Post by ajk on Mar 19, 2008 14:42:34 GMT -5
The crown prince is kneeling before the king, with the ministers attending. The king asks, "Should there be reward or should there be punishment? Pretending to be a soldier is unacceptable." Yangnyeong asks for reward--reward for Min Muhyul and his troops for repelling the invasion. And he tells the king that he'll accept any punishment the king wants....
Outside, Yangnyeong's attendants are highly anxious. Noh Boon, apparently the head attendant, is told by another attendant that you’re a dead man; why didn't you stop Yangnyeong last night? Noh says, "If I would have tried to stop him, I would have died yesterday. I extended my life by one day." (A pretty funny scene, actually.)
Yangnyeong comes outside, sees Choongnyeong and Hyoryeong, goes over and reassures them that everything turned out okay. He leaves, but they seem troubled by the apparent result. Back inside, the king is lost in thought...Short-term flashback to the rest of the first scene: Yangnyeong suggests his punishment: "Make me a laborer at the Bureau of Weaponry...If we had cannons placed on the beach, the enemy wouldn't have gotten away." It's a disgrace that the enemy got away without being obliterated, and I won't tolerate such disgrace as crown prince....Flashback ending, Choongnyeong doesn't understand how Yangnyeong got out of the situation. Hyoryeong asks his brother if he's envious of the crown prince. Choongnyeong says he is, not for his power or privilege, but "for the opportunity and freedom he has to live out what's in his heart." Hyoryeong advises his brother to "be careful."
Ministers Park Eun and Jo Malseng are talking, concerned that the two Min brothers will be promoted because of the events at Gangryeongpo village. Park irritatedly asks Jo why he recommended the Min Muhyul for his position. Jo reminds him that it was he who told Jo that strengthening Joseon must be put ahead of politics, and that we must find a way to channel the Mins' "energy" for beneficial uses.
Min Muhyul and Min Muhwe are with the queen, their sister. She advises Muhyul not to simply accept the first promotion that's offered him, because it will look like he's only working to benefit the Min clan and not the country. "First we must make the world forget the Min clan's rage," she says. "Only then can we take the next step." The brothers leave, and outside they talk cryptically about buying off the Gangryeongpo magistrate because of a small problem with the prince's first battle.
A victory celebration is taking place. Prime Minister Ha tells Min Muhyul that he will grant him special recognition, but Min says he was just doing his duty. Further along the main table, Yi Sookbun, the minister of military, pours a drink for Jo Malseng, he says to thank him for his quick action the previous night. Jo was on top of things so quickly that it left Yi with little to do. Jo replies that it was in urgent situation and he was only doing what he could. Then Yi turns cold and says, "It's not going to be fun if you step in again like that. I don't like owing debt to anyone."
Yun Hwe is at the victory celebration; he's drunk and starts raising a ruckus. Ministers intervene and want him to leave, asking him why he doesn't show more respect for the crown prince's victory. He answers, "You get paid all that money and you can't see through the smoke?" Yun staggers out, spotting Choongnyeong on the way out (but still not knowing that he's a prince). "What kind of an oddball are you anyway?", the prince asks. "Why are you trying to put down the victory they're celebrating?" Yun tells him to go to the battle scene. "The answer is always at the scene of the crime." (!)
The king enters a storeroom that serves as a fancy armory, accompanied by consort Hyobin and her son prince Kyoungyeong. He picks out a good bow and gives it to the prince. "You're an exceptional marksman, but your bow is substandard." The king says that he used to be an exceptional marksman himself, and that rage is what drove him to be so good. He asks the prince, "What is at the heart of your target?" The prince demurs and says that he has practiced so much that he never really needed to put anything at the heart of his target. The king chuckles, tells the prince he's smart, and advises him to put the heart of a royal prince there. "You're a royal prince of Joseon no matter who your mother is."
Back in Hyobin's quarters, Hyobin is happy, tells her son that he did well. But Kyoungyeong is angry at himself. "Rage is at the hart of my target as well," he admits, rage about his treatment as someone lower than his half-brothers. But he didn't tell the king that because "like a coward I wanted to survive."
