Subtitles by DramaFever
There is truth you must know today.
First, Lord Jo Sa Seok is not my father.
My father was Officer Jang Kyung.
My mother was, as you know, a slave to Lord Jo Sa Seok.
Second... what the Queen Majesty told His Majesty...
Jang Ok Jung was an animal His Majesty...
killed in a past life and she can't get pregnant.
That's also not true.
That was a dream the Queen Majesty had. It wasn't a lie.
No, it turns out that the Queen Majesty did lie.
That's because I am pregnant.
I'm pregnant!
Do you still expect me to leave the palace?
Why don't you answer me?
Is the pregnancy... confirmed?
Are you saying that I am lying about being pregnant with His Majesty's child?
That's not what I mean...
Pregnancies in the palace are confirmed by the royal doctor...
But I haven't heard anything from the doctor.
Then you can all hear it together now.
Doctor, please come in.
With all the retainers here, please give your diagnosis.
Is it true that I am pregnant?
That's right, Lady Hee Bin.
I felt the heart beat of the baby, as proof of your pregnancy.
Please say it clearly one more time, so that everyone can hear it.
Forgive me, Lady Hee Bin is surely pregnant with His Majesty's baby.
Congratulations, Lady Hee Bin.
Did you hear that?
Unlike the dream the Queen Majesty had...
I am definitely pregnant.
Does His Majesty also know about this?
- Yes, I... - Of course he does.
He embraced all my faults and congratulated me...
And wished that I give birth to a lucky son in the palace.
So, does that explain the reason I can't leave the palace?
Hee Bin said she's pregnant?
Yes, that's what I heard.
That's what she said in the main hall.
So she fooled me... Is Hee Bin out of the main hall?
- What are you? - About what?
The reason I asked you earnestly was to stop...
putting His Majesty in an awkward position.
So I asked you to leave the palace.
But you announce your pregnancy at the main hall?
What's wrong with that?
You should've told me.
However I announced it, it doesn't have anything to do with you, Your Majesty.
What?
I said I wanted to reveal the truth and I had a question to ask at the main hall.
But I never said that I'd announce my departure from the palace.
And to ask me like this with all the maids around...
I'm concerned that it might appear that you are jealous.
Since your womb is so cold, it's like a freezing cold day in winter...
So you can't get pregnant...
Your rudeness is through the sky!
Queen Majesty, how dare...
The Queen's condition is a national secret...
How dare you speak of it at a place like this with so many people around!
Besides, if you're pregnant, you should keep your mind under control.
I'm just warning you to be careful in the future.
You should go rest now.
Ma'am, are you okay?
Misfire!
Is the bow I brought not up to standard?
No, it's not the fault of the bow, my mind was wandering.
How is that?
I am finally about to see my heir.
Does that mean... the Queen Majesty is pregnant?
You don't need to know about the palace affairs...
I'll stop here for the day.
I like the bow you brought today, so I'll take everything.
Talk with Hyun Moo about the details.
Who are you?
Me?
Choi. And you?
What are you doing!
Your Majesty, did you really mean that?
Did you think it was a joke?
Lady Hee Bin is pregnant.
So the court is turned upside down.
What were you doing here?
I was sightseeing.
I heard the quarters were nice.
That's not it. From what I see...
You came to steal.
What?
I know from your eyes.
You have the same eyes as I do.
You're like a fish caught in the net.
Thump, thump.
Hold on.
Leave the one you stole.
If I don't get caught, I didn't steal anything.
There is a better way.
If I give it to you as a gift, you didn't steal it.
But, this is the only time.
I am Jang Ok Jung.
I will be like you when I grow up.
Like Jang Ok Jung.
[A few months later.]
The color of camellia. I'll put this on today.
It's the color of camellia today.
Come here! Lady Hee Bin's color today is...
What are you doing!
Your Majesty, Lady Hee Bin must be wearing a red lip color today.
I thought all the court ladies ate a rat.
Your Majesty.
Hee Bin.
Your Majesty, I felt the baby move today for the first time.
It's so amazing...
I came by to tell you.
Okay, let me feel it, too.
Ma'am, please gather your strength!
Who is this, Court Lady Eom!
Lord Lieutenant!
