Post by ajk on Aug 5, 2008 15:12:35 GMT -5
Taejong and Wongyeong are talking. "Will you depose the queen?", she asks him. He reminds her, "Aiding a criminal of high treason is not a light crime." "Very well," she says, "it's for the best. It's in her interest as well. This is a hard place to be even for a hard-willed woman like me...Tell them to depose her and throw her out of the palace." Cruel words from her, but then we see her purpose: "But I do feel sorry for you, my dear husband. You'll have to put even more blood on that heinous sword of yours. And when we get a new queen to replace her, you'll have to kill her in-laws to stop their abuse of power, whether they abuse their power or not." Ouch.
Yi Chun, Choi Yundeok, and other supporters have come to see Sejong at Yi Su's request. "We will not forgive those who are bearing down on you," they tell him. "Please let us help you, your majesty." Then, finally--FINALLY--we see just a hint of fight in the king's eyes. He asks Choi, "You're the de facto leader of the military. Are you with your men on this?" Choi tells him, "Royal subjects are supposed to serve the king, not intimidate him."
Yun Hwe has gone out to the countryside to see Hwang Hee. But Hwang brushes him off: "Go back home. I'm an offender living in exile." Yun wants him to come back and help Sejong through his political troubles, but Hwang tells Yun that if he went back he'd end up serving Taejong instead. He also explains to Yun what Taejong is doing: not teaching him to be wary of his aides--"Quite the contrary"--but teaching him to be wary of his enemy. And that "the sword, not virtue, is the quickest way to remove political enemies." And he reiterates wanting no part of any of it: "I'm finally starting to enjoy my life. Why would I go back into that hellhole? Don't waste your strength. Go home."
Again to Sejong and his supporters: "Are you offering to be my swords? If this is your loyalty to me, I will gladly accept." Later, Sejong asks Yi Su, "Who do you think is my biggest political enemy?" Apparently it's a rhetorical question; he gets up and leaves without waiting for an answer.
"What brings you to my chambers at this late hour?" Taejong has received his son. "Are you scrambling to find a way to save one of your closest aides?" "No, I came to tell you that I finally have a deeper understanding of you. The king who was honest about his desire for power [and] knew that power can't be shared, so he banished his own father...Now it's time for you to give me advice. If I were to brandish my sword, where should I aim?" (Great googly moogly, at last he's trying to face down his father.) Taejong is startled: "Are you trying to say you are going to aim your sword at me?" "Is that your advice?" "Do you think you can defeat me?", Taejong asks. Sejong answers the question with a question: "How about you? Do you believe you defeated the late king Taejo?" They stare at each other; neither one flinches. Then Taejong's attitude changes a bit; he comes down off his high horse and is ready to play ball: "Tell me why you're here." Sejong answers, "I will give up my father-in-law prime minister Shim On. But he will have to be the last. I can't give up my wife either." His father reminds him, "She tried to get political asylum for a criminal of high treason." But Sejong argues, "She is the mother of my son. If you depose her, the legitimacy of Joseon's royal house will be in question." His father warns him that the ministers will oppose any attempt to protect the queen, but Sejong shrewdly says, "I'm sure you didn't start this without a contingency plan." He's absolutely right, because Taejong asks him if he'll follow the plan. His answer: "You must first give me your word that there will be no more killings."
Later that evening, Taejong is outside with Noh Huibong behind him. "For some reason I feel like I've been played with by my own son. He can negotiate quite well. He's grown." He says all this with a bit of pride, and shows a bit of a smile, both oddly detached from the gravity of the situation.
Sejong goes to his supporters and tells them, "A soldier's sword belongs in the military and it should be aimed at foreign enemies. I do not want to use the precious swords that protect my people to slay my political enemies." He leaves...
...and goes to the royal inspector's building. Yun Hwe is outside waiting for him, drinking heavily. He's physically staggering but mentally focused and almost desperate as he tells the king, "Your sword, use your sword. Park Eun, Yu Jeonghyun, kill them all. Just arrest all of your political enemies and cut them to shreds!" He repeats what Hwang Hee explained to him, and then says, "This is the only chance you have of saving your most dedicated servant. Raise your sword and destroy your political enemies." Sejong tells him only, "It seems I released you from disciplinary confinement prematurely." And he walks by him into the building.
