Now choose.
Go on.
Don`t, Don`t drink it.
It doesn`t matter what happens to me.
Your Majesty....
But you, you must survive.
So don`t touch those drinks.
-No, Joyoung, don`t! -Let me have them.
-I`ll drink them both! -Silence!
You are before the Empress!
What are you waiting for? Choose.
Joyoung!
Good, you chose the wine without poison.
Now give the poisoned wine to King Bojang.
Yes, Your Highness.
I cannot let my King die to save my life.
What?
You said the king would live if I die. Keep your word.
No. Dae Joyoung, don`t do this. I am dying anyway.
I have failed to revive Goguryeo and restore you to the throne.
Please forgive me for my failure, YOur Majesty.
Joyoung!
No, stop!
Indeed!
You are indeed extraordinary.
Your loyalty to your master exceeds my expectations.
Both the glasses were filled with wine and wine only.
Your Highness,
you mean there was no poison in either of them?
If he had chosen only one glass to save his life, he would have proven his loyalty worthless and compelled me to have him killed.
Hence in that sense, both drinks were poisoned.
But Dae Joyoung drank both glasses of wine to save King Bojang.
But Your Highness,
Your action was to devide whether those glasses were filled with wine or poison. And you made them both wine.
Dae Joyoung is a criminal of high treason he can`t be allowed to live.
That would be an outrage. Dae Joyoung must die.
Her Highness clearly told us that she was testing Dae Joyoung to decide his fate.
He passed the test, and now he must be spared.
That`s absurd.
Pardoning Dae Joyoung would defy the law of the land.
That`s right, Your Highness. Dae Joyoung can`t be spared.
That`s enough.
The fastest horse in the world is but a piece of meat if it can`t be ridden.
I will ask you one last time Dae Joyoung. Will you give me all of the loyalty,
that you have shown for King Bojang?
I want it all. I will not accept any less.
Will you give me all of your loyalty?
Joyoung!
General!
Joyoung! Joyoung!
It`s poison! He`s been poison!
Your Highness, the wine was poisoned after all!
That`s impossible! Poison?
No, Your Highness. I assure you there was no poison.
The poison is spreading!
Summon the physician at once! I want Dae Joyoung alive!
Summon the physician! You heard the order!
-Joyoung, wake up! -Please, Joyoung!
General!
Joyoung, wake up! PLEASE!
Stop crying.
You saw him coughing up blood and falling to the ground. (Heuk Sudol)
He`s been poisoned.
Joyoung is not going to die on us. (Gulsabiwu)
He would never die with so much work left to do.
I`m so frustrated I don`t know what to do with myself. I need to know what`s happened to him.
Your Grace, Your Grace.
What did you find out? What happened to General Dae Joyoung?
Yes, but...
Come on in.
What...are you doing here? (Sukyoung:King Bojang`s niece)
I`ve been assigned to guard duty at the East Palace. (Chulin:Khitan Khan`s Daughter)
Is there anything I can do to help?
You?
Even General Xue is trying to save Dae Joyoung now. I should do what I can to help.
I heard that General Dae drank poison to save His Majesty.
Do you know how he is?
I`m told he`s still unconscious.
This is a difficult request, but could you take me to him?
I need to see for mysel that he`s alive. If he should die and leave us,
I...I...
Your Grace....
Now is not the right time.
When things settle down a bit in the palace. I`ll be in contact.
Thank you. I won`t forget this.
He`s alive because we acted quickly.
But he ingested a huge amount of poison.
Are you suggesting that both of those glasses had poison? (Heixhi Changzhi:Former Baekje General)
Exactly.
I`ve done all that I can.
All we can do is to wait and hope that this man is strong enough to fight off the poison.
I appreciate your effort.
General,
the physician just left the room.
How about Dae Joyoung? Is he dead?
He`s unconscious, but I don`t think it`s fatal.
That bastard has nine lives. (Li Wen)
What do we do now?
-The Empress will no doubt suspect us. -That`s right.
If the Empress points the finger at us, there could be blood.
Tell us the truth, General Li Wen.
The truth about what?
You`re the only one among us with the guts to do something like this. (Zhao Wenhui)
What?
It`s not just us.
All of the officials think you`re behind this.
Look!
We all know and understand your patriotism.
Make a clean breast of it so we can figure out what to do together.
You`ve got the wrong man.
-Why would I risk my life over something so stupid? -General Li,
If you suspect me of being behind this, the Empress must be certain that I am.
-But I assure you I am not. -Come on, General Li.
