Post by ajk on Oct 6, 2009 12:30:02 GMT -5
Mokjong is as happy as we've ever seen him, and so is his mother, who comes right over to see her son and Milhwa upon hearing about the pregnancy. "You've saved the imperial house," she tells Milhwa, and I'll be praying for a boy. And we'll have a banquet to celebrate.
Chiyang is told about the pregnancy by Sa Illa. Without explaining, he seems to think it's very good news for him. Then Yi Jujeong enters and tells Chiyang he's found the counterfeiting operation! It's right outside the city, he says, and he saw Wonsoong's aide Jo Du there with the coinmakers. Chiyang decides not to tell Cheonchu about this; instead, he tells Sa Illa to summon generals Yang Kyu, Kim Sukheung and Yu Bang.
Yoseoktek (Milhwa's former home): Troops barge in and arrest Kim Yungdae.
We see the counterfeiters at work. It's quite an operation. Suddenly, troops barge in and arrest everyone. Jo Du is still there and he's arrested too.
Lady Yunheung's villa: Troops barge in and arrest Wonsoong, right in front of his stunned daughter.
Empress Sunjeong couldn't be more gracious about the pregnancy, telling Milhwa she's been anxious about the lack of an heir and "You've relieved my burden." Then Cheonchu tells Mokjong she'll be terminating her regency upon the child's birth, because now she has faith in his ability to lead the state. Great news for Mokjong; free at least. But then, from outside, we hear a commotion. The four go outside and find troops arresting Milhwa's maidservant. Who ordered this?, Mokjong and Cheonchu demand. Chiyang shows up at that very moment and says he did. Milhwa has committed an "outrageous crime," he tells them, and wanted to question her servant about it before questioning Milhwa. Then he breaks the news to Mokjong that the child isn't his. Yu Hangan is there and backs him up; Kim Yungdae is the father, he tells Mokjong.
Later, in private, Chiyang tells Cheonchu that Kim Yungdae isn't Milhwa's brother, and for that matter "Kim Milhwa" is probably a fake identity too. This was all set up by Wonsoong and Yunheung, he explains, to bring the child to the throne and drive you out of the palace. And he tells her about the counterfeiting operation, too. Cheonchu seethes and orders an immediate inquiry, at which she'll preside personally.
Ministers get the news and are understandably stunned. Gamchan is concerned about Mokjong; he's done so well lately but can he bounce back from this?
Evening (Of course!) in the torture yard: The inquiry begins. A number of people are tied to chairs. We recognize Wonsoong, Kim Yungdae, Jo Du, and Milhwa's maidservant; the others must be coinmakers. Questioning of Wonsoong and Yungdae; the expected denials. So Cheonchu orders everyone tortured--except Wonsoong. Really?
Jo Sun is with Yunheung at her villa; he escaped arrest. Yunheung's daughter, princess Jeong, is there too; we haven't seen her for a long time (since Ep45, and she's grown since then). Jeong doesn't know anything about any of Wonsoong's plots. Jo advises Yunheung to go into hiding for her own safety. But she won't. Hiding will be useless, she says; Cheonchu will find me wherever I go. "Providence is on the empress dowager's side. This incident has made me realize that." She asks Jo to take Jeong somewhere where Cheonchu can't touch her. Jeong protests but her mother insists.
The torture continues until Jo Du finally breaks and confesses that it's Wonsoong's counterfeiting operation. Then Kim Yungdae confesses that he was "just a small-time merchant in Gyeongju" and was lured into all this by Wonsoong. And says he's not related to Milhwa and is not King Wonsung's descendant. Wonsoong maintains his innocence, even after this, so Gang Jo and Dae Dosu want to torture him. But Cheonchu has a better idea: "Bring Lady Yunheung. Surely she knows what her father does." That does it; rather than see his daughter tortured, Wonsoong fesses up to everything. Next question: Who was helping you?
