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~ CONSPIRACY in the COURT ~ Director's Cut
Over half of Joseon's populace is made of lowborns.
It is only because their blood flows in these very veins...
that I can engage in politics for their sake.
Is that not honorable blood?!
~ Episode 1 ~
~ SAL I Gu Guk ~ (BLOODSHED Will Rescue Our Nation)
You haven't heard of that yet? The murders and all.
As if there wouldn't be more enticing things to do, in this damned cold...
I even heard that some peeper crept back into the soil, back in Twegyewon.
Not to mention that barley all withered, despite the fact there is no drought.
Ehh... really.
All creation is restless, I tell you.
Cheongmyeong* is long gone, so how could it still be so cold?!
[*Qingming, bright and balmy season. 5th solar term, from early to late April]
How about we just wrap things here, and enjoy some hot stew with drinks on top?
- Ahhh... that's great! - You scared me to death!
What is the matter?
Around the eastern gates... His eyes wide open, and...
Ahh... Explain clearly, will you? Clearly, got it?
I cannot understand a thing!
He croaked?!
Let's move!
He says he croaked.
But... I cannot bear to witness a corpse when I'm sober.
- I'm no better. - Let's just go.
- Get moving! - Yes! Coming...
Again no exterior wounds or traces of struggle.
Doesn't this resemble the one we found under Supyo Bridge the other day?
How can we explain this, Hyungnim?
Seems like he was a loutish specimen who used to sell commoners...
who couldn't pay their debts to rich merchants as personal slaves.
Not to mention the fact he would frivol away all his money on prurient endeavors.
What now?
He's the victim's father...
Seeing as he did not shed a single tear for him...
Inspect the area and question people about any suspicious individual.
What?!
Not even his father seems concerned about his death,
so why would you squander your time looking for that?!
And why would he notify the capital police, then?
Tawdry a son as he might be, it still is lamentable.
You varlets!
How can you dispute in this manner?
- Grandfather! - Grandfather....
Aigoo... Last year's pestilence robbed them of their father,
their forlorn existence forced their mother into slavery,
and after enduring diseases and flagellation all year, she perished.
But now they even ask us to pay the price in her mother's stead,
pestering them every single day.
No matter how severe the crime, our code clearly forbids any personal...
act of capital punishment, so how could it get to this point?!
They warned us that failing to pay would force these children into slavery.
As if having to witness my children slowly perish of starvation wasn't enough,
their alms cannot even grant us a meager repast...
How uncaring can the heavens be?!
Hyungnim!
No suspicious fellow reported in the area.
We are forced to leave matters to the Hanseong prefecture, then.
Yes.
What?!
And... why, Hyungnim?
Should we not at least find out the cause of death through a postmortem?!
Ahh... It's not like he was some yangban...
- Serves him right, paltry fool! - Enough with that, he will hear you!
Why, did I utter any mendacity?
He cannot even speak, and look at him concur with me!
What was that sound?
Was it not a musket?
Mu...musket?!
What are you waiting for?
Trail him at once!
Tend to her.
You fool!
How dare you defy my command? Trail that man immediately!
What are you doing? Hasten here and tend to these people!
Yes.
Never you worry.
The projectile did not pierce her vital organs.
What on earth happened last night, uh?!
Half or in full, noble blood flows in your veins,
so you belittle my lowly position?
Shall I lower it even further?!
Here... Even lower?! Here... here! Here! Uh?!
Ohh Ohh... Want to see the Grim Reaper visit my gates?!
As the corpse presented the same traits as the one found under Supyo Bridge,
I entrusted it to the capital prefecture for a postmortem.
Ohhh Ohhh! Is it defiance what I'm smelling?! Uh?!
Who ever asked you do all this for some lowly miscreant's demise?
The man who was attacked near Heungin Gate is...
none other than His Excellency the Minister of Personnel!
Minister of Personnel!
Ohh... I was not aware of that.
My attention was directed at treating the wounded.
Park Bujang*.
[*Unranked official of the Capital Police or the Five Army Garrisons]
Can't you figure out what truly matters?!
And if something like that happens, you should report it immediately.
My superiors questioned me, and I was utterly incognizant.
Think how discomfiting that could feel!
I'm telling you this merely because I'm sure your career will not end...
with those lowly official garments of yours.
It is with utmost concern and affection for you!
The only man aware of our Heungin Gate saunter was you.
And you still dare claim otherwise?!
Dialogue and polemic are pillars of our ageless factional disputation.
But, on the pretense of differing political views and assertions,
is employing murderous varmints to speak on your behalf...
what painted the legacy of your party across the ages?!
Who instigated you?
Confess at once!
Halt immediately, Your Excellency!
And tell me, is torture for personal means...
one of the renovations your party clamors for?!
I trust Your Excellency is aware of how unprincipled such accusations are.
You rampage about, professing to change our 400 year long legacy in a day,
so it is natural riotous specimen would hamper your path.
This is all for our country and its people's sake,
so how dare you utter such obloquy?
