Original subtitles

His Imperial Majesty is here!

Untie her.

What are you doing in here?

We are disciplining a new maid.

Keep it down.

Good night, sir.

It is the maids.

He is gone.

Let us finish what we started.

Strip her.

Stay...

Stay back.

Until I get here, I cheated death countless times.

Even the Grim Reaper could not touch me.

Do not bother me again.

I do not want to hurt you girls who are struggling just as much.

My name is Hong-dan.

I am also from Goryeo, just like you. I am from Uiju.

You were amazing last night. That made me feel so good.

It was awesome.

Have you ever...

seen the Emperor?

Of course. I was even on his service once.

Tell me everything

you know about the Emperor.

-What? -Every single thing you know.

He is very diligent.

He is diligent?

Totally.

He wakes up before the rooster crows and takes a bath.

He always burns the incense first.

GOLTA, SENIOR EUNUCH OF THE YUAN DYNASTY

The sun is high up in the sky. Please wake up, Your Imperial Majesty.

After he finishes his breakfast,

he reviews appeals from all over the Empire.

He is very meticulous.

He reads every single word in the appeals and handles them himself.

And in the afternoon, he practices martial arts.

What? Martial arts?

Go ahead.

-Go ahead. -He mastered

everything from swords, spears, cudgel, to archery.

Where does he go at night?

Where do you think? He studies literature in his library.

He is a well-read scholar.

He can read all those difficult, old books without any problem.

Stop it. That is enough.

Oh, right.

He is learning about the first night for the grand ceremony these days.

Grand ceremony?

His Imperial Majesty will have a wedding soon.

Do the maids attend the wedding too?

Not all of us. A couple of maids will be selected from each chamber.

The chief maid will select the maids.

The chief maid?

Hey, do my laundry too.

Give it to me.

Actually, I will do it myself.

Did you say your name was Yeon-hwa?

We need to talk.

Okay.

You want to attend the grand ceremony?

Do you want His Imperial Majesty to notice you too?

I get it. Every girl here wants to change her fortune.

With His Imperial Majesty's approval,

maids like us could be concubines right away.

But do not dream too big. Why would he like someone like you?

You can get me that job, right?

I will make a recommendation,

but I am not sure if the court lady will allow it since you're new.

Get me that job by all means.

Okay.

Thank you.

That little witch...

Over there. Pour it in that cauldron.

Hey, you.

-Go get some more water. -Okay.

I will make sure I come back alive for you.

The same goes for you. Stay alive for me.

This is an order from the King. Do you understand?

Please forgive me.

I will have to...

go against your order.

WESTERN FRONTIER OF THE YUAN DYNASTY

Get rid of the deposed king.

His father was reinstated as the King of Goryeo.

As there could be a problem regarding his treatment,

get rid of him quietly.

You made the mess, but I am cleaning after you?

My father...

was informed that the deposed king volunteered to be here.

You will not be held accountable for anything.

Shit.

I have enough problem as it is, but you just piled on another.

Stop pushing me, jerk.

Who is the centurion here?

CENTURION: A COMMANDER OF 100 SOLDIERS

Make room for the new soldiers.

May I ask which one of you is the King of Goryeo?

This is he. How do you know about him?

We are from Goryeo.

We heard the Yuan soldiers talking.

Get up.

How many of our people are here?

Half of the labor force is from Goryeo.

How did you end up here?

At first, we were chosen as a troop for the conquest.

As we kept losing our battles, we were getting low on food and weapons.

They demoted us to the labor force.

They treat us no better than animals.

Two of our people were killed when they tried to desert the camp.

What?

Please help us, Your Majesty.

Senior Officer Yeom wants us to gather.

If you are late, he will not give you food. Let us hurry.

Please get down!

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Did you see?

It is very easy to tame them.

It is quite fun to see the deposed king like this.

Byeong-su.

Starting now, you will lead them.

I will dedicate my life to do so, General.

I will conquer the Dolgwol by all means

and secure access to the Silk Road.

In order to accomplish that, I must turn this rotten army into a strong one first.

Do not distract them.

Anyone who disturbs the morale of the soldiers

will be beheaded regardless of their status.

Tell me how I can make it out alive from here.

Do you want to make it out alive?

You must be dreaming.

Kill all of those Dolgwol even in your dream.

Winning this war against them is...

the only way to get out of here alive for the both of us.

