Original subtitles

Master Sukchong has bequeathed you the Ganja of Maitreya.

And he pronunced you the true Maitreya.

That means you are to be the Emperor!

It is my desire to be the father-in-law of the Emperor.

Protect yourself until then.

Why is this happening?

Why do people have such expectations of me? Why?

Each beholder sees this book differently.

Only the chosen one can understand its true message.

learn it well, as it tells the way to bring salvation

to the world.

The future of Song-ak is in your hands.

You are to build a new kingdom by our name.

I implore you, Master.

Do not forsake your father's cherished desire.

Do not foorget the will of our forefathers.

I've come to see the Maitreya.

Not the phony one, but the true Maitreya.

The true Maitreya!

Countless people have their eyes fixed on me.

Me as the Emperor? What do they want me to do?

I am content with now.

I've read the Secret Script, but nowhere does it indicate

that I would be the Emperor.

And I have no desire for more glory.

How frustrating this is...

If only His Majesty would regain the wisdom of his past...

Why must be give rise to this absurdity?

Adviser Tepyoung,

Yes

Why is His Majesty calling our master back?

Perhaps to discuss the altered political situation after the

recent subjugation of Choryung.

I am somewhat uneasy about this.

Deception and evil lurks in Chulwon.

You are right.

Also, Master may be becoming too visible too soon.

It is best that he keep a low profile right now.

What can we do when people recognize his greatness?

It would be in his best interest to come back out

to the exterior as soon as possible.

Staying in Chulwon would not be wise.

Yes. We're more at ease at the front as well.

I hope Choryung will be safe without us.

I'm sure it will be.

General Yoon and the Chun brothers are defending the

fort, and we've succeded in winning Ahjagae's support.

Gone? Wang Guhn is gone?

But he just got married!

Yes, Father.

It's only proper that he take his new bride home to Chulwon.

He couldn't take her along on his battles.

That's true. But I'm surprised he left Choryung and Jukryung

line not personally attented. Is Sulhee gone as well?

Yes, Father.

Yes. Warriors do not stay in one place for very long.

They go where the wars are, but it is a great shame.

I was hoping Sulhee would tie the knot with daeju. I was hoping Sulhee would tie the knot with daeju.

Father, that matter has been put to an end.

What do you mean?

Did you talk to Sulhee about this?

Yes. He will not bring up the subject of marriage again.

What? Why not?

I still consider Majin as our enemy, Father.

As long as my brother is the king of Bekjae,

I will never marry an enemy of my kin.

You're chased away your own luck!

Are you out of your mind, Daeju?

We have nothing to do with Bekjae.

That's how me and your father feel,

and your ,two brothers feel.

Why are you being so difficult?

That's right, Daeju. We all felt their sincere

goodwill at General Wang's wedding.

Forget about Brother Kyun-hwon. That is the right decision.

Absolutely! Come to your senses, Daeju!

Poor Suhlee...

He must've been heartbroken.

He is very enamored of you, Daeju.

When will they return, I wonder...

His Majesty is in Geumsung.

He is preparing for another war.

Losing Choryung and Jukryung was devastating for him.

He seeks vengeance by reclaiming Geumsung.

Will these wars ever end? I become so afraid when I think...

So do I. My husband and my sons are at the field of war

risking their lives.

Why does this require His Majesty's personal presence?

He seeks relief from indignation.

In truth, he seeks relief of resentment for his father.

Yes, I have hard that this battle would've been won

if Lord Ahjagae had helped.

Not only that, his father attended our enemy

commander Wang Guhn's wedding as a guest.

That is not unilke piercing his own son's heart.

Yes, it is.

His Majesty was devastated when he heard that news.

That old man cannot be called his father.

I couldn't agree more.

The stepmother is to be blamed for all of this.

A man needs to control his woman.

She is not a stepmother but a curse.

Don't you agree?

Problems do not arise out of nowhere.

There is a cause for everything. Don't you agree?

Youngsan River is the life of Geumsung.

It opens up to the ocean and countless islands.

Seizing control of the ocean is the deciding factor of

this operation.

Yes. And our problem is the local powers in those

islands and coastal villages.

Local lords are the hearts of the people.

Wang Guhn was able to take geumsung from us

because he won the hearts of our people.

We are trying very hard to recover the public support.

that we lost as result of excessive levies.

Majin is in severe economic crisis,

and I'm certain Geumsung is not an exception.

This is an opportune chance to recover the lost public trust.

That's correct. Majin is in terribly turmoil right now.

King Goongyae is claming to be the Maitreya and

killing his people.

Yes. Confusion in enemy land is advantage for us.

His majesty's personnal involvement and active

approach in this operation is invaluable.