The empress is trying to comfort her husband, saying it must all be a mistake and Milhwa will be cleared. But then Go Hyun enters with the news that Wonsoong confessed to all of it. Sunjeong hopes it was a false confession under torture, but Go says it wasn't, because he wasn't tortured. (Ah, so that was the deal. Well done, Cheonchu.)
The emperor goes to see Milhwa, who's now in a jail cell. It was all a mistake, she tells him desperately; I would never do such a thing. But Mokjong doesn't buy it, and he's crushed because he cared for her so much. "Not as the emperor but as a man." Then Milhwa fesses up and starts to cry; "They threatened me and I had no choice," she says; please spare my life. Then soldiers enter; Milhwa is required at the inquiry, so they remove her from the jail cell. But Mokjong stops them. He tells her, "I can't put you through this. I can't let anyone hurt you." She's overcome with relief and gratitude...but only for a moment. Because Mokjong grabs a sword, turns to face her, winds up and KILLS HER right there on the spot! "Only I can hurt you," he says through his tears as she lays dying on the floor. Equal parts tragic and stunning.
Now we see Han Ingyeong at the inquiry, tied to a chair. He acknowledges his crime and has nothing more to say except "Give me death." Anybody else?, Cheonchu asks Wonsoong. Oh boy, does he have an answer for her this time: Kim Chiyang! Chiyang is there for this, and Wonsoong addresses him directly: "I helped you expand your business and made you a fortune. More than half of my counterfeit coins ended up in your hands, so you're my accomplice." Chiyang protests to Cheonchu that Wonsoong is only trying to drag him down into all of this, but Wonsoong practically scolds Chiyang: "Five years ago, you promised me my safety in return for wealth. (Which is true; we saw this in Ep52.) You failed to protect me, so you must pay the price as well." Chiyang is blowing a gasket and orders him tortured, but Cheonchu overrules and lets him continue. Wonsoong acknowledges plotting her ouster and says he'll face death. "But mark my words. You will not last long either. And Kim Chiyang will be the cause of your demise." "On what grounds do you say this?" "I've no proof, but I know an impostor when I see one. Mark my words." A sudden explosion of thunder and lightning punctuate the moment (Gotta love TV weather!). It starts to rain.
Having left the jail, and still holding the sword, Mokjong wanders around in the storm, getting soaked and laughing insanely. He throws down the sword, looks to the sky and begs for lightning to strike him dead. (No, dude, if you want that, you hold the sword UP.)
Next morning: State council meeting. Mokjong is ill so Cheonchu is sitting in for him. She reads her orders regarding the Milhwa affair:
--Milhwa is already dead, but "Her crime is far greater than her death alone" so her family is to be executed too and her estate demolished
--Kim Wonsoong, Kim Yungdae and Jo Du are to be executed
--Lady Yunheung and Han Ingyeong are to be exiled
--For uncovering the crimes, Yu Hangan is promoted to First Secretary of the Office of Ceremony. (Anybody spot the symbolism here? That's Chiyang's old job.)
Mokjong has summoned Kim Shimun to his quarters. He asks Kim calmly, "You were a part of this. Weren't you, master?" Shimun, mortified, denies it. But Mokjong figured it out: "The place where I first met Milhwa was where you and I were supposed to meet." Busss-ted. Shimun falls to his knees and says he simply was asked to arrange the meeting; he had no idea of its purpose. But Mokjong doesn't even care about punishing him. Betrayed by the woman who raised him, and by the woman he loved, and now by his former mentor, he seems almost beyond anger or pain. "The throne is the problem," he says despairingly; the seat of power is what caused all this.
Soldiers arrive at Yunheung's villa and arrest her.
Execution time for Wonsoong, Kim Yungdae and Jo Du. Wonsoong defiantly tells Yu Bang, "My only regret is being born in the wrong era. Strike!" Yu scowls at him and calls him a "materialistic degenerate," but Wonsoong fires back, "A thousand years from now, the world will be filed with men like me. When that time comes, money and wealth will be the priority for everyone. I'm just ahead of my time." (Anybody wants to start a new thread about THAT one, be my guest.) Yu has heard enough. He gives the order; three soldiers step forward and raise their swords, the swords strike and that's it.
