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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 18, 2004 21:31:38 GMT -5
At the choe estate, guards stood watch outside while the family members remained cloistered inside around choe choong hon's comatose body.
In an anguished voice, Suk soon asked, "why did he collapse all of a sudden?"
As his wife wiped his forehead she said, "serving the imperial house has taken its toll on his health - he is overworked."
Counting a strand of prayer beads, his mother added, "no matter how strong his mind and body, even if it were made of steel, there was no way that he could survive such stress, especially at the age of seventy."
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 18, 2004 21:36:09 GMT -5
outside, suk soon sighed. "This is cause for much worry."
Yak Jin tried to reassure him. "Don't worry too much. Who is my brother? He has reigned for the last 20 years. He will get better soon."
"If he doesn't recover, the nation and imperial house will plunge into chaos," suk soon revealed.
Yak jin shot him an alarmed look. "What do you mean?"
"Choong Hon has not designated a successor. As a result, there will be a power struggle between u and hyang. A blood feud will ensue to decide his heir"
Yak jin looked confused. "But isn't it only natural that u as the eldest son will succeed?"
"There is a rumor that various power hungry officials are attempting to influence hyang, so we can't be certain. if choong hon does not make a wise decision, the future of the nation is extremely uncertain"
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 18, 2004 21:42:47 GMT -5
having tea with his brother, U asked him, "Hyang-ah. I heard that you are gathering beuarocrats and military leaders around you. is this true?"
hyang turned a wary eye to his elder brother. "they are just my friends. i have no other intentions.
"no other intentions?" his brother echoed. "hyang-ah, since father is sick, we should not behave like bickering siblings locked in a power struggle.
hyang glared at his brother. "how could you admonish me while you are gathering top leaders to you home to wine and dine?
u was taken aback. "what?"
"remember that father hads never actually designated you as his successor."
Not wanting to argue, U continued, "I'll be frank with you. if i succeed, i will make head of the unyang guards. if i lead the government, no one will challenge us as brothers. hyang-ah, don't you think we should inherit the glory of the family that our father has built for generations to come?"
to his surprise, Hyang replied, "i will not follow your advice."
"why do you distrust me?"
"as i see it," hyang continued, "my father killed his followers, my uncle and cousin. power cannot be shared. two tigers cannot inhabit the same forest. one of us must leave the imperial city!"
with that, he stood up and left the room
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 18, 2004 21:44:32 GMT -5
At the palace, the emperor had just received word that choe was ill.
"choe choong hon is laid up in bed sick?"
atendant cho added, "there are rumors that he will never recover" the emperor felt a wave of panic spread through him. "what?!!"
the empress spoke up. "if he is sick, it is the perfect time to reclaim the royal authority. why do you look so pale?"
"the imperial house has supported the choes . if Choe Choong Hon dies, the whole nation will fall in chaos, and the imperial house will be jeaopardized."
the empress now shared his worried expression. "what? then what should we do?"
the king rose and said, "i will go to him to comfort him during his illness."
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 18, 2004 21:58:21 GMT -5
U greeted the emperor outside his father's estate. "I am most grateful that your majesty and the empress have come to comfort my ailing father."
The emperor dismissed his comment kindly. "he is like a father to me as well. isn't it only natural that i do my duty as a son and see him when he is ill?"
Inside, the emperor knelt by the bed and clasped one of Choe Choong Hon's hands in both of his own. "If you sleep like this, what will become of the imperial house and the nation?" he asked despairingly. "i pray you will get well soon."
u adressed the emperor. "with such fervent prayers, there is no doubt that my father will get well so please do not worry, majesty."
the emperor turned his grateful eyes to u. "since i bestowed upon your father the royal family name, i have become a son to him. now we are bound by the same family name as brothers."
u lowered his eyes and protested. "your majesty, you mustn't say such things! how can i call my emperor a brother?"
the emperor smiled at him. "i will treat you as my brother so there is no need for such humility."
u bowed his head in gratitude. "thank you, bae ha."
"naturally, you as the eldest son should be your father's successor."
u bowed his head again.
The emperor rose and faced u. "if your father never wakes, it is up to to watch over the royal house and the nation."
In a resolute tone, u promised, "as the successor of my father, i pledge my complete loyalty to the imperial house."
taking his hand, he said in a grateful voice, "i will have faith in your loyalty."
