Original subtitles

CAPTIVATING THE KING

Fourth Investigator.

This is not the way to the State Tribunal.

Upon whose command are you arresting me?

I will take it from here.

Untie the rope.

-Yes, my lord. -Yes, my lord.

Go on inside.

What took you so long?

Did you forget your duties as the gidaeryeong

to come running to me upon my summon?

This will not do.

I shall have to punish you harshly.

Do not think for a second that I will overlook your crimes

due to that night.

I cannot dare to think in such a manner.

I have...

already erased my memory of that night.

You did what?

Upon whose orders?

I have missed you.

Why are you not saying anything?

I thought...

that you might never summon me again.

I returned to the palace without a word

and ordered you to stay confined

to deter the court from attacking you.

What is going to happen to me now?

You must have heard about the bet I made.

I shall order Sang-hwa

to stay vigilant so that word inside the palace

does not travel beyond the palace walls.

Please tell me.

You are my gidaeryeong.

You must come running whenever I summon you.

I shall do the same.

If you call for me,

I shall come running to you.

Who do you think will win?

No matter who wins,

Kang Mong-woo is in a tight spot.

He is indeed stuck between a rock and a hard place.

This is...

a jangsaeng.

A jangsaeng?

What is a jangsaeng?

It means that the victor cannot be decided

as the game has reached an impasse.

So in other words, a tie.

How could this be?

He made it.

He will live.

Such an auspicious sign is said to be seen

once in a thousand years.

Never have I seen this in my entire life of playing baduk.

He has played baduk all his life,

but this is the first time seeing such an auspicious sign.

This is my first time seeing a jangsaeng as well.

What a bummer.

Had I won,

I would have taken him to the Great Qing

and offered him as a tribute to our Emperor.

As our Emperor loves baduk as well,

he would be quite amazed to hear of what happened today.

I am pleased that you are satisfied.

Yeongchwijeong.

I have heard stories of the place.

May I take a look inside?

I do not allow visitors normally.

However,

I will open its doors just for you.

Let us go.

Did you not hear His Majesty?

You stay here.

Rumor has it

that you are His Majesty's confidant.

I am merely a gidaeryeong who responds to His Majesty's call

for a game of baduk.

Did you intentionally end the game in a tie?

With all due respect,

it is extremely difficult to reach a tie in baduk.

We only reached a tie out of sheer luck.

By that claim, you are suggesting that the heavens are helping you.

Those are some arrogant words, indeed.

I am curious to see how long the heavens will stay on your side.

Was it truly through luck?

Yes, I was lucky enough

to spot the move that would force a tie.

At any rate, I am relieved that you are back.

It took a load off my mind.

We will truly need luck on our side

from this point on.

The envoy has arrived,

but he has not said anything unusual.

It appears your concern is in vain.

I also hope that my prediction is wrong.

You sounded so confident.

And yet, your plans to cast the gidaeryeong away

have failed once again.

I suppose you are not the only one to blame

as the King broke his promise first.

But how could he have refused when the Qing's envoy was insisting?

Principal Director.

Are you listening?

Tonight,

His Majesty has humiliated me before the Qing's envoy

and all the members of his court.

I have endured unbearable sufferings

to help His Majesty ascend to the throne,

stayed on as the Principal Director, a mere honorary position,

and spent all these years as his loyal subject.

However,

he dishonored all my sacrifices.

Not even high treason would call for such a humiliation.

Even if I stepped down from my post and left for our family's hometown,

no one would condemn me.

Leave for our hometown?

I understand that you are deeply insulted, but...

Nonetheless,

the King is my one and only family before he is my lord.

We are bound by the heavens.

How could one dare to discard a bond established by the heavens?

If anyone dares to attempt it,

whoever it may be, I, Park Jong-hwan, will not condone such behavior.

Of course, I understand your true heart.

The King, too, will come to understand your profound insight one day.

By the way,

what about the letter?

That matter,

you need not worry about.

