Post by ajk on Apr 29, 2009 12:58:43 GMT -5
As physicians are tending to the king, ministers are meeting. Choe Sum and Kim Wonsoong are really slinging it, accusing Hunae of somehow orchestrating the chaos and the assassination attempt. It's getting very tense and very ugly.
Out in the wilderness somewhere, Kim Chiyang is giving Sa Gamun a good smacking-around for defying him. Sa Gamun managed to escape the assassination attempt, but Chiyang is furious anyway because it almost destroyed their as-yet-unidentified grand scheme. Which, we learn, somehow involves gaining Hunae's complete trust, and which has already cost many lives. He's angry at Sa Illa too, for not trying harder to stop her brother.
Yes, that was poison on the arrow, and the king is still unconscious. Seo Hui tells Hunae about the Choe/Kim accusations and advises her to lay low for a while.
Evening: Several men are being tortured; we're shown Yi Gyeoumi interrogating the two men from Sa Gamun's group who were inciting the citizens. Obviously they were identified and caught. They deny any knowledge of the assassination plot. So the torture resumes.
The king has a nightmare about Hunae killing him with an arrow. It's so traumatic that it jolts him back to consciousness. He asks about the assassins--Go Hyun tells him they haven't been caught yet--then asks about Hunae and the prince. And then insists on leaving the territory immediately, against the advice of his physicians that he rest while the poison is still in his system.
Gang Jo tells Hunae he can understand why the king might have gotten the wrong idea, what with her showing up unannounced and the citizens chanting her name. Then Seo Hui and Yi Jibaek show up and tell her of the king's imminent departure.
The king, with the boy Prince Gaeryeong at his side, are leaving in a carriage. Hunae raises a loud stink and tries to talk to the king, but he wants nothing to do with her and heads on, mother and son shouting to each other in despair as the carriage pulls away.
Back in the capital: Lady Yunheung is thrilled to have the prince back. The boy is his usual polite self but is distant. He tries to say something about his mother, but she forbids him from calling Hunae "mother" or even talking about her.
Choe Ryang tells the king that the assassins probably weren't Jurchens. So the king is quick to deduce that it must have been Hunae. Ryang cautions him--"That's a big assumption"--but the king is convinced. In fact, he's convinced not only of Hunae's guilt but also that he's lost the northern territory and its people entirely to Hunae. He's still being haunted by the prophecies of Choe Jimong (that damned astrologer) about Hunae and her son.
Hunae despairs the loss of her once-close relationship with her brother; she can't understand why he's so mean to her.
Hyangbi returns to Hunae with the scoop on Seol. She noticed what we noticed; she called him "husband" and so they may well have gotten married. And no, she's not coming back. Hunae decides she'll go south to see her, and also see the king to clear things up with him. Gang Jo advises strongly against seeing the king, at least not so quickly.
Seol is trying to cook some fish over a flame. She's not good at it; overcooks the fish a bit and burns her hand in the process. Gyeongjuwon takes it in good humor. She's bummed about not being a better cook but he just laughs it off out of his love for her.
Mealtime for Lady Yunheung and the prince, but the boy has no appetite and excuses himself. "I'm afraid he's changed," Yunheung tells Escort Jo.
The Shillans are meeting again, happy that Hunae is being backed into a corner. They don't even care who was behind the assassination attempt; they're just thrilled that it all is working in their favor.
Seo Hui and Yi Jibaek fill Gang Gamchan in on developments. Gang tells them he's been conducting an investigation while they've been gone, but he won't tell them what it's about, not just yet.
Kim Wonsoong tells Jo Sun and Jo Du to prepare a caravan to head north to Khitan territory. A trading expedition. A weird request, since caravans in that direction are under threat of being robbed by Jurchens. But Kim wants to do it because it has the potential to be very lucrative. Then Jo Sun says he knows "a middleman in Seogyeong" who has Jurchen connections and will keep the caravan safe. (Okay, folks, anybody else see this turning into something huge? I can't help thinking that this might turn into the crack in the dam.)
In a prison cell: The two men--brothers, we learn--who were being tortured decide to kill themselves. They bid each other goodbye.
