Original subtitles

Thirteen!

Fourteen!

-Fifteen! -Yeong-ji.

Sixteen!

-Let me face the punishment. -Seventeen!

Eighteen!

-My lord! They don't know anything! -Nineteen!

-I gave them the orders. -Twenty!

Get him out!

No! Please, my lord! No, Jil-geum!

No, my lord! Please stop.

Yeong-ji!

I must go back to them.

Let go of me. Please…

No…

Did you send out the soldiers, Father?

Yes, I did.

They have done nothing wrong.

Please release them.

They were following my orders.

I'm sure they were.

After all, you were the physician at Samgaebang.

Then…

you're punishing them despite knowing everything?

-Why would you do that? -I only want one thing

from you.

That you have a proper job at the palace.

Starting now, you'll do what I tell you to do.

If you do, your friends will be safe.

The Crown Prince shall now enter.

I hear you come with glorious recommendations.

I look forward to…

I will be your tutor starting from today. I am Royal Tutor Jung Ji-un.

What are you doing here?

It's a great honor to meet you again, Your Royal Highness.

I told you I wouldn't be lenient with you if we ever met again.

Have you forgotten it?

How could I forget?

However, I cannot disobey a royal command.

I have been appointed by His Majesty.

So I have been put in charge of your lectures.

Please forgive what I did that day.

Now, let us begin with the Sigyeong.

You want me to revoke my appointment of a new royal tutor?

Yes. Royal Tutor Jung Ji-un

comes from a noble family, but he operated a clinic named Samgaebang.

With his devious acupuncture skills,

he tricked noblewomen and noblemen.

On top of that, from what I hear, he covets wealth.

And at times, he sneaks into the palace and befriends court maids.

His behaviors are known to be crude.

I cannot respect him as my tutor.

Please reconsider, Father.

The royal tutor in question was recommended by the Left State Councilor.

Do you have any proof for your claim?

Please interrogate Chief Gu Chun-saeng

and the court maids in charge of embroidery.

EPISODE 4

My duty is to guard your quarters, Your Majesty.

I would never secretly bring in an outsider to the palace.

I would never do such a thing, Your Majesty.

A female physician performed acupuncture on me as I was feeling fatigued,

but I have never met a physician from Samgaebang.

On top of that, I heard the physician from Samgaebang

is currently imprisoned at Hanseong Magistracy.

How can he be locked up and be at the royal institute at the same time?

You may all leave.

Father, they are all lying.

You should summon Jung Ji-un and ask him yourself.

He will say that he met me at Hongwolru.

Hongwolru?

Were you at a courtesan house?

I only stopped by when I went out in disguise.

You are the Crown Prince.

Not only did you go out without my permission,

but you also went to a courtesan house.

You are truly frustrating and foolish.

I must attend to the state affairs. You can leave now.

But…

I understand, Father.

So that wraps up my crash course on the family tree of the royal family.

And now,

I will share high-level information with you

as you are a new lecturer.

Have you heard

of the Ice Prince?

That's the Crown Prince's nickname.

He's known to always be cold and heartless.

Hence, the nickname.

And everyone must stay five steps away from him.

So he's also known as Five Step Prince.

But…

Why do you have drawings of animals around him?

These drawings display ranks in the royal family.

Ranks?

I thought you might find these useful too.

So I risked my safety to assemble them.

All right. First off, we have a tiger.

The tiger represents bravery, grit, and power.

He's the eldest son

of His Majesty's late brother, Prince Dohyeon.

-The superintendent at the Royal-- -Prince Wonsan.

PRINCE WONSAN

How did you know that?

As for the hawk here,

he's very helpful to everyone.

-The Second Minister of Rites-- -Prince Jaeun.

PRINCE JAEUN

I guess you came here prepared.

Then who's that rabbit?

Well, let me tell you who this rabbit is.

He seems docile, but has a lot of support.

The son of the Queen and grandson of the Chief State Councilor.

He's the second-in-line to the throne, Prince Jehyeon.

PRINCE JEHYEON

Who's that vole?

The fields have eyes.

