Post by ajk on Jul 29, 2009 14:34:41 GMT -5
"What?! In three days at the royal ancestral shrine?" Yi Hyunoon has gone straight to the queen and told her what he heard.
Wonsoong is before the king in the throne room and has told him about the Khitan princess. The king isn't happy about this, but Wonsoong explains that he was backed into a corner and couldn't refuse the Khitans' demand. "Think of her as a hostage to ensure Goryeo's peace," he suggests (good idea). Then Munhwa enters the throne room; she's brought Hyunoon with her to back her up as she tells her husband the latest. "They are after you," she insists.
"Mother, won't you reconsider? Why are you trying to commit high treason?" Hunae wants her son to be brave and focused, but the boy is trying to talk his mother out of it all, and we can see trepidation and fear in his face.
Wonsoong and the queen together are trying to convince the king. But the king reminds them that Wonsoong fabricated a treason plot once before, and the result was Seol's death. Then suddenly a minister runs in to tell the king that a band of soldiers was seen leaving Myeongbok Palace and is heading in this direction. Then another minister runs in with news that Yi Jibaek and Yi Gyeomui are "stirring up the court" and suggesting abdication. And now Choe Sum is in the throne room and is pressing the king to act. This is getting to be too much; the king physically staggers.
We see Balhaean soldiers on the move. Hyangbi seems to be leading them, or at least is out in front. Elsewhere, Chiyang's Jurchen soldiers are also on the move, disguised as a merchant caravan that just happens to be carrying a stockpile of weapons.
Hunae, Chiyang and Sa Gamun make final arrangements. They hope to get the king to sign an abdication letter, but if not...prepare for blood, essentially.
Gang Jo and Dae Dosu's subordinates discuss the security arrangements for the king's upcoming trip--and how to penetrate them.
Prince Gaeryeong has returned from Sungdeok Palace and is alone, pacing back and forth. Suddenly the king arrives for a visit. What did you and your mother talk about?, he asks. Caught completely off guard, the boy fidgets and looks away. Then another curveball: "Do you think you should rise to the throne?" Gaeryeong can only stammer, "I...I don't know. I will abide by your orders." He still can't look the king in the eye. Sungjong leaves, looking like he's found out what he wanted to find out. He orders Dae Dosu summoned.
Dae Dosu arrives. The king puts it to him point-blank: Why are you doing this to me? I know that your subordinates and Gang Jo are plotting against me. Dosu is utterly deer-in-the-headlights stunned. "Do not pretend," the king says angrily, but Dae really knows nothing about it and couldn't be more horrified. I don't want to kill you or your subordinates, Sungjong says, nor do I wish to kill my sister. But it's up to you to save them all. What do I do?, Dae asks.
Jangheungjin, northern territory: Seo Hui and Gang Gamchan have Yang Kyu brought before them; they're trying to sort out the mess. Yang tells them that when Ahn Pae became garrison commander, foundry workers and refugee villagers became subject to terrible cruelty. Then we learn that Yang grew up with a mute peasant girl named Sohwa; he was a soldier but her death is what drove him to go AWOL. In a flashback we see an elderly foundry worker being whipped under Ahn's supervision; Sohwa runs in and tries to protect the old man, and Ahn Pae kills her on the spot. Yang Kyu, horrified, falls out of line and runs to her aid...."That's when I left the camp," he says, flashback ending. (Note: The refugee village was referred to by an elder as Sohwa; they must have named it after her.) We also learn that Yang has had no formal training in martial arts or horsemanship, despite his singular skills; he's entirely self-taught. Seo Hui criticizes him for committing the crimes of deserting the military and injuring fellow soldiers. "But investigation has revealed extenuating circumstances. Would you use your talent for Goryeo if you were absolved of your crimes?" It's a great offer, but Yang says he doesn't care about absolution; "just give the villagers their basic human rights. Then I will serve you with loyalty and devotion." Seo is visibly impressed.
