Post by ajk on Nov 14, 2008 13:14:34 GMT -5
"You will go to the Forbidden City," Wang instructs Poongae. Poongae asks, "Is it the emperor?" Wang doesn't answer.
1434, the Forbidden City. The emperor, behind a translucent curtain, is talking to his eight-year-old son the prince imperial. "Soon you will become master of the heavens. That is why I've chosen the man who will lead you to the throne."
Hwang Hee tells Sejong that the emperor's health is continuing to deteriorate, meaning that the prince imperial's mentor could become the de facto emperor. But who will that person be?
A man walks into the emperor's chambers. His name is Huang Zan. He greets the young boy in several different languages. The boy tells him that he likes the Joseonese greeting the best. (Was it really necessary to put that pandering in the scene?)
Hwang Hee tells Sejong that Huang is the emperor's most trusted man and the top scholar at the Hanlin Academy. And, we learn, he's going to be visiting Joseon as an envoy. Sejong tells Hwang to have the Hall of Worthies gather all available information on him.
At the observatory: Sejong visits and encourages the scholars in their efforts. Yi Sunji asks him about he coming Ming diplomatic mission: "Are we safe using the astronomical instruments?" "We will make it safe," Sejong assures him, "if only for your hard work and effort."
In a Ming courtyard, Huang Zan is leading a group around and encounters Wang Zhen, who has Haishou, Yanguo and Poongae with him. Wang says, "I heard you're going to Joseon as an envoy. Your shoulders must be heavy. Joseon is a dangerous state." Huang doesn't flinch and replies, "Between you and Joseon, I wonder which is more dangerous to the house of Ming." Wang smiles. So does Huang, who walks away. Wang tells Poongae, "That's the man I want you to kill. Kill him as soon as he enters Joseon!"
Gang Hui is summoned to see Sejong. "Send word to Peking," the king instructs. "Find a way to get in touch with Hanlin scholar Huang Zan. The fate of our ganui is in his hands now." Huh?
Uiju, near the Ming border: A group of ministers is waiting to receive Huang Zan for his visit. But he's not there. Yehjin is there, but not Huang. Huang has gone ahead, alone. "He takes special interest in barbarian languages," Yehjin explains. Meaning, he went out into the countryside on his own.
We see a single horsecart going through the woods with Huang on the cart and a single driver. From a distance, Haishou, Poongae and several other agents are watching. Huang must die in Joseon, Haishou tells Poongae, because it will cause diplomatic friction between Ming and Joseon.
Then we hear Wang Zhen complete the explanation: "And to smooth out the friction, they will have to turn over their new weapons technology."
A knife is thrown by Poongae; it thwacks into the cart driver's back and he falls to the ground. Then Poongae charges the cart, where Huang is now sleeping with his face covered by his big hat. But suddenly we see it's not Huang any more--it's Gang Hui! They pulled a switcheroo. He and Poongae start to sword-fight; then Haishou charges in and it's two-on-one. Gang inflicts a shoulder wound on Haishou; Poongae manages to knock Gang down; and Haishou and Poongae flee. (What happened to the support squad? Made no sense.) So the assassination attempt was foiled. When it's all over, we see the cart driver get up, holding the knife that was thrown at him--a collapsible knife that didn't even wound him. Gang Hui smiles at the outcome.
"You failed?" Haishou and Poongae are before Wang Zhen. Haishou remarks, "I think we have a traitor among us."
Uiju--the Muwi Guards safe house. Huang is there, with Yun Hwe. "I owe you my life." "We'll collect that debt in due time." "How did you know Dongchang was after my life?" Yun explains that there are agents who are more interested in money than in loyalty.
Poongae has charged into Yanguo's quarters and goes rifling through his cabinets, as Wang and Haishou watch and as Yanguo gets angry and tries to stop him. Then Poongae finds a bag. Inside the bag are pieces of silver--Joseonese silver. Wang throws one of those wrist-knives and that's it for Yanguo right then and there.
Outside of the room, Poongae asks whether or not the technology can be acquired now. Haishou says, "Do you think this is the only trap we set?" But Wang shuts them up: "I don't like chatterers as much as I don't like traitors."
