(Missing Crown Prince)
(SUHO)
(Hong Ye Ji)
(Myung Se Bin)
(Kim Ju Hun)
(Kim Min Kyu)
(Missing Crown Prince)
(All characters, locations, organizations, and incidents...)
(in this drama are historically irrelevant and fictitious.)
(Production guidelines were strictly followed...)
(when filming with children and animals.)
(Episode 18)
If you wish to spare her life,
you will kneel.
Head Eunuch, are you here?
Yes, Your Majesty.
The Queen Dowager seems to be in great shock.
Escort her to her chamber.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Commander of the Royal Guards,
arrest the Commander of the Palace Guards and his men.
Until I specify otherwise,
the palace gates are to be guarded...
so that not even a rat can escape. Do you understand?
Yes, Your Majesty.
There will be a cabinet meeting.
(Jogye: A royal cabinet meeting...)
(where issues are discussed with the king)
Follow me inside.
I am aware of the many incidents...
that transpired while I was bedridden.
The Crown Prince of this nation...
was deposed after being falsely accused.
His maternal grandfather...
Jang Hyun Mok was murdered.
What have you been doing...
that allowed such tragic events to take place?
If you can speak, at least explain yourselves.
And you call yourself my loyal subjects?
- We deserve to die, Your Majesty. - We deserve to die, Your Majesty.
You are to all hand in your resignation.
Anyone involved in these crimes will be stripped of their titles.
Anything implemented or planned...
that was against my wishes...
has been repealed, so know that.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Prince Dosung's installation of Crown Prince...
will also be revoked.
Prince Dosung,
you are to leave the palace as soon as the assembly is over.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Magistrate Yoon, step forward.
Bring in the sinners.
Yes, Your Majesty.
These men are responsible...
for murdering Jang Hyun Mok while being transported.
Speak of the person who gave you the order.
It was Magistrate Yoon, Your Majesty.
Magistrate Yoon, do you have any words?
I do not deserve to live, Your Majesty.
Arrest Magistrate Yoon who ordered the murder...
of Jang Hyun Mok.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Left State Councilor, step forward.
Falsely accusing the Crown Prince...
and framing him is a crime of grave nature.
Left State Councilor Yoon Yi Kyum...
shall also be arrested.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
The Queen cannot be considered to be innocent in this matter...
which is why she will be confined to the Queen's Palace.
Royal Physician Choi Sang Rok, step forward.
Physician Kim Dal Saeng of the Royal Infirmary...
fabricated the autopsy report of my royal taster...
and framed the Crown Prince. Is this correct?
Yes, Your Majesty.
The poison taken...
by Physician Kim Dal Saeng and the Queen's royal taster...
seems to have come from the Royal Infirmary.
- Do you also admit to that? - Yes,
Your Majesty.
The Royal Infirmary is involved...
with every transgression that occurred within the palace.
Choi Sang Rok...
will be stripped of his position and privileges as a punishment...
and will be confined to his residence.
I am humbled...
(Saktalgwanjik: Being stripped of privileges)
by your boundless generosity,
Your Majesty.
Censor and Deputy Education Director, step forward.
You remained loyal to your King...
and aided the Crown Prince until the very end.
Censor Kim Dae Seung will be promoted to Chief Censor,
and Deputy Education Director Lee Guk Ju...
will be promoted to Chief Scholar.
- We are humbled by your generosity. - We are humbled by your generosity.
Step forward if your name is called.
Kim Sung Hyun as Left State Councilor.
Jung Ho Young as Inspector General.
Choi Jong Il as Magistrate of Hanseong Magistracy.
Seo Jae Woo as Training General.
And Park Gui Duk as Chief Royal Secretary.
I hereby appoint you as your King.
- We are humbled by your generosity. - We are humbled by your generosity.