All of the villagers and foundry workers have been gathered. Seo Hui tells them that they were wrongly treated and that those who persecuted them will be punished. And he orders compensation and easier work schedules for the foundry workers. The villagers are understandably grateful and overjoyed.
Gaegyeong: Yelu Dilie pays his respects to King Sungjong. He's brought an imperial edict from Khitan emperor Shengzong. Sungjong opens it and reads it. He offers his thanks for the gift of the princess, and tells Dilie he'll set a wedding date after the ceremonies commemorating king Gyeongjong's death are completed.
Xiao Zanli, the Khitan princess, is in the queen's quarters and is meeting Munhwa. She asks the queen to think of her as her younger sister and teach her Goryean customs and traditions.
Khitan royal palace: Emperor Shengzong is shooting arrows. He's doing the apples-on-the-stooges'-heads-and-shoulders thing again, just like in his match with Hunae. But this time he doesn't miss. He tells Yelu Pennu, if Hunae survives all of her turmoil, he'd like to see her again so he can challenge her to another match. (Geez, buddy, get over it already.)
Go Hyun arrives at Sungdeok Palace to summon Hunae to see the king. "On what matter?", she asks. (At that point an insurance commercial cuts in. How timely is that? Better get yourself some life insurance, lady--call now!) Go doesn't know the reason.
Sungjong is in bed, apparently not feeling well; Hunae arrives. "I don't think I can go to the royal shrine tomorrow," he tells her; it's the physician's insistence. Which, of course, it isn't; we realize he's looking to see how she reacts to this. She tries hard to convince him to go, maybe a little too eagerly since she ought to be more concerned about his health. Then he suddenly gets nostalgic, and talks a bit about their childhood together. It looks from his face that he knows what's going on and that she's unwittingly just convinced him of the truth of it all. Do you really want me to go?, he asks one last time. "Yes, You'll feel better when we get back." I hope you're right, he tells her. She leaves, and he breaks down crying, faced with the awful truth that his sister is out to get him.
Munhwa is told by Choe Sum and Kim Shimun that Prince Gyeongjuwon refused to come back from his exile. Then, she says, we have to bring Prince Daeryang back alone, with or without his father.
Sa Illa is standing over Gyeongjuwon's grave. Obviously his body was found and buried by villagers. In her thoughts we hear deep remorse and regret: "I'm sorry, prince. I've done you great wrong." But when our new state is secure, "I will find your son and raise him myself." (Boy, will that kid ever need therapy.)
Evening: Chiyang is being watched, and he knows it. He manages to lose the tail...and has another clandestine meeting with Mun Inui. Mun tells him what Choe Sum has been up to. Chiyang is worried, about the tail, and about Choe investigating him.
Gang Jo, Yi Jibaek and Yi Gyeomui report to Hunae on how everything is going. Seems to be unfolding according to plan. We even learn that some of the royal ministries (those not controlled by Shillans) will immediately announce their support for Prince Gaeryeong when the overthrow happens. That's quite a piece of news in itself. But Hunae isn't listening; she suddenly seems dangerously distracted. Why?
With the Shillan ministers present, Munhwa begs her husband not to go to the shrine tomorrow. But Sungjong says that he must go in order to provoke the overthrow attempt. Munhwa wants him to just get it over with and arrest everyone now, but the ministers assure her that they'll have sufficient protection tomorrow for the king. And about prince Gaeryeong? "We'll talk about this after the plot has been thwarted," Sungjong says, not wanting to deal with anything more at the moment. But Choe Ryang argues (quite effectively, I thought) that because of his parentage, Prince Daeryang is a symbol of national unity and should be brought forward as heir over Gaeryeong.
Evening: Hunae is having second thoughts. Chiyang reassures her, but she doesn't want to strike down her ailing brother and is wondering if she can talk it all out with him. Chiyang reminds her of all of the suffering and death that motivated her to get to this point. Which is what she needed to hear to get her focus back. Then she reaches out to him and hugs him: "Just hold me for a while."
