Cruel Palace
Episode 30
Bitch...
Why is it so cold?
You can try all you want but nothing will change who you are.
Is that so?
You should put down your greed now.
When I become Queen...
You... I will kill you first.
Go ahead...
Lady Gui In.
Your Highness...
I am not questioning the royal traditions.
In a situation where we do not fully understand how our father passed away
I do not believe it is right to mourn his death so soon.
Are you saying you'll push me out and become King?
Why would Prince So Hyun possibly lead a revolt?
Father! How could I possibly--
Don't come near me!
I will kill you all!
Don't come near me! Don't come near me!
Stop right there! I will kill you all!
Your Highness!
Your Highness, we must bring the Prince back here.
We must bring him back and reveal exactly how he died!
They moved Prince because they have something to hide!
Where did they move Prince So Hyun to?
I was told Jang Kyung Palace.
All the roads to Jang Kyung Palace have been blocked off.
If they decide to proceed with funeral ceremonies tonight--
We will never be able to find out how the Crown Prince died!
Your Highness, I will take the lead.
Us five will do whatever it takes to open up the roads so you--
You must refrain Your Highness.
You should not get involved uncle!
You have to think of Prince Suk Chul!
There is nothing we can do about a man that's already left us.
We can wait until Suk Chul has been crowned to closely inspect Prince So Hyun's body.
He is right.
Everyone please leave now.
Your Highness!
Let's do that.
The Chinese envoy has arrived anyways
so the King will have to be clear as to how the Prince died.
Anyone can tell you that his sudden death was caused by poison.
What do you mean poisoned to death? Be careful what you say!
Your Highness!
I also suspected such a thing and closely inspected the Prince's body.
The Prince died in peace.
How can you say poison?
Welcome Lord Kim.
Did you get the Prince here safely?
Yes, Lord Kim.
Would you like to take a look?
He was bleeding from every open pore on his body
so I cleaned it all up
and closed off the holes with cotton.
You must not let anyone in here without my permission.
Yes, Lord Kim.
Uncle, please take the lead and rush the crowning of the prince.
Do not worry about that.
It is only right that Suk Chul is crowned
so His Highness will not be able to say otherwise.
His Highness couldn't have done it.
There's no way... He wouldn't...
His Highness wouldn't have possibly cut ties with his son.
He didn't.
Right?
That's the most painful.
The fact I keep suspecting His Highness...
The Princess said that there's no way His Highness was behind it?
Yes, Lady Gui In.
Okay. You can leave now.
You see!
I told you the Princess wouldn't believe His Highness did it.
And if that happens--
Prince Suk Chul will be crowned.
If that happens a storm will one day blow through the palace.
Indeed.
If His Highness is killed
and Prince Suk Chul becomes King
then he will try to unveil exactly how his father died.
Then everyone will die.
Father
Yes?
Hurry.
Before Prince Suk Chul is crowned
I must become Queen.
That way if the King dies I can at least be the Queen Mother
and once that happens the Princess will not be able to kill me.
You must make my mother your wife in order for me to become Queen.
That way I can live and so can you.
Why won't you say anything?
Yes Lady Gui In.
- The Princess? - Yes Your Highness.
She closely inspected the Prince's body?
Yes Your Highness.
She was unable to find any traces of poisoning
and said the Prince died in peace.
Really?
Yes Your Highness.
That means that the Princess was suspicious of me!
Your Highness
Even if I did hate my child!
If you hurry and crown Prince Suk Chul
everything will quiet down.
Please accept the Princess's wish Your Highness.
Right now is not the time for such a thing.
You must make the Princess promise you Your Highness.
I am telling you to make her promise that she will not question you
later on surrounding Prince So Hyun's death.
Why make her promise?
What connection are you saying that I have to the Prince's death?
Your Highness
You must live the rest of your life with a large weight on your shoulders.
Even if you say that you are not related to the Prince's death
The way people will look at you--
Please watch what you say.
Who are you saying would dare suspect His Highness?
