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Are you trying to beguile your king?!
Your Majesty!
Whether I shall honor His Deceased Majesty's dying wishes,
or just follow what this secret will suggests to me...
will be the subject of my deliberation in the coming days.
All we need to do is witness the spectacle which will ensue.
There has been a murder at the construction site.
His Majesty's procession shall soon begin,
so we must get to the root of all this.
His Majesty will escort Lady Hyegyeong to Hwaseong,
and honor the anniversary of Prince Sado's passing.
Like that of a woman abandoning her spouse to save herself.
Or that of a shrewd stepmother bewildering her credulous husband into...
drawing madness upon the visage of his perfectly judicious son.
You must always bear in mind that this country's future,
our party's future, shall from now on depend on your decisions.
Episode 3
Are you the one looking for cheokseodan?
I am.
If I seize it now and sell it back during the midsummer,
- I shall make a hefty profit. - Stop there!
Did you bring the money?
Of course I did.
Are you alone?
I am.
Follow me.
Ah... first show me the goods!
The cheokseodan is in the hands of an associate of mine.
Just because I heard the authorities started investigating.
Follow me! Or forget about this deal.
Look.
Did... Did he bring the money?
I verified it myself.
Time to live up to our deal.
Th...These are valuable goods.
Who are you?
So it was you who slew Makswe?!
Aigoo...
Speak the truth at once!
He did not say a word about the cheokseodan and ended that way,
so how could I ever know where he found it?
If I am guilty of anything, it was trailing the sweet smell of coins...
and quivering once I discovered it caused my keeper to perish!
So it must have been you stealing the gunpowder?!
All I did was selling that cheokseodan and nothing else.
You have found what you were looking for,
so may you spare my life!
- Heed my words. - Yes!
Incarcerate this knave immediately!
Yes!
Naeuri! Naeuri...
Naeuri!!
What do you think?
He likely told the truth.
But now all the men who knew where that cheokseodan came from...
have been slain.
Considering that both victims worked for the Daedong merchant group,
methinks we should discreetly investigate their movements.
If Daedong's intention was that of getting their cheokseodan back,
the murderer would have never thrown the goods at me as if they were of no use.
But giving us back the cheokseodan would eliminate any material evidence...
of this slayer in disguise's connection with the Daedong group.
If Daedong is the real source, then why would they slay one of their workers?
If they had to conceal a much more venturesome secret,
then would murder be out of the question?!
Remarkable!
There is something that concerns me.
It might have been the eventide, but the man I was supposed to deal with...
was guarded by Kim Chundeuk of the Royal Guard Garrison.
Not by a fortress patrol? So he came here from Hanyang?!
*Royal inspectors investigating cases in the provinces, acting incognito
A secret royal emissary* might be here.
A royal emissary?!
Ohh Ohh... what nettlesome nuisance!
This spells trouble!
And, if you slew Han Jangbok, why didn't you retrieve the cheokseodan?
How could you leave behind such valuable goods?!
*Monetary unit
They say a merchant walks up to 100 ri for 10 jeon*,
and you ignore that precious cheokseodan as if it was dog feculence,
so how could it not be a nuisance?!
Are you telling me the man who inquired about the cheokseodan...
was a royal emissary?
It's not that.
Then?
So was it someone you know, Jang Gichong?
It was much too dark to say with certainty, but I do not recall seeing that man before.
You may leave.
Naeuri.
Choi Gichong is taking the blame,
but I should be the one to bear the grunt. My lack of dexterity with the sword caused it.
So he was not a match even for you?
I could not even take my sword off the scabbard!
He came out in disguise, and before I could ask him who he was...
and take out my sword, it all turned dark.
One wonders why this fellow didn't harm someone like you,
while he slew the other man, unarmed and likely harmless.
I could not see his visage clearly because of the disguise,
but I am sure those were familiar eyes.
I cannot recall with certainty,
but those were the eyes of someone I know.
Of someone you know?!
I must have seen him in Hanyang.
Hanyang...
Without seeing his face I cannot be sure,
but considering his dexterous blade,
we must have met at the Military Training Command in Hanyang.
