Post by ajk on Sept 30, 2008 15:00:22 GMT -5
"This is an outrage! Why would a king go to this length to protect a slave?" In a conference room, Huh Jo is complaining to other ministers. Hwang Hee suggests yielding to the king, just this once. "Isn't it senseless to paralyze the government over this fight?", he says. "If something should happen to the king (who's standing out in the rain, and on a hunger strike), the ministers will be held responsible for putting the king's life in danger." We can't let that happen, says Jo, so we have to find a solution, as difficult as the situation is. "That's politics," he says, and leaves the room.
Jo tells Park Sil to go to prince Kyoungnyeong, because it's time for the royal house to come forward.
Gim Mun tells Hwang, "Everyone supports Jo Malseng on this. You must counteract quickly, sir." Hwang warns Gim that he'll be hurt by this too. "I wouldn't have come to you if I weren't prepared," Gim responds.
Still out in the rain, Sejong is holding the umbrella over Youngsil while he gets himself soaked. (It IS big enough for two; I guess he's doing it for effect.) Then Yun Hwe and Yi Su show up. "You're wrong, your majesty," Yun tells him, "but I can't help feeling proud of you. You believe that a slave is still a human being and deserves to be protected. I'm so proud of you for having such a beautiful heart that I couldn't stay away." So he sits down right there in the rain, with his flask of wine. Then Yi Su complains about the ministers being so selfish to force this upon you, but Sejong tells him, "I'm the one who said you should set aside shame for your goals, master...Hang in there and we will get through this."
At the Hall of Worthies: Jeong Inji, Choi Manli and Gim Jongsuh are there. Choi is pacing back and forth, irritated and complaining about the king's intransigence. "I guess Jo Malseng is our only answer." As if on cue, Jo walks in (like he's Dracula). "May I take that as an answer to what we discussed the other day?" No answer. "I appreciate you turning to me. Now you must step up and stop the king...Above all his health is the main problem." And besides, "We cannot paralyze the nation to put a courtier's robe on a slave. Remember, it's up to you now, the Hall of Worthies scholars, to dissuade the king to stop this madness."
Crown prince Hyang is with Shin Jang, his tutor. Unsure of himself, he meekly says to Shin, "I'm not wrong. A slave is not a man. They can be bought and sold, so they're like domestic animals. You said so yourself." Shin asks him, "So why do you look so glum?" "I feel ashamed," the prince answers. "I know I'm not wrong, but why do I feel so ashamed?" "That's because you are wrong," Shin tells him. "We...are wrong, your highness."
Back outside, Shin Jang walks up to the group. He tells Yi Su, "You're not the only one with a special pupil. His highness the crown prince is deeply regretting his actions." So he joins them in standing there in the pouring rain. (I really liked this. The guy didn't want to teach that stuff to Hyang any more, so he knew he had to take a stand himself. No pun intended.)
Choi Manli tells Jeong Inji that they need to go to the Confucian Academy and rally the scholars against Youngsil's appointment. But Jeong says he disagrees. He realizes, "We were all making excuses...We all weaseled out of going to the Astronomy Agency because we didn't want to take orders from a slave boy. And now we're fighting the king for the same reason. We're angry about having to call a lowly servant 'sir' and we don't want to." This gets Choi angry: "We can't destroy the caste system, and that's it. There is no exception! A small crack brings down the big dam." And he storms out. Then Jeong turns to Gim: "You always say that we are the Hall of Worthies and we have to feel pride and responsibility at the same time, sir. What should we do now in this situation to be the Hall of Worthies we pride ourselves in?" Gim thinks he's being cornered; he mutters "Arrogant bastard" and walks out, leaving a clearly pained Jeong alone in the room.
As Gim leaves, he finds Yi Chun and they talk. Yi says to Gim, "What kind of men would we be if we changed our minds so capriciously?" An interesting statement; is he wavering?
Choi Haesan goes to the Astronomy Agency, and finds Yi Chun and Gim Jongsuh doing work--actually hauling the supplies around! Choi asks Yi what he and Gim are doing there; Yi barks something about leaving the shop open and unattended, but he's just avoiding the question. They've come to help get the project going, obviously. Choi smiles and the three of them get to work moving wooden planks inside and out of the rain.