Do you know who has ears?

It's Prince Changun.

He's the stepbrother of His Majesty

and the black sheep of the royal family.

Well, I don't need to go into details for this one. Right?

Are you at it again?

You don't give up. Do you?

Royal Tutor Park is always in need of more sleep.

Hello, Royal Scholar Yang.

Hello, there.

My goodness. The institute seems to be full of life today.

Get up!

All right. A new royal tutor has been appointed today.

What do you say? That calls for celebratory drinks.

We already drank last night. Not again.

What? Sounds good. Right?

I'm sorry.

But I have a prior engagement today.

Ji-un.

Ji-un. What are you doing here?

How are you feeling?

Are you okay?

How could I be?

They beat me up so much that I can't even take a dump.

I'm sorry. You're going through this without me.

What about Yeong-ji?

I heard that she's at Hanseong Magistracy.

But I'm not sure.

Hang in there. I promise to get you out.

Ji-un.

Don't go out of your way for us.

Yeong-ji and I… I mean…

if my sister and I hadn't met you,

we would've died a long time ago.

No matter happens to us,

we won't resent you.

It will be difficult to continue our investigation

on Royal Tutor Jung and Samgaebang now.

It looks like Jung Seok-jo

already bought off everyone involved.

I doubt that he wanted to waste a golden opportunity

to make his son a lecturer.

Wouldn't this be a problem?

The lecturer has a private audience with you almost every day.

He will be very close to you.

If, by any chance, he finds out about you--

That will never happen…

because he'll end up resigning before anything happens.

Well, may I ask how you'll get him to resign?

Nothing can be easier than making a lecturer resign.

What are all these?

As my knowledge is limited,

I'm struggling to understand them on my own.

I would like you to transcribe every single book here

with footnotes.

Pardon?

Every single book here?

Why? Is that a problem?

-Gosh. -He's even strong.

Did you get on His Royal Highness' bad side already?

What do you mean?

Goodness, Royal Tutor Jung. You must stay strong.

Because…

this is only the beginning.

At least for now, you'll have an easy task such as transcribing books like this.

But things will get worse.

Well, this is awkward

It is customary to give gifts to new tutors.

But instead, I prepared a light meal with some drinks.

I hope you won't mind.

I'm honored, Your Royal Highness.

Be careful. He wants to get you drunk, so you'll make mistakes.

So you must not get drunk in the Crown Prince's presence.

Never.

Why don't you drink up?

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

The bigger the glass, the better. Right?

Isn't this a bowl for soup?

Would you like a drink?

Court Lady Kim. Escort Eunuch Hong out.

I'm sorry, Your Royal Highness. Get up.

I got it!

It's in here.

Oh, no!

Come on! Why does he want me to catch loaches?

Well, that's because…

I guess you just rub him the wrong way.

-Whatever. Let's eat. -What?

How about some loach soup?

Damn it. This stinking fishy smell.

I should go back right now and just submit my letter of…

Envoys from Ming will arrive in two weeks.

If you can serve the Crown Prince by his side until then,

I will release your friends.

Not bad.

I thought you would be ready to quit right about now.

I'm sorry to disappoint you.

But I've gone through hell and high water.

I even had to jump off a cliff like a bird.

So I'm not going anywhere.

What's all this?

These are the transcriptions you made Royal Tutor Jung do the other day.

Goodness. He actually transcribed every single one.

Here you go.

JWAJEON

Don't just stand there. Get rid of them.

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

Someone's here to see me this late?

Well,

I was told to say that it's your soulmate, and that you'd know who it is.

What?

What?

The visitor asked to see you here.

It looks like it was a prank.

It's been a while, my lord.

It's me. Your soulmate.

Jung Ji-un. What a surprise to see you.

A royal tutor?

Were you the new lecturer?

When did you get back from Ming?

Has it been about a year?

I arrived at the Capital only three or four months ago.

How come you are not settling down?

No matter how busy you've been, you should have come to see me first.

Can you see?

I have calluses on my delicate hands.

I get that he's the Ice Prince and all.

