King Taejo complied with the skies' command...
and founded the Joseon Dynasty,
King Jeongjong succeeded the throne as his rightful heir...
and has led this nation.
King Jeongjong has named me the Crown Prince...
for my contributions to the founding of the nation.
And on this day, he has given an order for me to take the throne.
Despite my fears, I comply with his order.
I now ascend to the throne to lead the country.
I ask the members of the royal family, court officials, and all subjects...
to assist and serve me with reverence,
and help to fulfill my inadequacies.
Furthermore, I start my reign...
by spreading my generosity.
All offices are to open their prison gates...
and release their prisoners.
- Thank you for your boundless generosity. - Thank you for your boundless generosity.
To be honest,
I am the sinner.
Your Majesty, what do you mean?
That is absurd. Please take back your words, Your Majesty.
- Please take back your words. - Please take back your words.
No.
I am a sinner.
Since you have seen what I have done, you should be well aware.
I was trying to survive.
Still, it is a fact that I have sinned.
There is only one way to wash away my sins.
I must build a strong foundation for Joseon,
so it can become a strong nation...
that will last tens of thousands of years.
From this day forth, I will devote myself to achieving this.
And...
if anyone interferes in the achievement of this work,
regardless of who they may be,
they will be punished severely.
If anyone dares to infringe upon the authority of the King,
thinking that they deserve to do so based on their contributions,
or forgets their duties as a subject...
and covets the throne,
they will never be forgiven.
A nation where the king and his subjects behave as they should,
allowing the people to live in comfort.
That is...
the Joseon that I strive to make.
Keep that in mind...
and comply with my command.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
- We will keep that in mind. - We will keep that in mind.
That will be it for today.
You may leave.
Your Majesty.
Subjects may not leave before the King.
I allow you to do so.
You may leave first.
Yes, Your Majesty. We will leave.
Now then, have a safe trip back.
Yes. See you soon.
It is the day of his coronation, but the atmosphere is very heavy.
I agree.
Do we not exchange good words with each other on a day like this?
Well...
He might have thought it is not the time to share good words with each other.
For what reason?
Is it not a good day?
He finally took his place on the throne.
Taking the throne does not mean that he has become the King.
What?
There are still many hurdles to overcome if he wants to become a true king.
His Majesty has now begun that journey.
Can you speak plainly so I can actually understand you?
You will come to understand soon.
Now, let us go. Let us have some drinks on our own.
My goodness.
Let us go.
Take her when you enter the palace.
She is smart...
and she cooks your favorite dishes very well.
Yes, Mother.
Will you go with me?
Of course, Your Highness. I will do my best to serve you.
Good.
Then let us live here together and enter the palace.
Yes, Your Highness.
Come here.
By the way, why is it so quiet?
You should get ready to enter the palace, Your Highness.
I have not yet been permitted to enter.
What? Do you need permission?
What does that mean?
Unless I am willing to be His Majesty's liege,
I am not allowed to enter the palace, he said.
His liege?
Yes.
He is warning me never to care about governing the country.
I should not care about who he appoints to which position.
I should also not care...
about what they are discussing in the Royal Court.
You should have said you were only trying to help.
He said I should not help either.
What?
He mentioned the time he abolished private armies.
He told me not to make him a puppet...
by using our clan.
He wants me to be like that tree over there.
I should not make a sound...
nor move.
Just like a tree that blossoms in the Queen's Palace,
I should be still.
Your Highness.
Must we really do this?
Yes.
Otherwise,
I cannot be the true King of this nation.
But she is your wife.
And she helped you take the throne.
That is why I am being harsher.
Otherwise,
you will see her running the Royal Court like Lady Kang did before.
Bang Won.
If I am bound by marital vows...
and by anyone's contributions,
I cannot set my course straight.
This was why...
Father failed as a king.
What?
Even after Father took the throne,
he never became the true King.
(Abdicated King, Lee Bang Gwa)
He was still a loving husband to Lady Kang.
To our brothers,
he stayed as the angry father.
If he had overcome those roles and made decisions only as a king,
there would not have been any tragedy.
Your Majesty.
Your Highness.
I do not want to fail like Father did.
I want to do well.
This is for the people.
And it is the way for me to be forgiven.
Are these warnings meant for our clan?
Yes.
