Post by ajk on Jun 29, 2012 22:08:06 GMT -5
Well, if 13 ended with a bomb...Again we see Chilsuk walk by. And again we see Deokman's eyes widen. But she didn't get as good a look as we got, so after a moment she just kind of shakes it off like nah-can't-be. Unfortunately for her, though, she overlooks the smallish woman walking immediately behind Chilsuk, covered head-to-toe in a long Bedouin dress and a head scarf. Deokman doesn't see her face, but we do. Sohwa!
King Jinpyeong cordially receives the Chinese envoy and his party. He thanks them for making possible the foreign trade that they enjoy, trade that ranges from the Philippines all the way to Rome. Mishil is there too, and pitches in with the official welcome (again, not sure what her status is here). And she asks the envoy if he's looking for anything specific to trade for this time. Yes, he is--a yellow lacquer that he acquired last time. Some sort of tree extract that, we learn, retards rust on metal and retards fire on wood. Turns out the emperor is building a new palace and they want to use the stuff in the construction. Problem is, it's s precious commodity--even the biggest trees produce only small amounts. There's a big demand relative to supply, and they want to cover an entire palace with the stuff? "Of course," the envoy says sensibly, "for such a precious commodity we expect to pay accordingly. What would your majesty like in return?" "It is an honor that your esteemed emperor values our meager lacquer," Jinpyeong answers (good answer), "just as we value Sui's goods." So what do they want? Jinpyeong looks at Eulje, who takes over. The answer is a surprise to us--and also gets quite a startled reaction from Mishil, which we can't help but think must mean something. "We understand that Sui has a new almanac." This came from nowhere and it flusters the envoy, who clearly isn't comfortable with the request. He's been nothing but cordial and friendly up to this point, but the request changes his mood. It's not finished yet, he answers stiffly. "And, it's a national secret." I know your lacquer is precious, he adds, "but how dare you ask for the almanac in exchange!" Silence from the Shillans.
From a balcony (probably Cheonmyeong's quarters), the princess, Yushin and Deokman watch the merchants go by. More than they expected. Gonna be tough to find the one who brought this Sadaham's Plum Blossom thing--especially since they don't even know what the heck it is.
"Jang is with them?" Seolwon learns from Bojong that a merchant named Jang who was here last time has come with this merchant group too. "He always deals with Mishil directly," Seolwon says, and Misaeng acts as his middleman. Bojong has ordered the Hwarang doing the security to watch the merchants carefully. This time, Seolwon says, we'll find out what Sadaham's Plum Blossom is. So despite his aloofness previously, he doesn't actually know.
One of the merchants approaches Chilsuk. A Chinese man. This, we soon learn, is Jang. He pays Chilsuk for acting as the merchants' bodyguard "and since you've also taken care of that woman." It's been a tough job, apparently, because Jang has added a little extra to the payment. Very honorable. But then to our surprise, Chilsuk hands him a small box, wrapped in a cloth. "Please give it to the proper party," Chilsuk asks; "It may be of some help in making the deal." Hmmm....
Misaeng gives last-minute instructions to the Hwarang and serving-women about dealing with their guests, and dismisses them just as the first merchants arrive on the scene. From a distance, Deokman surreptitiously watches them arrive. Misaeng warmly greets Jang; they talk like old friends. Which is a good clue for Deokman.
Walking through a crowded main street, Chilsuk clumsily bumps into someone he should have avoided. He goes inside his assigned quarters, where we see Sohwa sitting, staring ahead so blankly she almost looks dazed. A meal is in front of her; she hasn't touched it. But this all begs the question, What are these two even doing together, and how the heck did they survive that sandstorm? Hooray, we get an answer...Flashback to the storm's aftermath. We see Chilsuk, partly covered by sand; he awakens and manages to pull himself together, physically and mentally, and starts to look around. He finds himself holding the end of a rope. He's blank for a moment, and then beings pulling on it. The other end is tied around Sohwa's waist; she's completely buried but he manages to bring her to the surface. She's completely unresponsive. He frantically tries to revive her (Which comes as a surprise, frankly) and then even gives her mouth-to-mouth. The third breath, that does it. She revives--but she's in bad shape. Somehow, he manages to get her to a local shepherd's hut, where she gets a bit of care, and then he puts her on a camel and they head home. It's a very strange sight; you wonder why he didn't just leave her out there, but instead he's helping her home and even looking at her almost sheepishly, like he's ashamed of what he did to her....Flashback ending (and unfortunately it was inconsistent with what we saw happen in Episode 5 before the storm hit--like they hope we had forgotten it all), Chilsuk is squinting and rubbing his eyes, and recalling Cartan telling him in Episode 4 that his eyes were damaged in that fire in the inn. That's why he bumped into the guy on the street. He was supposed to rest his eyes but apparently he never did, and they don't seem to be working 100 percent. And Sohwa, she's completely out of it, obviously suffering from some form of extreme PTSD.