So, is wrenching every last golden mintage in our coffers for an harebrained...
transfer of the capital what will help our people and this country?!
With no land to cultivate, starvation has become commonplace.
Even a decade of harsh labor under the nobles' grinding employment...
will not grant our people a house to shelter their families.
This transfer shall provide our people with new land and dwellings,
rescuing them from this desolation, and extending the development...
which blessed our land south of Gyeonggang* to the entire country.
[*Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province]
And will only a transfer of our capital achieve that?
With that kind of financing, you would achieve such goals tenfold...
Bequeathing our starving people a meager repast here and there...
and commencing construction projects to create jobs as a temporary recourse...
can only prove as purposeful as urinafing on a frozen foot.
Let us be honest.
Confess it is merely a subterfuge to oust Hanyang's elite clans from power,
and establish your own political basis outside these impervious dwellings.
His Eminence Master Muhak uttered these very words to our founder King Taejo*.
[*Lee Seonggye]
"Only to the eyes of a Buddha will Buddha appear."
"And hollow swines are all that will grace a pig's vision."
Swines?! How dare you...
The coarse blood of a plebeian slattern flows in your veins,
so it is natural specious drivel would be all that tongue of yours can mutter!
Over half of Joseon's populace is made of lowborns.
It is only because their blood flows in these very veins...
that I can engage in politics for their sake.
- Is that not honorable blood?! - Enough with that obsequious palaver!
Look outside our palace walls!
Moved by survival instinct, our people pack their measly possessions...
and head to the capital to find solace which will never be granted to them.
Since plebeian blood does not stain your veins,
is the plight of our lowborns escaping your sight?!
So it's ten nyang for the yangban, and only five for us?!
Are you engaging in discrimination even for this?
Ahh... what are you doing?
If you are done eating, let us all rise and earn our victuals!
"This Transfer Will Destroy Our Finances"
"Against the Transfer of our 400 year Old Capital"
Aren't you a fellow Joseon man?!
How can you transfer our 400 year old capital like that?!
You knave. We have every right to affirm our grievances to His Majesty!
Aigoo... really...
If you hit it so weakly, would its sound grace the ears of our ruler in the palace?
Hit it until the copper is torn to pieces!
Everyone, let us make our voices be heard! Press on!
Stand back, you knaves!
How dare you...
Would transferring the capital truly improve our people's lives?
Two years of plentiful harvest blessed us,
but while rice rots in the nobles' cellars, mendicants are pullulating the streets.
With such fawning and hollow policies,
those starving children will never be fed.
Today, 30 people from our silk shop, and another 10 each from 5 stores...
for a total of eighty people participated.
They soon shall be joined by 80 more from 8 shops deprived of exclusive licenses,
along with 50 merchants from other yukeuijeon* members,
[*six state-licensed stores selling silk, fish, cotton cloth, thread, ramie cloth and paper]
so by the morrow the remonstration will reach the three hundred strong.
We will have to press abusive street vendors to join our remonstration,
promising the yukeuijeon will close an eye on their illegal endeavors as a reward.
Cheon Du informed me he just left Jemul Port.
He shall soon return.
I will pay a visit to the capital police bureau.
The consort kept pestering me about Minister Jo's wife and her peruke....
How did you learn, and blessed me with such sublimity?!
It was made using hair from maidens.
The hairpins engirdling the peruke are precious jewels imported from the Qing.
But...
As the ostentatious whims of our consorts went beyond every limit,
didn't His Majesty severely prohibit the use of such perukes?!
Hence making it even more precious, unique in all eight provinces.
If you wandered the market in search of a befitting price, it would surely...
command the same value as 3-4 lodges from the western district.
Is this that precious?!
Then again, if you say so... how could I refute your claims?!
Let your honorable consort's eyes feast upon this beauteous sight.
- Sight?! - I am sure she will appreciate it.
That is a most appropriate definition. No wiser word were spoken!
Nobody ever prohibited us from sightseeing!
So, I trust trade is going wonderfully as always?!
One of our ships is heading for the port, Your Excellency.
Moments after imbibing the infusion, they lose consciousness.
Pulse is interrupted almost in conjuction with this,
but there is a slight difference for each victim.
Is it a result of different quantities being used in making the infusion?
Adding ginger does help absorption, but it is not significant enough a change.
So do you see it as a matter of age and constitution?!
It's not that.
The victim under Supyo Bridge was much younger and healthier,
but pulsation and cosciousness were lost much more rapidly.
Then?!
Considering our specimen did not present significant differences,
a conclusive answer would be difficult, but more than age I believe it was...
the victim's constitution which altered reaction time.
This time,
we must find a sensitive and slender specimen,
but one with a well developed upper body and in good health.
But...
We nearly ran out of herbs.
I will have to contact them.
According to our intelligence report,
after the smuggled goods will be unloaded here at the Mapo port,
they shall wait for the eventide, and then pass Mount Mokmyeon*.
