I do not know.
I am not sure what the right thing to do is.
Then look back at the past.
Just like when you get lost in a snowy field,
you should look back.
If you retrace the footprints that brought you here,
you will be able to see where you must go from now on.
That path...
is your destined fate.
My destined fate?
My destined fate.
(Episode 9)
Gosh.
He must be feeling devastated.
We cannot help that.
If we did not kill Jeong Mong Ju,
all of us would have died instead.
I am talking about Bang Won, not Jeong Mong Ju.
His favorite son...
disobeyed his father.
How would Seong Gye feel?
Well...
Animals and humans are the same.
Do you know...
what males cannot forgive the most?
That is when his babies try to...
cross the line between his father.
That is when the father gets hurt...
the most.
Hwa Sang, you should never do such a thing.
I am telling you to never disobey your father.
I am not strong enough to handle that.
I will kill myself if you do. Do you understand?
You were eating well. Why are you suddenly threatening me?
Answer me now!
Alright.
I will respect you as long as my hair turns grey.
- You will? - Yes.
That is my boy.
Go and bring more drinks.
Stop drinking. You are bothering me.
You rascal.
Fine.
It is better to have a son like him...
than having a smart one.
Poor Seong Gye.
What will you do with your devastated mind?
Oh, my.
Since His Majesty has no virtue and is incompetent,
people are suffering a lot.
Queen Mother, please give an edict...
to dethrone His Majesty.
Kill me instead!
Queen Mother.
I already made...
two kings be dethroned.
Are you telling me to do that again?
Are you telling me...
that I have to end Goryeo Dynasty?
I cannot do that.
Kill me instead!
(Sambong Jeong Do Jeon)
If that is what you want,
we will do so.
After that,
we will go to another elder in the royal family.
Until you give us the edict,
you will continue to see blood.
What?
We have laid each other bare.
There are no officials in court to defend Goryeo,
and we have no reason to hesitate.
You should go with the flow...
and preserve your life at least.
Now...
Goryeo will fall.
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
In the seventh lunar month of the year 1392,
King Gongyang was dethroned...
and exiled to Wonju with the Crown Prince.
Your Majesty!
The people of Gaegyeong wailed...
as their King left the Capital.
And thus Goryeo ended...
after 34 kings and 475 years.
Your Majesty!
I apologize.
It pains us to have to block your path.
Look.
As I said I would, I came back.
Sambong. Must you do this?
This is the State Seal.
(The King's seal)
Please accept it.
And...
be our new king.
All the men of court...
ask of you with one heart.
Please return home.
I do not deserve this.
My lord.
Do not ignore everyone's most earnest plea.
Please find someone better than me.
I already lost all right.
Sambong. What are you doing?
Will you stop this? Get up, all of you.
Why would you kneel before the likes of me?
Are you such lowly people?
Lady Kang.
My lord.
How many men do you think...
can make others kneel willingly?
This shows that you have the right.
- Dear wife... - My lord.
So many lives were lost just so we could get this far.
Do not let their deaths be in vain.
You cannot turn us away.
All of us here...
have vowed to give our lives for you.
Think of the people.
Look at those starving in the fields.
There is no time to waste.
My lord. Whose will do you think it is...
that we got this far?
The heavens want this.
This is...
a heavenly calling.
Now...
take this.
My lord.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
Cheers for the new King!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Brothers!
It is done.
General Lee...
accepted the State Seal.
It is done.
I do not believe it.
Does this mean our father is really king?
Then...
are we now princes?
(Lee Bang Gan, Lee Bang Ui)
Yes.
How many times must you ask?
I feel so anxious.
I keep wondering if this is a dream.
Do you want me to pinch you?
I apologize.
Do not sour the mood and just eat!
It is such a pity...
that we must celebrate among ourselves.
We should have everyone...
including Father at the table.
Cheer up.
He will not stay angry with you for long.
Tomorrow is the coronation.
Once he sees you from the throne, he will realize...
the day could not have come had it not been for you.
Bang Gwa.
When Father turned his men around,
you were the one to bring the family to safety.
When the defeated king armed his eunuchs...
and attacked, you saved us then too.
That is not all.
When an assassin got through,
you got stabbed yourself to protect our father.
How could he...
not forgive you?
Do you truly think so?
Then I could die now with no regret.
My dear.
Every day is torture.
He looked at me with only love in his eyes,
and now his gaze is colder than ice.
It is so upsetting...
and even frightening.
