(Episode 6)
Yes, I was reckless.
But I must make haste.
As long as Jeong Mong Ju is against us,
we will not be able to take a step forward.
Pray do not say that.
Countless people have stood in our way so far.
Nonetheless, we have defeated them all and come this far.
Jeong Mong Ju is different.
Those who have been in our way are...
nothing but pebbles.
But Jeong Mong Ju is an enormous rock.
It is still a stone.
It will break when we put a chisel on it and hit it with a hammer.
Do you think...
your father will allow it?
No.
Whatever Jeong Mong Ju may do,
your father will never harm him.
Lord Lee Seong Gye will protect and embrace him until the end.
Master Sambong.
That is what Jeong Mong Ju is.
An enemy you can never kill...
And that enemy is in front of us, blocking our way.
I was surprised indeed.
I have not realized how dear Master Poeun is to Father.
Even when he is standing in the way of our family,
Father is worried about his safety.
Yes.
That is what Jeong Mong Ju is to your father-in-law.
He is an old friend.
He is the master of your father-in-law's life.
He is your father-in-law's life.
Jeong Do Jeon knows it.
That is why he is so impatient.
But what can impatience change?
Jeong Do Jeon will feel even more bereft.
To Jeong Do Jeon, Jeong Mong Ju is a great, insurmountable wall.
Father.
Yes.
It is cold.
Please go inside.
Are you leaving?
Yes.
What have you discussed for so long?
It was not a discussion.
Mother and I simply chatted,
forgetting the time.
You should go to bed, Father.
You look tired.
I will. Go home safely.
Yes, Father.
Wait.
Yes, Father.
I heard how Jeong Do Jeon rushed to Cheongju.
Did he go alone?
No, Father.
My husband was worried and followed him shortly.
Did he?
I see. Thank you.
Good night.
Welcome, my lord.
Please stay at our office tonight.
There are so many flooded places,
and all the roads to the Cheongju Castle are cut off.
Did it rain so much?
Yes.
We have never experienced such heavy rain here.
The Cheongju Castle could have been flooded.
Take a rest now, my lord.
- Thank you. - Good night.
I am concerned about those who are in prison.
If the Cheongju Castle is flooded,
they are as good as dead.
At the Cheongju Prison,
the officers will not care about the lives of prisoners, will they?
They may let prisoners drown...
to win the favor of Jeong Do Jeon's faction.
Run!
A flood!
The castle is going to be flooded!
Please help us!
You scoundrels!
Look here, please wait.
Where will you go, leaving us behind here like this?
Will you let all of us drown?
Open the door! Now!
Help!
Look here!
What shall we do with the prisoners?
My lord, please give us an order.
I am curious, indeed.
(Sambong Jeong Do Jeon, Chancellery Scholar)
On whose side is this rain?
I wonder...
who heaven will help.
Jeong Mong Ju or me?
(The Cheongju Castle)
Halt!
You cannot go inside now.
Make way.
We are officials from Gaegyeong.
We must check the prison.
Do you not know that there was a flood last night?
The prison here was flooded,
and all have been washed away.
What happened to prisoners?
Fortunately, they climbed a big tree and survived.
We moved them to a government office building.
You will find them there.
Master Mokeun.
Master Mokeun...
(Mokeun Lee Saek)
(Yangchon Kwon Geun)
What are you waiting for? Untie them now!
We have His Majesty's order to release them all.
Yes!
Master Mokeun.
I am fine.
It is all over now.
Stop crying.
Thank you.
You have saved my life.
Master Mokeun...
How dare he!
Jeong Do Jeon!
Master Poeun.
What brings you here?
You may answer me.
What brings you to Cheongju?
Have you come to finish it off?
Have you come to put a hot iron to their bloody flesh again?
Have you come to take Master's life and our fellow scholars' lives?
Yes.
And I have come too late.
Sambong!
After all,
the downpour last night washed away...
the powerless people, I presume.
These obstacles seem to be safe,
who are standing in the way of the people.
Do not insult them.
These men are...
the loyal subjects who try to protect Goryeo.
Loyal subjects?
They only wish to protect their power and wealth!
Must you speak that way?
Have you become a demon?
Yes.
