Original subtitles

Take it.

No!

Where is…

Officer Yoon?

He passed away.

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

Officer Yoon told me…

that you were friends.

He rests at a quiet spot by the stream…

that leads from Yanghwajin

to Mount Jeoldu.

You should pay him a visit.

Uncle, how…

Your Majesty.

Father.

Get him!

Protect His Majesty.

What? Damn it.

Are you all right, Your Majesty?

Were you injured?

I am fine.

What happened to the assassins?

Please forgive me.

I am sure it was my uncle, Lord Changun.

But…

Lord Changun passed away.

It would be wise to keep this between us for now.

Even if we say that my uncle was behind the attack,

no one would believe us.

Of course, Your Majesty.

Allow me to find a path for you. Please be on alert as you follow.

EPISODE 17

Did you check if he was indeed a woman?

Damn it.

It seemed like it,

but, then again, it didn't.

What?

You scared me.

Well, you see,

Commander Jung came out of nowhere.

What do you mean Lord Changun attacked His Majesty?

He already died quite some time ago.

I am wondering the same thing.

It is not like he can come back from the dead.

Are you sure you are not injured?

Yes.

How was Commander Jung there though?

Could he possibly be aware of your secret?

I doubt it.

Even if he saw anything,

he would not be able to speak of it easily.

The fact that I exist could very well lead

to his demise.

He will stay silent to at least

keep his mistake covered.

I see.

Your Majesty, Lord Jaeun shall enter.

I hear you were attacked by assassins at Officer Yoon's burial site.

That is correct.

But it should not become public knowledge for it will only cause mayhem.

I am aware.

But is it true that they were led by our uncle, Lord Changun?

I know it is hard to believe,

but I am certain of it.

I will look into this matter.

Lord Changun and my brother have always been close,

so there is a good chance he is aware of this.

Thank you, Hyun.

Were you also at Officer Yoon's grave?

Mother told me that you two were old friends.

Is His Majesty well?

Yes.

Let him know that I will report back to him

once I find out more.

Will you also…

be informing Lord Sangheon?

This is something hard to believe.

A man coming back from the dead?

After I look into it,

it will be wiser for His Majesty to inform Lord Sangheon himself.

How did your conversation go?

Does Commander Jung…

He seemed impassive as always which means he probably did not see anything.

I see. That I am glad to hear.

Here you go.

The attack must have alarmed you.

This will help.

That reminds me. I was wondering about Kang Eun-seo.

Would you allow me to suggest that he stay at Samgaebang?

At Samgaebang?

Yes. From what I can gather, he needs time to heal.

I cannot think of a better place.

He can also help my friends look into the poisonous herb.

I had been worried about him as of late,

so that would definitely ease my mind.

Have we met before?

I was born in the Year of the Snake.

Since I am older, I will speak casually.

Or not.

It was Ji-un who sent you here,

so make yourself at home.

Please.

I brought this for you.

The tea will warm you up--

Are you all right?

Please let me know if you would like more.

I have an extra batch brewed.

Thank you.

Are you kidding me? Yeong-ji, this is not cheap tea!

Well, drink up then. It is time you earned your keep.

Shall we?

Now, let us hurry.

Anyway, out of all the places that supply the palace with herbs,

this is the largest.

Welcome.

What can I get for you?

Oh, well…

From what I hear, you sell the good kind.

The good kind? For what exactly?

The liver or the eyes?

No, that is not what I mean.

You know. The sort of herb that is rare…

My lord, it is good to see you.

Have you brought in the herbs that I requested?

As if you need to ask.

This way, my lord.

Are they for the royal infirmary

or Lord Sangheon?

They are actually for me this time.

I see. Well, we have a fresh batch of dried foxglove and barberry root

which are of good quality. Please take a look.

The umbilical cord of twins?

I happened to stumble on His Majesty's while moving his placenta chamber.

According to the physician who examined it,

it most certainly came from twins.

Are you saying you were not aware of this?

But that is preposterous.

The physician must be mistaken.

Twins within the royal family?

He should pay with his life for even mumbling those words.

Bring him to me right away.

I will have him severely punished for insulting His Majesty.

Forgive me, Your Highness.

I did not mean to cause a disturbance.

It will be wise for you not to speak of such things either.

One might think you wish to rebel against the King.

As if I ever would.

As I have been away for a while, I wished to look in on you.

I apologize for troubling you with an unnecessary concern, Grandmother.

The girl is dead?

His Majesty ordered the death

of all those who know about the twins,

so please bear that in mind.

This secret must be taken to the grave.

What brings you to the Grand Queen Dowager's quarters?

Is it not obvious?

I have been away from the Capital, so it is my duty to greet her.

I hope all is well.

Has His Majesty been in good health too?

No, wait. He is a woman. I'm certain of it.

Rather than attacking me, the man took His Majesty in his arms.

