Post by ajk on Aug 2, 2013 21:20:51 GMT -5
There must be fifteen goons sitting there moaning and suffering from all kinds of got-my-butt-kicked injuries, while Pyeonjo sits there calmly in front of them, examining Won Hyeon's recovered money pouch to make sure all the money is there. Now he's asking them about silver pieces...but from Won's reaction, he didn't lose any silver pieces. Apparently somebody's been going around stealing religious offerings--is that what this is about? Are these the guys? Maybe yes, maybe no, but these goons are so afraid of Pyeonjo that they cough up some silver pieces anyway. Hmmm--justice or extortion? Whichever, Pyeonjo shoos them away and they're only too happy to get the heck out of there. So he and Won sit down at a cafe and he orders "meat and drink." Oh, and guess what, it was extortion. Between the porcelain theft, the extortion, the fighting, and the un-monk-like meal, Won doesn't care for his companion's conduct one bit. But Pyeonjo has a different mentality--that part of becoming an enlightened Buddhist is experiencing the messiness of the real world. At least that's his spin on it. The waiter who brings him his food and watches him bordering on gluttony as he shovels the meat in and pounds back the wine, he stares at this odd monk with puzzlement. And with Pyeonjo's long hair he doesn't look like your regular monk to begin with. We learn that "Master Wolseon" didn't order the hair to be cut; something about being forced to ordain a slave's son. (Not willing to confer the same symbol on someone the master saw as unworthy. Something like that. But really, you know it was the network executives.) Pyeonjo finishes his meal and pays with one of the silver pieces. A big payment...but some of it covers what those goons had been eating; they were here when Pyeonjo found them and "thanks to me, those scoundrels ran away without paying." The delighted waiter accepts the silver and then makes it a particular point to thank him--because "those scoundrels you beat up are Lord Deokseong's underlings." Who's that? Gi Cheol--"the brother of Yuan's Empress Gi!" Common knowledge, apparently, but a surprise to Pyeonjo: "You're saying the empress's brother runs around commanding a bunch of thieves?" Yecch.
And here's a coincidence--here comes Gi Cheol now. Happens to be passing through the main street. (We recognize him from last episode.) He's sitting in a covered chair that's being carried by twelve bearers. (Twelve? For one guy?) Gi Won is with him, on horseback. Everyone in the street scatters to make way as Cheol's arrival is loudly announced by an underling. it's not like they're happy to see him, have to point that out; they just scatter.
Something's getting underway in the palace. The Gis head in through the palace gate...and now we see the boy king Chungmok and his mother Deoknyeong in another twelve-man covered chair. (Must be standard equipment.) Poor kid still looks sick and exhausted. There's Choi Man Saeng walking next to the king...and also the boy Kyeongchang Buwongun and his guardian Lady Yoon. As the king is taken inside, Yoon and her charge go off by themselves, and smile giddily at each other at the apparent development that "My son's destiny has finally been bestowed upon us!" (Error here, or else a fictional adjustment. She wasn't really his mother.)
The king sits in a private chamber, his mother tending to him. We're reintroduced to Lee Je Hyeon, known as Lord Ikjae. Seems like a decent guy; he's concerned about the king's health. Suggests to the princess that "Presiding over the Eight Vows Ceremony might be too hard on His Majesty." No, she answers, this is important and he'll do it. Important to her because of what she sees from Lady Yoon, and the prospect of "Lord Kyeongchang" ascending to the throne. The kid bravely tells his mother he'll do it, even though he says he's in pain. Won't be terribly difficult--greet the court officials, accept a loyalty pledge, and drink some wine that they offer him. "You must show them how healthy and strong you are, so that they won't even dream of scheming against you." Right now, though, even that much seems like a tall order. Hard to tell what's going on here--is she putting her son through this for her own naked ambition, or because she has a bigger concern for the kingdom's welfare. Lee leaves the royal pair, and outside whispers to the head attendant about the need for discretion regarding the king's health.
Hey, this ceremony looks like it will be a big deal. Outside they're already preparing for it, and there's a lot going on. Lee encounters Master Bou out there. Bou apparently came back recently from China after a few years. Asked about the Yuan dynasty's power, he answers, "Every tide has its ebb." Interesting...but not a surprise to Lee. Then they both acknowledge the unfortunate reality: "His Majesty's days are numbered." Poor kid. But at least there’s other good news for the moment; this looks to be the most prosperous ceremony in years. "Goryeo's fortunes are skyrocketing," Lee says. Not sure how truly convinced of that he is, but he's hoping.
