Dae Wang Sejong (2008): Season 1, Episode 43 - Episode #1.43 - full transcript
Proceed with the execution!
Forgive me...
... for being unable to serve you
for a longer time, Your Majesty.
Your loyalty will always
be treasured in my heart.
Deputy Minister of Defense Gang
Sangin, you are my faithful servant.
November 26, 1418 Deputy Minister of
Defense Gang Sangin - executed
Will you not regret turning
your back on Gang Sangin?
Send this to the King and tell
him to proceed immediately.
My signature?
Eminence the former King has
ordered Shim On arrested at the border.
Your signature is required
to put the order in force.
Please rescind the order.
Just call him in quietly
and take away his title.
Don't take away his life.
It's too late, my Queen.
Of all things to hand down to your son...
Do you want him to break his
wife's heart as you did mine?
Your signature, Your Majesty.
Criminal of high treason must
quickly be brought to justice.
Minister Park.
How could you...
Do not defend
the criminal of high treason.
Or His Majesty will have another
order he must approve.
Isn't that right?
If you continue to pressure
the King, I will...
Stop.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Did you sign it?
Of course not.
You know my father's devotion
and loyalty to you.
He doesn't bear an ounce
of treasonous intent.
You... signed.
You signed it, Your Majesty.
Take her back to her chambers.
No.
I will not go back.
This palace is not my home anymore.
My Queen...
Depose me.
Make me a commoner and remove my
name from the registry of royals forever.
The seat of the Queen was
never mine to begin with.
I am not Queen material,
so depose me with your own hands.
And leave my father alone.
If I am not the Queen,
my father would not be
the King's father-in-law.
And there would be no reason to set
him up and kill him. So please...
Spare my father's life.
Take the Queen back to
her chambers at once.
Now!
Remove the seed of future evil?
To protect yourself.
Do you think the queen can hurt me?
The next King is being
raised in her hands.
There is no guarantee that she
will not raise him to be vengeful.
I'm merely obeying an order.
And the King has authorized it, so
blood will be on his hands as well.
But...
You will be the one who actually
swung the sword as the King's agent.
It won't be easy for the prince to
challenge his father and grandfather,
but it is a son's duty to give
his mother retribution.
Who do you think he will
choose to take it out on?
Are you suggesting that,
I depose the Queen?
First you'll need justifiable cause.
Justifiable cause...
What will happen to the Prime
Minister when he returns?
Is there a way to save him?
If there were... His Majesty would
not have signed the order.
Then we can't be idle.
We must find a way to save him.
Send me to Ming.
Liaodong
We're miles from the next city.
We will have to pitch a tent for the night.
What's bothering you?
We got the investiture decree
and the books we came for.
You should be happy.
Is it because of the Yongle Encyclopedia?
How did you...
I heard your request to
for a perusal was rejected.
Yongle Encyclopedia is the largest
general encyclopedia that over two
thousand scholars have worked on since
the first year of the emperor's reign.
From astronomy, geology, history,
poltics, medicine to religion,
it practically covers ever
subject there is to know.
Are you envious?
More so than their vast land
and abundant riches.
And I envy you.
Prime Minister.
My generation...
We watched the country fall.
We watched law and order
crumble and chaos take over.
Are you talking about
the last years of Goryeo?
Confusion continued well
after Joseon was founded.
That's why the former King put blood
on his hands to realize his dream of
creating a strong nation,
and that dream belonged
to all of us in my generation.
But the new generation,
the new King and you young
lads have a different dream.
Your dream goes beyond securing national
strength into creating culturally rich nation.
Isn't that why His Majesty
established the Hall of Worthies?
Sir...
I would gladly give
myself for that dream.
Who is to say the Hall of Worthies
can't compile an encyclopedia,
greater than the Youngle Encyclopedia?
You made be feel a lot better.
Then why don't you help
us set up camp now?
I think that's where your service
is needed most right now.
I've been sent by the Imperial Eunuch.
You will join us to Joseon?
Is this to deliver the investiture
decree personally?
No, it's about a different matter.
Still not ready to share
the technology with us?
A renowned Hanlin scholar
has disappeared?
