Jang Yeong Sil
Episode 15
Tell me.
Where did you find this?
(Jang Hee Je, Officer of Astrology)
Yes.
Every time you see this,
you get flustered just like me.
It flew into my book as I was reading,
so I'm flustered, of course.
Hee Je.
Yes, Lord Lee.
What did you...
do to Yeong Sil?
What do you mean by that?
He is lying in his grave as you know.
Once, I thought of this possibility.
That day,
the person who led those who burned down the observatory...
was you, Jang Hee Je.
Then,
I had a strange thought.
What is it?
You were...
suborned to kill Yeong Sil,
but you might have...
spared him his life instead of killing him.
Then who is the person that died that day?
And...
I didn't even go near the observatory that day.
After hearing rumours about the observatory,
I became curious,
so I took Choi Bok out for drinks and asked him about the observatory.
You told me that you asked Choi Bok and confirmed everything.
Forget it.
Talking about these things is useless.
If...
Yeong Sil is alive,
why do you think he hasn't shown up yet?
He was truly loyal to you and the King.
Wouldn't that be...
the strangest thing above anything else?
Lord Lee.
Yeong Sil is dead.
You even held his funeral for him.
Hee Je.
I'm asking you for the first and the last time.
Please live like a human.
Don't turn into a monster.
Your heart that you are keeping in darkness.
In the end, it will harm you...
as well as this kingdom.
This heart of yours.
Bring it back out into the light.
Gosh, what are we going to do now?
Lord Lee must have figured it out.
What will you do if Sir Jang comes back? You should come up with...
What are you talking about now?
Yeong Sil's corpse is rotting away in his grave.
Please don't ever forget that!
(Choi Bok, Assistant Officer of Astrology)
Please don't worry.
Yeong Sil will never come back.
How can you be...
so certain?
Yeong Sil will never do anything that could harm the King.
I told him that the King...
and the kingdom will be endangered if he returns.
He won't come back.
You should pay more attention to the display.
Put the colourful ones on top and the darker ones at the bottom.
Understood, Sir.
- Hey, Kim! - Yes, Sir.
What are you doing now? Deliver it before the sun goes down.
- Sure. - Hurry. Hurry up.
When will you get the Chines oboe?
Well, I'm not sure.
It was difficult enough to get these ones.
By the way,
I'm not sure who your client is,
but is the person addicted to playing these pipes?
Why is he or she trying to buy every kind of pipe that exists?
Well, I guess it's none of my business.
Suk Gu!
You came all the way here dressed in your uniform.
Are you here for something urgent?
This is the North Pole device that Yeong Sil made.
Why did you bring this? I stored it at Yeong Sil's workroom.
This.
It wasn't at his workroom.
Lord Lee, what are you talking about now?
I know that this is stored at Yeong Sil's workroom.
Lee Sun Ji, at the Office of Diplomatic Correspondence,
got it from a pedlar while he was visiting the countryside.
That's impossible.
Yeong Sil made only two of this,
one for himself and another one for Jang Hee Je.
Why are you looking at me like that?
Suk Gu.
Perhaps...
Possibly...
Yeong Sil could be alive.
Pardon me?
Why... Why all of a sudden...
Why... Why do you think that?
I'm not sure.
I just...
I keep telling myself that it's not possible,
but I can't stop thinking about it.
Suk Gu.
You know that pedlars travel all over the country.
Yes, they do.
Find a pedlar who visits the capital often...
and ask him if he can find out who has this device.
I will.
Well, then.
I'll leave it in your hands.
I'll get going now, then.
Yes, okay. Sure.
Right, wait a minute.
Have you seen this before?
What is this used for?
If you ever come across...
any pedlar who sells a device that looks like this,
find out who he is and where he lives and tell me.
Sure, I will.
These days,
the King isn't...
obsessed with making astronomical observations...
and with encouraging studies of science.
Now that he is no longer wasting time with useless deeds,
the entire court as well as...
the kingdom are enjoying peace.
Is that peace making you content?
The King seems unwell,
and he is not as energetic as he used to be.
How dare you...
As a member of the nobility, you should be hoping that...
the King recovers as soon as possible to govern wisely.
How could you think that way?
You are just pathetic.
Long time no see.
Indeed.
I'm usually in Pyongan Province these days.
Did you come to Hanyang...
to have this meeting?
Seeing you here is worrying me.
Look.
And whom are you plotting against now?
The King would like to see you.
So you are leaving today?
Yes, Your Majesty.
During my 10-day stay there,
I'll visit local officials in Pyongan Province's northern area.
