Shut...

your mouth.

Baekan.

You must be careful too.

I thought you claimed to be the warrior of the Blue Wolves.

Blinded by power, you followed the woman from Goryeo.

To redeem yourself for what you have done,

you must end her with your hands.

Proceed with the execution now.

I am not afraid of death.

However, the thought

that the Great Yuan will be swayed by a lowly Goryeo woman...

vexes me.

That is why I cannot face death.

It is an imperial order!

Behead Yeoncheol right now

and make him silent.

Allow me to execute him.

Go ahead.

As per the custom of our tribe, I will treat you, my enemy, with respect.

I will not spill blood.

Thank you.

Yeoncheol.

You have given me a good plan.

As you predicted,

I will make my son the Emperor...

and become the Empress of this nation.

I will surround myself with people from Goryeo.

And I will rule the nation myself.

Maha will take my revenge.

Trickery and politics are clearly two separate matters.

Trickery when used rashly can harm you.

You have not changed at all.

Kill me. Go ahead.

Soon, you will be given poison to drink.

Wang Yu.

I resent you.

Blame...

everything on me.

Subtitle translation by Won-hyang Son