So this isn't just a shopping trip for the two monks; they're here for the ceremony too. They've arrived at a local monastery, where other monks are preparing lots of paper lanterns for a part of the event that the monastery participates in. A monk named Jihyo shows them to a storeroom where they can stay overnight. No other place for them; many elder monks have come in from around the country for this and the monastery is packed. Jihyo leaves them with a warning not to be too tempted by the smell of alcohol and the goings-on outside the monastery.
Evening: So much for THAT warning. Pyeonjo has brought an outfit for Won to put on. And in the next moment they're scaling the wall of the monastery grounds and breaking out! Both with outfits to cover their monk robes. Out into the local streets of Gaegyeong, masquerading as regular citizens. Wow, look at all the babes out there...this must be like Mardi Gras. Some gambling--hey, there's the three-cups and a ball game, a timeless street-hustler classic--and now Pyeonjo accepts the arm of a willing female and heads into what looks like one of those places, dragging a horrified Won in there with him. As in, a brothel! Now a woman starts fawning over Won, and he's squirming and miserable. Part of learning the real world, Pyeonjo tells him--"Of course you need to embrace these ladies to know what sex is like, isn't it? Otherwise, when will you ever know where the dangerous path you can't cross leads?" Now the proprietor comes to their table. Stunned by the two silver pieces Pyeonjo has just put in front of him, he scurries off to "choose some pretty ones" for the pair. In moments, each one has a woman on his lap, and needless to say, Pyeonjo is happier about that than Won is.
In a much quieter part of town, Master Bou has arrived to see somebody important. He's ushered inside, and then we see him talking to an older woman identified as Empress Dowager Myeongdeok. She had been looking for him...because she knew he had just returned from elsewhere, and wants to know, "Did you manage to meet Prince Gangneung while there?" Turns out, that's her son. (So she's the king's mother we saw in the previous episode, in 1371) Now a flashback: we see Bou and An Dochi in a room very much like we just saw Pyeonjo in, as Prince Gangneung (the future King Gongmin, who we met last episode) makes himself comfortable with two women. This is in Yanjing. Bou and An don't look too happy about the prince's choice of activities...but Gangneung tells them to just tell his mother that "I spend all day trapped inside this room studying." Studying what--anatomy? Turns out he's angry at his mother--who, we learn, was kicked out of the palace after his father married a Mongolian princess. "Even after expelling her, my father was consumed with lust and spent every night with her, returning in the early bright. That's how I came to this world." He hasn't seen his mother in years, and has become bitter about it to the point where he thinks she doesn't care about him at all and just wants to see him become king for her own power reasons...But as the flashback ends, we can see that the prince is wrong. His mother eagerly presses Bou for news...and rather than telling her the truth, grits his teeth and reports that "He's a gallant, refined young man." She beams and laughs with delight, as Bou mumbles to his god for forgiveness.
As Bou leaves Myeongdeok's palace, her attendant mentions that she's heard from An Dochi about the situation in Yanjing. But fortunately she, too, has spared Myeongdeok from hearing the unpleasant truth....Another flashback, to the same Yanjing visit. The prince is alone with Bou now, no less cynical but more somber. Worried that he's slowly decaying away to nothing, trapped far from home and unable to return....Flashback ending, Bou tells the attendant he's sure Gangneung will be home someday. It's a tough subject; the attendant has tears in her eyes.
Back at the brothel....Suddenly things have taken a strange turn. A bunch of goons--yeah, it looks like the same guys--have shown up and their leader is angry that the proprietor didn't pay enough money for the privilege of staying open late on the eve of the ceremony. (And what he did pay, we learn, he paid at the state prison--isn't that odd.) So the goons proceed to start ransacking the place, beating people with sticks and overturning tables. The two monks try to make their escape, but worse than being beaten, they're recognized. And in moments, the chase is on through the capital streets. (Didn't those goons learn their lesson the first time?) The two separate and manage to elude their pursuers, temporarily; Won hides in a big clay pot, and Pyeonjo half-jumps/half-flies onto a rooftop (UGH). Eventually they make it back to their room in the monastery. Won is understandably angry and wants only to go to sleep, but Pyeonjo manages to get a laugh out of him in the end.