No way. That cannot be true.
He is right. It was thanks to us that our brother-in-law took the throne.
Why would he be hostile to us?
Do not call him "brother-in-law" anymore.
He is now our King.
Do not bring misfortune upon yourselves.
Our clan must lie low for now.
What did we do wrong...
that you say we must lie low?
All we did was serve the King.
So why must we be treated as if we are guilty?
Do not take it so negatively.
His Majesty has given us a way out.
So remember your place and remain humble.
Then nothing bad will befall you.
That is what he meant today.
Do you understand?
(If one cannot separate oneself from their personal ties,)
(they cannot achieve righteousness.)
I am not sure if I can live like you.
To live like you, a tree,
I swallowed so many tears...
to make my husband king.
(Gwanghwamun Gate)
The Crown Prince was crowned King.
That makes you the previously abdicated king.
Your office asked...
if there is anything you require.
Tell them to send wood.
I will build a small palace next to this temple...
to reside in until the day I die.
Will you truly do so?
I am doing this to make Bang Won lower his guard.
I understand.
I will send word, Your Highness.
Have you heard from Dongbukmyeon?
Yes.
We got word that preparations are being made.
Our king did not leave it to them,
but rather the brothers took it by force?
That is what I heard.
It was the fifth son, Bang Won.
He killed all his half-brothers.
How could he do such a thing?
That is why Lord Cho Sa Eui is gathering men.
A large battle will break out soon.
Then I must fight for our king.
Darn it.
- Here you go. - Goodbye.
Take care.
(Lee Ji Ran, a sworn brother to Lee Seong Gye)
Seong Gye.
Must you go to war against your son?
Please stop.
Please do not do that.
Father!
- Father! - Father!
How did you get here?
Who brought you here?
Our sisters did.
- Your sisters? - Yes. There they are.
- Father. - Father.
Did you come here on your own?
No. Mother came with us.
What? She came with you?
Yes. She said we will live in the Palace now.
Where is she now?
You are here, I see.
What are you doing?
I was taking a look at the throne.
I wondered...
how it would feel to be up here.
How does it feel?
It is not a bad feeling...
to have everything beneath my feet.
But...
being up here all alone...
also makes it feel very lonely.
You saw the truth. That is what that seat is like.
If it were full of joy and nothing else,
I would have let you have it.
But that is not what it is like.
It is also painful and suffocating.
I see.
You were looking out for me, then.
Why are you here?
I stayed up for nights to think.
Can I be...
the woman you want me to be?
What is your conclusion?
I can be that woman.
If you want me to be a tree, I will be a tree.
If you want me to be fire, I will be fire.
If you want me to be silent, I will be speechless.
If you want me to be blind, I will cover my eyes.
But...
none of those people are me.
I have never lived like that.
And...
I never wished to live like that.
That means...
there is only one way I can do...
what you ask of me.
It is for me to die.
My dear!
My fate is now in your hands.
You are King.
Do as you wish.
I will leave you now.
Leave the Palace immediately!
Then summon the Palace Soldiers.
And have them drag me out.
My dear!
- Gosh! - Look!
- Brother! - Look!
I will keep this girl by my side, so make her a court lady.
Yes, Your Highness.
- Take her with you. - Yes, madam.
Will the princes and princesses live here from now on?
Yes, that is correct.
Then where will Her Highness stay?
First, she will stay in the quarters for the Crown Princess,
and when she is installed as the queen,
she will move to the Queen's Palace.
I will leave you to look around.
But is it okay to enter the palace...
without His Majesty's permission?
I have no choice.
This was the only option that I had.
Do not worry.
I will overcome this.
Yes, Your Highness.
If anything happens, please let me know.
Yes, Mother.
Do not be disheartened.
Our family is behind you.
All right.
I apologize.
This is not something you need to apologize for.
I know she is not someone you can discourage.
However,
I cannot just let this go.
I will make her my liege no matter what.
Keep that in mind...
and do not get involved in this situation.
Yes, Your Majesty.
- Hey! - That is enough!
Can you be quiet?
Why are you being so noisy at this hour?
Right. This is the palace.
We are not the only ones here.
You should not make so much noise.
We were not being noisy.
Right. We were being quiet.
That is right. We were being quiet.
Why you little... How dare you lie to us?
How dare you?
