UNDER THE QUEEN'S UMBRELLA
You mean the Crown Prince has been in the palace all this time?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Then what were you doing while he became so ill?
What were you doing…
while keeping all this from me?
Your Majesty, the diagnosis is hyeolheogwol.
HYEOLHEOGWOL: A DISEASE CAUSED BY BLOOD DEFICIENCY AND FATIGUE
Did you say…
hyeolheogwol?
Yes, Your Majesty. I am certain of it.
Examine him again. I cannot be.
Examine him again now!
Unfortunately,
the disease seems to be in an advanced stage.
The condition of His Royal Highness is extremely critical.
Is what he said true?
Were you aware that it was hyeolheogwol?
I beg for your mercy, Your Majesty!
EPISODE 5
Perhaps the tide will turn.
I have terrible news!
Something dreadful happened.
The Crown Prince collapsed at Sigangwon.
My goodness.
-How did it happen? -I thought he had recovered.
His Royal Highness collapsed.
-He even coughed up blood. -Blood?
-Yes. -How awful.
No acupuncture.
There is no time to lose, Your Majesty.
The Crown Prince has a history of hemophilia.
Acupuncture should be avoided
when there has been heavy bleeding.
Step away from the Crown Prince, My Queen.
-Your Majesty. -Step away from him now.
Starting now,
I shall punish those who harmed the health of the Crown Prince
and acted without my order.
Chief Palace Guard!
Yes, Your Majesty.
Imprison Physician Kwon.
Starting today, the Queen will stay in her quarters.
She will also be suspended from all her duties,
including the supervision of the ladies of the royal palace.
Physician Cho, establish an Emergency Royal Clinic
with the Chief State Councilor as the head.
Yes, Your Majesty.
From now on,
no one may see the Crown Prince without my permission.
You are not an exception, My Queen.
Your Majesty.
I will obey whatever orders you give me
and accept whatever punishment you impose on me,
but please, Your Majesty…
At least allow me to see the Crown Prince.
Step aside.
Please go back. His Majesty forbade us from letting just anybody in.
"Just anybody"?
QUARTERS OF THE CROWN PRINCE
My brother collapsed.
Can I at least see him?
What is going on here?
Do you
intend to defy the orders of His Majesty?
Go back.
Now!
We just want to know how our brother is.
How is that defying Father?
I need to know.
How is my brother doing?
You have not changed a bit.
Have I not always told you to swallow it down?
Is it not time you adjusted yourself to life
in the palace?
Turn a blind eye to things you see,
forget things you hear,
and if there is something you wish to say, keep your mouth shut…
if you wish to protect what is precious to you.
QUARTERS OF THE QUEEN
In addition to worrying about His Royal Highness,
she must transcribe Dodeokgyeong and Confucius texts as punishment.
Your Majesty.
There is no need to hurry.
His Majesty gave you five days.
You should slow down.
I feel so bad for Her Majesty.
She must be heartbroken.
One would think the palace is in mourning.
Do not even say that.
You have no idea
how close I was with the Crown Prince when he was a child.
Right. You must have seen him frequently while you were serving Her Majesty.
In any case, we are not in the position to be sitting and weeping.
As the ladies of the royal palace,
we should worry about the future of the kingdom.
The disease that the Crown Prince is suffering from…
My goodness.
It is the same disease that caused the untimely death of Crown Prince Taein.
-Oh, my. -Good heavens.
While pretending he was away,
the Queen was secretly having the Crown Prince treated in her quarters.
She deceived His Majesty and tampered with the body of the Crown Prince.
That is not all.
She left him half-dead.
Therefore, it might not simply end with confinement.
Her position never suited her.
It was bound to go wrong.
By the way, how did His Majesty become the Crown Prince
when his mother was not even the Queen?
It was due to the taekhyeon.
Taekhyeon?
It is to select the wisest one as the Crown Prince regardless of his legitimacy.
Prince Bogeom, who became the cohort, must stand the best chance then.
He surpassed Prince Uiseong and all the Grand Princes academically.
The Grand Princes are still more likely to inherit the throne.
I reckon one of them will be the next Crown Prince.
