The Iron Empress
Episode 67
Commissioner, what is the meaning of this?
How dare you raise your sword against me?
[Empress Dowager Cheonchu ]
This is high treason!
Disband your men at once!
Empress Dowager,
I stand against you with much regret.
[Kim Chi Yang (Finance Commissioner)]
But this is not a rebellion.
This is a revolution to rectify order!
You...
You're nothing but a wicked traitor!
[Gang Gamchan (Minister of the Office of Ceremony)]
Silence your tongue!
That's the nature of revolutions.
If you succeed you're a hero,
but if you fail, you're a traitor.
Just as Taejo Wang Guhn betrayed Shilla and erected Goryeo.
So you intend to betray Goryeo and erect a new state?
Your Highness, I have risen to bring your son Prince Hwangju to the throne.
Reveal your relation to Crown Prince Mahi of Shilla!
Please open the gate.
I do not wish to become your enemy.
It's me, Your Highness. We've been through hell and back together.
And I want us to realize our dreams together.
So please trust me and open the gate!
You dare point your sword at me and ask me to trust you?
You've made it impossible for us to be together!
Your Highness, it's already too late; there's no hope left for you.
Surrender and open the gates.
That is the only way for me to protect you and the Emperor.
You will not set foot in this palace unless you kill me first!
Seize the palace.
Attack!
Imperial guards, do not let the rebels breach the citadel!
Protect the palace!
Your Majesty, please change into these clothes.
The situation has taken a turn for the worse.
I said no!
The rebels have surrounded the palace, Your Majesty.
And the Imperial Guards are far outnumbered.
They must be stopped.
If the Imperial Guards can't stop them,
rally the Two Armies and Six Guards!
[Mokjong (7th ruler of Goryeo) ]
[Two Armies and Six Guard: Goryeo's Central Army]
Your Majesty, I...
I'm afraid majority of the soldiers of the Six Guards have joined the rebels.
[Yu Chungjeong]
Where is my mother?
Empress Dowager went to the south gate in her armor to stop the rebels.
The Empress Dowager herself?
[Empress Sunjeong]
Yes, Your Highness.
[Goh Hyun ]
This is a crisis situation.
We must call General Gang Jo.
He could easily defeat Kim Chi Yang.
- Attendant Yu. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Get out of the palace and alert General Gang Jo about the situation.
Yes, Your Majesty. I will deliver your order to General Gang, whatever it takes.
But Your Majesty, I beg you to change your attire.
In the worst case scenario, you may have to abandon the palace and flee.
If you're captured by Kim Chi Yang,
we cannot protect the regime even if General Gang is called.
I will not run and hide when my mother is fighting the enemy.
Instead bring me my armor; I will fight side by side with my mother.
Imperial Guards!
[Sa Gamun]
You are outnumbered!
Lay down your arms and surrender!
Silly bastard!
Shut your mouth and kneel!
[Kim Hoon]
We are the warriors that defended Ahnyoongjin.
[Yu Bang]
It doesn't matter how many of you there are.
We will not be beaten by riff-raff!
Take your best shot, bastards!
[Choi Ghi]
Attack!
Come!
Calm down. Don’t' let them get to you.
It's the enemy! Stop them!
Don't let them breach the citadel!
Stop the rebels!
Bastards!
It's the rebels!
Stop them!
Do not panic!
Stop the rebels! Stay calm!
Wipe them out!
Attack!
Do not fall back! Continue fire!
Cease fire and lay down your arms!
What are you talking about?
Continue fire! Do not stop!
Fall back!
General Yang, what is the meaning of this? We must?
Left and Right Guards and Divine Tiger Guards, pay attention!
We are proud warriors of Goryeo!
We are not rebels!
[Yang Kyu]
Follow my command! We must suppress the rebellion!
Commissioner!
Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung have betrayed us!
What?
Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung are aiding the Imperial Guards and attacking us!
Take your men at once and bring back Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung's heads!
Yes, sir!
Have I been deceived? How dare they?!
Let’s move it. We must capture the palace before dawn.
Yes, My Lord.
Attack! Attack!
Empress Dowager!
The south gate is about to fall!
What?
Your Highness!
We must retreat; the north gate has fallen!
How can this be?
Empress Dowager.
We must get you out of the palace at once!
No, I will die fighting in the palace.
Your Highness, you must remain objective.
We can bounce back from this.
Mother.
Your Majesty.
Emperor, what are you doing here?
I'm here to fight with you, Mother.
Your Majesty, this is much too dangerous!
Please think about the regime and get out of danger, Your Highness!
But we don't even have a way out at this point.
Your Highness!
General Kim!
General Yang has secured the west gate.
There is our way out, Your Highness.
[Yalu River]
[Yelu Chu]
It's the Goryeoans! They're attacking again!
Retreat! Retreat!
Stop!