[*Namsan's old name]
Make sure those smuggling varmints stop afflicting us by eradicating their roots.
- But, Your Excellency. - What?!
What again, what is it, what, why, what?!
It's an intelligence report we have, intelligence!
That oh so welcome sound to my ears, intelligence!
I am not aware of what kind of intelligence report it might be,
but if all capital police troops are sent to Mapo,
- it might hinder our plans. - And why? Why would it do that?!
- What would hamper us?! - Just a fortnight ago,
Cheongyecheon and Jungnangcheon were flooded by rainfall.
If they unload here in Dumo Port, and go upstream with a small boat to Cheongyecheon,
there would be no need for them to wait until the eventide.
How can we let your dubitable reasoning guide us?!
If Mapo is where they will unload, will you take the blame? Uh?
Enough, give it a rest!
Did I not tell you it's an intelligence report straight from the market shops?
- Depart immediately. - Yes, Your Excellency.
And, as for you...
Take care of completing this.
Should you grow tired of dealing with croaking minions,
my gates are always open.
We shall all head to the port and capture the smugglers!
Be prepared to act with resolve! Is that understood?
Yes!
Hey!
Where on earth are you going?
Always ignore us, will you?
- Isn't that right?! - Indeed.
Wow... still, that's a sight!
Hey.
No word about the postmortem from Hanseong prefecture yet?
Still nothing. No word, Hyungnim.
Let's get moving.
We have something to do as well.
What?! Did another paesant croak or something?!
Can't they warn us beforehand? It's a damned epidemic!
I can't even breathe in he...
Ahhh... where are you going?
Did you complete the daeryeom* procedures?
[*wrapping corpse in hemp and placing it in the coffin, 4 days postmortem]
We did, but the situation is still dire.
Look, Master Yang.
Master Hong of the rice store is killing us!
All he's concerned about is filling his belly with that alluring drivel.
The western district, with the most exorbitant housing prices in Hanseong!
As the thought that prices would continue to rise with no end in sight,
we all incurred in huge debts to purchase a few abodes, didn't we?
And we also had to buy boats and contend....
with the Gyeonggang merchants' might, didn't we?! Ah Ha!
They now want to move the capital to Hwaseong!
Housing, boat prices will all fall. Nobody will buy them!
So, what can we do... carry such abodes on foot,
or add wheels to our boats and carry the load to Hwaseong?!
And at this crucial juncture,
how could some spurious moppet be entrusted with leading us all?!
The late Chief of Mercantile Affairs would escape from his coffin in despair!
A candle flickering in the wind.
To rescue the feeble fire of our market from the incoming wintry gales,
only yours truly has enough experience and dexterity for the job!
Spirit of sacrifice.
Spirit of sacrifice is what moves me to work on your behalf!
Wiser words...
were never spoken, honorable Master.
Feels almost as if you've already become our next leader, Master Hong.
With all the support I mustered, clamoring me to accept this position,
how could anyone concerned about our market decline such endeavor?!
Have you all forgotten already?!
Who saved this market after the last equalization enactment*?!
[*Chae Je Gong's Shinhae Tonggong (1791)]
It was all thanks to Master Hong!
Let's give it a rest.
Juvenile mourners are witnessing all this.
Discussing candidacy for the next Chief of Mercantile Affairs...
can await until after these funeral rites.
Let us move.
We will have to hasten with the procedures.
You!
I hear you have become a frequent visitor of the Mapo port.
Careful.
Should they capture you for smuggling,
it would not end with lashes.
I suggest you distinguish what you can do,
from what you cannot.
Say what?!
Can you defame these mourning walls with such a hearthy guffaw?
You spurious varlet, you dare quarrel with me?!
Is that what you wish?
Butler!
Hyungnim, as if there weren't enough fools croaking around...
Look at our esteemed guests from the left capital bureau!
Are you the Master Hong who sells rice at the market?
What?! Ahh... yes.
- That would be me... - You will have to follow us.
Park Bujang!
This... this must be a mistake.
Hyungnim, do you know each other?
- Take him. - Yes, Hyungnim.
Let's get moving.
Yang Man Oh, you knave!
Finish your conversation later, and let's just go.
Hyungnim!
Hyungnim...
What does he take me for?! Take a look at this, Hyungnim.
This should fit in like this...
Right, this way.
- But.... - So you told me...
that man is in contention with Yang Man Oh...
to become the next Chief of Mercantile Affairs?
- I don't really know, Hyungnim. - So that's why.
Master Hong was inveigled by him.
Hyungnim!!
This is trouble!
We just got word from Dumo Port...
Really?!
Let's move.
What are you doing?
- We have no time. - Ahhh... Hyungnim!
We can't go there!
What are you trying to accomplish with less than five people?!
If we get caught again, this time it will be over for us all!
Careful, careful.
You fools!
How can you smuggle in the middle of the day?!
Your contumacy has passed every limit!
- Inspect them. - Yes.
Sm.... smuggling?!