At the Confucian Academy: Choi Manli reaches for the door handle...but he can't bring himself to go in. He sits down on the front step, alone with his thoughts, but then Jeong Inji shows up and sits next to him. "Did you come to mock me?," Choi asks. Jeong cracks, "No, I came to beat you up." They reminisce about their past efforts on their country's behalf, and wonder what to do now...They leave and go back home, and join the group standing out in the rain. Choi even takes the umbrella out of Sejong's hands and holds it over Youngsil himself. "To be honest," he tells the king, "I still don't know if it's a good idea for a slave to hold a post in government." But I do know we need those astronomical instruments. Sejong smiles and tells Choi he'll be glad to debate him about it anytime. Jeong says, "You should know, I never lose." "You're making me tremble," cracks the king. Jeong fires back, "Are you sure it's not because you're cold and hungry?" The jabs lighten the mood a whole lot. And all the while, Youngsil is still kneeling there.
"Don't you have any control over your subordinates?" Huh Jo is berating Byun Gaeryang in front of the other ministers because of the scholars who are now supporting the king. Byun says, "Why don't we yield in this one case? We can make an exception." This starts to sound good to them. Choi Yundeok speaks up in favor of it: "We've already acknowledged his exceptional talent, so we can make a one-time exception." They seriously consider it, but then Jo Malseng tells them, "What about next time? What if someone even more talented than Jang comes along and the king wants to grant him a government post as well? Should we make an exception to the exception?" The ministers don't like that prospect at all (as absurdly remote as it may be).
Park Sil is before prince Kyoungnyeong: "It's time to make a decision, your highness." The prince is troubled: "Is this the only way?" Park tells him he must rally the royals against the king. Then, suddenly: "He will not!" Hyobin barges into the room and immediately takes over. She glares daggers at Park. "How dare you attempt to get the royal house involved in pressuring the king!" Park starts to try to suggest that this a state affair and not really her business, but he can't even finish his sentence: "Silence your audacious tongue! I may be a woman but I have lived in this palace for two and a half decades." Park's eyes are wide and he's speechless. Hyobin angrily continues, "Go back to Jo Malseng and deliver my message: If the ministers can't do their job and require involvement of the royal house, they might as well turn in their uniforms and till soil for a living." Boy, is she pissed (and what a great line; cracked me up). Her son tries to quiet her but she lets him have it too: "Send this man away now!" (For Hyobin it seems like remarkably selfless behavior, the way she's rebuking this effort to challenge 00Sejong.)
Park Sil leaves. He looks back at the house, a little dazed and not knowing what just hit him (and probably feeling lucky that Hyobin didn't whip out a hatchet and eunuch him right then and there).
Back inside: "Do you think I was harsh?", Hyobin asks. Her son tells her, "The king is indeed making a mistake." "But it's too soon for you to get involved. Granting a government post to a slave? The fight will not be easily won...but knowing the king, he will not give up. That means the ministers will turn further and further away from him. And when the situation is at its worst, that's the time you step in." This stuns the prince. "You asked me if my dream was still alive. That is my answer." (So she wasn't being selfless....And she's obviously thought this through. Strange, though, because she isn't radiating evil ambition like she used to. I got the feeling that she was willing to let Sejong sink or swim on his own, and get her son involved only if it becomes necessary and not just out of maternal ambition.)
It's the next morning. Sejong and the group are still out there, but the rain has stopped. And Youngsil is standing up for a change. And now all of the royal attendants are all out there too. From a distance, Hyang has been watching. The queen comes up behind him: "Have you been here all night?", she asks her son. And maybe he has. She tells him, "I wish I could cover your eyes [and] tell you to get back to your chambers now. 'Don't learn this. Take the easier way out. Don't put yourself through this kind of torture fighting. It's all right if the country doesn't soar....' But somehow I don't think you would listen to my pleadings. Because you are too much like your father." She seems very proud of both of them. Then Hyang suddenly realizes something and asks her, "If father is here, then where is Jeongso?" Escort Han steps forward and asks him if she went out into the city unaware of her father's situation. But the queen knows nothing about it: "Go into the city? What's this?"
