Original subtitles

Why did His Majesty want to see me here?

Your Majesty.

What…

What could this be about?

I would rather you not tease me, Your Majesty.

Tease you?

I am quite serious.

Pardon?

I remember what you once told me.

That you would endure everything.

I will do the same.

I am ready to bear the consequences of my feelings.

EPISODE 16

DIARIES OF THE ROYAL SECRETARIAT MONTHS 7 AND 8

DIARIES OF THE ROYAL SECRETARIAT MONTHS 7 AND 8

"The late King's body became swollen

after a day and a half since his death."

"And his gums blackened."

After a day and a half?

"Great Lord Changcheon used poison from the busohwa plant to murder…"

His body would have…

reacted immediately to busohwa.

Scribe Jung, we should hurry and finish writing the diaries.

Where are you going? We have work to do.

Allow me to visit the library in the royal infirmary for a moment.

Why do you need to go there?

Wait…

I guess I will finish them. This is going to take a while.

Who goes there?

Check the back door.

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

Check if anything is missing.

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

There were no ledgers on weapon transactions at the office of the guild.

It seems he did not leave any evidence there.

I should search the base in Yeoyeon.

It must be there seeing how it was not at the office.

It would be too dangerous.

The army base must have tighter security than the office.

Do not worry, Your Majesty. I will report back once I return.

Right. If you need to reach me for an urgent matter,

send Kang Eun-seo as a messenger.

I will.

Please be careful.

Busohwa…

Busohwa…

BUSOHWA

"Consumption of busohwa causes swelling in the stomach

and blackens the gums."

"These symptoms appear immediately."

Eunuch Hong, may I ask what brings you here at this hour again?

Well, it is a great night so I was taking a stroll again.

-Come with me. -We cannot go with you.

Why not? Let me show you a better spot. Come with me.

-We are busy. -Come on. Stop being so stubborn.

I know a better spot.

After making one mistake,

it is easy to make another.

It is why I cannot condone

even a single mistake.

Father.

What are you doing here?

I would like to ask you the same thing.

Your Majesty, did the talk go well?

Let's go back.

Your mother must be waiting. Go home now.

Did you take care of the Minister of Taxation?

Yes, my lord.

The Inspector General's daughter

and your son have been acquainted.

What do you think about their union?

Political alliances are formed through matrimonies.

I suppose it would not be a bad idea if the Inspector General approves of it.

Right. I hear there was

an intruder at the office of the guild last night.

Someone broke into the office that handled weapons transactions

right when the Minister of Taxation was impeached from his post.

I need you to make a trip to Yeoyeon.

You are to bring back all the ledgers that could be used

to prove the existence of the private army.

Yes, my lord.

More people in the Ministry of Taxation had been involved with the recent incident

so they are being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General.

I believe you will have to appoint

a good number of people for the Ministry.

I understand.

Your Majesty. Pyongan Province, Hamgil Province,

and Yeonbyeon will not have enough food

due to what the Minister of Taxation has done.

Scribe Jung.

Scribe Jung. Please focus.

Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

What has been on your mind all day?

Please forgive me.

I did not get enough sleep last night.

Her Majesty the Queen is approaching.

I heard that you came back together with the Inspector General.

Yes, Your Majesty.

But what brings you to the palace?

Her Highness invited me.

She had been a close friend of mine before I was married.

The Grand Queen Dowager allowed me to invite her to the palace.

I see.

I am deeply indebted to you for everything you have done for me.

Don't mention it.

You must have a lot to talk about after not seeing each other for so long.

I should let you go to your quarters.

I will tell the Bureau of Special Foods to serve you good tea and refreshments.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Let's go.

Then I will head over to Seungjeongwon.

I hear you are in charge of the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat.

You should get some sleep if you are tired.

I am all right.

Scribe Jung.

Can I have a moment?

Yes, Your Highness?

Could you stop by my quarters if you have some time to spare?

Pardon?

Your Highness.

There are some things I want to ask you about life at the palace.

And I happen to run into you here.

It will only take a moment.

I'm not sure if I will meet the expectations.

