Original subtitles

(This drama is a work of imagination based on historical figures.)

(It may include fictitious details and psychological description.)

(Episode 12)

You...

want me to die quickly, right?

No, I do not.

Do you want your old King to disappear?

No, I do not.

How unfilial you are!

Chasing after women, neglecting your study,

and holding a grudge when I scold you.

And you even curse...

your old King to die?

Lee San, how dare you!

How dare you!

You went crazy and killed more than 100 people.

How can I let someone...

who hurt my people survive?

Just because you are my child,

did you think you will survive?

Hearing your news,

I cried my lungs out, hitting my chest.

How dare you!

How can you stab your old dad's heart?

I am not Father!

What?

I am San.

I am San, Grandfather.

Look at me.

Just for once,

please look at me, not my father.

I am San.

I am San, Grandfather!

What?

- Second State Councillor. - Yes, Your Majesty.

Second State Councillor.

- Yes, Your Majesty. - Is he...

not the Crown Prince?

Is he not Lee Sun, my son?

He...

is...

not the late Crown Prince.

He is his son, Your Majesty.

Are you San?

Yes, Grandfather.

- You are San. - Yes.

Excuse me.

What year...

is this year?

Is it 1762?

It is not 1762.

My head!

My head hurts!

It hurts!

What should I do?

What should I do?

A king must judge...

and decide.

I...

am the King.

And I cannot do it any longer.

I cannot do it.

What should I do?

Your Majesty.

Please get up again.

As the King of Joseon,

make the final decision.

Even if you kill me,

I would rather obey it.

At this rate,

the officials will be divided,

the people will be divided,

and Joseon will fall into complete chaos.

Please stand up again.

And do your last duty...

as a king.

What?

You are San.

Why is it so cold?

San.

You are San.

My lady.

My lady.

The Queen has arrived.

Queen.

Your Majesty, it is not a courtesy,

but it was urgent.

Please forgive me.

Why did you come here?

There is a document I must show you.

A document?

It is Document of Truth.

"Document of Truth"?

"Document of Truth".

Can you not recall at all?

Tell His Majesty where the document is hidden.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Majesty, the Document of Truth is...

Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

An immature court maid...

does not know what is right and wrong...

and dared to confuse the King.

This is all my fault.

Your Highness,

I do not know what kind of things she said...

to lure you into here,

but it is all a lie.

I will bring her to the inspector court lady...

to investigate her crime.

I heard it was thundering and like this on the day in 1762.

An eunuch came in to tell you that the Crown Prince had died.

Then you wrote a document yourself...

and stamped the royal seal.

You made a document as you had promised.

And you hid it in a promised place.

Please...

recollect it.

The person you made a promise with.

The place you hid the document.

You already know it.

I have a headache.

My head hurts.

What?

Document of Truth?

The Document of Truth...

I hid?

(Bloodstained under garment.)

"Oh, that bloodstained under garment."

"Oh, that bloodstained under garment."

"Oh, that paulownia wood."

"Who will decorate it in gold?"

"And who will cherish it eternally?"

"I am in regret."

"I am in regret."

This handwriting...

seems to be mine.

And here,

I see my royal seal stamped on it.

(A king's seal)

I remember.

I made a promise to him.

That in exchange for killing him,

I would spare...

his son in any case...

and turn over the throne to him.

After he died,

I wrote this myself...

as a token of that promise...

and stamped my seal on it.

Then,

I hid it in there.

Because I...

promised him that I would do so.

Whom...

did you promise to?

Your father.

My son,

Crown Prince Jangjo.

My head hurts.

It hurts.

Royal Secretary Jung.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Go bring my daughter,

Princess Hwawan.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Princess Hwawan.

Father.

Come here.

Come take this royal seal.

And hand it to him yourself.

Hand the royal seal?

To whom, do you mean?

To the Crown Prince.

You have to hand it to him yourself...

for everyone right here...

to understand my intention.

Father!

How can you order me to do something this crushing?

The whole nation will whisper and gossip...

that you are already dead.

They will whisper and gossip...

Princess Hwawan.

I am already dead.

Father, that is not true.

I am already dead as a king.

I am the King.

So it means my death.

Hear my word, everyone.

I do not think I can...

perform my duty as the King anymore.

As of this moment,

I shall leave...

the royal seal to the Crown Prince...

and unbend...

myself at ease.

Princess Hwawan.

Hurry and hand the royal seal.

No...

