Episode 12
I heard that servant at the Office of Astrology, Jang Yeong Sil,
got out of his status and even obtained a post in the government.
What? A servant got a position in the government?
What is happening in this world?
The end of the world must be near.
It must be, indeed.
(Jang Hee Je)
When King Sejong initially wanted to cancel Jang Yeong Sil's status,
he couldn't achieve it due to Heo Jo and others being against it.
So he waited for the right time...
and succeeded in cancelling Jang Yeong Sil's servant status...
with the support from Yu Jeong Hyun and Jo Mal Saeng.
After then, King Sejong appointed...
Jang Yeong Sil as Deputy Secretary of the Royal Tailor.
(Princess So Hyun: King Taejong's illegitimate daughter)
(Lee Chun: Diplomat of Anjou)
You look like a totally different person, Yeong Sil!
No, no. Master Jang.
They'll disappear if you polish them any more.
(Suk Gu: Jang Yeong Sil's friend)
I'm glad that the uniform fits you well.
It'd be weird if it didn't fit him.
You worked so hard to make them perfectly fit.
Thank you, Princess So Hyun.
I will see you again soon.
It looks like they took off their uniforms and hats too.
Where did they all go?
Well, it's...
They want you to repeal your order for making...
Jang Yeong Sil Deputy Secretary of the Royal Tailor.
All of them are protesting outside Geonjeon Gate.
Lord Lee, I have you here now. And Sir Hwang is here too.
I don't have to feel lonely any more governing the kingdom.
(Hwang Hui)
Your Majesty!
Jang Yeong Sil's servant status must not be cancelled.
He cannot gain a post in the court. Please repeal your order!
Your Majesty, breaking the code of conduct like this...
could bring forth dangerous consequences.
If things like this continue,
your position as the King...
could be put in danger.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty!
Please repeal your order!
- Please repeal your order! - Please repeal your order!
Please repeal your order!
- Please repeal your order! - Please repeal your order!
Please repeal your order!
- Please repeal your order! - Please repeal your order!
You, servant. How dare you set your foot in here!
- Gosh, this is ridiculous. - Goodness.
I do not understand how the King could...
turn a servant into a government official overnight.
And how could you just accept the King's offer?
A year later, King Sejong promoted Jang Yeong Sil...
to a higher position that pays a stipend...
from the non-paid position.
Darn it!
(The year 1425: The seventh year under King Sejong's reign)
(Yoon Bong: Deputy Officer of Saryegam, Ming)
We've already been using the armilla for two and a half years.
Jang Yeong Sil, Choi Bok and Sung Sa Gok.
Park Hyo Won, Lim Myung Deok and Suk Gu.
My sister, Princess So Hyun, and Il Seon.
I must not leave you out. Everyone has worked so hard.
We've achieved a great deal of success,
so all of our hard work has been paid off.
Sung Sa Gok and Park Hyo Won figured out and mastered...
all the difficult astronomical calculations.
I trust that we should be able to accurately predict eclipses...
in a very near future.
The accuracy of our lunar eclipse forecasts is certainly improving.
The discrepancy is only about 15 minutes,
which is very impressive.
We are expecting a lunar eclipse tomorrow.
Let's hope that the forecast is not off even by a minute this time.
If there is no discrepancy at all,
that would be truly amazing.
Judging from all of the achievements so far, it's not impossible.
The water clock Yeong Sil made is what enabled the success, isn't it?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Now that we can tell the time accurately,
we can also make precise predictions on eclipses.
I'm just sad that they are short-staffed at the observatory.
A handful of people take turns to stay up at night to observe the sky.
The situation gets even more difficult when any of them is ill.
Plus, Master Jang's workload has increased heavily...
since he moved to his new post, so I'm worried about his health.
Building the palace and houses is important,
so the Office of Construction and Architecture wants Yeong Sil too.
Yeong Sil must be exhausted these days.
Your Majesty.
Lord Ha Yeon wishes to have an audience with you.
What brings him here at this late hour?
He received an urgent message from Jeong Heum Ji,
the greeter for envoys.
Right.
Let him in.
Your Majesty.
According to the message the greeter, Jeong Heum Ji, sent,
the Emperor's envoys will arrive at Mohwaru...
after 1pm tomorrow.
(Mohwaru: Place of accommodation for Ming's envoys)
How is the preparation for the banquet coming along?
It's coming along well. We are doing our best.
Along with wild ginseng, I wish to present the Emperor...
with sapphire.
Please remember to add sapphire to the tribute list.
Your Majesty.
We have not had a chance...
to prepare sapphire.