At the Joseon Secret Weapons Development Agency Building: Evening. Jeong Changson and Gim Mun sneak into the building...only to find it empty. COMPLETELY empty. The place has been cleaned out! Not even a loose piece of metal remains. Then they find, in one last room, Choi Manli sitting alone. What are any of these three doing in this building? They don't belong here. Jeong asks Choi, "Did you tell the king about our plan?" Choi is almost amused. "You ought to know him better. He's not the kind of man who scrambles to cover the well after the child has drowned in it. If he were that stupid, I would have beaten him long ago."
Sejong confirms with Yi Chun and Choi Yundeok that the weapons agency has been relocated, and then orders that all of the agency's files and records be destroyed to keep Ming from getting any of the information. "Memorize everything and destroy them." Then Choi and Yi remind Sejong that they and Choi Haesan could themselves become targets, since they're so familiar with the weapons technology. Sejong nods.
Back in the empty building: "If you want to go up against the king, you need to be a lot smarter." Choi pats Jeong on the shoulder and starts to walk out. But Gim asks him, "Aren't we on the same side here? You want to get your hands on the technology and get into Hanlin as much as we do." (So THAT'S the story.) Choi nods towards Jeong and tells Gim, "This guy is new, so I understand, but you should know me better after all these years of working together." Strange.
Youngsil presents some of the weapons records to, of all people, princes Jinyang and Anpyeong! They're going to help with the memorization. Then crown prince Hyang comes in and says he'll help too. He wasn't asked to be here, but he showed up anyway. Jinyang is surprised because Hyang was against the development of the technology in the first place. "I still am," he says; "I can't keep myself in the dark just because I'm against it. A considerable portion of our national budget is being wasted in weapons development." Jinyang is suspicious that he's just learning the information so he can oppose the work that much more effectively, but Hyang says, No, it's in the national interest to do this. Hmmm....
Outside, Jeong Changson is listening.
At the Hall of Worthies: Jeong asks Choi Manli, "How did you think to use the crown prince?" (Uh-oh.) "He hates war," Choi says. "If this works out," Jeong realizes, "the crown prince might personally divulge the secrets of the new weapons to..." Choi cuts him off: "I hate long-winded conversations."
"How do you think the crown prince found out?" Youngsil tells Sejong, "I think he is smart enough to figure this out on his own." But Sejong isn't so sure.
Ogeun and Choi go to see the crown prince; they find him asleep next to the book he's memorizing. Choi offers to stay and watch over him for a while. Ogeun leaves. After making sure that Hyang is sound asleep, Choi picks up the book and begins reading it for himself. But then Hyang wakes up anyway. He sees that Choi is impressed by the information, just as he was. "It is indeed impressive," Choi acknowledges. "It's not easy do develop this kind of technology in such a short time." Hyang answers, "Am I not supposed to be as proud, as the crown prince and as a Joseonese?" Choi tells him, "This technology is too dangerous to be proud of." "Because we will be isolated if Ming finds out that we have this technology?" Choi gives him a full spiel: "If we share it with them, it might prove our loyalty...Size-wise, population-wise, we are no match for Ming. The world revolves around Ming. Politics is reality. Hanging onto unrealistic ideals will get us nowhere. Peaceful coexistence with Ming while pursuing domestic prosperity is the best choice we can make right now."
The next morning: For the first time, we get a glimpse of the water clock. Then we see the weapons records being burned.
Choi Yundeok reports to military leaders that the records are being destroyed and that distribution of additional rockets has been halted until the Ming envoy leaves the country.
Preparations are being made for the envoy's formal reception. Out in a public street, Huang Zan and Yehjin are walking around incognito and are amazed to find a sundial right out there in public. They assume that someone stole it--but why put it in a public place? A street vendor hears them and says, No, the king put it there. Turns out, sundials are all over the place. "It must be a while since you've been to Joseon," the vendor tells them. "Soon an automatic clock will tell us what time it is. Keep your ears open." Then we see the innards of the clock. Water droplets, rolling metal balls, all kinds of moving parts, a real Rube Goldberg contraption, but darned if it doesn't run like, uh, clockwork. And when it chimes, it's the signal for drums and bells around the city to be struck to mark the hour. It's eleven a.m. Huang and Yehjin are amazed by all of this. Then they look closely at the sundial in front of them. They see an inscription on it. 38 1/4 degrees! Uh-oh. "The king of Joseon is a thief," Huang says, realizing that Joseon must somehow have gotten the astronomical tools to make such a measurement. "As Wang Zhen warned, Joseon might indeed be a very dangerous state."
