Post by ajk on Mar 5, 2008 16:26:34 GMT -5
Choongnyeong is kneeling before the king. "A journey to learn about the real world?", the king says. Tell me all about it. The king seems almost amused. The world must have shown him something big "for you to commit such misconduct upon your return." But it wasn't misconduct, Choongnyeong says. The Petitioners' Drum is supposed to be used, but it has a layer of dust on it. (Apparently everyone is afraid to use it.) Which is part of the reason that the people out there call you "a tyrant." Going out into the world "led me to find a way to remove this dishonor." How, asks the king. "Did the world tell you the answer?" Choongnyeong pulls out one of the leaflets thrown by Park the vendor, and a list of the vendors who were not compensated for the loss of their stands.
Prime minister Ha and ministers Min Mujil and Min Mugu are discussing the prince's actions with concern.
Choongnyeong is getting chewed out by his mother, Queen Wongyeong. “You’re not a prince any more!" Violated rules, caused confusion; he begs forgiveness but she says, "Don't call me mother!" He leaves, but in the hallway the crown prince smiles and says he wants to hear all about Choongnyeong's adventure tomorrow.
The queen is extremely angry: "I've got to come down harder on him if he is going to learn to be invisible. How else will he survive?"
Choongnyeong and Jang Won are talking. The prince is happy because "I have never seen this gentle side of my father before. He must have been so angry when I called him a tyrant, but he didn't let it show." He loves the attention he got from the king. The prince produces a package for Jang Won: herbs to treat his father's illness. The prince had the royal physicians prepare them. The next trip, he tells Jang Won, will be with his father's permission and it will be to visit your family.
The king is with PM Ha and asks him how he'd deal with "my problem."
Choongnyeong meets with his teacher Yi Su on a balcony. "So I hear you've seen the world." "I said I would and I'm a man of my word." So how was it? The prince says that soon it will be full of virtuous people. So it isn't yet, Yi says. But the prince says the king will make it happen.
Suddenly we see a massive torture session in a courtyard; they're torturing the vendors on the prince's list. Ministers overseeing the torture are trying to find out who prepared the leaflets thrown by Park. Running towards the courtyard, the prince confronts minister Hwang and is told that the king ordered it.
The king and ministers are discussing how to punish the prince. Shim defends him, but PM Ha says that the prince is practicing politics (which is only for the crown prince) and needs to be punished severely. The Mins back him up.
In the hallway, minister Park Eun confronts PM Ha, saying he's trying to preserve his exalted position by coming down hard on Choongnyeong so that the crown prince will keep him in power. Ha dismisses it.
The prince refuses to leave the grounds and insists on seeing the king; Hwang resists and even tells the guards to escort him away, but ultimately he accedes and lets the prince pass to go see the king. The prince runs inside. Hwang accuses Yi Su (who's standing there during all this) of playing politics, because the king killed Yi's master Sambong Jeong Dejeon and now Yi is expressing his anger by getting the prince riled up.
Ok Hwan is talking to Foreman Jeon and Muby, plotting..."I can't let calm be restored that quickly in Yi Bangwon's regime."
Foreman Jeon approaches the torture yard, gives a false name, and tells the ministers that he has information that could clear the vendors. But he wants to be paid for it....
Choongnyeong barges in on the king and wants to know why he's hurting the innocent people. I'm giving them discipline. You're supposed to be the father of the people; you can't be this cruel. Quite an argument between the two; the king says he rules 5,600,000 people and can't worry about pleasing every one of them. "One tenth of them could be sacrificed for the safety of the rest." But aren't those 560,000 people your subjects too, the prince asks. The king says that Joseon is less than 20 years old and still faces danger from "evil forces trying to bring us down." The prince tells the king to enlighten the people and they’ll support you, but the king says that "They must first learn to obey. The king who rules in a turbulent era must rule with discipline before showing generosity.” And follows that up with, “And in teaching discipline, a reckless prince cannot be excepted."
Back in the courtyard, Jang Won is hung upside down and is being whipped in the king's presence while the prince is tied to a chair and forced to watch. The prince begs for the beating to stop, but the king says that plotters are watching everywhere and if you go out and get kidnapped and I have to make a deal, then Joseon will be seen as unable even to protect a prince. And I'll kill your whole staff if that's what it takes to each you that lesson. The king leaves, Jang Won is released and falls to the ground, and the prince runs to him. But Jang Won dies. The prince staggers out of the courtyard, overcome and barely able to walk.
