Jang Yeong Sil
Episode 18
There are only 12 of these dolls.
Right.
If the day isn't broken down into 100 divisions,
there is no need for 100 dolls unlike for Su Song's water clock.
If that is the case,
the amount of power needed to operate the clock is reduced.
It decreases the amount of power that is wasted.
A new water clock made in a new way.
This is it.
The solution was this simple.
I could've thought of this, too.
Yeong Sil, you fool.
I definitely could've come up with this solution, too.
Of course! I certainly could have.
You're not the only one who can come up with ideas like this.
No.
Not in a million years.
I would not have been able to think of this at all.
I need to burn this.
This must be burned.
I ought to burn this.
What a sight.
(Kim Hak Joo)
Too bad I'm the only one witnessing this.
You are truly ludicrous.
Shall I burn it for you...
or not?
I'll burn this.
Don't worry.
I won't burn it now.
Jang Yeong Sil, this lunatic.
He made another absurd gimmick.
Once, I was caught in a trap that he made...
and had to be hung upside down.
Do you know what I was thinking...
as I was being dragged up caught in the trap?
"How could he build a trap like this?"
I could have died right there.
But I was not even afraid of death.
Instead, I was fascinated by the trap he made.
Hee Je, has this thought ever crossed your mind?
We've been trying to lock up Yeong Sil and take his life.
But every time we think we're near the goal,
it is not Yeong Sil who gets trapped.
It is the two of us.
What are you talking about now?
Why are you saying that we're trapped?
- We're not trapped! - Look at you.
You're whining because you're obsessed with that absurd device.
And for me...
After I burn this and kill Yeong Sil,
what should I live for?
How futile is it?
You still think we're not locked up in a trap?
We are...
trapped in a deep rabbit hole Yeong Sil dug.
Just like those iron balls,
we're trapped in a vicious cycle, and we're floundering in it.
Jang Yeong Sil!
He lured the two of us here...
to entrap us.
This is his way of punishing us.
He wants to show us how amazing that device is.
And he wants to brag about how amazing and talented he is!
He wants us to know.
That is the punishment he is giving us.
Punishment!
But what can we do?
We should burn that thing.
I was born to burn that thing to ashes.
I have nothing else to do.
Yeong Sil.
The punishment you're giving me.
I will gladly accept it!
No.
No! No! Stop!
No! No!
No!
Jang Hee Je!
Come to your senses.
Aren't you sick and tired of this game?
Let's end it now, please.
Please!
Let's put an end to this, please!
Stop it!
Hak Joo.
Yes. What you said is right.
You started hating Yeong Sil...
because of me.
It's all my fault.
Punish me instead.
So please...
Please don't burn this.
Please...
Yeong Sil did not make this by himself.
I know that the skies helped him.
The skies of Joseon bestowed this...
upon us for the future of this nation!
That's right.
I am sorry, Hak Joo.
My lord!
Carry Hak Joo.
I will go to the government office...
and confess my sin.
Yeong Sil.
How did you...
figure out the laws of power?
With those small iron balls...
Pardon me?
The power that makes a persimmon...
fall on my face from its tree.
What did you say?
I experienced many brushes with death because of you.
The power that I gained at each of those incidents.
So you made it with the power you gained from resenting me.
No.
The strength that allowed me not to take revenge.
As I was enduring it all,
I gained more strength...
because of the people who cared about me.
I got the idea from how power can amplify like that.
The hole that the iron ball fell into...
didn't have to be a failure.
I covered the hole...
and created a path for another ball to pass through.
When it felt as if I had fallen into a rabbit hole,
I didn't think I was trapped in the hole.
The strength that made me bounce back.
That is what gave me the idea.
You little...
Why did you tell me to come here?
You couldn't wait...
to see me being humiliated?
Did you want to wreck me sooner?
Perhaps.
What did you say?
I showed you that water clock...
before I even showed it to the King.
I think it's strange, too.
My lord.
Why do you think I did it?
Jang Yeong Sil, how dare you!
My lord!
What is more important?
Not wanting to be humiliated or your desire to know?
Because of you and this nation,
I've had to go through several near-death experiences.
I survived each time...
because I was destined to make that water clock.
You're making it sound like...
I'm destined not to be able to make anything.
My lord,
you cannot make these devices in the way that I made them.
Why is that?
Because I haven't been through those hardships?
