(All people, incidents, and periods in this drama are fictitious.)
You are...
Hold it back, Kang Eun Soo.
Do not let him find out.
Let him consider that I am just a lookalike.
I will hold out.
Why are you...
Why are you here?
How...
Do not do that.
Eun Soo...
Han Soo...
I am sorry.
I am sorry, Han Soo.
- I am sorry. - Eun Soo...
I am sorry, Han Soo.
What have you said to Eun Soo?
What did you say to entice her,
and why did you use her like that?
Actually,
it was not the former King's order to eliminate Officer Kang.
It was the Queen Dowager,
who wanted to subdue the fury of the subjects.
It was also the Queen Dowager who enthroned the current King...
instead of the former, who suffered from a chronic illness.
So technically speaking,
the Royal Family of Joseon is your enemy.
Will you get your revenge...
against the Royal Family?
I hoped...
to forgive you, Father.
I am waiting for an opportunity...
to understand and forgive you.
Do you not see that?
Do not cry.
And do not worry either.
I will get you out of here.
Han Soo.
I will not condone...
another wrongful death, so...
It is not wrongful.
I was not framed.
It is something I have done.
So...
I will pay for my crime.
No.
Who decides what the price is for your crime?
Do you really think there is justice here?
This kingdom of Joseon...
is entirely rotten!
On top of that, the King wants to kill you.
That is why I am trying to stop him.
So...
Han Soo.
So...
Eun Soo.
Let me save your life first.
Okay?
Yoo Je Se!
Get away.
I will kill you! You...
Han Soo!
No!
Not Eun Soo.
Not my sister!
You should not have exploited her!
I will kill you.
I will...
kill you!
Let go of me!
Let go!
Let us go.
I will kill you.
Dong Chi...
Eun Soo... My Eun Soo...
Dong Chi...
(Episode 14: Falling Blossoms 2)
(Joseon Attorney: A Morality)
What?
Kang Han Soo's sister?
Yes.
She was also exploited by Executive Minister Yoo,
and she has been abandoned.
I see.
That is why.
So please,
you must not create yet another innocent victim.
- Please... - Innocent?
She is not innocent.
Sorry?
I will make sure the subjects of Joseon...
will never be manipulated by a single woman again.
I shall punish her as a warning to others.
But Your Majesty.
A king's reward and punishment...
must be given according to the will of the skies,
and one must not reflect one's personal feelings.
I do not agree.
Is it personal to punish her...
in order to punish Executive Minister Yoo?
Or is it more personal to show mercy because she is a sister of a friend?
You are also trying to persuade me right now...
because of personal feelings.
Kang, who operated a bar in Namchon for middle-class women and widows,
is the daughter of Kang Eon Jik, a former officer in the Royal Court,
and the daughter-in-law of Nam Kyung Moon,
a former governor of Siheung.
Kang Eon Jik?
Is he not a criminal who passed during interrogation for bribery?
You are right.
His daughter must have inherited...
the unethical nature of her father.
Kang was a woman of noble birth.
State your crimes honestly!
But she has not remained chaste and committed adultery with many men.
You must interrogate her thoroughly and punish her accordingly.
I wish to ask the Ministry of Justice...
to interrogate Jang Myung Ki, Jang Yoon, Kim Young Jae,
Seo Byung Ho, Choi Heung Seon, and Lee Geun Woo.
They must be interrogated.
Listen up!
Strip them!
- Yes, my lord! - Yes, my lord!
(Eun)
When...
will you expose my name?
Are you afraid?
Did you approach me...
that night...
to prepare for a day like this?
I eavesdropped on the conversation between the Saheonbu officials.
The King has given secret orders...
to crack down on the illegal trades near the border.
If this issue arises,
who will Executive Minister Yoo put the blame on?
Who will be...
abandoned this time?
What is your purpose...
of telling me this?
I thought...
you were on Executive Minister Yoo's side.
You are mistaken.
As a matter of fact, if you ask me whose side I am on,
I will tell you that I am the daughter of my parents.
Your parents?
Who are your parents?
My father...
once went by the name of Kang Eon Jik.
No way.
(Officer Kang Eon Jik)
You are...
Officer Kang's daughter?
Yes.
So, I have decided to give you a chance to apologize to my father.
Tell me how I can defeat Executive Minister Yoo.
There were no ledgers.
Are you sure you did not tell me a lie...
to put me in a fix?
