(Characters, incidents, and period depicted are purely fictional.)
Jeong Wol.
Come here.
Come over here.
Gosh, that startled me.
Darn it.
Goodness, my lord!
My lord!
There is trouble.
- What? - There is trouble.
Outside.
There is trouble outside.
- Good grief. - Goodness.
Fine.
You have killed someone?
Hence,
you came to be punished?
Yes, but before I am punished,
I have one request to make.
You are a murderer, yet you dare to make a request?
Please let her speak.
Goodness.
Court Lady Hong, what brings you this far?
I believe you wish to say you are happy to see me.
Yes, of course, I am.
You were once the court lady who served the late King.
It is the honor of my family...
to have you here today!
In that case,
for my sake,
please take a listen to this woman's request.
Pardon?
That is...
You should hear out her story.
Goodness.
Who do you think you are?
I am the assistant of the attorney who took on her case,
So Won.
An attorney?
She is with me,
a girl who is...
deeply adored by the Princess.
Goodness, I see.
If you still want to know,
leave quietly.
Were you aware of everything?
Then,
I will tell you everything.
Han Soo.
Did that old man notice?
- Let us go for now. - My lord!
Dong Chi! We are here!
She confessed her crime, then came to the site immediately.
They will check the old woman's body...
and begin the investigation as soon as the day breaks.
I do not wish to run away!
I cannot let my child live in hiding because of me.
Please help me, Attorney Kang!
Please help my child and me.
I plead you.
Do not kneel down like this again.
You are not a criminal.
Put your trust only in me from now on.
I will make sure you live.
Will you really begin this journey?
I do not want to be someone just like you.
(Episode 6: The Brutal History of Cheongsan 2)
(Joseon Attorney: A Morality)
Gosh, my back.
You are insane.
Do you not want to know what the village head knows?
To be frank, we do not even know...
if you can save that woman!
You are right.
I must be insane.
I mean, unless I was insane,
I would not be here doing this...
because we could get beheaded if we got caught doing this.
Beheaded?
Do not dream of stopping.
If I am caught, I will blame you for this.
What?
Look.
You dug up much more than I did.
Kang Han Soo!
I will bury you.
Wait!
Stop that!
- Darn you! - Wait, I am serious.
Wait, look.
Start digging.
The cause of Seo Chang Soo's death was battery.
The impact was made on his chest, the pressure point.
(Pressure point: Areas of the body vital to a person's life)
His left shin and the top of his left foot are sunken.
His knee and ankle bones on the left are hurt and sunken,
but these are not fatal to his life.
There is a 10cm dark red wound on the pit of his stomach.
This must have been the fatal blow.
It is just as his wife said.
Why would she lie about this?
If she had, I would have had a reason to turn down this lawsuit.
I knew it. You acted all heroic and mighty,
but you could not pass the village head's offer.
Were you going to turn down her case if the result...
of the postmortem was different from her words?
Half and half.
Anyhow, write it down and keep it with you.
That is the most crucial evidence to find the real culprit.
This will not count as evidence because we dug up his body.
Where are you going?
You have to bury him!
Do I have to do this alone?
Han Soo!
Goodness, how smelly.
All right.
Who is going to Hanyang?
I would like to hire the fastest one.
Me.
No!
- Wait! - Come.
What is going on? My lord!
Stop right there!
- Stop right there! - Get him!
Stop right there!
- What is going on? - Step aside.
Come with us.
How can you accept this case?
I had no choice!
I suddenly had guests from Hanyang,
so there are people watching.
I must conduct an investigation even if it is just a formality,
so you must think of a way...
before the provincial governor arrives.
Either kill her...
or let her live.
So tell me what we must do now.
One.
In Joseon, it is tolerated for a child and a husband...
to get personal retaliation for one's parents or wife.
Two.
The decision of a murder case is solely made by His Majesty.
So we must convince His Majesty...
that she murdered the old woman to get her husband's revenge?
However, it does come with a few particular terms.
They had to have witnessed the crime in action,
and the retaliation must be made within the day.
The decision usually reflects the precedents.
I did not know...
personal retaliation was allowed by the law.
If I saw my family dying right before my eyes,
I'd go and murder him right away.
Well,
we'll have to deal with it for compassion, at least.
