THIS DRAMA IS A FICTIONAL STORY BASED ON HISTORICAL FACTS
SOME ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARACTERS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS
EPISODE 10
Yeon!
Yeon.
Yeon, stay with me.
Yeon.
Hwi.
Don't talk.
If you talk, the bleeding won't stop.
I'm okay.
I'm not in pain.
I said you shouldn't talk.
Don't...
get hurt anymore.
I don't want you
to suffer anymore
because of me.
Where is Seon-ho?
Don't worry.
He's fine.
Hwi.
Yes, Yeon.
You see,
I was happy
because I was your sister.
I was
truly happy.
Yeon.
Yeon...
Don't go.
If you go there,
you'll die too.
Gosh! What the heck?
Nam Jeon!
The poison on the blade is now spreading through your bloodstream.
Your body will corrode
while your sister's corpse rots.
Why are you so angry?
Are you not the one who got Yeon killed?
You broke your promise.
Hence, she got killed because of you.
I am the one who broke the promise. Why kill Yeon?
Why her and not me?
Because I know
this will pain you more.
You know nothing about me.
How will you kill me when you do not know what I am capable of?
I stomped and trod on countless corpses of my enemies
to come this far.
Do you truly think
that you can take me down?
You puny weakling, how dare you.
Shut up, you son of a bitch!
You had brought your father's corpse to me and begged me in tears to bury it.
Why did you not bring your sister's corpse?
If you die as well,
who will bury your sister?
Back off!
Back off,
or I will slay you.
Why put your life on the line for this little punk?
He is my man.
He protected me,
so I must protect him now.
You were lucky enough to be born the King's son,
whereas I, unfortunately, wasn't. That is simply all.
Thus,
I will spare his life.
If you lay even just a finger on him,
I will shred you to pieces with all the swords that I own.
This is
how I protect my people
and the reason I live.
I do not think you're cut out to be a swordsman.
Who are you to dare say such a thing?
I told you that I am your teacher. I am here to teach you swordsmanship.
I pick my own teacher!
Don't step back to avoid my sword.
I told you to block it at an angle.
Use long strokes for stabbing and short strokes for cutting.
How many times must I tell you?
Just like you said, I pick my own student.
You do not qualify.
You're pretty good.
I am the greatest swordsman of Goryeo. What? "Pretty good"?
Are you pretty good at archery as well?
Shall I teach you how to avoid being hit?
Sure, tell me.
Shoot.
Why didn't you dodge?
I figured you wouldn't accept me as your student if I did.
So am I your first student?
My first student
is at home now. It's my son.
I envy him for having such a great teacher.
-Hwi! -Hwi!
Hwi!
We'll take care of him from here on.
Hey, Beom.
Make sure he recovers.
What?
-Why does the wound look like that? -Poison.
It's venom from the most venomous snake, gloydius saxatilis.
We must save
Hwi.
We cannot let him die like this.
We certainly cannot.
I will save him even if I have to suck all the venom out of him.
Beom, bring me that thing.
Yeon...
waited for you until her last breath.
Nam Jeon
put venom on the dagger.
That son of a bitch.
Will he live?
He is barely breathing at the moment.
Whether he can live or not is up to him.
We should send Yeon off first.
As the chief mourner,
you should go in and say goodbye.
Hwi.
Don't trade the flower patterned shoes.
I'd...
rather hold onto them until they fit.
That means
I will at least live until I am older.
My dear sister, Yeon.
I hope this pair of floral shoes takes you to a good place.
See all the things that you never got to see
and travel freely.
NAM SEON-HO
I have seen only one facial expression on your face.
When you're tired, you smile. When you're annoyed, you smile.
And sometimes, you just smile.
I do?
You can cry on my shoulder.
You have nowhere else to cry.
Yeon...
How is it?
It is quite serious, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty cannot hide this illness any longer.
How much time
do I have left?
Thank you anyway.
How is the preparation for the tea party going?
It's...
So six of them suddenly fell ill,
and four of them have urgent matters to attend to.
Two of them are dealing with family matters, and three of them
did not even bother to tell us why they couldn't attend.
What are you waiting for?
Summon all of them at once.
That is why your life was spared.
I received a royal order that I must
distance myself from the Crown Prince in return for having my life spared.
Hence, the other meritorious subjects are also distancing themselves.
Half of them have joined hands with Bang-won,
and the other half
will tiptoe around me.
It lists their weaknesses.
Threaten or report them if you have to.
Do whatever it takes to win them back.
