Original subtitles

Proceed with the execution!

Forgive me...

... for being unable 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.

November 26, 1418 Deputy Minister of Defense Gang Sangin - executed

Will you not regret turning your back on Gang Sangin?

Send this to the King and tell him to proceed immediately.

My signature?

Eminence the former King has ordered Shim On arrested at the border.

Your signature is required to put the order in force.

Please rescind the order.

Just call him in quietly and take away his title.

Don't take away his life.

It's too late, my Queen.

Of all things to hand down to your son...

Do you want him to break his wife's heart as you did mine?

Your signature, Your Majesty.

Criminal of high treason must quickly be brought to justice.

Minister Park.

How could you...

Do not defend the criminal of high treason.

Or His Majesty will have another order he must approve.

Isn't that right?

If you continue to pressure the King, I will...

Stop.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Did you sign it?

Of course not.

You know my father's devotion and loyalty to you.

He doesn't bear an ounce of treasonous intent.

You... signed.

You signed it, Your Majesty.

Take her back to her chambers.

No. I will not go back.

This palace is not my home anymore.

My Queen...

Depose me.

Make me a commoner and remove my name from the registry of royals forever.

The seat of the Queen was never mine to begin with.

I am not Queen material, so depose me with your own hands.

And leave my father alone.

If I am not the Queen,

my father would not be the King's father-in-law.

And there would be no reason to set him up and kill him. So please...

Spare my father's life.

Take the Queen back to her chambers at once.

Now!

Remove the seed of future evil?

To protect yourself.

Do you think the queen can hurt me?

The next King is being raised in her hands.

There is no guarantee that she will not raise him to be vengeful.

I'm merely obeying an order.

And the King has authorized it, so blood will be on his hands as well.

But...

You will be the one who actually swung the sword as the King's agent.

It won't be easy for the prince to challenge his father and grandfather,

but it is a son's duty to give his mother retribution.

Who do you think he will choose to take it out on?

Are you suggesting that, I depose the Queen?

First you'll need justifiable cause.

Justifiable cause...

What will happen to the Prime Minister when he returns?

Is there a way to save him?

If there were... His Majesty would not have signed the order.

Then we can't be idle.

We must find a way to save him.

Send me to Ming.

Liaodong

We're miles from the next city.

We will have to pitch a tent for the night.

What's bothering you?

We got the investiture decree and the books we came for.

You should be happy.

Is it because of the Yongle Encyclopedia?

How did you...

I heard your request to for a perusal was rejected.

Yongle Encyclopedia is the largest general encyclopedia that over two

thousand scholars have worked on since the first year of the emperor's reign.

From astronomy, geology, history, poltics, medicine to religion,

it practically covers ever subject there is to know.

Are you envious?

More so than their vast land and abundant riches.

And I envy you.

Prime Minister.

My generation... We watched the country fall.

We watched law and order crumble and chaos take over.

Are you talking about the last years of Goryeo?

Confusion continued well after Joseon was founded.

That's why the former King put blood on his hands to realize his dream of

creating a strong nation,

and that dream belonged to all of us in my generation.

But the new generation,

the new King and you young lads have a different dream.

Your dream goes beyond securing national strength into creating culturally rich nation.

Isn't that why His Majesty established the Hall of Worthies?

Sir...

I would gladly give myself for that dream.

Who is to say the Hall of Worthies can't compile an encyclopedia,

greater than the Youngle Encyclopedia?

You made be feel a lot better.

Then why don't you help us set up camp now?

I think that's where your service is needed most right now.

I've been sent by the Imperial Eunuch.

You will join us to Joseon?

Is this to deliver the investiture decree personally?

No, it's about a different matter.

Still not ready to share the technology with us?

A renowned Hanlin scholar has disappeared?

If he disappeared at sea,

I guess there is a good chance he was abducted by Japanese pirates.

Since Joseon is planning a conquest

the Emperor has ordered a joint rescue.

Arrest Shim On in Uiju?

The Royal Inspector's Office, the Censorate and the Minister of Rites

are to collaborate and bring him in quietly.

Hall of Worthies

If they're after the Prime Minister this time, am I next?

What do you mean?

The Hall of Worthies is the new King's biggest source of support.

That means I am his close aide and core of influence, too

The former King has to be very wary of me.

Core of influence is holding the book upside down?

Huh?

What is the Prime Minister's crime?

Giving you undying loyalty?

Sparing no efforts to serve the country?

Who will be next?

Who will die next for giving you his loyalty?

I've been ordered to arrest the Prime Minister!

Your Majesty, you must stop hiding behind the books!

No reaction at all?

I'm impressed.

The guards have left the city to arrest the Prime Minister.

Lady Ann must be anguished to say the least.

I am told she has taken ill.

Pay her a visit.

She may not be happy, but it is the only decent thing to do.

Yes, Your Highness.

I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this.

Take care of yourself.

Don't worry.

Mother, what brings you at this hour?

