Post by ajk on Oct 21, 2008 14:54:54 GMT -5
Jo Malseng, hooded and bound, is brought by his captors into a courtyard and thrown to his knees. His hood is removed. A figure approaches. Jo's eyes widen....
Omakji has come to see Um Jachi, his friend from Jachi's days in the north. He's frustrated, in tears because of the public's anger against the northerners for incorrectly holding the northerners responsible for the fires. He brings Jachi a sketch of two men. They're the men he saw setting fire to city hall.
Soldiers burst into the courtyard of a building housing some sort of organization. Many men are gathered there. The soldiers find and capture the men from the sketches.
Dami smacks her brother Poongae and knocks him down; she's just found out that Omakji went to provide the sketches and information. Poongae, it turns out, drew the sketches. She winds up to smack him again but Gim Jongsuh comes up and grabs her arm. He asks what's going on. Why is Dami do angry about this?
Jachi tells Omakji he did the right thing turning the men in. But you're an accomplice too, he says, and I can't protect you. (So maybe that's why Dami is angry.)
The two captured men beg for mercy: "We just did what the boss told us."
Soldiers led by Yi Su burst in and arrest Gim Doryeon and Jang Wonman. Yi tells them they're under arrest for arson and possession of illegal weapons. As Gim is dragged away, he screams, "It's Jo Malseng you want!" (Geez, it sure doesn't take much to make these guys talk.)
Jo is staring up at...Sejong! "Just as I thought," Jo says. "You don't have what it takes to be king." A strange statement, but then we see prince Kyoungnyeong standing next to Sejong. "I will not be your puppet any more," the prince tells Jo. (So Kyoungnyeong apparently decided not to go through with it and went to Sejong and confessed.) Sejong tells Yun Hwe, "Clear the yard." This is a surprising request, but everyone files out and laves Sejong and Jo alone.
Dami and Poongae and Gim Jongsuh reach the palace just in time to see Omakji being led away by Jachi and several guards. Dami tries to intercede with Jachi, but Omakji won't let her: "I can't make you and everyone else enemies just so I could live," he tells her. "I'd rather live one day with dignity than a lifetime without it." (VERY nicely put. What a beautiful line.) "Let's go," he tells Jachi, and they head away. Dami freaks out but there's nothing she can do, and Gim holds her back. As he leaves, Omakji turns back and tells Poongae, "Take care of her. She acts strong, but she's got a really soft heart."
Sejong drops a sword in front of Jo. "You'll have to die now," he tells him; "Are you afraid?" Silence. Then the king gives him an opening: "Call off the troops at once. Issue an order and stop the regional forces you were sending to the capital." What does this mean? "It means I'm going to let you live if you undo what you've done." Ever the schemer, Jo asks him, "Is it because of Kyoungnyeong? You're sparing me so you could save your half-brother?" Sejong tenses. "You're an amazing man. You have the nerve to banter at a time like this." Then he tells Jo why he's making the offer, and it's not because of Kyoungnyeong: "The fires have put enough fear into the public. I do not wish to add sedition to their anxiety. Will you undo what you've done or will you die?"
"Jo Malseng must die!" Gim Jongsuh enters a room and demands of Meng Sasung and Hwang Hee that Jo be executed immediately because his actions have killed many innocent people. Gim Doryeon and Jang Wonman are in the room too, bound and captive (it isn't clear but it looks like Meng and Hwang might be in the middle of questioning the two prisoners). Then the Hall of Worthies scholars come in and inform Hwang of the results of an investigation, an investigation apparently prompted by information from Doryeon. It turns out that Jo was keeping two sets of personal accounting books to hide a massive accumulation of bribe money. Doryeon, the scholars reveal, was collecting bribes for Jo from slave traders in the north. Doryeon himself then explains that Jo allowed them to capture the Jurchen refugees who crossed the border and sell them off as slaves. (So somehow Jo arranged as minister of military to allow this to go on unimpeded.) The slave trade was very lucrative, and through it Jo amassed a whopping 780 guans of silver. (I don't know how much a guan is, but:) We learn that the death sentence threshold under Ming canon is 80 guans--so that's nearly ten death sentences worth of dirty money. That's all Meng needs to hear. "How quickly we can take care of this?", he asks, and orders Jo's arrest.