I order investigations into the deaths...
of the late Chief Royal Secretary,
Physician Heo Jin Soo, and Physician Kim Dal Saeng...
which I expect to be conducted with your utmost effort.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Once the truth behind their deaths is revealed,
Royal Physician Choi Sang Rok,
Left State Councilor Yoon Yi Kyum,
and Magistrate Yoon Jung Dae will be interrogated.
Make sure you are prepared.
I will...
personally interrogate them.
(Chinguk: An interrogation conducted by the king)
Your Majesty,
Inspector General Choi has been stripped of his title...
and confined to his residence.
Your Majesty, are you all right?
Your Highness, Left State Councilor Yoon...
is being held at the Department of Justice.
Your Highness, why will you not say anything?
If you remain silent,
it might not end with you being confined to your palace.
The incident regarding the royal taster will resurface.
You must have a plan...
for when the truth comes to light.
My queen.
Your Majesty!
There is no need to be shocked.
My queen.
I missed you, my queen.
Your Majesty,
please do not say this is a dream.
Enough.
You are naturally low on energy...
and will faint at this rate.
The joy is immeasurable.
My queen,
do you trust me?
Yes, I do.
The sky may crumble,
but my faith in you will never falter.
If you trust me,
do not falter and remain patient...
no matter what happens next.
Can you do that?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will wait.
I...
will always wait for you...
until the day I die.
Your Highness.
Please get a hold of yourself, Your Highness.
Why are you making a fuss?
Did you forget...
that we were ordered by His Majesty to behave ourselves?
Your Highness...
You are dismissed.
I know it has been hard for you.
Please do not say that.
Instead, please forgive your foolish son...
for not being able to protect you.
Now that everything is back to how it should be,
you should return to your position...
and assist your brother well like you have been doing.
Yes, Father.
Do you have anything to say?
Are you upset about the fact you would have been installed...
as Crown Prince tomorrow?
No, Father. I would never.
Then why do you seem glum...
on a joyful day like today?
I am not worthy of the Crown Prince title...
nor am I confident enough to bear the weight of it.
The life of a normal prince does not bother me at all.
I do not care about what happens to me, but...
What is it that you wish to say?
Lady Myung Yoon...
What happens to her is none of your concern.
But Father, Lady Myung Yoon...
Her father is guilty of high treason.
How dare you mention her in front of me?
I apologize,
but maybe you could consider the good deeds she has performed...
and be generous enough to...
Enough!
I already said...
that whether she lived or died was none of your concern.
Do not mention her to me ever again.
Dismiss yourself...
and prepare to leave for your private residence.
Of course.
I will inform the Royal Infirmary to send over a physician.
No.
Have you forgotten that it answers to Choi Sang Rok?
Bring me her instead.
Are you talking about Lady Myung Yoon?
No one knows of my condition better than she does.
Of course.
I will bring her in as soon as possible.
The Queen Dowager's people may still reside in the palace,
so be discreet.
Your Majesty.
Court ladies and eunuchs of the King's Palace...
have been gathered.
Head out first.
Yes, Father.
How did the two end up falling for the same woman?
And to make it worse, she is...
Have every one of them...
kicked out of the palace.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Drag them out of here!
- Yes, my lord. - Yes, my lord.
Off you go.
Where is the Royal Chef?
Crown Prince,
thoroughly investigate everyone involved in the incident,
and have the Royal Chef be punished by decapitation.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Make way for His Majesty!
Have you been well?
For some reason,
you seem more pallid than I.
Could you have developed a terrible illness?
If you have something to say, just say it.
I believe I have been respectful enough,
so allow me to speak.
Give up on Inspector General Choi,
and I will let the Queen Dowager Palace be intact.
His transgressions are better known to you...
than probably anyone else.
You will do as I say.
Your Majesty, I am this country's...
Yes, you are the Queen Dowager, the nation's elder.
And I am the one...
You sat me on the throne,
and then showed me you could also drag me off it.
Do you know what went through my mind...
while I remained incapacitated?
That I would return the same amount...
of torment and misery.
