----
[Episode 35] Unless Heaven changes...
how could Poeun change?
We're determined to dominate, but we are soaked in ideology.
- Being in power means-- - But, Poeun...
He was trying to stop our ruling, but he knew about everything!
Father.
[Jung Do Jeon's Place of Exile]
The General fell off his horse?
That's not all. Along with Lord Jo Joon and Lord Nam Eun
Poeun sent all of the General's followers into exile!
Poeun... Poeun did?
- Go on. - Bang Won rushed to Byeokrando for him.
There is no one... who can lead in Gaegyeong now.
If you'd like, I will escort you.
There are only a few outside.
If that's what I wanted...
I could have led the soldiers and taken the throne from the beginning.
Did you say that the sword was the only real power?
But this version of power is not necessarily fake.
Justifications and big goals also become power and authority
that's why you trust them, and follow them.
Now, it lies with Heaven's will.
The General's life is one such thing.
Whether Bang Won can bring him to Gaegyeong in time is another.
Criminal Jung Do Jeon, receive the royal command!
His Majesty commands that Jung Do Jeon be transferred to Gaegyeong!
Calm down and sheath your sword.
We will only take him there.
He couldn't have left this mountain with the General so injured!
- Find them! - Yes, sir!
Let's go.
What the hell happened to the palanquin?
Someone appeared out of nowhere and did this in the blink of an eye.
What?
Young Master Bang Won was right.
If we didn't do this, the General... may have passed away.
We were also attacked.
The ones who are aiming for the General must be searching through this mountain.
We have to hurry up and find the General and Young Master Bang Won.
Spread out and find the General and Bang Won!
Yes, sir!
- Thank you, Warrior. - I will escort you.
You don't have to.
What are you doing here?
Can't you see?
I lost the cart down this hill, so I was pulling it up.
Who are you? Where do you live?
I'm a farmer in the village down there.
Your complexion is not that of a farmer!
Pardon?
Criminal Jung Do Jeon and his followers are being transferred to Gaegyeong.
If Lang completes her mission and comes back safely
follow this instruction and proceed with the execution right away!
Yes, sire.
Be agile with work...
and refrain from words.
This should be enough--
Who is there?
Please help!
How on earth did this happen?
To be honest...
we are being chased by the landlord's soldiers.
For what reason?
I couldn't pay taxes because I was taking care of my ill father.
I will bring some medicine.
Have you seen any strangers lurking around here?
- Pardon? - They are a father and a son.
Who would come here in the middle of the night?
Can we search through the place?
The owner of the house says no one came, so why would you search?
No one is here!
They're not here.
Let's go.
Excuse us.
Where on earth did they go?
Let's go search again.
He's Yi Seong Gye, but he couldn't have left.
You can come out.
Thank you.
What are you doing?
Just because I'm a scholar in the deep countryside
do you think I don't know anything at all?
I am Jo from Yangju and my teacher is...
a friend of Teacher Poeun.
Do you think I wouldn't know General Yi Seong Gye who tortured
Teacher Lee Saek whom I admire and sent him into exile?
Do you think I wouldn't know about the plot
to destroy Confucianism in Goryeo along with the traitor Sambong?
Wouldn't I know the traitor who tried to start
another era of military dictatorship in Goryeo?
Have you gone mad?
No.
- It's just funny. - What?
Think about it.
For someone who has been riding battlefields on a horse all his life
to fall off of a horse...
To be chased by Lord Poeun whom he has respected all his life...
Now, from an unknown scholar in the deep countryside...
to have his life threatened...
For the last moment of Father...
it is truly interesting.
Kill him.
What?
If you have the guts to kill a hero who has devoted his whole life to Goryeo...
and if you have strong faith and trust in Lord Lee Saek and Lord Poeun
then kill him.
I will go straight to Hamju now.
And I will bring the army and kill you!
I don't need to know your name.
I can kill the entire Jo line in Yangju.
All three generations of your family, and then three generations more!
Teacher Lee Saek that you admire...
What do you admire about him?
He's opposed to the land policy reform, and he's also opposed to Buddhism reform!
So why do you follow Lee Saek?
The country that Father will create is not a military dictatorship.
The country that Father is planning to create...
is a country of Confucius scholars!
Otherwise, why would he try to overcome the opposition from the noble class
to reform the land policy and the temples?
You... You!
You said you're a scholar of Confucianism.
We are trying to create a country of Confucianism.
I will follow you.
What?
I will follow you.
I was just curious.
