Post by ajk on Jun 18, 2008 15:19:58 GMT -5
The queen is before the king; she's actually laughing. "How can you laugh?", Taejong wants to know. But Wongyeong is beyond fear and says, "Would you rather I begged for mercy in tears?" Taejong wants to know, "Why did you do it?" She opens up about it. "If it were now, if I had known you back then for the heartless man you are, I would not have done something so stupid. But I was much too young. So I believed you when you said you would be faithful to me for eternity because I am your wife and your only partner. My rage was as deep as my trust for you was. You threw away everything we had so you could have my servant girl and I could not handle the rage!" (So now we learn that Hyobin was the queen's servant.) That's no excuse for attempted murder, Taejong tells her, and he tries to ask her about regrets and forgiveness...but she cuts him off: "My only regret is that I didn't succeed." And then, "I don't intend to seek your forgiveness!" She's enraged, but her eyes fill with tears of hurt and sadness.
Hyobin and prince Kyoungnyeong are outside and Yangnyeong walks up and confronts them. He's furious about what Hyobin did and tells her so. And then to Kyoungnyeong: "Is this your best shot? Hiding behind your mother's skirt?" Kyoungnyeong calmly answers that "A crime is a crime whether it's decades or centuries old." But Yangnyeong accuses him of trying to destroy his supporters. "You should have challenged me directly instead. You'd never win, but I'd have praised you for the courage." Kyoungnyeong says patronizingly, "How could a powerless man possibly challenge you," which gets under Yangnyeong's skin, and then, "I don't want to fight you, but I am getting curious." Failing to protect those closest to you is a sign of weakness in a sovereign. I'm going to pay attention to how you handle the situation now. But Yangnyeong fires back, "You should pay attention to keeping your head attached to your neck. You're messing with the wrong man. You're no match for me." And he walks past Kyoungnyeong, on his way giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. (What a great trash-talking scene! Gotta love it.)
Later, inside, Hyobin tells her son that Maybe you were a bit bold. He corrects her: "I was very bold." Then he explains: "I fueled his rage, so he will not get through this unscathed. I'm just starting the fight."
Gu Jongsu shows up and orders Min Muhyul released. Gim Jongsuh is there and won't allow it, but Gu overrules him, presenting him with a written order from the crown prince. He takes Muhyul away with him.
Junior officials have been gathered together by Gim Jongsuh, late at night, to discuss the release. Most of them are frustrated. Jeong Ijni (who like Yi Su is apparently now working for the government) says, What are we doing as officials if we can't even stand up to a prince "who's trashing the law?" But Yun Hwe, showing some of Choongnyeong's recently found cynicism, answers, "I'm here to earn my drinking money. You, too, should find a reason you can live with."
The Mins are before Yangnyeong. To his surprise, they ask to be returned to their cell. They want him to renounce them so that they can "take the fall" for the attempted murder in order to protect the queen. If the queen is deposed, they tell him, you'll lose your legitimacy, and even if you survive it, it will be "a stigma...constantly following you for life." But Yangnyeong won't do it; he said he swore he'd protect those who were loyal to him, and "I will not lose you to Kyoungnyeong's and Hyobin's dirty games."
Jo Malseng informs the king that the Mins were released. Just then Yangnyeong enters and sits down with his father. He tries to explain the order, but his father tells him, "I will decide what to do with them, so don't fight me on this." With audacity the prince answers, "If I intended to fight you, I would already have killed Kyoungnyeong and Hyobin with my own sword." And, he says, I want you to give Hyobin a warning: Lay off the queen and the Mins "or I will have no choice but to unsheathe my sword." With that he leaves. Taejong is so angry he overturns a table.
Hyobin is told of the king's anger. She asks Yi Sookbun, who's with her, What will happen to you if the king renounces the crown prince? You've been allying yourself with the crown prince and those close to him. Kyoungnyeong advises him to "cut off whatever ties you can, or your future could be gravely threatened."
Outside, Hwang runs and intercepts Yangnyeong. "Go back and apologize to the king," he advises, "and stay out of the queen's and Min clan's business." But Yangnyeong tells him to stop lecturing; "It's not your place to tell me what to do." And then tells Hwang that if he's going to the conference hall, give the rest of the ministers a warning that no one had better try to hurt the queen.