But strictly speaking,
the new groom was beaten to death by the men.
Not because of the old woman.
There wouldn't have been a fight if it weren't for the old lady.
Can you prove that her false rumors started the fight?
The involved people would know.
But they would never testify for the new bride.
They could be arrested for murder if they did.
And we have to pull off such an impossible mission.
Bring it in.
- Gosh. - First, Dong Chi.
- What? - I brought drinks.
You can concentrate on making one of them betray them.
Come on. They were born and raised here...
and have been friends their whole lives.
They would never betray each other.
Loyalty?
That's because they've never been tested.
Things are different now.
A person has died.
Another one might die.
What makes you think that you are not next?
We have to give them that anxiety...
and stimulate it.
We have to go now!
Stop.
If we do not talk first,
we'll take all the blame!
So, you are saying...
that I must betray them first...
before they betray me?
- Goodness. - Oh, my.
All the other guys confessed.
They all came clean.
You will take all the blame if you do nothing.
See?
Did I not tell you?
Liar.
You are lying.
He and Chun Sam would never do that.
The new groom's fatal blow...
The fatal blow to the pit of his stomach led him to his death.
How would I know this if I were lying?
- How did you... - See?
I know because they told me.
Gosh.
Goodness.
Like this...
Whatever.
Have you stayed up?
The noise woke me up.
You can be honest with me.
Say that you were worried about me.
No, you can be honest with me.
Say that it hurts when it hurts.
That hurts.
What a crybaby.
Well, you told me to say it.
Here.
What is this?
It is cheongsimhwan, the calming pill.
I am sure you were startled.
All these things must be new to you.
Are you giving me the pain and the pill?
You might run away if I only give you the pain.
"Now, I need you."
"I want you to officially work with me." Is that what you mean?
Well...
How about we share it? As a sign of promise.
"Promise?"
If we share it...
No! This is wrong.
This is not a date shared at a wedding.
I believe that two different people coming together...
to work for one common goal is...
as important as a wedding.
If this is your way of forcing yourself in...
to take my bride's position...
We just made a promise...
to be each other's cheongsimhwan...
and to be always there for each other.
Sure.
It is a promise.
Congratulations on passing first in the state exam.
Hence, I plan to carry on without getting caught.
Therefore, treat me as a stranger from now on.
Princess Yeon Joo, what are you up to?
What is your relationship with that attorney?
Magistrate Yoo.
They have caught the true murderer of Park Jae Soo.
What?
Get the soldiers ready.
Yes, Magistrate.
Bring it on, scum.
Today, they will send a messenger...
to report to the provincial governor.
Go keep watch on the road.
Do whatever it takes...
to stop the messenger.
The messenger was attacked on the way to the provincial governor.
Those villagers are so fearless.
They even stopped the messenger?
- What about the report? - It was on the ground in pieces.
It will take forever to have the county governor write it again.
It might be better if someone meets the provincial governor in person...
and lets him know about the situation.
Yoon, you are up.
Yes, my lady.
We are doomed for real.
What will you do now?
Is everyone gathered?
Yes, Father.
Good. Let us go.
I guess they want to bury this case...
before the provincial governor comes.
- Let us go. - Go where?
Where in the middle of having dinner?
Young Sil is in danger.
Drag that wench out!
- Drag her out! - Drag her out!
Stay somewhere safe, my lord.
Gosh, those bumpkins.
- Drag her out! - Drag her out!
- Oh, dear. - Drag her out!
Go. Quickly now.
- Gosh. - Goodness.
- What is going on? - Well...
Dong Chi, go to the tavern.
You know what to do there.
Tell us what this is about.
Just follow me.
It is time to discipline her.
Drag her here.
Please do not kill me!
Please do not kill me, Village Head!
Please...
So,
you should have left when I let you.
I will not show another mercy.
Hang her.
I am pregnant.
- Please do not kill me. - She is with child?
She is pregnant?
- What? - Unbelievable.
- Hang her! - Hang her!
Hang her!
Hang her.
She should be hung.
What are you doing here again? You're an outsider.
Do not disturb us, and get lost.
- Come on. - Who is he to tell us...
what to do with our own village?
- Tell me about it. - Unbelievable.
Do not call me an outsider. It hurts my feelings.
Call me an attorney,
not an outsider.