They are all regularly licensed goods, Naeuri!
Licensed?! You little...
It's.... licensed, all right.
Officer!
Small boats are gathering around Dumo Port!
Ahh... Hyungnim!
We will just get beaten to a pulp!
Don't you know how strong smugglers can be?!
I sent word to Mapo, so shouldn't reinforcements be on the way?
Let us at least wait until then! What is all this about?
Know what is going to happen to us?!
That's right.
It's not like apprehending some smugglers will change the world.
Ahh... shut your gobs, will you? Think I don't know?
Ahh... you'll drive me crazy! Get out of the way!
Let's get moving.
You never know when all the troops will come here from Mapo.
Ohh... hand that to me. I will take care of this.
What is it?
Stop there!
Don't mind them. Keep unloading!
What are you waiting for?
Apprehend them at once!
That must be one of those varmints laughing in the face of the law.
Sure... begin with him!
You mean, us?!
Apprehend him...
Why don't you give it a try first, Hyungnim?
Apprehend him!
We're not jesting here, uh?
Ahh... my nose...
I heard about this buffoon who couldn't take his sword out of the scabbard,
so it must be you?!
What are you doing?
Let's unload it all and enjoy some gambling later!
This is not over, you little...
Are you all right?
You fool, does he look all right?!
Ahh... that really hurts...
Stop there...
It's not over yet.
Think you can survive, after hitting a capital bureau officer?!
Show me, then.
I'll slay you into pieces.
Rise...
- Are you done? - Yes!
- Here... shall we depart? - Yes.
What's with this one?
Are you all right?
Hyungnim... how did you learn...
The Hanseong prefecture was after this fool.
- You knaves, stop there! - Don't move a finger!
Apprehend them!
So the Hanseong prefecture will investigate those smugglers?!
We would be grateful if you could also hand over...
all the smuggled goods you seized, Your Excellency.
That is impossible!
It was the left capital bureau which first started this investigation.
Ohh... I'm sure that's the case?!
Not to mention...
Our officer here played a pivotal role in apprehending the smugglers,
so why is the Hanseong prefecture trying to hoard all the accolades?
We shall return them immediately after our investigation is complete.
How are we supposed to trust your words?
There is also concern that some goods could be lost in the investigation.
If they're lost, it would be a dire predicament!
If the Hanseong prefecture hands a report to the Ministry of Punishment...
and then it turns out the goods are lost, what will become of us?! Uh?!
I do daringly accord you permission to briefly question the smugglers,
but the smuggled goods... out of the question!
We shall protect them with utmost zeal until the very end.
Do you aspire of becoming Chief of Mercantile Affairs that fervently?!
You moppet...
After indicting a compeer, would anyone follow you?!
I am fully aware of who alerted authorities about our boats in Mapo.
Who are you calling a traitor?
You divulge information about such measly dealings...
Are you not a merchant yourself?!
Did I not warn you about...
distinguishing what you can do from what you cannot?!
Say what?
Engaging in usury through gold, silver and jewels is nothing that would concern me.
However...
Crops are another story.
Isn't that what our people need to survive their daily misery?!
Remember your call, you varlet.
I....
would gleefully sell my consort, if it brought me a hefty profit.
Now a spurious moppet maundering the market for less than a decade...
dares to mutter about the same poverty which daunts even our ruler.
How amusing.
Amuse yourself all you want.
But...
merchants harboring such thoughts...
shall from now on find it hard to pass through the capital's gates.
You motherless varmint...
Stop pushing, will you?!
Earlier...
We went through so much trouble to seize these smuggled goods...
What could this be?
It's palgak*. [*baijiao, Chinese star anise]
Then, isn't it a digestive?
It does mitigate retching and over-comsumption, stimulating appetite.
Talebearing about its use in the palace quickly spread,
and it has rapidly become as precious as gold for commoners.
They call it the king's elisir of eternal youth or something,
all those herbs dealer ennobling their goods.
It was part of the enactement in the official gazette...
but they should at least boast about the truth!
So they are precious goods...
So is that why they smuggled that from the Qing?!
Still, doesn't palgak usually leave a very pungent scent?
This doesn't smell at all.
Indeed.
That's peculiar?!
I always tell you lectures suit you more than a scabbard.
Hyungnim...
Stop squandering your time over such fruitless endeavors,
and focus your efforts on passing the national examination.
In a few years, you could certainly make it.
With plebeian blood flowing in my veins*, my position is all I can ask for.
[*Seoeol/Seoja: sons of nobles' concubines]
Plebeian blood is not hampering the Minister of Personnel...
from assisting His Majesty in changing this world.
Shouldn't we aid their efforts as well?
Change the world!
How many courtiers started with such intents?!
When I met you back in Qing territory,
I always sensed a firm and grandiose ambition inside you.
What could have changed the passionate man who promised to contend with...
the corruption and contradictions of the establishment into the effigy of hesitancy?
You always had a tendency to overestimate my virtues.
I cannot vouch for the rest, but I know virtue when I see it.