Jeongso is still in the city waiting for her father. Her mother comes and finds her to take her home. But she won't leave. "He make a promise, a pinky promise." (Note: I have a funny feeling that there was a scene where Sejong and Jeongso made specific plans for a trip into the city, and we weren't shown the scene. It would explain why she's been expecting him out there.) "We have to give grandmother her birthday dinner." Do I have to whip you, her mother says, but then Jeongso realizes that the sun is up and the birthday is over, and she starts to cry. She cries and cries, and then suddenly goes limp and unconscious.
The princess is brought home, put to bed...She's feverish and is calling for her father.
Escort Han goes and tells the king. He gives her his message to the queen: "That I can't go right now, and to please take good care of Jeongso." Yi Su and Yun Hwe advise him to go, for just a bit, but Sejong tells them, "We're working. Not just any work, but critical work that will decide the country's future." He stays right there.
Han has reported back to the queen. "Is this true? You told him that the child is delirious and calling out for him and he refused to come?" The queen isn't too pleased with her husband.
Jo Malseng goes to see prime minister Yu, inquiring about why Yu left work early the previous night. "I hope your mind is firm on this." But it isn't, we learn. "Why don't we bend on this one issue?", Yu asks. "Don't you feel sorry for the king? His daughter has taken ill, but he's still out there fighting." I'm a father too, Jo says, and I do feel for him. But then he drops a bomb on Yu: "Do you know where the king was planning to go with the princess last night? Shim On's widow. He was going to see the queen's mother, who's been grinding her axe and living as a slave since the Shim clan's fall." The visit, he says, might be "groundwork for the Shim clan's restoration of rights." And that's not the half of it. "It could be the start of political revenge. If Shim On is not guilty of a crime, those who accused him and had him executed are." Remember, he tells Yu, you were in the middle of all of that, and "if his name is restored, you will be the first to get hurt." It's a wildly implausible story but it has its effect; Yu is clearly concerned and says nothing more about yielding.
Jo tells Park Sil, "I gave him a good scare, so he won't easily back out." Then Park asks him if he still plans to tell Ming about the astronomy project, since that will ensure a change of kings. Isn't that why you're busily gathering funds--to pay off whoever might need to be paid off? "Why else would you suddenly sell off multiple real estate holdings at once?" Jo's eyes widen: "Multiple real estate holdings?" He has no idea what Park is talking about, but he's become visibly agitated as Park has talked.
In an office, we see Gim Mun finalizing documents, taking part in a transaction and receiving a chest full of money from a buyer. Jo enters the room. "Who told you to sell off my properties?" "What's wrong with sharing a little of the dirty money you acquired selling government posts?", Gim asks him. Jo orders him to cancel the sales immediately, but Gim reminds him (and tells us) that his mother is the legal owner of those properties. Jo angrily replies, "And for that I gave you a government post!" (A-ha...so know we know. This is how Jo successfully evaded corruption audits—-the properties were put in other people's names in exchange for big favors. And Gim knows the whole setup, and spelled it out to Hwang.) Gim cryptically says, "I think that's enough evidence, sir." And then from behind a screen, out steps Hwang Hee. Busss-ted. "I feel bad about this," Hwang tells Jo. But there was no other way." "Gim Mun, you bastard!" Jo is furious but what can he do? Hwang tells Gim, "Let us quickly find out which post minister Jo sold for this house." As they start to leave, Hwang tells him, "It is a great shame. We may never see you at the conference hall again." And they leave Jo standing there alone, shaking with anger but helplessly nailed.
The king is back inside and is reviewing a scroll detailing the evidence; Hwang is before him. "Jo Malseng is guilty of all these counts of bribery?" "You must strike him down immediately," Hwang advises. Now no one will effectively oppose Youngsil's appointment. But Sejong is concerned about Gim Mun; he's an accomplice to all this. "I need time to consider," is Sejong's surprising answer.