And my client is this woman right here.
So I need to know why you are punishing her only.
According to our village's rules,
whoever causes disorder...
must be punished by being hung on a tree.
Then what was the punishment for that matchmaker granny?
What?
What nonsense are you saying?
A victim does not deserve any kind of punishment.
You should not turn a blind eye like that, sir.
What are they doing?
- What are they doing? - What?
Every villager here...
knows the story behind Young Sil.
No matter how wronged she was,
we must not neglect the fact that she killed a person...
with a hoe in broad daylight.
So you also knew she was wronged.
What?
Everyone probably knew...
that the rumor came...
from the untrustworthy matchmaker granny.
At first, you must have felt bad for her,
thinking she was unlucky to be involved with that spiteful granny.
But eventually, as time passed,
you must've put the sympathy aside...
and enjoyed badmouthing her...
even when you knew it was not true.
Why?
Why? Tell me.
Why did you do that?
Guys, tell me why!
Why did you do it?
Because it was...
not your business.
I bet it was fun.
This village is located in a barren land...
where you must constantly work to put food on the table.
So rumors about other people...
definitely give a thrill to your boring routine.
Is it true?
- The rumor about the newlywed wife. - The newlywed wife?
This wench is crazy.
She is crazy about men.
That was...
when elders like the village head...
were truly needed.
But how did you know, Village Head?
Village Head. Please, I beg you.
I am scared my husband...
might come to know of it at this rate.
Good grief.
Did the rumor grow that big?
But are you sure that rumor is groundless?
Excuse me?
Where there is smoke, there is fire.
And it has always been proven right.
- What is going on? - Oh, my goodness.
- I knew the rumor was true. - Good grief.
- Did I not tell you? - Unbelievable.
- How could they? - Goodness.
Back then...
Good grief. What a filthy family.
Had you not turned a blind eye...
Had you taken our side and fought together...
Had you done those,
we would not have run away,
taken our own lives,
or terribly killed a person.
We would have found a different way.
How dare you run your mouth?
Are you saying that the cause of the incidents is me?
Do you not have too much authority...
compared to your qualifications and abilities?
For the village head to control a human being's life and death.
You are challenging the deity's realm.
Oh, or...
at the very least, coveting the King's role.
And that is...
what we call a traitorous mind.
Kang Han Soo!
What was that? - "Kang Han Soo?"
- Is he that Kang Han Soo? - It seems like it.
"Kang Han Soo?" - He is that boy?
- Did I hear him right? - Goodness.
- Oh, my gosh. - Why did he come here?
Look at what that traitorous mind has done.
An old woman was murdered in broad daylight,
and there is a murderer among the villagers now.
Oh, right.
Why are you not judging the murderer who beat the newlywed's groom,
Chang Soo, to death here in this place of discipline?
Choi Jae Sik!
Come forth and receive punishment!
Why are you pinning it only on my husband?
Three men beat him together.
But the main culprit is your husband, Choi Jae Sik.
Who in the world spouted such nonsense?
Who do you think it was?
Chang Soo.
The fatal blow to the pit of his stomach led him to his death.
How would I know this if I were lying?
- How did you know? - Good grief.
Obviously, those who were directly involved told me.
It was not me but Jae Sik.
Those bunch of betrayers!
You darn betrayers!
You stabbed me in the back first!
You two ratted on me first, no? So why blame me?
I am not crazy to have spoken about it.
- Do you think... - Enough!
- I had any other choice? - Enough!
I knew about it all but kept quiet.
It is an absolute mess, Village Head.
- You scumbag! - What will you do now?
You should hang those three on the tree, should you not?
Or what?
You cannot hang your son-in-law?
Now then, what do you think?
You heard everything, did you not?
Move it. Come on. Make way.
Magistrate Yoo,
I welcome you.
"Magistrate Yoo?" - A magistrate?
Good grief. Where are all your manners?
How can you not know Magistrate Yoo,
the second senior rank ruling Hanseongbu?
If that does not ring a bell... Let us see.
Oh, yes! I have it.
He is the son of the executive minister.
- Oh, my goodness. - The legitimate son to boot!
"The legitimate son?" - Good gracious.
- Magistrate Yoo! - My dear.
- Oh, my. - We welcome you.