Are you sure?

I have confirmed it with Jung Je-pyo.

Your biggest concern

shall disappear soon.

What do you mean?

There is another letter apart from the one from the Emperor?

It is a letter written by Prince Rui himself.

I did not get to read it, as I am the Emperor's subject,

but Jung Je-pyo did, as he is Prince Rui's subject.

He will deliver it to you soon in person.

For what reason has Prince Rui sent a letter?

Merely mentioning it as much turns me into a spy,

which is punishable by death.

It is only out of our friendship forged in Shenyang

that I am sharing this news.

Please tell me.

What is the content of that letter?

"I shall take the Princess of Joseon,

Princess Jangryeong, to be my wife."

"With my marital ties to the royal family of Joseon,

I hope to strengthen the bond between our two nations."

Prince Rui has sent a letter

requesting Princess Jangryeong's hand in marriage.

It is a request in name only,

when it is an order in truth.

Even a commoner's marriage proposal

is carried out with respect per the proper customs.

This is beyond discourteous.

You should not accept this marriage proposal.

A letter from Prince Rui himself

is as good as a marriage proposal from him in person.

Its refusal

may bring extreme adversities that cannot be overcome.

Your Majesty.

Envoy Escort Yoo Hyun-bo

has obtained a piece of information from Vice Envoy Jung Je-pyo.

Report it to me.

Jung Je-pyo proudly stated

that Prince Rui's authority stands strong and his future is bright

and the court officials who follow him

are greater in number than those who follow the young Emperor.

As such, if the marriage goes through,

the Qing would thus bestow its full trust upon Joseon.

He stated that this would serve as a great benefit to Joseon.

Your Majesty.

If you do not wish to part with Princess Jangryeong,

choose another young woman who shares a close kinship with you

and offer her as an alternative.

That cannot happen.

Sending anyone other than the Princess would be no different from a rebuff.

Emperors and kings of the past all made similar compromises.

We can at least propose this to him.

-Your Majesty... -I have heard all your thoughts.

I shall...

accept Prince Rui's request

for the Princess's hand.

Make preparations for her wedding.

Princess.

I implore you, Your Majesty.

Please do not command me to marry Prince Rui.

Do not just stand about.

Hurry up and escort her out of here.

Your Highness.

You should not act thusly.

Your Majesty.

Considering your generosity toward both my brother and me,

I am more than duty-bound to follow your orders.

I also understand I do not even deserve Prince Rui

and that this marriage is a duty

I must carry out to serve you, the court, and the royal family.

Continue.

However,

I also have the duty to abide by my late mother's last words.

If I cannot even uphold her last wish to protect my one and only brother,

how could I manage a married life that is crucial in maintaining peace

between the Qing and Joseon?

I must confess

that I am lacking and foolish,

which will cause distress to the Qing's court and Prince Rui.

This would mean

that I will cause distress to you and this nation.

I dare not hope to survive after committing such a grave crime.

Even after death,

how will I bear facing my late parents?

Your Majesty.

If you have the slightest pity for me,

please let me avert this marriage.

I understand. You should stand up now.

If I could let my emotions rule me,

I would never send you at any cost.

However,

I am the king of this nation.

As I cannot neglect my duties as the king,

I cannot grant your request.

What would you do, Mong-woo?

In what way

would you save this gonma?

GONMA: A STONE THAT IS DIFFICULT TO SAVE

Should you wish not to send Her Highness,

there is just one way.

Though belated, you can decline the marriage offer.

That is what I wish to do.

However,

I cannot.

If...

I were to decline this marriage offer

and refuse to send the Princess,

what would happen?

Prince Rui's regency will not last.

He will have to relinquish his powers to the Emperor.

As such, Prince Rui is testing Joseon's loyalty.

If Joseon declines his offer of marriage,

the Qing's court will feel anxious.

They will swiftly impose a ban on the repatriation of your people

and wage war.