We see Shim On in a jail cell, tortured, bloody and unconscious. Sejong has come to see him. He has to look away, and he sheds a tear. He leaves the building...
...and outside hears music. Meng Sasung is off to the side, playing a recorder. He begs the king's pardon for any disturbance, but then notices and tells Sejong, "You look very tired." Sejong reminds Meng about Meng's thoughts on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: "You told me the other day that I should try to be more like Liu Bei...You said he learned early on in his life that one can't have it all...Deciding what to acquire and what to give up...It had to have been painful for him every time he had to make a choice." (Having to give up his father-in-law, the words have obviously resonated with him.)
"Stay away from sweets. Don't forget to eat your vegetables. You mustn't be lazy or give the servants a hard time." The Queen is talking to her daughter Jeongso (finally we get her name!) and her son Hyang. The kids don't really understand what's going on, but she's talking to them like she'll never see them again and it's heart-wrenching. She tells her daughter, It will be harder for you to forget me than it will be for your brothers because you're older, but you must do so. (The plural "brothers" was used throughout this scene, although we never saw any other brothers and haven't been introduced to any.) "Promise me that you'll be a big girl. That you won't pine for me, you'll take care of your brothers, and you'll grow up to be a kind and virtuous princess." Then she tells Yi Sun to take the children back to their rooms. Don't do this, Yi begs her; "Send me back behind bars and let me take the blame." But the queen won't do it: "Everyone has turned their backs on me including my husband. But you're the only one who stuck with me to the end. If I had failed to protect you, it would have been my eternal regret." Then she tells her, "Take care of my children. My steps will be lighter when I leave the palace knowing they have you." Yi Sun and the children leave, and the queen bursts into tears, alone and sobbing in a big room.
As Yi Sun and the children go into the hall, Sejong is standing there. His daughter asks him, "Father, where is mother going? She looks so sad." Yi Sun stoops down and tells her, "She will be just fine. Your father is the most powerful man in this country. So he will make sure nothing happens to her." Jeongso asks him, "Is she right, father?" Not waiting for an answer, the three bow and head for the children's rooms, but as they leave Yi Sun looks back and stares daggers at Sejong. Then Sejong goes in to see his wife. She tells him, "You shouldn't have come." "I had to come. I will not have you deposed." "Do you know how cruel those words are?", she tells him (which seems confusing; didn't she want his support?) His disturbing answer: "I might have to say many more cruel words in the future."
Wongyeong can't believe what her husband has just told her. "Concubines? And not just a few of them but eight concubines all at once?" She hits him with her favorite: "A beast with a human face." Unaffected, he advises her to choose only from the noblest families to preserve the honor of the royal house. Stop it, she tells him: "The king and queen were a happy couple. The queen is about to lose her father, and now you're about to tell her to share her husband with other women as well?" But he tells her she's being naive and explains that this is in Sejong's best interests: "It's not a good thing for a king to love only one woman, because then all of his power will be in her skirt." (Okay, I don't want to start a gender war here, but even in the middle of all of this despair, that line just absolutely cracked me up.) Wongyeong looks like she wants to slap him, but he's very matter-of-fact about it.
Sejong has just told the queen about the concubines. "Would you believe me if I told you that I did this to protect you?" "I don't want to believe you," she says with a look of pain. (Yeah, hubby's gonna get himself eight fabulous babes and he says he's doing it all for you? That's a tough sell, kingie.)
Wongyeong tells escort Han that she's going to transfer her to the queen's hall. "Watch her closely so she doesn't do anything hasty." We can see the empathy in Wongyeong's face.
The queen goes to visit her father, who's still unconscious. "Open up the cell," she tells the guards. They hesitate. "I gave you an order." "But we're not authorized to..." Just then Park Eun and Yu Jeonghyun show up. The queen says to them, "Please tell the guard to open up the cell." This is no place for a queen, Park tells her, but she fires back, "You're the one who said I am not the mother of the country." Park is startled. She tells the men, "You have children as well. What child in the world could see her father in such condition and turn her back? This may be our final moment together, so please let me stay by my father's side for a while, I beg you." Shamed into it, they nod to the guards and the cell door is opened. She goes to him...it's just a terribly, terribly sad scene. Yu and Park have to walk away (gutless--this is their handiwork).