Later, Pyeonjo goes to take a midnight pee and happens to notice some of the older monks not only awake but walking in a circle in the monastery yard and chanting, and spinning little wheeled things on sticks. Jihyo is out there too and explains that they're doing a Sanskrit chant to purify the mind, and the wheel-spinning is to make wishes come true. These monks must be visitors; they're Lamaists--as in, Tibetan Buddhists (info link). Lamaism is different from the locally practiced Buddhism, Jihyo explains. "Especially when it comes to how earth's creatures are perceived. For Lamas, even the most minute forms of life, or rocks, are alive. Not only humans, all things have a spirit for them." Pyeonjo is skeptical--"Even a rock has a soul?"--but polite about it. As they part, Pyeonjo bows and makes a point of apologizing for smelling of alcohol. It must be pretty strong for him to have to acknowledge it. Jihyo doesn't deny it, either--he simply smiles kindly and bows in return. Which is very decent of him.
Morning: The monastery bell is sounded. The monks assemble for morning prayers and breakfast. It's all very regimented and ritualized. Very interesting.
Now the monks head to the ceremony, all carrying paper lanterns. Wow, the streets are absolutely packed. Confetti flying around, smiles on faces young and old..and hey, there are those camels again. Pyeonjo has to stop and visit them. Camel junkie, I guess.
Now we're in the palace courtyard and the ceremony is underway. The color variety in the yard is stunning. Prayers are being offered for the health of the royal family. There's our boy king, looking weak, but with his mother's encouragement he's sticking it out. Now the Gis show up, and Gi Cheol, he sits down right in the special chair where the king will sit at one point in the ceremony. The two ministers we've met, Yeom Je Shin and Lee Je Hyeon, bristle at the sight of this. Obviously they're not allies of the Gis. Yeom fumes, "Who the hell does he think he is, sitting on the chair where His Majesty will accept his memorial?" But Lee says to ignore it--"now is not the time." Apparently this kind of disrespect has been going on for more than a decade.
Now some impatient mumbling from the Gis about how long the boy king is going to live. "Let's join forces with Lady Yoon," Gi Won suggests. "Lord Kyeongchang is still a child. You can manipulate him as you wish." Hmmm....
Out in the crowd, Won spots Gi Cheol and recognizes him as the head of that gang of goons they've gotten so chummy with. Some of whom happen to be here, yikes. Won says We're getting out of here as soon as this is over; he's heard that Cheol "is like the real king" because he's a brother-in-law of the Yuan emperor and has so much clout. And those goons are sort of like his private army.
Back to the Gis; considering their options for enthroning the next king. "How about Prince Gangneung in Yanjing?", Cheol asks. Won reminds him, "Isn't Prince Gangneung's mother a Hong?" (A powerful Goryeo clan.) "She would be tough to handle." Tougher than Lady Yoon? From Cheol's scowl, Yoon must be a handful herself.
Now Master Bou approaches the king to offer prayers. The king doesn't have to bow, but he does have to stand. Which he does, briefly and with some effort, but he does, and sits right back down. Now Bou steps forward to deliver a brief sermon. Pyeonjo is eager to hear it; apparently Bou has a reputation for excellence at this. The sermon isn't terribly long...but to be honest…well, is it really any good? Won doesn’t seem to think so. Some flowery words and phrases, a few thoughts about “Buddha’s soul living in all of us,” and praise for the contemplation of Amitabha (info link). Good, bad or otherwise, it's just long enough that after fading in and out repeatedly, the king goes unconscious just as Bou finishes. He’s carried inside by his mother as the performances begin. (Nice going, Bou--the kid's already sick and now you're boring him to death!)
The performances begin--what we see of them is visually gorgeous. Pyeonjo leaves to follow Bou to wherever he's headed, and Won discreetly leaves through another exit. One of the goons sees Won and shows a brief flicker of recognition...but it passes without fully registering. Whew.
Bou has gone by himself to an empty chapel and begins chanting the Avatamsaka Sutra (info link). Pyeonjo watches with fascination.