Perhaps not. Maybe the son of the Crown Prince will.
Your Majesty.
Did you stay up all night?
Why are you going this far?
Send for the chief eunuch.
Pardon?
Hurry. I am finished.
He may collect my transcripts.
How did you transcribe all of them?
How is the Crown Prince doing?
You accompany Your Majesty all the time, so you must have seen him.
Your Majesty.
His Majesty forbade me from telling--
Can you not even tell me?
I am his mother.
I need to know his condition
to decide if I should cry, be relieved, pray, or lose my mind.
I need to know.
Your Majesty, I--
To hell with duties, virtues, or ethics!
Is my son alive?
Yes, he is, Your Majesty.
Is he conscious?
Has he regained consciousness?
No, he has not, Your Majesty.
Chief Eunuch.
Listen carefully.
Never leave the Crown Prince
alone with Royal Physician Cho Guk-yeong.
You must relay this to His Majesty.
The Crown Prince cannot be left alone with any royal physician.
Do you understand?
I dare not…
Your Majesty, why are you doing this?
I was mistaken.
I omitted a few Confucius texts.
I shall send for you again when I am finished.
Your Majesty…
Bear in mind what I say.
The Crown Prince
must not be left alone with anyone.
Mother!
We are here! It is Grand Prince Ilyeong!
Brother is in critical condition.
How can we not be allowed to see Mother or Brother?
I overheard servants of the court whispering that he might not recover.
Who talked such nonsense
when no one can come near him let alone check his condition?
What if something happens to him
and he leaves us without even saying goodbye?
Watch what you say.
Say something ominous about Brother again,
and I will not let it slide.
My apologies.
That was not my intention.
Brother!
It is not your fault.
He must be on his way to Brother.
What about Father?
I was not granted an audience.
Father refuses to see us,
and Mother is banned from seeing us.
Are you on your way to the Crown Prince?
As if you will be let in.
I heard cnidium and peony were prescribed.
I knew it.
You had no idea.
I wonder if he will last two weeks.
Watch what you say.
Show some respect
if you want me to tell you more.
His condition is hopeless.
I do not know how he has been treated,
but I heard he even coughed up blood clots.
Right.
You are not hoping
to take over his position if something happens to him, are you?
You better not show it.
Should I not?
The same goes for you.
You should not go around snickering when the Crown Prince is ill.
It is getting on my nerves.
We cannot defer it any longer.
We must make the deposition public.
If the Crown Prince recovers,
we may not get another chance to turn the tide.
That is why we should hurry.
We must depose the Crown Prince
in order to take his son, the strongest candidate, out of the picture.
His Majesty will not change his mind easily.
We shall have the patriotic scholars submit petitions.
We will become stronger by uniting ourselves.
I agree.
Also,
to depose the Crown Prince,
we will need help from her.
The Chief State Councilor
will get in touch with you soon, Minister Yoon.
Do not let him control you. Make sure to gain the upper hand.
One's worth is determined by the position that one holds.
You must stand your ground.
-What is that fire? -What is that?
What is the matter, Your Majesty?
Who is it?
Mother.
It is Kang.
You should not be here.
If His Majesty finds out, you will also be confined.
There is something I must ask.
Has Brother ever coughed up eohyeol before?
EOHYEOL: BLOOD CLOTS
Eohyeol?
No, it has never happened before.
In that case,
the medicine I brought must have been the cause.
That cannot be.
His symptoms improved after taking that medicine.
He was definitely recovering.
Kang, listen carefully.
It is not your fault.
So be sure not to act rashly.
And most importantly, no one can find out about
the prescription and medicine brought from the outside.
Even if something goes wrong,
I will take care of it.
Do you understand?
What is he doing?
I apologize. You will wake up in ilgak.
ILGAK: 15 MINUTES
There was nothing particularly wrong with the medicine itself.
However,
I cannot guarantee that the medicine was not the cause.
What do you mean by that?
Even the same medicine can have varying qualities.
Crow-dipper is a common remedy for phlegm and coughing.
In the fourth month of the lunar calendar, however,
it becomes so poisonous that it can be lethal.
