Original subtitles

THIS SERIES IS A WORK OF FICTION. CHARACTERS, ORGANIZATIONS,

NAMES OF PLACES AND INCIDENTS MAY NOT BE HISTORICALLY ACCURATE.

That country brat's job is already decided.

His job is to be stabbed or poisoned in my place.

I can eat these anytime, so you can have all of these.

Is anyone out there?

Gye-hwan!

Wake up!

My Queen.

I'm sorry.

-Dal-lae! -What is it?

Dal-lae!

How much is a dog worth at the market these days?

My sister…

isn't a dog!

You ran away to survive. Why did you return?

I came back to learn

how to stomp down on my enemies with all my might.

Please teach me how to do so.

Nonsense.

I shall behead you this instant and remove all the seeds of trouble.

If you truly are loyal to His Majesty, you can't kill me.

Am I wrong?

What is it you truly want?

Whether I am stabbed, poisoned,

or torn to pieces,

that doesn't matter to me.

I will become His Majesty's shadow and die for him.

If you just promise me one thing.

So you wish to silence someone by replacing His Majesty.

Who is this man?

The life you wish to take at the sacrifice of your own.

The son of the Left State Councilor.

Shin Yi-gyeom.

My sister, Dal-lae…

She was…

violated by that beast.

I will make him regret coming into this life.

I will have him suffer excruciating pain

so he'll beg me to kill him instead.

So make your decision.

Will you kill me right here,

or have me die instead of the King?

Your Majesty.

Eunuch Jo.

It's me.

Make sure he doesn't leave the quarters today.

If someone requests an audience,

refuse them under the King's orders.

Yes, my lord.

My lord.

I must speak to you about the poisoned court maid.

Did you find evidence?

He even turned away Court Lady Kim,

and he only let Eunuch Jo in.

Do you know her cause of death yet?

The court maid who shared a room with the dead kitchen maid

hanged herself last night.

What?

It seems she was under someone's orders

to mix poison into His Majesty's late-night snack.

So they silenced her.

Is the Queen Dowager behind this?

It could be anyone who holds a grudge against him.

At times like these,

he should be needing you more often,

so I wonder why he turned you away.

To be honest…

he hasn't requested the herbs in a while.

No wonder.

So that was the reason he spared the Grand Prince!

Anyway, you must not let state affairs exhaust His Majesty.

Do not forget your role

is to make sure His Majesty's mind is at peace.

Is anyone there?

Is anyone there?

Welcome, Chief Secretary.

I hear Ha-sun's sister left the gisaeng house last night.

Do you know where she went?

Why are you taking an interest in that child?

Do you, or do you not know?

She left under the moonlight, almost as if she was fleeing.

So how should I know where she went?

It wouldn't benefit your reputation if people knew

the Chief Secretary frequents gisaeng houses during the day.

What if it starts ill rumors?

You avoiding my question tells me you know something.

Always pretend otherwise, despite what you do or do not know.

That is the way to survive, I was told.

Did I say such a thing?

Lord Gil Sam-bong said that to me before he passed away.

Why do you look so surprised?

Isn't that also how you've managed to survive, my lord?

Woon-sim, if your tongue were a sword,

you would've killed me already.

Why are you helping me?

My situation is no different from yours, Ha-sun.

I couldn't turn a blind eye anymore.

The Chief Secretary will surely try something if he knows,

so it's best that Dal-lae and Gap-su take refuge.

Four o'clock!

Four o'clock!

Four o'clock!

Man, this is driving me insane.

Hey, Ha-sun.

Must you go?

Gap-su, I have no choice.

Sure, sure.

Even I want to crack that aristocrat's head open, damn it.

So imagine how you'd feel.

I bet your blood's boiling with rage.

But I'm saying, do you think us lowly things will

still keep our heads after going up against an aristocrat?

Do well and I live, do bad and I die.

Gap-su, it was you who told me that

clowns who choose their acts are as good as dead.

Yes, yes. I said that.

I will come back alive, so don't worry about me.

Sure, sure. Of course.

They say men don't die all that easily.

We'll be seen at this rate.

Go on, then.

-All right. -Oh, man…

Ha-sun, you must be careful.

Take care of yourself, all right?

Ha-sun.

Take care of yourself!

You should've just left if you decided to flee.

Why did you come back?

