We can't wait any longer Let's go back
No. I can't leave my friend
She was caught trying to break into the palace
Now that we've confirmed her identity
we'll take her to the Royal Guards
Let's go!
Yes, sir! Let's go!
And Jang-Geum will no longer be a new bride
regardless of what royal guards decide
Whip her 20 times and cast her out of the palace!
Yes, sir!
(Episode 7)
Madam...
Madam, she's only a new bride and she lost her senses
when she saw a human being was dying
Please have mercy on her
Quiet! Do you want to be cast out too? Is that what you want?
I don't want to see you anymore So get out, all of you!
Now!
Madam...
Sir, I have a favor to ask of you
I just heard about it too I can't do anything...
about what the Head Lady does This is under her authority
But you're the manager of the royal kitchens. She had no other choice
I understand how you'd want to take care of your girls
but I can't do anything outside of my jurisdiction
Then please do something about the Royal Guards. We can just...
punish her here, but they'll charge her for breaking into the palace
Please prevent that at least
She's lived in the palace for over 10 years
Should she be cast out from the prison cells of Royal Guards?
Let her be cast out from her room, instead
OK, I will try something
Madam, this has happened because of me
I lost the golden pheasant and...
I encouraged her to go out of the palace
The Head Lady will punish you separately
I'll receive any punishment willingly, but please save her
It wasn't like she didn't know better
Isn't the Head Lady assuming that? Isn't that why she gave such an order?
Do you expect me to tell her everything including
that you went out and because of you, we had to...
lie to the Head Lady to get the pass to go out
and that we lost the golden pheasant?
But it all happened because of me
Yeah, but it was Jang-Geum's fault...
for not coming back on time
Put this behind you Don't make it a bigger deal
by telling anyone else about it, understand?
The General has decided to turn her over to you
since you told him that you'd cast her out yourself
Please don't let this happen again
OK. Thank you
Pack up and leave tomorrow morning
Madam
I desire to discipline you more harshly
so don't say anything and leave
Let's go
I had a friend when I was younger
She was curious and affectionate like you
We had promised each other to become the Highest Kitchen Lady
But she was framed because she tried to help someone
and she was cast out of the palace
I couldn't be of any help to her. None at all
But if she's still alive, she'd be helping someone else right now
I have never doubted that
I'm sorry for not being able to help you
Blame me...
Madam, please save Jang-Geum
Is anyone killing her?!
It's the same thing as dying for her Please save her, Madam...
I can't live without her
If you save her, I'll do anything you ask. Madam... Madam...
Silence!
You are being cold You have taught us that...
being faithful to a friend is as important as not betraying the King
You're being so harsh. Jang-Geum was only trying to help Keum-Young
It's my fault
It's my fault for being late It was your job to bring...
the golden pheasant to the palace on time and you accomplished that
Wait, Jang-Geum! Wait!
Head Lady has taken back her order to cast you out of the palace
But instead... instead...
You are to go to the herb garden
Is that true?
Yes, Madam
Why did she change her mind?
Actually, the Highest Kitchen Lady and Lady Han has made a plea for her
and they agreed not to receive payment for 3 years
Madam...
The Head Lady asked, "Will you give up being paid for the next 3 years?"
And they replied, "Yes." I'm going to serve the Highest Lady as my mother
Being expelled out of the palace and...
going to the herb garden are the same thing
But she still remains as a lady of the court at the garden
Yes, I heard that. It's a garden right beside the palace
where they try to grow the rare herbs from China or Russia
So what about working there?
I heard only criminals go there
But you said they grow herbs there...
They do, but they've never succeeded, and they don't care about work there
Even the officials are hesitant to go there
In another words, no one has come back into the palace from there
She's being abandoned She won't be able...
to become an official lady of the court
Then she'll be working in the fields for the rest of her life
Actually, low class is what suits her
What did you say?!
So what are you going to do?