But has the Crown Prince always been that mean?

I never want to see anything

that lives in the water.

It sounds like the Crown Prince taught you a lesson or two.

What do you say? Should I put in a good word with His Royal Highness?

Can you?

If you tell him that we are soulmates

and ask him to go easy on me, will he do so?

I was expecting a firm no from you.

Is there something wrong?

Yes. I went through a lot of difficult times.

And I'm still in one.

What is it?

Does this have to do with your father?

You said you would never serve the royal family because of your father.

It's a long story.

Let's just drink tonight.

How was your new lecturer?

Do you approve of the lecturer?

He always looks for shortcuts and is sly.

He's more interested in talking his way out of everything.

I don't think I should keep him around for long.

I heard he's a distinguished man

and excels in literature and fighting arts.

As he's good-natured, he has many excellent friends.

I'm sure people who wanted to be on my grandfather's good side

made up those lies.

People say birds of a feather flock together.

Befriending someone like him only proves their priority.

No need to see anything else.

That's a bit harsh.

Your Royal Highness, it's time for your lecture.

I got it.

Close them.

Are you sure you don't want to attend the morning lecture?

After getting appointed the Crown Prince,

you have never missed one of your lectures.

How many times must I repeat that I will not be attending the lecture?

Goodness.

May I ask why?

Why are you avoiding me? No.

Why do you want to kick me out?

I'm sure you know the reason for that more than anyone.

Am I wrong?

I believe I passed all of your assignments.

I am your tutor.

Attend my lecture, so I can fulfill my duty

of helping you study and teaching you moral principles.

To help me study

and teach me moral principles?

How ridiculous.

You may be helpful in my studies. But as for moral principles,

you of all people can't possibly teach me.

I heard that you operated Samgaebang.

And we also met at a courtesan house. Correct?

You are no more than an idler who performs acupuncture there.

Yet, with your father's support, you managed to become my lecturer.

Some may find that embarrassing.

But you are indeed brazen.

Then…

will you keep avoiding me?

I will if I can,

and until you realize you have a conscience and resign.

I'm sorry, but what if I won't resign?

You know no shame. I can understand, though.

Becoming a lecturer of the Crown Prince must have been tempting.

Just like your father,

you are an opportunist.

Then allow me to offer a compromise.

We'll make a wager.

And if I lose this bet,

I will resign as you wish.

However,

if I win, you will have to attend my lecture.

-A bet? -Get the highest mark on the upcoming exam

given by all lecturers including myself.

His Majesty and people of the court will attend the session,

so if I fail you in the exam, I would be in big trouble.

What do you think?

Why must I agree to that?

I'm not interested in making a bet.

What must I do

to get you to accept this deal?

Who knows?

But I don't think that'll ever happen.

Well,

I might change my mind if you offered up your life.

What are you doing?

I will bet my life on it.

My lord! Lord Jaeun!

There's a problem.

His Royal Highness is pointing his arrow at the new royal tutor.

It's quite a scene.

What?

-Your Royal Highness! -Goodness.

Your Royal Highness, your subjects are watching.

Please lower your bow.

He wishes to die. I ought to grant him his wish. Don't you think so?

Oh, no.

What?

Your Royal Highness!

-Gosh. -My goodness!

Goodness.

I admire your courage.

So I will agree to the bet.

Samgaebang?

They mean everything to me.

I will do anything to save them.

But still. Must you go this far?

So what is your plan now?

I don't know.

I must keep trying though.

But…

Lord Sangheon is his maternal grandfather.

Do they not get along?

Geez.

I know that His Royal Highness isn't the friendly type.

But how could you be so reckless?

He must be in a tight spot

between his father, His Majesty, and his grandfather, Lord Sangheon

because they don't exactly support each other.

That's why he's been hard on me.

What are you mumbling about?

It's nothing. Please don't mind me.

Goodness.

His Royal Highness will like this so go and get in his good graces.

And plead for forgiveness.

Come on. Now!

How could you shoot an arrow at your tutor in broad daylight?

Why were you so reckless?

He showed no respect to me.