Now an interesting conversation: Yeom sits down next to Gi Cheol, and a contentious discussion ensues about yet another demand from the Yuan for 150 Goryean maidens. Yeom is angry about it; Cheol fires back something about continued tributes to Yanjing (not sure what that means yet). But it's not just Yeom's personal opposition; more important is that it's simply becoming difficult to round up the maidens. More and more of them are going into hiding or even killing themselves to avoid the fate. For one revealing moment, Gi shows that he doesn't like it either--"Do you think I'm enjoying this? I'm just saying the Mother Nation's requests are getting sterner by the minute"--but when Gi orders Yeom to take personal control over gathering the 150, Yeom refuses outright and angrily storms away. Gi scowls--"Who said old farts obey orders?"--and angrily shoves bowls off the table in front of him.
Now it's evening--a happy evening out in the streets--and Won is just trying to get back to the monastery without any goons recognizing him.
And look here--Pyeonjo has finally gotten the attention of Master Bou. Is kneeling before him outside the chapel. Bou looks angry--and starts shouting! "You said you'd save the world? Did you say you'd save the world?!" Apparently not very monk-like to say such things. But neither is losing your temper, is it?
And here's a coincidence--here comes Gi Cheol now. Happens to be passing through the main street. (We recognize him from last episode.) He's sitting in a covered chair that's being carried by twelve bearers. (Twelve? For one guy?) Gi Won is with him, on horseback. Everyone in the street scatters to make way as Cheol's arrival is loudly announced by an underling. it's not like they're happy to see him, have to point that out; they just scatter.
Something's getting underway in the palace. The Gis head in through the palace gate...and now we see the boy king Chungmok and his mother Deoknyeong in another twelve-man covered chair. (Must be standard equipment.) Poor kid still looks sick and exhausted. There's Choi Man Saeng walking next to the king...and also the boy Kyeongchang Buwongun and his guardian Lady Yoon. As the king is taken inside, Yoon and her charge go off by themselves, and smile giddily at each other at the apparent development that "My son's destiny has finally been bestowed upon us!" (Error here, or else a fictional adjustment. She wasn't really his mother.)
The king sits in a private chamber, his mother tending to him. We're reintroduced to Lee Je Hyeon, known as Lord Ikjae. Seems like a decent guy; he's concerned about the king's health. Suggests to the princess that "Presiding over the Eight Vows Ceremony might be too hard on His Majesty." No, she answers, this is important and he'll do it. Important to her because of what she sees from Lady Yoon, and the prospect of "Lord Kyeongchang" ascending to the throne. The kid bravely tells his mother he'll do it, even though he says he's in pain. Won't be terribly difficult--greet the court officials, accept a loyalty pledge, and drink some wine that they offer him. "You must show them how healthy and strong you are, so that they won't even dream of scheming against you." Right now, though, even that much seems like a tall order. Hard to tell what's going on here--is she putting her son through this for her own naked ambition, or because she has a bigger concern for the kingdom's welfare. Lee leaves the royal pair, and outside whispers to the head attendant about the need for discretion regarding the king's health.
Hey, this ceremony looks like it will be a big deal. Outside they're already preparing for it, and there's a lot going on. Lee encounters Master Bou out there. Bou apparently came back recently from China after a few years. Asked about the Yuan dynasty's power, he answers, "Every tide has its ebb." Interesting...but not a surprise to Lee. Then they both acknowledge the unfortunate reality: "His Majesty's days are numbered." Poor kid. But at least there’s other good news for the moment; this looks to be the most prosperous ceremony in years. "Goryeo's fortunes are skyrocketing," Lee says. Not sure how truly convinced of that he is, but he's hoping.
So this isn't just a shopping trip for the two monks; they're here for the ceremony too. They've arrived at a local monastery, where other monks are preparing lots of paper lanterns for a part of the event that the monastery participates in. A monk named Jihyo shows them to a storeroom where they can stay overnight. No other place for them; many elder monks have come in from around the country for this and the monastery is packed. Jihyo leaves them with a warning not to be too tempted by the smell of alcohol and the goings-on outside the monastery.
