You were all affectionate brothers.
But for some time, you have quarreled and exchanged blows.
Now, you pull out your swords against each other.
What do you believe is waiting next?
Brothers will stab and kill each other in this hell.
Father, how can you say such a thing?
No!
It will never happen among our brothers.
It is my lack of virtue.
My good brothers will never do such a thing.
Perhaps power will make them do it.
Father.
Make way now.
Father!
Move!
Let us go.
Giddyap!
Father.
(Episode 5)
So, it has become as you wished.
It is not what I have wished for.
I have wished Father to remain a loyal subject of Goryeo.
I have not wished him to be dejected and go back home.
It is all my fault.
I ruined everything.
I did it to take the load off Father.
Father seemed to be hesitant about killing the two kings he deposed.
But had we kept them alive, they would have caused trouble.
That is why I took the initiative.
And...
look what happened.
I know how you feel.
No.
You do not know.
I wished to do it well.
I wished to help Father achieve the great work.
And I wished to meet Father's expectations.
And...
here we are.
Here we are.
Is that true?
Yes, Your Highness.
Servants are packing at his house.
Lee Seong Gye seems to be outside the castle now.
(Royal Consort Jeong of the An Clan, King Gongmin's wife)
It is alright now.
If only Lee Seong Gye should return to Dongbukmyeon,
we shall have no worries.
If he should leave Gaegyeong...
and stop putting pressure on the royal family,
we shall find a solution, shall we not?
Is it true that he has gone to Dongbukmyeon?
Why does he make such an unexpected move?
Perhaps he had a change of heart.
He must be scared as the people of Gaegyeong have turned against him.
Then he will return soon.
Pardon?
If it should not be a serious division among them,
if it should be Lee Seong Gye's decision, it will not last long.
How do you mean, Your Highness?
Lee Seong Gye is the head of the traitors.
Would it not suffice if he should give up everything?
You do not know politics, Your Majesty.
Do you know how many people are on the back of Lee Seong Gye?
There are Kang clan of Goksan, Min clan of Yeoheung, and many others.
Many noble families in Gaegyeong are connected to him by marriage.
So many noblemen like Jeong Do Jeon joined hands with him.
And there are generals who joined the Wihwado Retreat.
All those people are on Lee Seong Gye's back.
Even if Lee Seong Gye should feel like giving up the throne,
he cannot.
Those who are on his back will never let him go.
Please wait and see.
Lee Seong Gye will return soon.
And when he should return, he will most certainly...
grab Your Majesty by the throat...
with tougher measures.
We bid you farewell now, Master.
We will come again.
Farewell.
Please take good care of yourself.
What business brings you here?
I suddenly wished to see you.
You seem to have many visitors other than me, Master.
Yes.
I tell them to keep away from a sinner in exile like me.
But they keep coming.
Why should you be hiding when they are your acquaintances?
Do not feel ashamed.
You can come back to where you belong.
Then the young Confucian scholars...
will immediately lose the contempt they had on you.
Master.
Have courage.
To set one's wrongdoing right...
that is true courage, is it not?
(Lee Seong Gye, Lee Bang Won's father)
My lord.
What is it?
Will you really go to Dongbukmyeon?
That is what I said.
What is it that you wish to say?
Nothing, my lord.
Speak.
Go on.
When you return, you will not be welcomed.
How do you mean?
The people of Dongbukmyeon believe you will become the king, my lord.
And your miserable return will disappoint all.
Stop your nonsense.
Are you saying I cannot go home if I should not become the king?
I am only telling you how things are.
My lord.
What is it now?
Please become the king.
The people are starving, and the Japanese raiders go unchecked.
And the king is hiding somewhere.
This has been going on for decades.
My lord, please become the king.
That is why you left Dongbukmyeon, is it not, my lord?
You started it and must get through with it.
He will return.
He will never look away from the reality of Goryeo.
Are you certain?
Will he come back?
Yes.
If he is Lord Lee Seong Gye I know, he is sure to return.
He is simply weary now.
We have come a long way, and he may feel that way.
But this should never happen again.
Should it happen again, all of us will be destroyed.
When Lord Lee Seong Gye returns,
we must act promptly.
Time is on the side of those who wish to keep things as it is.
That is why the world maintains the status quo all the time.
From now on, we must allow them no room to breathe.
We may even have to overdo things to eliminate everyone against us.
And we will set Lord Lee Seong Gye...
on the throne.
Thus, we shall make a new world.
For our persecuted and starved people,
we shall found a new state.
We do not have time now.
Time is of the utmost importance for the fate of Goryeo.
You know it, do you not?
Please make up your mind.
Should you take action,
the subjects of the royal court will take courage and break their silence.
Many Confucian scholars are restraining their anger,
and they will provide support, too.
Your old teacher is pleading with you.
