Original subtitles

What are you doing?

I was right. You do smell like a girl.

That is absurd.

General!

General.

How dare you hurt--

You throw a pretty good punch for a girl.

A girl?

Fix her up like a girl and bring her to my barrack.

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

Let go.

Let go of me.

That punk, Seung-nyang,

was a girl?

You will help this man...

Help her put on women's clothes, and do her makeup.

General, I have brought Seung-nyang.

Come in.

General.

-General! -Yes.

Make her kneel before me, and you can leave.

Your eyes, nose, and lips...

Your facial features are delicate.

What do you plan to do to me?

When I go hunting,

I catch foxes from time to time.

Some happily eat their food when I lock them up in a cage.

Some growl and show their teeth even to the end.

I peel the skin off the ones that became obedient after I feed them.

However, I don't kill off the ones that stay hostile to me until the end.

It arouses my desire to tame them.

When we arrive in Yeongyeong, I will make you my concubine.

You must not be tamed by the food I feed you to the end.

The moment you become obedient, I will skin you and kill you.

What is this?

Are you already scared?

Do not ruin the fun already.

I want you to put up a fight.

Scared?

I am not afraid of a petty insect like you

who tortures only the weak.

A petty insect?

A petty insect.

Exactly. This is fun only when you bite back like this.

I heard your father is the Grand Councillor.

Do not talk about my father.

Without your father's influence,

no one will be scared of you.

Shut it.

I bet even the Grand Councillor is ashamed to have a son like you.

I told you to shut up.

Did you forget that I can still kill you right this instant?

How dare you run your mouth?

Go ahead. Kill me.

I would rather die than be trampled upon by a petty insect like you.

She will become General Dang Gise's concubine?

What if he falls into her trickery and points his sword at me?

I cannot let that happen.

Never.

Seung-nyang!

Seung-nyang.

A subordinate was taking care of me. Where is he?

I must see Seung-nyang.

I will keep watch here. You can go and rest.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Did you know Seung-nyang was a girl?

What nonsense is that? He is not a girl.

So you did not know.

I am sure General Dang Gise is violating her right about now.

I can put up with a lot,

but I cannot stand it when people insult my father.

Go ahead and run your mouth again. Do it!

Order your men to prepare two horses outside.

Two horses?

Are you planning on running away with the King of Goryeo?

I will count to three just like you did earlier.

If you do not order your men, this arrow will land in your heart.

One.

-Two. -If you kill me,

the deposed king will die too.

Mom!

What is wrong?

Are you scared now because I said I would kill the deposed king?

-Do not come near me. -Shoot me.

Go ahead and get your king killed because of you!

I told you not to come near me!

You belong to me, not the deposed king.

It is I, Dang Gise!

You will never have your way.

Stop moving.

No, Your Majesty!

Let go of me. I am going to kill this scumbag.

I want to kill him as much as you do.

I want to kill him and take my revenge for my mother.

However, not here, Your Majesty.

Not here, Your Majesty.

Come with me.

I will help you get out of here.

Your Highness.

Seung-nyang really is a woman.

You are full of surprises.

I was shot by an arrow when I was being chased on Daecheong Island.

I fell into the ocean, but a fisherman found me in a net. I barely survived.

Luck must have been on your side.

But why did you follow them here?

To rescue Seung-nyang and cut off Yeom Byeong-su's head.

I should ask you the same. What brings you here?

We have the same goal.

His Majesty pushed us away,

but I just could not do anything as I was worried sick about him.

This is bad. It is terrible.

I think those scums are going to kill His Majesty and Seung-nyang soon.

We must rescue them now.

Four of us will not be enough.

No.

I have been trying to come up with a plan.

How about starting a fire on the barracks where the tributes are?

We might be able to rescue

His Majesty and Seung-nyang while they try to put out the fire.

-We should give it a try. -The worst thing we will face is death.

It would have been hard even for a man.

How did you make such endeavors when you were a woman?

I have...

deceived you all this time.

Are you disappointed in me?

Not in the least.

That is absurd.

The fact that I am a woman will not change anything.

I will serve you...

just like I have so far.

Hey.

You cannot fall asleep here.

You never miss your target.

How are you so good at blowing the poisoned needles?

The male energy goes up to your mouth when you are castrated.

Stop your nonsense, and wear the uniform.

You are not a manly man yourself either.

Hurry.

Jeom-bak and I will go to where the tributes are stored.

You two go and rescue His Majesty and Seung-nyang.

Meet us at the eastern backwoods.

What is it?

General Dang Gise asked for more alcohol.