At the observatory, Jeong Inji scholars points out to Sejong that the local latitude is on the sundials, and what if the envoy should notice this? Shouldn't we have removed the sundials? But strangely, Sejong isn't concerned at all.
We see the crown princess in her chambers with a gathering of five other young women, including Sosang (her apparent lover from the previous episode) and Consort Kwon (the future queen Hyundeok). Music, dancers, food and drink--an all-girl party. Kwon tells the princess she's had too much to drink; the princess gets angry and throws a cup of wine in her face. "A lowly consort trying to lecture the crown princess?" But then the queen enters: "What is the meaning of this?" The princess doesn't bat an eye: "Would you like to join us, your highness?" The queen tells escort Han, "Clear the room." And it clears out, fast. Soheon tells the princess, "Stop this behavior at once." "I'm simply doing my princessly duty...I'm reviewing the dancers' and musicians' performances for the envoy's reception." That's a flimsy excuse, and the queen knows it: "I'm your mother. Do I have to whip you to stop your backtalk?" "My mother? What mother in the world get her daughter's husband a mistress?" That silences the queen, for a moment at least, but then she answers, "The crown prince is over 20 years old but he does not have an heir. There is no bigger problem than this in the royal house." You're not my mother, the princess says; you care more about getting an heir than you care about me. So the queen changes the subject: "Do you know about the awful rumors about you?" "My husband gives me no attention. Is it bad to have a friend to spend my long and lonely nights with?" "I know that the crown prince isn't an affectionate man." "He's a very cold man." "It's our fate, as women of the royal house, to endure that life." "Maybe you can, but I can't. You just said you were my mother. Then consider my position for once instead of the crown prince's position. I feel like my heart is going to burst, mother!" She cries. The queen is still angry, but you know she has to sympathize with the princess, having felt some frustration with her own husband herself.
Leaving, the queen encounters the crown prince, but doesn't tell him why she was there.
The envoy tells the ministers that he wants all scheduled events cancelled and wants to hold an inspection. "I'm sure you know what I'm looking for," he tells them. He's brought one of the sundials in with him. Hwang Hee smiles, and trying to be cordial (which really isn't him, so it's a bit awkward), presents the envoy with a different sundial. "We have one ready for you to give you as a gift when you leave. This one is calibrated to the latitude of Peking, so it will correspond to your standard time." The envoy asks the big question: "How do you determine Joseon's standard time?" Hwang simply says, "you requested an inspection. His majesty awaits you."
Sejong is standing alone atop the observatory, next to the ganui. Huang, alone, comes out to meet him. "How did you like the gift?", Sejong asks. "It undermines my dignity to accept a gift from a thief." "That's a bit of arrogance considering I've saved your life." "Perhaps we can make a distinction between personal and public affairs." "Should I have left you to die? We didn't save you as an individual; we saved you as the emperor's mentor. And from the emperor's enemy at that: Dongchang." "You're well-informed about our domestic situation....[but] You put much too much value on my life. Heaven is only for the emperor to know. My life isn't valuable enough to trade for that power and prestige." But Sejong argues, "When you share the knowledge for peace and prosperity of all mankind under the sky, that is true power and prestige." Joseon, Sejong tells him, will accept the ganui technology "as a great gift from the Ming emperor. And now I want to return the favor."
Tthe waterclock is shown to Huang and Yehjin. The Chinese, Huang mentions, had built a waterclock during the Yuan Dynasty, but it fell apart because of technical problems. Youngsil then explains how this clock has solved those problems. "Ground-breaking technology," Yehjin calls it; "This may be the only automatic clock in the world!" Then Yun Hwe astounds them by telling them, "The king has instructed us to share the new technology in its entirety with Ming."
Later, Jo Malseng and Gim Jongsuh are talking. Gim comments, "Maybe we didn't need to destroy those files after all." "You have a lot more to learn," Jo says. Don't take Dongchang lightly.
Haishou is talking surreptitiously to Jeong Changson. Jeong reports that Choi Manli hasn't turned over the weapons technology. Maybe it's because he's hesitant...or maybe because he's not under any pressure to. Haishou decides, "We need something to give Choi Manli a little nudge."