Why aren't we going after them?
I'm sure they've learned their lesson.
[Gang Jo (Chief Commander of the Northwestern Armies)]
They won't be coming back.
We won.
Yes sir! We won!
We won!
My Lord!
Did you locate the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?
Empress Dowager fled through the west gate,
and the Emperor and the Empress are nowhere to be found.
Follow their tracks.
They must be captured.
My Lord, the soldiers are exhausted.
[Sa Illa] [Duyan]
Please give them some time to rest.
No. They could turn the table on us if they join hands with the guards who did not join our forces.
What's more, Gang Jo could be here any time.
Don't worry, My Lord.
Prime Minister Han's army will keep him busy at the border.
You don't know Gang Jo.
He is the fiercest warrior on the battlefield.
It won't be long before he is bound for Gaegyeong.
We must capture the Empress Dowager and finish the revolution before he arrives.
Yes, My Lord.
Sa Gamun.
Yes, My Lord.
Bring the Empress Dowager back alive.
I don't care about the others, but the Empress Dowager must not be harmed.
I understand, My Lord.
At last...
At last I'm here, Grandfather.
I've finally defeated the descendents of Wang Guhn and seized the throne.
But why? Why does my heart feel so heavy?
Where is the peace I thought I would have once the great enterprise was realized?
Where do we go from here?
Let us go to Hogyeong.
[Hogyeong: Present day Pyongyang]
We must join forces with General Gang Jo and the *regional armies.
[*Regional Armies: stationed in Northern and Eastern areas during Goryeo dynasty]
General Gang is fighting off the Khitan at the Yelu River.
We won't find him in Hogyeong.
How can this be happening?
Still we must go to Hogyeong. We do not have any other option.
Perhaps we should stop at the central army base on the way.
But didn't you say most of them have joined Kim Chi Yang?
Not the Two Armies.
I'm sure they're still waiting for your command, Your Highness.
General Yang is right.
Minister Gang, we can't keep the enemy off of our tail with the men we have now.
Your Highness, this may slow us down, but I think we should heed the advice.
Very well.
We will proceed to Hogyeong through the Two Armies Military Base.
Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness!
Your Highness, the rebels are following right behind us!
What?
You must move quickly!
General Kim and I will slow them down.
Go, Your Highness.
You vowed brotherhood with Commissioner Kim!
How could you betray him like this?
Shut your mouth! Betray him?
General Kim and I have never turned our backs on the Empress Dowager!
It's your Lord, Kim Chi Yang, who betrayed the Empress Dowager!
Heaven will have no mercy on him!
Providence is with Lord Kim Chi Yang!
You are too weak to stop his army!
So surrender now while you can!
We are warriors of Goryeo, sworn to die for the Empress Dowager!
Let's see who prevails!
I see that talking is a waste of time.
Attack!
We must buy as much time as we can for the Empress Dowager to get away safely.
Yes, General.
Fight!
Your Highness.
Your Highness, all roads to the military base are blocked.
[Ha Gongjin]
The rebels are everywhere.
What?
You mean we can't get through?
There are just too many of them; it's impossible without help.
Empress Dowager, we'll have to give up the Two Armies and proceed north.
[Dae Dosu (Minister of Punishment)]
We'll have a chance if we can just get to Hwangju.
Empress Dowager! Empress Dowager! It's the rebels! You must go quickly!
Have General Yang and General Kim's men already fallen?
No, it's another group from another gate.
Oh no! We have no men left to fight!
Your Highness, we have to split up.
Otherwise, we will all be captured.
Split up? We don't have enough men as it is.
Perhaps we should surrender. Let us save our lives first.
Never! If you wish to surrender, go ahead!
But we will not!
Your Highness, we don't have any choice.
We must split up and lure the enemy away to get you out of here safely.
The ministers and the Imperial Guards will go east.
Then who will guard the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
General Dae and I will escort them.
But won't you need more men?
The smaller the number, the less visible we will be.
We're splitting up so you can lure the enemy away.
But isn't that too dangerous? If they should find you...
Obey the command. We've run out of options.
Whatever happens, one group must get away to alert General Gang in Hogyeong.
Your Highness, please send me to Hogyeong.
I will get through the enemy whatever it takes and bring back General Gang Jo.
Very well.
Move it, men! There's no time to waste!
Let us go, Your Highness.
Stop!
Which way should we go?
This way. The tracks lead in this direction!
They couldn't have gone far. Let's go!
There's the Emperor!
It's the enemy! Stop them!
The Emperor is dead. Surrender!
This is not the Emperor. It's his attendant.
Empress, are you alright.
Yes, let us hurry.
Your Highness, are you alright?!
Empress!
Are you hurt?
Let me have a look.
You can't walk. Mother, we need to rest for a while.
But the rebels could be right behind us.
I'm all right. Let us go.
His Majesty the Emperor!
