Post by ajk on Feb 16, 2013 0:26:15 GMT -5
"Drop your weapons, and come outside! Come face His Majesty's orders!" Chilsuk knows he has Deokman and Yushin surrounded and cut off from any escape. Inside the building, nobody says anything--not much to say, really. Chilsuk shouts that if they don't come out, he's coming in. But he tells Santak the Annoying Hwarang and Seokpum (who's since arrived on the scene, as though Santak isn't annoying enough) that he's reluctant to just charge into the building; doesn't know how many people are in there or what the situation is. Not exactly anything to worry about in there; just Deokman, Yushin, Wolya and Sohwa. But wait a minute, now Sohwa has an idea....
Get ready to go in with a "full offensive," Chilsuk orders....
Deokman flat-out refuses Sohwa's idea. Over and over again. But Wolya says it's the only option, and finally Sohwa resorts to grabbing Deokman by the shoulders and telling her, "Listen to what your mother says." You gonna argue with that? Now they're both crying. So whatever it is, it won't be easy.
"We are not here to capture Her Highness," Chilsuk reminds the men. "She must be slain." They all turn and look at him with surprise. Tells them to conceal their faces so no one is held accountable. So a squad of men wearing red uniforms and red masks stealthily creeps to the building, sneaks through a back door...and now we hear some awful screaming and fighting inside...and now blood spatters against a window pane...and now two of the masked guys go flying out the main door of the place...and now a third...and there's another one...all dead! Wow. Chilsuk wonders who's in there who just did that. Somebody with great sword skills. Can't be Yushin, he says, because Yushin is injured (news to us). So Chilsuk says he's going in himself, with a second squad to back him up.
Inside, Yushin and Wolya are arguing over who will act as the bait. You're too important to the Gayans, Wolya says, and your survival means more to me than Deokman's. Yushin still resists....
..but time is running out; here come Chilsuk and the second squad into the building. But their targets aren't in the same room any more...and now a tense room-by-room search. Two of the squad happen to get lucky and find Yushin in one room, but in moments they're both dead. (So clearly he's not THAT injured.) But Chilsuk is in a nearby hall, and now he barges into the room and in the next moment he and Yushin are facing each other with swords brandished. And Yushin seeming to be guarding a side door. They start fighting; it's an awkward battle just because of the close quarters. Yushin is less than 100%, but he manages to stalemate Chilsuk for a moment. And just then Chilsuk spots two members of the first squad lying there dead...but without their red uniforms!
Outside, Wolya and Deokman flee the building in their borrowed red uniforms. It doesn't go well, though; another squad member interferes and Wolya has to kill him, which attracts attention--and now the chase is on.
Back inside, Chilsuk realizes he's been had, and leaves Yushin, running into the hall. Yushin cuts him off and tries to stop him, but his strength is gone and he can't do much of anything. Chilsuk goes charging outside and after the fleeing pair. Back inside, Yushin staggers back into a room and opens a closet. Inside--Deokman! Doink! Ummm, so that means...
...Wolya isn't fleeing with Deokman; it's Sohwa. Now they're all in the countryside, prey and pursuers; and it's a rainy, messy night. (Ummm, maybe ditch the bright red clothes, guys?) Unfortunately for the fleeing pair, the moon is full and bright.
Deokman and Yushin carefully head out of the building....
Now the pursuers are catching up, close enough that Chilsuk stops them, grabs a bow, and shoots a flaming arrow. It misses, thank goodness, and gives the pair a bigger lead for the moment and they temporarily vanish.
Yushin leads Deokman into the woods--in a different direction entirely.
Now all of the pursuers are having trouble finding the pair. Eventually Chilsuk goes off on his own, thinking he hears something...and he did, because he spots the pair and catches up to them. Remembering earlier words from Mishil ("Meeting her demise by resisting imprisonment: this must be Deokman's death") he moves in for the kill. Wolya bravely steps forward to fight him, but Chilsuk basically runs forward, jumps high enough to put a foot on Wolya's shoulder and in the next moment is standing on a tree branch ten feet in the air (UGH). Thinking back to his unsuccessful fight with Munno to try to capture the infant Deokman (in Episode 3), and to his failure to capture Deokman in the burning building in the desert trading post (in Episode 4), he sees the culmination of his years-long crusade and jumps off the tree, swinging his sword and screaming in triumph....
Deokman suddenly grabs her heart and falls to the ground. "Something...something happened," she tells Yushin, who didn't realize she's telepathic (UGH!).