Everyone talks a lot...
but they don't exactly know what General Yi Seong Gye is planning to do.
I wanted to know.
But you gave me the answer right away.
I believe it's better for you not to do this.
People are sweeping the entire mountain, so you'll need my help to escape.
What?
Did you say that you failed?
Yes.
General Yi Seong Gye wasn't in the palanquin.
He wasn't in the palanquin that General Lee Ji Ran raided either.
Then where did he go?
The Royal Guards are searching the entire mountain.
But they hadn't found him when I left.
You didn't see Bang Won?
I placed our men in the corners on the way to Byeokrando...
but they didn't come.
Where could they have gone?
One of us should have followed Bang Won.
Then they may not have fallen for it, like Young Master said.
Young Master!
Young Master...
Please stop for a minute.
Don't make a scene.
Father is in there safely.
Goodness, you scared me!
- Move him to Mokcheong House now. - Yes, sir. Let's go.
Let's go.
Thank you, everyone.
I will not forget your kindness.
I owe you a debt. I will pay you back.
The General has to live so that you can pay me back.
I wish you a safe journey.
Let's go.
What is your name?
It's Mal Saeng. Jo Mal Saeng.
Mal Saeng...
What's with your name?
What about my name?
How did it go?
Prime Minister Yi Seong Gye passed through Suneui Gate
and entered Mokcheong House!
Goodness...
Yi Seong Gye returned after all.
Then the issue is figuring out the current situation.
General! General!
Is he unconscious?
- My dear, a doctor please. - Yes.
- An assassin? - An assassin?
Who would send an assassin?
I'm not positive, but wouldn't it be Lord Poeun?
Has he gone mad?
He was coming here almost every day, so why all of a sudden?
I knew it since the time he sent Teacher Sambong into exile.
Even then, my goodness...
- Bring a doctor please. - Yes, ma'am.
Let's go.
Your Majesty...
In my opinion, we shouldn't stop now.
But what if...
Prime Minister Yi's condition is not critical, then what will happen?
I will go and check.
Wouldn't that be dangerous?
Please don't worry. Yi Seong Gye won't be able to do anything to me.
Follow Poeun. Make sure to protect him!
Let's go.
Moo Hyool! Let's hurry back.
Grandma, I have to stop somewhere.
Please go ahead.
Excuse me.
Do you know whose house this is?
This is Lord Woo Hak Joo's house.
Oh, I see.
Lord Woo Hak Joo...
Warrior.
Why are you following us?
Well... Miss...
Last night...
It was you, wasn't it?
Right?
By any chance, are you...
Because Cheok Sa Gwang is a woman.
Are you... Cheok Sa Gwang?
Your identity should not be revealed.
Are you?
Why did you try to kill our General?
It's... the same for you as well.
Lord Poeun locked up Teacher Sambong and my General first.
Like a coward, as soon as the General fell off his horse.
What is right or wrong, who is righteous...
Let us not talk about it.
Does it really matter?
Am I supposed to kill him?
But really...
you don't look like you'd kill anyone.
It doesn't suit you at all.
To be honest...
I haven't had much experience in real fights.
And I have no idea about the world of warriors at all.
But I know one thing.
If you fight against me...
you will die.
- So-- - But...
You don't enjoy it.
Why did you hit all the soldiers with the back of your blade in Byeokrando?
I can't say that I've had much experience either
but I had never seen that before, or heard of it either.
Everyone fights with his life on the line.
Why did you do that?
You don't want to kill people, do you?
Isn't it horrible?
To be honest, I feel the same. But...
But it seems to be worse for you.
You're right.
I hate killing people.
So... let us never see each other again.
How is his condition?
Why hasn't he regained consciousness yet?
His internal organs and blood vessels are severely damaged.
Then when will he be able to wake up?
I cannot guarantee it now.
I have done everything I can.
So we have no choice but to wait.
In this important time...
do we have no choice but to pray to Heaven for everything?
Sire, I told Lord Woo Hak Joo to check on Yi Seong Gye's condition in secret.
So we will hear soon.
Jung Do Jeon and his people will be transferred to Gaegyeong soon...
The fate of this country depends on Yi Seong Gye's health.
Yes, so we should be prepared for different outcomes.
- How did it go? - I got him. He will be here soon.
The doctor should not go outside.
General...
Look here.
Can you stay here until Father wakes up?
Pardon?
Please do so.
Yes.
Prepare a room for this doctor.
Follow me.
Listen carefully to what I am about to say.