I'm not sure if we'd be able to find sapphire...
during the envoys' stay here.
I suggest you exclude it...
from the tribute list.
We have Jang Yeong Sil.
You know he's been travelling the country to find jade and iron.
He must know about sapphire too. Tell him to find some.
Understood, Your Majesty.
I will proceed as per your order.
You're working so hard alone at this late hour.
It's okay. Please don't worry.
I'm only happy to do so.
I'm here to ask you for a favour for something important.
I see.
Please tell me what it is. I'll do my best to help you.
When the envoys are returning to Ming,
the King would like them to take sapphire...
as a tribute.
I see.
Will you be able to find sapphire...
before they leave?
Yes.
It can be dug up in the mountains in Suwon, Gimpo and Cheongju.
I will speak to Chief Officer of Construction and Architecture.
Stop what you're doing now and head over there.
You should go to Suwon...
and check the quality of jade we prepared for the Emperor.
If it doesn't look good,
you should try to find better quality jade.
Sure. I will do so.
How could you make your way here?
I'm on my way to Suwon to find sapphire.
I guess the King...
Yes.
You are observing Venus.
That's right.
It took 225 days for it to return to its original position.
The declination is 77º.
Myosu is seen on the west side of Venus at the moment,
so the right ascension is 2º and 10 arcminute.
Venus was right there 225 days ago.
Venus is seen in early evenings these days.
If, one day, Venus is not seen in the early evening,
we'll be able to see it just before the sunrise the next day.
That's right, Princess So Hyun.
Venus in the early evening sky is called "The Evening Star".
But I heard that...
people also call it "The Wandering Star".
When all animals are hungry,
the wanderer must feel hunger in his journey too.
Yeong Sil, if you ever go somewhere far away,
I shall think of the Wandering Star as you and look at it.
Yes.
Then...
I will also think of you when I look at the Wandering Star.
I should check Mercury's location now.
Let's do it together.
Sure.
Thanks.
All this wouldn't have been possible without you.
I thought I was going to age as a lonely widow, sighing over...
getting wrinkles and waiting for the day to die alone in my coffin.
I thought that was my fate.
But I met you,
and I can look at the stars in the sky like this.
People probably...
don't know how grateful I feel these days.
I'm sure they have no idea.
They probably think that I'd have no worries as the Princess.
Once, we were observing the stars,
and you said this to me.
"Yeong Sil,"
"those stars must've been watching over people..."
"for tens and thousands of years."
"Even before I was born into this world,"
"those stars were waiting for me."
That's when I realised.
Your life must've been...
difficult and lonely like mine.
You told me this that moment.
"Princess So Hyun,"
"since as a kid, I've always thought this while observing the stars."
"How lonely would those stars be?"
"They dwell in darkness."
"They must feel so lonely and cold."
"I didn't want them to be lonely."
"So I talked to them every single day..."
"and tried to be their friend."
Now, the stars,
I and you...
don't have to be lonely any more.
I don't wish for more.
I feel the same way.
I'm not lonely any more either.
People must be waiting for us. Let's go in now.
I'm happy for them. You're too, right?
Those two.
Don't you think that they're falling for each other?
Il Seon.
Now...
you and I have to make up our minds.
What?
This is 72.
Predicting the time of the most recent lunar eclipse incorrectly...
wasn't my mistake.
Don't say that. You did make a mistake in your calculations.
Have you forgotten everything?
Out of the 5 lunar eclipses, we predicted 3 pretty accurately.
Our predictions for two of them were off by a few hours.
My prediction was most accurate. It was only off by 15 minutes.
Sir Park came after me. His was off by 17 minutes.
Goodness.
You were just lucky.
Let's be honest here.
You probably used the wrong calculation method.
Wasn't it just a sheer coincidence?
Yes. I think he got confused between the speeds of the sun and the moon.
Just wait until tonight.
I know that my prediction will be accurate.
Astronomy is fascinating.
Despite your mistake, you were able to come up with...
a pretty accurate prediction by sheer luck.
You're right, indeed.
Right.
There's another fascinating thing.
Park Hyo Won...
has become the genius of making calculations.
He originally joined us to observe the stars,
but his arithmetic skills have significantly improved...
because he has had to check Sir Sung's calculations.
Look at this here.
Who would've known that he'd calculate trigonometry like this?
He's even coming up with his own calculation methods these days.
I'll tell you about them when they're complete.
Being able to tell the times of...
lunar eclipses pretty accurately is very fascinating.
Guo Shoujing's observation records...
Sir Jang brought has helped me tremendously.