I said you`ve got the wrong man!
Someone is trying to set me up.
I`ll get to the bottom of this if only to clear my name.
If someone could put poison in those cups, there is no guarantee that this wine isn`t poison either.
Your Highness, why would you say such a thing?
General Xue, Who do you think it is?
Who would dare attempt a murder in the presence of the Empress? (Empress Wu Zetian:Empress of Tang)
The man that wanted Dae Joyoung dead the most Li Wen. (Xue Rengui)
Yes, that was my first suspicion as well. But are you certain that it wasn`t you?
Your Highness!
One would have to be quite bold to have conceived such an idea.
This single event has shifted the locus away from Dae Joyoung and made Dae`s attempted murderer a greater criminal.
Perhaps in your attempt to destroy Li Wen....
It`s a plausible theory,Your Highness.
But I would sooner strike him with my sword, than use things like poison.
Yes, of course.
I can`t picture you slipping poison into a tiny cup.
Your Highness,
this is tantamount of treason. It can`t be dismissed.
I urge you to call Li Wen at once for questioning.
Do you both think General Li Wen is behind this?
Yes. Who else could it be?
It`s him Your Highness.
Li Wen and the officials might think that, we are the ones who set this up to bring Li Wen down.
-General, Lord Zhao is here. -Escort him in.
Welcome, Lord Zhao.
Why did you wish to see me so late in the evening?
I know who poisoned the wine.
Who?
Who is behind this?
-The Empress. -The Empress?
Yes, Empress Wu is the culprit.
What do you mean?
Why would the Empress do this?
It`s a ploy to bring us under her mercy.
She put the poison in those cups herself, to falsely accuse us.
The Empress?
Think about it.
She killed her own daughter and accused the previous empress of the murder.
If she`s capable of doing this, she`s capable of anything.
If what you say is true, we can`t just sit back and let her do this to us!
We must bring all of the civil officials together and restore Li Xian back as the crown prince.
You`re absolutely right.
We`ve got to bring the Empress down from the seat of power and have the rightful heir lead this empire.
Yes.
That`s the only way to save the empire.
Or it will not last for more than three generations just like the Sui Dynasty before us.
She is dangerous woman, Empress Wu. She`s trying to kill us all!
But she might have given us a chance to bring her down for good.
What?
-The palace maid that prepared the wine was found dead? -Yes, Your Highness.
Then we have no lead to find the perpetrator.
This was not about killing Dae Joyoung. Whoever did this is after me.
But who in this empire would dare?
You may go now.
Yes, Your Highness.
If I come down hard on the civil officials about this, they will turn the table on me and accuse me of setting them up.
But if I don`t.
I will lose the support of the non-Chimese warriors. Who could it be?
Who would dare put me in this predicament?
I called you over because I didn`t want to drink alone.
Have a drink with me.
It`s quite late.
-Perhaps you should rest for the night. -Don`t you ever get tired of nagging?
Was it my mother?
Did she tell you to put me to bed early?
-Your Highness, -Forget it!
I heard Dae Joyoung still hasn`t come around.
He drank two full cups of poisoned wine. (Li Xian:Deposed Crowm Prince)
It won`t be an easy recovery.
(Li Kaigu)
This is news to me.
How did you know that both cups were poisoned?
You mean you haven`t heard? The rumor is all over the palace.
General,
General Li Wen is here requesting to see the prince.
General Li Wen?
That`s perfect. I`m sure he will drink with me.
Give me a moment.
-I will see what he wants. -Just sent him in.
Li Wen is a long time friend of mine.
You can stay.
I don`t want to be alone right now.
Chulin, was it?
You`re more beautiful every time I see you. Why don`t you try and seduce me?
I`m not amsed by your jest. I am a married woman.
So what?
My mother was my grandfather`s concubine. But now she`s running this entire empire as my father`s wife.
Who knows?
Play your cards right, and you may br the next empress.
It`s been a while.
-What brings you at this time of the night? -I have an important matter to discuss with the prince.
I see that his lights are still on. Tell him that I`m here. (Li Wen)
I must conduct a body search.
What? A body search?
I`m in charge of security in the East Palace. You will comply or leave the premises.
-Shut your mouth and get but of the way! -Stop.
I don`t have time, so get it over with.
General...!
You must`ve been quite thirsty.
I`ll get right to the point.
There`s an ugly situation developing in the palace.
-Is this about the poisoned wine that Dae Joyoung drank? -Dae Joyoung is the least of our concerns.