Well for starters, you are suspicious of His Highness!
The reason you are urging him to rush to crown Prince Suk Chul
is your way of telling him not to do anything else to make people suspicious.
Am I wrong?
Your Highness, it is only right that you crown Prince Suk Chul.
However you must buy yourself some time.
That way the Princess will become desperate
and will come begging to you first.
You can grant her what she wishes then.
You can also make her promise that she will not
stir trouble surrounding the Prince's death.
I told you I had nothing to do with it!
Who cares about the truth?
People only believe what they want to believe.
Those who support the Princess will believe what she says
and your supporters will believe whatever you say.
However, once Prince Suk Chul is crowned
who will believe you?
Your will become a man who killed his son--
Enough!
My silence is not permission for you to continue to blab!
Why are you hesitating?
Kill me with that sword now!
I came to you prepared to die tonight.
If I'm going to die in the hands of the Princess
I'd be happier if you killed me instead.
Fine...
That is exactly what I'm saying.
Who will believe me?
I was so hard on So Hyun
so everyone will say I killed him!
Did you know?
There is no way for you to escape the accusations.
Lord Kim is trying to have Prince Bong Rim crowned.
We must put the Princess at ease right now.
China stands behind the Princess
and more than anything we cannot beat her upbringing.
Everyone is devastated that the Prince was wrongfully killed
so if we ignore Prince Suk Chul and crown prince Bong Rim instead
who will win?
Then you should have told His Highness that--
While His Highness may have Prince Bong Rim in mind right now
and if misfortunes arise and he is presented with a difficult situation
he will change his mind overnight and blame everything on Lord Kim.
So--
So we must make thorough preparations so His Highness does not change his mind.
For as long as Princess Min Hwe and Prince Suk Chul are alive
we must make it clear to His Highness that there is absolutely nothing he can do.
Then are you saying we must also kill the Princess and Prince Suk Chul?
Exactly.
As long as the Princess and Suk Chul are alive
this war will not end.
What use will it be if Prince Bong Rim is crowned?
Do not let history slip by you.
After Crown Prince Uigyeong died his son Yejong took the throne.
But in the end In Soo's son rose to the throne.
In the end, the nation will belong to the Princess.
I think I understand what you are saying now.
Remember.
Reconcile with the Princess?
Yes Your Highness.
Prince Suk Chul is your blood.
And what about Bong Rim?
Are you saying he is not?
I thought maybe because of his three sons he's leaving behind
May not be able to leave completely and his spirit is wandering...
Impossible.
Your Highness
Absolutely not.
Until the Princess kneels in front of me
and begs me for forgiveness.
Brother! Chung Myung Soo has entered the palace!
The Chinese envoy has arrived
so His Highness will no longer be able to deny anything.
Go and tell the Princess!
Yes brother!
What do you think uncle?
The Princess just barely calmed down.
It is easier said than done.
To take His Highness to China when Prince So Hyun has passed away.
It will be difficult for His Highness to ignore
the Emperor's orders for him to come to China.
Which means that aside from the possibility of being crowned
Prince Suk Chul has a chance of actually becoming King.
Congratulations Your Highness!
Prince Suk Chul is still young
so you will have to act on his behalf.
Where are you going?
We must guard the Prince's corpse.
Do not go around causing trouble.
Trouble?
There are rumors that Kim Ja Jeom will proceed with funeral preparations tonight!
That means that unless we open up the coffin
we will not be able to find out the truth behind the Prince's death!
- Let's go! - Okay!
Your Highness
This is no different than declaring war.
Once you start, you cannot turn back.
Will you still continue?
I... cannot trust His Highness.
Your Highness!
Until His Highness begs for forgiveness
I will not back down.
Your Highness!
So...did you bring Emperor Shunzhi's letter?
And just what does it say?
Does it say for me to go to China and pay respects to him?
Yes it does Your Highness.
So he's saying he wants to take me prisoner this time?
Yes, Your Highness.
Okay. Let's hear exactly what the letter says.
