(Episode 35)
Ever since I was young, I was always one step behind.
It was not because I was slow. I chose to stay at the back.
I liked to watch rather than to act.
It made me happy to see you happy.
That is why I liked being...
one step behind.
Mother.
Mother...
Someone please explain this to me.
She had been ill...
for a long time.
I could only provide her...
with painkillers.
- That is not what I asked. - When she coughed too much,
it was...
That is not what I asked. That is not why she died!
Court Lady Jo!
They took her away for testimony...
on Master Lin's orders.
Murathai!
- He is dead. - What?
He was guarding the Queen.
It took place at Yeongsujeon.
The other guards who were guarding her...
have all been killed.
Please take revenge on them, Your Highness!
- Please, Your Highness. - Please, Your Highness.
Murathai...
and the guards...
were killed in Yeongsujeon?
- That is what we heard. - I heard that the King...
and Queen Mu was there.
Her Majesty had told me when she came out of Yeongsujeon...
that Queen Mu was there.
"Queen Mu was there."
- Please help us, Your Highness. - Please help us, Your Highness.
All right.
What is this strange rumor I hear?
The King has murdered the Queen?
Something must be going on. There are problems with the guards.
Private armies nearby seem to be moving as well.
Does the King wish to attack the Crown Prince?
There have not been any orders from the Crown Prince.
This could lead to civil war.
The Eungyang Army is in emergency stand-by just in case.
The Yongho Army will be too. But whom are we fighting?
General, the Crown Prince has left Wonseongjeon.
- What do you mean? - He is heading towards Yeongsujeon.
The letter has to arrive at Jujingun before nightfall. Hurry.
What are you doing here? You should either run away or prepare to fight.
Eungyang, Yongho, and the second string armies have been dispatched.
If they surround the palace, we are done for.
Why did you do this? You do not have countermeasures.
I do.
What is it? You did not tell me!
I had thought of one before I killed Murathai. That is why I killed him.
But I did not know it would happen so fast.
The Queen should have lived longer.
After what happened to his mother, the Crown Prince will do something.
We might die.
Gosh, it is too early for me to die.
How is he?
- How do you want him to be? - Why do you ask? Wake him up!
The Commanders do not fully trust the Crown Prince right now.
This is when the King should regain his power and...
Where is Wang Lin?
He slipped out during the meeting.
I need you to bring either Wang Jeon or Wang Lin to hear the King's will.
The King's will?
The King will never wake up.
What are you...
The Crown Prince thinks that the King has killed his mother.
Everyone knows what a temper he has. That man is coming here...
to get revenge on his Mother. We do not know what he will do.
- What do you mean we do not know? - Do you understand me?
I do.
What are you...
Just bring one of the Wang brothers. We need a king.
Wang Lin? Wang Jeon?
Who killed my mother?
I do not know.
Her Highness has...
I heard it.
When Her Highness came here, Queen Mu was here.
She became angry when she saw her, and...
She would not get angry because of someone like her.
But the King sided with Queen Mu, became angry,
and shouted at Her Highness.
To protect the Queen,
the guards tried to stop them, but he gave orders to kill them all.
Where is His Majesty?
He is inside. He is in his bedroom.
Is she with him?
- Here she is. - Your Highness.
Why did you do that to my mother?
- This is a misunderstanding. - What is?
You are mistaken.
Her Highness' death has nothing to do with me.
I did not even ask you, yet you answered me.
It is not my fault.
You should have done this a few days later.
I met her a few days ago.
She continuously wanted to talk to me,
but I told her I did not want to hear it...
because I could not trust her.
I told her to leave the palace if she was not happy with that.
I did not realize that was the last time.
You should have given me another chance...
to see her and to talk to her.
I have more things to say to her.
She could not die...
this early.
Her Highness brought this upon herself.
- What? - Her Highness should not have come.
She should have ignored it.
That way, nothing would have happened.
If she had left, she would be alive.
Stop it.
She should have lived a quiet life.
Why did she come and meddle with me?
Why?
Your Highness. Your Highness.
Your Highness.
Please do not go. Please stop.
Please put that sword back in!
Your Highness. Your Highness.
Father.
Your Majesty.
Come out.
Come out, and talk to me.
Why did you kill her? Why?
What...
did she do so wrong?
Your Majesty!
Come out, and talk. Do not hide...
like a coward. Come out!
Around midnight tonight, they will begin the mourning.
