Post by ajk on Jul 15, 2008 15:10:15 GMT -5
Yangnyeong is standing before his father, carrying Auri's unconscious body. "Summon the royal physician for me!", he says. The king asks him, "Are you out of your mind?" "She is with my child," the prince says. "You wouldn't turn away an injured animal. She has your grandchild, father." But this doesn't even dent the king's anger and he walks away. Next to a building, we see him having to brace himself; he's shaking and overcome with emotion.
In the hallway outside of the conference hall, Park Eun accuses Shim On of being responsible for the posters that revealed the crown prince's latest infidelity. Shim simply says "I beg your pardon?" and it's not clear from this if he's being evasive or truthful.
Auri revives. She's in Yangnyeong's chambers, in the palace. Yangnyeong is with her. She tries to get up to leave but she's too weak. He instructs Noh Boon to call the royal physician and keep visitors out. Noh leaves the room...and there's the crown princess standing there: "Announce me." Noh hesitates, and the princess snaps back, "Do you want my neck hanging on that crossbeam or will you open that door?" Just then the queen arrives. "Calm yourself," she tells her daughter-in-law. The princess tells her, "I'm going to kill myself. Either that or set the place on fire!" You must control yourself, the queen tells her, but then we get a look deep inside the princess as she begins to cry: "I am not you, mother. They said I had to be like you if I am going to be the queen. So it tried my hardest to imitate you. But as a result, I lost my husband." As Yangnyeong listens through the thin walls, she continues: "He is my husband before he is the crown prince and the future king. I shouldn't have acted so arrogant pretending I'm the mother of the state. If I had been true to my own feelings and shown him that my only true love is the smart and kingly prince I married at the age of 13, he might still be mine. I'm not angry because he brought a lowly wench into the palace; I'm angry because I, the mother of his child, have no place in his heart!" She's crying hard now. "Exploding with rage is just about all I can do. There's nothing I can do except kill myself before him in spite, mother." The queen takes the princess' hands in her own and reminds her, "How about your son? What is to happen to him. You'd abandon your child because you lost your husband?" Inside, Yangnyeong tells a half-conscious Auri, "I'm hurting a lot of people. Hang in there--it will soon be over." (What does that mean?)
Jo Malseng enters the throne room and tells the king that he's postponed the royal lecture for today. The king asks for Hwang Hee to be summoned, momentarily forgetting that he exiled him. "I sent too many men away," he says. "Now I have no one left to put down my guard and complain about my son with." It's darkly ironic and it amuses him.
Feeling better, Auri gets up and asks Noh Boon if he'll help her leave the palace before anyone finds out she's here. Too late, Noh says, and tells her about the posters that were put up all over the city.
Back at the throne room: The king is asking who was responsible for the posters, but at that moment Yangnyeong walks in and tells him, "Does it matter who did it? What's important is that it's the truth." Go to your lecture, he tells his father; haven't you patronized me enough? They exchange angry words, the king furious with his son's insolence and the prince pointing out that the king took his own wife's servant to be a concubine.
Auri has gone to see Shim On. "You are a bold woman," Shim tells her, "for approaching me when you've created such chaos." "You mean the chaos you created," is her answer. "Did you have to do this (put up the posters)? I begged you not to. Why did you stoop this low?" Then from the side, "What does she mean?" Choongnyeong was walking by and caught the exchange. He asks his father-in-law, "Is she telling the truth? Did you malign the crown prince to put me on the throne?" "Why would I need to?", is Shim's answer; I wouldn't have started the fight if I thought it would take personal attacks to win it. Then who did it?, Auri wants to know.
