First year of King Jeong Jo's Reign, August 1777 Kyung Hui Palace
- Sir! - What are you doing here?
Haven't you left yet? I told you to go home and rest.
I went home, but Song Yeon wasn't there. I came here to look for her and saw your light.
Why haven't you left the palace yet?
I was just about to leave. So did you find Song Yeon?
No, I don't think she's here.
She must be home by now.
- Let's leave together. - Yes, My Lord.
Are you the only ones guarding this gate?
Yes, His Majesty's orders were to reduce security.
Usually there are ten guards, but today only two are guarding the gate.
This is it! This is what they wanted!
A day of low security like today... It's today!
- What's wrong, My Lord? - Dae Su! The Grand Palace is in danger!
Run to the Grand Palace and tell them to increase security immediately!
I am going to call an emergency for the Palace Guards.
His Majesty is in danger! He is exposed to them! Hurry!
Yes, My Lord!
Your Majesty!
What is going on outside?
Is anyone out there?
Somebody! Anybody!
Who are you?
Speak! Who sent you?
What use will you have with that information when you are dead, Your Majesty?
- Song Yeon! - Dae Su!
You saw the worker going towards the Grand Palace?
He used to have a limp, but he walking normally!
I thought that was really strange.
Let's go look for him.
Hey! Hey!
They are all dead.
His Majesty!
- Run away, Song Yeon. - Dae Su.
Go to the main gate and call for soldiers!
Hurry!
I will do it without causing you pain, Your Majesty.
Anyone there?
Anybody there?
Hong Sang Bum
Halt!
You wretches! How dare you!
- He is alone. Get him. - Yes, Sir!
Your Majesty, you must escape! Can you hear me?
You must escape!
Sir!
If you do not wish to die like dogs, put down your swords!
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
He's not here!
Your Majesty!
Song Yeon...!
Song Yeon...
Song Yeon!
Your Majesty!
Blood...!
Are you alright, Your Majesty?
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
Is anyone there? Call the physician! Hurry!
Your Majesty!
The body of the assassin is inside.
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty, I deserve death!
This is all because of my foolishness.
No, this is not your fault.
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
Those men... Bring those men to me.
I will interrogate them myself and find those who have committed this crime!
It is past the Hour of the Tiger, My Lord!
Something must have gone wrong. You must escape!
- It is I, My Lord. - Come in.
What happened?
They have failed, My Lord!
You mean they all failed?
My Lord!
They will soon uncover everything.
You must escape!
Escape? Where can I run to?
- But My Lord...! - No.
- I will go to the palace. - What?
Go to the palace? What do you mean by that?
Speak! Now!
- Did you plan this yourself? - That is so.
- Who was your backer? - No one.
- Who was your backer? - I said no one!
I asked you who was your backer!
Who was your backer? If you speak, I will spare your life!
Speak! Tell me now!
Who was behind this plan? Tell me!
So how is His Majesty? Is he safe?
Yes, the physician informed me that His Majesty is alright despite his wound.
Your Highness!
This has never happened before! Never in the history of our nation!
How is it possible that an assassin could enter the palace to take the life of the king?
- My Queen! - I am here to see His Majesty. Is he inside?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty!
My Queen!
What happened, Your Majesty? Did an assassin really enter your chambers?
This cannot be! How could such a thing happen?
Forgive me, my Queen. It seems I have caused you suffering.
Your Majesty!
His Majesty has ordered the capture and arrest of all those involved in this assassination attempt!
Princess Hwa Wan and Secretary Jung Hu Gyum,
Justice Minister Hong In Han, Industry Minister Yi Tae Suk,
Retired Councilor Oh Yun Soo, War Second Minister Yi Jo Ho,
Retired Councilor Yi Du Bok, Retired War Minister Jang Gi Hwan...
Arrest of all of these men and the others on the list!
- Do you hear me? - Yes, Sir!
- Carry out your orders immediately! - Yes, Sir!
- Arrest the criminal Hong In Han! - Yes sir!
Let me go! Let me go!
Release me! Please let me go!
Let go!
You wretches!
Let me go! I won't go with you!
You must escape, Mother. There is a ship going to Qing.
I have made preparations for you to be able to go there.
This is letter to Sir Wi. If you bring this, he will take care of you.
Letter? Why can't you go with me and give it to him yourself?
I'm not going, Mother.
- What? - I am the mastermind behind this.
If you and I both disappear, they will look for you forever.
Are you telling me to sacrifice you for my own life?
We have no time, Mother. The guards will be here for you.
You underestimated your own mother.
Mother!
I have never considered you anything else than my own flesh and blood.
I may have never shown you affection, but I am your mother.
And you are my son.
- Mother... - I do not need this letter.
If there is a message you want delivered, deliver it yourself.
Do you understand?
Your Highness, it is I!
The soldiers are headed now to your chambers!
Mother!
What will you do?
Princess Hwa Wan will come out and obey the order of His Majesty!
- Go in and drag her out! - Yes, Sir!
She's not here. She must have escaped!