They could not wait around for His Majesty anymore.
All right. Great job.
It smells like poison.
This incense had always been burning in His Majesty's room.
And she made him drink red tea before he went in, right?
Come to think about it, that might be the antidote.
- I guess so. - He was always healthy.
I am sure this incense weakened him.
- I am sure. - Is there any way to detoxify him?
If the one who made this poison is dead,
we have no choice but to find a doctor.
Where will we find a capable doctor?
The one who is the most capable...
in the Capital must be at the Royal Infirmary.
I will bring him.
- Yeong Su. - Yes.
Are you not acquainted with a royal doctor?
I will bring him here.
- Discreetly. - Of course.
Please take a seat. You are straining my neck.
The original plan was...
for you to begin the deliberative council...
and for me to wrap it up after you leave quietly.
While I wrap the council up,
you were going to run away with my asset.
It was.
Everything did not go as planned,
but it is not completely impossible.
I will take care of reporting the whole thing in the morning.
But that part about your running away...
should be done before the dawn breaks.
Do not lose your chance while everything is hectic.
When you run away, you should never look back.
Just look ahead.
Why are you still here?
It feels like...
I have a stone tied around my ankle.
I do not see anything.
I am sure Lady San is with His Majesty right now.
That is who she is.
She would not be able...
to leave him alone at a time like this.
What are you afraid of?
Are you afraid she will not come with you?
If she does...
If we leave,
His Majesty will be left alone.
- That was the stone. - So...
I do not think I should leave tonight.
Then when will be a better day?
After I get rid of this stone.
After I take a load off of my ankles and heart,
then I will go.
It is not my fault.
You should have done this a few days later.
Her Highness brought this upon herself.
She should have ignored it.
That way, nothing would have happened.
Stop it.
She should have lived a quiet life.
Why did she come and meddle with me?
Why?
Wang Won.
I missed you.
I missed you all the time.
Crown Prince Wang Won.
You did...
something you should not have.
You must...
pay the price.
Give this message to Master Lin.
I apologize for not being there.
I am not being detained.
It is...
not yet time to leave, and that is why I cannot go.
Then when will you come with us?
When I see the Crown Prince smile,
I will go.
Where will you go, spirit?
You have a long, long way to go
Set off on your way
I hope your journey is peaceful
This world has nothing for you now
You may leave it in peace
The Queen is dead.
We found nothing.
A carriage left the palace around noon.
- Did you look inside? - We could not.
- Why not? - It was driven by...
Master Lin, so I did not dare.
Lin took the King with him.
Why?
Away from whom? Me?
- Did you find it? - No.
We gave him his seal because he asked for it.
At around dawn this morning.
Lin took the King's seal as well.
Why?
- Send men to Dan's chamber. - The Crown Princess'?
Lin smuggled the King and his seal.
I suspect his purpose.
He might contact his sister. Keep her under close watch.
I just gave a command.
I will do so.
You are in disguise.
Did you sneak out and return, or are you about to leave?
- I came back. - Then Lin will come for you.
He will not fight you.
- You know him very well. - That is why...
you are my hostage.
You are now bait and a trap.
- Tell me your plan. - About what?
You said you would make me king. You must have a plan.
Did you kill the Queen without a plan?
- She was ill. - The illness did not kill her.
We had no choice but to be disloyal.
- Your plan. - I will request that the Emperor...
orders the King's abdication.
(A plea to abdicate the throne was requested.)
We will say the King is too weak to manage his duties...
and that he must abdicate. However,
his son, Won, is too vicious and...
Can you prove that?
He killed Queen Mu, someone he should consider his other mother.
That makes him a beast.
He must be deposed.
We will suggest you become king.
Will the King accept this?
We do not need him.
Why not?
I have the King's seal.
The servants are useless.
They stopped cleaning up.
I thought you had left because I could not find you.
When I was young,
you relayed me my mother's last message.
I remembered something to tell you.
The Queen told me...
how she grew to like peonies.
Do you know?
She did not tell me.
The young princess...
stole hidden glances of Goryeo's Crown Prince.
One day, she was leaving after watching him in secret...
when someone held out a flower.
That was your father, the King, and the flower was a peony.
Right before she died, she asked for a peony.
They gave her one,
and she held it to her heart.
I guess it was this one.
What do you want to say?
She had some good days.
You should only remember those happy memories.
That is what I wanted to say.