- What a surprise. - Oh, goodness.
Magistrate Yoo, I welcome you.
Magistrate Yoo.
As you have seen and heard,
this murder case was not entirely the newlywed bride's fault.
Please take the circumstances into account...
Your suit was indeed impressive.
The newlywed bride's situation...
and the crimes committed by the villagers, I understood them.
But...
that cannot justify the newlywed bride's murder itself.
The national law states...
one who personally kills another must die.
No matter how dangerous false words are, the national law...
does not sentence the death penalty.
Even if she had retaliated due to great resentment,
she ended up murdering a person.
So I cannot dare take the circumstances into account...
and forgive her.
But the groom died due to that false rumor.
The wife took revenge for her husband.
She should have left it to the government office.
She surely would have, no?
Hey! Quiet down.
So Won.
My apologies.
I will separately investigate the details.
All the villagers are suspects, accomplices, or at least witnesses,
so arrest and drag them to the government office.
- Understood. - Understood.
Arrest them!
- Understood. - Understood.
- Please show us mercy. - No, my lord.
- My lord. - Oh, my goodness.
- We are sorry. - Oh, no. Please.
Do you truly not understand?
Should you not apologize to me first?
They have caught the true murderer of Park Jae Soo.
What?
If you want to meet the real culprit who killed Commissioner Park,
come to Malmeori Tavern in Dabok-ri,
Pyeongan-myeon, Cheongsan.
Would you have come if I had told you the truth?
Only the King can make a verdict...
on a murderer in Joseon.
Of course, the King will judge based on the case report.
So who and how to deliver this case was more important...
than anything else.
You, Magistrate Yoo, were the only one...
I could trust and entrust the job.
What do you trust me for?
You let me win in the last lawsuit.
Well, of course,
I read all the lawsuits and rulings you carried out...
when you were a secret investigator...
traveling all over the country.
Despite my prejudice against you...
as the son of the executive minister,
you were such a fair...
and honorable person to the point I felt ashamed of myself.
You deceived me, and yet, you are flattering me now.
Is that how you get along in the world?
Though it will not be right this instant,
if I find out who killed Commissioner Park...
and report it to you...
In other words,
you want me to help save this newlywed bride?
It will become your duty anyway.
I did not expect you to come here yourself.
To think there would come a day I could have tea with you.
I am extremely honored to the point I cannot put it into words.
I also did not know I would meet you like this, Governor Son.
Now then. How does the tea taste?
Oh, right.
It is very nice.
You brought this from Hanyang yourself,
so it must be very precious.
I like the unique smell and taste. Quite strong and nice.
This was made with maple mushrooms.
I see. It is maple mushroom.
That is a unique name for...
- Sorry? - Yes.
It is a poisonous mushroom.
You will break out in laughter, then end up dying.
Is that not a happy death?
Perhaps this gift is too good for you, Governor Son.
Why are you doing this to me?
You should give him the answer.
Why did you do that?
Why did you ignore the wife's report...
and fail to investigate her husband's death?
Well...
That village always took care...
of their own matters, okay?
It is in the deepest area of Cheongsan,
so even bandits avoid traveling through that village.
You still have not come to your senses.
Darn it.
In that case, you can die like this. Let us go.
No! Please spare my life.
Wait!
The antidote. Please give me the antidote.
Granny.
That old woman came to visit.
It looks like a few men got into a fight.
Please turn a blind eye to this.
The village head and I will take care of this matter very soon.
Goodness.
I needed a present for Lord Yoo.
Something that can stand out.
All I wanted was the best for Executive Minister Yoo.
I wanted him to know how hard I was working for Hungu.
Please spare my life!
The antidote!
Out there!
Have County Governor Son Jong Seok of Cheongsan arrested now!
Please spare my life!
The antidote! Please!
Excrement water...
is the immediate cure for maple mushroom.
You must finish it.
Darn it!
Should the young wife have stabbed her own neck with the hoe?
No.
If she had, her soul would have wandered around the world...
deep in resentment to hurt the living...
or to bring disaster to this world.
Therefore, I plead you.
Please consider the tragedy and guilt she felt...
when she found out her husband was killed...
because of her.
Goodness, that touches the heart so deeply.
I knew it.
The hundreds of petitions you wrote paid off in the end.
