Original subtitles

Discreetly investigate Prime Minister Shim on.

Your Eminence!

Twenty years of political career...

No one is clean if you dig deep enough.

I'll give you three months.

Capture the pirates that raided our land and send them to Joseon.

If you fail, I will personally slay the lord of Tsushima!

The King of Joseon has declared war against us.

Joseon sees us as nothing more than a mob of pirates.

Let us not tolerate this humiliation.

We cannot betray our brother to protect Tsushima.

Let us unite!

Unite!

Let us come together and show them out strength!

My father has declared a war, but I don't want to keep our

options open about possibility of diplomatic resolution.

I will infiltrate Tsushima and collect the information we need.

They've been threatened of war.

Enmity for Joseonese will be at its peak. This may not be safe for you.

I know, Your Majesty.

The throne makes a man turn cruel.

A cherished retainer wants to enter what could very well be a tiger's den,

but I cannot say don't go...

The former King and the ministers

will become suspicious if I am gone for any length of time.

Arrangements must be made.

I am deploying special assessors to each of the eight provinces of Joseon.

It is to appease public distress caused by continuing shortage of food.

The spies that were in training have suddenly been cleared out.

What bothers me is that Royal Secretary

Yun Hwe has been assigned to Donglae as a special assessor.

Donglae, Gyeongsang Province

What are you doing here?

You know that I've been assigned here as a special assessor.

Do all special assessors take trained spies in his entourage?

Take him to the city hall.

We must identify all naval bases in Joseon...

So that we can destroy their ships and prevent their attack.

Pyoung Dojeon's son Pyoung Mahngo

has joined our cause, so he will be sending

valuable information to us very soon.

Donglae, Gyeongsang Province

The ship?

It's hidden further away to avoid being spotted.

Who goes there?

Donglae City Hall

Go back to the capital city.

I can't do that.

Secretary Yun!

There's trouble!

Japanese Village, Donglae

Search the premises! Over there!

Who are they?

They are residents here at the Japanese Village.

What is it?

Are you sure Tsushima is interior to us?

This information could not have come from a common soldier.

That means they have men working for them in high places.

If they're capable of conceiving such sophisticated espionage,

we're not dealing with crude pirates.

The former King and the Department of War knows nothing about the enemy.

They're relying solely on flimsy experience of an aborted conquest

attempt by Park Wui thirty years ago

and focusing only on developing guns and training soldiers.

Do you still want to stop the King from sending me to Tsushima?

Then do you intend to proceed with your mission to Tsushima?

It's too late now.

We have a bigger problem to deal with.

Are you going to report to the former King about the spies in the Japanese Village?

But of course.

Then I guess Donglae Japanese Village will be wiped out from our map.

What do you mean?

It's the former King's forte to burn the house down to get rid of a mouse.

He will kill everyone that has

a drop of Japanese blood in them whether they are spies or not.

You really should watch your tongue.

Will that change anything?

He slaughtered everyone

with surnames Jeon and Ok to purge Royal descendents of Wang.

Then what is the solution?

That's my question.

I'm so frustrated I feel like my head is going to burst!

General Gang.

What would you do as a warrior of Joseon?

Is it you?

I don't understand...

Are you the one that tried to sell off classified information to Tsushima?

On what grounds are you making this accusation?

On the grounds that there is no one else.

You're the only one with access to such detailed military information

other than the top leaders!

Bring me proof.

What?

Don't barge into an innocent man's house and harass him at the break

of dawn unless you have proof!

Do you wish to die? Will you tell the truth then?

Sir, you must put the sword down.

Stay out of this!

There's a smart man.

I may be Japanese but I'm a First Deputy Commander.

More importantly, I'm an adviser of this conquest by the order of the former King.

Do you really think you can kill me and get away with it?

Sir!

Remember. You're a dead man once I find proof.

Sit up straight.

I don't want to.

Speak Joseonese.