I heard you were promoted to Court Lady...
The dress of a court lady looks great on you.
It's no time to joke around.
Court ladies for the royal birth went into Lady Hee Bin's room just now.
- Does it mean she's giving birth? - Yes!
She's asking you to bring Lady Yoon to the palace, too.
My, my!
Ma'am, please gather your strength!
- Mother! - A little more!
Mother! Where is my Mother? Mother!
It hasn't happened yet?
Yes, Your Majesty. Since it's the first time, it seems very difficult for her.
His Majesty went to the royal birth quarter at this hour?
Yes, that's what I heard.
What if she gives birth to a son?
So what...
If it's a son, it's a happy occasion for the palace.
Ma'am, please gather a little more strength!
A little more!
How did it go?
I sent out a messenger, but...
Mother!
What if she gives birth to a son?
How did it go?
- Did she go to the palace? - Yes.
His Majesty even sent a palanquin for her to enter the palace.
If she just has a son now...
Lady Hee Bin is sure to become the mother of the next king.
The mother of the next king...
Would that be enough to resolve the resentment of my dead daughter?
She needs to become Mo Hu.
Uncle... Mo Hu means...
What are you thinking now?
Mo Hu means she'd be the Queen.
Did His Majesty give you any hint?
No, not yet.
But for our Jang family to become the family of the mother's side...
We have to steal away the title of the Queen. To do that...
She must give birth to a son. A son.
Who are you?
It's Lady Hee Bin's mother.
She came in a hurry following the command of His Majesty.
- Pass. - Go inside.
Hold it.
My. No one's going home even at this late hour...
Hee Bin is truly great.
Of course. Based on what Hee Bin has, the fate of our party will shake up.
Lord Min, if Hee Bin has a son, then what happens?
With His Majesty's behavior these days, he might appoint him as Won Ja.
We need to have a plan.
To be crowned?
The Queen Majesty is still young, so how could that happen?
But that's what it looks like now.
That would never happen, but if it does...
We have to stop it even if it takes a protest.
'To be crowned' from a concubine? Nonsense!
He's not the king from the past.
The current king has the strongest royal guards in history...
And he has the absolute support from the people.
It won't go as our plan.
I'm going to the Queen's quarter.
What's with the palanquin?
It's a palanquin for Lady Hee Bin's mother.
Lady Hee Bin's mother?
Then she used to be a slave to Lord Jo Sa Seok?
A lowly slave in a palanquin to enter the palace...
Get out right now!
What's going on?
I don't have a second to spare. I have to go to Lady Hee Bin's delivery!
So you're Hee Bin's mother...
Still, how dare a slave get in a palanquin for the ladies of the noble class!
It's the crime of confusing the order of Joseon foundation.
You'll be punished for treason!
Please, I might be low class, but I'm coming with the command of His Majesty.
To disrespect me is to disrespect His Majesty. How could you treat me like this?
Who did I disrespect?
How dare a lowly one threaten me with an excuse of His Majesty!
What are you doing? Burn the palanquin, beat up the bearers and kick them out!
Yes, sir!
Move aside!
Hee Bin's mother hasn't arrived yet?
I even sent a palanquin!
Yes, Your Majesty. Forgive me...
Where are you coming from, Court Lady Eom!
You should be taking care of Hee Bin!
Your Majesty, please take my life.
What are you doing!
I asked what you're doing.
Your Majesty, the custom is that the low class...
cannot ride a palanquin in the palace.
So you threw Hee Bin's mother out and burned the palanquin?
Please consider!
But, Your Majesty, the law is that the low class cannot ride a palanquin.
I only followed the rules and executed the punishment.
But I sent this palanquin myself. Did you still do this knowing that?
- I followed the law... - Shut up!
I sent the palanquin because Hee Bin's suffering from giving birth...
And once Hee Bin gives birth, she will be like my mother-in-law...
Disrespecting Hee Bin's mother is the same as disrespecting me!
Your Majesty, I didn't mean it that way...
- Hyun Moo. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Tell the Secretary...
From this moment, Inspector Lee Yik Soo will be stripped of his title and fired.
And through interrogation, he'll be asked about...
the situation of disrespecting Hee Bin's mother.