- She is not far! Search for her! - Yes, Sir!
- She must be close. Search carefully! - Yes, Sir!
Over there!
It will be best for you to come with us quietly.
What did you say? Princess Hwa Wan has disappeared?
According to her servants, she left with Secretary Jung.
Are you saying that they have already left the palace?
Yes, Your Majesty.
They cannot have left the Capital yet.
Block off all streets and paths from the Capital and arrest them!
Yes, Your Majesty!
Forgive me, Your Majesty. We should not have lost them.
- Chief Inspector Hong. - Yes, Your Majesty.
If you were Secretary Jung and Princess Hwa Wan, where would you go?
What?
The Princess would rather take her own life than live in hiding the rest of her life.
But if they are on the run, that means they are confident someone will help them.
It is Qing. They are headed towards Qing.
At this hour, Yang Hwa Jin is the quietest harbour.
They will have headed there to board a ship quietly without anyone watching them.
Go and take the Royal Guards there. Hurry!
Yes, Your Majesty!
- What is happening? - The guards are already there.
What?
Do not worry, My Lord. We will distract them.
- Take care of His Lordship and Her Highness. - Yes sir.
Go ahead, My Lord. We will follow you shortly.
Over there!
Attack!
Do not retreat! Do you hear me!
It is too dangerous! They will not defeat them all!
- You can't fight them! You must go! - He's right. We cannot delay any further!
Resist! We must resist to the end!
The ship is down there, My Lord.
The man who was supposed to meet us must be somewhere else. I will go and fetch him.
Alright.
- Are you alright, Mother? - Yes, I am fine.
Everything will be fine now. We will leave soon and...
What was that?
Anyone there? Why aren't you responding?
Are you looking for him, My Lord?
- You...! - It is over, My Lord.
- Take them away. - Yes, Sir!
Song Yeon!
Where were you?
At Yang Hwa Jin. We have arrested Secretary Jung and Princess Hwa Wan.
- And His Majesty? - Don't worry. His wounds are minor.
Chief Inspector Hong is looking for you, Song Yeon.
He's investigating the assassin, so just tell him what you know.
So did you ever see this assassin before?
The other workers were familiar to me, but I had never seen him before.
Then do you know how he came to be a worker?
I heard that Artist Tak was the one who hired the workers.
Yes, but I'm sure he didn't know that he was an assassin.
I will go to the Bureau and investigate further.
Yes, please do so. I will question the other workers.
You will need to help us until the investigation is over.
I'll do anything you need.
Traitors!
You bad men! You evil men!
Those wretches! I hope you rot in hell...!
How dare you attack His Majesty! Are you even human?
Men like that should be annihilated!
- Mak Soon! - You scared me!
What brought you here?
Are you here to...?
I'm not here for you! I'm here to see my nephew... I mean Dae Su.
I heard men were killed in the palace. I was worried something happened.
Is that so?
Well, you look fine, so Dae Su must be alright.
Then I'll be on my way.
Seeing how she's concerned about Dae Su, she must still care for me too!
She's so cute.
I heard he was hired by the Bureau. How did that happen?
I'm sure everything will be fine.
Yes, don't worry too much.
Don't worry too much, Sir!
- How upsetting! - I'm sure everything will be fine.
Did you all hear about how an assassin entered the palace and tried to kill...!
Shut up! Everyone knows that already!
Why are you...?
You should be more understanding. Artist Tak is not quite himself.
Why?
The assassin was a worker hired by the Bureau!
What? Are you telling the truth?
Yes, he must have pretended to be a worker to gain access to the palace.
How could this happen?
That's why the soldiers are here questioning the officials and Artist Tak too!
- What? - How does this make any sense?
You and Song Yeon helped prepare the Coronation too. Why am I the only one being questioned?
Coronation? What coronation? I know nothing of such a thing!
I helped with no coronation!
- But you helped! - Who? When?
You...!
- Are you here to speak to the king? - Yes, I have a question for him.
- About the punishment? - Yes, Your Excellency.
The criminals have all been captured. We must now set up a tribunal and begin trial.
Please come with me to petition him.
Princess Hwa Wan, Secretary Jung and the others have all been imprisoned.
The others who were not present here are being sent here to the Capital.
Alright.
Your Majesty, I have finalized all preparations to set up a tribunal.
We must now begin our interrogations.
Please entrust this to me.
- I will uncover all their crimes. - No.
I will do it myself. I will interrogate and judge them.
Your Majesty!
Did you hear the news, Your Highness? They will begin interrogating the prisoners tomorrow!
Yes, I have heard. Soon everything will be over.
Your Highness!
Will you let the Justice Minister die like this?
- What do you mean, Father? - I am not saying we should protect him.
I am not even suggesting that you forgive him!
But he is my brother and your uncle!
I am entreating you to allow him to escape with his life!
Father!
Your Highness...!
- Leave us for a moment. - Yes, Sir.
I knew you would come.
You must have been curious as to my state.
Am I wrong?
You will be interrogated tomorrow.
If you confess now, you will be spared a lengthy torture.