Where is Yi Sun?

Did you send her to your father?

Please close your eyes to this, Mother.

I will accept any consequences, so...

How could you be so foolish?

This will give me a justifiable cause to depose the Queen.

Go to the Minister of Rites at once.

She must be captured before she crosses the border!

You must attend to this discreetly.

Send your men and bring Yi Sun back to the palace.

If the ministers find out about this, you wont just lose your father-in-law.

You could lose your wife as well.

What will happen if the Prime Minister doesn't come back?

I could lose the Queen and many more or my men as well.

Then perhaps I should go to Uiju and...

No.

But Your Majesty...

Uiju City Hall

The Queen's servant is sneaking out of the country?

Circulate the sketch and alert the border guards!

Yes, sir!

Stop!

Stop!

What do you want?

Aren't you Joseonese?

My baby... Oh, my baby...!

Why are you harassing this woman?

Are you discriminating against Chinese?

Lost her?

You let the girl slip away?

She was in disguise...

Then did you expect her to cross the border in a court lady's uniform?

What now?

What if Shim On decides to defect?

Defect? Never.

Well get him even if we have to cross the border.

We can't just cross the border with the troops.

It will look like military aggression to the Chinese.

You talk as if you're happy about that.

We must stop him from defecting at all cost.

The King's investiture decree is in Shim On's possession.

If he requests political asylum, the Emperor might annul the investiture.

Is that what you want?

You must protect yourself.

They're waiting at the border to arrest you.

Please don't ignore the Queen's devotion to you, my lord.

I will find a place for you to hide, so...

That's absurd!

He will choose death before he has to live the rest of his life as a fugitive!

My man!

Come!

Now!

Sir...

If you wish to seek refuge, I will turn a blind eye.

Accept the Prime Minister's request for asylum.

Tell him.

Sir...

Interpret every word I say.

I'm offering Ming an opportunity to gain an extraordinary scholar.

Joseon is unworthy of him, so I'm giving our sister state Ming a chance.

He is as brilliant as any Hanlin scholar you have, so please accept him.

I will discuss it with the Emperor.

What is the meaning of this?

I apologize for his rash behavior and ask that you ignore his request.

Come with me.

Sir...

Do you want to humiliate us in front of a Ming envoy?

Disobey me and I will have you punished according to the law!

Prime Minister!

Prime Minister!

Seek political asylum, sir.

This is wrong. This is political conspiracy!

Stand up to them and resist politically. Otherwise this will never end.

Go back to your quarters.

If you must abdicate your throne,

turn control of military affairs over to the new King as well.

No man will give absolute loyalty to a King

who has his father looming over his shoulders.

Including yourself?

You must allow him to lead the country his own way.

And what way is that?

That naive and unrealistic way where everyone is loved and forgiven including

those who conspire to commit high treason?

Would you rather he continued the violent, merciless rule where the

sword is the only thing that can maintain the regime?

Did it enrage you?

Did you take this old mans concern for his son-in-law to be a royal subject's insolence?

What do we do if he doesn't cross the border by the end of the day?

We will assume the risk and cross the border to capture him.

Get ready to go home.

Prime Minister, why?

Who says bad laws can be broken?

I am the Prime Minister of this state.

That means I had a part in writing bad laws.

But...

Don't you know that this political purging will not stop if I don't return?

Help me. Don't resist me.

I came to Ming as Prime Minister and ambassador of Joseon, and

I have yet to deliver the investiture decree to the King.

Can't you help me finish the assignment that could possibly be my last?

I have a difficult request.

Would you delay your entry to Joseon for another day?

We would like to cross the border into Joseon first.

Does your country's honor come before your own safety?

You are a faithful servant of Joseon no matter what they say about you.

What are you waiting for? Arrest the criminal of high treason!

Sir, you must be wary from the trip. Let us take you from here

Thank you.

Attendant of Queen's Hall Yi Sun?

Sir...!

Why would the Queen take this kind of risk?

What are you waiting for? Arrest her!

Let go of me!

Get his confession and wrap it up quickly.

Thank you.

Minister is back. Perhaps you'd like to see him...

I want your word that the purging will end with me.

Then I will acknowledge everything and accept punishment.

Whether you acknowledge or not makes no difference.

Your guilt has already been confirmed by Gang Sangin before his execution.

I will not tolerate further purging. Let it end with me.

I'm afraid I can't.

The one who attempted to protect the criminal of high treason

must be punished as well.

You're not...

You should've taught your daughter better.

Depose the Queen?

Your Highness, I am certain you know why this girl is here

and as well why we must now seek your deposal.

Your Majesty, the queen cannot dispatch her personal attendant

to aid an escape of a criminal of high treason.

No one is above the law!

Protecting high treason is high treason itself.

The queen must be deposed.

- The Queen must be deposed! - The Queen must be deposed!

You must make your decision, Your Majesty.

The Queen must be deposed!

You must protect the regime!

Show the sternness of the law!

Give us your order!