So someone from the Military Command in Hanyang...
dons a disguise, and commits murder in Hwaseong?!
Master Hong!
We are officially associates now!
We now agreed to join forces,
so there must be no secrets between us.
Why, did my utterances smell of concealment?!
Ehh Ehh... did you inherit a slattern's petticoat on the way?
How can a man refuse to trust a single thing one says?!
Think that would make good associates of us?
Should I reveal you hid the gunpowder in Gongshimdon,
don't you think they would accord me clemency for slaying a paltry pilferer?!
Here... looks like it is time to bid farewell.
Ahh... Aigoo... My Master!
Didn't you just make ashes of our covenant to be associates?!
Ahh... I... I shall tell you everything.
I shall reveal to you everything down to the last detail!
Wouldn't that suffice, Seonsaengnim?!
Jangan Gate, the Western Inner Gate,
and here on the forts.
So that is where the faulty construction lies.
They did not fill the spots which needed mud and straw.
Such misjudgments are not commonplace.
There must be something much more grandiose than we think,
moving in the shadows.
Your Excellency, may I have a word?
Come in.
A message from His Excellency the Supreme Commissioner.
His Excellency Chae Jegong has been proclaimed Chief State Councilor.
Is that true?
Indeed it is!
What is the matter, Your Excellency?
It looks like Shim Hwanji will be our new Minister of War.
Shim Hwanji?!
As if Noron members dominating the five army garrisons was not enough.
How could something like this happen?
There certainly must have been a reason for this.
Turn the brickstones in Gongshimdon, the fort, and the water tanks of Jangan Gate,
and you will find holes from which we can set up the explosions.
So you will ignite those explosions while the King's retinue passes by?!
I might have been forced into a scanty existence as a measly merchant,
but I shan't live under the same sky with the villain who brought agony to my clan.
I certainly condole your quandaries, but such temerity is foolhardy.
Foolhardy?!
Let us suppose we proceed as planned.
Be it Gongshimdon, Jangan Gate or the fort, they shall all be heavily guarded,
so who is going to ignite those explosions?
And how do you plan to avoid all the people here to cheer on the royal retinue?
I planned to bribe the troops!
Hwaseong troops come from the Royal Guard Garrison,
so are you going to buy off someone who pledged eternal fealty to the king?!
And now we are even dealing with a royal emissary,
so your plans can only end up in failure.
Then, how else can we proceed?
The heavens blessed you with good fortune, my friend.
Because they sent you someone who, just like you,
cannot live under the same sky as the king, and that would be yours truly.
The heavens sent you?!
"The enlightened pioneers crossing the southern sea shall become...
the guardians and true rulers of the new genesis."
Isn't this Minister Shim?!
How have you been faring, Your Excellency?
You look perturbed.
Is anything troubling you?
We inspected the Military Training Command,
and because of those military reforms, morale could not be worse.
I wonder if we will even be able to maintain discipline,
and it deeply concerns me.
We put all our expectations on His Excellency Kim Jeongsu,
*Bongjoha - post given to second-ranked elder courtiers after leaving the court
but seeing him leave the court and become state adviser*...
His Majesty summoned me, so I must bid you farewell.
I hope you are aware of how much our party members are expecting from you.
I trust you shall comply with my wish to bestow you control of the armed forces,
and will let no negligence cloud your duties.
I shall make sure I live up to Your Majesty's expectations...
with utmost zeal and devotion, Sire.
Joseon is ruled by and belongs to us nobles.
It was nobles who repelled Princes Yeonsan and Gwanghae...
from the throne after two restorations.
When the Ming or Qing overthrew their past rulers, they founded new dynasties,
but Joseon nobles put direct descendants of our founder Lee Seong Gye on the throne,
such as King Jungjong and King Injo.
If this legacy does not prove it is nobles who rule this country, what else could?
You must never forget that the future of our country...
and that of our Noron party depend upon your decisions.
The nobles' country, Joseon, shall be protected by nobles?!
Joseon's third restoration?!
Parables say they are throwing away the fat to banquet on the bones.
Throwing away the fat to banquet on the bones?!