Back in the throne room, Yangnyeong drops a bomb, telling the king he wants to depose the crown princess! "I married her because I was told to," and I slept with her at the times needed to conceive a child. "But I don't need two women. That's the difference between you and me," he smugly tells his father. Besides, "If the king can do no wrong, then neither can the future king." Who says you're the future king?, is Taejong's reaction; I can barely hold back the angry ministers and officials. The prince doesn't see why that should matter: "Suppressing defiance? That's your forte." But the king has had enough: "Not this time. This time you're on your own. I can no longer protect you." Then Yangnyeong tells his father that It's really yourself that you're angry with; you stood behind me for so long "not because I am me, but because I am the eldest" and now you're mad at yourself for it. "Bastard!" is all the king can say, but the prince twists the knife: "Accept it. That's the truth." The king's anger boils over. "Royal attendant!" (Noh Huibong enters.) "Get him out of here! Throw him out of the palace and don't let him set one foot back inside!" Noh gasps and hesitates. "What are you waiting for? IT'S AN ORDER!" The king is shaking with rage and frustration. Yangnyeong bows and walks briskly away.
Outside in the hallway, the prince tells Noh, "Have the royal physician look in on him." And as a parting request he says, "Look after my old man...You know that he's a softie underneath that hard exterior, don't you?" Noh bows. The prince goes outside and finds his mother waiting for him. In her face we can see the anger and hurt pulling at her, hard, in different directions. He walks right by her without a word.
Again in the throne room: The queen is sitting before her husband. They both look just plain worn out. "We must have done something really awful in our past lives," she tells him. And she matter-of-factly faces the reality of it all: "Let it go now. Take the crown from Jae. But you must preserve the practice of primogeniture." He looks at her, tears in his eyes.
Yangnyeong returns to his quarters and finds his wife and young son there. "She's gone," the princess tells him. "She must have left." Did you kick her out?, he asks. She's upset by the question and answers, "I many not be very kind, but I am not that callous." "I'm sorry," he tells her. Then, hearing himself say he's sorry: "I wanted to say those words so many times, but I never got the chance until now. You would have been happier without me. You're a good woman." He turns away from her to leave. "Don't go. Please! Please stay with me." The princess is crying now. "Not for me, but for our son. You can't leave. Now this child, our son, has to be the crown prince, so..." "Stop," he interrupts; "Stop this! Did I ever once look happy to you? Let it go. That's what's best for you and the child." And he leaves. The princess is quivering with grief, which sets the boy to crying too.
Outside Yangnyeong finds Choongnyeong and Hyoryeong waiting for him. "This is why the palace is no fun," he tells his brothers with a smile. "Are you here to congratulate me? I'm finally getting out of this nauseating palace." He pats his brothers on the shoulder and tells them, "You two have a rough road ahead."
That night: we see him sleeping next to Auri. He gets up and goes outside. She follows and looks at him with tears in her eyes as he stands peacefully looking into the woods. (Lots of teary eyes in this one!)
The next morning: the king and his brother Jeongjong are shooting arrows. "You're not yourself lately," Jeongjong tells the king. "Why won't you name a successor? Are you having doubts about prince Choongnyeong? He did once deny the legitimacy of Joseon." Then he adds, "Would you mind if I helped?" (Remember, he wants to get prince Hyoryeong elevated, so we'll see what "helped" means.)
"An evaluation?" Choongnyeong is with his supporters, who are talking him through the situation. His reaction: "You'd have me be untruthful?" Just get through this, they advise him, and remind him that "You can do a thousand times more things to change the world as king than as prince." There's a steely look of determination in the prince's eyes--but what does it mean?
The king rolls his eyes at some more dark irony: "An evaluation? This is pathetic. I am letting my subjects choose my successor."
Yangnyeong is with Noh Boon in a modest-looking house; this is where the king has sent him to live. Don't tell Auri, he instructs the eunuch; she doesn't know about this yet. But from a distance Auri is watching him and listening.
The next morning: Jeongjong is at the head of a long table; Choongnyeong is at the foot. Ministers and officials are seated at the sides. "Let us begin," says the ex-king. Prime minister Yu asks the prince, "In 1416 you made a statement denying the legitimacy of Joseon." Do you stand by your belief? Silence; then..."I cannot acknowledge." It's an odd answer. He continues, "I oppose. I am against political purging and violent retaliation between factions. If this is what this country is founded on and if this is the practice that is still used to maintain the regime, I cannot back its legitimacy." Then he stands up, bows and leaves. (But what does it all mean? It sounds bad, but the whole thing seems to turn on the two "ifs" in the middle. As though he was lawyered up real good.)