Princes Hyoryeong and Seongnyeong (haven't seen them in quite a while, oddly) are before their mother; they've told her about Yangnyeong's running around to try to protect her and her brothers. "How could I pay my good son back for his devotion," she wonders.
"Is the crown prince in his right mind?" Discussion at the conference hall. Park Eun emphasizes that the Mins tried to kill a royal descendant; Gim Hanlo downplays it, arguing that Kyoungnyeong is an illegitimate prince. Huh Jo argues (impressively so) that legally, deposal is the correct punishment. But then prime minister Yu chimes in and says that Yangnyeong is going to lose his legitimacy regardless of any of this if he keeps misbehaving the way he has. And everyone else present cannot help but agree.
The queen goes to see Yangnyeong, who's polishing his sword. "I have one request to make," she says. "Would you strike me with this sword? Strike the mother who failed to teach her son well. If you can't strike me, don't fight the king on this matter." Yangnyeong protests, but she tells him, "I know how much you care about me. And your loving kindness will be treasured inside my heart....You must not fall out of the king's favor or lose the retainers' trust....You must take care of yourself and wait for your time. And when you rise to the throne and become the king, share the love and kindness you're showing me today with your people. Would you do that for me? Promise me that you will give me the joy of watching you become a benevolent king." (People keep asking him for that.)
Now she's outside, walking back home: "There must have been good days. I'm sure not every day of my life in the palace has been filled with anxiety and disgust. Why can't I remember?" She asks Yi Sun, who's in her retinue, to "have the tailor send over a commoner's dress." Her retinue gasps and tears start to fall, but she tells them, "It is the only way to protect the crown prince and my brothers. My elderly mother back home has already lost two sons," she says (referring to Min Mugu and Min Mujil). "I can't let any more children be taken from her. I will not be able to live with myself if I do."
The next morning: She emerges from her quarters, wearing a plain white dress. The king has come to see her and asks, "What is the meaning of this?" "I didn't expect you to see me off personally," she tells him. But this is all folly to him. "I don't want to lose you," he tells her--not as a man or a husband, but as the king who is concerned about jeopardizing the crown prince. So just go back inside "and act like a queen with your fake smile like you always have." But this doesn't make the queen happy; quite the contrary. She's trying to save her brothers. If you don't cast me off, she tries to ask the king...but he cuts her off with "What I do next is not your concern." "No, you can't do that--leave my brothers alone!" But Taejong spells it out: "If you defend your brothers any further, the crown prince will lose his position. Is that what you want?" And then he orders the attendants, "Take the queen back to her chambers!" Now she's furious; tears and rage come pouring out. Apologetic attendants physically haul her back inside as she screams "Let go! Let go!"
Hyobin charges into the throne room, but the king tells her to leave him alone. Hyobin is furious that the queen is still in the palace. But Taejong tells her not to push him and reminds her, "You defamed the queen to promote your son's future, so watch yourself." Then he surprises us with an expression of regret: "Since the day I gave you my heart, I gave the queen no more attention. I am leaving the queen alone as a last courtesy to the mother of the crown prince." So let it go, "or I will have to forsake you too. You are important to me, but not as important as Joseon." And he leaves. Out in the hall, Kyoungnyeong is there and the king stops to tell him, "I just hope you are not the one who spurred on your mother. You are my son. I want you as my son for a lifetime."
The king has called minister Park in to see him. "Can we silence the deposal talk?", he asks. Park says that it won't be easy. "If it were easy, I wouldn't have called you" is the response. "I am counting on you."
Yi Sookbun comes in to see Park, at Park's request. "I called you to give you a chance," he says. "Where is the land that Min Muhyul and Min Muhwe have acquired illicitly? Yi's eyes bug out; he asks with apparent innocence, "How could I possibly know?" But Park tells him, I already know about the land and don't really even need to ask you at all to find it. But if you don't tell me yourself, "I will locate the land in your secret holding as well." Yi's eyes bug out again. "This is your last chance, minister Yi. Do you wish to be a villainous subject who manipulated the crown prince for personal gain, or will you remain a merit subject?"
The Mins are seized and arrested by soldiers at their home.