Those credulous minions might believe a second-ranked Minister of War...
might pale in comparison with a first-ranked State Councilor,
but they forget a single utterance of his can mobilize this country's entire armed forces.
A most discerning observation.
Power comes from the sharpness of the blade!
~ *Lee Seong Gye ~
Had our founder Taejo* failed to gain control of Goryeo's armies,
Joseon would have never been founded.
So I should adopt this twelve-year old Prince Jeongye?!
They say that, if you adopt a direct descendant of the former king,
His Majesty's stance would change as well, as the son of a consort himself.
Looks like I will have to pretend I heard nothing you just said.
Why are you saying...
The heir to His Majesty's throne is aged 6,
so should I adopt a direct descendant of His Deceased Majesty...
like twelve-year old Prince Jeongye,
wouldn't it be obvious His Majesty would accuse me of belittling his rule?
We are talking about someone who persecuted his mother's clan for treason.
Should I be suspected of coveting the crown,
would someone with no such blood ties like me be spared?!
Not to mention the fact this is the same Noron party which...
sent a fellow member, your father, to his fatal exile.
They actually might be trying to inveigle me,
using all this to regain His Majesty's confidence.
I do not believe this is the case.
*Queen Dowager Jeongsun married King Yeongjo in her mid-teens
I might be ten years* younger than Lady Hyegyeong,
but I still am her mother-in-law and His Majesty's grandmother.
Should anything befall our ruler, this country's reigns would...
automatically be bestowed upon myself as the palace elder,
so there is no need to foment any suspicion.
I shall confer your words to His Excellency Kim Jeongsu.
Don't.
Let us not just cut him down that way.
Say that, as I am still far from my 60th birthday, we shall further think...
Not "think," say "slowly deliberate."
I knew she would decline from the beginning.
So you still advocated for Prince Jeongye, despite knowing that?
Prince Jeongye was not the issue to begin with.
We used him as a pretext to express our wishes,
and the gist of this whole endeavor was finding Her Highness's reaction.
Let us slowly deliberate?!
Slowly deliberate?!
"You may strike, I shall not oppose it."
"We can always slowly deliberate on an heir later, don't you agree?"
You can't do this, Your Excellency.
- Your Excellency... - Minister Shim!
Your Excellency!
Return all the goods, but list down their names.
Paltry ruffians.
Yes, Your Excellency.
Empress Wu Zetian?!
As the elder in the Tang imperial family, Empress Wu...
blocked the ascension to the throne of two of her inapt crown princes,
deposed and exiled her third son Li Xian right after he was enthroned,
and after helping her sagacious fourth son Li Dan to the throne,
she controlled state affairs for two decades from behind the curtain.
During her regency, she nurtured and supported young and fresh talent,
emended all malfeasant institutions, and brought long lasting prosperity...
to all her people, with her crowning achievements permeating Tang's annals.
Seeing her illustrious legacy turn into these days' staunch vituperance...
afflicts this old dullard like wintry gales perturbing the nightly sky.
I do not know what discomfiture such gales might cause Your Excellency,
but I shall pretend your mentioning Empress Wu never graced my ears.
And I seem to have no recollection of ever having mentioned it, either.
So the reason you advocate for my adoption of Prince Jeongye is...
"Let us partake in our worriment for the royal family's future"?!
If you could only do as such, our Noron party would feel bolstered...
as if you granted us a sea of valorous troops and steeds.
Memories of the first time I entered these kingly walls are as vivid as yesterday's sky,
but already half a century has passed by.
*Eulmyo year, 1795
With this Eulmyo* procession, I wish to escort you to Hwaseong,
and together honor the anniversary of my father's death.
I understand your heartfelt longing for him,
but such celebrations would be much too improvident.
With what shame would someone surviving in destitution like me...
dare to undertake such procession?!
I oppose it.
You even have a talent for astronomy?!
As I overlooked the heavens, a comet passed by Mercury,
*One of the san yuan/three enclosures (constellations) in Chinese astrology
affecting the purple forbidden enclosure*.
The stars duel over Suwon, opening the skies and seas,
as the drums echo throughout Joseon's creation.
