Post by ajk on Apr 8, 2014 16:00:31 GMT -5
Three years have passed; it's 1387. King Wu's baby (the future King Chang) is now a nice little boy of six years old. Treats Lee In Im like his grandfather. Lee has come to the capital to talk business with Jeongbi, who’s now the queen dowager and apparently plays an important role, especially with the king showing little interest in governing. We learn that things aren’t going well; tax collections are down and the government has to cut the officials’ pay because the treasury is so depleted. Lee is coughing a lot; says he has a cold...but he’s been coughing like this for two weeks. Hmmm......
Another night of drinking in the courtyard for the king. He can’t go out and carouse on the town like he wants to, because there’s no money for it. Then somebody on a horse goes by him, close enough that the king takes offense...and now the poor guy is tied up and being dragged behind the king’s horse as he rides it. What a jerk. Fortunately the horse isn’t exactly doing top speed. Unfortunately, the reason is that he’s underfed. Money problems have even reached the royal stables. Then we see the guy in charge of the stables—hey, it’s that magistrate guy! Nam Eun, from Sojaedong. How did he get here? Then JD shows up and visits him. JD is now the governor of Namyang, a small rural district. JD has been trying to get Nam to join his political party. I'm going to kill a monster soon, JD says...but Nam has heard this before and he doesn’t understand it any more now than he did when they first met.
Anyway, JD is here in the capital to visit Ha Ryun, who now has a high rank and holds an office called miljiksasa (which I think means head of the royal secretariat, but I’m not positive). JD wants to work in the capital again and has brought Ha some silver as a bribe. Please put in a good word for me to Lee In Im, he asks. Ha said he already tried, and seems reluctant to try again—especially with the depleted treasury, which has actually forced the government to cut some positions.
Later JD visits Mongju. We learn one big reason for the money problem: there are fewer and fewer independent farmers paying taxes to the government. They’re being turned into tenant farmers or even slaves by wealthy landowners who are appropriating their land. In fact, servants of Im Gyeongmi and Yeom Heungbang (Lee In Im’s two main flunkies) are carrying clubs around and taking land by force. Gangs of thugs, basically. But JD isn’t all that bothered by it; he sees it as the natural progression of the country’s decay. "When they run out of prey, they will eat each other up." Which he obviously thinks will be a good thing in the end.
Baekju—a rural district not far from the capital: Here are some of those thugs now. Servants of Yeom Heungbang’s are erecting an ownership sign on land owned by a guy named Jo Ban. They’re seizing it, brandishing a forged ownership document. But wait, here comes Jo himself. He’s an older man, a local noble; actually a former miljiksasa and apparently was so good at the job, he received recognition from the Ming emperor. Well, he confronts them but they produce a forged ownership document and very quickly he ends up on the wrong end of a few club-blows. So he goes straight to Yeom—they know each other—but Yeom just smirks and denies any knowledge of what’s happening. So then...
...he goes to Choi Yeong—he knows Choi too—and tells him what’s going on. At the next day’s council meeting, Choi openly confronts Yeom about it. “It’s a conspiracy,” Yeom says with a smile, knowing he’s peddling baloney; it’s my land and Jo was only occupying it. Choi demands that Yeom produce proof or else return the land, and then Mongju jumps in and says that the council needs to address “the club policy.” Of course the flunkies go ballistic. Afterwards the flunkies go to Lee In Im, who wasn’t at the council meeting (hmm....) and complain. But Lee tells Yeom to give back the land. “Public sentiment isn’t good. Taking land from nobility will put you at a disadvantage. You have to give in when necessary." Yeom starts arguing about it, and Lee goes bananas and starts screaming at him...and suddenly he’s coughing up blood. Hardly a common cold he has, is it.
Turns out, he has tuberculosis and needs a lengthy rest. But he knows his flunkies can’t handle Choi Yeong without him in those meetings. So he goes to Choi, even though it’s late in the evening, and tries to convince him that they should both resign together and let a new generation take over. The next day, generals Bae and Byeon advise Choi to ignore it and let Lee resign on his own. They think he’s up to something. But then at the next council meeting, the flunkies remind Choi that the retirement age is 70 and he’s 73 now so he’s being selfish for sticking around. They’re very disrespectful about it...but apparently the point was made because later we see Choi submitting his resignation to King Wu. The king accepts it, looking bored and disinterested.
Mongju is being sent to Ming as part of a delegation. He knows it’s just to get him out of town because he criticized the club policy.
Lee In Im is going to rest as he needs to...but gives strict instructions for the flunkies to report to him twice a day. "I said I would step down. I didn't say I would give up power."
Finally we see Seonggye again, back at his military camp. Seems like a calm time; he and Jiran are bickering like brothers. They’re surprised by a visit by Mongju, who tells them about the resignations.
JD pays a visit to Bangwon. He has a favor to ask. Later we see Bangwon discreetly following Lee In Im’s bodyguard and female cook through the local marketplace as they buy medicinal herbs. Expensive herbs. Bangwon brings samples back to JD, who examines them. "This isn't medicine for a cold."
Seonggye is in the capital now, to visit Choi Yeong. His wife doesn’t like it; says he’d better visit Lee In Im first. And then Bangwon arrives with advice from JD—that he not visit Choi at all. Why not? "He said there is going to be a fight between Choi and Lee soon. He says if you want Choi to win, you must gain more trust from Lee." And the medicine? "It's stops bleeding. He said Lee must have tuberculosis and he's coughing up blood. He’s afraid to lose power to Choi and suggested they resign together." Dang that guy is smart...
