Your Highness.
Are you well?
In the end,
you won.
The deity has turned his back on me.
Behead me.
This is Jo Sa Eui's work of treason...
under the feigned name of you, Your Highness.
This has nothing to do with you.
I will bring the physician in.
Please head to the Capital with me.
Please stay in the Abdicated King's Court.
Behead me now.
Were you going to behead me, Father?
I was not.
(Episode 25)
Release all prisoners.
I beg your pardon?
Do as I say.
Then the rest of the enemies will fall on their own.
They are traitors.
I will behead them now if you give the order.
The guilt does not lie on the soldiers.
Bring only Jo Sa Eui and the generals.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Lord Yeoseong. You should guard the Former King Taejo with me.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will leave the rest to you.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
We will release you. You may return to Jo Sa Eui.
(Lee Sook Beon, Park Eun)
And tell him what you saw.
Go now.
Thank you for coming on time.
I am delighted.
Her Highness the Queen ordered me...
to arrive before you fall in danger.
Your safety is all she cares about.
Were you thinking about something else?
(Min Mu Jil, Lee Bang Won's brother-in-law)
No, not at all.
- Mu Jil. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Your face gives everything away.
So you must try hard to change how you think.
What do you mean by that?
Your family is greatly upset with me.
But I did what I did...
to govern this nation correctly.
I hope you understand.
Then I will never forget...
what your family did for me.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Retreat! The Former King Taejo was captured!
Fools! Come back here!
Come back!
General? What must we do now?
Our lines have fallen.
(Jo Sa Eui, Magistrate of Anbyeon Prefecture)
Let us go to Dongbukmyeon for now.
We can figure out what to do then.
Yes, General.
We have no choice. Fall back.
Darn it.
Darn!
(Abdicated King's Court, Former King Taejo's chambers)
Sleep well.
I will visit you often.
(Abdicated King Taejo, Lee Sung Gye)
Do not come here again.
(Queen Wongyeong, Lady Min)
Your Majesty. Are you well?
Were you injured?
I am fine.
You have been up late, working hard.
Not at all. I am so glad you are safe.
Come inside.
I am victorious.
Yet again, with blades and spears,
I defeated my father.
Your Majesty.
My father is crying.
I always wanted to be like my father.
He reigned Dongbukmyeon like a king.
He commanded crowds of men,
and he always sat at the head.
I grew up seeing that and every day,
I dreamed and hoped of being like him.
Now that I look back,
I think that was when I started to yearn for his seat.
I wished to be a king myself.
Since the day I killed Master Poeun,
Father said...
I had gone crazy, lusting for power.
In a way, he was right.
My father saw right through me.
And yet he could not stop me.
He was unable to behead his own son.
He did not strip me of my prince title,
and he did not send me far away.
He just waited for me to give up.
For me to go back to being...
his smart and adorable son.
That was what my father was like,
and I defeated him in battle twice.
You had no choice over the last battle.
I made that excuse too many times.
I killed Master Poeun, Master Sambong,
and even my younger brothers.
I said then that I had no choice.
I am guilty.
I do not know how to wash away this guilt.
Her Highness the Queen spent each night in great concern,
I led an army to save His Majesty.
But the only thing I received in return was a cold warning.
What did he say?
(Min Mu Jil, Lee Bang Won's brother-in-law)
He told us not to be upset about what happened in the past...
and that we should have a proper mindset instead.
He is being so harsh.
What did our family do to deserve hearing such things?
Just wait.
Our eldest prince has now been chosen as the Succeeding Prince.
(The eldest son of the king who will be installed as crown prince.)
Once he sits on the throne,
all the sorrows we have faced...
will be washed away.
Right now, we will stand on the King's side.
Then those who persecuted our family...
will come to regret it...
when the day comes.
I heard that you take care of the tasks given to you thoroughly.
I appoint you as director of the Office of the Abdicated King,
so be sure to take very good care of Former King Taejo.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will devote myself to it.
Why is your official uniform so worn?
It is still wearable,
so I did not make a new one.