Park and Yu go into an empty conference room and sit. Yu says, "Why do I feel sorrier for you than for that man lying on the jail cell floor? For the past decade you've always been at the center of king Taejong's gory slaughter of his in-laws and political adversaries. Has it been bearable?" Park asks in reply, "How about you? Did you volunteer for this because you thought it would be bearable? It's not bearable and never was. But it's a job that has to be done, and you just do it." Yu next asks him, "Were you afraid of the former King?" "I'm sure many in the court believe I was...But fear of the king was not the only reason. 'Did I have to kill them?' 'Was I right to kill them?' I'm not completely without regrets, but I believe it had to be done to bring order to this government in the shortest time possible." Then Yu asks, "And this time? Did you accept this job for the same reason this time?" Park answers, "I'm not a young scholar but an old politician. And sometimes in politics, you must do what needs to be done instead of what's right." (Interesting stuff; a good glimpse into Park's mind, how he rationalizes his actions.)
Back in the jail: Shim On regains consciousness. He sees his daughter. "Guards. Guards! Take the queen out of here at once. It's an order!" What a reaction. She begs to say by his side, but he doesn't want here there. "You're the queen of this state. I will not have you tend to a prisoner." But she tells him, "I'm not the queen any more." He asks, "Is the king going to depose you?" "No, it's me. I don't think I can bear to live with him after this, father." He's not happy to hear this from her; he tells her, "The king is my son just as much as you are my daughter if not more. I raised him with my heart and with deep affection." "That son is going to forsake you," she reminds him. But he says, "If he doesn't forsake me, I would take my own life." She can't believe it. He continues, "This is not by his choice. Many others would die if he tried to protect me," he explains. So "Stop being a child and go back to your chambers." Just think about raising your children, he advises her. Her son is "a remarkable boy--he has the king's intelligence and your prudence and virtue." (Ugh, typical grandparent.) He's the future fifth king of Joseon "and you have the duty to raise him to be even wiser and more compassionate than his father. I know it's going to be painful to see me go; you'll have to endure so much cruel pain and agony. But you must endure it and go forward without looking back. Kings and queens do not look back. Don't blame yourself for what is happening to me. Just look to the future and go forward. Only then can I rest in peace. Would you do that for this old man--your highness?" She's listened to all of this and all she can do is cry on his shoulder.
The queen leaves, more staggering than walking, and finally has to sit down on some steps. "Can I endure it?", she asks Yi Sun. "I don't know if I can make it in this cruel world." "Let me be your strength," Sun tells her. "My parents named me Yi Sun (Two Goodness) to have at least two devotions in my life. I already gave my first devotion to my mother, so let me give you the second devotion." "You are a good woman," the queen tells her. Then, with a renewed vigor in her eyes, she says, "My son; I will go to my son."
Early the next morning: The shadows are still long as we see Shim On kneeling in the middle of a small courtyard. Yu Jeonghyun opens a scroll and begins to read: "Prime Minister Shim On: your heinous crime is punishable by drawing and quartering. But in consideration of your devoted past service to this state, this tribunal grants you compassion to take your own life." A table is put in front of him, with a bowl of poison on it.
Around the palace, we see life going on: scholars in the Hall of Worthies are working; the king is working; the queen is reading to her children. They're all trying to keep busy, but none of their minds are on what they're doing--we can see it in their faces.
We see Lady Ahn and several others (presumably Shim's and Lady Ahn's children) taken from their home as prisoners, tied up. Wongyeong is outside, and as Lady Ahn is taken past her, she tells her, "You are the queen's mother now. Please look after her."
We see Taejong praying in the ancestral shrine. His face is calm and his eyes bright and clear; he shows no sign of regret or anxiety.
We hear Shim On's thoughts to Yun Hwe and Yi Su, both of whom are present: "This is where my service to the king will end, but you must stay with him to the end." Then he picks up the bowl and drinks its contents. He stares ahead for a moment...and keels over dead. The caption reads, "Prime Minister Shim On, executed by poisoning, December 23, 1418."