What I'm saying is that you're talented enough...
to make them without having to go through such hardships.
Don't ask me. Ask yourself.
Why did you come here?
Master Hee Je.
When I was a kid,
my mother and Suk Gu were...
the only people who understood...
the sorrow deeply rooted in me.
Nevertheless,
neither of them were...
as curious about the things that I made as you were.
At a quick glance, you could figure out the things I made.
I knew that you hated me,
but I always wanted to show you whenever I made anything new.
I guess the interest you showed to me,
who was born as a servant,
was like a ray of hope.
So I made things after things.
Even when it seemed nearly impossible, I didn't give up.
In Beijing,
you and I were held captive...
and had to repair the water clock.
Seeing how we could repair the water clock, we were delighted.
Those were happy moments.
- Yeong Sil. - My goodness.
How could that little bell...
sound so beautiful?
You may not believe me,
but I think it'd be amazing...
if we could work together again like that time.
That is my dream.
Right.
Those were happy moments, indeed.
I don't think your dream will ever come true.
My lord! I think Sir Kim Hak Joo woke up!
Hak Joo.
Look at me!
We should take him to a doctor.
Yeong Sil.
Yeong Sil...
Yeong Sil, you little...
- Yeong Sil! - Gosh.
Yeong Sil...
Just kill me.
I'm sorry.
I abandoned you.
I couldn't destroy you with my own hands, so I left you.
Forgive me.
I made you, but I decided to abandon you like a coward.
Officer Jang left.
He submitted a letter of...
resignation to the court.
How will we be able to tell the time with this?
His Majesty graces us with his presence!
Gosh.
Let's put this down first.
Yeong Sil! Yeong Sil!
His Majesty is here.
This must be it.
You said that you wish to show me your new water clock,
so I asked my ministers to accompany me.
Sure, Your Majesty.
I am glad that all of you are here.
This is a water clock?
(Ha Yeon)
How does this work?
I will explain how this water clock works.
Every hour,
a set amount of water flows from the water tank into the water pipe.
The water, then, pushes the buoy inside the water pipe upwards.
The lever connected to it touches the ball connected to the beam...
and makes the ball fall at a regular interval.
The ball rolls through the path and goes into the power generator.
As it passes through this generator,
it is replaced with a bigger ball.
I was inspired by how power can amplify.
Then this bigger ball falls downwards.
With the power generated from the fall,
it beats the drum, gong and bell...
at each time cycle.
This power is also what operates the dolls that tell the time.
So what do you think about Sir Jang's new water clock?
Please share your opinions.
Your Majesty.
Sir Jang came up with such a simple but novel idea.
Please praise him for...
his remarkable talent.
Your Majesty.
We should encourage Sir Jang...
to complete this water clock...
as soon as possible so that we could use it...
as the official clock of the Palace.
(Hwang Hui: First Vice Prime Minister)
At a quick glance,
I can tell that this water clock...
is made based on an innovative, marvellous idea.
Please discuss the future plan with Lord Lee.
As Deputy Minister of Public Work,
you should encourage and support Sir Jang to complete this clock.
Of course, Your Majesty.
I will proceed as per your command.
The whole time I was listening to you,
I could not get this name out of my head.
How about we call your water clock...
Jagyeokru?
It means a self-striking water clock.
Jagyeokru.
That is a perfect name for this clock, Your Majesty.
Other ministers and officials should also come here and see Jagyeokru.
Understood, Your Majesty.
Show Jagyeokru to the people, too.
It will be a great opportunity for them...
to learn how advanced Joseon's science is now.
Understood, Your Majesty.
I'd also like to praise you for all of your hard work...
with helping Yeong Sil make this water clock.
Come! Come quickly.
What's going on?
You saw it!
What's that water clock like?
That is not just a water clock.
It is one sublime and marvellous device!
- Seriously? - I'm so curious.
- Come. - Let's go and look.
- Hurry. - Hurry up.
- I see. - I'm fascinated.
So this tells the time.
Sir.
Is something wrong?
No, no.
I was just thinking that people...
wouldn't have to come all the way here to look at the clock...
if they could carry their own clocks.
Pardon me?
Carry their own clocks?
(Princess So Hyun: King Taejong's illegitimate daughter)
(Choi Bok: Assistant Officer of Astrology)
Aren't you sad about having to send...
Jagyeokru to the Palace?
