01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

(All characters, locations,

organizations, and incidents)

(in this drama are historically

irrelevant and fictitious.)

(Production guidelines

were strictly followed)

(when filming with children and animals.)

(Ilgyeong: The 10 hours from 7pm to

5am were divided into 5 watches.)

("Ilgyeong" refers to the 1st

watch of the night, from 7 to 9pm.)

(Episode 1)

Do you still feel tightness

in the chest, Your Highness?

I had started feeling better after

taking the medicine you gave me,

but the same symptoms returned

sometime in the evening.

It could be caused by

the turbulent weather,

so please try to relax and put

your mind at ease, Your Highness.

I will do so.

Are there any other symptoms?

No. I feel fine otherwise, thanks to you.

I am much obliged, Your Highness.

Then I will now go and make an

herbal decoction for Your Highness.

(Queen Dowager Sosu)

(Haejong, the current King)

Your Majesty.

What are you doing out here?

I was feeling anxious for some reason,

so I came out to get some fresh air.

Anyway, how is the Queen Dowager?

Her pulse is on the rapid side,

but you need not be concerned.

I am relieved to hear that.

Your Majesty.

What is the matter?

I have bad news. A group of

rebels has invaded the palace.

Is the situation urgent?

We are under attack. Also, I believe

some of the palace guards

on duty were in on it.

You should go inside now and take shelter.

(Gangnyeongjeon)

(Gangnyeongjeon)

Hurry. The palace guards

will be here in no time.

See you on the other side.

Come on.

The soldiers will arrive any moment now.

If you wish to be spared, put down

your sword and beg for your life.

I did not come here,

expecting to walk out of here

in one piece, Joong Young.

Identify yourself!

You are

He led the deposed king's Royal Guards.

(Pyeju: A deposed king)

I heard you died while

fleeing with the deposed king.

I was resurrected to slay you

scoundrels who stole the throne

and you, the ultimate traitor.

Shut your mouth.

The deposed king you served

kicked out his mother and

k*lled his own sibling.

Addicted to carnal pleasures,

he extorted from his own people.

He was a foolish tyrant.

Do you not know that?

Shut your mouth at once!

Whatever excuses you make,

it does not change the fact that you

are traitors who stole the throne.

Now, you will pay for it.

Die.

The royal physician is hurt. Go

and fetch a physician at once.

Your Majesty, you should

I am fine. Go and fetch a physician.

Now!

Your Majesty.

You need not worry about me.

The East Palace. Send someone

to the East Palace at once

and make sure the Crown Prince is safe.

Commander of the Royal Guards,

go to the East Palace

and make sure the Crown Prince is okay.

Your Royal Highness!

- Where is the Crown Prince?

- What is the matter?

Is the Crown Prince inside?

Yes, he is. What is the matter?

Your Royal Highness!

His Royal Highness is asleep. Please leave.

Your Royal Highness.

He is fast asleep at the moment,

so I suggest you come back in the morning.

You are the Crown Prince's

secretary and bodyguard.

(Sejagungbyeolgam: Crown

Prince's secretary and bodyguard)

Why are you here?

Where is His Royal Highness?

Tell me the truth at once!

Well

The thing is

"A scholar from the countryside who

was in town for the state exam"

"was wondering around in Gurigae

in the middle of the night"

"after having a drink

with a friend of his."

(Gurigae: Near Euljiro

in Seoul in present days)

"All of a sudden, four men showed

up and started pummeling him."

("Collection of Folktales")

- How scary.

- My gosh.

Then they threw him into a sack and said,

"Say one more word, and we

will beat you to death!"

- Goodness.

- Gosh, that is scary.

- They threatened him like that.

- They threatened him.

- Those scoundrels.

- Oh, dear.

(Then they started running, with

the scholar on their shoulders.)

"Then they started running, with

the scholar on their shoulders."

"The dumbfounded scholar had no

idea where they were taking him."

Oh, boy. They kidnapped him.

- Goodness. Be quiet, will you?

- Be quiet!

- My gosh.

- Goodness gracious.

- So?

- All right, focus.

"After running like that for

a while, they let him out."

"When he came out of the sack,"

"he saw a fancy mansion before his eyes."

Then he entered the room

and saw a beautiful lady wearing

nothing but her undergarments!

- Oh, my!

- My goodness.

The rest of the story is in this book.

- What?