We hear Taejong issuing instructions: "Grant the queen the title of Gongbi and give her a grand inaugural."
The newly chosen concubines and their attendants are presented as a group to the queen. They bow to her; she nods back. (What could she say?)
In her chambers, the queen is presented by Wongyeong with a very fancy crown in a formal but quiet ceremony.
We hear Sejong's voice, reading a proclamation: "I hereby declare Lady Shim of Chunsang my queen...and I order that she be honored." The queen enters a large courtyard, wearing her new crown, and ascends a flight of stairs. Retainers and attendants are present; it's a very fancy, beautiful ceremony. But a pall of sadness hangs over it and sours the whole thing for everyone. Wongyeong is there and we see sorrow in her face; she's genuinely sorry for what happened to the queen. The queen herself goes through it all with a blank look on her face, equal parts shock, grief and disgust.
We see Lord So of Tsushima. He's told: "Bean County, Choongchung Province: The location of a large shipyard. If we attack and destroy all of the ships, they will have to give up the conquest."
Nighttime: We see the shipyard. Forces from Tsushima have come ashore and are executing a sneak attack in the darkness. They're headed for a large explosives storehouse near the shipyard, to get the explosives to use to destroy the Joseon warships.
So Shun and Pyoung Mahngo are standing on the shoreline of Tsushima Island. Shun asks, "Are you giving us the information to pay off your gambling debt again?" Without saying yes or no, Mahngo instead says, "I don't know about my father, but I can't live as a Joseonese." Shun puts his hand on Mahngo's shoulder and says to him, "Tahirano Mouko, you're a proud son of Tsushima."
Back at the shipyard: Suddenly, flaming arrows come flying out of the darkness and hit the Tsushima forces. Archers have emerged onto the deck of one of the warships; Yi Chun is there too. Somehow they’ve anticipated the attack and are ready and waiting for it. The enemy commander shouts, "Do not fall back! Attack!" But then the flaming arrows start hitting some of the explosives that the attackers are carrying. That changes his mind in a big hurry: "Retreat! Retreat swiftly!"
Taejong is told of the incident and becomes predictably angry. Call everybody together, he orders; "I have an important announcement." Sejong hears of this and wonders, "Are we to launch an immediate attack on Tsushima?"
Yi Chun, Choi Yundeok, and other supporters have come to see Sejong at Yi Su's request. "We will not forgive those who are bearing down on you," they tell him. "Please let us help you, your majesty." Then, finally--FINALLY--we see just a hint of fight in the king's eyes. He asks Choi, "You're the de facto leader of the military. Are you with your men on this?" Choi tells him, "Royal subjects are supposed to serve the king, not intimidate him."
Yun Hwe has gone out to the countryside to see Hwang Hee. But Hwang brushes him off: "Go back home. I'm an offender living in exile." Yun wants him to come back and help Sejong through his political troubles, but Hwang tells Yun that if he went back he'd end up serving Taejong instead. He also explains to Yun what Taejong is doing: not teaching him to be wary of his aides--"Quite the contrary"--but teaching him to be wary of his enemy. And that "the sword, not virtue, is the quickest way to remove political enemies." And he reiterates wanting no part of any of it: "I'm finally starting to enjoy my life. Why would I go back into that hellhole? Don't waste your strength. Go home."
Again to Sejong and his supporters: "Are you offering to be my swords? If this is your loyalty to me, I will gladly accept." Later, Sejong asks Yi Su, "Who do you think is my biggest political enemy?" Apparently it's a rhetorical question; he gets up and leaves without waiting for an answer.