- Your Majesty, I followed the law... - I said shut up!
Whether if it's a simple act of disrespect...
or trying to obstruct a smooth delivery for Hee Bin...
I will make sure to find out.
Hyun Moo, make sure to follow my command without a mistake.
I receive your command, Your Majesty.
Please get up.
Forgive me.
Ok Jung is having a hard time.
What are you doing? Help her!
- Ma'am... - Mother!
The baby will arrive soon, so please...
Ma'am, I'm here. I'm here!
Mother, Mother...
A little more, a little more strength, please.
A little more...
The baby is coming!
Is Hee Bin doing well?
Yes, Your Majesty. Please come in.
Sure, sure.
She had the baby!
What is it? What did she have?
That's...
Ok Jung!
Ok Jung...
Congratulations, Your Majesty.
It's a prince.
- It's a son? - Yes, Your Majesty.
He's Your Majesty's first-born son.
You gave birth to my son.
You gave birth to my first-born son.
Congratulations!
She gave birth... to a son?
- Hee Bin did? - Yes, forgive me, Queen Majesty.
Your Majesty, don't worry too much.
I'll take care of everything...
Your Majesty...
I have to go see.
Have to go? Where?
The crying of a baby in the palace...
hasn't happened in decades since the birth of His Majesty.
Since it's a happy occasion of the nation...
I should at least congratulate her.
Okay, my son, let me see your face.
You put your mother through so much pain coming out.
- My Won Ja... - Your Majesty.
My Won Ja... who do you look like more?
Did you really say Won Ja?
Since he's my first-born son, of course he's Won Ja.
Your Majesty.
Just for Won Ja?
If I said Crowned Prince, you'd be crying a river.
Won Ja is a gift.
For coming as my first-born son.
I'll report to the Jong Myo Shrine soon.
Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty.
Won Ja... Won Ja?
Queen Majesty is still here, so how could a son from Jang be...
I expected it...
But it's difficult to hear it.
Let's go back. It'll be better to come back later.
Your Majesty, please keep your mind strong.
Your Majesty, congratulations on the birth of the prince!
Yes, Your Majesty. Congratulations, and congratulations again!
Thank you. I finally became a father.
I am so happy, I feel like I own the entire world.
I will release 1,000 silver coins and give them to the poor...
And I will release the prisoners of less serious offenses.
So go ahead and execute my command.
Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty.
But, Your Majesty...
I heard that Inspector Lee Yik Soo was fired from his job and is jailed now.
- And? - If an inspector following the law is punished...
It will shake up the foundation of Joseon...
And it could become big trouble in the future.
Even court ladies get around in palanquins in the palace.
So how is it that only Hee Bin is judged by the strict law every time?
It's unfair treatment and a challenge to my authority.
So I will make an example out of this...
And give you a warning.
If anyone even tries to leave a scratch on my authority...
I won't forgive him, no matter who it is.
Also, I don't want any misunderstanding, so when you are all gathered here now...
I'm going to tell you a few decisions I made about my son.
My precious son that I've waited for a long time...
His title is Hui Seo, and his name is Yoon.
Your grace is immeasurable.
Your Majesty, are you not feeling well?
No... no.
I've skipped a few meals recently.
My stomach is hurting a little.
I'll finish what I started.
I am going to appoint my newborn prince as Won Ja.
Your Majesty, your grace is immeasurable!
No, Your Majesty, that's impossible!
Lord Kim.
Although the baby is a son, he's from a concubine, not from the Queen...
So I believe it's too early to appoint him as Won Ja.
No, I will decide on the title of Won Ja and report to the Jong Myo Shrine soon.
If anyone's against this...
Give up your position and leave.
Say no more.
- Your Majesty, your grace is immeasurable. - Your grace is immeasurable.
I want to keep feeding him...
But they'll gossip that I don't know the custom because I'm from the low class.
Take him to the nanny.
I agree with you. But you can go see him often.
The Queen Majesty is here.
- Why is she here? - Don't worry too much.
I'll stay by your side.
Congratulations on having a son.
Thank you.
What's going on...
Can I hold the prince?
You mean, my Won Ja?
Yes.
Please.
Court Lady Eom.