Is this what you were looking for?
For an Hanseong prefecture official who should be occupied with postmortem,
you sure are showing a lot of interest in smuggled goods.
Books are not helping...
- It's suspicious. - Will you follow me?
May you help my mother!
She hasn't been able to stand for days,
and her entire body is burning!
Five nyang is all it would take to treat her,
but we are penniless!
May you help us!
We still... have time left.
Let me have a look.
I am grateful.
It's arthritis.
That's right.
The purulence is rotting.
Correct.
It is an urgent situation. How will you proceed?
If you head to Mount Bukhan,
you will easily find aralia shrubs.
If you make an infusion out of those roots, it will help treating her scars.
I am so grateful...
You have my gratitude.
The severity of her situation created a longer delay.
I shall now hasten.
Showing your face in public is akin to giving up on your life!
Bear this in mind.
This is the last time I allow you to deviate from our mission,
guided by personal intents.
It is a proprietary right, regulating trade between merchants and factors.
It in itself manifests the right for its holder to trade over face value,
and to retain a fixed amount of profits from the commissioning trader.
It also allows for anonymous embezzlement and transactions.
I trust you shall use it for a purposeful endeavor.
Alluring deceptions which can only tarnish this country's resolve...
and inveigle the King is what adorns the reformist intents of perfidious courtiers,
but seeing a merchant concerned over his country's fortunes...
whelms me with wonderment.
I hear that in the morrow's eventide a meeting of Uam* acolytes will take place.
[*Song Si Yeol, one of the pioneers of the Noron party]
I trust many a participant shall not rejoice at your presence?!
I am prepared to cope with that.
Fine...
What happened to our goods?
Our man carrying those goods...
was apprehended by the left capital bureau.
You will pay anything hampering our mission with your life.
I shall make sure you receive those goods,
so never you worry.
So whose apprehension did you request for, at this belated juncture?
Was unrelentingly gaining market leadership...
not enough to quench your ambitions?!
If it's only my ambitions you refer to, then I quenched them long ago.
Don't tell me caring for others' ambitions perturbs your sleep?!
It does, if those are the ambitions of people Milady cared for,
Naeuri.
Milady, you said?!
Where did you find him?
We found him unconscious near the banks of the Hyejeong Bridge brooklet.
Tie him up in the back garden, and do not give him a sip of water!
Yes.
As if his plebeian blood was guiding his instincts,
he maunders the streets in debauchery, ruining his clan's legacy.
My daughter keeps reminding me of how envious she is of his talent as a scribe.
It is a favorable trait indeed,
but what would be the use of a perfidious juvenile unable to control his resentment?!
If you don't want to, just say it.
What is all this tomfoolery?!
Is it not interesting?
What is?
Take a look.
All which remains of that long rope...
is nothing more than a span.
What is this, some sententious homily?
Is the sorrow of having plebeian blood in your veins more direful...
than the plight of a woman?
What are you trying to say?
In that state, neither rising nor lying down will be possible.
The kind of world you live in can only afford you that much space.
Rise or prostrate myself, nothing will change.
Binding yourself in chains of your own volition...
looks pitiful even to the eyes of a woman, that is all.
Should I bring a dagger and cut that rope?!
You miserable slattern!
You feasted upon all the ingredients now, so what about our gangjeong*?!
[*fried glutinous rice cake]
Forgive me, you slattern!
And by the way... you wench,
did I ever ask you to buy wine, or anything else?!
I drank all the wine,
so I can just take all the complaints by myself, you wench!
Aigoo... listen to that!
Aigoo!! That damned...
Mother...
Aigoo... Sang Gyu!
Aigoo... my beloved son has made his return!
Aigoo... my dear...
Aren't you a little too drunk?
Why did you drink so much?
You know, right?!
I don't drink because I enjoy it.
But if I don't drink...
Whenever I fetch water from the well,
my back and shoulders ache so bad...
He might not be the most doting of specimen,
but Milord is a decent man, deep down.
Despite starving people pullulating the streets,
my giving birth to you alone feeds and shelters me with no reproof...
Young Master!
I implore you...
Follow Milord's wishes and live a commendable life. Uh?!
Should you fail to reimburse what is due in three days,
that burgeoning slattern you call daughter shall become my propriety.
- Get him out of my sight! - Yes!
Leave at once, you varmint!
Physician. Is the infusion ready?
You fool. Get out of here!
This shall relieve any discomfiture your family might go through.
My gratitude, Your Excellency.
Look what trailing lowly smugglers brings you.
My apologies. Milord.
How much longer will I have to heed such words?!
What is the reason you cannot call your father as such?
I shall find you a position in the Ministry of Punishment, so resign immediately.
You might have plebeian blood in your veins,
but can the son of a high official* occupy such miserly positions?!
[*Dangsanggwan: courtiers ranked 3rd and above]
I...
enjoy my position.
Listen to this harebrained scalawag!