The king is doing his painting, seemingly unperturbed by Jo Malseng's news. "You just said Choongnyeong denied the legitimacy of this regime. What more is there to talk about?"
Choongnyeong is back with his supporters, who are beyond frustrated with him. Yun Hwe is actually shouting at him: "Is it that difficult?! All you had to do was say one little word. One little word!" But the prince won't answer. Yun stomps out and into the hallway, where he encounters Meng Sasung. "Frustrated?", Meng asks with a smile. He laughs and tells Yun, "He wouldn't be kingly material if he just did what he was told to do!" (Now that makes sense. Where has this guy been?)
"May I bother you for a moment?" Meng has gone to the records office where Choongnyeong is reading. He picks up a book: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms? I thought you were studying something serious." They both smile. Then Meng asks, "Why did you do it? The throne could have been yours." No answer. "You should at least give your followers an explanation." That opens the prince up a little: "I'm sorry. I ruined everything." "Is that a tone of regret?", Meng asks. "Let me see what I can do if you want to take it back." That's not necessary, Choongnyeong tells him; "I can't change my answer even if I were asked again. What made me dare conceive of the idea of rising to the throne is my desire to stop the political purgings. I can't compromise that." As we see prince Hyoryeong outside of the office, listening, Meng advises Choongnyeong, "you might consider become more like Liu Bei. He enjoys politics as a game. All or nothing--that’s how games are played....And Zhang Fei [is] my least favorite. He was originally a butcher, and there's a good chance he'll treat his own child roughly."
Jeongjong is with prince Hyoryeong, who's uncomfortable with the idea of his getting the crown when his brothers are going through so much turmoil. Jeongjong advises him, "It doesn't matter how you get the crown. What matters is what you do with it."
We see Yangnyeong by the lakeshore that we've seen in past episodes. It looks like he's fishing. Hyoryeong has come to see him, showing up late. "You're going to be king soon, is that it? You shouldn't be in the habit of making your older brother wait." Yangnyeong then asks his brother, "Are you happy now that you will be the king?" "Does it matter to you whether I am happy or not happy?", Hyoryeong asks. He continues, "I'm not a bold man like you. And I know how to conform and comply with the demands of the world." Which seems to be just what Yangnyeong was waiting for. "That's why you're not it," he says. "What's your definition of wise one? It's not you. You're not the wise one. You're too clean to be the wise one. There's not a mark on you because you've only walked on safe roads. My definition of wise one is someone who's a hundred times rougher than you" and isn't afraid to get hurt for what he believes in. "Give it up. I didn't break the king's heart so you could have the crown." Hyoryeong's eyes widen; You mean those posters were yours?! "I couldn't think of any other way to make the old man give up," Yangnyeong admits. (Which also explains why he was trying to provoke the king earlier.)
Ministers are meeting. "Why don't we give prince Choongnyeong another chance?", says Meng Sasung. "I'd like to give him another chance to prove himself worthy before the king."
Hyoryeong has brought a bow to his father. It's Yangnyeong's. "He asked me to tell you to think of him as an arrow that's left the bowstring and forget about him." And as we see Yangnyeong fishing alone by the lake, we hear Yangnyeong's voice: "And tell him that I won't keep a single friend for the rest of my life. I let him down, but I will share and endure the loneliness the king feels from where I am." Then back in the throne room, Hyoryeong tells his father, "It's clear the throne was not meant for Jae. And I don't think it is meant for me either."
By himself, the king goes to Yangnyeong's empty quarters...Flashback to Yangnyeong's tantrum in Ep36 and Taejong's advice to his son about a king having to endure the pain of solitude...Flashback ending, the king drops to his knees and begins sobbing. It's a stark and unhappy picture, him kneeling alone with his despair in the middle of the big room.