THE YUAN IMPERIAL PALACE

By tomorrow, you will be the lady of this Imperial House.

Are you all ready?

What is there to prepare?

The servants will take care of the grand ceremony.

Keep this incense case with you.

This scent of musk drives men crazy.

It is of the highest quality.

I will make him go crazy over me without this.

Do not worry, my brother.

You must lie with the Emperor on the first night.

What can bring more joy to the Imperial House

than the news of an heir?

My gosh.

Father.

I will take care of it.

The ceremonial drink brewed with mimosa flowers

will be served.

Make sure he drinks only three glasses of it.

Once he does, his breathing will be rapid, and his body will heat up.

He will get excited.

And if he smells the musk I gave you--

Dang Gise, I said I would take care of it.

I am not worried about you.

I am worried that the Emperor might be physically unendowed.

Even if he is, I do not need a cheap trick like this.

He has eyes. I am sure he can recognize beauty.

Where your heart goes, your eyes follow.

Where your eyes go, your body follows.

Only then, you may have a proper first night.

However, my heart will not budge.

How could it be? You are perfectly healthy.

Whenever I see her, I am reminded of Grand Councillor Yeoncheol.

What can I do?

Your Imperial Majesty, do not think about anything else and just do as I tell you.

First,

cover your lips with hers.

I have to... I have to cover my lips with hers.

Yes, after that, you can start with a missionary position--

Get your dirty mind away from me.

Do not pretend to know everything. You are a eunuch!

Do you think I was born this way?

When I was young...

Your Imperial Majesty,

have you never been tempted to lie with a woman?

Tempted?

Yes, think about those times carefully.

It was...

It was when I was exiled to Goryeo.

I am glad to hear that.

Think about the woman on your first night with the Empress.

But what if it was...

-It was a man. -A man?

It was a man?

Even now, whenever I think about him, my heart flutters.

And my face gets flushed.

I do not know what is the matter with me.

Om mani padme hum.

What a twist of fate.

Chief Eunuch.

Why on earth did you select her as a maid?

I only followed the rules.

Rules?

My younger sister will become the Empress soon.

Can you not grasp the meaning of this?

Since she is a maid now, make her suffer until she begs for death.

Make her beg to see me.

Is that clear?

The Empress will be standing around here.

And His Imperial Majesty will greet her from over here.

Everything is to take place on this spot. Do you follow?

It takes about 30 steps from my spot to where he will greet the Empress.

Twenty-six, twenty-seven,

twenty-eight, twenty-nine,

thirty.

I cannot pierce the Emperor's heart from 30 steps away.

I must finish him in one go.

Venom. Snake venom.

It is a glorious day. Please brighten up.

Your Imperial Majesty.

When His Imperial Majesty sees you, he will acknowledge your beauty.

That will not be enough.

He must be blinded by my beauty.

The palanquin is prepared outside. Please hurry, and get on it.

Okay.

This scent of musk drives men crazy.

It is of the highest quality.

Here comes the Emperor!

Here comes the Empress!

Hurry.

Closer.

Come a little closer.

How is the life of a maid in the palace?

It is not too late.

If you come with me now,

you can throw away your maid uniform and live in luxury right away.

Hail to the Empress!

Hail to the Emperor!

-Hail to the Imperial Majesties! -Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

-Hail to the Imperial Majesties! -Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

-Hail to the Imperial Majesties! -Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

-Hail to the Imperial Majesties! -Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

-Hail to the Imperial Majesties! -Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

-Hail to the Imperial Majesties! -Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

Hail to the Imperial Majesties!

RESIDENCE FOR MAIDS FROM GORYEO

My legs are killing me.

-Do you want me to massage them? -Yes.

Actually, never mind.

I must be at the Bridal Chamber.

Why are you going to the Bridal Chamber?

Why do you think?

It is to prepare the chamber.

Is that...

where the Emperor will spend the first night?

Yes.

Are you getting dispatched to that chamber tonight?

Maids are not allowed in the bedchamber.

The court ladies will be there.

I will be back.

See you later.

Are you out of your mind?

You cannot have a knife in here!

Do you think Yeon-hwa saw it?

I do not think she did,

but why on earth do you have a knife on you?

Pretend you saw nothing.

Please do this for me, Hong-dan.

Tonight...

will be your last night.

Move it.

Get up!

When will you finish building the stronghold at this rate?

Hurry up!

-Move it! -Quickly.

Eunuch Bang!