Father...

Aunt.

Keep it safe with you.

It belongs to you from now on.

You may lose everything.

However,

do not forget about the intention of Gwanghan Palace.

We never trust the king of this nation.

We only have each other.

We can only trust each other.

The new king may be powerful,

but they cannot kill us all.

We court ladies are the pillar of the palace.

Even the king...

cannot live without us.

Of course not.

What about you?

What are you going to do?

Since I failed,

I should take responsibility.

How did it go?

We received a royal command from the King's Palace.

The Crown Prince will be in charge of the Office of the Night Patrol.

The King's guards will also assist His Highness.

Did the King give the Crown Prince permission to rule the army?

Yes.

And from now on,

the East Palace will keep the royal seal.

My goodness.

That is such a relief.

- I am very glad to hear that. - My lady.

- My goodness. - You have done well.

Sir.

Yes, Court Lady Seo.

Have you seen Duk Im by any chance?

Lady Sung went to the Queen's palace.

The Queen's palace?

It does not feel bad.

I was able to return what I owe to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince will be touched by your kindness.

Of course he should.

You have done well today.

Thank you, Your Highness.

(The House of a Righteous Dog)

Will the flowers bloom again?

Duk Im.

What...

are you doing here?

I thought maybe I could see you.

I was waiting for you.

How is your wound?

Does it still hurt a lot?

Today,

I met hundreds of people...

and was asked thousands of questions.

But no one asked me about my wound.

You are the only one.

If you think about me...

the same way I do about you,

I knew you would be here.

I was just...

worried about your wound.

I am sorry.

I am not a nurse. I do not know how to bind up the wound.

What you can do...

and you cannot do...

does not matter.

I do not care.

Duk Im.

I have already made up my mind.

Your Highness. I...

But not right now.

I have a lot to ask you...

and hear from you,

but this is no time for it.

So...

I will tell you how I feel about you later.

I will hear...

how you feel about me later.

I received an order...

to imprison Head Lady Cho.

Drag her out.

Head Eunuch.

You and I served the King for a very long time.

We may not have helped each other,

but we did not harm each other either.

Considering the time we spent together,

will you let me walk out on my own?

Sure.

He wants to see you.

The temporary envoy has returned.

(A temporary envoy is an official investigation outside the capital.)

He...

mentioned your name.

Why did you try to hurt the Crown Prince?

It was just my petty revenge.

I hated Consort Yeong.

So I revenged on her son.

That is all.

Did you...

resent me that much?

Because I abandoned you,

you nursed a grudge?

Even if a court lady devotes her life to the royal family,

she will be kicked out of the palace when she gets old and sick.

I did not want my last moment of life...

to be that miserable and insignificant.

So I came up with a plan.

I picked you, the son of a lowly slave...

who worked at the palace. Even lower than a court lady.

I thought it would be easy to become your consort.

I did not know you would betray me...

and give all the glory to Consort Yeong.

You were always my means.

But my means ruined my purpose.

All there is left to do is revenge.

Just as you know me,

I know you as well.

Hearing your harsh words towards me,

it seems you were already ready to die when you came.

But you know what?

So many memories of my past disappeared.

There are not many memories left.

However, I remember this.

The sincerity you gave to me.

And the shame I felt...

for using your affection only to abandon you.

It was because I was a king.

I thought a king could do that.

Sitting on the throne for many decades,

I made countless decisions.

But I have never made a shameful judgement.

You are the first.

Go faraway.

Go and live a comfortable life.

No matter what kind of crime you committed,

I do not want to see you die in front of me.

Leave.

Do you still have the intelligence to have mercy on me?

Will your subjects even listen to you?

You are just an old man who is ill and has dementia.

But you sure still have a talent for showing off.

You are showing me mercy only now?

You were merciless when I was waiting for you so desperately.

I stayed up on countless nights, waiting for you.

Just in case you visit me, remembering the old promise.

The morning always came.

And every time, I realized.

That how foolish it is for a court lady to love a king.

You always took and never gave.

Can you give it to me just once?

Give you what?

I am not sure.

What would it be?

Genuine tears?

Stop!

In fact, there are many ways to die in a palace.

Look. I have one as well.

No. Do not do that!

I became too clever to believe a king's promise.

I am too tired...

to trust your sincerity.

Stop!

No!

I told you I would spare you life.

I, the King, said so.

Did you resent me that much?

Is that why you held a grudge?

How...

