The Moon That Embraces The Sun
Enjoy:)
This drama is set during the Joseon Era under the rule of a fictitious king.
All characters and events are fictitious and have no historic basis.
Episode 12
How long have you known?
Since you do not ask, I guess you did really know.
Does she resemble her that much?
Is that what His Majesty said?
That she ... resembles that child?
And so, did he command you not to tell me?
Lord.
I see that you too have become ...
completely one of His Majesty's people.
I enjoyed the show, thanks to you.
I am relieved to hear that you feel that way.
However, the story was complete garbage and full of weak spots.
Excuse me?
A common maiden meets the King who is traveling in disguise.
She does not realize he is the King and falls in love?
Ridiculous. Is that at all believable?
Would a King on official business have time to be distracted by a lady?
With a King like that, what sad state would the country be in?
I wanted to drag them to the Euigeumbu* and barely held back.
(*Euigeumbu = Royal Investigation Bureau under direct control of the King)
And was that all?
The maiden was equally unbelievable.
Even if he were wearing doghide,
how could that hide the royal signs of a King?
And yet, she did not know he was King?
Such far-fetched nonsense.
It is certain that maiden knew he was King and approached him intentionally.
That is not necessarily ...
And on top of that, what?
The maiden is brought into the palace as a court lady,
and meets the King again inside the palace?
Oh my.
Do they think this country's court ladys are selected willy nilly?
A person who tells such deceiving tales must be dragged in and executed ...
Why do you look at me in that manner?
Because they are people.
Among real people, a story like that is possible, is it not?
What?
How can the things that happen between people,
be explained simply through a puppet show?
Well ...
In any case,
I am saying I was able to see the show thanks to you.
I will certainly repay you the money, so do not worry.
Do not repay me.
I am someone who cannot stand being indebted.
I will certainly repay you, so I will arrange ...
Ah, I suppose I will see you when the gong strikes this evening anyway.
This evening,
I shall not be at your side to watch over Your Majesty.
Regretfully,
I shall be leaving Seongsucheong shortly.
I have sent Jan Shil safely back to Seongsucheong.
Why are you so late?
If you're not careful, you may suffer the same fate as Jan Shil,
and be dragged in by your ears by those scary ladies.
Then, the person who took care of Jan Shil ...
Was me.
She came looking for me, saying she had nowhere to go.
Ah, this magnetic charm of mine.
Then, the broad minded, free-spirited, chivalric man ...
was you, Lord?
Oh! Is that how Jan Shil described me?
That kid.
I see she is a good judge of character.
I had worried that perhaps she had been ensnared by a swindler.
With a swindler as handsome as this,
wouldn't it be worth getting snared?
In any case, thank you very much.
So, please be on your way.
A person who claims to have been so worried ...
Why ...
Why did it take this long for you to remember Jan Shil?
Excuse me?
To forget the person you were looking for,
to forget the person waiting for you ...
Was there something ...
that captivated you that much?
I saw it once and overlooked it.
But, I am not confident I can do it twice.
What is it?
In a different place, in a different you,
to see you direct your gaze at someone else again.
Lord.
So then, I shall see you again.
Just a moment.
Lord!
Why must you always do this, Your Majesty?
If you were intending to go out in disguise, you should have told me beforehand.
How could you have ordered me to make you a useless snowman?
And thus, I have apologized, have I not?
You asked me to use only clean white snow that no one had trod upon,
so I went all the way up the roof and I could have lost my life.
Fortunately, you are alive.
How ... How can you be so cruel?
Does Your Majesty not see my frostbitten hands?
Handling the frozen snow, I could have caught ...
What are you doing, Your Majesty?
Come here. I shall melt your hands with the heat in my chest.
I-I-I must g-g-go and prepare the post-dinner fare.
Please let go.
If you go to Gangnaru tomorrow morning,
there will be someone there to take you to your destination.
As you have resolved to depart,
go somewhere far from the capital.
Why do you not answer?
Ah, I suppose I will see you when the gong strikes this evening anyway.
Mistress.