How dare you lay a hand on us?
- What? - Even if you are my older sister,
you cannot do this to me.
I am the king's eldest son and will become Crown Prince.
Then, I will become the king of this nation.
Is that so?
But you are nothing right now, so what should we do?
Right now, you are nothing more than my disobedient brother...
who does not study. Are you not?
Speak again after you become the future crown prince.
- Do you understand? - Sister!
Just you wait.
When I take the throne in the future,
I will punish our sister harshly.
Are you serious? Will you really do that?
Yes.
Just forgive her.
Yes. Please forgive her.
Even still, she plays with us often.
Brother.
I will think about it.
But Brother,
will you really become king in the future?
- Yes. - Then what about us?
You guys are nothing.
The eldest son becomes king.
The throne is passed on to the eldest son.
But that is not always the case.
What?
Father is not the eldest son, but he became the king.
You do not know what you are saying because you are still too young.
That is simply because our uncles helped him.
That will never happen again, so do not even dream of it.
Understood?
Why are you not answering me? Do you understand?
Yes, I understand.
You may study hard,
but you do not know anything.
Goodness.
I thought you might be hungry, so I made this for you.
Thank you. It is delicious.
It is nice having you be by my side.
It feels like I am with my family.
It is an honor that you would say that.
Your Highness, His Majesty the King is here.
Let him in.
You should go.
Yes, Your Highness.
I will say one thing and leave.
Do not bring our children into our fight.
What do you mean?
I know your ulterior motive...
behind using our children to enter the palace.
You are trying to use the prince who will become the king...
to put pressure on the court.
One day, the son you gave birth to will become king,
so you are telling them...
to take your side for the sake of the future.
I am sure that once the sun rises,
I will have petitions lined up requesting that I install you as queen.
Yes.
Instead of dying as an old tree in the Queen's Palace,
I intend to become an ivy...
willing to crawl on the ground to grow.
Leaf by leaf,
I will wrap myself around the foundations of the palace...
and eventually...
cover the roof of Jeongjeon.
You will come to realize that is pride.
Good night.
Your Majesty.
We keep receiving petitions asking you to install a queen soon.
It is time for you to give us an answer.
Your Majesty. I believe...
that it is reasonable to install the Crown Princess...
as the Queen to bring stability to the Royal Family.
Please understand.
Go ahead.
- Thank you for your boundless generosity. - Thank you for your boundless generosity.
You, Crown Princess Min,
were always gentle and beautiful,
and you were always upright.
Furthermore, you came up with a bold plan...
and contributed to helping me ascend to the throne.
So, I install you as the Queen of this nation.
Spread your wisdom that will last for generations.
Congratulations, Your Highness the Queen.
- Congratulations, Your Highness. - Congratulations, Your Highness.
They are the court maids of the Queen's Palace who will serve you.
Welcome.
Now that you are with me,
I want us to depend on each other like a family.
- Thank you for your boundless generosity. - Thank you for your boundless generosity.
Yes, you may leave.
- Yes, Your Highness. - Yes, Your Highness.
I will go to the King's Palace...
and see if there is anything to take care of.
The day of your installation as the Queen...
is like the day you get married.
Yes.
Go ahead.
Yes, Your Highness. I will go.
What are you talking about?
He cannot have another court maid in his chambers.
On a day like this,
it is only right that he spend the night with Her Highness the Queen.
I know. But this is how it turned out.
You cannot say that.
You cannot insult the Queen like this.
Whose trick is this?
Lower your voice. It is His Majesty's command.
What?
I will tell her His Majesty is feeling ill today.
She will come two days later.
Even then,
he will have another court maid in his chambers.
It will be the same even after that.
What?
Do not beat around the bush and tell her the truth.
His Majesty said you should tell her everything.
Oh, my goodness.
Everything is all set.
Okay.
Rules of the Palace...
makes a woman feel embarrassed.
The privacy of a married couple...
is revealed to the whole world like a big event.
It is because you are both important people.
You are so beautiful, Your Highness.
This must be why His Majesty is never interested in any court maids.
How do you know?
I heard.
I heard he never had a court maid in his chambers.
He did not even have a concubine before coming to the Palace.
He must really love you, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
I am sorry.
Do not be.
You should leave.
Your Highness, you could let this month go by.
But next month, I will...