Please do not be too upset by it Your Highness.
After hearing Prince So Hyun died
the Chinese envoy has already returned to Beijing.
What?
They went back?
Yes Your Highness.
Are you serious?
Yes Lord Kim.
Tell us exactly what happened.
I advised that with the Crown Prince gone, if we take the Joseon King to Beijing
there will be great unrest in Joseon.
So recommend leaving you here.
The men nodded and went back the way they came.
Is that so?
It's all because of you. Thanks to you His Highness was able to avoid an obstacle.
However Your Highness
You'll have to be more careful from now on.
The Emperor and Prince So Hyun were very close friends
so he will not back down without a fight.
Of course not.
What do you think?
I'm thinking about crowning Prince Bong Rim instead of Suk Chul.
Would the Emperor be okay with that?
It won't be easy.
If you crown Prince Bong Rim
there is no way the Emperor will allow it.
Then am I supposed to crown Suk Chul who is not even 10 years old yet?
And what if something happens to me?
What will happen to our nation?
Your Highness
This concludes my duties.
From here on out, you must think wisely
and make the right decisions.
Hold on.
A word.
Is he saying that Joseon belongs to China?
Who do they think they are?
Why should we get permission from them who we decide will be crowned?
How can you say all that to His Highness?
If he does not crown Prince Suk Chul
Emperor Shunzhi will never forgive him.
Even if that was the case.
If it wasn't for me the Chinese envoy would not have turned around.
You should be grateful.
That fool...
Who did you say is here?
Allow him inside.
What brings you here?
Are you here to relay a message from His Highness?
If so please go back the way you came.
- Your Highness-- - I said I do not want to hear it!
Please back down now.
After Prince So Hyun was dragged away to China
there was not a single night His Highness slept peacefully.
When you left for China
Prince Suk Chul was still a newborn.
You breastfed that child
and then watching you take off to a faraway land
His Highness wept tears of blood over and over again.
How could His Highness possibly have forgotten about that heartbreaking farewell?
Your Highness
Love and hatred are as thin as paper.
If you just give in
and ask His Highness for his understanding
how can he possibly deny Prince Suk Chul?
My brothers went to Jang Kyung palace.
Even before all the heat left the Prince's body...
How can they call it all useless?
What is he trying to hide to rush things so much?
Must you get to the bottom of that Your Highness?
Please preserve the body Your Highness!
You fools... I remember each and every one of your faces.
Go on inside.
Her Highness has something to say.
We must protect the Prince!
You must consider Prince Suk Chul!
If you so much as lay a finger on His Highness without our permission
I will not just stand by and watch.
Lets go!
If you want to talk about unfair
we should go against the King and get to the truth behind the Prince's death.
That way he may rest in peace.
However I cannot help but to look out for Suk Chul's future.
He must inherit the throne
in order for us to build the new nation the Prince dreamed of.
Your Highness...
We must make sure the Prince's dream comes true.
We must create a new nation.
A strong and prosperous nation that will not crumble to others.
That way... the Prince will rest in peace.
Your Highness!
I will never cry ever again.
Until the day Suk Chul rises to the throne
I will endure whatever hardships and pain that may come.
So please don't cry.
Keep your eyes wide open and watch out for Prince Suk Chul.
That way we may build the nation that Prince So Hyun dreamed of.
Your Highness!
What brings you here?
Have a seat.
Prime Minister
Tonight I looked over Prince So Hyun's body that is at Jang Kyung Palace
It was so horrendous I could not bear to look at it.
What are you trying to say?
It has only been a day since Prince So Hyun passed away
but his body has turned black
and there was dry pus built up on his eyes, nose and mouth.
Are you implying the Prince was poisoned to death?
His Highness is considering Prince Bong Rim to become the crown prince.
And if he does become the Crown Prince
everyone will think His Highness is responsible for Prince So Hyun's death.
So you must somehow prevent this from becoming a larger ordeal.
For who?
Is it for Prince Suk Chul and Princess Min Hwe?
