Post by ajk on Jul 11, 2014 23:58:34 GMT -5
This is a very tense situation here, made more ominous by the (apparently moonless) darkness of the evening. Won Hyeon is standing there with swords to his throat, and Lee Seong Gye wants answers. Lee says he'll give up his life if he has to, but he wants SD to explain why Choi Young was imprisoned. Inside, SD calmly puts brush to paper and writes a note....
Choseon gets the word about the troops arriving at SD's residence. She tells her people to just wait and let it play out. She's confident that he must have some sort of plan or he never would have started the trouble in the first place.
The torture of Choi's subordinates is continuing. Lee Chun Bu wants somebody to confess to something against Choi...but nobody will talk, so the torture resumes. LSG's showing up is all the more reason to believe there's a military conspiracy going on, Chun Bu insists.
The queen dowager gets word of the situation from Inspector Kim, and wonders if it isn't time for somebody to kill SD and be done with him. But surprisingly, Kim advises her that "Choi Young is as much of a viperish thorn as Pyeonjo is." He controls the military and could install a military government if he wanted. But if LSG kills SD and then Choi is condemned to death for it, well, "this would be catching two birds with a stone, isn't it?" Very shrewd, can't argue that. "So let us just sit and enjoy the ride, as they say."
Lee dismounts and walks to SD's front door, escorted by Won. SD bids him enter. He does, leaving his sword outside...and before he can say a word, SD tells him that the Yuan government is in imminent danger of collapse from "a man named Zhu Yuanzhang" who founded a new country called Ming. And then says, "I hereby proclaim you Chief Marshal of the Northeast Region, and order you to invade Liaodong." Doink! Still not a word from LSG; now he's just staring off to the side, trying to digest all this. SD hands him that note he was writing, which apparently is a "royal" order of his promotion. LSG doesn't reach for it, so SD tosses it at him and it falls to the ground. Will he pick it up? Lee protests, "Commander Choi Young is the core of our army!" But SD fires back, "The core of your army is His Majesty alone!" You follow the king's orders, not Choi's. "I shall forgive the unconscionable behavior I witnessed today. It was Choi Young who made you act like this, so he alone shall bear the grunt of his own malfeasance." And tells him to leave. LSG stares at him, not moving or flinching in the least. "How do you plan to deal with all of Choi Young's military achievements?" They will save him from execution, SD answers. "How can a warrior covet power? It is only triumph on the battlefield he shall covet." And once again he states the royal order he's just given to invade Liaodong.
LSG leaves and walks back outside; it's drizzling now. He's whispering to himself--"Not to Choi Young, but to His Majesty..."--like he's weighing the whole thing to see if it measures up...and then purposefully strides forward, ordering his men, "We shall head for the Northeast Region!" Doesn't look like he picked up the paper inside, but he chuckles to himself momentarily--wonder why?
Deokun has been there in SD's house, and is amazed that SD wasn't killed on the spot by LSG! But SD was never worried about it. LSG isn't like Choi Young, he says; "He still has not tasted the alluring nectar of power."
Back outside, LSG tells his men he will follow the king's order after all and not put Choi first. "Long live His Majesty the King!", he shouts, and his men shout it right back at him. Well how about that.
The next day: Choi has been released, but was given some disheartening news: he's being moved to the Gyerim regional outpost. He informs Lee In Bok...and from his forlorn, dejected attitude it sure seems like he knows he was at fault. And they both agree that LSG "acted with imprudence" and gave SD just cause to act.
Later, SD explains to Lee Chun Bu that because Choi is held in such high esteem throughout the military, beheading him would have been a mistake. But Lee doesn't like that Choi's military authority is being transferred to, of all people, Inspector Kim! Wow, this is news to us. "Are you trying to appease the Empress Dowager?" Basically, yes, SD admits. But then in the next sentence says he's going to reinstate the Directorate for Reclassification of Farmland, which will make Chun Bu happier.
"Again with that?!" Next day and the signs are being reinstalled on top of the same building; the Directorate has returned. SD tells the council that it's the king's order to do so, and that he's proclaiming Lee Chun Bu and Lee In Im to run the thing. SD has the king's written edict right there with him; he hands it to Chun Bu, who reads it out loud:
Won Hyeon has shown up at the royal temple, and announces to all of the slaves there that they've been freed. "Return to your homes," he tells them. Lots of buzzing among them...but they're not leaving. What's the problem? One brave woman steps forward and explains. "We've spent our whole lives here. How are we going to make a living?" In other words, they have no homes to return to. Won promptly turns to Deokun and tells him to distribute the temple's assets to them! Enough so they can start new lives. Deokun doesn't seem to like the idea, but the slaves all go wild.
