Post by ajk on Mar 19, 2014 23:44:54 GMT -5
You'd think JD would be a lot happier to see Yangji alive and well. But he doesn't even smile; he's glad to see her okay but then tells her not to seek him out and then abruptly walks away. Clearly he's still traumatized by the attack on Sojaedong.
Hey, look at Lee Seonggye walking to his first state council meeting. Seems out of place in that red council robe. Unfortunately he's walking through a street filled with suffering. Famine victims, some alive and some not. At the meeting we learn that this is the result of a multi-year drought, and the government can't help because it's tapped out--they provided tax relief and free rice but there's no more to give. Seonggye ventures to speak up and push for some sort of stopgap relief, but Lee In Im's allies talk down to him and argue (correctly, it appears) that the famine is a long-term problem and that a short-term effort would be costly and would accomplish nothing. Then Lee In Im claims that the people would come to see "freebies" like famine relief as a right and expect them all the time, and such an entitlement mentality would eventually destroy the country! His condescending attitude towards the people angers Lee Seonggye to the point where they have to break up the meeting. Afterwards, Choi advises Seonggye not to stand up to Lee In Im so quickly. "He's corrupt but he has a lot of experience." A good lesson for a rookie.
So Lee Seonggye goes to Lee Saek, who runs the Sungkyunkwan Academy, and starts asking lots of questions about state affairs. And he wants to keep coming back so Lee Saek can teach him. Word of their meeting gets back to Lee In Im (of course). Ha Ryan and Yeom Heungbang tell him that if Seonggye is gathering allies from among the scholars, he could become very powerful--so we need to do the same thing too. Like, by giving plum appointments to scholars to gain their alliance. But who? One person comes to mind first: JD, because they know he's teaching in a Samgakan village school and wonder if he's changed since his exile.
So Yeom Heungbang takes some soldiers and goes to Samgakan. The soldiers rip the sign off of JD's home/school and trash the place! Yeom starts talking smack to JD about how Lee In Im will continue to make his life miserable as long as Lee is alive. This is Lee's way of testing JD to see if he's changed. Then JD offers Yeom some wine and (outwardly, at least) is smiling and laughing and being all friendly.
Yeom reports back and tells Lee In Im that JD wants to live a quiet life. "He's a different person. You can make him one of yours." Meanwhile, Jeong and his wife and servant get their place back in order. Just then Yangji shows up with some more sewing work for JD's wife. She brought it to her this time, of course as an excuse to visit her husband. But just then, Yeom and the soldiers come back and trash the place again! Ugh. JD is annoyed but remarkably calm about it. "Tell him again. I'll just teach children and live a quiet life." So they leave. On the way home, Yeom spots Lee Seonggye's wife going to the temple. Turns out she's pregnant and is praying for good health and protection. Then as she visits with the older woman who runs the place, Yangji walks in and wants to ask her a favor.
Mrs. Lee goes home and tells her husband about the repeated attacks on a village school run by "an innocent Confucian scholar" named Jeong Dojeon. She asks him to find out which government official is behind it. Seonggye immediately recognizes the name.
Evening: JD is getting drunk at the cafe again and trying to score some credit for more wine. No luck. Then Yangji shows up and buys him some. But it costs him a talking-to. "Why are you being so weak? It's not like you." She reminds him of some of the things he said to her in Sojaedong to keep her encouraged, and scolds him for his apparently giving up on everything he had believed in. He leaves the cafe and goes home, seemingly affected by her words...and finds Yeom and the soldiers back there trashing the place for the third time! Geez! JD laughs, realizing he's gotten into Lee In Im's head. "He wants to know my intentions." Yeom gives him a pass to enter the capital, and on the side hands him some cash from his (Yeom's) own pocket. "You can't go see him empty-handed." As in, take him a bribe. Yeom goes back to Lee In Im. "He will come and bow soon."
Next morning: Lee Jiran shows up at JD's home and wants to see him. But his wife says he's not here, and his servant adds that he went to see Lee In Im to get a government position! Which isn't true, but it causes Jiran to report back to Lee Seonggye and tell him to forget about JD.
JD takes the bribe money and just like before, buys a vase, fills it with dung, goes to the same government office as before and throws the stuff all over everybody just like before. But this time he gets caught (on purpose) and taken to Lee In Im. Lee is amused by it all: "Your gift really impresses me." "You invited me in such a unique manner," JD answers, "that I thought I should reply in kind." Lee wants his alliance and offers him a job with the same rank as Jeong Mongju. But JD doesn't want it, and things quickly deteriorate into a difference of opinion about what Goryeo's priorities should be. Lee doesn't like his attitude and sends him away.
Jeong Mongju is back from Ming. They refused his tribute and wouldn't even let him in to present it! And no explanation for it. And they send him back with a declaration to sever relations. Mongju tells the king that "Ming seems to be testing our intentions." Later, privately, Mongju tells Lee Seonggye that Ming wants Lee In Im himself to come as an envoy, They know all about him and how he's so pro-Yuan, so he's the one they want to question.
On his way home, JD comes across a group of pirates who were caught in the woods and are being taken somewhere. Among them is Cheonbok! He's trying to tell anybody who will listen that he's from Goryeo. Luckily JD recognized him.