Matching his records to his Shoushi calendar,
I was able to learn formulas that I didn't know in the past.
We still have a long way to go.
We can't be satisfied with the results yet.
We must work harder to be able to forecast more accurately.
We looked at the old calendars of Yuan and Ming...
and checked their past lunar eclipse forecasts.
Many of them were off by over 15 minutes.
But look at that. Look here. Here and there too.
Look around you!
Our calculations are based on all these observation records.
It'd be impossible for us not to predict it precisely this time.
All right. Let's calculate it once again.
The exact time for the lunar eclipse that will take place tonight.
What's the matter, Sir Choi?
Are you feeling unwell?
Well, I wasn't going to tell you this.
I didn't want to disappoint everyone.
Actually... Sir Jang.
Have a look at this.
It's this year's calendar.
I got it from one of the officials who just returned from Ming.
All of the lunar eclipses that we forecasted to date.
They were always included in Ming's calendar.
But get this. Tonight's lunar eclipse...
isn't found in Ming's calendar.
Ming's calendar must be wrong, right?
(Lim Myung Deok)
I'm sure Ming's calendar is wrong.
I can confidently say that our skills are on par...
with those in Ming's Office of Astrology.
Let's see if a lunar eclipse takes place tonight or not.
It will tell us what level we're on in terms of...
our calculation and observation skills.
Lord Lee is here.
You came at the perfect timing.
A match between us and Ming's Office of Astrology is on now.
How dare you!
What did you just do?
How dare you spill the drink of the Emperor's envoy!
I sincerely apologise.
You don't think I'd know that you did it on purpose?
Why did you do it? Are you showing me disrespect because...
I'm here as an envoy when I'm actually from Joseon?
Please calm down, Lord Yoon.
It was just a mistake.
Was it really a mistake?
Every time I visit Joseon,
people say that I steal everything from the country as tributes.
Do you think I wouldn't be aware of how everyone badmouths me?
Lord Yoon.
That is too harsh.
Harsh?
I shall show you what that word means.
Shall I go back to Ming...
and tell the Emperor that he should destroy Joseon...
in a harsh manner?
She is just a dancer.
I apologise that she upset you.
I must say that Joseon's dancers...
are not as exquisite as Ming's dancers...
in terms of their looks as well as their dance.
Listen! Did you learn to dance like that?
How can you upset people with your dance?
Let me show you. This is what...
dance should be like, okay?
Like this.
All right! Okay.
Let's drink.
It was a small mistake. I must be drunk.
Hwang Hui. That man enlivened my mood...
and saved Joseon.
To be prepared for problems that could arise at the banquet,
the King of Joseon sent his wise subject like Sir Hwang.
I'm impressed by his insightfulness.
The future of Joseon is very bright.
Thank you for your kind words.
The King of Joseon is wise and insightful,
so the future of his kingdom is bright.
But Joseon is actually in great danger because of the King.
If Joseon, as one of Ming's sovereign countries,
creates its own astronomical calendar,
how do you think the Emperor,
the chosen one, would treat the kingdom?
Well, I'm not sure what you mean by that...
If Joseon creates its own astronomical calendar,
it will be seen as disapproving the omnipotent power of the Emperor.
Joseon will become a barbaric enemy of Ming.
Those barbaric enemies don't understand manners.
So we usually send our armies to deal with them.
I understand.
Out of everyone in Joseon,
I'm sure I'm the one who understands it the most.
It will never happen.
Let me assure you that you can stop being suspicious of us.
That man who climbed Sacheondae, Jang Yeong Sil.
What is he up to these days?
He works at the Office of Construction and Architecture.
He is focused on building additional structures for the palace.
Come in.
This is my brother, Yoon Joong Bu.
You know him, right?
Thanks to the King, he could obtain his current post in the government.
He's very lucky.
I know him.
I know him, of course.
My brother here...
has been observing Jang Yeong Sil for a few months.
Tell me. What is Jang Yeong Sil up to these days?
Yes. As you wanted,
I've been observing him carefully.
There have been many times that he didn't come home for days.
Well, Jang Yeong Sil is also great at mining minerals.
I'm sure he has to leave home often to go and look for mining spots.
My gut instinct is...
rarely wrong.
My gut instinct is...
what enabled me to work closely with the Emperor.
I'm pretty sure that the King of Joseon...
is working on creating Joseon's own astronomical calendar now.
I'm sure Jang Yeong Sil is part of this.
If...
I get my hands on any evidence about it,
I'll have to inform the Emperor immediately.
Then Joseon will be...
It will be absolutely horrible.