Yangnyeong goes to see the king, who's been waiting for him. "Release the uncles," demands the prince. But his father tells him, The Mins have committed crimes that you don't know about. The prince is shown documentation of the Mins' illicit land holdings and he's told that to legalize them, they manipulated him into the land policy change. Yi Sookbun, who's there, tells him, "They were hiding a huge private army there as well. They were trying to expand their holdings with land as their foundation so they could control you more easily." And he adds, "I myself did not know about their holdings until very recently." (Nice CYA, pal.) Yangnyeong is stunned. His father tells him, "Now do you understand? This is the truth about the men you were trying so hard to protect. Your uncles were not trying to serve you. They were using you" so that "they could take this country out from under you." So let this be a lesson to you, is the king's message. (The business about a private army, this is new.)
Yangnyeong is riding a horse, out in the country...He's thinking, and we see flashbacks of scenes of Muhyul's and Muhwe's loyalty to him....He ends up by a lake and lies down face-up on the shore. Then out of the blue, Auri shows up. "This is the time when you need me most," she tells him. "The happy crown prince is not mine to have, so let me be the one you turn to when you're in sorrow and despair." (Oh, she's good.) He hugs her and says, "Just let me hold you for a while. Don't say anything. Just let me hold you." And we see him shed a tear! He must be hurting REAL bad because we've never seen anything like that before from him. He tells Auri of his desire to turn Joseon into a strong, respected state, and of his disappointment with the Mins' betrayal. Auri listens to it all and then tells him, "I wish you hadn't been born a prince. The palace doesn't agree with you." He kind of agrees: "If I were born an ordinary man instead of a prince, at least I wouldn't be such a bastard to you." Then as Auri looks at him, we hear her thinking, "Perhaps then I would be wiping your tears away with my heart wide open." (Hmmmm. She's playing him, but is she starting to warm up to him in spite of that?)
Yangnyeong stares out onto the lake...and the scene blends through to another lake, where Choongnyeong is looking out from the shore.
Um Jachi and Jeong Ogeun come running up to the prince: "There's big trouble! You have to intervene or Gyeongsung province might be lost altogether!"
Nighttime at the border area: Barbarians and Joseonese military units are staring each other down, both ready to strike. The barbarians are angry because Yi Chun is trying to install cannons on the border. Choi Yundeok and the Joseonese are defending the border, but they're not on Yi's side in this. Choi and Yundeok argue; Yi is furious because Choi refuses to allow the cannons to be installed; Choi disregards Yi as having "no knowledge about the field" and a blind desire to kill the enemy "with no concern about how many friendlies and civilians die in the process." Gang Sangin, who's there with the prince, tells him, "I don't think they can resolve this one on their own." Choongnyeong just says, "So?" and walks away. The argument continues, with Yi challenging Choi's right of command: "Do you wish to be stripped of your uniform right now?" Choi sneers: "You don't have the authority." Then Gang steps forward: "How about me?" He tells Yi, "I will remove his uniform. But only under the condition that you wait until a new commander arrives to replace him." Yi seethes at the condition, but he's in no position to argue. Then Gang nods towards the barbarians and tells Choi, "Commander, would you take care of them for now?"
Jang Youngsil confronts Choongnyeong, who's walking his horse, and asks for something: "Meet commander Choi for me. " The prince says that there's nothing he can do for Choi, but Jang explains, "It's not for him; it's for me. He really bothers me. Like a brute without reason, he charges in without regard for danger just like you used to do years ago...I'm afraid his hope will eventually rub off on me and I will want to help, like a crazy fool, and I'm afraid I might fall into despair and end up just like you." An obvious psyche job; not a great one. Then, "Are you really all right? Are you sure you can waste your life" like this? No answer; the prince walks away.
Yangnyeong goes to see the Mins in jail. "There is something I must know," he says. "Is it true that you tried to take Joseon from me? Were you pretending to be loyal to me so you could take the throne?" "That is preposterous," Muhyul tells him. "We never have harbored such thoughts. You must believe us." Yangnyeong says with sadness, "I could have given you anything you wanted."
Yangnyeong goes to the king, and asks him for the authority to conduct the inquiry of the Mins himself.