The ministers are meeting informally about what to do about Ming. Then Lee Seonggye boldly suggests sending them another envoy, one who can restore Ming's trust: Lee In Im.
Hey, look at Lee Seonggye walking to his first state council meeting. Seems out of place in that red council robe. Unfortunately he's walking through a street filled with suffering. Famine victims, some alive and some not. At the meeting we learn that this is the result of a multi-year drought, and the government can't help because it's tapped out--they provided tax relief and free rice but there's no more to give. Seonggye ventures to speak up and push for some sort of stopgap relief, but Lee In Im's allies talk down to him and argue (correctly, it appears) that the famine is a long-term problem and that a short-term effort would be costly and would accomplish nothing. Then Lee In Im claims that the people would come to see "freebies" like famine relief as a right and expect them all the time, and such an entitlement mentality would eventually destroy the country! His condescending attitude towards the people angers Lee Seonggye to the point where they have to break up the meeting. Afterwards, Choi advises Seonggye not to stand up to Lee In Im so quickly. "He's corrupt but he has a lot of experience." A good lesson for a rookie.
So Lee Seonggye goes to Lee Saek, who runs the Sungkyunkwan Academy, and starts asking lots of questions about state affairs. And he wants to keep coming back so Lee Saek can teach him. Word of their meeting gets back to Lee In Im (of course). Ha Ryan and Yeom Heungbang tell him that if Seonggye is gathering allies from among the scholars, he could become very powerful--so we need to do the same thing too. Like, by giving plum appointments to scholars to gain their alliance. But who? One person comes to mind first: JD, because they know he's teaching in a Samgakan village school and wonder if he's changed since his exile.
So Yeom Heungbang takes some soldiers and goes to Samgakan. The soldiers rip the sign off of JD's home/school and trash the place! Yeom starts talking smack to JD about how Lee In Im will continue to make his life miserable as long as Lee is alive. This is Lee's way of testing JD to see if he's changed. Then JD offers Yeom some wine and (outwardly, at least) is smiling and laughing and being all friendly.
Yeom reports back and tells Lee In Im that JD wants to live a quiet life. "He's a different person. You can make him one of yours." Meanwhile, Jeong and his wife and servant get their place back in order. Just then Yangji shows up with some more sewing work for JD's wife. She brought it to her this time, of course as an excuse to visit her husband. But just then, Yeom and the soldiers come back and trash the place again! Ugh. JD is annoyed but remarkably calm about it. "Tell him again. I'll just teach children and live a quiet life." So they leave. On the way home, Yeom spots Lee Seonggye's wife going to the temple. Turns out she's pregnant and is praying for good health and protection. Then as she visits with the older woman who runs the place, Yangji walks in and wants to ask her a favor.
Mrs. Lee goes home and tells her husband about the repeated attacks on a village school run by "an innocent Confucian scholar" named Jeong Dojeon. She asks him to find out which government official is behind it. Seonggye immediately recognizes the name.
Evening: JD is getting drunk at the cafe again and trying to score some credit for more wine. No luck. Then Yangji shows up and buys him some. But it costs him a talking-to. "Why are you being so weak? It's not like you." She reminds him of some of the things he said to her in Sojaedong to keep her encouraged, and scolds him for his apparently giving up on everything he had believed in. He leaves the cafe and goes home, seemingly affected by her words...and finds Yeom and the soldiers back there trashing the place for the third time! Geez! JD laughs, realizing he's gotten into Lee In Im's head. "He wants to know my intentions." Yeom gives him a pass to enter the capital, and on the side hands him some cash from his (Yeom's) own pocket. "You can't go see him empty-handed." As in, take him a bribe. Yeom goes back to Lee In Im. "He will come and bow soon."
Next morning: Lee Jiran shows up at JD's home and wants to see him. But his wife says he's not here, and his servant adds that he went to see Lee In Im to get a government position! Which isn't true, but it causes Jiran to report back to Lee Seonggye and tell him to forget about JD.
JD takes the bribe money and just like before, buys a vase, fills it with dung, goes to the same government office as before and throws the stuff all over everybody just like before. But this time he gets caught (on purpose) and taken to Lee In Im. Lee is amused by it all: "Your gift really impresses me." "You invited me in such a unique manner," JD answers, "that I thought I should reply in kind." Lee wants his alliance and offers him a job with the same rank as Jeong Mongju. But JD doesn't want it, and things quickly deteriorate into a difference of opinion about what Goryeo's priorities should be. Lee doesn't like his attitude and sends him away.
Jeong Mongju is back from Ming. They refused his tribute and wouldn't even let him in to present it! And no explanation for it. And they send him back with a declaration to sever relations. Mongju tells the king that "Ming seems to be testing our intentions." Later, privately, Mongju tells Lee Seonggye that Ming wants Lee In Im himself to come as an envoy, They know all about him and how he's so pro-Yuan, so he's the one they want to question.
On his way home, JD comes across a group of pirates who were caught in the woods and are being taken somewhere. Among them is Cheonbok! He's trying to tell anybody who will listen that he's from Goryeo. Luckily JD recognized him.
The ministers are meeting informally about what to do about Ming. Then Lee Seonggye boldly suggests sending them another envoy, one who can restore Ming's trust: Lee In Im.