Post by ajk on May 14, 2008 15:03:11 GMT -5
Hyoryeong tells princess Shim that he can't go to the Ministry of Slavery Reparations; he'll be accused of conspiring against the crown prince. Just then, prince Sungnyeong comes in; the princess had called on him too. Showing none of Hyoryeong's hesitation, he says he wants to go to the MSR and will go alone if he has to. He wants to support the people who pay taxes and fund the royal house, and "I think fighting for their rights is the best way to pay them back." (His determination almost reminds us of Choongnyeong.)
Prince Kyoungnyeong shows up at the MSR. Choongnyeong greets him as "older brother;" Kyoungnyeong is surprised and a little taken aback at Choongnyeong's show of fraternity. Then Hyoryeong and Sungnyeong show up too! Then we see them all inside, busily working along with the scholars. Off to the side, we see the king and queen dressed incognito, watching the scene. The queen is amazed. Outside, the king tells her, "If I banish Choongnyeong for getting involved in politics, I will have to banish the other princes as well."
Prime minister Ha is with the Mins and Gim Hanlo. He's laughing! Laughing at the irony of everyone showing up to protect Choongnyeong, who's doing all of this with no thought of himself. Even "as an enemy," Ha says, I respect that.
Hwang is with the crown prince: "Are you going to admit defeat?" Yangnyeong replies, "What would you have me do? Aim my sword at my own brother?" The reply frustrates Hwang. "Anyone who believes that only violence can solve his problem is not kingly material." This angers the prince; he slams down his cup and walks out.
Choongnyeong has come to see prime minister Ha. Ha tells him that the king and queen considered his banishment. The prince asks him why he's revealing this. Ha says It's to protect you, but the prince says, "Are you sure it isn't to protect yourself?" Ha tells the prince that he's finally sounding like "an earthly man" who wants the throne. "Who doesn't want power and authority?", he asks rhetorically. "Then now I guess we're ready to make a deal," says Choongnyeong. What do you want, he asks. Then, suddenly turning hostile: "Should I squeeze every drop of blood from the public in order to give you power and glory?" Ha recoils; the prince digs in. "Or..." he pulls out a paper and slams it on the table. Ha reviews it; it apparently relates evidence of slaveholding. He's unfazed. "Do you think something this trivial should cause me to retire?", he asks the prince, who answers, "Trivial or not, a crime is a crime." The prince wants him to confess publicly. Ha smiles. I was once like you, he tells the prince; I admire your youthful determination. "A part of me wants to let you win this once." Again he smiles, and he says no more. (His implication is that he's sure he'll fend this one off.)
Yangnyeong returns home and finds his father waiting for him. I thought I'd visit you for a drink, the king says, but since you've already had one...So they play a game of chess. Taejong wins. "You can't win," he observes, "because you take pawns lightly. Pawns are dangerous beings that can destroy a king. I wonder if life isn't the same. He who recognizes the value of pawns and wins their hearts is true kingly material." What are you trying to tell me, the prince asks. Taejong tells him flat-out that he still favors the rule that the heir apparent to the throne should be the eldest son, but if the public begins to favor another prince, it will complicate the situation for him. He leaves.
Outside, attendant Noh Huibong tells the king that he was a little too hard on the prince. But the king knows he did the right thing: "Even a tiger needs to feel fear sometimes."
The next morning: Yangnyeong is kneeling in front of minister Hwang's house. Hwang, almost panicked by the scene, runs outside. The prince tells him, "I want to start over." And he wants Hwang's help. "Would you show me the way?" Hwang nods. Later, the two men travel to the site of the great hunting ceremony. We hear Hwang giving the prince advice about leadership as the scene unfolds.
Yangnyeong is before the king and ministers. He asks that the schedule of the hunting ceremony be pushed back. He explains that it is to preserve the spirit of the soldiers; most of the laborers at the site are from families of the soldiers, and they are being pushed too hard. The king asks the prime minister's opinion. Ha is the one who proposed the ceremony and has pushed for it ever since...Flashback to Hwang talking to Ha privately, insisting that Ha agree to the change, even though Ha has staked his political career on the ceremony...Flashback ending, Ha surprises everyone (including the king) by saying that he agrees. Later, in a hallway, Hwang thanks Ha for his "wise decision" and hopes he can repay him for it. Ha smiles and says cryptically that the opportunity "may come sooner than you think."
