Episode 10
You're so surprised.
You were about to be beheaded in front of the Emperor.
I saved your life.
So your life is mine now.
Okay?
Look over there.
This... Could this be...
the water clock by any chance?
How did you know?
The water clock...
From what I know, it was destroyed by fire 300 years ago.
(Clepsydra: A water clock made in the 11th century)
How can this be here?
Judging from how you recognised the water clock immediately,
I can tell that you surely are a man of special talents.
You know what it is. Then make it work now.
If you can't, you'll die.
Pardon me?
That's just unreasonable.
You would've died at Sacheondae if it weren't for us.
You only have two options.
You can either make this device work again...
and leave here in one piece,
or you can choose to die now.
We, at the inspection board, are...
recommending Lord Yoon as the next Chief Officer of Saryegam.
It will be approved if you, as one of...
the Emperor's relatives, tell the Emperor that you agree with us.
I...
don't think Yoon Bong is the right person for the Chief Officer role.
You know that all we do is worry about our Great Empire.
Yoon Bong's loyalty and faithfulness are deepest amongst all of us.
As long as you, eunuchs, continue to...
deceive the Emperor by telling him corrupted information and rumours,
Ming will only become weaker and weaker...
and might lose its ruling position in the continent.
The eunuch, Zheng He, took hundreds of ships with him and...
went all the way to the Greatest Desert to bring tons of grain.
How can you say such a thing? Nothing can weaken Ming.
Zheng He's voyage to the south seas...
was nothing but a pointless attempt to boast of his foolishness.
I have always had deep respect for you, Lord Ju.
However,
I'm worried now because you might lose your life in a few days.
We shall find out how long I'm destined to live for.
Yes. We shall wait and find out.
I will speak to you again soon.
What is Jang Yeong Sil doing?
He is just sitting down and staring at the device.
I guess...
even that talented man doesn't know how to fix the water clock.
It's strange.
He seems quite bright and insightful.
The weight is missing.
The device cannot spin without it.
I must make it.
I should design this device so that it can tell the time with sound.
I should make and use a cogwheel.
I can connect a figurine to the cogwheel so that it can...
play bells and drums to tell us the time.
Goodness.
The armillary sphere was really made to spin with water.
I will be sure to make you spin again.
I must make you work again...
so that I can return home to His Majesty.
(Hoedongkwan: Place of accommodation for Joseon's envoys)
His Imperial Majesty...
asked me to bring the head of...
the man who climbed Sacheondae.
- So what are you going to do now? - Please allow me...
to have an audience with the Emperor...
so that I can apologise to him in person.
We must return to Joseon with the Emperor's approval...
on the installation of the new Crown Prince.
Lord Yoon, please show us some mercy.
The Emperor is thinking that...
there must be someone who ordered Jang Yeong Sil...
to climb Sacheondae.
He is currently suspicious of the entire Joseon.
What I'm trying to tell you is that...
Joseon is in danger now.
Until you can bring Jang Yeong Sil's head to us,
Joseon's envoys...
will be locked up.
Keep that in mind.
Please pass me the wooden box.
- Me? - Yes.
Who else should I ask?
I can't ask the weak elder for help.
Yes, that one.
- Catch. - No! Wait!
You mustn't throw that.
Did you forget that your lifeline is in my hands?
How dare you raise your voice at me?
This piece of wood will be used to repair...
the water clock after 300 years.
How could you throw such an important thing?
My lord.
In the past,
I made a self-spinning celestial globe by using the weight.
Based on my experience earned from making a celestial globe,
I think I can fix the water clock.
Are you saying that you can make it spin?
Yes.
I know its working mechanisms.
But this device...
I've never worked with an armillary sphere before.
From what I've heard,
this path of the sun, this path of the moon...
and the equator of the celestial sphere, where the stars are marked,
are supposed to be connected and spin together.
I see!
Su Song must have wanted...
this apparatus to embody the entirety of astronomy.
The water clock is like the sky in and of itself.
That is correct.
It even embodies the parts of the sky that we cannot see.
That is why it is also called "The Heaven's Clock".
Hey.
Why are you laughing?
You'll die if you can't fix it.
It works in theory,
but you can't actually fix it, can you?
These old pieces of wood have been deformed,
so it may not work...
even if I connect all the parts correctly.
Are you already making excuses?
Excuses won't do you any good. I only have one answer for you.
You'll die if you can't fix it.
It will be difficult to fix it on my own.
I need a helper...
who can help me with chores.
Me?
It's me again?
You're going to make me do chores?
When I ask you to pass me something,
please give it to me quickly.
Let go.
