Post by ajk on Mar 21, 2014 23:20:10 GMT -5
Pyeonjo is already hard at work in the new Directorate office. He's questioning a government official--the Chancellor of the Board of Taxation--because the guy seems to have many more assets than someone of his rank (5th) ought to have. The guy argues that they're family assets, passed down through generations. But records show he's enriched himself plenty in just the last year! Buss-ted. "It is true I took a few slaves for myself. But it wasn't my intention." They were friends of my own slaves he said, and were left homeless after Gi Cheol died. "I was forced to take them in, feed and shelter them." Yeah, he's a real philanthropist, isn't he. But what about the extra land he's gained? Well he has no answer for that. So when Pyeonjo offers him one chance to extricate himself--give up those new slaves and give your new land to its original owners, he gratefully and immediately accepts. The entertaining part of all this is that Won Hyeon is standing at Pyeonjo's side and they've got a good-cop-bad-cop thing going, and it's working like a charm.
The guy leaves and goes outside, where other officials are waiting, and to their dismay tells them that it didn't go well for him and the Directorate knew about everything he owned. They all groan. Won Hyeon steps outside and calls in three more officials. Later, Inspector Kim shows up and starts agitating the officials still outside, scaring them about how far this all may lead.
And the agitation reaches the conference room where Lee Je Hyeon, Yeom Je Shin, Kim Yong and Jung Se Woon are meeting. Yeom is worked up into a frenzy--what else is new--and Kim quickly joins him, complaining that Pyeonjo has already overreached and acted without permission and is going so far that the court officials are all going on strike over it. Jung argues with them and shows his loyalty: "I surely don't approve of Pyeonjo, but I think His Majesty did the right thing in establishing the Directorate. Right now, discipline in the court is of utmost importance." But Kim won't have it, and ends up walking out of the room in a huff. Lee has been sitting there silently through all this, but when Yeom presses him to rein in Pyeonjo he finally speaks. "I told him to do what he's doing now." Surprise! It's what the king wants, Lee says, so we do it.
Pyeonjo has brought the king a preliminary report. Gongmin scans it over and is disappointed that it only goes as high as the Rank 5 officials. "You can take care of this yourself," he says; don't even bring it to me. It's the high officials Gongmin wants investigated. Pyeonjo counsels patience; he thinks that starting at Rank 5 and working gradually upwards will eventually unnerve the top officials into coming clean voluntarily. But Gongmin wants him to push a little harder and move more quickly. "How about you choose someone between third and second-ranked ones?" Pyeonjo looks at him. "Will you accept the consequences?" He does have one easy target in mind...but "he's much too close to Your Majesty." Gongmin immediately asks, "Is it Kim Yong?" Pyeonjo's smile is the answer. But now he wants to know the extent of Gongmin's goals. Is this only about getting the land and slaves back..."Or are you also trying to sweep away the entire court and install a new one?" After all, ill-gotten land and slaves have been accumulated and held by powerful clans for generations--but so have government positions. Gongmin gives him the answer he's hoping for: "We must solve that problem as well. Let us do that." Then Pyeonjo starts to reveal something really big: he's been investigating people in the extended royal family and has found some of the same misbehavior. As in, accumulation of huge riches while the royal treasury is empty. But just then Lee Je Hyeon is announced and is ushered in. Gongmin receives him warmly and they even joke around a little.
Afterwards, outside, Lee isn't smiling any more, and tells Pyeonjo he's concerned. "Not only will those you pierce shed blood, but you'll stain your hands with the blood of their malefaction as well." Are you ready for the backlash? "His Majesty is the first sage ruler we've had in uncountable moons." Be cautious and protect him, Lee implores; we need him desperately.
Back inside, Gongmin tells himself, "We shall change it all." No matter how difficult it is.
Won Hyeon and his investigators are at Choseon's estate, having a celebratory meal. They're thrilled with how well things have gone and are eager to take a shot at the higher ranks. And guess what, they're even going to go after the queen dowager! Apparently she's piled up quite the fortune for herself. In another room, Jihyo has brought news for his sister: Master Bou went to Gaetae Temple; apparently Wolseon is very sick. Which worries Pyeonjo, of course, but Choseon thinks it can't be too serious. "If anything was seriously wrong, they would have summoned you." She offers to go to Gaetae for him and check...and then there's another one of those weird I'm-too-uncomfortable-to-say-I-like-you moments.