"Nursemaid!" Wolya shouldn't have said it. But the sight of the red-masked person lying there bleeding and dying, he calls to her again: "Nursemaid!" And suddenly Chilsuk realizes that he may not have killed Deokman after all. He reaches down, pulls back the mask, and flinches in horror. As Wolya stands there watching (Good heavens, kill the guy already! A golden opportunity) Chilsuk kneels over Sohwa and looks at her dying in front of him. "Thirty years of wondering," she manages to whisper, "and it all ends like it started." And with that, she dies. Nice going, dimwit. And now Wolya simply drops his sword and looks away.
Deokman and Yushin make it to Yeom Jong's, where a stunned quartet of Yeom Jong, Bidam, Chunchu and Jukbang stare at them as they enter.
"You lost her--again?!" Chilsuk has to report to Mishil and the cabal. Hajong starts whining, of course. Chilsuk can't really say anything more, and to his credit doesn't offer excuses. But now look at this--is he giving Mishil the skunk-eye? Could swear he looks just a little bit pissed off (or maybe very pissed off and is suppressing most of it). And she does see it.
Manmyeong has gotten word that the mission to capture Deokman returned "inconclusive," and she goes to tell a relieved king and queen. Surprising to see her in the palace: she says she bribed a guard to get in, and she's not worried that Mishil will harm her because that would prove she's holding the king captive. The king is relieved at the news she's brought--but he doesn't look well. Not at all.
Alcheon revives--he's not dead, thank goodness--and finds himself tied to a chair in the same room with Seohyeon and Yongchun. They also have heard of the failure of the catch-Deokman mission. And somehow they heard Yushin escaped, too. Which puts a smile on Alcheon's bloodied, beaten face.
And now word has gotten into the jail cells where the DFers and Rising Phoenix are being held.
Wolya! Wolya has made it to Yeom Jong's! He got away from Chilsuk? Really? Must be some story there. He has to tell Deokman, but he can't get any words out. Tick, tock, tick, tock...for heaven's sake, say something. "Your highness," he finally mutters; "My apologies."
Now Seokpum is before the cabal, and he fills in the details of how Deokman got away. Mishil, interestingly, asks if it was Sohwa who was killed. Great question--it would explain the skunk-eye, wouldn't it.
Well somehow Wolya managed to bring Sohwa's body back with him. How the heck? And now Deokman has to look at it and absorb this awful thing. It's especially hard to absorb, she says through her tears, after having lost her for dead once before, back in the desert. Her devastating grief is tough to watch--you can't help but feel terrible for her.
"That is the fate awaiting people like us," Yeom Jong tells Bidam, as Deokman's cries fill the background. "We spend our lives serving someone, and then that is how things end. What a life."
Now Chilsuk is alone, in the memorial shrine. He's lit some incense; at least you assume it was him. Never expected him to be much of a spiritual person, but this may have snapped something inside of him. Now Mishil comes heading in, looking very purposeful, like she expected him to be here and wanted to face the situation as soon as possible. Chilsuk looks at the memorial markers for all of the former Hwarang. "Just like all those names," he says, "one day will my name grace one of those tablets?" Says something about a person needing inspiration to live for. Tells Mishil that as a 16-year-old he was a POW in a Goguryeo camp and was nearly buried alive! "It was then that you and your men infiltrated the camp," he says, and saved me just in time. I've devoted every single day since then to serving you, he says; "countless battles"; a fight against Munno; even a sandstorm in the Taklamakan Desert. I thought I was blessed to escape death so often, he continues. But "In truth...I kept losing the right opportunity to let death take me." Wow. "The next time," he adds, "shall not be the same." So he's feeling all of the guilt and sorrow you'd expect, and maybe being a little dramatic about it. Mishil being Mishil, she's not about to buy into that: "Fine," she tells him, like an astute mom; "do as you wish." And without another word, turns and leaves him...no, wait, a question first: "Why did you just let him go?" As in, Wolya. A great question again. And he has an answer. "There was nobody left to take her corpse." Mishil considers it, and it's tough for her to say so, but she says it: "You did well." Hey, that was real classy of her.
Sohwa's freshly prepared burial mound. Deokman is standing before it with Jukbang, and now it's Jukbang who's crying and having a hard time dealing with it. He certainly was smitten with her back home. "Someone as weak and frail as her," he moans; "I knew this would happen." Really? "Weak and frail, she is not," Deokman whispers. "She's always been stronger than me." Always. Yes, she has.
Later, we see Deokman alone, crying. Bidam has been watching over her, and now decides to try to go comfort her. But Yushin is behind him, and grabs his wrist to stop him. "Look at how she weeps," Yushin says; "She would not want to show that to us." For goodness sakes, why not? Weird...But pretty soon Deokman gets up, dries her tears, and tries to compose herself.