Evening: So much for THAT warning. Pyeonjo has brought an outfit for Won to put on. And in the next moment they're scaling the wall of the monastery grounds and breaking out! Both with outfits to cover their monk robes. Out into the local streets of Gaegyeong, masquerading as regular citizens. Wow, look at all the babes out there...this must be like Mardi Gras. Some gambling--hey, there's the three-cups and a ball game, a timeless street-hustler classic--and now Pyeonjo accepts the arm of a willing female and heads into what looks like one of those places, dragging a horrified Won in there with him. As in, a brothel! Now a woman starts fawning over Won, and he's squirming and miserable. Part of learning the real world, Pyeonjo tells him--"Of course you need to embrace these ladies to know what sex is like, isn't it? Otherwise, when will you ever know where the dangerous path you can't cross leads?" Now the proprietor comes to their table. Stunned by the two silver pieces Pyeonjo has just put in front of him, he scurries off to "choose some pretty ones" for the pair. In moments, each one has a woman on his lap, and needless to say, Pyeonjo is happier about that than Won is.
In a much quieter part of town, Master Bou has arrived to see somebody important. He's ushered inside, and then we see him talking to an older woman identified as Empress Dowager Myeongdeok. She had been looking for him...because she knew he had just returned from elsewhere, and wants to know, "Did you manage to meet Prince Gangneung while there?" Turns out, that's her son. (So she's the king's mother we saw in the previous episode, in 1371) Now a flashback: we see Bou and An Dochi in a room very much like we just saw Pyeonjo in, as Prince Gangneung (the future King Gongmin, who we met last episode) makes himself comfortable with two women. This is in Yanjing. Bou and An don't look too happy about the prince's choice of activities...but Gangneung tells them to just tell his mother that "I spend all day trapped inside this room studying." Studying what--anatomy? Turns out he's angry at his mother--who, we learn, was kicked out of the palace after his father married a Mongolian princess. "Even after expelling her, my father was consumed with lust and spent every night with her, returning in the early bright. That's how I came to this world." He hasn't seen his mother in years, and has become bitter about it to the point where he thinks she doesn't care about him at all and just wants to see him become king for her own power reasons...But as the flashback ends, we can see that the prince is wrong. His mother eagerly presses Bou for news...and rather than telling her the truth, grits his teeth and reports that "He's a gallant, refined young man." She beams and laughs with delight, as Bou mumbles to his god for forgiveness.
As Bou leaves Myeongdeok's palace, her attendant mentions that she's heard from An Dochi about the situation in Yanjing. But fortunately she, too, has spared Myeongdeok from hearing the unpleasant truth....Another flashback, to the same Yanjing visit. The prince is alone with Bou now, no less cynical but more somber. Worried that he's slowly decaying away to nothing, trapped far from home and unable to return....Flashback ending, Bou tells the attendant he's sure Gangneung will be home someday. It's a tough subject; the attendant has tears in her eyes.
Back at the brothel....Suddenly things have taken a strange turn. A bunch of goons--yeah, it looks like the same guys--have shown up and their leader is angry that the proprietor didn't pay enough money for the privilege of staying open late on the eve of the ceremony. (And what he did pay, we learn, he paid at the state prison--isn't that odd.) So the goons proceed to start ransacking the place, beating people with sticks and overturning tables. The two monks try to make their escape, but worse than being beaten, they're recognized. And in moments, the chase is on through the capital streets. (Didn't those goons learn their lesson the first time?) The two separate and manage to elude their pursuers, temporarily; Won hides in a big clay pot, and Pyeonjo half-jumps/half-flies onto a rooftop (UGH). Eventually they make it back to their room in the monastery. Won is understandably angry and wants only to go to sleep, but Pyeonjo manages to get a laugh out of him in the end.
Later, Pyeonjo goes to take a midnight pee and happens to notice some of the older monks not only awake but walking in a circle in the monastery yard and chanting, and spinning little wheeled things on sticks. Jihyo is out there too and explains that they're doing a Sanskrit chant to purify the mind, and the wheel-spinning is to make wishes come true. These monks must be visitors; they're Lamaists--as in, Tibetan Buddhists (info link). Lamaism is different from the locally practiced Buddhism, Jihyo explains. "Especially when it comes to how earth's creatures are perceived. For Lamas, even the most minute forms of life, or rocks, are alive. Not only humans, all things have a spirit for them." Pyeonjo is skeptical--"Even a rock has a soul?"--but polite about it. As they part, Pyeonjo bows and makes a point of apologizing for smelling of alcohol. It must be pretty strong for him to have to acknowledge it. Jihyo doesn't deny it, either--he simply smiles kindly and bows in return. Which is very decent of him.