Answer me. Why did you do it?

Gambling debt...

Don't you hear me? I said speak Joseonese!

You're not Japanese anymore. You're Joseonese!

Who says? Who says I'm Joseonese?

You?

You're not Joseonese either!

What good is a tiled-roof house and silk clothes?

The moment something like this happens, you're the first one to be accused.

You are not Joseonese!

Mouko...

You can't live by that name anymore no matter how hard you try.

You can't live as Japanese... because I am a traitor...

I betrayed my country, endured great pains...

and finally settled down here as Joseonese.

I can't be a traitor again.

I'm...

I m too old for that now.

Do you think I should support the conquest?

Are you afraid to defy your father?

No, it's because I trust your judgment.

You're a leader of the military.

When will you stop acting like my footservant?

Sangin.

Yes, Your Majesty.

It's reassuring to have you in the Ministry of Military.

I do need someone who will be my hands and feet.

Is this true?

I tried to get here first, but I could not catch up to a warrior's horse...

Where is Gang Sangin? Did he already report to the former King?

You asked me for my opinion.

This is my answer.

These are ivory tablet and plum tablet.

They are symbols of authority used when issuing military orders,

so it belongs in the former King's hall.

Then...

I would like you, Your Majesty, to give me this order.

Those who live in the Japanese Village in Donglae...

they've lived in Joseon anywhere between three to thirty years.

Many of them have married Joseonese and had children here.

So it's fit to say that they're Joseonese even if they were born elsewhere.

The spies must be captured at all cost, but I don't want innocent people to die.

This is my decision as a warrior.

Gang Sangin, you are under arrest for high treason!

High treason?

He blatantly defied the former King's order!

Soldiers have principles to follow before he forms his own opinion.

Obedience to superiors.

Remember.

Military affairs are former King's affair.

Only the former King can issue military orders.

- Take him. - Yes, sir!

Sangin, that bastard...!

Why? How could he?

Royal Attendant.

Yes, Your Eminence.

Untie him.

Untie him and send everyone away.

Pick up the sword.

Pick up the sword and aim it at the enemy.

Your Eminence...

Aim it at my enemy.

You have been the sword protected me

from my enemy for the past thirty years.

From the day I helped my father found this state to today, my sword has not been dry.

If I had to choose one man who put more blood on his sword I put on mine,

it would be you.

You eagerly went after my enemy before I had to ask,

and you stayed behind on the battlefield even after I was safely out of danger

making sure no one will come after me.

Your Eminence...

You're not the one.

You would never betray me. You don't have it in you to betray me.

So pick up that sword.

Pick up that sword and strike the man that dare ordered you to betray me!

I will not use this sword anymore.

Sangin!

I was not acting under anyone's orders.

I took the symbol of authority to the new King of my own accord, so...

Stop.

So if my action enrages you, this time you must strike me.

Why? What's the reason?

Why have you become defiant toward me as well?

Must I live my whole life as your footservant?

Do you wish to die?

Death would be a better option.

I want to live as a faithful servant of Joseon, not as your footservant.

Does that make you so angry?

You lost your last chance.

Father...

Go back to your chambers.

But...

Leave!

This is not an order from the former King to the new King

but an order from a father to a son.

So do not disobey me!

I don't know what to say...

Gim Byun was your most cherished subordinate.

His death must be hard for you to deal with...

The safety of the royal house comes before my feelings, Your Majesty.

And...

Don't get yourself killed like Gim Byun.

I will remember this at all time, Your Majesty.

Is Sangin the last one?

Your Majesty...

I've lost everything.

I have nothing more to lose...

so now I have nothing to fear.

Do you know why I called you?

Royal Attendant.

Your Eminence, this is...

Can you do it?

Isn't this the kind of work you do best?

You can tell Royal Inspector Yu Jeonghyun as well.

He can stop his investigation on Prime Minister Shim On.

Must you... go this route?