You... will be hit by lightning If you aren't
I'll follow you for the rest of your life!
Because of me, you have...
Why do you cry so easily?
I can't do anything more, so you're on your own from now
You may think it's better than being cast out of the palace
but as you know already, for a court lady...
the herb garden is a place of abandonment
And of course, you won't be able to join the competition
which means you won't be able to become an official court lady
Whether you'll stop working it won't matter
Or stop trying as you've been abandoned as a court lady
That's for you to decide
I'll make sure you can come back
but as you know already, for a court lady...
the herb garden is a place of abandonment
And of course, you won't be able to join the competition
which means you won't be able to become an official court lady
Whether you'll stop working as it won't matter...
Or stop trying as you've been abandoned as a court lady...
That's for you to decide
Is anyone here?
Who the...
Ouch
Hey, get up, it's snacktime
Let's go... wake up...
Go ahead and drink...
I'm a lady from the Royal Kitchen and I'm new here
Where's the supervisor for this place?
Supervisor? Which one of us?
You seem to be workers here, why are you drinking
at this hour instead of working?
Why? You want to join us?
What?
If you don't want to, then pour us some drinks
Excuse me
Huh?
Do you know where the supervisor is?
I don't know
I'm a lady from the Royal Kitchen If he isn't here, what should I do?
You can stay in the ladies' residence up there
Wait. Aren't you a worker here?
I am
Why is no one working in the fields
and the fields are a mess?
Work? What work? The only work here is killing time
Then when can I see the manager?
I haven't seen him for 3 months...
He comes from time to time but he's got nothing to do here anyway
Hello?
Hello? Hello?
You wretch!
You wretch! Get up right now!
What the...!
Why you...
Even though I haven't gone through the ceremony, I'm a court lady
How come you're a laborer and you only drink every day?!
Get up and start working now!
Grab this hoe and get up!
Pull all the weeds out first!
Why you... Those are herbs!
You told me to pull them out
This is bupleurum falcatum Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg
This is lycoris radiata! And this is...
It's Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage?
It's good for inflammation of internal organs
It clears the mind and it's good for constipation
and it's perfect for quenching thirst after a day of drinking
For quenching thirst...
Why you...!
Pull all the weeds out and gather all the workers here by two!
Got it?!
Hey... hey... what's wrong?
Hello! Please help! Help! Please come quickly!
Hey... Hey... She fainted
Bring my acupuncture box
What are you doing? Bring it right now!
Where...?
It's in that medicine storehouse. Hurry!
Vomit it out...
Slap her back. Now!
Move your hands
You can stop now. Get her inside
And boil some beans and give her the drink
Is he the doctor?
Huh? He's the supervisor here
Huh?
I didn't know you were the supervisor Please forgive my rudeness
Then will you listen to me from now?
Yes, go ahead and speak
Don't do anything
Huh?
Don't walk around as if there's hope in this place
Either sleep or drink all day Just don't do anything
Don't do anything
Don't walk around as if there's hope in this place
Either sleep or drink all day Just don't do anything
Lt. General, how is your arm?
It's getting better I'm sorry for making you worry
You're working so hard training Royal Guards
and doing special tasks when you're not on shift
Not at all
So did you find them?
One of the captives said there were 5 spies sent to sketch...
the map of the capital and palace But we only caught 3 so far
We can't relax until we catch the remaining two
The enemies have come in as far as inner Jeolla-Do
It's strange
Yes
But don't overwork yourself
and start when you've completely recovered
Yes, sir Bye
Sir
So did you find her?
We've searched all over for the woman matching the description
but we couldn't find her anywhere
The Royal Food Services has called to pick up the seeds
Those darn, useless seeds
I'll be back
It's 25, right?
Yes, sir
We can relax if your wife's here with you
What do you mean?
You always give her less than what you receive...
from us... making us look bad
How could I do that, sir?
Duk-Gu
Jang-Geum! My heart crumbled when I heard you were sent to the garden
Talk outside later... So where are you from?