Jagyeokru. I am aware that...
it wasn't made for me or for the Palace.
You made it for the people.
How did you know, Your Majesty?
You seemed hesitant when my ministers suggested...
bringing Jagyeokru to the Palace.
Because of what you've been through after leaving the Palace,
it is only natural that you feel that way.
You were very wise...
not to tell the ministers that you made Jagyeokru...
for the people.
Yeong Sil.
You cannot give the clock to the people.
Are you aware of that?
I cannot quite understand it, Your Majesty.
Time belongs to the King.
The King chooses what the people can know...
in order to rule the kingdom effectively.
They do not need to know anything...
other than the times that the gate to the Capital opens and closes.
The King is who deciphers the sky and determines the time.
He, then, bestows it upon the people.
The same goes for annual divisions.
The people knowing the time...
before the King grants it to them...
is equivalent to saying that they refuse to be under the kingship.
You are trying...
to do something that will harm me, Yeong Sil.
- Your Majesty. - Some could accuse you...
for treason and punish you.
Did you say treason?
- That is nonsense. - Think about it.
Had you mentioned that you wanted to give the clock to the people,
what would the ministers have said?
Your Majesty.
Having a clock makes the people's lives become prosperous.
I learned it when I was in Namyang.
I was sad that they couldn't tell the time on cloudy days or at night.
That is why I made this water clock.
Your Majesty. If time is your possession,
you should give the clock to the people.
The ministers will be against me doing it,
but they will not be against it if you're giving it to the people.
This is not a simple matter.
The members of the nobility are not worried about me.
They are afraid that the current system...
as well as their authority might collapse.
Hence, you will face immense resistance and opposition,
which would exceed anything you're imagining.
Then...
will I never be able to give Jagyeokru to the people?
Yeong Sil. If I tell you that I want...
to give Jagyeokru to the people as much as you do...
and that I want them to benefit from our knowledge of science,
would you believe me?
We have to wait for the right time to be able...
to allow the people to use Jagyeokru.
We must pick the right moment as it is a very political matter.
That must have been why you showed Jagyeokru to everyone.
There is something else I wish to give to the people.
I am working on developing an alphabet.
By alphabet, do you mean Chinese characters?
It has nothing to do with Chinese characters.
It will be Joseon's own alphabet system.
Chinese characters are ideograms that represent meanings.
That is correct, Your Majesty.
I am making a writing system that stands for speech sounds.
Are you referring to...
this sound that I am uttering right now?
The sounds are generated from your oral cavity and vocal cords.
If the system is based on speech sounds,
it will be easier for the people to learn the letters.
I am truly curious to find out what kind of shapes could be...
used to express such sounds.
Yeong Sil.
How would "Yeong" in my name be written?
And how many speech sounds will there be in total?
There must be so many different speech sounds.
How will you be able to give shapes to everything?
Your Majesty. When your alphabet is ready,
I'd like to be the first one to see it.
I also have...
something that I wish to give to the people.
Something else in addition to your water clock?
I'd love to make a clock...
that people can carry with them and use whenever they need it.
I want everyone to have one.
That is a great idea.
So you want to make a portable clock.
You seem excited about it.
I really want to make it and show you.
A water clock and a clock people can carry?
The nobles will faint with shock.
Yeong Sil, take it slowly.
Take your time.
Yes, Your Majesty.
An alphabet...
and a portable clock.
They are both like those stars.
Beautiful but far away.
My alphabet and your clock.
Which will be harder...
to give to the people?
Is that constellation...
Jeongsu?
(Jeongsu is part of Gemini)
Yes.
It looks like two people are holding hands.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I think so, too.
We should...
go hand-in-hand like that...
to overcome hardships.
Yes, Your Majesty.
My alphabet and your clock...
will go together...
to overcome obstacles.
(Village market, Namyang)
What are you doing?
Pardon?
Oh, this?
This is the indicator.
People keep touching it.
It has to fit perfectly.
If this wears out,
the clock won't tell the accurate time.
The indicator...
must be pointing north.
Yes. You must be very learned.
A sundial...
is made according to the principle that...
the sun moves around the North Pole once a day.
This...
tells the time.
And this...
gives us the 24 divisions of the year.
At the top...
is the Winter Solstice, when the shadow is the longest.
At the bottom...
is the Summer Solstice, when the shadow is the shortest.
The sundial itself is shaped like a bowl...
so that...
the shadow's length stays proportionate.