The Empress is trying to turn this country into a barbarians` paradise.
That`s nothing new.
Didn`t you see the Khitans guarding me outside?
We can`t let this continue.
You must step to the fore and rectify this state.
My man,
I`m a deposed Crown Prince living in the confines of the East Palace.
That is why I am here to serve you.
-Serve me? -Yes,
we will restore you to the seat of the Crown Prince.
All we need is your go-ahead.
Your faithful officials will do all the work and get you to the seat of power.
Forget it.
Your Highness!
I`m afraid of my mother.
I don`t want to get in her way and get hurt.
Your Highness...
How well do you know my mother?
Do you know what you will be up against?
Your Highness....
It scares me. And I don`t need it.
I won`t set foot into the world of politics and power games.
What are you puzzled about?
Li Xian hasn`t set footoutside the East Palace.
Yet he knew that both cups of wine that Dae Joyoung drank were poisoned.
That`s not all.
He hinted in a roundabout way that he may be the next Emperor.
Li Xian has never shown any interest in power since his deposal.
That`s all the more reason why I`m so puzzled.
It`s possible the culprit, that laced Dae Joyoung`s wine with poison is....
Li Xian?
But Li Xian doesn`t even know Dae Joyoung. What does he have to gain by killing him?
This will fuel the civil official`s fear and push them harder to bring Li Xian to the throne.
If all officials combine their strength, restoring him to Crown Prince will not be difficult task.
Li Xian?
He`s entirely capable.
He`s evaded our eyes countless times.
That`s right.
He knows the palace and its secret passages like the back of his hands.
Slipping poison in those cups was probably a piece of cake for him.
-We should let the Empress know about this. -No, just observe for now.
-But what if the situation gets out of hand? -You don`t need to make him wary of us so soon.
Bide your time and get him when the time is right.
If your theory is right,
and this is an elobrate sheme masterminded by Li Xian, this man is brilliant.
Yes, he is not a man to take lightly.
This is why the Empress worked so hard to have him displaced.
it`s likely the Empress fears Li Xian.
Your Highness, it`s to save the empire. Please let us do this.
The Empress is the one that poison Dae Joyoung`s wine.
And she is going to accuse the civil officials.
She must be stopped, or she will eventually wipe out the entire court.
You are the only one who can stop this evil.
If I am reinstated, either my mother or I will have to die.
Do you still wish to do this?
Every last civil official in this state will be behind you, Your Highness.
Very well.
I will grant the wish of the imperial court.
Your Highness!
-General Li Wen, -Good work, gentlement.
-That was an impressive display of unity. -His Majesty will not be able to ignor our request.
If Prince Li Xian rises to the throne, we won`t be seeing those barbarians in the palace.
It makes no difference if its him or not! Nor the Empress.
Judging from His Majesty`s reponse, no one knows the Empress`s future.
Did you wish to see me?
Since His Majesty took ill and left me the scepter, I`ve worked very hard to rule this empire well.
But I hear that you`re after the seat of the Crown Prince again.
I`m suprised.
I didn`t think anyone knew about it.
But then again there`s nothing anyone can do in the palace, without you knowing about it.
Refuse the seat of the Crown Prince.
-It`s the wish of the country the entire staff of civil officials. -It`s not Hid Majesty`s wish nor is it mine.
Why not?
Because you`re incapable of running an empire.
Give it up..Or...
Or I will be killed like brothe Choong?
Don`t worry, Mother.
I am not Choong.
I wouldn`t commit impiety by letting you kill me.
Was it you who poisoned the wine?
Was it you?
Why would you think that?
I will leave you now.
I heard that the civil officials are getting along extremely well lately.
-It`s all thanks to Dae Joyoung. -It`s a good thing for the country,
when its public servents are united.
Do include us the military officials in your important discussions.
I will, general. Now if you`ll excuse me.
-Their demeanor is very confident for some reason. -Yes, they definitely look different.
General! General!
-Dae Joyoung has finally come around. -What?
Dae Joyoung?
Don`t get up.
I`m former Baekje general Heichi Changzhi.
You have General Xue Rengui to thank for saving you.
Isn`t life ironic?
Here I am saving the life of a man (Xue Rengui)
whose mission in life was to kill me.
But you are not out of the woods yet.
You must vow loyalty to the Empress before you can relax.
If that`s the case, you`ve wasted your time. I already gave her my answer.
Don`t be a fool!
Your life is not your own.
Dae Joyoung,
have you any idea how many men risked their necks to save yours?
-What are you talking about? -Your father came to me.