And you have become an idiot.
You do not understand who is the true beneficiary...
and simply try to stand upright.
It is no use for us to converse.
Leave this place.
My master and fellow scholars need not see you any longer.
Yes, I will leave.
I wish you and Master Mokeun...
a pleasant time.
Jeong Mong Ju is blinded.
Now,
he cannot see the people perishing far away.
He can only see...
what is in front of him and feel sad.
And that is the man who has stood in our way.
One blind man...
stopped the wheel of great work.
Giddyap!
You must regain your strength first.
Then, His Majesty will call you back.
I will.
You must regain your health soon, too.
Yes, I will recover speedily...
and offer whatever support I can.
I look forward to it.
I cannot tolerate it anymore.
I must take down Jeong Do Jeon.
You must prepare for it.
Yes, my lord.
Please watch the movements inside the palace from now on.
We will, Lady Min.
Please inquire into the recent allies of Master Poeun.
I will do that, Lady Min.
It is a matter of grave importance for our family, too.
Please do your best.
Please do not worry, Lady Min.
It is for you and our brother-in-law, and we will never be negligent.
You can trust us.
Yes, I will trust you. Farewell.
- Farewell, Lady Min. - Farewell, Lady Min.
Lady Min.
Oh, it is you.
I apologize. I did not mean to startle you.
What were you doing there?
I am here to see if Bang Won has returned.
And you seemed to have guests...
You could have called me.
I can see that at least you are doing something, Lady Min.
Others are sitting on their hands.
Who are?
All of them.
My father, all the other brothers...
They do nothing but sigh as if heaven has collapsed.
But it is natural.
At the previous gathering, we were all disappointed.
And everyone assumed that the great work was done.
Speaking of which, pray let me do something, Lady Min.
I want to do something for our family.
Please, Lady Min.
Let me play my role.
Things are very unsettling in the capital these days.
Thank you.
Then, you can listen and watch the sentiment of the people.
Please visit everywhere, from the back alleys to the main street...
to listen to the voice of the people.
(Jeong Do Jeon's house)
Welcome home, my lord.
You have a guest, my lord.
- A guest? - Yes, my lord.
My lord.
Have you had a safe journey?
What brings you here, my lord?
I thought you would not come to me today.
So, I came to you.
How was your journey?
It was fruitless.
Soon,
all the prisoners will return to the royal court.
It will put off our plan...
farther away.
My lord.
What do you intend to do with Jeong Mong Ju?
He will keep coming back...
to haunt us.
And someday,
he will bring us down.
No, he will not.
I will not let him.
How will you stop him?
You do not have the heart to touch him even slightly, my lord.
How would you suppress him?
I will not suppress him.
I will make him return to us on his own.
My lord, it is impossible.
It is possible.
I will make him come.
My lord, it is time for you to let him go.
It is time that you should...
abandon him.
Sambong.
One pillar is not enough to support the vast heaven.
I need both of you.
From the start to this moment, I have needed both of you.
Sambong.
You must trust me.
Please trust me as I trust you.
Sambong.
Please trust me.
Let us go.
Is that true?
Yes, Lady Min.
The king has received an appeal to impeach Lord Jeong Do Jeon.
To impeach?
Who dares impeach Master Sambong?
Kim Jin Yang, the Remonstration Officer.
Kim Jin Yang?
But why?
My lord, he is...
the closest aide of Master Poeun at this moment.
So, Master Poeun is behind it.
Yes, he certainly is.
This is serious.
In the current situation, the impeachment is unpreventable.
My lord, where are you going?
I must see Master Poeun.
I cannot sit idly and lose Master Sambong.
(Jeong Mong Ju's house)
What business does the son of Lord Lee Seong Gye have here?
Leave now.
How dare you come here!
I have come to see my master.
Your master?
A man likes you...
can never be a pupil of Master Poeun!
Do you wish to disgrace Master Poeun?
Enough.
What brings you here?
Please withdraw the appeal to impeach Master Sambong.
Why do you ask me?
The appeal was submitted by the remonstration officer.
And the decision will be made by His Majesty.
Master Poeun.
Jeong Do Jeon has become an evil man harmful to everyone.
He is a monster who has thrown away compassion.