How can a woman be so spiteful?

Why are you so heartless?

Your Highness, I am begging you.

I will die instead.

Please save my mother.

I do not need to kill you.

If she dissolves the adoption,

you are no longer her adopted son.

Although you will become a commoner again, you can survive.

Once she became my mother, she will always be my mother.

I want to die as her son.

Please allow me to do so.

Do you think I will do you a favour?

Long time ago,

you begged His Majesty.

That you will die for your father...

so that he can live.

You could not fulfill your wish,

but I dare to dream of fulfilling mine.

Please grant my request.

How did it go? Did you meet the Crown Prince?

What did he say? He resents me, does he not?

Did he say he would never forgive me?

Do not worry, Mother.

He promised not to take your life away.

I guess Father told him to do so.

It is a relief.

I should hurry and visit Father.

Just for a moment,

can you listen to my story?

When I became your son,

everyone was jealous of me.

Because a lowly commoner became a grandson of the King overnight.

It is because noble families did not want to give their sons to me.

After searching for a long time, I adopted a son of a fisherman.

I was very upset.

But it does not mean I did not like you.

You look...

a bit like my late husband.

If I had a son,

he would resemble you.

That word is...

enough for me.

Why are you bowing all of a sudden?

Are you leaving somewhere far away?

When...

When I became your son,

I was delighted.

It was not because you were a princess.

I lost my biological mother as soon as I was born.

Never even once,

I got to call...

anyone my mother.

When I called you Mother...

for the first time,

my joy was beyond you can imagine.

I will not forget about your kindness...

of becoming my mother even after I die.

Son. My son, where are you going?

Come back. I will protect you.

I am the King's daughter.

No one can dare harm me.

So come back here.

Your mother will protect you. Come back.

Son, do not go. I will protect you.

Do not go. No...

It is fine.

Just help me up.

Good.

Leave me...

alone with him.

Leave the room.

For the last time,

I have some things...

to tell you.

The first thing is...

my word as the King.

From now on,

you will have to...

kill countless people.

Whether you want it or not,

you will have to take lives away.

Do what you must do.

That is the fate...

you have to bear with.

The other thing is...

my word as your grandfather.

Forgive me,

my grandson.

I did wrong,

but at all times,

I did the best I could.

So now,

please forgive me.

San.

Now,

you are...

the King of Joseon.

You saw it, right?

I have...

kept my promise, you brat.

Right?

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty?

Grandfather.

Grandfather.

How can you leave just like this?

You have given me...

so much pain.

You took my father away from me.

You took my grandmother away from me.

Everything was because of you.

Everything was...

your fault.

I can never forgive you.

I can never!

Grandfather.

Please come back.

I am...

too scared and frightened...

to even breathe.

Please come back.

Come back.

Grandfather.

The King has passed away.

From now on, we belong to the King's Palace.

As the King's court maids,

we must not make any kind of mistakes, understood?

- Yes, my lady. - Yes, my lady.

Now let us get ready to leave for the King's Palace.

- Yes, my lady. - Yes, my lady.

Be careful.

(Classic of Poetry)

"I will go back, holding hands with my loved one."

Do you even know what it means?

You are mean even when I am being nice.

I can see everything.

Keep reading.

I want to hear your voice.

We made it together for Court Lady Park.

She should wear new clothes when she leaves.

Let us burn it together in front of her grave.

She seemed she was in peace when she left.

She must have gone to a good place.

Yes.

Thank you, everyone.

Last night, I went on an errand to Budeok Gate,

and I saw the head lady leaving.

She was wrapped in a straw mat.

That is the end...

of Head Lady Cho who led 700 court ladies.

Do you all remember...

how Royal Noble Consort Yeong left?

Both Head Lady Cho and Royal Noble Consort Yeong...

were all court ladies.

But they faced a very different end.

Royal Noble Consort Yeong must not have been happy.

That is what Court Lady Park said.

Royal Noble Consort Yeong always blamed herself...

for killing her own son.

What should a court lady do to live a satisfactory life?

By living the way she wants.

No matter what others think,

as long as you could live the way you want,

you will be happy.

How do you want to live your life?

I just want to...

share joy...

and sorrow...

with you like now.

I want to live in peace.

I do not want change.

I want everything to stay this way.

Not everything can be the same.

No. In fact, it is starting to change already.

We are court ladies who have to serve the King...

for all our lives.

But the King has changed.

Now, everything will change.

The King is responsible for everything.