- If you are curious,

What is he saying?

- come and buy a copy.

- Hey!

- Come on!

- You cannot do this.

- We have to buy it?

- How petty.

- Gosh.

- Hey, how could you do this?

- You are so mean!

("Collection of Folktales")

I will take a hundred copies.

Meet me at midnight

at the pavilion in Namsangol.

I have one question though.

What happens to the scholar?

Does he sleep with that beautiful woman?

I bet he does. Am I right?

I see. So he sleeps with her.

What?

This way.

One moment.

Say hello.

This is the hidden son of His

Majesty, who was unfairly

banished after being forced out

of the throne by the traitors.

Prince Haesung.

I heard you came from Jeolla Province.

- Yes, my lord.

- I am glad you are here.

He must have told you

all the details already,

so I shall get straight to the point.

If you help me raise military funds

to assist me in starting my own army,

you can live a life filled

with wealth and prosperity

alongside me, as soon

as I reclaim the throne.

Military funds? How much would you need?

Would a thousand nyang do?

A thousand nyang?

What is the matter? Is it too little?

It is not a small amount of

money, but the more, the better.

Then

how about 10,000 nyang?

We should have met sooner.

Your loyalty will surely

go down in history.

We are much obliged, my lord.

By the way, where is the money?

Did you bring the money?

Well

I left it at the place where I am staying.

Let us go there now. Where are you staying?

Maybe not today. I can

bring it to you tomorrow.

No.

I must save my father as soon as possible.

With that money, I can

raise an army right away

and take down those traitors who

stole the throne from my father

What are you doing?

- g*n.

- What?

This scoundrel dared to

call Father a traitor.

As his son, how could I

stand back and do nothing?

My gosh. You and your temper.

Even so, how could you punch him?

We should have coaxed them into

telling us who is behind them.

Do you actually think these

rats are planning a coup?

Can you not tell?

They are just swindlers who

steal money from the pockets

of clueless wealthy

people in the countryside.

Am I wrong?

Who are you?

I am none other than

the Crown Prince of Joseon.

- Oh, my. He is the Crown Prince.

- Gosh. Crown Prince?

- I have never seen him before.

- Why is he so handsome?

(Lee g*n, Crown Prince)

Such insolence.

You had better beg for forgiveness at once.

How dare you lie that you are

a royal and speak of a coup?

You deserve to die a hundred times.

- What shall we do?

- What do you want to do?

The thing is, we have to fight them anyway.

- Then I will take the guy in green.

- I will take the one in pink.

We will throw a punch

on the count of three.

- One, two

- One, two

- Oh, boy.

- Goodness.

Darn it. He is a good fighter.

You drive me nuts.

- Please calm down.

- I am hurt.

- Hey, go and fight.

- No, you first.

- Darn you!

- Get out of my way.

Why, you little

What the

Get him.

Nice, I actually punched him. I did it.

Hey, Dosung. Your brother is dying here.

I must say, I did not expect

you to be such a good fighter.

My gosh. Had we actually

gotten into a fight

Who knows what would have happened?

Hey, you are dead meat now.

I did not hit you.

- Your Royal Highness.

- I really did not hit you.

All I did was push your face a little.

That is all.

Hey, you hit him. I did not hit you at all.

Hand them over to the Police Bureau.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness, please have worthy on us!

"Mercy," not "worthy."

Please have mercy on us!

Hey, seriously.

What are you waiting for? Take them.

- Yes, sir!

- Yes, sir!

Your Highness, please take our lives!

Hey, I do not want to die.

Hey, I am just saying.

- What if he really kills us?

- No, he will not k*ll us.

You said you were sure

they were planning a coup.

But we caught those swindlers, regardless.

Fine. I am very proud

of you, my dear brother.

(Prince Dosung, Crown

Prince's half-brother)

Fine, I admit I made a mistake this time.

Rumor has it that some are hiding

in the slums just outside the South Gates,

so we should search that area.

Like I said, I admit I

made a mistake this time.

I did not say anything.

We should get going too.

You will return to the

palace looking like that?

What is wrong with the way I look?

Oh, my! Very nice.

My gosh! How nice is this?

My goodness.

Have you lost your mind?

I know that you like to have fun,

but did we have to come to a

kisaeng house in this situation?

We are here because of the

situation we are in now.

I brought you here because I have a plan,

so just follow me quietly.