I was teaching him a lesson.

It's okay to show people your claws.

But he's not the one you should be worried about.

So I ask of you

never to cause a scene like this again.

Jung Ji-un.

Why did you recommend him to be my tutor?

From what I heard, he's had a questionable past.

Is it because he is the son of Jung Seok-jo,

your trusted associate?

He's a distinguished young man who passed the state exam

at the age of 15.

If you keep him by your side, I'm sure he'll be helpful to you someday.

And so what if he's the son of my trusted associate?

The palace can be as dirty as the mud.

If you don't have your people by your side,

others will try to get close to you.

So please let go of these insignificant matters.

It's no use to stay virtuous when we're playing a dirty game.

-But-- -My people

are your people.

I advise you to keep what I just told you in mind.

Yes, Grandfather.

Gosh.

Royal Tutor Jung, what brings you here?

Royal Scholar Yang asked me to bring a book to His Royal Highness.

-Here you go. -Okay.

Then I'll let you get back to work.

This is the topic of the upcoming exam as well as your assignment.

My assignment?

You will be able to answer my question at the exam

only when you can get the seed to bud and study it.

However,

I advise you not to get your subordinates

to do your assignment.

That is because

only you will be able to answer this question.

Do you know who I am, you punks?

Let me tell you who I am.

-Stop the palanquin. -Yes, my lord.

Here's a thing about life. You need to pick the right side to join.

Just take me for example.

Who are you?

You…

Isn't this a lotus seed?

No.

I'm sure it is.

He wouldn't have wagered his life on such an easy question.

I'm sure there's a different meaning to this.

-Gosh. He's so good-looking. -He's so handsome.

He's so tall too.

-Look at his build. -He's gorgeous.

-He's so handsome. -So handsome.

Who is that man?

I'm not sure. I've never seen him around.

I don't think he works in your quarters.

Find out why he's here, and get him out of here.

Your Royal Highness.

My name is Kim Ga-on. I will be your bodyguard starting today.

Bullseye!

A bodyguard?

Did you assign a bodyguard to the Crown Prince, Mother?

I thought we already discussed this.

Given the incident during the royal hunting,

I am too worried to do nothing.

Fortunately, the Ministry of War was able to recommend a trustworthy guard.

I hope you get on board with this.

I can take care of the matters regarding the Crown Prince.

Then you should have done so a long time ago.

How can you be so indifferent toward the Crown Prince?

There's nothing I can do about your marriage with the Queen.

But the Crown Prince of Joseon is not Prince Jehyeon.

You must consider the Crown Prince's reputation.

So what was your previous assignment?

I was an elite soldier in the army.

I see.

I wanted to see you in private

because now that you work for the Crown Prince,

I thought it would be nice

to go over a few rules with you.

Here's the first rule.

When you are guarding the Crown Prince,

you must be at least five steps away from him.

Watch me.

One, two, three, four, five.

So the distance must be as far as this.

Here's the second rule.

If there's anything you need to report to him,

you will have to go through me and Court Lady Kim first.

Do you understand?

-Five steps back. -Look at him.

-He's so gorgeous. -How handsome.

Look. I told you to be at least five steps away.

You. You must step back a bit.

Come on. I told you to step back.

Five steps.

Look at his face. We ought to thank the Queen Dowager.

I know, right?

He'll be guarding the Crown Prince at night too, right?

-Right? -I'll take the night shift from now on.

Watching him will make me feel like I'm dreaming.

-He's handsome even from the back. -Step back.

-You must be five steps away from him. -He's so hot.

-Gosh. He's so handsome. -So gorgeous.

-Goodness! -Oh, no!

Five steps!

Didn't I tell you to follow me from five steps behind?

I already have a lot on my mind to prepare for the exam.

Did you not hear me? I told you to stay five steps away from me.

Five steps.

I told you to stay five steps away from me.

Keep going. Move back.

Guarding Your Royal Highness was the royal command given to me.

A royal command?

Then does it mean you work for my father?

No, that's not it. Since my grandmother gave you this post,

you must work for her.

