Post by ajk on Jul 8, 2008 15:01:52 GMT -5
All of the citizens of Gyeongsung, including the orphans, stand before Yangnyeong's army, blocking its path. The little girl we've seen before (whose parents were murdered during the Jurchen attack on their village), who’s later identified as Dahm, is next to Choongnyeong and is holding some flowers. Looking at the soldiers, the prince tells her, "They're not bad people. They're wearing the same clothes your father used to wear." She smiles. Then he addresses the army: "If you go forward with this reckless northern conquest, you will have to kill the innocent people of Gyeongsung first. The choice is yours. Now choose." The soldiers, brandishing their spears, look at each other uneasily, unsure of what to do. Then Dahm walks forward into their midst, completely unfazed. She tugs on the uniform of one soldier and offers him her flowers. He wavers...and then drops his spear and picks her up. An angry Gu Jongsi shouts "What are you doing, soldier?" The soldier responds, "We can't hurt our own people, general." Then the rest of the soldiers drop their spears, and the rest of the orphans run forward to welcome them as a helpless Yangnyeong watches. Minister Hwang tells him, "You must put your sword down now, your highness." Which he reluctantly does, triggering wild cheers from everyone present, soldiers and civilians alike. Then he walks over to Choongnyeong. "If you think you've won, you're mistaken. This fight is just beginning." Choongnyeong is unintimidated: "I will see you at the capital, your highness." Yangnyeong leaves, Hwang trailing him. The central army returns home.
Choongnyeong tells the orphans, "I'm going back to where I came from." They start crying, wondering who will read stories to them. The prince hands Dahm a book and tells her, "That's your job now, Dahm. You're very smart, so you will learn to read quickly." He leaves them in the care of a local woman who assures him she'll take good care of them.
Choi Yundeok and his men find Choongnyeong and offer to escort him back to the capital. Yi Chun says, "It may not be much but we want to show our support." No, the prince tells him, help get things in order again here. Choi Haesan and Jang Youngsil are staying there too. Yundeok tells him, "You have a difficult road ahead"; the prince says he'll remember the advice that Yundeok's gave him. They bow to each other and the prince leaves.
By a northern lakeshore, Choongnyeong tells Yun Hwe, "I guess there is no turning back now for either of us." Then he says he wants Yun to be his advisor: "I want you to be the sword that strikes my (bad) decisions down...I won't be able to go back and have this fight unless I know that you and those who await me at the capital will not hesitate to strike my errors instead of always telling me what I want to hear." Yes, I'll do it, says Yun.
The king and ministers are meeting. Hwang's name comes up in the course of business and Taejong only says "Next!" He's ducking the issue completely. "Next!" Huh Jo implores the king to remove Hwang. "Next!" Then, "It appears you have nothing important to report today. You are dismissed." And he ends the session.
Outside, Huh's colleagues tell him, "You're lucky you're alive." They all realize that the king's actions mean he won't be renouncing the crown prince. "Still?", Huh says with frustration. "That audacious child who thinks he is above heaven?" Then they're informed that a messenger has arrived heralding Yangnyeong's return, and they and the other ministers and officials grudgingly go out to receive the crown prince.
Noh Huibong informs the king of the messenger's arrival. Taejong proceeds to grab a huge vase, lift it over his head and slam it to the floor.
The crown prince and the central army return. Yangnyeong sees the cold stares and disrespectful fidgeting of the ministers and officials. Hwang advises him, "Don't pay attention to them. You have to get through this." ...For a moment, Yangnyeong thinks back to his triumphant return at the end of Ep6 after fending off the Japanese coastal attack; the public is cheering wildly...Then once again, the ministers and officials, silent and unwelcoming. Suddenly he yanks on his horse's reins and turns to leave. "I will be right back," he says. Ignoring the pleas of Hwang and Noh Boon to go to the king, he tells them, "He's been brooding in rage for two weeks. Another afternoon won't change anything." And he leaves. Much grumbling from the ministers and officials about him as they drift back inside. In the end, only prime minister Yu is left. He goes over to Hwang and tells him, "I'm afraid the crown prince has crossed the point of no return." He pats Hwang on the shoulder and goes inside.
Taejong is on his throne, sitting, waiting, brooding, seething...and the room remains empty.
"Turned back? Is he out of his mind?" The queen has been told. Where is he going? The crown princess says, "Isn't it obvious?"