Do you truly mean it?

- Yes.

- Must I do this?

Is this the only option we have, brother?

Yes. There is no other option, brother.

Even so, I am not a clown.

I have to wear makeup?

Then what? Will you return to

the palace looking like that?

If Father and Mother see

you, they will faint.

Also, if they ask you what happened,

what will you say?

If you tell them the truth,

you will never be allowed

to leave the palace again.

Fine, do whatever you want.

Okay, fine.

Here, go ahead and put it on my face.

Goodness.

You should have dodged.

I cannot believe you let

those rats punch you.

What on earth happened that

you have lost your nimbleness?

Try letting those teachers at the

Tutorial Office lecture you

from sunrise to sundown until you

get blisters on your buttocks.

You will end up like me too.

It is not like you do

everything you are told to do.

You could be smart about it like

you were at the Royal Family School.

I want to,

but they keep talking about

the Royal House, the country,

and the safety of Joseon.

(Jongmyosajik: The Royal

House and the country)

How could I be smart about it?

It is not easy being a crown prince.

My point, exactly.

Despite that,

I have never once you heard

you say you want to quit.

If I suffer a little,

the people of Joseon can

live more comfortably,

so how could I quit?

You little I am your elder brother.

I did not say anything.

The way you were looking at me just now

Whatever, forget it.

Anyway, this is enough, is it not?

Stop.

It is too heavily scented.

Stay still, will you?

If we want to return to the

palace before they wake up,

we must hurry.

Be gentle, okay?

I have not even touched your bruise yet.

Goodness. You are such a crybaby.

(Yoon Yi Kyum, Left State Councilor)

I hear the Crown Prince

is nowhere to be found.

Based on what the Crown

Prince's secretary has told me,

I believe he went out in disguise.

He went out in disguise?

You mean, he left the palace?

I understand that he is still immature,

but at this critical time

He must understand the weight of the crown.

I am gravely concerned.

Such insolence. Watch what you say.

The Crown Prince is thoughtful enough.

If he is thoughtful,

he should never secretly sneak

out of the palace in disguise.

That is not important now.

Magistrate.

Are you not worried about the

safety of the Crown Prince?

What?

Clearly, I am saying this out of concern.

We do not have time for this.

We ought to send out

the soldiers at once

and find His Royal Highness.

His Royal Highness has returned.

There was an incident last night.

Do you know about it?

Yes.

Then you must also know how many people

were worried and anxious because of you.

I deeply apologize for

causing you concern, Father.

Why did you sneak out in

disguise without even telling me?

(Jamhaeng: Going out in disguise)

I was curious about the

lives of the people.

To assess public sentiment

You have got to be kidding me!

Was that the only reason?

Yes.

What is this scent?

I smell makeup. Do you not?

(Jibun: Makeup)

Oh, my apologies.

It is not makeup.

My perfume pouch broke.

It must be what you are smelling.

The Queen Dowager

stayed up all night, waiting for you.

Follow me at once.

Yes, Your Majesty.

At this critical time,

he dared to sneak out in secret

to spend the night with a woman?

Is it because he has the

Namin Faction's blood in him?

I am concerned about the safety

and the future of our country.

So am I.

However,

it is not like we can install

someone else as Crown Prince.

If it is necessary,

it must be done.

We have Prince Dosung, the Queen's son.

(Yoon Yi Kyum, Prince

Dosung's maternal grandfather)

My goodness.

That is enough. Let us go.

At the moment, our priority is

to take care of the traitors.

We are all concerned, you see.

Come along.

Where were you all night? What did you do?

Tell me.

I went to see Dosung.

Dosung?

Why did you have to see

him, all of a sudden?

I felt bad, knowing he lives

alone outside the palace walls,

and I wanted to see how he was doing.

(Queen, Prince Dosung's mother)

The two brothers are very close.

It truly is nice to see, Your Majesty.

They are too close.

I think they even went to

a kisaeng house together.

Pardon me?

Crown Prince, is that true?

We went there because

If you tell them the truth,

you will never be allowed

to leave the palace again.

I am sorry.

So you sneaked out in disguise

to spend time with girls?

Do you take your responsibilities

as the Crown Prince that lightly?

Shall I crown Prince Dosung instead of you?

Your Majesty, you are being too harsh.

Calm down and talk to him

instead of flying into a rage.