Yangnyeong goes into Auri's home; she's not there. He notices an envelope on a shelf. Then we hear Auri's voice as she narrates the letter: "I knew this day would come. I knew I would have to leave you someday. But I didn't know how heavy my heart would be." We see her walking, drifting through the streets, acting and moving as if almost in a fog. "I hear your voice in my head, and I hesitate as I take my first step struggling to let go. But the future is too daunting to endure with love alone. I don't have the strength to watch your despair, and I don't have the courage to forgive myself for what I've done to you. And so...." She's come to the lakeshore. She's been here before with Yangnyeong, in Ep31 and Ep32. "I return to the place where your sadness rests, where I first held the naive desire to spend my life sharing your sorrows..." --She wades into the water-- "...I return to the place to say good-bye..." --she's still walking; now the water is waist-deep-- "...I pray that your remaining days are not filled with sorrows alone..." --the water reaches her neck-- "...and that you'll find some peace somehow." With that, she disappears beneath the water, leaving barely a ripple.
Yangnyeong is frantically searching for Auri. He reaches the lakeshore and sees her footprints in the sand leading into the water. And no footprints in the other direction.
Choongnyeong is kneeling before the king. The ministers are present. Taejong addresses his son: "The world says now that you are not the wise one. Do you still wish to put forth your effort? Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself for a state you do not yet acknowledge the legitimacy of?" Everybody turns toward him. "I am," he tells his father. "As long as we know the principles that cannot be compromised, we will find a way to compromise. As long as we respect each other's opinions, we will bring best and not worst results." (Yes, I was right, they lawyered up big-time.) He concludes, "I will try. Not alone, but with all of the royal retainers." The king slowly nods, and ministers show hints of smiles and great satisfaction.
Back at the lake: The king has come to visit Yangnyeong. "Every time I bestowed titles to my sons, I chose easy names. Yangnyeong is a suitable name for you who gave up your crown for your brother." "I'm unworthy of such a noble name," the prince says, but his father assures him, "I am not forsaking you." "I know," Yangnyeong says peacefully.
Choongnyeong is before the king and ex-king; all of the ministers and officials are present. The king opens a scroll and reads: "On this 3rd day of June 1418, I hereby depose crown prince Yi Jae and install my third son Yi Do as the new crown prince!"
In the hallway outside of the conference hall, Park Eun accuses Shim On of being responsible for the posters that revealed the crown prince's latest infidelity. Shim simply says "I beg your pardon?" and it's not clear from this if he's being evasive or truthful.
Auri revives. She's in Yangnyeong's chambers, in the palace. Yangnyeong is with her. She tries to get up to leave but she's too weak. He instructs Noh Boon to call the royal physician and keep visitors out. Noh leaves the room...and there's the crown princess standing there: "Announce me." Noh hesitates, and the princess snaps back, "Do you want my neck hanging on that crossbeam or will you open that door?" Just then the queen arrives. "Calm yourself," she tells her daughter-in-law. The princess tells her, "I'm going to kill myself. Either that or set the place on fire!" You must control yourself, the queen tells her, but then we get a look deep inside the princess as she begins to cry: "I am not you, mother. They said I had to be like you if I am going to be the queen. So it tried my hardest to imitate you. But as a result, I lost my husband." As Yangnyeong listens through the thin walls, she continues: "He is my husband before he is the crown prince and the future king. I shouldn't have acted so arrogant pretending I'm the mother of the state. If I had been true to my own feelings and shown him that my only true love is the smart and kingly prince I married at the age of 13, he might still be mine. I'm not angry because he brought a lowly wench into the palace; I'm angry because I, the mother of his child, have no place in his heart!" She's crying hard now. "Exploding with rage is just about all I can do. There's nothing I can do except kill myself before him in spite, mother." The queen takes the princess' hands in her own and reminds her, "How about your son? What is to happen to him. You'd abandon your child because you lost your husband?" Inside, Yangnyeong tells a half-conscious Auri, "I'm hurting a lot of people. Hang in there--it will soon be over." (What does that mean?)