What on earth are you doing?
Bang-won is about to slay you,
yet you have all this time to threaten me with the meritorious subjects' weaknesses.
There is only one way the Crown Prince can ascend the throne.
You must kneel before Bang-won.
Let His Majesty and the people see a mother who is desperately doing
everything in her power to save her son?
Only then can you buy yourself some time.
Time for the Crown Prince to grow up
and for me to rise up again. It will also
help you make full use of the little bit of time
that you have left.
Your Highness, it looks like it will rain soon.
If I let the Queen stand in the rain,
the people of this country
will pity her, I suppose.
What brings Your Majesty
to this humble place?
This is the first memorial ceremony of the deceased queen.
I should be here to pay my respects, of course.
"Queen"?
You were the one who said she can't be called "Queen"
for she passed away before the new kingdom was established
and that she can only obtain the insignificant posthumous name.
That is why I have no choice but to hold her memorial ceremony
separately like this.
I was simply following the customs.
The kinds of customs that allow a mere concubine
to become Queen and an illegitimate son
to become Crown Prince?
I asked His Majesty to consider you one of the founding contributors.
I will attend her memorial ceremony every year,
and I will send you a heartfelt letter every month.
I wish to be a good mother to you.
-So-- -Is that why
you tried to assassinate me?
A good mother
would never kill her son.
I beg you.
Give me a chance.
Admit your wrongdoings in front of the people and step down from the throne.
Then Bang-seok will be ousted,
but not killed.
How dare you
make such a wicked remark?
You only care about the Crown Prince,
but this country is everything to me.
I will gladly endure a bloodbath
if it is necessary to solidify the foundation of this kingdom
so that it can thrive for the next 1,000 years.
So don't you dare
denounce me.
Even if
I beg you on my knees
for mercy,
you will
kill my son in the end.
This is the medicine you asked for
and some clothes.
I also packed some side dishes.
Thanks, Hwa-wol.
There's no need to thank me.
Is something the matter?
What? Of course not.
Tell me.
What's going on?
Madame Seol...
Hwa-wol...
She never could keep a secret.
Forgive me, Madame Seol.
How could you?
How beautiful is this place you're going
that you wanted to leave without saying goodbye?
It's a fine place.
A place where I don't have to wear my heavy hairpiece,
and a place where I don't need to worry about Ihwaru.
It's also where my old friend is.
When I meet her,
I'll tell her that her daughter grew up to be a fine young woman.
A beautiful young lady.
Hui-jae,
I'm sorry...
and grateful.
Help me sit up.
Read it.
"From this moment on,
the head of Ihwaru
is Hui-jae of the Han Family.
You will clear out what no longer exists
and the new head will lead with dignity.
Help your new Madame
and protect Ihwaru.
Cha-su...
Cha-su,
all I can do is apologize.
Help Hui-jae manage Ihwaru."
Madame Seol...
"Hwa-wol,
you will also aid the new head.
Being the talebearer you are,
I suggest you stay clear of trouble by watching what you say."
I'm good at keeping secrets, you know.
Why are you always on my case?
"Gyeol..."
Madame Seol!
-Madame Seol... -Madame Seol.
Poppy capsules are known for their wicked ability
that puts you in a state of oblivion.
What is it that you
desperately wish to forget?
I lost someone.
The one person who liked me,
and...
trusted me.
Well, we all have our sob stories.
NAM SEON-HO
You made the right choice.
Do not get attached to those who aren't worthy.
The world you built for yourself
is for sure a formidable one.
I ran around like a silly boy not realizing it though.
How foolish must I have looked.
Rest.
A world where all deaths are meaningless.
I wish to see that for myself too.
I will rise to the top of that world
and look down as you die a meaningless death.
Your mother's lowly blood
has finally left your system.
And so...
I am left with only your noble blood.
Okay, Yeon.
I'll stick around
a little longer.
Just a little longer.
6 YEARS LATER, 1398, THE FIRST STRIFE OF THE PRINCES
Where are the King's bodyguards?
They'll arrive soon.
The Crown Prince has grown up now
and Bang-won disbanded his private army.
You seem to be going to unnecessary lengths.
The Crown Prince's heart continues to weaken
and we don't know when Bang-won will attack us again.
If the King doesn't vacate the throne right away,
In the end,
we will all be slaughtered.
You have pledged your loyalty to the Crown Prince in words.
I will add my seal to it.
And with the support of the royal family,
we will dethrone the King.
I...
will make a nation ruled by the subjects.