What's going on? Why did you drag me here?
I...
wanted to talk to you about this sooner,
but I was worried that you might not believe me.
What is it?
I think Officer Jang...
must have...
done something to Yeong Sil.
It looks like your concern for Yeong Sil...
has made you lose your mind.
Officer Jang has always hated Yeong Sil since he was a kid.
Kids can fight and hate each other. That's nothing strange.
Where is Jang Yeong Sil?
Is he dead?
I wouldn't have come empty-handed if he was dead.
I would've brought his head.
You're still so useless.
I know where he is though.
All we have to do is wait for the right time to kill him.
Where is Yeong Sil?
He is at Lord Ju's residence.
I chased after the man who took Jang Yeong Sil.
Then I arrived at the royal relative Ju Tae Gang's house.
By the way,
it looked like Lord Yoon Bong was waiting for you.
The simplified armilla...
That crucial device remains somewhere.
That device...
is in my possession.
The two of you.
Make sure to...
return in one piece.
This is...
an order.
So you'll accept my proposal...
and kill Lord Ju.
Yes.
You could lose your life...
while trying to kill Lord Ju.
The device that Guo Shoujing saw.
Please show me the simplified armilla.
Look at you.
I've heard about how loyal you are to your King.
I guess the rumours are true.
This is...
an armillary sphere from the Middle East.
(Torquetum: A celestial observation device from the Middle East)
It is said that this device inspired...
Guo Shoujing to make the simplified armilla.
Watch out.
There is poison on it.
If you get it on your hands,
you'll be fine for a few days,
but the poison will gradually spread throughout your body and kill you.
Visit Lord Ju's house with this...
and tell him that you came to see him...
to ask his opinion on what this device is for.
Lord Ju will try to touch it right away, just like you did.
Your task is simple.
Make Lord Ju touch it, then leave with it.
That is all you have to do.
What are you doing?
What if you take this and leave for Joseon?
What would I do then?
I will give you the other pieces once we confirm that...
Lord Ju is dead.
Also, while you are there, watch out for...
Lord Ju's Chief Bodyguard.
He is always by Lord Ju's side,
and no one can beat him.
That's why I resorted to this trick.
He might actually do us a great service.
Wouldn't that be nice?
Keep an eye on him.
If something goes wrong,
I will hold you responsible.
Be very careful.
I nearly starved to death in Joseon.
You saved my life,
so I will spend the rest of it to serve you, my lord.
Is that right?
That's all you've been doing.
Is it that hard to get the weight right?
Turn it.
It's turning.
I am impressed.
You did it.
I'm not the hero.
Su Song should receive all the credit.
He thought of showing the time...
with figurines and sound.
I envy that talent.
That's enough talk.
Fix the chimes, so I can hear the sound.
Now.
What should I do?
I'll do anything you say.
Yes. What can I do to help?
Father.
Is it true that the European constellation clock,
which is so large,
can be seen from miles and has drawings of the stars?
Yes, but it works the same way.
Once this water clock is complete,
I will set it up outside the Forbidden City.
The commoners will be able to tell the time,
and the farmers will be able to tell the seasons so they can farm better.
Everyone can tell where the moon and stars are...
during the daytime, and they will learn about science.
Is this for the people?
If there is a public clock,
people will trust each other to meet at a designated time.
Then trade will be able to develop in a way that...
we never saw before.
In Europe,
the large clock helped invigorate trade,
which made them powerful.
We say merchants are the lowest of classes,
but I believe that trade will improve...
our economy and livelihood.
We must create a clock for the masses...
so they have the basis to improve their quality of life.
I really hope...
you can repair...
the water clock.
This clock could be used for a great purpose.
Thank you, my lord, for making me realise that.
What you said reminded me of my King.
All he thinks about is how he can improve his people's lives.
Your King wishes to make a Joseon calendar.
For his people.
You don't have to say anything.
I understand why he would.
The Ming calendar we send won't be very accurate.
Different north latitudes mean different climates,
and our seasons won't fit Joseon.
Yes.
There is so much that we still have to learn.
If you make the simplified armilla...
and create a calendar like Guo Shoujing did...
and can predict lunar and solar eclipses,
that is when a nation truly becomes...
a civilised and academic one.
We accomplished that long ago.
But now...
we failed to continue Guo Shoujing's legacy,
and our calendar has many errors.
We don't have the simplified armilla which proves my point.
No one is able to make another one.
That is why...
I wish to follow in Guo Shoujing's footsteps.
(Ju Tae Gang's house)
I am Jang Hee Je from Joseon's Office of Astrology.