Jo Malseng enters the throne room and tells the king that he's postponed the royal lecture for today. The king asks for Hwang Hee to be summoned, momentarily forgetting that he exiled him. "I sent too many men away," he says. "Now I have no one left to put down my guard and complain about my son with." It's darkly ironic and it amuses him.
Feeling better, Auri gets up and asks Noh Boon if he'll help her leave the palace before anyone finds out she's here. Too late, Noh says, and tells her about the posters that were put up all over the city.
Back at the throne room: The king is asking who was responsible for the posters, but at that moment Yangnyeong walks in and tells him, "Does it matter who did it? What's important is that it's the truth." Go to your lecture, he tells his father; haven't you patronized me enough? They exchange angry words, the king furious with his son's insolence and the prince pointing out that the king took his own wife's servant to be a concubine.
Auri has gone to see Shim On. "You are a bold woman," Shim tells her, "for approaching me when you've created such chaos." "You mean the chaos you created," is her answer. "Did you have to do this (put up the posters)? I begged you not to. Why did you stoop this low?" Then from the side, "What does she mean?" Choongnyeong was walking by and caught the exchange. He asks his father-in-law, "Is she telling the truth? Did you malign the crown prince to put me on the throne?" "Why would I need to?", is Shim's answer; I wouldn't have started the fight if I thought it would take personal attacks to win it. Then who did it?, Auri wants to know.
Back in the throne room, Yangnyeong drops a bomb, telling the king he wants to depose the crown princess! "I married her because I was told to," and I slept with her at the times needed to conceive a child. "But I don't need two women. That's the difference between you and me," he smugly tells his father. Besides, "If the king can do no wrong, then neither can the future king." Who says you're the future king?, is Taejong's reaction; I can barely hold back the angry ministers and officials. The prince doesn't see why that should matter: "Suppressing defiance? That's your forte." But the king has had enough: "Not this time. This time you're on your own. I can no longer protect you." Then Yangnyeong tells his father that It's really yourself that you're angry with; you stood behind me for so long "not because I am me, but because I am the eldest" and now you're mad at yourself for it. "Bastard!" is all the king can say, but the prince twists the knife: "Accept it. That's the truth." The king's anger boils over. "Royal attendant!" (Noh Huibong enters.) "Get him out of here! Throw him out of the palace and don't let him set one foot back inside!" Noh gasps and hesitates. "What are you waiting for? IT'S AN ORDER!" The king is shaking with rage and frustration. Yangnyeong bows and walks briskly away.
Outside in the hallway, the prince tells Noh, "Have the royal physician look in on him." And as a parting request he says, "Look after my old man...You know that he's a softie underneath that hard exterior, don't you?" Noh bows. The prince goes outside and finds his mother waiting for him. In her face we can see the anger and hurt pulling at her, hard, in different directions. He walks right by her without a word.
Again in the throne room: The queen is sitting before her husband. They both look just plain worn out. "We must have done something really awful in our past lives," she tells him. And she matter-of-factly faces the reality of it all: "Let it go now. Take the crown from Jae. But you must preserve the practice of primogeniture." He looks at her, tears in his eyes.
Yangnyeong returns to his quarters and finds his wife and young son there. "She's gone," the princess tells him. "She must have left." Did you kick her out?, he asks. She's upset by the question and answers, "I many not be very kind, but I am not that callous." "I'm sorry," he tells her. Then, hearing himself say he's sorry: "I wanted to say those words so many times, but I never got the chance until now. You would have been happier without me. You're a good woman." He turns away from her to leave. "Don't go. Please! Please stay with me." The princess is crying now. "Not for me, but for our son. You can't leave. Now this child, our son, has to be the crown prince, so..." "Stop," he interrupts; "Stop this! Did I ever once look happy to you? Let it go. That's what's best for you and the child." And he leaves. The princess is quivering with grief, which sets the boy to crying too.
Outside Yangnyeong finds Choongnyeong and Hyoryeong waiting for him. "This is why the palace is no fun," he tells his brothers with a smile. "Are you here to congratulate me? I'm finally getting out of this nauseating palace." He pats his brothers on the shoulder and tells them, "You two have a rough road ahead."