"The royal inspector has issued a warrant for his arrest?" Yun Hwe has just told a surprised Sejong. Then he tells him that Jo isn't being charged with arson. (So we have two separate lines of inquiry going at the same time, and neither is aware of the other.)
Hwang is told that Jo isn't at his home. Meng is concerned that he might have escaped and may be manipulating his loyal military forces. What to do? Must be careful; civil war could break out.
"What were you planning to do with so much money?" Sejong is incredulous. Jo says nothing. "How far were you going to go?" Still nothing. "You used security to threaten me over and over again. But [you] tried to take the troops away from the northern border...You'll risk ruining the country to steal the throne and rise to power?" Jo replies matter-of-factly, "This is my country as well." What amazing cojones. Then he drops in a surprising piece of news: "National security, especially the northern border, is not at risk."
We're abruptly thrown into a completely different setting: a room somewhere in or near the Ming capital. We see and learn that the late emperor's brother Zhu Goaxu has joined hands with Li Manzhu and the Jurchens, apparently in an attempt to seize power from the late emperor's son, who's the new emperor. (I think I've got that right, but let me know if I misinterpreted.) The Jurchen army, we find out, is headed to Ming and not to Joseon.
We see Wang Zhen, the spy agency head; he's before a figure who has his back turned. "Do as you see fit," Wang is told. Wang bows (so this must be the new emperor).
Zhu Goaxu tells Li Manzhu, "If you take care of me, you will be the de facto leader of Liaodong." So that's their arrangement. Suddenly guards rush in and kill almost everyone in the room. Zhu is standing there holding a sword, too taken by surprise to know what to do, when a knife comes flying across the room and knocks the sword from his hand, leaving his arm bloody. Guess who? Wang Zhen comes in. Zhu glares at him and says, Just kill me and get it over with. No chance of that, Wang tells him. "You need a stronger punishment for losing sight of who you are." He instructs the guards, "Treat him gently." Yikes.
Out in the hallway, Li Manzhu throws himself at the feet of the departing Wang Zhen and begs for mercy. In the background we hear some major-league screaming, assumedly Zhu being tortured (or slowly put to death). Wang tells Li contemptuously that the emperor losing his uncle is too great a burden for him "to deal with a petty barbarian like you. Consider yourself lucky." And he leaves. Manzhu can't believe it.
Later Wang Zhen is with Haishou. To our surprise, he asks Haishou about Jo Malseng! "Tell me about him. Is he capable of giving complete loyalty to Ming?" No answer from Haishou. Wang continues cryptically, "The world calls Joseon 'small China.' Do you know why?" Perhaps, Haishou guesses, it's because Joseon has accepted so many people who have fled from Chinese territory. "Include Jo Malseng in the next diplomatic mission," Wang instructs. (Well this was certainly weird.)
Back to Sejong and Jo. "It's a shame that I do not have your loyalty. What do you think should happen to you now?" "My wish is to be executed in front of my subordinates." "How about vowing loyalty to me and pleading for mercy?" "I have no such desire. Your majesty's idea of Joseon is too far from my idea of Joseon." Jo continues, "Kill me before my men. Punish me and teach them a lesson so they will not attempt to defy you. This is the only way to prevent a civil war. This is my last loyal act to my country." You can tell from his face and his voice that he's sincere about this. "Your wish will be granted," Sejong tells him.
Park Sil, Yi Sunmong and other military commanders loyal to Jo are meeting, awaiting word from Jo to launch a coup. "We are one with minister Jo," Park says, "so we will live and die together." Then a messenger enters with a written order from Jo.
The next day: The king and ministers are meeting. Meng Sasung (who, by the way, appears to be the prime minister now; it was never told to us, but after Yu Jeonghyun left, Meng started wearing the light blue robe, and here he's seated closest to the king) demands an order for Jo's arrest. Sejong surprises him and everyone else by announcing that Jo "is under my protection." Protection? This isn't received well at all. He must not be protected, the ministers say; he must be put to death. "I will not allow it," Sejong says. "You have the facts wrong." (Huh!?) "His assets will be confiscated and absorbed by the national treasury, and Jo Malseng will be punished by exile." He tells everyone not to fight him on this, and he leaves. Nobody in the room likes this; most are stunned. (And so are we, or at least, so am I. Enough already! Good grief, Sejong has already been way too patient and way too forgiving with him. Give him the big haircut and be done with him.)