The next day: Everyone is present for the inquiry. The Mins are led in and tied to chairs in front of the crown prince. The inquiry begins with Park Eun announcing the charges. About the murder attempt, Muhyul shouts that "We should be praised, not punished." Then the charge about the private army is announced, and the Mins can't believe it; it's news to them. "A private army? That's absurd!", says Muhwe. "Never! This is a conspiracy!", says Muhyul. Park orders that they be tortured until they confess, but Yangnyeong overrules him. "I believe their innocence," he states. Ministers murmur, but the prince tells them, "Do not fight me." He walks over to the Mins. "I believe your innocence, my uncles. But regretfully they do not," he tells them, gesturing to the assembled ministers and officials. "So you will have to prove your innocence in front of them. Take your own lives." The Mins gasp (wouldn't you?). "Take your own lives and prove your innocence and your loyalty to all."
Hyobin and prince Kyoungnyeong are outside and Yangnyeong walks up and confronts them. He's furious about what Hyobin did and tells her so. And then to Kyoungnyeong: "Is this your best shot? Hiding behind your mother's skirt?" Kyoungnyeong calmly answers that "A crime is a crime whether it's decades or centuries old." But Yangnyeong accuses him of trying to destroy his supporters. "You should have challenged me directly instead. You'd never win, but I'd have praised you for the courage." Kyoungnyeong says patronizingly, "How could a powerless man possibly challenge you," which gets under Yangnyeong's skin, and then, "I don't want to fight you, but I am getting curious." Failing to protect those closest to you is a sign of weakness in a sovereign. I'm going to pay attention to how you handle the situation now. But Yangnyeong fires back, "You should pay attention to keeping your head attached to your neck. You're messing with the wrong man. You're no match for me." And he walks past Kyoungnyeong, on his way giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. (What a great trash-talking scene! Gotta love it.)
Later, inside, Hyobin tells her son that Maybe you were a bit bold. He corrects her: "I was very bold." Then he explains: "I fueled his rage, so he will not get through this unscathed. I'm just starting the fight."
Gu Jongsu shows up and orders Min Muhyul released. Gim Jongsuh is there and won't allow it, but Gu overrules him, presenting him with a written order from the crown prince. He takes Muhyul away with him.
Junior officials have been gathered together by Gim Jongsuh, late at night, to discuss the release. Most of them are frustrated. Jeong Ijni (who like Yi Su is apparently now working for the government) says, What are we doing as officials if we can't even stand up to a prince "who's trashing the law?" But Yun Hwe, showing some of Choongnyeong's recently found cynicism, answers, "I'm here to earn my drinking money. You, too, should find a reason you can live with."
The Mins are before Yangnyeong. To his surprise, they ask to be returned to their cell. They want him to renounce them so that they can "take the fall" for the attempted murder in order to protect the queen. If the queen is deposed, they tell him, you'll lose your legitimacy, and even if you survive it, it will be "a stigma...constantly following you for life." But Yangnyeong won't do it; he said he swore he'd protect those who were loyal to him, and "I will not lose you to Kyoungnyeong's and Hyobin's dirty games."
Jo Malseng informs the king that the Mins were released. Just then Yangnyeong enters and sits down with his father. He tries to explain the order, but his father tells him, "I will decide what to do with them, so don't fight me on this." With audacity the prince answers, "If I intended to fight you, I would already have killed Kyoungnyeong and Hyobin with my own sword." And, he says, I want you to give Hyobin a warning: Lay off the queen and the Mins "or I will have no choice but to unsheathe my sword." With that he leaves. Taejong is so angry he overturns a table.
Hyobin is told of the king's anger. She asks Yi Sookbun, who's with her, What will happen to you if the king renounces the crown prince? You've been allying yourself with the crown prince and those close to him. Kyoungnyeong advises him to "cut off whatever ties you can, or your future could be gravely threatened."
Outside, Hwang runs and intercepts Yangnyeong. "Go back and apologize to the king," he advises, "and stay out of the queen's and Min clan's business." But Yangnyeong tells him to stop lecturing; "It's not your place to tell me what to do." And then tells Hwang that if he's going to the conference hall, give the rest of the ministers a warning that no one had better try to hurt the queen.
Princes Hyoryeong and Seongnyeong (haven't seen them in quite a while, oddly) are before their mother; they've told her about Yangnyeong's running around to try to protect her and her brothers. "How could I pay my good son back for his devotion," she wonders.
"Is the crown prince in his right mind?" Discussion at the conference hall. Park Eun emphasizes that the Mins tried to kill a royal descendant; Gim Hanlo downplays it, arguing that Kyoungnyeong is an illegitimate prince. Huh Jo argues (impressively so) that legally, deposal is the correct punishment. But then prime minister Yu chimes in and says that Yangnyeong is going to lose his legitimacy regardless of any of this if he keeps misbehaving the way he has. And everyone else present cannot help but agree.