Ming's soldiers will slaughter all of Joseon's people,
and the entire land of the kingdom will be smeared with their blood.
Even if...
the King is already making his own astronomical observations,
it wouldn't be a problem as long as I'm not aware.
Think about it carefully and decide what to do.
The safety of Joseon...
depends on this matter.
My lord.
Master Lee is here from Bukchon.
Master Lee?
Yes.
(Jeong Cho: Governor of Hamgil Province)
Your Majesty.
Please come with me.
(Jeong In Ji)
I did another calculation,
which confirmed that the lunar eclipse...
will take place at 8:30pm.
I got the same result. It'll happen at 8:30pm.
Yeong... Yeong Sil. Yeong Sil.
Right, sorry. Sir Jang.
The King is...
Your Majesty, thank you for coming.
I brought a guest with me.
Teach these two how to use the simplified armilla,
and tell them what we've been doing to create an astronomical calendar.
Your Majesty.
Did I just hear you say astronomical calendar?
Such activity is strictly banned by the Emperor.
That is precisely why we are working on it in secret.
You two are the first to find out.
Your Majesty.
We were actually checking our calculations for tonight.
We obtained Ming's calendar for this year,
and tonight's lunar eclipse isn't in it.
So we are carefully going through our calculations again...
to determine if we made any mistakes.
Is that so?
It looks like we came at the perfect timing.
We should be able to find out whether they're right or wrong soon.
I'm sure these two are still confused.
Tell them everything we've been working on to date.
Yes, Your Majesty.
This is an observation device called "simplified armilla".
The North Pole is a guide that tells us locations of celestial bodies.
So this North Pole Locator must be pointing to the North Pole.
This bearing and altitude calculator is used to determine bearings.
According to this simplified armilla, Hanyang's altitude is...
37º, 39 arcminutes and 15 arcseconds.
Okay, try it now.
- Now. - It's 125º and 1 arcminute.
Now.
It's exactly 12pm.
Now, I'll tell you the details of...
what we've been working on here using this simplified armilla.
First, let's talk about...
the movements of the seven planets.
We've been observing and studying how the seven planets...
orbit the earth.
One of the examples of this is recording Jupiter's coordinates...
at 0am every day and tracing...
its location.
(Between 11pm and 1am on the 11th)
(Between 11pm and 1am on the 12th)
(Between 11pm and 1am on the 13th)
This book has...
all of our findings about the movements of the seven planets.
All right.
Look at this now.
Using the clock we made,
we precisely recorded...
the times that the sun and the moon rose and fell every day.
This information...
allows us to estimate the locations of the sun and the moon...
in the celestial sphere.
(Earth and the seven planets)
We measured the length of the sun's shadow that changes every day...
as well as the length of the moon's shadow that changes every 15 days.
Our records of the changes...
in the shadows of the sun and the moon...
tell us their locations within the celestial sphere.
For instance, the sun and the moon...
may appear to be aligned in a straight line,
but it may not actually be the case.
It's actually like this.
The earth, the sun and the moon become aligned in a straight line...
here and here.
As I mentioned earlier,
being aligned in a straight line doesn't always result in eclipses.
The irregular movements of celestial bodies is one of the reasons.
In order to accurately forecast the dates...
and times of solar and lunar eclipses,
highly-advanced arithmetic calculations are required.
Using this calculation method,
I calculated the change in the speed as well as the average speed...
of the sun, the moon and other planets.
(Average speed of the moon, average speed of the sun)
Using this trigonometric formula, I was able to calculate...
the right ascension and declination.
Joseon's science and astronomy is like a new born infant.
Yes.
This is just a beginning.
That's right. A healthy baby...
just took its first steps.
(Lee Hyang: Later becomes King Moonjong)
All right. What do you think?
It may look like we're only making an astronomical calendar,
but we're making astronomical devices too.
We're also improving our knowledges in arithmetics and astronomy...
while developing our thinking capacity to achieve all of this.
You can see how much our knowledge and abilities have improved.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Music and musical instruments are as important as science.
I will be sure to study them and make necessary changes...
in order to establish standards in that area as well.
Your Majesty.
You've made a great decision.
With our own astronomical calendar,
we will establish the standards to read our sky.
If we can also set standards for music,
Joseon will gain a powerful foundation to thrive upon.
Well, then.
It's time to find out how accurate their forecast is.
Shall we go to see the full moon?
Your Majesty.
This isn't even in Ming's calendar.
We predicted the lunar eclipse!
This shows that...
everything we've been doing is right.
Yes. Princess So Hyun is right.
