Original subtitles

Who are you?

Dami.

The little girl who lost her parents to the barbarians,

and followed you around everywhere you went...

Mommy!

Mister, please save my mommy! Please, mister!

I'm sorry.

This is my fault.

This is all my fault.

Then the books-the storybooks...

Then who will read us the storybooks?

That will be your job from now on, Dami.

You're a smart girl, so you'll learn to read quickly.

We never got past where you left off in that book.

Because we had no time for storybooks or even to learn to read.

We got up at dawn and worked until dusk,

but we couldn't even pay the taxes let alone have enough to eat.

Why did you forget us?

You were just like one of us when you lived among us,

and we were so happy when we heard you became the King.

How could you completely forget about us?

Instead of taking care of us, you called in the barbarians and became their King!

You saw exactly how my mother and father died.

How could you make those bastards Joseonese?

Couldn't you find a way to let me know what was happening to you?

How?

Are you talking about sending a letter to the King like the learned folks do?

How when we don't know how to write?

Is that why you came to the capital,

wreaked havoc on our streets, and committed arson?

No! We had nothing to do with those fires!

We chose a different way.

What do you mean Dami is gone?

I can't find the drawings either.

What?

Do you think she's gone to the palace?

A punitive force?

The sooner we act the better.

How did it go?

Mokmyeok Mountain, sir.

A large group of northerners are camped out there.

Rally the Left Army and assemble a punitive force tonight.

Yes, sir.

What is the meaning of this?

I can't allow punitive action.

Must I remind you that command and obedience is the life of the military?

Let me remind you that punitive measures are taken only against enemy forces.

Those who create disorder are enemies of the state!

Minister Jo!

How much longer must I ignore this breach of public order?

Remember. The military's job is protecting the country.

War clouds are looming over the orders.

We must quickly restore order in the capital and focus on national security!

Punitive action?

Jo Malseng is making a dramatic move.

Perhaps information has leaked about the investigation being

focused on the military.

If he's meticulous enough to plant a spy in the Hall of Worthies,

he is sure to have a spy in the Bureau of Weaponry as well.

If Jo Malseng is the one who provided the potassium nitrate to the arsonists...

Don't let your imagination run wild.

It's not entirely impossible.

And if that is the case,

Jo Malseng is making a smart move that will serve two purposes for him.

Accuse and punish the northerners thereby covering up his own crime.

And suppress the rebels

and become a public hero which will put him in an

even stronger position to intimidate the King.

Then why are we just sitting around?

We have to find a way to stop him.

We're talking about locking up the country's chief of military.

It's not possible without irrefutable evidence.

Let us focus our effort on the investigation.

The outcome could very well give us what we need to breakthrough

this political impasse.

Did my men scare you?

You should've done a better job covering up your tracks.

Investigation is closing in on us because of the potassium nitrate.

Are you aware of that?

I'm sorry, sir.

Keep your men under tight control.

You won't be alive to talk to me if you make another mistake.

Prince Kyoungnyeong, what brings you here at this time of the night?

Potassium nitrate was used in the fires.

Potassium nitrate is an ingredient for gunpowder.

It would have to be someone quite powerful to acquire enough

of the substance to set fire throughout the city.

Someone like yourself.

What are you trying to say?

I want the truth. You were behind those fires, weren't you?

Does it matter?

I want to know if you set the city on fire to protect the fortune you

amassed by selling government posts and accepting bribes and kickbacks.

It's true I accepted kickbacks.

But those are patriotic contributions from those who do not want slaves running

this state and lowly barbarian blood corrupting our pure Joseonese blood.

Are you trying to you have no selfish interests?

I think I told you once before.

Balance is what I am after a balance of public interest and self interest.

Minister Jo!

Sometimes money can even buy the high ministers support.

You don't think those who we bought support from are all scoundrel with no

love for the country whatsoever, do you?

I want to fight the King fair and square At least more fair and square than now.

You underestimate the King.

You can never defeat the King fair and square.

What are you saying?

I did not choose you because the current King is incompetent.

Don't act so naive and don't try to fight me on what I do.

The so-called "dirty fortune" I amassed

is preciously the instrument that will make you the next King.