Just for tonight, could I not spend one last evening in the King's palace?
Why are you wavering in your resolve?
I just feel that it isn't proper.
I feel that saying my farewell before ...
Do you have the sort of relationship with His Majesty that requires a farewell?
If you have resolved to leave,
then stay firm in that resolve.
There is something I must say to His Majesty.
After I bid him farewell, I will definitely depart.
So, please allow me to go for this evening only.
Please, Mistress.
His Majesty spoke loudly and pressed the shaman for answers.
She replied, "I don't know how much I resemble that person, but I am not her."
"If you have any more questions, please ask her directly."
That is what she said.
Your Highness!
Are you on your way to the King's palace?
That is so, Your Highness.
I'd like to have a word with you, for which I took a difficult walk.
So, please remove your veiling cloak.
Did I not tell you to remove your cloak?
That is not possible, Your Highness.
This girl is the Gwansanggam's ...
Do you not hear me?
Show me your face.
I see your sense of discipline has dissolved.
Why are you so late after the gong ...
Are you disappointed that it isn't who you expected?
Why are you in these parts, Queen?
What Your Majesty has been hiding,
I have confirmed today after looking at your face.
Eight years ago, when in my youth I first saw Your Majesty at Eunweol Pavilion,
Your Majesty wore that same expression you wear this evening.
Even though we are not of one mind or heart,
I had assumed you were perceptive, at least.
I see I was mistaken.
I am certain I told you not to step foot into my quarters, did I not?!
What exactly ... has you spellbound?
How does that lowly shaman ...
resemble the child who died eight years ago?!
Queen!
Yes! Embrace her.
Whether it's a ghost or a talisman, go ahead and take her into your heart!
I won't concern myself over it.
Did you not say I would never obtain your love?
It doesn't matter. It's fine.
Queen!!
However!
You had better not forget.
No matter who is in your heart,
no matter who has your devotion,
I am this country's Queen.
Do you understand?
What I'm saying is that the place at your side is mine.
You will have to acknowledge that truth yourself shortly.
Go on inside and serve His Majesty.
Who are you?
Excuse me?
I am the conception talisman sent by Seongsucheong and Gwansanggam.
Then, what happened to the shaman receptical of misfortune?
She has completed her duties.
And I hear she will shortly depart Seongsucheong.
Now that you are about to leave, are you sad?
I'm not sad.
It's just that I feel I have not helped His Majesty.
And so I am regretful, that is all.
But, your face looks as if you're about to cry.
She could have let you go one more night to say goodbye.
And she refuses to the very end!
Ajumma Jang is cruel.
Change your clothes.
Why have you stopped?
Do not misinterpret the reason why His Majesty has called for you.
His Majesty is mistaking you for someone else.
Why do you speak to me with honorifics?
Ah. I ... Did I?
Are you not mistaking me for her as well?
Do not worry.
I know well what it is that you are concerned about.
I shall not misinterpret his feelings.
Who told you that you could leave at your own will?
Tell me.
Who gave you permission to depart?
As I have completed my duty, is it not proper that I withdraw?
Who said you have completed your duty?!
The person Your Majesty needs is not me.
Who was it who said she would comfort the pain,
that sits in the King's heart?
I can not take the place of that person.
Who was it that said she would bring sleep to the exhausted King?!
It was Your Majesty who ordered me not to come close.
I never ordered you to go far either!!
What you say is right.
Whether the person I am looking at,
is that child or just you,
I ... am confused.
However, until I put this confusion to rest,
until I understand what this feeling is,
do not dare...
go far from me.
That is an order.
Did you say in three days?
Yes. Today the Gwansanggam said the 18th is an auspicious day for the marital bed.
They've given the date to the Grand Queen Dowager.
Why is it so soon?
According the professor of prophecy,
it is the day with the most stable flow of Providence.
If the King and Queen form a union between the hours of seven and nine,
you shall conceive a royal son whose name shall be renowned for ages to come.
Therefore, please do not listen to pointless rumors any longer,
and focus solely on keeping your health and heart in order.