Should I have your head first?

Your Eminence...!

Your crime is treason.

You may have chosen the new King yourselves,

but that does not mean you can control him.

From men like Shim On who will go to extreme to win the King's grace to ride

his coattails, to men like you who dare think they can dominate the King,

they are all King's enemy.

The choice is yours.

Will you be the prosecutor who wraps up this important work,

or will you accept punishment of death?

Go to the tribunal.

One more thing.

Pick a dupe that will go down with him.

Gang Sangin will not break easily.

Minister of Defense Park Seup, you are under arrest!

My lord! My lord!

Proceed with the torture!

Royal Inspector 's Office

Your Majesty, there's an order to the method of torture.

Thirty to ninety floggings,

and if they don't confess, twisting of the legs.

Pressing of the knees doesn't come until after that.

Why the pressing of the knees first?

What is the former King trying to gain through this brutal torture?

All of these orders came from Shim On.

Prime Minister Shim On, the new King's father-in-law, is at the center of this plot

to seize the right of military control from the former King.

Isn't he?

Is this what this is all about?

"Begin your reign with a purge." "Learn to kill your subordinates first."

Is that it?

Will you... Will you spare my life?

It's all true.

Shim On is behind it all.

Minister Park!

One of the accused has confessed. Report this to the former King.

Isn't there any way to stop him?

Your Grace...

Why is this happening to us?

Your Grace...

Don't worry, Mother.

Father will be all right.

Your Grace...

Ming China

Thank you very much, venerable sir.

I will never forget your great help in acquiring the investiture decree.

The Emperor his merely accepted the

King that Heaven has chosen for Joseon.

I heard you became Prime Minister.

You'll be quite busy when you get back.

The new King has always been

diligent and fond of learning,

so I can imagine how assiduous he would be on state affairs.

I just hope that I don't get in the way somehow.

Have a safe trip back home.

I guess we just have to find those books now.

I'm off to the marketplace.

Don't forget what Secretary Yun said about not getting lost.

Shim On is the leader. Isn't that right?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Are you going to be the former King's puppet forever?

I... have to go.

This happened because of me.

Do you think you can undo this if you go?

I have to try. There's got to be something I can do.

Go back home.

No, I can't.

I can't... I can't let him die like this.

I'm going to the tribunal.

What do you think you can do at the tribunal?

Render Gang Sangin's conviction meaningless and die with him?

Your Majesty...

Gang Sangin has wagered his life because he found something he wants to protect.

Those who planted their roots on this soil and established their lives here

are Joseonese even if they have Japanese blood, and their lives must be protected.

That's the conviction he has decided to die for.

And you're trying to render that meaningless.

But he has become a target.

If Gang Sangin should die because of this...

and if Heaven forbid Prime Minister should...

It is my duty to protect my subjects, Secretary Yun.

Your Majesty...

Royal Secretary Yun Hwe...

You are to return to your home and practice prudence and restraint.

It is an order as your King.

If you attempt to defy the order, be prepared to be punished by death.

Your Majesty.

My father would never do this.

Never... He would never... So please...

Protect him, Your Majesty.

Please tell me you can protect him.

Are you here to change my mind?

I want to protect my servant.

Do you think you can break me?

Is there a way?

If there is, I'd like to request your teaching, Father.

Only a strong leader can protect his men.

And to be a strong leader...

You must teach your men absolute loyalty with an iron hand.

That is your lesson, my King.

What if I can not appreciate the lesson and reject it? What then?

Then more...

... of your men will be lost.

Confess!

Just me...

Won't you end this with me alone?

Don't take anymore faithful men from the King...

Wake up! Wake up!

Get his fingerprint stamp.

Yes, sir!

Bastard...

Forgive me for not being able to serve you for a longer time, Your Majesty.

Your loyalty will always be treasured in my heart.

Deputy Minister of Defense Gang Sangin, you are my faithful servant.