What are you doing?
He looked like he was about to cry.
My baby is sensitive, so if he feels it's not his mother, he cries easily.
Is that so?
I'm feeling tired, would you please leave now?
I'd like to take a nap with my baby.
Sure. I'll leave, so get some rest.
And Hee Bin...
Yes?
I know that I acted immature when you got pregnant.
Now I look at Won Ja, I feel bad.
Fortune comes to the one who built it.
Don't be so mean to me.
I want to do that, too.
Then you shouldn't have looked at my Yoon...
like you were looking at your own son.
The dignity of the royal family comes from the precious bloodline.
Even though Jang is receiving the favor of the King...
The succession of the royal family should come from you.
As someone who cannot produce an heir, how could I...
If you can't give birth to a child anyway...
Take the child that borrowed Hee Bin's womb...
And we can make him the King.
They are adamantly against my decision to...
report my Won Ja to the Jong Myo Shrine.
It's like they put their lives on the line... to go against whatever I want to do.
Would it be better if the Southern Party gets control of the court?
You must be from the Southern Party.
Your Majesty, I am close to the people of the Southern Party...
But I've always been on the side of wealth.
Side of wealth?
Then where do you think I stand?
Your Majesty, you're the full moon.
You've always been the king of the sky.
The full moon...
But the power of the Western Party is also heading to the full moon.
Your Majesty already has strong guards...
that have been training for a long time...
And now you have an heir to support you.
What is there to fear anymore?
Just because there is nothing to fear...
it doesn't mean I can move without a plan.
When you say, 'a plan'...
The Southern Party considers agriculture as the foundation and ignores commerce.
But that's not very flexible to solve the current population increase in Seoul...
And it conflicts with my commerce policy.
So I have to wonder...
Your Majesty, then hire the people of the Southern Party.
Utilize the officers and merchants who are holding hands with those people.
Then Your Majesty can gain everything you want.
Officers and merchants who are holding hands...
with the people of the Southern Party...
That's intriguing!
Thank you.
But the Western Party won't just sit there and watch it happen.
Right, it's still dangerous to change the controlling power on a whim.
If anything goes wrong, it'll shake up the current peace in the court.
I will consider a few people that will be helpful...
to Hee Bin and the Southern Party.
So, what were His Majesty's thoughts?
Is he on the side of the Southern Party?
- We're not that far yet... - Why not?
The heir even came from the Southern Party!
He doesn't seem convinced by the Southern Party, and has doubts...
But he doesn't show what he's really thinking...
How is it?
I haven't been feeling well for a few days...
And I have a feeling that it's something serious, so I called for you.
It seems that you've inherited the same illness from the late king.
Plus, the quick temper adds to it...
The fever has deeply invaded the liver.
Please keep your mind calm.
If it starts acting up, the illness could go beyond control.
Beyond control?
Forgive me for saying this...
You could faint or lose your life.
My... one thing after another.
I'm facing too many issues... and now this has to happen.
Your Majesty, Prince Dongpyung is here.
On top of the deeply rooted fight between...
the Southern Party and the Western Party...
The passing of the Queen Mother must have caused a burden on you.
That too...
The biggest problem now is...
Prince Yoon.
Is there a problem with the prince?
To raise Hee Bin's son Yoon to the throne...
A clear legitimacy needs to be established.
Your Majesty, is that what you've been thinking?
I've already decided it when I told Hee Bin to have my first-born son.
But even if I leave the throne to him in this unsettled position...
He'll suffer from the question of legitimacy for his whole life.
So is there a plan you have in mind?
I've thought really hard about it.
The answer was...
Always the same.
The son from a concubine...
To change the class of his mother.
Your Majesty.
A higher status than Level 1 concubine.
There is only one way to make Won Ja the perfect Crowned Prince.
Your Majesty, please don't worry too much.
Since you're still young, you'll have a chance.
No, you say that because you don't know him.
Actually, His Majesty is thinking something else.
Thinking something else?
His Majesty said he'd let Hee Bin's son take the throne.
Even if the King decides on it...
it won't go as he plans in the country of Joseon.
A concubine's son can never take the throne when there's a son from the Queen.
If that happens, it'll just mean a step closer to dethronement.
