Original subtitles

This report alleges that Hwang Hee not only abused his authority to kidnap

Park Poe's wife but also kept her confined in an underground cave

and violated her repeatedly.

Are these allegations true?

Answer the question, sir, please.

Your silence could only be construed as admission.

I knew we had a problem, but I had no idea about the extent of his crime!

What is to happen to Lord Hwang now, Your Majesty?

If the allegations are true, I will have to give him up.

You thoroughly covered up your crime and continued your political

career as usual for years thereafter.

And had it not come out now, you would have continued still with no remorse.

Is that right?

Yes, I think you're right.

How dare you speak of continuing your career!

He is insane!

I can't believe my ears.

Shouldn't you be showing us a little remorse?

We don't need this review! Just get him out of here right now!

- Get him out! - We're wasting our time!

- He doesn't deserve to be here! - Get him out!

Please, settle down!

I guess it's time to exercise our veto rights.

Not so fast.

I can't let you veto Councilor Hwang's appointment.

A junior official of your position has no say so in this.

Tell them the truth.

Facts don't always reflect the truth.

The truth?

I don't think I will.

Defend yourself! Reveal the truth.

The truth? What is the truth?

Why don't you keep your personal emotions out of this?

I'm not the one who made this personal.

What do you mean?

The man who exposed his rival's personal weakness

to try to stop him from reentering government service,

he is the one that turned this into a personal match.

You, too, Councilor.

Why won't you reveal the truth?

You're trying to ruin something vastly important over personal feelings.

That's enough.

I don't think so.

This government, no this country,

needs you too much for me to stop now and give you up.

What have you done?

Send her in.

A female in the Conference Hall? Are you out of your mind?

Who is this woman?

I am Park Poe's wife.

My lord...

Why are you trying to destroy your life over me?

What did I say to you?

We should have revealed the truth back then immediately after it was over.

Do you care to explain?

My lords, you are throwing stones

at a man for saving a woman's life from the hands of a beast.

You got personally involved in locating Park Poe's wife?

Why won't you answer me?

Is it true that you helped them locate the woman?

It's true.

The King has no right to interfere with this review. Don't you know that?

I received no orders from the King to locate Park Poe's wife.

Scholar Choi Manli is the one that requested my help.

You're my closest assistant.

You knew what finding Park Poe's wife would do to the outcome of this review.

What makes you think I would know such a thing?

Royal Attendant.

I only remember what you ask me to remember,

and I only ponder on thing that you require my opinion.

I guess we don't get fed for nothing in this palace, both you and I...

I hope your effort is not in vain.

I was forced to live under my husband's violent abuse from the day I was wedded.

Reason was that I had another man in my heart.

May I ask who that man was?

Was it Lord Hwang Hee?

It could be, and it could also be every man in the world.

I was beaten for giving donations to monks...

If I did as much as set foot outside the front door,

I would be accused of making a pass at men and be beaten.

Then he ordered one of his servants to break into my room, and...

Stop. That's enough.

You don't have to do this!

Then he accused me of getting it on with a servant and

beat me until I couldn't breathe.

I lived like a dog dominated by a monster, but I didn't want to die.

So one day I just ran with nothing else but survival on my mind.

And like a miracle, Lord Hwang was there.

So did you live in Lord Hwang's house thereafter?

He dug up an underground room and let me hide there

because my husband had found me and kept harassing me day and night.

That's when your husband must have filed this report.

Then the facts are far from what this report claims-that Lord Hwang

kidnapped you and violated you.

That's correct.

Then why did Lord Hwang admit to this crime?

What was he admitting to?

Lord Hwang is a very sympathetic man.

Are you saying that he did sleep with you?

I'm the one who wanted him.

"We were once betrothed. Do I disgust you now that I'm unchaste?"

I clung to him and appealed to his sympathy.

Then why was this covered up?

I believe Lord Hwang asked it to be covered up.

Bottom line is he covered this whole thing up to protect his image.

I'm sure he didn't want to lose his job either.

No, it wasn't like that!

His Majesty...

His Majesty?

Are you referring to the departed King Taejong?

You met with him?

What did he say to you?

That no one will know about this, and that I can go on with my life without fear...

So this is the recap.

If this had gotten out, exaggerated rumors would've ruined this woman's life

forcing her to bear a stigma of adultery because like us in this room,

people are more interested in juicy scandals than in the truth.

The late King Taejong and Lord Hwang were trying to protect this woman's

human rights from that stigma and prejudice.

Now I ask the ministers who holds the power to veto Lord Hwang's appointment.

What would you have done if you were in Lord Hwang's shoes?

I think a brief adjournment is due.

What do you think, Prime Minister?

Couldn't you have discussed this with us first?

How could you think to pull something off as big as this by yourselves?

We had a witness reveal the truth. This is all going to work out, sir.