I agree. We must seize this chance and reclaim Geumsung.

Your bravery and enthusiasm will surely give victory.

But let us not forget the failure of our past.

This operation will require time, patience and thorough planning.

Yes, Your Majesty. We must not act in haste.

Geumsung is aplace of great strategic importance.

The enmy will fight to the end to preserve it.

But the commander in charge of defense is not Wang Guhn,

but a general named Kim Uhn.

We can defeat them if we attack head on.

I believe hesitation is unnecessary, Your Majesty.

I agree. We already know enough about them.

Give us an order of attack, Your Majesty.

Give us your order, Your Majesty.

I just spoke of being patient.

Let us not act in haste or in vanity.

We will contemplate this aggression in detail before

launching an attack, so heed my decision.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Majin has informers in our territory as we do in theirs.

They will make a move once they find out that I am here

against Geumsung.

Our strategy will be formed after observing their reaction.

Yes, Your Majesty.

They will fight to end to preserve Geumsung.

This will require meticulous planning and sufficient force.

I won't tolerate this absurdity any longer.

There is Majin's flag waving in the middle of my kingdom!

Observe, Governor. Bekjae's battle ships have

been detected all along the river and the coast.

Yes. I was informed that King Kyun-hwon has come himself.

Yes. This does not look good. Military training is in full

swing near the edge of our seaside border.

This means they will launch an attack soon.

Yes. There're reports of fishing vessels and military

supplies being transported.

Can we fend them off with our existing defense force?

I don't think so. We must report this to court and request aid.

Yes. We've worked too hard to acquired this territory.

We cannot let them take it back.

Did you say that our husband is coming back?

Yes, Buyong. His Majesty has

ordered him to return to the capital after his wedding.

Then is this a temporary return?

my guess is that he will stay for a while since

he has left his duty.

Cousin Guhn is a soldier.

I'm sure he will be sent to battle again.

Yes.

Yet another young matron will be added in this family...

Buyong, that remark is quite amusing.

Why?

A woman is added to this house every time the general

comes back from war. I came from Naju, and

another matron is now coming from Choongju.

How can you laugh, Doyoung? I do not find that amusing.

I'm afraid this house might be brimming with women in

a few years. Aren't you, Shikryum?

I certainly hope not.

Choi Ung,

Yes, Your Majesty.

Come.

Yes, Your Majesty.

What may I do for you?

The kingdom is in a stir in preparatin of the northward

conquest. A large army is in the process of being created

as we continue to fight against Shilla.

I am aware, Your majesty.

We must go through Parhae in order to get to the north.

In truth, parhae is our sister country.

It was founded by a Koguryo migrant Taejoyong.

Yes.

Parhae is shrinking and weakening because of Tang.

We would be able to overthrow Khitan and conquer China if we

held hands with Parhae.

What do you think, Choi Ung?

It is truly a grand plan, Your Majesty.

Isn't it?

Yes, Your Majesty.

But the astardly subjects are skeptical of my design.

I am an unlucky emperor in that respect. Don't you agree?

You may answer.

The foolish men do not have keen foresight.

His Majesty must treat them with understanding.

Yes, I should.

Yes, Your Majesty.

When I first met Ahjitae, I was jolt awake.

He spoke of building the Great Empire of orient.

It is the kingdom that will be built on China.

Koguryo had once done so, and Parhae has also built

an impressive kingdom in the north.

But Koguryo has crumbled, and parhae is on its decline.

Can you blame me for wanting to attempt this myself?

No, I can't, Your Majesty.

But I realize there are o ly a few good men I can trust...

What choice do I have but to do everything myself?

Do you know why kings struggle to create kingdoms and sit on

the throne? it is not for glory and honor as you might think.

It is because he desire to create an eternal paradise

and become God himself. He wants to give endlessly

and exist as one and only lord of heaven and earth.

People call that power.

But heaven does not give that much to us.

He that is once born must die. We all age, take ill, and die...

It is great sorrow to fall ill.

...Not for fear of death, but for fear of not

realizing your dream..

Your Majesty, are you in great pain?

No.

Pain leave me with a drink of strong wine.

But you become intoxicated.

Yes, of course.

Wine is a good thing.

It numbs your pain and takes away your anxiety.

It is quite late, but I do not feel slumberous.

I'd like to take a walk. Come with me, Choi Ung.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Let us make our rounds and see how all fares.

Where are we headed, Your Majesty?

Various government agencies are this way.

The Agency of Foreign Language Studies is here somewhere.

Foreign Language Studies?

Yes. We must know the enemy's language to defeat them.

It is this way.

We just said the capital of Tang is Chang's an.

And we said Chang'an is a metropolis with population

of over one million.