Wow, that was fast...the Directorate is up and running again. And we see SD overseeing a hearing about a dispute between a slave and his master. Differing stories about how long the slave has been a slave; whether or not he used to be a commoner. SD says the whole thing is irrelevant. "When Emperor Taejo founded our nation, Goryeo did not have a single slave. Even those who lived in slavery were granted freedom, so they helped him fulfill his grand endeavor by staking their lives." Set him free, SD orders. (So why bother with the hearing at all?) The now-former-slave runs outside, and nearly in tears shouts to everyone outside, "A great sage is upon us! The Maitreya has come to save us all!"
Well with the temple slaves being freed, the monks are going to have to do their own work! And out in a field somewhere next to a temple (not sure which one) we see Jihyo and Master Bou gathering wood and tending to the land. Jihyo tells Bou that Pyeonjo has been taking the slave's side in every master/slave dispute and the commoner's side in every land-ownership dispute. "So it is natural they would herald him as the Maitreya." Undoubtedly Jihyo doesn't like this, since he's so serious about his faith...but Bou actually chuckles at it. "Isn't Pyeonjo doing what even Buddha couldn't? He must truly be the Maitreya." Not sure if this is entirely sarcasm or only partial sarcasm.
Evening: Lee In Bok, Secretary Gyeong and Lee Saek are drinking and complaining about SD...the other two more than Saek, who agrees that "He certainly is acting with excessive zeal, but..." As in, but look what he did to establish the academy that Saek now runs. But Gyeong has bigger issues on his mind. He's convinced that SD is trying to move the capital! "He wants to move the royal palace to Seogyeong. That knave's final goal must be to found a new country." Well how does he know this?
"Transfer the capital?!" Now Inspector Kim knows, and of course goes right to the QD with the news. They're confident they can stop him, especially with Kim holding military power...but for the moment Kim is more focused on a more immediate issue: getting an heir from Gongmin. He knows that whoever can find the consort who delivers the heir (literally!) will gain great power. Plus, Kim thinks that once Gongmin has a son, he'll push SD aside and forget all about him. (Ha! Highly, highly doubtful!) Leave it to me, the QD tells him.
It's late at night: why has Lady Kim shown up at Choseon's house?
Unam Temple: SD has arrived to check on the king. He's not sleeping properly, we learn. He sits in front of that portrait until late into the night, and only gets a bit of sleep in the early morning. Inside, we see him offering her spoonfuls of fruit punch. Back outside, Eunuch Choi tells SD that Gongmin won't even let women attendants in the temple any more, and has ordered all military guards to stay away from the temple until Noguk's shrine is finished! So he's alone in there. This is most definitely NOT a good situation, the king entirely unprotected.
"Should a consort bear him an heir, he will sever his ties with Shin Don?!" Okay, so Lady Kim came to Choseon to tell her what the QD is up to now. (If Gongmin ordered all of the female attendants away, then that explains Lady Kim being back at the QD's home.) They agree that they have to find a consort themselves...but..."How are you going to convince someone who refuses to even touch women?" Well, Lady Kim has an idea. "Don't we have the rebirth incantation?" Let's summon the queen's spirit, she says. Choseon's eyes light up like it's a great idea.
SD has gone inside and is watching Gongmin offer the portrait a rice cake. The king reminisces about his early days with his bride in Yanjing...and shushes SD when he tries to talk to him. "I am enjoying my evening snack with the Queen." But then his seeming bliss falls apart, and he starts to cry. "I miss her." He sighs sadly. "She is all I wish to see now. I cannot believe it. She is no longer with us." Don't lose yourself in grief, SD counsels; "the gates of the netherworld shall never open for Her Majesty." But Gongmin so badly wants to see her just once more, to know she is well and not suffering and trapped in a cold grave. His pain is showing more and more now. "I wish," he admits, "I could join her and perish this moment. Then, I would at least offer her some comfort." And finally SD starts to realize the depth of the king's anguish.
Hey--it's Yeom Je Shin! Wow, we haven't seen him since episode 41 when he lost the chancellor job. He's been summoned to see the QD, but has no idea why.