That way,
the shadow of the sun follows the lines...
very accurately.
Just one glance...
tells us the time...
and which of the 24 annual divisions is closest.
The current shadow tells me that...
it is...
nearly Daeseol.
(Daeseol falls on December 7 or 8)
The time is...
11am.
Sir.
How do you know so much?
Eun Bok used to...
talk just like you.
It is a fascinating item.
Spring flowers bloom
On Ipchun
The ice
- Slowly melts - Children.
Could you...
sing the song for me?
- Okay. - Okay.
The stars are rising
High in the sky
Let's go out
And look at the stars
When the sun sets
The Net rises
When the sun rises
The King rises
When autumn comes and the fields
Begin to freeze over
We set them afire
And the swallows fly
The stars
I like that.
I like it all.
(Byeon Dae Chi)
This could turn the world upside down.
Move out of the way.
Gosh.
(Jeong Hyo Seung)
(Kim Beob Rae)
What do you mean?
Of all people,
scholars Hyo Seung and Beob Rae...
are protesting?
Yes.
They believe that showing Jagyeokru to the public...
encourages science,
which is not ideal because we are nobles...
who study and revere Confucian teachings.
Do not force them to stop.
I have been watching those two for a while now.
They must be protesting for a reason.
I shall...
meet with them later.
Yes, Your Majesty.
There is a blizzard.
They will not last very long.
They're dead!
Someone's dead!
They're dead!
They froze to death.
Your Majesty.
The two scholars who were protesting...
Are they...
Someone must have...
put the two young scholars up to this.
That sounds like...
you know...
who is behind...
their protest.
Would it not be the person...
you think of?
(Ha Yeon)
Master Chung Bo.
He still...
controls people from behind.
When he wanted...
King Taejong to abolish a policy,
he instigated...
the scholars and nobles...
and many lost their lives in the process.
Master Chung Bo himself...
was only stripped of his title.
He survived.
"Jeong Hyo Seung."
"Kim Beob Rae."
"Two precious lives..."
"were lost in a just and honourable protest."
"They set out to have their voices heard,"
"and they returned, having accomplished their goal."
(Cho Kwang, Master Chung Bo)
"The foolish King is going against the great laws of Goryeo,"
"and he needs to be taught what is right and just."
"The two scholars..."
"set out to do so."
"They did not fear death."
"With the noble heart..."
"and great mind of a scholar,"
"they gave their lives..."
"to serve Joseon."
"We shall never..."
"forget their sacrifice."
I was unable to visit you often.
I would not...
care to see you often.
You had two scholars...
die in a blizzard to protest your cause.
If I were you, I would go out into the square...
and die protesting with the scholars myself.
I would like to do so,
but the foolish beggars in court surrounding the King...
cause me too much concern.
I cannot die.
Master Chung Bo.
The King...
is shaking the very roots of our nation...
with that fool Jang Yeong Sil.
You can't even put a stop to that,
and yet you come here to scold me?
Are you done?
What? Are you riled because...
I mentioned the King?
Have you forgotten...
what we did to help establish Joseon?
Those who became King purely because of...
their birthright...
are incredibly ignorant,
pathetic and violent.
We saw the ensuing mess,
we established Joseon, a nation that would be...
ruled and run by the nobles, not one man on the throne.
The King is a mere puppet.
The ministers are the ones with the real power.
The oath we took was to make Joseon, the land of the nobles,
last for centuries.
Meng Sa Sung.
I have announced...
long ago that I do not agree with...
Jeong Do Jeon's idea that...
the nobles rule and the King is a mere puppet.
Have you?
Then what about this?
Farming sustains us nobles,
and it is shrinking rapidly.
Manufacturing and trade is increasing,
and in the end, craftsmen and merchants...
might take the power we nobles hold.
That is the end of the world.
Such a world would never come.
Our King...
is performing an elaborate scheme...
to give a water clock named Jagyeokru...
to the public.
If you think about it,
that clock isn't his.
It belongs to the true rulers which is us nobles.
But Lee Do acts like it is his...
and is placating the people.
He wants to...
let them take over.
How dare you say the King's name!
That is treason!
Do you know what will happen when the people...
will be able to tell the time?
They will gather around the clock,
and they will meet and trade and interact.
In the very end,
they will create a consensus.
You should know very well...
what that will be.