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 18, 2004 22:09:01 GMT -5
as the emperor's litter made its way back to the imperial city, he confided to the empress, "since i have a pledge of u's loyalty, even if his father dies at any moment, the royal house will not be jeopardized."
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u stood on a small bridge over the carp pond on his family's estate. "the emperor has officially designated me as my father's heir." he mused aloud. "Now no one can oppose the decision."
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hyang crushed a porcelein cup against the table in his clenched fist. ignoring the blood oozing from his hand, he said between gritted teeth, "brother, you may think that you are the ruler of the nation because of your appointment by the emperor, but it is too soon for you to be so certain. not yet. you will not be heir to my father's legacy!"
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Choe Choong Hon's wife dabbed his forehead with a wet cloth attempting to quiet her tears. "please open your eyes," she begged her husband. "if you do not regain consciousness, there will be a blood feud between two brothers. please harvest the fruits of your previous power struggle."
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Post by skinz on Aug 19, 2004 7:24:23 GMT -5
This is great VIB. I have one question, who is the emperor now? Is it the current crown prince were watching now? Or did Myong Jong Son come back?
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 19, 2004 7:40:20 GMT -5
the current emperor's name is chongjo
not sure what his relationship is with big nose but i can find out
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 20, 2004 20:34:44 GMT -5
after gathering the top ministers to his father's estate, u stood up and announced, "i have asked all of you here today to speak of something very important. though my father is laid sick in bed, you the cabinet members must all continue to work hard for the nation without causing any disruption. if any of you sow the seeds of factionism or cause trouble within the government, be assured that i will not tolerate it."
"of course," minister ki assured him. "all our cabinet members will continue to work as diligently as they did just like when choe choong hon was in power."
"of course he's right," echoed a second minister. "don't be concerned about politics. what truly worries me is whether or not your father will recover from his illness"
u smiled. "thank you. since you show so much concern. i am certain that he will get well soon. Since my father is ill i cannot serve wine, but i can serve you tea, so please enjoy yourselves."
one of the ministers suggested, "since we are all here, why don't you show us your expertise in calligraphy?"
u gave an embarrassed chuckle. "don't be ridiculous. how can I, a humble warrior, show esteemed scholars like you my calligraphy?"
"don't be so modest," minister ki laughed.
"yes yes," another minister chimed in. "since all of the prominent cabinet members are here, please show us your skills."
"yes of course," the rest of the ministers nodded.
u smiled again. "if all of you cordially insist, then i cannot refuse. i would be happy to show you." turning to his attendant he ordered, "bring brush and ink."
as u writes the narrator explains: choe u - the eldest son of choe coong hon was a warrior by birth, but his calligraphy skills were so famed that even the emperor had requested that he write decorative scrolls. because of his interest in both the martial arts and scholarly pursuits, we can easily surmise that he had groomed himself to be his father's heir.
after he had finished writing, u asked, "minister yi, i am told that you are very good at critiquing the best calligraphers past and present. would you do me the honor of evaluating my calligraphy?"
walking to the table where the paper lay, yi kyu bo scrutinized the scroll and said, "historically, wang hui jui of china was the most famous calligrapher in the orient. but in koryo, kim seng of the shilla dynasty and yu shin and tan yun of the koryo dynasty formed he trio of the most famous calligraphers. your style is so dynamic that we should rate you with them as the top four calligraphers in the history of the nation."
u laughed. "i am shy to receive such high praise from a scholar as yourself.
but yi was not finished. in a solemn voice he continued, "a blacksmith can melt iron and make a good sword, but he cannot become a top rated military leader that can protect a nation. in the same way, even if your style is exquisite, it makes no difference if you do not know the meaning hidden in your writing."
"morra?"
"the top goverment leaders amass huge fortune and feed their animals with rice, while the people starve because the government takes all their crops in the form of taxes. if you wish to be your father's heir, you must not just talk about the people but truly take the people and their plight into your heart."
the ministers looked at each other in silence after hearing yi kyo bo's earnest words.