I came back to return what I have received.

What do you mean?

When do you suppose the Chief Secretary will be back?

Seeing as how he gave orders not to let anyone in all day,

I suppose it'll take him at least half a day.

That lowly thing dared to set up a condition?

And you gladly accepted?

Your Majesty, there is no way of knowing who will attempt

to harm you, where and when.

Yet this man has stepped forward to gladly die for you.

In order to expose and root out your enemies,

wouldn't you need him?

He dared disobey my orders to have my father-in-law beheaded

and exiled him instead.

How can you be sure that he will not be disloyal?

Or, Haksan…

do I sense disloyalty in your heart?

Disloyalty, Your Majesty?

How could I ever…

Someone will hear us.

The Chief Monk here can be trusted.

It's not the monk I'm concerned about.

Yul.

Yul… He's back!

He must've outsmarted me and survived.

Where is Court Lady Kim?

Go, and…

Go tell her to fetch me my smoking pipe.

Your Majesty!

After we took his smoking pipe away,

it seems he'd left the temple in search of drugs.

I found him unconscious and brought him back,

but he's been saying he hears things since then.

You were once a physician, so I'm sure you'll find a cure.

Am I not right?

Just who is he, for you to go out of your way to help?

When Lord Gil Sam-bong passed away

and you were wasting away in prison,

he collected Lord Gil's body to be embalmed,

and aided your escape.

You must use whatever means to restore his health.

Your Highness.

It may be best that you just return to your quarters today.

Will he not see me either?

My apologies, Your Highness.

Please ask His Majesty once more.

The Queen has come all this way…

Eunuch Jo.

It's all right, Court Lady Park.

I'll leave him in your good care.

My apologies, Your Highness.

The fault lies entirely with me. I…

Why is it your fault that the King decided not to take his snacks?

This will be a long fight.

Brace yourself.

Is it ready?

I saw you did a fine job of hiding your sister away.

It was obvious you'd take her as hostage, so how could I not?

His Majesty has given his approval, then?

Then what should I do from now on?

You must find those who are trying to harm His Majesty.

If you're talking about those who killed Gye-hwan,

his wish is my command.

Whose head should I bring first?

As soon as you have breakfast, go visit the Queen Dowager.

By Queen Dowager, you mean…

The stepmother of His Majesty, who has the highest rank in court.

If misfortune befalls His Majesty, she has the authority

to decide who will succeed the throne.

You may do whatever you must.

Go turn her quarters upside down.

Make way for His Majesty the King!

Your Majesty.

My Queen.

His Majesty is here, and I wish to pay our respects together.

Go announce it.

Your Highness, the King and Queen are here to see you.

Let them in.

I must say, it's been quite a while since your last visit.

That was two years ago, was it?

Compared to then, you look much better.

I am honored you think that way.

Bring some tea for the King and Queen.

Yes, Your Highness.

Why won't you help yourself?

Are you concerned that I may have poisoned it?

I appreciate you bringing up the difficult subject first.

May I request a court maid taste it first?

I see the recent incident has left you quite frightened.

It was only a joke but you're taking it so seriously.

My Queen.

What are your thoughts?

Then… I will take the first sip.

It's hot!

What are you doing?

How could I let the Queen take the first sip

when the tea may have been poisoned?

Your Majesty.

Do you truly doubt me?

If not, then please say so.

In this state, being undutiful is a graver sin than committing treason.

The reason I have overlooked your faults to date

was so I could fulfill my duties as your mother.

If you don't understand me, then that can't be helped.

But I cannot stand the suspicion that I tried to poison you.

Tell us your thoughts, My Queen.

Was there any wrong in my words?

I understand your disappointment, Your Highness.

Perhaps my incompetence made me come between you,

so I am to blame for everything.

Please turn your anger to me instead.

Now, isn't that cunning?

You pretend to be thoughtful, but really, you are begging me to spare the King.

If that's how you understood me, my apologies.

"I am sorry," "My apologies," "Please excuse me…"

Is that all you have to say to me?

I am sick and tired of you

merely repeating the same words, and do not wish to hear anymore.

Tell me your honest thoughts.

Do you truly respect me as your mother-in-law? Or…

Enough!

What did you say?

I said, enough.

Your Majesty, no.

If I won't stop,

will you have me behead--

Let's go.

Your Majesty!