If I did...
I would not have been foolish enough to prove my loyalty to you...
(Eun)
by getting this.
I pity you.
Even with all that wealth and power,
what makes you so insecure?
What will you do now?
You have just...
pushed your luck.
What do you think you are doing here?
I have come to calm you down.
Calm me down?
You must be more cautious at a time like this.
Do not make me laugh.
Who could stay calm in this situation?
So, what is it that you want to tell me?
Eun Soo is negatively influenced by your late father's reputation.
They criticize her and her family customs...
and say that she inherited an unethical nature.
Unbelievable. Family customs?
What about them messing with innocent people's lives?
Is that part of the national customs?
Get off me!
If you step up to tell them that you are her brother,
things will get worse for her.
You know better than anyone...
that no one in the Royal Court favors you.
And you are an attorney.
They are even discussing...
whether to ban attorneys by law or not.
Whether you are Eun Soo's brother or an attorney,
stepping forward to help her will only backfire.
Then...
what do you expect me to do?
What you want to do.
Use me to do them.
What must I do...
to save Eun Soo?
Dong Chi?
Eun Soo.
What happened?
Princess Yeon Joo and Magistrate Yoo helped.
I am going to stay here and protect you for a while.
Just in case.
In case I kill myself?
No. Han Soo is worried sick...
that someone might hurt you.
I apologize.
Why would you?
I should have stopped you...
when you were getting married.
I should have told you...
how I felt about you and eloped with you.
Then,
you would not have ended up here.
Why are you smirking?
I mean it.
I am in agony here.
I was not smirking.
I smiled because I was glad.
I was thinking it would have been better.
Had you done that,
I would have been happier than now.
Because you are someone...
who makes me smile.
According to the law, in the case of adultery,
it is punishable by 80 floggings...
if it was by mutual consent,
by 90 floggings if the woman was married,
and by 100 floggings if either of the party was tricked.
What must I do...
to save Eun Soo?
I am sure that everyone knows this case is a fight...
between Executive Minister Yoo and His Majesty.
Most people will want to stay quiet.
But a few officials, who want be in the Kings' favor,
will take a tough stance and say she must be put to death.
Kang's lewd behaviors...
were as vulgar as a gisaeng.
She must be sentenced to death, Your Majesty.
First off,
emphasize the law against adultery.
But to sentence her to death,
all men who were in a relationship with her must be punished the same.
How so?
When a man and a woman...
were both in a relationship by consent,
or when one tricked the other to believe it,
they'd both get the same punishment.
So, if Kang Eun Soo is sentenced to death,
the other men must also be sentenced to death.
But it was one woman...
who allured multiple men into adultery.
How should the men who were lied to...
be punished the same as her?
Of course, the arrested men will claim that they were lied to.
The government officials are all men as well,
so they will take their words more than Eun Soo's.
Still, it should not be punishable by death.
No.
So, our best defense is...
to punish it by the law.
But once the law is established,
you cannot adjust the penalty as you see fit.
If we do not execute the sinner who violated the rules,
how will we fix these obscene customs?
The customs do not change overnight for one severe punishment.
Punishment is there...
to discipline the people.
If customs cannot be changed,
there will be no use of legal punishment.
However,
reaching a verdict recklessly without following the law...
out of passing anger could set a bad example.
Please reconsider, Your Majesty.
How did it go?
He still insists on executing her.
But even His Majesty himself...
will have to punish her within the lawful boundary.
He can.
If he changes his perspective.
Since "Book of the Law" was promulgated,
no woman has been executed for adultery.
That is correct, Your Majesty.
Thus,
it is unacceptable to punish the criminal against the law.
Pardon me for saying this,
but it will set a bad example.
It needs to be handled according to the law.
Your Majesty,
I, Right State Councilor Im, would like to speak to you.
Come in.
What is the matter?
I have brought a way to lessen your concern.
What is he trying to pull in the middle this time again?
Again?
Right State Councilor Im stole Officer Kang's letter.
If we think about it,
every tragedy started from him.
I will look into what he is after.
You have just pushed your luck.
My lord.
Are you all right?
Help me take him!
- Yes, master. - Yes, master.
What happened?
He seems to be poisoned.
- Poisoned? - Yes.
I think the scar on his arm caused it.
In some cases,
heat spreads poison all over one's body.
Then how should he be treated?