On a public street: We see Yunheung in a prisoner cart being taken into exile; Escort Jo and Han Ingyeong follow on foot. (We're not told whether or not Escort Jo was convicted of anything, but we do see her wearing prisoner's white.) To the side, Princess Jeong watches and starts to cry out, but Jo Sun covers her mouth and leads her away.
Gang Jo tells Gamchan he's concerned about Chiyang sweeping in to save the day and exposing the latest plots--it will earn him Cheonchu's trust all the more. But Gamchan replies that Chiyang did this for himself, not for her, because now his son is back in the picture as a potential heir to the throne. And the fact that Yu Hangan went to Chiyang with what he knew rather than go to the emperor or some other official, that proves he's working for Chiyang. Gamchan doesn't like that because Hangan is so close to the emperor. He asks Jo if Jo knows a trustworthy person they can place close to the emperor (to watch Hangan).
Cheonchu looks like she has Excedrin Headache #27. Chiyang tries to lift her spirits, but she stares right at him and calmly asks him for the complete truth. "Did you amass your fortune with his help?" So Chiyang owns up. Yes, he helped me. "I just needed his know-how to expand the country's wealth. It was not for personal profit." (Lie.) She scolds him for bad judgment. He accepts it, but assures her that the rest of what Wonsoong said is nonsense. She's visibly worn down and doesn't want to squeeze him any further, so she drops it and he's dodged the bullet.
Evening: Kim Shimun is returning home. A woman calls out to him; she's come to speak to him. It's Hyangbi. He recognizes her and they go inside. She asks him about whether or not Kim's father-in-law Choe Sum ever talked to him about the Shillan crown prince Mahi, or about Hangae Temple. He tells her he knows nothing about any of this. (Which seems to be true. I thought there might be a continuity error here because Choe Sum did talk in Ep19 about the Hangae killings, but only with Steward Mun.) Then she asks him if it's possible that Mun Inui might know something. But Shimun only expresses disgust at the mere mention of Mun's name, for his betrayal of Choe Sum. Why all these questions?, he asks her--is this for your husband? No, she answers, he knows nothing about this. And she has a favor to ask of Kim....
Chiyang tells Sa Gamun that he was right; "The Empress Dowager is drifting away from me." But no matter. "The emperor will self-destruct. Yu Hangan will make sure of that." Which will clear the way for my son. But what about Prince Daeryang? He's the one big obstacle to that happening. They have to find him and kill him. But as Sa Gamun points out, "Even if we succeed, Gang Gamchan will know that it was us who killed him." So Chiyang says they have to find some unexpected way to kill him. He has an idea: what about Dokyun? The poison expert.
Mokjong is lying in bed, seemingly in shock. Cheonchu tries to talk him up, but he can only weakly tell her to go away.
Dinnertime: Hyangbi returns home. Jo is waiting for her, and she has to make excuses for his not finding her there. He even made dinner himself--and it's a darned impressive dinner. Better than my cooking, Hyangbi tells him with a smile as they eat.
Nighttime: Mokjong isn't sleeping; he's off by himself crying.
Liao: Emperor Shengzong is practicing his swordsmanship. But it's not exactly practice, because nobody wants to take a swing back and put up a fight against the emperor. Even Yelu Wuji and Yelu Pennu have to passively absorb blows. But what's wrong with Shengzong? He's acting like he's drunk. And he's ranting about Liao not having conquered Goryeo yet.
More Liao: Yelu Dilie tells Empress Dowager Chengtian about her son's growing rage over the Goryeo matter. She asks Prime Minister Han for his advice: "His animosity toward Goryeo and Empress Dowager Cheonchu has exceeded reason. When I'm dead and gone, he's certain to wage war with Goryeo." Han has no immediate solutions; "The only thing we can do," he says, "is to wait for internal division and self-destruction." War is out of the question; they're not in a position to win, and it would only leave them vulnerable to Song China.
