Post by ajk on Jul 30, 2008 15:04:09 GMT -5
An execution drum is banging. It's for Gang Sangin. Park Eun and Yu Jeonghyun preside as Gang's limbs are tied to four different cows. "Proceed with the execution!" The cows are led in different directions...We're spared the sight of it. The caption simply reads, "November 26, 1418: Deputy Defense Minister Gang Sangin executed."
Noh Huibong asks Taejong (bravely, you'd have to say), "Will you not regret turning your back on Gang Sangin?" Taejong ignores the question; he hands Noh a scroll. "Send this to the king and tell him to proceed immediately."
"My signature?" The scroll is presented to Taejong. It's an order for Shim On's arrest, which requires the king's signature to enforce.
Wongyeong is before her husband: "Please rescind the order," she asks. Just remove Shim from his position and leave it at that. "Of all things to hand down to your son. Do you want him to break his wife's heart as you did mine?"
Back in the throne room, Park Eun is waiting for Sejong's signature. Yi Su and Jo Malseng exchange testy words about the tense situation; Sejong silences them. He picks up the pen...and he signs it! (What is going on with him?) Park methodically applies the royal seal, as Sejong leaves the room, clearly distressed but without saying a word.
Outside, Sejong is met by his wife. "Did you sign it?", she asks. "Of course not. You know my father's devotion and loyalty to you. He doesn't bear an ounce of treasonous intent." But Sejong says nothing, and she realizes what happened. "You...signed. You signed it." "Take her back to her chambers," Sejong orders. "No," she says, "I will not go back. This palace is not my home any more. Depose me. Make me a commoner and remove my name from the registry of royals forever. The seat of the queen was never mine to begin with. I am not queen material, so depose me with your own hands. And leave my father alone." She tries to reason that if she isn't the queen, there's no reason to set her father up and kill him, but it doesn't fly. Again Sejong orders her taken back to her chambers. She can hardly believe it, and looks at him like she's utterly repulsed by him. Leaving, she cries as she walks, trying desperately to maintain some composure.
Park and Jo are in a conference room; Park is considering the possible fallout from his actions. Jo suggests that the queen might be a danger for him. "Do you think the queen can hurt me?", Park asks. Jo points out that she's raising the next king and that she might just raise him to be vengeful if Park is complicit in her father's death. "It is a son's duty to give his mother retribution. Who do you think he will choose to take it out on?" This worries Park, understandably, but what to do about it? Why, depose the queen! Jo says, "First you'll need justifiable cause."
Yi Sun is with the queen; she tells her, "We must find a way to save him." She offers to go to Ming to warn Shim On about what's happening.
Liaodong territory: A camp is being set up for the delegation returning to Joseon. The trip was a successful one and spirits are high--all except for Choi Manli, who's pouting about. He's bummed out because he didn't get a look at the Yongle Encyclopedia (an enormous compendium of knowledge assembled by two thousand scholars under the Ming emperor's reign). Shim On sits with Choi and reminds him that Shim's generation had to see their own country fall and their dream was simply to restore their country, but "The new king and you young lads have a different dream. Your dream goes beyond securing national strength into creating a culturally rich nation. Isn't that why his majesty established the Hall of Worthies? I would gladly give myself for that dream. Who is to say the Hall of Worthies can't compile an encyclopedia greater than the Yongle Encyclopedia." Shim's words are of great encouragement to Choi and he perks right up.
A messenger arrives at the camp, sent by Ming's imperial eunuch...Flashback to the scene in Ep41 in which the Ming scholar Yejin is being whipped in a Tsushima Island prison...Flashback ending, we see Shim and the Joseonese meeting with Huang Yan, the Ming envoy. Huang tells them that a renowned Hanlin scholar has disappeared, probably at sea and probably taken by pirates. Huang tells Shim, "Since Joseon is planning a conquest, the emperor has ordered a joint rescue."
Shin Jang, one of the new scholars in the Hall of Worthies, is nervous. He's even holding his book upside-down, he's so distracted. If it's the prime minister now, he wonders, am I next? After all, this hall is the king's "core of influence." Jeong Inji, already frustrated, can see Shin's worry; he gets up and walks out of the room....