"What brings you to my chambers at this late hour?" Taejong has received his son. "Are you scrambling to find a way to save one of your closest aides?" "No, I came to tell you that I finally have a deeper understanding of you. The king who was honest about his desire for power [and] knew that power can't be shared, so he banished his own father...Now it's time for you to give me advice. If I were to brandish my sword, where should I aim?" (Great googly moogly, at last he's trying to face down his father.) Taejong is startled: "Are you trying to say you are going to aim your sword at me?" "Is that your advice?" "Do you think you can defeat me?", Taejong asks. Sejong answers the question with a question: "How about you? Do you believe you defeated the late king Taejo?" They stare at each other; neither one flinches. Then Taejong's attitude changes a bit; he comes down off his high horse and is ready to play ball: "Tell me why you're here." Sejong answers, "I will give up my father-in-law prime minister Shim On. But he will have to be the last. I can't give up my wife either." His father reminds him, "She tried to get political asylum for a criminal of high treason." But Sejong argues, "She is the mother of my son. If you depose her, the legitimacy of Joseon's royal house will be in question." His father warns him that the ministers will oppose any attempt to protect the queen, but Sejong shrewdly says, "I'm sure you didn't start this without a contingency plan." He's absolutely right, because Taejong asks him if he'll follow the plan. His answer: "You must first give me your word that there will be no more killings."
Later that evening, Taejong is outside with Noh Huibong behind him. "For some reason I feel like I've been played with by my own son. He can negotiate quite well. He's grown." He says all this with a bit of pride, and shows a bit of a smile, both oddly detached from the gravity of the situation.
Sejong goes to his supporters and tells them, "A soldier's sword belongs in the military and it should be aimed at foreign enemies. I do not want to use the precious swords that protect my people to slay my political enemies." He leaves...
...and goes to the royal inspector's building. Yun Hwe is outside waiting for him, drinking heavily. He's physically staggering but mentally focused and almost desperate as he tells the king, "Your sword, use your sword. Park Eun, Yu Jeonghyun, kill them all. Just arrest all of your political enemies and cut them to shreds!" He repeats what Hwang Hee explained to him, and then says, "This is the only chance you have of saving your most dedicated servant. Raise your sword and destroy your political enemies." Sejong tells him only, "It seems I released you from disciplinary confinement prematurely." And he walks by him into the building.
We see Shim On in a jail cell, tortured, bloody and unconscious. Sejong has come to see him. He has to look away, and he sheds a tear. He leaves the building...
...and outside hears music. Meng Sasung is off to the side, playing a recorder. He begs the king's pardon for any disturbance, but then notices and tells Sejong, "You look very tired." Sejong reminds Meng about Meng's thoughts on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: "You told me the other day that I should try to be more like Liu Bei...You said he learned early on in his life that one can't have it all...Deciding what to acquire and what to give up...It had to have been painful for him every time he had to make a choice." (Having to give up his father-in-law, the words have obviously resonated with him.)
"Stay away from sweets. Don't forget to eat your vegetables. You mustn't be lazy or give the servants a hard time." The Queen is talking to her daughter Jeongso (finally we get her name!) and her son Hyang. The kids don't really understand what's going on, but she's talking to them like she'll never see them again and it's heart-wrenching. She tells her daughter, It will be harder for you to forget me than it will be for your brothers because you're older, but you must do so. (The plural "brothers" was used throughout this scene, although we never saw any other brothers and haven't been introduced to any.) "Promise me that you'll be a big girl. That you won't pine for me, you'll take care of your brothers, and you'll grow up to be a kind and virtuous princess." Then she tells Yi Sun to take the children back to their rooms. Don't do this, Yi begs her; "Send me back behind bars and let me take the blame." But the queen won't do it: "Everyone has turned their backs on me including my husband. But you're the only one who stuck with me to the end. If I had failed to protect you, it would have been my eternal regret." Then she tells her, "Take care of my children. My steps will be lighter when I leave the palace knowing they have you." Yi Sun and the children leave, and the queen bursts into tears, alone and sobbing in a big room.
As Yi Sun and the children go into the hall, Sejong is standing there. His daughter asks him, "Father, where is mother going? She looks so sad." Yi Sun stoops down and tells her, "She will be just fine. Your father is the most powerful man in this country. So he will make sure nothing happens to her." Jeongso asks him, "Is she right, father?" Not waiting for an answer, the three bow and head for the children's rooms, but as they leave Yi Sun looks back and stares daggers at Sejong. Then Sejong goes in to see his wife. She tells him, "You shouldn't have come." "I had to come. I will not have you deposed." "Do you know how cruel those words are?", she tells him (which seems confusing; didn't she want his support?) His disturbing answer: "I might have to say many more cruel words in the future."