Gamchan visits Cheonchu to recommend someone for the emperor's service: "An attendant who can serve him closely and perhaps give him emotional comfort." He's brought the man with him; the man enters and introduces himself as Yu Chungjeong. He's a Balhaean from the Balhaean refugee colony; Gang Jo knows him and recommended him.
Gang Jo comes home to an empty house again. Hyangbi has left him a note saying that she's gone out "to follow a lead on Kim Chiyang."
Mun Inui has come to see Kim Shimun, who sent for him. There's an icy tension in the room; Shimun hates Mun for betraying Choe Sum and "latching on to Kim Chiyang." But that's not why he sent for him; he sent for him to ask him about Crown Prince Mahi and Hangae Temple. This must be the favor Hyangbi asked of him. Mun says he knows nothing about it and that Choe never mentioned any of it. (Lie.) Then we see Mun leaving and heading somewhere--urgently. We also see Hyangbi watching him.
Mun goes straight to Chiyang, who's with Sa Gamun and Sa Illa, and tells her that Hyangbi was asking questions once again. This means trouble, they fear, because if she knew enough to go to Kim Shimun then she must know something. They speculate that maybe she found something out at Hangae Temple about Chiyang, "or perhaps she found out you're not from Dongju." Outside, we see Hyangbi eavesdropping and hearing every word. Then from around the corner comes Dokyun; she spots Hyangbi and calls out. Hyangbi flees. Chiyang, Sa Gamun and Sa Illa come outside and realize what's happened; Chiyang orders Sa Illa to catch her. The two run for a long distance, eventually running through a woodland. Hyangbi is maintaining her lead, until Sa Illa produces the bladed boomerang (#@$%!) and throws it. It whizzes past Hyangbi's head and thwacks into a tree trunk. Hyangbi freezes in her tracks. (Maybe she has to vomit.) Sa Illa catches up to her. Hyangbi is frantic and points her sword at Sa Illa. "I heard it all. "Who's Kim Chiyang? He's not from Dongju? What does he have to do with prince Mahi?" Sa Illa begs her to stop, promising her she'll explain everything, but Hyangbi's not about to calm down and it looks like the former partners are about to come to blows.
Chiyang is told about the pregnancy by Sa Illa. Without explaining, he seems to think it's very good news for him. Then Yi Jujeong enters and tells Chiyang he's found the counterfeiting operation! It's right outside the city, he says, and he saw Wonsoong's aide Jo Du there with the coinmakers. Chiyang decides not to tell Cheonchu about this; instead, he tells Sa Illa to summon generals Yang Kyu, Kim Sukheung and Yu Bang.
Yoseoktek (Milhwa's former home): Troops barge in and arrest Kim Yungdae.
We see the counterfeiters at work. It's quite an operation. Suddenly, troops barge in and arrest everyone. Jo Du is still there and he's arrested too.
Lady Yunheung's villa: Troops barge in and arrest Wonsoong, right in front of his stunned daughter.
Empress Sunjeong couldn't be more gracious about the pregnancy, telling Milhwa she's been anxious about the lack of an heir and "You've relieved my burden." Then Cheonchu tells Mokjong she'll be terminating her regency upon the child's birth, because now she has faith in his ability to lead the state. Great news for Mokjong; free at least. But then, from outside, we hear a commotion. The four go outside and find troops arresting Milhwa's maidservant. Who ordered this?, Mokjong and Cheonchu demand. Chiyang shows up at that very moment and says he did. Milhwa has committed an "outrageous crime," he tells them, and wanted to question her servant about it before questioning Milhwa. Then he breaks the news to Mokjong that the child isn't his. Yu Hangan is there and backs him up; Kim Yungdae is the father, he tells Mokjong.
Later, in private, Chiyang tells Cheonchu that Kim Yungdae isn't Milhwa's brother, and for that matter "Kim Milhwa" is probably a fake identity too. This was all set up by Wonsoong and Yunheung, he explains, to bring the child to the throne and drive you out of the palace. And he tells her about the counterfeiting operation, too. Cheonchu seethes and orders an immediate inquiry, at which she'll preside personally.