Ugh, it's the queen dowager and Inspector Kim again. He tells her about the royals being investigated. She laughs at Pyeonjo's arrogance...but Kim warns her not to take this lightly. "Pyeonjo is following the trail all of Lord Deokseong's assets left behind. If he gets to the culprit...." Well now why should she care about that? But she mutters angrily, "Think of how much I bequeathed the Gi to put my son on that throne." Yow-wee, so she got her hands on Gi Cheol's money! Now Kim starts scaring her with rumors that Gongmin's throne is in danger because the Yuan might replace him with Prince Deokheung, and because "His Majesty is losing the people's approval." And he gets her to blame it all on Pyeonjo. Seriously?
Hey, it's the queen! Haven't seen much of her lately. She and the king are outside waiting to pay their morning respects to the QD. But the old battleaxe won't let them in! Sheesh. So they go in anyway. She won't even look at her son and she's acting all hurt. "Why would a sinner deserve any respect?" He looks at her and smiles, not quite laughing but clearly wanting to.
Kim Yong is walking around in a snit. You wonder if he knows what's coming. Inspector Kim sees him and starts telling him about how he worked up the QD. Kim Yong mutters, "And who put her where she is now?" Huh? He must be pretty deeply involved in all this (which is what made him an easy target, of course).
The king and queen are doing their customary bows...but the QD barks at her son about the Deokheung rumors and how he's relying too much on Pyeonjo. He tolerates it impassively but walks out very angry.
Back in his office, Gongmin is back to laughing about it. "No need to worry," he tells Noguk; his mother is being misled. "All the courtiers who stole the collaborators' assets are surely trying to beguile her." And scaring her by suggesting Pyeonjo will come after her. (Little does he know!) Give him credit for anticipating just what the officials would be trying to do. Noguk advises him to be resolute with her, and warns him about the officials: "The more significant the blame laid upon them, the more desperate their fight will be." But he's not worried; he thinks they have no just cause and would be too ashamed to confront him over this.
Pyeonjo has brought Lee Je Hyeon a report on Rank 3 officials. "Let us give them an example to fear." "Fine," Lee sighs; he'll consider it. Pyeonjo doesn't leave immediately, so Lee snaps at him. "I understood!", he shouts angrily. WOW--we've never seen anything like that from him before. Obviously this is difficult for him....
...so he goes to the king about it. He's concerned because Lee In Bok hasn't having returned from Yanjing yet. He'd very much prefer to not ramp up the investigation until the Yuan situation is more clear. Pyeonjo's work can wait a bit, he argues. "Looking for corrupt officials is like seeking fish in the sea. This is the time we should join forces and prepare for the Yuan's retaliation." No, Gongmin fires back; "That is exactly why Kim Yong should be put on trial. Can I ask our people to fight the Yuan, with people like him under my command? We need to cleanse this rotten court of ours! Only then our people shall follow my lead."
Yeah, Kim Yong got word of it...because he goes straight to Gongmin's office, kneels outside the front door and pleads for Gongmin's trust. Reminds him how faithful he's been "ever since you were in Yanjing, as a hostage of the Yuan. Did I serve and protect you with fame and riches in mind?" Well, yeah, partly..."If enduring this disrespect from a filthy plebe like Pyeonjo is my calling, I shall rather perish by your sword, Sire!" Well THAT'S not going to help has case, insulting Pyeonjo like that. Gongmin rolls his eyes and ignores him.
But the court doesn't ignore him. They're all meeting now and they're buzzing about it. Chief Supervisor Gyeong is particularly angry, knowing that Kim Yong was one of the king's first supporters. Even if he did make an "inadvertent" mistake, Gyeong shouts, "Should his trial be presided over by filthy plebeian dregs?!" And who will be next if even Kim Yong is a target? And of course Inspector Kim jumps in and says they should all submit their resignations.
