Queen Seon Deok
Enjoy:)
So Yeop Do Seong.
It does mean something else,
*King Jinheung's small dagger
but you spell it Soyeopdo*.
Pay attention to the Soyeopdo?!
Episode 33
What could possibly be found here?!
Slender-brush writing.
It's here.
Slender-brush writing.
Deok (virtuous)...
Eop (achievements).
Il Shin (on a daily basis).
Mang Ra (expanding, including).
Sa Bang (four corners).
DeokEopIlShin...
MangRaSaBang?!
Herald new virtuous achievements by the day...
And envelop the four corners with your might.
That is the answer.
The Shin (new) of DeokEopIlShin.
And the Ra (enveloping net) of MangRaSaBang.
This is the third meaning of our nation's moniker.
And what on earth could it possibly suggest...
*Shilla, Baekje, Goguryeo
Sam (three)... Han (kingdoms*)...
Il (one)...
Sam... Han... Il?!
Tong (together)?!
What DeokEopIlShin and MangRaSaBang means...
is SamHanIlTong (the three Han together as one).
The second event of our competition...
involved the three meanings behind our country's moniker.
Did you find them?
Did you?
You will pardon us,
but we could only find two.
And you?
I myself...
Is there anyone who found the third meaning?
Lamentably, meseems this event was inconclusive.
It is DeokEopIlShin...
and MangRaSaBang.
The Shin of DeokEopIlShin...
*Shin + Ra = Shilla
and the Ra* of MangRaSaBang.
Indeed it is!
That is the answer.
But what does it mean?
To bless one's country with new virtuous achievements by the day,
and envelop the four corners of the earth with your might.
Then,
what those words truly entail is...
What is the true significance of such words?
I asked you what!
I did not think it would conceal any ulterior meanings.
DeokEopIlShin, MangRaSaBang.
I thought of that in itself as a remarkable appellation for any country.
Fine...
Remarkable.
As past competitions excessively indulged in physical duels,
to honor and reminisce upon King Jinheung's true intentions in creating the Hwarang,
I posed you this riddle.
As providence would have it, Yushin Rang found its meaning...
and allowed you all to indulge in its significance,
so I want you to carve those notions deep down your soul...
and let them lead you in our final duel, in ten days.
Yes.
The winner of our second event...
is Yushin Rang.
Hey... Hey... Hey!
Why... Why... Why?!
Hey.
What the hell is this DeokEopIlShin MangRaSaBang about?
*Also slang for country bumpkin
Aigoo... you pitiful ignoramus, you sure look like a chondalk (country fowl*).
Let us forget about Santak, and call you Chondalk instead!
That, you miserable dunce, is just as it suggests...
DeokEopIlShin, MangRaSaBang,
Mang... Ra. "Ra" of net!
And "Sabang" of four corners, hence!
So it means catch them all with your net, you tomfool!
And you can thank Jukbang here for guessing that right, you country fowl!
Still, act all haughty like you have any idea about this, will you?!
I sure do, much more than can be said for you, you country fowl. Why?
You little fool, I ought to...
All right, all right.
Just a moment.
Anyhow, Yushin Rang brought home the victory!
One win for Yushin Rang, and one for Bojong Rang.
Should Yushin Rang win the duel, he will be our new Pungwolju!
Pungwolju! Pungwolju!
- Pungwolju... - Pungwolju! Pungwolju!
Pungwolju, my ass!
Do you have the slightest idea what martial arts are?
What has Yushin Rang done, other than his...
One million twenty-one... One million twenty-two...
Has he ever shown anything else, you fools?
*Putting in vinegar: slang for interfering with someone's affairs
But why does he always show up pouring vinegar on our salad*?!
What is this, sensory overload?!
Sensory overload?!
He doesn't even get that!
What that means is vinegar! You're sticking way too much...
vinegar in our salad, so that's sensory overload.
You little rat, just because you know a thing or two...