(King Sejong: The fourth king of Joseon)
I hear that all the local officials...
in Pyongan Province are praising you for your fairness...
ever since you were put in charge of the province.
Your Majesty. As a provincial governor,
it is my duty to be as fair as possible...
in managing the local officials.
It is not something to be praised on.
I think very highly of your ability to manage them fairly.
Hence, I'd like to appoint you as...
the Minister of Justice in the future.
Your Majesty.
So please keep that in mind...
and do your best as the governor of Pyongan Province.
Your Majesty.
I will do my very best.
Your Majesty.
Ha Yeon never hesitated to commit extreme deeds...
when things weren't going his way.
By offering him the Minister of Justice post,
you are giving him an access to watch everything you do.
I am aware of it.
I could wrongly accuse them and kill them all.
However, we must make sure that the kingdom of Joseon...
strengthens and thrives before anything else.
There are many other talented men besides Ha Yeon.
That is not true.
There is no one like Ha Yeon,
just as there is no one like you, Lord Lee.
Everyone has unique talents.
His talents are very important to me as well as to Joseon.
I cannot let his abilities go to waste.
If I slash him with a sword,
that will be the end.
But if I just cut out the rotten parts,
the tree called Ha Yeon could bear fruits again.
If I can do my best to take care of those wounds...
so that they don't rot again,
his flesh will harden and strengthen.
The first vice Prime Minister here...
is also doing his best to heal his wounds from the past.
Appointing Ha Yeon as the Minister of Justice...
was also his suggestion.
(Hwang Hui, First vice Prime Minister)
The three of you were with me...
when I witnessed the funeral of the person...
who took her own life because of Joseon Tongbo.
The policy that was implemented for the people...
killed one of my people.
That incident gave me a revelation.
I realised that my thoughts and decisions can't always be right.
The only way I can improve myself...
is not stopping even for a second...
and not retreating.
Interrogating and accusing my subjects...
of being against me is nothing more than retreating.
I will endure everything and march forward.
Even if I devote all of my time to doing things...
for the betterment of Joseon and my people,
I will die before finishing everything I wish to do.
Wasting time to do something that will not help the people...
is just foolish.
Your Majesty. You are truly thoughtful.
I am older than you,
but I need to learn from...
your wisdom, insight and thoughtfulness.
Your Majesty.
I will not be able to forgive Ha Yeon and Jang Hee Je,
but I will take your advice...
and will not let foolish matters waste my time.
(Uiju, Joseon: Now belongs to North Pyongan Province)
Father.
Is thinking about seeing Yeong Sil already making you happy?
(Ju Tae Kang, Royal relative of the Emperor of Ming)
Does it say on my face?
Yes. It says that you care about Yeong Sil...
more than any other young men in Ming.
(Forbidden City, Beijing)
My relative, Ju Tae Kang.
This is my reply to your earnest request.
Please let the King of Joseon know.
The King of Joseon has proved his sincere loyalty to me,
for which I am greatly grateful.
I allow the King of Joseon to make astronomical observations...
in a manner that befits a vassal state.
Lord Ju will visit me with such amazing news?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, congratulations.
Your sincere wish moved the skies.
(Meng Sa Sung, Second Vice Prime Minister)
Jang Yeong Sil made this possible.
This is all because...
he moved Ju Tae Kang when he was in Beijing.
But he is not here with us on this happy day.
It truly saddens me.
Your Majesty.
It looks like you have been doing many things unbeknownst to me.
For a little while, I had forgotten...
what kind of a person who are.
Your Majesty.
This letter from the Emperor does not please me in any way.
The Emperor made the decision based on his short-lasting sentiment.
Your Majesty.
Ming will never allow Joseon...
to become stronger.
This means earth and thunder.
Thunder was buried underground.
A strong energy will overcome hardships.
Let's see. Let's see now.
Let me see. I need to find it.
"Return is not far away. The greatest luck awaits."
"Wait for a promise of great beauty."
Hence, this means that...
someone will return in a near future.
A great fortune...
and beautiful luck awaits for the person.
That is a great reading, Sir Choi.
This isn't for me. This is Yeong Sil's reading.
Why are you...
doing an I Ching reading for a dead person?
Well, I was just...
I kept seeing his phantom today,
so I wanted to console his sad spirit...
But he is not dead.
So... He is not a spirit.
Well, what I mean is... What I mean is that...
I ended up doing his I Ching reading.
Right.
I did a reading for someone who is rotting away in his coffin.
It is absolutely ridiculous.
Yes, it is ludicrous.
I must have been out of my mind.
Sir Choi!
Yes.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. What brings you here?
Officer Jang.
Now, Joseon can make its own astronomical observations.