He used to live freely outside

the palace walls, so I bet

he has been feeling trapped and frustrated.

I am certain that he will not do it again.

You always defend and coddle him like this.

No wonder he cannot get his act together.

His behavior is out of control.

He is the Crown Prince of Joseon.

(Gukbon: Crown Prince)

Please treat him with kindness.

The rebels who support the deposed king

are vying for the chance

to overthrow His Majesty.

You must not leave the

palace on your own again.

Do you understand?

Yes, Your Highness.

From now on,

I will always seek

Father's permission first.

What did you say?

Clearly, you have not

learned your lesson yet.

Why? Do you wish to visit

the kisaeng house again?

That is not the reason.

Shut your mouth!

How about we marry him off?

If he has a reason to stay in the palace,

he will not sneak out to wander around.

Then by any chance,

is there a family you

wish to marry him off to?

Yes, there is.

You must be thinking of Royal

Physician Choi Sang Rok.

Correct.

Your Majesty, if it were not for him,

you could have gotten hurt last night.

Correct.

I have always been aware

of his deep loyalty,

but he is not a military official.

I did not know he would get

stabbed to keep His Majesty safe.

It is a subject's duty to protect his king.

The problem is that they all

expect to be compensated

for merely doing their duty.

However, Royal Physician Choi

made the greatest contribution

out of everyone in the Restoration Group,

yet he is still working

faithfully as a royal physician.

I believe he is the only one

in the Restoration Group

who is not greedy

for money or power.

It seems like the Queen

and I are in agreement.

What do you think, Your Majesty?

Knowing that he is a man of high integrity,

we will not need to

worry about his family

trying to control the Crown Prince

even after he ascends the throne,

so I think it is the

best choice we can make.

Then now that the three

of us are in agreement,

we should soon issue a decree regarding

the appointment of the Crown Princess.

Yes.

I will discuss the matter with the

ministers and decide on the date.

Sorry to interrupt.

Do you not wish to hear

my opinion on the matter?

I told you to shut your mouth.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Royal Physician Choi's daughter

is very beautiful and elegant.

Even before she reached

the marriageable age,

there were so many families eyeing her.

I hear matchmakers keep visiting her.

Dream on. You are being ridiculous.

Stop talking such ridiculous nonsense.

Hey! What nonsense?

Now that you have seen my bare skin,

you must take care of me. Am I wrong?

Shut it.

Clench your teeth.

- Why?

- All right.

Be gentle!

Do not be such a crybaby!

I told you not to drink

because it could fester.

My goodness.

Come on.

I must drink, or there would

be nothing to look forward to!

Why?

Will you marry me if I quit drinking?

Forget it. As if I can expect

a dog to never poop again.

My lady, please.

People can hear you.

It is okay. They all know already anyway.

They would not even believe it if

I tried to act like a lady now.

This is done. Next!

Missy!

Gae Ttong, what is it?

They are back. They are

trying to take my father.

What? Those scoundrels.

I shall teach them a lesson.

- Come along.

- What?

Wait up, my lady!

My gosh.

I promised my wife that I

would never gamble again.

Please let me go.

Just one more game, okay?

It is a big game.

Look.

Why do you think I had

to cut off my own finger?

Please let me go.

Hey, your left hand is fine.

Just play one game with us, okay?

I will make sure you can win big.

- Pardon me?

- Hey!

"Hey?"

- Goodness.

This is not the clinic.

I told you never to show up again.

Are your ears plugged?

Did you not hear what I said?

My lady, calm down and talk it out.

- Gosh.

- Hey.

Here we go again.

- Come at me.

- Hey, teach her a lesson.

- Bring it on.

- Whack her.

- You little

- Gosh!

Darn it.

Why, you little

Hey, you piece of

- Hey, let us go.

- Okay.

- You rats.

- Father!

Gosh, my child.

You had better not show up again.

What?

It is not like you can come

here every day to guard them.

They will come back again, you know.

So what is the point?

Father.

Father

Gosh, that darned wench.

She always has to punch

me in the same spot.

Next time,

I will gouge her eyes out.

What did you say about my eyes?

Goodness.

What now?

Come out.

Gosh, I just got here.

Come out, where?

If you guys pass out before I do,

you must stop bothering Gae Ttong's father.

But if I lose,

I will not care what you

do to Gae Ttong's father.

Understood?

- "You guys?"

Not just me?

