Original subtitles

BLOODY HEART

THE PEOPLE, GROUPS, PLACES, AND INCIDENTS IN THIS DRAMA ARE PURELY FICTIONAL

I have seen

this arrangement before.

I saw it before you collapsed.

The one who caused the regency by the Queen Dowager,

the one who shook this nation and let it fall in danger was…

you…

and your design?

Yes,

it was all my doing.

It was an inevitable event.

And it was to protect us both.

But people died.

They were unavoidable sacrifices.

Ttonggeum has died.

She died because of your scheming.

She died stripped…

of her dignity.

BLOODY HEART EPISODE 15

You know,

I do not need to be born as a noble in my next life.

I would not mind being a servant or livestock for that matter

as long as you are my master.

Living in your shadows eating whatever you give me

will be a satisfying life.

A happy one too.

Put at least ten steps between you and the chambers.

Ttonggeum…

only came to the palace to protect me.

When I wanted to escape these walls,

she had brought herself in

to get me to safety.

She will be given a befitting funeral.

And this will never happen again.

Hundreds and thousands of lives

depend on the decisions you make.

Before acting,

you should have considered the consequences.

How do you wish for me to eliminate the meritorious subjects?

They are not to be dealt with by justice

and righteousness alone.

Consort Park,

you must surely remember what they did to us.

I remember clearly.

I remember how many lives were easily lost in a single purge.

But do you really believe that it was only them

who ruined my family?

The former King's decision to protect you

resulted in the death…

of my parents and my extended family.

That was…

the consequence of a king's decision.

You had the governor

protect the crafters at Bamboo Grove Village.

You even fasted so that your eunuchs and court ladies

would not be accused of poisoning you.

It is sad how innocent lives were lost,

but you should not reproach yourself.

But Siwol was one of them.

Consort Park is right.

I caused…

these deaths.

And as a result, you strengthened the royal authority.

Court Lady Choi,

His Majesty has requested that the consort joins him on a walk by the stables.

He must not be aware of her being unwell.

Inform him that I cannot.

I am afraid Consort Park has declined.

It seems as though her anger…

will not easily subside.

Ttonggeum's body will be buried outside the Capital today.

His Majesty ordered a funeral to be conducted with respect.

You should visit once she lays to rest.

She will be expecting you.

Report back to me on the status of the royal office.

Not his chambers,

but the royal office?

That is correct.

It is the first day of the month?

Yes, Your Highness.

Should I bring you some snacks?

Go ahead.

Your Highness,

Inspector Park requests an audience.

Should I grant him entrance?

Let him enter.

What brings you by?

I am only here to greet you.

I always have on the first of the month

after the grand morning court assembly.

Is that so?

After having challenged me so fiercely?

I was only fulfilling my professional duties.

And greeting an elder is a duty of mine as your junior.

The court is abundant with those

afraid of being shunned if found in association with me.

You are to leave. Neglect your duties…

like others choose to do.

I will be back to greet you next month.

Namsang.

-Yes, Your Highness? -I am grateful

for the company.

But…

do not come next time.

I will not see you anymore.

I hear that the Chief Scholar is moving to have you impeached.

His sense of inferiority has clouded his judgment.

But he is still my mentor.

Is it taking a toll on you?

Fulfilling one's duties

always has its difficulties.

Yes, it has been troubling,

Father.

Namsang.

Still,

do not deviate from your troubled path.

What you value

is the past I desperately

wished to protect.

That is how I taught you.

But if it is too much to bear,

feel free to resent me instead.

Father.

I would have led the same life

no matter what you taught me.

Between the two of us,

you must be the stronger one.

What are you planning to do after gaining all that power?

What exactly is power to you?

I wonder.

Is there anything

you actually wish to achieve?

We report the following with the utmost respect.

The Queen Dowager falsified evidence

and tried to take command of the troops with a fake dispatch token

revealing her traitorous crimes.

Despite her heinous actions, she hides behind her status as your mother.

We urge you to value the greater good

and lawfully punish the Queen Dowager by deposing her.

I do not allow it.

My mother would not have betrayed her own son.

The crime falls upon the Chief Royal Secretary

who wrote up documents in her name.

Interrogate the Chief Royal Secretary and uncover the crimes

of those associated.

Your Majesty?