Deokman is giving instructions to the serving-women on preparing the curry rice. Very detailed instructions; maybe Misaeng putting her in charge wasn't such a rash thing after all. The serving-women find the whole thing incomprehensible: "It stinks and it's way too bitter. Are you sure they eat this?" Even Godo, who's there and takes a whiff of the yellow powder, cringes. But Deokman assures them that the Indian merchants, "they love it." Plus, "It's good for the digestion, great for a fever, perfect after a long trip." Knows her stuff. Having given the instructions on making the meal...
...now it's time for some snooping. Quietly, she goes into the merchants' building and heads for the room where she saw Yang enter. Peering through the door, she sees a box on the table. Just then: "What are you doing here?" Uh-oh; Bojong. Deokman covers by saying she has a question about the curry rice; wants to know which ingredients the Indian merchants would like included. Bojong seems to buy that, but points out that Yang isn't an Indian merchant and directs her to the right rooms. But hold on; you'll need an interpreter to ask anybody anything, won't you? (Actually Deokman doesn't, but that's not for Bojong to know.) Come with me, he orders, and we'll find you one. So that bit of snooping is completely done.
They go find an interpreter, and bring him to a room where a couple of the Indian merchants are. Jang is with them. And they ask about the ingredients. No fennel for Yang, thank you (But why did they ask him? He's not Indian; I didn't think they were going to serve him the curry). But then on the way out, Deokman deliberately knocks over a piece of pottery, making it look like an accident. While she cleans it up, she listens to Yang resume his conversation with his two colleagues. She can understand some Chinese, and hears them start to talk about making a deal with Mishil. Problem is, Bojong, who's with her and waiting for her to finish cleaning up, also understands some Chinese--he and Jang greeted each other in Chinese--and Jang suddenly realizes that and gets a little uncomfortable, so he switches to Latin. Which is fine with Deokman; she understands enough Latin to know that Jang says as he continues. "Mishil needs what we have," he tells the Indians with confidence; we traveled a long way to bring it to her. So this is the man Cheonmyeong wanted to identify. Having figured it out, Deokman picks up the last few scraps and leaves with Bojong and the interpreter. Then he turns to one of the Indians. "Hasha, have you brought plenty this time?" "Plenty." And Hasha produces the mystery box. Jang eagerly opens it and looks at the contents. "THIS," he says, "is Sadaham's Plum Blossom. When Mishil sees this she won't believe her eyes." He's almost giddy. But we don't get to see. (It's almost like these guys are drug dealers. Could it be opium in the box? The geography would work.)
Misaeng tells Mishil that a trader named Hasha has brought the stuff. It's all going well with Jang, he says. "But I'm thinking his price won't be cheap." "I don't care," Mishil fires back. "If he's got the goods, I'll pay whatever it takes." She's ready to meet with him, but they're very concerned about secrecy for some reason. Especially after the near-trouble with Kim Seohyeon at that chapel.
Evening: Jang is walking towards a building. Looks like an outhouse. Jukbang sees him and deliberately/accidently bumps into him. Apologizes profusely. Yang heads into the building. Jukbang picked his pocket and got his room key! Remember, he's a petty-larceny expert from back in Manno County. Deokman and Godo quickly make a wax impression, and Jukbang bumps into Jang again on the way out to put the key back in his pocket. Now Daenambo the newly introduced Hwarang shows up with a message for Jang. We see Bojong in the background, secretly watching, and we see Deokman off to the side, secretly watching. Daenambo escorts Jang away somewhere, and the three DFers hurry to make a duplicate key.
One of Bojong's subordinates informs Seolwon of what's happening. Take no action, that's his return message; just trail and observe. But as the subordinate goes outside and scurries away, there's yet another group waiting in the shadows. Light isn't good but that looks like Hajong leading four others. Geez, EVERYBODY wants to know what the story is.
...making the duplicate key...
It's like a silent parade. First we see Daenambo and two subordinates escorting Jang and Hasha; then we see Bojong and five of his subordinates, now joined by the messenger; and then trailing them, yep that's Hajong and four of his own subordinates.
...still at it; Deokman's getting impatient and it's rattling Jukbang, which only slows things down....
