Original subtitles

- Episode 1 -

Sir...

Sir...

Lt. General...

What's the matter ?

The King commands you to accompany the Great Minister of the Left,

to give poison to the deposed Queen.

What?

How ...

How can this be happening?

Why?

Why would such an order given to me?

l do not know the reason, sir.

But the order is for you to to carry it out immediately.

[13th year of King Sungjong's Rule] [August 1482]

Sir.

The Queen has been deposed for more than 3 years.

And now,

just because she made herself look presentable and went out of her house,

to kill her by poison . . .

Don't you think it is too harsh?

After all, she is the Prince's mother.

When the Prince takes over the throne then we ...

Don't worry, it will be fine.

Do you want to drink some?

How can we watch what's going to happen with a clear conscience...

Sir...

What should we do?

What is it?

Sir...

Are you ok?

How is he?

Looks like he hurt his ankle.

I am sorry. The horse went suddenly...

Even those darn horses

don't seem to want to go to the deposed Queen's place.

Otherwise, how can it just go wild like a mad horse?

Otherwise, how can it just go wild like a mad horse?

You!

Have you been drinking?

We are going to deliver the King's order.

How dare you act so rudely?

Sir, l deserve death.

Can you still walk?

Yes.

Even if l need to be carried,

l still need to carry out the King's order.

No need for that.

How can you go with your leg like this?

ldiot!

I will deal with your offense in the future.

But due to the circumstance,

hurry and take him to the doctor.

Yes, sir.

Deposed Queen Yoon,

extremely evil and dangerous,

has done a lot of cruel things.

While you were still at the palace,

your atrocities grew worse,

but due to your status as the Prince's mother

we just overlooked your wrongdoings.

We did not judge you.

This has caused the country's downfall; the country's prosperity is at stake.

Therefore,

on August 16, you shall consume poison in your house.

l will see His Majesty.

lf l hear from His Majesty's own mouth that he wants me to consume this poison,

l would definitely consume it. [Mother of Yeonsangun]

Go and escort His Majesty here.

You had better be careful with your words.

This is the King's royal order!

lt cannot be.

l wanted to see the Prince while he came out of the Palace.

So l rushed out without even wearing my shoes.

His Majesty is not the type of person who would give me poison for that.

This must be a conspiracy against

the Prince who would become the King.

Shut up!

How dare you speak such blasphemous words as a deposed queen?

This won't do.

Go ahead.

Give the poison to the criminal.

Stop!

l am the Prince's mother.

lf you really want to kill me,

bring the Prince here.

Go and bring the Prince here.

Quick! Give her the poison.

Quick! Give it to her.

Get away! All of you.

Get away! Don't touch me.

Idiot!

Are you going to disobey the King?

Quick! Give her the poison.

Grab her.

Stop it!

You dare! Stop it! All of you.

Nobody can touch me.

l had been the Mother of this country.

l will drink it myself.

l will drink it.

My Queen!

My Queen!

Prince, you must take over the throne,

to revenge your mother's unfair death.

My Queen.

Mother...

Take this to the Prince.

Let the Prince know how evil and ruthless these people are.

What you did today,

it will come back to you exactly the same way.

Madam!

Madam.

[ Yi Yung : King Yeonsangun ]

My Prince.

Will the court ladies be coming here?

Yes, my Prince.

Don't tell them you've seen me.

As you say, my Prince.

My Prince...

Come out now!

Where are you...

l admit l lose, where are you?

My Prince, come out, my Prince.

Where are you? My Prince ... come out, quick, come out...

Come out, quick, my Prince.

Sir, my Prince, l admit l lose.

What you did today,

it will come back to you exactly the same way.

Stop!

My Queen!

I'm the mother of the Crown Prince who will take the throne of Joseon.

My Queen!

Bring the Prince here!

My Queen!

How dare you?

Are you awake?

Drink the whole thing.

l think l fainted when l fell down the hill.

You injured your arm.

You will be fine in a few days.

Thank you so much.