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, scholars of the Confucian Academy were either

executed or imprisoned for speaking their minds.

The level of brutality gravely alarms us.

Please investigate the Queen Dowager.

I do not allow it.

It must stem from the impudent loyalty of the Chief of State Tribunal.

He will be interrogated and punished by exile

should his crimes be proven.

I do not allow it.

It is the Office of Palace Eunuchs that harbored a personal vendetta.

How dare you accuse my mother of such crimes?

Eunuchs and adjunct overseers,

round up all those who took advantage of the Queen Dowager's powers.

I wish to know why you are refusing to depose the Queen Dowager.

Is it to punish

the meritorious subjects using her crimes as an excuse?

Or is there…

another reason?

I cannot

dishonor my own mother

which will then justify an overthrow of my regime.

Then…

what is it that you are attempting?

I gave Councilor Park my order.

He is to bring me the Queen Dowager.

His Majesty is not interested in the Queen Dowager's deposition.

Eliminating us is his main objective.

The list of her crimes is not short

and he is trying to tie them around our necks.

I hear His Majesty gave the order.

"Bring me the Queen Dowager."

If you wish to live,

you are to serve him her head.

His Majesty cannot dishonor his mother

nor let her live for that matter.

Whether you persuade her with words or by force is up to you.

But he is pressuring you

to find a way that will let him be free of guilt.

It is unacceptable.

But the alternative will only put us in danger.

With a deposition being suggested--

Forcing her abdication may be undutiful,

but murdering her is a sin against heaven.

No dynasty or its people

can serve a king who murders his own mother.

Throughout his regime,

treason, rebellion, and mutiny

will be repeated.

I refuse…

to be the one…

who brings this country to ruin.

Deposement will not be enough.

She will once again use filial duty to pressure me.

Will you

have her assassinated?

The meritorious subjects will do so in order to keep their lives.

Only then will you

and our child

be safe.

I am aware that it is the easier route.

And from here on out,

you will only choose to take…

the easiest paths.

Please step down on your own.

His Majesty wishes for your death.

Refusing to depose me…

was his way of pressuring you to kill me.

Will you go through with it?

If he orders you to kill me

for the greater good of Joseon,

will you do it?

It is not for the greater good.

Killing one's own mother is a sin against heaven.

What if I was not the Queen Dowager?

What if my son was not the King?

Would you…

still have me killed?

You being the Queen Dowager and also the King's mother…

is why I refuse to kill you.

I said

that I would demolish the Joseon you built.

That thought…

has not changed.

Please do not do this!

Please!

Do not take me.

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Two more court maids were taken today.

He is slowly

draining the life out of me.

Is him not questioning you an act of filial duty

or him preparing to go against it?

It is probably…

the latter.

Before his watch on me heightens,

find me a courier who can go in and out of the palace.

There are a few adjunct overseers who still owe me a favor.

There is something I must have delivered

outside the palace.

You summoned me.

There are no longer any appeals requesting

the Queen Dowager's deposition.

They have finally realized

that their lives depend on her fate.

The Central Army Division will be restructured

to fall under the Ministry of War's command.

Your Majesty.

The Central Army and the meritorious subjects.

Have them answer to you and eliminate those loyal to Councilor Park.

You have my full support,

so do not fail.

I am humbled

by your boundless generosity.

This cannot be allowed.

The Central Army is governed by the Ministry of War

but is commanded by the Central Army Division

to prevent both from having absolute power.

The division cannot fall

under the command of the Ministry of War without any contingency plan.

Your Majesty,

you have done enough to weaken my position within the court.

Soon, the Sarim's rigidness will add pressure

and their justifications will feel like a restraint.

Your best option is to have the meritorious subjects and the Sarim

keep each other in check.

It is about time you stop.

What finally stopped you…

from deposing my mother?

What stopped you from deposing me…

when I was Crown Prince?

Her death brought you to a halt

and agreeing to a royal marriage

is how I kept my life.

Bring me a life to take

or something that can be traded.

Only then will I stop.

If neither is to your liking,

sacrifice the Queen Dowager.

Either way, I must benefit from this.

Does this mean that Father will command the Central Army?

That is correct. His Majesty wishes to bestow him that authority.

So do not worry about being brought in for being associated

with the Queen Dowager.

Lady Cho may act out again.

Should you not have informed her?