Father's current condition is the talk of the town.
So we have to fool everyone until Father wakes up.
Then what should we do?
First, stop by a doctor and get medicine for his contusion
and to recover his energy as prescribed here.
Yes.
After that...
stop by at the market and buy rice wine and dried persimmons that Father likes
and a tea with a strong aroma.
It's important to do it and get noticed by as many people as possible.
- Do you understand? - Yes, we understand.
Let's go.
Hello.
Age 58, male. He fell off of a horse
and had a very light injury.
Then I will give you a good medicine for blood circulation.
Yes, yes...
Also, since you're on it...
put a lot of things that are good for energy recovery too!
- I will. - Thank you.
Blood flow? Are you certain?
Yes. His servants heard the doctor's words in person.
I see. You may leave.
If it's only a matter of blood flow
it means Yi Seong Gye's injury is very light.
Sire, they may have come up with it to fool the eyes that are watching.
We cannot believe it completely yet.
Even so, we cannot execute Jung Do Jeon and his people without any assurance.
Sire, Lord Woo Hak Joo is here.
Let him in!
The doctor who entered Mokcheong House has not left yet.
The doctor is not coming out?
- How come? - In my opinion
I believe it's a measure to hide the fact
that Prime Minister Yi is not in good condition.
But this is also an assumption...
We need something more certain!
You don't need to be scared.
If you give precise answers to simple questions
you will receive a big reward.
Yes.
You treated General Yi Seong Gye who fell off his horse, didn't you?
Yes, I did.
How was Yi Seong Gye's condition?
When I first saw him, he was unconscious and he had severe internal injuries.
He could not move by himself.
If he was carried on the cart to Gaegyeong in a hurry
what would have happened by now?
If he was moved, his condition would have worsened!
It can be dangerous.
What is right or wrong, who is righteous...
Let's not talk about it.
What meaning would it have?
Why does it not have any meaning?
It's about fighting for the world that I believe in!
Miss.
We are the righteous ones, right?
The one named Poeun betrayed us! Right?
What's wrong? Did something happen?
It's just... that I may have thought of this too simply.
At first, it was to be successful.
To take care of my family.
But along the way...
I found that the world we are trying to create is really great.
That's why... I bet my life to fight the ones who are interfering with that world.
And?
But... the ones we have to fight in the future...
they don't have to be...
bad ones or evil ones.
I must have thought wrong.
Do you follow Jung Do Jeon and Yi Seong Gye without such determination?
To abandon your loved ones and to be the enemy of your loved ones...
Without determination, you should quit.
Someone told me...
the ones we have to fight in the future...
are not just good ones, they could be our beloved ones.
That without ultimate determination
I shouldn't jump into matters like this.
Are you ready for it?
I'm not sure.
But I will have to be if I'm not going to run away.
You should be determined too.
Sword fighting is about killing or being killed.
Let's not die.
If you fight against me, you will die.
Both your grandfather and your father died on the battlefield!
You scared me!
I almost got hurt!
What's with your face? It's not like you.
Do you need to take a dump?
Teacher.
"Teacher"? What happened to you?
How strong is Goksan swordsmanship?
It's incredible!
If Cheok Sa Gwang and I had a match...
would I lose?
Of course you would.
Would I die?
You'd probably die.
Then I might die in the near future.
What do you mean?
I met her... Cheok Sa Gwang.
- When? - When I went to Byeokrando.
With one swing from Cheok Sa Gwang...
the palanquin was cut in two.
"Beheading horse and human."
I was beyond speechless.
It is called "beheading horse and human."
"Beheading horse and human"?
There was a legend that General Cheok Joon Gyung
sliced the enemy's general and his horse in two with one swing.
That is the skill.
Teacher.
I will meet Cheok Sa Gwang again soon.
If I meet her again, I will fight her. And if I fight her...
I won't be able to win.
Bang Ji won't be able to, either.
Run away.
Pardon?
You can run away. What is there to worry about?
Cheok Sa Gwang must be aiming for the General, not you.
If you run away, she won't chase you.
You're right. You're right...
You're finally maturing.
- But... I don't think I can run away. - Why not?
I don't know. I just can't do it.
Please tell me the weakness of Goksan swordsmanship.
You must've had a reason to work as a servant for that household.
You went there to figure something out.
- I did. - Please tell me...
the weakness of that technique.
In Goksan swordsmanship...
Yes.
There is no weakness.
No matter how much I tried to find it, I couldn't find any.
Then there is no solution.