If... you talk of the purple enclosure,
does not that refer to the king?
*A quote from the ancient book of prophecies, "Posthumous Writings by Gyeogam," 1592
Namhaedoseo Iljeomhong,
Cheonilwal Haedojinin Jachulsoreungdo.
"Spurting from the southern skies is a red star,"
"Bringing forth the enlightened pioneers to the tomb of the greats"?!
"Haedo Jinin Donamhae Jijinju,"
"Sein Bulgakeui."
Enlightened pioneers and rulers of the new genesis spurt from the south,
but no layman awakens to their presence?!
Let us meet again in five days, Jang Dongji.
Master!
Master...
I knew you would come!
I knew you would be waiting.
- Seobangnim. - Hyangbi.
Because he said I have not left a single page of memoirs behind,
*Lady Hyegyeong's nephew, oldest son of Hong Nakin
and Suyoung* wished to conserve them, I started writing in my leisure.
"The son of Lady Seonhee was proclaimed Crown Prince."
"But she dared not to hamper his path with wanton motherly love."
"Her staunch teachings shone just as much as her love for him."
What is the matter, Sire?
I wonder what you believe is the true essence of love.
What I believe love is?!
I ask just because you said her staunch teachings shone just as much as that.
Cherishing and protecting those you care for with warmth, it must be.
Then...
Why did you not implore the former king to spare my father's life, that day?
Sire.
Was it because you did not love him?
I did not?!
You were just eleven back then.
Thirty-two years have passed by.
How could you accuse your mother based on some snarled youthly recountal?
Yes, it was thirty-two years ago, and I was just eleven.
However, every time I close my eyes,
grievous images of that day appear before me as if it was yesterday.
Sire!
Why didn't you save my father?
Are you telling me you foment suspicions about your own mother?
Do you know you never visited my father's tomb once in the last thirty-two years?
I cannot wait to see how this repressed devotion of yours...
will manifest itself, when you honor his passing in Hwaseong.
Your Highness. The Crown Princess is here.
~ 1762, Prince Sado's Quarters ~
Did you enjoy a soothing repose?
You have come.
How is the Royal Successor faring?
I left him to his lectures before coming here.
My father summoned me to Hwiryeong Palace,
heralding the final hours of my miserly life.
Your final hours?!
*Hwiryeong Palace held the ancestral tablets for Queen Jeongseong & Inwon
Summoning me there with no rites to celebrate*...
can only mean he wishes me to join Their Majesties in the netherworld,
don't you realize?
What are you trying to say?
His Majesty is full of devotion for you,
so he shall spare your life.
I entrust the Royal Successor to your care.
Conjugal ties bind us in body and soul,
so should my beloved spouse abandon this world,
following him is what I must do.
Do not bother with such vainglorious mendacity.
For what you utter in my presence and behind covert political curtains wildly differs.
How direful loving words can be!
His Majesty has reached Hwiryeong Palace, and he urges Your Highness again.
Your Highness!
If this is truly the end for you,
why are you not trying to avoid demise and save yourself?
Pretending derangement to save my life is a much too burdensome frolic.
Your every effort is spent trying to concoct my demise,
so where else could I run to, and escape from your vile machinations?
Your Highness.
How could you leave me with such discouraging utterances?
If I discouraged you, forgive me.
I have no intention of bearing resentment towards you.
How could you ever try to change what the Noron party is scheming?
I shall leave some words of warning to our son,
and will soon follow you.
Again with that obsequious palaver.
Your Highness.
Take the Royal Successor's hands, and live a long and prosperous life,
so that my journey to the netherworld will be peaceful.
What Lady Hyegyeong wrote in her memoirs about that day
"I followed Prince Sado to his quarters after hearing his summoning,
and gone were his bilious utterances and frolicsome fervour,
displaced by his looking down in thoughtful abandon,
his sallow visage staring blankly at me, dazed by madness."
How is the Royal Successor faring?
I left him to his lectures before coming here.
My father summoned me to Hwiryeong Palace!
He wishes to herald the final hours of my miserly life.
The final hours?!
Summoning me there with no rites to celebrate!