Stop loafing around, you eunuch.

Move it.

That scumbag.

I am going to rip him into pieces one day.

How many more days do you think that deposed king will last?

Make them work day and night starting today.

Yes, Uncle Baekan.

See those men with the deposed king?

How about sending them to somewhere else?

That way, it would be easier to get rid of--

Any words from our men that we sent to the Dolgwol?

I have not heard anything from them yet.

Look!

Are you ignoring me right now?

I do not care whether he lives or dies.

What?

I will only focus on wiping out the Dolgwol.

I will not forgive anyone who gets in the way,

even if that is you.

I will look forward to seeing how well...

you can do your job.

He will be the Emperor's brother-in-law soon.

Nothing good will come of ruffling his feathers.

Tell that to that brat.

It is no good in ruffling mine.

-Keep moving! -Move it.

Move it!

If you pass out, that will be the end of it. Keep going.

Please take a short break. I will do it.

No, I am all right. Do not worry about me.

We will end up working all night long.

This is too much. We have not gotten any sleep.

Forget about sleep. I am starving.

We will distribute your food now.

If you are late, you will starve!

Those assholes.

They expect us to go through our day with just a rice ball? Shit!

Please have mine.

I am all right.

Please have mine, Your Majesty.

I have a small stomach.

-Go ahead and eat up. -You will not eat yours?

-Thank you! -You jerk!

You little weasel.

Come and join us.

Let us go.

Where are his manners? He showed no respect!

He must be disappointed in me.

Why would he be?

They probably thought now that His Majesty is here,

the treatment would improve.

Do not mind them.

We should put your safety above all else.

Something is off.

I heard some clashing of weapons in the forest.

What?

Charge forward!

It is an ambush!

I will go request for backup. You stay here!

Hey!

Hey, Yeom Byeong-su!

Do not leave anyone behind!

Kill them all!

Men of Goryeo are dying.

-They are dying right before my eyes! -Your Majesty!

Let us handle it. You must go to a safe place.

Get their weapons and fight against them. Now!

-Okay. -Okay.

Your Majesty!

You scumbags!

Anyone with a weapon must come forward.

Stop them!

How many of Yuan soldiers are dead?

-Twelve soldiers died. -What about the rest?

I have not tallied it up yet, but it must be at least 100.

Put them away.

You killed them.

It was you who killed my people!

Your Majesty!

Stop!

Bring him to my barrack.

Even if we were from Goryeo,

you should have given weapons to the soldiers.

If you were short of arms,

the Yuan soldiers should have protected them.

Your irresponsibility killed those innocent lives.

Do you think they are treated unfairly because of their origin?

You know the answer to that.

Not at all.

It would have been the same even if I had given them weapons.

People from Goryeo treat this as a war between the Yuan dynasty and the Dolgwol.

I am not discriminating against them.

You have brought discrimination upon yourselves.

You are bound to lose a war without cause.

To that rabble who only tried to save themselves,

I will not spare my weapons.

Today or tomorrow...

In the end, all of them will be dead.

I will make them a force to reckon with.

Let me be the commander.

Shut up!

I, Yeom Byeong-su, am their commander.

You cannot hand over the authority to the deposed king.

You ran away after abandoning your soldiers!

I did not run away. I went to request for backups!

Stop running that wicked tongue of yours.

You cannot give him a chance to make a contribution.

We can hold him accountable and kill him if we lose the war.

-Give him a chance. -Whatever you say,

Yeom Byeong-su will be the commander.

A battle between them will decide the commander.

The winner will be the commander.

What do you say? Will you accept my proposal?

I will.

What about you?

When this man was living in luxury in the palace,

my hands bled from training.

Why would I turn it down?

The hour of the Dog!

THE HOUR OF THE DOG: FROM 7 P.M. TO 9 P.M.

The hour of the Dog!

All right.

You must head out to the Bridal Chamber now.

Come on.

I got it, so stop with your nagging.

Your Imperial Majesty, Empress Dowager has arrived.

Welcome, Empress Dowager.

You may leave.

I understand how you must feel.

EMPRESS DOWAGER

No matter how beautiful she may be,

you cannot admire her with a pure heart as she is still Yeoncheol's daughter.

Please advise me on what I should do.

Go to the Bridal Chamber.

Only then the Imperial House will be at peace.

Yes, you are right.

I will do so.

You may sleep on the same bed,

but you must never impregnate her.