If not, you must work for my maternal grandfather.

None of the above.

I am only here to fulfill my duty of guarding you, Your Royal Highness.

So to be exact, from this moment on,

I work for you, Your Royal Highness.

-He's so cool. -He works for the Crown Prince!

My apologies.

Come on, five steps back.

That is because

only you will be able to answer this question.

What on earth is he planning?

JWAJEON

YEON-SEON

YEON-SEON

YEON-SEON

Lotus flowers brought me to you,

so I thought the name would be fitting.

Yeon-seon.

YEON-SEON

He wouldn't…

What are you doing here, Your Royal Highness?

Hyun.

Why are you so startled?

Allow me to lend you a hand.

No. There is no need.

I heard that

you will be in charge of receiving the envoys from Ming.

Is there anything I can help you with?

No.

I know that you must have a lot on your mind.

I just want to accompany you when you leave the palace.

Wasn't that obvious?

Then why don't we discuss this after your exam?

The exam is important to you.

Yes.

I guess that will be better for me.

The next lecturer is Royal Tutor Jung Ji-un.

He will present now.

I gave you an assignment during my previous lecture.

Yes.

You gave me a seed, so I could plant it

and get it to bud.

Did you figure out what that seed was?

It was a lotus seed.

You are correct.

Then did you also figure out the reason behind my giving you

the lotus seed?

According to the Jonggyeongrok,

we are unable to face our true feelings.

But our heart resembles the form of a lotus flower.

And it says

blooming a lotus flower in our heart will enlighten us.

Moreover, lotus flowers can still keep their fragrance

without getting dirty by the mud.

So I should follow this virtuous flower's path

and continue to cherish my people.

-I'm sorry, but-- -However…

I doubt that you gave me this assignment to review the philosophy

from a Confucian classic.

FAIL

There's nothing to throw away when it comes to lotuses.

Leaves, roots, fruits, pistils,

and even seeds.

Every part of the lotus can be used either as food or medicinal herbs.

When classical scholars, so-called noblemen,

find virtue in lotuses,

my people

must have found life and death.

Therefore,

I concluded that having an open mind to seek

hardships in my people's lives…

instead of blindly cherishing them, is how to become a wise king.

That is an excellent answer.

However, it is not the answer I was looking for.

It is not?

Loving his people isn't the only duty of the king.

Only those who can love themselves

can truly love others.

What does that have to do with the seed you gave me?

Someone once said

that the palace can be as dirty as the mud.

The palace can be as dirty as the mud.

If you don't have your people by your side,

others will try to get close to you.

Lotus flowers bloom in mud, but they can cleanse their surroundings.

And the leaves have the ability to shake off murky water.

There's no trace of any dirt on them.

Just like the lotus flowers that stay virtuous

despite its dirty environment,

I hope that you will become a strong king.

That is why I gave you the seed.

And some hurt innocent people

under the premise of a greater cause.

However, no matter how great the cause is,

it cannot be greater than people's lives.

With that said, I hope that you will learn from the lotus flower

and hold onto the virtue which will help you see

what matters, and make sound judgment

even in the mud.

It's no use to stay virtuous when we're playing a dirty game.

I advise you to keep

what I just told you in mind.

Therefore, I must say

that you failed this exam.

Your insight is exceptional.

I truly like your answer.

It's an honor, Your Majesty.

Not appointing you would've been a disservice indeed.

Like Lord Sangheon said,

you are quite extraordinary.

-Gosh. Okay. Pour my drink here. -You know?

-All right. Pour me a drink. -Please allow me.

-Sit comfortably. -No. It's an honor.

What a surprise to have a distinguished tutor here.

Doesn't he remind you of me ten years ago?

Sure.

-What do you think? -Right?

-I don't think so. -I think he's jealous.

Jealous? As if.

Let's drink it up.

-Okay. -All right. Bottoms up.

-I'm a lightweight. -Is that so?

I thought it was perfect.

This is all thanks to Royal Tutor Jung.

All right. Eat up.

Having a good time?

I have been looking for you, Your Royal Highness.

So you heard my conversation with him?