Tell Lord Ju I have something to exchange with Jang Yeong Sil.
What is worth trading with Jang Yeong Sil?
Let me see Yeong Sil first.
Are you Jang Hee Je?
I'm glad you're here.
The man called Jang Hee Je...
sent Yeong Sil up Sacheondae alone and disappeared.
Now he wants him back.
I sense a trap.
How could this...
What if someone dies?
It's just a fistfight. They'll be fine.
What is that?
I won't tell you.
Is this the legendary...
It actually existed?
No, it can't be.
They were just rumours.
Could this be a water clock?
Yes.
Lord Ju locked you up...
to make you fix this.
Now...
he has us both.
What are you even doing here?
I came to save you.
You handed me over to Kim Hak Joo.
What exactly do you want from me?
What do you want me to do?
I don't know.
You decide for me.
Yeong Sil.
I am afraid...
I might break this.
Could you turn it for me?
Now I have to make the chimes.
I haven't even started.
Could I help you?
I will do anything.
(Hanyang)
One of the letters...
is for the Ming Emperor to ask for his forgiveness.
The other...
is for Lord Ju Tae Gang,
to ask for his help in locating Yeong Sil and Jang Hee Je.
I heard that Lord Ju has a favourable opinion of Joseon.
Ask for his assistance.
Your Majesty.
I promise to return...
with both Jang Yeong Sil and Jang Hee Je.
(Ha Yeon)
Lord Ju...
locked up Jang Hee Je as well.
He thought highly of Joseon.
If this leads to...
the Emperor refusing to acknowledge the Crown Prince,
the nobles will threaten the King even more.
It is time.
(Kim Gu Nam)
You must make up your mind.
Shall I tell them you will join the cause?
Who are you?
I just returned from her residence.
They mean to say...
they can harm me at any time.
They are mocking me.
Your Majesty.
Your Royal Majesty.
The doctor you sent dressed the wound well.
It will heal soon.
Please do not worry.
They harmed the princess...
to warn you that they could have killed you,
but they did not.
I should have all their families abolished.
How dare they harm a woman to send a message?
Read it.
You have...
received one like it already.
I have.
How did you...
manage to...
overcome the shock?
I could tell by the way you looked at the page...
that you had overcome it.
I trembled with fury when I first saw it.
I later realised that...
I was furious because...
I was bothered by and afraid of the threat.
- Your Royal Majesty. - The bigger a king dreams,
the larger the crowd of people that hate and threaten him.
Kings like you and I...
who wish to do good for our people make things harder for ourselves.
The ministers who don't know how we feel...
pretend to obey us, but secretly plot against us.
Knowing that truth causes such pain...
and agony.
You inherited from me...
Actually, you will go through...
even worse pain than I did.
It breaks my heart.
Your Royal Majesty.
That is why I wish to introduce someone to you.
He is trustworthy...
and will help you even after I am long gone.
What do you say?
If it is someone you've selected,
he will be up for the task, whomever he may be.
Come in.
(Hwang Hui)
I have not forgotten that...
you objected of me becoming the Crown Prince.
(Hoedongkwan: Place of accommodation for Joseon's envoys)
Kim Hak Joo and Jang Hee Je are Yoon Bong's allies,
and Kim Hak Joo said he would kill Yeong Sil?
Yes.
Official Jang disappeared shortly after hearing that...
Lord Ju had taken Yeong Sil.
I am positive that both of them are at Lord Ju's house.
Who are you?
He...
buys and sells niter.
Niter?
(Go Gil Su, merchant)
Wood lives and breathes.
Calculations alone are not enough to create a perfect balance.
Help me, wood.
I need you to fill in the gaps made by my shortcomings.
Yeong Sil.
Does this part go in here?
Yes, right there.
Okay.
Ready?
How could such a small bell...
make such a beautiful sound?
It's the sound of heaven.
That's why it's called "The Heaven's Clock".
Sir.
I was too excited.
I need some fresh air.
You have one more day.
Tomorrow, you will have a blade thrust into your neck.
Oh dear.
No!
It's not like I'll break it.
Goodness.
I brought it especially for Lord Ju.
It's not for the likes of you.
It's a Middle Eastern armillary sphere.
I meant to trade this with you,
but I ended up staying...
for the water clock.
So you really did come here to save me.
How can an astronomical tool...
fit into this box?
What does it look like?
You unfold it to make it taller.
This disc is the horizon,
and there are others for the equator and the ecliptic.
It's just like an armillary sphere.
It just looks different.
I was told it can also be used to tell the time.
What?
- The time? - Yes.
Why didn't I think of that?