(Buddhist) Priest... I need to be on my way.

Please let me know how to get out of this place.

Priest...

You don't have the look in your face to harm others,

but why are your hands grasping the bloody wind?

What do you mean?

What a pitiful fate.

What do you mean, Priest?

Please explain to me.

Why do you say that my life is pitiful?

Please tell me.

Your fate is in the hands of three women.

The first woman

is the one you will kill but she will not die.

The second woman,

you will save her but she will die because of you.

The third woman, she will kill you,

but in turn save many lives.

Sir...

what should l do?

What should l do to avoid such a fate?

The best thing is not to meet them.

How?

How can I not meet the first woman?

Haven't you already met her?

That's why l said it's pitiful.

Then, the second woman...

no...

you said l will die because of the third woman, right?

Then, please may l ask, the third woman...

What should l do to not meet the third woman?

Just don't meet the second woman.

Then the second woman,

what should l do to not meet her?

Sir, please teach me.

Sir, what do these mean?

Sir...

Sir...

Please wait, sir.

Sir...

What does this mean ?

This is the word "jin". It means improper conduct.

This is the word "soon", meaning submissive.

This word is "Ho", which means good.

So, all these words have to do with women?

A woman of improper conduct,

a submissive woman and a good woman, respectively.

Well, do you have any idea about it?

No, I don't.

People have used compound words

to tell secrets since ancient times.

What do you mean by compound words?

Don't you understand?

When King Taejo founded this kingdom,

everyone was talking about this saying.

People talked of "mok-ja-deuk-guk". (tree, son, gain, kingdom)

The word "mok" (tree),

plus the word "ja" (son),

Combine to become the word "yi".

Therefore, this means...

Someone with the surname Yi will rule the kingdom.

Then, if you split these words apart, what do they mean?

The word ''geum''

is formed by the word "yeo" for woman plus the word "geum",

which means today.

lt should mean the woman you meet today.

When did you get this?

Yesterday.

Then it should be the woman you met yesterday.

Yesterday, did you meet any special woman?

Since you look pale,

that must be it.

Then, let's split the other words and figure it out.

The second woman has the word ''chun" which means river,

plus the word ''hyeol'' which means head.

The third woman has the word "nyeo" (woman) plus the word "ja" (son).

The third woman has the word "nyeo" (woman) plus the word "ja" (son).

Are you saying

l will die because of the deposed Queen?

Also, the second woman I will be meeting in the future...

Who will she be?

[2nd year of Yeonsangun's Rule] [July 1496 ]

Priest, priest...

Sir, please wait.

Sir...

Sir, please wait.

Sir, sir...

lt's that dream about that quack priest again.

lt's been more than 14 years.

Did you really even meet that person?

Did that old man really give you those words?

Even if all of it is true,

you're almost 40 and you still haven't gotten married because of what that old man said.

Let alone getting married,

do you even dare to look at a woman?

Not only that, you even want to be relieved of your military post?

Does that even make sense?

ln my opinion,

you're just doing in all on your own.

Now that we have a new king,

aren't you doing it because of a useless guilt feeling?

You don't even listen to what I say.

You insist you want to resign,

so, in the future how are you going to survive?

l have decided to leave this place.

What? When?

Today's my last day of work.

I will leave tomorrow, early morning.

What a fool you are!

l can't forget the way she looked at me, even now.

l can't forget the way the Queen looked at me before she died.

Yeah, me too.

Did you hear how easily

His Majesty killed the deer

that former King Sungjong loved so dearly?

The King also killed his childhood teacher, Jo Sa Seo.

He's already like that without knowing of the deposed Queen's death. How much worse would it be if he finds out?

lf His Majesty learns of it,

what would happen?

Madam...

Madam, are you looking for me?

Yes, l'm looking for you.

His Majesty is asking for your last dish that he had for the first time.

Court Lady Choi has prepared all the ingredients.

Please go and take a look.

Yes.

ls it all ready?

Yes.

Let me do it again.

