Post by ajk on Jun 14, 2014 22:30:31 GMT -5
Somehow Jiran knows that Bangwon was behind the assassination. So now Seonggye knows too.
Bangwon fesses up to JD but says it was "unavoidable." JD tells him never to address him familiarly ("uncle") again, and walks away.
But at home, Min tells Bangwon "Don't be too sad. You had no choice for your father's sake." She's surprisingly unaffected by it all. Then word arrives that daddy wants to see him. Might as well go take my medicine, he figures; at least my father "wouldn't kill his own son." No?
So Bangwon goes right to his father and admits to it. Asks forgiveness, but adds that Mongju was not just a friend but an enemy too. And Lady Kang and Jiran back him up, reminding Seonggye that JD and Jo Jun would be dead if it weren't for this. But Seonggye is in no mood for that. He orders them both out of the room...then calmly stands up, walks over and gets his sword, moves towards Bangwon...backswings!...and whether or not he would have killed him we don't know, because Lady Kang and Jiran rush back into the room just in time. "I didn't raise a human being," he shouts; "I raised an animal!" And I can't become king like this, he snarls; I'd only be a "crazy slaughterer who ordered his son to kill a loyal servant." But Bangwon isn't backing down. How could you expect to take the throne, he argues, with no blood and no conflict? "You didn't want to kill Jeong Mongju? Not even a bit? Even if I didn't kill him, you would have killed him one day." Seonggye thinks this is the deal-breaker and he won't be the king now. But Bangwon insists he will be and intends to make it happen. He goes outside, summons his aide Jo, and tells them to go get Banggwa and General Bae. "I have to see this through." Uh-oh, what does that mean?
Here's what it means: General Bae and Banggwa walk in on the king and tell him that "a traitor was killed" and that Lee Bangwon did it "for the safety and prosperity of our country." Well the king certainly won't buy that spin on it...but Bae goes on to ask that Jo Jun, Nam Eun and Yun Sojong be released from exile and that everyone in Mongju's factions be arrested.
Morning (not clear how many days after): Well those three were released and are walking around the capital. And at a council meeting, promotions: Bae is named vice chancellor; Jo Jun is named pansamsasa (finance minister); Nam Eun is miljiksasa (head of royal secretariat); and Lee Jiran is named jimunhbasa (sp?) (don't know what that means). And, incredibly, Bangwon gets a promotion too! He's now miljikjeyak (don't know what that means). It's also announced that Lee Saek is being exiled "for being a faction of a traitor." Narration tells us that JD's "radical" faction gained power at this time and that Wu Hyeonbo, Lee Sungin, Lee Cheom and others were "purged."
"It's just you and me now." The king is with Jeongbi. Says he'll fight to the end but she tells him "you can't stop night from coming when the sun sets. It's all in vain." But then a huge shocker: Eunuch Lee enters and tells the king that Seonggye is resigning as chancellor and supreme commander!
"Why are you doing this?" Seonggye's wife is scolding him but good. "I don't want power if it means being this low and dirty," he tells her, and says he's going back to his army camp at Dongbukmyeon.
Everyone's looking for JD but he's vanished. But we see him alone, walking aimlessly through the countryside, trying to come to terms with Mongju's murder.
"If we can't convince him, we could force him. Empty the throne and put him on it." Bangwon is selling Nam Eun, Jo Jun and Yun Sojong on that...and they 're nodding like they're buying into it. So the four of them pitch the idea to Chancellor Bae and the rest of the council. Without Seonggye as chancellor, they argue, the warlords will rise up and fight for power because the king no longer has any real authority. And now Bae looks like he's nodding a little....
"Your majesty! The council has agreed to depose you." Eunuch Lee gives king the news he had to think was coming. Get the royal carriage ready, he tells Lee.
The council goes to Jeongbi and explains their decision. Bae asks for an abdication order. She freaks out at them...but she has no power to argue with them....
"What kind of nonsense is this!?" Seonggye bangs his fist on the his table; he's just heard about the order and is furious. But now who should show up at his front door but the king! He loudly asks Seonggye for an alliance, and sort of sucks up to him in doing so. It's a last-ditch effort to save the dynasty. "Come out and greet me," he calls out to Seonggye inside. Seonggye can hear him and gets up, but Lady Kang won't let him leave the room. "If you want to go, kill me first. This is the will of heaven. Can't you see that?" Go out there and the confusion will only increase, and "more people will die." So he sends Banggwa out to tell the king that he isn't feeling well and will come visit in a few days. But now guess what: Nam Eun shows up with soldiers. Royal order in hand. Gongyang is to be removed and exiled to Wonju. And that's it. Gongyang despairs... "The 500-year reign of the Wang clan is ending with me." He's unceremoniously hauled off. Narration tells us that on July 12, 1392, King Gongyang was abdicated and exiled, and that after the new dynasty was founded, he was demoted in class, and died two years later.