So where now? Where to take Deokman? All six of her friends are trying to figure out what safe place to take her to...but Deokman isn't going to hide. I want everyone to know I'm alive, she says, so I can "gather even more forces. I will not run away." Chunchu disagrees; time is now on our side, he argues. "The longer this unconscionable martial law continues," he explains, "the more suspicion it will foment in our people's minds." So just let it simmer, he basically says. She does agree with him, but also says she doesn't like all of the things that will happen while she waits--all of the terrible things that the martial law will cause. And she reiterates, "I shall neither run nor hide."
Later, outside, Yushin tries to talk her out of it. No luck. "How many more lives must be sacrificed to protect me?" She thinks her group can "separate into two fronts," she says, because of Chunchu's presence (not sure what she means by this, exactly).
"A Tang envoy is coming?" Hajong and Misaeng are visiting a recuperating Sejong and get a surprising piece of news. Not good timing, is it. The Tang have just taken control of the Middle Kingdom, we learn, and this is their first visit, so they think the envoy is likely to be full of bluster. We'll see...and he'll be at the palace by tomorrow. Mishil knows about the visit but Misaeng says he hasn't had a chance to talk to her about it because of all of the Deokman hubbub. Of course he's going to ask about the martial law situation. Best keep it all quiet and play it down, Misaeng advises.
Deokman has already heard about the envoy's visit, and wonders if Mishil might have to suspend martial law while he's here. "I shall arrange everything," Yushin tells her. Arrange what? We don't know, not yet.
Wow, Mishil looks unhappy; what's the matter? Chilsuk and Seolwon have brought her news about the arrow-mail that some of the elite Hwarang received, and presumably about its other circulation as posters. They're concerned that the charges in the document might sway "a few" of the nobles. But Mishil is only concerned about Deokman's death. "Deokman must not be allowed to enter the capital alive," she tells them. Follow the script, she says; Deokman is the instigator and must die "bravely resisting arrest."
The next morning: Here comes the Tang delegation. They've been met by Misaeng and Hajong at the outskirts of the city and are being led through an outlying village. Lots of curious villagers line the streets. They're fascinated by the foreigners...but now something else grabs their attention and they look skyward. Kites! Four of them, just floating out there. Big ones. And there are bags attached to them. What the heck? Suddenly the bags burst, and in the next moment leaflets are raining down on the scene. "Rescue his majesty!", they say. And yes, the Tang envoy and his assistant are holding and reading copies.
And boy do the leaflets circulate fast. Already all of the elite Hwarang are looking at them. They also say, "May all brave sons of the Heavenly Kingdom muster their righteous energy and rescue your ruler in Seorabeol." Signed by "Gaeyang's keeper, Deokman." And "son of Gaeyang's keeper, Chunchu." Makes them wonder just where the king actually is. Ho Jae is with them and they're looking to him for insight. And he wonders about the charge against Deokman: "it was a rather suspicious insinuation, so..." Seokpum cuts him off and disputes him, of course, but Ho Jae counters that "tall tales are being spread" and it's tough to know what to believe right now. And now some heated discussion, but interestingly, it's pretty much Seokpum solidly behind Mishil, against the rest who just aren't sure any more. All of you, Seokpum reminds them angrily, have "benefitted from Mishil's benevolence." Maybe so, Dukchung fires back, "but the reason why we continued following her lead was because she never acted against principle." Piltan agrees, adding that "personal whims" didn't sway any of the Hwarang; they've supported her "only because Her Highness was right." Nobody else disagrees.
Well it's about time we saw Jujin, as big a key as he is in this whole thing. He's gone to visit Lord Sueulbu, one of Mishil's Council allies, who's gotten a hold of one of the leaflets. (He's identified now by name for the first time.) Sueulbu tries to hide the thing from Jujin's sight as soon as Jujin enters, but no luck: "Have you seen it as well?" Jujin is obviously concerned, and Sueulbu tells him there's confusion in the palace and, more importantly, "many nobles are concerned about their future." What did you tell them?, Jujin asks. "We are under martial law," Sueulbu answers; "They will all have to be prudent." Jujin nods in agreement and laughs a little, and leaves him. But it seemed like one of those a-little-too-obvious laughs...like he was going along with something he didn't agree with.