If he disappeared at sea,
I guess there is a good chance he
was abducted by Japanese pirates.
Since Joseon is planning a conquest
the Emperor has ordered a joint rescue.
Arrest Shim On in Uiju?
The Royal Inspector's Office, the
Censorate and the Minister of Rites
are to collaborate and bring him in quietly.
Hall of Worthies
If they're after the Prime
Minister this time, am I next?
What do you mean?
The Hall of Worthies is the new
King's biggest source of support.
That means I am his close aide
and core of influence, too
The former King has to be very wary of me.
Core of influence is holding
the book upside down?
Huh?
What is the Prime Minister's crime?
Giving you undying loyalty?
Sparing no efforts to serve the country?
Who will be next?
Who will die next for
giving you his loyalty?
I've been ordered to
arrest the Prime Minister!
Your Majesty, you must stop
hiding behind the books!
No reaction at all?
I'm impressed.
The guards have left the city
to arrest the Prime Minister.
Lady Ann must be anguished
to say the least.
I am told she has taken ill.
Pay her a visit.
She may not be happy, but it
is the only decent thing to do.
Yes, Your Highness.
I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this.
Take care of yourself.
Don't worry.
Mother, what brings you at this hour?
Where is Yi Sun?
Did you send her to your father?
Please close your eyes to this, Mother.
I will accept any consequences, so...
How could you be so foolish?
This will give me a justifiable
cause to depose the Queen.
Go to the Minister of Rites at once.
She must be captured before
she crosses the border!
You must attend to this discreetly.
Send your men and bring
Yi Sun back to the palace.
If the ministers find out about this,
you wont just lose your father-in-law.
You could lose your wife as well.
What will happen if the Prime
Minister doesn't come back?
I could lose the Queen and
many more or my men as well.
Then perhaps I should go to Uiju and...
No.
But Your Majesty...
Uiju City Hall
The Queen's servant is
sneaking out of the country?
Circulate the sketch and
alert the border guards!
Yes, sir!
Stop!
Stop!
What do you want?
Aren't you Joseonese?
My baby... Oh, my baby...!
Why are you harassing this woman?
Are you discriminating against Chinese?
Lost her?
You let the girl slip away?
She was in disguise...
Then did you expect her to cross
the border in a court lady's uniform?
What now?
What if Shim On decides to defect?
Defect?
Never.
Well get him even if we
have to cross the border.
We can't just cross the
border with the troops.
It will look like military
aggression to the Chinese.
You talk as if you're happy about that.
We must stop him from
defecting at all cost.
The King's investiture decree
is in Shim On's possession.
If he requests political asylum, the
Emperor might annul the investiture.
Is that what you want?
You must protect yourself.
They're waiting at the border to arrest you.
Please don't ignore the Queen's
devotion to you, my lord.
I will find a place for you to hide, so...
That's absurd!
He will choose death before he has to
live the rest of his life as a fugitive!
My man!
Come!
Now!
Sir...
If you wish to seek refuge,
I will turn a blind eye.
Accept the Prime Minister's
request for asylum.
Tell him.
Sir...
Interpret every word I say.
I'm offering Ming an opportunity
to gain an extraordinary scholar.
Joseon is unworthy of him, so I'm
giving our sister state Ming a chance.
He is as brilliant as any Hanlin scholar
you have, so please accept him.
I will discuss it with the Emperor.
What is the meaning of this?
I apologize for his rash behavior
and ask that you ignore his request.
Come with me.
Sir...
Do you want to humiliate
us in front of a Ming envoy?
Disobey me and I will have you
punished according to the law!
Prime Minister!
Prime Minister!
Seek political asylum, sir.
This is wrong.
This is political conspiracy!
Stand up to them and resist politically.
Otherwise this will never end.
Go back to your quarters.
If you must abdicate your throne,
turn control of military affairs
over to the new King as well.
No man will give absolute loyalty to a King
who has his father looming
over his shoulders.
Including yourself?
You must allow him to lead
the country his own way.
And what way is that?
That naive and unrealistic way where
everyone is loved and forgiven including
those who conspire to
commit high treason?
Would you rather he continued the
violent, merciless rule where the
sword is the only thing that
can maintain the regime?