We seek to go beyond Parhae and conquer Tang territory.

Some of you will be assigned important missions to go to

Tang and bring back important information

And once Tang is conquered, we will require competent

men to render many governmental duties.

That man is General Wang Guhn's cousin.

He has studied in Tang, so I've placed him as an instructor.

He appears to be an accomplished scholar.

Yes. This is a very important agency.

We must know the language to conquer and rule them.

Now, let us go beyond the palace wall.

Outside the palace?

Why not?

The night is deep, Your Majesty.

That does not matter.

I'd like to see how others are doing.

Military training is in progress outside the north wall.

Yes, Your Majesty.

His Majesty has traveled outside the palace, you say?

Why? For what reason at this time of the night?

First he was at the Foreign Language Agency, then

traveled outside to see the military training.

Then this is an inspection tour.

I gather it is.

Who is attending him?

Choi Ung and Commanders Geumdae of the Royal Guards.

Let us go!

Do you wish to accompany him?

I must!

There's no telling what kind of trouble disgruntled

citizens might cause if they saw His majesty.

Prepare the Royal Guards.

Yes, Advisor.

But this man will be cold.

No. This man is already dead!

Let's take his clothes before someone else does.

Help me.

Warm clothes! We're in luck today!

Your Majesty, the night air is cold. Are you all right?

My concern is for you. You are still a child.

Try to keep your hands and feet warm.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Is that not a man?

This man has frozen to death.

It appears so, Your Majesty.

He is a vagrant.

I beg you to ignore the unpleasant sight and proceed.

What a shame...

He is unclothed. The man must've been quite drunk.

The heat has made him shed his clothes somewhere.

...Perhaps. Please proceed, Your Majesty.

It is because the law is not strict enough.

Wine and stupidity caused death to this pathetic man.

Let us go

Mother, they called him Your Majesty.

They're madmen.

Why would the Emperor come here at this time of the night?

If that man is the Emperor,

he would know that that man died of hunger.

Let's go.

You're much too slow!

Move it!

The rear guards are taking too long! Hustle!

Move the weapons!

You'd all be dead in a real battle if you move at this rate!

Hustle!

The night is deep. Let us stop the training for the day.

Yes. These forcibly inducted soldiers are not cooperating.

This will take some time.

Yes.

Our bigger problem is those war prisoners from Shilla.

They refuse to listen to our commands.

Isn't that His Majesty?

Yes, it is!

Your Majesty, what brings you here in this cold night?

I've come to take a look around.

I command you all for your tireless efforts.

We are merely doing our duties, Your Majesty.

Military training is truly difficult, especially to

turn a greenhorn into a good soldier.

Yes. Most of our soldiers are too young or too old,

and turning Shilla's war prisoners into our soldiers is

proving to be a very difficult task.

Shilla?

Yes. We have a large group of war prisoners from Shilla

that we are trying to make our own.

Shilla... Can we convert the rotten soldiers of Shilla?

We felt we must try.

It will be useless. Shilla is the nation of the damned.

Try if you will, but seel other alternatives if it doesn't work.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Advisor, what brings you here?

How about you, Ahjitae?

I rushed here upon hearing of His Majesty visit.

Is that right? I'm moved to tears by your devotion.

I am quite pleased with your progress.

With your dedication, we will surely accomplish our goals.

We will conquer the north without fail.

Your grace is immeasurable.

But the lazy soldiers of the damned nation Shilla

should not be a part of our army.

Take them out.

But Your Majesty...

Heed my command.

...Yes, Your Majesty.

Ten good men can defeat a thousand poor men.

Men of Shilla are lazy, wicked bandits of the damned nation.

I'd throw them all into the ocean if I had my way.

Shilla is the nation of the damned...

Nation of the damned...

Your Majesty!

Are you all right, Your Majesty?

Drink this, Your Majesty.

You did not insulate against the cold in haste departure.

Yes. Give me the vase.

Your majesty, why didn't you notify me about this tour?

It was a spontaneous decision.

What brings you here, Ahjitae?

I rushed here upon hearing of your visit.

Concentrate on you given tasks. This was unnecessary.

Yes, Your Majesty.

This was a pleasant night. Everyone was working diligently.

Our future is bright. This is how it should be.

Choi Ung,

Yes, Your Majesty.

Let us return.

Advisor,

Yes, Your Majesty.

Let the warriors in this room feast on hardy food

and drinks tonight.

Yes, Your Majesty.

General Wang is returning to the capital tomorrow.

Prepare a grand reception for his triumphant return.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Continue your good work.

Your grace is immeasurable.

What are you waiting for? Return to your positions.

Yes, Advisor.

Return to your agency, Ahjitae.

Yes, Advisor.

