As you know,
I have forgiven the Crown Prince many times before.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince...
does not repent his wrongdoings.
I cannot entrust the country to a man like him.
It is time to discrown the Crown Prince...
and find a man...
who qualifies to take the throne.
Your Majesty.
The change of the Crown Prince...
may cause big trouble in the future.
Please give the throne to your eldest son...
to ensure the safety of the royal family.
Your Majesty.
This is an important period to build the foundation of the country.
In times like this, it is best to...
give the throne to the prince who is qualified and virtuous...
even if that goes against the principle.
Please consider it.
Who is the qualified and virtuous prince in your opinion?
That is Grand Prince Chungnyeong.
I agree with him.
Grand Prince Chungnyeong...
already qualifies to be the King.
I also agree.
Please install Grand Prince Chungnyeong as the Crown Prince,
and assign him the important duty...
to build the foundation of the country.
Your Majesty. Please consider it.
- Please consider it. - Please consider it.
I wish...
all ministers agree Chungnyeong to be the Crown Prince.
You should bow to my will.
I am much obliged.
However,
I still believe the Crown Prince should take the throne.
By following the principle of giving the throne to the eldest son,
you can strengthen the foundation of this country.
Then you cannot stay in the Royal Court anymore.
I am sending you into exile for defending the Crown Prince's misdeed.
Do you still say no?
Yes.
My opinion is firm.
Okay. As you wish.
You may leave.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
What is it?
This is a letter from the Crown Prince.
Where is the Crown Prince?
Your Highness. His Majesty the King is here.
(Crown Prince Lee Je, Lee Bang Won's eldest son)
What are you doing out here?
As you can see, I was shooting arrows.
Archery is banned within Palace walls after dusk.
It could be a threat to the King.
Do you not know that rule?
I did not aim in your direction.
What?
I shot as if I were the target.
Crown Prince.
Do not call me that.
I do not like that title anymore.
I did not ask you to make me Crown Prince.
I happened to be born the eldest,
and I became Crown Prince before I knew what it meant.
And still everyone in the Palace...
point and criticize me asking why I am still a mess.
I want to be free of that noose.
What are you saying?
I will...
step down.
There is no need to summon the ministers...
and go through the complicated process.
I will come to the Royal Office tomorrow and in front of the ministers,
I will announce that I will step down.
I will step down...
with honor.
You will not get that chance.
Just as you had no say in becoming Crown Prince,
you will have no say in it if and when you step down.
Everything will happen as I want and in however way I see fit.
Father.
A prince who is ousted from the Crown Prince position...
often becomes the cause of a future rebellion.
That is why all ousted crown princes were killed off.
The same will happen to you.
You shall not be allowed to live.
However, no father can kill his son.
Which is why...
I will kill you another way.
Only after you are dead...
can you leave this Palace.
Father!
(Grand Prince Chungnyeong, Lee Bang Won's third son)
("Extended Meanings of the Great Learning")
("The Book of the Place of the King")
(The first book in the series that explains the order a king must rule.)
You unanimously petitioned...
that Chungnyeong should be made Crown Prince.
I will no longer...
put it off.
As of today, the Crown Prince will be replaced.
Grand Prince Chungnyeong will be Crown Prince.
- Thank you for your grace. - Thank you for your grace.
The Crown Prince seemed to have known what you interned,
and told me he is willing to step down.
Since he stepped down voluntarily, no one can say...
another prince came after him or his title.
If anyone does,
I will have that person beheaded immediately.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Now we must decide what happens to the previous Crown Prince.
What should we do?
I think that...
since he stepped aside, late as it may be,
we must acknowledge that.
That is true.
Since long ago, anyone who gave up the throne...
was treated with honor.
We must follow that tradition.
If that is what you think, I will do so.
But before that,
I will read a letter the previous Crown Prince wrote to me.
Listen carefully and then decide what to do.
You read it out loud.
Yes, Your Majesty.
"This letter is for His Majesty the King."
"I was unable to live up to your great love and expectations..."
"which led to this situation."
"I am lost for words as to how to..."
"express my guilt and regret."
"However..."
Oh, dear...
Read on!
Yes, Your Majesty.
"However,"
"just because I took to bed..."
"a man's mistress called Eo Ri,"
"the Court is insisting that..."
"I be replaced and that reality..."
"leaves me in awe and wonder."