The queen goes to see Yangnyeong, who's polishing his sword. "I have one request to make," she says. "Would you strike me with this sword? Strike the mother who failed to teach her son well. If you can't strike me, don't fight the king on this matter." Yangnyeong protests, but she tells him, "I know how much you care about me. And your loving kindness will be treasured inside my heart....You must not fall out of the king's favor or lose the retainers' trust....You must take care of yourself and wait for your time. And when you rise to the throne and become the king, share the love and kindness you're showing me today with your people. Would you do that for me? Promise me that you will give me the joy of watching you become a benevolent king." (People keep asking him for that.)
Now she's outside, walking back home: "There must have been good days. I'm sure not every day of my life in the palace has been filled with anxiety and disgust. Why can't I remember?" She asks Yi Sun, who's in her retinue, to "have the tailor send over a commoner's dress." Her retinue gasps and tears start to fall, but she tells them, "It is the only way to protect the crown prince and my brothers. My elderly mother back home has already lost two sons," she says (referring to Min Mugu and Min Mujil). "I can't let any more children be taken from her. I will not be able to live with myself if I do."
The next morning: She emerges from her quarters, wearing a plain white dress. The king has come to see her and asks, "What is the meaning of this?" "I didn't expect you to see me off personally," she tells him. But this is all folly to him. "I don't want to lose you," he tells her--not as a man or a husband, but as the king who is concerned about jeopardizing the crown prince. So just go back inside "and act like a queen with your fake smile like you always have." But this doesn't make the queen happy; quite the contrary. She's trying to save her brothers. If you don't cast me off, she tries to ask the king...but he cuts her off with "What I do next is not your concern." "No, you can't do that--leave my brothers alone!" But Taejong spells it out: "If you defend your brothers any further, the crown prince will lose his position. Is that what you want?" And then he orders the attendants, "Take the queen back to her chambers!" Now she's furious; tears and rage come pouring out. Apologetic attendants physically haul her back inside as she screams "Let go! Let go!"
Hyobin charges into the throne room, but the king tells her to leave him alone. Hyobin is furious that the queen is still in the palace. But Taejong tells her not to push him and reminds her, "You defamed the queen to promote your son's future, so watch yourself." Then he surprises us with an expression of regret: "Since the day I gave you my heart, I gave the queen no more attention. I am leaving the queen alone as a last courtesy to the mother of the crown prince." So let it go, "or I will have to forsake you too. You are important to me, but not as important as Joseon." And he leaves. Out in the hall, Kyoungnyeong is there and the king stops to tell him, "I just hope you are not the one who spurred on your mother. You are my son. I want you as my son for a lifetime."
The king has called minister Park in to see him. "Can we silence the deposal talk?", he asks. Park says that it won't be easy. "If it were easy, I wouldn't have called you" is the response. "I am counting on you."
Yi Sookbun comes in to see Park, at Park's request. "I called you to give you a chance," he says. "Where is the land that Min Muhyul and Min Muhwe have acquired illicitly? Yi's eyes bug out; he asks with apparent innocence, "How could I possibly know?" But Park tells him, I already know about the land and don't really even need to ask you at all to find it. But if you don't tell me yourself, "I will locate the land in your secret holding as well." Yi's eyes bug out again. "This is your last chance, minister Yi. Do you wish to be a villainous subject who manipulated the crown prince for personal gain, or will you remain a merit subject?"
The Mins are seized and arrested by soldiers at their home.
Yangnyeong goes to see the king, who's been waiting for him. "Release the uncles," demands the prince. But his father tells him, The Mins have committed crimes that you don't know about. The prince is shown documentation of the Mins' illicit land holdings and he's told that to legalize them, they manipulated him into the land policy change. Yi Sookbun, who's there, tells him, "They were hiding a huge private army there as well. They were trying to expand their holdings with land as their foundation so they could control you more easily." And he adds, "I myself did not know about their holdings until very recently." (Nice CYA, pal.) Yangnyeong is stunned. His father tells him, "Now do you understand? This is the truth about the men you were trying so hard to protect. Your uncles were not trying to serve you. They were using you" so that "they could take this country out from under you." So let this be a lesson to you, is the king's message. (The business about a private army, this is new.)