I'm from the herb garden...
Herb garden... I don't know why they keep sending these...
to that place when they never succeed
Sir, we'll have a drink later
Let's go
How's your health?
Fine
Is everyday life OK for you?
Yes
Sleeping fine?
Eating well?
Why did you ever want to come into the palace?
You'd be happily married by now if you hadn't come
Did you happen to hear anything about the Royal Kitchen?
I do meet kitchen ladies from time to time
How are they doing?
They're doing fine
I heard they have a competition in 3 months or something
So they're busy learning to cook now
They said they have a competition in 3 months?
That's what they said
Forget it. That's the best policy
It's only one life either way
Who has lived twice? Who?
There's no such person
...last night, I was breathless
Let's eat
Is this all?
I just brought what I received
There should be 25. This is it?
Really? Are you sure?
Now you don't even bother to give any excuses
Now you don't give a care?!
OK, OK, I'll tell you! I wasn't going to say this
but I met Jang-Geum at the Food Services
Really?
She's so thin and seemed very weak
So I gave it to her to buy rice cakes
Really... she seemed that pitiful?
If wind blew, she could've flown away
Why did she ever enter the palace in the first place?
I know... why did she? Why?!
Yes, I know, why... And you think I'd be fooled like this?!
Here! Here! It's here! It's coming out!
Who do you think you're trying to fool?
Please take a look at these Are these aquilaria agallocha seeds?
Yes, it seems so...
Please take a look at this Are these agastache seeds?
No
Then are these it?
Yes, that's right
Take a look at these, too Are these astragalus seeds?
Yes, that's correct
Hey! What are you doing? I told you not to do anything!
I can't do that
What? You can't do that?
No
How come?
You and I are being paid to do the work for the country
and if I don't even do this, I'd go crazy
Though you may find comfort in hopelessness, I can't
I must find some hope by growing herbs or grass!
So it's "I'm nuts, so don't you tell me what to do"
I was like her at first At the beginning
I was planting seeds and watering them like a mad man
That's right! I remember!
Lady Lee from the King's Palace committed suicide!
Then, shall we make a bet on how many days she'll last?
That sounds good!
How about two bowls of rice wine?
Two bowls of rice wine? OK You're the witness
Sure
Atractycodes rhizome only grows in mountains and the roots
are used for diarrhea Dodder seeds only grow
in the middle of bean fields and are used to quench thirst
Scallion is used for bronchitis, bowel problems, and rhinosinusitis
But it's dangerous to use it with honey?
OK, so you shouldn't use it with honey
Astragalus grows in plains and fields
and all parts of the herb are good for the body
She's been going at it some time
It's because she's still young
She won't last a month, so just wait and see
I think she'll last longer
Anyway, if you lose, you have to buy the rice wine!
Is there any other way to plant the seeds other than to cover with dirt?
There are many ways. You can throw them in a line on the ridges
Or you can throw them on the furrows
and you can just throw them or cover some dirt
or a lot of dirt...
That's weird, then how come they always scattered them all these years?
That's probably how Ming Chinese have done it
What is it anyway?
Astragalus seeds
We've been trying it for 20 years and it doesn't grow here!
It'd be good if we can grow it here Astragalus is used in all types
of medicines because it's good for your body in and out!
Why don't you be a doctor, then?
Everyone knows what astragalus root is because of what happened
What happened?
People thought sophora flower was astragalus
so they put that in their medicine
An envoy went to Ming China during Yeonsan-Kun era
and he told the people that it wasn't astragalus
so they couldn't put in sophora, and since we don't know...
how to grow astragalus, the price kept going up
So how would it be to know its efficacy
and yet not be able to purchase it?
It's that expensive?
Of course! The price is whatever the seller wants
Then we should grow it here
Like I said, we've been trying it for 20 years and it doesn't grow!
Then I'll use this
Use what?