If you must go, kill me before you do!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, why couldn't you hold your composure?

She was obviously harassing you,

so I couldn't stand listening to it any longer.

Then are you saying it was all for me?

Yes.

Then let me tell you now.

If you truly care for me, please don't do that again.

Are you telling me to do nothing, even in worse situations?

For those trying to bring you down,

this is an excuse to do so.

If word gets out about this,

there'll be petitions telling you to respect the Queen Dowager.

I do not want to see you suffer such harassment.

Send someone in your stead

and refrain from visiting the Queen Dowager, like you have.

I will pay respects to the Queen Dowager in your place.

Then please excuse me, Your Majesty.

Why do you look like you've lost a war?

I guess I pushed myself too hard in front of the Queen Dowager.

So?

How did she take it?

It was as you said, my lord.

I pretended to have completely lost it and suspected her

of poisoning the tea, and she had a big fit over it.

So I just flipped the table and left.

Well done.

Was that truly a job well done?

What do you mean?

The Queen was worried that

this may come back to harm the King much later.

That I will take care of.

All you need to do is follow my instructions.

Do you understand me?

Why did you have to make things so difficult?

If you had done your job properly,

I wouldn't have needed to see to it myself.

The King has started to suspect me.

Do you have a plan?

Rest your concerns.

I will have something at the upcoming hunting event.

The hunting event?

Do you think the King would risk attending the event?

He will, if he wants to prove he is still fit and healthy.

Your Majesty, why the hesitation?

Are you worried that this may be poisoned, too?

No, poison is not what I fear.

It's just that seeing all these delicacies before me

reminds me of my sister,

and Gye-hwan, who suffered the most unfortunate death.

So I cannot bring myself to touch it.

Will you have one?

How could I dare, after what you said?

I will have one first, then.

It's delicious.

That child, Gye-hwan…

Her family should be rightfully compensated for her sacrifice.

You needn't worry about that.

Her Majesty the Queen has already sent an obituary

and made sure her family is looked after properly.

The Queen?

She is most thoughtful when it comes to matters such as this.

It is also the reason why no one dares

to challenge the Queen, even if she does not have His Majesty's heart.

And now she despises me…

What can I say…

It cannot be helped.

You do look exactly like His Majesty.

I shouldn't have given you one.

I should've just ate them all myself.

You should find it easier to fall asleep with that tea.

Thank you.

Oh, no. My apologies.

Aren't these…

Aren't these the hazelnuts from His Majesty?

Are they?

I'm not so sure.

I left the window open earlier to air the sheets,

and maybe a squirrel sneaked in and hid them in here.

I will throw these out, then.

They're mine, so give them to me.

You should've said so from the start.

When you care for him so much,

why were you so cold to His Majesty earlier today?

He even confronted the Queen Dowager in your defense.

I'm scared, that's why.

Pardon?

That I may be disappointed again.

That I may crumble, when I'm just barely holding on.

Your Majesty, the Left State Councilor wishes to see you alone.

How should I inform him?

Let him in.

What brings you here at night?

My apologies, Your Majesty.

I had to discuss an urgent matter regarding the Grand Prince.

The Grand Prince?

His former position at the Border Defense Council is vacant now, is it not?

In these turbulent times,

we cannot leave such an important position unfilled.

Therefore, I urge you to nominate someone.

Is there a suitable candidate?

It needs to be someone well-trained in martial arts, no?

All right.

You may take your leave. I will think…

I also request that all the officials

the Grand Prince appointed while he was in office

are wholly replaced.

You mean, you wish to have them all resign

and replace them with new officials?

Many viewed your decision to punish the traitor, Yoo Ho-jun,

with exile instead of death as there being no discipline in court.

You must reform the council to restate your authority.

To spare you the trouble, instead of three candidates,

I have narrowed it down to one for your immediate action.

Your Majesty, the Chief Secretary is here to see you.

Let him in.

Your Majesty.

Would you look at this?

My lord, how could you think of reforming the council

without first discussing the matter in court?

Your Majesty, if you find my remonstrance hard to quell,

there is just one alternative.

What may that be?

To behead the traitor, Yoo Ho-jun.

Your Majesty, I say this out of loyalty and concern for you,

so please heed my advice.

What do you mean, I must accept his request?

I may be uneducated and lowly, but even I know what this means.