From the conversation among the high officials afterwards, we learn that Yeom was asked if he has any women in his family who might be consort-worthy. Boy the QD is going all-out this time. Apparently she's been contacting everybody. And it makes Secretary Gyeong furious; he thinks it's too soon after Noguk's death and totally inappropriate.
Now Choseon is telling SD about it. "She promised that any consort bearing an heir would be proclaimed queen. Because of that, the court is in a frenzy." People pitching their daughters left and right. SD chuckles...but then surprises us. "You never know. Once construction of the shrine is completed, he might change his mind and covet an heir." I don't know why he would think that, especially after what he just saw at the temple. Choseon is surprised too. But then she thinks a moment, and asks SD to visit her home tonight. Why? "This is all to bring some joy to His Majesty," she says, "so you must join us." And come alone, she adds. Why isn't she being more specific than that?
Yeom has a daughter, we learn, and the QD is interested in her. And word has gotten out, and Inspector Kim is razzing him about being in-laws with the king. Inspector Kim, that wacky comedian.
Evening: SD did come to Choseon's house, alone (which seems incredibly risky, but whatever...). Seems awfully unsafe...but here he is. Choseon greets him, and then says, "Her Majesty has been reborn." Just what is that supposed to mean? She leads him into her yard, and towards a barn, where a young woman is bathing in a tub in one of the sheds. It's okay, we can only see her face (it's one of those big barrel tubs). But as the woman turns around...SD's eyes almost fall out of his head. It's Ban Ya--remember she's the young girl Choseon took in at an early age--and she's grown up now, and she looks exactly like Queen Noguk! Not just resembles her...but looks like a sculpted duplicate. It is absolutely uncanny. Wow. SD looks like he's seen a ghost. Choseon smiles broadly and pretty much admits to the same reaction. Turns out, the girl ended up being adopted by "a family of utmost integrity," which I guess is why we haven't seen her for some time. And when Choseon heard there was a consort search going on, well..."you should show him Ban Ya," she suggests. She tries to convince him of how wonderful it would be if Ban Ya could bear him a prince. But the resemblance is just too close for SD, and he fears it will only dishearten Gongmin all the more. "We shall not exploit His Majesty's sorrow!", he says forcefully, and storms out. But walking through her yard, he happens to see Ban Ya again (she's dressed now) and it stops him in his tracks. Choseon has followed him outside. "If you wish to make the world you dream of," she suggests, "you must first enthrall His Majesty's soul." All he can do is mumble "Goddess of Mercy."
Next morning: Good grief, the QD's palace is crawling with babes! Princes Deoknyeong arrives to find a room full of seven potential consorts, plus Hyebi (who gets a totally unnecessary put-down from the QD in front of everybody...poor Hyebi) and that doesn't count Yeom Je Shin's daughter, who arrives just now, accompanied by her father. Deoknyeong is disgusted with the whole thing, happening so soon after Noguk's death.
Choseon goes to Unam temple and pitches this idea of summoning the queen's spirit. Of course Gongmin goes nuts over it; turns to the portrait and says "Have you heard? She said we shall meet again!" And not just in spirit, Choseon adds; "I hear it will feel like a real person was visiting." Gongmin is totally captivated. "I will be able to caress her, and even talk with her?" Yes, Choseon assures him. Boy is this seeming like a bad idea...but of course Gongmin orders SD summoned at once, because he thinks SD can perform this sort of magic. Gongmin's spirit is instantly and immensely lifted. "If I can only meet her just once, I shall never allow her to leave again." Choseon smiles, like she's just pulled a fast one.
Lee Chun Bu wants the directorate's work to be the government's top priority, and is pressing for that. But SD wants the capture of Liaodong to be the top priority. The king is on our side, he reminds Lee, so we can be prudent about investigating the officials for now. Then Eunuch Lee enters and tells SD that Gongmin wants to see him. SD assures Chun Bu he'll talk to the king about the directorate...and then heads for Unam Temple. But he shuns the military escort that's waiting to escort him there and heads off on his own, just himself on a horse. (Another big risk!)
Secretary Gyeong is furious at Inspector Kim for apparently showing support for SD lately. Kim assures him that it's not like that and that the QD "has her eyes on Pyeonjo," but Gyeong actually shouts to him as he walks away that "If we don't slay Pyeonjo right now, we shall never get a second chance!" (Keep your voice down at least!)