I am afraid...
he is hopeless.
Should we step outside for a bit?
Sure.
Shall I let the Princess know?
Yes.
No.
Bring Attorney Kang over first.
Yes, my lady.
This is how he pays the price in the end.
But...
right before he died,
he spoke to His Majesty...
and gave him the answer he was looking for.
I have brought a way...
to lessen your concern.
A way to lessen my concern?
Punish her according to the civil law...
instead of the criminal law.
(Regarding civilian life such as marriage and land)
The civil law?
Yes, Your Majesty.
If you punish her for adultery according to the criminal law,
the maximum sentence is 100 floggings and a 2,000-ri exile.
But according to the civil law,
she can be put to death by hanging...
for abandoning her husband and getting remarried right away.
(Execution by hanging)
(Death, Life)
Is this the only way?
Your Majesty.
Are you really going to use that method?
You refer to a similar law...
only when there are no appropriate laws to apply.
She is clearly charged with adultery,
so why apply another law?
Do you think...
the law can be applied differently...
depending on how you perceive it?
Then,
are you telling me to stick to being a young puppet king,
who gets used by Executive Minister Yoo?
If I spare her now,
then I will end up...
becoming an incompetent king who has lost my subjects...
without even getting to handle Executive Minister Yoo's spy.
Then,
how would you call a king...
who supports constitutionalism only by words...
and applies the law as he pleases?
A foolish king?
Yeon Joo!
This will be recorded in history forever.
Will you ruin your great purpose...
over immediate gains?
This is for that great purpose.
Your Majesty.
If I defeat a disloyal subject...
and straighten the royal authority,
there will be much more I can do.
Then,
I will be able to make many more achievements.
Reputations are bound to change in the future.
For now,
seizing a chance comes first.
Please save her, my lord.
I will give up on everything.
Whatever it is, I will give up...
and leave far away with Eun Soo.
So please...
spare her life.
It was arrogant of me.
I had a stupid dream of getting my revenge with the law.
But now that my sister is in danger,
I have realized that it is much faster...
to rely on power than the law.
You are the only one...
who can save Eun Soo.
Are you suggesting a deal...
just by going on your powerless knees?
What will I get in exchange...
for saving Eun Soo?
He wants something from me.
What could it be?
I will bring what you want.
What did you just say?
I asked where the ledgers were.
I thought you had offered them to Executive Minister Yoo, but no.
Then it is obvious, is it not?
Lord Chu would not have taken those with him to the fiery pit.
I will bring them.
No, you will not.
If I hand them over to you right now,
what will happen to me?
You will seize a chance.
A chance to fulfill your duty as a human.
A chance to act according to your conscience, not wealth.
And a chance to ask for my forgiveness.
I saw you that day.
At the back alley.
Get ready to go to the palace.
- Yes, my lord. - Executive Minister Yoo.
What are you planning to do?
Why is it that you visited me?
Because you believed I could solve...
what you could not with your method, right?
Executive Minister Yoo came to the Ministry of Justice?
Yes.
Do not tell me...
Your Highness?
Your Highness!
According to the law,
you should live.
But the one who establishes law...
and administers justice...
wants you to die.
You mean the King.
Yes.
To save you,
we need to devise a scheme and not rely on the law.
And so your brother...
came to see me, not the King.
I am going to save you once more.
After sneaking you away to a safe place,
I will have a different person executed.
According to the national law, the prisoner who escaped jail...
and the one who had known but did not report it...
must be beheaded.
Roughly ten people,
including the lieutenant of Ministry of Justice,
the prison guard, and the executioner,
will lose their lives because of me.
Han Soo will surely not agree to such a plan, either.
Will you...
truly not regret it?
Did you not already predict my answer...
before coming here?
Eun Soo.
What did Executive Minister Yoo say to you?
It was nothing important.
Your Majesty.
Did you come to see what happened to the girl...
you abandoned?
Kang Han Soo paid me a visit,
asking to save Eun Soo.
He must have thought only I...
could save that child in the entire nation.
And not the King.
Your Majesty.
I heard you went and begged Executive Minister Yoo.
If you were to beg, you should have done it to me.
The one you should have begged...
and persuaded is me.
The answer was already decided, was it not?
The verdict...
can change anytime.
Were you not the man...
who taught me that?
But...
it is too late now.
Come watch the trial tomorrow.
I made a mistake.
