CAPTIVATING THE KING
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EPISODE 15
Do you still…
find me unworthy?
Is it because of the crime I committed?
That crime is not solely yours.
My brother and I had a hand in it…
as well as the Queen Dowager and the Principal Director.
I refuse to accept your affection…
for claiming you as mine
would be reprehensible in that I would be exploiting you
and hurting you yet again.
Do you resent me?
Your Majesty.
To speak the truth,
I knew that you would refuse my final request.
Knowing your true nature…
might have been what led me
to love you.
This cannot be.
Did you take poison?
Is anyone outside?
Eunuch Kim!
Why are you standing around?
Bring the royal physician immediately!
Yes, Your Majesty.
Why in heaven's name would you take poison?
Your Majesty.
I have received an order
to kill you.
I was told…
that you would never forgive me
for harming the late king
and that this was the only way for me to survive.
I was also told that if you forgave me,
you would become
a depraved tyrant
who forsook the bond set by the heavens.
You were coerced.
Who was it?
Was it the Queen Dowager or the Principal Director?
What made you change your mind?
Why did you take the poison
instead of using it to kill me?
Your Majesty.
My lifelong wish…
was to be loved by you.
However,
what I desired
and hoped for more
was to protect you…
until the end of my days.
Your Majesty.
Since the day you promised
to grant all my requests,
I have wished…
to say these words to you one day.
What are they?
Your Majesty.
I have…
no more…
requests to make.
Senior Court Lady Dong.
Your Majesty!
Here comes His Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Forgive me, but I have not received any word of your visit.
May I ask what brings you…
Tell her I am here.
Your Royal Highness.
His Majesty is here.
Your Majesty.
Why is there blood on you?
This blood is not mine, but Senior Court Lady Dong's.
Senior Court Lady Dong's?
What do you mean?
She is dead.
She received an order to poison me just like my brother,
but she could not bring herself to follow the order
and took the poison herself and died.
His Majesty cannot dare to cast me away.
If he dares to bring me down,
he will crumble before I do.
Mother.
I do not understand
how you could remain silent
at the news of a threat to my life.
I cannot fathom what spite she may have had
to take her own life before you,
but poisoning?
As you well know,
the late king passed away due to his chronic illness.
Mother.
Senior Court Lady Dong confessed before she died.
Her words are all lies!
You must believe in your mother.
All this has come to pass because of Chu Dal-ha's report.
You must behead him and hang up his head for display
to show the world your authority and bring an end to this case.
That is the only way to preserve your reign.
I cannot and will not do so.
- Your Majesty! - Enough!
Enough.
That is enough.
Do you still not see it?
I could not bring myself to ask you the question
on the day my brother died.
However,
I already…
know its answer!
I have no idea what you are talking about.
You would have also known for long
that my uncle
is the spy who colluded with the Qing…
and that he poisoned my brother to death.
When I sought to punish him for it,
he turned against me and tried to poison me as well.
Tell me.
Did you order him to poison my brother?
That is ridiculous.
As his crimes have been revealed,
I shall interrogate him
without further ado.
I would rather bite my tongue
and take my own life on this spot than see that happen!
Your Majesty.
Reconsider what you are about to do.
The Principal Director is your one and only kin
and a loyal subject who will help you maintain your reign.
Do you not see
that you will be endangered if you punish him?
Mother.
Let me be clear.
Do not act as the leader of traitors.
Using my authority as the king,
I will do everything in my power…
to make sure
not to let such an act slide.
Your…
Your Majesty.
- Your Royal Highness! - Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty…
Your Majesty.
Your quarters are being cleaned up,
so let us head to Yeongchwijeong.
Gidaeryeong Kang should be in the palace.
- Go summon him. - Yes, Captain.
Your Majesty.
I heard the news…
of Senior Court Lady Dong's death.
Back when…
you told me Kim Myung-ha confessed that the Principal Director
was plotting treason,
I should have ordered his immediate arrest and interrogation.
What did you say?