"So Choseon's words were merely empty banter?" SD tries to explain to Gongmin that he can't invoke a dead person's spirit...but Gongmin is so desperate that he grabs his hands and implores him. "What will staring at this portrait for the rest of my days ever solve?! Just once, grant this wish of mine." His frantic pleading shocks SD. There's a look in Gongmin's eyes that sort of suggests an addict craving a fix. SD recoils and stares at the king in horror. But now he knows what he must do...apparently the only thing that might possibly get Gongmin out of this horrible mental state he's in. "You must promise me one thing," he tells Gongmin. "You must only glance at her. From afar, to only glance at her." Gongmin is momentarily confused but then readily agrees. SD looks down and starts to cry, filled with sorrow for the pathetic, quivering figure in front of him and for the deception he's about to engage in.
So he goes to Choseon. He is NOT happy; angrily glares at her. "This is a fruitless endeavor," he growls. He doesn't care about an heir; he's worried about trying to accomplish all of the necessary reforms under Gongmin right now. And he reminds her of the promise that he and Gongmin made to Noguk as she lay dying. But she asks him, "How long do you think his sorrow will last?" Not forever, she thinks. But she hasn't seen him, has she.
Gongmin is back talking to the portrait again. "Should we meet today, let us never part again." That stupid pop ballad starts up again--UGH. He tells the portrait as he caresses it, "If you cannot live amongst the living, I shall join you in the netherworld." Yikes!
Evening: Gongmin leaves the temple! With an escort, fortunately (but it's too small! Only a half-dozen or so men.) He's headed to Choseon's estate, where this supposed ritual is going to take place.
Now we see SD praying in front of Noguk's ancestral tablet. The tablet has been brought from Noguk's palace to Choseon's estate, and it looks like much of the shrine that had been set up in the queen's palace has been brought here and reconstructed.
Gongmin arrives and rushes into Choseon's yard. "Where is she?" He goes into a side yard where the shrine has been set up. Wind begins to blow around him, and he's looking around with a near-manic impatience as SD prays to the tablet....
Choseon gets the word about the troops arriving at SD's residence. She tells her people to just wait and let it play out. She's confident that he must have some sort of plan or he never would have started the trouble in the first place.
The torture of Choi's subordinates is continuing. Lee Chun Bu wants somebody to confess to something against Choi...but nobody will talk, so the torture resumes. LSG's showing up is all the more reason to believe there's a military conspiracy going on, Chun Bu insists.
The queen dowager gets word of the situation from Inspector Kim, and wonders if it isn't time for somebody to kill SD and be done with him. But surprisingly, Kim advises her that "Choi Young is as much of a viperish thorn as Pyeonjo is." He controls the military and could install a military government if he wanted. But if LSG kills SD and then Choi is condemned to death for it, well, "this would be catching two birds with a stone, isn't it?" Very shrewd, can't argue that. "So let us just sit and enjoy the ride, as they say."
Lee dismounts and walks to SD's front door, escorted by Won. SD bids him enter. He does, leaving his sword outside...and before he can say a word, SD tells him that the Yuan government is in imminent danger of collapse from "a man named Zhu Yuanzhang" who founded a new country called Ming. And then says, "I hereby proclaim you Chief Marshal of the Northeast Region, and order you to invade Liaodong." Doink! Still not a word from LSG; now he's just staring off to the side, trying to digest all this. SD hands him that note he was writing, which apparently is a "royal" order of his promotion. LSG doesn't reach for it, so SD tosses it at him and it falls to the ground. Will he pick it up? Lee protests, "Commander Choi Young is the core of our army!" But SD fires back, "The core of your army is His Majesty alone!" You follow the king's orders, not Choi's. "I shall forgive the unconscionable behavior I witnessed today. It was Choi Young who made you act like this, so he alone shall bear the grunt of his own malfeasance." And tells him to leave. LSG stares at him, not moving or flinching in the least. "How do you plan to deal with all of Choi Young's military achievements?" They will save him from execution, SD answers. "How can a warrior covet power? It is only triumph on the battlefield he shall covet." And once again he states the royal order he's just given to invade Liaodong.
LSG leaves and walks back outside; it's drizzling now. He's whispering to himself--"Not to Choi Young, but to His Majesty..."--like he's weighing the whole thing to see if it measures up...and then purposefully strides forward, ordering his men, "We shall head for the Northeast Region!" Doesn't look like he picked up the paper inside, but he chuckles to himself momentarily--wonder why?