By the way,
who gave you that prescription?
A physician who wanders around the villages.
Your Highness, even if that medicine was not the cause,
administering medicine from the outside to the Crown Prince can get me killed.
I will keep my mouth shut about that medicine no matter what.
Do you have something more to say?
Whose orders are you following?
Orders?
What are you talking about?
Grand Prince Seongnam came to see you.
Is he the one you serve?
His Highness…
only inquired about the condition of the Crown Prince.
Please spare me.
I will tell you everything.
Whose orders are you following?
I serve Her Majesty the Queen.
I cannot
tell you anything more, Your Majesty.
At least tell me if he stopped coughing up blood.
-I do not know, Your Majesty. -Chief Eunuch.
I regret to inform you
that His Majesty ordered
that you stop transcribing the texts.
Why?
Why so suddenly?
Why?
I would not presume to know the intentions of His Majesty.
No matter how grave my sins are,
he should not do this.
My ill child is only a stone's throw from me.
How could he forbid me from doing anything?
Your Majesty…
I feel guilty…
even about breathing now.
So tell me the condition of my son!
I do not know, Your Majesty.
Chief Eunuch!
I swear…
I do not know anything, Your Majesty.
His Majesty
imposed the harshest possible punishment on me.
Her Majesty
hid the Crown Prince in her quarters
and ordered me to treat him while pretending he was away.
I thought I must follow her orders to save the Crown Prince.
That is all.
All I did…
BANGSEO: PRESCRIPTION BOOK
…was treat hyeolheogwol as instructed in the bangseo.
I swear.
What should we do with him?
I know one thing for certain now.
No one…
will be able to make him talk.
Keep him alive.
Mom!
I recognize you.
Is this how people these days repay an act of kindness?
Tell me the truth.
Did you tamper with that medicine?
Did I tamper with it? Why would I ever do such a thing?
Fine.
I did slightly overcharge you for the medicine.
That I am guilty of.
But dear me, this is driving me crazy.
What on earth happened to your brother to get you up to this in the middle of--
Listen carefully.
Your prescription harmed the yeche.
YECHE: HEALTH OF THE CROWN PRINCE
Yeche?
Who are you?
My brother…
is the Crown Prince.
And His Royal Highness is fighting for his life as we speak.
What goes around comes around.
What did you just say?
Cause and effect, I mean.
As everything happens for a reason,
I humbly suggest that something went wrong during the treatment.
The Crown Prince collapsed after coughing up blood clots.
If you did not tamper with the medicine,
explain what may have gone wrong.
Your Highness.
I may be a lowly wanderer,
but I still have my pride as a physician.
Moreover, if those were the symptoms that appeared,
I ask you to sheathe your sword now.
Why is that?
Please be reasonable.
You are the one who showed up out of nowhere one day
and asked me, a total stranger, for a favor.
And all I did was prescribe medicine that breaks up blood clots.
I have never even laid a finger on the Crown Prince
or performed acupuncture on him.
Rather, I prescribed
that he should stop receiving acupuncture.
What is the name of the physician in charge of the Crown Prince?
That does not concern you.
Of course not.
If you know how to save the Crown Prince,
tell me.
It is time to mobilize my people whom I planted throughout the palace.
Those who are on the bottom rung
and can access the most hidden corners of the palace will be mobilized first.
Stay next to the Crown Prince at all times.
No one can be left alone with the Crown Prince.
You are distracting me. Come back when I am finished with acupuncture.
No, sire.
Starting today, I will remain here even when you perform acupuncture.
Especially Royal Physician Cho. Observe him carefully.
The vomiting of blood has stopped,
yet he remains unconscious.
The more serious problem is
the moves that the Chief State Councilor and the Queen Dowager are taking.
If they have joined hands,
there would be only one reason.
We shall begin to discuss the deposition of the Crown Prince publicly.
If you start the discussion,
we will take care of the taekhyeon.
TAEKHYEON: SELECTION OF A WISE AND WORTHY SUCCESSOR
After the ill Crown Prince is deposed,
who will take over his position?
The Queen Dowager seems to be more interested in that.