The parade marches into the woods somewhere. And then suddenly, Bojong's group realizes that the merchant group has vanished, seemingly into thin air. Now the seven of them go running off into the woods, trying to figure this out. Hajong's group emerges and starts to check around as well...and then suddenly the two groups are face-to-face. Awk-warrrd. They try to smile it away--we're just out training, Bojong says--until Hajong finally puts it on the table: "You lost them?" Bojong feigns still feigns ignorance. Which makes Hajong so angry that he grabs Bojong by the collar. To his credit, Bojong shows absolutely no reaction. But just then: "Such a lovely night." Mishil's voice! Now it's REALLY awkward. She steps forward with the merchants' group. "My little boys playing hide-and-seek?" At first a smile, but now she's very angry. She demands, "What are you up to?" Her sons can't even look at her; they fall to their knees and beg forgiveness. "Go home--I'll deal with you later."
Finally the key is finished, and it's a beauty. Now Deokman needs to use it.
Mishil's palace: Let's make a deal. Jang and Hasha are ushered in by Misaeng and Seori. Mishil is waiting for them, and look who else--that old monk Wolchun we saw up at that chapel. What's he doing here? I thought they needed to hide him. The expected pleasantries, and then Hasha produces the mysterious box. Mishil is practically giddy.
Deokman sneaks into the building where the merchants are staying and heads for Jang's quarters. Jukbang and Godo are with her to keep watch. Apparently the key works, because now she's in. The box we saw before in there, it's still there...so obviously we're dealing with more than one similar-looking box. And now Deokman uses the duplicate key to unlock it. (My mistake; I had assumed the key was to open the door to Jang's quarters.)
Jang invites Mishil to "Please look inside and confirm the contents for yourself." So Wolchun reaches over and slides the box in front of him...
...Deokman finds something wrapped in a cloth. It's a smaller box...
Wolchun removes what looks like three wrapped-up wooden scrolls from inside the box. Underneath them is a book. It's that almanac! The one that Jang said wasn't finished yet. Subtitling identifies it as the Daemyung Almanac, written by Chungji during King Daemyung's rule. Wolchun starts paging through it--so he must have some sort of knowledge of this stuff. It's got calculations of equinoxes, solstices, leap years--so it acts as some sort of calendar, right? "The most accurate calendar in existence," Seori says.
Deokman has found some sort of a book, which she starts paging through intently...
Now will the haggling begin? Nope. No haggling. "Pay them what they ask," Mishil tells Misaeng. He's surprised, and says they don't have that much gold. "Then we'll have to get it." Not sure how she plans to back that up, but it's a deal. Jang and Hasha are understandably pleased (By the way, how the heck did Jang get that book in the first place? And wasn't it the Indian who actually had possession of it? How the heck did an Indian get his hands on it? Lots to be explained here). The four men leave to work out the details. "Congratulations," Seori says to Mishil. "Now you can enjoy the benefits of Sadaham's Plum Blossom." Well we're still not exactly clear on any of this...but now another flashback. The young Mishil is sitting under that ageless tree, opening the box Sadaham left for her. Inside it is an almanac from Gaya. And a note from Sadaham, telling her that if her decision is really to move on and cut him out of her life, "then I leave you this almanac to fulfill your dreams. No tears, no heartache for me." But she's crying as she reads. "Being with you was all the happiness I dared hope for." Wow, there had better be a darned good reason she stiffed this guy...Flashback ends. "Mishil was born that day," Mishil says cryptically. But then explains that Sadaham returned from the military victory over Gaya "to deceive his king, and leave me this precious gift. Despite my betraying him and marrying another man." And it turns out that the Gaya almanac is a Rosetta Stone of sorts; it's needed in order to transform the information in the new Daemyung Almanac and make it relevant to Shilla's geographic location.
Deokman finds several small pieces of wood with writing on them. She picks up one and finds a name. Sohwa. That book, to her amazement, she recognizes it as the Plutarch book that we saw her reading in Episode 3. Not just the Plutarch book, but the very same dinged-up copy of the book that she had owned. How in the world did that get all the way here after all this time? Dumbfounded by all of this, she starts to shake, and falls to the floor (wasting valuable time). Outside the room, Jukbang and Godo are getting nervous and open the door. Deokman is standing there, looking completely rattled, and walks off without even acknowledging them. And she foolishly left the box's contents spread out. Fortunately Jukbang spots this and packs it back up properly. Deokman runs outside and looks as though she might be in some sort of physical distress....
The next morning: Deokman is sitting alone in the DFers' home; she's locked the door and Jukbang and Godo can't get in. They wonder if she's cracked up! She's trying to make sense of what she saw last night.