Huang walks into a room and finds Haishou waiting for him. Haishou wants to converse in Joseonese--an odd request, but Huang agrees and then says, "Go to your boss Wang Zhen and deliver my message: tell him to be prepared to pay the price for coming after the emperor's mentor!" Unfazed, Haishou tells him he'd better get the weapons technology. Huang knew nothing about this until now. Find Choi Manli, Haishou advises. Then he delivers a message of his own: "Our main job is not to collect foreign intelligence data, but to keep an eye on Ming officials." The emperor will renounce you if you ignore a threat to our national security, and you certainly will lose your place as the emperor's mentor. "Remember, sir. Dongchang has eyes everywhere." And he starts to head out the door. Oh, and about speaking Joseonese? To spare him embarrassment. The emperor's mentor being questioned about his loyalty? "Our ears are everywhere, and I didn't want you to feel shame." Psych. Haishou leaves an irritated Huang and walks out.
Yun Hwe tells Sejong that the envoy won't make an issue of the ganui, but that he has a personal request.
In the Hall of Worthies: Early evening. Choi Manli enters and finds Huang sitting at Choi's own desk. Huang says that as a scholar, he's curious about what's in foreign libraries. But this isn't the library, Choi points out. Huang asks Choi's name and then, looking at the papers on his desk, tells him, "You have excellent writing. Fit for Hanlin Academy if I may say. How would you like to study at Hanlin?" Choi's eyes widen.
Later, by himself, Choi takes out a book. It appears to be the same book the crown prince had, with the weapons technology. He sits, thinking to himself, for a long time...Flashback to the rest of what Huang had to say to Choi: "I heard there is a dangerous weapon in Joseon. Something very dangerous for both Joseon and Ming. For as long as Joseon insists on its development and possession, you will be provoking the hawks of the Ming government. Ming, too, is a land of scholars, and no scholar wants warriors to dominate the government. I want to make a deal with your king....a deal to made him quietly stop the development. Then peace will continue between Ming and Joseon. And I will find a way for you to study at Hanlin Academy. Wouldn't you like to discuss Ming's and Joseon's peace at Hanlin with me?"...Flashback ending, Choi opens the book and pages through it. It's the weapons book, all right.
Choi goes to see Huang. "I knew you'd come through," Huang says. "Did you bring what I asked for?" "Of course. I, too, want peace between Ming and Joseon." Choi places the book in front of Huang, who picks it up. "The new weapons of Joseon!"
1434, the Forbidden City. The emperor, behind a translucent curtain, is talking to his eight-year-old son the prince imperial. "Soon you will become master of the heavens. That is why I've chosen the man who will lead you to the throne."
Hwang Hee tells Sejong that the emperor's health is continuing to deteriorate, meaning that the prince imperial's mentor could become the de facto emperor. But who will that person be?
A man walks into the emperor's chambers. His name is Huang Zan. He greets the young boy in several different languages. The boy tells him that he likes the Joseonese greeting the best. (Was it really necessary to put that pandering in the scene?)
Hwang Hee tells Sejong that Huang is the emperor's most trusted man and the top scholar at the Hanlin Academy. And, we learn, he's going to be visiting Joseon as an envoy. Sejong tells Hwang to have the Hall of Worthies gather all available information on him.
At the observatory: Sejong visits and encourages the scholars in their efforts. Yi Sunji asks him about he coming Ming diplomatic mission: "Are we safe using the astronomical instruments?" "We will make it safe," Sejong assures him, "if only for your hard work and effort."
In a Ming courtyard, Huang Zan is leading a group around and encounters Wang Zhen, who has Haishou, Yanguo and Poongae with him. Wang says, "I heard you're going to Joseon as an envoy. Your shoulders must be heavy. Joseon is a dangerous state." Huang doesn't flinch and replies, "Between you and Joseon, I wonder which is more dangerous to the house of Ming." Wang smiles. So does Huang, who walks away. Wang tells Poongae, "That's the man I want you to kill. Kill him as soon as he enters Joseon!"
Gang Hui is summoned to see Sejong. "Send word to Peking," the king instructs. "Find a way to get in touch with Hanlin scholar Huang Zan. The fate of our ganui is in his hands now." Huh?
Uiju, near the Ming border: A group of ministers is waiting to receive Huang Zan for his visit. But he's not there. Yehjin is there, but not Huang. Huang has gone ahead, alone. "He takes special interest in barbarian languages," Yehjin explains. Meaning, he went out into the countryside on his own.