That will be...
our nation.
NAM JEON
Who is it?
Even though my hearing isn't what it used to be,
I still hear things.
Your nickname is a king with a gat?
It's only a rumor.
Please don't be bothered by it.
From meritorious subjects to members of the royal family,
many have joined his side.
I hardly doubt it's just a rumor.
There is even a rumor going around that Prince Jeongan will be the next king.
Only the one who spread it
would be aware of such absurdity.
You must be wishing for me to die soon.
Only then, you can fight for the throne.
Your Majesty, that is--
It is why I'm warning you in advance.
Anyone who mentions my abdication of the throne
will have its family torn to pieces.
So...
I urge you
to refrain yourselves.
An abdication?
No, His Majesty must live out a long life.
I'm sure
that will only make you
nervous by the second though.
The fact that he is well
is a blessing to me and our nation.
So why would you say I'm getting anxious?
My lord!
Your Highness.
Right, then.
They were all slayed?
-What about the bodyguards? -They disappeared.
This is now the second time.
We have a leak.
The people who knew about it are us three
and...
Assistant Director of the Privy Council.
How dare you!
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
THE PRIVY COUNCIL
What...
Did you eliminate the Assistant Director of the Privy Council?
Would you have liked to handle it yourself?
The royal bodyguards...
Was it Bang-won's doing?
Bang-won may be rampageous,
but unlike someone, he doesn't bribe people.
I was hoping to
wrap up this deal myself.
There's a guard coming from Ming today.
Via which quay?
I can't say.
He will be there
and another guard will be slayed.
I have it under control.
You don't need to be concerned.
I think I must.
I don't care how many guards you intend
to shove into the mouths of the royal family.
A dethronement is all I need.
If anyone gets in the way of that,
I will slay my way through them.
Is this a coincidence?
No, I was waiting for you.
You waited for a lowlife like me?
You must have a lot of time on your hands.
Your father
slaughtered his comrades to win a spot at His Majesty's side.
Meanwhile, you achieved your title
at the expense of your best friend and his sister.
It's like a mutt
gave birth to another mutt.
A mutt, did you say?
You and I are alike.
We both tried to harm our own fathers.
You did what you could to give your father the throne.
And now, you're trying to steal it.
Actually,
you put him on the throne to steal it away.
It's what I plan to do as well.
You have changed a lot.
Finally,
you've become an interesting adversary.
Your Highness.
Could you go as far
as to killing His Majesty?
I will...
never do that.
Then it seems like
we have our differences.
Guards that were carefully selected for the job were slayed mercilessly.
He's a skilled swordsman.
How many quays
are in Hanyang again?
Stop!
Treat them with care.
These aren't just broads but commodities.
I hear that Joseon women are worth more than gold in Ming.
Who knows? She might be my jackpot.
-Please... -Get in.
Please don't do this, my lord!
We have the gold vase, so we just need to load the silk and the women.
I see we don't have company today.
Only a crazy buffoon will dare attack us here.
Don't get your hopes up.
None of you will survive this.
Kill him!
Do you have any idea who I am?
I am the Minister of Military Affairs.
So?
The Minister of Military Affairs is dead?
-What about the gold vase? -They're gone.
If we can't deliver the gold vase before the blood ceremony,
the members of the royal family will turn their backs on us.
BLOOD CEREMONY: A RITUAL OF DRINKING BLOOD TO PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
Find them.
Search every corner of Hanyang if you have to and just find them!
I bet you're as feeble as a 90-year-old man.
How long has it been since you got it up?
Three to five years maybe?
How did you know that?
Let me tell you about this.
It's a pill that'll even erect a rotten pole.
Take one and see your urine go over the fence.
-Take two and-- -You'll die.
Yes, you'll die.
You're an army physician now,
but you're still selling drugs.
Leader.
Don't call me that.
Private armies were disbanded and we're here as servants.
Look at you high up in the ranks.
It's a nice look.
Whatever.
They say where you stand changes what you see.
How is it? Do you get dizzy from way up there?
Wait, where are your yellow teeth?
Enjoy it while you can
because your heads will soon be cracked.
Are you jealous of what I have achieved for myself?
You know,
in a war, half of the men die after being stabbed in the back.
Don't forget that I'm always watching you from behind.
Why you bastard--
-No... -Enough!
Your Highness.
Good day to you too.
I hear that many have sword wielding servants
instead of private soldiers.
The rumors must be true.
Look at you, big man. You're like a bear.
You must be Jeong Beom.
You know me, Your Highness?