Yushin reports to his father that they still haven't figured out what Sadaham's Plum Blossom is. But he knows that both Bojong and Hajong were tailing Mishil--because he had someone tailing them! So the parade was even longer than we knew. Yushin concludes that neither Seolwon nor Sejong knows what Sadaham's Plum Blossom is either. "That Mishil can be scary," Seohyeon says; "even her family doesn't know everything."
Mishil has called her four naughty men before her. "Shall we share all of our secrets, then?" Delivered like a threat. "Sadaham's Plum Blossom is between me and Misaeng," she says firmly. She turns to Sejong and says, "You had to pull a few tricks to become head of the Council [of Nobles]. Shall we tell everyone how you did it?" And Seolwon, the peasant who rose to become Minister of Military: "Shall we share what you had to do to get there?" Both men obviously get the message. "Only Mishil knows your secrets," she says with surprising anger, "and only Mishil SHOULD know them! If you think you need to know everything, maybe you should take my place?" If that's what you want "then you'll just have to kill me." She hasn't been this angry since she carved up those guards after Sohwa got away in Episode 3. Hajong and Bojong fall to their knees and start groveling, and Sejong and Seolwon apologize profusely. Point made.
"How could you treat me so?" Now it's later, probably evening because we see Mishil and Sejong together in what looks like their pajamas. Surprisingly, now Mishil is hurt rather than angry. And she's pouring him tea. "You're my rock," she tells him, "I need your strength. I can't do anything without you there to support me." And she hugs him, showing unexpected vulnerability, like she really does need him with her. Or maybe it's just her working her wiles....
Now she's with Seolwon; they're in robes and he's brushing her hair in what looks like a bath chamber. Sort of a similar exchange, with Mishil reminding Seolwon that he had promised he'd never expect anything from her and would always trust her. He assures her that it's still true; he only wants to share in her life and her successes. "Sadaham's Plum Blossom," she tells him, "is just official business." And you already share in everything that matters. More tender, or else more subtlely manipulative.
Cheonmyeong is with her mother the queen and with Princess Manmyeong. They discuss something Mishil had said about being able to predict the future. "It rains when she says, and stops when she says," Manmyeong explains. Manmyeong was in the palace when this all began; "It started with that ritual," As in, that rain ritual we saw in flashback in the previous episode. "She can even predict a lunar eclipse." (Well THAT is a big one; a really significant piece of information. That would make a big impression on a lot of commoners if she can do that.) Cheonmyeong adds that "Astrologers try to predict the same things but with little luck." Well, no surprise there. Even Seori, the high priestess, strikes out at things like rain rituals. But it doesn't embarrass Seori; "she just smiles and says Mishil has the mandate of heaven." Now maybe we're FINALLY getting somewhere.
Now more of the DFers want into their building. And now here's Yushin. "Deokman still upset?" Orders the door busted open, but it pops open rather easily so maybe Deokman unlocked it from the inside. Whatever...they go in, but Deokman isn't there anymore. Then Jukbang and Godo explain to Yushin what happened the previous night and how Deokman "suddenly got weird on us."
Where did Deokman go? In broad daylight, she goes back to the merchants' building and into Jang's quarters again. But now the box is open...and empty. She remembers hearing Jang talking in Latin to his colleagues about the deal that they're going to make with Mishil.
Jang has brought the contents of that box to Mishil. Misaeng looks at the piece of wood and recognizes it: "This is the identity tag for that maid who ran off back when." They're stunned to see it and ask where it came from. "One of the merchants' bodyguards asked me to deliver it to you," he explains. What was the bodyguard's name? Jang thinks for a moment, and then unwittingly drops the bomb on Mishil and Misaeng: "Chilsuk." The pair are stunned. Oh, and there's a letter for them too. It's Chilsuk reporting to Mishil. "I'm unable to bring you the bodies of the twin and the maid as ordered," he writes. "But both are long dead." (Why is he lying about Sohwa?) "I send you the twin's swaddling cloth and the maid's identity tag." And also the book, which he says belonged to the child. He continues, "After so many years I dare not ask your forgiveness so I retire from your service. May you enjoy a long life." Well, if he wants no more of Mishil, journeying right into the heart of Seorabeol probably isn't the best way to accomplish that! But Jang adds that Chilsuk was leaving to go somewhere far away. Not if Mishil can help it; this news has blown her away..."Find him," she demands. She summons Bojong and orders him and his Hwarang to search every inn and boarding-place in the city. "I have to find someone," she says breathlessly. Get Seokpum and his Hwarang too.