"Are you people out of your minds?!" Look at this, that's just what they did! Inspector Kim brings a fistful of envelopes to Lee Je Hyeon: resignation letters. Lee is dumbfounded. Kim says, "I tried to stop them in earnest, but they wouldn't listen." Lee doesn't buy that and gives Kim a scolding. You're even related to the king, but at this difficult time "not only do you not give him support, but you're trying to plant the seeds of discord?!" No, Kim answers, I'm doing this to help him.
Now Jung Se Woon goes to the king and pleads to Gongmin for mercy for Kim. But Gongmin has to point out that "I didn't say a single thing to Kim Yong!" and that Kim's conscience must have gotten the better of him. And he has to remind Jung that Kim lost his post and was exiled for his lack of loyalty during Jo Il Shin's insurrection. (Which everyone else seems to have forgotten about. Good for him for bringing it up.) Gongmin wants nothing more to do with this. Go talk to Pyeonjo about it, he tells Jung. Jung leaves, walks by Kim Yong still out there pleading, and calls him a fool. What can Kim say. "I have no excuses, my dear friend." And goes back to pleading.
So Jung goes to the Directorate office, and finds Pyeonjo inside sitting by himself. "If only for my sake, forgive Lord Anseong just this once. I beseech you!" This must be very difficult for Jung. And then he actually gets on his knees, which must be REALLY difficult. "Kim Yong and I are like brethren," he says, and speaks of their difficult years in Yanjing together. "Just this once...Just this once! Close your eyes to this!"
Turns out that Pyeonjo wasn't alone in there; Won Hyeon was in a back corner and heard everything. He goes out into the street and tells the citizens about Jung begging and crying in front of Pyeonjo. It's working, he tells them with a mixture of rage and glee. "In no time, this world shall turn upside down!" You'd think he'd have a little more discretion, even for a hothead.
Gaetae Temple: Wolseon looks okay--at least healthy enough to be praying in the shrine along with Master Bou. And Wolseon has just made a surprising request of Bou. "Did you just ask me to ordain Pyeonjo?" Yes he did. I had ordained him myself, Wolseon explains, but no one else would accept it because he's the son of a slave. And I did send him into the secular world, but always wanted him to come back to Buddha. "May you become the light that shows Pyeonjo the path." But would Pyeonjo really have any interest in this?
Bou leaves the shrine and finds Choseon waiting there. She's relieved to see Wolseon looking reasonably well, but according to Bou he hasn't eaten properly in a month, and likely will die soon. "So he must be abandoning the ties which bind him to this secular world," he says, probably trying to make sense of his request. Bou heads away...and now look who walks past Choseon and into the shrine to pray with Wolseon: Ban Ya! She looks to be eleven or twelve years old now. She looks great and obviously has been growing up very well. Choseon can't help but smile at the sight of her. And actually, as she tells Wolseon later, she wondered if he hadn't sent Ban Ya to live somewhere else because she hadn't seen the girl here in quite a while. And it turns out, he had tried to place her several times, but she kept wanting to come back to the temple. Which surprises Choseon: "How could such ties be so deep, to resist all the world's allure?" She offers to take her back and raise her, but Wolseon says no, she can stay here and Pyeonjo can raise her when he dies. Here? She's startled by that and he has to explain. "Preceptor Bou said he'll ordain Pyeonjo, so I shall bestow him this temple, shouldn't I?" Again, does he think Pyeonjo will go along with that?
That evening, Choseon decides to go looking for Ban Ya. Finds her in the shrine. She actually crawls under the altar and sleeps here! Why here? "So I can cleanse my misdeeds." Huh? "It is my karma." Later, Auntie tells Choseon that she always sleeps there. Good heavens, the poor girl--what's burdening her so severely?
By now it's been over a month since Lee In Bok was supposed to come back from Yanjing. Jung Se Woon is very concerned, understandably, and orders the Yuan troops on the northern border monitored very carefully for signs of threatening movement.
Hey, look--it's Yoo In Woo! He's still in a jail cell. No big chop yet. He's screaming and throwing his food around and demanding that Gongmin behead him right now rather than continue to be humiliated like this.