That night: we see him sleeping next to Auri. He gets up and goes outside. She follows and looks at him with tears in her eyes as he stands peacefully looking into the woods. (Lots of teary eyes in this one!)
The next morning: the king and his brother Jeongjong are shooting arrows. "You're not yourself lately," Jeongjong tells the king. "Why won't you name a successor? Are you having doubts about prince Choongnyeong? He did once deny the legitimacy of Joseon." Then he adds, "Would you mind if I helped?" (Remember, he wants to get prince Hyoryeong elevated, so we'll see what "helped" means.)
"An evaluation?" Choongnyeong is with his supporters, who are talking him through the situation. His reaction: "You'd have me be untruthful?" Just get through this, they advise him, and remind him that "You can do a thousand times more things to change the world as king than as prince." There's a steely look of determination in the prince's eyes--but what does it mean?
The king rolls his eyes at some more dark irony: "An evaluation? This is pathetic. I am letting my subjects choose my successor."
Yangnyeong is with Noh Boon in a modest-looking house; this is where the king has sent him to live. Don't tell Auri, he instructs the eunuch; she doesn't know about this yet. But from a distance Auri is watching him and listening.
The next morning: Jeongjong is at the head of a long table; Choongnyeong is at the foot. Ministers and officials are seated at the sides. "Let us begin," says the ex-king. Prime minister Yu asks the prince, "In 1416 you made a statement denying the legitimacy of Joseon." Do you stand by your belief? Silence; then..."I cannot acknowledge." It's an odd answer. He continues, "I oppose. I am against political purging and violent retaliation between factions. If this is what this country is founded on and if this is the practice that is still used to maintain the regime, I cannot back its legitimacy." Then he stands up, bows and leaves. (But what does it all mean? It sounds bad, but the whole thing seems to turn on the two "ifs" in the middle. As though he was lawyered up real good.)
The king is doing his painting, seemingly unperturbed by Jo Malseng's news. "You just said Choongnyeong denied the legitimacy of this regime. What more is there to talk about?"
Choongnyeong is back with his supporters, who are beyond frustrated with him. Yun Hwe is actually shouting at him: "Is it that difficult?! All you had to do was say one little word. One little word!" But the prince won't answer. Yun stomps out and into the hallway, where he encounters Meng Sasung. "Frustrated?", Meng asks with a smile. He laughs and tells Yun, "He wouldn't be kingly material if he just did what he was told to do!" (Now that makes sense. Where has this guy been?)
"May I bother you for a moment?" Meng has gone to the records office where Choongnyeong is reading. He picks up a book: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms? I thought you were studying something serious." They both smile. Then Meng asks, "Why did you do it? The throne could have been yours." No answer. "You should at least give your followers an explanation." That opens the prince up a little: "I'm sorry. I ruined everything." "Is that a tone of regret?", Meng asks. "Let me see what I can do if you want to take it back." That's not necessary, Choongnyeong tells him; "I can't change my answer even if I were asked again. What made me dare conceive of the idea of rising to the throne is my desire to stop the political purgings. I can't compromise that." As we see prince Hyoryeong outside of the office, listening, Meng advises Choongnyeong, "you might consider become more like Liu Bei. He enjoys politics as a game. All or nothing--that’s how games are played....And Zhang Fei [is] my least favorite. He was originally a butcher, and there's a good chance he'll treat his own child roughly."
Jeongjong is with prince Hyoryeong, who's uncomfortable with the idea of his getting the crown when his brothers are going through so much turmoil. Jeongjong advises him, "It doesn't matter how you get the crown. What matters is what you do with it."