"i will keep your advice in my heart," u promised. laughing he turned to the rest of the party and said, "now that you have observed my calligraphy, please relax and enjoy some tea."
as yi kyu bo resumes his seat the narrator explains:
yi kyu bo. the top rated author of the era who wrote a famous book to inherit the ambition of the koguryo dynasty. Decrying the misery of the people, he criticized the corrupt beurocracy. but in order to serve the nation he was forced to stop his resistance and cooperate with the corrupt officials. as a result, he struggled with his conscience. though he collaborated with the corrupt government, he did not amass wealth, prevented from doing so by the guilt he bore from serving in a corrupted government.
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 20, 2004 21:16:36 GMT -5
seated at a table with noh suk soon and kim yak jin, hyang glared at the table top. "my brother is currently dining with prominent cabinet members and he is playing as if he is the center of power. how can he behave like this when my father is sick?"
suk soon tried to calm his nephew. "hyang-ah. how do you know that he wasn't trying to persuade them not to plot against your father?"
"that's ridiculous" hyang answered angrily. "not only is he gathering important officials, he is also publicly boasting that he will replace the top military officials when he comes into power. that means that you and general kim will be removed, as well as countless others that helped my father stage his rebellion."
yak jin grew furious. "morra?! how dare he do such a thing?" smacking his fists on the table, he announced, "i'm going to go find him and ask him what his real intentions are!"
suk soon motioned for him to sit down. "hyang-ah," he said calmly. "whether you or your brother succeeds your father, i will honor his wishes and serve his successor as loyally as i have served him. but in his state, if he sees the two of you fighting like this, neither of you will become his heir." turning to yak jin he said, "let us leave now."
outside, suk soon sighed. "there is an ominous sign that what i feared would happen will come to pass."
yak jin attempted to allay his fears. "if they fight amonts themselves, i will teach them a lesson, even if it means i have to beat them myself. so don't worry."
suk soon did not feel any better and he was so preoccupied with the internal feud between his nephews that he did not notice that a man was observing them from across the street as they mounted their horses.
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 20, 2004 21:20:22 GMT -5
"morra?" u asked incredulously. "my brother had a secret meeting with generals noh and kim?"
"not only that," the man informed him, "but apparently he is spreading rumors that you intend to oust the current top ranking military officials."
u pondered the news he had just received. "from now on, keep a close watch on hyang," he ordered
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hyang and his men rode to a military encampment where soldiers were in the middle of field exercises.
"how is their training progressing?" he asked the commanding officer.
"at your order, they are ready to fight to the death," he replied
hyang surveyed the rows of soldiers practicing their martial arts. "if my father does not recover, when there is mourning in my house, we will stage the coup, but be careful that news of this does not leak out to my brother."
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Post by ID on Aug 21, 2004 8:05:25 GMT -5
this is great VIB! i cant wait to see it.
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 21, 2004 11:56:13 GMT -5
glad you like it
the episode is extra long so it is taking a while to translate
that and there is more talking here than in any episode i've seen on AOW
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Post by velvet inkbrush of YiSoonShin on Aug 21, 2004 12:14:34 GMT -5
alone in his room, choe choong hon murmured in his sleep and suddenly awoke, sitting bolt upright in his bed. the first thing he did upon regaining consciousness was to look for the staff the king had bestowed upon him - a symbol of his power. not seeing it at the usual place at the head of his bed, he comenced shuffling about the room, his eyes frantically scanning the area as he muttered to himself, "where's the staff the emperor gave me? where did it go, eh?" running outside, he continued, "if i don't have it, i'll be forced to withdraw from the government...no no no no no...that won't happen...where is it? must find...must find the staff..."
looking around, he spotted his staff leaning against some rocks. chuckling contentedly, he ambled over to the staff and lovingly picked it up. "here you are," he said in a pleased voice. "whether i am sick or well, no one can take my power away from me. this country belongs to me. koryo belongs to me, choe choong hon..."
"brother!!"
"uncle!!"
choe turned to see who had spoken but saw no one. still the voices continued.
"brother!!"
"uncle!!""
after some confusion, choe choong hon whirled around to find himself face to face with choong su and jin jae.
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Post by luvarchfiend on Aug 21, 2004 12:45:50 GMT -5
ooooooohhh! thanks to you and your dad, even if we don't get subs anymore here in the ny/nj area......we will be able to watch this episode and enjoy it. thank you both so much. can't wait to see more.
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