Dethronement?
Change the Queen.
That's the only thing left.
Your Majesty.
Please don't do this. Please, I beg you.
Lady Hee Bin...
Jang Ok Jung or Hee Bin... at this status, trouble will never end.
I'll make Prince Yoon and his mother's status perfect...
Then I'll make him my perfect heir without a trace of fault.
But they won't accept it without a fight.
You think they'll try to dethrone me?
Yes, Your Majesty.
It's not something only the retainers can do.
I can do it, too.
In other words, they try to remove the King...
And I'll change the controlling party...
I'll have to set a new government.
Don't worry too much.
I'll keep my claws hidden until things happen.
Then, Your Majesty...
Are you really planning to change the controlling party?
Planning?
The preparation started a long time ago.
At the morning meeting tomorrow...
I'm going to open that gate by announcing my Won Ja as the Crowned Prince.
I'll need your help, Uncle Dongpyung.
- Hee Bin. - Yes, Your Majesty?
Do you remember what I said to you when I gave you this Chwi Seon Dang?
What are you referring...
Even as the King, there is nothing I can gain without a fight.
Yes, I remember.
That's how Your Majesty gave me Chwi Seon Dang... and the appointment of Suk Won.
Maybe this time... the fight could be more violent and take longer.
Your Majesty, is it such a serious issue to appoint Yoon as Won Ja?
No, it's not Won Ja...
I'm going to decide on the succession this time.
Your Majesty...
That means...
I'm going to take this chance and confirm Yoon as the Crowned Prince.
Your Majesty! Your grace is immeasurable!
You have to stay strong...
until it is confirmed. It could be a lonely fight.
I can endure anything.
As long as Your Majesty is here.
Since I've already decided on the title of Won Ja...
I plan to report Prince Yoon as Won Ja to the Jong Myo Shrine soon.
That could never happen, Your Majesty.
The prince is from a concubine, not from the legitimate Queen...
How could you report him as Won Ja to the Jong Myo Shrine?
That should never happen.
Why not?
The Queen Majesty is still young.
Please delay reporting the prince as Won Ja to the Jong Myo Shrine.
Everyone... the reason I'm sitting here is not about the appointment of Won Ja.
I'm going to appoint Prince Yoon as the Crowned Prince.
Your Majesty, it's too fast to even appoint a prince from a concubine as Won Ja!
How could you make him the Crowned Prince...
when the Queen Majesty is alive and well?
Even if I wasn't the father of the Queen, this can never happen!
- Please consider! - Please consider!
But if I execute my plan, what will you do?
If you go against all these objections...
Do you mean to change the controlling party?
Well... depending on the situation, that could happen.
I have the right to reform.
The right to reform means...
The King has the right to reform the government as he sees fit.
If I were to use that right, what would you do?
Your Majesty, you'd go that far to dismiss the Western Party from the court?
In order to give the throne to a son of a concubine from the low class?
That's...
- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty!
Are you not feeling well?
Your Majesty!
- Call the doctor now! - Your Majesty!
Your Majesty!
His Majesty fainted? Is he conscious?
Please go inside.
What? His Majesty fainted?
Why are you telling me this now?
There was an order to keep it quiet, so...
The Queen Majesty is with him.
Lord!
His Majesty fainted? What's this lightening on a clear day?
And unfortunately, it happened in the middle...
of appointing Won Ja as the Crowned Prince.
Appointing as the Crowned Prince means His Majesty made up his mind.
Exactly right. He even tried to use the right to reform.
What is the right to reform?
It's His Majesty' right to reorganize the government.
But there hasn't been a case before where the King tried to use that right...
because his power was weak.
But His Majesty has a strong troop of the royal guards...
And has an absolute support from the people...
So he must have thought it was worth the bet.
Then things turned for the worse.
Now they know the King's intention, they'll fight to the end...
If that happens, what kind of tricks will they bring out?
The cards they can play...
They could try to establish another royal family member as the next King...
Or they could use the excuse of the prince still being a baby...
And say that the Queen will rule by proxy.
The heir is from my Lady Hee Bin, but ruling by proxy is from the Queen...
Then are we agreeing on ruling by proxy by the Queen?