Prince Rui's sudden request for the hand of Joseon's Princess

was to keep the young Emperor in check

and lay out plans for the future.

I desired power.

I thought it was the only way to protect those that I wished to protect.

Hence, I ascended to the throne.

I was foolish.

Protecting my seat on the throne...

always came before protecting what I truly wished.

The king has power,

and yet, he is powerless.

That is as it should be,

and it is therefore agonizing.

I was naive.

After seeing the King take His Highness to gisinje,

I had let my guard down.

It was only a scheme to silence the ill rumors.

Do not blame yourself, my lord.

In situations like this,

you must stay all the more composed and rational.

I suspect

that this marriage ploy not only targets Her Highness

but also His Highness.

I agree.

When Her Highness leaves,

talks of His Highness's marriage will begin soon after.

It can only be easier to act against him

if he is outside the palace.

What do you propose that we do?

As the King has approved the marriage,

it will take its place no matter what.

We can neither refuse nor avoid it.

However,

we can take advantage of it.

What do you mean?

Here is my plan.

Through this marriage,

I seek to plant a spy in Prince Rui's inner circle.

Her Highness may be astute,

but she cannot act as a spy.

First of all, she does not speak the Qing's language.

Further, she has no notion of keeping her thoughts secret.

I am suggesting that we send a spy in her place.

Do not tell me...

you are suggesting a substitution?

That cannot happen.

If we were to get caught,

Her Highness and His Highness would both fall in danger.

In any case, this is not for us to decide.

We need the approval and determination

of Their Highnesses.

To speak the truth,

I do not understand what the point is.

The Grand Prince and I will be separated nonetheless.

It is hard to believe that there is a way to avoid getting caught.

I am afraid

that this plan may place the Grand Prince in more danger.

Your Highness.

What you say is right.

What are your thoughts, Myung-ha?

Do not mind my opinion.

If you two disagree with the plan, we will not carry it out.

Who would this benefit?

It would benefit this nation and its people.

This is the one and only way

we can learn Prince Rui's thoughts and plan

for this nation.

Are you certain?

Can you swear that this plan was not concocted

for your personal gain?

As Her Highness has already stated,

this is indeed a risky plan that may bring more risks than benefits.

Were it for my personal gain,

I could always resort to easier ways.

If you cannot trust my sincerity,

do not approve of the plan.

I will follow your wishes.

I do not wish to endanger the Grand Prince further for my sake.

-So... -I...

approve.

Do you mean that, Grand Prince?

You do not have to do this for me.

To speak the truth,

the idea of you marrying a man who lives tens of thousands of li away

is detestable to me.

However, that is not my only reason.

It is because I trust you, Master.

Also, it will aid this nation and its people.

How could I not approve of the plan?

Now then, shall we play baduk?

Grand Prince.

It bothers me that the Great Lord suggested

sending another woman from the royal family

during the assembly earlier.

Are you suggesting they might substitute the Princess?

Your concern is in vain.

The Grand Prince and the Princess do not have the nerve to do so.

No one knows for sure.

Furthermore...

We should of course take measures if that is the case.

But if the King finds out,

he will be infuriated.

His Majesty heads out for a hunt with Envoy Podan tomorrow.

No issues will arise if we use that window of opportunity.

Would you like to accompany me to the hunt?

It would be better for me to stay here.

I...

would like you to accompany me.

It would be difficult for me to hide my feelings when I am with you.

People will catch on and begin to suspect me.

Would you not mind that?

Goodness.

Podan will be very disappointed.

Three years ago,

if we had not met,

you would be living a peaceful life as someone's wife.

As I cannot live as your woman,

I will stay by your side as your gidaeryeong.

I do not think this is right.

How can you get revenge when you love him?

My feelings for him do not change anything.

I will take advantage of them.

I will fool the King with my love

and achieve my goal.

I will make sure...

that he is dethroned.

My lady.

Our hearts aren't like baduk stones.

They cannot be controlled the way you set stones on the table.

