EPISODE 12
Why is His Majesty doing this?
Why must I visit the Queen Dowager?
He has never summoned me in the past 20 years.
How would I know?
I still can't believe that this is truly happening.
Please get dressed, Your Highness. We don't have much time.
Goo Hae-ryung!
-What brings you here? -I'm going to the Queen Dowager's chamber.
You too, Your Highness?
Why are you standing here? You must hurry!
Gosh, why won't you listen to me?
Your Highness, let's hurry. This way, please.
Go stand over there.
What has gotten into him?
Even on the holidays, all he does is send a eunuch.
Why pay me a visit out of the blue?
He is already waiting outside, Your Majesty.
Take your time.
Getting soaked with the early morning dew
wouldn't be a bad experience for him.
I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long.
You may enter now.
Go on. Follow them inside.
Pardon?
Go in.
Your Majesty, have you been doing well?
Yes.
You have been well and healthy too, right?
Yes. It is all thanks to you.
Be seated.
I hope I didn't disturb your sleep
for I came to see you at such an early hour.
No, not at all.
I am just touched by your visit.
I hardly ever see you,
even on my birthdays.
I apologize. The governmental affairs have been keeping me so busy
that I have not been able to visit you often.
I understand.
Even though the Crown Prince
has been looking after such matters as a regent,
I am sure
you have had a fair share of matters to attend to.
As it seems that I have hurt your feelings very much,
I feel horrible for having been inattentive to you over the years.
From now on, I will be sure to visit you often.
I would like to visit you around this time every morning
and pay my respects.
What do you think?
It is your duty as a son to visit your mother often
and pay your respects.
Sure, I won't reject your proposition.
I shall expect you to visit my chamber every morning at this time.
Your Majesty, your breakfast should be ready now.
-Let us head to your bedchamber. -No.
I plan to join the royal lecture today. Get ready immediately.
There is over an hour left until 7 a.m.
I am sure the lecturers have not even arrived yet.
Then send someone to rush them.
They teach the Crown Prince.
They should arrive early and practice!
Yes. I will follow your instructions, Your Majesty.
Do not think of these lectures as hassles. You must study diligently.
When I was your age, I always skipped breakfast
and went for my morning lectures.
Yes, I will remember that.
Right.
Does the Second State Councilor come too?
Yes, he joins me every day.
Dowon.
There are six behaviors
in which a king should never engage.
The first one is deriving joy out of winning against others.
The second, being embarrassed by hearing about one's shortcomings.
The third is giving excuses using one's eloquence.
The fourth is boasting about one's brightness.
The fifth is threatening others using one's authority.
The sixth is being cantankerous or stubborn.
These are called Gunsangyukpye, the six behaviors
from which all kings must abstain.
GUNSANGYUKPYE: SIX CONDEMNED BEHAVIORS
Hearing about this
is making me reflect on my past.
Then let me ask all of you.
Which one of the six condemned behaviors have I engaged in?
You may be honest with me.
Only then can I reflect on my past conduct and make sure I won't do it again.
Your Majesty, such a question is unnecessary.
I have never seen you engaging
in any of the six condemned behaviors
in the past 20 years of serving you.
That is correct. There is no need for you to reflect on anything.
Dowon, do you think so too?
Pardon?
I...
Your Majesty, I think
you have engaged in three of the six condemned behaviors.
Did you say "three"?
Three of the six condemned behaviors?
Yes.
You have engaged in three of the six behaviors.
Do I seem that unqualified as a king in your eyes?
The six condemned behaviors
are not about finding faults.
They are simply behaviors from which a sage king should refrain.
Then explain why you believe that I have engaged in three of them.
First...
you intimidated the historians
to stop them from entering your chamber.
Thus, you demonstrated that you derive joy from others' defeat.
Second...
you ordered the Royal Secretariat to inspect the historians.
Hence, you abused your power to keep your subjects under your control.
And third...
After imprisoning a female historian,
enraged by her listening in on your conversation,
you summoned her at 5 a.m. to give her a hard time.
Therefore, you have demonstrated
that you are unforgiving and fussy.
I see. You are very honest. You take after me.
You certainly deserve to be called a prince of this kingdom.
Yes, Your Majesty. He is very straightforward and outspoken.
