Subtitles by DramaFever
[Episode 20] Welcome, King.
What brings you here so late?
I have a request to make of you.
I would like Court Lady Han to become my royal concubine right away.
You promised me that she would be my royal concubine.
Of course, and I intend to keep that promise.
Then can you not make that happen right now?
King...
I understand you are young and you are in a rush.
However, she has not been in the palace very long.
She needs to complete her training as a court lady.
That is the law of the palace.
Is that really what it is?
You are not avoiding and delaying, are you?
King!
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
I understand why you feel the need to rush this.
Please think this through.
Making her your royal concubine...
and restoring her father's status.
Which of two do you think needs to come first?
How can the daughter of a man who committed treason be a royal concubine?
The restoration of his status will have to come first.
In order to get Han Gyu Ho...
fully restored to his former status...
who do you think would oppose it?
Dae Mok.
- King! - Dowager Queen.
I know I am a puppet for the Pyeonsoo-hwe
so you do not think much of me.
I cannot dare to tell you, but there is a reason for it all.
Therefore, please keep your promise of making Han Ga Eun my royal concubine.
Please keep your word.
I'm begging you.
Today...
the King met with the boss of the pack carriers.
Why do you think the King is meeting with him?
I believe the Dowager Queen arranged it to get the King on her side.
- The Dowager Queen? - Yes.
I heard she recently brought in a girl to attend to the King.
She is using that girl and the boss to win over the King.
So, the boss is one of the Dowager Queen's people?
- Yes. - So, my granddaughter...
is protecting a thief who works with the Dowager Queen, who will soon be useless.
You even offered to become the chief of the Pyeonsoo-hwe?
Do you think this makes sense?
Keep this in mind.
If someone has a secret to keep...
no matter how skilled they are, they become stupid.
Ga Eun gave me information regarding this map.
She is sure it is in the Gyeonggi area.
I could not even properly converse with Lee Seon.
Poor thing.
He's being watched by the Pyeonsoo-hwe and pretending to be King.
It must be so hard.
Did you see Ga Eun yourself?
What did she say?
I'm just curious. That's all.
Is this something we have to take so seriously?
Once you become King again...
won't she become your woman?
What? Did I say something wrong?
Goodness, you are really dense.
Wow, I shouldn't have to hear that from you.
Chung Woon, you shouldn't say that.
Sometimes, I wish you weren't here.
Huh? What did I do?
Your Majesty.
General Choi Heon wishes to greet you.
I am your subject, General Choi Heon.
I am here to greet you, Your Majesty.
Welcome, General Choi Heon.
You have been fighting at the borders and protecting the nation.
You have worked so hard.
I will gift you with 20 medicinal roots.
I am very happy with your work.
All I wish for tonight...
is a drink with you, Your Majesty.
Of course, I will prepare a feast for you.
However, we have scheduled something else for today.
We will have a feast for you in two days, General.
We did not expect you to arrive so soon, General.
We scheduled your feast for a later date.
Can you not see that I am talking to His Majesty?
Even if you are the General
how can you speak that way to the Prime Minister?
I am very impatient.
I cannot hold back when people interrupt me.
You can speak up later if you have something to say.
He braved the rough roads to hurry over.
The General is angry because there is no one to drink with.
General, I will take you to the best gisaeng bar in Hanyang tonight.
Why has Choi Heon suddenly returned?
The leader of the barbarians is sick.
There will be a fight for leadership once he dies.
He needs a decision on who to join forces with among the sons...
I am not asking for a report on border issues.
Choi Heon knows all about the Pyeonsoo-hwe.
He detested seeing the Pyeonsoo-hwe at work.
He would not come even when asked.
- So, why is he here? - Isn't this a good thing?
Choi Heon is a general who leads an army of 10,000.
We should get him on our side.
You should think of it as an opportunity.
So, why did you ask me to come?
I am sorry to make you travel so far.
But, I had to meet you in person to tell you something.
You will be shocked when you hear this.
I have been fighting barbarians on the borders my whole life.
I am a soldier who has fought off the grim reaper.
You have lived your life pledging allegiance to the royal family.
But, what if the person you were pledging your allegiance to...
was a lie?
The King on the throne is a fake.
He is a puppet King who was put there by the Pyeonsoo-hwe.
Can we talk for a moment?`
Minister.
When you showed up here with the copper
I was surprised and happy.
I felt like I had gained someone I could trust and someone who'd be on my side.
I am not much to look at, but if I can be a source of strength
it is my honor.
To hear you speak so formally...
I know you, Minister.
What I mean is...
I have heard many rumors about you.
Do you mean the rumors about me keeping people at a distance?
You say you know very well what kind of person I am.
May I speak candidly for a moment?
Go ahead.
People say, "Become a wise King."
If there are those who say, "Think of the people..."
"Shut your mouth with that bull crap!"
Think of it this way.
There is only one thing you must think about.
Before thinking about Joseon...
you must think about yourself and take care of yourself.
Before becoming master of this nation...
you need to become master of yourself.
I trust that will happen for you.
I will not forget your advice...
Minister.
I will give you some advice, as well.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Do not make anymore moves.
You should remain quiet.
I...
do not want you to get hurt.
Remember my warning.
Did you ask for me, Your Majesty?
I need to ask you to complete a difficult task.
Will you do it?
Will it help to depose the King?
I will do it.
In the middle of every month, someone from the Pyeonsoo-hwe visits the King.
I need to know what they are giving to the King.
Find out for me.
Your Majesty.
I have brought you water.
All right. You may leave now.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Is there anything else you need?
Did I not tell you to leave?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Stay still.
Just for a moment.
