These are only records of facts
Even the ones from decades ago...
Mother's notebook!
(Episode 2 4)
This isn't it. It's a diary Lady Han wrote when she was a worker lady
But how could Jang-Geum have...
It's about cooking, so she was probably trying to teach her...
her methods of cooking
And these books only record the incoming and outgoing products
not how the ladies have been using them
Put them back
Sure
Are you sure?
I'm not sure why she's going through the old books
but these books are nothing new
If such books do exist, she would've hidden it very well
Young-Ro, you keep looking into it and Keum-Young, you keep an eye on Lady Han
Yeun-Seng, did you see my books by any chance?
Books?
Yes. The accounting books I left under my desk...
they disappeared
Really? Did you search for them?
You may have misplaced them
No
Aren't you going to be scolded by Lady Han if you lose them?
Wouldn't it be better if you tell her now?
Maybe Young-Ro hid them
Why would she?
Did she ever have a reason? All she does is give us trouble
This is trouble
What is it?
What's wrong?
Madam, actually...
I have lost the accounting books
No, she didn't lose them They're gone
Gone?
Yes. Jang-Geum left them in her residence...
but they were gone when she looked for them
I'm sorry
It's alright. They'll be returned
People who are nervous about you taking records probably took them
But only the facts are recorded They'll put them back
Did you take those?
What?
These...
Why would I take them? What for?
Young-Ro, where's the notebook?
Man... What are you talking about?
Young-Ro, give it back It's very important to me
If I wanted to see it, I'd just take a look since I use the same room
Why would I take it like that?
What notebook? You're trying to blame me for everything...
now that Lady Han has become the Highest Lady
No, it's not that
Forget it! I have to work now
You're something else
So this is why Jang-Geum was so good Lady Han gave this to Jang-Geum only
and she only told me to get bowls of water!
What are you doing? Give it back!
No way It's not yours!
Then is it yours?
Yes, it's mine! Give it back!
Let me see if it's your writing
What are you doing?!
What is it?
Whose notebook is this?
I don't know. Young-Ro was looking at it, so I took it...
Where did you get it?
In some corner of a building...
I found it under a tree I was going to find the owner...
but Yeun-Seng came and...
It seems to be very old Is it not yours?
Myeong didn't even tell me where this was and I looked everywhere
Where could this have come from?
It's Young-Ro for sure
It's alright. They'll be returned
Huh?
People who are nervous about you taking records probably took them
I can't let anyone see my mother's notebook
You found it? You probably stole it
Why you...!
You took Jang-Geum's books, too, eh?
All of you seem to be jumping to conclusions
Just why would I do that?! Why?!
Never mind, then
When I was taking the books back...
What? Did you get caught?
No, I put them back fine, but Jang-Geum's notebook...
You didn't take them together?
I was going to put it back after taking a look since it's Lady Han's
but Lady Han took it because of Yeun-Seng
Then she knows that you took it?
No. I kept insisting I found it outside
And Lady Han didn't say much about it, either
Keum-Young, what should I tell Lady Choi?
Let's tell her what happened first
And?
Since the notebook contained notes about cooking
I was going to quickly look and put it back...
You should've just obeyed me! Why'd you ruin everything?!
Lady Han gave it to Jang-Geum
She's going to ask her about it...
and since you had it, it means you stole it!
But, Madam, Lady Han didn't give it to Jang-Geum
What do you mean?
Lady Han didn't know whose it was and she asked me where I found it
So she didn't know it was in Jang-Geum's room
And it seemed very important to Jang-Geum
She reported the missing books but not the notebook
So we won't get caught
If it's not Lady Han's, why does Jang-Geum have that old notebook?
I know. Whose notebook could it be?
Could it be a court lady who came to the palace...
at the same time you did?
Never mind. If she asks you again, keep on insisting you found it
You must keep denying it
And see ifJang-Geum has any contacts with other court ladies
Sure
Lady Han didn't know whose it was and she asked me where I found it
Could it be a court lady who came to the palace at the same time you did?
A court lady who came with me... They were Lady Gang and Lady Jin...
but Lady Gang already left the palace
And Lady Jin is now an attendant lady...