What did you do wrong? [Court Lady Choi - Head Court Lady of the Royal Kitchen]

You still don't know how much wild sesame oil the king prefers in his food?

You do it all over again.

Yes.

The fragrance of the food will be weakened by the wind.

Prepare this ingredient separately.

l'll personally have a last check on the preparation.

Yes...

Okay, you can get changed.

Yes.

Go get my clothes.

Yes, madam.

Madam, l am Myung Yi.

What do you want?

I've something to report to you.

Come in.

Take a seat.

What is it?

l'm asking you...

It's about the food...

that His Majesty ordered to be prepared for the Queen Dowager.

Because she has symptoms of paralysis,

he specially asked the Royal Kitchen to prepare it.

That is right.

but Palace Maid Choi is grinding wolfsbane and dropwort herbs

along with garlic into the meals.

You said wolfsbane herbs...

Those herbs are used to cure paralysis.

Correct.

But if you use it raw you can go into a coma.

It's something that everybody is aware of.

Moreover, if you use dropwort raw,

it will cause the air in the body to stop circulating properly.

This will cause pain in the body.

Furthermore, that herb is not used for paralysis.

Furthermore, that herb is not used for paralysis.

In the beginning l thought

In the beginning l thought

the Royal Clinic prescribed good herbs for paralysis and didn't say anything.

But if the Queen Dowager keeps consuming it,

Her Highness's illness will get worse.

So I am worried.

Did you see it clearly with your own eyes?

Yes, madam.

When did it start?

Four days ago.

You said four days ago,

wasn't that the day when he King ordered the chef to prepare the meals?

Why did you observe so closely what Palace maid Choi was doing?

l accidentally saw it.

Besides you,

is there anyone else who knows about this?

l'm the only one who knows it.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Okay,

l will discretely investigate and take care of it.

Don't mention this to anyone.

Yes, madam.

Baek Young.

Come over here.

What is it ? l'm busy.

l've told someone.

Who did you tell? To the Head Court Lady?

To Court Lady for Tasting.

That's great.

I didn't feel comfortable telling on Palace maid Choi to the Head Court Lady.

What did she say?

She said she would investigate first and take care of it.

She asked if anyone else knew about this.

l didn't let her know about you.

Why?

Just in case.

Baek Young!

l need to go.

The ingredients for the late night snack got spoiled so everyone's in chaos.

The ingredients for the late night snack got spoiled so everyone's in chaos.

Oh no!

- We will talk later all right? - All right.

Excuse me...

What happened again?

What is this?

lt's a fragrance powder from China.

I'm a palace maid.

If you continue to be like this l will report to the Head Court Lady.

If you continue to be like this l will report to the Head Court Lady.

Please do not misunderstand.

I just wanted to thank you for your help from that incident.

I just wanted to thank you for your help from that incident.

So please accept this.

Please take this.

Hey, what's this?

lt's a fragrance powder used by women from China.

I'm so jealous!

Myung Yi, can I try some on too?

Sure.

I mean, sure, you did help him, but isn't this a little too much?

I mean, sure, you did help him, but Isn't this a little too much?

Who cares?

How nice would it be if someone gave me fragrance powder.

What are you all doing here?

It's almost time for dinner,

yet you are dilly-dallying here?

Madam...

Wait.

What is it?

The Head Court Lady asked for you.

But it's already so late.

She called for us also.

Why aren't they back yet?

Is it you, Baek Young?

Let her out.

Release her.

Are you willing to plead guilty?

Madam, what are you saying?

l ask you one more time,

are you willing to plead guilty?

Madam, what exactly are you saying?

What's the reason that you have to treat me like this?

You still won't admit it!

Madam...

What is a palace maid?

A palace maid is a girl who belongs to His Majesty.

She needs to be careful in her conduct and her speech.

She can't lose her charm.

She can't flirt around with other men.

She also cannot accept favors from men.

This is the rule in the palace.

l know.

I've never gone against the rules that you just mentioned.

You said you didn't go against the rule?