Do you have feelings for someone else?

Please forgive me.

Should I make a trip to the Queen's quarters?

I can go and observe.

Observe?

The night when the lanterns were lit,

you and Scribe Jung shared a kiss.

I saw everything.

I do not know what you are talking about.

Goodness.

Do not worry.

I will not tell Court Lady Kim about this.

I will head over there now.

That is not…

I heard that you have crossed paths before.

And here you are, running into each other at the palace again.

Some bonds are indeed extraordinary

just like the bond between His Majesty and me.

Yes, indeed.

The bond is indeed strange. No.

It is extraordinary.

His Majesty has sent some refreshments.

Lend me a hand.

How kind of him to send us refreshments.

Please tell him I am very grateful.

Yes, Your Highness.

By the way,

you are at the best age to marry.

Why are you still alone?

Pardon?

Well, I…

Are you all right?

Thank you.

Your Highness, that question may have been too personal.

Where are my manners?

I am so sorry.

My question was indeed too personal.

It is all right, Your Highness.

Will that be all?

Yes, Your Highness.

I will take my leave now.

Please thank His Majesty for me.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Majesty.

So tell me. Are they enjoying each other's company?

Yes. But you do not have to worry about anything.

I was not worried.

You may leave.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I can see that His Majesty cherishes you.

He makes sure to take care of you like this.

I suppose.

I hope you will also meet someone nice soon.

And you too, Scribe Jung.

Right.

Your Highness.

Right.

There is something I have been wanting to give you.

Wait here for a moment.

I did not know you would be here.

When did you return from Onyang?

Well…

I came back a while ago.

Actually, a lot has happened since I returned.

Her Highness has misunderstood our history

and left us in private on purpose.

You seemed busy.

I will talk to Her Highness for you, so you can take your leave.

Then could you speak to her on my behalf?

I have some people to meet with outside the palace.

Right. You know them too.

Jil-geum and Yeong-ji, my friends from Samgaebang.

I hope they are all well.

Of course.

They would still be standing even if the world came to an end.

It was a pleasure to see you again.

Wait.

I was worried that…

I had made you feel uncomfortable because I only thought about my feelings

the last time I saw you.

No. You do not need to feel that way.

You seem drawn compared to the last time I saw you.

I heard your family had a tough time.

I am glad you are back.

Coming back to a place where you had been hurt

must not have been an easy decision.

Leave your past behind you and look after yourself.

And do not blame yourself either.

Goodbye.

Where is Scribe Jung?

Please forgive me. I told him it was okay to take his leave.

Really?

Did I make you two feel uncomfortable?

No, Your Highness.

Why are you here?

The reception at the Queen's quarters must still be ongoing.

There is something I must take care of outside the palace.

I see.

So tell me. Did you enjoy the reception?

Yes, I enjoyed it. Thank you for the refreshments.

They were not for you.

They were for the Queen.

I see.

What is the matter?

What do you mean?

Did I do something wrong?

What is that look on your face?

Well…

It is nothing.

Nothing.

Why are you smiling like that?

Well, I believe

you might be jealous right now.

It makes me happy.

What?

Why would I be jealous?

Do not get the wrong idea.

Please do not worry. I will be back soon, Your Majesty.

Commander Jung wishes to enter.

Let him in.

Allow me to take a leave for a few days to inspect security

at Prince Jehyeon's dwelling in Ganghwa.

All of a sudden?

Did something happen to Gyeom?

It is my seasonal inspection.

I see. You have my approval.

-Jil-geum. -Hey.

What took you so long?

I have a lot of clients at the clinic.

So I cannot be gone for too long.

Sorry about that.

Fine. So what is this about?

I need to ask you for a favor.

-A favor? -I need you to go to the herb markets…

and find out about this plant.

I do not think it is a common herb in Joseon.

See if you can find any vendors who are knowledgeable about herbs

-from Ming and the West. -What is this?

Is this a poisonous herb?

Do this for me. Bye.

-Be careful. -Yes, my lord.

I deserve to die!

My fingers got slippery when I was trying to put it in.

So it is broken now.