I will take that to heart.
So, what will you do, Your Majesty?
Do you intend to avoid me again, using ill health as an excuse?
I'm sorry, but this time, it will not happen as you wish.
Court Lady Jo.
Yes, Your Highness?
Please ask Father to stop by the Queen's quarters before he leaves.
I shall do as you ask.
Aigoo, my head.
The drinks I had yesterday are still affecting me today.
Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?
What are you saying is so suspicious?
I mean those girls kept recommending that liquor from Gyeseong,
But when you consider how long it is affecting me,
doesn't it seem like they mixed something foreign in it?
The way I see it, the liquor is not the problem.
But that you're getting old.
Look at me. I'm fine.
What kind of ridiculous nonsense are you spouting?
I am still as alive as ever.
Lord?
What is the matter?
Go on ahead. I will follow soon.
Yes, sir.
Let's go.
Are you arriving just now, Lord?
Why are you all so busy?
Yesterday, His Majesty came and flipped the Royal Secretariat upside down again.
We took the opportunity to do some overdue housekeeping.
We are laying out damp books to dry them out.
His Majesty did?
Chief Royal Secretary, there are a few volumes missing from the records.
What?
That would be scandalous.
How many are missing?
A few from about eight years ago.
Unless they have grown legs, they can't have gone anywhere.
Look again carefully!
Yes.
I'm certain they were gone earlier.
Lord! I've found them!
Good work.
If you were even just a little later, we may have been caught.
That old raccoon dog Chief Councillor must not pick up a suspicious scent.
We shall need to be more careful.
Your Majesty. Something terrible has happened.
What is it?
The chief royal attendant of the late King has committed suicide.
It's pointless to investigate.
It's clearly a case of suicide.
So what I'm saying is ...
We should stop looking for a suspect and trying to uncover why he died.
There is some situation here, I tell you.
I get that sense, pow!
What exactly was he hiding?
What was he was protecting at the cost of his own life?
Your Majesty. The lunch hour has arrived.
One thing has become certain.
That there is a secret I must not know about.
Hyung Sun.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Go to the Euigeumbu immediately and bring all the records concerning the bureau.
Do not leave out a single record.
And regarding this task ...
I understand that if I speak of it, my life shall not be safeguarded.
Just a second!
At least give me a general idea of the circumstances.
Why, exactly, are you having me dress as an attendant?
So bristly.
But, why do I feel as though this has happened before?
Chief Royal Attendant!
Do you remember me?
How could your humble servant have forgotten Your Majesty?
I see that my fellow Sungkyunkwan student has become a Captain in the Euigeumbu.
I was very happy to find your name in the Euigeumbu records.
Your grace is unbounded, Your Majesty.
Are you aware that the chief royal attendant to the late King committed suicide?
I am aware of it.
Was this case transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Euigeumbu ...
possibly because you doubted their integrity?
You are still as clever as ever.
That faction already controls the Ministry of Justice,
and if the case falls into their hands,
I shall never discover the truth, shall I?
The truth? What truth do you speak of?
That is what I shall be asking you in the future.
Excuse me?
Starting today, begin a pretense of investigating the former attendant's death.
Did you say a pretense of investigating?
I did.
There is a separate case you are to investigate.
What I want to find out through your efforts,
is the whole story surrounding the Crown Princess's death eight years ago.
What do you mean His Majesty's actions seem unusual?
I am not certain, but judging from his recent secretive actions,
I believe he has suspicions regarding events eight years ago.
We must come up with a plan.
If by some chance the truth is revealed,
he could use this as an opportunity.
To remove the maternal clan from power in one blow.
Moving up the date of the marital consummation safeguards us in many ways.
It is certainly a move made by the heavens.
What does the one have to do with the other?
When one has a child, a parent's heart seeks to ensure safety.
Indeed, the late King, after fathering Prince Yang Myung and the Crown Prince,
suppressed his zeal and rashness, acting with the princes' well-being in mind.
What are you so worried about, Chief Councillor?
We have a safety shield.
