Jang Ok Jung, Living in Love
Do you remember what I said before?
When someone spits on you, it's better to leave it until it dries out.
It feels like it was just yesterday when I said it...
But now the spit is all dried out, so I've returned.
If you'd so wish for my bow, then I will give it to you.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
My prediction came true.
When the favor of His Majesty ends, compliments will come back as misfortunes.
For me, His Majesty's compliments didn't come back as misfortunes.
I'm just leaving the Queen's quarter and going to Chwi Seon Dang.
You're not getting demoted to a commoner...
but going to Chwi Seon Dang?
Yes, although I've been removed from the seat of the Queen...
I haven't been demoted to a commoner.
There is something else that's different from you.
You were kicked out because of His Favor towards Jang Ok Jung...
but I am leaving to protect the love of His Majesty.
I should return to Chwi Seon Dang now.
Queen Majesty... congratulations on your restoration.
Father, thanks to your tears of blood, I've been able to come back to the Queen's quarter.
Now you can stand tall as the father-in-law again.
Mother, as I promised you, I can protect the pride of the royal family.
Now I will never have this seat stolen from me again.
I know very well that that is my duty.
Congratulations, Queen Majesty.
Now you can display your dignity from the Queen's quarter again.
Queen Majesty... I think it's better to tell the royal doctor...
No, don't.
To be back in Chwi Seon Dang as the mother of the Crowned Prince!
This is unfair, Queen Majesty!
No. I came to Chwi Seon Dang when I became Suk Won...
Then I became Hee Bin and gave birth to my Yoon...
And I even became the Queen.
I've shared all my glory in this place.
And above all, Chwi Seon Dang is a gift from His Majesty...
So I can start again here.
Let's go inside.
Chwi Seon Dang is the place for us, so I can't let you go in alone.
Your Majesty!
You should take the first step into Chwi Seon Dang with me.
Let's go in like we used to.
Together.
You have to get through this...
then good times will return.
Your Majesty, please don't worry.
I am Jang Ok Jung.
I've never dropped the weapon of 'hope' from my hands.
As long as I have Your Majesty and our Yoon, I can get through any hardship.
Jang Ok Jung...
After pulling her down from the Queen's seat...
I thought she would be demoted and dismissed out of the palace...
but she became Hee Bin and went to Chwi Seon Dang?
That's how kings are.
Even if they abandon something, they'll never give it away.
Sometimes, they'd rather kill it.
Now what do you plan to do?
Well...
Even after changing the mother of this country, I have nothing on my hands.
I heard you received a message from Master Jin in China.
Now that you got the head of Jang Hyun which you came for...
you can go back to China now.
Another letter from the Elders Party to execute Jang Hee Jae.
Forgive me, Your Majesty, if the execution of Jang Hee Jae is delayed, from here forth...
That's the opinion of the Elders Party.
I believe the Young Party has a different opinion.
Jang Hee Jae is the uncle of the Crowned Prince who will succeed the throne.
I believe we should avoid executing him at the least.
But Your Majesty, Jang Hee Jae tried to harm a royal concubine in the palace.
Unless we correct this...
Your Majesty, Lord Min has passed away.
Queen Majesty, you live up to the title as the daughter of Min Yoo Joong.
Please establish the pride of the royal family in the palace.
Were you able to say goodbye to Lord Min?
Thanks to your grace as deep as the ocean, everything went well.
Lord Min was the only politician who kept me on my toes.
Thanks to him, I was able to grow a lot as a politician.
Thank you for your words.
Maybe that's why I always had to distance myself from you.
'I can't even let her know of my heartbeat...'
That's what I thought.
Was I such a difficult person to you?
Of course, you're the daughter of the mighty Min Yoo Joong.
Your Majesty, I'll pour you a drink one last time as the daughter of Min Yoo Joong.
After that, please consider me just as an ordinary woman and treat me that way.
An ordinary woman...
No...
Being the Queen of authority suits you the best.
In this condition, the clinic can exist in name only.
Private pharmacies opened everywhere and created competition...
So we are also experiencing a lack of medicine.
Let's keep thinking about solutions.
Since the clinic is the place where the poor people can get treated for free...
- I will never give it up. - Yes, Your Majesty.
By the way, I hear the protest requesting the execution of Jang Hee Jae is continuing.
That's right. With the issue of handling Jang Hee Jae...
Even the Western Party is arguing, after being divided into the Elders and the Young.
How will you handle it?
If I decide to execute Jang Hee Jae and give him away as they want...
Then the next arrow will...
point to Hee Bin.
I'm sure they'll come after her like wild dogs.