Choongnyeong visits minister Shim On (his father-in-law) and asks if he knows Yun Hwe. Shim recoils. "How do you know that drunk?...Well, he is a very talented man. I heard he was an exceptional diplomat....But his behavior is that of a drunken reprobate." Shim says that minister Hwang dismissed him personally, and Hwang values merit. Yun may have ability, but "he doesn't have what it takes to hold a title."
Ministers Hwang Hee and Byun Gaeryang are talking. Hwang is in the middle of reviewing the reports on the Gangryeongpo incident. This is motivated by Yun Hwe's insinuations at the celebration. Hwang sees nothing odd in the reports, but considers sending an investigator to the village nonetheless. Byun wonders why Hwang would trust the word of a drunk over the meticulous reports of competent ministers.
At the Kimpo government office (Kimpo is apparently the name of Gangryeongpo's jurisdiction): A citizen mob is trying to get into the building but is held back by soldiers. "You're supposed to protect us but you stole from us," the citizens shout. More soldiers arrive with clubs and shields and start beating the citizens back. Choongnyeong has arrived on horseback with attendants Um Jachi and Ogeun, just in time to see all of this unfolding. The prince is infuriated at the violence; Um tries to keep him calm but he stomps off. Um tells Ogeun to rush back to the capital and tell Yi Su that Choongnyeong might be getting into trouble, because "His fist is tight and he's clenching his teeth." (Which was true.)
Choongnyeong is alone on the shore, staring out to sea, when who approaches him but Yun Hwe. Yun convinces him to come with him and take a look around the village.
Prime minister Ha and Yi Sookbun are talking with Hwang Hee, accusing Hwang of overstepping his authority by his considering sending out an investigator. Why are you trying to get the defense and revenue ministries in trouble, they ask him. Do your own job better, they tell him, and they try to put him on the defensive by arguing that Gangryeongpo wouldn't have happened "if Ministry of Rites had forged better relations with Japan."
Hwang is talking to Byun Gaeryang; he asks him if he was the one who told PM Ha about the possible investigation. Byun says yes, he did, it was his duty. Hwang is annoyed and advises Byun, "You're a minister before you're someone's peer or subordinate."
Choongnyeong and Yun are sitting with several Gangryeongpo villagers, who tell them angrily that local officials were seen stealing stored grains that belonged to the villagers. One villager also tells them that he actually saw the Japanese spy signaling to the invasion fleet to land. Why didn't you report it, they ask him. He did, he says. "They ignored my report and threw me out the door, and now they're denying that I ever made the report!" The man storms off, and Choongnyeong tries to make sense of it all. The conclusion seems to be that somehow (not completely clear to me) the whole episode was set up to make the crown prince look good.
Attendant Ogeun reaches Yi Su and tells him what's happening.
Yi Su is at the palace, with prince Hyoryeong. The prince tells Yi to "give him a good scolding this time." But Yi is of a completely different opinion. "It's better than being a spectator," he says; Choongnyeong is at least doing something.
Choongnyeong returns with attendant Um; he dismounts, angry and ready to take action...Flashback to scenes of Yang Won's torture and the torture of the older Mins (Choongnyeong's uncles), and of the scene on the long bridge in which the king cautions his son not to get involved in politics.
The crown prince is at the cannon testing ground with Min Muhyul and Choi Haesan, who is in charge of the testing (and whose father was the first Korean to mass-produce gunpowder). The prince wants the cannons' range increased and has challenges the head officer about why more progress hasn't been made in recent years.
Yi Su is searching for Choongnyeong; he sees attendant Um outside of a building and goes inside.
The building is a gisaeng house. Inside, the prince is drinking and being attended to by several women. Yi enters angrily. "I'm such an obedient student" for not getting involved, the prince tells him. Yi asks the attendants to leave, and then sits down and asks him, "What about the people? The people you care so much about." "There's nothing I can do, darn it. You know the result when I did speak out." Yi tells him that he should do what's right and that "you can always find the way by trial and error." Then he accuses the Choongnyeong of being jealous of the crown prince. "You're too preoccupied by jealousy to care about the people!" No I'm not, Choongnyeong says, but Yi keeps hammering away and tells the prince he's wallowing in self-pity. The prince finally cracks: "Is it wrong to want recognition and acceptance?" "You have to let that go," Yi tells him.