Kyoungnyeong is visiting Sejong. "If you are doing this for me, you shouldn't." (That is, if Sejong is playing down the whole episode to spare Kyoungnyeong from what would have to be a severe punishment.) But that's not the reason. "You changed you mind at the last minute. What does that mean? It means you and I had built enough trust for one another to take a step back and think about each other at least once before it's too late. But what about Jo Malseng? I was always too busy guarding against him to think about embracing him and reasoning with him."
"Return, good government! Return, good government!" It's Gim Jongsuh; he's dressed in prisoner's white, standing on the roof of a building and protesting. (Note: If this looks vaguely familiar to you, you're right. Gim did the exact same thing in Episode 12, after king Taejong forcefully suppressed the Confucian scholars' protest against the Ming envoy's demands.) "This government is descending once again. We must dissuade the king who ignores laws and process...to protect a criminal with irrefutable proof of his crime. Return, good government!"
Poongae is presented with paper and brushes by Jachi and Ogeun. They're from Sejong; he liked the sketches that Poongae had prepared of the hardship in the north and would like Poongae to continue preparing these "pictorial reports." Then Dami presents the eunuchs with a petition. A petition for what?
Nighttime: Choi Manli is burning books! He throws a pile on the ground outside of the Hall of Worthies and then sets them on fire. Fortunately, Byun Gaeryang and other scholars happen upon the scene and put out the fire before too much damage is done. Then Choi presents his resignation to Byun.
Sejong is brought the resignation by Byun. "Reason with him," the king tells Byun, and accept the resignation if that doesn't work. Byun protests that Choi is talented and has a bright future. Sejong replies, "I'm sure you'll agree that Jo Malseng is a talented man as well." Byun sighs.
Evening; the king and queen are standing outside together. The queen tells her husband, "I thought he scholars would support you if no one else." Then from the side, "Is there anything I can do to help?" It's Hyobin. "This must be so distressful," she tells him. He tells her not to worry, but then she drops to her knees in front of him. "I've come to pay you back for sparing my son's life," she says, her eyes welling up. Please tell me what I can do." "Please don't cry," Sejong tells her. "I feel like a bad son as it is for not taking better care of you since father passed." Hyobin is surprised: "Did you say 'son'?" "My brother's mother is my mother as well." It's a nice sentiment and she's almost overwhelmed by it. You have such a heavy load to bear at such a young age, she tells him, "but I made your load even heavier with my blind selfishness. Kyoungnyeong has a wonderful brother. My tears will be yours until the day I die...That is all I have to give you, your majesty."
The next day: Hyoryeong is tending to the fire victims at his compound. Kyoungnyeong comes to see him. They talk. "Were you embittered?", Hyoryeong asks. Kyoungnyeong doesn't really answer but explains, "If I had made it to the throne, that wouldn't have been good" because Jo would have wielded the real power. He asks Hyoryeong, "What was your reason? Father had chosen you before he chose Choongnyeong." Hyoryeong replies, "Because I was not the wise one"...Flashback to Ep38; Yangnyeong telling Hyoryeong, "You're not the wise one. You're too clean to be the wise one"...Flashback ending (and another dose of really crappy music beginning, I'm sorry to say), Hyoryeong advises his half-brother, "Life isn't easy for either of us, because those who distrust the king repeatedly bait us with the throne. Don't forget who you are from now on. Stand firmly behind the king and [concentrate on] people and places that the king's hands do not reach. I think that's our role as princes." They begin to pitch in and tend to the fire victims, and seem to be happy doing it. Then the Queen and Hyobin show up, and they and their attendants all start to help too (which would have made Wongyeong very happy).
Choi Manli is at his home, chopping wood. Byun Gaeryang comes to visit. Choi doesn't want to talk. If you came to talk me into coming back, Choi says, then go back home. Byun tries anyway: "A king who protects his political enemy albeit at the cost of his aide, the world calls him benevolent king." But Choi doesn't buy it and goes inside. (Frankly, it's a pretty weak argument.)