If it is that serious a crime I took in a mistress,
what does that make all the women...
Your Majesty brought in?
If the ministers were to mention Your Majesty's numerous women...
and demand you step down from the throne,
would you do so, Your Majesty?
"I no longer wish to be Crown Prince."
"However, you are surrounded by men who use..."
"one small flaw of mine to petition I be replaced."
"They are treacherous,"
"and seeing you be manipulated by them..."
"fills me with pity."
"I wish you good health."
Your Majesty. This is an insult to you...
and to the ministers of the Court!
He must be punished severely.
Yes, Your Majesty.
This is the worst kind of disloyalty,
and the worst thing a son can do to a father.
He could make no excuse even if you were to execute him.
But how can a father kill a son?
I cannot do that.
Your Majesty. Then have him exiled.
In proportion to his crimes,
I advise you have him sent to Jeju Island.
That would make the Queen too sad.
So that he can visit sometimes,
I would like him to live in Gyeonggi.
Your Majesty, that is not good enough.
Letting an ousted crown prince live so close to the Capital...
could cause future political strife.
Please reconsider that idea.
- Please reconsider. - Please reconsider.
Now that everyone knows his true colors,
who would wish to be close to him?
The crown prince is as good as dead.
He is a living human being,
but politically, he has no life.
So let him be.
I came to say goodbye.
(Grand Prince Yangnyeong, Lee Bang Won's eldest son)
I was told to leave the Palace.
I was also given a new title as a prince.
A prince title?
Yes.
He named me Yangnyeong.
(Meaning "to refuse comfort")
He named me that because I gave up the throne.
I am forever unable to say I was thrown out.
Where did he tell you to go?
He told me to go to Gwangju in Gyeonggi.
Please be healthy.
All right.
Have a safe trip there.
I will.
Why are you crying?
I am so sorry, Mother.
I sacrificed the lives of all my uncles,
but things have still turned out this way.
Do not forgive me.
Never forgive me.
Let us go.
(Dame of the three Han States, Lady Kim, Grand Prince Yangnyeong's wife)
Let us go, children.
Your Highness.
Children, say hello. He is the Crown Prince.
Pardon? I thought Father was the Crown Prince.
Just let her be.
It is all right.
Our Crown Prince is quite merciful.
Do your best.
I am excited to see what you do.
I suppose we will soon face a reign of peace.
Are you leaving now?
Yes.
As you can see, because of my great brother,
I am being kicked out like this.
Goodbye.
Do not worry.
You should look around carefully from now on.
The Palace...
is a place where all sorts of strange things happen.
Let us go.
Right. Have you moved into the Palace?
- Yes, Your Highness. - Yes, Your Highness.
Are you not happy that I have moved into the Palace?
I will do my best.
Please accept me now.
I am not being like this because I do not accept you.
I am simply...
sad because my child was kicked out of this place,
and I am sad because of my child who has come.
Mother.
The throne is like a cold-blooded beast.
The fact that you have approached that beast on your own...
is making me so sad.
His Majesty will appear differently now.
He will become a completely different person...
from the person you knew him to be outside the Palace.
I hope you can overcome all of that.
Yes, Mother.
I will keep that in mind.
Did you accept the Crown Prince's greeting?
Yes.
Did you say farewell to Prince Yangnyeong?
Yes.
What do you wish to say to me?
Do you want to tell me...
that you are sad about this too?
Queen.
Do not ask for me again.
Every time I see your face,
I am reminded of everything you have done.
I can picture what you will do from now on as well.
I would rather not see you,
so do not ask for me again.
You always dreamt of becoming a king who stood alone.
Since that is what you wanted,
you can be alone now.
I will abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince as soon as possible.
I am quite old, and I have done as much as I could.
I have been riding on the back of the tiger for 18 years.
I believe it is time for me to get off.
You can never...
let go of power.
There are no kings...
who can let go of power before their deaths.
I...
will leave the Palace now.
I...
really hate this place.
Dear wife.
I wish to return to life as a normal woman,
so do not send any court ladies to me.
I beg of you.
Dear wife.
Are you really leaving the palace?
But I was relieved...
to have you here.
I am sorry.
However, I want to leave.
I have something to tell you.
His Majesty will soon...
abdicate from the throne.
Pardon?
(Future Queen Soheon, Grand Prince Chungnyeong's wife)
Already?
Yes.
However, he will not give up all his power.