Minister Park is frustrated that Shim and the MSR couldn't find any illegal slaves owned by Ha or the Mins. But they did find out that the adoptive father of Ha's bastard son has slaves. They realize that this is how some of the slaves are being concealed: by distribution to friends and relatives. Yun concludes that exposing the extent of Ha's crimes "is a matter of interrogation."
Ha submits his resignation to the king! "I was deeply moved by Choongnyeong's bitter counsel," he tells the king. I cannot control my own family, he says; "remove me from the court."
Scholars tell Choongnyeong that Ha has resigned. We finally removed a corrupt politician, they say with satisfaction. But Choongnyeong is puzzled; apparently this isn't what he expected.
Outside, in front of the palace, ministers are kneeling, calling out loud for Ha to remain and the resignation to be rejected. Hwang is among them.
The king, with Jo Malseng, reads the resignation and tells Jo to reject it. "I can't burn a house down to catch a mouse."
Shim On, Yun Hwe and others barge into Hwang's office and angrily confront him for protecting Ha. Hwang says that the violation is trivial, but they tell him, "You're creating bigger violations by allowing trivial violations to go unpunished." Hwang counters that they would have to replace half the government if all of these kinds of violations were prosecuted, but Yun says, "We can clean house and start over!" and what would be wrong with that?
The scholars are distraught. "There is no end in sight!" Choongnyeong goes out back, discouraged, and sits on the back steps. Yi Su joins him. The prince complains that governing is "filthy, difficult, confusing and disgusting." But Yi advises him, "It's too soon to despair, since you still have the strength left to take one more beating." Yi is gently using Choongnyeong's own words (from when the prince challenged the scholars) to make his point.
The crown prince is before the king, who tells him that he's calling the princes back from the MSR. "Let me take care of that," Yangnyeong asks. The king nods.
Choongnyeong is before the crown prince. How much longer do you plan to be working at the ministry, Yangnyeong asks. Choongnyeong respectfully asks if it is bothering him. "The fact is," says Yangnyeong, "I am bothered. I don't like all the attention you're getting and I don't like that people are calling you kingly material." Then, surprisingly, he tells his brother to keep right on doing it, or do anything else you want to do for as long as you want. "I need to show the world I am capable of embracing you" so that I can earn the public's trust.
Hyobin is visiting Granny Cowsears: "If you do another important favor for me, I'll pay you ten times what I paid you (for helping dig up dirt on Han Daion)." Flashback to a scene of a young woman holding a baby, fleeing at night from a burning house and hiding. In the distance we see another woman ordering around several soldiers, apparently trying to find the fleeing woman....Flashback ending, Hyobin explains, "I need to locate the nursemaid that disappeared from my house nineteen years ago." Hyobin was the fleeing woman; prince Kyoungnyeong was the baby; and it was the queen ordering the soldiers, apparently to find the mother and child and kill them. Hyobin has been looking for the nursemaid ever since; apparently she was a reliable witness to all of this. "I can destroy the Min clan and depose the queen if I can expose the truth." Granny tells her that it's been too long and the woman won't be found after all this time, but Hyobin will not stop trying to find her--"not until I am dead and buried."
At the Ministry of Endowment: Haishou has arrived from Ming. With the queen watching, he reviews the women selected for the Ming emperor. He doesn't like them. "I had no idea the queen of Joseon had such low standards." The queen tries to sell him on them: "There is more to beauty than outer appearance. I'm sure the emperor will appreciate their inner beauty." But he won't accept that. (He wants babes!) He says, "I suggest you start over," and walks out. As he leaves, Han Younglo enters. The queen snaps at him, "I ordered you to stay away from here!" But Han he says he'll offer his daughter for the cause; "her beauty is more than enough" and will satisfy the envoy.
At home, Younglo tells Daion, "Youngsil's life is in your hands." He'll be whipped to death for violating a high minister's daughter, unless....
The next morning, Jang is thrown out of a jail building; his mother is waiting for him and they go home. Off to the side, Daion watches.
Minister Park goes to visit Ok Hwan....