He surely takes after you.
Your Highness!
Have you lost your mind?
How dare you say such a thing!
The six condemned behaviors? Three of the six?
But it is true that Father is at fault.
Besides, he was the one who told me that I could be honest with him.
Do you think he really meant it?
"Say I've never engaged in any of them
no matter how many times I ask." That's what he meant.
How could you be so clueless?
In any case, he complimented me, so--
Obviously, that was not a compliment.
"I am letting it slide for now, but I will teach you a lesson someday."
That is what he said with his glaring eyes!
Don't you know that His Majesty holds a grudge for a long time?
Poor me.
What did I do in my past life to end up becoming a eunuch...
Gosh, poor me. I pity myself so much.
Sam-bo.
So when I was saying those things earlier...
how did Hae-ryung react?
Did she seem moved by what I said?
Did she look smitten?
Tell me.
What? Why...
Why won't you tell me? How did she react?
Sam-bo!
Your Majesty, please be understanding about what Dowon said earlier.
It was his first time joining the lecture and meeting the officials.
He made a mistake because he was too eager.
Don't try to protect him.
He probably thought it was the perfect chance to bash me.
-How has he been suppressing it? -Your Majesty.
I am not saying what he did is wrong.
I thought he was just a fool who could do nothing but write romance novels.
However, he's quite intelligent and ambitious.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
I will look after the affairs of the state. Get some rest.
And make sure you visit the Crown Princess.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Then I shall return to the Office of Royal Decrees.
Follow me.
You are to accompany me in all of my meetings starting today.
What does that mean?
What does His Majesty mean by that?
When did I agree to that?
-When? -Just follow me.
He just had a spoonful of rice with beans.
Now, he is having a spoonful of dongchimi.
Seasoned bellflower roots...
No, he is having seasoned mung bean sprouts.
Another spoonful of rice with beans.
Now, he is eating grilled bonnet bellflower roots.
He is having seasoned mung bean sprouts.
Now, he is eating seasoned spinach.
He just picked up some bracken fern...
No, he's having some boiled pork.
Now, a spoonful of dongchimi.
He is eating some egg now.
Take it to the Palace Medical Bureau.
PALACE MEDICAL BUREAU: OVERSAW MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION AND EDUCATION
Oh, it's that way.
Apprentice Goo!
-Good morning, Apprentice Goo. -Good morning, my foot.
Is this what you meant by me entering the Inner Palace?
Following His Majesty everywhere all day long? And all by myself?
So how was it?
Isn't it amazing to see His Majesty as soon as you wake up?
Do you know what I had to do just now?
I was summoned when I was barely awake,
and I even had to clean up his feces!
What on earth happened?
Look at that ill-bred wench.
Hey.
Why are you complaining about it to Officer Yang?
His Majesty is being unreasonably stubborn to win against us historians.
He wants to win against the historians?
Some stuff happened while you were imprisoned.
Shall I call it a subtle power struggle between His Majesty and us?
There was nothing "subtle" about it.
Nosebleeds, pulling hair out, and all that crying and yelling.
It was like a gang fight.
That is why you got on the wrong side of His Majesty.
Many are filing petitions about our jobs being obstructed,
but he can't pressure historians.
Since you are a mere apprentice and an easy target,
he is deliberately giving you a hard time to teach you a lesson.
But if you really think about it, it is actually a great opportunity.
You get to watch and record
His Majesty's daily activities all day long.
You see, not everyone gets such a special opportunity.
How could you call it an opportunity? It is torture.
Torture can be beneficial for you.
My uncle's hair started growing again after he was flogged ten times.
He wore a topknot for the first time in ten years.
Anyway, Clerk Goo, the pride of the Office of Royal Decrees
and the future of you female historians depend on this war.
Even if you end up fainting while on the job,
you will never back down.
Until the day His Majesty surrenders, keep going at full strength!
-Keep going! -Keep going!
Everyone, louder. Keep going!
-Keep going! -Keep going!
Let's shout together!
He mistreated his faithful wife because of his mistress?
What a scoundrel.
Kim Yong-seon shall be flogged ten times for harming public morals,
and let his wife divorce him if she wishes to.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Not that one.