Ministers get the news and are understandably stunned. Gamchan is concerned about Mokjong; he's done so well lately but can he bounce back from this?
Evening (Of course!) in the torture yard: The inquiry begins. A number of people are tied to chairs. We recognize Wonsoong, Kim Yungdae, Jo Du, and Milhwa's maidservant; the others must be coinmakers. Questioning of Wonsoong and Yungdae; the expected denials. So Cheonchu orders everyone tortured--except Wonsoong. Really?
Jo Sun is with Yunheung at her villa; he escaped arrest. Yunheung's daughter, princess Jeong, is there too; we haven't seen her for a long time (since Ep45, and she's grown since then). Jeong doesn't know anything about any of Wonsoong's plots. Jo advises Yunheung to go into hiding for her own safety. But she won't. Hiding will be useless, she says; Cheonchu will find me wherever I go. "Providence is on the empress dowager's side. This incident has made me realize that." She asks Jo to take Jeong somewhere where Cheonchu can't touch her. Jeong protests but her mother insists.
The torture continues until Jo Du finally breaks and confesses that it's Wonsoong's counterfeiting operation. Then Kim Yungdae confesses that he was "just a small-time merchant in Gyeongju" and was lured into all this by Wonsoong. And says he's not related to Milhwa and is not King Wonsung's descendant. Wonsoong maintains his innocence, even after this, so Gang Jo and Dae Dosu want to torture him. But Cheonchu has a better idea: "Bring Lady Yunheung. Surely she knows what her father does." That does it; rather than see his daughter tortured, Wonsoong fesses up to everything. Next question: Who was helping you?
The empress is trying to comfort her husband, saying it must all be a mistake and Milhwa will be cleared. But then Go Hyun enters with the news that Wonsoong confessed to all of it. Sunjeong hopes it was a false confession under torture, but Go says it wasn't, because he wasn't tortured. (Ah, so that was the deal. Well done, Cheonchu.)
The emperor goes to see Milhwa, who's now in a jail cell. It was all a mistake, she tells him desperately; I would never do such a thing. But Mokjong doesn't buy it, and he's crushed because he cared for her so much. "Not as the emperor but as a man." Then Milhwa fesses up and starts to cry; "They threatened me and I had no choice," she says; please spare my life. Then soldiers enter; Milhwa is required at the inquiry, so they remove her from the jail cell. But Mokjong stops them. He tells her, "I can't put you through this. I can't let anyone hurt you." She's overcome with relief and gratitude...but only for a moment. Because Mokjong grabs a sword, turns to face her, winds up and KILLS HER right there on the spot! "Only I can hurt you," he says through his tears as she lays dying on the floor. Equal parts tragic and stunning.
Now we see Han Ingyeong at the inquiry, tied to a chair. He acknowledges his crime and has nothing more to say except "Give me death." Anybody else?, Cheonchu asks Wonsoong. Oh boy, does he have an answer for her this time: Kim Chiyang! Chiyang is there for this, and Wonsoong addresses him directly: "I helped you expand your business and made you a fortune. More than half of my counterfeit coins ended up in your hands, so you're my accomplice." Chiyang protests to Cheonchu that Wonsoong is only trying to drag him down into all of this, but Wonsoong practically scolds Chiyang: "Five years ago, you promised me my safety in return for wealth. (Which is true; we saw this in Ep52.) You failed to protect me, so you must pay the price as well." Chiyang is blowing a gasket and orders him tortured, but Cheonchu overrules and lets him continue. Wonsoong acknowledges plotting her ouster and says he'll face death. "But mark my words. You will not last long either. And Kim Chiyang will be the cause of your demise." "On what grounds do you say this?" "I've no proof, but I know an impostor when I see one. Mark my words." A sudden explosion of thunder and lightning punctuate the moment (Gotta love TV weather!). It starts to rain.