His Majesty will not stop until Councilor Park is stripped of his power.

What good would knowing it do?

I am worried she would cause trouble coveting Consort Park's position.

Leave her be.

She only acts out because her family secures her position.

YEONGHWADANG

Her maturing and learning to behave

is what I fear more.

You look beautiful today.

What could I do when my sister-in-law insisted that I wear it?

She only wants you to be cherished by His Majesty.

Nothing I wear will ever make that possible.

Not when he is already aware of my wrongdoings.

I see you are out for a walk.

Yes,

Your Majesty.

Hearing that you were only staying indoors had me worried.

It brings me relief to see you out and about.

I apologize for troubling you.

Your Majesty,

I am…

someone that you need, aren't I?

Actually, it is my father you wish to have by your side.

Be angry with me instead and berate me.

Say that I was foolish

and that I should be stripped of my rank and status.

This is not a side of you I cherish.

You scare me.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

I will excuse myself.

Your Highness, Consort Park requests an audience.

Let her enter.

I am relieved to see

that you are as spirited as ever.

Why would I be dispirited?

My garden will be in full bloom every spring

and I still occupy the Queen Dowager's Palace.

That was all you needed in your life,

but yet you chose to carry out such heinous crimes.

Just like His Majesty took the throne by being the former King's eldest son,

being the Queen Dowager

is my rightful place.

What I did was to protect my home.

His Majesty isn't any different.

To protect his throne,

he schemed with a monk to lure me into a trap.

And now,

he wishes me dead.

I see you are terrified of the bad karma your actions have forged.

There is no need to hide it.

Having me killed is easier than having me deposed.

All former kings, after claiming their power,

solidified it by shedding blood.

His Majesty

is nothing like you.

He shall be different.

I will make sure of it.

I will not let him take the same path…

that you took.

Maybe you should head back.

Ever since you were present at the royal office,

the Sarim officials have been condemning you.

I do not doubt it.

After all, he is strict on customs.

Do you know Left Minister Moon?

Very well.

Eunuch Jung from the King's Palace

forwarded the letter from Bamboo Grove Village's governor.

The Bamboo Grove Village?

Yes, Your Highness.

He says it contains what you wish to know.

Prior to Yoo Haksoo being reinstated,

we request a reinvestigation into the murder of late Queen Inyoung.

Please approve of it, Your Majesty.

-Please approve of it, Your Majesty. -Please approve of it, Your Majesty.

A reinvestigation is absurd.

The late Queen Inyoung taking her own life may be uncovered.

But the Sarim will not let the matter rest.

Catching who is responsible

and reinstating those wrongfully accused is what the Sarim desires.

Your Majesty, Consort Park requests an audience.

Let her enter.

I come to you with a request.

I wish to visit Ttonggeum's grave outside the Capital.

I will have the Capital Bureau

set up a perimeter in advance.

No one else will be aware of your outing.

I am much obliged.

Consort Park,

the possibility of you not letting me beside you again

had me worried.

I hear that

you ordered the protection of the crafters in Bamboo Grove Village.

Is it true?

I warned the governor in advance

so that they would not be captured like last time.

And before consuming the poison, you fasted.

Because of it,

no one was

wrongfully accused.

The eunuchs and court ladies who serve me

are mine to protect.

Your Majesty,

you are different from the Queen Dowager.

Whose grave is this?

Here lies someone we should never forget.

Is she the reason

you asked me here today?

Councilor Park.

Do you believe that His Majesty

can be a benevolent king?

I cannot be sure.

It can be said

that a king who cannot stand harsh advice

has the makings of a tyrant.

Without purges and harsh punishment of traitors,

I will have His Majesty become a benevolent king.

That I promise you.

And so,

I will…

keep His Majesty in check.

When he…

is your husband?

I currently speak as his subject.

He is the one

who has paved the way for me to do so.

After all, he is the one who installed those loyal to my father.

May I ask why you had me summoned?

I hear you appealed for the banning

of the people's three-year mourning period.

It had me curious since it goes against your Neo-Confucian beliefs.

It is not an official's duty to satisfy your curiosity.

You are never to summon me over these kinds of matters again.

A three-year mourning period prohibits the people to work

and earn a living.

Many are caught and sentenced to beatings,

so how can one disagree to its harmful effects?