Auri is sewing. She stops and goes outside...and finds Yangnyeong sitting on her porch, silently, by himself. "When did you...Why didn't you come inside?" He tells her, "I was embarrassed. I couldn't get myself to go inside. I lost this time." and he drops his head down, looking pathetic and thoroughly demoralized. Filled with regret and unhappiness, she tells him, "I'm sorry. It's my fault. You didn't do anything wrong...If it weren't for me..." as she starts to cry. But he's not interested. (Seems to me he OUGHT to be interested.) "Just tell me you're glad to see me. Say you missed me and are glad to have me back." And he hugs her. "Today is the last day. Today is the last day you'll have to comfort me. You'll never have to cry for me again. I'm going to fight even harder if only for you." (Okay, pal, she’s just going to rat you out again.) As he leaves he tells her, "You have to eat better. You look thin." He leaves and she falls to her knees.
We see Yangnyeong sitting alone by a river, drinking.
At the Office of the Censor General: Officials are intently writing.
At the Office of Inspector General: Officials are compiling scrolls.
A stack of scrolls is on its way to the king. Hwang sees the scrolls and tries to get the official carrying them to stop their delivery. But PM Yu comes upon the exchange and castigates Hwang for interfering with government communications. "Deliver the petitions," he tells the official.
Stacks of petitions are in front of the king, and more are being delivered. (It's strangely like the scene from "Miracle on 34th Street" where the Santa letters are piled up in front of the surprised judge.) They all call for the crown prince's punishment. His anger mounting, he scatters a stack of scrolls, steps off his throne and walks out, pounding the doors open as he leaves. In the hallway he turns...and Yangnyeong is standing there. "I'm a little late, father." So he goes back in, and the prince enters through a different door.
"Do you know what these are?", Taejong says, pointing to the petitions. Yangnyeong's smartass answer: "Aren't they nothing but fire starters?" And then, "You've become weak, father. Why are you flustered by your audacious servants' complaints?" Silence. He goes on: "If it weren't for my good brother's interference, your country would be larger now. Taejong is amazed: "You feel no remorse. You deploy the troops against my orders and you don't feel an ounce of remorse?" Yangnyeong tries to continue, but Taejong has had enough: "One more word and I might just want to kill you myself." The prince fires right back, "Why do you hesitate?" The king shouts, "Get out of my sight this instant!" Yangnyeong leaves. The king is shaking with rage, and sheds a tear besides.
Yangnyeong returns to his quarters, and finds the queen waiting for him. He sits and asks, "Is it because of me? You still don't look very well." His mother is almost surprised. "You're worried about me? You're a hard man to figure out." Then she advises him, "Beg the king for forgiveness. You must not defy him any further." Her son is unconcerned--"I will take care of myself"--but she implores him: "Please. You must learn to bend." Sensing her thoughts (or at least believing he does), he tells her, "What you fear will never happen. I will not lose my rightful place. So don't worry, mother."
That evening, the king is alone in the throne room with Jo Malseng. Jo delicately asks him about tomorrow's state duties. The king impatiently reminds Jo that he handed those over to the crown prince, and tells Jo he's dismissed. Obviously he has no intention of discussing the matter.
The ministers are told of this, and realize that the king simply will not renounce the crown prince. Huh Jo says, "Do we accept this or not? That is the question now."
The next morning: Yangnyeong goes to the conference hall for the regularly scheduled meeting with all of the ministers. He opens the door...and the room is empty except for Hwang. "Did I have the wrong time?", he wonders. Then he laughs and says, "I like it small. This should be a short meeting." (Somebody teach this guy what "quorum" means.)
All of the ministers are sitting in the throne room before an irritated king. "Do you know what time it is? What are you all doing here?" Go to the conference hall, he tells them. But they want him to respond to the petitions. Irritated, he says, "Respond? How would you like me to respond? " And he starts asking individual ministers how they would respond, what they would do about the situation, but no one is brave enough to venture an opinion for fear of the king's reaction. So it looks like that's that...but then PM Yu speaks up: "Would my head suffice? Would you take my life if I called for the crown prince's deposal?" He continues: "A man who cannot reflect on his own mistakes cannot lead the kingdom. You must renounce the eldest son and choose the wise one. That is the only way to keep the country from falling apart." So who is the wise one?, the king asks him. Silence, as Yu musters himself..."The wise one is...great prince Choongnyeong, your majesty." At last, it's out in the open. Ministers exhale with relief that SOMEBODY said it.
"Choose the wise one?" The queen and king are having tea together and he's told her of the meeting. She asks, "Do you intend to renounce the crown prince after all?" He asks her back, "Which prince do you believe is wisest?" She looks at him but won't answer the question.
Hyobin and Kyoungnyeong are digesting this too. Hyobin asks her son, "Why are you smiling about this?" His answer: "At last there is hope for this country." He then asks her, "You don't still think about putting me on the throne, do you?" Undoubtedly she does, but she tells him only, "I'm glad the crown prince is getting thrown out. He would try to kill us both if he became king."