PM Ha, the Mins, and others are discussing; minister Him Hanlo says that the prince must die.
Other ministers talking separately. Hwang Hee and Shim On wonder about the situation with the vendors: yes they were supposed to have been compensated for their stalls, but embezzlement wouldn't have been difficult; maybe they weren't compensated after all. Who would have orchestrated such a thing? Park Eun wonders if they'd able to investigate it, since it could destroy "the first merit subject" who delivered the throne to him.
The prince is with princess Shim, who suggests that Jang Won be given a burial, but the prince just stares ahead....
The other two princes visit Choongnyeong. He says he's fine, but the two can see him shaking. Choongnyeong just keeps repeating, "I didn't kill him. He got himself killed. It wasn't me." He won't snap out of it.
The king, considering punishments with his ministers, says he's killed the prince's servant and took his honor, and that's enough. But the Mins want more; they seek banishment; such disloyalty cannot be taken lightly. PM Ha looks at them and knowingly smiles.
"Preserve the authority of the royal house!" The entire Censorate staff is gathered outside the audience hall, on their knees and calling in unison for banishment. PM Ha orchestrated this.
The crown prince barges into a meeting of PM Ha and the Mins, ordering that the demonstration be stopped. Ha says the Censorate officials first wanted Choongnyeong dead, and banishment is actually a compromise to save his life (which doesn't really ring true). The crown prince warns that "anyone that tries to harm Choongnyeong will not be forgiven" and that Ha's loyalty will be questioned if he pursues this.
Hwang is talking to the king. "Banishment and death go hand in hand." If you banish him, they'll call for the "cup of death" next. The king knows. Hwang has an idea....
The king is shooting arrows outside at night (he's good). Yi Su, tied up, is brought before him and untied. The king starts to pour him a drink, saying that Yi has taught two sons for him and he hasn't shown enough gratitude. Yi responds that he'll accept any punishment. The kings turns cold; this is what he wanted to get at. "What is your crime?" Yi explains that he would not share the Exposition of the Great Learning until the prince knew more about the world. So you're the one who caused this; "why did you raise such a little tiger" who thinks about politics when he shouldn't. Yi responds that "Politics is caring for the world and the world is another name for the helpless people. And I am very proud of him." "I guess you have a death wish," says the king, but he eventually decides, "I will give you one more chance. Remember, when it comes to teaching Hyoryeong and Choongnyeong, excess is poison." But he supposes it would be okay to let Choongnyeong see the Exposition of Great Learning. The king and his entourage leave.
The crown prince is being warned by PM Ha and the Mins that the Exposition of Great Learning is a book for kings; the king shouldn't order it to be taught to anyone other than you; Choongnyeong might become powerful and steal your power. Yangnyeong fluffs that off: "Books are just a toy for Choongnyeong" and "Choongnyeong doesn't have what it takes to get real power. He's a faint-hearted boy who can't even get over a servant's death."
Yi Su visits Choongnyeong, who has now stopped eating and drinking. "Give it a rest. I'm tired of this infantile protest. You did kill him," and now "you're killing him twice with this poor pathetic behavior." Shape up and deal with it. The prince gets angry and runs outside....Flashback to the end of E1, in the woods, with the prince telling Yang Won, "It's the prince who protects his subjects."...Flashback ending, the prince is despondent because he couldn't protect Yang Won. He wants to take Jang Won's body home but doesn't know how to do it.
The prince kneels before Jang Won's burial mound, sad that he never got to see his home and family: "I'm sorry Jang Won. It's my fault that you're dead. I'm sorry..."
The prince and Yi Su are on a mountain overlooking the city: The prince reflects: "The virtuous people I read about in the books didn't exist in the real world. They were shameless, selfish and mean. But I don't, I can't hate them. Because they're just like me and I'm just like them. Just once, I wanted to be praised by my father." His actions, "I did all that to get my father's attention. I didn't mean them....I don't know why but I get the feeling the people are just like me...because no one has ever shown them attention or treated them with true compassion. But I suppose I should forget about them now" or else he'll lose someone else he cares for like he cared for Jang Won. Yi tells him it's going to be tough to hold onto that attitude for his whole life, "and it will be hard for me as well, to watch you growing up with so much struggle." Yi offers to stay closely more closely by the prince's side from now on. The prince leans on him and cries, and Yi also sheds a tear.