We see a single horsecart going through the woods with Huang on the cart and a single driver. From a distance, Haishou, Poongae and several other agents are watching. Huang must die in Joseon, Haishou tells Poongae, because it will cause diplomatic friction between Ming and Joseon.
Then we hear Wang Zhen complete the explanation: "And to smooth out the friction, they will have to turn over their new weapons technology."
A knife is thrown by Poongae; it thwacks into the cart driver's back and he falls to the ground. Then Poongae charges the cart, where Huang is now sleeping with his face covered by his big hat. But suddenly we see it's not Huang any more--it's Gang Hui! They pulled a switcheroo. He and Poongae start to sword-fight; then Haishou charges in and it's two-on-one. Gang inflicts a shoulder wound on Haishou; Poongae manages to knock Gang down; and Haishou and Poongae flee. (What happened to the support squad? Made no sense.) So the assassination attempt was foiled. When it's all over, we see the cart driver get up, holding the knife that was thrown at him--a collapsible knife that didn't even wound him. Gang Hui smiles at the outcome.
"You failed?" Haishou and Poongae are before Wang Zhen. Haishou remarks, "I think we have a traitor among us."
Uiju--the Muwi Guards safe house. Huang is there, with Yun Hwe. "I owe you my life." "We'll collect that debt in due time." "How did you know Dongchang was after my life?" Yun explains that there are agents who are more interested in money than in loyalty.
Poongae has charged into Yanguo's quarters and goes rifling through his cabinets, as Wang and Haishou watch and as Yanguo gets angry and tries to stop him. Then Poongae finds a bag. Inside the bag are pieces of silver--Joseonese silver. Wang throws one of those wrist-knives and that's it for Yanguo right then and there.
Outside of the room, Poongae asks whether or not the technology can be acquired now. Haishou says, "Do you think this is the only trap we set?" But Wang shuts them up: "I don't like chatterers as much as I don't like traitors."
At the Joseon Secret Weapons Development Agency Building: Evening. Jeong Changson and Gim Mun sneak into the building...only to find it empty. COMPLETELY empty. The place has been cleaned out! Not even a loose piece of metal remains. Then they find, in one last room, Choi Manli sitting alone. What are any of these three doing in this building? They don't belong here. Jeong asks Choi, "Did you tell the king about our plan?" Choi is almost amused. "You ought to know him better. He's not the kind of man who scrambles to cover the well after the child has drowned in it. If he were that stupid, I would have beaten him long ago."
Sejong confirms with Yi Chun and Choi Yundeok that the weapons agency has been relocated, and then orders that all of the agency's files and records be destroyed to keep Ming from getting any of the information. "Memorize everything and destroy them." Then Choi and Yi remind Sejong that they and Choi Haesan could themselves become targets, since they're so familiar with the weapons technology. Sejong nods.
Back in the empty building: "If you want to go up against the king, you need to be a lot smarter." Choi pats Jeong on the shoulder and starts to walk out. But Gim asks him, "Aren't we on the same side here? You want to get your hands on the technology and get into Hanlin as much as we do." (So THAT'S the story.) Choi nods towards Jeong and tells Gim, "This guy is new, so I understand, but you should know me better after all these years of working together." Strange.
Youngsil presents some of the weapons records to, of all people, princes Jinyang and Anpyeong! They're going to help with the memorization. Then crown prince Hyang comes in and says he'll help too. He wasn't asked to be here, but he showed up anyway. Jinyang is surprised because Hyang was against the development of the technology in the first place. "I still am," he says; "I can't keep myself in the dark just because I'm against it. A considerable portion of our national budget is being wasted in weapons development." Jinyang is suspicious that he's just learning the information so he can oppose the work that much more effectively, but Hyang says, No, it's in the national interest to do this. Hmmm....
Outside, Jeong Changson is listening.
At the Hall of Worthies: Jeong asks Choi Manli, "How did you think to use the crown prince?" (Uh-oh.) "He hates war," Choi says. "If this works out," Jeong realizes, "the crown prince might personally divulge the secrets of the new weapons to..." Choi cuts him off: "I hate long-winded conversations."
"How do you think the crown prince found out?" Youngsil tells Sejong, "I think he is smart enough to figure this out on his own." But Sejong isn't so sure.