There are people in your situation lusting after fame like the Minister of Personnel,
so how could you always mutter such enfeebled drivel?!
Think I will remain a high official for eternity?!
Think living as a capital bureau officer for the rest of your life...
will feed the drunken frenzy of your lowly mother?!
Unless you want to partake in your mother's derision,
resign immediately, you fool!
S... Sp... Spare my life!
This is a remedy which could neutralize the most baneful of poisons.
We shall administer it to you after the infusion,
so do not resist.
Should I perish...
who will look after my unmarried daughters?!
- I have three of them... - You wench!
I told you more than once not to let personal intents sway you!
Cheon Du is now in the Hanseong prefecture's hands.
It is peculiar they would leave the case to the Hanseong prefecture.
I summoned Sang Cheon.
I guess you must.
It can't be helped.
How are things regarding this abode proceeding?
We soon shall get our hands on the succession deed.
This is the fruit of six long years of fervent aspirations.
Whether a merchant purchases the former abode of a traitor or a minister,
it is a matter of no concern whatsoever.
However,
attempting to find a traitor's family is a whole different story.
- You needn't worry. - I am sure I don't!
You deranged fool!
Do you even realize what grave mistake you committed?!
Stop hitting him!
After this much, Yang Seobang* will understand.
[*title accorded to yangban's male butlers, servants]
Milady...
I taught a lesson to a few yangban wrenching our people's blood and sweat!
Is there anything wrong with that?
Shut that vile gob, you fool!
Milady, I fear that if we let this knave go unpunished,
he will cause Milord grave discomfiture!
Ingan Mansa Seong Deukshil*.
[*In life, adversity could quickly turn into blessing." - From the Huainanzi]
Who knows whether he will cause discomfiture or bless us with fortune?!
- Uh?! - Come on!
Free him from the straw mat.
Was teaching those yangban a lesson so reviving?
I thought it would be.
So it was not, after all?!
Will those people, daunted by what you did,
no longer repeat the same mistake twice?!
Then, that is enough.
Enough?! What is enough?
The fact that your fists did neither daunt them nor relieve you...
now graces your thoughts,
so that is enough.
So what else am I supposed to do?
Tell me what I should do!
What is it that can change things?
And why are you asking me that?
Unless you first aspire for it, no dream will ever come true.
They took Cheon Du to the Hanseong prefecture.
Sacrifices are necessary to fulfill our great endeavor.
The man who shared joy and sorrow with us,
Cheon Du is no longer with us.
It is the only clue we have so far,
and it takes at least two days for the rice to turn black*.
[*Joseon forensics used rice to determine poison levels]
If it takes two days after death to identify, then it's an infallible poison.
So you found this one under Supyo Bridge, right?
This one as well?
One died of the berries you seized the other day,
and palgak were used for the other.
Guess which is what.
They both have a similar scent?!
Aren't these both palgak?!
That is the one you seized.
It was mixed with other palgak for a day, and acquired the same scent.
So what on earth is this?
The Police Physician had no clue,
and the Bencao Gangmu* was of no help, either.
[*Compendium of Materia Medica, Ming-era seminal book on Chinese medicine]
They are shikimi (Japanese star anise) berries.
They seem to be prevalent in the Middle Kingdom's Southern Manchu territory,
but even contraband herb dealers know nothing of this.
So both men drank the infusion, thinking it was normal palgak?
I wish it could be so simple.
But take a look here.
Even the right capital bureau investigated similar cases?!
The issue is the fact palgak are precious herbs only used in the palace.
Then, are you implying that the shikimi berries could be amongst the palace's...
We still are not at that point,
but should traces of shikimi be found amongst the palgak used in the palace,
the Commissioner of the Royal Dispensary will pay with his life.
Poisonous berries in His Majesty's infusion...
But isn't the Minister of Personnel the current Commissioner?
Right.
All the courtiers' eyes are on him, at the moment.
Motions to transfer the capital, close the market,
and all renovations dealing with our military come from his efforts.
Not to mention the fact he is one of His Majesty's most beloved courtiers,
so he must be a thorn in the eyes of anyone opposing his reforms.
Then...
are you suggesting that the man who ambushed the Minister...
and the smugglers answer to the same culprit?
I must request your assistance.
First find all the berries seized by the capital bureau,
and if you'll find it hard to bring them here, just burn them all.
Would it not be better to alert the Chief Magistrate?
It would.
But...
There is something we must be very mindful about in dealing with all this.
That we would be asking Byeokpa* members like the Chief for help...
[*Party which supported Yeongjo's decision to execute Prince Sado; conservative]
in solving a case whose target is a Shipa* mainstay like the Minister.
[*Party which was against Prince Sado's execution; reformist and pro-Jeongjo]
- Byeokpa?! - Trailing lowly smugglers...
Not to mention the fact you must be mindful of your superior,
he himself a Byeokpa member.
Chief.
Another body was found in Yeonji-dong.
