Original subtitles

Episode 7

Fouled with filth,

this ludicrous piece of stone stands before me.

(The year 1395: The fourth year under King Taejo's reign)

(King Taejo: The first King of Joseon)

Bang Won.

How magnificent is this stone carving?

This stone carving...

serves as a proof that I, Lee Seong Gye...

founded Joseon with the heaven's will.

Watching my father cherishing it without knowing anything,

I cry alone.

(Ipseongyuk)

As a son, I cannot bring myself to crush my father's joy.

Hence, I can only lament alone.

After I bury my father's coffin,

will I be able to wash out the filth?

Will I be able to take revenge against those...

who mocked my father and serve my duty as a filial son?

Every night in my dreams,

I destroy the character, "Ip",

and carve "Geon" over it...

to restrain my fury.

Ever since I became the King of Joseon,

I've devoted my everything for the people of my kingdom.

And I get repaid with spear and sword of treason?

Don't you think it is too harsh?

Don't you think it is too severe?

(Official Jang Hee Je)

The loyalists of Goryeo who wish to revive the perished kingdom.

Are you sure that this oath includes every single one of them?

Those who are still immersed in nostalgia of Goryeo.

All of them have...

written their names on that oath.

26 years have passed since Joseon was founded.

In all those years,

some things may not have been perfect,

but I have not done anything to be ashamed of.

They are doing everything in their power...

to refuse to become the people of my kingdom, so what else can I do?

I shall let death separate us.

With their flesh and blood,

I shall fertilise the soil of Joseon and strengthen this kingdom.

Hence,

even if anyone comes forth now in regret,

make sure that all of them can only atone for their sins by death.

Do you understand?

Understood, Your Majesty.

Remember that solidifying the foundation of Joseon...

is our goal and your mission.

Be sure not to make any mistakes.

You must complete the mission as planned.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I will be sure to do so.

("Still River" written by Woo Bo)

Yeong Sil, Yeong Sil.

You need to hurry to board the ferry on time.

Let's go now.

Right. Why should I care?

Why should I care about His Majesty?

It's none of my business.

I won't even be here if I run away. They will figure it out.

What are you doing? Let's go now.

Why are you talking to yourself?

Well...

I was saying spells that would make me stop caring about other people.

Don't forget your bundle.

Here.

You should go first. I'll count up to 10 then follow you.

Okay.

Goodness.

Gosh, what are you doing now?

Take this.

Go and meet Go Gil Su without me first.

Gosh, Yeong Sil. Yeong Sil.

We have to go now.

I'll be there soon.

Where is he going?

(Lee Chun, Chief Officer of Police Agency)

He described the stone carving as "piece of stone fouled with filth".

Yes.

When His Majesty was a prince,

he already knew that "Geonyukseong" was written as "Ipyukseong"...

in the Great Constellation Map on the stone carving.

But...

Why...

Why did he arrest all those people to find out the secret?

What is His Majesty plotting?

Yeong Sil.

Listen to me carefully now.

The fact that His Majesty already knew that the character was changed.

You must forget it the minute you walk out of here.

You didn't know anything about it from the beginning, okay?

Okay. Understood.

You should get some rest now.

Well...

This collection of Woo Bo's writings.

I'll take it with me.

Because of this book, I was able to learn how to read,

so it has a special place in my heart.

Are you Jang Yeong Sil?

Yes...

Receive the King's order that Jang Yeong Sil,

the servant in Office of Astrology,

must be arrested for committing treason!

Pardon me?

That makes no sense.

Go to the assembly location in Gapyeong immediately.

Meet the army from Chungju, which would be...

on its way to Hanyang after destroying Deokheungchang,

and attack Hanyang at midnight!

(Jeon Bae Chun, Officer of Astrology)

(Gapyeong, assembly point of the group that wants to revive Goryeo)

(Yu Taek Sang, Chief Officer of Astrology)

The oath that all of my comrades have signed has disappeared.

I must give it to Wang Sang Gong when he comes to Hanyang.

We're in trouble.

I took it.

Why did you take it?

I gave it to His Majesty.

The King...

This is the bill of indictment for treason for everyone who signed it.

You must copy this and write it in your handwriting.