Read that one first.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Park Bong-jo, the governor of Gyeonggi Province,
submitted this to inform us of the loopholes in the relief system.
Let's see. Unroll it.
"I, Park Bong-jo, have given 25,200 seok of grain as alms
to 557,852 people in Gyeonggi Province
for the past four months.
The details per region are as follows.
Gwangju, 580 seok.
Yeoju, 896 seok.
Paju, 642 seok.
Suwon, 1,234 seok.
Bupyeong, 561 seok.
Incheon, 949 seok.
Namyang, 727 seok."
This is going to take forever.
-Read faster. -Yes, Your Majesty.
"Pungdeok, 675 seok. Tongjin, 556 seok.
Goyang, 722 seok. Ansan, 853 seok.
Gimpo, 691 seok.
-Sir. -Gwacheon, 776 seok.
Yongin, 845 seok. Yangju, 787 seok.
-Juksan, 699 seok. Anseong, 728 seok." -Sir.
I lost you there.
How much grain did Paju get? It was 600 something.
Paju? Paju...
Paju...
Oh, Paju is here. It's 642 seok.
-"Icheon, 866 seok." -Sorry to interrupt, sir.
What now?
I actually couldn't write anything down after Suwon.
Don't miss anything this time.
Yes, sir.
"Suwon, 1,234 seok.
Bupyeong, 561 seok."
Your Royal Highness.
I won't be at Dongungjeon today. You should leave.
Are you leaving for an undercover inspection?
Sir.
Sir, come and have a look. We sell many great things.
Ladies love the things that we sell.
-Is that so? -Come have a look.
-Let's see what you have. -What about this hairpin?
All right.
This is not easy. Why don't you try?
All right.
Here.
-One. -Thank you.
-Thank you.
-No problem.
-Thank you. -All right.
Why are you staring at me like that?
Because I'm not used to this.
This is my first time seeing you smile.
Are you that excited about stepping out of the palace?
If I say that I am...
will you write that the Crown Prince neglects his work for outings like this?
I do not plan to write anything about today.
Look around.
Here,
no one looks at me.
Hence, I do not have to worry about things
like dignity or political factions here.
And no one calls me "Crown Prince", which frightens me sometimes.
I am just a passerby who is walking through the crowd.
One clad in expensive clothes.
I grew up outside of the palace.
There was a time when I was a naive boy running through the woods and fields.
Back then, I wanted to be...
a general who fights on battlefields.
Just for one reason.
I wanted a big, black horse.
I know I'm no longer able to spend time like I used to.
But every time I leave the palace,
I can catch faint glimpses of those moments.
So I use an undercover inspection as an excuse
to come out once in a while
so that I won't ever forget
who I used to be.
Excuse me. We'd like to pay.
-How much... -Two nyang, please.
Here you go.
Oh, wait.
What is this, Your Royal Highness?
I bought it from that woman earlier.
I felt bad about not buying anything.
What's wrong?
Is this gift too humble for your liking?
Why aren't you asking?
When I said I'd tag along,
you could have definitely told me not to come.
But you let me follow you.
Wasn't it because you wanted to ask me something?
"What did Apprentice Goo hear and record
that His Majesty got so angry?"
Isn't that what you want to know?
You should go home.
Are you exhausted?
You're still here.
Here. I made a list of all the petitions for tomorrow
and everyone who will be visiting to pay their respects.
I hope it helps at least a little.
This will be tremendously helpful.
Thank you. You're the best, Officer Min.
You hold your brush too tightly.
Writing fast isn't the only skill
historians need.
Relax your hand and use your arm.
You're not inscribing the words.
It has to flow seamlessly.
Learn to write like that.
You'll have to hold your brush more often from now on.
"From now on"?
Do you think
that I have a promising future as a historian?
I've already been put behind bars once
even though I only joined the royal court recently.
Don't you think I'll probably be exiled
to somewhere far like Jeju-do in about six months?
I will never let...
something like that happen again.
Just like how you filed the ultimate petition this time?
I heard about it.
Thank you.
Oh, I can do it.
I'm sorry...
for making you go through all this trouble.
If you tell me you wish to give up...
I'll understand.
No one will resent you.
I must've been really disobedient in my past life.
Hearing you say that
makes me more determined. I want to push through.