Yanjing: Commissioner Park goes into the jail where Lee In Bok is being held. Despite being held for what must be at least six weeks by now, Lee is resolute, and is even refusing to eat. "Goryeo's conditions shall not change. His Majesty shall proclaim firsthand any position in the court, and every apparatus set up to interfere with our state affairs shall be abolished." Ssangseong stays with Goryeo, and Goryeo will have the right to chase any troublemaking Jurchen remnants into Liaodong if necessary. "Also, Goryeo shall now use its own reign titles and disband any previous one, and Goryeo royals like Prince Deokheung, who ran here to avoid due trial, shall be extradited back to Goryeo." Accept those conditions, Lee says, and we'll help the Yuan fight the Red Turbans. It seems absurd for Lee to be talking like he's in a position of strength--look where the guy is, after all--but the Red Turbans are big trouble for the Yuan right now and Lee knows it. Oh, and one more thing: tell the empress that "along with Prince Deokheung's head, I shall take yours as well!" Geez! What the heck does Lee think he'll get from saying that? Of course Park gets up in a snit and walks right out without another word. Lee has cojones, you have to give him that.
Of course Park goes right to the empress and urges her to behead Lee and launch the punitive attack on Goryeo. He pitches it hard to her...but she just sits there with a sour look on her face. Turns out, the emperor won't give his consent for it. "So what can I do?" She used to have enough military authority to order such a thing herself. But she gave it up to her husband "To compromise with those who opposed my son." So she can't force the issue...at least not now. But how about this: "He needs to willfully abdicate. My son needs to inherit the throne from that old fart, if Goryeo is to get on its knees in front of my might." Wow, nice way to talk about your husband. For now, as for the fasting Lee, "Let us see how long his resolve lasts."
The queen has invited Pyeonjo for tea. He's there but embarrassed to accept her kindness. And wishes he'd conferred more with her about what he's been doing. But she didn't want to be in on it anyway, she says. She does want one thing from him, though: Follow through on Kim Yong even if her husband softens and considers forgiving him. "The rest of the court will have to accept it." It's what he fully intends to do, of course, but we can see he's glad to hear her say it. And he assures her that Gongmin is fully committed to this. Suddenly, word arrives at the palace of some sort of trouble outside.
Supervisor Gyeong has led a big group of officials over to Gongmin's office. Kim Yong watched them on their way and laughed the kind of laugh that makes it clear he knows what's going on. They all kneel outside the front door and make an appeal. "Your Majesty! Goryeo is no longer a vassal of the Yuan. Eliminating the grievous vestiges of their presence also includes your conjugal ties, Your Majesty! You must dethrone the Queen, and install a consort of Goryeo descent!" Gongmin pounds his chair and stands up, almost hyperventilating with rage.
The guy leaves and goes outside, where other officials are waiting, and to their dismay tells them that it didn't go well for him and the Directorate knew about everything he owned. They all groan. Won Hyeon steps outside and calls in three more officials. Later, Inspector Kim shows up and starts agitating the officials still outside, scaring them about how far this all may lead.
And the agitation reaches the conference room where Lee Je Hyeon, Yeom Je Shin, Kim Yong and Jung Se Woon are meeting. Yeom is worked up into a frenzy--what else is new--and Kim quickly joins him, complaining that Pyeonjo has already overreached and acted without permission and is going so far that the court officials are all going on strike over it. Jung argues with them and shows his loyalty: "I surely don't approve of Pyeonjo, but I think His Majesty did the right thing in establishing the Directorate. Right now, discipline in the court is of utmost importance." But Kim won't have it, and ends up walking out of the room in a huff. Lee has been sitting there silently through all this, but when Yeom presses him to rein in Pyeonjo he finally speaks. "I told him to do what he's doing now." Surprise! It's what the king wants, Lee says, so we do it.