How I wish everyone was like you.

Sir...

If only those seasoned politicians were as simpleminded as you are...

Foolish woman.

Why did you come here?

I had to come.

Like you...

Like you did for me many years ago.

Do you think I'd appreciate this?

You haven't changed a bit.

How have you been?

Do you regret it?

If you hadn't helped me then...

You can come to me again. Come to me anytime you need help.

Take good care.

How do you think this will end?

You're asking the man on review, Your Majesty.

I still think you can predict the outcome better than anyone can.

The truth is a bit different from the allegations but that won't stop

them from exercising the veto rights.

I did indeed sleep with another man's wife.

Do you still believe I should not wield the royal prerogative to protect you?

It's easy to sacrifice your principles, but it is very difficult to reestablish them.

Why did you call me out of a meeting?

Was it you, sir?

What are these?

This scroll doesn't belong in the stock room.

As you can see, the number is out of sequence.

Why?

Because King Taejong ordered is destroyed.

So?

So how did it mysterious appear out of nowhere?

Cut to the chase. I told you I was in a meeting.

At the time you were an official in the Office of Royal Secretariat.

And?

You kept this report yourself all these years and used it against Lord Hwang.

Do you have proof?

How do you know if the late King really ordered it destroyed or if

a clerk in the Office of Royal Secretariat accidentally forgot it?

The late King wanted this buried.

That's just a testimony of an unchaste wench.

To prove that you will need the late King's testimony.

It's too bad. Dead men tell no tales.

How could you stoop this low?

Perhaps you should reflect on your lack of grace first.

Stay out of my way.

You're no match for me no matter how hard you try.

Let us now vote for motion to veto.

Like Jeong Inji said, moral integrity is not virtue but our duty.

Let is make our decision.

Before we decide, I think we should hear what Hwang Hee might have to say.

That's a waste of time.

If the purpose of this review is to ensure fair and uncorrupted

appointments of officials and not to eliminate political rivals,

I don't think prudence will hurt.

You must give testimony that will help you.

Even Choi Yun Deok and Yi Chun will not be easily convinced

although they are on the King's side.

Your own testimony is the only thing that can save you now.

The ministers of the Supreme Council and the Six Ministries feel it is necessary

to take your own testimony into account before decision is made whether or

not to exercise our veto power.

I remind you that you still have the right to refuse both this deposition

and this review and resign from your post of your own accord.

A short while ago, I sent off a woman who came here risking great pain

and humiliation to testify for me.

She asked me if I have any regrets.

I sent her off without answering her question but I have very deep regrets.

If I had been more of a man, if I had been stronger or manlier,

I might have been able to save a woman I once loved from

treacherous pain a little sooner.

Not helping her sooner is my only regret.

If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't do anything differently.

But I am remorseful.

Because saving a woman from a violent relationship

and sleeping with her is a completely separate matter.

Perhaps she was an easy mark for me as well.

She was already a trampled and abused woman,

so perhaps it was easy for me to say it's okay to enjoy her one night.

As a government official, I find myself thinking that

I might have held the same notion about the public as well.

I preached not to turn a blind eye on public suffering...

And I barked that we are here to serve the people.

But perhaps I was content with mere pretence of benevolence

and neglected to resolve the problem at the source.

And when it came time to rule them and suppress them,

I may have looked down on the people and had my way with them

the same way I had my way with a young woman many years ago.

I don't know what Heaven has in store for me in the future.

But if I could start over, I would change.

At last I hope to be a true public servant that genuinely serves the

people with right ideas and right policies.

Are they still deliberating?

The ministers are gathering their last thoughts.

It's time to make a decision.

That was a poignant speech, but I must point out that nothing has changed.

I trust all of you agree with me.

I don't.

We can't execute this veto.

Control yourself, Minister Huh.

Just be quiet and listen.

If we send Hwang Hee home for moral depravity,

we all have to pack up and go home.

Adultery isn't the only crime of immorality.

Exploiting a rival's past mistake to get rid of him isn't exactly a model

behavior for a politician either.

Don't you agree, Minister Jo?

Do I have to tell you how dangerous Hwang Hee is?

That's for us to deal with at the Conference Hall.

The King and the young officials treat us like old geezers because you're all

worked up when we don't even have a problem yet.

He might be dangerous and he might have made mistakes,

but I still think we need Hwang Hee.

What's this?

It's the proposal for personnel change Hwang was working on.

It must've pleased you quite a bit.

Quite the contrary. It's terrible.

There're holes all over the place.

But that's not Hwang Hee's fault.

We just don't have enough talent in this country.

We founded Joseon 30 years ago,

and we still don't have enough leaders to run the country.

This isn't Hwang Hee's review. It's all or our review.

I think all of us are big enough to recognize and

accept talented men despite our differences.

What do you think?

What's taking them so long?