Your Highness!
Let me go.
Your Highness.
Our Yushin Rang has emerged victorious!
Happy, are you not?
Yes.
But, why are you suddenly according me such reverence...
To be honest, I would love to jump in jubilation like you,
but I am forced to maintain composure.
Your Highness...
It's all right.
Her Highness and I are really close.
Still...
But...
Now you regain your speech, your beauty is all the more striking...
I could not be happier.
Yes.
"Still..."
I... I... I was just talking with Her Highness.
One million twenty-one! One million twenty-two!
Ehh... I knew it from the very first moment I saw Yushin Rang...
But...
You say the Gukseon's visage betrayed a certain uneasiness?
Tell me about it.
He did not know that hidden significance?!
Did he just accept his answer to make him win?
The Gukseon is quite the steadfast and unbending specimen.
Make him win?! He is not the type.
Did it really seem like that meaning escaped them?
No.
Both Princess Deokman and Yushin know it.
Ahh... If they did know, why keep quiet?
Did I not tell you they would not be able to divulge it anyway?
Yes...
Aigoo... Again with the complications. Again!
Was he trying to impart something upon Deokman?
Or if it was not that,
was he trying to show her that she does not suit such grandiose endeavor?
What were Munno's real intentions?
What is perturbing you?
DeokEopIlShin, MangRaSaBang.
I came to consult you on this matter.
Say what?!
You knew that meaning?!
Yes.
Then...
Why did you not tell him?
I could not talk about it.
And what could it be?!
What could it possibly be?
Was it because of that?
The reason you so staunchly protested my ascending the throne.
Because I could never fulfill such grandiose aspirations?
Yes.
Merely because...
I am a woman?
You will forgive my insolence,
but that is indeed the case.
So you shall never acknowledge a woman's dexterity.
Is that it?
That is not what I meant.
Seeing what kind of skills Mishil was blessed with,
nobody could decry women with such jaundice.
Then?
What is it you possess that could bring forth such virtuous achievements?
An individual's own benefit is the resolve driving me.
We are discussing grandiose achievements,
and all you can muster is the will to gain personal benefits?
Then, for what purpose did Shilla foment such grandiose aspirations?
Before the gates of dissolution,
King Jinheung was afflicted by concern for the future of his country.
Concern that this small and defenseless country could vanish...
Was that not what moved him?
Mishil shall never satisfy her personal whims...
and help foster the legacy of our country at once.
Because the insidious blood the sacred bone lineage forces upon you...
never flowed inside her veins.
Yes.
I am of sacred bone lineage.
But even that matters not.
It is but the first stepping-stone on my way to fulfilling such grandiose dreams.
All you need to consider right now...
is what kind of consciousness shall lie behind this country's current fortunes.
Shall royal authority be further reinforced?
Or should the nobles become the light kindling our future path?
Royal authority, of course.
However, not a female ruler.
It is either a rooster's pate, or the dragon's claws.
We must become just like the dragon's claws.
You mean we must let reason dictate our path?
*10th and last ruler of Geumgwan Gaya, who willingly surrendered to King Jinheung
Just as King Guhyeon* did?
Yes.
We must endure the offensive of all the other noble clans,
and eventually surpass their might.
We must resist the tempting urge of gaining the throne,
and achieve more than a king's crown.
But, whom you are serving is a princess.
Should you become Royal Son-in-law,
you will also be able to gain the throne.
It is never going to happen.
Should a man of Gaya descent such as myself gain the throne,
all Shilla nobles will join forces with Mishil and stage an upheaval,
after which a civil war between Shilla natives and Gaya descendants would ensue.
Father.
Should even my life be at stake, I shall gleefully risk it.
However, I have no right nor is there any reason why...
I should risk all the lives of those Gaya refugees for this.
Standing by Her Highness's side and helping her on the way to the throne...
is what the legacy of our Gaya ancestry demands.
