Post by ajk on May 22, 2014 0:15:26 GMT -5
"I believe the king should step down and Lee Seonggye should sit on the throne." JD tells Mongju that this is "the best solution for the people," and that he doesn't like ending a dynasty but that this dynasty is rotten "lost in elitism." Mongju argues that usurping the king would trigger bloodbath after bloodbath...but JD says it won't be a bloody revolt; instead he's going to convince the king to step down voluntarily! Seriously? Ridiculous, Mongju growls, and storms out, ignoring JD's plea to join him.
Next day: Seonggye tells his supporters that he's already abdicated one king and won't do it again. General Bae, though, reminds him that there's just cause to force the king to step down: the rumors that the boy's father was Shin Don's son and not Gongmin's.
Later Seonggye goes to the local temple and dines with the head priest there. The priest tells him he's heard the rumors (about becoming king), and in so many words tells him he shouldn't avoid it. "There is a way to nirvana there, too," he says, and nods one of those read-between-the-lines nods of encouragement.
An angry Mongju goes to Jeongbi and the queen mother and tells them what's happening. And says he'll convince JD not to remove the king.
JD and his allies are planning a meeting for tonight--a meeting of council members including neutrals, to convince them to put Seonggye on the throne. But their planning is interrupted by Seonggye's oldest son Lee Bangu, who barges in, grabs JD by the collar and goes nuts! "Are you trying to turn an innocent general into a traitor?!? " Bangwon is there and assures Bangu that their father is on board with this, but Bangu doesn't care. "Stop right now," he threatens; "I will not let father become a traitor!"
JD goes to Mongju and invites him to the meeting. Unite with the new king, he urges, and carry out politics of harmony by becoming chancellor. "Over my dead body," Mongju fires back. JD presses him: this is going to happen whether you like it or not. "Please think about it." But Mongju goes straight to the king and tells him he needs to go to that meeting himself and plead his case. A little boy? Even the boy's mother sees the folly in that. You have to do it, she tells Mongju.
That evening: as everyone arrives for the meeting, guess what: Mongju shows up. The meeting starts, and JD and his allies make the case that the ex-king still has too much power and controls his son too much...and that the throne needs to be passed on. But Mongju didn't come here just to listen; he aggressively pitches another option: Abdicate the king--based on the Shin Don rumors that put his legitimacy in question--and put Wang Yo on the throne like the Seonggye faction had planned to do before Jo Minsu and Lee In Im had outmaneuvered them. Seonggye is running the meeting; he's so surprised by this proposal that he has to call a recess.
During the recess, Mongju privately tells Seonggye that if Seonggye will agree to his proposal, he'll take the lead in abdicating the boy king so that Seonggye won't have to. Seonggye is surprised that Mongju would offer to do something so cold-blooded as to remove a king, but Mongju basically says, Right back at you. And tells Seonggye that if he ends up grabbing the throne for himself, "then I will have to take my life when your installation is held." Seonggye is shocked that Mongju is so desperate to keeping that one same clan on the throne. "Do you love this awful country that much?" Mongju makes a weird argument about not abandoning parents even if they're awful...but then challenges Seonggye to "Put Wang Yo on the throne and remain a loyal servant of Goryeo."
The meeting resumes...and Seonggye shocks everyone. "There's no need to have a long discussion. Let's do as Poeun says." His supporters are blindsided and stunned, but Seonggye looks like a huge weight was just lifted off him.
"I didn't give up on the cause," he later tells JD; "I just didn't feel this was the right time." I'm sorry if you're disappointed." But JD thinks the neutral councilors were leaning in that direction anyway, and "the fact that you agreed so quickly will be helpful in achieving the cause." So he thinks Seonggye did the right thing, hard as it is to accept.
Councilors immediately go to Jeongbi and demand the abdication order. She's so angry she's shaking, especially after Mongju voices their charge that "His majesty is of the Shin clan."
Soldiers barge into the king's quarters, with Mongju directing them. The king and his mother are unceremoniously hauled away. Mongju offers no sympathy or apology to either of them. Afterwards his knees literally buckle from the emotional stress of it.