I pledged...
and pledged.
Is the royal transmitter outside?
Yes, Your Majesty.
(Seungjeongsaek: An eunuch who relayed the king's message)
Is the Head Court Lady outside?
Yes, Your Majesty.
And the royal taster as well as the Royal Chef?
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
As of today, these people will manage your affairs.
You are to inform me...
of her every move. Do you understand?
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
You are all dismissed.
Make your choice.
Would you rather be confined to the garden...
or...
maintain your title even though it will be meaningless?
But despite the choice you make,
know that you will only do as told...
from this moment on.
Must you go this far?
I am far from done.
The humiliation I felt...
while bedridden as a living corpse.
The tears of blood shed by the Crown Prince.
The suffering Prince Dosung had to endure.
The threats made against the queen that rendered her helpless.
The cruel acts you performed...
in collusion with Left State Councilor Yoon...
and Magistrate Yoon!
I have not even begun to punish you...
for all those heinous crimes.
Then,
punish me accordingly!
Hold me responsible!
Just picturing your face alone...
makes me want to vomit.
So do not provoke me.
Do not even breathe loudly.
You are to lead a quiet life.
Do not do anything.
If you even lift a finger without my approval,
you will see the blood of the person...
you cherish the most.
I almost forgot. As my last act of mercy,
I will let Court Lady Kim continue to serve you.
Your Majesty.
Take a step back for a better future.
There will come a day for you to get even.
No.
He said I reaped what I sowed.
I have committed sins.
To wish to be forgiven after all that...
would mean I am a fool.
Your Majesty.
Why would you jump to such a conclusion?
No matter how upset and unjust you feel,
do not grow weak.
There is nothing that feels unjust or upsetting.
I have sinned.
It is only right to pay...
for those sins, no?
However,
all of it started because of me.
It all built up because of me.
Sang Rok's only sin...
was being unable to cut off a pitiful woman.
The fact that I cannot take responsibility...
for all the sins alone.
That is what breaks my heart.
Your Majesty...
It is I.
Come in.
As you said, Father woke up.
You were right, and I was wrong.
You came to hear this, yes?
Sit down.
I have nothing more to say to you.
Now that Father has woken up,
everything has changed, has it not?
Nothing has changed.
It has returned to its original place.
That is why I am preparing to leave for the private residence.
You still seem crossed.
Let us talk again another time.
Take care on your way.
What will you do about Lady Myung Yoon?
Do you think Choi Sang Rok will stop with just self-confinement?
No, he will not.
There are more hidden crimes than exposed ones.
The moment more evidence is found, he will receive graver punishment.
You know well.
So should you not worry about Lady Myung Yoon first?
You made Lady Myung Yoon risk her life to treat Father.
And yet, are you abandoning her now?
I told you I would protect her at all costs, did I not?
What if Father does not let you?
Why would Father hurt Lady Myung Yoon?
That will not happen. Do not worry.
For your sake,
Father even confined Mother.
Do you think such a person...
would let Lady Myung Yoon, Choi Sang Rok's daughter, be?
You know so little about Father.
You are the one who knows so little about him.
Dosung.
Your pulse feels better.
However, you need absolute rest.
There are many overdue matters.
I must take care of them, do I not?
Your Majesty knows the best that you do not have...
the energy to do it.
Then, I will make the energy to carry out my task.
Your Majesty. Forgive me for saying this.
However, when we met again at the private residence,
did you not say you would not take that medicine again?
Hush.
You promised not to bring that up, did you not?
Your Majesty. Such medicine...
will make you energetic for only a while.
It will harm your body in the end.
I know.
I will do as you say.
Now leave.
The King has woken up.
Now that I am confined in my house,
tell the others to refrain from going outside as well.
And have the remaining patients in the clinic leave.
Understood.
Call Myung Yoon over for me.
Lady Myung Yoon went to Madam's grave with Oh Wol.
She went to her mother's grave?