Outside, Deokman happens to see Bojong's Hwarang scatter off to their assignment. And hears Bojong tell Seokpum that they're searching for Chilsuk. Seokpum and his Hwarang are shocked; Chilsuk is practically a Hwarang legend. And it hits Deokman even harder, to learn that her glimpse in the receiving line was correct, and her pursuer is still alive.
King Jinpyeong cordially receives the Chinese envoy and his party. He thanks them for making possible the foreign trade that they enjoy, trade that ranges from the Philippines all the way to Rome. Mishil is there too, and pitches in with the official welcome (again, not sure what her status is here). And she asks the envoy if he's looking for anything specific to trade for this time. Yes, he is--a yellow lacquer that he acquired last time. Some sort of tree extract that, we learn, retards rust on metal and retards fire on wood. Turns out the emperor is building a new palace and they want to use the stuff in the construction. Problem is, it's s precious commodity--even the biggest trees produce only small amounts. There's a big demand relative to supply, and they want to cover an entire palace with the stuff? "Of course," the envoy says sensibly, "for such a precious commodity we expect to pay accordingly. What would your majesty like in return?" "It is an honor that your esteemed emperor values our meager lacquer," Jinpyeong answers (good answer), "just as we value Sui's goods." So what do they want? Jinpyeong looks at Eulje, who takes over. The answer is a surprise to us--and also gets quite a startled reaction from Mishil, which we can't help but think must mean something. "We understand that Sui has a new almanac." This came from nowhere and it flusters the envoy, who clearly isn't comfortable with the request. He's been nothing but cordial and friendly up to this point, but the request changes his mood. It's not finished yet, he answers stiffly. "And, it's a national secret." I know your lacquer is precious, he adds, "but how dare you ask for the almanac in exchange!" Silence from the Shillans.
From a balcony (probably Cheonmyeong's quarters), the princess, Yushin and Deokman watch the merchants go by. More than they expected. Gonna be tough to find the one who brought this Sadaham's Plum Blossom thing--especially since they don't even know what the heck it is.
"Jang is with them?" Seolwon learns from Bojong that a merchant named Jang who was here last time has come with this merchant group too. "He always deals with Mishil directly," Seolwon says, and Misaeng acts as his middleman. Bojong has ordered the Hwarang doing the security to watch the merchants carefully. This time, Seolwon says, we'll find out what Sadaham's Plum Blossom is. So despite his aloofness previously, he doesn't actually know.
One of the merchants approaches Chilsuk. A Chinese man. This, we soon learn, is Jang. He pays Chilsuk for acting as the merchants' bodyguard "and since you've also taken care of that woman." It's been a tough job, apparently, because Jang has added a little extra to the payment. Very honorable. But then to our surprise, Chilsuk hands him a small box, wrapped in a cloth. "Please give it to the proper party," Chilsuk asks; "It may be of some help in making the deal." Hmmm....
Misaeng gives last-minute instructions to the Hwarang and serving-women about dealing with their guests, and dismisses them just as the first merchants arrive on the scene. From a distance, Deokman surreptitiously watches them arrive. Misaeng warmly greets Jang; they talk like old friends. Which is a good clue for Deokman.
Walking through a crowded main street, Chilsuk clumsily bumps into someone he should have avoided. He goes inside his assigned quarters, where we see Sohwa sitting, staring ahead so blankly she almost looks dazed. A meal is in front of her; she hasn't touched it. But this all begs the question, What are these two even doing together, and how the heck did they survive that sandstorm? Hooray, we get an answer...Flashback to the storm's aftermath. We see Chilsuk, partly covered by sand; he awakens and manages to pull himself together, physically and mentally, and starts to look around. He finds himself holding the end of a rope. He's blank for a moment, and then beings pulling on it. The other end is tied around Sohwa's waist; she's completely buried but he manages to bring her to the surface. She's completely unresponsive. He frantically tries to revive her (Which comes as a surprise, frankly) and then even gives her mouth-to-mouth. The third breath, that does it. She revives--but she's in bad shape. Somehow, he manages to get her to a local shepherd's hut, where she gets a bit of care, and then he puts her on a camel and they head home. It's a very strange sight; you wonder why he didn't just leave her out there, but instead he's helping her home and even looking at her almost sheepishly, like he's ashamed of what he did to her....Flashback ending (and unfortunately it was inconsistent with what we saw happen in Episode 5 before the storm hit--like they hope we had forgotten it all), Chilsuk is squinting and rubbing his eyes, and recalling Cartan telling him in Episode 4 that his eyes were damaged in that fire in the inn. That's why he bumped into the guy on the street. He was supposed to rest his eyes but apparently he never did, and they don't seem to be working 100 percent. And Sohwa, she's completely out of it, obviously suffering from some form of extreme PTSD.