But, Moo Hyool...
a weakness is not always in the swordsmanship.
It is with the person.
Young Master.
Teacher Sambong, General Nam Eun, and Lord Jo Joon
are being transferred to Gaegyeong.
Why? They were sent into exile not too long ago.
Young Master, is it working in our favor?
I don't believe so.
I believe they will face execution soon.
What would you suggest?
Right now is the only opportunity. We have to execute all of them!
What if Yi Seong Gye is in good condition?
- Any change in the army? - There is no change to make note of.
What about different markets in Gaegyeong?
The soldiers patrol has tightened.
A lot more soldiers from the State Tribunal are moving about.
They were in disguise
but we were able to recognize them since we had memorized their faces.
Shouldn't we get our army ready?
The new commanders of the Left and the Right are both Poeun's people.
Since Young Master Yi Bang Gwa was dismissed from the State Tribunal
we are at a disadvantage.
Whether it's the State Tribunal or the armies, we have many of our people.
If something goes down, they will stand with us.
That was when we had General Yi Seong Gye.
Poeun spread the rumor in the military that General Yi is in critical condition.
We cannot say what will happen.
Young Master, what should we do?
Yes, you have to make a decision now.
We cannot leave Teacher Sambong like this.
Yes, Young Master.
If you decide, I will follow whatever decision you make.
Maybe the answer had already been out there for a long time.
Where is Jung Mong Joo now?
His Majesty won't be able to decide.
Until he knows Yi Seong Gye's condition, he won't be able to decide on anything.
I will go see His Majesty.
General!
Is anyone outside? Come here!
Lord Poeun is in the palace.
The palace. I'm sure he needs to be at the palace.
Along with 5,000 soldiers of the central military power. But...
There is a separate sword to be used in turbulent times?
No, it is only a worm growing inside you.
"Right now is a turbulent time."
"You have to survive in this turbulent time, you have no choice."
It must've whispered sweetly.
Poeun...
It is so that I won't lose Poeun.
I said I'd try to convince Poeun until the day I die, so I will.
Please give me the royal command.
What will you do with it?
Will you proceed with the executions?
We cannot lose time trying to find out Yi Seong Gye's condition.
And?
Please give me the royal seal for the executions.
If anything goes wrong...
blame everything on me.
Say that I took away the royal seal by force and acted on my own.
Poeun!
If anything happens to you...
I cannot do this on my own anyway.
Sire...
Yi Seong Gye will never be able to do anything to me.
Please don't worry.
Please give me the royal command!
Why do you pretend to be suffering?
"Pretend to be suffering"?
Then are you really in pain?
Do I look like I am excited about this?
Poeun's life has now become the life of Goryeo.
Isn't your heart pounding at the thought of the honor of cutting it out?
Stop with your absurdity.
The one who cuts out Goryeo will be the one who begins Joseon.
Also, you will become the one who killed Poeun
the great scholar of this country and the respected teacher of the Sadaebu.
What do you think? Are you afraid?
Are you excited?
Accept yourself.
You do have something that bothers you.
Things that will happen to you after you kill Poeun.
"What if my status weakens?"
"What if this causes trouble in the succession?"
One more.
Are you afraid of being abandoned by the world and becoming lonely?
Young Master... Why...
What is going on?
Are you... on my side?
I am asking if you are on my side.
Of course I am on your side, Young Master.
Tomorrow, too?
Regardless of what happens tonight?
If you can't answer me, forget it.
Are you going to kill him?
Lord Poeun.
I don't understand much about political relationships or trends.
But I know Lord Poeun is important to the General and Teacher Sambong.
So I can guess that it must be difficult.
But...
to fight for someone more precious to me...
I am staying strong.
Therefore, I am on your side now.
Yes, I will kill Poeun.
We have to plan now.
We have to bring Poeun out of the palace!
Pardon me...
I haven't been able to tell you why I rushed in here.
What is it?
He is here.
How is the General?
I heard he was ill, so I came to check on the patient.
Did you say you came to visit the patient?
Poeun... he is truly bold.
Yes. Will you keep me standing here?
Not at all. Please come inside.
- Please wait outside. - I cannot do that.
Please. Now.
Visit the patient? I know you sent an assassin to Byeokrando.
Do you have several heads?
General Yi Seong Gye also put a sword to my neck.
He couldn't do it.
Do you think you could?
What?
As I said, I only came to visit the patient.
Please let me meet with General Yi.
Lord Poeun...
I also tried to kill him.