You want to go up against all of us here?

Have you lost your mind?

If you are intimidated, go drop dead.

I am a little intimidated, but

I do not want to drop dead.

Where did you learn to talk like that?

Fine.

Let us do this.

Nice.

My goodness.

- What are you staring at?

- You are so small.

And yet, you can hold your liquor.

Quit talking nonsense, and drink.

- I lost.

- What?

I lost, all right?

From now on,

I will call you missy.

"Missy," my foot.

Others will point fingers

at you for calling me that.

Who cares?

You are better at fighting

and drinking than me.

That makes you missy.

Am I not right, guys?

Altogether.

- Missy.

- Missy.

- Missy.

- Missy.

- Missy.

- Missy.

Fine.

Then, everyone

is to stick their heads on the ground.

- Right now?

- No, scratch that.

Pour me a glass, will you?

Come now. Stop, my lady.

You are already drunk.

Do not worry, Oh Wol.

I am not one bit drunk.

What will she do if the lord finds out?

- Gosh, seriously.

- Gosh.

Is it that bad?

Your daughter Myung Yoon

was born to bring catastrophe

and become a widow.

Other bad events can be

prevented by exorcism.

But the so-called widow's fate,

one that gets her husband

k*lled, cannot be avoided.

If Myung Yoon marries

His Royal Highness as is,

His Royal Highness will die early,

and Myung Yoon will become a young widow.

Is there no way out of it?

There is one way.

But I wonder if you can execute it.

What is it that I must do?

There is a possibility everything

you have achieved until now

can go down altogether.

Will you be okay with it?

Because I did not listen to your words,

my life was a fiery pit.

I do not wish

to live another life filled with regret.

Please tell me.

- Goodness.

- Oh, no.

Wait.

Good grief.

What? Did she sober up already?

Good gracious.

Sober up, my foot.

Even so, my lady,

you are indeed amazing.

I am not drunk at all, you hear me?

I got it, so can you get up?

You should wash your feet before bed.

My feet?

I should wash them.

Let us wash them before going to sleep.

Gosh.

What? Oh Wol.

- Yes?

- Oh Wol

What is it?

My feet are nowhere to be seen.

Where are my

Where are my feet? I wonder where they are.

Take off your socks, and

you will find your feet.

So here they are.

Good grief.

Gosh.

I am thirsty, Oh Wol.

I am about to die from thirst.

All right, I will bring some water shortly.

But this, too, is water.

- Do not drink it.

- All right.

Seriously

Wait.

Wait a bit, Myung Yoon.

Wait. Wait for her, Myung Yoon.

My lady!

This is bad, my lady!

His lord is looking for you.

- My father?

- Yes.

What now?

Do I look drunk?

Your face is

Is it as red as a tomato?

It is as red as a tomato

and redder than the reddest.

What will you do, my lady?

His lord will definitely find out today.

Right.

Here I go.

My lady!

Father.

Did you have a safe trip?

Yes, I did.

I heard you went outside

of the South Gates again.

Yes.

Stop going to the clinic from now on.

Why all of a sudden?

I did not say anything about

it as it was nothing bad.

However, from now on, you must be

more prudent about your behaviors.

I have told you before.

You are the future Crown Princess.

People may start talking about you,

so stop going to the clinic.

One cannot choose to become

the Crown Princess herself.

There is no certainty I

will be selected as one.

I want to continue to work at the clinic.

Please allow it.

- Myung Yoon.

- Yes, Father?

You have

already been chosen as the Crown Princess.

Pardon?

The bridal selection order will

be issued for the procedure.

However, His Royal Majesty

has already decided.

Keep that in mind.

My lady!

Did his lord find out?

But how did he?

You do not look red anymore.

Was it the smell?

No, you do not smell of alcohol.

Pardon? The Crown Princess?

Is that true?

Gosh.

The Crown Princess

My lady is the Crown Princess.

Congratulations, my lady.

What is it?

Why are you sighing about

such a happy occasion?

You usually do not keep your dignity.

Laugh if you are happy

about it, just like me.

Are you happy?

Of course, I am.

My lady will become the Crown Princess.

That means when the Crown

Prince becomes the King,

my lady will become Her Royal Majesty.

In short, this country's queen.

This feels like a dream.

The lady I serve will have

the highest status among

all women in this country.

- Oh Wol.

- Yes?