The Principal Director asked Myung-ha to join him in a plot of treason?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Yoo Hyun-bo served as the Principal Director's messenger
and tried to convince the Sixth Royal Secretary.
He insisted on reporting them to you himself, but I dissuaded him.
With Yoo Hyun-bo as the messenger,
the Principal Director can simply deny his involvement,
which would make the Sixth Royal Secretary a criminal who falsely accused your kin.
I thought it would be wiser for me to report the matter
and await your orders.
This is better.
I shall exploit it
to trick the Principal Director into lowering his guard.
Tell Myung-ha to accept his offer.
This is a golden opportunity to make him reveal his own crimes.
I am responsible for Court Lady Dong's death.
My greedy pursuit of exposing all the crimes of the Principal Director
led to her death.
Your Majesty.
Please do not blame yourself.
They say even the wisest of the wise
cannot fully fathom another's thoughts.
I also once witnessed
Senior Court Lady Dong crying in despair,
but I failed to understand the reasons behind her sorrow.
Court Lady Dong…
was the only one who knew of my crime.
I forced her to commit a crime for me,
but I never gave her my warm regards.
Throughout her service to me,
I suspected her of being the subject of my mother and uncle
and begrudged her.
She must have believed…
that I would never forgive her,
which would have made her afraid.
She did not take her own life because she feared punishment from you.
She only did so
as she knew you would forgive her.
As she knew your secret,
she would have believed her death was the only way to protect you.
The reasons that I cannot forgive the Principal Director…
are only piling up.
Your Majesty.
With Senior Court Lady Dong gone,
you no longer have a witness.
Do you still intend to carry out the interrogation?
The court will be against it, saying that it now lacks merit.
Even Inspector General Kim Je-nam will not be able to support me.
However,
even if I have to quash all resistance from the court,
the interrogation will be held.
I cannot overlook the Principal Director's crimes.
Are you certain…
that Court Lady Dong died from this poison?
Yes, Your Majesty.
What about the late king?
I would have a more accurate result if I could examine it further.
But based on the looks of the silver spoon
and the time it takes to change colors,
I believe his passing was caused by the same poison.
You may leave.
Your Majesty.
Do you think the Principal Director gave Court Lady Dong the order?
I suspect so, but she did not confess as much.
What is the matter?
To speak the truth,
my men are chasing after one of his servants who has disappeared.
And we have learned that he was headed to the border.
I am concerned that his next move after giving out an order for your death
may be an attempt to collude with the Qing's envoy, Jung Je-pyo,
bearing a document approving the appointment of the Crown Prince.
I did not expect…
that wench to be this foolish.
This is no time to mull over nothing.
What will you do now?
Thankfully, His Majesty is a tactician who calculates all possibilities ahead.
Without Court Lady Dong, who would have been his witness,
he no longer has the grounds to summon me as a criminal.
As an interrogation without cause will only face the court's resistance
and incur the suspicion of Prince Rui,
it will not take place.
What if His Majesty insists on holding an interrogation?
And what about Kim Myung-ha?
If he gets cold feet and makes a report--
A report shall be fought with another report.
"Kim Myung-ha and Yoo Hyun-bo joined hands…
and proposed that we plot treason."
My lord.
I only raised the issue out of concern.
Why are you threatening me when I am on your side?
Kim Myung-ha cannot make rash moves because of the Crown Prince,
but you are different.
Humans are creatures of habit.
Your habits have not gone anywhere.
Remember this.
My doom will lead to your doom.
Do you understand?
I will remember that, my lord.
My lady.
The Sixth Royal Secretary is here.
The last words of the late king
were to protect the Grand Prince and appoint him the Crown Prince.
His Majesty
is carrying out those last words.
Am I wrong?
When did you realize that?
I thought something was off
when the King spared my life
and appointed me the Executive Assistant of Uiju.
I questioned his decision as my crime deserved death.
I avoided facing the truth even after the Grand Prince became the Crown Prince.