I think I just figured out how the simplified armilla works.
It's all about measuring time.
The simplified armilla is an observational tool that lets us...
tell the time as well.
Time according to the movements of stars?
Yes.
It also gives the bearing, altitude,
and time of Jupiter, Venus, the sun...
and the moon at the same time.
I see now.
Lord Ju's astrolabe from the Middle East,
and part of the water clock...
are all tools that look different but follow the same principle.
Are you saying you can make a simplified armilla?
Yes.
Now I can.
Then we can return to Joseon.
We can.
He fixed the water clock...
so he's thinking about leaving tonight?
We won't let him.
Come here.
This man really wants to kill Jang Yeong Sil.
Help him.
I will.
Lord Ju's house is now full of people from Joseon.
Even if Lord Ju ends up dying, no one will suspect me.
I owe you.
Moo San.
Gather the soldiers...
and attack Lord Ju.
Yes, I understand.
In Joseon, there are countless people I must take care of.
I'd like to ask you to help me find out whether the two men,
Jang Yeong Sil and Jang Hee Je, are alive or not.
I need their help...
to actualise the betterment of the people's lives in Joseon.
I am well aware of your virtue as well as your power in Ming.
Please show me some mercy...
and help me find these two men.
The King of Joseon...
is a great ruler.
He wrote and sent this letter to me...
in order to find his subjects.
I've been keeping the two men under my control.
I am ashamed of what we've done.
They should not have climbed Sacheondae to begin with...
knowing that such act is forbidden.
Shall we...
go and meet them now?
Yes.
How much more time do you need to complete the armillary sphere?
- I'm doing my best. - Lady Bu Ryeong,
- this isn't an easy job... - Get back to work now.
Here it is.
Yeong... Yeong Sil!
- Yeong Sil! - Suk Gu!
Yeong Sil!
My lord.
When did that start working?
It started moving this morning.
I wanted to show it to you after installing the armillary sphere.
We wanted to surprise you.
Now, we just have to fix this and install it.
You've done more than enough already.
The two of you.
You should return to Joseon now.
Your King is longing for your return.
Lord Ju, thank you for allowing us to return home.
I wanted to completely repair the armillary sphere before I leave.
I won't get to finish the job now that I must return.
It looks like we will need to visit Joseon soon.
To see the clock Yeong Sil will make?
The King of Joseon has the two of you,
so I'm truly jealous of him.
I apologise again for the trouble. We will get going now.
Don't lose them again.
Make sure to return safely with these two men.
You said that you've prepared a valuable gift for Lord Ju.
Shouldn't you give it to him before your departure?
Right, that gift.
Yes, I almost forgot.
Please give it to my father now.
You should give us the gift for taking Yeong Sil.
Where did I put it...
My lord! It's here.
Who goes there?
Let's go!
It's right here.
Gosh, this is...
the armillary sphere from the Middle East!
Goodness. This is such a rare gift.
My father has been wanting to find one of this so badly.
(Jang Yeong Sil)
Please forgive Officer Jang, my lord.
I'm doing it as a favour to you, Yeong Sil.
Thank you, my lord.
The King will announce...
the cancellation of Jang Yeong Sil's servant status.
- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty!
- We cannot cancel his status. - We cannot allow that.
We absolutely cannot allow that.
(Beijing, China)
Under King Sejong's command,
Jang Yeong Sil came to China to learn its advanced sciences.
We decided to trace his footsteps.
This structure standing in the midst of high-rise buildings...
is Beijing Ancient Observatory, which is an astronomy observatory.
(Built in 1442, it is the oldest astronomy observatory in the world.)
Sacheondae, which Jang Yeong Sil was dying to see, was destroyed...
and this observatory was built on the same site.
(Many ancient astronomical devices and relics are exhibited.)
On the rooftop, observation devices that were used...
during the Qing Dynasty are exhibited.
(Qing's observation devices are exhibited on the rooftop.)
The Yuan Dynasty already had advanced knowledge in astronomy,
but it also accepted astronomical knowledge from the Western world...
and became the best of the world when it came to astronomy.
One of Yuan's most well-known inventions is...
the armillary sphere, a device for measuring angles of constellations.
(Armillary sphere: It was first made in China around 200 BC.)
The astronomical devices at Sacheondae...
were made by the astronomer, Guo Shoujing.
(Guo Shoujing: Made various devices as well as the Shoushi calendar)
Jang Yeong Sil was not able to see the astronomical devices in person,
but his visit to Ming influenced him and his future achievements.
What did Jang Yeong Sil learn from his visit to Ming?
(Jang Yeong Sil)