Deokun has been there in SD's house, and is amazed that SD wasn't killed on the spot by LSG! But SD was never worried about it. LSG isn't like Choi Young, he says; "He still has not tasted the alluring nectar of power."
Back outside, LSG tells his men he will follow the king's order after all and not put Choi first. "Long live His Majesty the King!", he shouts, and his men shout it right back at him. Well how about that.
The next day: Choi has been released, but was given some disheartening news: he's being moved to the Gyerim regional outpost. He informs Lee In Bok...and from his forlorn, dejected attitude it sure seems like he knows he was at fault. And they both agree that LSG "acted with imprudence" and gave SD just cause to act.
Later, SD explains to Lee Chun Bu that because Choi is held in such high esteem throughout the military, beheading him would have been a mistake. But Lee doesn't like that Choi's military authority is being transferred to, of all people, Inspector Kim! Wow, this is news to us. "Are you trying to appease the Empress Dowager?" Basically, yes, SD admits. But then in the next sentence says he's going to reinstate the Directorate for Reclassification of Farmland, which will make Chun Bu happier.
"Again with that?!" Next day and the signs are being reinstalled on top of the same building; the Directorate has returned. SD tells the council that it's the king's order to do so, and that he's proclaiming Lee Chun Bu and Lee In Im to run the thing. SD has the king's written edict right there with him; he hands it to Chun Bu, who reads it out loud:
As of late, discipline has been faltering, beclouded by covetous yearning. Ancestral shrines, academies, temples, state coffers and all emoluments, even the territory which belonged to and allowed subsistence to our people, have all been appropriated and controlled by the powerful clans. Even though law dictated they had to give back their land, they did not. And despite being required to restore their workforces to commoner status, they refused to free them from slavery. They embittered our people and showed disdain for their country, so the heavens punished us all with endless famine and floods, resulting in a terrible plague. Thenceforth, I proclaim the Directorate to be reinstated, to bring an end to such despicable abuse. Within a fortnight in Gaegyeong, forty days in the remaining provinces, should anyone atone for their misdeeds, I shall accord them clemency. Should anyone fail to comply within the allowed time, or be found guilty of misconduct, he shall pay dearly!Disappointed sighs from some of the officials...but they can't argue with the king's order.
Won Hyeon has shown up at the royal temple, and announces to all of the slaves there that they've been freed. "Return to your homes," he tells them. Lots of buzzing among them...but they're not leaving. What's the problem? One brave woman steps forward and explains. "We've spent our whole lives here. How are we going to make a living?" In other words, they have no homes to return to. Won promptly turns to Deokun and tells him to distribute the temple's assets to them! Enough so they can start new lives. Deokun doesn't seem to like the idea, but the slaves all go wild.
Wow, that was fast...the Directorate is up and running again. And we see SD overseeing a hearing about a dispute between a slave and his master. Differing stories about how long the slave has been a slave; whether or not he used to be a commoner. SD says the whole thing is irrelevant. "When Emperor Taejo founded our nation, Goryeo did not have a single slave. Even those who lived in slavery were granted freedom, so they helped him fulfill his grand endeavor by staking their lives." Set him free, SD orders. (So why bother with the hearing at all?) The now-former-slave runs outside, and nearly in tears shouts to everyone outside, "A great sage is upon us! The Maitreya has come to save us all!"
Well with the temple slaves being freed, the monks are going to have to do their own work! And out in a field somewhere next to a temple (not sure which one) we see Jihyo and Master Bou gathering wood and tending to the land. Jihyo tells Bou that Pyeonjo has been taking the slave's side in every master/slave dispute and the commoner's side in every land-ownership dispute. "So it is natural they would herald him as the Maitreya." Undoubtedly Jihyo doesn't like this, since he's so serious about his faith...but Bou actually chuckles at it. "Isn't Pyeonjo doing what even Buddha couldn't? He must truly be the Maitreya." Not sure if this is entirely sarcasm or only partial sarcasm.
Evening: Lee In Bok, Secretary Gyeong and Lee Saek are drinking and complaining about SD...the other two more than Saek, who agrees that "He certainly is acting with excessive zeal, but..." As in, but look what he did to establish the academy that Saek now runs. But Gyeong has bigger issues on his mind. He's convinced that SD is trying to move the capital! "He wants to move the royal palace to Seogyeong. That knave's final goal must be to found a new country." Well how does he know this?