Yes. Lady Myung Yoon went to bid her last farewell...
as she did not know...
when she could return after the marriage tomorrow.
She did it for nothing.
Does that mean...
the marriage has been called off?
It is only natural.
The King has woken up.
Master. You have a letter from the palace.
Have you met with my father?
Yes. He needs rest.
Thank you.
I owe it to you. So, thank you.
That is not true, Your Royal Highness.
Let us head inside.
What is this?
It is a hairpin.
I imagined it would suit you.
Where did you get this?
I found it on the ground.
- What? - It is the truth.
I do not know who it is,
but she lost an invaluable belonging.
What do you think this is?
Did you not say it was a hairpin?
No. I meant what shape these looked like.
They look like petals.
You are right. They are apricot petals.
The apricot petals you like.
I see. Apricot petals.
Do you not like it?
No.
It is truly beautiful.
Thank you, Your Royal Highness.
I will treasure it.
It is like the apricot petals...
have fallen on your head.
Do not cry however happy you are.
You are...
the prettiest when you smile.
I...
will forever be...
Your Royal Highness's woman...
until the day I die, no matter where I am and what I do.
I know what you are thinking.
However, worrying about tomorrow that has not come is foolish.
Thus,
let us forget about it for a while.
Forget about everything.
Let us only think about this moment.
Just looking at you...
is enough for me.
It makes me happy.
I hope...
you are the same as me.
Your Royal Highness.
You should get going.
They must be looking for you at His Majesty's palace.
Sang Rok.
I saw them on my way here.
While watching them,
I was reminded of the two of us.
The time when looking at each other...
made us happy enough.
Whose fault do you think it is that we have ended up in this mess?
The late king's disgusting greed? The laws? Our dignity?
Yes.
It is true that such things pressured us and trampled us down.
However,
I believe it was because...
no one acknowledged our love...
or tried to help us.
I cannot let them...
walk the thorny path that we had to take.
I understand how you feel,
but you know there is nothing we can do.
That is not true.
Sang Rok.
Let us...
give up,
Sang Rok.
Choi Sang Rok...
has entered the palace again?
He disobeyed the order not to leave his house,
so we will arrest him right away.
No, leave him be.
Let him squirm for one last time...
so that we can get rid of all the rats that remain in the palace.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Anyway, I heard the Crown Prince...
brought the petitions from the Royal Secretariat.
Yes, Your Majesty.
It will take forever to go through them all.
I ought to help lessen Father's workload.
If only you could help me...
Forget it. I should just go through them myself.
Hang in there.
I am studying hard to learn to read, so...
Your Royal Highness, Choi Sang Rok would like to speak with you.
Let him enter.
Your Royal Highness.
I must speak with you about an urgent matter.
Wait outside.
Yes, Your Royal Highness.
Gosh.
Darn it.
I have no idea why he is here.
It does not matter why he is here. We must kick him out at once.
Why would he waste his time dealing with such a scoundrel?
Because he is Lady Myung Yoon's father.
Hey.
If you have something to say, go ahead and say it.
I am quite busy.
Can you...
keep Myung Yoon safe?
Do not tell me...
you came here thinking I would answer that question.
What are your true intentions behind bringing up her safety?
I do not have an ulterior motive.
I am literally asking you if you think you can...
protect my daughter, Myung Yoon.
Even if I decide to have mercy on you and answer that question,
I...
think of you as my sworn enemy...
who got my grandfather killed,
so how would you believe me?
If I could not trust you...
(Bulgudaecheonjisu: One's sworn enemy)
I would not be here now.
(Bulgudaecheonjisu: One's sworn enemy)
In your eyes, I must look like a disgusting man...
who had a secret affair with the Queen Dowager,
but I am a father too.
No father wishes his child ill,
no matter how incompetent or horrible he is.
Please take good care of Myung Yoon.
That is strange.
What now?
Well, I am talking about Choi Sang Rok.
They say people change drastically right before they die.
