That seat is a very lonely one.
All your subjects...
will give different opinions.
Whom must you listen to?
What is right?
There will come a time when you will not know.
When that time comes,
what must I do?
Only listen to...
what your heart says.
No one...
can make the decision for you.
No one can take responsibility for you.
That is the role of a king.
Your Highness.
Your Highness, you must not let this opportunity slide.
I...
want to...
attack Pyunsoo Group.
I will avenge my father and mother.
I will avenge Chung Woon's father.
I also want to avenge Lady Ga Eun's father.
I want to attack Dae Mok and Pyunsoo Group right now.
Did General Jae Heon really say he would rally his men?
Yes, he did.
The time is here at last.
We could take out Pyunsoo Group in one go.
I cannot believe this is happening.
Even Dae Mok...
does not stand a chance against General Jae Heon's men.
You now have 40,000 soldiers at your disposal.
Who would dare stand against you?
Congratulations, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
However,
I cannot...
do so.
We do not know the entirety of Pyunsoo Group.
Even with the soldiers from the border,
I cannot guarantee that we can annihilate...
Pyunsoo Group for good.
I could retrieve the crown and throne,
but...
thousands of civilians will lose their lives...
or get hurt.
- Your Highness. - Also,
if there is unrest in our government,
the Jurchens...
will not stand idly by.
A king who causes unrest...
and an invasion of foreign forces?
I cannot...
become such a king.
Your men at the border...
will stay where they are.
Your Highness.
Please reconsider what you say.
If your father were alive,
he would have said you should summon the army...
and attack Pyunsoo Group.
"Do not show fear in front of the people."
"Cover weakness with strength..."
"and fear with cruelty."
"That is what a king does."
That is what my late father said.
But my Joseon...
will be different.
I cannot reclaim the throne...
at the expense of my people.
I will be...
a king that cares for everyone.
My people are whom I care about.
How could I reclaim the throne by shedding their blood?
Your Highness...
If you really...
consider me your rightful king,
then trust me and return to the border.
Do not protect me...
but my people.
The people of Joseon.
I am...
Army Commander Jae Heon.
I shall do as you command, Your Highness.
What did you say?
You will not summon your men?
General.
Do you fear Pyunsoo Group,
or has your loyalty since shrunk?
- Your Highness. - I gave my permission,
and yet you will not summon your troops?
Other than mine,
who else's order could you possibly care for?
The Crown Prince's.
What...
did you just say?
The Crown Prince?
Are you...
telling me that...
the real Crown Prince is alive?
Yes, Your Highness.
How did you not tell me this earlier?
I could not tell you until...
I had confirmed it myself.
If...
he were not the real Crown Prince,
I would have done your bidding...
and summoned my troops to avenge the late king and the Crown Prince.
The real...
Crown Prince is alive?
My son...
managed to stay alive all these years?
Is he healthy and well?
Is he suffering from any illness,
or has he been hurt?
Rest assured, Your Highness.
You were already in contact with the real...
Crown Prince yourself.
The Chief Peddler who has been helping you...
is the true Crown Prince.
How does he look so much like the late King...
when he was young?
- My dear brother. - Your Highness.
Listen carefully to what your sister...
is about to say.
If this goes awry, you and I...
and our entire family will be destroyed.
Do you understand?
If you go to Heopgyeongdang,
the Queen Dowager's guest will be waiting.
Bring him these snacks.
Yes, my lady.
Ga Eun.
I will not ask anything.
Can you please stay with me...
until I finish drinking my tea?
I see...
you still enjoy harassing a lady of the palace.
Next time, I will call for help.
I cannot bear to drink...
the last sip.
Chun Soo.
Your Highness. The Third State Councilor is here to see you.
Show him in.
How did it go?
We took care of it as you instructed.
Good job.
Ga Eun. Wake up.
Ga Eun!
Ga Eun.
Chun Soo.
Ga Eun. Are you okay?
I am so glad that you are safe.
Ga Eun,
did you save me?
You almost died while saving me.
Why did you jump into the water?
Why did you do something so dangerous?
I was afraid.
I was afraid that I would...
never see you again.
I was afraid I would lose the person more precious...
than my life.
You could not find Ga Eun? What do you mean?
I believe she went outside the palace.
It will be 10 o'clock soon.
She should be back by now.
All the gates will close at 10.
I am okay.
Please put me down.
You saved my life. This is the least I can do.
I am very sorry...
for acting cold and for hurting your feelings...
until now.
To be honest...