Pyeonjo has brought the king a preliminary report. Gongmin scans it over and is disappointed that it only goes as high as the Rank 5 officials. "You can take care of this yourself," he says; don't even bring it to me. It's the high officials Gongmin wants investigated. Pyeonjo counsels patience; he thinks that starting at Rank 5 and working gradually upwards will eventually unnerve the top officials into coming clean voluntarily. But Gongmin wants him to push a little harder and move more quickly. "How about you choose someone between third and second-ranked ones?" Pyeonjo looks at him. "Will you accept the consequences?" He does have one easy target in mind...but "he's much too close to Your Majesty." Gongmin immediately asks, "Is it Kim Yong?" Pyeonjo's smile is the answer. But now he wants to know the extent of Gongmin's goals. Is this only about getting the land and slaves back..."Or are you also trying to sweep away the entire court and install a new one?" After all, ill-gotten land and slaves have been accumulated and held by powerful clans for generations--but so have government positions. Gongmin gives him the answer he's hoping for: "We must solve that problem as well. Let us do that." Then Pyeonjo starts to reveal something really big: he's been investigating people in the extended royal family and has found some of the same misbehavior. As in, accumulation of huge riches while the royal treasury is empty. But just then Lee Je Hyeon is announced and is ushered in. Gongmin receives him warmly and they even joke around a little.
Afterwards, outside, Lee isn't smiling any more, and tells Pyeonjo he's concerned. "Not only will those you pierce shed blood, but you'll stain your hands with the blood of their malefaction as well." Are you ready for the backlash? "His Majesty is the first sage ruler we've had in uncountable moons." Be cautious and protect him, Lee implores; we need him desperately.
Back inside, Gongmin tells himself, "We shall change it all." No matter how difficult it is.
Won Hyeon and his investigators are at Choseon's estate, having a celebratory meal. They're thrilled with how well things have gone and are eager to take a shot at the higher ranks. And guess what, they're even going to go after the queen dowager! Apparently she's piled up quite the fortune for herself. In another room, Jihyo has brought news for his sister: Master Bou went to Gaetae Temple; apparently Wolseon is very sick. Which worries Pyeonjo, of course, but Choseon thinks it can't be too serious. "If anything was seriously wrong, they would have summoned you." She offers to go to Gaetae for him and check...and then there's another one of those weird I'm-too-uncomfortable-to-say-I-like-you moments.
Ugh, it's the queen dowager and Inspector Kim again. He tells her about the royals being investigated. She laughs at Pyeonjo's arrogance...but Kim warns her not to take this lightly. "Pyeonjo is following the trail all of Lord Deokseong's assets left behind. If he gets to the culprit...." Well now why should she care about that? But she mutters angrily, "Think of how much I bequeathed the Gi to put my son on that throne." Yow-wee, so she got her hands on Gi Cheol's money! Now Kim starts scaring her with rumors that Gongmin's throne is in danger because the Yuan might replace him with Prince Deokheung, and because "His Majesty is losing the people's approval." And he gets her to blame it all on Pyeonjo. Seriously?
Hey, it's the queen! Haven't seen much of her lately. She and the king are outside waiting to pay their morning respects to the QD. But the old battleaxe won't let them in! Sheesh. So they go in anyway. She won't even look at her son and she's acting all hurt. "Why would a sinner deserve any respect?" He looks at her and smiles, not quite laughing but clearly wanting to.
Kim Yong is walking around in a snit. You wonder if he knows what's coming. Inspector Kim sees him and starts telling him about how he worked up the QD. Kim Yong mutters, "And who put her where she is now?" Huh? He must be pretty deeply involved in all this (which is what made him an easy target, of course).
The king and queen are doing their customary bows...but the QD barks at her son about the Deokheung rumors and how he's relying too much on Pyeonjo. He tolerates it impassively but walks out very angry.
Back in his office, Gongmin is back to laughing about it. "No need to worry," he tells Noguk; his mother is being misled. "All the courtiers who stole the collaborators' assets are surely trying to beguile her." And scaring her by suggesting Pyeonjo will come after her. (Little does he know!) Give him credit for anticipating just what the officials would be trying to do. Noguk advises him to be resolute with her, and warns him about the officials: "The more significant the blame laid upon them, the more desperate their fight will be." But he's not worried; he thinks they have no just cause and would be too ashamed to confront him over this.
Pyeonjo has brought Lee Je Hyeon a report on Rank 3 officials. "Let us give them an example to fear." "Fine," Lee sighs; he'll consider it. Pyeonjo doesn't leave immediately, so Lee snaps at him. "I understood!", he shouts angrily. WOW--we've never seen anything like that from him before. Obviously this is difficult for him....