Morning: It's the big day. At a morning state meeting, Sungjong tells his ministers that he's off to the royal ancestral shrine for the Gyeongjong ceremony. And then he's off, in a palanquin, with Hunae and her nervous son in a second palanquin, a group of ministers accompanying them on foot, and the expected large number of soldiers led by Dae Dosu and Gang Jo. As the procession makes its way through a main street, we see Hyangbi and the Balhaean soldiers disguised as civilians, trailing behind.
Myeongbok Palace: Steward Yi, steward Mun and merchant Yi are frightened by a sudden commotion: Yi Yang and soldiers bursting into the palace grounds. They've come to arrest the entire staff for treason! But Dokyun is there, and she starts fighting the whole company single-handedly (give me a break).
Headed north, the royal procession passes through a woodland where we can see Jurchen soldiers in the surrounding vegetation. Suddenly an ambush, and the battle is on. But then another ambush! This time it's Goryean troops! This was Dae Dosu's doing. He's trying to stop the overthrow. Stop this, he tells Gang Jo; it's over. But of course it's not over. "Attack the royal carriage!" Hunae orders, and a wildly confusing battle ensues as the ministers who got caught up in this just stand there looking completely confused. Then from the rear, the Balhaean soldiers show up, and the battle expands again.
Back and Myeongbok Palace: Dokyun is still fighting like crazy (it hasn't occurred to any of the Goryean soldiers to just fire an arrow at her and be done with it). Then, as soldiers run into a courtyard to arrest Yi, Mun and Yi, princess Sun comes running outside brandishing a bow and arrow! A soldier runs towards her to arrest her, but at the last second she shoots him point-blank and he falls dead. As she stands there, suddenly horrified by what she's done, a second soldier runs up and draws his sword. Escort Yun steps in front of her and takes a fatal blow to protect her. Yi Jujeong runs to Yun's aid, and he takes a fatal blow too. Dokyun manages to run away and make her escape. The merchant Yi, they didn't get him and he stays hiding in a palace building. The princess is arrested and taken away.
Back on the road north, it's absolute mayhem. Chiyang, Sa Gamun, Gang Jo, Dae Dosu, Jurchens, Balhaeans, Goryeans, all fighting while a suddenly frightened-looking Hunae watches from her palanquin. In the middle of the chaos Dae Dosu approaches her: "My lady, order your men to stop. Why are you doing this to your own?" Hunae hesitates, momentarily paralyzed. "Surrender or you'll die," he begs her. "Please surrender!" Instead Hunae picks up her bow and aims an arrow directly at the back of the king's palanquin directly ahead of her. "Stop!", she shouts, "Or I will shoot the king!" Apparently everybody heard her above the ruckus (?) because that does it; everybody stops. But just for a moment, and then it's chaos again. Now Gaeryeong begs his mother to put the bow down. Around them, the fight goes on, and we see the long-forgotten Suri--we spot her just in time to see her get killed by Jo Sun (What's HE doing there?). And then Jo Sun gives Yi Sulhwa a fatal blow too. Sulhwa gets a glimpse of Sa Gamun fighting, and that's the last thing she sees as she dies in Hyangbi's arms. Then suddenly around the perimeter of it all there are archers, dozens and dozens of them. They fire into the battle and the Jurchen tribal chief (What's HE doing there at his age?) takes several arrows, killing him right in front of a horrified Chiyang. The archers reload..."Stop!" Hunae shouts again. "This is my last warning. Stop, or I will shoot the king!" They can hear her again but the Goryean soldiers ignore her and continue fighting, and the archers fire again. Hunae aims at the king's palanquin and draws her bow, her son tries to stop her, and she swats him aside like a bug, sending him flying out of their palanquin. She draws again, and this time she fires. The arrow flies through the air, through the back of the king's palanquin, and then we see a closeup of the arrow point emerging from beneath a black robe. And we see blood.