Did you just say that you have a simplified armilla at home?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I made it a few years ago.
I have been observing...
the celestial sphere with it once in a while.
I see.
You were already preparing.
I am very pleased to hear this.
We are now officially allowed to observe the stars,
so you should prepare as best as you can at the Office of Astrology.
Of course, Your Majesty.
I know that you have been...
working hard alone.
I sincerely hope that...
many good things happen to you in the future.
Hee Je.
Finally...
Your time has begun.
Thunder and earth.
The great luck of the earth embracing thunder.
Yeong Sil.
I guess the luck wasn't for you.
(Namyang: Now Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province)
I'm back!
Pil Gyo, how was Hanyang?
It looks like your friend, Suk Gu,
is becoming wealthier.
What about the pipes? Did you bring everything?
Yes.
He had everything except for the Chinese oboe.
Will it be possible to tone the stone harp using these pipes?
It doesn't hurt to try.
If I repeatedly listen to various sounds and notes,
I should be able to find notes that could serve as standards.
Right, and...
there is no one who knows how to make...
the bamboo pipe that produces the Huang Chung notes.
Was it a pearl of barley? Was it a soybean?
Was it a grain of sorghum or a grain of rice?
Gosh, was it a grain of millet?
It looks like you will name every kind of grain that exists.
Anyway, I heard that...
they put something like that inside a bamboo pipe to size it.
But I've heard of many different theories.
Did he say that he is a travelling musician?
I met a musician who performs on the streets and asked him too,
but he said he doesn't know.
Look into it again next time you are in Hanyang...
and come to Jaeyang-hyun.
Jaeyang-hyun?
I will leave for Jaeyang-hyun tomorrow morning.
I want to make a new clock for the village.
I will stay there for the winter and come back here in the spring.
I see. That's why you were going to cut this stone.
Will you complete the stone harp when you are in Jaeyang-hyun?
I will take it with me,
but I'm not sure if I will be able to tune it properly.
(Local Office, Namyang)
According to these records,
a large number of stones have already been sent.
Why is it that we still...
have not succeeded in making a stone harp after using all these stones?
If I know the reason, it will help me determine the amount of...
stones that we need to mine.
(Park Yeon, Officer of Music)
The reason is...
The Office of Construction and Architecture is carving the stones.
But there is no one who can carve them properly.
I made a pipe that produces 12 sounds,
but no one in Hanyang can carve the stone...
to the right thickness.
You should put up posters throughout the country to find craftsmen.
There is no guarantee...
that we have an endless supply of this type of stone.
If we keep failing and run out of the supply,
we will be in big trouble.
The next ceremony is fast approaching.
We must make a new stone harp before that.
We do not have that much time, so I am concerned.
First, I should visit the stone pit...
and find out how much stone we could use this time.
Right, Eun Bok.
Eun Bok will be able to help you a lot, Sir Park.
No one who is as talented as him will ever be born again in Joseon.
He is extremely skillful, and he is good-natured as well.
He has amazed me many times.
Come out.
Come out and greet us.
Tell Eun Bok to come out.
We need to take him to the stone pit. Hurry up!
He left early in the morning.
He won't be back until next spring.
How disappointing.
This is the same type of stone.
My lord.
What brings you here?
Get on my horse now.
You need to go back now.
The magistrate is looking for you urgently.
You're back.
Are you Eun Bok?
Yes, my lord.
Why did you make so many stone harps?
Music and musical instruments are as important as science and astronomy.
I wish to study music and musical instruments...
in order to establish necessary systems in that area as well.
The Emperor knows Joseon is trying to create an almanac.
You must never return.
If you do,
you will put Joseon...
in even more danger.
I like stones and minerals.
I was mining that specific stone and fell in love with its sound.
Falling in love with the sound the stone makes...
is not enough to explain why you had to make so many stone harps.
You must have known...
that stone harps are needed to play the musical piece.
Who are you?
Who do you do for living?
Well...
Luckily, I was born with skillful hands,
so I just like to make all kinds of objects.
I heard that the palace was making stone harps using Namyang's stones,
so I wanted to try making one.
Yes, that is why I started making them.
But...
I'm not even sure if my stone harps are making the right sounds.
I'd like to find out, my lord.
What do you think?
Eun Bok.
If you can make a few more, they'll have all 12 stone harps they need.
What?
Is that really true?
My lord! Thank you!
Thank you very much.
Don't even mention it.
I didn't do anything to be thanked.
Plus,
I'm the one who will need to ask you for a favour.
I have to...
ask you to give these to me.
No.
I have to beg you to send these off...
to the palace for the King.