What?

I have never seen you before.

Take a good look at me.

Do you recognize me now?

Who...

-Do you still not recognize me? -Who are you?

What is wrong with you?

Do you really want General Dang Gise to kill you?

Calm down.

Follow me.

It is strong.

Please hurry and fill it up.

What is that?

That is enough. Set the fire.

Come on. Keep burning. That is it.

-There is a fire! -Fire!

There is a fire in the storage!

-Where is it? -There is a fire!

-There is a fire! -There is a fire!

What are you waiting for? Go put out the fire!

There is a fire!

A fire? Where is the fire?

Can you not see? The barrack for...

-You are... -There is a fire!

There is a fire!

These two rats!

There is a fire.

-There is a fire. -There is a fire.

Catch those two! Catch them!

-Put out the fire now. -Yes, sir!

Hurry! Move faster!

Where on earth is the fire?

It is in the barrack with the tributes.

How could they be so clumsy?

You two.

-We are caught. -There will be blood.

Look who we have here. If it is not you, Park Bul-hwa!

You are still alive.

I will...

cut you into pieces.

Stop!

If you want them to keep their heads,

drop your sword now!

Park Bul-hwa.

THE YUAN IMPERIAL PALACE IN YEONGYEONG

What is this?

I have settled on a date for the wedding.

Are you not aware that deciding on such dates falls under my authority?

We already have numerous pending issues that need to be resolved.

I cannot allow...

YEONCHEOL, GRAND COUNCILLOR

...a fortune-teller to decide on the date.

-Grand Councillor! -I have no doubt

that Your Highness can understand where I am coming from.

In that case,

have Tanashilli go through the training to become the Empress until the wedding.

Naturally, she must.

My daughter still has a lot to learn.

I ask that you teach her well.

Please excuse me.

You cannot let him have the upper hand from the start.

Please inform him of a new date for the grand ceremony.

There is no need to make a fuss from the start.

First,

I will make her undergo brutal training.

Please wake up. It is time for your training.

Why are you waking me up so early in the morning?

-Your Highness, you are late. -Late for what?

An empress has the highest position in this place.

No one can criticize me for waking up late.

Empress Dowager holds the highest position in the Inner Court.

What?

Empress Dowager wakes up at dawn.

That is why it is customary for the ladies of the Inner Court

to wake up an hour earlier than the Empress Dowager.

An empress's gait must be elegant like a crane's.

It must never look vulgar.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

I quit!

Please be graceful.

I am starving. Forget about being graceful.

Bring me more rice.

Please be graceful.

Why can I not eat at peace?

It is Empress Dowager's order that women of the Inner Court

must not be gluttonous.

You just cannot stop talking about her, can you?

I am sick of hearing about her.

-Take away her food. -What?

What are you doing?

Can you not see that I have not finished?

Take away her food.

Go on. Just let me starve to death!

It is time for you to study the Instructions for Women.

Please recite.

"First is fidelity, second is purity.

First and foremost, a woman shall remain chaste.

Secondly, she shall be pure and honest.

A woman shall also know her place.

She must stay indoors when the quarter for women is occupied.

Speak no evil, hear no evil.

She must neither spread gossip

nor listen to it.

Candles..."

It was...

"When the sun sets, light a candle.

She shall hold a candle when she is out at dusk."

Start again from the beginning.

-You want me to do it again? -Yes, recite it again.

I cannot. No, I will not!

If you do not finish your training, you cannot become the Empress.

Then I will not become the Empress.

I quit. I said, I quit!

Did she say she was quitting herself?

Does that please you that much?

She said she would leave.

Naturally, it is a happy occasion for the Empire. What else would it be?

Grand Councillor will not allow it.

Do you want to wager?

I will bet one dried persimmon on her giving up on the training.

I daresay that you two are a match made in heaven.

How dare you say such an awful thing?

Mark my words.

Given the ill-temper of hers, she will not be able to complete the training.

How disrespectful!

How dare they harass me like this?

Empress Dowager is here to see you.

What brings you here at this hour?

It is not your bedtime yet.

I am not sleeping yet.

I heard that you were having a hard time with the training.

To tell you the truth, it is not easy.

There are many customs as life here is different from the outside.

The nature of the position especially makes it hard.

Naturally, it must be hard.

Then I shall change the Inner Court's customs.

I believe you were the one who came up with the current customs.

Once I become the Empress,

those are bound to change.

Do not take my words personally.

You started this fight.

Get some rest.

Good night, Your Highness.

You think I will give up?

You will pay for this dearly later.

How audacious.

