(Pyunsoo Group, a secret organization...)
(of architects with a long history,)
(grew extremely powerful after the establishment of Joseon Dynasty.)
Poppies.
These are called poppies.
Poppies?
They can hold the strongest poison...
that cannot be compared to any other.
It can hold poison?
That is all that they do,
but once you start eating them,
you must keep having them.
If you stop,
the poison that has piled up in your body spreads at once,
and you will die.
If you do not have these poppy pills...
every night,
you will eventually die while feeling...
severe pain in your chest.
Do you still wish to...
join the Pyunsoo Group?
Will you join?
Sure.
I shall make a promise.
That I shall not kill my hunting dog...
even after the hunting is over.
Reveal your name.
I am the prince of Joseon Dynasty,
Yi Yoon.
Now that we have confirmed your name,
you need to make a vow.
You have become one of us.
Everything you will see and hear from now on...
must not be told to anyone.
Do you swear?
I do.
I, Yi Yoon,
shall follow the rules of Pyunsoo Group.
I shall...
face the pain of death...
if I do not follow.
How dare you?
This knife was pointing at you before,
but now, it will be a weapon to help you.
We, Pyunsoo Group,
will be your spear...
and shield from now on.
All right.
Do not forget.
One day,
you will have to pay for its cost.
I do not mind how much it will cost...
as long as I can become king!
I need to...
become a king of this nation!
(The Emperor)
(10 years later)
Master Dae Mok.
The Office of Astrology has sent the baby's fortune to the King.
His fire energy and water energy balance each other.
The dragon is to appear on his birth date.
It means the dragon has met the water.
If the baby prince safely becomes a king,
he will be a generous king...
who governs the country wisely.
However...
Go on.
His fortune means the black dragon.
He will have a heroic characteristic...
and will face various hardships.
If the dragon cannot ascend up high at the right timing,
it will bring a catastrophic disaster.
The water will dry out, so the dragon cannot ascend.
Rather, it will be buried in the ground.
In other words,
if he cannot overcome the hardships he faces,
he will die at a young age.
What did you say?
Please be calm, Your Majesty.
It is the most important moment...
when he is about to be born.
If he is born between 9pm and 11pm,
he is destined to become a wise king...
to be respected by his subjects.
It is no wonder that he will become a great king.
You are saying...
he will be a great king if he is born between 9pm and 11pm,
but he will die young if that is not the case?
- The prince... - What should we do?
has to be born at that time?
Could you hold on until then?
Not yet.
Please endure. It is not the time.
It is now 8pm, Your Majesty.
If he cannot overcome hardships he faces,
he will die at a young age?
That is sad, indeed.
That is such an unfortunate destiny.
We only have eight minutes left.
The time is near. Please hold on.
Please endure for a few more minutes!
It is the Prince, Your Majesty.
- Congratulations, Your Majesty. - Congratulations, Your Majesty.
It is the time, Your Majesty.
But depending on how it is interpreted...
That is enough.
He is the only Prince of this country.
He will be a great king of Joseon Dynasty.
Greet the Prince...
according to the rules.
The Prince was born at 9pm.
- Gosh. - Thank goodness.
Master Dae Mok, what should we do now?
It is the birth of the Prince who will succeed his father.
Naturally, we should congratulate the King.
Congratulate him?
I plan to get water with the Prince as collateral.
My son, I promise you.
I shall make you become...
a different king than I am.
Neither a puppet nor a scarecrow, but a true king.
I will make you...
become a true king of this country.
Your Majesty.
Thank you.
You made sure that the Royal Family can stand strong.
Right.
Your new name will be Young Bin which means a pillar.
From today on,
you are the first rank of the Internal Court.
Lady Young Bin.
I am grateful, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, Pyunsoo Group...
has sent azaleas to congratulate...
the Prince's birth.
They want water?
They demand water from this country?
Dae Mok.
Are you attempting to own Joseon's water?
They may be Pyunsoo Group,
but I will never grant such a ridiculous demand like this!
If you do not,
the baby Prince will be put in danger.
How dare...
they threaten me with my son!
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Tell the Commandant of Palace Guards...
to protect the Prince.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Any replies?
There has not been any,
but the King has ordered the Commandant...
to protect the Prince.
Section Chief of War.
Yes, master.
Go ahead and give the Prince a gift.
Until now, I could not give birth to a prince...
even though I am the Queen.
Thus, the King was very disappointed.
I am...
very proud of what you have done for us.
Thank you, Your Highness.
Have you heard the news?
During the naming ceremony,
His Majesty will write the Prince's name...
with the blood of a tiger.
I ordered all the servants to prepare for the ceremony...
with utmost care.