They will complain about the ruler.
They will fight...
against those with power for their own profit.
This all arises...
in a town centre where there is a clock.
Our foolish and naive King thinks that...
such gatherings will increase his authority and power.
That he can control us,
and communicate with the people.
He does not imagine that...
the end result of that communication...
will be the fall of the monarchy.
Your Majesty. Jagyeokru cannot be Joseon's official clock.
You said...
we should have it brought into the Palace.
At the time, I was not aware of your true intentions.
My true intentions?
I believe...
you are letting the public view Jagyeokru so that...
in due time...
they will be able to use it for their own convenience.
That is my conclusion.
Your Majesty.
We put too much effort and consideration into science.
That is why I am strongly against Jagyeokru...
entering the Palace because...
it is a symbol of our interest in science.
Your Majesty.
We don't need to use Jagyeokru.
We can fix the broken water clock and use that.
Your Majesty, mend the existing water clock,
and train the men who use it.
That is the best way to solve the current issue.
- You cannot bring Jagyeokru... - You cannot bring Jagyeokru...
- into the Palace, Your Majesty. - into the Palace, Your Majesty.
I appreciate that you brought up the issue of the public clock.
Now we are able to discuss the issue in detail.
Since the matter is on the floor,
let us discuss a way...
to make Jagyeokru available to the public.
Your Majesty.
Jagyeokru employs weird magic.
You cannot have it within the Palace walls.
- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty.
- Turn your mind away from science. - Turn your mind away from science.
- Please turn away from it. - Please turn away from it.
Turn away from the distractions and focus on what is important.
Only then will the disasters stop plaguing us.
- Please do so, Your Majesty. - Please do so, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
We have no time to waste...
discussing a public clock.
Many natural disasters...
have plagued the people.
They, and some ministers...
are blaming that,
if I dare say so,
on the lack of your virtue.
You must stop focusing so much on science,
and follow what the classics say a sage King must do.
This is the time for you to remember what your real duties are.
I shall...
offer up a ceremony to ask for forgiveness...
at the next solar eclipse...
to comfort my suffering people.
Is that not what you want?
My lack of virtue is the root cause of the disasters.
I shall pray for forgiveness.
But...
I must state this clearly.
If our scientific studies advanced the way we wished it to,
we should be able to accurately predict the time...
the solar eclipse begins and ends.
Being able to hold a ceremony...
at the appropriate time...
is something you always hoped to do.
I'm sure none of you would wish to see me...
alone at the altar looking like a fool...
because we got the time wrong.
Your Majesty, why would any of us present...
wish such an embarrassment on you?
No, Your Majesty.
We all wish to see you begin and end a ceremony...
at the exact time the eclipse begins and ends.
If the predictions are correct,
and the ceremony is held at the right time,
we owe it completely to our advance in science.
So...
I wish for you...
to support my fervour for science.
Accept Jagyeokru,
and help me put one...
in the square of each village.
Then, Your Majesty.
If you fail to hold the ceremony at the correct time,
promise that you will give up on pursuing science.
I will.
Your Majesty.
I didn't think...
you'd risk it all on the ceremony.
We lost all our records in the observatory fire.
It won't be easy to predict the solar eclipse.
Are you not concerned?
Why would I be?
I have my people.
There is you,
Lee Chun, Lee Sun Ji,
Jeong In Ji, Jeong Cho and Jeong Heum Ji.
I have you all.
Why would I be concerned?
I believe you,
and I put my faith...
all in you.
Your Majesty.
Seeing all those people in one room...
working to predict the next solar eclipse.
Just imagining that scene...
makes my heart pound.
We are holding a ceremony to pray to the skies,
but actually,
we are working to gain their secrets.
That is...
what you always wanted.
Yes.
Yeong Sil.
We shall...
change Joseon's destiny.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Joseon's destiny will change.
As you thought,
the King risked the future of his beloved science...
on the outcome of the next ceremony.
If the ceremony begins at the same time as the eclipse,
your plan...
will have no effect.
The ceremony...
will not happen.
That is...
the message the skies gave me.
(Jang Yeong Sil)
The King said he will hold a ceremony?
Could we tell the King?
Why don't we inform him once we confirm the time?
How can we do that when we don't have enough records?
What? He might accept me...
if I bring the records?
Officer Jang might have them.
Do you mean he didn't burn them?
You will die anyway.
Take your own life.