As we see Sejong thinking, we see the scholars wondering why he's even bothering to think about this. And at the Astronomy Agency, Yi Chun is worried: "Something isn't right. This is getting more complicated."
Hwang tells Gim Mun, "His majesty is having second thoughts. Do you know that? It's largely because of you. But I don't intend to protect you no matter what his majesty does. Does that offend you?" Gim answers with resignation, "No, sir. I had it good. Having been a member of the Hall of Worthies is more than enough."
Sejong pushes the scroll back to Hwang: "Cover it up." I will not renounce Jo Malseng, he says. Hwang asks, "Is it because of Gim Mun?" Yes, it is--"I can't destroy a promising scholar's future"--but it's because of Jo too. Yes, he does constantly oppose me, but "he is also an important military leader and a talented manager." Hwang is having trouble swallowing this; he tells Sejong that politics requires his removing Jo. But Sejong wants none of this: "I am not asking for a lesson in politics; I am giving you an order." Yikes. Hwang knows when to be quiet and says nothing more. Sejong explains, "I will not destroy the opposition in haste. That is my way."
Hwang leaves, and outside looks back at the palace with equal parts disbelief and bemusement in his face. He goes to tell Jo. Jo smiles. "You should teach him how to deal with his political enemies." "I know," Hwang says, "but that funny man says you are his talented retainer, not his political enemy." Jo is disgustingly cynical: "Am I supposed to cry tears of gratitude now?" No, Hwang says, "I don't need tears but I need you to do this." He hands Jo an envelope; Jo pulls out the contents and reads. "Interesting. Is this the king's idea?" "No, it's my idea. The king is a man of strong principles, but he's not much of a negotiator." Jo says he'll consider it. Then Hwang says, "Whether you agree or not, I will give you a warning. If, heaven forbid, you should expose our astronomy project to Ming, you will have your limbs torn off in the public square for high treason."
The king and ministers are meeting in the throne room. Youngsil is before the king, kneeling and in his blue official's robe. Sejong addresses the ministers: "I granted Jang Youngsil a post in this royal court. But you have the power to take it away from him. If you oppose his appointment, I will listen to your arguments, and if any one of you succeeds in convincing me, I will have that man remove Jang Youngsil's uniform." Any takers? Nope; the silence in the room is deafening. So he calls on Jo: "I would like to hear your opinion." Jo takes a deep breath: "I still believe Jang Youngsil should not be here. But not everyone can remove him from this royal court. Only he who is dedicated enough to risk his own life for new technology like Jang Youngsil can remove Jang Youngsil from his post. Only he who is talented enough to make Jang Youngsil's talent appear worthless can remove that uniform." The other ministers are looking around; what's going on? Sejong asks him, "Who is that man, minister Jo?" "Regretfully not I, your majesty." "Does this mean you do not oppose Jang Youngsil's appointment? "That is correct." Even Youngsil looks up at the sound of that. Sejong says, "I don't think any of us is qualified to remove Youngsil from his post. What do you think, ministers?" Jo is staring ahead like a robot, and nobody else is saying anything. Finally Meng Sasung ventures, "I could not agree more." The king looks at Huh Jo. "I agree as well." (Now THAT is amazing.) Byun Gaeryang says, "We agree, your majesty," and then all of them start saying it simultaneously. Done!
Sejong goes to his daughter; she's still sick and in bed but is doing better. "Would you forgive me?", he asks, holding her hand. She nods. "I'm glad Youngsil has finally become a government official. Does this mean you can free grandmother now? Please free her from servitude like you did for Youngsil, father." "I...can't," he tells her with regret, unable to even look at her. She pulls her hand back, and turns away from him.
Youngsil is by himself, walking towards the Astronomy Agency. He enters, looking a bit nervous, and finds everyone standing waiting for him, smiling and eager. "We've been waiting for you, sir," Jeong Inji tells him. "What can we do for you?" Then Yi Chun steps forward and tells him, "Don't even think about ordering me around. You may be a government official but I am still your superior officer. But if you have work for me as the project supervisor, I'll do it." Youngsil says, "Well, then shall we begin?" "Yes, sir! Let's get to work," they say enthusiastically. And they do.