As we see Jeongbi crying, narration tells us that she also was demoted in class, eventually became an alcoholic, and died in 1428.
Jiran and Nam Eun bring Seonggye the news that Jeongbi appointed him gamnokguksa, the equivalent rank of a king. "It's all over now," Lady Kang beams. But Seonggye is too distracted wondering what happened to JD to care. And he's worried that people will think his resignation "was a scheme to abdicate the king. I can already hear the criticism. Lee Seonggye is a good-for-nothing wretch." He keeps repeating it over and over again. It's all gotten to be too much for him.
Next morning: The entire council is at Seonggye's house, bearing the royal seal. Come out and accept it, they beg him. But he won't. "You're trying to save face again," Jiran chuckles; '"you've refused enough." Oooh, Seonggye does not like that. "Tell them to leave before I have my soldiers kill them all!" Jiran just rolls his eyes (very funny).
Word is spreading that Seonggye won't accept the royal seal. We find JD sitting in a small village with a work crew--he's pitched in to earn meal money--and the men in the crew are talking about it. As soon as he hears, he leaves them...and returns to the capital. He goes to the academy, and Ha Ryun takes him to Mongju's burial mound on the outskirts of the city. Then Bangwon shows up. Figured JD would show up here so "I had my men watch the grave." Please convince my father to accept, he asks JD. But JD claims that the support for the Cause has disappeared among the public. I regret letting you in on any of this, he grumbles as he walks away.
Bangwon gets back home in time to see the officials trying again, showing up with the royal seal and making a ruckus. Lady Kang tells him it's time to accept the thing. "What are the country and the people supposed to do if you don't?" He gets up, walks outside...stares them down...walks down the front steps...and takes the box that Bae presents to him. But not happily. "This is wicked!", he shouts, waving the box in the air. "It's a wicked thing that kills people." And he smashes the box on the ground! The contents spill everywhere and the seal bounces a little ways away. As Seonggye turns to go back inside, someone steps forward and picks up the seal. JD. He glares at Seonggye. "I would like to talk to you in private."
Bangwon fesses up to JD but says it was "unavoidable." JD tells him never to address him familiarly ("uncle") again, and walks away.
But at home, Min tells Bangwon "Don't be too sad. You had no choice for your father's sake." She's surprisingly unaffected by it all. Then word arrives that daddy wants to see him. Might as well go take my medicine, he figures; at least my father "wouldn't kill his own son." No?
So Bangwon goes right to his father and admits to it. Asks forgiveness, but adds that Mongju was not just a friend but an enemy too. And Lady Kang and Jiran back him up, reminding Seonggye that JD and Jo Jun would be dead if it weren't for this. But Seonggye is in no mood for that. He orders them both out of the room...then calmly stands up, walks over and gets his sword, moves towards Bangwon...backswings!...and whether or not he would have killed him we don't know, because Lady Kang and Jiran rush back into the room just in time. "I didn't raise a human being," he shouts; "I raised an animal!" And I can't become king like this, he snarls; I'd only be a "crazy slaughterer who ordered his son to kill a loyal servant." But Bangwon isn't backing down. How could you expect to take the throne, he argues, with no blood and no conflict? "You didn't want to kill Jeong Mongju? Not even a bit? Even if I didn't kill him, you would have killed him one day." Seonggye thinks this is the deal-breaker and he won't be the king now. But Bangwon insists he will be and intends to make it happen. He goes outside, summons his aide Jo, and tells them to go get Banggwa and General Bae. "I have to see this through." Uh-oh, what does that mean?
Here's what it means: General Bae and Banggwa walk in on the king and tell him that "a traitor was killed" and that Lee Bangwon did it "for the safety and prosperity of our country." Well the king certainly won't buy that spin on it...but Bae goes on to ask that Jo Jun, Nam Eun and Yun Sojong be released from exile and that everyone in Mongju's factions be arrested.
Morning (not clear how many days after): Well those three were released and are walking around the capital. And at a council meeting, promotions: Bae is named vice chancellor; Jo Jun is named pansamsasa (finance minister); Nam Eun is miljiksasa (head of royal secretariat); and Lee Jiran is named jimunhbasa (sp?) (don't know what that means). And, incredibly, Bangwon gets a promotion too! He's now miljikjeyak (don't know what that means). It's also announced that Lee Saek is being exiled "for being a faction of a traitor." Narration tells us that JD's "radical" faction gained power at this time and that Wu Hyeonbo, Lee Sungin, Lee Cheom and others were "purged."