Then what are these?

Tha... that is...

You know the guard at Manchun Gate,

and you were with him late at night.

ls that true?

Yes, madam.

The truth is...

that night, that guard fainted because of stomach ache.

l only gave him the emergency treatment.

What treatment did you give?

l let him drink the boiled water,

and then l let him drink my medicine.

He wanted to thank you so much

that he gave you such precious jewelry and the fragrant powder.

And you accepted his gift without a second thought?

Madam, it wasn't like that.

Shut up.

How dare you speak lies?

lf he really fainted because of stomachache,

you should have informed other guards first.

Even if it is an emergency and you helped him immediately,

why would he give you such expensive presents for such a small matter,

and how could you accept them?

If you two haven't done anything intimate

how do you explain this incident?

But madam,

lt really wasn't like that.

It's really not like that.

Keep your mouth shut!

Tell me, what did you see 4 days ago?

Four days ago,

l saw Palace Maid Park go into the hut with a man.

No madam...

Absolutely not!

So...

You purposely told a lie to frame palace maid Choi, right?

No, it's not true!

lt's definitely not like that.

You, insolent!

You have committed such a great sin, you should kill yourself.

That's the way of a palace maid.

How can you frame your fellow maid?

Pay for your crime by killing yourself.

When you became a lady of the court what did we say?

Committing adultery with a man

or framing a friend. How do you punish such a sin?

You should know, right?

Madam, l have been wronged!

l have been wronged, madam.

Carry out the sentence, immediately!

Yes.

What are you doing?

She is the lesson for all of you.

ln the future, we will not allow such things to happen again.

Madam...

Hide the body and leave this place immediately.

Stop crying.

But Aunt...

Did we really need to do that?

What nonsense are you talking about?

lf you leave the seed, it will blossom.

If it blossoms it will bear fruit.

You must clear the root of the problem.

With such a soft heart,

you will not be able to keep this position.

You are my niece by family relation, but

you are my successor to become the Head Court Lady of the Royal Kitchen.

Further more, that position

is the foothold that will make our family prosperous.

Our Choi family was a lowly family without any means.

How do you think we were able

to enjoy such fortune?

Since King Moonjong,

our family has produced 5 Head Court Ladies of the Royal Kitchen.

And served 6 kings meals.

ln the palace, where you won't know who will be killed tomorrow,

how do you think that was possible?

The fifth generation ancestor, Choi Ma Ji,

who was the first to enter the palace,

do you know how she climbed up to take over the Head Court Lady post?

To King Moonjong, who was suffering from a severe skin disease,

she continued to serve pork.

But for skin disease, meat is not allowed.

The imperial doctor would not allow such thing.

This is the point.

The palace doctor was a King Sejo supporter.

And Court Lady Choi Ma Ri understood that.

She bet her life in the authority game,

to seek future prosperity.

Come to think of it, it's a battle of life.

You have to forsake a soft heart.

Observe closely which direction the authority is heading.

In the important moment do not make a wrong choice;

you need to really learn and learn again.

This matter will determine the fate of our family's future,

and our lives, too.

l didn't tell when she asked who else knew this too.

Why ?

Just in case.

Myung Yi!

Oh, please...

Miss...

Master!

Master, are you there?

What's going on?

Master, this lady is dying.

Please save her.

Okay, come in.

How's her condition?

Looks like she drank monkshood soup.

Monkshood soup, isn't that poison?

There's no more hope for this lady.

But, l could still feel her pulse.

Maybe she only drank a bit, or maybe she had taken the antidote.

So there's hope?

Now, l'll go and get some medicine to detoxicate her,

so please come with me.

It will take some time to make the herbal medicine.

Meanwhile, boil some mung bean soup for her to drink.

Drinking mung bean soup could help to neutralize the poison too.

Okay.

These are mung beans.

Now l'm going to get the herbs.

You must let her drink the liquid after you finish boiling them.

When she drinks it

she might vomit, but this is a good sign.

So continue to make her drink it.