Despite being friends, I did not fully trust the King.
Having become blind at the thought of saving Eun Soo,
I made the wrong move...
of pleading to power,
not to the law.
All because of me.
According to the criminal law,
all adultery...
must be by all means caught in action...
for the crime to be convicted.
But Kim Young Jae, Choi Heung Seon, and Lee Geun Woo,
who were arrested for committing adultery with Kang,
were not caught at the scene.
Nor were there any witnesses.
They were simply the names in the statement...
made by Heo Joong Sik, who was arrested for murder.
It was likely...
a false accusation in order to lessen his sins.
Therefore,
Kim Young Jae, Choi Heung Seon,
and Lee Geun Woo cannot be questioned.
Release them all.
- Thank you... - Thank you...
- for your boundless generosity. - for your boundless generosity.
Nonetheless,
adultery is an act of secrecy.
There was a precedent where one got punished...
with clear evidence despite not getting caught red-handed.
Those who are found guilty by having the same tattoo...
as the woman,
Jang Myung Ki, Jang Yoon, and Seo Byung Ho...
are to get 100 floggings and be exiled 2,000 ri away.
Lastly,
a word for Kang.
A conjugal relationship is strictly protected...
under the three basic bonds.
It is not any different from relationships...
between a subject and his King and a parent and their child.
However,
Kang has destroyed this basic principle.
She must be punished accordingly...
and placed under capital punishment.
If you interfere now, your sister will be brutally killed.
Announce the verdict.
"Kang's crime..."
"of committing adultery with many different men..."
"is considered a violation..."
"of the Family Law, which prohibits her..."
"from betraying her husband..."
"and running away to be remarried right away."
"She is sentenced..."
"to death by hanging."
Please help me save Eun Soo.
I will pay you a fortune if that is what you want.
You must be the Princess.
Do you know me?
Right, you worked for Executive Minister Yoo.
You must know me as his political opponent.
I know you as someone...
who is cherished by those whom I love.
I've always wanted to know...
what you were like.
And what do you think now that we met?
I wish to be you.
If I were you,
I could remain...
by those whom I love.
I take that as your wish to live.
Is that correct?
I must see His Majesty.
This decision was wrongful.
Think of how he must have felt as he made the decision...
knowing that it is wrong.
What a loyal subject you are.
Princess Yeon Joo will save Eun Soo.
I will persuade Eun Soo again.
She will be switched out by another dead body.
In that case,
she might get caught.
I do not care if the act is caught.
All I need is enough time to let Eun Soo escape.
And I will take responsibility for everything.
Do you have any idea what you are saying right now?
Of course.
I will be punished severely for helping a felon escape.
I may even get deposed.
(Deposed: Losing one's social status)
I must take things that far...
for His Majesty to realize his mistake.
Above all,
I cannot condone...
your attempt to pay back everything you did to that family...
over a matter like this one.
You will face a more severe punishment...
after this.
Get changed and follow Dong Chi.
Nobody will dare to stop the Princess.
I cannot make Han Soo...
live as a fugitive for life just to save myself.
His life was already ruined...
when our father was framed and killed.
I cannot make him live in hiding for the rest of his life.
I will gladly receive the price for my crime,
and I received a promise from His Majesty too.
A promise? From His Majesty?
Your Majesty.
A soul that suffered a wrongful death...
wanders around this world...
to harm the living...
or cause natural disasters.
That is why for generations,
kings always paid attention to the chagrin of their people.
Are you threatening me right now?
I mean you are solely in power...
to decide if this virtueless woman...
will pass away...
in spite or not.
So Your Majesty,
please become a strong and benevolent King...
and push out treacherous subjects such as Executive Minister Yoo...
and resolve the deep sorrows of your people...
who suffered because of them.
If you give me that promise,
I will...
gladly go yonder to the other world.
I understand your intention.
But I cannot back down this time.
Your parents were wrongfully killed.
If you leave like this,
how will Han Soo...
live the rest of his life?
I will do whatever I can...
to protect you and your brother.
Even if it means killing Executive Minister Yoo.
Princess Yeon Joo,
you must love my brother from the bottom of your heart.
I get it.
But I have a favor to ask you.
What is it?
Please bring something from my house.
It is for Han Soo,
so can you deliver it to him?
I will not take long.
My men will set fire to the scaffold and in the market...
to scatter their forces and cause confusion.