"Can't Live Under the Heavens Along with My Father's Enemy"
[BuShiSuBulYeoGongDaeCheon]
On the back of the neck,
there is a spot called Amunhyeol, 5 pun (1.5 cm) above where hair first spurt.
As it controls the flux of energy to your center of gravity,
piercing one chi (0.03cm) deep can save your life,
while three chi can bring you demise.
Pierce deeper.
- Are you asking me to kill you? - You wench!
Is mercy beclouding your resolve?!
Master!
We have no time.
Anything fomenting personal intents is but a luxury to us.
And why would you display mercy for people you have no connections with?
That...
can only be because of mercy and attachment I feel towards myself.
Eliminating that compassion and attachment is what this will achieve.
Should you fail to accomplish this task,
did you forget that both you and I...
will lose every reason to survive?!
These varmints dabbled in human trafficking for a profit,
so do not accord them excessive clemency.
Would they be devoid of parents to serve, and children to care for?!
So it's "don't hate the criminal, hate the crime".
Seeing as their entire bodies are stiff,
they must have perished over a day ago.
But...
Did you open his mouth yourself?
I didn't.
It was wide open when they found him.
They pierced the haakhyul* perfectly. [*Lower jaw spot]
It is used to forcibly open the mouth of patients without the necessary vigor.
If they possess this kind of dexterity,
they could easily commit murder with these needles alone.
So why use poison...
And not just simple poison, but shikimi berries.
It can only be to experiment its poisonous effects on different specimen.
Experiment its poisonous effects?!
I must immediately take care of those berries.
What is this?
Did you burn them all?
How can you do this without saying a word?
Ehhh... why get all riled up, Hyungnim?
His Excellency personally instructed us to do so.
Are those all the goods we seized?
How are we supposed to know that?
He just told us to burn it all, so we're merely following orders.
What a riveting sight.
Keep a keen eye on the fire.
A luster already passed by since Minister Lee's demise.
"One cannot live under the same sky as their father's enemies."
Quite a nice passage.
However,
always bear in mind that your endeavors do not merely end...
with avenging your father's demise.
The reason I brought you here a year ago and sheltered you away...
from the ghastly and wayward maundering you fell into,
the reason I subjected you to harrowing training most women would not endure.
Bear in mind that it was all...
to honor the sacrifices your father went through,
to bring our people peace and prosperity.
I shall carve it deep down my soul.
So, how did she fare?
Just moments ago, she pierced deep down the back of my neck,
bringing me just one step before the gates of dissolution.
Were it not for herbs reviving my pulse,
I would not be here facing you, Naeuri.
I laud your efforts, Butler Hwang.
Now begins your true mission.
Despite the fact you smuggled these goods into the country,
you keep feigning ignorance?!
Is my name carved on those goods?
I see you are as pertinacious as a bull.
How vexatious.
Look!
- Bring me some water. - Yes.
You must be thirsty as well.
If you confess it all, I might even accord you a refreshing bath.
Give me just a bowl...
and I might think about it.
Here is your antidote.
It is efficacious against noxious plants like those shikimi berries.
You misbegotten son of a wench!
I see we are becoming somnolent?! Right?
Naeuri! Spare my life, Naeuri!
Naeuri!
Fine... confess the truth!
If I do, I will be mercilessly slaughtered.
You needn't fret. I shall conceal you where nobody will find you!
I shall also give you enough to survive on your own for some time.
- Is that a promise? - Can a man engage in falsehood?!
There is... this man I serve...
That way! Capture him!
You must survive...
What you drank was just water.
Do not speak!
Should blood block your windpipe, you risk demise!
- That man... - I said don't!
You cannot... perish...
Why... are you... asking me...
Here... Here!
I secured our goods.
Here... here...
This is Merchant Yang, dealing in silk at the market.
He requested to meet you esteemed gentlemen,
so I briefly invited him to our luncheon.
It is a true privilege to meet Your honorable Excellencies in person.
I am Market Chief Yang Man Oh.
Along with the honor of treating your esteemed fellowship of Uam Seonsaeng,
I took the liberty of preparing a small token of gratitude.
Those strokes...
It seems Uam Seonsaeng gave this to local hyangban* during his brief rustication.
[*yangban in the provinces who didn't gain posts in the court]
My, witnessing such treasured masterstrokes...
But if something is given, something must be asked in return.
If there is anything you wish for, go ahead and tell me.
Just like our Joseon, merchants such as myself...
laid their roots in our capital Hanyang for generations.
But recent talebearing regarding the transfer of our capital...
is creating strenuous discomfiture for my fellow traders.
Indeed... indeed...
Not to mention proposals to abolish the same market our founder Taejo created.
This political mingling is only worsening our people's destitution.
So if I may dare voice an aspiration of mine...
Speak no more, you varlet!
How dare you spurious varlet mention Taejo's name at this juncture?
Transferring the capital and abolishing the market...
is what His Majesty wishes to do, for the sake of our people!
How can a covetous merchant only after personal profit...
dare to besmirch our ruler's sincerity and devotion?