Mother, why did you travel all the way back in this condition?
[Shengzhong of Liao (6th ruler of Khitan)]
I had to come when I heard you were planning to attack Goryeo.
Mother, Prime Minister Han tells me there's a civil war in Goryeo.
Finance Commissioner Kim Chi Yang has raised an army to make his own son king.
If this isn't the right time to strike, I don't know when is.
So I'm trying to seize an opportunity...
Be quiet!
Have you listened to anything I've said?
[Empress Dowager Xiao (Emperor Shengzhong's mother)]
I told you repeatedly?
Your Highness, please calm down.
I was hoping you would grow up before you turned forty.
But I can see now that you're still the egotistical war monger you've always been.
I told you that the era of war is over.
How dare you defy me?!
Mother, I'm not trying to...
If this is how it's going to be, surrender the throne!
Your younger brothers probably have better judgment than you do!
Forgive me, I made a mistake.
Please help me up.
What do you need, Your Highness?
I'm going to the council hall.
No, Your Highness. You must rest.
[Han Darang (Khitan Prime Minister)]
You're still tired from the trip.
No, I must make this clear to the Imperial Court.
Summon all of the ministers to the council hall.
Who abetted the Emperor?
Xiao Baiya, did you urge the Emperor to go to war?
No, Your Highness.
[Xiao Baiya (Viceroy of Eastern Capital)]
Then was it you?
[Yelu Dilu]
No, Your Highness.
I would not dare...
I have not forgotten your meritorious achievements in war.
But those days are over.
Why do you think the Sui and Tang dynasties crumbled?
Present day Goryeo is as strong as old Goguryeo.
Who wants to go to war with Goryeo? Speak up!
It is not going to happen as long as I am alive.
Do you understand?
Your Highness!
Mother!
Answer me! Do you understand?
Yes, Your Highness!
The palace has been captured by Kim Chi Yang?
Yes.
[Kim Shimon (Minister of Domestic Affairs)]
This is an extreme situation.
What happened to the Empress Dowager?
[Lady Yunheung]
She escaped the palace with the Emperor, but no one knows if she's dead or alive.
I wish she'd just croak.
Watch your tongue.
[Jeong (Future Empress Weunjeong)]
Are you wishing harm on the Emperor?
Not the Emperor, the Empress Dowager.
This is dreadful.
We need Prince Daeryang on the throne.
That's the only hope for us left...
Bakdol! Myeongil!
What's this?
What's with you two?
We heard.
[Yi Bakdol] [Jang Myeongil]
You are royalty we can't dare associate with.
Please forgive us for our insolence all this time.
What are you talking about?
I'm not royalty.
I'm just your friend.
Then are we still buddies?
Never mind. Forgive me.
Would you please stop that?
[Prince Daeryang (Later Emperor Hyeonjong)]
I'm not a royalty, and I'm going to stay here with you guys.
Farming, gathering firewood, and stealing chickens.
By the way, is your mother feeling better?
Yes, sir.
Stop it! Friends don't call each other "sir".
That's true.
Sunjae, she's gotten a lot better after eating the chicken you stole.
I owe it all to you, buddy.
You can't talk to him like that!
But we're friends! And that's what Sunjae wants.
We still can't!
Stop hitting me!
Ji Chaemun, was it?
Yes, Master.
From here on, do not leave Prince Daeryang's side, not even for a moment.
You will save his life many times in the future, Colonel Ji.
[Jin Gwan]
[Ji Chaemun]
So you lost them?
Attendant Goh Hyun was killed in the Emperor's disguise and the high ministers have been captured.
By the Empress Dowager and the Emperor got away.
[Mun In Wui]
How about Yang Kyu and Kim Sukheung?
They got away as well.
They're both extraordinary fighters, so...
Your incompetence is pathetic!
Gang Jo could be here any minute.
You must capture them before dawn.
That's the only way to suppress Gang Jo with an Imperial command to stop his aggression.
Now move it!
[Hogyeong: Present day Pyongyang]
General Gang!
What happened? What are you doing here?
Kim Chi Yang has taken up arms and captured the palace.
What?
What happened to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
They both got out in time and they were alive when I left,
but anything could have happened to them by now.
Colonel Ahn! Colonel Yi!
Yes, sir.
Prepare to move out. We're going to Gaegyeong.
Right now, sir?
[Yi Hyunoon]
But the soldiers are exhausted from fighting the Khitan.
I don't care!
We must hurry. The Empress Dowager's life is in danger!
Yes, General!
Kim Chi Yang, you just wait.
I'll be there to rip you limb from limb!
Empress, are you sure you're going to be all right?
Your ankle is terribly swollen.
I'm all right. I'm just sorry that I'm slowing you down.
Empress, are you all right?
Yes, Your Highness. I’m sorry to worry you.
Nonsense.
