Post by ajk on Jun 5, 2014 17:08:44 GMT -5
General Bae and Jo Jun go to Seonggye’s house. They were summoned by Lady Kang, who tells them about the accident. "Have your troops ready to move at any time," she instructs Bae.
A gama has been rushed to the site and Seonggye has been put inside it to get him home. He’s still very woozy and still coughing up blood (which we see in close detail...blecch)...or is he vomiting the blood...can’t tell for sure...but hey at least he’s not dead, not yet anyway. Still, he's in bad enough shape that Jiran realizes they can't get him all the way home for now; they'll have to stop in the nearby town of Byeongnando so he can gain some strength. Unfortunately, Mongju had sent scouts to keep watch on Seonggye’s activities and they've been watching everything that's happened.
Jo Jun is meeting with Yun Sojong (out of prison and looking fully recovered) and Nam Eun at his house. They assume Mongju will try to take advantage of this and decide to submit an impeachment appeal to try to remove him immediately. But now soldiers show up Jo's front door and promptly arrest and bind all three of them!
Mongju has called an emergency council meeting to explain why JD's three colleagues were arrested. General Bae barges into the room; he's brought some of Seonggye's troops with him and demands that Mongju stop arresting JD's people. He even starts waving his sword at Mongju's throat! But Mongju stays remarkably calm and demands that Bae produce the chancellor to confirm Bae's authority here...which he can’t do, of course because Seonggye is too injured. So all Bae can do is turn around and leave. Mongju warns the councilors not to challenge JD's impeachment order "or you will be considered part of JD's faction and interrogated."
Bangwon returns to Gaegyeong just in time to see Jo, Yun and Nam being hauled away. Then he heads home and hears about his father's accident. They figure Mongju knows about it and is maneuvering to "cut off father's hands and feet" and after doing that "will go for his head." Literally his head. Yikes.
Mongju goes to the king, who actually tells him to send soldiers to Byeongnando to kill Seonggye! That one even staggers Mongju a bit...but he's just had that ugly confrontation with Seonggye about taking the throne so he doesn't really hesitate to order it.
Fortunately Jiran is already on top of things. He has troops surrounding the building where Seonggye is recovering. He's very woozy, has broken several bones, and clearly is in a lot of pain. Bangwon rushes in and tells him about the three arrests...and boy does that send some adrenaline through him because his eyes pop open widely. But he can't stay alert for very long and goes woozy again. Outside, his guards have spotted signs that assassins are hiding in the nearby woods. When Seonggye is told this, he perks up enough to make a strange order: "Take the cover off the sedan chair." What? Huh?
The squad of assassins creeps toward the building...but what's this? Seonggye is being taken back to the capital! He's sitting in his carried chair, very visible and trying his best to look healthy and strong. It's a bluff. Bangwon mutters "I will kill anyone who shows fear" to the bearers and to everyone else in the party. He doesn't need to; they're all staying cool. It freezes the assassins and their hesitation results in the opportunity being lost. The party makes it home to Seonggye's house, where he promptly passes out, falls off the chair and hits the stone floor in front of the house. Ouch. That knocks him out but good. Mongju is watching from down the street and sees it...but too late, nothing he can do now that Seonggye is home and fully protected again.
Daytime, Sojaedong: Hey, Sojaedong! We know this village well! And look at this, soldiers have brought JD here for exile--again! We see the same houses, trees, benches we saw the first time. And look who comes to greet him: Yeongchun, a younger man who became a friend of JD's the first time. Yeongchun drops to his knees, he's so happy to see JD, and at the same time is in tears because he learned that JD lost his court position. But it looks like he may be the village's head man now; he's made preparations for JD's arrival. Takes him to his quarters and proudly shows of his wife and young children. Speaking of which, look who shows up now: JD's wife, along with their servant. She brings him news from Gaegyeong, and we learn that Seonggye has a blood clot in his head--yikes. And that Yun, Nam, and Jo were exiled and that Mongju's faction is preparing appeals for their executions. And for JDs! Then she gets angry because her husband is more interested in the politics than in the welfare of his own kids. She wants him to beg Mongju for forgiveness because their two sons have already lost their government jobs over all this and that it could ruin their family, get them all demoted to common-class, and have her end up as a servant. He's shockingly numb to all of that. "For a scholar," he tells her, "his father is the king and his family is the people. Since I decided to make the chancellor the king, I forgot my family. I'm sorry." Go home, he tells her, and walks out on her as she cries. Geez what a bastard...but as he stands there in the village street, the pain of it all is getting to him too. "I ruined things because I'm lacking," he says to himself, falling to the ground in a heap and crying.