I will send them to the King.
I will make the other ones you need too.
Please just let me know the correct notes.
(Gyeongbokgung Palace, Hanyang)
Thank you for coming all the way here.
I am not here as an envoy.
There is no need for any formal ceremonies.
We have greeted each other,
so let's go in now.
We don't need to stand here as if we're getting punished, right?
Please come in.
Where is Jang Yeong Sil?
I expected him to be the first to greet me.
Is he not aware that my daughter and I are here?
Is he not here because he is a servant?
I hope he is not so ill that he cannot come to see me.
I apologise that I must be the bearer of bad news.
Yeong Sil...
was in an accident two years ago.
He is dead.
It cannot be.
I made these sound pipes.
There are 12.
The Huang Chung is the basic sound, the standard.
Blow it and hear the sound for yourself.
Thank you.
(Huang Chung, C)
(Da Lu, C-sharp)
(Tai Cu, D)
(Jia Chung, D-sharp)
(Rui Bin, F-sharp)
You need stones for...
Da Lu, Jia Chung,
Rui Bin, Yi Ze, Wu She.
Fives notes are missing.
I see.
Don't worry.
The fact that you carved seven perfect stones...
is an impressive feat.
How were you able to...
tune those seven stones without knowing the standard note?
I don't know the standard note,
but I made some bamboo pipes of different lengths...
that were evenly spread.
Just cutting pipes of different lengths...
isn't enough to tune a stone harp.
It's not, Sir.
So I made a rule of my own.
Your own rule?
The length of the pipe determines the sound,
and I chose the sound I liked the most as the standard.
I took that pipe...
and cut one that was two-thirds the length of it.
Then I took that one and...
cut one two-thirds its length.
I either added or took off a third of the length of a pipe...
and created dozens of pipes with varied lengths.
Then I carved the stones...
to make each sound.
The thinner the stone, the lower the sound.
Why did you decide to cut or extend by a third?
Because the pipes cut to that ratio...
were the most pleasing to my ears.
I was surprised that...
math could be applied to music as well.
The method you used...
is called the 3-to-1 calculation.
The 3-to-1 calculation?
Yes.
It's a system in which you keep adding or subtracting...
a third of a number.
The notes from pipes...
cut according to that system is most pleasing to hear.
The sound pipes I made here...
follow that system.
I see.
So I wasn't doing something completely useless, then.
There was just one thing you did not know.
It is...
the width of the hole of the pipe.
It's only natural that the width of the hole affects the sound...
as much as the length.
I have no idea how to calculate the volume of a pipe.
I shall tell you how.
This pipe plays Huang Chung, the standard note.
It's as long as 90 grains of millet laid out in a straight line,
and wide enough to fit exactly 1,200 grains of millet.
That is the standard volume.
The secret was in millet.
Now that I have your sound pipes,
I just have to carve the stones.
No.
Knowing the principle isn't enough.
Many failed to carve the stones that played the correct note.
I would like to see you carve a stone in my presence.
Yes, Sir.
King Sejong took the Huang Chung pipe...
and calculated its length, volume...
and the volume of water the pipe could hold.
Those three were called the Huang Chung standards.
A standard was needed to aid trade and administration,
so accurate measurements...
were a very important part of ruling and managing a nation.
Eun Bok. We must talk.
- Ji. - What?
We should be there at 2pm.
Should we? Let's go, then.
I saw this on my way to your place.
The people being able to tell the time...
The court wouldn't like that at all.
The King might not mind,
but the ministers would be greatly displeased.
Was it your doing?
Yes, Sir.
I noticed that...
the length of the shadow...
changes with each season.
That is how you can tell which season it currently is.
The stars are high in the sky
Let us go and see the stars
The Well appears at sunset
The Square appears at sunrise
It's Cheongmyeong and the swallows are coming
It is time to rake the fields
- Wait. - Why?
The highest star at sunset on Cheongmyeong is the Well.
No.
The highest star at sunset on Cheongmyeong is the Square.
- Mister. - I heard you.
The Square is the highest star at sunrise...
on Cheongmyeong, when the swallows visit.
What about sunset on the Summer Solstice?
- The Dragonhead. - That's correct.
Yes.
Let's go.
The stars are high in the sky
Let us go and see the stars
Look.
Who are you?
You know that stars tell the time,
and that numbers hidden within nature create sound.
You're Eun Bok?
It's as if...
you are the dead Jang Yeong Sil.
The magistrate said that...
ever since you came here,
the farmers farmed more efficiently.
With the clock and songs, even children know the seasons.
That means people can farm with more wisdom,
and when they do that,
it is little wonder that they prosper.