I'd like to have a word with the Emperor.
Of course.
You were right.
I am to blame for this.
I should not have trusted Kim Chi Yang like you told me not to.
I brought ruin to the empire...
No, Mother.
You are a victim. You didn't know this would happen.
Whether I knew or not, I've ruined everything.
If I had conferred full sovereign power to you when it was due,
you'd be fine and the regime would be safe.
I made a terrible mistake.
I'm sorry, Emperor.
Mother, don't blame yourself.
I'm responsible for not being able to prevent this.
I've cause you so much pain all these years...
Please forgive me for not being a better son, Mother.
Emperor...
Will this country really have a change of Royal bloodline?
What is to happen to us now?
[Choi Wonshin (Vice Minister of the Office of Ceremony)]
Fortunately we've kept decent relations with Kim Chi Yang,
so we probably don't need to worry too much.
Everyone has to look out for themselves after all.
The sharecropping law might be reinstated as well.
At any rate, let's not do anything hasty and observe the developments.
General Gang Jo in Hogyeong is still strong, so who knows what might happen?
About Kim Chi Yang, I understand this is to put his son on the throne,
how long has he been preparing for this?
[Choi Suk (Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel)]
He captured the palace in a matter of minutes.
Kim Chi Yang may be much more dangerous than you think.
What do you mean by that?
He might be connected to Prince Mahi.
Pardon? Whatever do you mean?
He's a Jurchen.
What could he possibly have to do with the last prince of Shilla?
[Prince Hwangju Kim Jin]
Jin, how does it feel?
This is the chair that Heaven has meant for you.
Are you comfortable?
Yes, Father.
Good.
Now you must maintain this seat with your bloodline for the next thousand years.
And you must make this empire the biggest empire in the world.
The spirits of those who died to put you here will help you achieve that goal.
Where are you, Empress Dowager?
I want you here with me more than anything.
Am I hoping for the impossible?
Everyone, hide!
Is this the right place?
There was a witness on the main road, so they have to be hiding in these woods.
Search the area!
Search every inch of the area!
Aye!
They're coming this way. We have to get out of here.
I will lure them away!
Mother!
No, Your Highness. That's too dangerous.
Kim Chi Yang won't have me killed if I'm captured.
But he may very well kill the Emperor.
Minister Gang, protect my son.
Mother!
Empress Dowager, let me lure them away.
Stay here, Your Highness.
There! After them!
Your Majesty!
No, Your Majesty.
We must get moving. This isn't safe either.
Empress Dowager...
Your Majesty.
Wait!
Something's not right. There's got to be more of them.
The Emperor is missing!
I will go back. Men, follow me!
Aye!
General!
No! The Emperor Dowager must be captured alive.
Stop!
If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me first!
How could you of all people do this to me?
Forgive me.
I don't want to hurt you. Please come back to the palace with us.
Your Majesty.
Empress!
Empress! Empress!
Protect the Emperor!
Get up, Empress!
No!
General Gang!
Protect the Emperor!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, are you all right?
Yes.
You...
You did it!
Your Majesty!
Inspector General Gang Jo, reporting for duty, Your Majesty!
That you for saving us. Kim Chi Yang has turned against us.
Yes, I heard.
I'm here now, so cast your fears aside.
Where is the Empress Dowager?
She lured the rebels away to save the Emperor,
but we don't know what happened to her.
Oh my, Commissioner! The throne suits you so well!
You really look like an Emperor!
Your time in confinement must've been difficult.
It was nothing a real man can't handle.
[Yi Jujeong]
I heard that you exposed my involvement in your relationship with the Emperor.
Yes, I told the truth to the Emperor as well as the Empress Dowager.
[Yu Han Gan (Official of Hanmoon Temple)]
Why?
If you had just kept your mouth shut, I would've given you a great reward.
There couldn't be a reward greater for a lowly man like me,
than having had the chance the serve the Emperor intimately.
I thank you sincerely for choosing me,
but I could not deceive the Emperor any longer.
You are a strange one. You dug your own grave.
Pardon me for interrupting...
What is it?
Sa Gamun is bringing the Empress Dowager back.
He is?
Welcome back, Your Highness.
You're being fooled!
He's trying to bring Goryeo down!
Empress Dowager must be eliminated, my lord.
Keeping her alive is not a good idea!
Silence!
Bastard, don't you know me? I'm Gang Jo!
Where is the Empress Dowager?
We're under attack!
Gang Jo got the Empress Dowager out?
Switch the two boys' clothes.
Are you out of your mind? Sacrifice your own son?
If we have to choose...
it has to be Prince Hwangju.
You filthy bastard!
Where do you think you're running to?
I got you covered! Get out of here!
Send over the prince!
Take another step and you're dead!
Fire!
I'm sorry, Ryang...
I will capture Kim Chi Yang myself.
And I must get Prince Hwangju back.