Or are you telling me to do this for His Highness?
I am asking you to do it for our nation.
Why don't you do this Your Highness.
Looking back on history, a parent is supposed to
wear cham chae attire at their child's funeral.
But this time instead of wearing cham chae attire
wear gi nyun attire.
I'm telling you to wear the outfit for just a year.
When I compare the time to my sadness
wearing it to the day I die is not enough!
But you must hurry and set a burial site
and crown Prince Suk Chul.
You must do that
so China does not give you a hard time.
Are you here as a favor to the Princess?
Your Highness
It's the only way to stop the Princess.
What do you mean stop her?
If not... Then are you going to kill her?
If you are thinking of passing on the throne to Prince Bong Rim
then you are bringing trouble and misfortunes upon yourself.
Am I wrong?
You are mistaken Prime Minister.
How can I possible want what belongs to my nephew?
Then you should have been a step ahead of me
and taken care of this already!
Your Highness
while you may be able to divert a river stream
as it gets lower, the stream will move much quicker.
You must go with the flow!
I'll take that you understand me and I will leave now.
Tell the Princess
to not stand up to the King anymore.
A grave was set for Prince So Hyun so so ryun and dae ryun proceeded.
However, the writing on the Prince's coffin became a problem.
While it was supposed to say Jae Gohng which stands for king
It said Nuhl Goo which is the word typically used by commoners and foreigners.
How can they write Nuhl Goo on his coffin!
Your Highness, you must correct the writing on there!
We have been fooled!
If we attended the soh ryum and dae ryum
then we'd find out the Prince was poisoned to death
so they pretended to be making amends with you!
His Highness has no intention of crowning Prince Suk Chul!
You must not Your Highness!
Why do you always hold her back?
To write that on his coffin means the King doesn't acknowledge him as the Crown Prince!
Even still! You must stand back Your Highness!
Why do you not have your funeral outfit on?
It was too much work so I decided to not wear it anymore.
Should His Highness not be wearing the outfit for a full year?
If you count each day as a month
then 12 days is equivalent to a year.
Does such a rule exist?
Doing so is referred to as the Yuh Gohl Law.
Has it not only been a week since the Prince died?
I added another level.
I didn't want it to seem as though I'm taking advantage of my son's death.
What were you doing Court Lady Park?
If you let me know sooner
I would have changed into proper attire before coming here.
You are right.
Being too sad over a child's death is also not the duty of a parent.
For a child to go before their parents is the worst thing.
Since you are willing to hide your sadness
and let go of it all
I feel much better.
Good job Your Highness.
I'm sure it's a sight to see.
That was the Queen mocking me.
Are you saying His Highness has already taken off his mourning attire?
That means he has no intention of crowning Prince Suk Chul.
As far as I know, the Prime Minister stepped in
so the King and Princess made amends...
It was probably the King's efforts to avoiding suspicion in the Prince's death.
I saw the King's true colors today.
So I will need you to act on my behalf.
What do you have in mind?
We must make Prince Bong Rim the Crown Prince.
The council has already swayed to Prince Suk Chul's side.
I told you His Highness has Prince Bong Rim in mind!
Your Highness
If you go against the favored decision you will be very lonely in the future.
How many times must I tell you for you to understand me?
Prince Bong Rim is the only one who will protect me.
It's not like the Princess will treat me as her mother-in-law.
I will never forget the look in her eyes during the chin jam rye.
Her boasting to me after putting the councilmen wives in place...
The Queen said Prince Bong Rim is the only who can protect her?
Yes Lady Gui In.
You see!
I told you the Queen was holding the Princess at a arm's distance.
She must not have liked the Princess during the chin jam rye ceremony.
Everything is going as planned. Why are you sighing?
I should have kicked the Queen out of the palace sooner.
It looks as though I have my work cut out for me.
This is why I said Prince Suk Chul must be crowned.
The Queen said that?
Yes Your Highness.
Prince Bong Rim is the only person she can rely on?
That's not all.