But the Principal Director's recent offer made me realize it.
It was I
who was captivated by the need for vengeance.
I am relieved
to hear you say so.
Do you think His Majesty
will interrogate the Principal Director?
I am afraid he will push ahead
despite the unfavorable circumstances.
Let His Majesty know
that I shall attend the interrogation
and report the Principal Director for his attempt to plot treason.
That cannot happen.
If you take action, His Royal Highness will be in danger,
and His Majesty will not approve of that.
There is no other way.
Without the interrogation,
the Principal Director will cover up his crimes with aid from Prince Rui.
Were that to happen,
the Qing troops may invade like they did three years ago
and attempt to take His Majesty away.
We cannot let that happen.
The horses are ready outside the city walls, my lord.
But where are you going?
I will head to the Qing through Uiju
and seek refuge under Prince Rui's service.
Hurry up. We must leave the capital before morning.
Yes, my lord.
Damn it.
I am sure I heard footsteps.
Let us go that way.
Your Majesty.
Did you summon me?
Summon the judges as I shall hold an interrogation today.
Your Majesty.
Though you ordered us not to appoint one among the Border Defense Council members,
we will need a minister-level official.
We seek to appoint Minister of War Min Ji-hwan as one.
Please give us your approval.
You have my approval.
Your Majesty.
Please name the criminal to be interrogated today.
Principal Director…
Park Jong-hwan.
I shall follow your royal command.
Criminal Park Jong-hwan, come out and follow the royal command!
Tell them to wait awhile for me to get changed.
Yes, my lord.
Be honest with me.
Did you know that the spy who colluded with the Qing
was the Principal Director?
Those are the exact words I want to ask you.
From what I recall, you were closer to him than I was three years ago.
I had no idea.
You know how reticent the Principal Director can be.
What do you think will happen?
As one of the judges, you should be able to tell how it will go.
Do you think His Majesty will summon me to the interrogation?
No one knows.
Depending on what the Principal Director says,
anyone could be summoned.
How dare an accused criminal wear a court robe?
He must be out of his mind.
Some may even think he is here to receive commendations.
Here comes His Majesty!
Why is the criminal dressed in a court robe?
I apologize, Your Majesty.
Strip him of his robe.
Your Majesty.
I only came to clear my name of the false charges.
I do not stand before you as a criminal.
As I wish to pay my respects to you,
please allow me to answer your questions in this robe.
That is preposterous, Your Majesty.
For a loyal subject, merely being accused of being a criminal
warrants one to be disrobed
with their hair loosened, awaiting their punishment.
Please order him to take his robe off.
I shall take off my robe and await your punishment
if I fail to answer your questions.
Principal Director.
You colluded with the Qing,
brought their troops into our land,
and ordered Senior Court Lady Dong
to…
You also ordered Senior Court Lady Dong
to assassinate the late king.
Do you confess to these crimes?
Your Majesty.
Your question does not make sense.
If I had given out such an order,
for whom do you think I would have done so?
Then tell me, for whom did you give her the poisoned rouge
and order her to assassinate me?
Answer my question!
I swear by the heavens' name
that I have never colluded with the Qing
or plotted the late king's death.
Moreover, I have never even considered harming you.
Do you have evidence or witness that I have done so?
Without a cause, justice falls apart.
I beseech you to see reason
and stop this reckless interrogation, Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
We have a witness to right the cause and justice.
- Bring them in. - Yes, Your Majesty.
What on earth are you doing?
I am here on a royal command to arrest a criminal plotting treason.
Treason? That is ridiculous.
Who informed you of such a lie?
That little…
The Principal Director openly boasted about his misdeeds.
Colluding with the Qing three years ago to bring their troops into our land
and ordering Senior Court Lady Dong to assassinate the late king
were all claimed as his own doing.
Furthermore, when you sought to uncover his crimes of colluding with the Qing,
he said he would order
Court Lady Dong to assassinate you as well.
I did not believe his words at first.
But upon hearing her of death, I came to believe them.