Jo Malseng is visiting Ha. He tells him that Park is apparently looking for Chogungjang himself, a valuable piece of news. Then he starts to butter Ha up: "What I really want to learn is your know-how. What's your secret that keeps you dodging political pitfalls with grace?" Ha is flattered; he explains that there isn't really a secret; it's simply that "All of the blueprints of Joseon came from me." A strange statement.
"A blueprint...." The king is mulling this over; Jo has reported Ha’s statement to him. "What would be the weakest link in the blueprint of Joseon?" He has an idea; we practically see the light bulb go on. "Could that be it?"
Men on horseback (soldiers?) are dispatched to Ha's hometown that same evening. Jo asks the king, "What will happen to prime minister Ha if your hunch is right?" He answers, "We'll just have to hope that my hunch is wrong."
Um Jachi, concealed, is watching the outside of a building. He sees someone go into it; it's eunuch Jeon Ilji.
Jeon is before Foreman Jeon and Muby. So the building he went into is Ok Hwan's. They give him a hairpin ornament. They take out one of the pins from the ornament and explain that the pins are layered with poison. Ilji assumes that this is for him to kill consort Chogungjang, but they tell him, No, it's for Choongnyeong! Kill him once you find out Chogungjang's whereabouts. Ilji is stunned.
Nighttime. Ilji is standing in a courtyard outside of the eunuchs' quarters, clearly burdened with conflicting thoughts....Flashback to Ep12; Choongnyeong's apology to the eunuchs who were sent to Ming and regarded with suspicion afterwards...Flashback ending, he pulls out the ornament and looks at the pins. At that moment the pins are grabbed from his hand. By Um Jachi. "Bastard! I thought you and I were best friends. How could you deceive me like this? Take him!" Other eunuchs run in and grab him.
Jeon is taken inside to a darkened room. "Did you bring the criminal?" A voice asks. "Yes, your highness." "Then I shall interrogate him." Candles are lit, the room brightens, and a terrified Jeon realizes that it's a birthday party for him. Everyone starts laughing. Choongnyeong says, "This will be your most memorable birthday, since you almost died!" They laugh and tease him: "You should have seen the look on his face." They all sit down to eat. Then they notice the ornament that Jeon is carrying. Who did you buy that for?, Um wants to know. "I know you don't have a girlfriend." Choongnyeong asks, "Is it for your mother, since this is the day she gave birth to you? Tell us about your mother."...Flashback to the sequence in Ep10 of Ilji and his mother on the boat that is attacked...Flashback ending: Jeon shares none of it. "I have no memory of her. I lost both of my parents when I was young." That's awful, Choongnyeong says; how did they die? "They were killed by the enemy." Everyone assumes that this refers to Ming. Then, Choongnyeong tells him that he wants to learn Chinese and wants Jeon to be his mentor. Why do you want to learn Chinese, Jeon asks. The prince answers, "To rise above Ming, the first step is to know Ming." Jeon is stunned by the request and says, "Your highness, this lowly servant doesn't deserve this." Choongnyeong even pours Jeon a drink; Jeon accepts but couldn't look more uncomfortable. In fact, he's been visibly uneasy during the whole scene. (Note: It's not entirely clear from the scene, but my impression is that the prince has a pretty good idea of Jeon's situation and that the birthday party is a clever ruse, to work on Jeon's head without exposing him.)
Outside at night, Jeon notices a light on in a back room of the eunuch building. He sneaks closer for a look. The window opens briefly; it's Chogungjang. The window closes, just as Um Jachi approaches Jeon. Um tells him that "if it gets out that we've been hiding her here, we're dead." Um was hoping that Jeon wouldn’t find out about it, because while he and Granny Cowsears will deny it and resist any attempts to discover the truth, “you're a softie so you'll crack." He tells Jeon that "if something really does happen, take care of prince Choongnyeong for us."
That night, as the other eunuchs sleep, Jeon goes outside, hops a wall, and places a paper in a box that's been buried beneath some bushes.
Later, we see Park talking to Foreman Jeon. He's told that they've located the consort.
Ok is talking to Muby. "Should I send Hwang Hee a gift?"
Hwang enters his office and finds a paper draped on his chair. It says, "Can you protect the king in the making?" It's the same message found written on the dead body of the palace guard in Ep1. It unnerves him. He immediately goes to see the crown prince, but is told that the prince isn't at home; he went with his father to inspect the hunting ceremony site.
