Post by TheBo on Jun 3, 2011 10:55:16 GMT -5
Ep.3:
No one wants to arrest San, so Yeongjo says he will and grabs the boy’s arm, declaring he’s to be dragged to the police bureau for torture. As San begs him to look at the painting, messengers arrive to say Sado is dead. Yeongjo releases and forgives San and rides away. San cries out that his father’s death is his fault, and Song-yeon and Dae-su mourn with him.
Later, Dae-su is bragging with the village children about his adventures when he hears from a particularly snotty child, whose father is a “royal messenger,” that San is soon to be deposed and poisoned. Dae-su protests, then is told his head will come off too. It turns out both children were kicked out of the court for helping San, and Song’s sponsor is really p-o’d about it. Song overhears that San will be deposed by the Noron faction (who got Sado killed).
San is told to return to the palace, but tells his mom he doesn’t want to be king. She tells him he only has two choices—become king or die. His father wanted him to live, as San remembers, so San agrees to go back. As his procession goes to the palace, he sees Dae-su and Song, who are worried and came looking for him. They wave goodbye, but he runs back to them and reassures them he’ll be fine. He’ll never get to leave the palace again, so they promise they’ll come there, whatever it takes. They swear mutual fealty; he promises he’ll stay alive until they can come.
At the palace, Lady Hye-gyong talks up San’s fealty to the king, but the king wants to see San alone. He shows him all the petitions he’s gotten to have San deposed and asks what he should say. San says he has to live in order to fulfill his promises, but the king says it’s not good enough; San says he’ll prove himself. At court, the king announces that even though San is a criminal, he’s young, so Yeong-jo will guide him and reform him. Therefore, San is made crown prince. Only San’s grandfather’s faction is silent; everyone else protests vociferously and there are demonstrations.
His duties include: Testing the king’s food (for poison presumably), memorizing classical literature, training with military officers, learning the Gayageum (zither), and generally studying and working day and night.
In the meantime, Dae-su tries to castrate himself but can’t manage to do it (reference: King & I LOL), and can’t get his uncle to do it for him. Song (fruitlessly) kneels in petition outside her sponsor’s front gate. Yeong-jo visits San while he studies, and generally approves; he accidentally learns Sado told San to be a sage king and grills San about what that is exactly. None of San’s answers pass muster, and Yeong-jo freaks. He says San has three days to find out the answer or he’ll hold him responsible for lying. San desperately scans all the literature, but realizes the answer won’t be there and asks to see every single petition to the king from the previous year. After reading the petitions, San feels pity for children called “touts” who serve merchants, but is told not to take his pity to the extreme. (A tout goes out and drums up business for a merchant; the implication is that it is done in a seedy way.) Also, he eats commoners’ food and is not sleeping in his efforts to learn a king’s first duty to the people. San, made sick by the rough food, despairs because he still can’t figure it out. He reports to the king that the first thing a king must do is keep the commoners from becoming slaves. No, that’s good, but that’s not first. It’s his last chance, and San begs for another day because he doesn’t know. The king throws a list of royal family expenses at San, asks why he’s already spent his whole allowance and kicks him out. His mother begs for his life as the king carries on palace business. San despairs.
As San gets ready to leave the palace, a eunuch reports to Yeong-jo how San spent his coins. King rushes to the office of inspection, then sends for San to come there. The office is being tossed up by the king’s people; San arrives and reports that after the beggar children (mostly orphans) were no longer allowed to tout, they were going to be sold into slavery in China, so he apparently bought them. The king demands why nobody told him about the problem, and he is told the oral petitions are too hard to understand so nobody bothers about them. The king sets all this right, then tells San he’s still crown prince because he practiced politics in this situation. Later, Yeongjo tells San’s tutor—who had found out about the money—that San already knows the answer (first, have compassion for the people), but just doesn’t know he knows. San goes to his quarters, tired and sad.
Certain people are plotting against San in the dark, and one of the court ministers is seen there. (This court minister is played by Jo Kyung-hwan, who was Sir Oh in Dae Jang-geum. I think this character will turn out to be very important eventually, because they are careful to show his face but nobody else’s.)
Song faints outside her sponsor’s home. Dae-su lurks at the palace gate playing with a kitchen knife. His uncle runs to another gate to escape him; his boss grabs Dae-su’s private parts from behind and asks him if he really wants to lose them. Dae-su, of course, rolls around screaming like a stuck pig, embarrassing the man. He feeds Dae-su and tells him he can’t be a eunuch, but there is another way to serve in the palace. Song wakes up in the sponsor merchant’s house, sees people packing up guns but is too focused on seeing her sponsor to care; she is denied.
San is to have a debate with child scholars from the country; he is to recite parts of certain books from memory. He is assured by the tutors that the Book of Zhou will not be part of this debate. However, the first quote is from the Book of Zhou (which San is still learning). San tries to quote, but can’t quite get it. A boy from the country quotes accurately and also can explain the quote; he says San got the first part but he just added to it. San is embarrassed, and his main tutor is puzzled. The king says the country boy scholar can study with San, who can learn from him. Then, a eunuch reports to the king “strange things” that were found in San’s old quarters. Guns and swords. The court tells the king it’s Sado’s fault; also that if they were in San’s quarters, he was participating in treason.
San runs to his old quarters and is shocked by all the weapons. Yeongjo arrives and is also shocked. He tells San that last year he was informed Sado was plotting treason but that he didn’t believe it. How did these weapons get here? Were you in on it? San begs him to believe he doesn’t know a thing about it, but Yeongjo stalks off.