We do not want any trouble for...
our precious son.
Sun.
The name suggests...
that you will console the people.
The sound of the name...
contains hope to shine light on this dark nation.
As your name,
you must become a great king to make Joseon shine.
Please take a look.
It cannot be a serious illness, can it?
It is neither smallpox...
nor measles.
I apologize for giving you bad news.
Unfortunately, the First Son...
has been poisoned.
Poisoned?
I am sorry, Your Highness.
Is my son poisoned?
Why are you not answering?
Are you not the expert in poison in Joseon?
Based on the red color on his skin,
I believe he is indeed poisoned.
He needs an antidote right away.
Call the Royal Infirmary right now.
We cannot get it there.
We need a highly strong antidote.
Those who used the poison will definitely have it.
If he does not take the antidote,
what will happen?
He will...
die.
No, Your Majesty.
We cannot let that happen.
Please save our son.
Please save him.
Please save our son.
Hello, Your Majesty.
How dare you...
threaten me with the First Son's life?
Threaten you?
Hold your swords.
You want the water supply?
Does Pyunsoo Group want to possess the water supply in Joseon?
That water will save the people.
Even if I make such a decision,
the senior ministers will not accept it.
During the council meeting today,
the ministers will suggest to build the Bureau of Water Supply.
Then...
all you have to do is give them your permission.
Even if we build it,
you cannot monopolize the water supply.
However,
I will give you...
some authority.
Give me the antidote...
Have you forgotten?
Who made you the king?
Think of your son.
It would be a pity if he lost his life.
I never intend...
to kill the First Son.
He will join...
Pyunsoo Group in the future.
He will be our pillar.
What did you say?
This is the antidote.
Give me the full authority over the Bureau of Water Supply,
and have...
the First Son join us.
I would like to ask a favor of you, Your Majesty.
We must maintain the river in case of a flood.
However, we do not have a reliable source for construction.
What do you think of establishing a Bureau of Water Supply...
and asking Pyunsoo Group to take charge of the constructions?
I already told you my wish!
I give you...
the permission to establish...
the Bureau of Water Supply.
- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Thank you, Your Majesty.
Here is the antidote.
Give it to him now.
I am sorry, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
My son.
Your Majesty.
Our son is alive.
Your Majesty.
The First Son...
survived the poison.
I am proud of you.
I am so proud of you, my son.
Goodness.
My son.
As the immune responds to the poison,
the scar turns red.
If he shows signs of being poisoned again,
this will appear.
Thankfully, he became lucky.
Now, he has strong blood that is immune...
to any type of poison.
Congratulations, Your Majesty.
Is that so?
I see.
As you will be great,
the skies have protected you.
Pyunsoo Group...
will be in charge of the Bureau of Water Supply.
The Bureau of Water Supply will be built all over Joseon.
All of you will be the head...
of each bureau.
Spread out to different regions...
and find people to carry water.
Anything is possible as long as we are in charge of the water supply.
Possessing it...
means we will never run out...
of resources.
- Yes, Master Dae Mok. - Yes, Master Dae Mok.
From now on,
close down the Prince's palace.
Do not let anyone enter without my permission.
Yes, Your Majesty.
What do you mean?
Why would you close it down?
I am trying to save his life.
Pyunsoo Group will try to make him join them.
They will kill him if I refuse.
Even if he wants to be a great king, if he joins the group,
he will only turn out to be a figurehead like me.
He is not like me.
This child...
must be a true king.
Your Majesty.
To prevent him from joining, we must hide his face.
However, there are spies everywhere from Pyunsoo Group.
I made this decision to save his life.
Please accept it.
Your Majesty.
I will...
find a way to protect you no matter what.
Chief Commander Lee.
Yes, Your Majesty.
From now on,
the only people who know the Prince's face...
must be only me, Lady Yi,
and you.
If anyone else sees his face,
kill them.
You can pass.
- Let me see. - The Bureau of Water Supply...
started managing reservoirs using water conservation as an excuse.
Now, they are hiring workers from all over the country...
and delivering water to the people.
People now have to pay for the water...
so they resented it at first,
but the workers deliver the water to their houses at a cheap price.
They now think the water deliverers are convenient.
The bureau has settled completely.
The problem is,
they also bought up the wells which do not dry...
even during droughts.
It may not be serious right now, but when we have a drought...
People will only be able to get water from the bureau.
They are selling water at a cheap price now,
but the price will soar when the drought comes.
Dae Mok!
How could you do this?
What about the other matter?
Are they not raising doubts about the Crown Prince?
I had someone...
spread a false rumor that the Crown Prince's face was disfigured...
due to an illness.
Everyone in the palace believed it.
What about Pyunsoo Group?
