The Throne (사도)

Directed by LEE Joon-ik

The soul that left us today

If you may visit us

SONG Kang-ho

Enjoy this good food

YOO Ah-in

And drink from this cup

May you pass unto your descendants

the good fortune unspent in your life

Following the words of this mantra

May you enter nirvana and reincarnate as a man

My Lady!

My Lady!

The Crown Prince has set out for the King's palace with his sword.

I fear for King's safety.

If we don't stop him now,

he's going to bring down the Royal Grandson with him.

Madam!

Namo Amitabha

THE THRONE

THE FIRST DAY

The only reason I'm informing you of last night's events,

although I'm the birth mother of the Crown Prince

is to protect you, Your Majesty.

My Lady,

you are a faithful retainer.

Truly faithful.

You're the only one I can trust.

Even so

his illness is to blame for this disaster.

If you must punish him, please show him mercy

and spare the Royal Grandson, the Grand Heir.

Your Majesty! I beseech you to stop.

This is by the request

of the Crown Prince's own mother.

Why do you intend to shake the stability of this country

based on words of a mere concubine?

Halt!

Which gate does Your Majesty wish to take?

Gyeonghwa Gate.

To Gyeonghwa Gate.

The King summons you, Your Highness.

Which gate did His Majesty use?

Gyeonghwa Gate, Your Highness.

Shall I take the Royal Grandson with me?

You choose your son over your husband.

My Lady,

you are a cold, heartless woman.

Take off your hat and dragon robe.

Son!

No, my son...

You...

I see you really intend to kill me already dressed for a funeral.

I've been wearing them since the passing of the Queen and the Queen Dowager.

Even after the three-year mourning period has long ended?

Bring them out.

What are all these?

Did you not dig a grave

in the palace garden, made caskets and have been wearing mourning clothes,

to curse me to death!

You've been treating me like a dead man.

So I made myself a tomb.

And last night...?

I won't speak further of it.

Repent by taking your own life.

If I die, this kingdom will fall

but if you die, the 300-year Yi dynasty will be saved.

Is 'suicide' a punishment in the laws of this country?

If I am guilty of a crime, hand me over to the court.

This is a family matter, not a national affair.

I am here as the head of a family,

passing judgment upon a son who conspired to kill his father.

If you atone by death now, you will not lose your title as Crown Prince.

When did you ever regard me as Crown Prince? Or as your son?

What would become of us if the Crown Prince dies?

All those who served him will go down with him.

Not just us but our entire clan will be wiped out.

This is no time to worry about your own safety

when the fate of this kingdom is at stake.

Your Highness!

- We beg you to stop. - Withdraw the sword.

- Your Highness! - No!

Mother, aren't we going to help Father?

- Leave me! - We beg Your Highness to withdraw your sword.

Let go of me.

We beg you, sir.

No, Your Highness!

Your Majesty! Kill us first.

Please kill us first.

Your Majesty,

even a king cannot impose a punishment that is not

in the Great Ming Code or in any books of law.

Please, sir.

Remove them from my sight.

Your majesty!

Your Highness!

Your majesty!

We beg you to take heed.

Please, Your Majesty!

Rice chest... Bring out the rice chest.

Put him inside.

Don't touch me.

I command you to let go.

Seal it with nails.

Son, no!

Father, come out of there.

Take the Grand Heir away.

Your Majesty, please spare my Father.

I beg of you.

Didn't I command to let no one in?

Do you want the Grand Heir locked up, too?

I'll do whatever he couldn't, Your Majesty.

If you want him to study, I will instead.

I'll do whatever you wish.

Spare my father's life.

Take him away.

Father, come out of there.

Father!

Father, come out of there.

Father.

Luxury...

What is a luxury and what is not?

This silk is a luxury.

And this cotton is not.

Who will you give that writing to?

I shall hold it dear until the clay I die.

I shall preserve it as a family treasure.

Your Highness,

I give you all my remaining life.

Long live, Your Highness.

Alright.

Even the way you eat pleases me.

What are you reading these days?

The Book of Filial Piety, Your Majesty the Queen.

What does it say about filial duties?

That it represents a man

carrying his old parent on his back, Mother.

Who will you carry on your back?

My precious baby!

It is time for your studies, Your Highness.

Oh, my head hurts!

Go on, my dear.

“He who loves his parents does no evil unto others.”

“He who loves his parents does no evil unto others...”

“He who respects his parents dare not be arrogant.”

Your Highness, how can you be dozing off?

If you understood the true meaning of filial piety, you could not be falling asleep.

You will be tested by the King in two days.

Please take heed.

Your filial duty as the prince is to study.

Can I sleep with mama?

A Crown Prince must sleep on his own.

Can't he stay with me, just tonight?

It's against court rules.

His Highness is not your son, but the Queen's now.

Your Majesty, it is past your bedtime.

As a father transcribing a book for his son, how could I go to sleep?

THE SECOND DAY

As Your Majesty commanded,

we've captured all those involved with the Crown Prince in his misconducts.

Royal Secretary,

issue a decree that demotes Crown Prince to a commoner.

I'm a servant to this kingdom.

Please give me a justification to honor your wishes.

Is that right?

Then, Chief Secretary, you write it.

I can't do it either, Sire.

How embarrassing for the King.

Bring out the ink and paper.

Can't he sentence the Prince to drink poison?

If he bestows poison, it makes the Crown Prince a traitor.

If the Prince be a traitor, his father is also a traitor.

That is the law of this country which follows the laws of Ming China.

The Crown Prince was born with many fine talents.

He brought me great joy and I loved him deeply.

But since the age often, he began to neglect his studies

and after assuming the regency, developed a serious illness

that turned him into an obscene and wicked character.

When the illness deteriorated he lost his reason and even murdered a eunuch.

He associated with shamans, Buddhist nuns and courtesans day and night,

and abandoned his duties to the King.

Moreover, he built a tomb in the palace garden,

and conspired to carry out an unspeakable act.

Hence, Consort Yi, the birth mother of the Crown Prince informed me

that my life is at stake and requested to make a decision.

Thereupon, I depose the Crown Prince

and order that he be locked up as a commoner.

I am blessed with such a beautiful daughter-in-law!

Since I received your formal greetings today, I shall give a word of advice.

Serve your husband with utmost devotion.

Never let your voice or your face be frivolous.

Whatever happens in court shall be deemed normal.

So do not show any signs of acknowledgement.

A wife shall not greet her husband in undergarments.

Always maintain the proper attire in front of the Crown Prince.

However pretty your make-up is,

lipstick mark on your husband's attire is not pretty. Take care not to...

Why do you laugh?

How dare you!

How can a princess born from a concubine