Subtitles tell us: Jang Youngsil's appointment was a result of King Sejong's human resources principles that all selections should be based on merit and equally, not on social status or background. This precedent still serves as a lesson in modern Korean society, where human resources management continues to be a great issue.
Jo tells Park Sil to go to prince Kyoungnyeong, because it's time for the royal house to come forward.
Gim Mun tells Hwang, "Everyone supports Jo Malseng on this. You must counteract quickly, sir." Hwang warns Gim that he'll be hurt by this too. "I wouldn't have come to you if I weren't prepared," Gim responds.
Still out in the rain, Sejong is holding the umbrella over Youngsil while he gets himself soaked. (It IS big enough for two; I guess he's doing it for effect.) Then Yun Hwe and Yi Su show up. "You're wrong, your majesty," Yun tells him, "but I can't help feeling proud of you. You believe that a slave is still a human being and deserves to be protected. I'm so proud of you for having such a beautiful heart that I couldn't stay away." So he sits down right there in the rain, with his flask of wine. Then Yi Su complains about the ministers being so selfish to force this upon you, but Sejong tells him, "I'm the one who said you should set aside shame for your goals, master...Hang in there and we will get through this."
At the Hall of Worthies: Jeong Inji, Choi Manli and Gim Jongsuh are there. Choi is pacing back and forth, irritated and complaining about the king's intransigence. "I guess Jo Malseng is our only answer." As if on cue, Jo walks in (like he's Dracula). "May I take that as an answer to what we discussed the other day?" No answer. "I appreciate you turning to me. Now you must step up and stop the king...Above all his health is the main problem." And besides, "We cannot paralyze the nation to put a courtier's robe on a slave. Remember, it's up to you now, the Hall of Worthies scholars, to dissuade the king to stop this madness."
Crown prince Hyang is with Shin Jang, his tutor. Unsure of himself, he meekly says to Shin, "I'm not wrong. A slave is not a man. They can be bought and sold, so they're like domestic animals. You said so yourself." Shin asks him, "So why do you look so glum?" "I feel ashamed," the prince answers. "I know I'm not wrong, but why do I feel so ashamed?" "That's because you are wrong," Shin tells him. "We...are wrong, your highness."
Back outside, Shin Jang walks up to the group. He tells Yi Su, "You're not the only one with a special pupil. His highness the crown prince is deeply regretting his actions." So he joins them in standing there in the pouring rain. (I really liked this. The guy didn't want to teach that stuff to Hyang any more, so he knew he had to take a stand himself. No pun intended.)
Choi Manli tells Jeong Inji that they need to go to the Confucian Academy and rally the scholars against Youngsil's appointment. But Jeong says he disagrees. He realizes, "We were all making excuses...We all weaseled out of going to the Astronomy Agency because we didn't want to take orders from a slave boy. And now we're fighting the king for the same reason. We're angry about having to call a lowly servant 'sir' and we don't want to." This gets Choi angry: "We can't destroy the caste system, and that's it. There is no exception! A small crack brings down the big dam." And he storms out. Then Jeong turns to Gim: "You always say that we are the Hall of Worthies and we have to feel pride and responsibility at the same time, sir. What should we do now in this situation to be the Hall of Worthies we pride ourselves in?" Gim thinks he's being cornered; he mutters "Arrogant bastard" and walks out, leaving a clearly pained Jeong alone in the room.
As Gim leaves, he finds Yi Chun and they talk. Yi says to Gim, "What kind of men would we be if we changed our minds so capriciously?" An interesting statement; is he wavering?
Choi Haesan goes to the Astronomy Agency, and finds Yi Chun and Gim Jongsuh doing work--actually hauling the supplies around! Choi asks Yi what he and Gim are doing there; Yi barks something about leaving the shop open and unattended, but he's just avoiding the question. They've come to help get the project going, obviously. Choi smiles and the three of them get to work moving wooden planks inside and out of the rain.
