Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (신입사관 구해령)

Is it not in the back either?

No, there isn't even a trace.

By any chance, is there a possibility that someone else has taken it already?

I lived here my whole life.

If something like that was found here, I would have known for sure.

And before you began to live here, this place was deserted for a long time,

so no one would have searched here.

I'll take another look over here. You should get some rest.

I'm fine.

Your shoulder isn't even well yet.

If it gets infected, it will give you a hard time.

- Why? - Do you not care?

I might not be

the person you always thought I was.

Then what do you believe

I think of you?

To me, you are a weird person

who can write amazing romance novels

when you don't know a thing about women.

Also, you're someone who's scared of tigers,

but who can do anything when it comes to love.

And you never even pick a flower recklessly.

You always leave rice grains on the windowsill for birds.

That is

the Prince Dowon that I know.

You'll always be the person I know.

Eunuch Hong Il-seop of Office of Eunuchs. Get him!

Darn it.

Come in.

He made a confession. It was the Queen Dowager's doing.

- Tell them to report it as it is. - Yes, my lord.

Are you saying the Queen Dowager was the one who spread The Story of Ho Dam?

Yes, we received a report from the Royal Investigation Bureau.

They questioned the court ladies involved in this incident,

and they all confessed that they followed her order.

Your Majesty, forgive me for saying this.

But The Story of Ho Dam is a completely made-up story

written by the remnants of Seoraewon

to praise the dethroned King's odd behaviors.

What do you reckon it means if such a book was found

within the Queen Dowager's place?

On top of that, she was the mother of the dethroned King...

So what? Are you suggesting that the Queen Dowager of this country was

secretly in league with the traitors?

Your Royal Highness.

I do not believe that the Queen Dowager is involved in this incident.

However, what we do know clearly is that the remnants of Seoraewon have

deeply infiltrated the palace to cause division.

How can we just sit around and watch this?

Your Majesty, the safety of the royal family is at stake.

Please close the Queen Dowager's place and interrogate the court ladies

to find out who's behind this.

Don't let them, Your Majesty.

If you let them interrogate the court ladies of her place,

it's as good as announcing that the Queen Dowager is behind this.

That's just speculation.

I just wish to root out the remnants of Seoraewon.

I am not claiming that the Queen Dowager is guilty.

The things of the Inner Palace can't be dealt with in the royal court.

This is the royal family's trouble. Let me take care of this.

- Your Majesty. - Your Majesty.

Silence!

Give me some time to think.

Your Majesty.

You cannot let the Second State Councillor have his way with this.

You must give me permission.

Like I said, I'll think about it.

You should go for now.

You must turn it down at once.

How can you ignore his plan to cut off

the Queen Dowager's hands and feet

- and confine her within her place? - I told you to leave.

I can't back down.

The Second State Councillor is

the treacherous one who blames the innocent Queen Dowager

and who wants to divide up the royal family.

Your Majesty!

What do you know to meddle with this?

It's all for your sake.

It's all to protect you

from Prince Dowon.

What do you mean?

Did you honestly

have no idea?

That he's the dethroned King's son?

- Father. - Yes.

He was born as the crown prince of this country.

He's the eldest son of that legitimate King, Yi Gyeom.

The Queen Dowager is

trying to enthrone Prince Dowon instead of you.

She's dragging in the remnants of Seoraewon

and spreading Yi Gyeom's stories all over the palace

for Prince Dowon,

Yi Rim's sake.

Two decades have passed ever since I took the throne.

But there are scholars all over the land of Joseon

speaking of the legitimacy of my enthronement.

That's how important your birth is.

From the moment you are born until the day you die,

you cannot get rid of it

no matter how much you try.

So if the Queen Dowager uses the most legitimate Prince Dowon

to create influence of her own

and bring up the rebellion from 20 years ago,

what do you think will happen?

Even if you become the king,

you'll forever be the king that stole the throne

from the direct descendant.

I know for a fact that you'll be a better king than me.

That's why I must come to a decision.

So please do not get in my way.

Just stay quiet...

and wait.

- Take them! - Yes, master!

Your Majesty.

Your Royal Highness, please order them to stop at once.

Your Majesty.

Don't get flustered.

The king felt cornered and made the wrong choice.

He may be the king,

but he chose to attack his own mother.

So that will enrage the Confucian scholars throughout the country.

I see that you come here very often.

Why do you need the records on Nokseodang?

I don't really know. I'm just following orders.

Thank you.

Hey, wait. Is that all?

Did he mention that he's going to help me get promoted or anything like that?

- He did ask me to tell you something. - What's that?

He told me that he'll rip your tongue out if you ever go around telling people

that Prince Dowon asked to see a few records

from the Royal Secretariat.

- Have a good day. - Okay.

Let's think from the very beginning.

If I were Officer Kim Il-mok...

Nokseodang would've been the best place to hide something

since it was practically abandoned and was very remote from the main palace.

The daily record needs to be safe from sunlight and rain,

so it can't be the garden.

This spot is damp and filled with bugs,

so it's definitely not here.

It can't be somewhere that's easy to find.

But it can't be somewhere that's impossible to find either.

That gate got repaired 19 years ago.

They laid new roof tiles 15 years ago.

The mud walls went through repair work eight years ago.

So it can't be any of them.

Apprentice Goo.

It's not time for you to be here yet.

Your Highness, this signboard...

When did you replace it?

- The signboard? - It looks new.

But it doesn't say the Board of Public Works replaced it.

(BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS: IN CHARGE OF BUILDINGS)

Oh, well...

I'm not sure.

That was probably there before His Highness moved here.

It's strange that it never rots. Also, the color never fades.

Be careful. Be gentle, Your Highness.

My goodness. Your Highness, please.

My gosh, what is this?

It's chuanxiong and calamus.

They're used to store history records.

Is this the daily record

we've been looking for?

Yes, I saw the word "Seoraewon" written on the record.

It's from the year of gyeongo .

Your Highness.

No, Your Highness. It's a daily record.

You're not allowed to read it.

What do you mean?

I know it's been hidden for a long time,

but it's still a daily record written by a historian.

Only historians are allowed to read it.

Then

are you telling me not to do anything

even after I found it?

Regardless of what's written on this daily record,

it's up to the historians to read it

and decide what to do.

Your Highness.

Please wait a little bit.

No.

I can't wait anymore.

I don't care about that right now.

- Your Highness. - I've been wondering my whole life.

All my life, I had to wonder

why His Majesty hated me so much,

and why I always had to be locked up here.

How do you expect me to wait

when the answer is right in front of me?

I'm going to read this no matter what you say.

So you can tell His Majesty or His Royal Highness

that Prince Dowon broke the law of this country.

- Then you would've done your part. - Your Highness.

- How can I... - If you can't do that,

I'll do it myself.

Your Highness, you can't do this! Please!

- Please don't do this. - Get out of my way.

You cannot keep that daily record!