Ogeun and Choi go to see the crown prince; they find him asleep next to the book he's memorizing. Choi offers to stay and watch over him for a while. Ogeun leaves. After making sure that Hyang is sound asleep, Choi picks up the book and begins reading it for himself. But then Hyang wakes up anyway. He sees that Choi is impressed by the information, just as he was. "It is indeed impressive," Choi acknowledges. "It's not easy do develop this kind of technology in such a short time." Hyang answers, "Am I not supposed to be as proud, as the crown prince and as a Joseonese?" Choi tells him, "This technology is too dangerous to be proud of." "Because we will be isolated if Ming finds out that we have this technology?" Choi gives him a full spiel: "If we share it with them, it might prove our loyalty...Size-wise, population-wise, we are no match for Ming. The world revolves around Ming. Politics is reality. Hanging onto unrealistic ideals will get us nowhere. Peaceful coexistence with Ming while pursuing domestic prosperity is the best choice we can make right now."
The next morning: For the first time, we get a glimpse of the water clock. Then we see the weapons records being burned.
Choi Yundeok reports to military leaders that the records are being destroyed and that distribution of additional rockets has been halted until the Ming envoy leaves the country.
Preparations are being made for the envoy's formal reception. Out in a public street, Huang Zan and Yehjin are walking around incognito and are amazed to find a sundial right out there in public. They assume that someone stole it--but why put it in a public place? A street vendor hears them and says, No, the king put it there. Turns out, sundials are all over the place. "It must be a while since you've been to Joseon," the vendor tells them. "Soon an automatic clock will tell us what time it is. Keep your ears open." Then we see the innards of the clock. Water droplets, rolling metal balls, all kinds of moving parts, a real Rube Goldberg contraption, but darned if it doesn't run like, uh, clockwork. And when it chimes, it's the signal for drums and bells around the city to be struck to mark the hour. It's eleven a.m. Huang and Yehjin are amazed by all of this. Then they look closely at the sundial in front of them. They see an inscription on it. 38 1/4 degrees! Uh-oh. "The king of Joseon is a thief," Huang says, realizing that Joseon must somehow have gotten the astronomical tools to make such a measurement. "As Wang Zhen warned, Joseon might indeed be a very dangerous state."
At the observatory, Jeong Inji scholars points out to Sejong that the local latitude is on the sundials, and what if the envoy should notice this? Shouldn't we have removed the sundials? But strangely, Sejong isn't concerned at all.
We see the crown princess in her chambers with a gathering of five other young women, including Sosang (her apparent lover from the previous episode) and Consort Kwon (the future queen Hyundeok). Music, dancers, food and drink--an all-girl party. Kwon tells the princess she's had too much to drink; the princess gets angry and throws a cup of wine in her face. "A lowly consort trying to lecture the crown princess?" But then the queen enters: "What is the meaning of this?" The princess doesn't bat an eye: "Would you like to join us, your highness?" The queen tells escort Han, "Clear the room." And it clears out, fast. Soheon tells the princess, "Stop this behavior at once." "I'm simply doing my princessly duty...I'm reviewing the dancers' and musicians' performances for the envoy's reception." That's a flimsy excuse, and the queen knows it: "I'm your mother. Do I have to whip you to stop your backtalk?" "My mother? What mother in the world get her daughter's husband a mistress?" That silences the queen, for a moment at least, but then she answers, "The crown prince is over 20 years old but he does not have an heir. There is no bigger problem than this in the royal house." You're not my mother, the princess says; you care more about getting an heir than you care about me. So the queen changes the subject: "Do you know about the awful rumors about you?" "My husband gives me no attention. Is it bad to have a friend to spend my long and lonely nights with?" "I know that the crown prince isn't an affectionate man." "He's a very cold man." "It's our fate, as women of the royal house, to endure that life." "Maybe you can, but I can't. You just said you were my mother. Then consider my position for once instead of the crown prince's position. I feel like my heart is going to burst, mother!" She cries. The queen is still angry, but you know she has to sympathize with the princess, having felt some frustration with her own husband herself.
Leaving, the queen encounters the crown prince, but doesn't tell him why she was there.
The envoy tells the ministers that he wants all scheduled events cancelled and wants to hold an inspection. "I'm sure you know what I'm looking for," he tells them. He's brought one of the sundials in with him. Hwang Hee smiles, and trying to be cordial (which really isn't him, so it's a bit awkward), presents the envoy with a different sundial. "We have one ready for you to give you as a gift when you leave. This one is calibrated to the latitude of Peking, so it will correspond to your standard time." The envoy asks the big question: "How do you determine Joseon's standard time?" Hwang simply says, "you requested an inspection. His majesty awaits you."
