Post by ajk on Apr 24, 2014 22:19:27 GMT -5
Should these two really be dueling? Well nobody tries to talk them out of it so they go until their swords shatter. And then they get new swords and go again, until those shatter too. And finally Choi says Enough of this, you could have killed me a minute ago (which is true; Seonggye had an opening to strike but he hesitated), so stop humiliating me and take me to prison. As he kneels there Seonggye assures him that this was all to save the army and the country and not out of any treasonous intent. And orders that Choi be treated with respect as he's taken away.
Next morning: The streets are filled with dead and injured. What a horrible sight. It's beyond words. And Seonggye looks like he has some buyer's remorse; seems a little shellshocked by it all. JD assures him that "It's not your fault" and that had to be done to a rotten country and a bad king and a delusional general. "You did your best. I am a witness to that." But now here's something uplifting: Lady Kang and Bangwon and the others are here, safe and sound. Seonggye and his wife both seem too exhausted to show any emotion, but she reassures him that he made the right decision and tells him how proud she is. That obviously means a lot to him and finally he hugs her.
Narration tells us that Choi was later exiled to Gobonghyeon (present-day Goyang, just north of Seoul) and then to Happo (present-day Masan, near the southeast coast). And that, interestingly enough, Ming later backed off on creating the Cheollyeong Commandery. They still created it, but not in that exact location. Nevertheless, Goryeo politics fell into confusion afterwards.
Seonggye and Jo Minsu and the other generals are before the king, assuring him that they had only honorable, loyal intentions "and not out of disloyalty. He glares at them. Tells them they didn't do anything wrong and that he misjudged the situation. Really? Hmm...Then he tells them to dissolve the army and send the soldiers home. Okay, then that explains it. The generals agree...but they don't look happy about it.
Later they discuss it. They're worried about the king retaliating. They want guarantees of safety from the king. Jo Minsu goes even further--says the king must step down! Let's find another royal family member, someone virtuous, and put HIM on the throne. And guess what, the other officers start to agree. Seonggye wants no part of that, but there's so much support for it that he has to agree to consider it.
Turns out, JD agrees with the other generals. Thinks the king will only make things difficult for Seonggye as long as he's on the throne. Later he goes to Yun Sojong and tells him the generals want the king replaced...and so does he. But I can't incite it, he adds, or people will think Seonggye is behind it. "Help me. You have to fan the wood so it will burn." Make the case to the public. Yun says he'll do it. But wait, near the doorway, someone's been listening. JD leaves the room and finds an older man standing there--a stranger to us. "I thought you were a fool who begged for a position. Were you a traitor?" Who is this smart-aleck? Who is this guy? His name is Jo Jun and he's here to visit Yun. He apologizes to JD for "going overboard." JD doesn't react much. He's never met this man but apparently he's heard of him before.
Lee Saek and Mongju urge Seonggye and Jo to return military authority to the king. And they get frustrated because the generals say they'll do it properly and carefully rather than immediately. And when Seonggye tells Mongju afterwards about the abdication question, Mongju is disgusted. The king won't retaliate, he says; you have nothing to worry about.
"Just wait. I'll slaughter them all when the army is dissolved." Nothing to worry about? The king is drinking and angry. Jeongbi has to explain to him why the generals are hesitant. Then the queen enters and says she's heard rumors of abdication talk! The king goes berserk and overturns his dinner table. But later he does something smart: calls in JD and Mongju and asks them to help make peace with Seonggye. Mongju says he'll do it. JD is silent. Of course he doesn't want to help this king...but now he's remembering a promise he made to King Gongmin that he's always protect Gongmin's son, who is the king he wants to remove. Tough position he's in.
Evening: Another angry discussion among the scholars. JD was sitting there silently but then speaks up. Reminds them of all of the people who have died to get to this point. "After all that bloodshed, if you can't remove a king who is hooked on alcohol and women out of fear of becoming a traitor, how can all those souls of the dead ever close their eyes in comfort?" Put someone on the throne who will reform the government, he says flatly, and then gets up to leave. Mongju's jaw drops and he looks at JD like he's an alien. He chases down JD and confronts him, and they end up getting angry at each other.