A strange interlude of Chiyang praying in a Buddhist temple. He says he'll "willingly face the judgment of Yama" for the violence he's involved in.
The next morning: The king is informed by Yi Gyeoumi that the two prisoners bashed their heads against the stone wall of their cell, and they're dead. Then Choe Sum and Kim Wonsoong urge the king to bring Hunae in for interrogation! Seo and Yi argue against any such thing.
Gamchan tells Hunae that he's spoken to the monks at Guibup temple and has concluded that the attackers were in fact not Jurchens. But how to find them and catch them? He has an idea: There has to be a merchant somewhere in the city who sold a large quantity of Jurchen clothes recently. (GREAT idea.) And he's quietly nosing around to find that merchant.
The prince is still haunted by the voice of his mother crying out for him as his carriage left Seogyeong. Kim Shimun, the former Shillan who we see is now the boy's master, tells him to forget about it and about her; she's the one who tried to hurt the king in Seogyeong and orchestrated the attack in Guibup Temple too. That's ridiculous, the boy says; I know how much she loves her country and she would never do any such thing. "Please don't speak of my mother in that contemptuous tone again. I won't tolerate it." Kim is silent, taken aback. (Good for you, kid.)
By a riverbank: Seol is washing clothes by hand. Then who shows up but Hunae.
Later, inside: Yep, they were married. Hunae accuses Gyeongjuwon of irresponsibility and says that this could destroy Myeongbok Palace (Why?). But he tells her that they want no power and nothing but a simple anonymous life together. So can't we have your blessing? "If his highness finds out," Hunae fears, "there will be hell to pay." No, Seol says, not when he sees how happy I am. And she really is happy, which Hunae can see. Hunae tells them that the king must never find out about this because "he is too much of Confucianist to understand the two of you. You must stay in hiding all your life." Which they don't mind at all. Hunae offers to send a servant to do housework, but Seol won't even accept that. We can see in Hunae's face that she still thinks her sister is a little nuts, but she's willing to accept the situation. She and Seol hug goodbye, and Seol says she's sorry for leaving her sister; they've lived together all their lives. It's a very touching, bittersweet goodbye.
On the journey home, Huane tells Gamchan of her sorrow that the two have to live in hiding and that they couldn't even have a proper wedding. But Gamchan says they're an ideal couple and are happy together, which she keeps forgetting.
Prince Gaeryeong thinks back happily to his time with his mother...and then is snapped out of it by a sudden visit from the king. The king is unhappy about teh boy's stern words to Kim Shimun. "Yyour master is right," the king says. "She tried to have me killed with guileful schemes." The boy tries to defend her, but the king cuts him off angrily. "You only have one mother from now on and that's Lady Yunheung." The boy protests, "Even the lowly animals know where they come from"; how can I renounce my own mother? But the king only scolds him more and then leaves, muttering, "Ungrateful child." With that, the boy begins to shake all over. He staggers to his bed and falls into it, unconscious and foaming at the mouth. We saw this once before; what gives?
Chiyang tells Sa Gamun that the prince has epilepsy. (So he did know something that he was holding back.) "And in his case, it's quite severe." Does the palace know? Probably not, or they never would have installed him. Sa Gamun asks "Is this good for us or bad for us?" Tough call.
Still alone, the prince regains consciousness, and cries quietly for his mother.
The next day: Queen Mundeok is near death. Her daughter is at her side, and the king has come to be with her. Weakly, she tells her daughter, "Don't live your life like me. Go to Hwangju and live freely like a bird." She sheds a tear of regret. And with that, she dies. Even the king shows some sorrow, despite his never having loved her.
We see the queen's funeral procession and the royal house in mourning. Then, a flashback from Ep10 of the queen expressing her dying wish to the king.
Go Hyun, the king's head attendant, has come all the way to Myeongbok to tell Hunae that the king has ordered her to the palace.
So she goes. She walks into the throne room. "I summoned you because of the last words of the queen." Take princes Sun with you, he says. She agrees. Then and he turns his back to her. "Is that all?" She tells him she'll accept his offer and move back to Sungdeok palace. Why now all of a sudden?, he asks suspiciously. Forget it, he says; the deal's off. And forget about ever seeing your son again. "From this moment forward, Gaeryeong is no longer your son." And if that isn't mean enough, "It's over between us as well. You are no longer my sister."