Prime minister Ha and ministers Min Mujil and Min Mugu are discussing the prince's actions with concern.
Choongnyeong is getting chewed out by his mother, Queen Wongyeong. “You’re not a prince any more!" Violated rules, caused confusion; he begs forgiveness but she says, "Don't call me mother!" He leaves, but in the hallway the crown prince smiles and says he wants to hear all about Choongnyeong's adventure tomorrow.
The queen is extremely angry: "I've got to come down harder on him if he is going to learn to be invisible. How else will he survive?"
Choongnyeong and Jang Won are talking. The prince is happy because "I have never seen this gentle side of my father before. He must have been so angry when I called him a tyrant, but he didn't let it show." He loves the attention he got from the king. The prince produces a package for Jang Won: herbs to treat his father's illness. The prince had the royal physicians prepare them. The next trip, he tells Jang Won, will be with his father's permission and it will be to visit your family.
The king is with PM Ha and asks him how he'd deal with "my problem."
Choongnyeong meets with his teacher Yi Su on a balcony. "So I hear you've seen the world." "I said I would and I'm a man of my word." So how was it? The prince says that soon it will be full of virtuous people. So it isn't yet, Yi says. But the prince says the king will make it happen.
Suddenly we see a massive torture session in a courtyard; they're torturing the vendors on the prince's list. Ministers overseeing the torture are trying to find out who prepared the leaflets thrown by Park. Running towards the courtyard, the prince confronts minister Hwang and is told that the king ordered it.
The king and ministers are discussing how to punish the prince. Shim defends him, but PM Ha says that the prince is practicing politics (which is only for the crown prince) and needs to be punished severely. The Mins back him up.
In the hallway, minister Park Eun confronts PM Ha, saying he's trying to preserve his exalted position by coming down hard on Choongnyeong so that the crown prince will keep him in power. Ha dismisses it.
The prince refuses to leave the grounds and insists on seeing the king; Hwang resists and even tells the guards to escort him away, but ultimately he accedes and lets the prince pass to go see the king. The prince runs inside. Hwang accuses Yi Su (who's standing there during all this) of playing politics, because the king killed Yi's master Sambong Jeong Dejeon and now Yi is expressing his anger by getting the prince riled up.
Ok Hwan is talking to Foreman Jeon and Muby, plotting..."I can't let calm be restored that quickly in Yi Bangwon's regime."
Foreman Jeon approaches the torture yard, gives a false name, and tells the ministers that he has information that could clear the vendors. But he wants to be paid for it....
Choongnyeong barges in on the king and wants to know why he's hurting the innocent people. I'm giving them discipline. You're supposed to be the father of the people; you can't be this cruel. Quite an argument between the two; the king says he rules 5,600,000 people and can't worry about pleasing every one of them. "One tenth of them could be sacrificed for the safety of the rest." But aren't those 560,000 people your subjects too, the prince asks. The king says that Joseon is less than 20 years old and still faces danger from "evil forces trying to bring us down." The prince tells the king to enlighten the people and they’ll support you, but the king says that "They must first learn to obey. The king who rules in a turbulent era must rule with discipline before showing generosity.” And follows that up with, “And in teaching discipline, a reckless prince cannot be excepted."
Back in the courtyard, Jang Won is hung upside down and is being whipped in the king's presence while the prince is tied to a chair and forced to watch. The prince begs for the beating to stop, but the king says that plotters are watching everywhere and if you go out and get kidnapped and I have to make a deal, then Joseon will be seen as unable even to protect a prince. And I'll kill your whole staff if that's what it takes to each you that lesson. The king leaves, Jang Won is released and falls to the ground, and the prince runs to him. But Jang Won dies. The prince staggers out of the courtyard, overcome and barely able to walk.
PM Ha, the Mins, and others are discussing; minister Him Hanlo says that the prince must die.