And after that, the arrow might point to the Crowned Prince whose mother is Hee Bin.
That's right. That's why I can't rush through Jang Hee Jae's execution.
The moment I decide on the execution of Jang Hee Jae...
the future control of the court between the Elders and the Young will be determined.
Plus, the statuses of Hee Bin and Suk Won could change.
There is nothing more risky than the issue of Jang Hee Jae in the court right now.
Queen Majesty, do you like him that much?
To be honest, you didn't even give birth to him.
Lady Suk Won!
Isn't that so? He's from Hee Bin who put the Queen Majesty through so much trouble...
Watch what you say.
Even though he's young, he can still hear.
Is His Majesty kind to you these days?
I heard His Majesty called you into his bedroom.
Why are you curious about that?
It's not that I'm curious...
It's just that the most important thing in a couple is love.
So I hope Your Majesty becomes happy with him soon.
Then you'll get pregnant and produce an heir.
If not, I'm happy to give birth to a son for you.
Your Majesty, then you'll raise my son as well, will you not?
Your... son...
Yes, my son would of course be your son as well.
Though he might not be the Crowned Prince...
he'll at least make it as the brother to be the next in line.
Watch your words, Suk Won. Brother to be the next in line?
Queen Majesty, what's wrong?
I'm fine.
Suk Won, please leave.
I didn't get much sleep last night, so I must be tired...
Does Queen Majesty have frequent chest pains?
Lady Hee Bin... I didn't know I would be saying this again.
Neither did I.
I tried so hard not to slide off from the roof with no dragon...
But I feel relieved now that I've let go.
Are you enduring through it?
Yes, except for the fact that I miss my Yoon.
Once the issue of Hee Jae can be resolved well...
I'll have no more wishes left.
I also looked into the matter of Jang Hee Jae...
and I believe he was trapped.
He was trapped?
It's true that he added poison...
but the one who led him there was probably Choi Suk Won or Kim Man Gi's gang.
Now that I think about it, there was something strange.
Hee Jae added poison after he heard Choi Suk Won became pregnant...
But Choi Suk Won didn't hesitate to drink it.
If she was pregnant, she'd never have drunk it.
That's true. If she drank it without knowing about the poison...
then the Western Party would be causing a commotion about her miscarriage
and blowing up the whole incident. Instead, they're keeping quiet...
There was no miscarriage, so there was no pregnancy either.
- Maybe... - His Majesty also told me something.
Accepting a concubine is not the result of being tricked by the Western Party...
he was just appearing to accept her.
Also, he meant to warn the Southern Party not to be lazy with the Queen on their back.
That's what he told me.
Prince Dongpyung...
Maybe...
Are you really not feeling well?
I'm fine. But about Suk Won...
In the processing of getting Jang Hee Jae involved...
she even endured taking poison herself?
That's what I heard.
I took her in thinking that she was a little fox...
but maybe she's a little tiger.
Your Majesty...
I guess it's my fate to be pushed around by the concubines.
Let's talk.
You'll have to go through Chwi Seon Dang to get to the Queen's quarter...
It's your goal to surpass me, is it not?
Now that I have the rare chance to come into this fox's cave...
I'm trying to remember everything I see.
I was just asking, but you really mean it.
What to do... the Queen Majesty is raising a little tiger, not a little fox.
Is there a woman in the palace who doesn't have that thought?
Well... there are plenty of court maids who don't look up the tree they can't climb.
The ones who focus on their duties.
I'm also focusing on my duties...
as a concubine serving His Majesty.
Yes, the best of serving His Majesty is to produce an heir.
That's true...
But that responsibility lies not only on concubines...
it's also very important for the Queen Majesty.
However, she's not fulfilling it.
How dare a lowly concubine speak of the Queen Majesty's responsibility?
It's not for you to make any judgments.
By the way... what lies in your future, Lady Hee Bin?
There isn't a solid retainer left in the court to support you...
I have two suns I can rely on in the palace without any retainers.
His Majesty and my Crowned Prince Yoon.
Would that compare to the lowly power of Kim Man Gi?
His Majesty really wants to see more children as cute as bunnies grow in Chwi Seon Dang...
Children as cute as bunnies?
Something you can't even dare to dream about.
Who can know the future?
You're asking me how I know?
The position of the concubine is determined by the favor of His Majesty.
But Suk Won, your position didn't start with the favor of His Majesty...
it started from a political position.
That's what happened, since there was no grace from His Majesty.
So of course there was no pregnancy.
If you're that curious, why don't you ask His Majesty yourself?
I plan on it.
If you're done with your tea, you may leave.
Your Majesty!
Court Lady Hong, take the Crowned Prince to Hee Bin for a while.