Choongnyeong is brought home by Um, drunk as a skunk, and is laid down. He tells Princess Shim where he was. "Aren't you angry?" But she only smiles and calmly tells him, "You're drunk. You should rest now." You're a fool, he tells her, for worrying about me and taking care of me every day and every night. Then she tells him that she's pregnant. She must have hoped that this would lift his spirits, but instead he digests it and says, "A child with a fate as wretched as mine is going to be born into this cold world?" And he turns and goes to sleep. The princess is concerned about him but leaves him to sleep.
Donglae government office: Jang Youngsil and Daion arrive home from their journey. Han Younglo, Daion's father and apparently a local official, walks up to them, slaps Jang in the face, and tells his guards to throw Jang into the ocean. He's furious that a servant was out with his daughter. Daion steps between them and says she asked him to come with her, and that they were going to get medicines for her mother. She angrily tells him that he doesn't care about his wife; the woman has been ill for years and all he does is go from one concubine to another. So he slaps her! And he tells her to go see if mom needs the medicine. She goes inside and her mother is dead, covered by a sheet. Daion can't seem to accept it at first, but then breaks down and tells her mother how sorry she is.
Daion's home, the next morning: Everyone is wearing mourner's clothes. Daion sees a small temporary shrine that her father set up (or had ordered be set up for him); that's not what her mother wanted. Daion attacks the shrine and scatters its contents. "If I die," her mother had repeatedly said, "if that day comes, let there be peaceful chanting of the sutra at my wake." That's what she wanted, but because of an anti-Buddhism policy enacted in the new Joseon dynasty's first years, it isn't permitted now. Daion is beyond upset with her father: "This is her last wish and you can't grant her that." The rest of us must survive, he tells her. "Without authority, I’m a dead man too."
Morning: A revitalized and determined-looking Choongnyeong leaves his quarters. He goes to the cannon grounds. Yangnyeong sees him and asks, "What's a bookworm doing here?" "I want to find a way to set things right," Choongnyeong tells him. They stare at each other....
Outside, Yangnyeong's attendants are highly anxious. Noh Boon, apparently the head attendant, is told by another attendant that you’re a dead man; why didn't you stop Yangnyeong last night? Noh says, "If I would have tried to stop him, I would have died yesterday. I extended my life by one day." (A pretty funny scene, actually.)
Yangnyeong comes outside, sees Choongnyeong and Hyoryeong, goes over and reassures them that everything turned out okay. He leaves, but they seem troubled by the apparent result. Back inside, the king is lost in thought...Short-term flashback to the rest of the first scene: Yangnyeong suggests his punishment: "Make me a laborer at the Bureau of Weaponry...If we had cannons placed on the beach, the enemy wouldn't have gotten away." It's a disgrace that the enemy got away without being obliterated, and I won't tolerate such disgrace as crown prince....Flashback ending, Choongnyeong doesn't understand how Yangnyeong got out of the situation. Hyoryeong asks his brother if he's envious of the crown prince. Choongnyeong says he is, not for his power or privilege, but "for the opportunity and freedom he has to live out what's in his heart." Hyoryeong advises his brother to "be careful."
Ministers Park Eun and Jo Malseng are talking, concerned that the two Min brothers will be promoted because of the events at Gangryeongpo village. Park irritatedly asks Jo why he recommended the Min Muhyul for his position. Jo reminds him that it was he who told Jo that strengthening Joseon must be put ahead of politics, and that we must find a way to channel the Mins' "energy" for beneficial uses.
Min Muhyul and Min Muhwe are with the queen, their sister. She advises Muhyul not to simply accept the first promotion that's offered him, because it will look like he's only working to benefit the Min clan and not the country. "First we must make the world forget the Min clan's rage," she says. "Only then can we take the next step." The brothers leave, and outside they talk cryptically about buying off the Gangryeongpo magistrate because of a small problem with the prince's first battle.