Having left the jail, and still holding the sword, Mokjong wanders around in the storm, getting soaked and laughing insanely. He throws down the sword, looks to the sky and begs for lightning to strike him dead. (No, dude, if you want that, you hold the sword UP.)
Next morning: State council meeting. Mokjong is ill so Cheonchu is sitting in for him. She reads her orders regarding the Milhwa affair:
--Milhwa is already dead, but "Her crime is far greater than her death alone" so her family is to be executed too and her estate demolished
--Kim Wonsoong, Kim Yungdae and Jo Du are to be executed
--Lady Yunheung and Han Ingyeong are to be exiled
--For uncovering the crimes, Yu Hangan is promoted to First Secretary of the Office of Ceremony. (Anybody spot the symbolism here? That's Chiyang's old job.)
Mokjong has summoned Kim Shimun to his quarters. He asks Kim calmly, "You were a part of this. Weren't you, master?" Shimun, mortified, denies it. But Mokjong figured it out: "The place where I first met Milhwa was where you and I were supposed to meet." Busss-ted. Shimun falls to his knees and says he simply was asked to arrange the meeting; he had no idea of its purpose. But Mokjong doesn't even care about punishing him. Betrayed by the woman who raised him, and by the woman he loved, and now by his former mentor, he seems almost beyond anger or pain. "The throne is the problem," he says despairingly; the seat of power is what caused all this.
Soldiers arrive at Yunheung's villa and arrest her.
Execution time for Wonsoong, Kim Yungdae and Jo Du. Wonsoong defiantly tells Yu Bang, "My only regret is being born in the wrong era. Strike!" Yu scowls at him and calls him a "materialistic degenerate," but Wonsoong fires back, "A thousand years from now, the world will be filed with men like me. When that time comes, money and wealth will be the priority for everyone. I'm just ahead of my time." (Anybody wants to start a new thread about THAT one, be my guest.) Yu has heard enough. He gives the order; three soldiers step forward and raise their swords, the swords strike and that's it.
On a public street: We see Yunheung in a prisoner cart being taken into exile; Escort Jo and Han Ingyeong follow on foot. (We're not told whether or not Escort Jo was convicted of anything, but we do see her wearing prisoner's white.) To the side, Princess Jeong watches and starts to cry out, but Jo Sun covers her mouth and leads her away.
Gang Jo tells Gamchan he's concerned about Chiyang sweeping in to save the day and exposing the latest plots--it will earn him Cheonchu's trust all the more. But Gamchan replies that Chiyang did this for himself, not for her, because now his son is back in the picture as a potential heir to the throne. And the fact that Yu Hangan went to Chiyang with what he knew rather than go to the emperor or some other official, that proves he's working for Chiyang. Gamchan doesn't like that because Hangan is so close to the emperor. He asks Jo if Jo knows a trustworthy person they can place close to the emperor (to watch Hangan).
Cheonchu looks like she has Excedrin Headache #27. Chiyang tries to lift her spirits, but she stares right at him and calmly asks him for the complete truth. "Did you amass your fortune with his help?" So Chiyang owns up. Yes, he helped me. "I just needed his know-how to expand the country's wealth. It was not for personal profit." (Lie.) She scolds him for bad judgment. He accepts it, but assures her that the rest of what Wonsoong said is nonsense. She's visibly worn down and doesn't want to squeeze him any further, so she drops it and he's dodged the bullet.
Evening: Kim Shimun is returning home. A woman calls out to him; she's come to speak to him. It's Hyangbi. He recognizes her and they go inside. She asks him about whether or not Kim's father-in-law Choe Sum ever talked to him about the Shillan crown prince Mahi, or about Hangae Temple. He tells her he knows nothing about any of this. (Which seems to be true. I thought there might be a continuity error here because Choe Sum did talk in Ep19 about the Hangae killings, but only with Steward Mun.) Then she asks him if it's possible that Mun Inui might know something. But Shimun only expresses disgust at the mere mention of Mun's name, for his betrayal of Choe Sum. Why all these questions?, he asks her--is this for your husband? No, she answers, he knows nothing about this. And she has a favor to ask of Kim....