"How many of these were circulated?" Mishil is looking at one of the leaflets; Misaeng has brought it. He has bad news; not only did the envoys get them, but now there's all kinds of whispering and hubbub among the people and the Tang envoys have seen and heard that too. "We did explain about the insurrection and martial law," Misaeng tells her but this, well, "You will not believe how befuddled they were." You need to go see them now, he tells her. And he offers her some advice, in view of the present difficulties: "Let us accede as much as possible. We can regain everything we lost later."
So Mishil goes to meet the delegation. Misaeng, speaking Mandarin, introduces her as "Keeper of the Royal Seal, now in charge of the National Crisis Committee." A smile from the envoy, who tells her that "Your Highness's repute has reached the lands of our Middle Kingdom." Mishil replies humbly that "I am merely concerned that my lowly upbringing might have soiled the legacy of our nation." Not an issue, he answers with another smile. Pleasantries over, they go inside...
...and get down to business. "A thousand guan in gold." As in, that's what the new Tang emperor wants. (A guan, from what I can tell, is 1,000 of the copper coins that were used for money back then, so 1,000 guan is going to be substantial.) Mishil asks the obvious: What do we get for that? "Long-lasting friendship between Tang and Shilla." What is this, a protection racket? Misaeng leans in and suggests to Mishil that they just give it to them. But he does tell the envoy that the amount is more than a year's worth of production of the entire country, and Mishil concurs, politely calling it "unfeasible." So then the envoy calmly pulls one of those leaflets out of his sleeve! Hah! Misaeng weasel-smiles it off, calling it an "nothing but an internal matter." But the envoy calmly responds, "Would not such internal matters require the assistance of your brethren in the Middle Kingdom?" Not sure what he means by this, at least not exactly, but any way you want to take it it's not good. Mishil stares at him, smiling. Misaeng leans in and again urges Mishil to just give them the gold and make him go away. But instead, she tells him she knows he's fluent in Gyerim (the Shillan language) so she'd like to talk to him in private. Misaeng doesn't like it--REALLY doesn't like it, you can tell (obviously he's worried she's going to go shrill-voice bonkers on the guy) but the envoy agrees, so everybody clears the room.
"Did you really confine your king, and falsely accuse the princess of treason?" The envoy points to the leaflet and looks almost amused by the whole thing. Mishil smiles and says, So what if I did? "Is that not usurpation?", the envoy answers, amazed that he even has to say it. She smiles and fires right back, "Did not your emperor do the same thing?" Which is true--subtitling tells us that the Tang dynasty was born from a coup that killed Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty--but of course it sets the envoy pounding the table in anger and fuming about insulting their heavenly mandate. "The fate of your dynasty," Mishil continues calmly, "will be decided by your emperor's conduct, I trust. I still don't know my future yet, myself." Which doesn't placate him; he calls her a "slattern," calls Shilla a "northern barbarian statelet" and accuses her of disrespecting "our grandiose legacy" (it's a new dynasty--what legacy?). "Do you even know what that paltry tongue of yours is sputtering?" She answers, "A knave like you doesn't deserve to discuss any such matter in my presence." Now, now, children, let's stop this...."If you truly wish to discuss such matters," she adds, "at least bring me Li Shimin." As in, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Yeah, probably not a good thing to say. Now the envoy is furious, making threats about their army coming to squash Shilla. But Mishil is ready for it--and was she trying to goad him into it? "So Your Excellency came to Shilla as an envoy and threatened us with military intervention. I could easily consider this as an explicit declaration of war. And you must be aware of how a country on the receiving end of such declaration generally reacts. Would beheading you and presenting your head to your colleague to take home suffice?" She smiles, and now the poor guy looks so uncomfortable you'd think he's wearing somebody else's underwear. He sits there for a bit, trying to figure out what just happened, while Mishil smiles and her eyes flash that in-for-the-kill triumphal gleam of hers. And then he perks up again and starts laughing hysterically. "I shall confirm it to His Majesty," he says jovially, "that Shilla is blessed with a remarkable specimen. That her country will be worthy of our fellowship, and of becoming a long-lasting ally of our Great Tang." He stands, and bows in acknowledgement. And then adds, "Should my words have offended you in any way, I implore for your forgiveness." Wow. Mishil stands and bows in return, and tells him, "I am overwhelmed with gratitude."
"You certainly are remarkable." Misaeng was listening out there in the hallway, and even as well as he knows his sister, she surprised him on this one. The Shillans leave the building, followed by the Tang delegation. But Mishil isn't interested in her brother's flattery; she's muttering about finding Deokman. Summon Seolwon, she tells her brother. Umm, wait a minute, may not need to. "Lady Mishil!" Suddenly, behind them, an planter is pushed over and shatters on the stone pavement. Who pushed it? One of the ceremonial guards. No wait--it's Deokman in a guard uniform! (Oh good grief, how did she possibly get into that position? UGH.) Instantly Deokman is surrounded by the points of a dozen soldiers' spears, and the swords of both delegations' personal guards aren't much farther away. Deokman holds a sword, too, but she doesn't unsheath it; instead she deliberately throws it aside. And stares at Mishil.