You want to do a deal with me...

over Wang Sang Gong's life.

Did you think that...

you were the only one whom I, Yu Taek Sang,

could ask to ensure the safety of Wang Sang Gong?

As far as I know, there was one more person.

Lee Bang Won!

This scum!

(Jeong Heum Ji, Jeong In Ji, Jeong Cho)

Including Jeong Cho,

Jeong Heum Ji and Jeong In Ji who participated in plotting conspiracy,

you've written the names of all the traitors.

Please sign it now.

This was...

what Lee Bang Won needed.

The bill of indictment that accuses the ministers...

who are around the Crown Prince.

The promise about letting Wang Sang Gong live his allotted span of life.

Tell him that he must keep that promise.

(Yu Taek Sang)

I...

Who would've known...

that I'd end up begging Lee Bang Won...

in the end like this.

If Lee Seong Gye didn't exist,

Goryeo and its royal court could've repented on its wrongdoings...

to promise a better world to the people of the kingdom.

Lee Seong Gye took...

that precious opportunity from us.

We could've confiscated all the lands from the noble families...

and distribute them to the starving people of the kingdom.

In this world that Goryeo was dreaming,

the people might not have been able to live lavish lives,

but they would've never have to worry about starving.

Goryeo could've definitely...

have a fresh start.

If Lee Seong Gye didn't exist!

So, of course, I am beyond enraged.

Of course, I'm dying...

to slash Lee Bang Won's throat...

with my sword!

(Donggungjeon)

We had to investigate why Yu Taek Sang deluded everyone...

by bringing up the stone carving's secret that doesn't even exist.

Many people have been arrested because of his false accusation.

He was highly respected amongst young officials.

I can't believe that he had a treasonous plan.

I am truly appalled.

(Jeong Cho, Assistant Chief of Inspector General)

Your Highness.

An officer from the prosecutor's office is asking to meet with you.

Why would an officer from the prosecutor's office come here?

- Arrest the traitors immediately. - Yes, Sir.

Why are you calling them traitors?

The traitor, Yu Taek Sang,

revealed his fellow traitors, Jeong Cho,

Jeong Heum Ji and Jeong In Ji...

in this statement he wrote himself.

- Your Highness. - Arrest them.

- Your Highness. - Your Highness.

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

(Namwon, Hwang Hui's place of exile)

(Hwang Hui )

(Lord Ha Yeon)

What is His Majesty's real intention behind...

arresting Jeong Cho and his group with the fake letter of indictment?

He wants to hand over his throne.

What do you mean by that?

He wants to hand over his throne to the Crown Prince sooner...

in order to groom the prince into a king that suits his taste.

He's laying the groundwork for it now.

Just be thankful...

that you're not one of the targets.

Ministers of the royal court have been wrongly accused of treason...

and are about to be hung to death.

How could you sound so unaffected by this?

The decision you made when you joined the royal court of Joseon...

in spite of being criticised as disloyal.

Have you already forgotten about it?

Making the kingdom into a world reigned over by...

the king but governed by the prime minister.

Are you speaking about this promise of making a world of the nobility?

In this world, things don't always turn out the way you want them to.

Life is a tug of war.

Over the Crown Prince who will succeed the throne,

His Majesty, who will be the former king then,

and the members of the nobility will play a tug of war.

Let go of the rope here and there and let him win occasionally.

If we do that, we could miss our opportunity.

We have to pull the rope properly from the beginning...

to make sure that the new king...

is enlightened and sage.

The kingdom of Joseon...

cannot suffer from another dogmatic ruler like the current king.

You must hold my hand in this.

Who are you?

Greet His Majesty.

I am also friend of your father, Jang Sung Hwee.

Are you here to save me?

You will be executed tomorrow at noon.

Because of my friendship with your father,

I thought I should see you at least once before you die.

So you just came to watch me in pain.

My deceased father...

was loyal to Goryeo.

But as a servant, I didn't even need to belong to a country.

Now, I die because of your order,

so I've become one of the people of Joseon.

You're quite well spoken. You're just like your father.

I am upset at these false accusations.

You probably cannot even understand how upset I am.

I just wanted to find out the truth.

I've thought about this over and over,

and I really did not do anything wrong.