The Left State Councilor is carrying out what is under His Majesty's jurisdiction.

Is he our King?

If you do not accept his request,

he will try to have the Grand Prince beheaded immediately.

With one step forward, you must take a step back.

That is politics.

What if His Majesty disapproves?

That should solve it, should it not?

Even the King

cannot always have

his way in court.

Then are you saying the court can be manipulated

by the Left State Councilor?

My lord!

First, he removes the Grand Prince,

and now he fills the Border Defense Council with his own men.

He still feels uneasy, no doubt.

After all, the Grand Prince is still alive.

Your Majesty.

Prince Jinpyeong.

Prince Jinpyeong. What is it?

I came to ask if it is still necessary

to postpone the hunting event.

Your complexion tells me you are still not yet in good health.

Well…

You may rest your concerns about His Majesty's health.

Then, shall I proceed with the event as planned?

Do that.

As you wish, Your Majesty.

All right.

We absolutely cannot!

His Majesty is a born archer,

so they will start suspecting.

If he wishes to prove he is fit and healthy to remain on the throne,

he must attend.

Exactly!

As long as I'm not suspected during the event, right?

Bullseye!

Bullseye!

Bullseye!

So? How's my talent?

I'd say you're better than most archers.

Have you been training without my knowledge?

Well…

Just with Eunuch Jo.

Right?

Yes, Your Majesty.

Only I accompanied you to training, secretly.

Sure.

Well, that's enough for me. Why don't you have a try?

Your Majesty.

Since when did you shoot arrows so well?

Well…

Well, isn't he a fine archer?

What's going on?

How did this happen?

That's five targets, so I want my ten coins.

Dammit!

Why, you thief!

Here you are.

I'm a natural.

Can we really send him to the hunting grounds?

It's obvious he will only become a target for his assassins.

That child is already aware of the risks involved in acting

as His Majesty.

Must you really do this?

All this time, I have been waiting for the appropriate moment.

But what has that led to?

Shin Chi-soo…

It only led to him expanding his influence.

This is all for His Majesty.

So don't get any other ideas.

Your Majesty.

It may be best

that you fake an illness to avoid the hunting event tomorrow.

Are you worried that I may die?

What…

You were aware, then?

No, I wasn't.

But now I do, thanks to your reaction.

Thank you.

For worrying about me.

No, Your Majesty.

Even if I were worried about you,

what use would it be?

Eunuch Jo.

You may be able to make yourself useful.

Will you hear me out?

Make way for His Majesty the King!

Don't get any other ideas.

I wouldn't dare.

Your Majesty, you're finally here.

Your Majesty, I should really escort you myself,

but my knee is acting up again.

Please allow my son to serve you in my stead.

My name is Shin Yi-gyeom, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, my son is still too young,

so I brought a hunting dog with me instead.

-Hunting dog? -Yes.

What… You personally awarded me with these dogs,

but it seems they have already forgotten your scent.

Why, you!

Why, you! How dare you!

There, there.

Now you recognize me.

How have you been?

That's a good boy.

How did you calm those hunting dogs down?

I once spent some time with tiger hunters.

Tiger hunters?

Yes. When hunting tigers,

those dogs won't be much help.

They piss themselves and retreat at the scent of tigers.

Then just now…

This is tiger leather.

Since you said we'd be going hunting today,

I brought it with me just in case.

Where did you even get that tiger leather?

It was hanging in the bedroom.

That's strange.

It was still here

until this morning.

I'll go this way.

Who will follow me?

I will escort you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, it may be best…

You must be confident in your hunting skills. All right.

It is my honor, Your Majesty.

Then I will head this way.

Silence!

Deer! It's a deer!

Your Majesty, this way.

Mu-young, you follow Prince Jinpyeong.

Yes, my lord.

You go that way.

Yes, my lord.

Your Majesty, it seems the deer has gotten away.

Your Majesty?

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Did I scare you?

I meant to aim for a peacock.

Goodness.

Well, this…

No, Your Majesty.

I am fine.

I warned you!

How dare you satiate your own greed?

Do you know what you almost ruined?

When I saw that bastard, I lost my cool for a second…

With your aim, you could've shot him dead.

What changed your mind?

I wanted to kill him, at first.

But at the very last moment…

If I did kill him, pretending it was an accident…

I thought that would only be covering up his sin

with my own hands.