I wonder if he has made up his mind to take his own life.
Otherwise, why would he...
No.
We should be grateful if that scoundrel took his own life.
Stop talking nonsense.
What about the thing I asked you to take care of?
Pardon me?
Oh, that. I told Sun Ok to take care of the preparation,
so you can get going now.
Let us go, then.
Well, Oh Wol is with the Prince.
Why is His Highness keeping Oh Wol?
Ask him directly.
Please come with me.
Where is Oh Wol?
What are you doing?
Open the door, Your Highness.
Your Highness!
I was harsh on you on purpose.
I thought...
that was the best thing I could do for Your Highness.
It was not because I disliked you.
At first,
I was engaged.
Then...
I fell for the Crown Prince,
so I could not reciprocate your feelings.
I have already made up my mind,
so do not think that you can persuade me.
I do not intend to.
I simply wish to tell you how I feel...
so that you can see the truth.
It is all pointless.
No matter what you say,
I will leave...
the Capital with you tomorrow.
Do you think you can make me yours against my will?
It is fine...
even if...
you will never be mine.
I am okay with that,
so I will do anything to save you.
Your Highness.
Would you choose...
to be miserable for the rest of your life...
until the day you die just to survive?
I do not want that.
If I had to live like that,
I would rather...
take my own life,
praying that...
I could be happy even for a fleeting moment in my next life.
I will gladly choose that path.
I trust that you are no different from me.
You will probably deny it,
but I know that you will choose the same path.
I do not wish to see you...
become miserable too because of me.
I hope you can stop being obsessed with me...
and choose a path that can lead you to happiness.
I mean it.
My lady.
How could you tell me to stop doing something I simply cannot quit?
However,
I will stop if that is what you want.
So...
I will stop here.
Please be safe and take good care of yourself.
Hey.
You did not find her?
I checked every place where she could be, but...
My goodness.
- My gosh. - Lady Myung Yoon.
What happened? You kept us waiting for a while.
I had to take care of something urgent.
What is the matter?
His Royal Highness is asking for you.
- Please come with me. - Where are you taking her?
Oh, we will need you too. Come with us.
- What about me? - We must return...
- before Lord Choi is back. - Goodness.
Of course, His Royal Highness will take care of it.
He is waiting for you. We should hurry.
- Come and get yours! - Help yourself.
- Oh, my. - One moment, please.
Thank you so much for doing this.
- My goodness. - Please give me a moment.
- Please wait in line. - Gosh, all right.
My gosh.
Gosh, I'm so full.
- How nice. - Oh, my.
- Thank you for your hard work. - My pleasure.
What is all this?
We are giving out food and medicinal herbs...
to the people in this poor village.
Please help us.
Okay, sure.
- Welcome. - All right, come on.
Come on, quick. I have a job for you.
All right.
- Come on. - My gosh. Thank you.
You must still have a pile of things to take care of.
When did you come up with this idea?
It was nothing hard.
I should award you for your contribution.
I wondered what would make you happiest...
and thought of this right away.
Thank you.
If you are truly grateful,
please call me "husband" just once.
Husband.
What did she say to you?
Your Royal Highness?
Your Royal Highness.
So, can we just stand back and watch?
Of course not.
We should do some physical work...
for a change.
Thank you.
How generous of you.
Thank you.
- Eat up. - Eat as much as you like.
Thank you.
Oh, my. Thank you so much.
- Gosh, how much does this cost? - How kind of you.
- My gosh. This is a lot of food. - Take more.
I should give you some more.
- Oh, my. Thank you. - Thank you so much.
- Thank you. - Thank you very much.
- Give me a lot of it. - Can I get some more?
- That looks so good. - My gosh. Thank you.
- How long has it been? - Thank you.
- Hey, stop. - Goodness.
Oh, boy.
Hey, go.
- Where... - This way, please.
- You can put it over here. - Here?
- What was that? - Okay. No problem.
Hey, that...
All right.