I have to die because you're in the wrong, Your Majesty.

You must've gone insane now that you know when you will die.

How dare you, as a servant, tell me that I'm in the wrong!

You should've revealed what's wrong with the stone carving and fixed it.

Why did you hide it all along...

Revealing the character being changed on the stone carving...

is turning what's showing the fate of Joseon into a piece of rubbish.

That is why I had to hide it.

Governing a country...

is not as simple as you think.

Judging from how the highest ruler...

has to kill a servant who is the lowest of the low,

governing a country must be a very strange matter indeed.

Plus,

this country where the carving is valued more than a person's life...

cannot be a good country for the people.

A good country?

This book that tells the secret of the stone carvings...

was given to your father by a man named Woo Bo.

He went to see your father...

to ask him to work together to make Joseon into a good country,

but he couldn't see your father.

(The year 1398: The seventh year under King Taejo's reign)

Let's go now.

If I stay here longer,

Sung Hwee would end up staying outside all night.

The master of this house is staying outside because of a guest.

I shall let him sleep.

("Still River" written by Woo Bo)

In his writings,

Woo Bo talks about how much he wants to build a good country.

Your Majesty, you are Woo Bo.

That immature and clueless man, Woo Bo,

died a long time ago.

Think of your death as...

a dutiful act for the betterment of Joseon.

What has Joseon done for me? Why do I have to die for it?

This is extremely unfair!

Your Majesty.

If you spare me my life,

I'll promise to keep the secret to myself.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Please save my life. Please spare me my life!

Your Majesty!

Please let me live.

Your Majesty! Your Majesty...

- Your Highness. - Your Highness.

- Your Highness... - Your Highness...

How could you...

Your Highness.

We will die soon.

You must forget us.

What if His Majesty finds out that you visited us here...

and becomes enraged at you?

I am deeply concerned, Your Highness.

If he is enraged by me,

I'd feel better because I could be locked up in there with you.

Your Highness.

Your Highness...

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

- Your Highness... - Your Highness...

Has Lord Lee left yet?

He's still inside. He's taking longer than I thought.

Is Lord Lee Chun here?

Yes, Your Highness.

He came to meet the servant, Jang Yeong Sil.

Jang Yeong Sil?

I'm sorry.

(Lee Chun, Chief Officer of Police Agency)

I shouldn't have brought you to Hanyang.

Please don't say that.

I should've just run away with Suk Gu...

without telling you about Woo Bo.

I'm an idiot.

Whether His Majesty has known the secret all along or not,

why did I even care? Why did I have to get myself into this?

That's right, Lord Lee.

I should've known my place...

Yeong Sil.

Your Highness.

What does all this mean?

Your Highness.

Jang Yeong Sil.

Why are you locked up in there?

Please make way.

You think that His Majesty is in the wrong, right?

You think that you're on your way to tell him what's right?

Isn't that why you're marching so confidently now to meet the King?

I'm only thinking about one thing.

There shouldn't be...

any more unfair deaths in Joseon.

I...

will no longer just stand and watch His Majesty...

threaten and kill his ministers.

Only those who have the power to do so can utter those words!

Your Highness, you have no power. How will you change anything?

His Majesty is...

much scarier and cruel than you think.

Your Highness, you could be deposed for behaving this way.

What's more important than saving Yeong Sil and Jeong Cho's lives...

is for you to protect your position as the Crown Prince.

That way, you can succeed the throne after His Majesty.

I didn't become the Crown Prince because I want to take the throne.

You should want it!

You should worry about other princes becoming the Crown Prince.

You should worry about what the King and ministers think...

in order to keep your position!

It is my gift to you.

Your Majesty, what do you mean that it is a gift?

The death sentence given to Jeong Cho, Jeong Heum Ji and Jeong In Ji,

is my gift to you to whom I will hand over my throne.

Talking about whether they are guilty or not...

is useless, so do not even bring it up.

- Your Majesty. - You must be confused.

You will not understand it even after becoming the King.

Jeong Cho's group would be eliminated and won't exist,

so you won't experience how much control they'd want over you.

Your Majesty.

If I...

end up succeeding the throne...

because of your kindness,

I will need Jeong Cho...

and his group in order to govern the kingdom according to my plan.