No matter how much His Majesty digs, nothing will come out of it.
And even if something were to be uncovered,
he will have no choice but to cover it up.
Why do you stare so?
You are most handsome when you are reading.
When you smile, you are all the more handsome.
I am embarrassed so please do not stare any longer.
But, Husband, how long do you intend to read?
Why do you not fix your gaze upon me?
If only I were that book.
If there were characters brushed on my body,
would you look at me more?
It would be quite a struggle to wash the ink off your body.
What are you doing?!
Our eyes had only just met that moment!
Since he left, it's been ... already ...
I guess it's only been two days.
Please take care of Mother while I am gone.
I should do as he asks.
Mother. Your daughter-in-law is entering.
Yes, Princess. Please come in.
Mother, what were you doing?
I was reading a letter sent by the Queen Mother.
From the Queen Mother?
What did she write?
She asked if you were doing well.
And?
She writes that the date for His Majesty's marital bed has been moved up.
Marital bed?
When is that to be?
In three days on the 18th.
That soon?
Mother, I believe I need to go to the palace.
Going to the palace is fine, but why ... suddenly ...
I have a few words of advice for Her Highness, the Queen.
Then, I will take that as permission to go.
To conceive a son ...
First, eat a lot of vegetables.
And definitely, sleep on your left side.
And, what else was there?
Your Highness. Please, your dignity ...
Ahh, that's strange. I'm sure I saw it earlier.
7 Harms 8 Benefits* ... where was it? (*ancient Chinese sex do's and don't's)
Um, I think I saw it here.
What is this? Have you read this book too?
What use have you for it?
For teaching purposes.
Aigoo. You've seen it all, and yet act so innocent.
7 Harms 8 Benefits ...
In return for sharing these secrets with the Queen,
what shall I request?
Shall I ask her for a peony ornament?
Or a pearl hairpin?
Princess!
It has been such a long time!
Your Highness.
Have you been well?
And the Prince Consort is well too?
Yes. And has Your Highness been well too?
No. Your Grandmother has not been well.
Excuse me?
Since the one and only Princess does not come see me, how could I be well?
Forgive me.
Oh dear. It was merely in jest.
Were you coming to see the Queen Mother?
I'm on my way. Come with me ...
Oh, no. I just received an urgent message summoning me home.
And so, I was on my way out.
Please be well.
A truth bound and tied by the late King.
A secret safeguarded by the former chief royal attendant at the cost of his life.
What could it possibly be?
Your Majesty.
The three professors from Gwansanggam and the Royal Physician request an audience.
Send them in.
Your Majesty, I would like to check your pulse.
So if you would please turn for a moment.
It is not time for the monthly meeting.
So how is it that all of you have come together?
What is this?
It is a designated date for the marital bed, Your Majesty.
In three days?
Yes, Your Majesty.
It is the most auspicious date,
and the perfect date for His Majesty and the Queen's consummation.
And the weather will also never be better.
Yes, we have also designated the most suitable bed chamber.
Above all, with your health recovered,
it is essential you share the marital bed as soon as possible.
I have not recovered to that point yet.
Forgive my presumption,
but your recovery has been significant and ...
If I say I am ill, I am ill!
However, it is unknown when Providence may shift.
That is so, Your Majesty.
It is rare for conditions to be so optimal for consummation, Your Majesty.
You cannot delay any longer.
For the sake of national stability, Your Majesty.
Did I not say I am still unwell?!
You are disturbing my work, so leave at once!
-Your Majesty.
Do you not hear my order?!!
Leave at once!
It's not the first time nor a rare occurrence,
that the King has rejected the marital bed.
It is as I expected.
A date for the marital bed obtained with difficulty,
is at risk of being lost.
How is it that you are so calm?
Well, we must make it happen, no matter what it takes.
Then, do you have any particular leverage?
The human talisman that I mentioned earlier ...
That again?
His Majesty knows of her existence.
Wasn't that shaman to watch over him as he slept?
Which is why it is strange.
He has never been one to comply with having talismans in his chambers.