No one wants to arrest San, so Yeongjo says he will and grabs the boy’s arm, declaring he’s to be dragged to the police bureau for torture. As San begs him to look at the painting, messengers arrive to say Sado is dead. Yeongjo releases and forgives San and rides away. San cries out that his father’s death is his fault, and Song-yeon and Dae-su mourn with him.
Later, Dae-su is bragging with the village children about his adventures when he hears from a particularly snotty child, whose father is a “royal messenger,” that San is soon to be deposed and poisoned. Dae-su protests, then is told his head will come off too. It turns out both children were kicked out of the court for helping San, and Song’s sponsor is really p-o’d about it. Song overhears that San will be deposed by the Noron faction (who got Sado killed).
San is told to return to the palace, but tells his mom he doesn’t want to be king. She tells him he only has two choices—become king or die. His father wanted him to live, as San remembers, so San agrees to go back. As his procession goes to the palace, he sees Dae-su and Song, who are worried and came looking for him. They wave goodbye, but he runs back to them and reassures them he’ll be fine. He’ll never get to leave the palace again, so they promise they’ll come there, whatever it takes. They swear mutual fealty; he promises he’ll stay alive until they can come.
At the palace, Lady Hye-gyong talks up San’s fealty to the king, but the king wants to see San alone. He shows him all the petitions he’s gotten to have San deposed and asks what he should say. San says he has to live in order to fulfill his promises, but the king says it’s not good enough; San says he’ll prove himself. At court, the king announces that even though San is a criminal, he’s young, so Yeong-jo will guide him and reform him. Therefore, San is made crown prince. Only San’s grandfather’s faction is silent; everyone else protests vociferously and there are demonstrations.
His duties include: Testing the king’s food (for poison presumably), memorizing classical literature, training with military officers, learning the Gayageum (zither), and generally studying and working day and night.
In the meantime, Dae-su tries to castrate himself but can’t manage to do it (reference: King & I LOL), and can’t get his uncle to do it for him. Song (fruitlessly) kneels in petition outside her sponsor’s front gate. Yeong-jo visits San while he studies, and generally approves; he accidentally learns Sado told San to be a sage king and grills San about what that is exactly. None of San’s answers pass muster, and Yeong-jo freaks. He says San has three days to find out the answer or he’ll hold him responsible for lying. San desperately scans all the literature, but realizes the answer won’t be there and asks to see every single petition to the king from the previous year. After reading the petitions, San feels pity for children called “touts” who serve merchants, but is told not to take his pity to the extreme. (A tout goes out and drums up business for a merchant; the implication is that it is done in a seedy way.) Also, he eats commoners’ food and is not sleeping in his efforts to learn a king’s first duty to the people. San, made sick by the rough food, despairs because he still can’t figure it out. He reports to the king that the first thing a king must do is keep the commoners from becoming slaves. No, that’s good, but that’s not first. It’s his last chance, and San begs for another day because he doesn’t know. The king throws a list of royal family expenses at San, asks why he’s already spent his whole allowance and kicks him out. His mother begs for his life as the king carries on palace business. San despairs.
As San gets ready to leave the palace, a eunuch reports to Yeong-jo how San spent his coins. King rushes to the office of inspection, then sends for San to come there. The office is being tossed up by the king’s people; San arrives and reports that after the beggar children (mostly orphans) were no longer allowed to tout, they were going to be sold into slavery in China, so he apparently bought them. The king demands why nobody told him about the problem, and he is told the oral petitions are too hard to understand so nobody bothers about them. The king sets all this right, then tells San he’s still crown prince because he practiced politics in this situation. Later, Yeongjo tells San’s tutor—who had found out about the money—that San already knows the answer (first, have compassion for the people), but just doesn’t know he knows. San goes to his quarters, tired and sad.
Certain people are plotting against San in the dark, and one of the court ministers is seen there. (This court minister is played by Jo Kyung-hwan, who was Sir Oh in Dae Jang-geum. I think this character will turn out to be very important eventually, because they are careful to show his face but nobody else’s.)
Song faints outside her sponsor’s home. Dae-su lurks at the palace gate playing with a kitchen knife. His uncle runs to another gate to escape him; his boss grabs Dae-su’s private parts from behind and asks him if he really wants to lose them. Dae-su, of course, rolls around screaming like a stuck pig, embarrassing the man. He feeds Dae-su and tells him he can’t be a eunuch, but there is another way to serve in the palace. Song wakes up in the sponsor merchant’s house, sees people packing up guns but is too focused on seeing her sponsor to care; she is denied.
San is to have a debate with child scholars from the country; he is to recite parts of certain books from memory. He is assured by the tutors that the Book of Zhou will not be part of this debate. However, the first quote is from the Book of Zhou (which San is still learning). San tries to quote, but can’t quite get it. A boy from the country quotes accurately and also can explain the quote; he says San got the first part but he just added to it. San is embarrassed, and his main tutor is puzzled. The king says the country boy scholar can study with San, who can learn from him. Then, a eunuch reports to the king “strange things” that were found in San’s old quarters. Guns and swords. The court tells the king it’s Sado’s fault; also that if they were in San’s quarters, he was participating in treason.
San runs to his old quarters and is shocked by all the weapons. Yeongjo arrives and is also shocked. He tells San that last year he was informed Sado was plotting treason but that he didn’t believe it. How did these weapons get here? Were you in on it? San begs him to believe he doesn’t know a thing about it, but Yeongjo stalks off.