I heard you were extremely frugal. I guess it was true.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I am not accusing you of anything. Do not be mistaken.
In return, when it comes to taking care of the Former King Taejo,
spare no expenses.
Of course, Your Majesty.
I will take special care of him, so he wants for nothing.
All right. Please do that.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will excuse myself now.
Your Majesty.
You are back.
Yes. The soldiers in Seobukmyeon have returned as well.
Those who led the plot for treason,
and the eunuch who served Former King Taejo...
have all been arrested.
Then before people begin talking,
behead all the traitors who have committed high treason.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Also,
I have something to tell you.
It is about Lee Geo Yi,
Supreme Commissioner of the Left Provinces who fought alongside us.
- Lee Geo Yi? - Yes.
Execute them!
- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!
Former King Taejo!
Please be healthy...
You have all worked hard.
We had an unexpected rebellion,
but thanks to your help, we overcame it.
Thank you so much.
- Thank you for your boundless generosity. - Thank you for your boundless generosity.
All right. Let us have a drink.
Your Majesty. I am a loser.
Please punish me!
There are no generals who have never lost a battle.
You fought with all your might, and that is good enough.
Your Majesty. Thank you for your boundless generosity.
However, for commanders who have just returned from war,
you all seem quite energetic.
Yes, Your Majesty. While we are at it,
I feel like we should go after our foreign enemies.
How do you feel?
To be honest,
it has been a while since I led soldiers into battle.
I feel like I have regained my energy.
I suppose one who has been in charge of the military...
must lead soldiers to gain energy.
Is that why...
you still have a reluctance to give up on the private armies?
Pardon?
You took arms to make me king.
But a true subject...
should be able to put down their swords...
and pick up a brush.
However, you...
are still attached to the idea of private armies.
That is why you did not hesitate to express your wishes...
of still having the Abdicated King on the throne.
Your Majesty.
What do you mean?
If you continue to deny it,
I will have no choice but to torture you and put you on trial with the witness.
Do you insist on undergoing such humiliation?
Your Majesty! Please forgive me!
It was nothing but an insignificant complaint.
None of my subjects here...
dare to make such a complaint.
You are Former King Taejo's vassal of merit as well as mine.
You are Former King Taejo's in-law and as well as mine.
That power...
is what made you so arrogant.
Your Majesty.
Leave and wait for your dismissal.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I apologize for doing this during this celebration...
of your hard work.
I brought it up because I was afraid you may make...
the same mistake.
I truly do not want to lose you.
You are all my vassals of merit and my saviors.
However, the virtues of being my vassals...
are honor and dignity.
They are not pride and privilege.
If you still have lingering attachments to those things,
you should wash them away...
with the drink that I pour you.
What do you think?
Can you yield to my will?
Yes, Your Majesty.
(Min Je, Lee Bang Won's father-in-law)
I will yield to your will.
- I will yield to your will. - I will yield to your will.
You should be careful too.
His Majesty is very thorough.
If you do not want to invoke his rage, do not get greedy.
- Yes, Father. - Yes, Father.
Do not scold our children so much.
They are unable to do anything but breathe at this point.
Dear wife!
Madam.
What is it?
I have something to tell you.
I thought it was because she was wearing thick layers for the winter,
but that was not the case.
I took off her outer clothes, and it seems she is pregnant.
Her stomach is already quite swollen.
Whose child is it?
It is His Majesty's...
Tell me honestly.
Who is the father?
It is true.
How could I tell such a lie?
How dare you?
Are you despising the Royal Family?
Madam.
Come in.
Yes, Madam.
Throw this wench's blankets and clothes out.
And do not heat this room.
Yes, Madam.
If you do not want the child in you...
to freeze to death,
tell me which slave's child that is.
Madam.
You know the truth.
When I worked in the Queen's Palace,
I said I was summoned to the King's chambers.
Close your mouth!
How dare you mention what happened in the Palace?
Madam.
The only way for you to survive...
is to reveal which slave is the father.
Do you understand?
Demote Lee Geo Yi and his sons as commoners...
and send them into exile.
His sons as well?
Then the princesses...