Get ready to go in with a "full offensive," Chilsuk orders....
Deokman flat-out refuses Sohwa's idea. Over and over again. But Wolya says it's the only option, and finally Sohwa resorts to grabbing Deokman by the shoulders and telling her, "Listen to what your mother says." You gonna argue with that? Now they're both crying. So whatever it is, it won't be easy.
"We are not here to capture Her Highness," Chilsuk reminds the men. "She must be slain." They all turn and look at him with surprise. Tells them to conceal their faces so no one is held accountable. So a squad of men wearing red uniforms and red masks stealthily creeps to the building, sneaks through a back door...and now we hear some awful screaming and fighting inside...and now blood spatters against a window pane...and now two of the masked guys go flying out the main door of the place...and now a third...and there's another one...all dead! Wow. Chilsuk wonders who's in there who just did that. Somebody with great sword skills. Can't be Yushin, he says, because Yushin is injured (news to us). So Chilsuk says he's going in himself, with a second squad to back him up.
Inside, Yushin and Wolya are arguing over who will act as the bait. You're too important to the Gayans, Wolya says, and your survival means more to me than Deokman's. Yushin still resists....
..but time is running out; here come Chilsuk and the second squad into the building. But their targets aren't in the same room any more...and now a tense room-by-room search. Two of the squad happen to get lucky and find Yushin in one room, but in moments they're both dead. (So clearly he's not THAT injured.) But Chilsuk is in a nearby hall, and now he barges into the room and in the next moment he and Yushin are facing each other with swords brandished. And Yushin seeming to be guarding a side door. They start fighting; it's an awkward battle just because of the close quarters. Yushin is less than 100%, but he manages to stalemate Chilsuk for a moment. And just then Chilsuk spots two members of the first squad lying there dead...but without their red uniforms!
Outside, Wolya and Deokman flee the building in their borrowed red uniforms. It doesn't go well, though; another squad member interferes and Wolya has to kill him, which attracts attention--and now the chase is on.
Back inside, Chilsuk realizes he's been had, and leaves Yushin, running into the hall. Yushin cuts him off and tries to stop him, but his strength is gone and he can't do much of anything. Chilsuk goes charging outside and after the fleeing pair. Back inside, Yushin staggers back into a room and opens a closet. Inside--Deokman! Doink! Ummm, so that means...
...Wolya isn't fleeing with Deokman; it's Sohwa. Now they're all in the countryside, prey and pursuers; and it's a rainy, messy night. (Ummm, maybe ditch the bright red clothes, guys?) Unfortunately for the fleeing pair, the moon is full and bright.
Deokman and Yushin carefully head out of the building....
Now the pursuers are catching up, close enough that Chilsuk stops them, grabs a bow, and shoots a flaming arrow. It misses, thank goodness, and gives the pair a bigger lead for the moment and they temporarily vanish.
Yushin leads Deokman into the woods--in a different direction entirely.
Now all of the pursuers are having trouble finding the pair. Eventually Chilsuk goes off on his own, thinking he hears something...and he did, because he spots the pair and catches up to them. Remembering earlier words from Mishil ("Meeting her demise by resisting imprisonment: this must be Deokman's death") he moves in for the kill. Wolya bravely steps forward to fight him, but Chilsuk basically runs forward, jumps high enough to put a foot on Wolya's shoulder and in the next moment is standing on a tree branch ten feet in the air (UGH). Thinking back to his unsuccessful fight with Munno to try to capture the infant Deokman (in Episode 3), and to his failure to capture Deokman in the burning building in the desert trading post (in Episode 4), he sees the culmination of his years-long crusade and jumps off the tree, swinging his sword and screaming in triumph....
Deokman suddenly grabs her heart and falls to the ground. "Something...something happened," she tells Yushin, who didn't realize she's telepathic (UGH!).
"Nursemaid!" Wolya shouldn't have said it. But the sight of the red-masked person lying there bleeding and dying, he calls to her again: "Nursemaid!" And suddenly Chilsuk realizes that he may not have killed Deokman after all. He reaches down, pulls back the mask, and flinches in horror. As Wolya stands there watching (Good heavens, kill the guy already! A golden opportunity) Chilsuk kneels over Sohwa and looks at her dying in front of him. "Thirty years of wondering," she manages to whisper, "and it all ends like it started." And with that, she dies. Nice going, dimwit. And now Wolya simply drops his sword and looks away.