Please stop Lee Seong Gye.
At present in Goryeo,
the only one who can confront Lee Seong Gye is...
you.
Master Poeun.
Lord Lee Seong Gye.
Where have you been?
I had to get some fresh air to clear my head.
Is that so?
And is your head clear now?
Yes.
With unwavering determination,
I will walk my path.
Where have you been, Master Poeun?
I felt disturbed...
and have been outside the castle for a while.
But since I have decided my path,
my heart is at peace now.
Master Poeun.
Yes, my lord.
I realized outside the castle...
that all paths are connected.
People may walk different paths,
but all the paths meet in the end.
Even if those people should meet, will they be in harmony?
If they have different paths in mind,
they are enemies who meet at the place of no return.
I bid you farewell, my lord.
I thank you for all your kindness.
You should stay home for a while.
Until your father calls you again,
do not participate in any conference.
But...
Yes, Master.
Ponder over your mistakes.
It is not about acting on your own without telling your father.
You do not understand something very important now.
When you have realized it,
your father will call you.
Yes, Master.
My lord.
He is here.
- Father. - Father.
My lord.
How far have you gone?
Not very far.
I have guessed as much.
You must be tired. Please take a nap.
Do I have time to sleep leisurely?
Yes, please take a rest.
I will take the lead now.
In the end,
he is back.
As you said, Your Highness,
he will grab me by the throat even more violently.
We must remove military officers first.
You are right, my lord.
For the great work,
we must first take control of the military power.
Sambong, we must behead Byeon An Yeol.
If there is any general who can confront Lord Lee Seong Gye,
it is Byeon An Yeol.
As for the others, we can exile them after depriving them of command.
Byeon An Yeol is guilty of high treason, who tried to restore deposed Shin U.
He deserves capital punishment, Your Majesty.
Does anyone have a different opinion?
I see.
You may behead Byeon An Yeol.
We are much obliged, Your Majesty.
In addition,
please dismiss all the admirals...
and appoint Lee Seong Gye to the commander of three military forces,
thus entrusting all the military power of Goryeo to Lee Seong Gye.
Please entrust it to him.
I grant it.
Scholar officials are the next.
Lee Saek is the biggest problem.
If we should not kill him, he will always lead Confucian scholars...
to confront us.
Also, among young Confucian scholars,
Yangchon is influential.
We must eliminate him, too.
But...
we do not have a good cause.
We must create a case.
It is quite opportune that the envoys to Ming...
have returned.
We can use them, can we not?
How?
According to Jo Ban, one of the envoys,
Yun I and I Cho met the emperor of Ming...
and slandered Your Majesty and Lord Lee Seong Gye.
Is that true?
How did they slander us?
They said Your Majesty and Lord Lee would mobilize the army...
to attack Ming.
They asked the emperor for prompt military dispatch...
to suppress Goryeo.
That sounds too absurd, does it not?
Surely, the imperial palace of Ming...
will not believe them, will it?
Your Majesty, here is the document sent by the Ming government.
It is the list of names of Goryeo officials,
who may be associated with Yun I and I Cho.
Please allow us...
to imprison them all for strict questioning, Your Majesty.
Are you asking me to imprison so many people...
without any evidence?
Your Majesty, you will know when we question them in prison.
Please give us the order of imprisonment now.
It is a grave matter that can disturb our national order.
You must discover the truth without a shadow of doubt.
Please, Your Majesty.
- Please, Your Majesty. - Please, Your Majesty.
Ridiculous and absurd!
Sambong Jeong Do Jeon!
You have abandoned your last scruple now.
Jeong Do Jeon!
Do you not fear heaven?
There will be a confession somehow.
The moment we have it, we will sentence capital punishment.
And then...
we will make His Majesty abdicate the throne.
Without a single subject to rely on,
His Majesty will acquiesce.
And...
you will ascend the throne, my lord,
to found a new dynasty.
You look busy.
Poeun.
What makes you so busy?
What more must you do than imprison and torture Master and fellow scholars?
What is that you wish to say?
I am curious.
What excuse may a man have, who commits this kind of misdeed?
I am sorry, but I do not wish to make an excuse.
One does not need an excuse to do the right thing.
The right thing?
Yes.
For the people,
I am doing the right thing.
Is it the right thing to imprison and torture innocent people?
There are no innocent people.
There are only ignorant people...
who do not know what is the way for the people.
If their sacrifice can make the lives of our people comfortable,
it is the right way, is it not?
Is it truly what the people said?
If it makes their lives a little better,
will they allow you to kill innocent men?
Are the people so wicked?
Poeun.
No matter what you may say,
I will walk this path.
I will destroy a handful of those who stand in the way of the people...
and make a new world.
Yes, you may do that.
But remember this.
What you achieve with the wrong means cannot become right.
Someday, you will bear the brunt of all the evil deeds...
you commit at this moment.