- Leave. - Okay.
I hear he invites different court maids every night.
He already has three royal consorts.
This must be why he installed her as the Queen.
So that he can make her feel ashamed every night.
He is doing this on purpose.
He is diminishing the Queen's authority.
I hear there are already court maids...
laughing and mocking the Queen.
How could he do this?
How could he do this to our sister?
You should step in, Father.
You must step in, Father.
Father!
You do not look well.
Are you feeling ill?
No.
I just feel stifled.
A long time ago, my father told me this.
He rejected my request to join him in the great work...
and told me this.
The path I am going down...
is not beautiful at all.
I promised myself to become a better king than him.
The path I am going down is not beautiful either.
Take heart, Your Majesty.
Even if you go down the right path,
there will be damage.
If it is a path without any hardship,
everyone would be able to go down the right path.
You are doing well.
You are walking on the road that you are supposed to.
Please do not cry.
I am fine.
What does that mean?
Are you not upset, Your Highness?
Are you not angry?
That is what His Majesty wants.
He wants me to be jealous and upset.
So I could realize...
that I am just a mere woman.
Politics are for men...
so I should not be involved.
Your Highness.
Please tell Father.
Soon, there will be a state exam.
Tell him to help his pupils...
pass the exam.
So, we could fill up the Royal Court...
with the people of our clan from the very bottom.
Yes, Your Highness.
Please stop crying, Mother.
It makes me upset to see you cry.
It feels like you are hurting.
I cannot be strong seeing you like that.
Yes, Your Highness.
I understand.
(Queen's Palace)
Have a safe trip back, Mother.
Yes, Your Highness.
By the way, why can I not find the girl that I brought?
Well...
What happened? Tell me now.
The court maid from the King's Palace took her.
She is going to be with His Majesty tonight.
What?
She is the slave of my family.
She is not a court maid.
I told them that, but...
they said it is the order of His Majesty.
Your Highness, you cannot enter right now.
- Step aside. - I cannot. Please leave.
- Remove them. - I will do so.
- Your Highness. - Get out of the way.
You cannot enter, Your Highness.
Will you do that for me?
Yes. I will take the lead.
- Thank you. - Not at all.
What would I not do for you?
Leave it to me.
I will. Do your best.
I will. Goodbye, then.
You have only just come to the throne,
and you put aside your duties to mingle with women.
Who can say this is the right way of a king?
Please recover from your womanizing...
and stop disappointing your people.
- Please stop! - Please stop!
The Confucian scholars are protesting.
My father-in-law has let me down.
Do you think the Min Clan is behind it?
For it to be this kind of scale, they must be.
Bring him to the Inspection Department for questioning.
(Where subjects were investigated for corruption)
Find out who is behind it.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Work with the Inspection Department and question him yourself.
We cannot question someone for writing a petition.
The purpose of a petition...
is to remind the King of his mistake to help him correct it.
It should not be used to humiliate him.
Those fools...
are announcing the King's flaws in a loud voice.
How can we not suspect an ulterior motive?
Do you understand what I am saying?
Yes, I do.
I need you to go to Hwangju.
Where?
Hwangju?
Yes. Bring Jo Yeong Mu with you.
His Majesty wishes to give him another chance.
Fine. Then I shall go.
Your Highness.
Please kill me.
It is not your fault.
Your Highness.
Prepare to return to my home tomorrow.
Your Highness.
How could you do such a thing?
My lady.
Do not say you had no choice!
The King's court lady told me everything.
She told me you seduced the King.
- That was... - His Majesty bedded you,
so I will not make you work. You can rest.
However, you will rest in this exact spot.
Your Highness. I beg for forgiveness.
Your Highness.
Speak. Who put you up to it?
I demand an answer!
I will tell!
Internal Prince Yeoheung...
Min Je made me do it.
Is that true?
Yes.
A court maid you slept with could have lost her life.
How did the interrogation go?
He confessed.
Internal Prince Yeoheung made him do it.
Have him brought to the Inspection Department immediately.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Eunuch Hwang.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Send away all the Queen's court ladies and maids.
As of tomorrow, the Queen can do everything herself.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Set up a Marriage Office and lead it.
Pardon?
Prepare to find me a new queen.
- Your Majesty. - Do it.
Yes, Your Majesty.