Gim Jongsuh is in a jail cell. Sejong comes to visit him and offers him a drink. "I don't drink when I'm working," Gim says. Working? "Pointing out the king's wrongdoing is the most important work I will ever do." Okay, Sejong says, "If you don't want to drink, then how about this? It's from the northerners. I'd like you to see it." Through the bars he hands Gim the paper that Dami presented to Jachi. It's not really a formal petition; it's a painting of a large group of happy people in a northern forest--northerners, the king, his eunuchs, and even Gim Jongsuh is in there too. "They want a world where we can all laugh and live together in harmony. The northern states are under constant threat of war. And if a war breaks out, there is no laughter. If a man has the smallest amount of ability that could contribute to preserving that laughter, I cannot give him up." He asks Gim, "Can't we give him a little time? If he does not repent and it becomes clear that he cannot become a true servant of Joseon, then I will give up on him."
Jo is in a prisoner cart, dressed in white, leaving the capital and being taken out of the country. Park Sil, walking next to the cart, asks him, "Why did you call off the troops, sir?" But Jo only tells him, "Just keep the country safe." The cart continues on, but then it stops because Choi Manli is blocking its path. He approaches Jo. "You look like a happy camper. If you know what honor is, you would take your own life right now. Do it. If you don't have the guts, I'll do it for you." Jo tells him, "A bird is a bird even if it has lost its wings." Choi starts to get angry: "You think you'll be able to fly again?" "Someday I will," Jo tells him, "as long as I am alive." Choi gets angry as Jo continues: The incompetence of the Hall of Worthies will be the main reason I come back, he says, "and if I do come back, I intend to crush you and the king to the bone." Choi lunges into the cage and tries to strangle him; soldiers pull him away and throw him down. As the cart leaves the scene, Jo lets loose with a first-class evil laugh. Loud and maniacal.
Sejong gently examines one of the books damaged by the burning. Then another book is placed in front of him, a new book. Choi Manli has brought it to him. "You seemed saddened by the burned books, so I rescribed them for you." He had memorized the burned books! He tells Sejong, It's lucky that the damaged books were books that I had memorized. Seeing right through this, Sejong answers, "Or maybe you destroyed only the ones you memorized." In any event, Choi has come back. "I'm not back because I think you're right," he tells the king; "I'm back because I'm confident I can fight you and win." Sejong smiles. "Then what shall we start with first?" We hear, "How about the snags in the tax reform?" It's Byun, with the other scholars. Gim Jongsuh is there too, freed from jail. Byun tells him, "We need a tax system that nobles and commoners can both live with." They all sit down and dive right into the details.
Omakji has come to see Um Jachi, his friend from Jachi's days in the north. He's frustrated, in tears because of the public's anger against the northerners for incorrectly holding the northerners responsible for the fires. He brings Jachi a sketch of two men. They're the men he saw setting fire to city hall.
Soldiers burst into the courtyard of a building housing some sort of organization. Many men are gathered there. The soldiers find and capture the men from the sketches.
Dami smacks her brother Poongae and knocks him down; she's just found out that Omakji went to provide the sketches and information. Poongae, it turns out, drew the sketches. She winds up to smack him again but Gim Jongsuh comes up and grabs her arm. He asks what's going on. Why is Dami do angry about this?
Jachi tells Omakji he did the right thing turning the men in. But you're an accomplice too, he says, and I can't protect you. (So maybe that's why Dami is angry.)
The two captured men beg for mercy: "We just did what the boss told us."
Soldiers led by Yi Su burst in and arrest Gim Doryeon and Jang Wonman. Yi tells them they're under arrest for arson and possession of illegal weapons. As Gim is dragged away, he screams, "It's Jo Malseng you want!" (Geez, it sure doesn't take much to make these guys talk.)
Jo is staring up at...Sejong! "Just as I thought," Jo says. "You don't have what it takes to be king." A strange statement, but then we see prince Kyoungnyeong standing next to Sejong. "I will not be your puppet any more," the prince tells Jo. (So Kyoungnyeong apparently decided not to go through with it and went to Sejong and confessed.) Sejong tells Yun Hwe, "Clear the yard." This is a surprising request, but everyone files out and laves Sejong and Jo alone.
Dami and Poongae and Gim Jongsuh reach the palace just in time to see Omakji being led away by Jachi and several guards. Dami tries to intercede with Jachi, but Omakji won't let her: "I can't make you and everyone else enemies just so I could live," he tells her. "I'd rather live one day with dignity than a lifetime without it." (VERY nicely put. What a beautiful line.) "Let's go," he tells Jachi, and they head away. Dami freaks out but there's nothing she can do, and Gim holds her back. As he leaves, Omakji turns back and tells Poongae, "Take care of her. She acts strong, but she's got a really soft heart."