Queen Majesty, you don't have to do that much for her...
They're bound by heaven...
They should see each other once in a while at least.
Yoon!
It's Her Majesty's consideration as deep as the ocean.
Thank you.
I'm sure Yoon's mother is very grateful.
And I thank you, too.
Do you want to take a walk?
A wise man should be careful of sexual desires in the early age...
fighting in the middle age, and material possessions in the late age.
Does any of these apply to Your Majesty?
Well, I've had fights since my childhood that's to be watched in my middle age...
But you've always won the fights.
Did it appear that way?
But the fight with Lord Min was always a struggle.
Oh dear...
Queen, what's wrong?
Queen!
Bring the doctor now!
Queen!
The pain was too much to bear, so I treated her to fall asleep.
What was her illness?
She has had an illness for a long time...
But it became worse all of a sudden.
Actually, it's been a while.
Since she came back to the palace, she's been sick.
She's been treated with herbal tonic so far...
But...
It is my fault.
Get rid of all the businesses I started in Joseon.
I'm leaving for China.
Although you failed at getting her out of the palace after her dethronement...
you'll get rid of all the businesses and take off? There is a lot going on.
Well done!
Got it!
Ball, please.
Yoon!
Doctor, call the doctor!
Your Majesty, even for the Crowned Prince...
Please don't go near the highly contagious smallpox...
How ludicrous! My son is in critical condition!
Get out of my way!
How is he? Is it really smallpox?
Forgive me, but I suspect it's the early stages of smallpox...
Then it's contagious...
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
In the past, I lost Queen Inkyung to the same disease...
The same horror wouldn't happen to my Crowned Prince, would it?
I can only do my best to treat him.
What do you need to do?
First, we have to lower his fever.
There was already an incident at the Queen's quarter...
Why so many misfortunes in the palace?
Queen Majesty is not feeling well either?
I heard that the Crowned Prince has smallpox.
My goodness.
Not just the Crowned Prince. I heard the Queen Majesty is doing worse.
Her anger has been expanding for so long, it's now pressing her heart.
So many misfortunes in the palace...
Are you the best shaman in Joseon?
The one who received the power from the teller of the palace...
Someone is about to die.
What do you mean, a person is dying?
Someone will die in the palace.
A very precious one indeed.
It can't be... the Crowned Prince?
The Crowned Prince or not, if prayer is too late, life will cross to the other side.
If prayer gets through, he'll be fine?
Tell her now.
If the bad luck is not resolved through an offering soon...
no one's life is guaranteed.
Your Majesty, our Yoon will wake up, right?
Of course, he will definitely wake up.
It took so long for him to come to us.
He won't just leave us.
I feel so desperate, I'd even hold an offering.
Lady Hee Bin, I'm telling you just in case...
that can never happen.
Prince Dongpyung.
The late Queen Mother became very ill after holding an offering...
so His Majesty wouldn't stand it.
And holding an offering in the palace of Joseon, the country of Confucianism, is forbidden.
It could also become a major issue in the court.
I didn't know it was so frowned upon.
I understand.
Your Majesty...
Mother, did you look into any remedies for smallpox?
I hear there is nothing better than an offering.
An offering?
Yes, I've gone to a few extraordinary shamans for the matter of Hee Jae...
And I met one who's the best in removing smallpox.
The one who inherited the power from the teller of the palace when she died.
But she said such horrifying words...
What did she say?
I'm sure she wasn't talking about the Crowned Prince...
but she said someone would die.
A very precious person.
Mother... how can you say something so frightening...
I'm sure she wasn't talking about our Crowned Prince, so please don't worry.
Yoon...
Yoon!
Yoon is getting worse? What were you doing, Doctor?
He was getting better until this morning...
Then all of a sudden...
Hee Bin, you have to get stronger in times like this.
If the mother falls apart, who's going to protect Yoon?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I'm sorry... to show you my weak side.
- Court Lady Eom. - Yes, Lady Hee Bin.
Call in my Mother.
Along with the shaman.
Will you be alright? Prince Dongpyung said before...
What's more urgent than the life of my Yoon in this world?
I'll even jump into fire if I have to.
I understand, Lady Hee Bin.
Who's there?
- Well well, it's Court Lady Eom. - Yes, Lady Suk Won.
Who would this be...?
The Mother of Lady Hee Bin is visiting.
And that person is...?
She's a relative of Lady Hee Bin, coming for a chat...
Well then.
Follow them.
Yes, Ma'am.
I hear you do wonders in chasing out smallpox.
Would the Crowned Prince get better?
From what I can see...
the Crowned Prince has bad luck.