Quite odd, don't you think? Either he has a death wish or…

-I must head to the palace. -Are you out of your mind?

An attempt was made on His Majesty's life.

The palace must be on full alert.

Do not draw attention to yourself--

What if all is quiet at the palace?

It would confirm that he really is a woman.

For he will try to keep today's attack a secret.

In any case, what did you mean by being able to return to the Capital

sooner than planned?

Oh, that.

It seems as though things will go better than I thought.

-Hey, did you hear the rumor? -What?

What rumor?

His Majesty and the Seungjeongwon scribe.

Someone saw them returning to the palace at the crack of dawn again.

-At the crack of dawn? -Yes.

-The two of them? -Yes!

Where could they have been?

Who knows? Probably a secret rendezvous point.

-No way. -That is insane!

My goodness. Two men together?

Is that why he is avoiding sleeping with the Queen?

-You're right. -That must be it.

-My gosh. -No wonder!

-It all makes sense now. -No way.

-No wonder. -My gosh.

Get back to work.

His Majesty sees Scribe Jung in private?

Someone saw them again

returning to the palace at the crack of dawn today.

But they seemed like more than just a monarch

and his loyal servant.

That is because…

a scribe is meant to serve His Majesty in close proximity.

Is it not odd that he requests two sets of bedding when you sleep together?

Is it possible His Majesty prefers men to women?

I told you that in confidence!

But--

I have been fond of you since before I came here.

You should not relay such ridiculous rumors.

It is preposterous.

His Majesty obviously cares a lot about me.

You saw for yourself.

He sent refreshments to enjoy with my friend.

But Scribe Jung was also present.

That…

If you ever relay such an asinine rumor again,

I will have you dismissed.

What? His Majesty prefers men?

Rumor has spread among the court maids

that he and Scribe Jung are intimate.

Silence!

Where you heard such a rumor is beyond me.

Look over there.

Goodness, look over there.

The rumors must be true.

There must be something between them.

But a man with another man?

Rumor has it that they wander off together every night.

I wonder what made him that way.

What…

What if this leads to more trouble?

Let me think.

Scandalous rumors regarding His Majesty and a Seungjeongwon scribe?

This must be stopped.

It will be over for us if this rumor spreads.

This must be stopped!

Jil-geum sought out a herbal shop he suspected.

Kang Eun-seo will inform you of their findings tonight,

so I will escort you to the shrine.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Chief Royal Secretary, what could this be about?

Is there urgent business?

No, Your Majesty. You must be out for a walk.

Goodness. Well…

What…

The weather is excellent today. It is the perfect day to go for a walk.

Scribe Jung, did you not say you had business to attend to?

I have yet to conclude my report--

Scribe Jung, we should talk.

-But-- -Yes, we should talk.

-Come on. -So from the provincial city…

Well, this is a perfect day for some…

What is the meaning of this?

I have yet to conclude my report.

You should keep your distance.

What do you mean?

Salacious rumors about you and His Majesty are spreading within palace walls.

That you are in an intimate relationship.

-What? -An intimate relationship.

I did not think too much of it

and considered it gossip that would fade away.

But if the Chief Royal Secretary knows,

it means that all the other officials do as well.

You should stop seeing Scribe Jung for the time being.

If this were to reach the ears of Lord Sangheon,

you and Scribe Jung both will be in grave danger.

You are headed to the King's quarters unannounced.

What do you plan to do?

Is it to ask about the rumors--

I told you not to speak of that!

I just…

I want to see him even if it is from afar.

Only then will I be at ease.

What do you mean he is not inside?

He left to go out on a walk.

I see.

Do you perhaps know which way he went?

Forgive me, but I do not.

At the herbal shop,

I saw the man who was dressed as a royal physician.

Was it the man whom you spoke of? The one who killed Eunuch Cho.

Yes, he is a royal physician who goes by the name of Seo Seung-gyu.

I clearly saw the scars he had on his wrist.

Royal Physician Seo Seung-gyu?

If we can find sonangcho there,

we can be certain of Lord Sangheon's bidding.

I will keep looking into the matter.

Royal Physician Seo Seung-gyu is the one responsible for your well-being.

He must be stripped of his position and arrested immediately.

If I were to do so,

my grandfather would know that something is off.

For the time being, I will keep a close eye on him.

That will probably benefit me.

-But-- -Do not worry.

I will have Eunuch Hong look into his whereabouts.

We should go.

I would like to go back to the office and dig more into the herbal shop

that supplies the royal infirmary.

You should head out first.

I will wait a while before following you.

Is it because of the rumors?

I apologize for causing so much unnecessary grievance.

How could you be the one to blame?

Rumors like this do not faze me anymore.

So please do not worry.

I told you that I am ready to endure all the consequences.

Still…

it will be wiser for us to be cautious for the time being.