His Majesty doesn't allow anyone near him but Woon and the chief attendant.
And yet, he has allowed the shaman to stay even after he has discovered her.
What could that mean?
Do you think he is merely complying in good faith?
What, then?
It's love.
If that's true, we can not just sit back and watch this go on!
And if we don't sit back and watch?
We must remove that shaman at once ...
We can not do that.
That shaman ...
must be kept with His Majesty until the upcoming consummation date.
You told me eight years ago a Royal Marriage cannot be realized through love.
You were right.
But the marital bed ... can be realized with the use of love.
As it is a love that I can not possess,
what else can I do, but use it?
What you say is right.
Whether the person I am looking at ...
is that child or just you,
I am confused.
However, until I put this confusion to rest,
until I understand what this feeling is,
do not dare ...
go far from me.
- So pretty. – Look at these colors. So pretty.
Unnie, come quickly.
A huge present came for you.
So pretty.
– The colors! - So pretty.
They're so pretty.
Look at the blade craftsmanship. It's completely perfect.
And, isn't this sound marvelous?
Jan Shil. Where did this come from?
Ah. Here's the letter.
Do they please you?
May you unfold your divine powers to your heart's content.
The broad minded, free-spirited, chivalric man.
Oh! What brings her all that luck anyway?
Did she save a country in a former life, or what?
Are you possibly looking for me?
Did my gift please you?
I didn't know what you'd like so I brought a male shaman to select them for me.
Ah, next time I will get you a grass chopper. [Used in ritual where shaman walks on blades]
Why do you do this, Lord?
Hmm? What do you mean?
I am a shaman.
Which is why I sent objects used for shaman rituals.
I am asking why you sent me gifts.
Do you really have no idea?
I do not.
Because I like you.
I have feelings for you.
Your jesting goes too far.
I am not jesting.
If it is not in jest, then what is this?
If a man holds feelings for a woman, what else could it be but love?
What do you know of me that you should feel love for me?
Because you were the first.
To tell me not to mask myself with laughter, not to deceive myself.
To let go of the pain I hold in my heart.
Because you were the first to say such things to me.
And because to me,
those words provided solace.
Yes, what you say is true.
What could I know of you?
At first, I looked upon a woman ...
who merely resembled a girl I once held in my heart.
But now, that is not the case.
The person I look upon now,
is you.
Once again, fates that must not be connected are being woven together.
I feel an uneasy energy.
There will be chaos.
It will be an omen of the blood bath to come.
How can mere humans block destiny?
The final opportunity for this chaos to end is in three days.
If the marriage is successfully comsummated in the marital bed,
these bonds of fate will be broken again.
Once that day passes, I will send the lady to a safe place far away.
Do you think that sending her away will suffice?
The truth that we buried is slowly beginning to show its face.
Even if the truth is uncovered,
nothing changes.
You know the situation.
As long as they hold everyone's weaknesses,
there is no one who can avoid the miserable fate that approaches.
I know well how good-looking I am, but please stop staring.
Though, I suppose a man at work always looks quite grand.
And, on top of that, a King of a country ...
It must be a grand sight, indeed.
You laugh?
Did you just laugh?
I've made a mistake worthy of death.
Follow me. We shall go for a walk.
Do you hold a grave anxiety in your heart?
Your Majesty's face is filled with signs of exhaustion.
Today, someone died because of me.
Because I made a mistake in my judgment, he took his own life.
Therefore, I am the one who killed him.
The shadow of death always follows me.
The people I hold dear all fall into danger because of me.
I can not protect them.
Not only am I unable to protect them,
I am unable to redress the injustices they suffer.
It is not Your Majesty's fault.
It is most likely they were all aware,
of how hard Your Majesty tried to protect them.
Of how deeply you cared for them.
It is most likely they felt your true heart.
So, please do not blame yourself.
Use your divine powers and tell me.
Will I be able to uncover the truth I am seeking?
You will uncover it.
Then,
do not rely on your divine powers this time,
and tell me your thoughts.
Will I be able to uncover the truth I am seeking?
You will uncover it.