He will probably keep the power he needs.
And he will use that power...
to attack your family.
Your Highness.
Yangnyeong's wife's family was able to avoid it...
because they were an ordinary family.
However, your family is different.
Shim Clan is...
as big as my Min Clan.
He will...
commit atrocious acts...
on your family.
Your Highness.
You must not cry.
You must stay strong...
to protect your family.
Now, the leader of your family is...
you.
You must inform your family in secret.
They must not do anything that will buy anyone's disapproval.
They must not make a display of their influence.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Highness.
You must overcome it.
Please do not shed tears...
for the same reason I did.
Yes.
Goodbye.
Thank you for everything.
Your Highness.
Please have a safe trip home.
Your Highness.
- How is my mother? - She is waiting for you at home.
Did Mother truly say that?
Yes. I am scared.
Is what she said going to happen?
No. That is never going to happen.
I will do anything to stop that from happening.
However, once His Majesty makes up his mind,
how can you possibly stop him?
I will risk my life if I must.
No more innocent people must die...
just because you are my wife.
- However... - You can trust me.
I will do anything it takes to protect your family.
Father. Did you want to see me?
Yes. I have a favor to ask you.
You may ask.
Deliver my order to the Crown Prince.
If you deliver it to him as his brother,
Chungnyeong will be delighted.
Will you do it for me?
Yes, Father.
What is your order?
Is that true?
Yes, Your Highness.
You must head to the Royal Office immediately...
and receive the royal seal.
He said he will abdicate from the throne.
Brother.
You must go. It is the King's order.
Your Majesty. Please withdraw your order.
- Please withdraw. - Please withdraw.
Your Majesty. Please hear our plea.
- Please hear our plea. - Please hear our plea.
Your Majesty. Please withdraw your order.
- Please withdraw. - Please withdraw.
Your Majesty. Please hear our plea.
- Please hear our plea. - Please hear our plea.
Receive it.
Do not think about wailing like the subjects outside.
You wanted it. You gained it.
Now.
In 1418, the 10th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar.
Lee Bang Won hands over the throne to Crown Prince Lee Do.
Hooray for the King!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
(Sejong Lee Do)
Lee Bang Won became the Abdicated King...
and entrusted all his power to the new King.
However, he still kept...
the military power for now.
Until you become proficient in managing the state affairs,
I will be in charge of the military power.
Yes, Your Highness.
So, how do you feel?
I feel a heavy weight on my shoulders.
I will give it my all so as not to disappoint you.
You can relax.
I trust you will not disappoint me.
Yes, Father.
You said you wish to appoint your father-in-law chief state councilor.
(The head of State Council)
How is that going?
He is refusing the position.
He is a humble man who does not care for lofty titles.
Perhaps I should find someone else...
Have a royal edict written up and command him to obey.
You have just taken the throne...
and must send an envoy to Ming.
It is best to send a relative as that will make him more trustworthy.
Appoint your father-in-law chief state councilor...
and send him to Ming.
Why will you not answer?
Yes, Your Highness. I will do that.
I appointed your father chief state councilor.
Your Majesty.
Why did you give him such an important title?
That will be best for him.
Shortly, he will leave to Ming as an envoy.
That will eliminate him from court politics...
and distance him from my father for a long time.
Do you understand what I am saying?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Relay my intentions to your father for me.
Do you understand?
Until the day you leave for Ming,
you must lie low.
Do not do anything to make yourself the center of attention.
Only then can you avoid tragedy.
Yes, Your Highness.
I understand what you mean.
(Shim On, King Sejong's father-in-law)
Until a while ago, we were just a prince's in-laws.
Overnight, we became a king's in-laws and that is a dangerous position.
It is.
You must be very careful now.
That is the only way to stay alive.
Yes. Eat all you want.
I have not seen you in a while.
Enjoy yourselves.
There he is!
My lord.
Hello.
You are back at last.
They came to congratulate you for becoming chief state councilor.
Congratulations.
I congratulate you with all my heart.
First, you became the King's father-in-law,
and now you are chief state councilor.
You climbed so high so fast, you must feel dizzy.
I thank you all very much.
But it is late and you should go home.
What? You wish to turn us away?
I skipped dinner with the hopes of drinking with you all night.
Me too.
Maybe next time.
I do not feel well at all tonight.
I am sorry, but please leave.
- This is unbelievable. - This is not right.