At the Confucian Academy: Choi Manli reaches for the door handle...but he can't bring himself to go in. He sits down on the front step, alone with his thoughts, but then Jeong Inji shows up and sits next to him. "Did you come to mock me?," Choi asks. Jeong cracks, "No, I came to beat you up." They reminisce about their past efforts on their country's behalf, and wonder what to do now...They leave and go back home, and join the group standing out in the rain. Choi even takes the umbrella out of Sejong's hands and holds it over Youngsil himself. "To be honest," he tells the king, "I still don't know if it's a good idea for a slave to hold a post in government." But I do know we need those astronomical instruments. Sejong smiles and tells Choi he'll be glad to debate him about it anytime. Jeong says, "You should know, I never lose." "You're making me tremble," cracks the king. Jeong fires back, "Are you sure it's not because you're cold and hungry?" The jabs lighten the mood a whole lot. And all the while, Youngsil is still kneeling there.
"Don't you have any control over your subordinates?" Huh Jo is berating Byun Gaeryang in front of the other ministers because of the scholars who are now supporting the king. Byun says, "Why don't we yield in this one case? We can make an exception." This starts to sound good to them. Choi Yundeok speaks up in favor of it: "We've already acknowledged his exceptional talent, so we can make a one-time exception." They seriously consider it, but then Jo Malseng tells them, "What about next time? What if someone even more talented than Jang comes along and the king wants to grant him a government post as well? Should we make an exception to the exception?" The ministers don't like that prospect at all (as absurdly remote as it may be).
Park Sil is before prince Kyoungnyeong: "It's time to make a decision, your highness." The prince is troubled: "Is this the only way?" Park tells him he must rally the royals against the king. Then, suddenly: "He will not!" Hyobin barges into the room and immediately takes over. She glares daggers at Park. "How dare you attempt to get the royal house involved in pressuring the king!" Park starts to try to suggest that this a state affair and not really her business, but he can't even finish his sentence: "Silence your audacious tongue! I may be a woman but I have lived in this palace for two and a half decades." Park's eyes are wide and he's speechless. Hyobin angrily continues, "Go back to Jo Malseng and deliver my message: If the ministers can't do their job and require involvement of the royal house, they might as well turn in their uniforms and till soil for a living." Boy, is she pissed (and what a great line; cracked me up). Her son tries to quiet her but she lets him have it too: "Send this man away now!" (For Hyobin it seems like remarkably selfless behavior, the way she's rebuking this effort to challenge 00Sejong.)
Park Sil leaves. He looks back at the house, a little dazed and not knowing what just hit him (and probably feeling lucky that Hyobin didn't whip out a hatchet and eunuch him right then and there).
Back inside: "Do you think I was harsh?", Hyobin asks. Her son tells her, "The king is indeed making a mistake." "But it's too soon for you to get involved. Granting a government post to a slave? The fight will not be easily won...but knowing the king, he will not give up. That means the ministers will turn further and further away from him. And when the situation is at its worst, that's the time you step in." This stuns the prince. "You asked me if my dream was still alive. That is my answer." (So she wasn't being selfless....And she's obviously thought this through. Strange, though, because she isn't radiating evil ambition like she used to. I got the feeling that she was willing to let Sejong sink or swim on his own, and get her son involved only if it becomes necessary and not just out of maternal ambition.)
It's the next morning. Sejong and the group are still out there, but the rain has stopped. And Youngsil is standing up for a change. And now all of the royal attendants are all out there too. From a distance, Hyang has been watching. The queen comes up behind him: "Have you been here all night?", she asks her son. And maybe he has. She tells him, "I wish I could cover your eyes [and] tell you to get back to your chambers now. 'Don't learn this. Take the easier way out. Don't put yourself through this kind of torture fighting. It's all right if the country doesn't soar....' But somehow I don't think you would listen to my pleadings. Because you are too much like your father." She seems very proud of both of them. Then Hyang suddenly realizes something and asks her, "If father is here, then where is Jeongso?" Escort Han steps forward and asks him if she went out into the city unaware of her father's situation. But the queen knows nothing about it: "Go into the city? What's this?"