Why did the Principal Director share his intent to plot treason with you?
If you do not confess your involvement in the treasonous plot,
I shall tell His Majesty the lies you told three years ago
and request that you be punished in the same way as my father.
You will then
be slaughtered like an animal in front of everyone
and face a gruesome death.
That is because…
the Principal Director and I plotted treason together.
The news of Court Lady Dong's death
led me to finally realize the wrongs of my ways
- and confess my crimes to you. - Your Majesty!
Every single word of Yoo Hyun-bo's attestation is a lie.
I have committed no crimes!
Disrobe the criminal.
Begin the torture.
Do not stop…
until he confesses all his crimes.
Cease the torture.
Leave us for a while.
I must speak with the criminal alone.
Every single one of you shall leave.
- But Your Majesty-- - I seek to question my uncle…
on the disgraceful secrets of the royal family, so leave.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Three years ago,
the night when my brother passed away,
I told you that I would accept my fate before the main hall.
Do you remember it?
That was the moment
I set my mind for today.
I ascended to the throne…
for this very moment.
I ensured your ascent to the throne
by fair means and foul.
Is this truly
the reward for my loyalty?
How do you call yourself loyal
when you colluded with the enemy and assassinated the king?
Uncle.
You are merely a base, treacherous subject
who sought to fulfill your selfish needs
by taking advantage of the king's power.
I took you for a dragon that inherited our family's blood,
but you were nothing but a lowly worm.
You fool.
You are not a true king.
You are a fool
and nothing but a spy of the late king.
I have mulled over that notion
for the past three years.
"Am I worthy of the throne?"
"Is it right for me to be this nation's king…
when I ascended to the throne…
with the help of a traitor?"
However, I now clearly understand…
that punishing you for your crimes
is my duty and right
as the king.
I swear to the heavens…
that I will not forgive you for your crimes.
Your Majesty.
I am your one and only kin.
Abandoning me would be severing the bond set by the heavens.
How would you endure such disgrace and dishonor?
I already told you
that anyone who opposed me should face death,
even my own kin.
Have you forgotten?
I am the king of this nation.
The king shall not be insulted.
Anyone who opposes me shall face death
and that includes
my kin who shares my blood.
What is your decision?
Look.
Will he be taken to the State Tribunal?
His Majesty commanded that he be confined to his residence
until his punishment is decided.
There has never been a case
where the Queen Dowager's kin went through such horrific interrogation
in the history of our nation.
It just may become
a more common occurrence now.
I owe Myung-ha a big debt.
The Sixth Royal Secretary will not consider it a debt.
He now understands the ordeal you went through
for His Royal Highness.
I am relieved he thinks that way.
Your Majesty.
What is the matter?
I do not understand these feelings.
On one hand,
I feel so hollow.
But at the same time,
I am afraid.
You have held on so far for this day to come, Your Majesty.
As you would have forced yourself
to ignore your emotional and physical exhaustion,
it would be abnormal for you
not to be engulfed by such emotions.
Your Majesty.
Please return to your quarters.
You must rest.
Staying with you…
is resting to me.
"Chu Dal-ha has committed a grave crime.
But as his report on the matter of the spy
has contributed greatly to the exposure of treason,
his sentence shall be reduced
to being flogged 80 times and 3 years of hard labor."
I shall sentence him accordingly.
"Yoo Hyun-bo's crimes are serious
as he plotted treason with Park Jong-hwan.
But as his attestation
has averted the treason from taking place,
he shall be exiled far away from the capital."
I shall sentence him accordingly.
Your Majesty.
What is the punishment for Park Jong-hwan?
I am still deciding.
I only seek to make the most prudent decision,
so await my verdict.
Wait one moment.
Do you have anyone to see you off?
How dare you presume that no one would see me off?
Let us just go.
You have a long way ahead of you. Use it to get some drinks.
Allow me a moment.
Time travels fast.
I will see you soon.
His Majesty requests you inside.
I am here to confess my crimes, Your Majesty.