Do as I say.
That proves my will to other vassals.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Also, restore late Poeun...
and give him a government post.
Do you mean Jeong Mong Ju?
Yes.
Though he was against establishing Joseon,
all subjects should learn...
his loyalty.
His loyalty is...
what the Royal Court subjects need now.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Majesty.
That is a wise decision.
If one should restore Poeun,
it should be you.
Thank you for understanding me.
I am honored.
And...
I received a message from the envoys to Ming.
Ming's Royal Family is planning marriage...
with Joseon's Royal Family.
- Marriage? - Yes.
It seems they want to make your two princesses...
their daughters-in-law.
What should I do?
We should be happy if we think about our relationship with Ming,
but I am disinclined as a mother.
Once they move to Ming, I would not know when I will get to see them again.
That is why I am reluctant.
Then...
before Ming officially notifies marriage,
let the princesses be married.
Now?
The youngest princess is still too young.
Still, it is better than sending them to a faraway foreign land.
Yes.
We shall do so.
You should return to Daejeon.
(Daejeon, the King's chambers)
I want to stay here tonight.
May I?
While I was in Seobukmyeon,
I heard you were worried about me a lot.
Yes, I was.
Do you not hate me?
I do.
I had never been humiliated so much before.
However,
our fate is already tangled like the love tree.
If one dies,
the other has to die too.
I am sorry.
I just...
wanted to be the true king.
Perhaps,
it will be the only way to purge away my sins.
Yes. I understand how you feel.
However,
I am just sad...
that you have changed,
and that I have changed.
Is that true?
Yes.
I sent her to the Palace to aid the Queen.
But she returned as a problem.
What shall we do now?
We must do...
everything it takes to stop her from giving birth.
Mother. That will be too dangerous.
If that wench gives birth,
it will only get in the Queen's way.
Are you telling me to let that happen...
in my backyard?
No, Mother, but...
Her Highness struggled to win the King's favor.
I can never let her lose it.
Then she will be mortified...
to wash rice with cold water...
among court maids again.
Do you understand?
- Yes, Mother. - Yes, Mother.
I am worried about Father His Highness.
He only stares at the air...
without any words.
You should visit him more often.
You are still his most loved son.
It is not something I can help with.
(Abdicated King, Lee Bang Gwa)
The King has to resolve his resentment.
It is no use...
(Queen Dowager Kim, Lee Bang Gwa's wife)
unless it is the King.
Did you sleep well?
I told you never to visit me again.
Do you enjoy watching me?
Do you want to ridicule your father? Is that it?
I know it is painful for you to see me.
However, it is the same for me.
The moment I enter the Abdicated King's Court,
I can hardly breathe.
I feel strangled...
like a criminal entering prison.
Then...
why do you visit me?
This is my punishment.
I wish you live a long life.
Punish me for many more years.
May you sleep well.
He barely touches his food.
Does he sleep well at night?
He spends more time awake than he does asleep.
I called you to ask for a favor.
Yes, Your Majesty. I am listening.
Hunt me a roe deer.
Cook it the way your father used to,
and take it to my father.
Can you do that?
Yes, Your Majesty. I watched my father prepare it for years.
Good. Do that for me.
I will, Your Majesty.
You should wear your official uniform.
- What? - You are a vassal of merit.
You played a large part in quelling Jo Sa Eui's rebellion.
You should join the Royal Court.
I do not know what to do, Your Majesty.
Do not make me do anything.
I appoint you as Officer of Construction and Engineering.
Start from there.
Gosh, no, Your Majesty.
That is my command.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I am so overweight.
Thank you for your boundless generosity.
It is a boy.
Did she give birth on her own?
Yes.
She cut the cord with her teeth.
As soon as day breaks,
leave them in a rundown hut.
Pardon?
Do as I say.
Yes, my lady.
Why do I hear a baby's cry?
One of our slaves must have given birth.
Did we have a pregnant slave?
You need not mind such issues.
Come inside.
There are no birds in the trap.
What are you doing during class hours?
(The time of the day when...)
(The King and the Crown Prince read and debate with subjects.)