Deokman and Yushin make it to Yeom Jong's, where a stunned quartet of Yeom Jong, Bidam, Chunchu and Jukbang stare at them as they enter.
"You lost her--again?!" Chilsuk has to report to Mishil and the cabal. Hajong starts whining, of course. Chilsuk can't really say anything more, and to his credit doesn't offer excuses. But now look at this--is he giving Mishil the skunk-eye? Could swear he looks just a little bit pissed off (or maybe very pissed off and is suppressing most of it). And she does see it.
Manmyeong has gotten word that the mission to capture Deokman returned "inconclusive," and she goes to tell a relieved king and queen. Surprising to see her in the palace: she says she bribed a guard to get in, and she's not worried that Mishil will harm her because that would prove she's holding the king captive. The king is relieved at the news she's brought--but he doesn't look well. Not at all.
Alcheon revives--he's not dead, thank goodness--and finds himself tied to a chair in the same room with Seohyeon and Yongchun. They also have heard of the failure of the catch-Deokman mission. And somehow they heard Yushin escaped, too. Which puts a smile on Alcheon's bloodied, beaten face.
And now word has gotten into the jail cells where the DFers and Rising Phoenix are being held.
Wolya! Wolya has made it to Yeom Jong's! He got away from Chilsuk? Really? Must be some story there. He has to tell Deokman, but he can't get any words out. Tick, tock, tick, tock...for heaven's sake, say something. "Your highness," he finally mutters; "My apologies."
Now Seokpum is before the cabal, and he fills in the details of how Deokman got away. Mishil, interestingly, asks if it was Sohwa who was killed. Great question--it would explain the skunk-eye, wouldn't it.
Well somehow Wolya managed to bring Sohwa's body back with him. How the heck? And now Deokman has to look at it and absorb this awful thing. It's especially hard to absorb, she says through her tears, after having lost her for dead once before, back in the desert. Her devastating grief is tough to watch--you can't help but feel terrible for her.
"That is the fate awaiting people like us," Yeom Jong tells Bidam, as Deokman's cries fill the background. "We spend our lives serving someone, and then that is how things end. What a life."
Now Chilsuk is alone, in the memorial shrine. He's lit some incense; at least you assume it was him. Never expected him to be much of a spiritual person, but this may have snapped something inside of him. Now Mishil comes heading in, looking very purposeful, like she expected him to be here and wanted to face the situation as soon as possible. Chilsuk looks at the memorial markers for all of the former Hwarang. "Just like all those names," he says, "one day will my name grace one of those tablets?" Says something about a person needing inspiration to live for. Tells Mishil that as a 16-year-old he was a POW in a Goguryeo camp and was nearly buried alive! "It was then that you and your men infiltrated the camp," he says, and saved me just in time. I've devoted every single day since then to serving you, he says; "countless battles"; a fight against Munno; even a sandstorm in the Taklamakan Desert. I thought I was blessed to escape death so often, he continues. But "In truth...I kept losing the right opportunity to let death take me." Wow. "The next time," he adds, "shall not be the same." So he's feeling all of the guilt and sorrow you'd expect, and maybe being a little dramatic about it. Mishil being Mishil, she's not about to buy into that: "Fine," she tells him, like an astute mom; "do as you wish." And without another word, turns and leaves him...no, wait, a question first: "Why did you just let him go?" As in, Wolya. A great question again. And he has an answer. "There was nobody left to take her corpse." Mishil considers it, and it's tough for her to say so, but she says it: "You did well." Hey, that was real classy of her.
Sohwa's freshly prepared burial mound. Deokman is standing before it with Jukbang, and now it's Jukbang who's crying and having a hard time dealing with it. He certainly was smitten with her back home. "Someone as weak and frail as her," he moans; "I knew this would happen." Really? "Weak and frail, she is not," Deokman whispers. "She's always been stronger than me." Always. Yes, she has.
Later, we see Deokman alone, crying. Bidam has been watching over her, and now decides to try to go comfort her. But Yushin is behind him, and grabs his wrist to stop him. "Look at how she weeps," Yushin says; "She would not want to show that to us." For goodness sakes, why not? Weird...But pretty soon Deokman gets up, dries her tears, and tries to compose herself.