Do not worry. All will be well.
Whatever others say,
you did the most to make our father the King.
You can relax.
After tonight,
all your suffering will melt away.
Bang Gwa...
I will leave you, Your Majesty.
Yes. I hope you serve me well.
Thank you for your boundless generosity.
I will serve you with my life.
I will leave now.
Are you done?
Yes.
Seeing a eunuch in our home...
has made it all start to feel real.
This is truly hard to believe.
I cannot believe you are becoming king.
My sincerest congratulations, Your Majesty.
That is enough. You are embarrassing me.
This is all thanks to you.
If it was not for you,
how would I have gotten here?
Thank you so much.
How do I repay you?
Your recognition is enough.
You managed to do it in the end,
so I am satisfied with that.
I will proclaim you as the Queen soon.
And as soon as the palace is fixed,
we will move.
What is it? Is there something else you want?
No.
If there is, please tell me.
I will give you everything I can.
I am the King after all.
Will you really...
give me what I want?
Of course.
Hurry up and tell me.
Then...
do not install me as queen.
What do you mean?
Who else would I make queen?
There is your late first wife.
My dear.
Please make her the Queen...
until her three-year memorial ritual is over.
It is okay if I become queen after that.
What do you mean by that?
You are the one who is by my side right now.
But how...
Your Majesty.
Please listen to my request.
If I do not stay as humble as possible right now,
my life may be in danger in the future.
My dear.
In the future, if you pass away,
who will be sitting in that seat?
It is obviously...
one of your late wife's sons.
What would he think...
of the stepmother who stole...
his mother's position?
Your Majesty.
I just...
want to be able to live...
with the children I gave birth to.
Dear wife...
Why would you think that?
Your Majesty.
We do not even need to look far at the history of China.
Just within our history alone,
there is an overwhelming number of tragedies in the royal family.
Among them, the tragedy that occurs without fail...
is the fates of their half-siblings and stepmothers.
Nine out of ten...
ended up dying the most terrible deaths.
I am not trying to slander her children.
I am talking about how terrifying power is.
My dear...
Your Majesty. If you wish to save my life,
Please do not install me as queen.
If you want to save my children,
do not show them love and affection.
I am sincerely and earnestly begging you.
Please return safely, Your Majesty.
- Please return safely, Your Majesty. - Please return safely, Your Majesty.
Right. I will be back soon.
Let us go.
- I will be back soon. - Please return safely.
Please return safely, sir.
- Please return safely, Father. - Please return safely, Father.
I will.
Bang Won.
Brothers.
Welcome.
Why were you so late?
- I am sorry. - We do not have much time.
- Let us go inside. - Right. Let us go in.
Are you not the princes?
Right. Who are you?
I am Eunuch Kim from the palace.
Oh, I see. Are you here to greet us?
I apologize.
The King has given me orders not to let you in the palace.
What? We are not allowed in?
It is our father's coronation!
But why are we not allowed inside?
My brother and I have governmental posts.
Are you not aware that...
not being present for the coronation is a crime?
It is a royal decree.
Please step back.
You should step back.
Do you not know who we are?
Right. Move!
(Lee Bang Seok, Lee Bang Won's half-brother)
Mother. What do you mean by that?
I am becoming the Crown Prince?
Quiet. Lower your voice.
Bang Beon might hear you.
Bang Beon isn't the problem.
I have five brothers before him.
His Majesty will get rid of all of them.
What?
Just wait and see.
I, your mother, will make you Crown Prince.
Please return home quietly.
If you cause a scene and interrupt the coronation,
you will be punished severely.
Bang Gwa, what is going on here?
I do not know.
How could he do this?
I sent them away.
We are done.
Let us go, Your Majesty.
In the seventh lunar month of the year 1392,
four years after the Wihwado Retreat,
Lee Seong Gye rose to the throne.
Hooray!
- Hooray! - Hooray!
Lee Seong Gye's family, who had worked for the great work,
started to spilt from that day.
Bang Won.
I cannot believe this.
Is this what Father really wanted?
I did not think he would go this far.
I thought he would forgive us today.
Just for today.
It was a false dawn.
Father already abandoned us.
He did not consider us as his offspring.
We are not princes. We are beggars.
Ones who snoop around the palace where the feast is being held,
and get kicked out by the guards.
Beggars!
Let us just leave.
I will not leave.
I will not back down.
I will go and meet His Majesty.
No, I will see Father.
Bang Won!
Thank you.
Everyone.