It can only mean he wishes me to join Their Majesties in the netherworld,
don't you realize?
How could that be possible?
His Majesty is full of devotion for you,
so he shall spare your life.
I entrust the Royal Successor to your care.
Conjugal ties bind us in body and soul,
so should my beloved spouse abandon this world,
following him is what I must do.
His Majesty is full of devotion for you,
so he shall make sure you live a decent life.
But...
But his intents daunt me.
This... must be the end for me!
Your Highness!
How could you utter such nefarious words?
I brought the list of royals as you instructed, Your Highness.
All right. You may leave.
So where are these young royals ready to be blessed by my regency?
Let us see!
Unbecoming.
While this one is a little too becoming.
This one has way too powerful relatives.
My head risks ending up as decoration for one of their flagpoles tomorrow...
Moon Inbang.
This is your final night in this world,
so let all resentment vanish, and enjoy some respite.
Okpo...
Wh...Who is there?
I come to convey to you the words of the Supreme.
Con...Convey what?!
You are the chosen one who shall herald the Supreme's new genesis,
so what is there to dread?
It is now time, so follow me.
It's a breach!
A breach!
Traitor Moon Inbang escaped from his cell!
He escaped!
Moon Inbang escaped!
And so I was, floating gently as if blessed with wings,
and being sweltered by such alluring philtres,
finally opening my eyes to the sight of an isle of flowers and creeks.
So the talebearing about your invoking wind and mist to help you escape...
But, where was that island?
In the faraway south near the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa),
the isle of purple mist.
Pu...Purple mist?!
What is even more important...
was the heavenly omen I was bestowed.
He...Heavenly omen?!
Allow me to see it!
Ohh Ohh!
Do you wish to stain such heavenly words with the covetous intents of a mortal?
*A quote from the ancient book of prophecies, "Posthumous Writings by Gyeogam," 1592
Hanyang Jiun Gwageoje Haedojinin Donamnae*.
"Right as Hanyang's fortunes veer to an end,
the enlightened pioneers shall cross the southern sea"?!
Jinin Johwa Mugung Mujin, Horae Cheonmyeong Chukchul Yijo.
"The enlightened pioneers' creation knows no boundaries,"
"And by following heaven's wishes, they shall end the Lee's Joseon"?!
Eulmyeo Houn Hwaseong Byeonghwa Cheonji Gaebyeok,
Manin Godae Pyeongdeung Sesang.
"Blessed by fortune in the year of Eulmyo, they bring forth the new genesis in Hwaseong,
the world of equality creation was clamoring for."
This is the will of the heavens.
The year of Eulmyo shall herald a new genesis in Hwaseong?!
Forgive me for being blind to the arrival of our messiah!
Hong Dongji!
Do...Dongji?!
May you retract such reverent utterances!
Prime Minister.
P...Prime Minister?!
I shall proclaim you as such once our genesis comes into fruition.
What?!
I... I am in awe!
Your efforts in Hwaseong with the Daedong group were...
what the heavens wished from you.
*"The core of a central government" (original meaning in pure Korean)
The heavens gave us Hwaseong as the core of this new world, our Seoul*.
- Give me just a coin. - Get out of the way!
A beggar, look!
Just a coin, please!
Just one...
After seeing the new military appointments, many people in Hwaseong are concerned.
They renounced high posts for a chance to prove their fealty,
so there was no other alternative for His Majesty.
You are not even concerned, Your Excellency?
What if they foment any treacherous intent, using...
such a large-scale military deployment like what the procession requires?
Treacherous intents?!
Force a rat into a corner, and it will bite its assailants.
So the rat would bite its predator?
His Majesty requested the Noron's cooperation in completing his reforms.
But using his retirement from politics as a pretext,
His Excellency Kim Jeongsu clearly refuted His Majesty's solicitation.
Doesn't that imply they are fully prepared to bite the assaulting mouser?
Why would someone as sagacious as His Majesty fail to realize that?!
He surely must be prepared for their every move,
so fret you not.
Your Excellency.
His Majesty wishes to see you.
All right.