Your Highness.
Why do you believe a woman never ascended to the throne before?
*Shilla's 19th ruler, reigned 417~458
Why do you believe King Nulji*...
moved to an exclusively paternal succession of the throne?
It was to prevent any more political infighting amongst royals.
Internal strife amongst royals will only weaken the crown's authority.
But... a woman as king?!
It would only foment a fierce competition to become Royal Son-in-law.
No... the sole idea of a woman on the throne...
would encounter staunch resistance by the nobles.
Not to mention the people.
The people would not even comprehend it.
When you find people gathering in prayer before an observatory,
asking the heavens to grant them a son,
do you believe they would accept a woman as their ruler?
And you plan to achieve such aspirations,
despite all those repercussions and divided public sentiment?
If such feats were possible,
why would you be chosen to achieve them?
We already are in the presence of a female strategist,
the likes of which history has never been graced with before.
Mishil should have been chosen.
Mishil...
cannot do that.
Why?
Because she is not of sacred bone?
No.
Because those are aspirations she does not foment.
Mishil might have what it takes to gain the throne,
but because she never even dreamed of it,
she shall never achieve that.
Only those with aspirations can strive to fulfill them,
and find a way to do so.
How am I going to deal with upheavals and public sentiment?!
The three reasons I shall never sit on the throne you mentioned.
That is what I shall use.
First.
Anger.
My anger will soothe the wrath of all the people oppressed by Mishil's tyranny.
Second.
My sacred bone lineage,
which will help me gain supremacy over the noble clans.
- And... - And...
the third reason is you yourself, Lord Munno.
As it was the riddle you posed us for the second event...
which showed me the path I shall take.
And what is that?
Right as unfeasible vagaries populated my mind,
I shall make this Shilla dream of impossible aspirations.
How?
By doing what?
Just as Mishil suggested,
with something even the Imperial Princess of the Heavens,
the eclipse or the royal shrine will not compete with,
the most cunning and artful of dreams.
And what is that?
What would that be?
Hope.
If you are from Shilla,
if you are a warrior, or a Hwarang,
that something which will fill your heart with the kind of resolve...
that no obstacle can shatter.
What Your Eminence...
said I would never achieve,
Shilla's unfeasible vagary.
That hope.
The unification of the Three Kingdoms.
Only that can bring me, Gaya,
Her Highness and Shilla our salvation.
Unifying the Three Kingdoms.
I shall make sure both I, the nobles and our people...
will be sweltered by such fervent hope.
The hope of a grandiose land,
that of living a more rewarding and bountiful life...
on a united land.
Is that not...
what DeokEopIlShin MangRaSaBang...
truly entails?
Whatever it takes,
I will become Pungwolju at all cost.
Kick! Kick!
Give it a rest.
What is it?
Aren't you coming?
She looks nicer by the day.
She is Her Highness's nursemaid.
What are you trying to get yourself into?
Oh?! Haven't seen that before?!
What's different?
Whenever he saw a woman, he'd start with his lips like this.
Then, his hands.
Ehh... you beast.
Take a look.
Does he not look like a fool?
I...
Yes.
I... so...
Wish to see Her Highness?
No... well, more than that...
She is now engaging in parley with the Gukseon, so...
Yes, she certainly should. But, I...
What brings you...
I would like to confer about the competition with Lord Munno.
Now...
He is with Her Highness.
I see.
Shall I escort you to the royal chamber?
No.
I shall head to my sister's shrine.
Yes.
What's with him?! Fighting with gazes, now?
Who was she staring at?
Sister...
I miss you.
Will it work?
Is it working?
Will I be able to make it work?
Unifying the Three Kingdoms...
Then, what the master prepared...
What on earth could you be preparing, maundering about like this?
- What am I preparing? - Yes.
What could it possibly be, leading you to the eerie lands of Goguryeo,
and even to Baekje?!