It is okay. I understand you.
Let us discuss later.
Are you not cold?
No, I feel warm.
If possible,
I wish time would stop right now.
I feel the same.
I will be going in.
Do you...
have to return?
Ga Eun.
Whatever you plan to do in the palace,
do not do anything that is dangerous.
If anything were to happen to you...
Always take care of yourself.
If you are in danger,
I do not think I can live.
Pyunsoo Group is watching you even inside the palace.
You must be careful.
- Pyunsoo Group? - I saw them.
The men were in uniforms.
I was summoned...
by the Queen Dowager to enter the court.
There must be men from Pyunsoo Group inside the court.
I will find out.
- Ga Eun. - Who is there?
- Where is Ga Eun? - She is not back yet.
It is 10 o'clock, but she is not back yet?
She must be in trouble.
I must look for her myself.
Your Majesty, I understand your concern.
However, that is too dangerous.
Shall I keep on waiting?
Your Majesty.
A man who was patrolling the capital...
has something to report to you.
What has happened?
A patrol spotted a court lady with a strange man.
He arrested and brought them here.
Your Majesty.
How shall we punish them?
If the court lady had an intimate relationship with the man,
both of them...
must be beheaded according to the court law.
Your Majesty, please let me explain.
Lady Han is innocent.
- Lady Han... - Your Majesty.
I stumbled and fell in the stream.
All he did was save me.
Please punish me only.
This man is innocent.
That is not true, Your Majesty.
Whatever the reason may be, I was wrong to approach a court lady.
Please punish me and let the innocent lady go.
There was...
a misunderstanding.
This man is my servant.
As the court lady did not return,
I sent him out of my concern for her.
I am glad...
that you are safe.
- Chief Eunuch. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Take Lady Han and keep her warm.
Check to see if she has been hurt.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Follow me.
Listen.
Yes, Your Majesty.
You saved the court lady whom I cherish the most.
What you did was important.
I will...
grant you a reward.
- Come here. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Reward this man...
with 20 yang.
Yes, Your Majesty.
You must thank Your Majesty for his grace.
Thank you...
for your grace.
Your Majesty.
However,
remember that if a court lady is found...
with a man not from the palace, they will both be punished.
Yes.
I will remember that.
You shall never talk about...
what you have witnessed here tonight.
If any rumor spreads,
you will be severely punished.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Sun.
Have you fallen in love...
with Ga Eun?
I was worried because you were late.
What happened?
Is Lady Han okay?
Yes, Your Majesty.
She is staying in a warm place.
That man was not the Chief Peddler. He was a palace patrol.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Who is this Chief Peddler? Why do you treat him differently?
Sun.
You are the first friend I ever had.
You are my friend who has the same name as me.
You gave up your revenge...
and chose to trust and follow me.
He is my friend.
I was a boy of low birth,
and he was a nobleman and the first friend I made.
He was your friend.
- Hyun Seok. - Yes, Your Majesty.
The only thing I want is Lady Ga Eun.
It is not the power or the throne that I seek.
However,
if I have to sit on the throne...
to make her mine,
what do you think I should do?
I am very sorry,
but I do not know what you are worried about.
Lady Ga Eun is already your woman.
Every court lady belongs to the king.
I know that.
She is a court lady, and a court lady...
is the king's woman.
If the Crown Prince...
returns to his place,
Lady Ga Eun will belong to him.
Your Highness.
General Jae Heon wishes to see you.
Let him in.
I heard the Queen Dowager wants to see me in a hurry.
Is something wrong?
She is very upset that...
she lost a talented man because of Dae Mok.
There is a chief peddler named Park Chun Soo.
He was a man she held dear, but he died.
What do you mean he died?
Is that true?
It is.
- Third State Councilor. - Yes, Your Highness.
I want to speak to General Jae Heon privately.
Excuse us, please.
Yes, Your Highness.
Third State Councilor...
does not know...
why I am so upset about it.
I could not...
bring myself to tell him why.
Dae Mok...
does not know that the Chief Peddler is the Crown Prince.
Why did he kill the Crown Prince?
The Crown Prince...
disguised himself as the Chief Peddler...
and stopped Dae Mok from obtaining the authority to produce currency.
That is why he became Dae Mok's target.
I feel so terrible...
for my poor Crown Prince.
Even the Crown Prince lost his life because of Dae Mok.
I cannot stand this any longer.
I will bring my army from the border.
I will...
cut off the head of Dae Mok...
and the fake king on the throne.