At the site, the king and prince emerge from their carriages and look around the site. Then they spot a group of posters hanging from one of the buildings. The posters (we didn't get a great look at them, but I believe) show the entire story of Yangnyeong's infidelity, and they're even illustrated (discreetly). The king angrily glares at Yangnyeong, who's dumbfounded.
Prince Kyoungnyeong shows up at the MSR. Choongnyeong greets him as "older brother;" Kyoungnyeong is surprised and a little taken aback at Choongnyeong's show of fraternity. Then Hyoryeong and Sungnyeong show up too! Then we see them all inside, busily working along with the scholars. Off to the side, we see the king and queen dressed incognito, watching the scene. The queen is amazed. Outside, the king tells her, "If I banish Choongnyeong for getting involved in politics, I will have to banish the other princes as well."
Prime minister Ha is with the Mins and Gim Hanlo. He's laughing! Laughing at the irony of everyone showing up to protect Choongnyeong, who's doing all of this with no thought of himself. Even "as an enemy," Ha says, I respect that.
Hwang is with the crown prince: "Are you going to admit defeat?" Yangnyeong replies, "What would you have me do? Aim my sword at my own brother?" The reply frustrates Hwang. "Anyone who believes that only violence can solve his problem is not kingly material." This angers the prince; he slams down his cup and walks out.
Choongnyeong has come to see prime minister Ha. Ha tells him that the king and queen considered his banishment. The prince asks him why he's revealing this. Ha says It's to protect you, but the prince says, "Are you sure it isn't to protect yourself?" Ha tells the prince that he's finally sounding like "an earthly man" who wants the throne. "Who doesn't want power and authority?", he asks rhetorically. "Then now I guess we're ready to make a deal," says Choongnyeong. What do you want, he asks. Then, suddenly turning hostile: "Should I squeeze every drop of blood from the public in order to give you power and glory?" Ha recoils; the prince digs in. "Or..." he pulls out a paper and slams it on the table. Ha reviews it; it apparently relates evidence of slaveholding. He's unfazed. "Do you think something this trivial should cause me to retire?", he asks the prince, who answers, "Trivial or not, a crime is a crime." The prince wants him to confess publicly. Ha smiles. I was once like you, he tells the prince; I admire your youthful determination. "A part of me wants to let you win this once." Again he smiles, and he says no more. (His implication is that he's sure he'll fend this one off.)
Yangnyeong returns home and finds his father waiting for him. I thought I'd visit you for a drink, the king says, but since you've already had one...So they play a game of chess. Taejong wins. "You can't win," he observes, "because you take pawns lightly. Pawns are dangerous beings that can destroy a king. I wonder if life isn't the same. He who recognizes the value of pawns and wins their hearts is true kingly material." What are you trying to tell me, the prince asks. Taejong tells him flat-out that he still favors the rule that the heir apparent to the throne should be the eldest son, but if the public begins to favor another prince, it will complicate the situation for him. He leaves.
Outside, attendant Noh Huibong tells the king that he was a little too hard on the prince. But the king knows he did the right thing: "Even a tiger needs to feel fear sometimes."
The next morning: Yangnyeong is kneeling in front of minister Hwang's house. Hwang, almost panicked by the scene, runs outside. The prince tells him, "I want to start over." And he wants Hwang's help. "Would you show me the way?" Hwang nods. Later, the two men travel to the site of the great hunting ceremony. We hear Hwang giving the prince advice about leadership as the scene unfolds.
Yangnyeong is before the king and ministers. He asks that the schedule of the hunting ceremony be pushed back. He explains that it is to preserve the spirit of the soldiers; most of the laborers at the site are from families of the soldiers, and they are being pushed too hard. The king asks the prime minister's opinion. Ha is the one who proposed the ceremony and has pushed for it ever since...Flashback to Hwang talking to Ha privately, insisting that Ha agree to the change, even though Ha has staked his political career on the ceremony...Flashback ending, Ha surprises everyone (including the king) by saying that he agrees. Later, in a hallway, Hwang thanks Ha for his "wise decision" and hopes he can repay him for it. Ha smiles and says cryptically that the opportunity "may come sooner than you think."
Minister Park is frustrated that Shim and the MSR couldn't find any illegal slaves owned by Ha or the Mins. But they did find out that the adoptive father of Ha's bastard son has slaves. They realize that this is how some of the slaves are being concealed: by distribution to friends and relatives. Yun concludes that exposing the extent of Ha's crimes "is a matter of interrogation."