Bad luck? What do you mean?
You have to set up an altar and pray and hold an offering.
An offering?
There is a queen who died from smallpox in the palace.
Queen Inkyung died from smallpox...
Then wrap a piece of paper with silk...
write the name of the smallpox ghost on it and insert it in the wall...
Offer wine and fruits and pray to Queen Inkyung.
- Is that all it takes? - Of course.
He'll get through the smallpox with no problem.
Mother, what should I do?
Not just the retainers of the court...
but His Majesty can't bear to stand anything to do with shamans.
Ma'am, you have to stay strong.
Although they're shaman's words...
what is there to hesitate over when the Crowned Prince is in critical condition?
If I do that, will my Crowned Prince really recover?
Yes, if you just do that, he'll definitely greet wealth and luck from heaven.
I see, I will do that. Tell me what I need to prepare.
[Chwi Seon Dang]
[Queen Inkyung]
You have to pray, too.
Queen Majesty!
Queen Majesty...
Doctor, doctor! Queen Majesty...
Time to take your medicine.
Yoon!
Yoon's fingers moved!
Did they really?
The pulse has stabilized.
The fever's down and the blisters have burst...
He's improved a lot.
He has?
- Congratulations! - Yoon!
It seems that he's over the critical stage now, Your Majesty, Lady Hee Bin.
Good job. Well done.
Yoon...
Your hair looks shiny and full after washing it with hemp seed oil.
Jang Hee Bin always uses this for washing her hair?
Yes, Ma'am.
If something happens to the Queen Majesty, does Lady Hee Bin become the Queen again?
Then what about Lady Suk Won?
There are more supporters for Lady Suk Won in the court now.
Ma'am, Lord Jo Sa Seok is here to see you.
Lord Jo Sa Seok?
Let him in.
What brings you here?
Ma'am, I hear Queen Min is gravely ill.
Yes, that's what I hear.
Then this could be our last chance.
When the Queen's quarter becomes empty, there are only two options.
Select among the concubines...
or select a new one.
But the Elders Party is powerful in the court now...
so Suk Won won't sit back and watch.
Her ambition surpasses that of mine.
The Young Party that supported our Crowned Prince...
and opposed the execution of Lord Jang Hee Jae...
They will support you, My Lady.
To be honest, I only think about the safety of my Crowned Prince now.
Ma'am!
If something goes wrong with the Queen Majesty, what happens to the seat?
In most cases... there will be a process to select a new one.
Any chance... for a concubine to rise?
What is it?
If that happens, it's more likely the mother of the Crowned Prince from Chwi Seon Dang...
But that cannot happen!
Of course not.
If Hee Bin rises to the Queen's quarter, I'm as good as dead.
Then, any plans?
You think I only have plans?
I even have proof.
Your Majesty, it's time to retire.
I blamed the Queen...
and I hurt her. Those memories are going through my mind.
But that wasn't how you really felt.
You made the decision as the King.
As the King...
Decisions as the King, the one I always use as justification...
If I think about how many people I've hurt with that justification...
I can't even count all of them.
That's the destiny of the King.
To start the suspicion from the closest one and to eliminate from the closest one.
If... I was born to some poor commoner...
And could live the life of an ordinary man...
I'd have been so much happier.
You probably couldn't have endured it.
Your Majesty was the King from the moment you were born...
and accomplished many things that were impossible as a commoner.
And now, you even desire the humble life of an ordinary man?
When you already have so much?
Even if it rains gold from the sky...
a man's greed cannot be fulfilled.
Your words comfort me, Uncle.
Your Majesty, I got a message that the Queen Majesty is in critical condition.
Please hurry in to the Queen's quarter.
She's waiting for you.
Do you remember... a long time ago?
The day I saw you for the first time...
Yes, Queen Majesty.
You said that...
you wanted to make dresses that would invite the love of men.
I didn't know what that meant then.
But the moment I saw His Majesty, I realized...
what that meant.
But I couldn't turn back.
It was hate at first sight.
This is a secret... even to His Majesty.
That's not true.
I'm sure His Majesty never hated you.
With the justification of strengthening the royal power...
he gave both of us wounds and kindness.
I was scared of His Majesty for such an action...
but I also felt bad for him.
And I tried my hardest to come back to the Queen's quarter.
If I got back the seat of the Queen...
I thought I would be happy.
Sure, it comforted me...
my family was re-established...
and I was able to keep my pride as the Queen.
So now, you're the one and only mother of Joseon.
If you didn't exist, I thought His Majesty would love me.
But we had different paths to take from the beginning.
That's not true.
No one knows their path until she walks on it...