...and boldly walks up to Sejong: "What is the prime minister's crime? Giving you his unending loyalty? Sparing no efforts to serve the country?" No response.
A group of ministers is shown the order to arrest Shim On.
Back at the Hall of Worthies, Gim Jongsuh enters and confronts the king in Jeong's wake: "Who is the next one? Who will die next for giving you his loyalty? I've been ordered to arrest the prime minister!" No answer. "Your majesty, you must stop hiding behind the books!" (Gold star of the week to Gim Jongsuh for that one.)
"No reaction at all? I'm impressed." Taejong is told by Jo Malseng of Sejong signing the arrest order.
Guards leave the city to arrest the prime minister.
Wongyeong, speaking to Escort Han, expresses her sympathy for Lady Ahn (Shim's wife). She tells her to pay Ahn a visit. She looks weary and fed up.
Yi Sun, dressed as a eunuch, prepares to leave on horseback for Ming. "I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this," the queen says, but the girl doesn't appear to be particularly troubled. "Take care of yourself." She leaves, with two mounted escorts. Escort Han, on her way to see Lady Ahn, comes around a corner just in time to see all of this unfold.
The queen goes inside and finds Wongyeong waiting for her. Uh-oh. "Where is Yi Sun?", Wongyeong asks. "Did you send her to your father?" No answer. Outside, all of the female attendants have their ears to the doors and walls, listening (a funny image, actually). The queen kneels before Wongyeong (are you kidding me?): "Please close your eyes to this, mother. I will accept any consequences." Wongyeong is frustrated: "How could you be so foolish?"
A sketch of Yi Sun is drawn for Park Eun. He's practically drooling over the situation: "This will give me a justifiable cause to depose the queen." He orders the sketch dispatched. "She must be captured before she crosses the border."
Wongyeong has come to advise her son: "You must attend to this discreetly. Send your men and bring Yi Sun back to the palace. If the ministers find out about this, you won't just lose your father-in-law, you could lose your wife as well."
Nighttime: Eunuchs Um and Jeong, standing behind the king, nudge each other, trying to get the other to speak up. Finally Jachi asks the question: "What will happen if the prime minister doesn't come back?" Sejong (for a change) answers, "I could lose the queen and many more of my men as well." Um offers to go to Uiju and get him to come back.
Uiju city hall, on the Ming/Joseon border: A messenger arrives with the sketch of Yi Sun. Huh Jo is there (apparently he was dispatched to detain Shim upon his return); he orders the guards alerted and the sketch circulated.
At Uiju harbor, guards examine everyone entering the passenger ships, the sketch in their hands. Among a large group of Chinese, a guard spots Yi Sun and confronts her. She cleverly speaks Chinese to him, but he asks her if she's Joseonese. Hesitating for a moment, she falls to the ground clutching her stomach: "My baby! Oh, my baby!" The crowd of Chinese all turn and see the commotion. "Stop harassing the woman!", they yell to the guard. "Are you discriminating against Chinese?" It's starting to turn ugly, so the guards back off and the Chinese help Yi Sun to her feet and onto the boat. But as she stands up, something falls from her clothing and is left behind. It's a recognizable emblem with a tassel attached.
Huh Jo is furious; he's been shown the emblem and knows that Yi Sun got away. She was in disguise, the guards tell him. He fires back, "Did you expect her to cross the border in a court lady's uniform?" Then Huh, along with Byun Gaeryang and Gim Jongsuh (both of whom have come to Uiju too), discuss the problem that they face: "Shim On has the investiture decree in his hands. If he requests political asylum, the emperor might annul the investiture." But sending troops into Ming to capture him might be taken by Ming as a sign of aggression.
Yi Sun makes it to the Joseon delegation and informs Shim On. She begs him to hide and protect himself. Then one of the delegation barges in, angry at the very idea of it: "He will choose death before he has to spend the rest of his life as a fugitive." (I don’t know this guy's name yet; I don't think we’ve been told it. But his picture is on the GKS website so presumably we'll found out.)
Nighttime: Prince Kyoungnyeong, who's part of the delegation, tells Shim, "If you wish to seek refuge, I will turn a blind eye." Shim says nothing.