Apprentice Goo.
You don't have to apologize.
The Office of Royal Decrees is not the reason
why His Majesty is so mean to me.
His Majesty might think I'm a powerless weakling,
but I'm confident I won't lose as I am strong physically and mentally.
He can bully me all he wants.
Well...
That is one insolent remark.
Didn't you know? This is my specialty.
Being rude,
doing things I'm told not to do,
and paying someone back twice as much when I suffer.
And you're proud of that?
Yes.
-Thank you. -Don't mention it.
Your Highness, you must go to bed.
If you read books until this late at night,
Eunuch Heo will scold us later.
If he scolds you,
I will scold him too.
And
shouldn't you two be helping me?
If I say smart things during the royal lecture,
His Majesty will begin to adore me.
And one day, he will give me permission to live outside the palace.
Then I can marry Hae-ryung
and live happily ever after...
Anyway, I need to continue to study
for both of you and me to stop living in confinement
in this Nokseodang.
So stop bothering me.
Then you have to scold Eunuch Heo tomorrow, okay?
I'm not surprised about His Majesty's whimsical nature,
but this is unexpected.
He never even gave Dowon a good teacher until this day,
but he suddenly took him to the royal lecture himself?
That's not all.
Although His Highness
frankly pointed out His Majesty's fault,
he did not scold him but gave him a huge compliment.
Was the Second State Councilor there too?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, it's time for you to wake up.
Your Highness.
The way of a king is founded upon one's studies.
However, it also depends on the power
that assists him by his side.
During Emperor Renzong's reign in Song Dynasty, Du Yan...
During Emperor Renzong's reign in Song Dynasty,
Du Yan returned an order
from the palace dozens of times.
Emperor Renzong said to Ouyang Xiu,
"I had to stop many times to this day
because of Du Yan's rejection!"
Your Majesty.
I...
I was not asleep.
I just had my eyes closed.
Chancellor, continue.
Yes, Your Majesty. An excellent subordinate like Du Yan
has the ability to stop the King
before they begin to go down the wrong way.
Your Majesty. It's 4 a.m.
Your Majesty, the female historian is already here.
Does that girl ever sleep?
They are here to pay their respects.
OFFICIALS PAY RESPECTS TO THE KING BEFORE THEY DEPART TO THEIR POSTS
Next.
This time, they are here to thank you.
FIRST-TIME OFFICERS THANK THE KING BEFORE THEIR FIRST APPOINTMENT
How long will this go on?
Can you give me a break for 15 minutes? Just 15 minutes!
Did every single officer in this country come here this morning?
Why won't they stop coming?
We recently had personnel changes.
Shall I ask the Medical Office for some tonic?
Drinking tonic won't make me younger.
If I had been ten years younger,
I wouldn't have to go through this.
This won't do.
I have to put an end to this.
Sparrow.
Sparrow!
Sparrow.
Will you keep calling me Sparrow?
Why not? It's cute. Sparrow.
It's small, homely, and plump.
I don't look plump at all.
I was born stylish and elegant...
You haven't had breakfast, have you? You had to come in early.
I'll leave some food under this wall.
Come and eat some when you can.
Thank you.
Apprentice Goo!
Yes, Chief Royal Secretary.
Where were you? Hurry up.
Come here and sit down.
Aren't you tired of this?
You're having a drink with the King.
I want you to behave with me
as a subject, not a historian.
-But-- -What's wrong?
Were you taught that a historian isn't a subject?
Go ahead and drink.
Drink that,
and let us forget about our duties for now.
Pardon?
Your Majesty.
Never decline when I pour you a drink.
The thing is...
my tolerance for alcohol is very high.
If you're trying to get me drunk...
it'll be useless.
Then how can I get you to talk?
You stayed quiet in prison,
when I made you work for three days straight,
And even when I made you drink.
Do you have no shame? Or are you just dull-witted?
Do you really not know how bothered I am
-about what you did that day? -I do know, Your Majesty.
Then why are you trying to win a fight against the King?
This isn't about winning or losing.
It's about whether or not
I keep my duty as a historian.
Don't give me that lame excuse.
Do you think historians are people who get protected by the deities?
Back when a war broke out,
there were historians who ran away just so they could spare their lives.