If that is all that you wish to speak,
you may leave now.
I will.
I will see you again.
Yes, farewell now.
Does this make sense?
We have a puppet king and puppet subjects.
We remain silent, afraid of Lee Seong Gye and his party.
We may as well resign.
Yes.
What honor can we expect...
by preserving our position?
Let us resign.
I agree.
Let us all resign tomorrow.
Please do not say that.
Lord Jeong Mong Ju.
If you all leave,
who will protect His Majesty?
Please remain at the royal court.
I implore you.
(Lady Min, Lee Bang Won's wife)
Please do not be disappointed.
He will call you again soon.
Please forget all trivial thoughts...
and show Father how you repent and control yourself now.
That is how you can regain his trust.
Why do you not this occasion
to study further?
I have found you a good master.
What is it.
Are you dissatisfied with your teacher?
No, Father.
I have not expected it.
Who will refuse the honor of being taught by the Scholar of Office of Royal Scribes?
(Min Je, Lee Bang Won's father-in-law Scholar of Office of Royal Scribes)
It is a relief to hear that.
Let us begin now.
I want him to advance his academic achievement quickly...
so that he can be a good match for people like Jeong Do Jeon.
Then he will excel other brothers further.
Is it not too early...
to consider heirship?
No, Mother.
The great work will be completed soon.
My father-in-law will become the king.
And he will soon have to determine his heir.
Things will be more favorable for the one who is more prepared.
That is true, but...
But Lady Min,
your husband has four older brothers.
Yes, what makes you think...
that he has a chance?
In fact, his eldest brother has parted with the new dynasty.
Now, all are in the same position, for none are the eldest.
Therefore, regardless of seniority, the most prominent son can be the heir.
Your thoughts are so unhindered.
But Mother, you told me so.
A man is raised by his mother before he gets married,
and raised by his wife after he has got married.
I will raise my husband to be a better man.
To be a great man.
So...
what do you think?
Tell me.
What do we mean when we say the people?
I cannot answer clearly.
Sometimes, they are trampled upon like fools.
At other times, they rise up like burning fire.
Sometimes, they are goodness itself.
At other times, they are shamelessness itself.
Yes, they are unpredictable.
Therefore, we cannot judge them.
But if you observe them, they always go with the flow.
The people are like the ocean and the earth.
Should you recklessly try to control them, you will be expelled with empty hands.
Should you obey and serve them, they reward you with grains and salt.
You must understand the way to lead the people.
Please let them be safe.
Please kindly protect them.
Bang Woo.
They told me at home that you were visiting the temple.
You should have waited for me at home.
I wished to meet you as quickly as possible.
You behave like a child.
But it is true. I truly missed you.
Something happened, did it not?
Yes.
I have left Gaegyeong for good.
Why?
It was intolerable.
I could neither stop Father from walking his path nor help him.
I have lain awake every night.
And finally, I have run away.
Oh, my dear child.
It is good that you have.
Stay here with me.
No.
I will go somewhere else now that I have seen you.
Somewhere else?
I will go where there is no one.
I will go where no news can reach.
My dear son.
Soon, you will hear the news of Goryeo's collapse.
You will hear the news of Father destroying Goryeo.
Is that true?
Will he do so at all costs?
Yes, he will do so very soon.
I depend on the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion to guide me.
My lord.
My lady.
Father is calling you.
Have you wished to see me, Father?
Yes, what are you doing these days?
I am reading books.
What business may this be, Father?
His Majesty has sent us a eunuch.
His Majesty wishes someone from our family to come to the palace.
I believe it might be best for you to visit the palace.
Since your job is to deliver royal orders as the Right Assistant Transmitter,
it will look proper for you to go.
Yes, Father.
I will go now.
What could His Majesty wish to say...
to call someone from a Lee family?
He must have made a decision.
What could be that decision?
Well,
perhaps our work will become much easier now.
So,
you are here.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I am here on Your Majesty's order.
Yes.
I have called you for my message.
Yes, Your Majesty.
What can it be, Your Majesty?
Are you aware that another one died during the questioning today?
He was involved in the case of Yun I and I Cho,
imprisoned in the jail in Cheongju.
He is the third person to die.
Who can survive...
when we have imprisoned and tortured innocent people for confession?
Your Majesty.
I cannot answer your question.
Why can you not?
It is the doing of your family, is it not?
I do not understand what Your Majesty is saying.
Can you not understand when you have heard me?
I am telling you that I will no longer be your puppet.
That I will no longer do as you and your family wish.
Your Majesty!
Go and tell them.
Should there be no confession by tomorrow,
I shall acquit all the prisoners.
And I shall grant all of them amnesty to return to the royal court.
I shall keep them by my side and have them as my subjects.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will deliver your words.
I expected you to come.
Master.