They couldn't have possibly met Jang-Geum...
so if it's not Lady Han... Who could it be? Who?
Myeong! Park Myeong!
Lady Choi wants you at the pantry immediately
OK
When does the notebook end?
Huh?
You said you read it Around when does it end?
I didn't read all the details...
but the last date I read was the birthday feast of Yeonsan's Mother
How... where could it have come from?
How could Jang-Geum have Myeong's notebook?
What is this?
I don't know
Are you going to deny it when you're the person who hid it?!
I've seen it for the first time
Then why did you disobey me and go into the middle kitchen?
How dare you lie to us like this?!
It's not a lie!
Then what did she find?!
It was a small notebook...
I didn't have a chance to look at it carefully
Pil-Du said something strange He said chef Gang's adopted daughter
who went to the palace looked like Lady Park's daughter
What? Lady Park's daughter?
Yeah
Didn't you say it was a boy?
Right... it was clearly a boy
How can a boy become a court lady?
I was thinking that, too, but Pil-Du saw her at a close range
I'm not sure...
It has to be boiled in order to settle down the dust...
and use it for washing ingredients
Who told you to do such a thing?
No one, but...
Then you did it on your own?
My mother always did this whenever there was a dust storm...
since the water becomes muddy and it smells and the food rots faster
Jang-Geum... Jang-Geum... is Myeong's daughter?
Did you find anything more with Jang-Geum?
Not yet
Nothing different?
Lady Han and Jang-Geum haven't said anything to each other
It's clear they don't know about it
Yeah?
Keep an eye on them
Sure
There are some unusual activities
I went to the Food Services and something seemed to be going on
If it's a Food Services issue, isn't it related to Uncle?
Madam
Madam!
Keum-Young
What's wrong?
Jang-Geum... Jang-Geum is...
Yes, what about Jang-Geum? What is it? Please tell me
That notebook belongs to Myeong
Who is Myeong?
Myeong was Lady Han's best friend
But I killed her
During Yeonsan's reign, I put in something that shouldn't be
put into the King's Mother's food who partnered with the forces...
that were out to harm our family And Myeong saw it
We framed her saying she was intimate with one of the guards...
and we made her drink poison
But one day, Myeong appeared in the streets of Han-Yang again
So I asked my brother to get rid of her immediately
He said she was clearly hit by an arrow
But her daughter... her daughter has appeared
Could it be...?
It's Jang-Geum
But that's not confirmed...
It's for sure... it's for sure
I don't know how or why she came to the Royal Kitchen...
but if she knows about that, if she tells Lady Han...
Lady Han and Jang-Geum don't know about each other yet
If she did, she would've sent Young-Ro out of the palace...
when she took the notebook away from Young-Ro
But such a thing didn't happen Jang-Geum didn't react either
It's clear. So be focused and we just need to block them...
from each other before they find out
Just think about the future and tell Uncle about this first
I will tell Young-Ro to report any unusual activities ofJang-Geum
OK, sure...
Now that the diary is gone, what'll happen...
if someone finds out about my mother? Should I tell this to Lady Han?
Will she help me?
That friend! My mother's best friend!
I hope she could see it soon I clearly saw her traces here...
She must get here quickly...
That's right, persimmon vinegar! I'll find her myself
Is something going on?
Nah...
The investigation started Internal Affairs has initiated...
in Food Services, Storage, among the eunuchs and...
all the other offices as well
Just what is going on here?!
It seems like it all started...
when they appointed the accountant lady...
You're saying this got this big just because of one accountant lady?
Many had done a poor job of
managing things and just when she started to record the accounts
they became afraid and only asked for the necessary quantity and
that's why it has gotten this serious
What the...
Sir!
What's going on, sir?
We're also under investigation by Internal Affairs
Sir, I think we'll be paying dearly for the past management practices
Did you know about this, too?
It was probably just Lady Han trying to exercise her power over...
the court ladies, but it suddenly spread to the superiors
You should've blocked it beforehand!