"Transfer the capital?!" Now Inspector Kim knows, and of course goes right to the QD with the news. They're confident they can stop him, especially with Kim holding military power...but for the moment Kim is more focused on a more immediate issue: getting an heir from Gongmin. He knows that whoever can find the consort who delivers the heir (literally!) will gain great power. Plus, Kim thinks that once Gongmin has a son, he'll push SD aside and forget all about him. (Ha! Highly, highly doubtful!) Leave it to me, the QD tells him.
It's late at night: why has Lady Kim shown up at Choseon's house?
Unam Temple: SD has arrived to check on the king. He's not sleeping properly, we learn. He sits in front of that portrait until late into the night, and only gets a bit of sleep in the early morning. Inside, we see him offering her spoonfuls of fruit punch. Back outside, Eunuch Choi tells SD that Gongmin won't even let women attendants in the temple any more, and has ordered all military guards to stay away from the temple until Noguk's shrine is finished! So he's alone in there. This is most definitely NOT a good situation, the king entirely unprotected.
"Should a consort bear him an heir, he will sever his ties with Shin Don?!" Okay, so Lady Kim came to Choseon to tell her what the QD is up to now. (If Gongmin ordered all of the female attendants away, then that explains Lady Kim being back at the QD's home.) They agree that they have to find a consort themselves...but..."How are you going to convince someone who refuses to even touch women?" Well, Lady Kim has an idea. "Don't we have the rebirth incantation?" Let's summon the queen's spirit, she says. Choseon's eyes light up like it's a great idea.
SD has gone inside and is watching Gongmin offer the portrait a rice cake. The king reminisces about his early days with his bride in Yanjing...and shushes SD when he tries to talk to him. "I am enjoying my evening snack with the Queen." But then his seeming bliss falls apart, and he starts to cry. "I miss her." He sighs sadly. "She is all I wish to see now. I cannot believe it. She is no longer with us." Don't lose yourself in grief, SD counsels; "the gates of the netherworld shall never open for Her Majesty." But Gongmin so badly wants to see her just once more, to know she is well and not suffering and trapped in a cold grave. His pain is showing more and more now. "I wish," he admits, "I could join her and perish this moment. Then, I would at least offer her some comfort." And finally SD starts to realize the depth of the king's anguish.
Hey--it's Yeom Je Shin! Wow, we haven't seen him since episode 41 when he lost the chancellor job. He's been summoned to see the QD, but has no idea why.
From the conversation among the high officials afterwards, we learn that Yeom was asked if he has any women in his family who might be consort-worthy. Boy the QD is going all-out this time. Apparently she's been contacting everybody. And it makes Secretary Gyeong furious; he thinks it's too soon after Noguk's death and totally inappropriate.
Now Choseon is telling SD about it. "She promised that any consort bearing an heir would be proclaimed queen. Because of that, the court is in a frenzy." People pitching their daughters left and right. SD chuckles...but then surprises us. "You never know. Once construction of the shrine is completed, he might change his mind and covet an heir." I don't know why he would think that, especially after what he just saw at the temple. Choseon is surprised too. But then she thinks a moment, and asks SD to visit her home tonight. Why? "This is all to bring some joy to His Majesty," she says, "so you must join us." And come alone, she adds. Why isn't she being more specific than that?
Yeom has a daughter, we learn, and the QD is interested in her. And word has gotten out, and Inspector Kim is razzing him about being in-laws with the king. Inspector Kim, that wacky comedian.
Evening: SD did come to Choseon's house, alone (which seems incredibly risky, but whatever...). Seems awfully unsafe...but here he is. Choseon greets him, and then says, "Her Majesty has been reborn." Just what is that supposed to mean? She leads him into her yard, and towards a barn, where a young woman is bathing in a tub in one of the sheds. It's okay, we can only see her face (it's one of those big barrel tubs). But as the woman turns around...SD's eyes almost fall out of his head. It's Ban Ya--remember she's the young girl Choseon took in at an early age--and she's grown up now, and she looks exactly like Queen Noguk! Not just resembles her...but looks like a sculpted duplicate. It is absolutely uncanny. Wow. SD looks like he's seen a ghost. Choseon smiles broadly and pretty much admits to the same reaction. Turns out, the girl ended up being adopted by "a family of utmost integrity," which I guess is why we haven't seen her for some time. And when Choseon heard there was a consort search going on, well..."you should show him Ban Ya," she suggests. She tries to convince him of how wonderful it would be if Ban Ya could bear him a prince. But the resemblance is just too close for SD, and he fears it will only dishearten Gongmin all the more. "We shall not exploit His Majesty's sorrow!", he says forcefully, and storms out. But walking through her yard, he happens to see Ban Ya again (she's dressed now) and it stops him in his tracks. Choseon has followed him outside. "If you wish to make the world you dream of," she suggests, "you must first enthrall His Majesty's soul." All he can do is mumble "Goddess of Mercy."