Yes, I know.
Thus, they got dismissed from the Office of Royal Decrees.
And they're remembered as historians
who abandoned their duties.
That's not all. During the days of King Myeongjong,
one historian even succumbed to power
instead of sticking to his duty.
In return for exposing the contents of the sachaek,
he got to live his life in luxury.
However, he made innocent people die.
And this is what his fellow historians wrote about him.
"He's wicked, evil, menacing,
violent, greedy, arrogant,
obscene, and biased."
How is it that you're talking back to every word I say?
Fine.
If you can't tell me what you wrote that day,
you don't need to tell me. I won't ask you about it anymore.
Instead...
get rid of it without questioning me.
Burn it or soak it in water.
You wrote it in secret,
so I want you to erase it in secret as well.
I promise I won't tell anyone until the day I die.
Or I'll grant you whatever wish you have!
If you want wealth, I'll give you that.
If you want a husband,
I'll find you the best man you could marry.
Are you trying
to make me die of anger?
Are you really...
willing to grant me...
whatever I ask of you?
-Officer Yang. -What?
I received a letter from the Royal Secretariat.
And?
The thing is,
this was given to us from His Majesty himself.
"His Majesty"?
He wrote us something?
What is it about?
I was too scared to read it, so I haven't opened it yet.
If, by any chance,
we're all getting fired,
I'm going to curse you forever...
Why would you say that?
"I’ve failed to acknowledge the importance of the situation
and persecuted the Office of Royal Decrees
which is surely an act of abuse as the King,
and I’m embarrassed by my actions.
However, the historians did not succumb to my royal order
and kept their sense of duty.
So I could not help but admire their strong will."
"Therefore, from now on,
I shall allow the historians to enter the chambers
without having to seek my royal permission,
and whoever tries to stop them
will have to go through
a strict interrogation carried out by me."
Hae-ryung, that psycho.
What did she do?
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Apprentice Goo!
Clerk Goo!
-Clerk Goo! -Clerk Goo!
That cunning brat.
Are you really willing to grant me...
whatever I ask of you?
Yes, you can ask for anything.
I'll give you anything you want except for my royal throne.
I cannot
get rid of what I wrote that day.
And that's because I never actually wrote anything.
It's true that I tried to eavesdrop,
but I failed to hear anything.
And that's why
I couldn't write anything.
But...
But you had the sachaek...
Even if I couldn't write anything, I should always have it with me.
How dare you?
Are you saying you made a fool out of me with that empty sachaek?
You are unbelievable.
So tell me something. How did it feel to make fun of the King?
Did you have fun
seeing how desperate I was?
No.
I was able to see what a great King you actually are.
What?
A great historian is someone who doesn't fear the King,
and a great King is someone who fears historians.
From what I saw,
you feared a female historian who's still only an apprentice,
listened to the voices of scholars,
and withdrew your wrongful royal order.
And instead of using your power to threaten me,
you tried to communicate with me so you could change my mind,
which was very admirable.
And I'm going to record that admirable side of you...
in this sachaek.
So, Your Majesty,
please do not hate the historians.
A historian isn't someone who only write your flaws.
The reason historians always try to remain by your side
isn't just to keep an eye on you by recording your every move,
but it's also to record your admirable words and behaviors
so the next generation can read and learn from it.
In the end, historians are also
your people
and subjects.
I ask you...
not to distance yourself from the historians anymore.
This is
my one and only wish.
She is one interesting person.
He says
he's going to come here.
Let's get ready. I need to go to Uiju.
Yes, my lady.
Cheers.
-Cheers! -Cheers!
It's good.
Clerk Goo, let me be honest. From the moment I met you,
I instantly knew that you'd do amazing things.
You remember, right?
When His Royal Highness asked them to find a way to stop the solar eclipse,
she wrote that not even Zhuge Liang has the ability
to stop the solar eclipse.
That is exactly what a true historian should do.
We must write the truth!
What are you talking about? You bullied her so much.
You should've been nice from the beginning.
Come on. People show love in different kinds of ways.
Love can be soft and tender, but it can also be
strict and sensitive.
Anyway, keep in mind that I made you become who you are today.
-You have to be good to me, okay? -Okay.