Do not worry.
I do not intend to force Prince Uiseong into that position.
It is the taekhyeon.
Would it not also be in the interest of Her Royal Highness
to fairly select a wise Crown Prince?
Shall we?
Then…
what will you give me in return?
Whoever becomes the Crown Prince,
the Crown Princess will be your daughter.
Father must be home.
Father!
Father, when did you come home?
How many times have I told you?
Lower your voice
-and speak politely. -You should stop, my lord.
I blame you for spoiling her
to the point that she is still unmarried at her age.
Father.
When I get married
is not quite as important as whom I marry.
Are you saying
you have been looking for a respectable man?
Someone knowledgeable?
Someone handsome, Mother.
Someone who will give me good-looking children.
All men are the same.
I hope to at least marry someone whose appearance I like.
Therefore, I plan to bring in a handsome young man the day after tomorrow.
I approve of that.
My lady.
Did you forget that we decided to pretend she was gone?
She cannot live long anyway.
We have let her do whatever she wanted,
thinking her days were numbered.
But look how healthy she is at the age of 20.
I am confident that she will live to be 60.
We shall be grateful that she lived to be 20.
I mean,
what is the point of striving to become the father of the Queen for 20 years?
We have two more daughters.
I do not care if my reputation is damaged,
but I simply feel so sorry.
We put up with her since we are her parents,
but what did they do wrong to end up with her?
Whom do you mean?
Whom else?
I mean the future in-laws of Cheong-ha.
Whoever they are,
I feel awful for them.
"When the Crown Prince falters, the entire kingdom lies in peril."
"For the greater good, we beseech you
to depose the Crown Prince
and send him into exile…"
Feel free to speak your opinions now.
Do you have nothing to say?
Stop hiding behind a piece of paper
and raise your voices.
Your Majesty.
His Royal Highness has remained unconscious for two weeks already.
He has also been unable to fulfill his duties as the Crown Prince.
That is correct, Your Majesty.
To have a worthy heir to the throne
has been a cause of all ages.
To depose unworthy heirs has been
the golden rule of the kingdom.
Depose the Crown Prince, Your Majesty.
-Depose the Crown Prince, Your Majesty. -Depose the Crown Prince, Your Majesty.
-Your Majesty-- -No, Your Majesty.
His Royal Highness is unwell but is under treatment.
It is still too early to discuss his deposition.
Even if something happens to the Crown Prince,
he has a son
as well as four grown brothers.
Therefore, there is no need to hurry.
No need to hurry? The kingdom is tottering on its foundations.
We need to take precautionary measures to stabilize the kingdom.
It has only been a few days since the Crown Prince collapsed.
How dare you bring up his deposition?
Enough.
That is enough!
I decline your request.
No further discussion is allowed.
What are you doing?
It was not what we agreed to!
How naive of you.
Pardon?
I was trying to make the opposition of His Majesty clearer.
If I had not interfered,
he may have announced the next Crown Prince immediately.
So what is your plan then?
The real battle begins now, Minister Yoon.
We shall overthrow His Majesty
in the way that we enthroned him.
Did you think
that His Majesty would accept the request immediately?
My son
is no longer easily swayed by the court officials.
However, since His Majesty seems to be blinded by personal feelings,
we shall remind him of our cause.
I understand.
Then I shall get into action as well.
Your Majesty.
Where would you like to go?
Precisely.
Where shall I go?
Pardon?
I need to rest.
Your Majesty.
It may be dangerous for you to leave your quarters.
Then what do you suggest?
I need to check.
Something suspicious is going on.
When do you intend to leave?
Right now.
-Pardon? -Pardon?
It is still too bright.
I need to empty a seolgi.
SEOLGI: CHAMBER POT
You may pass.
Few people in the palace
have seen my face clearly.
Most recognize me by my attire.
Seeing that you are drinking on an empty stomach,
I presume that you feel upset about something.
Get some rest here today.
The entire palace is talking about the same thing.
I feel relieved not to have to hear about
politics or the Crown Prince here.
There is a discussion regarding the deposition of the Crown Prince.
What is your opinion, Prince Bogeom?