We see Yangnyeong by the lakeshore that we've seen in past episodes. It looks like he's fishing. Hyoryeong has come to see him, showing up late. "You're going to be king soon, is that it? You shouldn't be in the habit of making your older brother wait." Yangnyeong then asks his brother, "Are you happy now that you will be the king?" "Does it matter to you whether I am happy or not happy?", Hyoryeong asks. He continues, "I'm not a bold man like you. And I know how to conform and comply with the demands of the world." Which seems to be just what Yangnyeong was waiting for. "That's why you're not it," he says. "What's your definition of wise one? It's not you. You're not the wise one. You're too clean to be the wise one. There's not a mark on you because you've only walked on safe roads. My definition of wise one is someone who's a hundred times rougher than you" and isn't afraid to get hurt for what he believes in. "Give it up. I didn't break the king's heart so you could have the crown." Hyoryeong's eyes widen; You mean those posters were yours?! "I couldn't think of any other way to make the old man give up," Yangnyeong admits. (Which also explains why he was trying to provoke the king earlier.)
Ministers are meeting. "Why don't we give prince Choongnyeong another chance?", says Meng Sasung. "I'd like to give him another chance to prove himself worthy before the king."
Hyoryeong has brought a bow to his father. It's Yangnyeong's. "He asked me to tell you to think of him as an arrow that's left the bowstring and forget about him." And as we see Yangnyeong fishing alone by the lake, we hear Yangnyeong's voice: "And tell him that I won't keep a single friend for the rest of my life. I let him down, but I will share and endure the loneliness the king feels from where I am." Then back in the throne room, Hyoryeong tells his father, "It's clear the throne was not meant for Jae. And I don't think it is meant for me either."
By himself, the king goes to Yangnyeong's empty quarters...Flashback to Yangnyeong's tantrum in Ep36 and Taejong's advice to his son about a king having to endure the pain of solitude...Flashback ending, the king drops to his knees and begins sobbing. It's a stark and unhappy picture, him kneeling alone with his despair in the middle of the big room.
Yangnyeong goes into Auri's home; she's not there. He notices an envelope on a shelf. Then we hear Auri's voice as she narrates the letter: "I knew this day would come. I knew I would have to leave you someday. But I didn't know how heavy my heart would be." We see her walking, drifting through the streets, acting and moving as if almost in a fog. "I hear your voice in my head, and I hesitate as I take my first step struggling to let go. But the future is too daunting to endure with love alone. I don't have the strength to watch your despair, and I don't have the courage to forgive myself for what I've done to you. And so...." She's come to the lakeshore. She's been here before with Yangnyeong, in Ep31 and Ep32. "I return to the place where your sadness rests, where I first held the naive desire to spend my life sharing your sorrows..." --She wades into the water-- "...I return to the place to say good-bye..." --she's still walking; now the water is waist-deep-- "...I pray that your remaining days are not filled with sorrows alone..." --the water reaches her neck-- "...and that you'll find some peace somehow." With that, she disappears beneath the water, leaving barely a ripple.
Yangnyeong is frantically searching for Auri. He reaches the lakeshore and sees her footprints in the sand leading into the water. And no footprints in the other direction.
Choongnyeong is kneeling before the king. The ministers are present. Taejong addresses his son: "The world says now that you are not the wise one. Do you still wish to put forth your effort? Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself for a state you do not yet acknowledge the legitimacy of?" Everybody turns toward him. "I am," he tells his father. "As long as we know the principles that cannot be compromised, we will find a way to compromise. As long as we respect each other's opinions, we will bring best and not worst results." (Yes, I was right, they lawyered up big-time.) He concludes, "I will try. Not alone, but with all of the royal retainers." The king slowly nods, and ministers show hints of smiles and great satisfaction.
Back at the lake: The king has come to visit Yangnyeong. "Every time I bestowed titles to my sons, I chose easy names. Yangnyeong is a suitable name for you who gave up your crown for your brother." "I'm unworthy of such a noble name," the prince says, but his father assures him, "I am not forsaking you." "I know," Yangnyeong says peacefully.
Choongnyeong is before the king and ex-king; all of the ministers and officials are present. The king opens a scroll and reads: "On this 3rd day of June 1418, I hereby depose crown prince Yi Jae and install my third son Yi Do as the new crown prince!"