What good is that for? All we have to do now is wait.
- Where is So Won? - Oh, her?
She went out early in the morning to the hot springs with Lady Hong.
Therefore,
how should we handle the case...
brought by Magistrate Yoo Ji Sun of Hanseongbu...
and Governor Park Tae Young of Chungcheong Province?
What is the opinion of the Ministry of Justice?
It is true that she has committed a brutal murder.
But this was done to get her husband's revenge.
How could we punish her for this?
What about the Ministry of Law Enforcement?
Yes, if a chaste woman...
was slandered as obscene,
nothing can feel more unjust than that.
She did not have any other way of proving her innocence.
We must consider her reluctance in making this choice.
There is no reason for anybody to oppose this...
because the case was brought by Executive Minister Yoo's son.
Even so,
do you suggest that we let go of a woman who murdered another?
What if this becomes a precedent...
and more people begin to kill to get their family's revenge?
How will you be responsible for that?
Your Highness.
The kingdom's law says...
the King shall make the decision for murder cases.
His Majesty's decision is what is important now.
I plead you.
Please use this chance to display that our law...
does not only exist to suffocate and punish the people,
but to save the people as well.
Did you write this petition yourself?
I have...
copied it myself,
after peeking at the petition Attorney Kang wrote.
His petition is quite convincing.
Kang Han Soo does sound like a talented man.
He even captured your heart.
Did his petition move your heart too?
I understand the earnestness of you and Attorney Kang.
However, this is a murder case.
There is nothing else that can replace one's life...
other than another life.
Yes, I knew you would be torn.
Thankfully,
I have two more lines left.
I have...
already brought my answer.
I will make the decision.
The crime of murder is unforgivable under no circumstances.
Her crime must be discussed strictly under the nation's law.
However,
the law says one life must be taken...
for one death.
This means...
two or more shall not be sacrificed for one person's death.
The suspect, Choi Young Sil, is currently pregnant.
If she is killed now, two lives will be lost.
Let her have the child...
and wait until the child is of age.
Then she will be held responsible once again.
I am sorry I came alone.
I will raise our child well,
then follow your suit.
I miss you.
She may be alive, but we cannot call that living.
When an ordinary woman like her...
hurts another out of her deep resentment,
it means she has hurt her own soul too.
After that moment,
she will live in torment forever.
Just saving your life is not the end of everything.
No.
- Anyway. - Yes?
When will you ask her for money?
Are we not here for money?
- You have not asked her? - I have to do it?
Then should I?
Now?
A little later.
(Sowongak)
Is this the place?
I told you. This place is good.
Welcome.
Please give us a hearty meal.
- Put it down and get ready to eat. - Okay.
My lord!
Did we miss him?
We should have waited in Hanyang.
No. Their stuff is still here.
You will be sentenced to death...
for raiding the government office.
Are you aware?
Have you come to mock me?
I mean that you will need an attorney.
A very capable attorney, at that.
I am not sure about you, but I promise to relieve...
your family, your daughter, and the villagers.
What do you want?
Why do you ask? You already know what I want.
Do you remember...
my son, Kwang Sik?
Yes, I do. He used to work with my father.
He was also the secretary of your father, Officer Kang.
(Secretary: The judicial officer's assistant)
He mostly...
delivered letters...
to the palace.
Letters?
It was for the king.
And one day,
someone...
took the letter.
But that day,
he heard that his son had been born,
so he was in a rush.
Not long after that,
Officer Kang was suspected of accepting bribes...
and got arrested.
I was scared.
Why did you pretend ignorance?
Instead, I set fire to your house.
I wanted to...
let you flee, at least.
(In Mourning)
I also told people that you were dead.
That is...
why you are still alive.
Are you saying that there are people after me?
I merely guess so.
But I do not know...
who they are.
Then, who was the one...
that took the letter at the time?
Tell me! Who was it?
There were two appeals that day.
One of them was to appoint...
a replacement for the head of Royal Academy of Painting,
which passed the executive minister's meeting.
The other one was about that murder.
The replacement recommended by you was...
the one in charge of the murder,
Son Jong Seok from Cheongsan.
If I had brought him up,
I was worried that the other lieges might have mistaken you...
for recommending an unqualified person.
So, I remained silent.