Prince Hyoryeong is paying another visit to ex-king Jeongjong, his uncle. Jeongjong says, "What's the use if the throne is up for grabs anyway. You just want to spend the rest of your life quietly reading sutras. Isn't that right?" Unexpectedly, the prince answers, "What makes you think I have no ambitions?...You are the one who said a man is not a man without ambition." Very surprised, Jeongjong asks him, Do you want to give this a shot?" Hyoryeong's answer: "Would you help me?" His uncle tells him, "I'm surprised. Why what made you want to get into this hard and ruthless fight?" The prince explains, "Because the despotic crown prince is unworthy of the crown, and Choongnyeong who breeds discord with his unrealistic ideals is not exactly kingly material, either." (WOW this is a complete turnaround for a guy who used to mutter things like "Politics is slaughter; what good is having hope. It's useless, all useless.")
We see Choongnyeong's son Hyang, running around and holding the little wooden boat that his father had carved just before his birth. He slips and falls, and as he gets up, Choongnyeong is standing before him. "Who are you, sir?", the boy asks. The prince says, "The fall must have hurt." Hyang insists, "I'm fine." "You've got tears in your eyes and you're fine?" "Please don't tell my mother," the boy says. Then he says, "Oops--I wasn't crying, mother." Choongnyeong turns around and sees princess Shim standing there. All he can say is, "Our child has grown, my lady." The princess tells the boy, "Don't just stand there, Hyang. Say hello to your father." "Father?" He bows. "Hello, father. I'm Hyang." Choongnyeong picks up the child and hugs him.
The prince and princess go inside. He asks her, "We haven't seen each other in years, but you won't even give me a glance. Are you that angry with me? Or you must have just been too worried. I've given you nothing but anxiety, like a troublemaker son." No, she says, "I missed you so, so much. Like the children, I missed you so very much. I'm afraid--I don't want this to be a dream. I'm so afraid...." He hugs her and cries. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my love."
"Are you going to see the king?" The queen intercepts Choongnyeong on his way to do just that. The prince bows to his mother and asks, "Have you fared well? Please forgive this undutiful son for being remiss for so long, mother." Looking at the security detail surrounding him, she tells Gang Sangin, "Don't you think this security entourage is a little too grand for a prince? You should return to your regular duty now that he's back." Then she and her son step away to talk privately. "I don't know if I did the right thing," she says, "asking the king to bring you back." Then she drops a bomb. "Go back. Go back to Gyeongsung. I don't want your brother getting hurt because of you. Would you promise me? Promise me you will do as I ask." The request is like a punch to his gut.
Choongnyeong is before the king. A long silence. Taejong breaks it: "Why do you think I called you back from Gyeongsung?" Silence. "The world says you are the wise one. If I depose the crown prince and bring you forward as the future king, would you accept it?" Silence. "Would you accept it?" Choongnyeong looks up at his father, then down again, and back up at him...
Choongnyeong tells the orphans, "I'm going back to where I came from." They start crying, wondering who will read stories to them. The prince hands Dahm a book and tells her, "That's your job now, Dahm. You're very smart, so you will learn to read quickly." He leaves them in the care of a local woman who assures him she'll take good care of them.
Choi Yundeok and his men find Choongnyeong and offer to escort him back to the capital. Yi Chun says, "It may not be much but we want to show our support." No, the prince tells him, help get things in order again here. Choi Haesan and Jang Youngsil are staying there too. Yundeok tells him, "You have a difficult road ahead"; the prince says he'll remember the advice that Yundeok's gave him. They bow to each other and the prince leaves.
By a northern lakeshore, Choongnyeong tells Yun Hwe, "I guess there is no turning back now for either of us." Then he says he wants Yun to be his advisor: "I want you to be the sword that strikes my (bad) decisions down...I won't be able to go back and have this fight unless I know that you and those who await me at the capital will not hesitate to strike my errors instead of always telling me what I want to hear." Yes, I'll do it, says Yun.
The king and ministers are meeting. Hwang's name comes up in the course of business and Taejong only says "Next!" He's ducking the issue completely. "Next!" Huh Jo implores the king to remove Hwang. "Next!" Then, "It appears you have nothing important to report today. You are dismissed." And he ends the session.
Outside, Huh's colleagues tell him, "You're lucky you're alive." They all realize that the king's actions mean he won't be renouncing the crown prince. "Still?", Huh says with frustration. "That audacious child who thinks he is above heaven?" Then they're informed that a messenger has arrived heralding Yangnyeong's return, and they and the other ministers and officials grudgingly go out to receive the crown prince.