The unidentified man goes to see Huang Yun, the Ming envoy. He's brought Yi Sun with him and has asked her to interpret for him. "I'm offering Ming an opportunity to gain an extraordinary scholar. Joseon is unworthy of him, so I'm giving our sister state Ming a chance. He is as brilliant as any Hanlin scholar you have, so please accept him." Huang looks completely befuddled about the whole situation, but he listens and then says, "I will discuss it with the emperor." Just then Shim On barges in: "What is the meaning of this?" Turning to Huang, he says, "I apologize for his harsh behavior and ask that you ignore his request." He then tells the man, "Do you want to humiliate us in front of a Ming envoy?"
Outside, the man tells him says, "Seek political asylum, sir. This is wrong. This is a conspiracy! Stand up and resist politically. Otherwise this will never end." But Shim tells him only, "Go back to your quarters."
Shim, alone, thinking...Flashback to Ep40, Shim On speaking to the king in private: "If you must abdicate your throne, turn over control of military affairs to your son as well...No man will give absolute loyalty to a king who has his father looking over his shoulders." Does that include you?, Taejong asks with irritation. He tells Shim to leave, but Shim boldly says, "You must allow him to lead the country his own way." Taejong fires back, "That naive and unrealistic way where everyone is loved and forgiven, including those who conspire to commit high treason?"...Flashback ending, we hear Shim's thoughts: "Did it enrage you? Did you take this old man's concern for his son-in-law to be a royal subject's insolence?" (Well now, could this be it? The reason that Taejong has it in for him? Finally, a possible answer.)
The next morning: Byun Gaeryang asks Huh Jo, "What do we do if he doesn't cross the border by the end of the day?", Huh answers, "We'll assume the risk and cross the border to capture him." (Is this the same Huh Jo who was so bold in speaking out against the crown prince's antics? And now he's just towing the company line?)
Shim meets the rest of the delegation and tells them to prepare to go home. They're stunned, but he repudiates them: "Who says bad laws can be broken? I am the prime minister of this state. This means I had a part in writing those bad laws. Help me, don't resist me. I came to Ming as prime minister and ambassador of Joseon, and have yet to deliver the investiture decree to the king. Can't you help me finish the assignment that could possibly be my last?" Just then Huang Yan appears; apparently he's going back to Joseon with the delegation for some reason (most likely the order to conduct the joint rescue of the scholar). Shim goes to him and says, "I have a difficult request. Would you delay your entry to Joseon for another day? We would like to cross the border into Joseon first." Huang is amazed: "Does your country's honor come before your own safety? You are a faithful servant of Joseon no matter what they say about you." We can see that Shim appreciates the praise.
The delegation reaches Uiju. Huh Jo orders, "Arrest the criminal of high treason!" Gingerly, Gim Jongsuh steps forward and addresses Shim: "Sire, you must be wary from the trip. Let us take you from here." "Thank you," Shim says.
Crossing the border separately, Yi Sun is caught by a squad led by Byun Gaeryang. She and her two escorts are arrested.
Shim is dressed in prisoner's white, put into a prisoner cart, and taken back to the capital.
Taejong tells Park Eun, "Get his confession and wrap it up quickly."
At the capital, Shim exits the cart, actually thanks Gim Jongsuh, and nods to his wife. Ministers bow to him, and he's taken inside.
Sejong is informed of Shim's arrival, but sits impassively staring ahead. (For heaven's sake, grow a pair!)
In a courtyard, Sejong and all of the ministers are present as Shim On is brought before Park Eun. "I want your word that the purging will end with me. Then I will acknowledge everything and accept punishment." No deal, Park says; it makes no difference because "your guilt has already been confirmed by Gang Sangin before his execution." Then Park drops the bomb on Shim: "The one who attempted to protect the criminal of high treason must be punished as well. You should have taught your daughter better." Yi Sun is brought into the courtyard and thrown to the ground. Just then the queen runs in and sees what's happening. Park addresses Sejong: "Your highness, I am certain you know why this girl is here and as well why we must now seek the queen' deposal." As if on cue, Huh Jo drops to his knees and shouts, "Your majesty, the queen cannot dispatch her personal attendant to aid the escape of a criminal of high treason!" Then Byun Gaeryang drops to his knees: "No one is above the law!" Then Yu Jeonghyun: "Protecting high treason is high treason itself!" And then they all drop to their knees as Park leads them in shouting, "The queen must be deposed! The queen must be deposed!" Jo Malseng turns to Sejong and says, "You must make your decision, your majesty."