Dong Chi and Chu Sal will subdue the executioner in the meantime,
and I will rescue Eun Soo.
Han Soo!
Eun Soo!
No, Eun Soo.
Get a physician! Now!
No.
- Han Soo. - Yes?
It was great...
to see you again.
No, stop speaking.
Don't say anything.
Stop speaking.
You look...
so lovely.
No, Eun Soo. Stop speaking.
What are you doing? Get a physician!
Okay.
Young Master.
Thank you for everything.
You were there for me...
during the hard times,
and I could...
breathe for once.
No, Eun Soo. Don't go.
Eun Soo. Hang in there.
I leave you this letter for one reason.
It is because...
I do not want my death to be another grudge of yours.
Han Soo.
Do you remember...
what we said the day before I got married?
What is your dream, Han Soo?
You already know. Being rich.
You?
To live like a human being.
What is living like a human being?
You respect your parents, love your siblings,
and be loyal to your king.
Do you mean the Three Bonds in Confucianism?
It would be nice to abide by all of them.
But I will keep this one word in my heart.
What word?
"Repay."
I want to be a person who knows how to repay kindness.
That is why I stepped up to marry...
a complete stranger.
The first kindness I want to repay...
is from my parents.
It was the same for Executive Minister Yoo.
I was indebted to him,
so I wanted to repay him.
That is why I believed him.
I know that I was foolish.
But Han Soo,
I do not regret it.
I merely feel sorry for you.
This is not right.
Eun Soo...
Han Soo.
Do you remember the magnolia tree in our backyard?
We used to say that the flowers in full bloom...
looked like the stars in the night sky.
They say that you become...
a star when you die.
I will be a magnolia flower instead.
I will blossom like a star every year...
to come and see you.
So, Han Soo,
do not cry for me.
For we will meet every spring.
Han Soo!
There you are.
What took you so long? We are all waiting for you.
What are you waiting for? Come on in.
Mom made noodles with anchovy broth, your favorite.
Hurry!
You must be hungry.
Hi, son.
Mom.
Why are there egg garnishes only in his bowl?
Your brother is a poor man. He is still a bachelor.
That is because of his bad temper.
No way. Let me have them.
All right.
You can have mine. Happy?
You are the best, Dad!
Of course.
Han Soo, why are you standing there?
Let us eat already. I am hungry.
Come on!
I guess you adored her very much.
Yes.
She was very smart and beautiful.
She was obedient too.
Did you not already predict my answer...
before coming here?
Then,
you better make a decision yourself...
before your brother acts recklessly.
You left this in my house.
Please...
comfort her soul so that she can rest in peace.
"Kim Young Jae, Choi Heung Seon, and Lee Geun Woo were..."
"all testified to have committed adultery with the same woman."
"But as no evidence could prove it,"
"Kim Young Jae will be reinstated as a minor inspector of Saheonbu,"
"Choi Heung Seon will be reinstated as a section chief of Taxation,"
"and Lee Geun Woo will be reinstated..."
"as a third minister of Public Works. "
"Fulfill your duties with dedication."
Entrusting a person with a duty...
cannot be done lightly.
And if a person corrects their faults to turn over a new leaf,
they can be trusted again.
If they are abandoned for good due to their small past mistakes,
they will be bound to complain.
Small mistakes?
The woman involved lost her life.
But these men...
can be spared...
and even reinstated?
This is utterly unreasonable.
Please reconsider, Your Majesty.
I will not.
You were there for me during the hard times,
and I could breathe for once.
How come she is not recovering for this long?
No wonder.
It is all my fault.
I...
failed to take good care of her.
Please...
get through it, Your Highness.
Please...
get better soon, Your Highness.
All right.
Han Soo, let us eat.
Han Soo...
Your Highness.
You still have a fever. Rest a little more...
I am all right.
I should get over it now.
Your Highness.
An auspicious day is out.
Will you...
marry me?
Ripped and resynced by YoungJedi
(The animal scenes were filmed under protection and safety.)
(Joseon Attorney: A Morality)
I am happy to deliver such delightful news.
- Congratulations. - Congratulations.
I know this is not what you want.
But I...
truly love Her Highness.
It is not your fault to love her.
Princess Yeon Joo found out about what happened to Officer Kang.
I believe...
all of you will join me this time again.
Your Highness.
This is for the better.
Use me...
in any way you can.