It shan't be revealed to anyone right now,
but I am doing all this for your sake,
so just await.
What?
For my sake?
Indeed.
Continue with your practice and lectures.
I am sparing no effort for the sake of your grand future achievements.
Then, was it all for me?
I just said so.
Then, even what is inside here belongs to me.
It does.
*The 15th of Confucius's Analects, on Duke Ling (Gao Yun) of Northern Wei
Then, let us recite the Wei Ling Gong Pian* we learned yesterday.
Jung O Ji Pil Chal Eon, Jung Ho Ji Pil Chal Eon.
And what does that mean?
Examine what is repugnant to all people,
but also what is favorable.
Indeed.
Il Neung Hong Do, Bi Don Hong In.
People cultivate enlightenment,
but enlightenment does not cultivate people.
Indeed!
Is the Master still away?
Yes, he still has not returned.
Care to eat first?
No, I will await the Master and eat together.
Hey.
Where are you going?
The outhouse.
Why are you carrying that bundle with you, then?
Leave it here.
No way.
This is very important to me.
What do I have to listen...
No!
What is wrong with you?
Let go!
- I said let go! - No!
You little...
Don't!
No...
So, Bidam went to their refuge all alone?
He was in a frenzy, telling me it was so important,
and to show him where they lived.
Still, how can you let someone so young head there alone?
He brought some food as exchange,
so what could possibly happen?
Why, if you ask them for an exchange, would they accept?
Where is that?
Where?
Bidam!
Bidam...
Bidam.
Bidam!
Bidam!!
Bidam...
Bidam!
Bidam.
Bidam!
Bidam.
Bidam!
Bidam...
Bidam!
Bidam!!
Are you all right?
Bidam.
Bidam!
Master!
Yes.
Are you all right?
Are you hurt in any way?
I slaughtered them all!
What?
I added monkshood roots to their food, and poisoned them all.
Did you not say nobody can see this?
Are you telling me you poisoned them all?
All those people?
They are vile miscreants who tried to steal what is mine and beat me.
Not to mention the fact they saw what nobody is allowed to.
Hence, I slew them all!
I brought them food,
and they all feasted upon it in great haste.
They never imagined it had been poisoned.
~ Geography of the Three Kingdoms ~
~ Deokil Temple ~
What brings you here?
Yes. The Master sent me here to retrieve a book in his stead.
But he never allows anyone to...
Yes. He is currently at the palace, so could not come himself.
The palace?!
Yes.
He said he would give it to His Majesty, so he sent me here to retrieve it on his behalf.
Yes. May you enter.
Yes.
~ Geography of the Three Kingdoms ~ First Volume
It was the unification.
What the Master was preparing for was the unification.
He said the glory would be mine. Mine.
~ Inmyeong (Deokman's birth name) ~
Imsul (602), Shinmyo Jeongchuk (Feb 14), hour of the swine (9~11pm)
Inmyeong's birth?!
And who is this Inmyeong?
~ Hyeongjong (Bidam's name as prince) ~
Geonbok 1st Year (584, Jinpyeong 6th), Chilseok (July 7), hour of the rat (11pm~1am)
That is my birthday?!
Hyeongjong?!
And who are you?
You cannot.
You are well aware whose son he is!
She could never marry Bidam.
What is so fervently populating your thoughts?
What brings you here?
At last, the morrow will mark the final event of the competition.
By any chance...
Is what happened at Iseo County with Yushin Rang still afflicting you?
You need not fret.
Was not your hand injured, that day?
What forced defeat upon me that day...
was not my hand.
What?
Just as it suggests.
Do not let anything lead you astray.
For instance, when you find yourself squaring off against ten foes.
None of them would ever risk their lives just to contend with one man.
That desperate struggle to survive would never grace them.
However,
that single man fighting off ten foes is much different.
That one man... will fight for his life.
For only his own struggle would bring him survival.