Whom does it belong to?

Well…

this placenta chest belongs to His Majesty.

Twins?

It is in my understanding that umbilical cords

can take on this shape

when the umbilical cords of twins get tangled inside the womb.

Do not speak to anyone about what you saw today.

Yes, my lord!

They are the ones who banished Prince Jehyeon all the way to Ganghwa.

Now, they are going to check on him every season? How ridiculous.

We must hold off on our plan in Yeoyeon.

Send a letter to Eun-seo.

Eun-seo?

I am talking about Kim Ga-on.

I am not used to his real name. I will do so, Your Majesty.

After all, Prince Jaeun is a member of the royal family.

It seems he has stopped coming to your quarters

after finding out the truth about you.

I reckon that he is doing so out of consideration for you

in case you feel uncomfortable.

Hyun.

Your Majesty.

Have you been busy these days?

You have not come to see me lately.

What is it? Is something wrong?

Whenever I tell you this,

you always worry first and ask me

if something has happened.

Sitting here with you

reminds me of a day from a long time ago.

You were worried that I would be scared

to be in a new place, so you read books for me until deep into the night.

You always enjoyed books.

And you still do.

The candy you gave me then

was the first I had ever tasted.

It was the first time I tasted something that sweet.

When I had it in my mouth,

I was able to forget all the fear I had about the palace.

I was happy.

I will bring you some more.

As much as you need.

Ever since I was young,

I felt the most comfortable around you…

and you were the person I relied on the most.

-Your Majesty. -So could you continue…

to treat me the way you used to?

When I see you distancing yourself from me,

I do not know…

how to behave around you either.

If I ask you…

to remain as my good cousin and closest friend…

by my side,

would I be asking for too much?

You could never ask too much of me. Of course, I will do so.

You will forever be my king, Your Majesty.

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.

Hello, Uncle.

His Majesty will remove you from your position

and banish you to Gyeongsang Province.

What?

What…

I cannot believe this nonsense.

Why? What have I done wrong?

Why?

Tell him to just kill me.

No. I shall go over there and kill everyone.

Then I shall end my life there!

I will help you get your revenge.

Put your life in my hands.

I know something very useful.

Hey.

Useful enough to bring down the Crown Prince.

Something is off about Jung Seok-jo.

Go and tell Officer Yoon

to postpone his trip to Yeoyeon for the time being.

Officer Yoon left last night in a haste

to check the border in the northern region.

-Last night? -Yes.

-What is it? -A suspicious man has been spotted.

What?

TRANSACTION ON DAY 23 AT NAKDONG, GYEONGSANG PROVINCE

It seems I've arrived earlier than you expected.

I warned you before

that I would not turn a blind eye next time.

Do you still believe

what you told me before?

Do you still think that this is the only path you can take?

Have you ever regretted your decision?

Your decision to stand by Lord Sangheon.

This was the only path I was given.

So I merely walked my path.

-Are you all right? -How…

Intruders!

You must leave.

Come with me. Hurry!

Chase them! Go!

Get them!

-Get them! -Get them!

Hurry.

Get them!

Get them!

Get them!

Get them!

Give me the ledger.

And I will spare your life.

Is that your last favor as a friend?

Take it.

No!

Go!

Stay alive.

Stop!

Seok-jo…

The sky is beautiful.

Here is what I think.

I bet you spent the whole night training alone.

I am certain of it.

I think you need some more training.

Come on.

You…

Goodness.

Seok-jo. Look at the sky.

How beautiful.

Goodness.

Hyeong-seol.

No.

I believe he was unable to take the ledger.

And Officer Yoon…

died on the spot.

After paying a price like that,

I am sure

His Majesty will learn a lesson from all of this.

-Ji-un, over here! -Hey, Jil-geum.

Did you find what I asked for?

You said the corpse got swollen and changed color after a day and a half.

I think this might be it.

SONANGCHO

A RARE, POISONOUS PLANT THAT FLOWERS EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS

Your Majesty.

Scribe Jung. Have you not gone home yet?

-I need to speak with you, Your Majesty. -What?