Did it enrage you?
Did you take this old mans concern for his
son-in-law to be a royal subject's insolence?
What do we do if he doesn't cross
the border by the end of the day?
We will assume the risk and
cross the border to capture him.
Get ready to go home.
Prime Minister, why?
Who says bad laws can be broken?
I am the Prime Minister of this state.
That means I had a part
in writing bad laws.
But...
Don't you know that this political
purging will not stop if I don't return?
Help me.
Don't resist me.
I came to Ming as Prime Minister
and ambassador of Joseon, and
I have yet to deliver the
investiture decree to the King.
Can't you help me finish the assignment
that could possibly be my last?
I have a difficult request.
Would you delay your entry
to Joseon for another day?
We would like to cross the
border into Joseon first.
Does your country's honor
come before your own safety?
You are a faithful servant of Joseon
no matter what they say about you.
What are you waiting for?
Arrest the criminal of high treason!
Sir, you must be wary from the trip.
Let us take you from here
Thank you.
Attendant of Queen's Hall Yi Sun?
Sir...!
Why would the Queen
take this kind of risk?
What are you waiting for?
Arrest her!
Let go of me!
Get his confession and wrap it up quickly.
Thank you.
Minister is back.
Perhaps you'd like to see him...
I want your word that the
purging will end with me.
Then I will acknowledge everything
and accept punishment.
Whether you acknowledge
or not makes no difference.
Your guilt has already been confirmed
by Gang Sangin before his execution.
I will not tolerate further purging.
Let it end with me.
I'm afraid I can't.
The one who attempted to protect
the criminal of high treason
must be punished as well.
You're not...
You should've taught your daughter better.
Depose the Queen?
Your Highness, I am certain
you know why this girl is here
and as well why we must
now seek your deposal.
Your Majesty, the queen cannot
dispatch her personal attendant
to aid an escape of
a criminal of high treason.
No one is above the law!
Protecting high treason is
high treason itself.
The queen must be deposed.
- The Queen must be deposed!
- The Queen must be deposed!
You must make your
decision, Your Majesty.
The Queen must be deposed!
You must protect the regime!
Show the sternness of the law!
Give us your order!
Forgive me...
... for being unable to serve you
for a longer time, Your Majesty.
Your loyalty will always
be treasured in my heart.
Deputy Minister of Defense Gang
Sangin, you are my faithful servant.
November 26, 1418 Deputy Minister of
Defense Gang Sangin - executed
Will you not regret turning
your back on Gang Sangin?
Send this to the King and tell
him to proceed immediately.
My signature?
Eminence the former King has
ordered Shim On arrested at the border.
Your signature is required
to put the order in force.
Please rescind the order.
Just call him in quietly
and take away his title.
Don't take away his life.
It's too late, my Queen.
Of all things to hand down to your son...
Do you want him to break his
wife's heart as you did mine?
Your signature, Your Majesty.
Criminal of high treason must
quickly be brought to justice.
Minister Park.
How could you...
Do not defend
the criminal of high treason.
Or His Majesty will have another
order he must approve.
Isn't that right?
If you continue to pressure
the King, I will...
Stop.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Did you sign it?
Of course not.
You know my father's devotion
and loyalty to you.
He doesn't bear an ounce
of treasonous intent.
You... signed.
You signed it, Your Majesty.
Take her back to her chambers.
No.
I will not go back.
This palace is not my home anymore.
My Queen...
Depose me.
Make me a commoner and remove my
name from the registry of royals forever.
The seat of the Queen was
never mine to begin with.
I am not Queen material,
so depose me with your own hands.
And leave my father alone.
If I am not the Queen,
my father would not be
the King's father-in-law.
And there would be no reason to set
him up and kill him. So please...
Spare my father's life.
Take the Queen back to
her chambers at once.
Now!
Remove the seed of future evil?
To protect yourself.
Do you think the queen can hurt me?
The next King is being
raised in her hands.
There is no guarantee that she
will not raise him to be vengeful.
I'm merely obeying an order.
And the King has authorized it, so
blood will be on his hands as well.
But...
You will be the one who actually
swung the sword as the King's agent.