Go and deliver the words.
Pardon?
Did you do this, Master?
Is His Majesty acting that way because of you, Master?
Would it be only because of me?
His Majesty must be expressing the rage he has harbored since his enthronement.
Master.
The tide has already gone down.
What can you do alone?
What makes you think that I am alone?
Go and tell Lord Lee Seong Gye.
There are still many subjects left who wish to fight for Goryeo.
Master.
Go and tell him.
Master!
Go!
Yes, Master.
I understand.
I will deliver your words.
There will be a war now.
Yes, there will be.
Are you afraid?
Not at all, my lord.
I was longing for this day.
The greatest regret at war is...
to lose without a fight, is it not?
I am only grateful that I finally have a battlefield to risk my life for.
Yes.
Let us have a good fight.
At your disposal, my lord.
I will be at the forefront.
My lord.
My lady.
Please come in.
Everyone is waiting.
Everyone?
Do we have guests?
Yes, Mother sent a message, and they are all here now.
All are waiting for you to bring the good news.
My lord.
We should at least have a toast to celebrate.
He is right.
This is a perfect day to drink.
Do not be so impatient.
We do not know what His Majesty has said yet.
My lord.
There is no doubt.
His Majesty has no one to count on now.
What can he wish to say?
He can only say that he will abdicate the throne...
in exchange for life.
He is right.
Otherwise, why would he send a eunuch...
to send for someone from our family?
It is done now.
At last, we have achieved our great work.
I am back, Father.
Have you met His Majesty?
I have.
What did His Majesty say?
Is that true?
Has His Majesty sent for our family to deliver those words?
Yes.
He said that he shall no longer be the puppet king...
and that he shall release all the prisoners in Cheongju Prison.
Oh, no.
And everything has been organized...
by Master Poeun.
Is that certain?
Yes, Father.
Master told me so himself.
He also asked me to tell you...
that at the royal court,
there are still many subjects left who wish to fight for Goryeo.
Father, what will you do now?
Father has let go of your hands.
And he has joined hands with His Majesty to stand in our way.
Father!
Leave him be.
A scholar is doing what he believes to be right.
How can we blame him?
Father.
Let him be.
Should anyone attempt to harm Master Poeun,
I shall not forgive it.
Do you understand?
- Yes, Father. - Yes, my lord.
My lord.
Darn it.
So, we have celebrated too early.
It is unbelievable.
It is completely unexpected.
My lord, it is a grave matter.
If the prisoners at Cheongju Prison should return to the palace,
we will be surrounded by enemies on all sides.
It will never happen.
I will not let it happen.
What will you do?
I will go to Cheongju.
And I will handle the prisoners myself.
Before the royal order to release them should arrive,
I shall have the confession.
Should I fail to do so,
I will at least kill them.
- My lord. - The great work at hand!
I will not let Jeong Mong Ju stir the situation...
and stop us from achieving our goal.
What is the current situation, then?
What will become of our great work?
I cannot say.
For now,
let us wait and see.
Will you let him go all by himself in that state?
He seems to be too enraged.
Giddyap!
To tell you the truth, I was about to renounce it all.
Your Majesty.
And now I have such a reliable ally.
I am grateful, Lord Jeong.
The moment you are on the side of this powerless king,
so many subjects flock together.
You deserve the name of the 'founder of neo-Confucianism.'
You are too kind, Your Majesty.
I will trust you and take courage once again.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Please do not fear them.
There are many subjects like me by your side, Your Majesty.
And countless people follow Your Majesty outside the palace.
Please remember that, Your Majesty.
I will never forget that.
What must I do now?
What must I do to confront them?
Tell me where to begin.
Yes, Your Majesty.
At first, please send a written order to release all the prisoners...
and save the lives of the subjects who are confined at Cheongju Prison.
Their lives are at risk already due to the extended questioning.
Please make haste, Your Majesty.
I will.
I will immediately issue a written order and send a eunuch to Cheongju.
Please give it to me, Your Majesty.
I will go myself.
Will you?
Yes, Your Majesty.
They are my master and fellow scholars.
Please allow it so that I can save them myself.
Yes, I will allow it.
Giddyap!
Giddyap, go!
Giddyap, do not be afraid.
It is a small stream.
Let us go.
Go, go.
Giddyap!
No!
Master!
Master, pull yourself together!
Master!
Master, do you hear me?
What are you doing here?
I was worried, so I followed you.
You were in great danger.
Why are you so reckless? It is unlike you.
One pillar is not enough to support the vast heaven.
I need both of you.
You must not go if it is not the right way.
Do you not know...
that we can sacrifice one king if we can save all the people?
I am worried about the prisoners.
If Cheongju Castle is flooded, they must be all dead.
I am curious, indeed.
On whose side is this rain?
Who will heaven help between Jeong Mong Ju and me?