This must not end with just his death.

We must root out all those who turned a blind eye to his crime,

and those who granted him power and authority.

That's what came to mind,

and at that moment, the desire to kill him dissipated.

Your Majesty.

Officer Jang.

Where have you been?

My apologies.

Your Highness.

Has His Majesty returned already?

That is not why I came here.

I am here to relay his royal order.

His order?

What may that be?

"Do not make visits to the Queen Dowager for the time being."

That was his command.

Was that truly his order?

My apologies, Your Highness.

Good work to all of you.

You may retire, then.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Make way for Her Majesty the Queen!

My Queen.

Your Majesty!

My Queen, are you all right?

Your Majesty.

Your arm…

I… I'm all right. Don't worry about me.

I'm perfectly fine…

Your Majesty!

Court Lady Park, call a physician immediately!

Yes, Your Highness.

How dare you harm His Majesty!

No! Stop!

Your Majesty, a dog that bites once will surely bite again.

I brought him here today, so I will take responsibility.

He… He was also surprised, that's all.

If you behead him for making just one mistake,

will anyone here be left standing?

But Your Majesty…

You are absolutely right, Your Majesty.

His Majesty's words are absolutely right.

Aren't you also standing here today

thanks to His Majesty's immeasurable grace?

This is a royal command.

Sheathe your sword.

Your wish is my command.

Your Majesty.

If you hadn't had that tiger leather around you,

you would've broken your arm.

As the wound may fester,

please do not use your left arm for the time being.

The heavens were on my side!

You may leave, then.

That is enough.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty,

the Queen and concubine are here to see you.

Let them in.

Your Majesty.

I rushed here upon hearing the horrible news.

The royal physician told me you narrowly escaped death,

and I almost fainted at his words.

Well… He said something he shouldn't have.

You may leave, then.

Why are you standing there? He says you may leave.

Those words were meant for you.

Your Majesty!

Escort her.

Your Highness.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Do not mind the physician's words. It's merely a warning.

That was how I understood it as well.

That must've been a great shock for you as well.

But why were you at the stable?

I had come to you to discuss the Queen Dowager's matter.

Why did you order me so?

I thought I was providing her with an excuse

to harass you by not visiting her.

So I forbade you to visit her altogether.

I know.

I got it wrong again.

No, Your Majesty.

I had failed to consider your thoughtful intentions

and had put principles first all this time, but…

Now I've come to realize something.

That while I am all words,

you put them to action when the time is right.

Just… What do you mean?

So what did I do?

It's not the drug taking effect.

His heart has changed altogether.

I am sure that is not the only reason.

You were lost in the fun of trafficking positions

and forgot to observe him closely.

But you gave your permission to do so, did you not?

What I mean is, don't forget why you are there.

If you continue to disappoint me, forget your privileges.

I will drive you out.

So come to your senses!

His Majesty has always been fearfully bright and shrewd.

Do not forget that.

Yes, my lord.

I will engrave your words on my heart.

Concubine, you wench! Get away from His Majesty at once!

Your Majesty!

I will endure it with you.

So please do not give up.

The only thing left for me is to die.

How could you even stop me from dying?

Who knew this was her reality?

And I had made fun of her, believing in the rumors.

Imagine her loneliness and suffering.

You will not get it in if you throw like that.

Should I do it for you instead?

No, Your Majesty.

I was only trying…

Did you see that? I got it in at once!

I forgot to make a wish.

Don't worry, I'll get it in once more for you.

So this time, make your wish.

My Queen!

Go on and make your wish!

If stars fell from the sky, this is what it would look like, no?

My Queen.

What did you wish for?

Is it a secret?

Then do not tell me, I won't ask you anymore.

I should make a wish, too.

Your Majesty,

what was your wish?

My wish is…

to see you with a bright smile, even just once.

That's what I wished.

You've already adjusted to the palace, have you?

Do not let your guard down.

What is this?

Do not get involved.

-There are rumors of a petition starting. -Shut your mouth!

You're up to all sorts of things to save the Queen, aren't you?

So what if you're wielding power, dressed in silk?

When your head is full of beastly thoughts!

Why have you done this?

When there is no humanity left in your heart!

Today is the day of your funeral.

Subtitle translation by: Jeong-yon Kim