I was all she had.
She fought the world for me...
every day and moment of her life.
I was tired of having a mother like that.
I constantly acted up.
I always did the opposite of what she told me to do.
Her life had revolved around Wonseongjeon,
but I did not come here often.
I felt suffocated here.
You should stop thinking about her.
My father...
and the people around him...
They are the ones who drove my mother to her death.
They made fun of me when I first gained power...
and called my mother.
They were going to humiliate her there.
There must have been a reason.
But Father must have humiliated her first.
That is why she must have chosen death.
Let us get out of this room.
I will pretend not to know your feelings for Lin.
Give it up as fast as you can.
If you do that,
Lin will get a chance to live.
(Episode 36)
I have an idea about what this poison is.
It is made from this poisonous plant,
and it slowly permeates into your body.
At first, you start having nightmares.
Then you begin seeing and hearing things.
Once the poison is infiltrated into your entire body,
your organs begin to stop working.
So are you saying you can detoxify him or not?
I have only heard about the antidote.
Are you saying that it exists?
People who make poison always have the antidote as well.
They have to save themselves in case they get exposed.
You cannot come to see me in the middle of the night like this.
If someone sees us, people will start talking, you know.
Why are there so many men at a merchant's house?
And they are all staying up into the night.
Exactly. That is why you should not come here at night.
It would be much better if we could meet somewhere during the day.
When it is brighter out, I can see you better too.
Who are they trying to protect?
I guess it is someone very noble.
- Someone noble? - I guess he is quite ill.
They even called a doctor over.
And it was a doctor from the Royal Infirmary.
The royal physician.
So I figured it was someone very noble.
He was locked up in a storage in Wonseongjeon.
Court ladies said...
after the late Queen interrogated him,
she told them to lock him up until she gave another order.
Get up.
Tell me.
What... What should I tell you?
What did she ask, and how did you answer?
And anything else you have not told her.
Your Highness, I...
Why did you bring me a man who has nothing to say?
- Take this man away, and... - I...
I just did...
as I was told.
I had no idea how that would affect anyone.
Go on.
I had no idea the medicine Queen Mu gave me was...
the Minister of Finance's.
She told me to leave the medicine in the Queen's room...
and to make sure that you saw it there.
I just did as I was told.
Who said that?
Assistant Royal Secretary Song Bang Yeong.
Who else?
- Pardon? - He was not by himself. Who else?
And Song In.
- Who else? - General Yun Gyun Seong.
And Kim In Gyeong, Kim Gil.
Those are the men that I know.
- Why did you do this? - I did this...
for the pure-blooded prince...
and for the next king of Goryeo.
I only did this for the sake of this country.
Please do understand...
Search thoroughly!
The residence you mentioned was left empty. But...
General.
This way.
But we saw Prince Gang Yang in a separate house.
He was in such a severe condition.
Let go of me.
Where is your second son, Wang Jeon?
He has been missing for a few days.
- What about Wang Lin? - The same goes for him.
We were sent here to take your sons in,
but if they are not here, should we take you away?
What should I do?
- Goodness. - Come.
What are you doing? Let go of me.
Let go.
Your Highness.
I found Kim In Gyeong.
He was asleep.
We found what they had hidden.
Lady San.
How are you here?
Are you okay?
I had a lot to say,
but I cannot remember anything.
My father.
The Queen did not kill him.
The incense, his stolen medication,
his death...
I heard.
The people surrounding the King did them all.
Yes.
Are you...
with them right now?
- Yes. - Why?
It is a long story. I will...
explain to you later.
Let us go to the Crown Prince. We can explain everything.
You used to be like that.
You did not have to explain to know.
He will understand.
I hope he does not.
I hope he does not understand.
San.
Queen Mu's body must still be in the palace.
I cannot go in.
Can you check her body for me?
Look for an antidote.
An antidote?
Wang Lin!
Show yourself!
Where are you?
Sorry.
- When did the race start? - Just now.
- Here you go. - What is that?
Change into this.
You cannot even reach the gates in that.
- Do you not... - Not what?
Do you not know how to change clothes on your own?
That is not my job.
- Will you be still? - It hurts.
Then turn your arm...
How dare you?
This is my first time undressing someone.
- I will do it. - You cannot do it alone.
- I will do it. - How will you dress yourself?
I will manage.
You may follow me around,
but call my name, and speak freely.
My name is Won.