I am afraid.

You could hurt yourself and end up at death's door again,

and that scares me.

What is there to be scared about?

All the events that I fear have already happened.

Death?

As I have already experienced it before,

it frightens me no longer.

Good night.

What is the matter?

Forgive me, but I am afraid

that I cannot ride a horse due to the return of my chronic illness.

How is an aching knee a chronic illness?

I understand.

Have the Royal Clinic brew herbal medicine

for the Principal Director's knees.

Yes, Your Majesty. I shall.

I am grateful, Your Majesty.

There is no need for herbal medicine.

Yes, Lord Park.

Please wait, my lady.

How dare you get in her way?

You should have started off with this.

My lady.

Please take good care of Bun-yeong.

I shall try.

Goodbye, my lady.

My lady.

What brings you here at this hour?

I am here to convey Her Royal Highness's order.

You and the court maids here

are to be transferred to another residence immediately.

Pardon? Another residence?

-This is too... -We have no time for explanation.

Get out of here now.

You. Stop right there.

As you are new here, you may stay.

Yes, my lady.

Last night, upon the Queen Dowager's orders,

the court maids at the service of Her Highness were all removed.

Thankfully, I managed to avert the crisis and stayed at Her Highness's quarters.

I do not need your service.

I will only let this maid tend to me,

so you may all leave.

Her Royal Highness will not approve of this.

I am the future spouse of Prince Rui.

How dare you stand there when I ordered you to leave?

Your Highness.

It was a risky situation,

but it passed without trouble.

You have been summoned.

Has His Majesty returned already?

No, my lord.

Her Majesty has summoned you.

I called you to ask that you look after the Grand Prince and the Princess.

Last night,

all of the court ladies and court maids at the Princess's quarters were replaced.

So I see.

I would like to help,

but I am afraid I might cause even bigger trouble.

As such, I have a request.

Could you stand by the Grand Prince and the Princess?

However meager my influence is, I shall abide by your order

and assist Their Highnesses.

Please do not be concerned.

Thank you.

Your Majesty.

Senior Court Lady Dong is here.

Shall I tell her to come back later?

No, let her in.

Your Majesty.

-Did you summon me? -You wench.

Do you truly have a death wish?

How dare you replace the court maids and court ladies serving the Princess?

Your Majesty, there must be a misunderstanding.

I would not dare to try

to replace them on a whim and without an order.

How dare you feign ignorance?

I know you have been secretly controlling the matters of the palace.

It is against the rules to discuss the matters of my superiors,

but I will share this information to resolve your deep misunderstanding.

Yesterday's incident

was carried out upon Her Royal Highness's order.

Is that true?

Why would I inform you of an obvious lie?

If you do not believe me, you should ask Her Royal Highness.

Or...

shall I ask her on your behalf?

Your Majesty.

Do you have any other requests for me?

No.

I shall remember your warm words today

and keep them in my heart until the end of my days.

You may leave.

You as well.

Life is so interesting.

To think I live in a world

where a talent for a game can secure a post and a superior's fondness.

Do you not agree?

You flatter me.

I wondered why His Majesty was so smitten with a lowly baduk player.

I can see why after seeing you up close.

You are a man,

yet peculiar.

It is in His Majesty's nature

to take pity on those who do not have friends or wealth.

Such was my case too.

He has treasured me since my days as the Queen Dowager's court maid.

People may point fingers

at His Majesty and I and condemn us for depravity,

but that hardly matters.

The first man I gave my heart to

was His Majesty back when he was a grand prince.

And he is well aware of that fact.

Do you understand what I mean?

His Majesty

may cast away a gidaeryeong the moment he loses his interest.

But he can never cast me away.

Is that so?

Are you implying

that you do not believe my words?

I am His Majesty's senior court lady.

I can be appointed a concubine whenever I wish.

I am not to be looked down upon

by someone of such low rank as you.

I did not intend to offend you, my lady.