Because of the Queen's order, Lady Han has full power
I can't do much about it
If this happens as soon as someone else takes that position
what are you going to do later on?
All the products coming into the palace are under investigation
We must act quickly
It's great trouble
What's this commotion in Food Services?
Internal Affairs is investing all the departments
Is there a problem?
The kitchen appointed an accountant lady...
and the amounts are accurately recorded
The eunuchs must've found out and reported it to Internal Affairs...
that the amount requested has been greatly reduced
Then the amount of our products will decrease even more in the future!
That's not the problem There'll be reprimand for management
Myself, Sir Oh Kyum-Ho, all other related officials, too
So Sir Oh Kyum-Ho wants to see you secretly at the dancer bar tonight
Sure
As you've ordered, all departments are under investigation
Thank you
I didn't know one accountant lady could find out so much
It's because Lady Han and Lady Suh have done a good job
It was your strategy
Thanks to you, the King has one less thing to worry about
But we will not end our work here
Our first report has gone up to the King
How come all the products of the palace are supplied by Choi Pan-Sul?
I thought I did everything I could to reduce the expenditure created
during Yeonsan's reign
So almost half of the products were that problem
How could such a thing have been possible?
That must not be Increase the no. of suppliers
Yes, Your Majesty
The supply will decrease and officials under you will be replaced
and since there will be more suppliers...
the loss will be great
That's not the problem
Yes, sir
I can place my officials as replacements
And we can solve the problem of suppliers eventually, but...
The problem is with people intentionally shaking
the system that we have set up
That's right, sir The first suspect is Lady Han...
If the head eunuch had found this out
he should've reported it to me first since I'm in charge of Food Services
So how come Internal Affairs took action first?
Something's fishy Someone's trying to get us
I think we have to solve that first So find out who initiated this
Yes, sir
After that, we'll continue this discussion
Sure
What's this?
I saw Jang-Geum hide it under one of the palaces
What is it?
You stay here. I'll report this
Where... where did you find this?
Young-Ro saw Jang-Geum hide it under one of the palaces and brought it
Then he not only investigated the kitchen but all the depts, too?
Yes
And he is Internal Affairs investigator Min Jung-Ho for sure?
This is strange. How can a low-ranking official do such...
a thing when his superior doesn't even know about it?
The last report that was sent up to the King was written by him as well
But his rank is not high enough to do such a thing...
But no matter what the rank is, you can do that in Internal Affairs
Bye now
Sure, sure... Be careful, Jang-Geum
Let me see you for a moment
Sure
I was going to ask you for a little more for our wine...
since the price of rice has gone up
I want to see him, not you
Yes, sir
Tell him well, or else we'll be in the red soon
Like... how?
Get on his good side, OK? Go ahead
Sir, did you call for me?
How do you know the kitchen lady?
Who? Oh, Jang-Geum? She's like my own daughter
She was with me until she came to the palace
Yeah? Saw you greeting Min Jung-Ho Do you know him?
Min Jung-Ho? Of course, I know him
How do you know him?
Do you want a brief answer or a long, detailed answer?
Give me a detailed answer
OK, it was not too long ago He came to my home...
and my wife appeared... by the way, speaking of my wife...
the price of rice has gone up, so pay us a little more
Can't you continue to explain?!
I had to serve the nursemaid of the Queen with Jang-Geum
Then do Jang-Geum and Min Jung-Ho know each other?
Of course. He's so generous We went out to the beach one time
And he caught this crab himself...
Hey! Does Min Jung-Ho know Lady Han, too?
Of course. Lady Han became the Highest Lady recently
Sir Min and I greatly helped Lady Han
I had to help her get to Ma-Po market from Port Song-Pa
and the ship started to go backwards to Port Yuh-Ju
I said, ''The ship's going back!''
You're helpless!
It's an interesting story, though
Go outside
It has nothing to do with the head of Internal Affairs, right?
No, sir. I found out there's no such back up for Min Jung-Ho
Isn't Min Jung-Ho the son of Sir Min Ik-Su?
Hasn't Sir Min Ik-Su left the court a long time ago?