There are some containers to cook the herbs.

There are some containers to cook the herbs.

Okay, l understand.

Quick, drink this.

You must drink this.

Come...

Quick, drink this.

Drink...

Drink this and you will stay alive.

Master, is she out of danger?

Although her body is still weak,

she is out of danger.

How did she drink the monkshood soup?

l don't know.

When l passed by the river l saw this lady needed help,

When l passed by the river l saw this lady needed help,

so l carried her here.

At any rate,

you saved her life.

How can it be me who saved her life?

You said she had already drank the antidote.

That's true,

but if you hadn't brought her here quickly to treat her,

she would have died.

You have done a good deed.

After all, you did save her life.

The word ''soon'', if we split the word,

lt becomes the word ''cheon'' which means river, and the other word is ''hyeol'', it means head.

This lady's head was in the river.

You are saying, this lady...

is the second woman?

The second woman, you will save her life,

but she will die because of you.

lf you don't want to meet the third woman,

you shouldn't have met the second woman.

The second woman... no!

You said because of the third woman l will die, right?

Then, the third woman...

What should l do to not meet the third woman?

If only you don't meet the second woman...

Then the second woman...

what should l do that won't meet the second women?

Don't hold it in.

You need to vomit it out in order to survive.

Myung Yi, are you alive? Alive?

Now only l know someone wanted to kill you,

but l don't know what to do.

l just remembered what you said.

Poisoning by monkshood soup can be cured by using sweet bean or mung bean soup.

But l really don't know whether this can save your life.

Myung Yi, are you alive?

If you are dead, please don't forgive me.

If you are alive, please listen to me.

l still do not know the entire truth.

But l don't believe about you committing adultery with a man.

Because l don't believe it.

So now, you should never return to the palace,

and don't let them see you.

Hide far away and live.

Please stay alive.

And punish me for being so helpless

surrendering to them who threatened me.

What should l do, Myung Yi?

Can l come in?

Please take a seat.

Take a seat.

You saved my life.

l don't know how to thank you.

Please let me bow down to you.

l have to leave now, after being indebted to you.

You have not recovered,

you can't leave yet.

l don't want to stay here and give you any more trouble.

Where are you going?

l don't think you have any place to go.

What do you plan to do?

Don't worry.

So...

Thank you again.

l have to say goodbye now.

The second woman,

you will save her life but she will die because of you.

Come and have a bowl of hot porridge.

Thank you, but l have no money.

It's okay, just eat.

l followed your instruction, l used only white rice to cook the porridge.

Please pay up.

Let her spend the night here.

Don't forget to give her a pair of shoes.

So much?

Don't say l gave it to you.

Just come up with some excuse.

Okay!

Can you handle this kind of hard work?

Yes.

Alright.

This girl is quite pretty. When did you come?

Why are you doing this?

l'm asking you.

l... where are you going?

Sit down.

Give me some wine.

What are you doing? He is asking you to give him some wine.

- What are you doing? - You are so pretty.

- Let go. - What are you doing?

Let's go.

You can't do such things.

Those aren't suitable for you.

Let me do it.

Someone said l would save your life,

but you then would die because of me.

Being with me

will only put your life in danger.

My life is no longer mine.

Please...

take me.

14 years ago,

l was a soldier of the Royal Guard.

l had to carry out the King's order to take the poison to the deposed Queen Yoon.

When l was depressed, on my way home

When l was depressed, on my way home

l met a spiritual master.

The master told me that

there were 3 women who will control my fate.

The first woman,

l would kill her, but she wouldn't die.

The second woman,

l will save her life,

but she will die because of me.

The third woman,

though she kills me,

will save many people as a result.

The master gave me 3 words

to guide me to see who these women were.

The first woman was the deposed Queen Yoon.

The second woman is you.

If you follow me, you will die.

You still want to follow me?

Father...

Have you caught him?

Where's mother?

Where's mother?

Mother.

Come in with me.

Why are you still standing there?

Follow me.

Mother.