Deokman is giving instructions to the serving-women on preparing the curry rice. Very detailed instructions; maybe Misaeng putting her in charge wasn't such a rash thing after all. The serving-women find the whole thing incomprehensible: "It stinks and it's way too bitter. Are you sure they eat this?" Even Godo, who's there and takes a whiff of the yellow powder, cringes. But Deokman assures them that the Indian merchants, "they love it." Plus, "It's good for the digestion, great for a fever, perfect after a long trip." Knows her stuff. Having given the instructions on making the meal...
...now it's time for some snooping. Quietly, she goes into the merchants' building and heads for the room where she saw Yang enter. Peering through the door, she sees a box on the table. Just then: "What are you doing here?" Uh-oh; Bojong. Deokman covers by saying she has a question about the curry rice; wants to know which ingredients the Indian merchants would like included. Bojong seems to buy that, but points out that Yang isn't an Indian merchant and directs her to the right rooms. But hold on; you'll need an interpreter to ask anybody anything, won't you? (Actually Deokman doesn't, but that's not for Bojong to know.) Come with me, he orders, and we'll find you one. So that bit of snooping is completely done.
They go find an interpreter, and bring him to a room where a couple of the Indian merchants are. Jang is with them. And they ask about the ingredients. No fennel for Yang, thank you (But why did they ask him? He's not Indian; I didn't think they were going to serve him the curry). But then on the way out, Deokman deliberately knocks over a piece of pottery, making it look like an accident. While she cleans it up, she listens to Yang resume his conversation with his two colleagues. She can understand some Chinese, and hears them start to talk about making a deal with Mishil. Problem is, Bojong, who's with her and waiting for her to finish cleaning up, also understands some Chinese--he and Jang greeted each other in Chinese--and Jang suddenly realizes that and gets a little uncomfortable, so he switches to Latin. Which is fine with Deokman; she understands enough Latin to know that Jang says as he continues. "Mishil needs what we have," he tells the Indians with confidence; we traveled a long way to bring it to her. So this is the man Cheonmyeong wanted to identify. Having figured it out, Deokman picks up the last few scraps and leaves with Bojong and the interpreter. Then he turns to one of the Indians. "Hasha, have you brought plenty this time?" "Plenty." And Hasha produces the mystery box. Jang eagerly opens it and looks at the contents. "THIS," he says, "is Sadaham's Plum Blossom. When Mishil sees this she won't believe her eyes." He's almost giddy. But we don't get to see. (It's almost like these guys are drug dealers. Could it be opium in the box? The geography would work.)
Misaeng tells Mishil that a trader named Hasha has brought the stuff. It's all going well with Jang, he says. "But I'm thinking his price won't be cheap." "I don't care," Mishil fires back. "If he's got the goods, I'll pay whatever it takes." She's ready to meet with him, but they're very concerned about secrecy for some reason. Especially after the near-trouble with Kim Seohyeon at that chapel.
Evening: Jang is walking towards a building. Looks like an outhouse. Jukbang sees him and deliberately/accidently bumps into him. Apologizes profusely. Yang heads into the building. Jukbang picked his pocket and got his room key! Remember, he's a petty-larceny expert from back in Manno County. Deokman and Godo quickly make a wax impression, and Jukbang bumps into Jang again on the way out to put the key back in his pocket. Now Daenambo the newly introduced Hwarang shows up with a message for Jang. We see Bojong in the background, secretly watching, and we see Deokman off to the side, secretly watching. Daenambo escorts Jang away somewhere, and the three DFers hurry to make a duplicate key.
One of Bojong's subordinates informs Seolwon of what's happening. Take no action, that's his return message; just trail and observe. But as the subordinate goes outside and scurries away, there's yet another group waiting in the shadows. Light isn't good but that looks like Hajong leading four others. Geez, EVERYBODY wants to know what the story is.
...making the duplicate key...
It's like a silent parade. First we see Daenambo and two subordinates escorting Jang and Hasha; then we see Bojong and five of his subordinates, now joined by the messenger; and then trailing them, yep that's Hajong and four of his own subordinates.
...still at it; Deokman's getting impatient and it's rattling Jukbang, which only slows things down....