I am deeply grateful...
for your consideration, Your Majesty.
Then,
might I say...
that you owed me today?
I did not know I could live the day to see this.
I managed to fluster you.
You do not need anyone owing you, Your Majesty.
Whatever you need,
you are free to give me the orders.
Yes, I am aware.
Thank you for saying that.
Now that we are on the subject,
may I recommend...
the commissioner's replacement?
Young people these days always step over the line.
Not only my son,
but also the young king is coming at me as if they know everything.
Magistrate Yoo was the one who submitted the report,
and it threw off everyone.
We simply took his side as it was what he wanted, but...
Who knew Son Jong Seok,
a member of Hungu, would be demoted?
Did you say his name was Kang Han Soo?
Pardon?
The attorney that solved the murder case in Cheongsan...
by helping the princess.
Yes, that is him.
I have been keeping an eye on him...
as he seemed quite capable.
I looked into it,
and he was the one that got Master Jang imprisoned...
by connecting him to the lawsuit.
And the attorney for Commissioner Park's lawsuit...
was also him.
Why did you wait so long to tell me that?
I was not sure whether to report to you...
about a mere attorney.
Hold on.
Were they not coincidences?
Attorney Kang is running late.
He has always been late.
He goes off somewhere every night.
And he would never tell me.
And Dong Chi even told me to keep my silence.
Are you disappointed?
No. I just realized...
that I knew nothing about him.
Especially, he seems different from usual...
while he is in Cheongsan.
Well, he is still as competent an attorney as he was.
I was totally convinced!
Are you sure...
that you want to dress up so much?
I will just tell him that I simply took a bath.
Tell him that you gave me the clothes and ribbon.
To a maid?
You can say it is my birthday.
How long has it been?
What do you mean? Since this morning...
No.
How long have you had feelings for Attorney Kang?
If it has not been that long,
shake them off...
before they settle for good.
Han Soo.
Dad!
Your mom has gone to bed.
Let us see.
What are you doing?
This well is dried up. It cannot be used anymore.
What are you talking about?
Everything can be used depending on how you use it.
All right.
Here.
Take it.
Try a sip.
This is...
My first drink was with your mother at the wedding.
I wondered why you wanted to drink when you never do.
This must be the habit you developed after sending Eun Soo away.
Han Soo.
In your next life,
make sure you are born from a noble family...
instead of having an incapable father like me.
Then be a nobleman in your next life.
Oh, that will work.
You know what? Be a nobleman,
and I will be your son.
So I can get back at you by doing exactly what you did.
Han Soo.
What is it? Did you forget to take something?
I hid dried persimmons in the attic.
Have them when you are really starving.
Gosh, you startled me.
You came back to tell me this?
You will...
visit me, right?
Of course.
Promise me. You must come.
Actually, I am scared.
I will visit you for sure.
Do not tell our parents...
that I cried.
I promise.
Do not worry about Mother and Father.
I will take good care of them.
Dong Chi, take care.
Bye.
Where are you going, Han Soo?
You must fan for me.
- Goodness, you brats. - Darn you!
Be careful.
You should welcome your father home first.
Where did he go?
What is that?
Who are you?
It is me.
Eun Soo?
Eun Soo.
I missed you.
I am sorry.
I am sorry, Eun Soo.
My lord...
My dear sister.
I promised...
on the day of your wedding...
that I would...
take good care...
of our parents for you.
But what do I do?
They both passed away.
So wrongfully...
and miserably.
I wished you would not know.
You got married at a young age for our family.
I thought you would want to follow them if you knew.
So I could not tell you.
You should just...
live happily with your husband.
Why did you come here, silly?
It is okay.
She would not know.
She would be clueless.
She would be living happily.
So do not cry.
Do not cry, my lord.
A princess?
You were...
a princess.
You were a princess...
(The animal scenes were filmed under protection and safety.)
(Special thanks to Kang Shin Il for his guest appearance)
(Joseon Attorney: A Morality)
If you find out the truth,
will you be able to forgive me?
It cannot be. Officer Kang?
Are you saying Kang Han Soo will be after you?
Here. It is my birthday gift for you.
These shoes will take you...
to a better and a more precious place.
Do not go.
Do not worry.
If you have experienced a miracle,
you do not die easily.