What crimes do you mean?
Thanks to Gidaeryeong Kang's help,
I reported Park Jong-hwan and Yoo Hyun-bo's plots for treason
and avoided being punished.
But to speak the truth, my heart was swayed by their offer,
and I joined hands with them briefly.
As such, please punish me as you see fit.
I have decided…
on the Principal Director's punishment.
He shall be made to drink poison.
Myung-ha,
you shall take the poison to him.
Witnessing the final moments of the Principal Director…
is your punishment.
Do not be swayed ever again.
Let his end serve as a warning not to follow in his footsteps.
Your Majesty.
I will engrave your kindness onto my bones and carry out your command
to the best of my ability.
Your Majesty.
Convention has it that the crimes of a royalty's kin go unpunished.
If you must punish him, exile him instead
and spare his life.
Mother.
The Principal Director…
must die.
That is the only way to right the wrongs
and make the people
consider me as a true king.
Your Majesty.
This is a desperate plea from your mother.
Will you still refuse it?
Escort her away.
Your Royal Highness.
- Let us go. - Let me go!
I shall…
leave without aid.
Remember this.
This is the reward from His Majesty
for the sacrifices of his loyal subject.
It is truly delectable!
The Principal Director
seems to have dispatched a servant to alert the Qing of his situation.
The Qing's envoy may bring approval for the appointment of the Crown Prince
or lead the Emperor's general along with its troops for war.
We cannot know for sure yet.
But should the Qing
attempt to interfere with our matters using the Principal Director as a pretext,
I will fight back.
Your Majesty.
Your words are just and brave.
I shall
put my faith in your will and follow it.
I concur with the Inspector General.
And the court officials will also support you as one.
I feel reassured to have you both.
Minister of War.
You shall keep your eye on the borders and report back to me.
Yes, Your Majesty.
The Chief Royal Secretary is here, Your Majesty.
Jung Je-pyo has reached Uiju
with a document approving the appointment of the Crown Prince.
Send the Sixth Royal Secretary and the Great Lord to receive him.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I have heard of your troubles on your journey to bring
the document approving the Crown Prince's appointment.
My travels were nothing
compared to the difficulties I suffered
from the Principal Director's death.
While staying in Uiju,
I had to send word countless times to Prince Rui in Beijing
to apprise him of the situation.
It was quite troublesome.
In the end,
Prince Rui concluded that Joseon's matters are the purview of the King of Joseon.
I am relieved he thinks that way.
This…
is my gift to you.
My greetings to Prince Rui.
The King of Joseon
has become aware of my communication with the Great Qing
and is attempting to punish me.
This is clearly an attempt to drive out the faction close to the Qing
and cut off the Qing's influence.
I believe it would be prudent
to summon the King to the Qing to warn him of his actions.
With the Crown Prince who can inherit the throne,
you would not have to worry about the aftermath.
Is my gift to your liking?
Yes, it is.
What do you mean Jung Je-pyo wishes to return to Joseon?
It is as it sounds, Your Majesty.
Along with the Emperor's letter,
Prince Rui's letter also contains such content.
"I shall send the loyal subject of Qing, Jung Je-pyo, back to Joseon.
Appoint him an official of your court
and show him your benevolence."
So they intend to dispatch a spy openly and not in secret.
I am almost grateful. I shall accept the offer.
The court shall discuss a position to give him.
Yes, Your Majesty.
We shall do that.
Your Majesty.
I apologize, but Prince Rui's letter contains another element of surprise.
What is it?
The Emperor…
wishes to play baduk with the gidaeryeong.
Your Majesty.
Right.
My mind trailed off.
The Qing's envoy
must have caused you distress.
It is nothing new.
Are they perhaps making unreasonable demands
over the Principal Director's death?
Do not worry.
I do not intend to give them what they want.
My lord.
It has been a while.
I was waiting for you upon hearing the maddening news.
What news?
Have you not heard yet?
I hear Prince Rui's letter
contains a request to have you sent to Beijing.