So where now? Where to take Deokman? All six of her friends are trying to figure out what safe place to take her to...but Deokman isn't going to hide. I want everyone to know I'm alive, she says, so I can "gather even more forces. I will not run away." Chunchu disagrees; time is now on our side, he argues. "The longer this unconscionable martial law continues," he explains, "the more suspicion it will foment in our people's minds." So just let it simmer, he basically says. She does agree with him, but also says she doesn't like all of the things that will happen while she waits--all of the terrible things that the martial law will cause. And she reiterates, "I shall neither run nor hide."
Later, outside, Yushin tries to talk her out of it. No luck. "How many more lives must be sacrificed to protect me?" She thinks her group can "separate into two fronts," she says, because of Chunchu's presence (not sure what she means by this, exactly).
"A Tang envoy is coming?" Hajong and Misaeng are visiting a recuperating Sejong and get a surprising piece of news. Not good timing, is it. The Tang have just taken control of the Middle Kingdom, we learn, and this is their first visit, so they think the envoy is likely to be full of bluster. We'll see...and he'll be at the palace by tomorrow. Mishil knows about the visit but Misaeng says he hasn't had a chance to talk to her about it because of all of the Deokman hubbub. Of course he's going to ask about the martial law situation. Best keep it all quiet and play it down, Misaeng advises.
Deokman has already heard about the envoy's visit, and wonders if Mishil might have to suspend martial law while he's here. "I shall arrange everything," Yushin tells her. Arrange what? We don't know, not yet.
Wow, Mishil looks unhappy; what's the matter? Chilsuk and Seolwon have brought her news about the arrow-mail that some of the elite Hwarang received, and presumably about its other circulation as posters. They're concerned that the charges in the document might sway "a few" of the nobles. But Mishil is only concerned about Deokman's death. "Deokman must not be allowed to enter the capital alive," she tells them. Follow the script, she says; Deokman is the instigator and must die "bravely resisting arrest."
The next morning: Here comes the Tang delegation. They've been met by Misaeng and Hajong at the outskirts of the city and are being led through an outlying village. Lots of curious villagers line the streets. They're fascinated by the foreigners...but now something else grabs their attention and they look skyward. Kites! Four of them, just floating out there. Big ones. And there are bags attached to them. What the heck? Suddenly the bags burst, and in the next moment leaflets are raining down on the scene. "Rescue his majesty!", they say. And yes, the Tang envoy and his assistant are holding and reading copies.
And boy do the leaflets circulate fast. Already all of the elite Hwarang are looking at them. They also say, "May all brave sons of the Heavenly Kingdom muster their righteous energy and rescue your ruler in Seorabeol." Signed by "Gaeyang's keeper, Deokman." And "son of Gaeyang's keeper, Chunchu." Makes them wonder just where the king actually is. Ho Jae is with them and they're looking to him for insight. And he wonders about the charge against Deokman: "it was a rather suspicious insinuation, so..." Seokpum cuts him off and disputes him, of course, but Ho Jae counters that "tall tales are being spread" and it's tough to know what to believe right now. And now some heated discussion, but interestingly, it's pretty much Seokpum solidly behind Mishil, against the rest who just aren't sure any more. All of you, Seokpum reminds them angrily, have "benefitted from Mishil's benevolence." Maybe so, Dukchung fires back, "but the reason why we continued following her lead was because she never acted against principle." Piltan agrees, adding that "personal whims" didn't sway any of the Hwarang; they've supported her "only because Her Highness was right." Nobody else disagrees.
Well it's about time we saw Jujin, as big a key as he is in this whole thing. He's gone to visit Lord Sueulbu, one of Mishil's Council allies, who's gotten a hold of one of the leaflets. (He's identified now by name for the first time.) Sueulbu tries to hide the thing from Jujin's sight as soon as Jujin enters, but no luck: "Have you seen it as well?" Jujin is obviously concerned, and Sueulbu tells him there's confusion in the palace and, more importantly, "many nobles are concerned about their future." What did you tell them?, Jujin asks. "We are under martial law," Sueulbu answers; "They will all have to be prudent." Jujin nods in agreement and laughs a little, and leaves him. But it seemed like one of those a-little-too-obvious laughs...like he was going along with something he didn't agree with.
"How many of these were circulated?" Mishil is looking at one of the leaflets; Misaeng has brought it. He has bad news; not only did the envoys get them, but now there's all kinds of whispering and hubbub among the people and the Tang envoys have seen and heard that too. "We did explain about the insurrection and martial law," Misaeng tells her but this, well, "You will not believe how befuddled they were." You need to go see them now, he tells her. And he offers her some advice, in view of the present difficulties: "Let us accede as much as possible. We can regain everything we lost later."