If you're done sightseeing, you should head back home.
I wish to rest.
Remember this.
This is the end of power.
It won't be long.
The harder you hold on to power, the sooner that moment will come.
Soon you will suffer the same fate as me.
Just like me, you will become a mockery.
Perhaps that is the case. But do not worry, My Lord.
I have no plans to let the power out of my hands.
But you are still holding your head high.
That is fortunate.
I will see you tomorrow at the interrogation area.
Let me go! Where are you taking me!
Let go! Let me go!
Hey! Please let me go! I will never forget your kindness!
- Take him away! - Hey! Wait!
Let me go, you fool!
Please! Please let me go!
His Majesty the King!
You had a chance at life.
I once thought that I should save your lives
for the sake of our government and our nation.
But last night, I realized how foolish I had been.
If I had really cared about our government,
I should not have allowed those who insult our government to live.
Your crimes are more than what you are here for today.
Therefore, in this place today, I will reveal all the crimes
surround the Crown Prince Sado as well as myself.
I will publicize your crimes to the people and to our government.
And stabilize our shaking foundation!
- Minister of the Tribunal! - Yes, Your Majesty.
- Interrogate them until they confess! - Yes, Your Majesty!
- Interrogate the prisoners immediately! - Yes, Your Excellency!
Your Majesty! Please have mercy!
While it is true that we opposed you, I have never conspired treason!
I didn't know anything about this! Please have mercy!
- It is too late, Justice Minister. - Your Majesty!
I am not here to listen to excuses or explanations.
So if you want my forgiveness, it is now too late.
- Your Majesty! - Begin the interrogation!
So he intends to punish them for the death of his father as well?
Yes, Your Majesty.
The torture is so intense that they are all confessing.
Your Majesty...!
Now that it is time, the new king will come to see me.
I will never forgive them.
You must never forgive them either.
But I could not do anything about her life.
Can you not do the same?
Will you not preserve her life even when I am dead?
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
I regret the times when I had pity on you!
I should have punished you sooner!
- Announce me. - Yes, Your Excellency.
Your Majesty, the Personnel Minister is here.
What... what is this, Your Majesty?
This is the crimes of the prisoners and their punishments.
But Your Majesty, the interrogation is not yet over!
How can you give them their punishment already?
Do you think that I am interrogating them because I do not know their crimes, Minister?
I am already well aware of all of their crimes.
Not only that, I have sufficient evidence to indict them.
I am interrogating them only to find others who are involved in all of this.
But this will mean that hundreds of officials will be fired, and dozens will be exiled!
This punishment is too severe, Your Majesty.
But it can be worse. The more crimes uncovered, the worse the punishment.
Your Majesty...!
Some time ago, you entreated me to save their lives so that government will not collapse.
I also agreed to not take their lives as punishment.
But they invaded the palace and unsheathed their sword to their king.
Are you still insisting that this is too severe a punishment?
I will not make the same mistake again.
I will not allow them to insult the king of this nation any further.
Do you understand?
Official Nam, are you there?
Did you call for me, Your Majesty?
- Go and call Chief Inspector Hong! - Yes, Your Majesty!
Let me go! Let me go!
This is the residence of the Dowager Queen! Let me go! Your Majesty!
Let me go! Your Majesty!
I do not wish to cause a commotion. Please follow me quietly.
Please take a seat, Your Majesty.
If you do not listen to my words, you will be tortured, Your Majesty.
What?
So what is it?
Are you telling me you're going to interrogate me?
Yes.
You fool! How dare you speak that way to me!
I am the wife of the late king!
I am the Dowager Queen!
Your Majesty.
You wretch! How dare you speak to me in such a manner!
Please be quiet, Your Majesty. You are being tried as the chief conspirator in treason.
This is not the time for you to uphold your position.
You will be interrogated as befitting a conspirator in treason.
We will begin. Bring the interrogator!
Your Majesty, it is very late.
Please return to your chambers.
- Are the interrogations still underway? - Yes, Your Majesty.
Yes, there are over a hundred people implicated. Three days of interrogations will not be enough.
How wonderful it would be if everything ended in three days.
I wish I never have to have anyone else arrested or executed again.
Your Majesty!
Yes, I know what you want to say.
It will never be over.
As long as I am on the throne, there will always be numerous people
who will invade the palace and make attempts on my life.
Your Majesty!
But do not worry. That is what a king has to contend with.
Even if it is difficult and arduous, I will still have to take it as king.
Your Majesty!
- Your Majesty! - Move aside.
Yes, Your Majesty.
This is my decree regarding their punishments.
I will hold a Cabinet meeting to declare this.
What will you do about the Dowager Queen?
Your Majesty, it is your morning meal.
- What is it? - Her Majesty is not responding.
- I will enter and tell her myself. - But she ordered not to let anyone in...
She did not take her evening meal either. She will collapse if this continues!
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
Please wake up!
Your Majesty! No! Please wake up!
What did you say? What has happened to the Dowager Queen?
She... she has tried to take her own life.
What?