Bring one home to your kinfolk to feast on,
and bring the other one to His Excellency Shim Hwanji.
I shall follow your wishes.
Tell him he will have to endure their bitter taste at first,
but once he will get past those initial tribulations,
their sweet and tasty flavor shall engulf him for time to come.
Yes, Your Highness.
Ahhh... I bid you welcome!
I thought of drinking and you instantly came to mind.
"Dangled are my wings, haggard my tail."
"Perilously weatherworn is my nest,"
"As raindrops of sorrow abandon my eyes."
*Classic of Poetry, part of Chinese literature's "Five Classics"
Doesn't this come from the Shi Jing*,
as part of "The Odes of Bin," entitled "The Owl"?
I see you know it as well!
"O owl, O owl."
"My offsprings you took away, but may you spare my nest."
"For my toilsome and loving care fostered them,"
"My pitiful flesh and blood."
"Before sweltering brume beclouds the sky,"
"I bolstered my gates with the roots of a mulberry tree."
Meseems The Odes of Bin caused your drinking intents, Sire.
Reflecting upon my upcoming procession to honor my father...
"O owl... O owl..."
"My offsprings you took away, but may you spare my nest."
"For my toilsome and loving care fostered them,"
"My pitiful flesh and blood."
Grandfather...
Such is this old man's grief.
San...
Just like this old man reminisces upon Sado's passing,
you must never forget your father.
I shall forever remember him, Grandfather.
You are my final nest, whose gates I bolstered.
Never forget that the hostile and vigilant eyes of the owls observe you.
Yes, Grandfather.
It was the year of Imo (1762), when these very eyes...
witnessed my father's demise, as I sat on your shoulders.
Did I not feel like a cumbersome weight back then?
Sire.
Because of my dreams, I still am forcing a cumbersome weight on your shoulders.
That is the weight of what will quench our starving people's hunger.
How could it encumber your humble servant?
But I am deeply concerned that acting in haste...
could attract the opposition of many.
How could I ever forget the former king's advice,
to trust and lean onto you like I would with a father?
Sire...
You are concerned by my proclaiming the Noron's Shim Hwanji...
as the new Minister of War, I surmise?!
Not to mention, with the procession coming so soon.
Here... let us drink.
All our Northern Approaches troops are superb shooters...
known for their utmost dexterity with the matchlock.
As their post entails special training, they receive a pittance of a salary,
and are forbidden to operate in any other sector.
Ridding our force of those 4,500 troops...
is akin to issuing a death sentence for those men, with no other land or trade.
*Just like the Northern one, part of the five army garrisons
And how about the Southern Approaches*?
Our situation is no different.
My men might still be employed,
but our only reason to exist was protecting Hanyang itself.
Yet, now they want to transfer the capital to Hwaseong,
and entrust security to the Royal Guard Garrison,
so they say we should rather...
We should rather?!
I would like another sip.
We should rather what?
I cannot dare repeat such perilous parlance...
Go ahead.
I shall take all the utterances which will grace my ears to the coffin,
so feel free to speak your mind.
That, should any virtuous retainer be inclined to stage a restoration,
they shall gladly stake their lives to fulfill his wishes.
And who would ever dare foment...
We must find all those traitors!
It almost feels as if we are staging a restoration!
Seeing as words in this country of ours are like venomous daggers,
in restoration's stead, let us use "armed suppression."
Armed suppression?!
Our ruler is no mad despot laughing in the face of principles like Yeonsan or Gwanghae,
*Banjeong meant "restoring order by suppressing a wrongful insurrection"
so how could anyone ever dare to plot a restoration*?
But...
should it be an armed suppression of those fomenting treacherous intents,
then wouldn't just cause be on our side?
A wise observation.
We must rid ourselves of such treacherous scum!
Ever since the Imjin War, these men gave him their blood, sweat and tears,
protecting Hanyang and the palace with their dauntless fealty for two centuries,
so how could His Majesty ignore our troops' meritorious service?
Your Excellency.
You have a guest.
What brings such an esteemed guest to my meager dwellings?
I came on behalf of the Queen Dowager.
Her Highness sent you?