Chiyang tells Sa Gamun that he was right; "The Empress Dowager is drifting away from me." But no matter. "The emperor will self-destruct. Yu Hangan will make sure of that." Which will clear the way for my son. But what about Prince Daeryang? He's the one big obstacle to that happening. They have to find him and kill him. But as Sa Gamun points out, "Even if we succeed, Gang Gamchan will know that it was us who killed him." So Chiyang says they have to find some unexpected way to kill him. He has an idea: what about Dokyun? The poison expert.
Mokjong is lying in bed, seemingly in shock. Cheonchu tries to talk him up, but he can only weakly tell her to go away.
Dinnertime: Hyangbi returns home. Jo is waiting for her, and she has to make excuses for his not finding her there. He even made dinner himself--and it's a darned impressive dinner. Better than my cooking, Hyangbi tells him with a smile as they eat.
Nighttime: Mokjong isn't sleeping; he's off by himself crying.
Liao: Emperor Shengzong is practicing his swordsmanship. But it's not exactly practice, because nobody wants to take a swing back and put up a fight against the emperor. Even Yelu Wuji and Yelu Pennu have to passively absorb blows. But what's wrong with Shengzong? He's acting like he's drunk. And he's ranting about Liao not having conquered Goryeo yet.
More Liao: Yelu Dilie tells Empress Dowager Chengtian about her son's growing rage over the Goryeo matter. She asks Prime Minister Han for his advice: "His animosity toward Goryeo and Empress Dowager Cheonchu has exceeded reason. When I'm dead and gone, he's certain to wage war with Goryeo." Han has no immediate solutions; "The only thing we can do," he says, "is to wait for internal division and self-destruction." War is out of the question; they're not in a position to win, and it would only leave them vulnerable to Song China.
Gamchan visits Cheonchu to recommend someone for the emperor's service: "An attendant who can serve him closely and perhaps give him emotional comfort." He's brought the man with him; the man enters and introduces himself as Yu Chungjeong. He's a Balhaean from the Balhaean refugee colony; Gang Jo knows him and recommended him.
Gang Jo comes home to an empty house again. Hyangbi has left him a note saying that she's gone out "to follow a lead on Kim Chiyang."
Mun Inui has come to see Kim Shimun, who sent for him. There's an icy tension in the room; Shimun hates Mun for betraying Choe Sum and "latching on to Kim Chiyang." But that's not why he sent for him; he sent for him to ask him about Crown Prince Mahi and Hangae Temple. This must be the favor Hyangbi asked of him. Mun says he knows nothing about it and that Choe never mentioned any of it. (Lie.) Then we see Mun leaving and heading somewhere--urgently. We also see Hyangbi watching him.
Mun goes straight to Chiyang, who's with Sa Gamun and Sa Illa, and tells her that Hyangbi was asking questions once again. This means trouble, they fear, because if she knew enough to go to Kim Shimun then she must know something. They speculate that maybe she found something out at Hangae Temple about Chiyang, "or perhaps she found out you're not from Dongju." Outside, we see Hyangbi eavesdropping and hearing every word. Then from around the corner comes Dokyun; she spots Hyangbi and calls out. Hyangbi flees. Chiyang, Sa Gamun and Sa Illa come outside and realize what's happened; Chiyang orders Sa Illa to catch her. The two run for a long distance, eventually running through a woodland. Hyangbi is maintaining her lead, until Sa Illa produces the bladed boomerang (#@$%!) and throws it. It whizzes past Hyangbi's head and thwacks into a tree trunk. Hyangbi freezes in her tracks. (Maybe she has to vomit.) Sa Illa catches up to her. Hyangbi is frantic and points her sword at Sa Illa. "I heard it all. "Who's Kim Chiyang? He's not from Dongju? What does he have to do with prince Mahi?" Sa Illa begs her to stop, promising her she'll explain everything, but Hyangbi's not about to calm down and it looks like the former partners are about to come to blows.