- Get going. - My goodness.
- Please leave. - But...
- Go on. - Goodness.
- Let us go. - Maybe another time.
Let us go. Forget about it.
- Come along. - Bye.
Close and lock the gate immediately.
Yes, my lord.
Why did you do that, my lord?
How could you send away your guests?
- I had to do so. - What?
This house must never be full of people.
Whether they come to celebrate or to ask for favors,
send them all away.
My lord.
I said everything regarding the army should be brought to me.
Why are there so few scrolls?
I do not know what is happening either.
This is everything the Ministry of War submitted.
Get the Department of Justice's commissioner...
to find out what is going on.
Yes, Your Highness.
I made a mistake.
I submitted the report on the Palace Guard to His Highness,
and the rest of the reports I did as usual...
(Kang Sang In, Vice Minister of War)
I sent them to His Majesty in the Royal Office.
Everything regarding the army is the abdicated king's business.
Why did you make such a mistake?
I apologize.
I will take responsibility...
and resign.
Make way.
Why are you all out here?
We heard you are going to Ming as an envoy and came to see you off.
Stay safe and healthy until you return.
Thank you. Now go on your ways.
You are causing too much fuss.
Who cares if there is a fuss? Come along.
We shall walk you to the gate.
Let us go!
Oh, dear...
So, did you observe anything?
Yes.
So many came to see him off that the main road was crowded.
Did you do as I asked?
Yes.
The Department of Justice found out...
Vice Minister of War Kang Sang In...
made a mistake in submitting the reports.
They have decided to strip him of his title.
It might not have been a mistake.
Pardon?
Someone hoping that the King...
would gain control of the army...
could have done it on purpose.
Who would dare do such a thing?
Perhaps...
it is the Shim clan...
that is clearly on the rise.
What other clan...
could wish for the King to gain full power?
Your Highness.
I command you to work together to get to the truth.
- Yes, Your Highness. - Yes, Your Highness.
Confess the truth!
Who put you up to it?
Who is displeased with the fact that...
the abdicated king controls the army?
Who would make me do such a thing?
It was a mere mistake.
Torture him until he speaks the truth.
Yes, sir!
Unless they are carrying out a command from the Six Ministries,
ban the magistrates...
from making farmers do other kinds of labor.
Anyone who disobeys will be punished severely,
and governors who fail to notice local officials' corruption...
will be held responsible.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
How is the interrogation going?
The prisoner has yet to confess,
so we are still interrogating him.
It seems to me like a simple mistake.
Why are you still interrogating him?
We believe that it is a serious case,
so we are trying to find the mastermind behind it.
A mastermind? How could there be a mastermind behind such matter?
Tell me.
How are you so sure there is a mastermind behind this?
It was the orders of the Former King Taejong.
What?
His Highness...
ordered that we find the mastermind.
- Everyone leave. - Yes, sir.
- Let us go. - Yes, sir.
Tell me.
What do you want me to tell you?
Please tell me.
Whose name should I say?
This is so painful, My Lord.
It is a small mistake.
But why do you insist on interrogating him...
to find a mastermind?
Please tell me!
Who are you after this time?
Watch what you say.
I am simply trying to find out the truth behind his crimes.
You always said that.
You say that and you interrogate them...
until the name you want to hear is mentioned.
Please leave now. It is late.
Are you going after my in-laws this time?
Your Majesty.
If it is not true, tell me so.
There is nothing else that comes to mind aside from that.
I told you to leave.
Your Highness. The prisoner has confessed.
Who was behind it?
What are you doing? Hurry up and tell me.
Yes, Your Highness.
It was Chief State Councilor Shim On.
Since he confessed, execute Kang Sang In immediately.
Then send soldiers...
to arrest Chief State Councilor Shim On.
Yes, Your Highness.
Stop!
Let Kang Sang In live.
If you want to find the truth behind the crime,
you will need to make them confront one another.
If you kill Kang Sang In before then,
that means you are trying to hide the truth.
It is the same as saying you wish to kill the Chief State Councilor.
Go and execute Kang Sang In right now!
Do not move!
Majesty!
This is a royal command.
If you take one step,
I will slit your throat.
That is enough.
I cannot do that.
I am the King.
As long as I am the King, no one can ignore process...
and execute a criminal.
I will say this one last time.
That is enough.
You should stop.
I cannot stop.
Majesty!