Noh Huibong asks Taejong (bravely, you'd have to say), "Will you not regret turning your back on Gang Sangin?" Taejong ignores the question; he hands Noh a scroll. "Send this to the king and tell him to proceed immediately."
"My signature?" The scroll is presented to Taejong. It's an order for Shim On's arrest, which requires the king's signature to enforce.
Wongyeong is before her husband: "Please rescind the order," she asks. Just remove Shim from his position and leave it at that. "Of all things to hand down to your son. Do you want him to break his wife's heart as you did mine?"
Back in the throne room, Park Eun is waiting for Sejong's signature. Yi Su and Jo Malseng exchange testy words about the tense situation; Sejong silences them. He picks up the pen...and he signs it! (What is going on with him?) Park methodically applies the royal seal, as Sejong leaves the room, clearly distressed but without saying a word.
Outside, Sejong is met by his wife. "Did you sign it?", she asks. "Of course not. You know my father's devotion and loyalty to you. He doesn't bear an ounce of treasonous intent." But Sejong says nothing, and she realizes what happened. "You...signed. You signed it." "Take her back to her chambers," Sejong orders. "No," she says, "I will not go back. This palace is not my home any more. Depose me. Make me a commoner and remove my name from the registry of royals forever. The seat of the queen was never mine to begin with. I am not queen material, so depose me with your own hands. And leave my father alone." She tries to reason that if she isn't the queen, there's no reason to set her father up and kill him, but it doesn't fly. Again Sejong orders her taken back to her chambers. She can hardly believe it, and looks at him like she's utterly repulsed by him. Leaving, she cries as she walks, trying desperately to maintain some composure.
Park and Jo are in a conference room; Park is considering the possible fallout from his actions. Jo suggests that the queen might be a danger for him. "Do you think the queen can hurt me?", Park asks. Jo points out that she's raising the next king and that she might just raise him to be vengeful if Park is complicit in her father's death. "It is a son's duty to give his mother retribution. Who do you think he will choose to take it out on?" This worries Park, understandably, but what to do about it? Why, depose the queen! Jo says, "First you'll need justifiable cause."
Yi Sun is with the queen; she tells her, "We must find a way to save him." She offers to go to Ming to warn Shim On about what's happening.
Liaodong territory: A camp is being set up for the delegation returning to Joseon. The trip was a successful one and spirits are high--all except for Choi Manli, who's pouting about. He's bummed out because he didn't get a look at the Yongle Encyclopedia (an enormous compendium of knowledge assembled by two thousand scholars under the Ming emperor's reign). Shim On sits with Choi and reminds him that Shim's generation had to see their own country fall and their dream was simply to restore their country, but "The new king and you young lads have a different dream. Your dream goes beyond securing national strength into creating a culturally rich nation. Isn't that why his majesty established the Hall of Worthies? I would gladly give myself for that dream. Who is to say the Hall of Worthies can't compile an encyclopedia greater than the Yongle Encyclopedia." Shim's words are of great encouragement to Choi and he perks right up.
A messenger arrives at the camp, sent by Ming's imperial eunuch...Flashback to the scene in Ep41 in which the Ming scholar Yejin is being whipped in a Tsushima Island prison...Flashback ending, we see Shim and the Joseonese meeting with Huang Yan, the Ming envoy. Huang tells them that a renowned Hanlin scholar has disappeared, probably at sea and probably taken by pirates. Huang tells Shim, "Since Joseon is planning a conquest, the emperor has ordered a joint rescue."
Shin Jang, one of the new scholars in the Hall of Worthies, is nervous. He's even holding his book upside-down, he's so distracted. If it's the prime minister now, he wonders, am I next? After all, this hall is the king's "core of influence." Jeong Inji, already frustrated, can see Shin's worry; he gets up and walks out of the room....
...and boldly walks up to Sejong: "What is the prime minister's crime? Giving you his unending loyalty? Sparing no efforts to serve the country?" No response.
A group of ministers is shown the order to arrest Shim On.