A victory celebration is taking place. Prime Minister Ha tells Min Muhyul that he will grant him special recognition, but Min says he was just doing his duty. Further along the main table, Yi Sookbun, the minister of military, pours a drink for Jo Malseng, he says to thank him for his quick action the previous night. Jo was on top of things so quickly that it left Yi with little to do. Jo replies that it was in urgent situation and he was only doing what he could. Then Yi turns cold and says, "It's not going to be fun if you step in again like that. I don't like owing debt to anyone."
Yun Hwe is at the victory celebration; he's drunk and starts raising a ruckus. Ministers intervene and want him to leave, asking him why he doesn't show more respect for the crown prince's victory. He answers, "You get paid all that money and you can't see through the smoke?" Yun staggers out, spotting Choongnyeong on the way out (but still not knowing that he's a prince). "What kind of an oddball are you anyway?", the prince asks. "Why are you trying to put down the victory they're celebrating?" Yun tells him to go to the battle scene. "The answer is always at the scene of the crime." (!)
The king enters a storeroom that serves as a fancy armory, accompanied by consort Hyobin and her son prince Kyoungyeong. He picks out a good bow and gives it to the prince. "You're an exceptional marksman, but your bow is substandard." The king says that he used to be an exceptional marksman himself, and that rage is what drove him to be so good. He asks the prince, "What is at the heart of your target?" The prince demurs and says that he has practiced so much that he never really needed to put anything at the heart of his target. The king chuckles, tells the prince he's smart, and advises him to put the heart of a royal prince there. "You're a royal prince of Joseon no matter who your mother is."
Back in Hyobin's quarters, Hyobin is happy, tells her son that he did well. But Kyoungyeong is angry at himself. "Rage is at the hart of my target as well," he admits, rage about his treatment as someone lower than his half-brothers. But he didn't tell the king that because "like a coward I wanted to survive."
Choongnyeong visits minister Shim On (his father-in-law) and asks if he knows Yun Hwe. Shim recoils. "How do you know that drunk?...Well, he is a very talented man. I heard he was an exceptional diplomat....But his behavior is that of a drunken reprobate." Shim says that minister Hwang dismissed him personally, and Hwang values merit. Yun may have ability, but "he doesn't have what it takes to hold a title."
Ministers Hwang Hee and Byun Gaeryang are talking. Hwang is in the middle of reviewing the reports on the Gangryeongpo incident. This is motivated by Yun Hwe's insinuations at the celebration. Hwang sees nothing odd in the reports, but considers sending an investigator to the village nonetheless. Byun wonders why Hwang would trust the word of a drunk over the meticulous reports of competent ministers.
At the Kimpo government office (Kimpo is apparently the name of Gangryeongpo's jurisdiction): A citizen mob is trying to get into the building but is held back by soldiers. "You're supposed to protect us but you stole from us," the citizens shout. More soldiers arrive with clubs and shields and start beating the citizens back. Choongnyeong has arrived on horseback with attendants Um Jachi and Ogeun, just in time to see all of this unfolding. The prince is infuriated at the violence; Um tries to keep him calm but he stomps off. Um tells Ogeun to rush back to the capital and tell Yi Su that Choongnyeong might be getting into trouble, because "His fist is tight and he's clenching his teeth." (Which was true.)
Choongnyeong is alone on the shore, staring out to sea, when who approaches him but Yun Hwe. Yun convinces him to come with him and take a look around the village.
Prime minister Ha and Yi Sookbun are talking with Hwang Hee, accusing Hwang of overstepping his authority by his considering sending out an investigator. Why are you trying to get the defense and revenue ministries in trouble, they ask him. Do your own job better, they tell him, and they try to put him on the defensive by arguing that Gangryeongpo wouldn't have happened "if Ministry of Rites had forged better relations with Japan."
Hwang is talking to Byun Gaeryang; he asks him if he was the one who told PM Ha about the possible investigation. Byun says yes, he did, it was his duty. Hwang is annoyed and advises Byun, "You're a minister before you're someone's peer or subordinate."