Jeongso is still in the city waiting for her father. Her mother comes and finds her to take her home. But she won't leave. "He make a promise, a pinky promise." (Note: I have a funny feeling that there was a scene where Sejong and Jeongso made specific plans for a trip into the city, and we weren't shown the scene. It would explain why she's been expecting him out there.) "We have to give grandmother her birthday dinner." Do I have to whip you, her mother says, but then Jeongso realizes that the sun is up and the birthday is over, and she starts to cry. She cries and cries, and then suddenly goes limp and unconscious.
The princess is brought home, put to bed...She's feverish and is calling for her father.
Escort Han goes and tells the king. He gives her his message to the queen: "That I can't go right now, and to please take good care of Jeongso." Yi Su and Yun Hwe advise him to go, for just a bit, but Sejong tells them, "We're working. Not just any work, but critical work that will decide the country's future." He stays right there.
Han has reported back to the queen. "Is this true? You told him that the child is delirious and calling out for him and he refused to come?" The queen isn't too pleased with her husband.
Jo Malseng goes to see prime minister Yu, inquiring about why Yu left work early the previous night. "I hope your mind is firm on this." But it isn't, we learn. "Why don't we bend on this one issue?", Yu asks. "Don't you feel sorry for the king? His daughter has taken ill, but he's still out there fighting." I'm a father too, Jo says, and I do feel for him. But then he drops a bomb on Yu: "Do you know where the king was planning to go with the princess last night? Shim On's widow. He was going to see the queen's mother, who's been grinding her axe and living as a slave since the Shim clan's fall." The visit, he says, might be "groundwork for the Shim clan's restoration of rights." And that's not the half of it. "It could be the start of political revenge. If Shim On is not guilty of a crime, those who accused him and had him executed are." Remember, he tells Yu, you were in the middle of all of that, and "if his name is restored, you will be the first to get hurt." It's a wildly implausible story but it has its effect; Yu is clearly concerned and says nothing more about yielding.
Jo tells Park Sil, "I gave him a good scare, so he won't easily back out." Then Park asks him if he still plans to tell Ming about the astronomy project, since that will ensure a change of kings. Isn't that why you're busily gathering funds--to pay off whoever might need to be paid off? "Why else would you suddenly sell off multiple real estate holdings at once?" Jo's eyes widen: "Multiple real estate holdings?" He has no idea what Park is talking about, but he's become visibly agitated as Park has talked.
In an office, we see Gim Mun finalizing documents, taking part in a transaction and receiving a chest full of money from a buyer. Jo enters the room. "Who told you to sell off my properties?" "What's wrong with sharing a little of the dirty money you acquired selling government posts?", Gim asks him. Jo orders him to cancel the sales immediately, but Gim reminds him (and tells us) that his mother is the legal owner of those properties. Jo angrily replies, "And for that I gave you a government post!" (A-ha...so know we know. This is how Jo successfully evaded corruption audits—-the properties were put in other people's names in exchange for big favors. And Gim knows the whole setup, and spelled it out to Hwang.) Gim cryptically says, "I think that's enough evidence, sir." And then from behind a screen, out steps Hwang Hee. Busss-ted. "I feel bad about this," Hwang tells Jo. But there was no other way." "Gim Mun, you bastard!" Jo is furious but what can he do? Hwang tells Gim, "Let us quickly find out which post minister Jo sold for this house." As they start to leave, Hwang tells him, "It is a great shame. We may never see you at the conference hall again." And they leave Jo standing there alone, shaking with anger but helplessly nailed.
The king is back inside and is reviewing a scroll detailing the evidence; Hwang is before him. "Jo Malseng is guilty of all these counts of bribery?" "You must strike him down immediately," Hwang advises. Now no one will effectively oppose Youngsil's appointment. But Sejong is concerned about Gim Mun; he's an accomplice to all this. "I need time to consider," is Sejong's surprising answer.
As we see Sejong thinking, we see the scholars wondering why he's even bothering to think about this. And at the Astronomy Agency, Yi Chun is worried: "Something isn't right. This is getting more complicated."