He is a traitor who only has an eye on power.
No, he is not. How can you condemn him so harshly?
He does everything for the benefit of the people.
He only tried to destroy those who stood in the way,
which was inevitable.
What you call inevitable is...
what I can never tolerate.
It cannot be right if you must sacrifice an innocent person.
I wish to say it not only to Sambong but also to your father...
and you.
Using the people as an excuse, you harm innocent lives...
and even try to usurp the throne.
It is unforgivable.
Then how can we change the world?
When will we resolve all the entangled problems...
and save people?
Do you not know that small sacrifices are inevitable to achieve great work?
Do you not know...
that we can sacrifice one king if we can save all the people?
That is...
an excuse told by those who trample upon righteousness with power.
What will you say...
if you are the powerless man who must die for great work?
You will never approve of what you have said.
Master Poeun.
You must not go if it is not the right way.
To do what is righteous before the people...
that is the duty of a scholar.
It is my duty.
And it is your duty.
Never forget that.
Please order capital punishment on Jeong Do Jeon, Your Majesty.
Jeong Do Jeon indiscreetly defamed the loyal subjects of Your Majesty,
unjustly imprisoned countless innocent vassals,
and put pressure on the officers in charge of the questioning...
only to kill the prisoners regardless of their guilt or innocence.
With such an evil heart,
he disrupted our national order, parading loyalty on the surface.
His sin is indescribably heinous.
I, as the Remonstration Officer, implore Your Majesty...
to order capital punishment on Jeong Do Jeon.
Your Majesty!
Jeong Do Jeon imprisoned and questioned those who deserve suspicion.
Indeed, Your Majesty!
This claim is unreasonable that Jeong Do Jeon put pressure...
on the questioning officers only to kill the prisoners.
It is a false accusation without any evidence.
Please kindly consider it, Your Majesty.
There is evidence.
The flood in Cheongju is the evidence.
As he imprisoned and tortured the innocent at the Cheongju Prison,
heaven was enraged and sent the heavy rain.
Your Majesty, that is...
From ancient times,
we have considered a disaster as the will of heaven.
Thus, in the event of a long drought,
the king used to confess his wrongdoings to heaven,
begging for rain.
Unless you dare deny the will of heaven,
stop raising any objection.
Jeong Do Jeon.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your sin deserves capital punishment.
Nevertheless, considering your contribution in crowning me,
I will exile you to a remote place.
You must live the rest of your life reflecting on your sins.
Why are you not answering me?
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty,
I appreciate your kindness.
Where on earth is Lord Lee Seong Gye?
Lord Jeong Do Jeon is taken away,
and why is he merely looking on?
What nobleman will risk his life for Lord Lee Seong Gye now?
If he should fail to protect Lord Jeong Do Jeon,
who will trust and follow him?
If you should go to the palace now,
His Majesty's decision will not change.
Where will you send him?
To his home.
He will never set foot in the royal court again.
Master Poeun, must you do this?
Must you wage war against our family?
If you should take today's affair as the declaration of war, it shall be so.
Master Poeun!
Restrain yourself, my lady.
I give you the last chance, my lord.
I give you time to become the loyal subject of Goryeo again.
I have sent away the one who has allured you,
so please ponder alone with reason.
Please think about...
what is right.
Master Sambong.
Good day, my lords.
Where is Father?
He has gone out.
Where, in the midst of all this?
He did not tell me.
Good day.
We are waiting for your father, too.
Do you not know where Father has gone, Uncle?
(Lee Ji Ran, a sworn brother to Lee Seong Gye)
No, I have come a little too late.
But...
I can conjecture.
Where can he be, Uncle?
Please go back, my lord.
Let me see you off.
Please accept my apologies.
You must trust me.
You are talking about it again.
Yes, my lord.
I will trust you.
It is not because I can trust you.
It is because I have no choice but to trust you.
It is because I am a weak revolutionary...
who cannot realize his own dream...
without depending on you, my lord.
Sambong.
Please go now.
Pray...
be strong.
I will be.
Take care of yourself.
Do you know what people say?
They say the big Jeong has exiled the little Jeong.
There is more.
They say the puppet is not the king now,
but Lee.