Other ministers talking separately. Hwang Hee and Shim On wonder about the situation with the vendors: yes they were supposed to have been compensated for their stalls, but embezzlement wouldn't have been difficult; maybe they weren't compensated after all. Who would have orchestrated such a thing? Park Eun wonders if they'd able to investigate it, since it could destroy "the first merit subject" who delivered the throne to him.
The prince is with princess Shim, who suggests that Jang Won be given a burial, but the prince just stares ahead....
The other two princes visit Choongnyeong. He says he's fine, but the two can see him shaking. Choongnyeong just keeps repeating, "I didn't kill him. He got himself killed. It wasn't me." He won't snap out of it.
The king, considering punishments with his ministers, says he's killed the prince's servant and took his honor, and that's enough. But the Mins want more; they seek banishment; such disloyalty cannot be taken lightly. PM Ha looks at them and knowingly smiles.
"Preserve the authority of the royal house!" The entire Censorate staff is gathered outside the audience hall, on their knees and calling in unison for banishment. PM Ha orchestrated this.
The crown prince barges into a meeting of PM Ha and the Mins, ordering that the demonstration be stopped. Ha says the Censorate officials first wanted Choongnyeong dead, and banishment is actually a compromise to save his life (which doesn't really ring true). The crown prince warns that "anyone that tries to harm Choongnyeong will not be forgiven" and that Ha's loyalty will be questioned if he pursues this.
Hwang is talking to the king. "Banishment and death go hand in hand." If you banish him, they'll call for the "cup of death" next. The king knows. Hwang has an idea....
The king is shooting arrows outside at night (he's good). Yi Su, tied up, is brought before him and untied. The king starts to pour him a drink, saying that Yi has taught two sons for him and he hasn't shown enough gratitude. Yi responds that he'll accept any punishment. The kings turns cold; this is what he wanted to get at. "What is your crime?" Yi explains that he would not share the Exposition of the Great Learning until the prince knew more about the world. So you're the one who caused this; "why did you raise such a little tiger" who thinks about politics when he shouldn't. Yi responds that "Politics is caring for the world and the world is another name for the helpless people. And I am very proud of him." "I guess you have a death wish," says the king, but he eventually decides, "I will give you one more chance. Remember, when it comes to teaching Hyoryeong and Choongnyeong, excess is poison." But he supposes it would be okay to let Choongnyeong see the Exposition of Great Learning. The king and his entourage leave.
The crown prince is being warned by PM Ha and the Mins that the Exposition of Great Learning is a book for kings; the king shouldn't order it to be taught to anyone other than you; Choongnyeong might become powerful and steal your power. Yangnyeong fluffs that off: "Books are just a toy for Choongnyeong" and "Choongnyeong doesn't have what it takes to get real power. He's a faint-hearted boy who can't even get over a servant's death."
Yi Su visits Choongnyeong, who has now stopped eating and drinking. "Give it a rest. I'm tired of this infantile protest. You did kill him," and now "you're killing him twice with this poor pathetic behavior." Shape up and deal with it. The prince gets angry and runs outside....Flashback to the end of E1, in the woods, with the prince telling Yang Won, "It's the prince who protects his subjects."...Flashback ending, the prince is despondent because he couldn't protect Yang Won. He wants to take Jang Won's body home but doesn't know how to do it.
The prince kneels before Jang Won's burial mound, sad that he never got to see his home and family: "I'm sorry Jang Won. It's my fault that you're dead. I'm sorry..."
The prince and Yi Su are on a mountain overlooking the city: The prince reflects: "The virtuous people I read about in the books didn't exist in the real world. They were shameless, selfish and mean. But I don't, I can't hate them. Because they're just like me and I'm just like them. Just once, I wanted to be praised by my father." His actions, "I did all that to get my father's attention. I didn't mean them....I don't know why but I get the feeling the people are just like me...because no one has ever shown them attention or treated them with true compassion. But I suppose I should forget about them now" or else he'll lose someone else he cares for like he cared for Jang Won. Yi tells him it's going to be tough to hold onto that attitude for his whole life, "and it will be hard for me as well, to watch you growing up with so much struggle." Yi offers to stay closely more closely by the prince's side from now on. The prince leans on him and cries, and Yi also sheds a tear.