We've been doing all the right things.
Your Majesty.
This is an astonishing achievement.
We apologise for doubting you.
Forgive us, Your Majesty.
We will serve you to the best of...
our abilities, Your Majesty.
Stand up.
There will be a lot of work for you in the future.
Come on, get up.
Your Majesty, why don't you have them make...
a smaller model of the simplified armilla?
Would it not be great if people could keep one...
and observe the sky whenever they need to?
My lord.
That is an amazing idea.
I can't help having good ideas.
It's a thought I always had whenever I saw the armilla.
What do you say?
I am aware that you are interested...
in making calculations as much as Confucianism.
Your Majesty.
How do you know that?
Do not hide your skills.
Use it for Joseon and my people.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Will you help me make a smaller simplified armilla?
I have some ideas already.
Do you?
Jang, this is a good day.
Why are you so downcast?
The lunar eclipse happened 15 minutes earlier than my forecast.
I was wondering why my forecast is still 15 minutes late.
We checked many times, so the calculations were accurate.
The water clock could be off.
That is impossible.
We reduced the error to 15 minutes,
and that is consistent, so we accomplished a lot.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
If...
I get my hands on any evidence about it,
I'll have to inform the Emperor immediately.
I think the control room is well-built.
Not at all.
From now on...
Yes.
Let's go.
Go to Suwon,
and confirm if Yeong Sil is checking the jade shipments.
Also, see what Choi Bok is up to.
(Kim Gu Nam)
It's great quality.
Oh dear.
It's bad.
Your water clock is accurate.
Everything you made is accurate.
The skies are just too far away from us.
The rings that tell the time are complete.
But I don't know where to place the rings that tell the bearings.
Yeong Sil.
You already made and are using a simplified armilla.
I'm still at work.
Jang Yeong Sil, why can you do it and I cannot?
Why?
It's been a while.
I heard you never leave home.
The burnt wood...
tells me just how much work you have been doing.
Why are you at my humble abode?
I will not overstay as you don't seem to welcome my presence.
I have one question.
If you were Yeong Sil,
what would you do since your return from Ming?
I don't know.
I never thought what I'd do...
if I were Yeong Sil.
I once thought...
you were loyal to Joseon.
I can't believe all you do now is waste time on your hobbies.
To serve late King Taejong,
you even worked for the traitor Yu Taek Sang.
You even shot an arrow at our King.
Out of pure loyalty.
Are you shocked?
What if I were to tell you I know you went up Sacheondae...
with Yeong Sil to see the armilla, and that I also know that...
Yeong Sil saved your life when Ju Tae Gang locked you up?
What would you say?
I see that no one can keep a secret from you.
I am impressed.
I am not here to threaten or mock you...
with what I know.
You must wake up.
We need the loyalist Jang Hee Je.
If you are right,
I am no longer a loyal subject but a traitor.
No.
Each time, you did what was right.
What others couldn't have done.
I know that.
You have the loyalty that men who just talk...
could never have.
What do you say?
Could you not...
serve Joseon once again?
Ming's envoy, Yoon Bong...
suspects that our King and Yeong Sil are observing the skies.
The safety of Joseon...
is being threatened.
The only person who can save Joseon now...
is me.
If anyone else...
is to get involved,
blood will be shed.
If anything goes wrong,
the King himself could be put in danger.
Is that what you wish?
I cannot give you an answer today.
Come to me...
before it is too late.
It is to save Joseon.
Make up your mind...
while there is time.
- We're already here. - We're already...
What? "Already"?
My goodness.
Do you know how slow you were walking?
I was getting so frustrated trying to stay behind you.
I'm so cold.
You should go inside.
It's cold.
You leave first.
You have a long way to go.
Your Highness.
What is it?
I saw it for myself...
and yet I cannot believe it.
After all those favours King Taejong bestowed upon you,
how dare you insult the royal family!
Falling in love with a servant?
Your Highness.
Yeong Sil.
It's me.
Sir.
I shouldn't call you by your name now.
Where have you been?
I...
I couldn't sleep,
so I went for a walk.
Now that you're an official,
you even learned how to lie.
I came by last night.
I was told you were out, so I waited.
Pardon?
Well... That's...
Did you believe that?
Why would I wait for you all night?
I came out to see the stars,
and came here because I thought of you.
(Jang Yeong Sil)
You must never let anyone know where you are.
Sir, I shall be waiting for you.
Your Majesty, marry off the Princess before it is too late.
I shall stop what Yeong Sil and the King are up to.
If Princess So Hyun leaves this room,
she shall pay dearly.