Father.
I asked a question.
I wanted to see if there were any birds in the trap.
Speak in a bigger voice.
I set up a bird trap yesterday,
and I wished to see if there were any birds inside.
Why must you do that now?
You could have checked after your daytime lesson.
Are you not doing your job?
If the Succeeding Prince leaves his seat,
it is your job to keep him seated!
I apologize.
I told him many times that he must study,
but he would not listen.
Do you hate studying that much?
I do not hate it.
Then why are you like this?
I do not enjoy it either.
All books are incredibly boring.
They could put it concisely,
but instead, they beat around the bush and repeat the same thing.
Whenever I read a book,
I found it hard because even a short phrase contained so much.
And you tell me...
you can summarize a whole book in a few words?
You are a hundred times better than I.
That is not true.
- Son. - Yes, Father?
To become king,
you must do many things you do not like.
There are many things that are so painful,
that you would rather run away.
Is that true?
Yes.
Putting up with the boredom to study your books...
will be the easiest task of them all.
Do not be afraid.
I will take care of all the painful things...
you would rather not do.
You just have to do the easiest tasks.
But in that case, you must do those tasks well.
Can you do that?
Yes, Father.
Good.
Then get back to it.
Try, and you will manage.
(Future Grand Prince Chungnyeong, Lee Bang Won's third son)
I will now make the Succeeding Prince the Crown Prince.
I would like you to put your heads together...
and select scholars who will help...
educate the Crown Prince.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
If the Crown Prince fails to make any progress,
I will hold the specially selected scholars...
and his tutors responsible.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Do not tell anyone I gave you this.
I would like to visit your father.
At their home?
Yes.
They are so wary of me that none of your relatives...
can even visit the Crown Prince.
I feel terrible.
Your parents must wish to see him.
We should visit with him.
They would be so very pleased.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Not at all.
I have a lot to apologize to them for.
To your brothers as well.
Your Majesty.
The fourth royal secretary brought a report from the State Council.
I understand.
Set a date. I must leave you now.
Yes, Your Majesty.
What else?
There is a rumor floating around the market that slights the royal family,
and they are looking for the person behind it.
What kind of rumor is it?
Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds,
but it is a rumor that the child of the King was abandoned...
and is living in some nobleman's home.
The child of the King was abandoned?
Are you saying I abandoned my child?
Who would say such baseless lies?
They are looking into it right now.
Who is the nobleman that was mentioned?
Well...
Hurry up and tell me. Why are you hesitating?
Yes. I will tell you.
It is the home of the Great Lord of Yeoheung.
(Great Lord of Yeoheung: Pen name for Min Je, Lee Bang Won's father-in-law)
What?
The Great Lord of Yeoheung?
What was Mother thinking?
Why did you not do anything?
I apologize.
We thought that was what was best for you.
Get that mother and child and go home.
Bathe them, dress them in nice clothes,
and let them rest in a warm room. Right now.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Why are you...
doing this all of a sudden?
I do not know.
In any case, get some rest.
We heard a terrible rumor, so we came to verify it.
Is there a female slave with the last name Kim?
Did you know about this?
I just found out.
This is impossible!
The child of the King was born,
but you hid them in your home and did not tell me?
I apologize.
My family did a terrible thing.
From my family's perspective,
it must have been hard to tell us about this.
After all, I was not the one who gave birth to this child.
That is the standard of a regular household.
If you consider the obligation of the royal family, this is disloyal!
At least they were taking care of the mother and son.
I will not raise an issue regarding this any further.
Thank you for your boundless generosity.
I will cancel my visit to your family.
I do not think I should leave the Min Clan as they are.
They will never be able to become my subjects.
Get ready.
Yes, Your Majesty.
(The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won)
If I have done anything to upset you, please forgive me.
Do you think His Majesty is planning something?
About our family regaining our power.
As our Crown Prince gets older,
our time will come closer.
I will abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince.
Give my orders to the Crown Prince.
Give him the royal seal.
I do not think this is His Majesty's real intention.
He is definitely going after our family.