The parade marches into the woods somewhere. And then suddenly, Bojong's group realizes that the merchant group has vanished, seemingly into thin air. Now the seven of them go running off into the woods, trying to figure this out. Hajong's group emerges and starts to check around as well...and then suddenly the two groups are face-to-face. Awk-warrrd. They try to smile it away--we're just out training, Bojong says--until Hajong finally puts it on the table: "You lost them?" Bojong feigns still feigns ignorance. Which makes Hajong so angry that he grabs Bojong by the collar. To his credit, Bojong shows absolutely no reaction. But just then: "Such a lovely night." Mishil's voice! Now it's REALLY awkward. She steps forward with the merchants' group. "My little boys playing hide-and-seek?" At first a smile, but now she's very angry. She demands, "What are you up to?" Her sons can't even look at her; they fall to their knees and beg forgiveness. "Go home--I'll deal with you later."
Finally the key is finished, and it's a beauty. Now Deokman needs to use it.
Mishil's palace: Let's make a deal. Jang and Hasha are ushered in by Misaeng and Seori. Mishil is waiting for them, and look who else--that old monk Wolchun we saw up at that chapel. What's he doing here? I thought they needed to hide him. The expected pleasantries, and then Hasha produces the mysterious box. Mishil is practically giddy.
Deokman sneaks into the building where the merchants are staying and heads for Jang's quarters. Jukbang and Godo are with her to keep watch. Apparently the key works, because now she's in. The box we saw before in there, it's still there...so obviously we're dealing with more than one similar-looking box. And now Deokman uses the duplicate key to unlock it. (My mistake; I had assumed the key was to open the door to Jang's quarters.)
Jang invites Mishil to "Please look inside and confirm the contents for yourself." So Wolchun reaches over and slides the box in front of him...
...Deokman finds something wrapped in a cloth. It's a smaller box...
Wolchun removes what looks like three wrapped-up wooden scrolls from inside the box. Underneath them is a book. It's that almanac! The one that Jang said wasn't finished yet. Subtitling identifies it as the Daemyung Almanac, written by Chungji during King Daemyung's rule. Wolchun starts paging through it--so he must have some sort of knowledge of this stuff. It's got calculations of equinoxes, solstices, leap years--so it acts as some sort of calendar, right? "The most accurate calendar in existence," Seori says.
Deokman has found some sort of a book, which she starts paging through intently...
Now will the haggling begin? Nope. No haggling. "Pay them what they ask," Mishil tells Misaeng. He's surprised, and says they don't have that much gold. "Then we'll have to get it." Not sure how she plans to back that up, but it's a deal. Jang and Hasha are understandably pleased (By the way, how the heck did Jang get that book in the first place? And wasn't it the Indian who actually had possession of it? How the heck did an Indian get his hands on it? Lots to be explained here). The four men leave to work out the details. "Congratulations," Seori says to Mishil. "Now you can enjoy the benefits of Sadaham's Plum Blossom." Well we're still not exactly clear on any of this...but now another flashback. The young Mishil is sitting under that ageless tree, opening the box Sadaham left for her. Inside it is an almanac from Gaya. And a note from Sadaham, telling her that if her decision is really to move on and cut him out of her life, "then I leave you this almanac to fulfill your dreams. No tears, no heartache for me." But she's crying as she reads. "Being with you was all the happiness I dared hope for." Wow, there had better be a darned good reason she stiffed this guy...Flashback ends. "Mishil was born that day," Mishil says cryptically. But then explains that Sadaham returned from the military victory over Gaya "to deceive his king, and leave me this precious gift. Despite my betraying him and marrying another man." And it turns out that the Gaya almanac is a Rosetta Stone of sorts; it's needed in order to transform the information in the new Daemyung Almanac and make it relevant to Shilla's geographic location.
Deokman finds several small pieces of wood with writing on them. She picks up one and finds a name. Sohwa. That book, to her amazement, she recognizes it as the Plutarch book that we saw her reading in Episode 3. Not just the Plutarch book, but the very same dinged-up copy of the book that she had owned. How in the world did that get all the way here after all this time? Dumbfounded by all of this, she starts to shake, and falls to the floor (wasting valuable time). Outside the room, Jukbang and Godo are getting nervous and open the door. Deokman is standing there, looking completely rattled, and walks off without even acknowledging them. And she foolishly left the box's contents spread out. Fortunately Jukbang spots this and packs it back up properly. Deokman runs outside and looks as though she might be in some sort of physical distress....
The next morning: Deokman is sitting alone in the DFers' home; she's locked the door and Jukbang and Godo can't get in. They wonder if she's cracked up! She's trying to make sense of what she saw last night.
Yushin reports to his father that they still haven't figured out what Sadaham's Plum Blossom is. But he knows that both Bojong and Hajong were tailing Mishil--because he had someone tailing them! So the parade was even longer than we knew. Yushin concludes that neither Seolwon nor Sejong knows what Sadaham's Plum Blossom is either. "That Mishil can be scary," Seohyeon says; "even her family doesn't know everything."