Thanks to your devotion,
we have come here.
- Thank you for your boundless generosity. - Thank you for your boundless generosity.
Your Majesty.
Why are you standing?
Please have a seat on the throne.
No.
I do not deserve to sit on the throne yet.
Your Majesty.
Entering the palace on horseback,
I saw the people's faces.
Half of them...
looked scared.
The other half...
looked at me resentfully.
If we cannot change their mind,
we will never be accepted...
by the skies.
We did not complete the great work yet.
By practicing politics for the people,
we need to have the people on our side.
By then, we will be able to complete our great work.
Please...
remember this.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will always keep that in mind.
- We will keep that in mind. - We will keep that in mind.
Do not be afraid.
The new dynasty will be blessed.
Sambong, you always seem confident.
I thought about it thousands of times.
This was the only way for the people.
So, what is there to be afraid of?
Actually, I could not sleep last night.
Just like a young artist who just got a new piece of paper,
I was excited.
Thinking of picturing the new world,
my whole body got fired up.
The ideal has been in my heart for my whole life.
Now, I can make it real in front of my eyes.
Such a miracle...
happened in one night.
Right.
Picture as much as you want.
The world will be just as you picture.
I will follow where your brush leads me.
I promise.
Your Majesty.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
You have done a lot.
Your Majesty.
First, we announce the edict of office by His Majesty.
Then, we need to select among ones who participated in the great work...
and install them as contributors.
We have to send an envoy to Ming as well.
We also have to hurry...
in fixing the place for His and Her Majesty.
They may come and go between the palace and his house for a while.
Now that he has taken the throne,
he has to move into the palace as soon as possible.
Before that, we need to finish installing the Queen.
Also, we need to give royal names to the princes.
There are so many things to do.
There is no time to thank the one...
who kept this old man alive.
Oh, are you talking about Prince Bang Won?
We are alive thanks to the Prince.
That is true.
I was going to thank him...
when I meet him at the coronation.
Somehow, I have not been able to see him.
I have not seen other princes either.
I do not understand.
Did His Majesty ban them from entering the palace?
Yes, I think that is what happened.
My gosh, Seong Gye.
Excuse me. My gosh, His Majesty.
He should have let them come to the coronation at least.
That was too much.
Do you understand?
You should never disobey your father.
If you do, you will never be forgiven.
Yes, I understand, Mother.
Have him see you read books often.
Seeing the child read...
makes him happy the most.
Like Bang Won did?
You have always told me.
Bang Won has learned to read a lot ever since he was young.
So, His Majesty was always proud of him.
Yes, he was.
But, he is not anymore.
Bang Won lost His Majesty's trust.
He will never come back to Father.
- Is that true? - Yes.
Now, you will replace his place.
You will be the son getting all of Father's love.
You will get all the trust of His Majesty...
as the Crown Prince.
Do you want me to exclude all the princes...
when we select the founding contributors?
Yes.
From Bang Gwa to Bang Won, none of their names...
shall be on the book of contributors.
But, Your Majesty,
they devoted their lives...
to achieve the great work.
Especially Bang Won...
Do as I say.
Your Majesty.
Please let go of your anger as a father.
You are not only the leader of your family,
but the King of this country.
You have to see everything from a king's perspective.
Bang Won is no longer a son who disobeyed his father.
He is the leading contributor who made you take the throne.
Master Sambong.
Do whatever you want on the other things.
But,
for this matter, do as I ask.
Your Majesty.
I would like to return home now.
- Bang Won. - That is...
What are you doing out here?
Get up right now. His Majesty will be out soon.
Yes. Get on your feet.
All the ministers and officers...
have gathered to send His Majesty home.
You must not get in the way.
This could be a huge crime.
Listen to me.
His Majesty is coming out.
Goodbye, Your Majesty.
What are you doing here?
Waiting for you to come.
What for?
To say something.
Then speak.
How could you do this?
I spent years of my life serving you.
Wishing for the day you would take the throne,
I dedicated my life.
And is this what I get in return?
Father.
Do you resent me that much?
Can you not forgive me?
Please forgive me.
Forgive my brothers.
We will not go against you again. I swear.
Please...
Please forgive us, Father.
It is too late.
Father.
I have abandoned you already.
Get out of my way.
- Father. - Right now.
Your King commands you.
I will say this one last time. Get out of my way.
Father...
Lady Min, the table might split in two.
Why did you prepare so much?
He will return with his brothers in a great mood.