Back at the Hall of Worthies, Gim Jongsuh enters and confronts the king in Jeong's wake: "Who is the next one? Who will die next for giving you his loyalty? I've been ordered to arrest the prime minister!" No answer. "Your majesty, you must stop hiding behind the books!" (Gold star of the week to Gim Jongsuh for that one.)
"No reaction at all? I'm impressed." Taejong is told by Jo Malseng of Sejong signing the arrest order.
Guards leave the city to arrest the prime minister.
Wongyeong, speaking to Escort Han, expresses her sympathy for Lady Ahn (Shim's wife). She tells her to pay Ahn a visit. She looks weary and fed up.
Yi Sun, dressed as a eunuch, prepares to leave on horseback for Ming. "I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this," the queen says, but the girl doesn't appear to be particularly troubled. "Take care of yourself." She leaves, with two mounted escorts. Escort Han, on her way to see Lady Ahn, comes around a corner just in time to see all of this unfold.
The queen goes inside and finds Wongyeong waiting for her. Uh-oh. "Where is Yi Sun?", Wongyeong asks. "Did you send her to your father?" No answer. Outside, all of the female attendants have their ears to the doors and walls, listening (a funny image, actually). The queen kneels before Wongyeong (are you kidding me?): "Please close your eyes to this, mother. I will accept any consequences." Wongyeong is frustrated: "How could you be so foolish?"
A sketch of Yi Sun is drawn for Park Eun. He's practically drooling over the situation: "This will give me a justifiable cause to depose the queen." He orders the sketch dispatched. "She must be captured before she crosses the border."
Wongyeong has come to advise her son: "You must attend to this discreetly. Send your men and bring Yi Sun back to the palace. If the ministers find out about this, you won't just lose your father-in-law, you could lose your wife as well."
Nighttime: Eunuchs Um and Jeong, standing behind the king, nudge each other, trying to get the other to speak up. Finally Jachi asks the question: "What will happen if the prime minister doesn't come back?" Sejong (for a change) answers, "I could lose the queen and many more of my men as well." Um offers to go to Uiju and get him to come back.
Uiju city hall, on the Ming/Joseon border: A messenger arrives with the sketch of Yi Sun. Huh Jo is there (apparently he was dispatched to detain Shim upon his return); he orders the guards alerted and the sketch circulated.
At Uiju harbor, guards examine everyone entering the passenger ships, the sketch in their hands. Among a large group of Chinese, a guard spots Yi Sun and confronts her. She cleverly speaks Chinese to him, but he asks her if she's Joseonese. Hesitating for a moment, she falls to the ground clutching her stomach: "My baby! Oh, my baby!" The crowd of Chinese all turn and see the commotion. "Stop harassing the woman!", they yell to the guard. "Are you discriminating against Chinese?" It's starting to turn ugly, so the guards back off and the Chinese help Yi Sun to her feet and onto the boat. But as she stands up, something falls from her clothing and is left behind. It's a recognizable emblem with a tassel attached.
Huh Jo is furious; he's been shown the emblem and knows that Yi Sun got away. She was in disguise, the guards tell him. He fires back, "Did you expect her to cross the border in a court lady's uniform?" Then Huh, along with Byun Gaeryang and Gim Jongsuh (both of whom have come to Uiju too), discuss the problem that they face: "Shim On has the investiture decree in his hands. If he requests political asylum, the emperor might annul the investiture." But sending troops into Ming to capture him might be taken by Ming as a sign of aggression.
Yi Sun makes it to the Joseon delegation and informs Shim On. She begs him to hide and protect himself. Then one of the delegation barges in, angry at the very idea of it: "He will choose death before he has to spend the rest of his life as a fugitive." (I don’t know this guy's name yet; I don't think we’ve been told it. But his picture is on the GKS website so presumably we'll found out.)
Nighttime: Prince Kyoungnyeong, who's part of the delegation, tells Shim, "If you wish to seek refuge, I will turn a blind eye." Shim says nothing.