The next day: Seonggye goes to the king. The king wants his military authority back, but Seonggye asks for one more day. Tells him about the abdication talk. "I am trying to convince them," he says. "Please give me one more day. Please trust me." Obviously spooked, the king grants him the day.
That evening: the king has called all of the generals to a meeting somewhere (possibly his house; not sure). They're all present, except Jiran. "Wait a little while," he tells them; "one more guest will be coming." Not Jiran. Then who?
The king wants his battle armor. Why now? "They wouldn't imagine I would make a surprise attack. They won't have their guard up." Gather all the other eunuchs, he tells his head eunuch, shaking and cross-eyed with rage. Oh now he can't be serious, can he?
It's a ridiculous sight. Two dozen or so frightened-looking eunuchs and the king in his armor, all waving swords and stalking the building where the generals are meeting. inside, the generals have been sitting there for quite a while and are getting impatient. Seonggye tells them to just keep waiting and he'll give them his decision about abdication. They groan...but now what's the commotion outside? It's the silly little group approaching...and Jiran approaching from the other direction with a big contingent of soldiers! They surround the king and eunuchs in the building's front yard. The generals all walk outside and stare at the king like disappointed parents. Drop your weapons, LS tells them, and eventually they do. Narration tells us that King Wu was deposed after that and "taken to the detached palace on Ganghado (an island on the western coast), treated as a former king but it was really abdication." And what followed was turmoil over who would get the throne.
JD tells Seonggye that Wu's son can't be put on the throne because eventually he'll seek revenge for his father. He says he'll find someone uninvolved...and later makes his choice: Wang Yo. He's a royal family member and is the older brother of Bangbeon's father-in-law. (Bangbeon is one of Seonggye's sons; we haven't met him yet but he's Lady Kang's first child.) Seonggye approves...but will Jo Minsu? Maybe not but he can't do anything about it, can he? JD says he'll talk to him about it. So he goes to see Jo...but Jo isn't home. Where did he go?
Uh-oh. He's visiting Lee In Im! Turns out they're second cousins! Lee has diagnosed the whole situation already, and is prodding Jo. "How long are you going to stay in Lee Seonggye's shadow?" Jo chuckles and says his position ranks higher than Seonggye's, so there's no shadow. Lee stares at him and says "There are only two ranks in politics. Real power and false power. I will make you the person with the most real power in Goryeo." Jo's eyes gleam and he asks what he should do. Insist on the crown prince as the new king, Lee tells him.
Next morning: The streets are filled with dead and injured. What a horrible sight. It's beyond words. And Seonggye looks like he has some buyer's remorse; seems a little shellshocked by it all. JD assures him that "It's not your fault" and that had to be done to a rotten country and a bad king and a delusional general. "You did your best. I am a witness to that." But now here's something uplifting: Lady Kang and Bangwon and the others are here, safe and sound. Seonggye and his wife both seem too exhausted to show any emotion, but she reassures him that he made the right decision and tells him how proud she is. That obviously means a lot to him and finally he hugs her.
Narration tells us that Choi was later exiled to Gobonghyeon (present-day Goyang, just north of Seoul) and then to Happo (present-day Masan, near the southeast coast). And that, interestingly enough, Ming later backed off on creating the Cheollyeong Commandery. They still created it, but not in that exact location. Nevertheless, Goryeo politics fell into confusion afterwards.
Seonggye and Jo Minsu and the other generals are before the king, assuring him that they had only honorable, loyal intentions "and not out of disloyalty. He glares at them. Tells them they didn't do anything wrong and that he misjudged the situation. Really? Hmm...Then he tells them to dissolve the army and send the soldiers home. Okay, then that explains it. The generals agree...but they don't look happy about it.
Later they discuss it. They're worried about the king retaliating. They want guarantees of safety from the king. Jo Minsu goes even further--says the king must step down! Let's find another royal family member, someone virtuous, and put HIM on the throne. And guess what, the other officers start to agree. Seonggye wants no part of that, but there's so much support for it that he has to agree to consider it.