It won't be easy for the prince to
challenge his father and grandfather,
but it is a son's duty to give
his mother retribution.
Who do you think he will
choose to take it out on?
Are you suggesting that,
I depose the Queen?
First you'll need justifiable cause.
Justifiable cause...
What will happen to the Prime
Minister when he returns?
Is there a way to save him?
If there were... His Majesty would
not have signed the order.
Then we can't be idle.
We must find a way to save him.
Send me to Ming.
Liaodong
We're miles from the next city.
We will have to pitch a tent for the night.
What's bothering you?
We got the investiture decree
and the books we came for.
You should be happy.
Is it because of the Yongle Encyclopedia?
How did you...
I heard your request to
for a perusal was rejected.
Yongle Encyclopedia is the largest
general encyclopedia that over two
thousand scholars have worked on since
the first year of the emperor's reign.
From astronomy, geology, history,
poltics, medicine to religion,
it practically covers ever
subject there is to know.
Are you envious?
More so than their vast land
and abundant riches.
And I envy you.
Prime Minister.
My generation...
We watched the country fall.
We watched law and order
crumble and chaos take over.
Are you talking about
the last years of Goryeo?
Confusion continued well
after Joseon was founded.
That's why the former King put blood
on his hands to realize his dream of
creating a strong nation,
and that dream belonged
to all of us in my generation.
But the new generation,
the new King and you young
lads have a different dream.
Your dream goes beyond securing national
strength into creating culturally rich nation.
Isn't that why His Majesty
established the Hall of Worthies?
Sir...
I would gladly give
myself for that dream.
Who is to say the Hall of Worthies
can't compile an encyclopedia,
greater than the Youngle Encyclopedia?
You made be feel a lot better.
Then why don't you help
us set up camp now?
I think that's where your service
is needed most right now.
I've been sent by the Imperial Eunuch.
You will join us to Joseon?
Is this to deliver the investiture
decree personally?
No, it's about a different matter.
Still not ready to share
the technology with us?
A renowned Hanlin scholar
has disappeared?
If he disappeared at sea,
I guess there is a good chance he
was abducted by Japanese pirates.
Since Joseon is planning a conquest
the Emperor has ordered a joint rescue.
Arrest Shim On in Uiju?
The Royal Inspector's Office, the
Censorate and the Minister of Rites
are to collaborate and bring him in quietly.
Hall of Worthies
If they're after the Prime
Minister this time, am I next?
What do you mean?
The Hall of Worthies is the new
King's biggest source of support.
That means I am his close aide
and core of influence, too
The former King has to be very wary of me.
Core of influence is holding
the book upside down?
Huh?
What is the Prime Minister's crime?
Giving you undying loyalty?
Sparing no efforts to serve the country?
Who will be next?
Who will die next for
giving you his loyalty?
I've been ordered to
arrest the Prime Minister!
Your Majesty, you must stop
hiding behind the books!
No reaction at all?
I'm impressed.
The guards have left the city
to arrest the Prime Minister.
Lady Ann must be anguished
to say the least.
I am told she has taken ill.
Pay her a visit.
She may not be happy, but it
is the only decent thing to do.
Yes, Your Highness.
I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this.
Take care of yourself.
Don't worry.
Mother, what brings you at this hour?
Where is Yi Sun?
Did you send her to your father?
Please close your eyes to this, Mother.
I will accept any consequences, so...
How could you be so foolish?
This will give me a justifiable
cause to depose the Queen.
Go to the Minister of Rites at once.
She must be captured before
she crosses the border!
You must attend to this discreetly.
Send your men and bring
Yi Sun back to the palace.
If the ministers find out about this,
you wont just lose your father-in-law.
You could lose your wife as well.
What will happen if the Prime
Minister doesn't come back?
I could lose the Queen and
many more or my men as well.
Then perhaps I should go to Uiju and...
No.
But Your Majesty...
Uiju City Hall
The Queen's servant is
sneaking out of the country?
Circulate the sketch and
alert the border guards!
Yes, sir!
Stop!
Stop!
What do you want?
Aren't you Joseonese?
My baby... Oh, my baby...!
Why are you harassing this woman?
Are you discriminating against Chinese?
Lost her?
You let the girl slip away?