The path you walked on was a great one.
It was the best path in Joseon for a woman.
My family that I had to carry to the end...
Watching the King suffer because of my father...
always pained me.
And I wanted to protect him.
Now, please protect him to the end.
He's gone through a lot.
If there is another life in the future...
Why don't we walk the same path hand-in-hand?
Queen.
I'm here.
You are...
I was worried that you wouldn't come...
since you've never liked me...
So then, you have to get better, even if it's out of anger.
Even if I get better...
would I be able to get noticed by you?
Queen...
You're finally holding my hand...
I've been waiting for a very long time.
Your Majesty's hand...
I didn't know it would be so warm.
Just like how you were to me...
I thought it would be ice cold.
I've been... very sorry.
I made you suffer...
and I hurt you...
I'd like to tell you something.
What is it?
I thought of the first time I met you a long time ago.
I didn't want to become the Queen then...
I wanted to be loved by one man.
But the burden of my family was too heavy...
and the pride of being the daughter of the best family was too big.
So I didn't get to say it to the end...
I just circled around Your Majesty.
Queen...
You were the best mother that Joseon has ever had.
You can't tell a lie to the end...
Jang Ok Jung was a woman...
Min Yoo Joong's daughter was the Queen.
If... I could go back to the beginning...
I would never choose you.
It hurt too much...
and I was so lonely...
But the time I spent as the mother of Joseon next to Your Majesty...
I accepted it the moment I chose you...
so I don't regret it at all.
The royal wedding was determined regardless of Your Majesty's opinion.
Please let me find her for you as the Queen after the royal wedding.
Don't blame me too much.
I needed this title to love His Majesty all I wanted.
Clear the way! The Queen Majesty is arriving!
The seat of the Queen that I take...
has to be sacred without any trace of resentment from anyone.
Queen Majesty!
My cute Crowned Prince, I will carry you.
But you're not feeling well...
I'm still strong enough to carry a child.
Because I'm his mother.
Queen Min passed away...
Then it's a heaven-sent chance for my Lady Hee Bin.
Those in the Elders Party are not that easy.
Besides, it's the party that insists on executing you!
They're powerful, but the Young Party is helping Lady Hee Bin and the Crowned Prince!
But the direction of the court now is...
shaking with the issue of the Queen's seat.
So let's endure it a little longer.
Of course.
If my Lady Hee Bin can get back the Queen's seat...
I'll even sacrifice my life if that's what it takes.
Have you heard, Court Lady Hong?
There are people who want to get Hee Bin back to the Queen's seat in the court.
That absolutely cannot happen.
The Queen Mother and the Queen Majesty...
They died shedding tears of blood because of a certain someone.
Have you... seen something like this?
This is...
used for casting a curse in the palace.
Why do you have such a horrible thing with you?
It's not mine. It's Hee Bin's.
It was found in the altar in the west side of Chwi Seon Dang.
Then what would this mean?
I'm sure she put a curse on the Queen Majesty with this horrible thing.
Please relieve the resentment of my Queen Majesty.
Of course I should.
But the timing is important...
So I'm waiting for the right time.
I might need your help, too.
I'll help with whatever I can do, Lady Suk Won.
Court Lady Eom, we should clean out the altar.
There was too much going on to remove this.
Yes, Lady Hee Bin.
His Majesty told me not to do anything to give them any excuses.
If the retainers find out that I set up an altar in the palace...
they might corner His Majesty again.
Yes Ma'am, I already called in the maids.
Well done.
Prepare the tomb of Queen Inhyeon next to the tomb of Queen Inkyung...
and call it Myung Reung.
I receive your command, Your Majesty.
What's next?
Your Majesty, I have something to report before that.
Report? What is it?
I have to call in the person who will make the report...
May I have her come in?
And what might that be?
Let her in.
Ask her in.
Choi Suk Won, what brings you to the main hall?
Lady Choi Suk Won has something to report about Lady Hee Bin.
- Choi Suk Won does? - That's right.
Please go ahead, Lady Suk Won.
Lady Hee Bin set up an altar and put a curse on the late Queen Majesty...
and I have the proof.
So I'm reporting Jang Hee Bin for the crimes of cursing and jealousy, Your Majesty.
What? Report for the crimes of cursing and jealousy?
Did you just say to kill her?
- That's what we agreed on. - Please consider, Your Majesty!
This was the late Queen Majesty's favorite ornament.
Wouldn't we even be able to get rid of the Crowned Prince with this?
Ask Ok Jung to kill herself?
Please do something!
Even in the corner of a cul de sac, there is a way to survive.
I will open that way for you, Jang Ok Jung.