The next day: General Bae and a large group of soldiers have brought the royal seal to Wang Yo's house. We finally meet the guy: he's peering from around the corner of his house at them, wanting nothing to do with them. Then he tries to climb his fence and get away...but Lee Jiran catches him. And now he's stuck straddling his fence while the soldiers beg him to accept the seal. What a weird situation! Clearly this guy wants no part of being king. Narration tells us that Wang Yo, eventually known as King Gongyang, took the throne in November 1389. And that "a tragic future awaited King Wu and King Chang for being false kings."
We see King Wu in exile. He's so angry about the flare-up of the Shin Don accusation that he takes red-hot metal and burns his chest, trying to create a dragon-scale pattern that supposedly marks the skin of Wang clan members. He's completely lost it...but just then soldiers arrive and drag him outside, where Yun Sojong reads and execution order and the deed is done. Narration tells us that the boy King Chang was also killed...and that to this day it remains unknown who Wu's real father was.
Days have passed and Wang Yo / King Gongyang is on the throne. Lee Saek, of all people, is paying a congratulatory visit. Gongyang has a funny sense of fatalism about him: "I just have to sit here and stamp the royal seal when necessary." He's too scared of Seonggye to try to act like anything remotely resembling a real king with power.
Now it's time for Seonggye and JD to push for land reform again. JD goes to Mongju and tries to sell him on it...to no avail...but now they're interrupted because the king wants to see Mongju. Hmm....why?
Oh dear, Gongyang is acting as flaky as Wu did. More benignly, but still...he's blindfolded in the palace plaza and is chasing the court maidens around. Mongju shows up and scolds him for not taking proper care of state affairs and acting like a king. He sighs. "I was only put on this throne to be a puppet." But not so fast; he's summoned Mongju to tell him he's just issued a royal edict. "The court is going to get a bit noisy." I'm going to have to act dumb to protect my throne, he tells Mongju; you'll have to do the real work for me. Huh? What does this mean?
JD and allies are looking over the land reform proposal documents. But then news arrives about an edict from the king. He's reappointing Lee Saek as chancellor! Caught them totally off guard.
A furious JD goes to confront Mongju. "Lee Saek's return will not be accepted," he threatens, and says this should wait until after land reform is addressed. But Mongju only wants harmony in the government for now and wants no part of land reform efforts. He starts to walk away...but JD grabs his arm. "I don't want to fight with you. Don't you know that?" At that, Mongju grabs JD by the collar! "Do you want to fight right now?"
Next day: Seonggye tells his supporters that he's already abdicated one king and won't do it again. General Bae, though, reminds him that there's just cause to force the king to step down: the rumors that the boy's father was Shin Don's son and not Gongmin's.
Later Seonggye goes to the local temple and dines with the head priest there. The priest tells him he's heard the rumors (about becoming king), and in so many words tells him he shouldn't avoid it. "There is a way to nirvana there, too," he says, and nods one of those read-between-the-lines nods of encouragement.
An angry Mongju goes to Jeongbi and the queen mother and tells them what's happening. And says he'll convince JD not to remove the king.
JD and his allies are planning a meeting for tonight--a meeting of council members including neutrals, to convince them to put Seonggye on the throne. But their planning is interrupted by Seonggye's oldest son Lee Bangu, who barges in, grabs JD by the collar and goes nuts! "Are you trying to turn an innocent general into a traitor?!? " Bangwon is there and assures Bangu that their father is on board with this, but Bangu doesn't care. "Stop right now," he threatens; "I will not let father become a traitor!"
JD goes to Mongju and invites him to the meeting. Unite with the new king, he urges, and carry out politics of harmony by becoming chancellor. "Over my dead body," Mongju fires back. JD presses him: this is going to happen whether you like it or not. "Please think about it." But Mongju goes straight to the king and tells him he needs to go to that meeting himself and plead his case. A little boy? Even the boy's mother sees the folly in that. You have to do it, she tells Mongju.
That evening: as everyone arrives for the meeting, guess what: Mongju shows up. The meeting starts, and JD and his allies make the case that the ex-king still has too much power and controls his son too much...and that the throne needs to be passed on. But Mongju didn't come here just to listen; he aggressively pitches another option: Abdicate the king--based on the Shin Don rumors that put his legitimacy in question--and put Wang Yo on the throne like the Seonggye faction had planned to do before Jo Minsu and Lee In Im had outmaneuvered them. Seonggye is running the meeting; he's so surprised by this proposal that he has to call a recess.