- Race you to the bridge. - What if I win?
- I will give you the Soyong Sword. - Will you really?
That is why you never win.
Every race needs a starting point.
As of now, you are my friend.
Treat me as such. That is an order.
Do not try to be a real friend.
The Crown Prince will be king.
He cannot have friends.
You should not...
have any hope from the start.
That is what my father said,
but I was not sure.
How are real friends different from any other friends?
Where should I draw the line?
Now that I think about it,
I never was interested in the great nation...
called Goryeo or its people.
There was nothing tangible.
To risk my life to do something for them?
How could I do that?
What interests me is people.
The world is a board,
and the people are my chess pieces.
Sometimes, I am white. And sometimes,
I am black.
He lacks too much to be used as a knight...
but is too much for a pawn, do you not think?
You found where the King is?
Why are you here? Go, and get him.
There is no need to.
What do you mean?
We need the King. He is our source of power.
He will not live for very long.
Without the antidote, he will last...
a few days at most.
That is bad.
If he dies, the Crown Prince will become king.
It will be over for us.
Can we live here any longer? No, wait.
Will we be allowed to live at all?
Would I let that happen?
Right?
When one is playing chess,
you must predict your opponent's moves...
and move your pieces to the right positions to counter.
You are talking gibberish!
Orders matter.
Orders?
The Crown Prince will soon find out...
how it feels to see...
someone you cherish...
die because of me...
while looking at me.
He will feel it too.
So now,
shall we begin?
The palace is far away. Shall I ready a carriage?
No, that restricts the things I can see.
More like you cannot smell the liquor.
Watch your tongue.
Do you dare mock me in my presence?
I shall mock from behind, then.
Goodbye, master.
The Crown Prince does not like to drink.
- Are you upset? - The opposite.
He does not know the value of what he does not like.
He is bound to serve it without holding back.
When I see him,
I will invite him for a drink. That way...
What? What is it?
How many people are you arresting?
Generals, ministers, officials,
and now, even the eunuchs.
The Capital is overrun with men running around making arrests.
Why are you doing this?
You are still in mourning.
It is against our rites and morals.
You forgot your place.
You are here...
to be interrogated regarding your sons' whereabouts.
You may think I am nagging, but I will continue.
The King's men you are bringing in...
I know they abused their influence to suck the people dry.
However,
there are rules to arresting and punishing people.
Stop.
- Why are you alone? - She left ahead. Is she not here?
Can I go out for a while?
Do...
excuse me.
Your Highness.
- Did he come here himself? - Yes, Your Highness.
Then do not be rough. Lock him up with his father.
I will question him later.
I know where the King is.
He is with my brother, Lin.
I expected so.
I tried to feign ignorance, but I could not.
Our nation's future is at risk,
and as a noble, I could not turn a blind eye.
Do not beat around the bush, and say what you know.
A letter of abdication.
It is the King's letter announcing he will abdicate in Lin's favor.
They were going to send it to Yuan, but I risked my life to steal it.
The King is not in his right mind.
I am sure Lin threatened him and stole his seal...
My goodness.
What is going on? Where are we going?
He is here.
Your Majesty.
What did you do to my father?
What will you do to the King?
Search every corner,
and tie up everyone you find.
You may kill whoever retaliates.
Wang Lin.
His men...
killed the Queen and abducted the King...
to plot treason.
- Yes, Your Highness. - Yes, Your Highness.
Why are you still standing?
You should kneel and await my command.
Promise me something first.
Are you actually making a demand?
The King...
has been unconscious for a while.
He needs healing.
I will look after my father.
The men you spoke of...
are spread throughout Goryeo.
Even if you eliminate a few, they go so deep...
that it will not be easy.
Are you threatening me?
If you wish to do this,
eliminate them at once without hesitation.
Lin.
I brought something with me.
A letter of abdication.
Is this what you wanted?
I was always...
a step behind you.
The throne?
No, it was something else.
Only then could I see you clearly.
You need the throne to do something else.
If I so much as got distracted, I feared that you would...
be crushed completely.
Get out.
Get out of my sight.
Do not let me see you again.
If I lay my eyes on you...
Move! Get out of my way.
- You cannot go inside! - Stop.
Do not step forward.
Do not make a sound.
I will kill anyone.
You need not yield to me.
Cut me down if you can.
Become king.
You were always on edge.
Despite your situation, I must now leave you.
I am sorry,
dear friend.