How could I not know you?
They say you have flawless skills and can patch any wound up
without leaving scars.
How do you know about us all?
Do you have a spy among us?
From what I hear, there's a man who ended Nam Jeon.
He's not only a deadly archer but a skilled swordsman too.
We don't know anything.
You don't?
When you do...
Seo Hwi.
Let him know that I wish to see him.
Bang-won, there you are!
Bang-won, it's your brother.
So,
how is Chi-do doing?
You have no idea.
Do you know who's the busiest in all of Joseon?
It's Chi-do.
I won, so give me a spot too.
If these were real swords, you would've died first.
If they were real swords, I would've fought another way.
Graze even my clothing and you're in.
Those who are stupidly bold die first on the battlefield
just like you.
Go home.
The rice I get paid with will be enough to feed me and my mother for a year.
This is all that I can do, so please give me a chance.
Your mother
will want you to live more than she wants that rice.
This...
is wild ginseng of 100 years.
Try it.
Are you out of your mind?
You toss something so precious?
This is a balloon flower root.
Goodness.
You have eyes of a hawk.
I don't think I asked you to come.
I hear that someone has been choking Nam Jeon's throat.
He lost something important.
You talk too much, you know.
And you...
are hiding too many things.
Cut it out with the jokes
and hand over your private army you've been hiding.
This time, you could die.
The King won't show mercy
even though you're his son.
By father or by brother. Dying is dying, isn't it?
What I do is for survival.
I wish to survive this.
Bang-gan.
Kneel before me
and I will make sure you don't die.
This is way better than the one in Gaegyeong.
They must've earned a lot of money.
What's so good about these dried grass?
On a warm sunny day like this,
nothing is better than a drink.
Yes, I also like drinking in the day.
After one or two, you don't recognize your parents.
You must be lost. The courtesan house is that way.
No, I'm in the right place.
Could you perhaps look after my money for me?
I can't trust anyone these days.
But you don't know me either.
Have we...
met before?
It's me.
I'm a neat man.
And my teeth are all white and clean.
My goodness.
Oh dear.
You look as cute as a bunny when you're surprised.
What happened? Did you sharpen your teeth on a whetstone or what?
I rubbed them my ass off with this brush.
What is this?
It's wild-boar hair glued to a stick.
You should try brushing your teeth with some bamboo salt.
Three times a day.
Your breath smells good too.
It used to stink.
So...
do you want to come closer and smell it?
I almost fell for his cute face.
Well...
Wait.
I like a man who tries hard.
Shuffle the dominoes and exchange hearts.
And make out?
All right.
Did you hear about Minister of Military Affairs?
How would a mere woman like me know what happens out there?
Then you might not know that Lord Nam is being considered.
He is?
You seem displeased about it.
Do you...
want me to get rid of him?
Madame Han, why would you say that?
I already eliminated all his political opponents.
It's a shame that you are pretending not to know about it.
Not just his political opponents.
She took care of gossip about your affairs
and settled your gambling debts.
Gosh, I'm out of breath.
That's not true.
Why would I pretend not to know all about it?
So what is it you want?
I want to take charge of signal-fire soldiers and policies
of the Ministry of War.
Is that it?
It's an unimportant post where you light signal fires and bring tidings.
Sometimes an unimportant post becomes important.
SEO YEON
Before her death,
Her Highness used to make a wish like this.
Whatever it is,
it can't come true.
I only hope
they rest in peace up there.
Did you
see his face?
I barely recognized the shape of him.
There's someone who saw him.
She hurt her leg, so she couldn't run away.
Please spare me.
Have you not found him yet?
I apologize, my lord.
Is it the missing golden vase?
TODAY IN BAMBOO GROVE AT 4 P.M.
Are you sure?
Yes, I am.
If it's a lie, you and your whole family
will be slaughtered in cold blood.
I'm asking you one last time.
Is this correct?
I'll take you in
without your underlings.
Once I step down,
Nam Jeon will leave the Crown Prince by the nose.
And Bang-won will try to kill him.
Now Nam Jeon and Bang-won will attempt to kill each other.
All you need to do is set up the battlefield, Your Majesty.
I will readily douse myself with blood
if someone has to do so.
Only I can do it.
Be honest for once in your life.
You just wanted to have your own country.
I don't care about a nation or a great cause.
I'm not even interested.
All I want to do is destroy Nam Jeon.
I never keep my enemies alive.
I guess you're probably my next enemy.
Let's wait and see
which of us will be slaughtered first.