Gaegyeong: General Bae is before the king, with Jiran and Bangwon. He's urging him to reject the execution appeals. Gangyong says he left it up to the council so it's entirely their decision. And "until the chancellor returns, the vice chancellor is in charge." Bae starts screaming at the top of his lungs--a risky thing to do before a king--but once he stops, Bangwon calmly steps in. "Can I tell you a joke that is circulating in the court?," he asks the king, not waiting for an answer. "They say you are the vice chancellor's political party member." Oooh THAT gets a rise out of him. The three argue that the four men facing death are "loyal servants who put you on the throne. You should protect their lives."
Mongju is already planning the plum appointments he's going to give his political allies when he gains control of the government. H learns about Bae, Jiran and Bangwon visiting the king...and he gets some surprising advice from Ha Ryun, of all people: let them have this one. For now at least; no need to rush into it, depending on what happens with Seonggye. Why give that advice? He explains that during his own exile he learned a little about physiognomy, and tells Mongju, "there is misfortune in your face right now." Mongju scoffs...but Ryun's seriousness about it does seem to worry him.
JD gets a letter from Bangwon with the latest news. And telling him, "You just have to survive until father wakes up." Then soldiers appear in the distance. Yeongchun tells him to run and hide in the mountains in case they bring an execution order, but JD won't run. "If I die, it means Heaven wants more blood for the cause." And he doesn't want the village to suffer for having lost track of him. The soldiers arrive and announce they've brought a royal order for Jeong Dojeon...
Evening: Seonggye's friends and family are at home, gathered around the unconscious Seonggye. Bangwon arrives with news that JD was moved to the Sungnok prison! No more exile. He and Jiran decide it's time to kill Mongju, but Bangu is there and he goes nuts at them. A terrible argument between the two brothers about the family's legacy. And Bangu reiterates he wants nothing to do with being the crown prince. Put father on the throne, he says, and I'll change my name. He storms out.
Sungnok prison, concurrently: JD is taken from his cell because he has a visitor. Mongju. Offers him a drink. Says he's received a royal order to execute him. The other three, he says, will be poisoned. Spare them, JD asks. "That will keep you safe when the chancellor wakes up." I don't care about my safety, Mongju tells him. But he does assure JD that he'll make sure JD's family won't suffer at all for this, which is a nice gesture. But he's bitterly frustrated. "Why don't you beg for your life? You could have killed me but didn't. You could ask me to spare you." JD ignores that; simply thanks him for the drink and pours him one in return. He talks about what he's seen and met in the countryside. "The people are my teacher," he says. "They seem weak but they are tenacious and strong." One day, he says, "the country will belong to the people." He's fully committed to The Cause and is at peace with having to die for it. All Mongju can say is goodbye, but he breaks down sobbing from guilt as he says it.
A gama has been rushed to the site and Seonggye has been put inside it to get him home. He’s still very woozy and still coughing up blood (which we see in close detail...blecch)...or is he vomiting the blood...can’t tell for sure...but hey at least he’s not dead, not yet anyway. Still, he's in bad enough shape that Jiran realizes they can't get him all the way home for now; they'll have to stop in the nearby town of Byeongnando so he can gain some strength. Unfortunately, Mongju had sent scouts to keep watch on Seonggye’s activities and they've been watching everything that's happened.
Jo Jun is meeting with Yun Sojong (out of prison and looking fully recovered) and Nam Eun at his house. They assume Mongju will try to take advantage of this and decide to submit an impeachment appeal to try to remove him immediately. But now soldiers show up Jo's front door and promptly arrest and bind all three of them!
Mongju has called an emergency council meeting to explain why JD's three colleagues were arrested. General Bae barges into the room; he's brought some of Seonggye's troops with him and demands that Mongju stop arresting JD's people. He even starts waving his sword at Mongju's throat! But Mongju stays remarkably calm and demands that Bae produce the chancellor to confirm Bae's authority here...which he can’t do, of course because Seonggye is too injured. So all Bae can do is turn around and leave. Mongju warns the councilors not to challenge JD's impeachment order "or you will be considered part of JD's faction and interrogated."
Bangwon returns to Gaegyeong just in time to see Jo, Yun and Nam being hauled away. Then he heads home and hears about his father's accident. They figure Mongju knows about it and is maneuvering to "cut off father's hands and feet" and after doing that "will go for his head." Literally his head. Yikes.
Mongju goes to the king, who actually tells him to send soldiers to Byeongnando to kill Seonggye! That one even staggers Mongju a bit...but he's just had that ugly confrontation with Seonggye about taking the throne so he doesn't really hesitate to order it.
Fortunately Jiran is already on top of things. He has troops surrounding the building where Seonggye is recovering. He's very woozy, has broken several bones, and clearly is in a lot of pain. Bangwon rushes in and tells him about the three arrests...and boy does that send some adrenaline through him because his eyes pop open widely. But he can't stay alert for very long and goes woozy again. Outside, his guards have spotted signs that assassins are hiding in the nearby woods. When Seonggye is told this, he perks up enough to make a strange order: "Take the cover off the sedan chair." What? Huh?