During the recess, Mongju privately tells Seonggye that if Seonggye will agree to his proposal, he'll take the lead in abdicating the boy king so that Seonggye won't have to. Seonggye is surprised that Mongju would offer to do something so cold-blooded as to remove a king, but Mongju basically says, Right back at you. And tells Seonggye that if he ends up grabbing the throne for himself, "then I will have to take my life when your installation is held." Seonggye is shocked that Mongju is so desperate to keeping that one same clan on the throne. "Do you love this awful country that much?" Mongju makes a weird argument about not abandoning parents even if they're awful...but then challenges Seonggye to "Put Wang Yo on the throne and remain a loyal servant of Goryeo."
The meeting resumes...and Seonggye shocks everyone. "There's no need to have a long discussion. Let's do as Poeun says." His supporters are blindsided and stunned, but Seonggye looks like a huge weight was just lifted off him.
"I didn't give up on the cause," he later tells JD; "I just didn't feel this was the right time." I'm sorry if you're disappointed." But JD thinks the neutral councilors were leaning in that direction anyway, and "the fact that you agreed so quickly will be helpful in achieving the cause." So he thinks Seonggye did the right thing, hard as it is to accept.
Councilors immediately go to Jeongbi and demand the abdication order. She's so angry she's shaking, especially after Mongju voices their charge that "His majesty is of the Shin clan."
Soldiers barge into the king's quarters, with Mongju directing them. The king and his mother are unceremoniously hauled away. Mongju offers no sympathy or apology to either of them. Afterwards his knees literally buckle from the emotional stress of it.
The next day: General Bae and a large group of soldiers have brought the royal seal to Wang Yo's house. We finally meet the guy: he's peering from around the corner of his house at them, wanting nothing to do with them. Then he tries to climb his fence and get away...but Lee Jiran catches him. And now he's stuck straddling his fence while the soldiers beg him to accept the seal. What a weird situation! Clearly this guy wants no part of being king. Narration tells us that Wang Yo, eventually known as King Gongyang, took the throne in November 1389. And that "a tragic future awaited King Wu and King Chang for being false kings."
We see King Wu in exile. He's so angry about the flare-up of the Shin Don accusation that he takes red-hot metal and burns his chest, trying to create a dragon-scale pattern that supposedly marks the skin of Wang clan members. He's completely lost it...but just then soldiers arrive and drag him outside, where Yun Sojong reads and execution order and the deed is done. Narration tells us that the boy King Chang was also killed...and that to this day it remains unknown who Wu's real father was.
Days have passed and Wang Yo / King Gongyang is on the throne. Lee Saek, of all people, is paying a congratulatory visit. Gongyang has a funny sense of fatalism about him: "I just have to sit here and stamp the royal seal when necessary." He's too scared of Seonggye to try to act like anything remotely resembling a real king with power.
Now it's time for Seonggye and JD to push for land reform again. JD goes to Mongju and tries to sell him on it...to no avail...but now they're interrupted because the king wants to see Mongju. Hmm....why?
Oh dear, Gongyang is acting as flaky as Wu did. More benignly, but still...he's blindfolded in the palace plaza and is chasing the court maidens around. Mongju shows up and scolds him for not taking proper care of state affairs and acting like a king. He sighs. "I was only put on this throne to be a puppet." But not so fast; he's summoned Mongju to tell him he's just issued a royal edict. "The court is going to get a bit noisy." I'm going to have to act dumb to protect my throne, he tells Mongju; you'll have to do the real work for me. Huh? What does this mean?
JD and allies are looking over the land reform proposal documents. But then news arrives about an edict from the king. He's reappointing Lee Saek as chancellor! Caught them totally off guard.
A furious JD goes to confront Mongju. "Lee Saek's return will not be accepted," he threatens, and says this should wait until after land reform is addressed. But Mongju only wants harmony in the government for now and wants no part of land reform efforts. He starts to walk away...but JD grabs his arm. "I don't want to fight with you. Don't you know that?" At that, Mongju grabs JD by the collar! "Do you want to fight right now?"