Out in the wilderness somewhere, Kim Chiyang is giving Sa Gamun a good smacking-around for defying him. Sa Gamun managed to escape the assassination attempt, but Chiyang is furious anyway because it almost destroyed their as-yet-unidentified grand scheme. Which, we learn, somehow involves gaining Hunae's complete trust, and which has already cost many lives. He's angry at Sa Illa too, for not trying harder to stop her brother.
Yes, that was poison on the arrow, and the king is still unconscious. Seo Hui tells Hunae about the Choe/Kim accusations and advises her to lay low for a while.
Evening: Several men are being tortured; we're shown Yi Gyeoumi interrogating the two men from Sa Gamun's group who were inciting the citizens. Obviously they were identified and caught. They deny any knowledge of the assassination plot. So the torture resumes.
The king has a nightmare about Hunae killing him with an arrow. It's so traumatic that it jolts him back to consciousness. He asks about the assassins--Go Hyun tells him they haven't been caught yet--then asks about Hunae and the prince. And then insists on leaving the territory immediately, against the advice of his physicians that he rest while the poison is still in his system.
Gang Jo tells Hunae he can understand why the king might have gotten the wrong idea, what with her showing up unannounced and the citizens chanting her name. Then Seo Hui and Yi Jibaek show up and tell her of the king's imminent departure.
The king, with the boy Prince Gaeryeong at his side, are leaving in a carriage. Hunae raises a loud stink and tries to talk to the king, but he wants nothing to do with her and heads on, mother and son shouting to each other in despair as the carriage pulls away.
Back in the capital: Lady Yunheung is thrilled to have the prince back. The boy is his usual polite self but is distant. He tries to say something about his mother, but she forbids him from calling Hunae "mother" or even talking about her.
Choe Ryang tells the king that the assassins probably weren't Jurchens. So the king is quick to deduce that it must have been Hunae. Ryang cautions him--"That's a big assumption"--but the king is convinced. In fact, he's convinced not only of Hunae's guilt but also that he's lost the northern territory and its people entirely to Hunae. He's still being haunted by the prophecies of Choe Jimong (that damned astrologer) about Hunae and her son.
Hunae despairs the loss of her once-close relationship with her brother; she can't understand why he's so mean to her.
Hyangbi returns to Hunae with the scoop on Seol. She noticed what we noticed; she called him "husband" and so they may well have gotten married. And no, she's not coming back. Hunae decides she'll go south to see her, and also see the king to clear things up with him. Gang Jo advises strongly against seeing the king, at least not so quickly.
Seol is trying to cook some fish over a flame. She's not good at it; overcooks the fish a bit and burns her hand in the process. Gyeongjuwon takes it in good humor. She's bummed about not being a better cook but he just laughs it off out of his love for her.
Mealtime for Lady Yunheung and the prince, but the boy has no appetite and excuses himself. "I'm afraid he's changed," Yunheung tells Escort Jo.
The Shillans are meeting again, happy that Hunae is being backed into a corner. They don't even care who was behind the assassination attempt; they're just thrilled that it all is working in their favor.
Seo Hui and Yi Jibaek fill Gang Gamchan in on developments. Gang tells them he's been conducting an investigation while they've been gone, but he won't tell them what it's about, not just yet.
Kim Wonsoong tells Jo Sun and Jo Du to prepare a caravan to head north to Khitan territory. A trading expedition. A weird request, since caravans in that direction are under threat of being robbed by Jurchens. But Kim wants to do it because it has the potential to be very lucrative. Then Jo Sun says he knows "a middleman in Seogyeong" who has Jurchen connections and will keep the caravan safe. (Okay, folks, anybody else see this turning into something huge? I can't help thinking that this might turn into the crack in the dam.)
In a prison cell: The two men--brothers, we learn--who were being tortured decide to kill themselves. They bid each other goodbye.
A strange interlude of Chiyang praying in a Buddhist temple. He says he'll "willingly face the judgment of Yama" for the violence he's involved in.