What…

Why are you taking this dangerous path at night?

Which department do you serve at?

Follow me. I will escort you to a safer path.

This way.

This way, ladies.

My Queen, this is not--

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

But I should head back to my quarters.

Forgive me for I must say that the Queen is already in bed.

Should I request that she get up to see you?

There is no need.

Please tell her in the morning that I came by.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Yu-gong.

What happened today should never reach anyone's ears.

Do you understand?

Are you all right, Your Highness?

I truly believed…

that I did not need much.

All I wished for was for His Majesty to hold my hand…

and acknowledge my love for him just once.

I thought that was all I needed.

Your Highness.

But…

I do not know what to do anymore.

What should I do?

A wicked rumor has been circulating in the palace recently.

I do not understand how it even surfaced.

However, I do believe it is due to there still being no heir.

Are you distancing yourself from the Queen

because her father is one of Lord Sangheon's people?

Of course not.

I see. Well, I am sure you are well aware of this,

but the Chief State Councilor is a terrifying man.

If the rumors spread while you remain childless,

he might suddenly turn against you.

So I urge you to act cautiously.

Gwajeonbulnapri is what they say.

GWAJEONBULNAPRI: A SAYING THAT SAYS NOT TO DO ANYTHING THAT CAN RAISE SUSPICION

It will not do you any good to keep Jung Ji-un by your side,

so find an excuse

to remove him from the palace.

I apologize for concerning you, Grandmother.

However…

I will manage what goes on in my residence,

so please let your worry subside.

I gave orders to set up a tea time between you and your Queen.

Being seen together often

will make these rumors subside.

You should go to her.

My Queen,

about last night--

I will not ask you for the truth.

I will not beg you to accept my love either.

Just…

allow me to produce an heir.

-My Queen-- -I am the Queen of this nation.

As a wife and as the Queen,

let me at least fulfill my duties.

And…

I urge you to also fulfill your duties

as the King of this nation.

If you give me your word,

I will not question anything else.

There must be a woman you fancy.

What is the meaning of this?

A bizarre rumor about His Majesty and Scribe Jung floods the palace.

Jung Ji-un is an old friend of yours…

so I say this out of concern.

A man in love with the King.

How can one even comprehend that?

If you came here to relay such a preposterous rumor,

I would rather you leave.

I am hardly interested in the words spread by clueless people.

Rumor has it that a man

resembling Lord Changun was spotted recently in the Capital.

Would you know anything about it?

After all, you were the first to inform others of his passing.

Now that I think about it,

no one actually confirmed that the body was Lord Changun's.

The funeral was quite rushed as well,

which makes me wonder if it was to cover something up.

Now look who's being preposterous.

How can a dead man come back to life?

You say you do not care for rumors,

but I guess that is not entirely true.

I would very much like…

to someday meet the woman that ring is meant for.

Lord Wonsan, it seems that Lord Changun has sneaked out of the safe house again.

Find him before someone recognizes him.

Yes, my lord.

You have no idea how much I missed this place!

Do you want to hear something amusing?

What if…

Just what if

the king of this nation…

was a woman?

A woman? You must have gone mad!

-As if that could be true. -What if the prince was born twins

and they were swapped at some point?

And now we have a woman for a king.

That is absurd.

But it is true.

Pour me a drink, will you?

What is your name?

-It is So-wol. -What?

-So-wol? -That is Lord Changun.

I had too much to eat.

How is a dead man…

Lord Changun died from falling, did he not?

Yes, my lord.

Apparently, he has been spotted alive.

Look into it and get back to me.

Yes, my lord.

That reminds me.

Your son must have the utmost loyalty for His Majesty.

Being seen so often by his side in close proximity…

could very well lead to such rumors.

My trust in you is the only reason I gave him a position at the palace.

Do not disappoint me anymore.

I will keep that in mind, my lord.

-It's him. -He is here.

Are you sure it is him?

I honestly thought he would stay away.

Shut your mouths.

Allow me to take those to His Majesty tonight.

Your Majesty, the reports are here.

Could we perhaps talk?

It will be best if you stay away from the quarters for the time being.

Last night, Her Majesty the Queen…

Well, there was an issue.

His Majesty is feeling troubled as is,

so it would be much appreciated

if you refrained from visiting his quarters.

I will do that.

What do you mean I shall leave the palace?

The Grand Queen Dowager and the elders of the royal family

have been voicing their concern about the rumors between you and His Majesty.

I am well aware that I have no right to say this,

but…

if your love for His Majesty is truly in the form of loyalty,

please…

leave the palace on your own accord.

Your Highness--

His Majesty should no longer

be frowned upon because of the rumors caused by you.

You are home later than usual.

Work kept me at the palace.

Was it really the work at Seungjeongwon that had you busy?

Pardon?

Of course.

Why do you ask though?

It is nothing. You should get some rest.