I told you I would not drink even a single drop of water.
Do you take my orders as a joke?
Your Royal Highness.
You must drink.
At this rate, you will fall ill.
That is exactly my aim.
I must die
to make the King bitterly regret not coming to visit me even once.
He seems to be busy receiving the Qing's envoy.
Please do not be upset.
A visit from the Qing's envoy is nothing out of the ordinary.
Word has it that Prince Rui of the Qing
ordered the gidaeryeong to be sent to Beijing.
Why would it matter to me
that a lowly gidaeryeong is being summoned?
How is it that
he cannot spare a moment to visit me because of such a trifling matter
when I am at death's door from hunger and thirst?
What an…
undutiful son I have birthed.
Her Royal Highness has not eaten or drunk for days.
At this rate,
something may truly happen to her.
I understand.
I shall prepare herbal medicine for her.
You wench!
Watch where you are going!
I apologize, my lady.
You do not use your sight as you should,
but you are eager to put your tongue to use.
- What is this? - That is mine!
Whose residence did you steal this from?
I did not steal it.
I received it.
This is highly valuable.
Who would ever give it to you, and for what reason?
It was given to me…
by the late Senior Court Lady Dong.
Court Lady Dong?
What did she ask you to do in return?
What are you waiting for?
Hurry and tell Her Royal Highness what you have seen and heard.
Why are you causing this ruckus?
The matter
pertains to the gidaeryeong.
What about him?
When His Majesty left the palace,
he was with another woman.
And this girl saw that woman.
However,
that woman
was the gidaeryeong.
Have you seen it yourself?
I will take your life if you are deceiving me.
How would I dare speak falsehood before you?
I have seen with my two eyes
that the gidaeryeong is a woman.
Jageunnyeon.
What do you think of traveling to Beijing?
Why are you asking me that out of the blue?
It is where my father is,
as is Bun-yeong.
They say the place has a market for all rare items and records.
We could take it as an opportunity to see the world and travel.
I would go if you would.
But do not even dream about it, my lady.
His Majesty would never approve of it.
Gidaeryeong Kang, Her Royal Highness summons you.
Let me escort you.
I have prior engagement with His Royal Highness.
May I ask why I am being summoned?
Could I not go see her later?
I am afraid not.
You will have to postpone your visit to His Royal Highness.
I understand. Lead the way.
Master?
Why do you look so down playing your baduk game?
Father.
I came by to see you play against the gidaeryeong.
Where could he have gone
to leave you all alone?
It seemed like
Her Royal Highness had summoned him.
The Queen Dowager?
Yes.
I saw Master being escorted by Senior Court Lady Han.
Your Royal Highness.
Human eyes can be so fickle.
You clearly look like a woman.
How did I not see it before?
You caught my eye when you first greeted me
at the Queen's quarters.
That must have been…
because you were destined to be my future daughter-in-law.
Let them in.
Yes, Your Royal Highness.
How do you like it?
Does it suit your taste?
Very well.
There.
The sewing and embroidery maids stayed up all night to prepare this robe.
Try it on.
Come on now.
Your Royal Highness.
Forgive me,
but being His Majesty's gidaeryeong is enough for me.
Who gave you the permission to take it off?
Your distasteful habit of not listening while I am being civil
slipped my mind.
Do not just stand about!
Strip her of this unseemly men's attire.
Let me go!
Here comes His Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Mother.
What is going on here?
Greetings, Your Majesty.
CAPTIVATING THE KING
Send the gidaeryeong to the Qing and issue a decree for the selection of the queen.
They may call you their guest, but who knows how they will treat you?
I will go to the Emperor.
Why do you insist on taking the risk?
I would gain means to aid you and this nation.
There is no reason for me to hesitate or dread it.
Even after three years,
I am no different in that I still cannot protect you.
I promise
to return safely
and give you a chance to win against me.
Subtitle translation by: Jea-heon Chung
Ripped and synced by TTEOKBOKKIsubs