Do not.
It is okay. Tell me what you think.
As the poor health of the Crown Prince may jeopardize the kingdom,
the discussion of his deposition is deemed reasonable.
Prince Bogeom.
However,
by bringing up the deposition of the Crown Prince,
the court officials are seemingly initiating
a power struggle against you, Father.
Who do you think will win?
Regardless of who wins, I ask you to fight in better ways, Father.
The process should be just as important.
Even if you grant their request,
do not fall for their scheme.
They must aim to fool the tiger
so that it descends the mountains of its own will.
You seem to have much insight into worldly affairs, Prince Bogeom.
Your Majesty.
What is the matter?
Your Majesty.
There is a problem.
Your Majesty.
Depose the sickly Crown Prince
and reinforce the foundation of the kingdom.
-Depose the Crown Prince -Depose the Crown Prince
-and restore order in the royal court. -and restore order in the royal court.
We desperately implore you
to heed our loyal advice, Your Majesty.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
My lady.
He will not come until much later.
Why are we already here?
I do not want to miss him.
Do you see that lady?
She looks like a noble lady.
She must be having an affair.
Just look at her eyes.
While her children are at school, and her husband is at work…
In broad daylight, at that.
How daring of her.
See? She has such a confident look in her eyes.
I knew it.
She takes the lead instead of following the man.
But it seems like she is being tailed.
Judging from the look in his eyes, he does not suspect her
but wants to protect her.
Pardon?
I wonder which family she comes from and who she is.
CLOSED
This is no different from an abduction.
Why did you bring me here?
You told me this last time.
If you were still the Queen,
you would do anything necessary
to protect your children.
even if people may point their fingers at you.
I never told you to be this rude,
but I prefer this than to see you kneel in front of me.
Why did you want to see me?
I need to know
what you meant by what you said.
I do not believe
that it was hyeolheogwol that caused his death.
You do not believe
that Crown Prince Taein died from his illness.
Is it merely your reluctance to let go of your dead child?
Or…
is there any evidence to support your belief?
Speaking about my dead child is painful enough.
Why do you keep asking about what happened in the past?
Because
the life of the current Crown Prince…
depends on your answer.
By any chance,
did Crown Prince Taein cough up blood when he collapsed?
Please tell me, Your Highness.
Why should I
give you an answer?
This may be
my last chance
to protect the Crown Prince.
To be honest with you,
I hope
your son will die.
Your Highness.
It is retribution.
The current royal court
was established after purging my sons and is stained with their blood.
The present king may be praised for his wisdom,
but he is no more than a wicked usurper of the throne.
What is the matter?
Am I wrong?
If it really is retribution as you say,
I will accept it with humility.
However, if it is not the divine will
but another human intervention,
I shall get to the bottom of it using all my resources as the Queen.
Once I find out the truth,
I shall kill
those who harmed my son with my own hands.
So…
will you please tell me?
On one condition.
I am not saying this as a failed queen
but as a mother.
What is it?
I will ask you a favor later.
Whatever favor it is,
promise me that you will grant it.
Very well.
Crown Prince Taein
never coughed up blood.
However,
there were inexplicable wounds on his body.
Do you mean…
The symptoms of the Crown Prince
are different from those of my son.
It is clear
my son was murdered.
I do not know how he was killed,
but I do know who killed him.
The person who killed him
told me…
in person.
You are right.
I killed your son.
But…
do you have evidence?
Who suggested the taekhyeon
back then?
The court officials did.
When they act as a group,
the king
is bound to feel cornered.
Your Majesty.
Depose the Crown Prince
and restore order in the royal court.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
Do you all intend to disobey me?
I made it clear that no further discussion of the deposition was allowed!
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
Have you decided to remain silent?
If you take no action, they will eventually have their way.
Either go out and accept their request
or reject it decisively.
Break the silence
and make your position clear.
I will not allow the deposition of the Crown Prince!
I see.
If so, go out and disperse them.
Silence them so that they cannot raise their voices against you.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
You will not be able to stop them.
I am
their king.
They made you king.