When it comes to determination,
those ten foes would be already vanquished.
Injury or not, that is not the matter.
It is merely...
a matter of determination.
But you could not even wield properly, on that day.
That is not important.
In Iseo County, I did not stake my life to win.
On the other hand, Yushin Rang fought for his life.
It was that lack of determination...
which caused my defeat.
That is the nature of man.
Bojong is by no means a weak foe.
No... He is strong, on the contrary.
So, never let anything unhinge you.
Why are you...
saying this to me?
I certainly...
would not like to be subjected to an insipid squabble.
Should you lose your resolve and fail,
how lamentable would that be?!
I wish to see a fiercely contended duel.
And on top of that,
I still have no intention of becoming a foe of yours.
For the first time in my life,
I will stake my all to win that competition.
Yushin Rang.
Wolya.
After helping me become His Excellency Kim Seohyeon's adopted son,
I was granted entrance into Hwarang ranks.
We now are brethren.
I am now in Seorabeol,
and since you shall win the competition and become our next Pungwolju,
our Gaya forces will gain limitless influence.
It is way too early for such utterances.
For a man of such aspirations like yourself, too early?!
Are you not...
planning to join Princess Deokman in conjugal ties,
and gain the throne as the Royal Son-in-law?!
Is that not the reason you helped her get acknowledged as princess?
I have no such intentions.
On the surface, I am sure you don't.
Anyhow, I shall give you my support.
After all, "Gaya is one."
Whether the crown bedecks your pate or mine, it concerns me not.
All we need is Gaya descendants sitting on that throne.
Should that quell the grieving throes of our country's untimely damnation,
I shall accord you all my help.
So, become Pungwolju at all cost.
Then,
we shall never betray you.
He should win, right?
Last time in Iseo County, that Bojong or whatever he's called...
did not seem all that impressive.
- I am sure Yushin... - This duel is different.
Much different than a melee like that.
Bojong has never lost this kind of duel before.
Also, a duel between fighters as skilled as they are...
could be decided by deceptively trivial details.
What is more, this is Yushin Rang's first competition.
It shall not be easy.
He must become Pungwolju...
What is this?
Is today not Your Highness's birthday?!
I picked them on my way here.
Curiously enough, women like flowers?
Is liking flowers so curious an occurrence?
It's not like you are going to eat them, and they're not garments.
Anyhow, I'm grateful.
But...
today is not the day.
I was born on the fourteenth day of Shinmyo (February 602).
Imsul (602), Shinmyo Jeongchuk (February 14), hour of the swine (9~11pm)
Oh?!
I heard it was today?!
Ahh... See? I really know nothing.
Perhaps because I donned manly garments for so long,
I had forgotten myself,
but you treat me like a woman indeed.
Your Highness.
I should improve upon my lectures.
Allow me entrance into the royal library.
I had enough of pretending I understand what Yushin Rang and Alcheon Rang say.
All right.
Now.
I want to start now.
I alerted the officer in charge,
so feel free to look around.
Yes, Your Highness.
Guksa (National History) ~ The Annals of King Jinji ~
"Geonbok, 1st year (584), Chilseok (July 7)."
"Son of King Jinji and Mishil, a prince was born."
"His name is Hyeongjong"?!
The son of King Jinji... and Mishil?!
Hyeongjong?!
~ Guksa ~ Annals of King Jinji, Volume 1
~ Hyeongjong ~
Hyeongjong?!
You said your name is Bidam?
Were you a pupil of Munno?
Yes.
Munno was a capable mentor.
You display keen acumen and sagacity.
But it could certainly never compare with Your Highness.
You compare yourself with me?!
Is that forbidden?
The Master was never fully satisfied with me.
He always considered me wretched, said I was a little heartless.
That I had no commiseration, and much too easily engaged in murder.
He said I resembled you...
Do you acknowledge that yourself?
That you show no compassion and too easily resort to slaughter?
Well, rather than that...