Sejong drops a sword in front of Jo. "You'll have to die now," he tells him; "Are you afraid?" Silence. Then the king gives him an opening: "Call off the troops at once. Issue an order and stop the regional forces you were sending to the capital." What does this mean? "It means I'm going to let you live if you undo what you've done." Ever the schemer, Jo asks him, "Is it because of Kyoungnyeong? You're sparing me so you could save your half-brother?" Sejong tenses. "You're an amazing man. You have the nerve to banter at a time like this." Then he tells Jo why he's making the offer, and it's not because of Kyoungnyeong: "The fires have put enough fear into the public. I do not wish to add sedition to their anxiety. Will you undo what you've done or will you die?"
"Jo Malseng must die!" Gim Jongsuh enters a room and demands of Meng Sasung and Hwang Hee that Jo be executed immediately because his actions have killed many innocent people. Gim Doryeon and Jang Wonman are in the room too, bound and captive (it isn't clear but it looks like Meng and Hwang might be in the middle of questioning the two prisoners). Then the Hall of Worthies scholars come in and inform Hwang of the results of an investigation, an investigation apparently prompted by information from Doryeon. It turns out that Jo was keeping two sets of personal accounting books to hide a massive accumulation of bribe money. Doryeon, the scholars reveal, was collecting bribes for Jo from slave traders in the north. Doryeon himself then explains that Jo allowed them to capture the Jurchen refugees who crossed the border and sell them off as slaves. (So somehow Jo arranged as minister of military to allow this to go on unimpeded.) The slave trade was very lucrative, and through it Jo amassed a whopping 780 guans of silver. (I don't know how much a guan is, but:) We learn that the death sentence threshold under Ming canon is 80 guans--so that's nearly ten death sentences worth of dirty money. That's all Meng needs to hear. "How quickly we can take care of this?", he asks, and orders Jo's arrest.
"The royal inspector has issued a warrant for his arrest?" Yun Hwe has just told a surprised Sejong. Then he tells him that Jo isn't being charged with arson. (So we have two separate lines of inquiry going at the same time, and neither is aware of the other.)
Hwang is told that Jo isn't at his home. Meng is concerned that he might have escaped and may be manipulating his loyal military forces. What to do? Must be careful; civil war could break out.
"What were you planning to do with so much money?" Sejong is incredulous. Jo says nothing. "How far were you going to go?" Still nothing. "You used security to threaten me over and over again. But [you] tried to take the troops away from the northern border...You'll risk ruining the country to steal the throne and rise to power?" Jo replies matter-of-factly, "This is my country as well." What amazing cojones. Then he drops in a surprising piece of news: "National security, especially the northern border, is not at risk."
We're abruptly thrown into a completely different setting: a room somewhere in or near the Ming capital. We see and learn that the late emperor's brother Zhu Goaxu has joined hands with Li Manzhu and the Jurchens, apparently in an attempt to seize power from the late emperor's son, who's the new emperor. (I think I've got that right, but let me know if I misinterpreted.) The Jurchen army, we find out, is headed to Ming and not to Joseon.
We see Wang Zhen, the spy agency head; he's before a figure who has his back turned. "Do as you see fit," Wang is told. Wang bows (so this must be the new emperor).
Zhu Goaxu tells Li Manzhu, "If you take care of me, you will be the de facto leader of Liaodong." So that's their arrangement. Suddenly guards rush in and kill almost everyone in the room. Zhu is standing there holding a sword, too taken by surprise to know what to do, when a knife comes flying across the room and knocks the sword from his hand, leaving his arm bloody. Guess who? Wang Zhen comes in. Zhu glares at him and says, Just kill me and get it over with. No chance of that, Wang tells him. "You need a stronger punishment for losing sight of who you are." He instructs the guards, "Treat him gently." Yikes.
Out in the hallway, Li Manzhu throws himself at the feet of the departing Wang Zhen and begs for mercy. In the background we hear some major-league screaming, assumedly Zhu being tortured (or slowly put to death). Wang tells Li contemptuously that the emperor losing his uncle is too great a burden for him "to deal with a petty barbarian like you. Consider yourself lucky." And he leaves. Manzhu can't believe it.