Wonsoong is before the king in the throne room and has told him about the Khitan princess. The king isn't happy about this, but Wonsoong explains that he was backed into a corner and couldn't refuse the Khitans' demand. "Think of her as a hostage to ensure Goryeo's peace," he suggests (good idea). Then Munhwa enters the throne room; she's brought Hyunoon with her to back her up as she tells her husband the latest. "They are after you," she insists.
"Mother, won't you reconsider? Why are you trying to commit high treason?" Hunae wants her son to be brave and focused, but the boy is trying to talk his mother out of it all, and we can see trepidation and fear in his face.
Wonsoong and the queen together are trying to convince the king. But the king reminds them that Wonsoong fabricated a treason plot once before, and the result was Seol's death. Then suddenly a minister runs in to tell the king that a band of soldiers was seen leaving Myeongbok Palace and is heading in this direction. Then another minister runs in with news that Yi Jibaek and Yi Gyeomui are "stirring up the court" and suggesting abdication. And now Choe Sum is in the throne room and is pressing the king to act. This is getting to be too much; the king physically staggers.
We see Balhaean soldiers on the move. Hyangbi seems to be leading them, or at least is out in front. Elsewhere, Chiyang's Jurchen soldiers are also on the move, disguised as a merchant caravan that just happens to be carrying a stockpile of weapons.
Hunae, Chiyang and Sa Gamun make final arrangements. They hope to get the king to sign an abdication letter, but if not...prepare for blood, essentially.
Gang Jo and Dae Dosu's subordinates discuss the security arrangements for the king's upcoming trip--and how to penetrate them.
Prince Gaeryeong has returned from Sungdeok Palace and is alone, pacing back and forth. Suddenly the king arrives for a visit. What did you and your mother talk about?, he asks. Caught completely off guard, the boy fidgets and looks away. Then another curveball: "Do you think you should rise to the throne?" Gaeryeong can only stammer, "I...I don't know. I will abide by your orders." He still can't look the king in the eye. Sungjong leaves, looking like he's found out what he wanted to find out. He orders Dae Dosu summoned.
Dae Dosu arrives. The king puts it to him point-blank: Why are you doing this to me? I know that your subordinates and Gang Jo are plotting against me. Dosu is utterly deer-in-the-headlights stunned. "Do not pretend," the king says angrily, but Dae really knows nothing about it and couldn't be more horrified. I don't want to kill you or your subordinates, Sungjong says, nor do I wish to kill my sister. But it's up to you to save them all. What do I do?, Dae asks.
Jangheungjin, northern territory: Seo Hui and Gang Gamchan have Yang Kyu brought before them; they're trying to sort out the mess. Yang tells them that when Ahn Pae became garrison commander, foundry workers and refugee villagers became subject to terrible cruelty. Then we learn that Yang grew up with a mute peasant girl named Sohwa; he was a soldier but her death is what drove him to go AWOL. In a flashback we see an elderly foundry worker being whipped under Ahn's supervision; Sohwa runs in and tries to protect the old man, and Ahn Pae kills her on the spot. Yang Kyu, horrified, falls out of line and runs to her aid...."That's when I left the camp," he says, flashback ending. (Note: The refugee village was referred to by an elder as Sohwa; they must have named it after her.) We also learn that Yang has had no formal training in martial arts or horsemanship, despite his singular skills; he's entirely self-taught. Seo Hui criticizes him for committing the crimes of deserting the military and injuring fellow soldiers. "But investigation has revealed extenuating circumstances. Would you use your talent for Goryeo if you were absolved of your crimes?" It's a great offer, but Yang says he doesn't care about absolution; "just give the villagers their basic human rights. Then I will serve you with loyalty and devotion." Seo is visibly impressed.