Whenever I commit murder,
sorrow paints a smile on my face.
That must have moved him to say so.
Still...
Do not smile.
A subtle simper will suffice.
Suffice to make you look stronger.
Just like so, you mean?
Bidam...
Bidam?!
So is it Mishil?
You knave!
Why did you go to Deokil Temple?
What were you looking for inside that box?!
Did you not say it was mine?
What?
Did you not clearly tell me?
That it all...
was something you prepared for my sake?
Am I not allowed to see what belongs to me?
- You little... - I...
will join the competition in the morrow.
Join what?
And who ever allowed you to do so?!
Go there, and consider yourself excommunicated.
Then...
Are you formally acknowledging me as your pupil?
If I am not a pupil of yours,
how are you ever going to excommunicate me?
Is it because of what happened that day?
I was just a child!
For you were a child, it was all the more appalling.
I myself did not know how to cope with it.
After that day, only your parlance guilefully suggested I'm your pupil.
Have you ever granted me the warmth a master would grace his pupil with?
The man I considered like a father...
suddenly felt like a stranger.
You should at least have told me what my misdeeds were.
I merely...
wanted to be complimented by you.
After you slaughtered all those people,
all which concerned you was my rebuke,
you did not show a shred of compassion for all those departed souls.
Was it because of that?
From that moment...
From that very moment,
you started being daunted by me!
Where would you find another mentor fearing his own pupil?
I was but a child.
You could have warmly embraced me at least once.
Bidam!
What is the matter?
In the morrow, at the competition,
I shall make your wishes come true.
What is that supposed to mean?
Yushin Rang...
will become the next Pungwolju.
We shall hereby decide the bout succession.
The duels shall begin at the hour of the horse (11am~1pm),
and you shall be given special wooden swords by the Board of Military Affairs.
Should anyone collapse and fail to again rise,
or should anyone give up, the duel will conclude.
For anything befalling you during the duel,
you shall not hold each other accountable.
Should no one emerge victorious from a bout,
the Gukseon and Wonsanghwa shall arbitrate on the winner.
Also, as this competition...
will select our next Pungwolju,
not only Hwarang from the capital,
but thiry-two Hwarang from the entire nation will participate in the preliminary bouts.
Pay your respects to the Wonsanghwa!
Chunchu shall soon join us.
I...
am excited,
and filled with concern.
I will do well, right?
Also, today is the final event of the competition.
May you pray for Yushin Rang's success as well.
You will, right?
In the morrow, at the competition,
I shall make your wishes come true.
Yushin Rang...
will become the next Pungwolju.
~ Thirty-one ~
Thirty-one!
Thirty-one for Seokpum Rang!
Yushin Rang.
~ One ~
One.
One for Yushin Rang!
Your first opponent is Bakeui Rang.
Indeed.
Let us meet at the final duel.
Will he be able to go that far?
Fight your way to the top, and let us settle it once and for all.
Your Highness!
What is the matter?
Your Highness.
At the exhibition hall...
What is all this?
I shall join this competition myself.
What?!
Bidam?!
Bidam...
~ On the Next Episode Of ~ QUEEN ~*~ SEONDEOK
Only Hwarang are allowed to join this competition.
What gives you the right?
As a pupil and servant of the Gukseon himself.
You little...
I will join the competition.
Chunchu has made his return?
I feel queasy, let us rest.
Would you care to take the reins?
It's quite the feisty specimen, I'll have to come down.
If you end up facing me, careful about your behind.
But Bojong Rang never lost that kind of duel.
Do not belittle this competition!
It is quite the fierce competition.
Even people so close to each other refuse to speak.
If you end up facing me in duel,
it will put two Hoguk sword alumni against each other?!
They are having a competition in Seorabeol, right?
So, who won?
- You little, keep quiet... - How did he join the competition?
I said keep quiet, you little...
Who are you?
Kim Chunchu.