Later Wang Zhen is with Haishou. To our surprise, he asks Haishou about Jo Malseng! "Tell me about him. Is he capable of giving complete loyalty to Ming?" No answer from Haishou. Wang continues cryptically, "The world calls Joseon 'small China.' Do you know why?" Perhaps, Haishou guesses, it's because Joseon has accepted so many people who have fled from Chinese territory. "Include Jo Malseng in the next diplomatic mission," Wang instructs. (Well this was certainly weird.)
Back to Sejong and Jo. "It's a shame that I do not have your loyalty. What do you think should happen to you now?" "My wish is to be executed in front of my subordinates." "How about vowing loyalty to me and pleading for mercy?" "I have no such desire. Your majesty's idea of Joseon is too far from my idea of Joseon." Jo continues, "Kill me before my men. Punish me and teach them a lesson so they will not attempt to defy you. This is the only way to prevent a civil war. This is my last loyal act to my country." You can tell from his face and his voice that he's sincere about this. "Your wish will be granted," Sejong tells him.
Park Sil, Yi Sunmong and other military commanders loyal to Jo are meeting, awaiting word from Jo to launch a coup. "We are one with minister Jo," Park says, "so we will live and die together." Then a messenger enters with a written order from Jo.
The next day: The king and ministers are meeting. Meng Sasung (who, by the way, appears to be the prime minister now; it was never told to us, but after Yu Jeonghyun left, Meng started wearing the light blue robe, and here he's seated closest to the king) demands an order for Jo's arrest. Sejong surprises him and everyone else by announcing that Jo "is under my protection." Protection? This isn't received well at all. He must not be protected, the ministers say; he must be put to death. "I will not allow it," Sejong says. "You have the facts wrong." (Huh!?) "His assets will be confiscated and absorbed by the national treasury, and Jo Malseng will be punished by exile." He tells everyone not to fight him on this, and he leaves. Nobody in the room likes this; most are stunned. (And so are we, or at least, so am I. Enough already! Good grief, Sejong has already been way too patient and way too forgiving with him. Give him the big haircut and be done with him.)
Kyoungnyeong is visiting Sejong. "If you are doing this for me, you shouldn't." (That is, if Sejong is playing down the whole episode to spare Kyoungnyeong from what would have to be a severe punishment.) But that's not the reason. "You changed you mind at the last minute. What does that mean? It means you and I had built enough trust for one another to take a step back and think about each other at least once before it's too late. But what about Jo Malseng? I was always too busy guarding against him to think about embracing him and reasoning with him."
"Return, good government! Return, good government!" It's Gim Jongsuh; he's dressed in prisoner's white, standing on the roof of a building and protesting. (Note: If this looks vaguely familiar to you, you're right. Gim did the exact same thing in Episode 12, after king Taejong forcefully suppressed the Confucian scholars' protest against the Ming envoy's demands.) "This government is descending once again. We must dissuade the king who ignores laws and process...to protect a criminal with irrefutable proof of his crime. Return, good government!"
Poongae is presented with paper and brushes by Jachi and Ogeun. They're from Sejong; he liked the sketches that Poongae had prepared of the hardship in the north and would like Poongae to continue preparing these "pictorial reports." Then Dami presents the eunuchs with a petition. A petition for what?
Nighttime: Choi Manli is burning books! He throws a pile on the ground outside of the Hall of Worthies and then sets them on fire. Fortunately, Byun Gaeryang and other scholars happen upon the scene and put out the fire before too much damage is done. Then Choi presents his resignation to Byun.
Sejong is brought the resignation by Byun. "Reason with him," the king tells Byun, and accept the resignation if that doesn't work. Byun protests that Choi is talented and has a bright future. Sejong replies, "I'm sure you'll agree that Jo Malseng is a talented man as well." Byun sighs.
Evening; the king and queen are standing outside together. The queen tells her husband, "I thought he scholars would support you if no one else." Then from the side, "Is there anything I can do to help?" It's Hyobin. "This must be so distressful," she tells him. He tells her not to worry, but then she drops to her knees in front of him. "I've come to pay you back for sparing my son's life," she says, her eyes welling up. Please tell me what I can do." "Please don't cry," Sejong tells her. "I feel like a bad son as it is for not taking better care of you since father passed." Hyobin is surprised: "Did you say 'son'?" "My brother's mother is my mother as well." It's a nice sentiment and she's almost overwhelmed by it. You have such a heavy load to bear at such a young age, she tells him, "but I made your load even heavier with my blind selfishness. Kyoungnyeong has a wonderful brother. My tears will be yours until the day I die...That is all I have to give you, your majesty."