"It's just you and me now." The king is with Jeongbi. Says he'll fight to the end but she tells him "you can't stop night from coming when the sun sets. It's all in vain." But then a huge shocker: Eunuch Lee enters and tells the king that Seonggye is resigning as chancellor and supreme commander!
"Why are you doing this?" Seonggye's wife is scolding him but good. "I don't want power if it means being this low and dirty," he tells her, and says he's going back to his army camp at Dongbukmyeon.
Everyone's looking for JD but he's vanished. But we see him alone, walking aimlessly through the countryside, trying to come to terms with Mongju's murder.
"If we can't convince him, we could force him. Empty the throne and put him on it." Bangwon is selling Nam Eun, Jo Jun and Yun Sojong on that...and they 're nodding like they're buying into it. So the four of them pitch the idea to Chancellor Bae and the rest of the council. Without Seonggye as chancellor, they argue, the warlords will rise up and fight for power because the king no longer has any real authority. And now Bae looks like he's nodding a little....
"Your majesty! The council has agreed to depose you." Eunuch Lee gives king the news he had to think was coming. Get the royal carriage ready, he tells Lee.
The council goes to Jeongbi and explains their decision. Bae asks for an abdication order. She freaks out at them...but she has no power to argue with them....
"What kind of nonsense is this!?" Seonggye bangs his fist on the his table; he's just heard about the order and is furious. But now who should show up at his front door but the king! He loudly asks Seonggye for an alliance, and sort of sucks up to him in doing so. It's a last-ditch effort to save the dynasty. "Come out and greet me," he calls out to Seonggye inside. Seonggye can hear him and gets up, but Lady Kang won't let him leave the room. "If you want to go, kill me first. This is the will of heaven. Can't you see that?" Go out there and the confusion will only increase, and "more people will die." So he sends Banggwa out to tell the king that he isn't feeling well and will come visit in a few days. But now guess what: Nam Eun shows up with soldiers. Royal order in hand. Gongyang is to be removed and exiled to Wonju. And that's it. Gongyang despairs... "The 500-year reign of the Wang clan is ending with me." He's unceremoniously hauled off. Narration tells us that on July 12, 1392, King Gongyang was abdicated and exiled, and that after the new dynasty was founded, he was demoted in class, and died two years later.
As we see Jeongbi crying, narration tells us that she also was demoted in class, eventually became an alcoholic, and died in 1428.
Jiran and Nam Eun bring Seonggye the news that Jeongbi appointed him gamnokguksa, the equivalent rank of a king. "It's all over now," Lady Kang beams. But Seonggye is too distracted wondering what happened to JD to care. And he's worried that people will think his resignation "was a scheme to abdicate the king. I can already hear the criticism. Lee Seonggye is a good-for-nothing wretch." He keeps repeating it over and over again. It's all gotten to be too much for him.
Next morning: The entire council is at Seonggye's house, bearing the royal seal. Come out and accept it, they beg him. But he won't. "You're trying to save face again," Jiran chuckles; '"you've refused enough." Oooh, Seonggye does not like that. "Tell them to leave before I have my soldiers kill them all!" Jiran just rolls his eyes (very funny).
Word is spreading that Seonggye won't accept the royal seal. We find JD sitting in a small village with a work crew--he's pitched in to earn meal money--and the men in the crew are talking about it. As soon as he hears, he leaves them...and returns to the capital. He goes to the academy, and Ha Ryun takes him to Mongju's burial mound on the outskirts of the city. Then Bangwon shows up. Figured JD would show up here so "I had my men watch the grave." Please convince my father to accept, he asks JD. But JD claims that the support for the Cause has disappeared among the public. I regret letting you in on any of this, he grumbles as he walks away.
Bangwon gets back home in time to see the officials trying again, showing up with the royal seal and making a ruckus. Lady Kang tells him it's time to accept the thing. "What are the country and the people supposed to do if you don't?" He gets up, walks outside...stares them down...walks down the front steps...and takes the box that Bae presents to him. But not happily. "This is wicked!", he shouts, waving the box in the air. "It's a wicked thing that kills people." And he smashes the box on the ground! The contents spill everywhere and the seal bounces a little ways away. As Seonggye turns to go back inside, someone steps forward and picks up the seal. JD. He glares at Seonggye. "I would like to talk to you in private."