Noh Huibong informs the king of the messenger's arrival. Taejong proceeds to grab a huge vase, lift it over his head and slam it to the floor.
The crown prince and the central army return. Yangnyeong sees the cold stares and disrespectful fidgeting of the ministers and officials. Hwang advises him, "Don't pay attention to them. You have to get through this." ...For a moment, Yangnyeong thinks back to his triumphant return at the end of Ep6 after fending off the Japanese coastal attack; the public is cheering wildly...Then once again, the ministers and officials, silent and unwelcoming. Suddenly he yanks on his horse's reins and turns to leave. "I will be right back," he says. Ignoring the pleas of Hwang and Noh Boon to go to the king, he tells them, "He's been brooding in rage for two weeks. Another afternoon won't change anything." And he leaves. Much grumbling from the ministers and officials about him as they drift back inside. In the end, only prime minister Yu is left. He goes over to Hwang and tells him, "I'm afraid the crown prince has crossed the point of no return." He pats Hwang on the shoulder and goes inside.
Taejong is on his throne, sitting, waiting, brooding, seething...and the room remains empty.
"Turned back? Is he out of his mind?" The queen has been told. Where is he going? The crown princess says, "Isn't it obvious?"
Auri is sewing. She stops and goes outside...and finds Yangnyeong sitting on her porch, silently, by himself. "When did you...Why didn't you come inside?" He tells her, "I was embarrassed. I couldn't get myself to go inside. I lost this time." and he drops his head down, looking pathetic and thoroughly demoralized. Filled with regret and unhappiness, she tells him, "I'm sorry. It's my fault. You didn't do anything wrong...If it weren't for me..." as she starts to cry. But he's not interested. (Seems to me he OUGHT to be interested.) "Just tell me you're glad to see me. Say you missed me and are glad to have me back." And he hugs her. "Today is the last day. Today is the last day you'll have to comfort me. You'll never have to cry for me again. I'm going to fight even harder if only for you." (Okay, pal, she’s just going to rat you out again.) As he leaves he tells her, "You have to eat better. You look thin." He leaves and she falls to her knees.
We see Yangnyeong sitting alone by a river, drinking.
At the Office of the Censor General: Officials are intently writing.
At the Office of Inspector General: Officials are compiling scrolls.
A stack of scrolls is on its way to the king. Hwang sees the scrolls and tries to get the official carrying them to stop their delivery. But PM Yu comes upon the exchange and castigates Hwang for interfering with government communications. "Deliver the petitions," he tells the official.
Stacks of petitions are in front of the king, and more are being delivered. (It's strangely like the scene from "Miracle on 34th Street" where the Santa letters are piled up in front of the surprised judge.) They all call for the crown prince's punishment. His anger mounting, he scatters a stack of scrolls, steps off his throne and walks out, pounding the doors open as he leaves. In the hallway he turns...and Yangnyeong is standing there. "I'm a little late, father." So he goes back in, and the prince enters through a different door.
"Do you know what these are?", Taejong says, pointing to the petitions. Yangnyeong's smartass answer: "Aren't they nothing but fire starters?" And then, "You've become weak, father. Why are you flustered by your audacious servants' complaints?" Silence. He goes on: "If it weren't for my good brother's interference, your country would be larger now. Taejong is amazed: "You feel no remorse. You deploy the troops against my orders and you don't feel an ounce of remorse?" Yangnyeong tries to continue, but Taejong has had enough: "One more word and I might just want to kill you myself." The prince fires right back, "Why do you hesitate?" The king shouts, "Get out of my sight this instant!" Yangnyeong leaves. The king is shaking with rage, and sheds a tear besides.
Yangnyeong returns to his quarters, and finds the queen waiting for him. He sits and asks, "Is it because of me? You still don't look very well." His mother is almost surprised. "You're worried about me? You're a hard man to figure out." Then she advises him, "Beg the king for forgiveness. You must not defy him any further." Her son is unconcerned--"I will take care of myself"--but she implores him: "Please. You must learn to bend." Sensing her thoughts (or at least believing he does), he tells her, "What you fear will never happen. I will not lose my rightful place. So don't worry, mother."
That evening, the king is alone in the throne room with Jo Malseng. Jo delicately asks him about tomorrow's state duties. The king impatiently reminds Jo that he handed those over to the crown prince, and tells Jo he's dismissed. Obviously he has no intention of discussing the matter.
The ministers are told of this, and realize that the king simply will not renounce the crown prince. Huh Jo says, "Do we accept this or not? That is the question now."