Hwang tells Gim Mun, "His majesty is having second thoughts. Do you know that? It's largely because of you. But I don't intend to protect you no matter what his majesty does. Does that offend you?" Gim answers with resignation, "No, sir. I had it good. Having been a member of the Hall of Worthies is more than enough."
Sejong pushes the scroll back to Hwang: "Cover it up." I will not renounce Jo Malseng, he says. Hwang asks, "Is it because of Gim Mun?" Yes, it is--"I can't destroy a promising scholar's future"--but it's because of Jo too. Yes, he does constantly oppose me, but "he is also an important military leader and a talented manager." Hwang is having trouble swallowing this; he tells Sejong that politics requires his removing Jo. But Sejong wants none of this: "I am not asking for a lesson in politics; I am giving you an order." Yikes. Hwang knows when to be quiet and says nothing more. Sejong explains, "I will not destroy the opposition in haste. That is my way."
Hwang leaves, and outside looks back at the palace with equal parts disbelief and bemusement in his face. He goes to tell Jo. Jo smiles. "You should teach him how to deal with his political enemies." "I know," Hwang says, "but that funny man says you are his talented retainer, not his political enemy." Jo is disgustingly cynical: "Am I supposed to cry tears of gratitude now?" No, Hwang says, "I don't need tears but I need you to do this." He hands Jo an envelope; Jo pulls out the contents and reads. "Interesting. Is this the king's idea?" "No, it's my idea. The king is a man of strong principles, but he's not much of a negotiator." Jo says he'll consider it. Then Hwang says, "Whether you agree or not, I will give you a warning. If, heaven forbid, you should expose our astronomy project to Ming, you will have your limbs torn off in the public square for high treason."
The king and ministers are meeting in the throne room. Youngsil is before the king, kneeling and in his blue official's robe. Sejong addresses the ministers: "I granted Jang Youngsil a post in this royal court. But you have the power to take it away from him. If you oppose his appointment, I will listen to your arguments, and if any one of you succeeds in convincing me, I will have that man remove Jang Youngsil's uniform." Any takers? Nope; the silence in the room is deafening. So he calls on Jo: "I would like to hear your opinion." Jo takes a deep breath: "I still believe Jang Youngsil should not be here. But not everyone can remove him from this royal court. Only he who is dedicated enough to risk his own life for new technology like Jang Youngsil can remove Jang Youngsil from his post. Only he who is talented enough to make Jang Youngsil's talent appear worthless can remove that uniform." The other ministers are looking around; what's going on? Sejong asks him, "Who is that man, minister Jo?" "Regretfully not I, your majesty." "Does this mean you do not oppose Jang Youngsil's appointment? "That is correct." Even Youngsil looks up at the sound of that. Sejong says, "I don't think any of us is qualified to remove Youngsil from his post. What do you think, ministers?" Jo is staring ahead like a robot, and nobody else is saying anything. Finally Meng Sasung ventures, "I could not agree more." The king looks at Huh Jo. "I agree as well." (Now THAT is amazing.) Byun Gaeryang says, "We agree, your majesty," and then all of them start saying it simultaneously. Done!
Sejong goes to his daughter; she's still sick and in bed but is doing better. "Would you forgive me?", he asks, holding her hand. She nods. "I'm glad Youngsil has finally become a government official. Does this mean you can free grandmother now? Please free her from servitude like you did for Youngsil, father." "I...can't," he tells her with regret, unable to even look at her. She pulls her hand back, and turns away from him.
Youngsil is by himself, walking towards the Astronomy Agency. He enters, looking a bit nervous, and finds everyone standing waiting for him, smiling and eager. "We've been waiting for you, sir," Jeong Inji tells him. "What can we do for you?" Then Yi Chun steps forward and tells him, "Don't even think about ordering me around. You may be a government official but I am still your superior officer. But if you have work for me as the project supervisor, I'll do it." Youngsil says, "Well, then shall we begin?" "Yes, sir! Let's get to work," they say enthusiastically. And they do.
Subtitles tell us: Jang Youngsil's appointment was a result of King Sejong's human resources principles that all selections should be based on merit and equally, not on social status or background. This precedent still serves as a lesson in modern Korean society, where human resources management continues to be a great issue.