...so he goes to the king about it. He's concerned because Lee In Bok hasn't having returned from Yanjing yet. He'd very much prefer to not ramp up the investigation until the Yuan situation is more clear. Pyeonjo's work can wait a bit, he argues. "Looking for corrupt officials is like seeking fish in the sea. This is the time we should join forces and prepare for the Yuan's retaliation." No, Gongmin fires back; "That is exactly why Kim Yong should be put on trial. Can I ask our people to fight the Yuan, with people like him under my command? We need to cleanse this rotten court of ours! Only then our people shall follow my lead."
Yeah, Kim Yong got word of it...because he goes straight to Gongmin's office, kneels outside the front door and pleads for Gongmin's trust. Reminds him how faithful he's been "ever since you were in Yanjing, as a hostage of the Yuan. Did I serve and protect you with fame and riches in mind?" Well, yeah, partly..."If enduring this disrespect from a filthy plebe like Pyeonjo is my calling, I shall rather perish by your sword, Sire!" Well THAT'S not going to help has case, insulting Pyeonjo like that. Gongmin rolls his eyes and ignores him.
But the court doesn't ignore him. They're all meeting now and they're buzzing about it. Chief Supervisor Gyeong is particularly angry, knowing that Kim Yong was one of the king's first supporters. Even if he did make an "inadvertent" mistake, Gyeong shouts, "Should his trial be presided over by filthy plebeian dregs?!" And who will be next if even Kim Yong is a target? And of course Inspector Kim jumps in and says they should all submit their resignations.
"Are you people out of your minds?!" Look at this, that's just what they did! Inspector Kim brings a fistful of envelopes to Lee Je Hyeon: resignation letters. Lee is dumbfounded. Kim says, "I tried to stop them in earnest, but they wouldn't listen." Lee doesn't buy that and gives Kim a scolding. You're even related to the king, but at this difficult time "not only do you not give him support, but you're trying to plant the seeds of discord?!" No, Kim answers, I'm doing this to help him.
Now Jung Se Woon goes to the king and pleads to Gongmin for mercy for Kim. But Gongmin has to point out that "I didn't say a single thing to Kim Yong!" and that Kim's conscience must have gotten the better of him. And he has to remind Jung that Kim lost his post and was exiled for his lack of loyalty during Jo Il Shin's insurrection. (Which everyone else seems to have forgotten about. Good for him for bringing it up.) Gongmin wants nothing more to do with this. Go talk to Pyeonjo about it, he tells Jung. Jung leaves, walks by Kim Yong still out there pleading, and calls him a fool. What can Kim say. "I have no excuses, my dear friend." And goes back to pleading.
So Jung goes to the Directorate office, and finds Pyeonjo inside sitting by himself. "If only for my sake, forgive Lord Anseong just this once. I beseech you!" This must be very difficult for Jung. And then he actually gets on his knees, which must be REALLY difficult. "Kim Yong and I are like brethren," he says, and speaks of their difficult years in Yanjing together. "Just this once...Just this once! Close your eyes to this!"
Turns out that Pyeonjo wasn't alone in there; Won Hyeon was in a back corner and heard everything. He goes out into the street and tells the citizens about Jung begging and crying in front of Pyeonjo. It's working, he tells them with a mixture of rage and glee. "In no time, this world shall turn upside down!" You'd think he'd have a little more discretion, even for a hothead.
Gaetae Temple: Wolseon looks okay--at least healthy enough to be praying in the shrine along with Master Bou. And Wolseon has just made a surprising request of Bou. "Did you just ask me to ordain Pyeonjo?" Yes he did. I had ordained him myself, Wolseon explains, but no one else would accept it because he's the son of a slave. And I did send him into the secular world, but always wanted him to come back to Buddha. "May you become the light that shows Pyeonjo the path." But would Pyeonjo really have any interest in this?