Use it as my goal. I'll set my goal to grow this astragalus herb
Why?
You said it's hard
What is she saying?
Wait!
What is it?
Aren't those astragalus sprouts?!
Here too!
Over here too!
Nice! It's something to celebrate...
Where should I pull out the weeds?
And where should I?
This has always failed Where should I plant these?
Can I get one or two of these...?
And I'll get this crooked one!
Food Services had extra seeds, so I brought them here
And a kitchen lady gave me this to hand to you
when I told her I am from the herb garden
Jang-Geum, how are you? We're all doing fine
I'm begging the Highest Lady to bring you back, so just wait
Everyone is busy preparing for the competition
Dried seaweed should have big leaves and darker ones are better
And it shouldn't become soft too easily in water
Cucumbers should have a rough skin, be dark and shiny
I'm not sure what will happen to you, but I'm sending you my notes
so don't give up and keep practicing what you learn
Male octopus has softer skin and tastes better
If the sucking-disks on the legs are in an orderly fashion
then it's a male, if not, it's a female
You can tell a clam's freshness if you hold one in each hand
and strike them together and it makes a clear sound
An eggplant's tip should be sharp
Ma'am! Ma'am! There's trouble!
Just look at these!
What wretch did this?!
I know, if I catch this wretch...!
Even though we're outside of the palace
people can't just come in from outside...
Are you saying that we did this?!
No, I don't mean that...
It's the same thing!
Now that I think about it, I think you might be a suspect!
Men leave here after work Only you and the Lady remain here
And of course, Lady couldn't have done this!
What?! Then are you saying I did this?!
Stop it!
That's enough. You shouldn't be suspicious of each other
It was probably an animal
But it doesn't seem like an animal did it
I know! Shouldn't we tell the guards and have them catch this wretch?!
Why are you looking at me again?!
When did I ever look at you?!
That's enough We can plant the seeds again
What are we going to do now?
What are you doing here?
I thought it was strange so I was checking
And what are you doing here? You should be outside the palace now
I came because I was curious too
Sir... who is it?
It's you?
Why did you do it? Tell us why you did it!
After 10 years, you should know better...
what kind of herbs they are and how important they are
So why did you do it?
That's enough He's determined not to speak
so I'll tell the manager tomorrow and send him to the police
You go and get some rest
You can leave now
Why did you do it? Tell me
I know what hardships your family is suffering
But you were so selfish...
Why did you do it?
I've done a terrible thing against you and the Lady
And?
I was going to be merciful if you told me the reason
but you leave me with no choice but to turn you in
OK, I'll take care of it, so you can go back now
Sir, the court has been looking forward to growing this herb
With such an important herb, he should be turned over...
to the police for further investigation
I said I got it...
And I couldn't report it last time because it was all raked over
but Lady Jang-Geum had succeeded in growing astragalus
We ought to report this to the court quickly
How long have you been in the herb garden?
A little over 1 year now
They were able to grow astragalus from time to time
but they couldn't grow it any further due to insects or they just rotted
If we make a report now and you can't succeed later
what do you expect me to do?
Report when they grow more!
Sure
And how come you didn't go out of the palace until that time
and stayed 'til the time when only ladies are inside?
Huh?
According to the law, all men without night-shift jobs
must leave the palace at sunset, so why did you...
stay there even though it may be a herb garden?
I'll let this go this time but don't ever let it happen again!
Do you understand?
Yes
You can go back now!
Sir
What happened? Did you turn him in to the police?
The manager will do that. And I guess we'll find the reason later
And Food Services said more seeds came in, so you can pick them up
Sure
Are you doing well?
Yes
You must be busy preparing for the competition
I'm sorry
You don't need to be
Oh, I'm practicing for it with the notes that Yeun-Seng sent me
How can you chat so long when you're working for the court?
I'm done now, so let's go
Yeun-Seng gave me this just in case I met you
Keep it up
You're the supervisor, right?