Yes. He followed Kim Jik-In to the Rebellion of Three Ports
and made an exceptional achievement...
and he was given the position of head of the Royal Guards
Head of the Royal Guards?
He isn't someone who would do such a thing to increase his own power
He's doing it for the sake of making a name for himself
You know there are people like that
So cast him away. Faults come out when you look for them
If you don't make yourself clear on such things
the same type of people will appear again
Sure, find faults with him Exile him or discharge him...
from the office so he can never set foot in the palace again
Yes, sir
And discuss with Lady Choi what to do with Lady Han
Sure
How did Sir Min Ik-Su's son come to know Lady Han and do such a thing?
Anyway, he got the wrong person Now that Sir Oh Kyum-Ho's involved
What will happen now?
Sir Oh said he'd make an example out of him
so he can never set foot in the palace again
It's a pity that he's such a valuable person
He may be able to avoid trouble if he knelt down before Sir Oh now
What did you want to talk about by the way?
Lady Park's daughter has appeared
Lady Park?
What? Lady Park's daughter?!
Yes
Where?! Where is she?!
She's in the palace
The palace?!
The girl with Lady Han, named Jang-Geum...
You mean that girl who offered the dishes at the competition?
Yes
Then, Pil-Du was right
Jang-Geum had that letter with her
It's not the time to think about palace products now
If Lady Han gets it, our family which kept the position
for the last 5 generations will be totally ruined
Fortunately, Lady Han doesn't know Jang-Geum is Lady Park's daughter
Lady Han doesn't know that yet?
No
How do you know that?
That is certain
Certain? Certain?!
There is nothing certain in this world! Nothing!
We must act quickly
What are you going to do with Lady Han?
We have no choice
Then...?
A little fire you leave behind can bring bigger trouble
Sir Oh said he'd make an example out of him
so he can never set foot in the palace again
It's a pity that he's such a valuable person
He may be able to avoid trouble if he knelt down before Sir Oh now
Lady Choi, you should be in the palace now...
What are you doing here?
I have something I must tell you now, so please excuse me
You'll get hurt. So please kneel before Sir Oh Kyum-Ho
Go back if you're going to tell me such a thing
Even if it means that I'll be discharged and
I won't be able to come back into the palace
I can't do such a thing
Sometimes it's better not to climb but go around the mountain
I thought you'd be different from Lady Choi or Choi Pan-Sul...
even though you are from the same family
I thought you'd be different from those who send kidnappers...
to Lady Han and profiteer with Sir Oh Kyum-Ho
It was painful for me as well
But how come...?
No one was beside me when I was going through such pain
How could such a thing be an excuse?!
Did you say it's an excuse? Do you know how it feels like...
to have no one beside you when you don't know what to do?
Ultimately, the place I had to remain at was my home
I went to Un-Ahm Temple to see you when I was suffering
I shouldn't have gone there, but I went there anyway
I saw you happily buying a brush
And I saw Jang-Geum using that brush
That was just...
My words can discharge you from your position and
Jang-Geum has to pay for it with her life according to the rules
You still won't back down?
Even though I made such a threat hoping that you'd be fine...
if you do back down, it'd be for her Then what must I do?
My words can discharge you from your position and
Jang-Geum has to pay for it with her life according to the rules
What are you talking about? He went back to the Royal Guards?
According to the official in Internal Affairs
he was temporarily sent out as Lt. General of Royal Guards...
to find out spies' movements but movements were detected again...
so the head of Royal Guards made a request for him again...
since he's the only one who's knowledgeable in such matters...
And because of it he has to go to a rural area
Are you sure?
Yes, sir
I think we'll have to leave him alone for now
Since he's going to a rural area, it'll be hard to do something now
We ought to respond to the situation first
we can take care of him after things have settled first
I was going to make the request before you
We can't impeach Sir Oh with such evidence
We'll make ourselves a target for no reason
If you must, then find more reliable evidence
Yes, sir. Please give me a few agents
Though it's not something Royal Guards should be involved in
if you use them when they're off duty
it won't be a problem
Thank you, sir I'll keep a low profile...
until I find reliable evidence
Yes, that's the way!