In the northeastern region, we were fighting brutally against each other.
Then I was caught.
I thought my head would be cut off right away.
He tried to convince me more fiercely than when we were fighting.
He took me in as his younger brother.
He promised me that he'd protect my tribe, all of my people.
That's how he is.
Even after you did the unthinkable to him...
if you would change your mind, he would forget about everything...
he would make you his younger brother.
Lord Poeun...
Can you think it over one more time?
Let me meet with the General.
Poeun!
By any chance...
is he unconscious?
Father, are you all right?
- I heard Poeun came by. - Yes.
He says he came to visit the patient.
He is beyond brazen.
Father, this is an opportunity from Heaven.
I will get rid of Poeun!
How dare you!
- Don't be absurd. - Absurd?
He tried to kill you!
I killed General Choi Young, who I served all my life.
I got rid of Teacher Lee Saek, the highly regarded teacher of this country.
And I removed two kings and killed them.
Are you telling me to kill Poeun, who came to my house for a visit?
Father...
If you want to achieve the big goal
don't be ridiculous.
- Ask Poeun to come in. - General.
Why would you meet with such a man again?
Tell him to come in!
I asked you if he was unconscious.
What are you saying?
Then please let me see him before I leave.
Teacher Poeun, Father would like to see you.
Did you try to protect Goryeo by killing me?
If I had to choose between you and Goryeo...
it is clear to me.
Even if I die...
would Goryeo be revived?
It will be difficult, but I will have to try.
Why did you have to go that far?
Right, I don't want to do that.
That's why I would like you to change your mind.
I said that we should never see each other again.
You came for a visit.
What I meant was... that you should run far away.
I thought a lot about it, but...
I won't run away.
For 14 years under the reign of King Woo...
from the countless attacks by the Japanese pirates
the country couldn't protect anything for its people.
If the country can't protect its people
how can it be called a country?
I, this Yi Seong Gye, accomplished what the country couldn't do.
Both Choi Young and Lee In Gyeom...
if they were determined
they could have gotten rid of the noble class who were blinded by power.
If they focused on national defense
anyone could have done it.
But no one did it.
That's why I got rid of them in the end
and I protected the country and its people.
- But-- - Yes, you did that.
So you can protect the country and its people only as a general in the future!
We can create a new country, have a better life
and protect ourselves better!
That is called justifying your actions and rationalizing them.
Do you think Choi Choong Heon or Lee In Gyeom had no justification?
But they didn't say that they would change the country.
Look, Poeun...
They had no plans or aspirations for the future.
I am different from Choi Choong Heon.
I have plans and aspirations called Sambong and Poeun.
Poeun...
would I do this because I covet the throne?
You know very well that I am doing this because there is something I have to do.
I still don't know about politics.
You can take care of the politics!
Not too long ago, as all of us had a drink at Dohwa Mansion...
we talked about the dream we had.
My dream is...
It is to realize the wishes of Sambong and you and protect them.
Poeun! Please think it over just one more time!
Please think it over one more time, Poeun!
General! General!
Father! Father! Father, are you all right?
I pray for your fast recovery, General.
Let's go.
Tomorrow at six in the morning...
proceed with Sambong's execution.
Yes, I will.
Teacher Sambong was locked up at the State Tribunal
as soon as he arrived in Gaegyeong.
Word is that he will be executed soon.
Are you going to stay here like this?
Break into prison or lead the soldiers and start a coup!
We have to rescue Teacher Sambong!
As of now, breaking into prison or starting a coup are impossible.
Then? Are you going to give up?
No.
Poeun...
I need to... kill Poeun.
It turned out the way you wished, Moogook.
Yi Seong Gye's untimely hunting
an unexpected assassination attempt
and the fall from the horse.
These small coincidences led the matter to this point.
It's over for Yi Seong Gye's people now.
Well... would it be that way?
Someone's will, ambition, coincidences and luck
or a peculiar plan, or an overwhelming size of power...
If everything was determined by matters like this
how easy would it be to understand the world?
Fate is often determined by petty things.
Fate is like a three-year-old child with a bad temper.
What will cause its mind to change...
I am truly afraid and excited about the sunrise tomorrow.
This will be the longest night in the history of Goryeo.
----
For the people, why would it matter one way or the other?
Arrowroot vines are entwined in Mount Mansoo.
Is there anyone to blame for it?
Kill me once and again, kill me a hundred times.
Even if my skull rots away and my body turns to dust
a piece of loyalty full of devotion in this body
you may not take away from me.