Are you going to squeal to the King?

Go ahead. But you will have to confess your treacherous intent first.

Remember. You and I are on the same boat.

You heard them. They had nothing to do with the fires.

Out of my way!

Sir!

She broke into the palace!

But it's Dami. Don't do this!

It's little Dami that we loved like our sister back in Gyeongsung!

I understand your situation, but there are laws in the palace.

You could be executed for breaking into the palace.

Why didn't you come to me first?

Cut the gibberish and go to the King.

If he's the same man I know, he's probably not feeling too well right now.

What did you give him?

The stories of men that lost their legs.

Lost their arms and bled to death...

Dami went to the palace alone to tell them our story.

No! No! Please!

Mom!

Help me.

Help...

My baby... My poor child...

Be born into a rich family in your next life, my baby...

We can't get your fingers back,

but we can stop another child from starving to death.

That's why she risked her life and went to the palace.

Like my sister said, were not thieves and we're not bandits!

We may not have much and we may be treated like dirt,

but we are Joseonese!

Why should we be hiding here afraid?

I'm going to the palace.

I'm not going to let my sister do this alone.

What can you possibly do by yourself?

We're coming with you.

What do you waiting for? Do I have to whack you to wake you up?

- Let's go! - Yeah!

We will suppress the rebels completely before daybreak!

You may use deadly force to fight resistance!

A punitive army?

Yes.

They're going to kill us?

Then what happened to Dami?

She couldn't be dead, could she?

Get the King out here!

Let's see the man who is out to wipe us out face to face!

Did you kill my sister Dami?

Get out here, King! We'll die together!

Come out here! Let's have a look at your face!

Come out or we're going in! Come out, King!

Get the King out here!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

What's going on?

A disturbance?

What did I tell you?

Peasants need to be put back in their places!

Suppress them at once!

They should be torn from limb to limb for setting fire to the city,

and now they're at the palace running riot?

I said suppress them!

Yes, sir.

Suppress the rebels!

Stop!

Quickly kneel before the King!

He is not our King!

How could he be our King when he takes care of the barbarians and ignores us?

How dare you!

Release the innocent northerners!

Turn over my sister!

Didn't you hear my order?

The rebels must be suppressed, Your Majesty.

General Yi is right, Your Majesty.

Let the soldiers suppress the rebels and go back inside...

Clear the guards.

Your Majesty!

I will meet my people face to face.

They're extremely wound up right now, Your Majesty.

He is not a King.

He who is afraid to face is people is not a King.

Your Majesty...

It's an order. Call off the guards.

Your Majesty...!

It is my great failure.

Curse the man who bombastically said he would serve the people as his god,

then turned a blind eye to their hunger.

Show no mercy to the man who failed to protect you and your family

from enemy's aggression and neglected to show sympathy for your pain.

Punish this unworthy King with your hands.

I guess he is the prince that we used to trust and follow.

Your drawings have improved.

You remember me?

Every time I'd draw something on the ground, you'd say...

"You're going to be a great artiest someday."

Yes, it's me. It's Poongae!

Omakji, do you still get into fights and give your sister trouble?

You remember me, too?

Where is our sister?

Get down on your knees, all of you!

You're before His Majesty the King!

Would you protect us?

Would you give me another chance?

- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!

Protect us, Your Majesty!

It was wrong to apologize to the rebels.

Give us your order and they will be suppressed.

No.

We must restore social order and abolish the immigration policy on the Jurchens.

The open immigration policy will remain in effect.

I must protest, Your Majesty.

This is my 8th year on this throne, and I agree that an evaluation is due.

But I believe love for the people must be at the heart of that evaluation.

Having said that, rejecting talent based on social status is wrong, and

so is rejecting those who risked their lives to come to Joseon and make a home.

Release the prisoners?

Or he will ask for my resignation.

How far will the King go?

When will he stop taking these risks?

Innocent until proven guilty.

How can you call releasing the prisoners taking risks?

But Your Majesty...

If you cannot abide by such fundamental right,

I will have to give you up albeit regrettable.

This will send the people of the capital flying into a rage.

I suppose you have a plan to deal with that as well.