They can overthrow you anytime
by questioning your legitimacy,
for you are the son of a concubine.
Without their support,
you will never be able to remain
on that throne.
Do you truly…
intend to fight them like this
to merely protect the Crown Prince?
What if they completely turn their backs on you?
Is that not what you fear?
Do you believe the current prosperity of the kingdom
is solely based on your capabilities?
If you know what I have gone through to come this far,
you cannot
let that child sway you like this.
Do you not realize
the ill child is your grandson?
Before you are the father of the Crown Prince,
do not forget that you are the king!
If you wish to remain on the throne,
do not further upset them.
It is time
you listen to them.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
-Your Majesty. -Depose the Crown Prince.
I have tried my best to change their minds,
but it seems impossible to turn the tide.
I regret to say this,
but the officials are simply too adamant.
So I beseech you to make a decision.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
-Your Majesty. -Your Majesty.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
-Your Majesty. -Your Majesty.
-Depose the Crown Prince. -Depose the Crown Prince.
No one is being deposed!
Do you all hope the Crown Prince will die?
Right State Councilor.
Do you realize
how unreasonable and unfair this request is?
Minister of Personnel.
Has the Crown Prince ever committed an injustice?
Minister of War.
Has the Crown Prince ever jeopardized the kingdom by indulging in pleasures?
Tell me what he did so wrong!
If anyone did anything wrong,
all of you and I should be blamed
for failing to protect the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince did not do anything wrong!
Your Majesty.
The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne.
The future of the kingdom as well as the lives of the people
solely rest on his shoulders.
You speak of the future of the kingdom,
but look at what you are doing.
You are no better
than a group of bandits
pressuring His Majesty into granting you what you want.
Restoring the health of the ill Crown Prince
is the way to protect the future of the kingdom.
Your Majesty.
Silence, Chief State Councilor!
I am not finished yet.
As the officials of the kingdom,
you should be trying to help the Crown Prince recover.
Instead, you all swarmed here making such a commotion!
Is it to save the Crown Prince
or to kill him?
What is it that you are truly after?
Your Majesty.
You are supposed to be in confinement.
How could you disobey His Majesty and appear here?
I released her from confinement.
Also,
you shall consider the words of the Queen as mine.
Your Majesty.
-The future of the kingdom-- -Silence!
There will be no further discussion of the deposition.
-Your Majesty. -Your Majesty.
-We beseech you to reconsider. -We beseech you to reconsider.
Listen, all officials.
The Crown Prince is still under treatment.
Anyone who discusses his deposition and schemes to replace him
against my orders
shall be accused of treason.
What are you waiting for? Leave!
Your Majesty!
The Crown Prince…
His Royal Highness awoke for a moment and asked for you.
I do not think there is much time left.
His Royal Highness said that he needed to speak to you.
That he needed to hear an answer from you.
Mother.
Promise me…
that you will remain strong.
Only then will I be able to die in peace.
I will stay by your side
even as the wind.
Please do protect
my son and brothers.
I cannot make such a promise.
You will recover no matter what.
Please wait just a little longer
so that I can give you my answer.
-Your Royal Highness! -Your Royal Highness!
Your Royal Highness…
No…
Your Royal Highness.
Mother.
Promise me…
that you will remain strong.
I have something to tell the Crown Prince.
I need to give him an answer.
My baby…
I…
promise.
Do not wander around worrying about me…
and rest in peace.
I promise
that I will remain strong.
I will protect
your children
as well as mine.
Return to us, Your Royal Highness!
Brother!
When will you be back?
I do not know.
I will be back as soon as I can.
Next time, I will take you to the market.
Brother.
Hurry back.
UNDER THE QUEEN'S UMBRELLA
Who would dare to take the life of the Crown Prince?
How can you be sure that it was not poisoned?
Do you think Her Majesty was behind it?
The branch that stemmed out first should reach the highest, should it not?
In order to proceed with the taekhyeon, we must come together.
I want you to support Prince Bogeom.
Not only will you dine like the Crown Prince,
but you will also receive an education like one.
We can no longer hide that we used medicine brought from the outside.
Subtitle translation by: Min-jin Kim