Choongnyeong and Yun are sitting with several Gangryeongpo villagers, who tell them angrily that local officials were seen stealing stored grains that belonged to the villagers. One villager also tells them that he actually saw the Japanese spy signaling to the invasion fleet to land. Why didn't you report it, they ask him. He did, he says. "They ignored my report and threw me out the door, and now they're denying that I ever made the report!" The man storms off, and Choongnyeong tries to make sense of it all. The conclusion seems to be that somehow (not completely clear to me) the whole episode was set up to make the crown prince look good.
Attendant Ogeun reaches Yi Su and tells him what's happening.
Yi Su is at the palace, with prince Hyoryeong. The prince tells Yi to "give him a good scolding this time." But Yi is of a completely different opinion. "It's better than being a spectator," he says; Choongnyeong is at least doing something.
Choongnyeong returns with attendant Um; he dismounts, angry and ready to take action...Flashback to scenes of Yang Won's torture and the torture of the older Mins (Choongnyeong's uncles), and of the scene on the long bridge in which the king cautions his son not to get involved in politics.
The crown prince is at the cannon testing ground with Min Muhyul and Choi Haesan, who is in charge of the testing (and whose father was the first Korean to mass-produce gunpowder). The prince wants the cannons' range increased and has challenges the head officer about why more progress hasn't been made in recent years.
Yi Su is searching for Choongnyeong; he sees attendant Um outside of a building and goes inside.
The building is a gisaeng house. Inside, the prince is drinking and being attended to by several women. Yi enters angrily. "I'm such an obedient student" for not getting involved, the prince tells him. Yi asks the attendants to leave, and then sits down and asks him, "What about the people? The people you care so much about." "There's nothing I can do, darn it. You know the result when I did speak out." Yi tells him that he should do what's right and that "you can always find the way by trial and error." Then he accuses the Choongnyeong of being jealous of the crown prince. "You're too preoccupied by jealousy to care about the people!" No I'm not, Choongnyeong says, but Yi keeps hammering away and tells the prince he's wallowing in self-pity. The prince finally cracks: "Is it wrong to want recognition and acceptance?" "You have to let that go," Yi tells him.
Choongnyeong is brought home by Um, drunk as a skunk, and is laid down. He tells Princess Shim where he was. "Aren't you angry?" But she only smiles and calmly tells him, "You're drunk. You should rest now." You're a fool, he tells her, for worrying about me and taking care of me every day and every night. Then she tells him that she's pregnant. She must have hoped that this would lift his spirits, but instead he digests it and says, "A child with a fate as wretched as mine is going to be born into this cold world?" And he turns and goes to sleep. The princess is concerned about him but leaves him to sleep.
Donglae government office: Jang Youngsil and Daion arrive home from their journey. Han Younglo, Daion's father and apparently a local official, walks up to them, slaps Jang in the face, and tells his guards to throw Jang into the ocean. He's furious that a servant was out with his daughter. Daion steps between them and says she asked him to come with her, and that they were going to get medicines for her mother. She angrily tells him that he doesn't care about his wife; the woman has been ill for years and all he does is go from one concubine to another. So he slaps her! And he tells her to go see if mom needs the medicine. She goes inside and her mother is dead, covered by a sheet. Daion can't seem to accept it at first, but then breaks down and tells her mother how sorry she is.
Daion's home, the next morning: Everyone is wearing mourner's clothes. Daion sees a small temporary shrine that her father set up (or had ordered be set up for him); that's not what her mother wanted. Daion attacks the shrine and scatters its contents. "If I die," her mother had repeatedly said, "if that day comes, let there be peaceful chanting of the sutra at my wake." That's what she wanted, but because of an anti-Buddhism policy enacted in the new Joseon dynasty's first years, it isn't permitted now. Daion is beyond upset with her father: "This is her last wish and you can't grant her that." The rest of us must survive, he tells her. "Without authority, I’m a dead man too."
Morning: A revitalized and determined-looking Choongnyeong leaves his quarters. He goes to the cannon grounds. Yangnyeong sees him and asks, "What's a bookworm doing here?" "I want to find a way to set things right," Choongnyeong tells him. They stare at each other....