His Majesty asks that you take care of them.

He must be quite distraught.

We're quite distraught as well.

I must ask you men to leave.

We can't.

It doesn't look like the King is intent on killing the bastards that destroyed

our homes and killed our family, so we will have to kill them ourselves.

How dare you!

Do it! Kill them!

Stop!

Do not use your weapons! Your goal is to quickly separate them!

Yes, sir!

What are you doing?

We'll talk later. Let's get you to safety.

I guess General Yi got there a moment too late.

We knew there would be protests, but the whole city is up in arms.

Work harder on finding the real arsonists.

Public will be appeased when they learn the truth.

Please go back to the Royal Secretariat and wrap up the official

warrant I will be announcing tomorrow.

I understand your intent, but we could be adding fuel to the flame.

I see no other way to provide livelihood to the northerners.

Do you?

This is a familiar sight.

How does it feel to be on the other side of the fence?

The barbarians were our enemy.

If there are arsonists among you, you are their enemy just the same.

It's not fair, is it?

It's not fair being regarded as enemy just

because one or two of you might have had a hand in the fires. Is it?

Try to make a distinction

between the enemy and the enemy's people from now on.

Those men...!

What do you think will happen if they can't catch the real arsonists?

I suppose those people will keep hounding us.

Abolish the military farms?

We will distribute all of the cultivated farmlands in the northern three states

to the landless and the poor.

It's the quickest way to stabilize the livelihood of northerners.

We oppose, Your Majesty!

The northerners are faced with the double burden of taxes and conscribed labor.

Military farms are important source of military funds.

We empathize with the situation in the north,

but sometimes sacrifices are unavoidable.

As the chief of military, I can only interpret your intent to abolish

military farms as abandonment of national security.

Military funds will be supplemented from elsewhere.

Our current tax laws will undergo a bold reform.

Secretary Yun.

We plan to assess the farmlands and grade them by yield and fertility, and

determine the tax rate correspondingly.

To prevent malfeasance, tax assessment will be carried out by special crop assessors

dispatched from the central government,

and all private lands owners must register their property with the assessors office.

You mean the government is going to tax the landowners on rental income as well?

It is to prevent exploitation in rent collection.

A portion of that will be allocated as national tax.

This official warrant will be announced throughout the country starting with the

capital city at noon today.

Do you think the landed gentry will agree to this?

It's your job to convince those who oppose.

Remember. This country belongs to the nobles and the landed gentry as well.

The King is making enemies of the nobles and the landed gentry.

I'll have you know that.

Sir.

If it's for the right cause,

sometimes you just have to take the bull by the born and go for it.

Let us just work on getting rid of any loopholes that can be exploited.

- This is an outrage! - How can they do this?

They're trying to run us dry!

What is it?

They are the landed gentry opposing the tax reform.

Are these petitions?

Historical tax collection reports...

It's good to study them if we're going to push this tax reform through.

A vanguard of the tax reform...

Are you doing this for the King?

I'm doing this for Joseon.

Are you sure it's not so you can feed a handful of Jurchen barbarians?

You must be distressed.

It's not wise to make enemy of the landed gentry, Your Majesty.

The King must pay heed to the people.

The King must be above selfishness as well.

Why did you wish to see us?

I plan to do a bit of thieving from the Royal House.

I'd like to collect fifty plots of land from each members of the Royal House.

Is the country in financial trouble to the degree

that it requires contributions from the Royals?

Our budget is never enough.

But the greater purpose of this decision is for the Royal House

to set a good example for the landed gentry to appease their selfishness.

The King is ruining this country.

Turning the people against him to feed the Jurchens,

tainting the Joseonese blood that has remained pure for the past 5.000 years,

this is not in the interest of Joseon.

You're a smart fellow.

So think hard about what is good for this country and what is not.

You're a lucky man, Your Highness.

The King has turned the public against him and you didn't have to lift a finger.

All you have to do now is to take that public trust and make it yours

and clear your path to the throne.

Jo Malseng...

He's forgetting that I'm a businessman.

Send word to the northern three states and southern three states.

The time is ripe for all to rise up and start a new era with a new King!