The next morning: The king is informed by Yi Gyeoumi that the two prisoners bashed their heads against the stone wall of their cell, and they're dead. Then Choe Sum and Kim Wonsoong urge the king to bring Hunae in for interrogation! Seo and Yi argue against any such thing.
Gamchan tells Hunae that he's spoken to the monks at Guibup temple and has concluded that the attackers were in fact not Jurchens. But how to find them and catch them? He has an idea: There has to be a merchant somewhere in the city who sold a large quantity of Jurchen clothes recently. (GREAT idea.) And he's quietly nosing around to find that merchant.
The prince is still haunted by the voice of his mother crying out for him as his carriage left Seogyeong. Kim Shimun, the former Shillan who we see is now the boy's master, tells him to forget about it and about her; she's the one who tried to hurt the king in Seogyeong and orchestrated the attack in Guibup Temple too. That's ridiculous, the boy says; I know how much she loves her country and she would never do any such thing. "Please don't speak of my mother in that contemptuous tone again. I won't tolerate it." Kim is silent, taken aback. (Good for you, kid.)
By a riverbank: Seol is washing clothes by hand. Then who shows up but Hunae.
Later, inside: Yep, they were married. Hunae accuses Gyeongjuwon of irresponsibility and says that this could destroy Myeongbok Palace (Why?). But he tells her that they want no power and nothing but a simple anonymous life together. So can't we have your blessing? "If his highness finds out," Hunae fears, "there will be hell to pay." No, Seol says, not when he sees how happy I am. And she really is happy, which Hunae can see. Hunae tells them that the king must never find out about this because "he is too much of Confucianist to understand the two of you. You must stay in hiding all your life." Which they don't mind at all. Hunae offers to send a servant to do housework, but Seol won't even accept that. We can see in Hunae's face that she still thinks her sister is a little nuts, but she's willing to accept the situation. She and Seol hug goodbye, and Seol says she's sorry for leaving her sister; they've lived together all their lives. It's a very touching, bittersweet goodbye.
On the journey home, Huane tells Gamchan of her sorrow that the two have to live in hiding and that they couldn't even have a proper wedding. But Gamchan says they're an ideal couple and are happy together, which she keeps forgetting.
Prince Gaeryeong thinks back happily to his time with his mother...and then is snapped out of it by a sudden visit from the king. The king is unhappy about teh boy's stern words to Kim Shimun. "Yyour master is right," the king says. "She tried to have me killed with guileful schemes." The boy tries to defend her, but the king cuts him off angrily. "You only have one mother from now on and that's Lady Yunheung." The boy protests, "Even the lowly animals know where they come from"; how can I renounce my own mother? But the king only scolds him more and then leaves, muttering, "Ungrateful child." With that, the boy begins to shake all over. He staggers to his bed and falls into it, unconscious and foaming at the mouth. We saw this once before; what gives?
Chiyang tells Sa Gamun that the prince has epilepsy. (So he did know something that he was holding back.) "And in his case, it's quite severe." Does the palace know? Probably not, or they never would have installed him. Sa Gamun asks "Is this good for us or bad for us?" Tough call.
Still alone, the prince regains consciousness, and cries quietly for his mother.
The next day: Queen Mundeok is near death. Her daughter is at her side, and the king has come to be with her. Weakly, she tells her daughter, "Don't live your life like me. Go to Hwangju and live freely like a bird." She sheds a tear of regret. And with that, she dies. Even the king shows some sorrow, despite his never having loved her.
We see the queen's funeral procession and the royal house in mourning. Then, a flashback from Ep10 of the queen expressing her dying wish to the king.
Go Hyun, the king's head attendant, has come all the way to Myeongbok to tell Hunae that the king has ordered her to the palace.
So she goes. She walks into the throne room. "I summoned you because of the last words of the queen." Take princes Sun with you, he says. She agrees. Then and he turns his back to her. "Is that all?" She tells him she'll accept his offer and move back to Sungdeok palace. Why now all of a sudden?, he asks suspiciously. Forget it, he says; the deal's off. And forget about ever seeing your son again. "From this moment forward, Gaeryeong is no longer your son." And if that isn't mean enough, "It's over between us as well. You are no longer my sister."