I heard you're going to a rural area
It turned out that way
You should be faithful to your guard duty
Yes, sir
Sir...
You're going to a rural area? What happened?
It turned out that way
Could it be related to this...
Oh, no, don't worry about it
But what could take you to a rural...
You mean it's a demotion?
I mean... yes
You did all the work, but you're being demoted...
I'm stepping down myself. Don't worry
Stay seated
You probably know what these are
These are last month's kitchen accounting books
You know that big problems have risen for officials...
of all departments because of these
Of course, we can't be free from it
It's my job to report where and how extra ingredients have been used
I can't accept the excuse that it has been a routine
Routines aren't necessarily proper
But I'll let it go this time
The reason for it is, I want to trust you once more
It's because I trust that you'll follow me and that...
you'll help me I ask you again, help me
And also know that, this is the last time I'll let it go
So what happened?
Lady Han let it go
Isn't she being too gracious?
Gracious? No way...
Madam, thank you It won't ever happen again
Yes, ma'am. Such a thing won't ever happen again
OK, that's why I'm letting it go So don't worry and go back to work
Yes, ma'am
What happened to the court ladies who disrespected Lady Han?
How'd they become so obedient?
That's the virtue of Lady Han
Her virtue?
It's a little scary to call it that What should I call it?
Authority? Anyway something like that
When I become the Highest Lady in the future
I'll scold everyone and say, ''I'll let it go this time''
Do you know what she means by that?
No
What is it? You don't look so good
Madam...
I'll do something about Lady Han and Jang-Geum by myself
It's something I'll have to do once anyway
And it's hard for you to frequent the kitchen, so I'll do it
Can you do it?
Really? You're really going to do it?
Yes, so you just do as I say
Madam, here are the books I went through
Good job
There are hardly any ingredients given back to the Food Services now
because the demand has decreased so much
That's good
I heard about it
About what?
You did well!
I thought you were going to cast all of the court ladies away
It seemed that way to you?
Yes
Why?
You scold me harshly when I make a little mistake...
and you even sent me away to Un-Ahm Temple
So you felt sad about it?
Yes
So please do me a favor now
It's been almost two months since I last touched any food
Please. Can't you let someone else keep the records now?
No
You're too harsh
Even so, no
Why not?
You still have 3 more days to make it 2 months
I was going to have you do it for only 2 months anyway
Really?
Why? You want to do more?
Oh, no. I enjoy making food beside you the most
Mother, I can't find your friend I went through all the vinegar jars
but I couldn't find her Can't I tell Lady Han now?
Can I show her your letter? Can I, Mother?
Bring me the mustard
Is it yours, Madam?
Yes
You must've ran out of it
You're right
The dish looks very tasty today
It's finished. Serve it Sure, Madam
We're late. Let's hurry
I've never seen that before Whose is it?
That's right! Why didn't I think of the kitchen?
Do you know whose vinegar bottle this is?
I don't know
They don't let us touch such things
Then where are the people who were cooking food here?
Probably at the Middle Kitchen to serve the food now
The Middle Kitchen?
It must be the persimmon vinegar that's decades old
The taste of this vinegar grows more fragrant and deep
It's very good
Young-Ro
Huh? What?
Yeun-Seng
What is it?
Where are the ladies?
They're already inside to serve the meal
Yeah?
Jang-Geum!
Why were you so surprised to see her?
What? What do you mean?!
You did something bad again, huh?
Hey, you make it sound as if I love to harm her
Jang-Geum?
Why Jang-Geum all of a sudden?
Didn't I say Mak-Geum?
You did a good job
Oh, no, you made everything
Your kebab was excellent
Really?
Yes, it's better than mine
It must be the persimmon vinegar that's decades old
The taste of this vinegar grows more fragrant and deep
How come they didn't clean up? Where are they?
Madam!
Didn't you see a vinegar bottle here?
Oh, the one Lady Han took?
Lady Han?
Yes. Why?
Don't just stand there Let's clean this place up first
Jang-Geum! What's wrong with all these girls anyway?
Jang-Geum
Madam