Yangnyeong is riding a horse, out in the country...He's thinking, and we see flashbacks of scenes of Muhyul's and Muhwe's loyalty to him....He ends up by a lake and lies down face-up on the shore. Then out of the blue, Auri shows up. "This is the time when you need me most," she tells him. "The happy crown prince is not mine to have, so let me be the one you turn to when you're in sorrow and despair." (Oh, she's good.) He hugs her and says, "Just let me hold you for a while. Don't say anything. Just let me hold you." And we see him shed a tear! He must be hurting REAL bad because we've never seen anything like that before from him. He tells Auri of his desire to turn Joseon into a strong, respected state, and of his disappointment with the Mins' betrayal. Auri listens to it all and then tells him, "I wish you hadn't been born a prince. The palace doesn't agree with you." He kind of agrees: "If I were born an ordinary man instead of a prince, at least I wouldn't be such a bastard to you." Then as Auri looks at him, we hear her thinking, "Perhaps then I would be wiping your tears away with my heart wide open." (Hmmmm. She's playing him, but is she starting to warm up to him in spite of that?)
Yangnyeong stares out onto the lake...and the scene blends through to another lake, where Choongnyeong is looking out from the shore.
Um Jachi and Jeong Ogeun come running up to the prince: "There's big trouble! You have to intervene or Gyeongsung province might be lost altogether!"
Nighttime at the border area: Barbarians and Joseonese military units are staring each other down, both ready to strike. The barbarians are angry because Yi Chun is trying to install cannons on the border. Choi Yundeok and the Joseonese are defending the border, but they're not on Yi's side in this. Choi and Yundeok argue; Yi is furious because Choi refuses to allow the cannons to be installed; Choi disregards Yi as having "no knowledge about the field" and a blind desire to kill the enemy "with no concern about how many friendlies and civilians die in the process." Gang Sangin, who's there with the prince, tells him, "I don't think they can resolve this one on their own." Choongnyeong just says, "So?" and walks away. The argument continues, with Yi challenging Choi's right of command: "Do you wish to be stripped of your uniform right now?" Choi sneers: "You don't have the authority." Then Gang steps forward: "How about me?" He tells Yi, "I will remove his uniform. But only under the condition that you wait until a new commander arrives to replace him." Yi seethes at the condition, but he's in no position to argue. Then Gang nods towards the barbarians and tells Choi, "Commander, would you take care of them for now?"
Jang Youngsil confronts Choongnyeong, who's walking his horse, and asks for something: "Meet commander Choi for me. " The prince says that there's nothing he can do for Choi, but Jang explains, "It's not for him; it's for me. He really bothers me. Like a brute without reason, he charges in without regard for danger just like you used to do years ago...I'm afraid his hope will eventually rub off on me and I will want to help, like a crazy fool, and I'm afraid I might fall into despair and end up just like you." An obvious psyche job; not a great one. Then, "Are you really all right? Are you sure you can waste your life" like this? No answer; the prince walks away.
Yangnyeong goes to see the Mins in jail. "There is something I must know," he says. "Is it true that you tried to take Joseon from me? Were you pretending to be loyal to me so you could take the throne?" "That is preposterous," Muhyul tells him. "We never have harbored such thoughts. You must believe us." Yangnyeong says with sadness, "I could have given you anything you wanted."
Yangnyeong goes to the king, and asks him for the authority to conduct the inquiry of the Mins himself.
The next day: Everyone is present for the inquiry. The Mins are led in and tied to chairs in front of the crown prince. The inquiry begins with Park Eun announcing the charges. About the murder attempt, Muhyul shouts that "We should be praised, not punished." Then the charge about the private army is announced, and the Mins can't believe it; it's news to them. "A private army? That's absurd!", says Muhwe. "Never! This is a conspiracy!", says Muhyul. Park orders that they be tortured until they confess, but Yangnyeong overrules him. "I believe their innocence," he states. Ministers murmur, but the prince tells them, "Do not fight me." He walks over to the Mins. "I believe your innocence, my uncles. But regretfully they do not," he tells them, gesturing to the assembled ministers and officials. "So you will have to prove your innocence in front of them. Take your own lives." The Mins gasp (wouldn't you?). "Take your own lives and prove your innocence and your loyalty to all."