However,

I do not understand the reason

why you are explaining His Majesty's heart to me

when you are so sure of his affection.

What did you

just say?

The Qing's vice envoy wishes to meet you, Your Highness.

Tell him to come back later.

When His Majesty returns from the hunt,

I shall confirm his approval and...

I apologize,

but Her Royal Highness has already approved it.

Tell him

to wait for a moment.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness.

What am I to do?

Please follow me inside.

Your Highness.

I must deliver the gift Prince Rui prepared for you.

Please allow me to see you.

All right.

I must say

it is a great honor

to see you myself, Your Highness.

These are the wedding gifts

from Prince Rui.

May I ask

what these are?

It is the bridal wear of the Qing royalty.

The moment you dress yourself in that attire,

you will no longer be a princess of Joseon

and become the consort of the Qing's regent.

Such an honor will not come again to Joseon.

I congratulate you once again.

Thank you.

Pretend today's meeting did not occur.

Yes, my lord.

Are you relieved now that you have seen the Princess in person?

Of course.

Prince Rui will be very satisfied.

Earlier today, Vice Envoy Jung Je-pyo

confirmed the Princess's visage.

How can that...

Keep walking.

This means

we cannot substitute her.

Thankfully, Bun-yeong managed to think on her feet

and changed clothes with the Princess before meeting Jung Je-pyo.

I wondered why you wanted her as your spy.

I can see why now.

When is the envoy leaving?

In a few days.

Has everything been prepared?

There is one last thing I must ascertain.

I am so full.

I cannot eat anymore, Mother.

Your stomach just might explode if you do.

I should get going after saying my goodbye to Lady Hee-soo.

Wait one minute.

What is this?

Oh, my.

Is this not a waistband?

The embroidery is rather crude, no?

I told her I would do it, but your mother insisted.

What kind of mother would let somebody else prepare her child's things?

Mother.

Why is it so hard and heavy?

I put some silver coins inside.

They would weigh one geun at the least.

I told her your back would give in if you wore that much weight on you,

but she would not listen.

I added a little extra to your stipend so far.

I know it is heavy, but wear it with you at all times.

Who knows?

It might come in handy.

Mother.

I will wear it with me at all times,

even if my back breaks.

If you do not wish to do this,

you do not have to.

You can say you want to quit.

If you refuse to do it,

I will not send you away.

My lady.

Do you know how overjoyed I was

when my birth mother passed away?

For as long as I can remember,

my mother always said

that she did not want to die in the land of the outlanders

who ravaged our land and killed her husband.

She said she wanted to die back home even if it came to that

whenever she saw me.

What we only dreamt of then became true.

I managed to bring my mother, who was being abused by a violent master,

back to her motherland.

I was also able to look after her myself for a year

and let her pass away in peace.

All of that was possible as you paid the ransom on our behalf.

It...

It was not my doing.

You did the deeds yourself.

I must undertake this task.

I have to do it for those who died wrongfully like my parents

and for those who are still suffering.

And I must do it

to prevent any more children

from losing their parents in the war like me.

I truly wish to do this.

I am

giving you too big of a burden.

Do not worry.

I know I can handle this.

Princess.

Have you come to terms with this matter?

Yes, Your Majesty.

I apologize for worrying you.

Survive and return at all costs.

I am your only elder brother,

and you are my only younger brother.

Your injuries are my injuries.

So please return home safely.

Yes, Brother.

As...

the king of this nation

and as your uncle, my sins are too great.

Your Majesty.

The incident before happened

because I acted rashly

from being overcome with fear.

As such,

I want to say

that I hold no resentment toward you.

Do not worry.

I know too well

why you acted thusly.

I will not forget you for a moment

and send word regularly to see if you are well.

Do not worry about the Grand Prince

and be safe and sound.

Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.

Though I will be in faraway,

I shall pray

for your health and long life

and the peace of this nation.

Stay seated.

Please let me bow to you, Sister.