How would you like to govern the kingdom?

Will you say that there is something wrong with the sun...

because the sundial and water clock tell the time differently?

I know what you want to do.

You want to encourage people to study what laws matters...

to be able to develop systems and tools to better the people's lives.

- Your Majesty. - However,

what you wish to do does not suit our current times.

It can only happen after more than 100 years in the future,

in the times of your grandchildren and their children.

Based on what I learned from reading the classics,

all the strong nations...

improved and strengthened their cultures.

They improved the standard of living.

I believe that a better quality of life...

strengthens the monarchy.

Hush now.

We established Joseon just 30 years ago.

Now is the time to maintain tight control...

so the ministers don't try to usurp our power.

The king who comes after you...

might not be of our bloodline.

You must strengthen your hold to prevent that from happening.

In the name of...

our nation and...

for our people,

I had to kill...

my own brothers.

To be a king...

means to do your duty and make hard decisions...

that make you very lonely.

I shall...

do things differently.

What...

do you...

mean?

I shall not take an innocent life.

I shall make them understand and wait.

If they still fail, I shall teach them again.

If two cannot solve a problem, I shall ask a third.

If three fail, I'll ask 10, 20 men.

Maybe 30 can succeed.

If we still fail, we shall study...

Enough!

I can't believe I'm hearing this.

You were weaned years ago,

and yet you talk like a child.

How am I to leave you in control when I die?

- Your Majesty. - Is anyone there?

Escort the Crown Prince out...

and forbid him from entering this hall.

Your Majesty.

My lord.

I wanted to go to Ming,

but I'm about to die instead.

It seems...

I'll get to see you again sooner than I thought.

I won't blame anyone for it.

There's no wind but the flame wavers.

How do...

hundreds of ships sail so far?

They folllow...

the wind that blows west.

When that wind blows,

there's no need to row.

Maybe wind doesn't form on its own.

The earth...

The earth turns and that creates wind.

If wind blows in one direction across the wide sea,

it means the earth is spinning very fast in one direction.

You're talking gibberish now that it's your time to die.

My lord!

You seem pleased that...

your son's about to die.

You're up against Lee Bang Won.

You can't beat him.

You met Woo Bo,

and he made you give up just like that.

I didn't meet Woo Bo,

but that King Taejong was terribly mean and strange.

I thought you are just as strange.

You seem to believe this earth spins.

Tell me...

what made you think so.

Look carefully.

Maybe wind forms when the earth spins...

as I'm spinning on the spot now.

Maybe that's why...

the wind blows only in one direction.

Maybe.

In nations elsewhere,

the wind only blows to the east.

How will you explain wind that blows the other way?

What?

Could the earth spin to the left then to the right?

- Would it? - Of course not.

There must be a system.

I'm such a fool.

I should've thought harder.

My lord, are you all right?

Talking about the world spinning...

is making my world spin.

That's why I've been sticking my toes in the ground.

I think I can stop doing that now.

I wonder...

- where the wind begins. - Where does wind begin?

Yeong Sil.

You must want to check everything...

and study as much as you can,

but you are about to die.

You must feel so sad.

My lord.

I want to become wind when I die.

I want to fly around...

and see the world.

I don't want you...

to become a breath of wind just yet.

I want you to live with your feet on the ground...

until your hair turns white.

I want you to grow so old and wrinkled that...

I don't recognise you when we meet in the afterlife.

There is one thing...

that upsets me.

I wish someone would study...

and confirm if...

what I wrote down is right or wrong.

No one will do that for me.

My lord.

There is someone.

Is there? Who is that?

Master Hee Je.

He will make sense of everything I wrote down.

I didn't know you thought so highly of me.

Master.

Your father has gone.

What?

Had you not met Woo Bo,

you wouldn't have had to die.

No. In fact,

I wouldn't have had to die...

if you hadn't told the King about me.

But I don't blame you.

I think...

you must have...

a good enough reason to be loyal to that oddball of a King.

That's my opinion.

I do what I must...

to keep Joseon safe.

But...

now that I know you must die,

I lament the loss of your talent and knowledge.

If I were to say that thought...

brought me here to see you,

would you believe me?

I will.

Actually,

I do.

Master.