A marriage proposal, you say.

With my daughter, you mean?

Yes, that is correct.

You should leave us.

You must be very well aware of the fact

that she participated in the Crown Princess selection.

That is why I do not understand why you are suggesting this marriage.

Actually, it is exactly why this matrimony could benefit us both.

Was this suggested by Lord Sangheon?

If you intend

to use this as a pawn in your political game--

Absurd rumors…

have been spreading within the palace regarding my son.

I wish to bury them all with this marriage.

Father.

I…

wish to marry into Commander Jung's family.

His son has had my heart for a long time.

My feelings for him were strong enough to make me want to give up…

on being the Crown Princess.

So-eun…

Please allow me to marry him, Father.

I will ask my husband to write the marriage letter soon.

Please take care of the rest.

Yes, my lady. Please do not worry.

I will prepare only the best gifts the Capital has to offer.

What is this about?

You should get going.

Shall we?

A marriage letter?

Your father told me the news. The bride's family also approves of you.

They will look past it all,

so please go through with this marriage.

I do not know what you heard, but it is not true.

That is not…

who I am.

Then what is it?

How could such a rumor spread?

Start a family of your own.

That way, people will forget. Marry the young lady and have a child.

Live a normal life like others.

You were the one who told me to follow my heart.

I know. I did tell you that.

But this is not what I meant.

You might end up paying for this with your life.

I can endure

the ridicule and humiliation that comes my way because of you.

But not you.

I cannot bear to watch you suffer.

Mother.

Follow me.

You will not have to write the marriage letter.

For I…

will not get married.

Your opinion is irrelevant.

The girl's family has already agreed to the marriage.

But it is only a rumor.

Why must you take it this far?

Are you sure…

it is just a rumor?

I know…

that His Majesty…

is actually a woman.

What do you mean…

There is no need to lie to me for I am aware of it all.

So do as I say.

If you choose not to,

I might also not be able to keep this secret buried.

What are you saying?

-You-- -I will kill her.

Because that will be the only way to protect you and our family.

Are you saying…

that you would commit treason?

How can it be treason

when the King is a woman?

You will go through with this wedding

because you have no other choice.

Lord Changun has been located, my lord.

-Uncle, stop! -Would you stop if you were me?

I'm dead if I get caught!

Damn it!

Please spare my life.

This was all Prince Wonsan's doing!

He said faking my death could lead to His Majesty's demise.

The attack on His Majesty's life was also orchestrated by him.

It was not my idea.

All I wanted was to confirm if His Majesty is indeed a woman.

A woman?

Right. Take me to Lord Sangheon.

I will explain everything to him.

What are you doing?

Why are you doing this?

I am injured.

Wait!

Do you not know who I am?

I am His Majesty's uncle!

Please spare my life.

Let me live this once

and I will do whatever you ask.

Tell me to do tricks

or to crawl on my hands and knees.

See. I am willing to do anything.

Please. Please let me live this once.

The truth you have discovered…

will be buried alongside you.

Why?

Do you think that I would not be able to kill His Majesty?

Father, please.

After the wedding, you will leave the Capital.

Be a physician or whatever you want. I will not interfere.

Why must you go this far?

Could you just…

let His Majesty's secret…

stay buried?

Do you really not know what will happen

once Lord Sangheon finds out the truth?

Just do as I say.

Because if you do not,

I will not be able to protect you or His Majesty any longer.

A marriage?

So-eun will wed Jung Ji-un,

Commander Jung's son.

No.

This is impossible.

Where…

have you been all day?

You were absent at Seungjeongwon as well.

Do you have any idea how worried I was?

I have something to tell you, Your Majesty.

I am…

getting married.

But why?

If it is because of the rumors spreading within these walls,

please do not proceed any further.

We both knew it would be difficult.

It is what I want.

What…

What you want?

How could you tell me such a lie?

Why on earth are you going through with this?

Please tell me

why you had a sudden change of heart.

We have stayed strong together until now.

So why?

Is there a reason…

you cannot tell me?

I do not want to lose you, Your Majesty.

And this is the only way…

for me not to lose you.

What are you saying?

If you do not wish to lose me, why--

This is…

where I should stop, Your Majesty.

Stop right there!

I have yet…

to tell you to stop.

Stop!

That is an order.

Forgive me,

Your Majesty.

Are preparations for the wedding coming along well?

Yes, Your Majesty.

How could you make her falter with feelings as shallow as yours?

JWAJEON

How dare you!

Forgive me, Your Highness. I told him everything.

What? But I told you not to tell anyone.

What are you planning to do after you meet Lord Sangheon?

A woman cannot be King.

I will take back what is rightfully mine.

Still no news regarding the sonangcho?

I will do whatever is necessary to protect His Majesty.

Have faith in me.

-Your Majesty. -I will not die.

Subtitle translation by: Hye-lim Park