All right. Come with me.

BONCHOGANGMOK

What is this?

The Diaries of the Royal Secretariat state

that the poisonous herb that killed the late King was busohwa.

Right. I was informed of this as well.

And I also read the Diaries.

It was all fabricated.

When one gets poisoned with busohwa,

the postmortem signs are supposed to show up immediately.

But it took

a day and a half for these signs to become visible on the late King's body.

What are you…

SONANGCHO

It was sonangcho.

It is much more poisonous than busohwa.

And they bring out similar postmortem signs.

But it is incredibly difficult to find this herb.

-Then… -If we find the distribution chain,

we will be able to find out the truth behind the late King's death.

SONANGCHO

Your Majesty.

What is it?

News has come from Yeoyeon.

News?

Where is…

Officer Yoon?

He passed away.

Officer Yoon told me to make sure this was delivered to you.

Could you escort those two back to the palace?

I want to stay here for a bit longer.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Thank you.

For coming back alive.

I feel as if I am surrounded by fog.

When I run somewhere, thinking it is my final destination,

I realize that the destination

is actually still far away.

And when I run with all my might,

it gets farther away.

I have been wandering around to no end.

And now,

I feel like I have forgotten

where I need to go.

Will I…

be able to find my way again?

Will the fog

ever go away?

Once the rain stops, the sun will shine.

Once the fog lifts,

the view will become clear.

If you have a destination, you will reach it someday.

No matter how long it takes.

What brings you to the Capital? I was not informed of your visit.

The news of Officer Yoon's death has reached my ears.

I know that His Majesty respected him.

He must be grieving.

Yes.

Is that why you are here?

How is the relocation of the placenta chamber going?

Is it going well?

The task was more interesting than I expected.

I do not know how to thank

Lord Sangheon for giving me this task.

I am glad to hear that.

I was worried that life in the countryside would be difficult.

Do not worry.

It seems I have a very good chance of coming back earlier than planned.

What a beautiful sound.

It sounds like waves.

You asked me to come to the seaside with you.

I am sorry.

It does not have to be the seaside.

I just wanted

to stay by your side.

You told me to trust you rather than die a meaningless death.

But what is this if not a meaningless death?

You were supposed to take the throne and bring me back

after ousting Prince Jehyeon and his people.

I have sent thousands of letters to you!

This is quite the greeting.

Please calm down, Uncle.

Fine. Why did you want to see me now? What is it?

Do you need me now that you got kicked out of the Capital?

What is it? Do you want me to accompany you to the afterlife?

I do not think that will be necessary.

I asked you to come here so that I could bring you back from the afterlife.

If there are two umbilical cords…

Does it mean they were twins?

If you are trying to fool me again…

Damn it.

Fine. So go on. Why is the fact that they were twins important?

In the year His Majesty was born,

you must remember that many from the delivery chamber were killed.

So you managed to find out.

No one speaks of it as it is a secret.

What if they were all killed to cover up a certain truth?

What do you think?

For example,

His Majesty becoming a different person at a certain point.

A different person?

When His Majesty was the Prince,

Hyun told me something.

He said it felt as if the Prince had become someone else.

We both sensed it too, did we not?

I understand he wanted to keep a distance from us,

but he was oddly fastidious about not participating in activities

where there were only men.

I was right?

Yes, indeed! I told you!

What I told you was true!

I was right!

Now, I believe

that you may have been right

about this.

So I just need to check whether or not he is a woman?

You have swelling around your eyes.

There is nothing I can do.

I cannot be gone for long.

-What is this? -You have to get away from here.

Uncle, how…

Your Majesty.

Father.

Did you check if he was indeed a woman?

He is a woman. I'm certain of it.

A woman? You must have gone mad!

His Majesty sees Scribe Jung in private?

Is it possible His Majesty prefers men to women?

Is that why he is avoiding sleeping with the Queen?

You should stop seeing Scribe Jung for the time being.

I will not ask you for the truth.

Just allow me to produce an heir.

I do not want to lose you, Your Majesty.

I am getting married.

Subtitle translation by: Won-hyang Son