I should prepare a feast.
This looks delicious.
It is for the princes.
How dare you eat first?
Lady Min.
Why are they so late?
I do not know. They should be home soon.
How could you?
He did not even get to enter the palace.
In front of the whole court,
His Majesty announced his abandonment.
My goodness.
How could he be so cruel?
He is his own son.
The son he cherished the most.
I know.
What will happen to Bang Won now?
Does he have no hope at all?
How could he?
You went against your father...
just this one time.
And your father...
cares only about that once?
Is that more important than everything you did...
for him so far?
You even...
risked your life for him.
Has he forgotten about that too?
Stop crying.
It is all over.
I am crying because you will not.
You cannot even cry out loud,
and that is why I cannot help but cry.
Why is Mother not doing anything?
Did she not promise...
to talk to Father for you?
So why...
has she not done anything yet?
Congratulations, Your Majesty.
How was the ceremony?
It was a confusing and busy affair.
I just want to take a few steps...
and a whole procession follows me around.
It is such a hassle.
They cannot leave their monarch alone.
Of course they must follow you.
I told them to prepare your quarters soon.
Anything that was used before...
is to be replaced or remade.
Why would you... Your Majesty.
Other than the roof and pillars,
everything in and around it will be new.
Once everything is ready,
I will proclaim you my Queen.
Your Majesty. Did you not take what I said seriously?
I did take it seriously.
I kept that in mind.
Your Majesty.
I will make you...
my Queen.
And your son will be Crown Prince.
The son you bore me will be made Crown Prince.
Then you will have nothing to fear.
Your Majesty.
Do you truly think that dearly of me?
I do.
So please...
do as I say.
Become my Queen and stay by my side.
Do that for me.
Your Majesty.
I have a concern.
What is it?
I am not sure the ministers will approve.
Do not worry. I will make them.
Will it be that easy?
I will help you.
Please grant your permission.
Let me help you.
You wish to appoint a Crown Prince first?
Yes.
I will be turning 60 soon, so we should hurry.
Of course, that is reasonable.
However, you have yet to appoint all the ministers of the Royal Court,
and you have yet to finish appointing the founding contributors.
We should wait a month...
You never know what could happen to a person.
Since we are on the topic, please discuss it.
Who should we put in that position?
I believe...
that Prince Bang Woo is perfect for the position...
as he is the firstborn.
My eldest son...
has left Gaegyeong a long time ago as he opposed the new dynasty.
How could I make someone like him Crown Prince?
Then what about your second-born son, Bang Gwa?
Yes, that is a good idea.
Prince Bang Gwa has joined you...
in numerous battles.
I highly appreciate Prince Bang Gwa's abilities as well.
I will be reassured if I left the military to him...
no matter how many soldiers that may be.
However,
he lacks in too many ways to be involved in politics.
Please take this into consideration.
Then what about Prince Bang Won?
In peaceful times, you should give the position to the eldest son.
However, in turbulent times like these, it is only right to crown the prince...
who has contributed the most.
Prince Bang Won has contributed a lot to the great cause...
whenever we faced a crisis.
He saved you and your family's lives,
and he assassinated Jeong Mong Ju...
thus completing our cause.
He showed that he is capable of overcoming...
whatever struggles he may face.
As a result, I believe that it is reasonable...
to make Prince Bang Won the Crown Prince.
Your Majesty.
Who is the prince you have in mind?
I think...
it should be Bang Beon.
- Prince Bang Beon? - Yes.
Your Majesty.
Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds,
but Prince Bang Beon is married to Goryeo royalty.
The son-in-law of Goryeo royalty cannot become king of a new dynasty.
Then...
I will make Bang Seok the Crown Prince.
What?
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, that is impossible!
You already have plenty of princes who are of age,
so why would you choose the youngest prince as Crown Prince?
If you choose the Crown Prince like this,
there will be big trouble in the future.
What kind of trouble will there be?
He is His Majesty's son and my son as well.
He is the blood of the King,
and he is the child of the living Queen.
So what kind of trouble could this cause?
Please tell me Lord Jo.
What reason prohibits Bang Seok from becoming Crown Prince?
Tell me right now.
(The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won)
All of this must be her plan.
She must have prepared everything meticulously.
How could you do this, Mother? How?
Opening up a path for their child's future is the duty of all mothers.
All I did was fulfill my duty.
Why are you getting so upset? What is wrong with it?
Is it because you believe your position was taken from you?
Mother, what is it?
My baby!