Wait.

I have a favour.

Once I die,

I can work no more.

Could you study what I wrote down...

and see if I was right or wrong?

I didn't know death could grant so many wishes.

For the first time in my life, I can talk to and smile at you,

and I can ask you for a favour.

You're crazy.

Master.

Stay up tomorrow night...

and watch the meteor shower.

I'll be dead by then.

In my stead,

stay up and watch until...

the very last one falls.

(8 am)

It's not level.

Set it up so it's straight.

Why is it disloyal?

The Crown Prince asked the King to rescind his command.

It is an act of disloyalty and disrespect.

It is also wrong that certain ministers seem to revere...

the Crown Prince more than the King.

The Crown Prince will rule us next.

Isn't it harsh...

to hang someone for supporting the future King?

The Crown Prince's supporters focus on science...

and talk about improving the commoners' quality of life.

This goes against what we believe as Neo Confucianists.

Once the Crown Prince becomes the King,

his followers will get involved and make a mess of politics.

The Crown Prince...

neglects his duties over something as trivial as...

two clocks telling different times.

- Hush. - How is that a trivial matter?

Using science to improve the people's quality of life...

is what we need as a fledgling nation.

Why don't you see that focusing on such policies...

will damage our core values that are based on Neo Confucianism?

That's enough.

People are dying left and right.

Why must we argue among ourselves?

Calm down.

Both of you.

Yes, there will be another meteor shower.

For many years, since I was a child,

I washed the meteors fall out of the sky...

on the same day every year.

I must tell the King that Yeong Sil knew of the meteor shower.

Once he knows that,

he will stop the execution.

You want to tell our father that he forecast the meteor shower...

to stay his execution?

Yes, Your Highness.

I'm sure he will understand.

Your Highness.

I shall put it forward to the King.

In person?

Yes.

I'm not sure if it will do any good,

but I will try.

We first have to delay the hanging scheduled for noon.

We must hurry. It's almost noon.

Do what you can.

Yes, Your Highness.

Did you just ask me...

what I would do if someone could forecast...

a meteor shower?

Yes, Your Majesty.

That is what I asked you.

I have known you since you were a child,

and I never heard you say something this foolish.

A meteor shower is a random incident.

No one can forecast such things.

It is impossible.

Your Majesty.

Jang Yeong Sil is scheduled to be hung at noon.

He said he saw a meteor shower every year on the same day.

Your Majesty.

He is scheduled to hang at noon.

Please be gracious enough to delay it to later tonight.

I cannot believe...

what I am hearing.

I ordered that he be hanged at noon.

How dare you, my subject, request I take it back!

Have you lost your mind?

If there is...

a meteor shower at the time he predicted,

it means a mere servant...

discovered something great.

Your Majesty.

Have you...

heard of a Honsang that turns with the power of water alone?

I heard that a Won contraption...

included a spinning Honsang.

Yeong Sil...

made a water powered Honsang.

Listen to yourself.

I know how much you wish to save him,

but I can't believe you would lie to do so.

Your Majesty.

The reason I had him brought to Hanyang...

was to have him make you a water powered Honsang.

He can make such contraptions,

and he predicted a meteor shower.

Even if his prediction turns out to be false,

I strongly believe that he deserves the time...

to confirm whether or not he is right.

I believe that...

in the Joseon you established,

such opportunities would be granted.

For a King to rescind an order he made,

he needs a good enough reason.

Are you sure enough that...

you would risk your life for him?

This will only come to an end when I kill those who deceived me.

Your Majesty.

I have no life to give.

My life was no longer mine since I pledged my allegiance to you.

My life...

is yours to do as you wish.

Please...

postpone the hanging...

Mother.

My lord.

When the drum beats 12 times to signal noon,

I shall come to see you.

(Jang Yeong Sil)

I somehow think that...

there really will be a meteor shower.

Are you saying you want a disaster to befall us?

What happens at a predicted time is not a disaster.

His Majesty the King.

Yes, Sir.

Poor Yeong Sil.

If the clouds get in the way, that is his fate.

The stars are hidden in the clouds.

What should we do now?

Your Majesty, I was their leader.

I was responsible for it all. Hang me first.

(Jang Yeong Sil)