Nobles value propriety above all else,

but it should not be forced onto commoners.

Why do you believe that to be?

My father was proud when I mastered

Elementary Learning and Precious Mirror for Enlightening the Mind.

But he banned me from reading Analects of Confucius.

One of his closest friends

told me this while handing me Doctrine of the Mean.

"Read and master it.

The book teaches us

that we should stay true to the human nature bestowed upon us.

Gender is not a factor

when it comes to learning."

Jeong…

Yoo Haksoo's daughter.

Were you the one who brought her in?

Are you willing to go through with it?

I wish to have my identity restored.

And I already told you that you cannot.

To go back to being Yoo Haksoo's daughter,

you risk your life as well as mine.

His Majesty appointed the scholars who share my father's values.

This is the last chance to reclaim my status.

You will soon be installed as Queen.

Remaining my niece

will only benefit you.

Then, the Sarim will try to have me deposed

since I am the daughter of a meritorious subject.

The Sarim will choose to hold their breath.

They will not dare to defy His Majesty's wishes.

Not when they have witnessed the meritorious subjects being eliminated.

That is exactly why.

If the court does not challenge him,

who will be able to stop him?

So you choose…

to challenge him instead?

I will not walk the same path as you once did.

It is why

you must have my status reinstated.

Your father's status will be reinstated.

Left Minister Moon requested it today regardless of the reinvestigation

into my mother's murder

and I approved.

I am honored.

Capturing my mother's murderer is what they desire

which is why I am baffled as to why they easily backed down.

Would it be possible

to have my status reinstated as well?

The Sarim will welcome me to their side.

You know how Councilor Park is.

In order to have you reinstated,

we must reveal that you are not his niece.

There is no way of knowing

what he will do holding it over us as leverage.

I will…

persuade him, Your Majesty.

-So-- -Consort Park.

He is not one to be pursuaded,

but eliminated.

Once the deed is done, we will be free to do as we wish.

Whatever choice I make,

please tell me that you know

it is for your sake.

I am well aware of it.

You are the one person

I can always count to be on my side.

Forgive my intrusion at this late hour.

Before the division is restructured,

His Majesty ordered that the Central Army commanders

be punished for their sins.

But they happened to seek refuge here of all places.

Take them away at once.

Minister Cho, look here--

This is official palace business.

Anyone who interferes will be punished by military law.

-Take them away! -Yes, my lord.

I urge you to keep this in mind.

His Majesty will not allow relatives on his wife's side

to go rampant.

Relatives on his wife's side who are loyal to him

are those he needs.

Next time, my sword will be at your throat…

unsheathed.

The Minister of War

dragged our people out of our house like mutts.

He must already think you are beneath him.

It is nothing to fuss over.

Do as His Majesty asks

before our family is annihilated.

My lady.

As your wife and as a woman of rank,

I complied with your orders for the sake of this family.

My life as a woman…

was never a priority.

It is why I say this as the lady of this house.

Assassinate…

the Queen Dowager.

Is that what you truly want?

Jealousy got the best of me.

Please forget what I said.

Whenever our family's fate was at stake,

you complied with my decisions without any complaints.

I am grateful.

Once again,

our family's fate hangs in the balance.

Are you going to defy His Majesty?

"Those who seek death shall live..."

The true leader of this family

is you, my lady.

Has Councilor Park still not sent any word?

I am afraid not.

May I ask what it is you await?

I propose a deal.

With the Sarim, officially investigate the Queen Dowager's crimes

and force her abdication with those as a justification.

I will do so.

Will you be able to have only me

take the fall?

I give you my word.

Then in return,

I will have your status reinstated.

Is there…

a way?

Only one person

can make it happen.

Only His Majesty can reinstate your status.

I approve the reinstatement of Yoo Haksoo

who was executed for the murder of Queen Inyoung.

More than enough evidence proves that he was framed.

He will be reinstated as Minister of Personnel

and be given the epithet Chungmoon.

I am humbled by your boundless generosity, Your Majesty.

-I am humbled -I am humbled

-by your boundless generosity. -by your boundless generosity.

Your Majesty,

there is also another who must be reinstated.

Yoo Haksoo's daughter

who was killed as the Crown Princess.

His daughter lives

and I request her status be reinstated.

The late Crown Princess is alive?