Grand Councillor is old. His days are numbered.

Once the figure of the absolute power is gone,

a bloody battle will take place to claim the power.

That is why there must never be an heir between you and Tanashilli.

You must not give them any excuse to congregate together again.

Then, is it possible for us to oust them from their authority?

We must.

I am looking for your concubine.

My concubine?

You must only bear heirs with concubines I choose for you.

Do you understand, My Imperial Majesty?

Chief Eunuch, what brings you here at this hour?

Frisk this girl.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Chief Eunuch.

Take her away immediately.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

What took you so long?

My apologies.

Take a seat. Let me pour you a drink.

I added honey into this mimosa flower drink.

I am sure this will be to your liking.

Would you like to have another glass?

Tell me the truth.

Why did you have a knife on you?

That knife is for my own protection.

For your protection?

I was dragged here.

Rather than getting violated by General Dang Gise,

I would be better off ending my own life.

You are lying.

He is the Empress' brother now.

Unless they are a fool,

why would any maid turn down his affection?

The stick will not do.

Take her away immediately!

That man...

That man killed my mother.

I cannot allow myself...

to be with the man who killed my mother just to have an easy life.

If my attempt to keep my chastity is a crime,

please end my life here.

Do you know how many people die here every year?

Some die for saying the wrong thing.

Some die for leaving hair in the food.

Some die for being too friendly with eunuchs.

There are hundreds of different allegations

people here can be framed with and killed.

And the most of those are from the very residence of yours.

I would not mind if you are only putting your life in danger.

However, you will not be the only one who will go down for this.

If you run your mouth, those who listened to you die too.

If you fall in love, the man you fall in love with dies too.

That is why rules and discipline must be enforced.

You...

broke the rule.

If a drop hits the floor,

you will have to count from the beginning again.

Count.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Bring me one more kettle.

Is no one outside?

I told you to bring me another kettle of the drink.

Your Imperial Majesty, it is time to consummate the marriage.

Consummate the marriage?

Consummate...

Oh, right. I was in the Bridal Chamber. The Bridal Chamber.

My Empress, you are indeed beautiful.

You idiot. Did you just realize that?

Your facial features and figure...

How can you be so beautiful?

Please.

Please rest your fatigued body in my embrace.

Hurry, Your Imperial Majesty.

I am waiting for you here.

Okay.

Now, my heart and my body...

belong to you.

You are...

my lord.

Please do whatever you...

Your Imperial Majesty.

Your Imperial Majesty.

Darn it.

Bring me more drinks. More drinks!

Can you not hear me? I said, more drinks!

She was neglected on the first night?

Yes, Your Highness.

His Imperial Majesty went to sleep right away.

Spread the word to the eunuchs and court ladies on the sly.

Since she was rejected from the first night,

she will not be able to hold her head high no matter how proud she is.

I will do as instructed.

I wonder what kind of look is on her arrogant face now.

Your Highness, His Imperial Majesty is here to see you.

Escort him inside.

Welcome, Your Imperial Majesty.

I do not see the Empress. What about the Empress?

She is not joining me.

What do you mean?

Offering me her greetings after spending the first night

is an important custom of the Imperial House.

When I woke up this morning, she had already gone to her chamber.

How could this happen?

Did you not tell the Empress about the custom?

I sufficiently explained it to her, Your Highness.

I will call for an assembly now.

Gather all of the eunuchs and court ladies of the Inner Court including the Empress.

Yes, Your Highness.

How dare she skip her first greetings?

What? An assembly?

I am the Empress.

Why will we have an assembly in her chamber?

The transition has not been completed.

You have not offered her your first greetings yet.

Do I look like I am in the mood to go offer my greetings now?

Regardless of your feelings, you must head out to her chamber soon.

Tell her that I am too exhausted from my first night with the Emperor.

Your Imperial Majesty.

No. Being pregnant would be better.

Relay this message to Her Highness.

I cannot go as I am blessed with His Imperial Majesty's affection.

Hey, look.

You should put in a good word to Empress Dowager for her.

What do you mean?

Wars come in many shapes.

If Empress Dowager and the Empress have a conflict,

we would be paying for it.

I do not follow.

Hey, look. Court Lady Yeom!

Empress has decided to call for an assembly of the Inner Court.

An assembly?

Empress Dowager just said she would be holding one.

Introduce yourselves to the Empress.