Yes, and?
The Manager wants to see you
Go ahead and drink first
If you have received it, you should drink it
The whole court knows that you have high tolerance
I'm sorry about raising my voice last time
I'll just get to the point
Just pretend nothing has happened
If you tell people, you and I can get kicked out
and get in trouble Do you understand what I'm saying?
We can't do anything about what our superiors are doing
And what does it matter to us
if we succeed in growing one useless herb? Isn't that so?
But, it's something that doesn't grow in Korea so it's very expensive
and it's bought from Ming, but used widely in medicine
Do you want to be framed as having been intimate...
with a lady in the herb garden and get kicked out?
So don't concern yourself with this anymore
and just continue drinking all day I'll pay you for this. Understand?
Did he understand?
Yes, there should be no problems Besides...
he lost his desire and temper, so you don't have to worry
Is that so?
But does it affect Sir Oh Kyum-Ho that much
if the court succeeds in growing astragalus herb?
Didn't you know? Except for the small amounts...
coming through China, the rest of trade...
is monopolized by Merchant Choi Pan-Sul
And how is that related to Sir Oh Kyum-Ho?
If Sir Oh does a little to help Choi keep his monopoly
then Choi earns the money and supports Sir Oh
So if astragalus herb starts to grow in this country
all that money would disappear immediately
Yes
So whoever comes to the herb garden, you take care of things well there
and soon enough, good things should happen to you
Sure
Sir! Sir!
I'm fine
Sir! It's big trouble! Someone took all of the seedlings this time!
What? That's me!
Excuse me?
Who's the supervisor Jung Woon-Baek?!
That's me
Arrest him now!
What is it?
Someone told us that he sold astragalus seedlings
from the court and sold them outside the palace!
What?! Sir!
That's me, I said
But is it true that you were successful with astragalus?
Yes, that's true, but how could supervisor Jung...?!
Let's go! Yes, sir!
Sir! Sir!
Is it true that you sold astragalus seedlings?
Yes
And you spread the rumor that an official...
in the herb garden was selling them?
I think so...
You think so?
I was so happy, and after a few drinks...
Then you really succeeded in growing the astragalus?!
Yes. A new girl from the royal kitchen
tried different things and she succeeded
What a wicked man you are! If that's the case
you should've told the court immediately to benefit the people!
How can a king's servant smuggle out the court's property?!
Well, the manager wouldn't even take a look at it
and nothing happened to the person who was caught raking it all up
so I sold them. That way, it would spread faster...
throughout the country
Jin, what is he saying?
Did you know that he had succeeded with astragalus?
How come there's no answer? Did you or did you not know?!
I will not overlook this negligence of duty of yours!
Just what were you doing?!
I'm sorry. Jin told me there was nothing to worry about
I heard he was kicked out of the pharmacy
because of a drinking problem so how could I threaten him?
The court has already found out so we can't do anything...
about astragalus... Give it up and try to find another way
Sure
Just make sure our names don't come up
by managing Jin well!
Yes, sir
So how did you do it?
Since it only grew in deep mountains, I figured that...
it wouldn't grow well with too much light or too much water
I've written down other details
Good work. People have been crying out for a long time
because of its high prices but you have helped us a great deal
We have reported this to our superiors
so you can expect good things to happen soon
But, sir...
Yes, what is it?
What has happened to the supervisor?
I'm not sure...
Sir! Sir!
Why did you do it? Was it because...
the manager didn't do his job?
Then you should've reported it to the police
I heard you went around the stores...
giving the seedlings and yelling for drinks
How come you know what I did while I was drunk better than I do?
Sir, if you keep that up, you'd be kicked out of this place, too
I heard your payment was lowered because of this
You worry too much
Sir!
Stop looking at me Turn around and look...
I think she came to see you
Jang-Geum!
Yeun-Seng!
Jang-Geum, you... you...
can come back...
Don't you get it?