She said they will at first only leave you with bitterness,
but that if you endure the initial asperities,
their scent and flavor shall capture your imagination for a long time.
Extend her my gratitude.
*Hour of the hare, 5.00-7.00am
At myoshi* of the ninth day of the fifth month,
we shall leave the palace, and begin our procession.
The ninth day of the fifth month...
at myoshi, you said?!
It shall last eight days.
Let us complete our military reforms with a combined drill.
Then, do you plan to replace the Minister of War?
Would you replace someone after only one month on the job?
How are you planning to deal with him, then?
- She sent us such precious kumquats?! - How bitter!
At first it only gives you bitterness, but should you endure it...
I tasted some last winter with His Majesty, but this is quite the sour fruit.
What is the matter, Your Excellency?
"A bitter taste will engulf you at first,
but once you endure such adversity,
its sweet flavor and taste shall bless you for ages," she said!
You are all aware of the upcoming procession, aren't you?
His Majesty will escort Lady Hyegyeong to Hwaseong,
and honor the anniversary of Prince Sado, it seems.
And you also must be aware that, on the last day,
there will also be a military drill, right?
They call them combined drills, but seeing as it will only bolster...
the Royal Guard Garrison at the expense of the five garrisons,
our senior officials are engaging in staunch vituperations.
We can assume they will choose Lady Hyegyeong's birth month, the fifth.
Wouldn't two months be enough to train our troops?
We could turn reckless miscreants into valorous generals in that time!
Fine.
Prepare all our troops from the five garrisons for the drill,
and let us train them for success!
Train them for success?!
Every year the five garrisons lose out to the Royal Guard Garrison in these drills,
so, as you said, the troops are vociferating.
That is certainly the case...
But if you are a soldier remunerated by the state,
then vanquish or be vanquished, all you do is follow His Majesty's plans.
No matter what the drill plan might say,
how can you force a soldier to purposely lose a battle?
We always had to act as the enemy for those Hwaseong drills,
so it is inevitable we would lose every time.
It was never a true defeat!
Butler!
You have returned, Naeuri.
Anything to report?
Master Hong came to pay his respects, Naeuri.
Is that so?
He has never come empty-handed before,
but today he actually did.
- Empty-handed?! - Yes, Naeuri.
Did you just return from the palace?
I had a meeting with the Queen Dowager.
Ahh... yes.
By the way, did you hear anything about the procession?
His Majesty is escorting Lady Hyegyeong to Hwaseong...
to honor Prince Sado's anniversary.
I was asking about the day it will begin.
Does that treacherous flippancy of yours still perturb your sleep?!
If you truly thought of me as just an unmindful varmint,
I am disheartened to hear that!
The other day, I was merely trying to test your resolve, Hyungnim.
So do not let it bedazzle you.
I shall tell you.
They are all guessing for the sixth month, when Lady Hyegyeong will be 60.
The sixth month?!
You did not tell the Queen Dowager, did you?
"Tell"?!
Let us forget about it.
Here...
Master Hong.
Is your group facing any difficulties?
Not at all.
It is going wonderfully.
You do not resemble the Master Hong of yore.
And I am sure one day I shall surprise you even more!
General Lee.
We need nothing else!
All a man of arms needs is the chance to perish for his nation on the battlefield!
You are truly a gift from heaven!
From heaven?!
I shall see you again!
Have a safe return.
Heaven?!
Train them to win?! Armed suppression?!
Suppression...
Suppression is only a fancy excuse.
Is that not treason, after all?!
Suppression...
~ On the Next Episode of ~ EIGHT DAYS
May you proclaim your father Prince Sado as King.
Mother!
- Guards! - Yes!
Who is there?!
That is the pate of a Joseon soldier.
I pray to the heavens that it was not you.
What is your name?
Restoration, you said?
Will you offer us your cooperation?
Can we trust him?
I also was entrusted inspection of the entire armed forces.
So it is not the sixth?!
Brought to you by WITH S2 Written In The Heavens Subbing Squad
Main Translator and Timer: MisterX
Timing QC: julier
Editor/QC: thunderbolt
Coordinators: mily2, ay_link
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