After seeing that His Highness had taken off his mourning attire
she told him he did a good job.
There is no way...
There is no way the Princess would...
Just be relieved that was all that happened to us!
All of us could have died!
You cursed man!
Do you think I do not know what you did?
What are you talking about?
You poisoned your needle to--
Don't go around talking gibberish!
The Prince suddenly dying
was because of his tonic! The whole world knows about it!
Who are you trying to blame now?
You fool! We never prescribed medicine for the Prince!
You wretched man!
If we were released alive thanks to Lord Kim
we should be grateful!
That man ought to die!
You fool!
You were working with him!
You've lost your mind!
You fool!
Do you think I will back down without a fight?
I will go to the Princess and tell her what you have done!
Do you intend on being killed while you're at it?
What the--
Wait for me!
You fools! Such selfish men!
Fools!
Why are you still standing here?
Have you not had enough?
No no! No no...
My goodness...my goodness...
Please do not worry too much.
He was so severely beaten he will not be able to speak if he wishes to do so.
I told you to take care of him so he'd die of internal bleeding...
That will only draw more attention to you.
I will stop by the medical department from time to time.
You're perfectly fine!
I don't even want to talk about it!
Who said I'm perfectly fine?
They beat the men around me like dogs
I was so nervous I almost peed my pants.
My goodness...
Did everything go smoothly?
What are you talking about?
By the time you moved the body, the poison would have spread everywhere--
You're wasting your time!
You think His Highness did not know any better?
So you are saying His Highness knows about everything?
Of course he does!
I wasn't sure so I was so nervous!
Think about it!
If that was completely unrelated to His Highness
then I never know when I would take the fall for it.
So I'd be so nervous and then not
and went back and forth between life and death.
What is the highest position on the medical staff?
It is Chum Jung.
And below that there are Pan Jun and Joo Bo
then Jik Ja, Bong Sa, Bo Bong Sa...
and Cham Bohk is the lowest.
I am Cham Bohk.
Lady Gui In.
I just want to become a Bong Sa...
What?
At the very least you should be Chum Jung!
That would be too much for me.
What do you mean?
Thanks to you my son could become King.
You just have to lend your skills one more time.
What do you mean...
Why are you so surprised?
I'm asking an acupuncturist for acupuncture.
What is it? Did you pee your pants?
How dare you!
Come to me.
Wait.
Your mother is going to make you a king.
It won't take too long.
Trust me.
Did you stay up all night writing this?
It was like a river flowing out of me. I wrote it all in one sitting.
What do you think?
We will be able to catch up to China in less than 10 years.
I must show this to father today.
But what exactly does all that mean?
It is creating a nation where the people are happy.
And if we build a nation where people are happy
will what I endured be washed away naturally?
The humiliation you endured is an unfortunate part of our history.
What?
- Please... if you just listen more-- - I've heard enough!
You are no longer my child!
What child tells their parent that their pain is just a part of history
rather than trying to help them recover from it?
I don't want to ever see you again!
My Prince...
Do you know what kind of nation your father dreamed of building?
Yes mother.
I read the proposals father wrote.
I do not yet know enough to fully understand everything
but what I did understand I will carry with me deep in my heart.
Come here.
You are the only one who will be able to fulfill your father's dreams.
That way, even if he is no longer with us physically
he can live forever.
Do not let your father's death be in vain.
Do you understand?
Yes mother.
Do not cry.
Until the day you step up to the throne and become King
you must not cry.
I too will not cry until then.
Do you understand?
Yes mother...
Suk Chul is probably waddling around by now.
Were you thinking about our child?
Do you know why I'm so happy?
Because here I am able to fall asleep next to you every night
and wake up to you.
I feel the same way my love.
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!
Father...
I'm sorry. I overslept.
Wife!
Your father has already lost his power as a leader.
Wife!
I am not telling you to accept the offer.
I am asking you to find a way for you to survive.
Build a new nation.
That is the only way for you to live.
Father!
Father...
I...
intend to pass on the throne to Prince Bong Rim!