Have what we discussed prepared.

Are you certain?

As you wish, Your Highness.

I must show her the enmity within the Inner Court

of the Palace.

You look prettier than usual.

I did not get a good night's sleep last night, so my face is puffy.

Is that so?

In my eyes, you are more beautiful than these flowers here.

I suppose he is totally into me.

By the way, I am afraid that I do not fancy the garden.

Looking at the view and the flowers, the gardener's taste is not on par.

My late mother tended the garden herself.

My apologies. I was rash.

That is all right. As a matter of fact, I do not fancy this garden either.

May I ask you a question?

Go ahead.

Please answer my question truthfully.

I can never tell a lie.

Do you...

truly want me as your empress?

I have never thought of anyone who would make a better empress.

Then please hear my conditions.

As I should.

I will bring my own people to serve me in my chamber.

That is not allowed.

You may.

Continue, please.

From now on, you must ask me first before coming to see me.

I approve. Are there more conditions?

I want you...

to make an official proposal to me.

A proposal? What is the proposal you want?

I very much love flowers.

Please make a big wreath with rare flowers.

I understand. I will make sure to do that.

I shall excuse myself now.

Pull out every single flower in the Palace.

Pardon?

She said she likes flowers.

Get rid of every single one.

He did not lend me even one soldier.

He wants me to conquer them with such an incompetent legion.

This is worse than a demotion. This is the same as exiling me.

But we are very lucky that we are still alive.

I chose the wrong person to serve.

If I had known this, I would have killed the Emperor in Goryeo

and earned Grand Councillor's approval.

We have a long way ahead, Uncle Baekan.

All of the tributes burnt down.

We must come up with a plan, must we not?

This is all because of the deposed king.

We can pin everything on him.

That is too risky.

The deposed king's father has been reinstated as the King of Goryeo.

I will not say we are completely out of options.

Do you have a good idea?

On the message we received a while ago,

it said that General Baekan had departed to root out the Dolgwol.

Yes, I remember. What about it?

It is always better to get rid of anything that might pose as a threat.

Are you implying we should send him there?

I heard that it is a very dangerous and poor region.

If the deposed king dies there...

Is that not what all of us want?

We can tell the people in Yeongyeong

that he had gone voluntarily to purge away his sins.

The deposed king in that dangerous place?

-Take the deposed king outside. -Yes, sir!

Where are you taking His Majesty to?

He will be dragged to a place deadlier than hell and will die there.

Take me too. I will follow him.

Do not worry.

You will also be taken to a place as deadly as hell.

Seung-nyang.

Wherever you end up,

you must stay alive.

Please...

Please, you must survive.

I will make sure I come back alive for you.

The same goes for you. Stay alive for me.

This is an order from the King. Do you understand?

Yes. I will comply with your order.

Take him out now.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Seung-nyang!

You will set out on a very long journey.

Perhaps, that could be your journey to death.

What will happen to Seung-nyang?

Why do you ask?

Are you tempted to make her yours now that you know she is a girl?

I will take her as a slave

and trample upon her for the rest of her life.

If anything happens to Seung-nyang,

I will kill every single one of you.

Tapjahae, you should take him.

Okay, Dang Gise.

-Go. -Keep walking.

-Go! -Hurry!

Keep walking!

Move!

What is the problem?

Nothing.

Speed up.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

We are not headed to Yeongyeong.

We have been heading west for three days.

They will not kill us, will they?

If they plan to, why would they make us walk?

WESTERN FRONTIER OF THE YUAN DYNASTY

They are just a mob of beggars in uniforms.

He expects me to go to war with these incompetent soldiers?

What does this mean, if not a suicide mission?

-Something is off. -What is?

The soldiers are all skin and bones.

They do not seem disciplined at all.

Even at a glance, the weapons are not well-kept either.

You are right.

It is not because they lost the war.

There must be a reason why they could not win.

The formation I have prepared might prove difficult to execute.

General!

I welcome you, General Baekan.

-Welcome, General. -Welcome, General.

Are you the commander in charge here?

Yes, General. The journey must have been long.

After hearing your expected arrival,

we have prepared a simple table with drinks and food.

Is that so?

Please step into the commander's barrack.

It is an honor to serve under you!

-It is an honor! -It is an honor!

I find your effort admirable.

The drinks and the food both seem great,

but I am disappointed at the lack of women.

Do you want a woman?

Even a capable aide-de-camp

will not be able to find women here.

Not at all.

A lodging that provides services for the guards is only 100 ri away.

I will bring you the women right away.

I had no idea that I would meet such a capable commander as you here.