Turns out, JD agrees with the other generals. Thinks the king will only make things difficult for Seonggye as long as he's on the throne. Later he goes to Yun Sojong and tells him the generals want the king replaced...and so does he. But I can't incite it, he adds, or people will think Seonggye is behind it. "Help me. You have to fan the wood so it will burn." Make the case to the public. Yun says he'll do it. But wait, near the doorway, someone's been listening. JD leaves the room and finds an older man standing there--a stranger to us. "I thought you were a fool who begged for a position. Were you a traitor?" Who is this smart-aleck? Who is this guy? His name is Jo Jun and he's here to visit Yun. He apologizes to JD for "going overboard." JD doesn't react much. He's never met this man but apparently he's heard of him before.
Lee Saek and Mongju urge Seonggye and Jo to return military authority to the king. And they get frustrated because the generals say they'll do it properly and carefully rather than immediately. And when Seonggye tells Mongju afterwards about the abdication question, Mongju is disgusted. The king won't retaliate, he says; you have nothing to worry about.
"Just wait. I'll slaughter them all when the army is dissolved." Nothing to worry about? The king is drinking and angry. Jeongbi has to explain to him why the generals are hesitant. Then the queen enters and says she's heard rumors of abdication talk! The king goes berserk and overturns his dinner table. But later he does something smart: calls in JD and Mongju and asks them to help make peace with Seonggye. Mongju says he'll do it. JD is silent. Of course he doesn't want to help this king...but now he's remembering a promise he made to King Gongmin that he's always protect Gongmin's son, who is the king he wants to remove. Tough position he's in.
Evening: Another angry discussion among the scholars. JD was sitting there silently but then speaks up. Reminds them of all of the people who have died to get to this point. "After all that bloodshed, if you can't remove a king who is hooked on alcohol and women out of fear of becoming a traitor, how can all those souls of the dead ever close their eyes in comfort?" Put someone on the throne who will reform the government, he says flatly, and then gets up to leave. Mongju's jaw drops and he looks at JD like he's an alien. He chases down JD and confronts him, and they end up getting angry at each other.
The next day: Seonggye goes to the king. The king wants his military authority back, but Seonggye asks for one more day. Tells him about the abdication talk. "I am trying to convince them," he says. "Please give me one more day. Please trust me." Obviously spooked, the king grants him the day.
That evening: the king has called all of the generals to a meeting somewhere (possibly his house; not sure). They're all present, except Jiran. "Wait a little while," he tells them; "one more guest will be coming." Not Jiran. Then who?
The king wants his battle armor. Why now? "They wouldn't imagine I would make a surprise attack. They won't have their guard up." Gather all the other eunuchs, he tells his head eunuch, shaking and cross-eyed with rage. Oh now he can't be serious, can he?
It's a ridiculous sight. Two dozen or so frightened-looking eunuchs and the king in his armor, all waving swords and stalking the building where the generals are meeting. inside, the generals have been sitting there for quite a while and are getting impatient. Seonggye tells them to just keep waiting and he'll give them his decision about abdication. They groan...but now what's the commotion outside? It's the silly little group approaching...and Jiran approaching from the other direction with a big contingent of soldiers! They surround the king and eunuchs in the building's front yard. The generals all walk outside and stare at the king like disappointed parents. Drop your weapons, LS tells them, and eventually they do. Narration tells us that King Wu was deposed after that and "taken to the detached palace on Ganghado (an island on the western coast), treated as a former king but it was really abdication." And what followed was turmoil over who would get the throne.
JD tells Seonggye that Wu's son can't be put on the throne because eventually he'll seek revenge for his father. He says he'll find someone uninvolved...and later makes his choice: Wang Yo. He's a royal family member and is the older brother of Bangbeon's father-in-law. (Bangbeon is one of Seonggye's sons; we haven't met him yet but he's Lady Kang's first child.) Seonggye approves...but will Jo Minsu? Maybe not but he can't do anything about it, can he? JD says he'll talk to him about it. So he goes to see Jo...but Jo isn't home. Where did he go?
Uh-oh. He's visiting Lee In Im! Turns out they're second cousins! Lee has diagnosed the whole situation already, and is prodding Jo. "How long are you going to stay in Lee Seonggye's shadow?" Jo chuckles and says his position ranks higher than Seonggye's, so there's no shadow. Lee stares at him and says "There are only two ranks in politics. Real power and false power. I will make you the person with the most real power in Goryeo." Jo's eyes gleam and he asks what he should do. Insist on the crown prince as the new king, Lee tells him.