Wongyeong can't believe what her husband has just told her. "Concubines? And not just a few of them but eight concubines all at once?" She hits him with her favorite: "A beast with a human face." Unaffected, he advises her to choose only from the noblest families to preserve the honor of the royal house. Stop it, she tells him: "The king and queen were a happy couple. The queen is about to lose her father, and now you're about to tell her to share her husband with other women as well?" But he tells her she's being naive and explains that this is in Sejong's best interests: "It's not a good thing for a king to love only one woman, because then all of his power will be in her skirt." (Okay, I don't want to start a gender war here, but even in the middle of all of this despair, that line just absolutely cracked me up.) Wongyeong looks like she wants to slap him, but he's very matter-of-fact about it.
Sejong has just told the queen about the concubines. "Would you believe me if I told you that I did this to protect you?" "I don't want to believe you," she says with a look of pain. (Yeah, hubby's gonna get himself eight fabulous babes and he says he's doing it all for you? That's a tough sell, kingie.)
Wongyeong tells escort Han that she's going to transfer her to the queen's hall. "Watch her closely so she doesn't do anything hasty." We can see the empathy in Wongyeong's face.
The queen goes to visit her father, who's still unconscious. "Open up the cell," she tells the guards. They hesitate. "I gave you an order." "But we're not authorized to..." Just then Park Eun and Yu Jeonghyun show up. The queen says to them, "Please tell the guard to open up the cell." This is no place for a queen, Park tells her, but she fires back, "You're the one who said I am not the mother of the country." Park is startled. She tells the men, "You have children as well. What child in the world could see her father in such condition and turn her back? This may be our final moment together, so please let me stay by my father's side for a while, I beg you." Shamed into it, they nod to the guards and the cell door is opened. She goes to him...it's just a terribly, terribly sad scene. Yu and Park have to walk away (gutless--this is their handiwork).
Park and Yu go into an empty conference room and sit. Yu says, "Why do I feel sorrier for you than for that man lying on the jail cell floor? For the past decade you've always been at the center of king Taejong's gory slaughter of his in-laws and political adversaries. Has it been bearable?" Park asks in reply, "How about you? Did you volunteer for this because you thought it would be bearable? It's not bearable and never was. But it's a job that has to be done, and you just do it." Yu next asks him, "Were you afraid of the former King?" "I'm sure many in the court believe I was...But fear of the king was not the only reason. 'Did I have to kill them?' 'Was I right to kill them?' I'm not completely without regrets, but I believe it had to be done to bring order to this government in the shortest time possible." Then Yu asks, "And this time? Did you accept this job for the same reason this time?" Park answers, "I'm not a young scholar but an old politician. And sometimes in politics, you must do what needs to be done instead of what's right." (Interesting stuff; a good glimpse into Park's mind, how he rationalizes his actions.)
Back in the jail: Shim On regains consciousness. He sees his daughter. "Guards. Guards! Take the queen out of here at once. It's an order!" What a reaction. She begs to say by his side, but he doesn't want here there. "You're the queen of this state. I will not have you tend to a prisoner." But she tells him, "I'm not the queen any more." He asks, "Is the king going to depose you?" "No, it's me. I don't think I can bear to live with him after this, father." He's not happy to hear this from her; he tells her, "The king is my son just as much as you are my daughter if not more. I raised him with my heart and with deep affection." "That son is going to forsake you," she reminds him. But he says, "If he doesn't forsake me, I would take my own life." She can't believe it. He continues, "This is not by his choice. Many others would die if he tried to protect me," he explains. So "Stop being a child and go back to your chambers." Just think about raising your children, he advises her. Her son is "a remarkable boy--he has the king's intelligence and your prudence and virtue." (Ugh, typical grandparent.) He's the future fifth king of Joseon "and you have the duty to raise him to be even wiser and more compassionate than his father. I know it's going to be painful to see me go; you'll have to endure so much cruel pain and agony. But you must endure it and go forward without looking back. Kings and queens do not look back. Don't blame yourself for what is happening to me. Just look to the future and go forward. Only then can I rest in peace. Would you do that for this old man--your highness?" She's listened to all of this and all she can do is cry on his shoulder.