If there is anything you would like, please let me know.

Lend me your sword.

I grew up on the battlefield ever since I was a kid.

I quenched my thirst with my enemies' blood.

I spent numerous nights while treating the bodies as my pillows.

I have already heard a lot about your military achievements.

Every commander's sword exudes its own energy.

However, I do not smell blood from your swords.

Why... Why are you doing this?

Whom did you sell the rations and the weapons to?

General.

I am very impatient.

If you do not tell me the truth now, I will carve out your plump fat

and let the starving soldiers eat it.

Answer me now.

General, there has been a misunderstanding.

I told you I am impatient.

I did not sell off any--

Who is next in command? Come forward!

I deserve death!

-I deserve death! -I deserve death!

Taltal, cut off the dead guy's head and hang it at the entrance.

As you wish.

We can go to war without swords.

However, we can never defeat our enemy if we are not disciplined.

The enemy within is scarier than the one outside.

That is why I, Baekan, will carve out those rotten pieces

and form a new army. Make the announcement.

We will establish a new military formation and become a strong legion.

Depending on the soldiers' hometowns,

soldiers from the Yuan dynasty and other places will be separated.

Soldiers from other places except for the elite troop

will establish an encampment and will be in charge of labor.

They will be on the front line.

As the rations are scarce, food will be distributed

to the elite troop first and then the soldiers from other places.

Anyone who defies the military rules or who tries to desert the camp...

will be executed right away.

Give it to me.

Wait.

No need to give her the food.

Because of you, I lost the throne that I almost had.

Because of you, Seung-nyang.

I will feed you just enough to keep you alive.

If you die, you will not be in suffering.

Eat.

Let it be a favor or mercy. I will not take anything from you.

Do not provoke me.

I can kill you this very minute.

We will arrive in Yeongyeong soon.

I am going to give you a chance right now.

You can either become a slave in the Palace or become my concubine.

Make your choice. Which one is it?

I will become a slave in the Palace.

You can only come out of there dead after working like a dog.

I have already prepared myself.

Just you wait, Dang Gise.

I will kill you too.

Before I do that,

I will kill that jerk who became the Emperor.

Come on.

This is weird. I was pretty good back when I was on Daecheong Island.

Straighten your bow arm

and put pressure on it as if you are pushing the mountains.

Pull your arrow back

as if you are pulling a tiger's tail.

Do you now understand?

Well, yes. I think I get it now.

Okay, I got this.

As if I am pushing the mountains...

As if I am pulling a tiger's tail...

I quit.

I quit!

Your Imperial Majesty!

She has never come to offer her greetings?

You cannot overlook Tanashilli's arrogant and impudent behaviors anymore.

-You must hold her-- -Your Highness, this is Yeom.

Come in.

Is that it?

Yes, Your Highness.

It smells very nice.

Make sure that Tanashilli uses this.

You must carry it out exactly as I have instructed.

What is inside the chest?

Do you not know the place we are in?

Even if she is to become the Empress,

she cannot survive here without bearing heirs.

Then is that...

It is an incense burner Empress Dowager cherishes.

If you keep it nearby, you will get smooth skin,

and it will help you clear your mind.

Thank her for me.

Empress Dowager is respected by everyone in the Palace.

She has sent you a gift as she is kindhearted.

This is not a gift. It is a bribe.

A bribe?

The moment I become the Empress, I will rule over the Inner Court.

She wants to be in my good graces.

Even if you become the Empress,

she will still be the eldest of the Inner Court.

As if that matters.

She has ruled over it long enough.

It is time that she gives up her greed and retires.

Stop staring.

Go out and tend your business.

Yes, Your Highness.

YEONGYEONG, THE YUAN DYNASTY

General, it must have been a long trip.

Long time no see, Chief Eunuch Dok-man.

We will take over from here.

There is something I must tell you.

Do you see that girl over there?

I want you to kick her out of the Palace.

Do you want me to send her to a courtesan parlor?

No.

I plan to take her.

You just need to expel her from here.

Is this the place?

Is this where you live in?

If you want, I will give you a castle as big as Goryeo.

If that is not enough,

I will grant you the highest position in the Yuan court.

Here comes His Imperial Majesty.

You must kneel down!

You are not to lift your heads until His Imperial Majesty passes.

Who are they?

The tribute women from Goryeo have arrived.

Tribute women?

You suddenly seem worn-out, Your Imperial Majesty.

Someone saved my life in Goryeo.

Thinking about him...

is making it hard for me to see them.

Let us go.