When I enter the palace,

you will have to as well.

Then, you cannot get married.

You will have to grow old all alone.

Are you fine with that?

Gosh. What is the use of getting married?

Even if I give birth and raise children,

they, too, will live as

servants their whole lives.

Whatever. I want to enter

the palace with you

and live the rest of my life in luxury.

You see, I

My lady. You will take me, yes?

Without you, I am useless.

So you will take me, yes?

I am already excited!

By the way, my lady.

I am very curious.

You are, too, right?

I am talking about His Royal Highness.

What he is like, and how he looks.

What if he is good-looking?

The children you and His

Royal Highness will have

will be so handsome and pretty.

How many children will you have?

I am in this poor state

because of my master.

But someone is enjoying fishing.

I wonder why life is so unfair.

Gap Dol.

Thanks to that master, you

are no longer a servant.

You are now the Guard of

the Crown Prince's Palace.

Have you forgotten about those?

It is Gap Seok, not Gap Dol.

Yes, Gap Dol.

Did I not give you that

name when I dismissed you

as a servant?

Because Your Royal Highness

drank all of my mother's milk,

I barely had any to drink.

Hence, I cannot remember things well.

You always bring that up

whenever you are in a pinch.

Do you not think that is cheap?

Oh, the fish took the bait.

Here I go.

Gosh, it must be a big one.

- Come and help.

- Yes.

What is this?

Hold on.

Here we go.

What is

Is that a ghost? A water ghost?

It is not a ghost but a dead body.

"A dead body?"

- Yes.

Good grief, Your Royal Highness!

Stop making a fuss. Go

call over some people.

Did you know the girl?

(Autopsy)

Yes.

Please do not feel too bad.

Let me know

once the autopsy is complete.

Of course.

I have committed a mortal sin.

Do you like yakgwa?

Pardon?

Have some.

It is all right since I ate it first.

I hope I am not overstepping my bounds,

but may I take this to my mother?

In a few days' time, I will

be taking my regular break.

(Sunhyuil: A regular day-off every 10 days)

I hid the yakgwa to take it to my mother

and younger sibling.

You are a sweet girl.

Prepare some yakgwa for this girl.

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

Have your mother and younger

sibling enjoy them as well.

Do you hear me?

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

Your Royal Highness.

I received word from the

Office of Palace Physicians.

She took her own life.

(Jajin: Suicide)

It was suicide?

Yes.

Jong Geum was not the

type to commit suicide.

A girl who hid a yakgwa

to bring to her family

would not have taken her own life.

Right.

Where are you headed?

(Autopsy Report)

(Suicide)

(Jong Geum, court maid of

the Queen Dowager's quarters)

(Recorder Heo Jin Soo)

Your Royal Highness.

Are you Physician Heo Jin Soo

who examined the dead body of Jong Geum,

the court maid of the

Queen Dowager's quarters?

That is correct.

It says you only conducted

a preliminary examination.

(Chogeom: A preliminary examination)

Why was there no follow-up?

Her death was obviously suicide,

so I deemed it unnecessary

to discomfort the Queen Dowager

by further looking into the case.

It is why I did not continue

with a second autopsy.

You are sure

she committed suicide?

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

It says here that another court maid

of the Queen Dowager's

chambers took her own life.

(Recorder Heo Jin Soo)

You led the autopsy in that case as well.

- Is that true?

- Yes.

Does it not seem weird that

two of her court maids

took their own lives?

Forgive me for saying this,

but I am not an officer

of the Police Bureau

- but a physician.

- Such insolence!

All I did was examine the dead body

and determine the death as a suicide.

It is a human being that died.

Surely, you were curious.

During an autopsy, it is imperative

that one remains objective.

I only let the dead body speak to me.

I see.

I hear you loud and clear.

You are dismissed.

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

Your Royal Highness.

Does this not seem oddly suspicious?

We will know more

once we look further into the matter.

Your Royal Highness.

I will keep digging.

Your Royal Highness.

What brings you by all the way out here?

Once I heard you stopped by the

Office of Palace Physicians,

questions I had regarding the

matter suddenly dawned on me.

It is why I conducted a second autopsy.

Did you find something?

Forgive me for saying this,

but I agree with the preliminary report.

She took her own life.

Is there no possibility

of it being a homicide?

Someone could have

made it look like a

suicide after her death.