The next day: Hyoryeong is tending to the fire victims at his compound. Kyoungnyeong comes to see him. They talk. "Were you embittered?", Hyoryeong asks. Kyoungnyeong doesn't really answer but explains, "If I had made it to the throne, that wouldn't have been good" because Jo would have wielded the real power. He asks Hyoryeong, "What was your reason? Father had chosen you before he chose Choongnyeong." Hyoryeong replies, "Because I was not the wise one"...Flashback to Ep38; Yangnyeong telling Hyoryeong, "You're not the wise one. You're too clean to be the wise one"...Flashback ending (and another dose of really crappy music beginning, I'm sorry to say), Hyoryeong advises his half-brother, "Life isn't easy for either of us, because those who distrust the king repeatedly bait us with the throne. Don't forget who you are from now on. Stand firmly behind the king and [concentrate on] people and places that the king's hands do not reach. I think that's our role as princes." They begin to pitch in and tend to the fire victims, and seem to be happy doing it. Then the Queen and Hyobin show up, and they and their attendants all start to help too (which would have made Wongyeong very happy).
Choi Manli is at his home, chopping wood. Byun Gaeryang comes to visit. Choi doesn't want to talk. If you came to talk me into coming back, Choi says, then go back home. Byun tries anyway: "A king who protects his political enemy albeit at the cost of his aide, the world calls him benevolent king." But Choi doesn't buy it and goes inside. (Frankly, it's a pretty weak argument.)
Gim Jongsuh is in a jail cell. Sejong comes to visit him and offers him a drink. "I don't drink when I'm working," Gim says. Working? "Pointing out the king's wrongdoing is the most important work I will ever do." Okay, Sejong says, "If you don't want to drink, then how about this? It's from the northerners. I'd like you to see it." Through the bars he hands Gim the paper that Dami presented to Jachi. It's not really a formal petition; it's a painting of a large group of happy people in a northern forest--northerners, the king, his eunuchs, and even Gim Jongsuh is in there too. "They want a world where we can all laugh and live together in harmony. The northern states are under constant threat of war. And if a war breaks out, there is no laughter. If a man has the smallest amount of ability that could contribute to preserving that laughter, I cannot give him up." He asks Gim, "Can't we give him a little time? If he does not repent and it becomes clear that he cannot become a true servant of Joseon, then I will give up on him."
Jo is in a prisoner cart, dressed in white, leaving the capital and being taken out of the country. Park Sil, walking next to the cart, asks him, "Why did you call off the troops, sir?" But Jo only tells him, "Just keep the country safe." The cart continues on, but then it stops because Choi Manli is blocking its path. He approaches Jo. "You look like a happy camper. If you know what honor is, you would take your own life right now. Do it. If you don't have the guts, I'll do it for you." Jo tells him, "A bird is a bird even if it has lost its wings." Choi starts to get angry: "You think you'll be able to fly again?" "Someday I will," Jo tells him, "as long as I am alive." Choi gets angry as Jo continues: The incompetence of the Hall of Worthies will be the main reason I come back, he says, "and if I do come back, I intend to crush you and the king to the bone." Choi lunges into the cage and tries to strangle him; soldiers pull him away and throw him down. As the cart leaves the scene, Jo lets loose with a first-class evil laugh. Loud and maniacal.
Sejong gently examines one of the books damaged by the burning. Then another book is placed in front of him, a new book. Choi Manli has brought it to him. "You seemed saddened by the burned books, so I rescribed them for you." He had memorized the burned books! He tells Sejong, It's lucky that the damaged books were books that I had memorized. Seeing right through this, Sejong answers, "Or maybe you destroyed only the ones you memorized." In any event, Choi has come back. "I'm not back because I think you're right," he tells the king; "I'm back because I'm confident I can fight you and win." Sejong smiles. "Then what shall we start with first?" We hear, "How about the snags in the tax reform?" It's Byun, with the other scholars. Gim Jongsuh is there too, freed from jail. Byun tells him, "We need a tax system that nobles and commoners can both live with." They all sit down and dive right into the details.