Ha submits his resignation to the king! "I was deeply moved by Choongnyeong's bitter counsel," he tells the king. I cannot control my own family, he says; "remove me from the court."
Scholars tell Choongnyeong that Ha has resigned. We finally removed a corrupt politician, they say with satisfaction. But Choongnyeong is puzzled; apparently this isn't what he expected.
Outside, in front of the palace, ministers are kneeling, calling out loud for Ha to remain and the resignation to be rejected. Hwang is among them.
The king, with Jo Malseng, reads the resignation and tells Jo to reject it. "I can't burn a house down to catch a mouse."
Shim On, Yun Hwe and others barge into Hwang's office and angrily confront him for protecting Ha. Hwang says that the violation is trivial, but they tell him, "You're creating bigger violations by allowing trivial violations to go unpunished." Hwang counters that they would have to replace half the government if all of these kinds of violations were prosecuted, but Yun says, "We can clean house and start over!" and what would be wrong with that?
The scholars are distraught. "There is no end in sight!" Choongnyeong goes out back, discouraged, and sits on the back steps. Yi Su joins him. The prince complains that governing is "filthy, difficult, confusing and disgusting." But Yi advises him, "It's too soon to despair, since you still have the strength left to take one more beating." Yi is gently using Choongnyeong's own words (from when the prince challenged the scholars) to make his point.
The crown prince is before the king, who tells him that he's calling the princes back from the MSR. "Let me take care of that," Yangnyeong asks. The king nods.
Choongnyeong is before the crown prince. How much longer do you plan to be working at the ministry, Yangnyeong asks. Choongnyeong respectfully asks if it is bothering him. "The fact is," says Yangnyeong, "I am bothered. I don't like all the attention you're getting and I don't like that people are calling you kingly material." Then, surprisingly, he tells his brother to keep right on doing it, or do anything else you want to do for as long as you want. "I need to show the world I am capable of embracing you" so that I can earn the public's trust.
Hyobin is visiting Granny Cowsears: "If you do another important favor for me, I'll pay you ten times what I paid you (for helping dig up dirt on Han Daion)." Flashback to a scene of a young woman holding a baby, fleeing at night from a burning house and hiding. In the distance we see another woman ordering around several soldiers, apparently trying to find the fleeing woman....Flashback ending, Hyobin explains, "I need to locate the nursemaid that disappeared from my house nineteen years ago." Hyobin was the fleeing woman; prince Kyoungnyeong was the baby; and it was the queen ordering the soldiers, apparently to find the mother and child and kill them. Hyobin has been looking for the nursemaid ever since; apparently she was a reliable witness to all of this. "I can destroy the Min clan and depose the queen if I can expose the truth." Granny tells her that it's been too long and the woman won't be found after all this time, but Hyobin will not stop trying to find her--"not until I am dead and buried."
At the Ministry of Endowment: Haishou has arrived from Ming. With the queen watching, he reviews the women selected for the Ming emperor. He doesn't like them. "I had no idea the queen of Joseon had such low standards." The queen tries to sell him on them: "There is more to beauty than outer appearance. I'm sure the emperor will appreciate their inner beauty." But he won't accept that. (He wants babes!) He says, "I suggest you start over," and walks out. As he leaves, Han Younglo enters. The queen snaps at him, "I ordered you to stay away from here!" But Han he says he'll offer his daughter for the cause; "her beauty is more than enough" and will satisfy the envoy.
At home, Younglo tells Daion, "Youngsil's life is in your hands." He'll be whipped to death for violating a high minister's daughter, unless....
The next morning, Jang is thrown out of a jail building; his mother is waiting for him and they go home. Off to the side, Daion watches.
Minister Park goes to visit Ok Hwan....
Jo Malseng is visiting Ha. He tells him that Park is apparently looking for Chogungjang himself, a valuable piece of news. Then he starts to butter Ha up: "What I really want to learn is your know-how. What's your secret that keeps you dodging political pitfalls with grace?" Ha is flattered; he explains that there isn't really a secret; it's simply that "All of the blueprints of Joseon came from me." A strange statement.