They think the disfiguration is...
an aftereffect of the poison they used on him.
I did not see the Crown Prince's face.
I promise.
Please...
overcome the evil plot of Pyunsoo Group and survive.
Develop your strength to fight them,
take off this mask one day,
and become a true emperor.
Who wears a frightful mask?
- Crown Prince. - Crown Prince.
Wait. Come here.
The Crown Prince...
was born with a dreadful face.
They say he looks like a goblin.
A goblin?
Oh, dear.
Look.
I heard that if you see the Crown Prince's face,
you will get killed.
Gosh, what are you talking about?
You vulgar commoners. How dare you sneer at my face?
- No, we did not. - No, Your Highness.
Do you want to see my face that badly?
- Gosh, no. - No.
- We cannot. - Do you want to see it?
- We should not. - Do not look at it.
Should I show it to you or not?
Start playing!
All right!
If you want to watch more, pay us. Come on.
You must not go into...
that room of secrets. Never.
Room of secrets?
It's the Crown Prince's greenhouse.
No one came out alive except for him.
If someone other than him goes in, they will get killed right away.
Is it true that they arrest you if you do so much as...
meet the Crown Prince's eye?
You would be lucky if they just arrest you. They will kill you.
You brats!
Stop right there!
Let them go.
Your Highness.
I gave you a more important task...
than scolding young court maids.
Neither the Royal Infirmary nor the Bureau of Medicine has...
the record that I was sick.
I wear a mask because of the illness I have,
but there is no record of that illness.
See?
You find it strange too, do you not?
"Woo Shim, who was in charge of the labor of So Hee of Park family..."
"tried to distinguish himself."
"He had someone else..."
"examine the King's son, not a physician at the Royal Infirmary."
"Hereupon, he was dismissed from his post."
He let someone other than...
the royal physician examine me?
Crown Prince.
I am thinking about...
choosing the crown princess soon.
What do you think?
Can the crown princess see my face?
Or...
must she lead a solitary life without knowing her husband's face?
Crown Prince!
Please...
tell me now, Father.
What is the real reason that I have to wear this mask?
Do not tell me it is because of my illness.
I do not want to hear your lies anymore.
- Your Highness! - Your Highness!
If I take off this mask,
will someone die again?
Why do you kill everyone...
who has seen my face?
I told you that you have an illness.
When you fully recover from it,
I shall let you take off the mask.
Your Highness.
"As the King's son became critical,"
"Royal Physician Woo Shim..."
"and Woo Bo, an assistant master at Sungkyunkwan, came to see him."
Woo Bo, an assistant master at Sungkyunkwan?
Your Highness. Why did you wish to see me?
I do not belong in the Crown Prince's Tutorial Office anymore.
I cannot help you with your study now.
Teacher.
How could you be so cold like a stranger?
I just wanted to see you since it has been a long time.
Do you not have a teacher like that?
Of course, I do.
How about the eccentric teacher of yours back in Sungkyunkwan?
His name was...
His name is Woo Bo.
Woo Bo. That is right.
He was an assistant master at Sungkyunkwan, was he not?
Yes, Your Highness.
There are not many who remember him now.
But when he was working at Sungkyunkwan,
he was well-versed in every field of study including Western learning,
Chinese characters, history, and even geography.
He could answer to every question...
his students asked him.
Was he...
an expert in medicine as well?
Of course.
His skills were as good as...
a physician at the Royal Infirmary.
Is that so?
I have not been able to read...
the King's thoughts yet.
Let us wait a little more.
However, Your Highness,
if a crown princess is selected from another family...
That will also be His Majesty's will.
My apologies, Your Highness.
It is fine.
She must have been bored of us adults' conversation.
Was your name Hwa Gun?
Yes, Your Highness.
Once we start the process of selecting a crown princess,
you will also be on the list.
If I choose you to be the one,
what would you feel?
I am not interested in becoming a crown princess.
Do not be rude to Her Highness.
My apologies, Your Highness.
It is fine.
I like...
how she is confident and honest.
Court Lady Han.
Yes, Your Highness.
Take her and show her around the palace.
Yes, Your Highness.
Do not cause a scene.
I hear there are so many rare flowers in Dongungjeon.
Yes, my lady.
However, only the Prince is allowed to enter there.
What if I wish to enter?
You could be in huge trouble.
Do not even think about it.
I left my pouch in Jungungjeon.
Will you go get it for me?
Sure, my lady.
Let us go.
What do you think?
I am certain about this.
This man named Woo Bo...
actually knows the truth.
He is not the official of Joseon's government,
so he may be able to tell me the truth.
Move this flower to a pot.
(Stay tuned for Part 2.)