How can you be so certain?
Because I have faith in Your Majesty's benevolence and wisdom.
Twisted and entangled knots cannot be unravelled in a single attempt.
But as each entangled portion is disentangled,
wouldn't the hidden truth show itself at some point?
Therefore, please have faith in yourself, Your Majesty.
Thank you.
It has been a very long time since I have received ...
such warm solace.
How many times must I repeat the same thing?!
Have I not said that I am still unwell?!
Are you certain there is no reason other than your ill health?
So, are you saying the King is a liar?
It has been several days since the human talisman was placed in the King's palace.
Why do you bring that up in this conversation?
Did it not have any effect?
I asked you why you bring that up now.
If the shaman that was placed to help you recover your health ...
could not accomplish that mission,
mustn't we handle it according to the law?
What do you mean, handle it according to the law?
Upon entering the King's bed chamber,
one must profer one's life as collateral.
If several days in the King's bed chamber ...
have not served to improve his health,
it is a sufficiently suspicious act.
As a matter of course, for the sake of protecting the safety of the country,
she must be eliminated.
It is love.
We can use that love.
If he uses poor health as an excuse to refuse the marital bed once again,
we blame the human talisman for not performing her duty,
and handle it appropriately according to the law.
And if His Majesty agrees to the marital bed?
Then, since the human talisman has fulfilled her duty, we must let her go.
Whether she leaves as a living being or a dead body ...
That is the only difference.
That girl's life is in our hands.
What if,
even after the marital bed, he insists on keeping the shaman with him,
and issues a royal order?
What will you do then?
Then, you will need to rouse the Confucian scholars.
Isn't Joseon built on the foundations of Confucianism?
If His Majesty, who is to be a role model for the people,
secretly keeps a shaman in his private palace,
how would the Confucian scholars react?
I know well how good-looking I am, but please stop staring.
Unnie.
We already cleaned this morning.
Why do we have to do it again?
I've told you already that tonight the King and Queen join in the marital bed.
Marital bed?
That's right, marital bed.
And so, as I said, we are going to gather and pray for a successful union.
Aigoo, you little crow of a girl.
Your Majesty.
To strengthen the relationship between King and country,
It is a matter of course that you must establish an heir.
That is the only way you can ensure the entire country's stability.
That's enough.
Before my duty to serve you,
I have an appointed duty to serve the country.
You can not delay this any longer ...
How can you be acting like this too?!
More than anything, now that they know about her,
you will need to be extremely cautious in your decisions.
If you continue to refuse so vehemently,
it is the girl who will be endangered.
I am concerned that Your Majesty will be scarred yet again.
I am worried you shall blame yourself once again, that you could not protect her.
Your Majesty.
Do not bring the girl in tonight.
I do not wish for her ...
to watch over an empty room alone.
Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived.
An order has been issued that you are not to go to the King's quarters tonight.
What thoughts bring such a saddened expression to your face?
Why have you come here again?
Is it possibly because you have heard about the King and Queen's consummation?
Please go.
His Majesty is the King of a country.
Establishing a successor for the welfare of the nation is a matter of course.
I know that.
If you hold His Majesty in your heart, the only things that await you,
are imprisonment and pain.
That too, I know.
Then, why do you show tears?
Can it not ... be me?
Can it not be ... me?
Your Majesty shall please remove your head piece.
Your Majesty shall please unfasten your belt.
You must be pleased to have things work out as you wished, Queen.
How could this be solely my wish?
From the Grand Queen Dowager all the way down to the land's people ...
Isn't it everyone's wish?
Can I not be the one?
Please go.
Will you go with me?
The title of Prince makes me sick.
I am ready to shed it at any moment and depart.
I am sure you are not completely happy living as a shaman either.
If you want to run away from these troubling circumstances.
If that is the case.
Will you run away with me?
No matter what Your Majesty says,
I am your woman.
After all, if you can not have the King's heart,
I suppose you would want, at least, to be mother to the future King.
Fine.
For the sake of my Queen, I shall for once, untie your ribbon.