Okay. I'm really proud of you.
-She left the palace early today... -I made you.
...just so she could drink with those punks?
What are you looking at?
Officer Yang!
Look who's here.
What? Clerk Yi.
I haven't seen you ever since you ran away that day.
-You disloyal punk. -Come here and sit down.
He still helped us out that day. He deserves to get a drink.
That makes sense.
Okay, then.
-There are empty seats over there. -I'd like a drink.
Okay, sure. This is how generous we are.
We're offering a drink to a guy who ran away.
How does it taste?
It's my special way of mixing drinks.
It totally burns your throat, doesn't it?
Drink up.
-Make him drink amply. -Okay.
Did you drink a lot?
Why are you here?
I was passing by.
Three cups of that is enough to end your life.
I'll drink yours from now on.
I can't let you do that.
By the way, Clerk Yi. Where did you get that nice outfit?
Did you recently get married to a woman from a rich family?
No, that's not it.
Our family's pretty wealthy.
Hey, how wealthy can a middle-class family be?
His family probably just got lucky.
Clerk Yi, let me pour you a drink as well.
Here.
-My goodness. -He drinks so well.
Here.
My goodness, why won't you let him take a break?
-This isn't a hazing ritual. -What do you mean?
When will he get to drink with a nobleman?
He should be honored. Right, Clerk Yi?
-It sure is an honor. -There you go.
Drink up.
It's really not good to drink so much on an empty stomach.
There's no time to eat.
-My gosh. -There's no time.
Here.
Chief State Councilor.
-My goodness. -Oh, gosh.
Have you gone blind? How is that the Chief State Councilor?
Really? He really looked similar.
My goodness.
My gosh, you finished your drink already?
People who didn't study at Sungkyunkwan
are known to have no patience.
Here.
Hello, Third State Councilor.
-My goodness. -My gosh.
Do you want to die? He's not...
You really scare me sometimes.
Go ahead and drink it all.
You should've asked for some.
Look at her. She's beyond imagination.
-Let's sit down. -My gosh.
Okay, then.
Now that we've had enough alcohol
and food,
don't you think there should be something
to heighten this exciting and happy mood?
-Son Gil-seung! -Son Gil-seung!
-Why are you making me sing?
Son Gil-seung!
I think he wants you guys to shout a little louder!
-Son Gil-seung! -Son Gil-seung!
Well, this is a happy day.
Pheasant
-Pheasant, pheasant -Pheasant, pheasant
-Let's go hunt a pheasant -Let's go hunt a pheasant
-Pheasant, pheasant -Pheasant, pheasant
-Let's go hunt a pheasant -Let's go hunt a pheasant
-Let's hunt a pheasant at Jirisan -Let's hunt a pheasant at Jirisan
-Climb Jirisan and Mudeungsan -Climb Jirisan and Mudeungsan
-And Geumseongsan -And Geumseongsan
-That's when I see a pheasant -That's when I see a pheasant
-And I hear the bell on its tail -And I hear the bell on its tail
-Let's go hunt a pheasant -Let's go hunt a pheasant
Officer Yang!
All my resentment
-My goodness. -My gosh.
Look at you. You're in no condition to walk me back to the palace.
But you drank five cups.
I drank five cups, but you drank five bottles.
Well, I'll be off now.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Wait.
"I am
the prince of this country."
"Go on!"
"Go on."
This is really nice.
My gosh, this is so stiff.
I HOPE YOU LIVE FOR A LONG TIME AND BE THE OWNER OF MY HEART
What are you doing out here?
To get some air?
It's warm honey water.
This will make you feel better.
Do you feel sick?
What is it?
"I hope you live...
for a long time...
and be the owner...
of my heart."
Ask him why he came to Joseon.
-I've never seen anyone from the West. -He looks so strange.
He struggled so much to come to Joseon.
If he ever happens to mention Seoraewon,
the Second State Councilor won't stand still.
Do you think someone might be protecting him?
If there's a Catholic in the palace...
I can even sacrifice my life to protect this belief.
What can I do? I like it.
You should get used to this.
Everyone was born free and equal.
Then are you from a place where there's no king?
I can't believe I ran into you here. This is where I live.
The place where dawn comes to greet you. Do you know where that is?