Bou leaves the shrine and finds Choseon waiting there. She's relieved to see Wolseon looking reasonably well, but according to Bou he hasn't eaten properly in a month, and likely will die soon. "So he must be abandoning the ties which bind him to this secular world," he says, probably trying to make sense of his request. Bou heads away...and now look who walks past Choseon and into the shrine to pray with Wolseon: Ban Ya! She looks to be eleven or twelve years old now. She looks great and obviously has been growing up very well. Choseon can't help but smile at the sight of her. And actually, as she tells Wolseon later, she wondered if he hadn't sent Ban Ya to live somewhere else because she hadn't seen the girl here in quite a while. And it turns out, he had tried to place her several times, but she kept wanting to come back to the temple. Which surprises Choseon: "How could such ties be so deep, to resist all the world's allure?" She offers to take her back and raise her, but Wolseon says no, she can stay here and Pyeonjo can raise her when he dies. Here? She's startled by that and he has to explain. "Preceptor Bou said he'll ordain Pyeonjo, so I shall bestow him this temple, shouldn't I?" Again, does he think Pyeonjo will go along with that?
That evening, Choseon decides to go looking for Ban Ya. Finds her in the shrine. She actually crawls under the altar and sleeps here! Why here? "So I can cleanse my misdeeds." Huh? "It is my karma." Later, Auntie tells Choseon that she always sleeps there. Good heavens, the poor girl--what's burdening her so severely?
By now it's been over a month since Lee In Bok was supposed to come back from Yanjing. Jung Se Woon is very concerned, understandably, and orders the Yuan troops on the northern border monitored very carefully for signs of threatening movement.
Hey, look--it's Yoo In Woo! He's still in a jail cell. No big chop yet. He's screaming and throwing his food around and demanding that Gongmin behead him right now rather than continue to be humiliated like this.
Yanjing: Commissioner Park goes into the jail where Lee In Bok is being held. Despite being held for what must be at least six weeks by now, Lee is resolute, and is even refusing to eat. "Goryeo's conditions shall not change. His Majesty shall proclaim firsthand any position in the court, and every apparatus set up to interfere with our state affairs shall be abolished." Ssangseong stays with Goryeo, and Goryeo will have the right to chase any troublemaking Jurchen remnants into Liaodong if necessary. "Also, Goryeo shall now use its own reign titles and disband any previous one, and Goryeo royals like Prince Deokheung, who ran here to avoid due trial, shall be extradited back to Goryeo." Accept those conditions, Lee says, and we'll help the Yuan fight the Red Turbans. It seems absurd for Lee to be talking like he's in a position of strength--look where the guy is, after all--but the Red Turbans are big trouble for the Yuan right now and Lee knows it. Oh, and one more thing: tell the empress that "along with Prince Deokheung's head, I shall take yours as well!" Geez! What the heck does Lee think he'll get from saying that? Of course Park gets up in a snit and walks right out without another word. Lee has cojones, you have to give him that.
Of course Park goes right to the empress and urges her to behead Lee and launch the punitive attack on Goryeo. He pitches it hard to her...but she just sits there with a sour look on her face. Turns out, the emperor won't give his consent for it. "So what can I do?" She used to have enough military authority to order such a thing herself. But she gave it up to her husband "To compromise with those who opposed my son." So she can't force the issue...at least not now. But how about this: "He needs to willfully abdicate. My son needs to inherit the throne from that old fart, if Goryeo is to get on its knees in front of my might." Wow, nice way to talk about your husband. For now, as for the fasting Lee, "Let us see how long his resolve lasts."
The queen has invited Pyeonjo for tea. He's there but embarrassed to accept her kindness. And wishes he'd conferred more with her about what he's been doing. But she didn't want to be in on it anyway, she says. She does want one thing from him, though: Follow through on Kim Yong even if her husband softens and considers forgiving him. "The rest of the court will have to accept it." It's what he fully intends to do, of course, but we can see he's glad to hear her say it. And he assures her that Gongmin is fully committed to this. Suddenly, word arrives at the palace of some sort of trouble outside.
Supervisor Gyeong has led a big group of officials over to Gongmin's office. Kim Yong watched them on their way and laughed the kind of laugh that makes it clear he knows what's going on. They all kneel outside the front door and make an appeal. "Your Majesty! Goryeo is no longer a vassal of the Yuan. Eliminating the grievous vestiges of their presence also includes your conjugal ties, Your Majesty! You must dethrone the Queen, and install a consort of Goryeo descent!" Gongmin pounds his chair and stands up, almost hyperventilating with rage.