Deciding whether or not to exercise our veto power over the King's appointment

of Hwang Hee was a very complicated and difficult process.

The review board found that adultery was morally wrong regardless of

the circumstances Hwang Hee found himself in.

But one past mistake does not define a man in entirety.

And it is the board's final conclusion that one mistake should not become

a shackle that impedes a man's future if there is sincere remorse.

Therefore, I announce that the high ministers will not be exercising our

veto right against appointment of Supreme Councilor Hwang Hee.

Yes!

Councilor Hwang!

We did it!

Welcome back to the battlefield, Councilor.

Thank you. That was quite a welcoming.

I do want to say this.

It is not good politics to blindly support a King who stirs up chaos in the state by

taking unnecessary risks whether it is in domestic of foreign affairs.

I appreciate the advice.

Oh, but Minister Jo.

What if it's something that will create a little chaos but ultimately aid the

country's growth and development?

I think some men call this reform instead of unnecessary risks.

We've got time, Councilor Hwang.

Let us put our heads together and work this out one problem at a time.

That's what I was hoping for.

This is where he made his last request.

And also where he supported my dream for the first time.

The place where my departed father buried his dreams is

where this humble son must realize his.

Acquiring you was the first step in the journey to realizing those dreams.

Now I'm waiting for another man of talent that will challenge the near

impossible dream along with you and I.

I'm using you right now. But it I feel no remorse.

Then death is the only thing waiting for you.

If one of my servants uttered such contemptuous words,

I would've killed him before he finished his sentence.

You've become cold.

And you've become even cockier.

What is it?

I'm investigating a report that a Joseonese slave entered

the Imperial palace in disguise.

Search the premises!

It's the access pass to the Astronomical Bureau you asked for.

Do I need to thank you?

If they find out you're Joseonese, you will be killed on the spot.

I won't be killed.

Even the angel of death won't be interested in a man that uses the woman

he once loved for his own purpose.

What is it?

I know you're not accustomed to our laws being from Joseon,

but how could you bring a man into the palace at this time of the night?

I suppose now you're going to kill him.

Is this the Joseonese slave you're looking for?

What is going on here?

He is here at the Emperor's order.

But that uniform...

Do you expect him to enter the sacred palace in slave's clothing?

I am sending back the family servant I've ordered to attend to my father's grave.

Very well.

I will overlook your contemptuous behavior just this once.

But overstep your boundaries again and death will be your prize.

Wow, you know the Emperor's concubine?

What else don't I know about you?

Hey, hey, get out of here! You'll jinx it!

So when is the The Day?

When are you...

When are you going to break into observatory?

The day after tomorrow.

All right. You just leave everything to me.

I'll cover you somehow, so you just think about getting the know-how you need.

Got that?

I thought I might go to the in where Joseonese envoys are staying

and give them dinner party tomorrow.

My father never got to enjoy power in his lifetime for the reason

that he once supported Goryeo.

I want to give him his wish if only vicariously through me.

You shall have what your heart desires.

Astronomical Bureau

Today the Astronomical Bureau.

For a slave you really get around.

What's your business here?

I'm here to see the Board of Rites president.

I'm on to you. Be careful.

Haishou is a perceptive man.

There's got to be a reason why he's suspicious of you.

What do I have to do to prove my innocence?

I know you are a good person.

But I don't know how much I should trust your greed for new knowledge.

Do not covet technological knowledge for astronomical instruments.

The stars are for the Emperor to rule alone.

If you are caught trying to steal our technology, I won't be able to help you.

Keep your eyes peeled.

I've got to find out what that boy Jang Youngsil is up to.

He just gave me one more reason to tail him.

Interpreter Shim Youngkyu.

Bureau of Astronomy, Choi Chungu.

My pleasure.

Document Office Jeong Myoungjun.

Yun Saoong of Bureau of Astronomy.

Welcome.

Envoy Yu Deokjung.

Bureau of Weaponry Choi Haesan.

You're...

Yes, you are the one.

You must listen carefully. Do not show tension or surprise.

Your Grace...!

Jang Youngsil will go to the observatory tonight.

I said not to act surprised.

But he said he'd go tomorrow...

He could lose his life if the mission fails,

so you must take the collected data and get out of Peking tonight.

I can't do that.

I can't just leave him here.

He said you would refuse.

Because you're good man. A very good man.

Cocky bastard...

And he said to tell you this.

That he wants you now to be a good man to all of Joseon, not just to him.

And that you are wise enough to know what you have to do.

Slipped away?

What were you doing?

Did you leave the place unguarded?

No, sir.

We were watching the entire time.

Then how could he just vanish?

The Astronomical Bureau doesn't have a back entrance.

Wait...

Could it be that he didn't leave at all?

Yes, it's possible. No, that's it!

Jang Youngsil is still inside!