The unidentified man goes to see Huang Yun, the Ming envoy. He's brought Yi Sun with him and has asked her to interpret for him. "I'm offering Ming an opportunity to gain an extraordinary scholar. Joseon is unworthy of him, so I'm giving our sister state Ming a chance. He is as brilliant as any Hanlin scholar you have, so please accept him." Huang looks completely befuddled about the whole situation, but he listens and then says, "I will discuss it with the emperor." Just then Shim On barges in: "What is the meaning of this?" Turning to Huang, he says, "I apologize for his harsh behavior and ask that you ignore his request." He then tells the man, "Do you want to humiliate us in front of a Ming envoy?"
Outside, the man tells him says, "Seek political asylum, sir. This is wrong. This is a conspiracy! Stand up and resist politically. Otherwise this will never end." But Shim tells him only, "Go back to your quarters."
Shim, alone, thinking...Flashback to Ep40, Shim On speaking to the king in private: "If you must abdicate your throne, turn over control of military affairs to your son as well...No man will give absolute loyalty to a king who has his father looking over his shoulders." Does that include you?, Taejong asks with irritation. He tells Shim to leave, but Shim boldly says, "You must allow him to lead the country his own way." Taejong fires back, "That naive and unrealistic way where everyone is loved and forgiven, including those who conspire to commit high treason?"...Flashback ending, we hear Shim's thoughts: "Did it enrage you? Did you take this old man's concern for his son-in-law to be a royal subject's insolence?" (Well now, could this be it? The reason that Taejong has it in for him? Finally, a possible answer.)
The next morning: Byun Gaeryang asks Huh Jo, "What do we do if he doesn't cross the border by the end of the day?", Huh answers, "We'll assume the risk and cross the border to capture him." (Is this the same Huh Jo who was so bold in speaking out against the crown prince's antics? And now he's just towing the company line?)
Shim meets the rest of the delegation and tells them to prepare to go home. They're stunned, but he repudiates them: "Who says bad laws can be broken? I am the prime minister of this state. This means I had a part in writing those bad laws. Help me, don't resist me. I came to Ming as prime minister and ambassador of Joseon, and have yet to deliver the investiture decree to the king. Can't you help me finish the assignment that could possibly be my last?" Just then Huang Yan appears; apparently he's going back to Joseon with the delegation for some reason (most likely the order to conduct the joint rescue of the scholar). Shim goes to him and says, "I have a difficult request. Would you delay your entry to Joseon for another day? We would like to cross the border into Joseon first." Huang is amazed: "Does your country's honor come before your own safety? You are a faithful servant of Joseon no matter what they say about you." We can see that Shim appreciates the praise.
The delegation reaches Uiju. Huh Jo orders, "Arrest the criminal of high treason!" Gingerly, Gim Jongsuh steps forward and addresses Shim: "Sire, you must be wary from the trip. Let us take you from here." "Thank you," Shim says.
Crossing the border separately, Yi Sun is caught by a squad led by Byun Gaeryang. She and her two escorts are arrested.
Shim is dressed in prisoner's white, put into a prisoner cart, and taken back to the capital.
Taejong tells Park Eun, "Get his confession and wrap it up quickly."
At the capital, Shim exits the cart, actually thanks Gim Jongsuh, and nods to his wife. Ministers bow to him, and he's taken inside.
Sejong is informed of Shim's arrival, but sits impassively staring ahead. (For heaven's sake, grow a pair!)
In a courtyard, Sejong and all of the ministers are present as Shim On is brought before Park Eun. "I want your word that the purging will end with me. Then I will acknowledge everything and accept punishment." No deal, Park says; it makes no difference because "your guilt has already been confirmed by Gang Sangin before his execution." Then Park drops the bomb on Shim: "The one who attempted to protect the criminal of high treason must be punished as well. You should have taught your daughter better." Yi Sun is brought into the courtyard and thrown to the ground. Just then the queen runs in and sees what's happening. Park addresses Sejong: "Your highness, I am certain you know why this girl is here and as well why we must now seek the queen' deposal." As if on cue, Huh Jo drops to his knees and shouts, "Your majesty, the queen cannot dispatch her personal attendant to aid the escape of a criminal of high treason!" Then Byun Gaeryang drops to his knees: "No one is above the law!" Then Yu Jeonghyun: "Protecting high treason is high treason itself!" And then they all drop to their knees as Park leads them in shouting, "The queen must be deposed! The queen must be deposed!" Jo Malseng turns to Sejong and says, "You must make your decision, your majesty."