He kneeled before me and begged me in tears to save your life!
And you`d throw away that life for worthless honor?
My father...
-Kneeled and begged in tears? -That`s right!
Dae Jungsang gave up everything for you! And thanks to you I lost my most respected rival.
You turned the legendary general Dae Jungsang into an ordinary father who worries about his son!
Father...!
That`s right.
It`s you own will to live or die.
But if you want die, take your own life and pay the price for you father`s tears!
Focus on getting well for now. I will fill you in on the details later.
Thank you for keeping your word.
I can take you to the physician`s wing. But your on you`re own getting in from there.
We`ve already made neccessary arrangements. Stop at the dispensary and they will give you a potion to deliver.
-Got it. -There`s no time.
Come back safely,Your Grace.
Just leave it right there.
Your Grace!
General....
General! General!
I`m all right. I`m perfectly fine.
No, you`re not all right.
How can you be all right when you have been poison?
I heard they made you a palacemaid.
I`m doing well in a comfortable place. Don`t you worry about me.
This is all my fault.
I faild to protect you and the king. Forgive me.
Don`t say things like that.
I know what you`ve been through in you attempt, to save the king.
Your Grace...
Please don`t call me that.
-I am a woman of high status anymore. -Your wrong.
To me you are the mist precious and exalted woman.
I don`t know what the future holds for me. But if I should survive this and get out of this palace,
I will never lose you again.
Please hang in there for just a little longer.
I will.
I promise you I will endure it. So please get through this.
It`s to help you with your recovery.
It couldn`t have been easy to get something like this..
There`s someone helping us.
Someone helping us?
Don`t ask me no more.
I should go now.
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
Your Majesty the Emperor!
Your Highness, there is no time for this.
The civil officials are intent on driving all of us into a corner.
I`m already in a corner.
Your Highness...
The civil officials believe that I poiosoned the wine to set them up. (Empress Wu Zetian:Empress of Tang)
This has brought them tighter together and now they are calling for Dae Joyoung`s execution and Prince Xian`s restoration.
Li Wen is behind all of this. He poisoned the wine. (Li Jinzhong: Khitan Tribal leader)
And now he`s driving us to a corner.
Whoever is behind this, it`s going exactly as he planned.
There is a solution to this problem.
We will use force.
Force?
The only way to deal with those evil officials
is with swords and soldiers.
-That`s absolutely out of the question. -But there is no other way.
Forceful suppression doesn`t last.
We must find a justifiable cause to bring them down to their knees.
-Only then they will become truly obedient. -But how?
It`s possible if we find the real perpetrator that poisoned the wine.
If the truth is revealed, I will bw cleared of suspicion.
The rage that brought them together will subside, and their will to bring back Xian will be weakened.
But Your Highness, we`re running out of time.
Prince Xian will be restored before the prepetrator is found.
We must assuage them for now.
If we give them Dae Joyoung and negotiate a truce, we can buy time to conduct an investigation.
Your Highness,
The pride of the non-Chinese warriors is riding on Dae Joyoung`s life.
-That`s right , Your Highness, -Yesm I know.
That`s why I`m racking my brain right now.
Your Highness,
your presence may be required at the Imperial Chambers. The civil officials will not relent.
-Bring Dae Joyoung to the Imperial Chambers! -Yes, Your Highness.
Approve Prince Li Xian`s reinstatement and take Dae Joyoung`s life?
We beseech you, Your Highness!
We beseech you! We beseech You!
I heard you, so stop.
The Emperor and I have always chosen our servants based on ability not on background.
One of the reasons for this country`s current strength is our non-discrimination policy in the military.
Accordingly,ascention to the throne must also be based on ability.
This means Prince Xian can indeed be reinstated if he proves his ability.
Send in Dae Joyoung.
I am putting Dae Joyoung to importan service of this empire under the non-discrimination policy.
No, Your Highness!
We beg you to reconsider!
Dae Joyoung is a criminal of high treason who deserves only death.
If you must give him another chance to live, I auggest that you send him to the hunting ground in Mt. Guifu.
What!
The human hunting ground?
No, Your Majesty.
No one has ever made it out of there alive.
This is equivalent to a death sentence!
Dae Joyoung must at least survive the human hunt to prove him self worthy.
-Damn! -That`s right, Your Highness.
If Dae Joyoung makes it out alive, no one will protest your decision to spare him.
Curses! Damn!
A Human hunt...
Send Dae Joyoung into Mt. Guifu to be hunted?
Sub by:robster38