"A blueprint...." The king is mulling this over; Jo has reported Ha’s statement to him. "What would be the weakest link in the blueprint of Joseon?" He has an idea; we practically see the light bulb go on. "Could that be it?"
Men on horseback (soldiers?) are dispatched to Ha's hometown that same evening. Jo asks the king, "What will happen to prime minister Ha if your hunch is right?" He answers, "We'll just have to hope that my hunch is wrong."
Um Jachi, concealed, is watching the outside of a building. He sees someone go into it; it's eunuch Jeon Ilji.
Jeon is before Foreman Jeon and Muby. So the building he went into is Ok Hwan's. They give him a hairpin ornament. They take out one of the pins from the ornament and explain that the pins are layered with poison. Ilji assumes that this is for him to kill consort Chogungjang, but they tell him, No, it's for Choongnyeong! Kill him once you find out Chogungjang's whereabouts. Ilji is stunned.
Nighttime. Ilji is standing in a courtyard outside of the eunuchs' quarters, clearly burdened with conflicting thoughts....Flashback to Ep12; Choongnyeong's apology to the eunuchs who were sent to Ming and regarded with suspicion afterwards...Flashback ending, he pulls out the ornament and looks at the pins. At that moment the pins are grabbed from his hand. By Um Jachi. "Bastard! I thought you and I were best friends. How could you deceive me like this? Take him!" Other eunuchs run in and grab him.
Jeon is taken inside to a darkened room. "Did you bring the criminal?" A voice asks. "Yes, your highness." "Then I shall interrogate him." Candles are lit, the room brightens, and a terrified Jeon realizes that it's a birthday party for him. Everyone starts laughing. Choongnyeong says, "This will be your most memorable birthday, since you almost died!" They laugh and tease him: "You should have seen the look on his face." They all sit down to eat. Then they notice the ornament that Jeon is carrying. Who did you buy that for?, Um wants to know. "I know you don't have a girlfriend." Choongnyeong asks, "Is it for your mother, since this is the day she gave birth to you? Tell us about your mother."...Flashback to the sequence in Ep10 of Ilji and his mother on the boat that is attacked...Flashback ending: Jeon shares none of it. "I have no memory of her. I lost both of my parents when I was young." That's awful, Choongnyeong says; how did they die? "They were killed by the enemy." Everyone assumes that this refers to Ming. Then, Choongnyeong tells him that he wants to learn Chinese and wants Jeon to be his mentor. Why do you want to learn Chinese, Jeon asks. The prince answers, "To rise above Ming, the first step is to know Ming." Jeon is stunned by the request and says, "Your highness, this lowly servant doesn't deserve this." Choongnyeong even pours Jeon a drink; Jeon accepts but couldn't look more uncomfortable. In fact, he's been visibly uneasy during the whole scene. (Note: It's not entirely clear from the scene, but my impression is that the prince has a pretty good idea of Jeon's situation and that the birthday party is a clever ruse, to work on Jeon's head without exposing him.)
Outside at night, Jeon notices a light on in a back room of the eunuch building. He sneaks closer for a look. The window opens briefly; it's Chogungjang. The window closes, just as Um Jachi approaches Jeon. Um tells him that "if it gets out that we've been hiding her here, we're dead." Um was hoping that Jeon wouldn’t find out about it, because while he and Granny Cowsears will deny it and resist any attempts to discover the truth, “you're a softie so you'll crack." He tells Jeon that "if something really does happen, take care of prince Choongnyeong for us."
That night, as the other eunuchs sleep, Jeon goes outside, hops a wall, and places a paper in a box that's been buried beneath some bushes.
Later, we see Park talking to Foreman Jeon. He's told that they've located the consort.
Ok is talking to Muby. "Should I send Hwang Hee a gift?"
Hwang enters his office and finds a paper draped on his chair. It says, "Can you protect the king in the making?" It's the same message found written on the dead body of the palace guard in Ep1. It unnerves him. He immediately goes to see the crown prince, but is told that the prince isn't at home; he went with his father to inspect the hunting ceremony site.
At the site, the king and prince emerge from their carriages and look around the site. Then they spot a group of posters hanging from one of the buildings. The posters (we didn't get a great look at them, but I believe) show the entire story of Yangnyeong's infidelity, and they're even illustrated (discreetly). The king angrily glares at Yangnyeong, who's dumbfounded.