PAVILION OF WOMEN: CONCUBINES AND COURT LADIES' RESIDENCE

I heard that court ladies get paid and get to live a comfortable life.

I heard some become maids.

That is considered lucky.

If you get kicked out of the Palace,

they sell you off to a courtesan parlor.

-Really? That is awful. -Yes.

Are they done with their bath?

Yes, Chief Eunuch.

I will select the court ladies now.

If you are chosen as a court lady,

you will receive a red ribbon.

A blue ribbon for a maid.

If you receive a yellow ribbon, you will be expelled from the Palace.

The front row will come forward now.

Disrobe.

Her facial features, figure, and teeth are good.

Her cheekbones are high, and her face is flushed.

I see signs of disasters.

Low class.

She belongs to the middle class.

Her facial features and figure are of high class.

She has a scar on her body.

She deserves to be in the low class.

Hold on.

How did you get this scar?

Let me see your hands.

You have definitely held a sword.

What did you do in Goryeo?

My father...

was a hunter.

Your facial features say a lot about you.

Expel her.

If you allow someone like her in--

She belongs to the middle class.

-Chief Eunuch. -She is a hunter's daughter.

She is perfect to be a maid who manages tough tasks.

Next.

Chief.

She is the new maid.

All the way at the end.

Come this way.

Be careful of her.

She was so close to becoming a court lady, but she lost the chance.

She is like a viper full of spite these days.

Hey, you.

Come here.

Are you deaf? Get over here now.

The rest of you go.

You massage me.

What are you doing? Go ahead.

I have been doing laundry all day. My body aches.

Bitch, that hurts!

What is that?

Are you scowling at me?

I guess you have not figured out where you are now.

I cannot let this go. Hold her.

What is this fuss?

Welcome, Court Lady Yeom.

Chief eunuch will inspect the quarters soon.

Keep quiet.

You sent the deposed king to the frontier?

Who on earth made such a decision?

It was...

The deposed king himself reached that decision.

The deposed king volunteered to go to the battlefield?

His plan is to get his throne back.

All the tributes burnt down because of his mistake.

He probably needed a chance to redeem himself.

Is he planning to

reclaim his throne after making a contribution?

That is correct.

You already know.

The frontier is the gate to the Silk Road.

For the past few years, the Dolgwol have has control over the region.

It has been a problem lately.

If the deposed king can get rid of them,

that will be the greatest news for the Great Empire.

He walked into that dangerous place to make a contribution.

He is indeed interesting.

Time will tell.

We will see whether we will get a victorious news

or his obituary.

I report.

General Tapjahae has just arrived.

What?

Why would that asshole come here?

I heard on my way here.

A lot of soldiers from Goryeo were dispatched here.

Those dead bodies over there cannot be of the people of Goryeo, right?

How would we know?

Something feels off given that it is a military camp.

What brings you all the way here?

I brought this man.

Why did you bring the deposed king?

Why do you think?

Try your best with these men.

How could I when you brought me only a few men?

I heard people from Goryeo were taken here.

Put me with them.

You are just asking to die.

They even killed those deserters.

Things are bad here.

By the way, where on earth are we?

Since we kept walking toward the west,

we are probably somewhere near the frontier.

This is the gate to the Silk Road.

The Silk Road?

I did not see anything like silk on my way here.

You idiot!

He is talking about the trade route that leads to the West. You moron.

I heard that the Dolgwol seized this area.

Does it mean that those men are here to conquer the Dolgwol?

It has become very obvious why they brought me here.

Change into these clothes.

We are not beggars. Do you seriously expect us to wear these?

Stop talking, and put these on, you eunuch.

What? You little...

I do not care about our clothes, but His Majesty cannot wear them.

You had better wear them.

At this camp, status and ranks do not matter.

It will be advantageous for you to expect the worst to survive here.

These are mere clothes. They are not important.

You should change too.

Your Majesty...

Do not resist.

Was it Seung-nyang?

Tell me exactly what you did wrong today.

-I did not do anything wrong. -What?

What a bitch.

I should teach her a lesson.

-Bring me the whip. -What?

Get me the whip!

Okay.

Your Imperial Majesty, it is cold outside.

Please let us go back to your chamber.

I cannot seem to fall asleep at night these days.

Let us just walk all the way there.

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

By the way, what is the place with the light on?

That is a storage room.

Why would anyone be in there at this hour?

What is it? Does it hurt?

I am just getting started.

Brace yourself. I will put you through agonizing pain today.

Hold her tightly.

Is anyone inside?

His Imperial Majesty is here!

Who is inside?

Open up now.