You were not born into a good family.
Our King puts skill and talent before status and connections.
Would you come to Hanyang with me?
No, Sir.
I'm more suited to this life where I can travel...
and make clocks for other villages.
Your Highness.
There's...
(Princess So Hyun)
Thanks to you,
I feel much better now.
I am relieved.
I heard that...
you travelled far and wide to find herbs for my medication.
I also heard that you yourself...
ended up feeling poorly.
No, Your Highness.
I was fine.
Are you here to invite me...
to see your simplified armilla?
Yes.
I would like to see it now.
This simplified armilla that you made yourself.
I put my soul into it.
I would like it...
if you would come by and put it to use.
Perhaps you could teach me...
what Yeong Sil taught you.
Sure.
It would be wrong to put...
such knowledge to waste.
I hope that you...
like that little carving,
will be able to smile freely when you see the stars.
That's why I carved that.
Thank you...
for making this.
Unbelievable.
We have a simplified armilla that even Ming doesn't.
I am so very moved.
Meet Princess So Hyun.
He is Lee Sun Ji.
I heard that you know a lot about the stars.
Nice to meet you.
I heard you calculated Hanyang's latitude with math alone.
I was hoping to meet you in person.
I see.
I must say...
it's not my style to look at the night sky in secret.
I told people...
what I'd done even before they asked.
That's how you met me.
The King said that he will build an observatory within the Palace.
Now...
you don't have to work in secret.
I see.
I wonder how I didn't know that.
I'd like to know...
what's under that cloth.
What are you hiding?
What...
is this?
What's this?
Who? The pedlar from Namyang handed these out?
The Oh guy?
- Oh Pil Gyo? - Yes.
Who's in his early 20s?
Him?
Stop asking, will you?
Of all the pedlars who come here,
is there another with that surname?
I saw Pil Gyo hand those out many times.
He said you could use it at night to find due north.
At least, that's what he told the children.
This doesn't make any sense.
Ever seen one?
What's it for?
Why did he feign ignorance?
What for?
Tell me this, then.
Do you know which village he lives in?
How would I know that?
Go to Namyang and ask around.
Visit Namyang.
I'm off.
Every note...
is perfect.
We did it.
Thank you, Sir.
Thank you, Eun Bok.
You...
You have no idea how important this job was to everyone.
This stone harp...
will be used to tune every instrument in the orchestra.
The stars
In the sky
Shine
Brightly
The high notes and low notes...
ring true and create a harmony.
This is the world...
in which knowledge and entertainment becomes one.
The world in which...
the King, his subjects and his people...
can live in harmony with nature.
A King who can add music to knowledge we gain from books...
will be able to bring harmony to every life in the nation.
You played...
an important role in helping...
our King bring harmony.
Joseon needs...
people like you who can teach us how the world works.
If I cancel your servant status,
others with a useful skill will take you as an example...
and that in turn...
will make Joseon a stronger nation.
I need you...
to become the light for the people.
Yeong Sil.
I shall return to Hanyang...
and inform the King of your work.
If he summons you,
do not hesitate to come.
Well...
I'm always on the road, Sir.
I'll be hard to reach.
Don't try to contact me.
But why...
Yeong Sil, are you in Namyang?
Yeong Sil, is it you?
If you are alive,
I will treat you well and sincerely.
I will grant any wish that...
I am able to.
Put that there.
This is the last one.
There you go.
Sir.
- Get your stuff. - Okay.
Lord Lee.
Suk Gu.
My lord.
You jerk.
(Jang Yeong Sil)
I am so glad you are still alive.
There are so many things I want to tell you.
He's alive? I find that hard to believe.
People are just like the sky.
I have good news.
Send in the men who made the stone harp.
The pioneers of science in the Joseon era...
were the scientific technicians.
(Hall of Fame)
Lee Chun was one of them.
He helped Jang Yeong Sil become a scientist,
and fulfiled his duties...
as the manufacturing director of all scientific equipment.
(Boeun, North Chungcheong Province)
In Ohchang-ri, Boeun,
Lee Chun's descendants...
live near Mount Sokri.
Sungsajae is the ancestral shrine built to honour Lee Chun.
(Sungsajae)
Lee Chun was originally a warrior, but he also had a keen mind...
and was interested in science.
(Chuwongak)
King Sejong trusted him greatly,
and bestowed him with a letter of acknowledgement.
Behind Sungsajae is Chuwongak...
where part of that letter is carved in stone.
Why don't you visit the site and read the letter that shows...
they weren't just king and subject but close friends?
(Chuwongak: Boeun, North Chungcheong Province)