His Majesty has traveled outside the palace, you say?

He is at the military training ground outside the north wall.

Without the escort of the guards?

General Eunbu and his Royal Guards followed behind.

Does he still suffer pain at night?

Yes, Your Highness.

All of the imperial escorts know about it.

Physicians are useless and there are no remedies...

Is it true that he fights his pain with strong

drinks every night?

Yes, Your Majesty.

What are the others doing at a time like this?

Not talking about it will not this go away!

Terrible tragedies will strike this continues.

We are sitting on a volcano that could erupt any moment.

How many more tragedies will it take for someone to speak out?

Now he has begun to travel outside the palace.

What will happen next?

You may be excused..

Yes, Your Majesty.

His Majesty is turning into a madman,

but no one is able to do anything about it...

Conquer the north? Even I know that this is absurd,

but no one has the courage to speak up and stop him.

Your Highness, General Wang Guhn is on his return.

Pardon?

I'm told he is returning from Choongju.

Perhaps you could discuss this with him.

General Wang...

Welcome back, General Wang.

Thank you, Advisor.

You have fared comfortably, I hope.

I'm afraid a man of my position is never quite comfortable.

I applaud on your triumphant return.

Thank you.

Welcome back, general Wang.

Have yo fared well, Father-in-law?

Yes, I have been fine.

I congratulate you on your victory.

Thank you.

Congratulations, General wang.

We applaud you, General Wang.

Thank you for giving this humble man such an

honorable welcome.

Infinite is His Majesty's grace.

A worthy man is deserving of such honor.

You need not be so humble.

Thank you.

Escort the General inside.

Yes.

You may go with my cousins, my lady.

Yes, sire.

No one is superior to General Wang when it

comes to military achievements.

Yes, you are right about that. And His Majesty values him so.

But he has brought another wife.

This is his third.

I'm glad we did not allow our Yunwha to marry him.

Watch your words, wife!

Oh, how clumsy of me!

It has been too long, Brother Ghun! Much too long!

I've heard how impressive the battle was.

You've managed to push our border all the way

to nakdong River!

Yes, Your Majesty. This victory is due to Your Majesty's virtue.

No. It is entirely your doing.

King Kyun-hwon of Bekjae must be quite rankled.

He gave back the land he took from us and more.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

It was a tremendous victory. The groundwork for northward

conquest is making steady progress here.

I've been informed.

There is much to be done.

That is why I've summoned you back.

I had no one to talk to.

Choi Ung,

Yes, Your Majesty.

this is General Wang whom I spoke so highly about.

Remember him.

My name is Choi Ung, General.

And I am Wang Guhn.

Let us drink tonight, brother Guhn.

I am overwhelmed by your generosity, Your majesty.

Nonsense. I've become quite fond of wine lately.

I stay somewhat drunk at all times.

Attendant! Bring us more wine and refreshments!

Yes, Your Majesty.

Let us drink. And we will chat all night.

I have missed you, Brother. I've missed you very much.

Your grace is immeasurable.

You must be quite tired from your long journey.

No, sisters.

Please look upon me kindly as a new member of this household.

Harmony in this house rest inyour hands.

Do you understand?

Yes, Sister.

The elder of house is Sister Buyong,

but I oversee the affairs of the household.

Yes, Sister.

Good.

This is Chulwon and you belong in the Wang family now.

You'll need to learn the customs of this family from the basics.

Yes, Sister.

We have received a new bride today.

Clean up ythe estate while Master Guhn is in the palace

and prepare a festive dinner.

Yes, my lord.

Retire to your quarters and rest now, Sister-in-law.

See her to her quarters.

Yes.

Thank you, Cousin Shikryum.

May I leave?

...Yes.

I've also been very busy while you were at the front.

Nothing is easy...

Time is short and road is long,

but my subjects do not share my vision.

So I've toughened the laws and held a Buddhist mass.

There have been a few unpleasant incidents as well.

I've killed Monk Sukchong. Were you aware?

Yes, Your majesty.

Sukchong had cursed me.

So I've killed dozens of his followers as well.

That was the only way to strengthen the laws.

You've witnessed my power to read minds.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Sukchong fell victim to it. He denied that I was Maitreya.

Do you deny as well?

Of course not, Your Majesty.

That is why I kill him.

Do you know what he said as he died?

"You are a phony Maitreya! Your world is done!

A new Maitreya has already risen and preparing for the

world of tomorrow!

You will be condemned! The Heaven will curse you!"

Your majesty...

Brother Guhn,

Yes, Your Majesty.

Sukchong said my world is done, and that

a new Maitreya is already risen and preparing for tomorrow.

Who could that other Maitreya be?

That other Maitreya.