- There is no other idea. - It's for the better, actually.
His Majesty was about to use the right to...
reform and give control to Jang Hee Bin.
Weren't we close to dethroning the King?
But then His Majesty had that incident with his health...
Please make the decision.
Are we going with the Queen's ruling by proxy?
If we go with the ruling by proxy...
How long will that last with a baby wrapped in a blanket?
In the Past, Queen Junghee of King Sejo ruled by proxy for seven years.
She led a peaceful country, so it gives us a great example of ruling by proxy.
The Queen Majesty is wise and has a good reputation with the people...
So it's worth trying.
But it bothers me that it's Hee Bin's son.
Regardless, it's putting Hee Bin's son on the throne.
Then there is no guarantee that we won't follow the footsteps of dethroned Yunsan?
How is he?
It's the illness inherited from the late King.
Does that mean you don't know when he'll regain consciousness?
Forgive me, it depends on His Majesty's will.
I'll stay here until His Majesty regains consciousness.
Yang Goon, tell the retainers the situation and stand by for an emergency.
I receive your command, Queen Majesty.
And Doctor, explain to me in full detail what this illness is all about...
And prepare for an appropriate treatment and medicine.
Forgive me, Queen Majesty.
You can't go in.
Why not? I'm the mother of Won Ja and His Majesty's...
Favorite concubine.
Queen Majesty, how could you say...
And the mother of Won Ja is...
Me, not you.
Did you already forget the promise you made with the Queen Mother that day?
And that's the custom of the palace.
- That custom again? - Chief of the Royal Guards.
Don't let anyone in that could threaten His Majesty's safety.
Escort Hee Bin to her quarter now.
Yes, Queen Majesty.
Let go! How dare you touch me!
- Prince Dongpyung... - Did you see His Majesty?
No, I didn't get to see him. The Queen didn't let me see him.
I'm the mother of Won Ja, and I'm not even allowed in the room?
That's the palace. When things get uncertain, they're even more bound by custom.
Prince Dongpyung, I'm begging you. Please let me see His Majesty just once.
I beg you, Prince Dongpyung.
Ok Jung...
Prince Dongpyung.
Hee Bin, I need to see you.
What is this?
It's the silver knife of the late Queen Mother.
And why are you showing it to me?
To remind you of your promise that day.
The promise that day?
- Queen Mother! - Mother!
How about it?
Should I kill myself here...
And make my son disrespectful?
Yes, I swear.
If I become pregnant with His Majesty's child...
I'll give the Queen Majesty my child.
Now is the time to keep that promise you made to Mother.
So I'll have to have him. Your son.
Do you mean to take my Won Ja as hostage?
Hostage? I'm making him my son.
And it's not 'my Won Ja,' shouldn't it be the Queen's Won Ja?
Court Lady Hong, tell the nanny to bring Won Ja here.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Queen Majesty, you don't mean to harm my Yoon, do you?
You're not planning something with the life of my Yoon, are you?
I think I said to you before...
I won't make you a human pig or poison your son like Liu Bang's wife Lu Zhi.
But I will make you leave the palace, or become a monk...
I remember saying that.
It seems that your path has been decided.
You may leave now.
Queen... I will never forget the tragedy that occured this day.
If His Majesty wakes up again...
I'll make sure to get my son back.
Then I'll tear apart your heart just like how mine is right now...
And throw you out of the palace.
Absolutely.
Ma'am...
Already?
Please don't do this, Court Lady Hong...
You can't do this yet!
Lady Hee Bin, please give me the Prince!
Do you need another beating to come to your senses?
Prince? My Yoon is Won Ja.
Anyway, please give Won Ja to me.
No, I can't! Not yet!
Are you going to break the promise?
- But now is... - No.
It starts now.
No! I said not yet!
Subtitles by DramaFever
The court has been handed over... to Min Yoo Joong and the Western Party...
They occupied the office of the special force and waiting for a chance.
Now what will you do?
Why would I live without my Yoon?
How could a child and his mother be separated?
Because that's the only way to save your life and Yoon's life.
You don't think my father can do that?
We need to partner with another prince...
And get rid of the king before anyone notices.
We need to nip the bud of trouble...
Of course we have to kill him.