All of the villagers and foundry workers have been gathered. Seo Hui tells them that they were wrongly treated and that those who persecuted them will be punished. And he orders compensation and easier work schedules for the foundry workers. The villagers are understandably grateful and overjoyed.
Gaegyeong: Yelu Dilie pays his respects to King Sungjong. He's brought an imperial edict from Khitan emperor Shengzong. Sungjong opens it and reads it. He offers his thanks for the gift of the princess, and tells Dilie he'll set a wedding date after the ceremonies commemorating king Gyeongjong's death are completed.
Xiao Zanli, the Khitan princess, is in the queen's quarters and is meeting Munhwa. She asks the queen to think of her as her younger sister and teach her Goryean customs and traditions.
Khitan royal palace: Emperor Shengzong is shooting arrows. He's doing the apples-on-the-stooges'-heads-and-shoulders thing again, just like in his match with Hunae. But this time he doesn't miss. He tells Yelu Pennu, if Hunae survives all of her turmoil, he'd like to see her again so he can challenge her to another match. (Geez, buddy, get over it already.)
Go Hyun arrives at Sungdeok Palace to summon Hunae to see the king. "On what matter?", she asks. (At that point an insurance commercial cuts in. How timely is that? Better get yourself some life insurance, lady--call now!) Go doesn't know the reason.
Sungjong is in bed, apparently not feeling well; Hunae arrives. "I don't think I can go to the royal shrine tomorrow," he tells her; it's the physician's insistence. Which, of course, it isn't; we realize he's looking to see how she reacts to this. She tries hard to convince him to go, maybe a little too eagerly since she ought to be more concerned about his health. Then he suddenly gets nostalgic, and talks a bit about their childhood together. It looks from his face that he knows what's going on and that she's unwittingly just convinced him of the truth of it all. Do you really want me to go?, he asks one last time. "Yes, You'll feel better when we get back." I hope you're right, he tells her. She leaves, and he breaks down crying, faced with the awful truth that his sister is out to get him.
Munhwa is told by Choe Sum and Kim Shimun that Prince Gyeongjuwon refused to come back from his exile. Then, she says, we have to bring Prince Daeryang back alone, with or without his father.
Sa Illa is standing over Gyeongjuwon's grave. Obviously his body was found and buried by villagers. In her thoughts we hear deep remorse and regret: "I'm sorry, prince. I've done you great wrong." But when our new state is secure, "I will find your son and raise him myself." (Boy, will that kid ever need therapy.)
Evening: Chiyang is being watched, and he knows it. He manages to lose the tail...and has another clandestine meeting with Mun Inui. Mun tells him what Choe Sum has been up to. Chiyang is worried, about the tail, and about Choe investigating him.
Gang Jo, Yi Jibaek and Yi Gyeomui report to Hunae on how everything is going. Seems to be unfolding according to plan. We even learn that some of the royal ministries (those not controlled by Shillans) will immediately announce their support for Prince Gaeryeong when the overthrow happens. That's quite a piece of news in itself. But Hunae isn't listening; she suddenly seems dangerously distracted. Why?
With the Shillan ministers present, Munhwa begs her husband not to go to the shrine tomorrow. But Sungjong says that he must go in order to provoke the overthrow attempt. Munhwa wants him to just get it over with and arrest everyone now, but the ministers assure her that they'll have sufficient protection tomorrow for the king. And about prince Gaeryeong? "We'll talk about this after the plot has been thwarted," Sungjong says, not wanting to deal with anything more at the moment. But Choe Ryang argues (quite effectively, I thought) that because of his parentage, Prince Daeryang is a symbol of national unity and should be brought forward as heir over Gaeryeong.
Evening: Hunae is having second thoughts. Chiyang reassures her, but she doesn't want to strike down her ailing brother and is wondering if she can talk it all out with him. Chiyang reminds her of all of the suffering and death that motivated her to get to this point. Which is what she needed to hear to get her focus back. Then she reaches out to him and hugs him: "Just hold me for a while."