So Mishil goes to meet the delegation. Misaeng, speaking Mandarin, introduces her as "Keeper of the Royal Seal, now in charge of the National Crisis Committee." A smile from the envoy, who tells her that "Your Highness's repute has reached the lands of our Middle Kingdom." Mishil replies humbly that "I am merely concerned that my lowly upbringing might have soiled the legacy of our nation." Not an issue, he answers with another smile. Pleasantries over, they go inside...
...and get down to business. "A thousand guan in gold." As in, that's what the new Tang emperor wants. (A guan, from what I can tell, is 1,000 of the copper coins that were used for money back then, so 1,000 guan is going to be substantial.) Mishil asks the obvious: What do we get for that? "Long-lasting friendship between Tang and Shilla." What is this, a protection racket? Misaeng leans in and suggests to Mishil that they just give it to them. But he does tell the envoy that the amount is more than a year's worth of production of the entire country, and Mishil concurs, politely calling it "unfeasible." So then the envoy calmly pulls one of those leaflets out of his sleeve! Hah! Misaeng weasel-smiles it off, calling it an "nothing but an internal matter." But the envoy calmly responds, "Would not such internal matters require the assistance of your brethren in the Middle Kingdom?" Not sure what he means by this, at least not exactly, but any way you want to take it it's not good. Mishil stares at him, smiling. Misaeng leans in and again urges Mishil to just give them the gold and make him go away. But instead, she tells him she knows he's fluent in Gyerim (the Shillan language) so she'd like to talk to him in private. Misaeng doesn't like it--REALLY doesn't like it, you can tell (obviously he's worried she's going to go shrill-voice bonkers on the guy) but the envoy agrees, so everybody clears the room.
"Did you really confine your king, and falsely accuse the princess of treason?" The envoy points to the leaflet and looks almost amused by the whole thing. Mishil smiles and says, So what if I did? "Is that not usurpation?", the envoy answers, amazed that he even has to say it. She smiles and fires right back, "Did not your emperor do the same thing?" Which is true--subtitling tells us that the Tang dynasty was born from a coup that killed Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty--but of course it sets the envoy pounding the table in anger and fuming about insulting their heavenly mandate. "The fate of your dynasty," Mishil continues calmly, "will be decided by your emperor's conduct, I trust. I still don't know my future yet, myself." Which doesn't placate him; he calls her a "slattern," calls Shilla a "northern barbarian statelet" and accuses her of disrespecting "our grandiose legacy" (it's a new dynasty--what legacy?). "Do you even know what that paltry tongue of yours is sputtering?" She answers, "A knave like you doesn't deserve to discuss any such matter in my presence." Now, now, children, let's stop this...."If you truly wish to discuss such matters," she adds, "at least bring me Li Shimin." As in, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Yeah, probably not a good thing to say. Now the envoy is furious, making threats about their army coming to squash Shilla. But Mishil is ready for it--and was she trying to goad him into it? "So Your Excellency came to Shilla as an envoy and threatened us with military intervention. I could easily consider this as an explicit declaration of war. And you must be aware of how a country on the receiving end of such declaration generally reacts. Would beheading you and presenting your head to your colleague to take home suffice?" She smiles, and now the poor guy looks so uncomfortable you'd think he's wearing somebody else's underwear. He sits there for a bit, trying to figure out what just happened, while Mishil smiles and her eyes flash that in-for-the-kill triumphal gleam of hers. And then he perks up again and starts laughing hysterically. "I shall confirm it to His Majesty," he says jovially, "that Shilla is blessed with a remarkable specimen. That her country will be worthy of our fellowship, and of becoming a long-lasting ally of our Great Tang." He stands, and bows in acknowledgement. And then adds, "Should my words have offended you in any way, I implore for your forgiveness." Wow. Mishil stands and bows in return, and tells him, "I am overwhelmed with gratitude."
"You certainly are remarkable." Misaeng was listening out there in the hallway, and even as well as he knows his sister, she surprised him on this one. The Shillans leave the building, followed by the Tang delegation. But Mishil isn't interested in her brother's flattery; she's muttering about finding Deokman. Summon Seolwon, she tells her brother. Umm, wait a minute, may not need to. "Lady Mishil!" Suddenly, behind them, an planter is pushed over and shatters on the stone pavement. Who pushed it? One of the ceremonial guards. No wait--it's Deokman in a guard uniform! (Oh good grief, how did she possibly get into that position? UGH.) Instantly Deokman is surrounded by the points of a dozen soldiers' spears, and the swords of both delegations' personal guards aren't much farther away. Deokman holds a sword, too, but she doesn't unsheath it; instead she deliberately throws it aside. And stares at Mishil.