The queen leaves, more staggering than walking, and finally has to sit down on some steps. "Can I endure it?", she asks Yi Sun. "I don't know if I can make it in this cruel world." "Let me be your strength," Sun tells her. "My parents named me Yi Sun (Two Goodness) to have at least two devotions in my life. I already gave my first devotion to my mother, so let me give you the second devotion." "You are a good woman," the queen tells her. Then, with a renewed vigor in her eyes, she says, "My son; I will go to my son."
Early the next morning: The shadows are still long as we see Shim On kneeling in the middle of a small courtyard. Yu Jeonghyun opens a scroll and begins to read: "Prime Minister Shim On: your heinous crime is punishable by drawing and quartering. But in consideration of your devoted past service to this state, this tribunal grants you compassion to take your own life." A table is put in front of him, with a bowl of poison on it.
Around the palace, we see life going on: scholars in the Hall of Worthies are working; the king is working; the queen is reading to her children. They're all trying to keep busy, but none of their minds are on what they're doing--we can see it in their faces.
We see Lady Ahn and several others (presumably Shim's and Lady Ahn's children) taken from their home as prisoners, tied up. Wongyeong is outside, and as Lady Ahn is taken past her, she tells her, "You are the queen's mother now. Please look after her."
We see Taejong praying in the ancestral shrine. His face is calm and his eyes bright and clear; he shows no sign of regret or anxiety.
We hear Shim On's thoughts to Yun Hwe and Yi Su, both of whom are present: "This is where my service to the king will end, but you must stay with him to the end." Then he picks up the bowl and drinks its contents. He stares ahead for a moment...and keels over dead. The caption reads, "Prime Minister Shim On, executed by poisoning, December 23, 1418."
We hear Taejong issuing instructions: "Grant the queen the title of Gongbi and give her a grand inaugural."
The newly chosen concubines and their attendants are presented as a group to the queen. They bow to her; she nods back. (What could she say?)
In her chambers, the queen is presented by Wongyeong with a very fancy crown in a formal but quiet ceremony.
We hear Sejong's voice, reading a proclamation: "I hereby declare Lady Shim of Chunsang my queen...and I order that she be honored." The queen enters a large courtyard, wearing her new crown, and ascends a flight of stairs. Retainers and attendants are present; it's a very fancy, beautiful ceremony. But a pall of sadness hangs over it and sours the whole thing for everyone. Wongyeong is there and we see sorrow in her face; she's genuinely sorry for what happened to the queen. The queen herself goes through it all with a blank look on her face, equal parts shock, grief and disgust.
We see Lord So of Tsushima. He's told: "Bean County, Choongchung Province: The location of a large shipyard. If we attack and destroy all of the ships, they will have to give up the conquest."
Nighttime: We see the shipyard. Forces from Tsushima have come ashore and are executing a sneak attack in the darkness. They're headed for a large explosives storehouse near the shipyard, to get the explosives to use to destroy the Joseon warships.
So Shun and Pyoung Mahngo are standing on the shoreline of Tsushima Island. Shun asks, "Are you giving us the information to pay off your gambling debt again?" Without saying yes or no, Mahngo instead says, "I don't know about my father, but I can't live as a Joseonese." Shun puts his hand on Mahngo's shoulder and says to him, "Tahirano Mouko, you're a proud son of Tsushima."
Back at the shipyard: Suddenly, flaming arrows come flying out of the darkness and hit the Tsushima forces. Archers have emerged onto the deck of one of the warships; Yi Chun is there too. Somehow they’ve anticipated the attack and are ready and waiting for it. The enemy commander shouts, "Do not fall back! Attack!" But then the flaming arrows start hitting some of the explosives that the attackers are carrying. That changes his mind in a big hurry: "Retreat! Retreat swiftly!"
Taejong is told of the incident and becomes predictably angry. Call everybody together, he orders; "I have an important announcement." Sejong hears of this and wonders, "Are we to launch an immediate attack on Tsushima?"