Morning: It's the big day. At a morning state meeting, Sungjong tells his ministers that he's off to the royal ancestral shrine for the Gyeongjong ceremony. And then he's off, in a palanquin, with Hunae and her nervous son in a second palanquin, a group of ministers accompanying them on foot, and the expected large number of soldiers led by Dae Dosu and Gang Jo. As the procession makes its way through a main street, we see Hyangbi and the Balhaean soldiers disguised as civilians, trailing behind.
Myeongbok Palace: Steward Yi, steward Mun and merchant Yi are frightened by a sudden commotion: Yi Yang and soldiers bursting into the palace grounds. They've come to arrest the entire staff for treason! But Dokyun is there, and she starts fighting the whole company single-handedly (give me a break).
Headed north, the royal procession passes through a woodland where we can see Jurchen soldiers in the surrounding vegetation. Suddenly an ambush, and the battle is on. But then another ambush! This time it's Goryean troops! This was Dae Dosu's doing. He's trying to stop the overthrow. Stop this, he tells Gang Jo; it's over. But of course it's not over. "Attack the royal carriage!" Hunae orders, and a wildly confusing battle ensues as the ministers who got caught up in this just stand there looking completely confused. Then from the rear, the Balhaean soldiers show up, and the battle expands again.
Back and Myeongbok Palace: Dokyun is still fighting like crazy (it hasn't occurred to any of the Goryean soldiers to just fire an arrow at her and be done with it). Then, as soldiers run into a courtyard to arrest Yi, Mun and Yi, princess Sun comes running outside brandishing a bow and arrow! A soldier runs towards her to arrest her, but at the last second she shoots him point-blank and he falls dead. As she stands there, suddenly horrified by what she's done, a second soldier runs up and draws his sword. Escort Yun steps in front of her and takes a fatal blow to protect her. Yi Jujeong runs to Yun's aid, and he takes a fatal blow too. Dokyun manages to run away and make her escape. The merchant Yi, they didn't get him and he stays hiding in a palace building. The princess is arrested and taken away.
Back on the road north, it's absolute mayhem. Chiyang, Sa Gamun, Gang Jo, Dae Dosu, Jurchens, Balhaeans, Goryeans, all fighting while a suddenly frightened-looking Hunae watches from her palanquin. In the middle of the chaos Dae Dosu approaches her: "My lady, order your men to stop. Why are you doing this to your own?" Hunae hesitates, momentarily paralyzed. "Surrender or you'll die," he begs her. "Please surrender!" Instead Hunae picks up her bow and aims an arrow directly at the back of the king's palanquin directly ahead of her. "Stop!", she shouts, "Or I will shoot the king!" Apparently everybody heard her above the ruckus (?) because that does it; everybody stops. But just for a moment, and then it's chaos again. Now Gaeryeong begs his mother to put the bow down. Around them, the fight goes on, and we see the long-forgotten Suri--we spot her just in time to see her get killed by Jo Sun (What's HE doing there?). And then Jo Sun gives Yi Sulhwa a fatal blow too. Sulhwa gets a glimpse of Sa Gamun fighting, and that's the last thing she sees as she dies in Hyangbi's arms. Then suddenly around the perimeter of it all there are archers, dozens and dozens of them. They fire into the battle and the Jurchen tribal chief (What's HE doing there at his age?) takes several arrows, killing him right in front of a horrified Chiyang. The archers reload..."Stop!" Hunae shouts again. "This is my last warning. Stop, or I will shoot the king!" They can hear her again but the Goryean soldiers ignore her and continue fighting, and the archers fire again. Hunae aims at the king's palanquin and draws her bow, her son tries to stop her, and she swats him aside like a bug, sending him flying out of their palanquin. She draws again, and this time she fires. The arrow flies through the air, through the back of the king's palanquin, and then we see a closeup of the arrow point emerging from beneath a black robe. And we see blood.