There are no defensive wounds or

any other wounds for that matter.

And judging by the water in her lungs,

it seems likely that the

poor girl committed suicide.

However, since I could

have missed something,

I will conduct a third autopsy

should you still have doubts.

Do not bother. I doubt

that will change anything.

You were not able to find

evidence of foul play,

so who could possibly do a better job?

I am humbled, Your Royal Highness.

I appreciate your consideration.

You must be busy, so

do not let me keep you.

I guess we were wrong

to question her death.

She must have taken her own life.

Stop talking and come with me.

I have a feeling that

we are wasting our time.

Buyong Pavilion, second watch of the night.

It is way past the second

watch of the night.

We should head back down.

Sure. Let us do that.

Your Royal Highness,

did you see what I saw?

Could my eyes be playing tricks on me?

What will you do about this?

We should immediately

take this to His Majesty.

Your Royal Highness?

What is that?

That is an acupuncture needle canister

carried around by physicians.

Not all needle canisters are

the same, Your Royal Highness.

There are those valuable

which are made from ivory.

Some are made from bamboo

or royal foxglove wood.

And like mine,

some are made from cupronickel.

Your Royal Highness.

Can one easily obtain a

canister like this one?

I am afraid not.

I received it

when I first joined the Royal Infirmary

as a gift from Royal Physician Choi.

Your Royal Highness,

your evening meal has arrived.

I am not feeling well and do

not have the stomach for it.

I shall call a physician.

I only feel a slight

tightness in the stomach,

so do not fret.

Of course, Your Royal Highness.

Please come back quick,

Your Royal Highness.

Anyway, where are you headed?

To someone with extensive knowledge

regarding needle canisters.

Pardon? And who may that be?

Darn.

You are home from work, Father.

Moo Baek, are you there?

Did you call for me, my lord?

Do not ever

let Lady Myung Yoon step

inside the clinic again.

But Father

Yes, my lord.

Come with me.

I do not intend to marry.

- What?

- I

I am aware of my own fate.

I heard the man I marry

would meet an untimely death.

Am I wrong?

So how could I possibly

become the Crown Princess?

I wish to spend my life aiding you

working at the clinic.

That is admirable of you,

but I have a way.

(Bibang: A secret method)

I will take care of everything,

so just do as I say and follow my lead.

I have never gone against you,

but this will be that one time.

And I just said I would

take care of things.

Squash your pointless worries

and get ready to move into the palace.

- But Father

- I must rest.

You are dismissed.

Handle the affair well, and I

will pay you that much more.

However, a single mistake

will not be allowed.

- Do you understand?

- Do not worry.

So that it does not backfire,

the affair will be neatly managed.

I will hold you to those words.

- Yes, my lord.

- Yes, my lord.

My lady, where are you going?

Do not ask if you are not following me out.

The night air is chilly. You

should head inside, my lady.

Can you not turn a blind eye?

I apologize.

Then, can you at least

tell me what my father

is planning to do?

You, of all people, will be aware of it.

Tell me what it is.

Forgive me, but I cannot tell you.

However, please know

that everything is for your own good.

Can you promise me

that what he plans to

do will not hurt others?

I only say that because

I have my suspicions.

Why else would I have chosen

the option to run away?

My father must be stopped.

If he chooses a dangerous

route for my sake,

how could I live in peace

even after I become Crown Princess?

Help me.

Please.

Royal Physician Choi is

not home at the moment.

Do you not know when he will be back?

He will at least be back

by the end of the day.

Good work. Let me pour you a glass.

Thank you.

Master Lee?

- Why you

- Master Lee?

Get over here!

Master Lee?

Master Lee?

Your Royal Highness.

Master Lee!

(We thank Seo Beom Sik, Cho

Jin Se, and Kim Won Hun)

(for their guest appearance.)

(Missing Crown Prince)

Are you sure it is the Crown Prince?

It does not seem to be the Royal Highness.

We have no idea

of what kind of danger

His Royal Highness is in.

But you are telling me you

have found no traces of him.

How can you suddenly tell me

to give up hope on the Crown Prince?

You must choose.

Is it the Crown Prince

or the throne?

- Please reconsider, Your Majesty.

- Please reconsider, Your Majesty.

Do you believe that k*lling me

will keep your dirty hidden

affair from surfacing?

He will choose to give

up on the Crown Prince.

Did my father order you

to k*ll me?