Your Excellency!
I did... I allowed him parlance.
How pitiful of you.
- Are you letting a hollow trader... - That is enough.
Why, hollow traders are not people?!
How can only those who concur with your claims be considered our people?!
Were those people gathered outside our palace gates from another country?
Do you not realize the majority of that boisterous throng...
was made of merchants concerned about their vanishing profits...
and varlets sent by noble clans?
Let us not enshroud public opinion, Your Excellency,
and let us distinguish between those afraid of losing their riches...
and those who can barely further their scanty survival day by day.
Should living in luxury be considered a crime?
They are people of Joseon just as well,
people trying their utmost to gain the same riches we enjoy.
Only considering heedless drunkards and gamblers as our people,
what abominable intemperance!
Would there be anyone not wishing for a better life?
It is because no efforts on their part can strip them off of their poverty...
that they let darkness engulf their lives.
A world that will grant them what their efforts deserve...
Is that not what so called courtiers like ourselves should create?!
Ohh Ohh!
And would transferring the capital and closing the market bring that new genesis?!
No matter how much this world changes,
bereft and famished people will always exist.
Here.. here... let us stop this.
Were we not compeers in the pursuit of scholarly attainments once?!
Look... Wolhyang!
Wolhyang, are you ot there?
Your Excellency.
May you be seated.
Really...
Here... here!
We even have our mentor's masterstrokes to witness,
so let us reminisce about the good old days!
Can't we leave dispute to those royal dwellings?!
Were you looking for me?
What are you waiting for?
Slatterns or drinks, bring them all in!
Here... have some.
Are you planning to stay?
Have some.
Look, Master Yang.
Can I take a look at those gisaeng's register?
I certainly have registers for our girls,
but there are also ladies of beauty and virtue I was forced to...
look for around the capital because of this luncheon.
Where are the registers?
You can ask our butler to show them to you.
Milady.
Will you follow me?
How can you utter such vexatious drivel?
Is poverty and malnutrition their fault?
Your utterances are none the less.
Why should we nobles be blamed for those famished people?!
And who created this situation,
where people cannot escape from poverty despite working their whole lives?!
Are your followers not clinging to these paltry reforms...
to gain more fame and riches at our people's expenses?
They only tolerate renovation to ingrace themselves with His Majesty!
I can no longer...
bear sitting here with you.
So long.
Your Excellency!
And I always respected him for his acuity, but that brazen...
This...
What is happening to this world?
People cannot seem to know their place.
I really ought to...
This is the end of the world!
The end!
How dare you leave us out of the door, you knave?
Did I not make things clear?
We are hosting esteemed high courtiers tonight,
so do not tolerate any fruitless disturbance.
High courtiers, you said?
Yes, Naeuri.
I believe the Minister of Rites is present as well.
Are you sure?
Should I summon him?
You obnoxious slattern!
Whom does some retired gisaeng dare to "summon"?!
Still, you wench!
Abate your anger.
We are still dealing with the illustrious Wolhyang.
If you defer your entrance to a later juncture,
I shall make sure you will enjoy your stay, Naeuri.
I understand.
Let's go.
Close the gates, and remove the lanterns.
Yes, Milady.
Always an heroine, I see.
Sending away indomitable courtiers like them in daunted frenzy!
How have you been faring?
We came to have a drink.
Would that be possible?
Need to ask?
If it is you two I have to serve,
I would even erect a new abode to welcome you.
You look perturbed.
Why, do I look ecstatic?!
I will bring you some victuals.
Here... may you enter.
She is not in the registers!
Are there gisaeng from other giru*?
[*slightly more modern gibang, gisaeng parlors]
Yes...
Do you know where I can reach their pander, at least?
They will be probably gathered at the servants' quarters.
How lamentable!
Thinking that those flagitious ruffians are leading this country...
How could I not feel compassion for our ruler?!
If you are to witness the rose moss' decadent charm,
before its bewildering might you must relent.
Unless you kneel down to smell its flavour,
how could such debauched beauty grace your sight?
What is the matter?
I was wondering if you were enjoying yourselves.
We will call if anything is lacking, so get out of my sight!
My apologies,
but the Minister of Personnel?!
I said get out of my sight!
I am not going to lose myself in a fruitless repartee.
Why did that Cheon Du ask me to spare him?
Why... are you... asking me....
When we inveigled him into thinking it was poison,
that Cheon Du looked at me and implored me to spare him.
Despite the fact you held the antidote.
Trailing lowly smugglers...
The animosity between the Minister of Personnel and your father...
is well known all over the court.
Considering your father is Commissioner of the Capital Market Bureau,
he should be in communication with traders on a daily basis.
Hyungnim.
- What are you... - Just in case.
Just in case, I'm saying.
If this Cheon Du was smuggling on your father's behalf,
the man responsible for the ambush the Minister suffered,
and the culprit behind those shikimi berries...
- That is enough. - Look!
We will drink together at another time.
Sang Gyu, listen to me!
Milady...
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