What are you doing?
What?
I was not doing anything.
Right. Why are you standing there doing nothing?
Push.
Where did His Royal Highness go?
How come he is nowhere to be seen?
Oh, gosh.
Here we go!
There.
My gosh.
All right.
The elderly lady who lives here suffers from leg pain,
so she could not leave the house.
How do you know about her leg pain?
I did my research in advance.
You said I had a knack for surprising others.
But you beat me.
Let us go inside.
You are handsome...
and kind.
Young Master, I wish you many blessings.
Thank you.
- Ma'am. - Yes.
Let me have a look at your leg. It has been a while.
- All right. - Be careful.
It is...
gone.
It has vanished.
The darned fate of a widow.
It has vanished without a trace.
Do you give face readings?
She is famous for it in this village.
I see.
Then may I get a reading too?
You do not need it.
You were born with a destiny others dream of.
Is that so?
All your bad luck is gone,
and I see that you now have a lover.
You managed to ward off your bad luck,
so only great things await you.
Ma'am.
- My fate is... - She said it had changed.
She would not lie to you.
Right.
Just hearing that lifts my spirits.
Thank you, ma'am.
Yes.
I left the sack.
Just a moment.
My lady.
I looked everywhere for you.
Where is His Royal Highness?
This is ginseng.
Make tea with it and drink it. It will boost your energy.
My goodness. You kindly filled up my rice jar.
You do not have to give me such rare ginseng.
I am sorry for making you give a fake reading.
It was not fake.
- Pardon me? - You practically begged me,
so I was just going to do it even though I was not up for it.
But when I saw her face,
I realized...
that her fate had actually changed.
I have never experienced something like this before.
Please take care and stay healthy, ma'am.
You are here.
Ma'am.
I would like a reading too.
You are lucky that you will marry a nice man.
Your future husband is very strong.
He is someone around you, so do not go and bark up the wrong tree.
You will have five sons and live a happy life.
Just make sure you do not let him go.
Do not let him go.
I will not let you go...
What is it? Do you have to poop?
Gosh.
Ma'am.
What about me?
Where is my better half?
Pardon me?
Where?
What are you thinking about?
I feel like I received a reward I do not deserve.
I was just wondering how I could repay you for your kindness.
You need not wonder.
All you have to do is call me "husband" once more.
I have a foul mouth.
Do you want to hear it?
I have never seen you smile so many times in a day.
For me, this is enough.
You should hurry up and get ready too.
Leave with Inspector General Choi. I will follow you.
Do you think I will let you deceive me again?
If you do not come with me, I will not go anywhere.
Your Majesty.
Come with me.
I cannot do anything without you.
I am much obliged.
Hurry up and get ready. Sang Rok must be waiting.
Sang Rok.
This path...
might lead us all to death.
Are you okay with that?
I am grateful that I can serve you both.
Then let us leave it to our fate...
- and get going. - Okay.
This way.
I apologize for putting you in danger too.
No, you have done so much for me.
Do not worry.
Hurry up and get going.
Come on.
- Get on my back. - No.
I can keep going.
You are slowing us down.
Hurry up and get on my back.
Hang in there.
We are almost there.
Okay.
Do you think we can pass through the fortress gates?
I already made the necessary arrangements, so do not worry.
Do you feel queasy?
She hardly ate anything.
Let me check your pulse first.
I will go and get some water for her.
What is it?
Is it something serious?
No, it is not that.
Hold on.
Do not tell me...
That is it.
You are pregnant.
(Missing Crown Prince)
We do not know what they would do if we gave them more time,
so please hurry.
His pulse is so unstable that I can barely feel it.
A coup is the only way...
you ministers and I can survive.
This may be our last chance to uproot the problem,
so we must not make a single mistake.
The Crown Prince, Gun, is qualified to ascend the throne,
so I officially announce his accession to the throne.
- Allow us to greet Your Majesty. - Allow us to greet Your Majesty.