I handle papers at Office of Court Ladies. My name is Jongsaeon.

I work at the Pharmacy. My name is Yeobsabin.

I work at the Clothing Department. My name is Yongsasik.

-I work at the Kitchen. My name-- -Enough.

I cannot remember all of you.

I will call you however I like.

You are very ugly for a court lady.

I will call you Pumpkin.

Since your skin is dark, you are Charcoal.

Since you are fat, you are Boar.

Since you look lazy, you are Slug.

Your Imperial Majesty!

Calling them such names is not acceptable.

The more I see you, the wider your face gets.

You look like a toad.

Starting now, I will call you Big Toad.

Pumpkin.

Pumpkin, answer me!

Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.

Do you like your name?

I do like it.

Of course, as you should.

From now on, Empress Dowager will not rule over the Inner Court.

Remember that I, Tanashilli, will rule.

Understood?

I understand, Your Imperial Majesty.

What brings you here, Empress Dowager?

Why else would I be here?

If not to see you.

I am sorry.

I am on my way to see the Emperor.

I thought you would want to see me.

I heard His Imperial Majesty did not even touch you on the first night.

That has never happened before in the Imperial House.

Do you want to know how to win over his heart?

Will you...

tell me?

If you wish.

I would like to know something else.

Once an emperor departs this world,

I thought the empress should shave her head, go to a Buddhist temple,

and spend the rest of her life there as a Buddhist nun.

However, how come do you still rule over the Inner Court?

I would like to know your secret.

Do you wish for my departure?

I hear that you stress importance on customs and principles.

Customs cannot be respected if not carried out.

You must set an example.

Tell the Chief Eunuch to bring the girl chosen to be a concubine.

Lift your head.

She seems graceful and noble.

She has nice perky breasts.

Turn around.

I can see from her bottom that she is fertile.

I chose her among court ladies. She is the pick of the crop.

Face me.

Where are you from?

I am from Goryeo.

His Imperial Majesty will visit you in your chamber tonight.

I am sure you can please him, correct?

I will do my best.

I have already finished training her.

Please do not worry, Your Highness.

Pick a maid from Goryeo

to serve her.

Yes, Your Highness.

You will be assigned to the concubine's chamber tonight.

Prepare yourself.

The deposed king's swordsmanship is not easy to defeat.

Do not worry.

I have a secret weapon.

A secret weapon? What is it?

This is my secret weapon.

Did you plant pieces of iron in this?

His wooden sword will break into pieces.

His sword will not be the only thing that will break.

What about his head?

He taught swordsmanship in the Patrolling Myriarchy.

His skill is not to be underestimated.

That piece of trash.

Even the royal guards were not able to defeat His Majesty's swordsmanship.

It is time for the battle.

Please win.

Everyone has the same wish.

Please lead us!

-Please win. -Please win.

-Please beat him. -Good luck.

-Please win. -Please beat him.

Please knock him out.

-Please win. -Good luck.

Do not be nervous. Go crush him.

Today's match will end when one of you surrenders.

If no one surrenders to the end,

you may kill your opponent.

Did you hear that?

If you want to avoid getting hurt, it is not too late to surrender.

-Do not dare to surrender. -Why not?

Do you want to kill me?

You may begin.

What is this for?

It is Angelica root tea.

It warms your body. I was told to serve you this tonight.

So, you are from Goryeo.

I am also from Goryeo.

That is why the Chief Eunuch assigned a maid from Goryeo

to serve me tonight.

Please drink it before it gets cold.

His Imperial Majesty is coming.

You said he would be here after nine o'clock.

I was informed as such too, but he is coming here now.

-Take away the tea now. -Yes, Chief Eunuch.

Watch where you are going!

I have committed a mortal sin.

Let us hurry, Your Imperial Majesty.

Lift your head now.

I told you to lift your head.

Did you not hear His Imperial Majesty?

You...

You are...

Men would lose their interest in women they can easily win over.

Do you not know what she is like?

There will be bloodshed.

Something feels off in the Palace.

I heard someone had been blessed by His Imperial Majesty.

Who is it?

You must be looking down on me.

Do you really want to see me go senile?

I feel suffocated! I cannot stand it anymore!

Look at me. Stay still.

I told you not to move.

You are only a maid. How dare you?

Stop it!

My heart... It has been broken into pieces.

Can you really not understand me?

I missed you. I have missed you immensely.

Subtitle translation by Won-hyang Son