...and JD has gone right to Choi, showing him the herbs and explaining the whole thing. "You were completely deceived." Choi goes straight to Lee’s house and barges into the room as Lee sits there with his visitor Seonggye. Demands an answer. "Did you lie to me?" Lee admits he did. Tells Choi to leave quietly...but a furious Choi draws his sword and raises it above his head....
Another night of drinking in the courtyard for the king. He can’t go out and carouse on the town like he wants to, because there’s no money for it. Then somebody on a horse goes by him, close enough that the king takes offense...and now the poor guy is tied up and being dragged behind the king’s horse as he rides it. What a jerk. Fortunately the horse isn’t exactly doing top speed. Unfortunately, the reason is that he’s underfed. Money problems have even reached the royal stables. Then we see the guy in charge of the stables—hey, it’s that magistrate guy! Nam Eun, from Sojaedong. How did he get here? Then JD shows up and visits him. JD is now the governor of Namyang, a small rural district. JD has been trying to get Nam to join his political party. I'm going to kill a monster soon, JD says...but Nam has heard this before and he doesn’t understand it any more now than he did when they first met.
Anyway, JD is here in the capital to visit Ha Ryun, who now has a high rank and holds an office called miljiksasa (which I think means head of the royal secretariat, but I’m not positive). JD wants to work in the capital again and has brought Ha some silver as a bribe. Please put in a good word for me to Lee In Im, he asks. Ha said he already tried, and seems reluctant to try again—especially with the depleted treasury, which has actually forced the government to cut some positions.
Later JD visits Mongju. We learn one big reason for the money problem: there are fewer and fewer independent farmers paying taxes to the government. They’re being turned into tenant farmers or even slaves by wealthy landowners who are appropriating their land. In fact, servants of Im Gyeongmi and Yeom Heungbang (Lee In Im’s two main flunkies) are carrying clubs around and taking land by force. Gangs of thugs, basically. But JD isn’t all that bothered by it; he sees it as the natural progression of the country’s decay. "When they run out of prey, they will eat each other up." Which he obviously thinks will be a good thing in the end.
Baekju—a rural district not far from the capital: Here are some of those thugs now. Servants of Yeom Heungbang’s are erecting an ownership sign on land owned by a guy named Jo Ban. They’re seizing it, brandishing a forged ownership document. But wait, here comes Jo himself. He’s an older man, a local noble; actually a former miljiksasa and apparently was so good at the job, he received recognition from the Ming emperor. Well, he confronts them but they produce a forged ownership document and very quickly he ends up on the wrong end of a few club-blows. So he goes straight to Yeom—they know each other—but Yeom just smirks and denies any knowledge of what’s happening. So then...
...he goes to Choi Yeong—he knows Choi too—and tells him what’s going on. At the next day’s council meeting, Choi openly confronts Yeom about it. “It’s a conspiracy,” Yeom says with a smile, knowing he’s peddling baloney; it’s my land and Jo was only occupying it. Choi demands that Yeom produce proof or else return the land, and then Mongju jumps in and says that the council needs to address “the club policy.” Of course the flunkies go ballistic. Afterwards the flunkies go to Lee In Im, who wasn’t at the council meeting (hmm....) and complain. But Lee tells Yeom to give back the land. “Public sentiment isn’t good. Taking land from nobility will put you at a disadvantage. You have to give in when necessary." Yeom starts arguing about it, and Lee goes bananas and starts screaming at him...and suddenly he’s coughing up blood. Hardly a common cold he has, is it.
Turns out, he has tuberculosis and needs a lengthy rest. But he knows his flunkies can’t handle Choi Yeong without him in those meetings. So he goes to Choi, even though it’s late in the evening, and tries to convince him that they should both resign together and let a new generation take over. The next day, generals Bae and Byeon advise Choi to ignore it and let Lee resign on his own. They think he’s up to something. But then at the next council meeting, the flunkies remind Choi that the retirement age is 70 and he’s 73 now so he’s being selfish for sticking around. They’re very disrespectful about it...but apparently the point was made because later we see Choi submitting his resignation to King Wu. The king accepts it, looking bored and disinterested.
Mongju is being sent to Ming as part of a delegation. He knows it’s just to get him out of town because he criticized the club policy.
Lee In Im is going to rest as he needs to...but gives strict instructions for the flunkies to report to him twice a day. "I said I would step down. I didn't say I would give up power."
Finally we see Seonggye again, back at his military camp. Seems like a calm time; he and Jiran are bickering like brothers. They’re surprised by a visit by Mongju, who tells them about the resignations.
JD pays a visit to Bangwon. He has a favor to ask. Later we see Bangwon discreetly following Lee In Im’s bodyguard and female cook through the local marketplace as they buy medicinal herbs. Expensive herbs. Bangwon brings samples back to JD, who examines them. "This isn't medicine for a cold."
Seonggye is in the capital now, to visit Choi Yeong. His wife doesn’t like it; says he’d better visit Lee In Im first. And then Bangwon arrives with advice from JD—that he not visit Choi at all. Why not? "He said there is going to be a fight between Choi and Lee soon. He says if you want Choi to win, you must gain more trust from Lee." And the medicine? "It's stops bleeding. He said Lee must have tuberculosis and he's coughing up blood. He’s afraid to lose power to Choi and suggested they resign together." Dang that guy is smart...
...and JD has gone right to Choi, showing him the herbs and explaining the whole thing. "You were completely deceived." Choi goes straight to Lee’s house and barges into the room as Lee sits there with his visitor Seonggye. Demands an answer. "Did you lie to me?" Lee admits he did. Tells Choi to leave quietly...but a furious Choi draws his sword and raises it above his head....