Punish me, Your Majesty.
I dared to interrupt your slumber.
I deserve to die.
I am clumsy and awkward...
That is enough.
You can leave now.
Do not look back.
If you run into someone...
tell them I called for you.
But...
Why do you continue...
to do dangerous things?
You did not find anything of interest?
No, Your Majesty.
There was a plant, but it was an ordinary orchid.
There was bamboo tube there as decoration.
There was nothing interesting about the bamboo tube either.
Was it an exceptionally rare orchid?
No, it was not.
Well...
He is not interested in such things.
The only thing the King is interested in is..
Nonetheless, good work.
I am sorry that I could not be of more help.
No.
Not just anyone can enter the King's private quarters.
It is useful to have you be his court lady.
You should go and rest now.
But...
Why do you continue to do dangerous things?
The King helped me again.
Why would he do that?
Welcome, General.
I am so happy to see you.
I can see you every day now.
What is it?
Is there something you want to say to me?
Your Majesty.
Have you always known?
Five years ago...
did you know that the person who sat on the throne was not the Crown Prince?
General, what are you saying?
You did not know?
General!
What you are saying now...
do you realize how scary your words are?
I am sorry to startle you, Your Majesty.
However, you need to know the truth.
The truth?
The person on the throne...
is not the real Crown Prince.
He is a fake, put there by the Pyeonsoo-hwe.
A fake put there by the Pyeonsoo-hwe?
That is correct, Your Majesty.
I know it may be hard to believe.
No... not at all.
Yes.
I cannot say that I have never had my suspicions.
It is clear that the late King was killed by the Pyeonsoo-hwe.
Yet, the King did not do a thing.
The fact that I was not here on the day the late King was killed...
I still cannot let it go.
Do not blame yourself, General.
If you had moved your army then
the borders would have been overrun with the barbarians.
Things are very different now.
We can move the army from the border now.
I have 10,000 calvary soldiers and 30,000 infantry.
My calvary soldiers need only 20 days.
They can descend on the city like the wind.
If that is true...
I can return with a large army.
I will cut off the heads of all the Pyeonsoo-hwe members.
I will clean up this government.
What do you think, Your Majesty?
Choi Heon met with the Dowager Queen?
I do not think it was just to say hello.
Joseon's hawk.
The problem with Choi Heon is his soldiers.
What if he gets ideas in his head?
Those men can be in Hansung in no time.
But, isn't he a loyal subject of the late King?
He did not make a move even after the late King was killed.
Why would he show up now and side with the Dowager Queen?
Chief.
Yes, Elder Dae Mok.
Use any means necessary.
Find out what the Dowager Queen and Choi Heon are up to.
Yes.
I assume you know what meaning this item holds.
If you need...
you may mobilize all the assassins in our organization.
Do not forget.
The fate of the Pyeonsoo-hwe...
could be in your hands.
What did you want to discuss?
General Choi Heon would like to meet the Crown Prince in private.
He has something important he would like to discuss with him in private.
All right.
I will deliver that message to him.
Wait, Kwang Yeol.
Why did General Choi Heon return to Hansung?
I asked him to.
He will meet the Crown Prince and explain.
Your Highness.
Why are we going to the minister's house so late at night?
He said there is someone I must meet.
Your Highness!
I am General Choi Heon. I would like to greet you, Your Highness.
General...
Choi Heon.
I thought it was strange from the very beginning.
To find out he was a fake from the Pyeonsoo-hwe...
I finally understand it now.
Lee Seon has done nothing wrong.
He is a friend who is suffering because of me.
You should not protect someone like him.
Sitting on the throne in your place is a crime in and of itself.
Your Highness, you should attack the Pyeonsoo-hwe now.
General!
We will cut off all their heads.
You must avenge the late King.
We must pull them all out by the roots.
You must clean up the government.
My army and I will put our lives on the line and follow you.
If you move the army from the border, will the barbarians stay put?
We have already made peace with them.
Now is the only possible time for us to move that army in.
You must decide now.
No, you cannot!
Professor?
Professor!
Your Highness.
You cannot move the army from the borders and attack the Pyeonsoo-hwe!
Using the army to attack the Pyeonsoo-hwe...
will only lead this country to a civil war.
Think of the lives sacrificed in a civil war.
Think of all those people who will die.
Do you truly wish to return to the throne by sacrificing all those lives?
Do you truly wish to become that kind of ruler?
How dare you speak to the Crown Prince that way?
Are you trying to confuse him with your words?
They are just the words of a cowardly professor in the end.
Your Highness, now is the perfect time to move the army.
If you lose this chance, I do not know when you'll get another.
Even in this very moment...
because of the Pyeonsoo-hwe...
innocent people are dying.
While I am hesitating and pondering, more people will die.
How much longer must I wait?
How much longer...
will this fight go on?
It will take... your whole life, Your Highness.
It will be a painful fight and a path that will take forever.
However, this is the only path to truly saving the people of this nation
and it is a sacrifice you must make to destroy the Pyeonsoo-hwe.
What do you mean a fight that will last his lifetime?
Do you even think that makes sense?
Your Highness, call up the army and attack the Pyeonsoo-hwe.
Attack Dae Mok.
Cut off the heads of anyone connected to them.
You must end it all in one fight.
- Your Highness! - Your Highness!
Subtitles by DramaFever
[Ruler: Master of the Mask]
The only thing I want is Young Miss Ga Eun.
Choi Heon is trying to call up his army.
The throne was originally yours, so I will return it.
However, Young Miss Ga Eun was never yours.
What happened?
I have done as you asked, Your Majesty.
Do not get sick.
I will not ask you anything.
Can't you stay by my side?