The rumor says...
when the big Jeong acts, Lee is at his mercy.
We must do something about Master Poeun.
How do you mean?
Someone must make a decision before we face a greater danger.
Please do not make a rash judgement.
That is disobedience to Father.
Nothing out of control has happened yet.
Please wait and see.
It may be too late.
My lord.
I need some fresh air.
My lord!
Who is it?
I have come from Pocheon.
What is it?
Lady Han is dangerously ill.
My mother?
Yes, you must make haste, my lord.
He had the effrontery to warn my lord.
He said it was the last chance to become a loyal subject of Goryeo.
How brazen!
We must unite today...
and make my lord change his mind.
Otherwise,
Jeong Mong Ju may do something worse.
He must have come back.
You are...
Yes, I have come from Pocheon.
Mother, please wait for me.
Please, please wait for me.
Giddyap!
(Lady Han's mansion in Pocheon)
- Bang Woo. - Bang Woo.
Brothers!
Mother!
It will be fine.
- No, it cannot be! - Mother!
Mother!
Mother...
My dear lady,
you have suffered so much,
troubling yourself because of me.
I am sorry.
I wish you...
the blissful rebirth in the Pure Land in the West.
Mother!
- Mother! - Mother!
Mother!
Mother...
- Mother. - Mother.
It is futile and sad.
Stop crying.
The indebtedness to your mother...
is my load for life.
When the funeral is over,
you must return to your lives.
That is the way for the deceased. Do you understand me?
Yes, Father.
Bang Won, I have a request.
Come and see me.
You are the Confucian scholar representing our family.
I want you to stay at your mother's grave...
for the three-year mourning.
My lord.
I know it will be hard, but comply with my request.
Then, other noblemen...
will look up to our family.
My lord, Jeong Do Jeon is gone now.
What would you do without Bang Won?
I will take care of our work in Gaegyeong.
I wish you to stay here for a while so that your mother may not be lonely...
in her death.
What do you say?
Will you do it?
Yes.
It is to pray for Mother's repose.
I will gladly do it.
Instead, please give me your word about one thing.
Say it.
It is about Master Poeun.
It is time to dismiss him from your heart.
Pray do not have him in your heart any longer.
It will kill you, Father.
My son.
Yes, Father.
If you respect me as your father,
do not try to enlighten me but trust and follow me.
A parent is...
the one who sees somewhere deeper and wider...
beyond the child's conjecture.
Father.
Take good care of your mother.
My condolences.
Master Poeun.
I apologize for being late.
May I offer liquor to your mother?
I mourn your death.
I wish you the blissful rebirth in the Pure Land in the West.
You are the great Confucian scholar of Goryeo, Master Poeun.
Why do you say Buddhist prayers?
I am Confucian, but your mother...
she has lived in a world of Buddha.
I wish to honor the wish of the deceased now.
I recall the first time I have met your mother.
Fighting against the Jurchen,
I had met your father for the first time.
After the battle was over, I followed your father home.
And your mother...
she was praying for his safe return in front of freshly drawn water.
Yes.
She always did that.
Since my childhood,
Mother always did that.
I know.
When she saw your father safely come home,
she burst into tears.
After a few days, we were leaving for another battle.
She burst into tears again.
And she said,
"It might be better if you should not come home."
I realized how difficult it was...
to live as a wife of a general.
I am sorry.
I wished to remember the deceased...
Yes.
You can cry.
Hearing the word 'mother' will make tears flow.
Even the passing wind will sound like your mother's voice...
to make you cry.
Cry.
If you keep grief inside, it will become poisonous.
I have lingered too long to occupy your bed.
Pray do not say so.
You could not leave because you pitied me.
Good night, Master Poeun.
I apologize for the uncomfortable bed.
I will go to sleep now.
I am slightly tired.
Crown Prince will return from Ming.
I want you to go to Hwangju and welcome him.
I will, Your Majesty.
The man who was watching Lee Seong Gye saw it all.
He fell from the horse while he was hunting.
He is in critical condition.
Heaven gave us this chance.
We must use this chance to eliminate Lee Seong Gye's men...
from the royal court.
What should we do?
My lord is still unconscious.
Who can resolve this?