Until now, when things went wrong,

I just had to prostrate here and blame you.

The world was...

that easy and simple.

Is the prince who died in 1762 your father?

Crown Prince Jangjo who died as a criminal.

If he is your father,

you must live your whole life as the son of a criminal.

San.

If I lose you, I will not be able to carry on.

Look at you.

You brat.

San, you can be different.

You can change. Wake up!

One day,

you will sit there...

and fully understand me.

Now my sky has crumbled and disappeared.

I have become the new sky.

It is breathtakingly...

scary and fearful.

I will never...

hide or run away.

From now on, everything...

is my responsibility.

- Have a look. - Come and buy one.

- This is a good one. - Look.

- Here. - How much is it?

Have a look at this.

It is a nice one.

- Oh, my. - Come.

Shall we get something for Bok Yeon?

Yes.

Wait. Let me choose.

This one.

- Of all things... - I know.

Two bowls of gukbap please.

Just a moment.

Are we really supposed to meet Bok Yeon here?

- Yes. - Is she running late a little?

A bowl of gukbap here.

All right. Welcome.

Have a seat and wait a little.

Bok Yeon.

Bok Yeon.

You came. How have you been?

Great.

Have you been working here since you left the palace?

Yes. The owner of this tavern is my aunt.

She pays me a lot. I like it.

You must be hungry.

Give me a moment. Do you want gukbap?

Sure, we like gukbap.

Okay. Just a moment.

When will you serve our two bowls of gukbap?

Just a moment please.

- Why so late? - It is coming right away.

- A bottle of wine please. - Got it.

Coming.

- Coming where? - Look at the kimchi.

I want to drink so much.

That is why you always end up doing it.

Did you wait for a long time?

- We will have a plate of meat too. - A plate of meat.

Thank you. I would like a bottle of rice wine too.

I have been waiting forever. Give me the food already.

Just give me a moment.

Just wait a little.

What is she?

She is scary.

- Hurry up. - All right.

Here.

It is chewy.

You have not changed at all.

And why did you change so much?

Look at you.

Once a court maid, always a court maid.

Even if you were forced to leave, you are a court maid.

How can you work at a place like this?

- I am leaving. - Where are you going?

I have missed you so much.

I do not want to see you right now.

There she goes again.

Eat.

Yes, let us eat.

It is delicious.

Right?

Eat a lot.

Lady Sung.

Master Kang, tell His Majesty I will serve medicinal decoction.

Come on. You are none other than Lady Sung.

I do not need to tell him.

Hurry and go inside before it cools.

Each party has its own definition of loyalty...

and they exclude anyone who does not meet their standards.

No.

They think the King is the head of their faction.

They are dying to drag me into everything.

It became unbearable.

Each faction looking after their own interest...

is rather a triviality.

They exclude anyone who voices his opinion...

that is different from theirs only by an inch.

The Three Bureaus cannot function...

and officials can no longer state their opinions to you as a result.

You must think through this.

The late King dedicated his life to it,

but his policy of impartiality failed.

The late King appointed officials from each faction for impartiality.

When he appointed someone from Noron as Chief State Councillor,

he appointed someone from Soron as Second State Councillor.

His talent or competence did not matter.

A balance in the number of officials from each fraction mattered only.

However, it is not true impartiality.

Your Majesty, a court maid came with medicinal decoction.

I am not saying we should remove

the harmful influence of fractions overnight.

But we should stop them from interrupting...

the channel of communication to me quickly.

Every voice in the world must reach the King.

There should not be anything I cannot hear and know.

Your Majesty, the decoction will become cold.

Why do you keep bothering me?

Since when have you been standing there?

I have been here...

for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Put it down here quickly and go.

Your Majesty, I should watch you drink the medicine.

I said put it down and leave.

Yes, Your Majesty.

The decoction is cold now.

My apologies. I will warm it over.

No, it is because...

I made you wait for a long time again today.

It is not intentional.

I will give you a sweetened ginger slice.

Hold on.

I have something to say.

The three-year mourning period for the late King ended.

Urgent matters I had to handle...

after I had ascended to the throne are wrapped up.

You probably know what I am going to say.

I want to keep you by my side.

Not as a court maid,

but as a woman.

What I am saying right now...

is that I want you to be my consort.

I will give you a few days.

Give it some thought.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Duk Im.

I want to make...

a family with you.

(Special thanks to Do Sang Woo for his guest appearance)