She was in disguise...
Then did you expect her to cross
the border in a court lady's uniform?
What now?
What if Shim On decides to defect?
Defect?
Never.
Well get him even if we
have to cross the border.
We can't just cross the
border with the troops.
It will look like military
aggression to the Chinese.
You talk as if you're happy about that.
We must stop him from
defecting at all cost.
The King's investiture decree
is in Shim On's possession.
If he requests political asylum, the
Emperor might annul the investiture.
Is that what you want?
You must protect yourself.
They're waiting at the border to arrest you.
Please don't ignore the Queen's
devotion to you, my lord.
I will find a place for you to hide, so...
That's absurd!
He will choose death before he has to
live the rest of his life as a fugitive!
My man!
Come!
Now!
Sir...
If you wish to seek refuge,
I will turn a blind eye.
Accept the Prime Minister's
request for asylum.
Tell him.
Sir...
Interpret every word I say.
I'm offering Ming an opportunity
to gain an extraordinary scholar.
Joseon is unworthy of him, so I'm
giving our sister state Ming a chance.
He is as brilliant as any Hanlin scholar
you have, so please accept him.
I will discuss it with the Emperor.
What is the meaning of this?
I apologize for his rash behavior
and ask that you ignore his request.
Come with me.
Sir...
Do you want to humiliate
us in front of a Ming envoy?
Disobey me and I will have you
punished according to the law!
Prime Minister!
Prime Minister!
Seek political asylum, sir.
This is wrong.
This is political conspiracy!
Stand up to them and resist politically.
Otherwise this will never end.
Go back to your quarters.
If you must abdicate your throne,
turn control of military affairs
over to the new King as well.
No man will give absolute loyalty to a King
who has his father looming
over his shoulders.
Including yourself?
You must allow him to lead
the country his own way.
And what way is that?
That naive and unrealistic way where
everyone is loved and forgiven including
those who conspire to
commit high treason?
Would you rather he continued the
violent, merciless rule where the
sword is the only thing that
can maintain the regime?
Did it enrage you?
Did you take this old mans concern for his
son-in-law to be a royal subject's insolence?
What do we do if he doesn't cross
the border by the end of the day?
We will assume the risk and
cross the border to capture him.
Get ready to go home.
Prime Minister, why?
Who says bad laws can be broken?
I am the Prime Minister of this state.
That means I had a part
in writing bad laws.
But...
Don't you know that this political
purging will not stop if I don't return?
Help me.
Don't resist me.
I came to Ming as Prime Minister
and ambassador of Joseon, and
I have yet to deliver the
investiture decree to the King.
Can't you help me finish the assignment
that could possibly be my last?
I have a difficult request.
Would you delay your entry
to Joseon for another day?
We would like to cross the
border into Joseon first.
Does your country's honor
come before your own safety?
You are a faithful servant of Joseon
no matter what they say about you.
What are you waiting for?
Arrest the criminal of high treason!
Sir, you must be wary from the trip.
Let us take you from here
Thank you.
Attendant of Queen's Hall Yi Sun?
Sir...!
Why would the Queen
take this kind of risk?
What are you waiting for?
Arrest her!
Let go of me!
Get his confession and wrap it up quickly.
Thank you.
Minister is back.
Perhaps you'd like to see him...
I want your word that the
purging will end with me.
Then I will acknowledge everything
and accept punishment.
Whether you acknowledge
or not makes no difference.
Your guilt has already been confirmed
by Gang Sangin before his execution.
I will not tolerate further purging.
Let it end with me.
I'm afraid I can't.
The one who attempted to protect
the criminal of high treason
must be punished as well.
You're not...
You should've taught your daughter better.
Depose the Queen?
Your Highness, I am certain
you know why this girl is here
and as well why we must
now seek your deposal.
Your Majesty, the queen cannot
dispatch her personal attendant
to aid an escape of
a criminal of high treason.
No one is above the law!
Protecting high treason is
high treason itself.
The queen must be deposed.
- The Queen must be deposed!
- The Queen must be deposed!
You must make your
decision, Your Majesty.
The Queen must be deposed!
You must protect the regime!
Show the sternness of the law!
Give us your order!