The next morning: Yangnyeong goes to the conference hall for the regularly scheduled meeting with all of the ministers. He opens the door...and the room is empty except for Hwang. "Did I have the wrong time?", he wonders. Then he laughs and says, "I like it small. This should be a short meeting." (Somebody teach this guy what "quorum" means.)
All of the ministers are sitting in the throne room before an irritated king. "Do you know what time it is? What are you all doing here?" Go to the conference hall, he tells them. But they want him to respond to the petitions. Irritated, he says, "Respond? How would you like me to respond? " And he starts asking individual ministers how they would respond, what they would do about the situation, but no one is brave enough to venture an opinion for fear of the king's reaction. So it looks like that's that...but then PM Yu speaks up: "Would my head suffice? Would you take my life if I called for the crown prince's deposal?" He continues: "A man who cannot reflect on his own mistakes cannot lead the kingdom. You must renounce the eldest son and choose the wise one. That is the only way to keep the country from falling apart." So who is the wise one?, the king asks him. Silence, as Yu musters himself..."The wise one is...great prince Choongnyeong, your majesty." At last, it's out in the open. Ministers exhale with relief that SOMEBODY said it.
"Choose the wise one?" The queen and king are having tea together and he's told her of the meeting. She asks, "Do you intend to renounce the crown prince after all?" He asks her back, "Which prince do you believe is wisest?" She looks at him but won't answer the question.
Hyobin and Kyoungnyeong are digesting this too. Hyobin asks her son, "Why are you smiling about this?" His answer: "At last there is hope for this country." He then asks her, "You don't still think about putting me on the throne, do you?" Undoubtedly she does, but she tells him only, "I'm glad the crown prince is getting thrown out. He would try to kill us both if he became king."
Prince Hyoryeong is paying another visit to ex-king Jeongjong, his uncle. Jeongjong says, "What's the use if the throne is up for grabs anyway. You just want to spend the rest of your life quietly reading sutras. Isn't that right?" Unexpectedly, the prince answers, "What makes you think I have no ambitions?...You are the one who said a man is not a man without ambition." Very surprised, Jeongjong asks him, Do you want to give this a shot?" Hyoryeong's answer: "Would you help me?" His uncle tells him, "I'm surprised. Why what made you want to get into this hard and ruthless fight?" The prince explains, "Because the despotic crown prince is unworthy of the crown, and Choongnyeong who breeds discord with his unrealistic ideals is not exactly kingly material, either." (WOW this is a complete turnaround for a guy who used to mutter things like "Politics is slaughter; what good is having hope. It's useless, all useless.")
We see Choongnyeong's son Hyang, running around and holding the little wooden boat that his father had carved just before his birth. He slips and falls, and as he gets up, Choongnyeong is standing before him. "Who are you, sir?", the boy asks. The prince says, "The fall must have hurt." Hyang insists, "I'm fine." "You've got tears in your eyes and you're fine?" "Please don't tell my mother," the boy says. Then he says, "Oops--I wasn't crying, mother." Choongnyeong turns around and sees princess Shim standing there. All he can say is, "Our child has grown, my lady." The princess tells the boy, "Don't just stand there, Hyang. Say hello to your father." "Father?" He bows. "Hello, father. I'm Hyang." Choongnyeong picks up the child and hugs him.
The prince and princess go inside. He asks her, "We haven't seen each other in years, but you won't even give me a glance. Are you that angry with me? Or you must have just been too worried. I've given you nothing but anxiety, like a troublemaker son." No, she says, "I missed you so, so much. Like the children, I missed you so very much. I'm afraid--I don't want this to be a dream. I'm so afraid...." He hugs her and cries. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my love."
"Are you going to see the king?" The queen intercepts Choongnyeong on his way to do just that. The prince bows to his mother and asks, "Have you fared well? Please forgive this undutiful son for being remiss for so long, mother." Looking at the security detail surrounding him, she tells Gang Sangin, "Don't you think this security entourage is a little too grand for a prince? You should return to your regular duty now that he's back." Then she and her son step away to talk privately. "I don't know if I did the right thing," she says, "asking the king to bring you back." Then she drops a bomb. "Go back. Go back to Gyeongsung. I don't want your brother getting hurt because of you. Would you promise me? Promise me you will do as I ask." The request is like a punch to his gut.
Choongnyeong is before the king. A long silence. Taejong breaks it: "Why do you think I called you back from Gyeongsung?" Silence. "The world says you are the wise one. If I depose the crown prince and bring you forward as the future king, would you accept it?" Silence. "Would you accept it?" Choongnyeong looks up at his father, then down again, and back up at him...