Morning: The monastery bell is sounded. The monks assemble for morning prayers and breakfast. It's all very regimented and ritualized. Very interesting.
Now the monks head to the ceremony, all carrying paper lanterns. Wow, the streets are absolutely packed. Confetti flying around, smiles on faces young and old..and hey, there are those camels again. Pyeonjo has to stop and visit them. Camel junkie, I guess.
Now we're in the palace courtyard and the ceremony is underway. The color variety in the yard is stunning. Prayers are being offered for the health of the royal family. There's our boy king, looking weak, but with his mother's encouragement he's sticking it out. Now the Gis show up, and Gi Cheol, he sits down right in the special chair where the king will sit at one point in the ceremony. The two ministers we've met, Yeom Je Shin and Lee Je Hyeon, bristle at the sight of this. Obviously they're not allies of the Gis. Yeom fumes, "Who the hell does he think he is, sitting on the chair where His Majesty will accept his memorial?" But Lee says to ignore it--"now is not the time." Apparently this kind of disrespect has been going on for more than a decade.
Now some impatient mumbling from the Gis about how long the boy king is going to live. "Let's join forces with Lady Yoon," Gi Won suggests. "Lord Kyeongchang is still a child. You can manipulate him as you wish." Hmmm....
Out in the crowd, Won spots Gi Cheol and recognizes him as the head of that gang of goons they've gotten so chummy with. Some of whom happen to be here, yikes. Won says We're getting out of here as soon as this is over; he's heard that Cheol "is like the real king" because he's a brother-in-law of the Yuan emperor and has so much clout. And those goons are sort of like his private army.
Back to the Gis; considering their options for enthroning the next king. "How about Prince Gangneung in Yanjing?", Cheol asks. Won reminds him, "Isn't Prince Gangneung's mother a Hong?" (A powerful Goryeo clan.) "She would be tough to handle." Tougher than Lady Yoon? From Cheol's scowl, Yoon must be a handful herself.
Now Master Bou approaches the king to offer prayers. The king doesn't have to bow, but he does have to stand. Which he does, briefly and with some effort, but he does, and sits right back down. Now Bou steps forward to deliver a brief sermon. Pyeonjo is eager to hear it; apparently Bou has a reputation for excellence at this. The sermon isn't terribly long...but to be honest…well, is it really any good? Won doesn’t seem to think so. Some flowery words and phrases, a few thoughts about “Buddha’s soul living in all of us,” and praise for the contemplation of Amitabha (info link). Good, bad or otherwise, it's just long enough that after fading in and out repeatedly, the king goes unconscious just as Bou finishes. He’s carried inside by his mother as the performances begin. (Nice going, Bou--the kid's already sick and now you're boring him to death!)
The performances begin--what we see of them is visually gorgeous. Pyeonjo leaves to follow Bou to wherever he's headed, and Won discreetly leaves through another exit. One of the goons sees Won and shows a brief flicker of recognition...but it passes without fully registering. Whew.
Bou has gone by himself to an empty chapel and begins chanting the Avatamsaka Sutra (info link). Pyeonjo watches with fascination.
Now an interesting conversation: Yeom sits down next to Gi Cheol, and a contentious discussion ensues about yet another demand from the Yuan for 150 Goryean maidens. Yeom is angry about it; Cheol fires back something about continued tributes to Yanjing (not sure what that means yet). But it's not just Yeom's personal opposition; more important is that it's simply becoming difficult to round up the maidens. More and more of them are going into hiding or even killing themselves to avoid the fate. For one revealing moment, Gi shows that he doesn't like it either--"Do you think I'm enjoying this? I'm just saying the Mother Nation's requests are getting sterner by the minute"--but when Gi orders Yeom to take personal control over gathering the 150, Yeom refuses outright and angrily storms away. Gi scowls--"Who said old farts obey orders?"--and angrily shoves bowls off the table in front of him.
Now it's evening--a happy evening out in the streets--and Won is just trying to get back to the monastery without any goons recognizing him.
And look here--Pyeonjo has finally gotten the attention of Master Bou. Is kneeling before him outside the chapel. Bou looks angry--and starts shouting! "You said you'd save the world? Did you say you'd save the world?!" Apparently not very monk-like to say such things. But neither is losing your temper, is it?