Sejong is standing alone atop the observatory, next to the ganui. Huang, alone, comes out to meet him. "How did you like the gift?", Sejong asks. "It undermines my dignity to accept a gift from a thief." "That's a bit of arrogance considering I've saved your life." "Perhaps we can make a distinction between personal and public affairs." "Should I have left you to die? We didn't save you as an individual; we saved you as the emperor's mentor. And from the emperor's enemy at that: Dongchang." "You're well-informed about our domestic situation....[but] You put much too much value on my life. Heaven is only for the emperor to know. My life isn't valuable enough to trade for that power and prestige." But Sejong argues, "When you share the knowledge for peace and prosperity of all mankind under the sky, that is true power and prestige." Joseon, Sejong tells him, will accept the ganui technology "as a great gift from the Ming emperor. And now I want to return the favor."
Tthe waterclock is shown to Huang and Yehjin. The Chinese, Huang mentions, had built a waterclock during the Yuan Dynasty, but it fell apart because of technical problems. Youngsil then explains how this clock has solved those problems. "Ground-breaking technology," Yehjin calls it; "This may be the only automatic clock in the world!" Then Yun Hwe astounds them by telling them, "The king has instructed us to share the new technology in its entirety with Ming."
Later, Jo Malseng and Gim Jongsuh are talking. Gim comments, "Maybe we didn't need to destroy those files after all." "You have a lot more to learn," Jo says. Don't take Dongchang lightly.
Haishou is talking surreptitiously to Jeong Changson. Jeong reports that Choi Manli hasn't turned over the weapons technology. Maybe it's because he's hesitant...or maybe because he's not under any pressure to. Haishou decides, "We need something to give Choi Manli a little nudge."
Huang walks into a room and finds Haishou waiting for him. Haishou wants to converse in Joseonese--an odd request, but Huang agrees and then says, "Go to your boss Wang Zhen and deliver my message: tell him to be prepared to pay the price for coming after the emperor's mentor!" Unfazed, Haishou tells him he'd better get the weapons technology. Huang knew nothing about this until now. Find Choi Manli, Haishou advises. Then he delivers a message of his own: "Our main job is not to collect foreign intelligence data, but to keep an eye on Ming officials." The emperor will renounce you if you ignore a threat to our national security, and you certainly will lose your place as the emperor's mentor. "Remember, sir. Dongchang has eyes everywhere." And he starts to head out the door. Oh, and about speaking Joseonese? To spare him embarrassment. The emperor's mentor being questioned about his loyalty? "Our ears are everywhere, and I didn't want you to feel shame." Psych. Haishou leaves an irritated Huang and walks out.
Yun Hwe tells Sejong that the envoy won't make an issue of the ganui, but that he has a personal request.
In the Hall of Worthies: Early evening. Choi Manli enters and finds Huang sitting at Choi's own desk. Huang says that as a scholar, he's curious about what's in foreign libraries. But this isn't the library, Choi points out. Huang asks Choi's name and then, looking at the papers on his desk, tells him, "You have excellent writing. Fit for Hanlin Academy if I may say. How would you like to study at Hanlin?" Choi's eyes widen.
Later, by himself, Choi takes out a book. It appears to be the same book the crown prince had, with the weapons technology. He sits, thinking to himself, for a long time...Flashback to the rest of what Huang had to say to Choi: "I heard there is a dangerous weapon in Joseon. Something very dangerous for both Joseon and Ming. For as long as Joseon insists on its development and possession, you will be provoking the hawks of the Ming government. Ming, too, is a land of scholars, and no scholar wants warriors to dominate the government. I want to make a deal with your king....a deal to made him quietly stop the development. Then peace will continue between Ming and Joseon. And I will find a way for you to study at Hanlin Academy. Wouldn't you like to discuss Ming's and Joseon's peace at Hanlin with me?"...Flashback ending, Choi opens the book and pages through it. It's the weapons book, all right.
Choi goes to see Huang. "I knew you'd come through," Huang says. "Did you bring what I asked for?" "Of course. I, too, want peace between Ming and Joseon." Choi places the book in front of Huang, who picks it up. "The new weapons of Joseon!"