From this moment on, you are my older sister.

Greetings, Your Highness. I am Great Lord Oh Wook-hwan.

Minister of War Min Ji-hwan and I

will be escorting you out upon His Majesty's orders.

Your Highness.

Please step into the palanquin.

Open the door.

As you are new here, you may stay.

Yes, my lady.

You!

You brat, stop right there!

I told you to stop!

Where on earth did she go?

Principal Director.

Thank you for your work.

It is all thanks to you, Your Royal Highness.

I have returned, Your Royal Highness.

Welcome back.

Did the Princess leave without any trouble?

Yes.

I watched the palanquin leave.

What is the matter?

Forgive me.

It may not be of any importance,

but there is something that weighs on my mind.

You may speak without hesitation.

One of the court maids who served in the Princess's quarters

seems to have run away with her things

instead of accompanying Her Highness.

What did you say?

-How ridiculous is that? -When did that happen?

You startled me.

What is the matter, Principal Director?

I asked you when it happened!

Well, it was...

It was...

Just who on earth is she to make him act thusly?

Surely one court maid going missing is not that important.

Unless...

Principal Director.

Where did you smuggle her to?

I apologize, but I do not understand your question.

No confession without evidence, is that it?

All right.

I will go see Princess Jangryeong with my own two eyes.

Principal Director.

As my farewell to Princess Jangryeong seems lacking in hindsight,

I am meaning to go send her off.

Will you accompany me?

Pardon?

Yes, my lord.

Surely I shall follow your command.

Why is the Principal Director behaving so strangely?

Sending off the Princess out of the blue?

Please take these for me.

Wait...

Myung-ha.

My lord, where shall we head to?

They will have left Mohwa Guesthouse already.

We should get ahead of her then.

-Let us head to Byeokjegwan. -Yes, my lord.

Your Highness.

Do you still feel distressed?

I feel guilty

for deceiving His Majesty.

Can we speak in private?

What is the matter?

It is about a request I made of him earlier.

What is this about?

It seems like the Principal Director caught on.

He left just now to go see Her Highness.

What brings you here, Lord Park?

On Her Royal Highness's orders,

I am here to bid my farewell to Princess Jangryeong.

After all those years of you giving her the cold shoulder?

Wait here for a moment.

I shall ask her permission first...

Lord Park! What insolence is this?

Great Lord, please calm down.

Move!

Stay still.

-You will hurt yourself. -Your Highness!

Your Highness.

Her Royal Highness ordered me to give you her final regard.

I apologize,

but I would like to speak to you without the veil.

Will you please remove it for a moment?

Your Highness.

Your Highness!

You are acting strange tonight.

It is not a difficult play,

so how come you are mulling over it for such a long time?

Could it be that you are feeling ill?

No, I am fine, Your Majesty.

You are hardly fine with such a fever.

Your Majesty, it is me, Sang-hwa.

Come in.

Principal Director Park Jong-hwan seeks an audience urgently.

What shall I do?

The hour is late.

Tell him to come back tomorrow morning.

I apologize,

but he said the matter requires your immediate attention.

All right.

I shall go to the hall of governance.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Let us stop here for today.

Go back home and rest.

Your Majesty.

I have an urgent matter to inform you of.

Must you tell me now?

Your matter is of most importance to me,

but as you have heard, the Principal Director is waiting.

It is regarding the matter the Principal Director seeks to tell you.

What is it?

What is the matter?

CAPTIVATING THE KING

I must report to you the treacherous subjects

who dared to go against the royal command and deceived you and the court.

Substitution?

Are you certain?

Are you saying you will take all the blame?

I have plotted everything.

Did you expect me to forgive your crimes because I am in love with you?

My crime against you

does not render my love for you false.

So it begins.

Before I die,

I wish to be of support to the Grand Prince.

Do you know Lord Kang Hang-soon by any chance?

I will endure any sufferings that may follow.

Subtitle translation by: Jea-heon Chung