Mishil has called her four naughty men before her. "Shall we share all of our secrets, then?" Delivered like a threat. "Sadaham's Plum Blossom is between me and Misaeng," she says firmly. She turns to Sejong and says, "You had to pull a few tricks to become head of the Council [of Nobles]. Shall we tell everyone how you did it?" And Seolwon, the peasant who rose to become Minister of Military: "Shall we share what you had to do to get there?" Both men obviously get the message. "Only Mishil knows your secrets," she says with surprising anger, "and only Mishil SHOULD know them! If you think you need to know everything, maybe you should take my place?" If that's what you want "then you'll just have to kill me." She hasn't been this angry since she carved up those guards after Sohwa got away in Episode 3. Hajong and Bojong fall to their knees and start groveling, and Sejong and Seolwon apologize profusely. Point made.
"How could you treat me so?" Now it's later, probably evening because we see Mishil and Sejong together in what looks like their pajamas. Surprisingly, now Mishil is hurt rather than angry. And she's pouring him tea. "You're my rock," she tells him, "I need your strength. I can't do anything without you there to support me." And she hugs him, showing unexpected vulnerability, like she really does need him with her. Or maybe it's just her working her wiles....
Now she's with Seolwon; they're in robes and he's brushing her hair in what looks like a bath chamber. Sort of a similar exchange, with Mishil reminding Seolwon that he had promised he'd never expect anything from her and would always trust her. He assures her that it's still true; he only wants to share in her life and her successes. "Sadaham's Plum Blossom," she tells him, "is just official business." And you already share in everything that matters. More tender, or else more subtlely manipulative.
Cheonmyeong is with her mother the queen and with Princess Manmyeong. They discuss something Mishil had said about being able to predict the future. "It rains when she says, and stops when she says," Manmyeong explains. Manmyeong was in the palace when this all began; "It started with that ritual," As in, that rain ritual we saw in flashback in the previous episode. "She can even predict a lunar eclipse." (Well THAT is a big one; a really significant piece of information. That would make a big impression on a lot of commoners if she can do that.) Cheonmyeong adds that "Astrologers try to predict the same things but with little luck." Well, no surprise there. Even Seori, the high priestess, strikes out at things like rain rituals. But it doesn't embarrass Seori; "she just smiles and says Mishil has the mandate of heaven." Now maybe we're FINALLY getting somewhere.
Now more of the DFers want into their building. And now here's Yushin. "Deokman still upset?" Orders the door busted open, but it pops open rather easily so maybe Deokman unlocked it from the inside. Whatever...they go in, but Deokman isn't there anymore. Then Jukbang and Godo explain to Yushin what happened the previous night and how Deokman "suddenly got weird on us."
Where did Deokman go? In broad daylight, she goes back to the merchants' building and into Jang's quarters again. But now the box is open...and empty. She remembers hearing Jang talking in Latin to his colleagues about the deal that they're going to make with Mishil.
Jang has brought the contents of that box to Mishil. Misaeng looks at the piece of wood and recognizes it: "This is the identity tag for that maid who ran off back when." They're stunned to see it and ask where it came from. "One of the merchants' bodyguards asked me to deliver it to you," he explains. What was the bodyguard's name? Jang thinks for a moment, and then unwittingly drops the bomb on Mishil and Misaeng: "Chilsuk." The pair are stunned. Oh, and there's a letter for them too. It's Chilsuk reporting to Mishil. "I'm unable to bring you the bodies of the twin and the maid as ordered," he writes. "But both are long dead." (Why is he lying about Sohwa?) "I send you the twin's swaddling cloth and the maid's identity tag." And also the book, which he says belonged to the child. He continues, "After so many years I dare not ask your forgiveness so I retire from your service. May you enjoy a long life." Well, if he wants no more of Mishil, journeying right into the heart of Seorabeol probably isn't the best way to accomplish that! But Jang adds that Chilsuk was leaving to go somewhere far away. Not if Mishil can help it; this news has blown her away..."Find him," she demands. She summons Bojong and orders him and his Hwarang to search every inn and boarding-place in the city. "I have to find someone," she says breathlessly. Get Seokpum and his Hwarang too.
Outside, Deokman happens to see Bojong's Hwarang scatter off to their assignment. And hears Bojong tell Seokpum that they're searching for Chilsuk. Seokpum and his Hwarang are shocked; Chilsuk is practically a Hwarang legend. And it hits Deokman even harder, to learn that her glimpse in the receiving line was correct, and her pursuer is still alive.