The squad of assassins creeps toward the building...but what's this? Seonggye is being taken back to the capital! He's sitting in his carried chair, very visible and trying his best to look healthy and strong. It's a bluff. Bangwon mutters "I will kill anyone who shows fear" to the bearers and to everyone else in the party. He doesn't need to; they're all staying cool. It freezes the assassins and their hesitation results in the opportunity being lost. The party makes it home to Seonggye's house, where he promptly passes out, falls off the chair and hits the stone floor in front of the house. Ouch. That knocks him out but good. Mongju is watching from down the street and sees it...but too late, nothing he can do now that Seonggye is home and fully protected again.
Daytime, Sojaedong: Hey, Sojaedong! We know this village well! And look at this, soldiers have brought JD here for exile--again! We see the same houses, trees, benches we saw the first time. And look who comes to greet him: Yeongchun, a younger man who became a friend of JD's the first time. Yeongchun drops to his knees, he's so happy to see JD, and at the same time is in tears because he learned that JD lost his court position. But it looks like he may be the village's head man now; he's made preparations for JD's arrival. Takes him to his quarters and proudly shows of his wife and young children. Speaking of which, look who shows up now: JD's wife, along with their servant. She brings him news from Gaegyeong, and we learn that Seonggye has a blood clot in his head--yikes. And that Yun, Nam, and Jo were exiled and that Mongju's faction is preparing appeals for their executions. And for JDs! Then she gets angry because her husband is more interested in the politics than in the welfare of his own kids. She wants him to beg Mongju for forgiveness because their two sons have already lost their government jobs over all this and that it could ruin their family, get them all demoted to common-class, and have her end up as a servant. He's shockingly numb to all of that. "For a scholar," he tells her, "his father is the king and his family is the people. Since I decided to make the chancellor the king, I forgot my family. I'm sorry." Go home, he tells her, and walks out on her as she cries. Geez what a bastard...but as he stands there in the village street, the pain of it all is getting to him too. "I ruined things because I'm lacking," he says to himself, falling to the ground in a heap and crying.
Gaegyeong: General Bae is before the king, with Jiran and Bangwon. He's urging him to reject the execution appeals. Gangyong says he left it up to the council so it's entirely their decision. And "until the chancellor returns, the vice chancellor is in charge." Bae starts screaming at the top of his lungs--a risky thing to do before a king--but once he stops, Bangwon calmly steps in. "Can I tell you a joke that is circulating in the court?," he asks the king, not waiting for an answer. "They say you are the vice chancellor's political party member." Oooh THAT gets a rise out of him. The three argue that the four men facing death are "loyal servants who put you on the throne. You should protect their lives."
Mongju is already planning the plum appointments he's going to give his political allies when he gains control of the government. H learns about Bae, Jiran and Bangwon visiting the king...and he gets some surprising advice from Ha Ryun, of all people: let them have this one. For now at least; no need to rush into it, depending on what happens with Seonggye. Why give that advice? He explains that during his own exile he learned a little about physiognomy, and tells Mongju, "there is misfortune in your face right now." Mongju scoffs...but Ryun's seriousness about it does seem to worry him.
JD gets a letter from Bangwon with the latest news. And telling him, "You just have to survive until father wakes up." Then soldiers appear in the distance. Yeongchun tells him to run and hide in the mountains in case they bring an execution order, but JD won't run. "If I die, it means Heaven wants more blood for the cause." And he doesn't want the village to suffer for having lost track of him. The soldiers arrive and announce they've brought a royal order for Jeong Dojeon...
Evening: Seonggye's friends and family are at home, gathered around the unconscious Seonggye. Bangwon arrives with news that JD was moved to the Sungnok prison! No more exile. He and Jiran decide it's time to kill Mongju, but Bangu is there and he goes nuts at them. A terrible argument between the two brothers about the family's legacy. And Bangu reiterates he wants nothing to do with being the crown prince. Put father on the throne, he says, and I'll change my name. He storms out.
Sungnok prison, concurrently: JD is taken from his cell because he has a visitor. Mongju. Offers him a drink. Says he's received a royal order to execute him. The other three, he says, will be poisoned. Spare them, JD asks. "That will keep you safe when the chancellor wakes up." I don't care about my safety, Mongju tells him. But he does assure JD that he'll make sure JD's family won't suffer at all for this, which is a nice gesture. But he's bitterly frustrated. "Why don't you beg for your life? You could have killed me but didn't. You could ask me to spare you." JD ignores that; simply thanks him for the drink and pours him one in return. He talks about what he's seen and met in the countryside. "The people are my teacher," he says. "They seem weak but they are tenacious and strong." One day, he says, "the country will belong to the people." He's fully committed to The Cause and is at peace with having to die for it. All Mongju can say is goodbye, but he breaks down sobbing from guilt as he says it.