You heard what my grandfather told me?

I'm sorry.

That was not my intention.

Did you find my answer offensive?

It was impressive.

No one ever dared

to make such a bold statement here.

However,

you must make this your last time.

In the palace, you must be more careful

than you think.

It's dangerous

and frightening.

I'm aware

of how dangerous this place is.

My father and your maternal grandfather, Lord Sangheon,

must have contributed to that

along with other people.

Actually, I was talking about myself

when I gave my answer earlier.

Therefore, even if my answer puts me in danger,

I will not fear it.

What I fear is

that I might get used to seeing mud all the time

and follow in their footsteps.

That's the only thing I fear.

By the way, where can I see the lotus bud? The one from the seed I gave you.

Isn't it obvious where it should be?

The day you gave it to me, I threw it into this pond here.

Does that mean you knew what it was the moment you got it?

I thought this would be difficult for you.

The lotus fruit is often served as one of the side dishes for the royal meal.

Why wouldn't I recognize that?

I have never seen a royal meal before.

Then the lotus seed will bloom into a flower soon.

I look forward to working for you until then, Your Royal Highness.

Royal Tutor Jung! Royal Scholar Yang is passed out drunk!

Please come and help!

Royal Tutor Jung!

Okay. I'm on my way.

Please join us.

Why don't you give yourself a free night and chase away your worries with drinks?

Whatever is worrying you.

I hope to see you back there.

We should get going. Time will fly today.

Okay, Hyun.

What happened to your hand, Royal Scholar Yang?

You know that I had some drinks on the day of the exam.

When I woke up the next day, I found my hand injured like this.

And I was completely soaked too.

I don't remember what happened. I must've been very drunk.

What happened that day?

I see. You must've been pretty drunk as well.

As you can see, my hand is injured. So can you transcribe this for me?

Then you can bring it to the palace.

Are you asking me to do your task?

Do my task?

This is a task from the Crown Prince. What's important is that we get it done.

How could you make such accusations?

Forget it!

Do you think I want to ask you to help me?

I'm done here.

My lady, are you all right?

You must be more careful.

Are you all right?

Are you okay?

What about this?

Pardon?

Well, I think that one over there is better than the one you're holding.

-Hey, stop pushing me. -Stop it.

-Gosh. Look at this. It's so beautiful. -This is so pretty.

-Oh, my. Look at this. -Hey, take a look at this.

-How beautiful. -This is so pretty.

-This is stunning. -Did you see this?

There is a door in the back. Let's go.

Pardon?

Wait. Where are you going?

Step aside. Come on, let me pass through!

Wait. What?

Gosh. Oh, no.

Your Royal Highness.

Hey, don't lose them.

Hey.

Why…

Why did you do that, Hyun?

Isn't it fun?

We're playing tag just like when we were kids.

Goodness.

What is this?

It is a present for you.

Why are you giving me this?

When you find a lady you love and get engaged,

please give that to your betrothed.

Are you all right?

Hyun.

My apologies, Your Royal Highness.

I was worried it'd splash on you.

Oh, no.

I ruined your fine robe.

That's all right. We all make mistakes.

I'm sorry.

I feel awful. Your robe is soaked.

Your hat is ruined because of me.

Please wait.

I will go and buy a new one.

No. That's all right.

Please wear mine for the time being, Your Royal Highness.

Royal Tutor Jung.

A hat completes the robe.

What are you doing?

People are watching.

Protecting your dignity is also my duty as your subject.

Please forgive me for being too forward.

I…

I can do it myself.

Okay.

You never had to tie it yourself.

Please stay still for a moment.

Do you two know each other?

You seem happy. Did you have a good day?

So a male friend he meets secretly?

Could the Crown Prince like men?

What do you mean the Crown Prince seems like a woman?

He resembles the court maid I saw at the royal hunting.

What are you doing? I'd rather you stay away.

Don't distance yourself too much.

It'll only make you lonelier.

Human emotions are the hardest to trust.

Killing others to protect oneself.

That is human nature.

Subtitle translation by: Won-hyang Son