Next morning: Good grief, the QD's palace is crawling with babes! Princes Deoknyeong arrives to find a room full of seven potential consorts, plus Hyebi (who gets a totally unnecessary put-down from the QD in front of everybody...poor Hyebi) and that doesn't count Yeom Je Shin's daughter, who arrives just now, accompanied by her father. Deoknyeong is disgusted with the whole thing, happening so soon after Noguk's death.
Choseon goes to Unam temple and pitches this idea of summoning the queen's spirit. Of course Gongmin goes nuts over it; turns to the portrait and says "Have you heard? She said we shall meet again!" And not just in spirit, Choseon adds; "I hear it will feel like a real person was visiting." Gongmin is totally captivated. "I will be able to caress her, and even talk with her?" Yes, Choseon assures him. Boy is this seeming like a bad idea...but of course Gongmin orders SD summoned at once, because he thinks SD can perform this sort of magic. Gongmin's spirit is instantly and immensely lifted. "If I can only meet her just once, I shall never allow her to leave again." Choseon smiles, like she's just pulled a fast one.
Lee Chun Bu wants the directorate's work to be the government's top priority, and is pressing for that. But SD wants the capture of Liaodong to be the top priority. The king is on our side, he reminds Lee, so we can be prudent about investigating the officials for now. Then Eunuch Lee enters and tells SD that Gongmin wants to see him. SD assures Chun Bu he'll talk to the king about the directorate...and then heads for Unam Temple. But he shuns the military escort that's waiting to escort him there and heads off on his own, just himself on a horse. (Another big risk!)
Secretary Gyeong is furious at Inspector Kim for apparently showing support for SD lately. Kim assures him that it's not like that and that the QD "has her eyes on Pyeonjo," but Gyeong actually shouts to him as he walks away that "If we don't slay Pyeonjo right now, we shall never get a second chance!" (Keep your voice down at least!)
"So Choseon's words were merely empty banter?" SD tries to explain to Gongmin that he can't invoke a dead person's spirit...but Gongmin is so desperate that he grabs his hands and implores him. "What will staring at this portrait for the rest of my days ever solve?! Just once, grant this wish of mine." His frantic pleading shocks SD. There's a look in Gongmin's eyes that sort of suggests an addict craving a fix. SD recoils and stares at the king in horror. But now he knows what he must do...apparently the only thing that might possibly get Gongmin out of this horrible mental state he's in. "You must promise me one thing," he tells Gongmin. "You must only glance at her. From afar, to only glance at her." Gongmin is momentarily confused but then readily agrees. SD looks down and starts to cry, filled with sorrow for the pathetic, quivering figure in front of him and for the deception he's about to engage in.
So he goes to Choseon. He is NOT happy; angrily glares at her. "This is a fruitless endeavor," he growls. He doesn't care about an heir; he's worried about trying to accomplish all of the necessary reforms under Gongmin right now. And he reminds her of the promise that he and Gongmin made to Noguk as she lay dying. But she asks him, "How long do you think his sorrow will last?" Not forever, she thinks. But she hasn't seen him, has she.
Gongmin is back talking to the portrait again. "Should we meet today, let us never part again." That stupid pop ballad starts up again--UGH. He tells the portrait as he caresses it, "If you cannot live amongst the living, I shall join you in the netherworld." Yikes!
Evening: Gongmin leaves the temple! With an escort, fortunately (but it's too small! Only a half-dozen or so men.) He's headed to Choseon's estate, where this supposed ritual is going to take place.
Now we see SD praying in front of Noguk's ancestral tablet. The tablet has been brought from Noguk's palace to Choseon's estate, and it looks like much of the shrine that had been set up in the queen's palace has been brought here and reconstructed.
Gongmin arrives and rushes into Choseon's yard. "Where is she?" He goes into a side yard where the shrine has been set up. Wind begins to blow around him, and he's looking around with a near-manic impatience as SD prays to the tablet....