She died in the fire after being deposed.

She is alive, Your Majesty.

And the fire that supposedly took her life can be proven to have been arson.

I requested the Ministry of Punishments to reinvestigate the matter.

I, the section chief of Ministry of Punishments, greet His Majesty.

Left State Councilor raised suspicion regarding the fire that took place

which prompted an investigation.

The body of the deposed Crown Princess was unrecognizable due to the fire

and there was a report of a dead body nearby going missing.

What are you playing at?

Are you trying to reveal her identity

to sentence her to an execution?

He must be well aware that revealing her identity

will also put him in danger.

She is alive, Your Majesty.

She…

deceived the world, the royal family,

and even you to set foot in this palace.

If the daughter of a traitor entered the palace by deceiving everyone,

she should be executed.

But if what you are saying is a lie,

you will pay for it with your life.

She is someone you also know quite well.

Your Majesty,

she is Consort Park.

Councilor Park!

It seems as though

you wish for her to die.

Only His Majesty can reinstate you.

Deceiving your husband who is also your ruler

is punishable by execution,

but not if it was the husband and ruler

who deceived the world to embrace you.

A king has no shame

and the matter is one of the Internal Court.

No one would dare to hold anyone accountable.

I condoned it.

Was it not I who acknowledged Consort Park

as Councilor Park's niece?

The former King felt pity for her

since we abandoned her and ordered that she be saved.

It is why I allowed her to enter the palace.

Consort Park…

is innocent.

Your Majesty,

are you saying that Consort Park is in fact Yoo Haksoo's daughter?

Even if you allowed it,

deceiving the Royal Court as Councilor Park's niece

is an atrocious crime.

It was I who threatened her.

The former King saved her life,

my threats forced her into the palace,

and His Majesty

hid the fact

and condoned it.

What game are you playing?

Did you reveal her identity

so that she could be executed?

Actually,

I do not care to know.

You confessed to threatening her

which explains her entering the palace

and I condoned it

which justifies her actions to stay.

Your Majesty,

please consider what could have made me

reveal the truth.

Your reasons…

are of no importance.

You confessed to a crime

and now you will pay for it.

Have the State Tribunal

imprison Left State Councilor Park Gyewon.

Your order is my command.

I told you to annihilate

Councilor Park's family.

I told you to have the Sarim

make an official appeal,

-but you refuse to do so. -Your Majesty,

official appeals are to be made by the subjects, not the ruler himself.

Please accept my loyal advice.

Loyal advice or not,

I simply do not care.

Councilor Park is your mortal enemy.

Why do you not want him to answer to his crimes?

Determining…

the weight of his crimes must come first.

Who are you to decide that?

It was ordered

by Consort Park whom he threatened.

Consort Park?

Are you saying

that she is aware of Councilor Park's actions?

Yes, Your Majesty.

How though?

It is my belief

that this was a collaborative decision.

Did Councilor Park

threaten you again?

That is what I thought.

You and Councilor Park forming an alliance to take advantage of me?

It is preposterous.

Your Majesty…

I will interrogate him myself and have him speak the truth.

It was I.

It was I

who formed an alliance with Councilor Park.

Once the Sarim fill in for the meritorious subjects,

you will divide them in order to seize the power they have.

When power shifts too much to one side,

you will initiate a purge to eliminate any threats.

By arousing conflict and dividing,

you will try to dominate your people.

Because…

it is the easiest way for you.

I am afraid

I cannot let you obsess over the power of royal authority

which will lead to purges and the imprisonment of your subjects.

I cannot let you suffer the pain they entail.

Are you saying…

you would rather be my enemy?

When you of all people

are aware of how my life has been?

When I am finally close to strengthening

the royal authority--

There will be no end to it.

That is why I chose this path.

No.

No, you are to stop.

You must stop.

If you choose to stand against me,

I will…

have to eliminate you.

BLOODY HEART

Councilor Park Gyewon is the one who caused everything.

He'll be held responsible.

The King must be trying to annihilate everyone who's on my side.

Your reign is completely your responsibility.

I am not your enemy, Your Majesty.

Please accept me.

You must accept me.

Please do not waver.

I only hoped to protect.

The one thing that made the ones I missed return and visit

was power.

I shall

continue on my path.

Please do so, Your Majesty.

Go down your own path.

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