The Great King Sejong (Dae Wang Sejong / 대왕 세종)

The final meeting between the King of Joseon and the Ming envoy Huang Yan...

To maintain strict security, the Royal guards

the palace maids will be kept 100 paces back.

That's when we strike.

Stand at ease!

Mission complete, sir!

We've completed the training exercise, Prime Minister.

Good work.

The Hall of Great Peace? Not a chance!

I insist! As well, your King will dismount before Venerable Huang exists, and...

Not possible.

The Six Ministries Plaza!

Gwanghwamun.

And it will not be the King but the Crown Prince who greets him.

The King of Joseon!

His Highness cannot take one step from the Hall of Administration!

Then there will be no diplomatic reception!

Let this be clear.

It is Ming China that rejected this reception.

It appears most faithful retainers of Joseon and Ming are gathered here.

Please take a small break before you proceed.

The Conference Hall is hot from the heat coming from this room.

Try it.

Tea?

Ming has the best tea in the world.

It's ginseng tea.

Joseon is known for ginseng.

If it suits your palate, I will pack some for you to take home.

Is there anything else we can get you?

This reception is unacceptable!

That is not for you to decide.

Prime Minister, Join us.

I will appeal to His Majesty to reject this conference.

Let's talk inside.

Crown Prince cannot be made a son-in-law of the Emperor.

Must I have you dismissed from your post for you to stop and listen?

Perhaps it's my old age. I'm craving sweets all the time lately.

Try some. It's delicious.

It's my position that we cannot recieve the envoys until

they sent a writ of investiture of the Crown Prince.

You're taking about making an enemy of Ming.

Are you saying we have to go hostile on Ming from now on?

I'm talking about preserving our national pride.

When? After the population of Joseon is reduced by half?

Pardon?

Contempt against the Royal envoy is contempt against the Emperor.

The hot blooded Emperor Will turn the my he has assembled to suppress

the Mongols on us.

So you'd have our Crown Prince become the son-in-law of the Ming Emperor?

If we must we must.

Do you have no pride?

And no conflict of interest either, I imagine.

Conflict of interest?

You are a high minister of this state.

It is undutiful to put the interest of

Your daughter, the Crown Princess, the before the interest of the state.

This makes all of you rebels.

Rebels, sir?

It is traitorous to overlook a lamp when darkness has fallen in the palace.

Get the punishment rack ready after your duties are done.

How dare you weep!

You're not a woman just because you've been emasculated!

Do you want to die right now?

What am I to do with you incompetent men?

You can't even properly lock the doors after cleaning!

Get a hold of yourself, boy!

Snap out of it! Snap out of it!

Why, that's...!

Do you know this man?

It's Deputy Kim Byun of the Palace Guard, sir.

Palace Guard deputy?

What great grudge could a palace guard bear for the royal house

that he would hang himself here in a sacred audience hall?

What are you standing around for?

Bring that reprobate's body down at once!

Yes, sir.

No, no. Call your men in for that.

I want you to send the guards to this

man's home at once and arrest his entire family.

His family and kin will pay for this

treacherous crime of defiling the sacred palace with their lives!

I don't think so.

I beg your pardon, sir?

The criminal that defiled the palace and his family must...

It's bad enough he's been murdered, but wipe out his family and kin?

Murdered? What makes you think so?

Take a look at this rope.

You don't need a long rope like this to hang yourself.

Someone used this rope to hoist him up there.

You have an overactive imagination.

That is my hope as well.

Alert the Palace Dispensary and order an autopsy immediately.

- Death by poisoning, you say? - Yes, sir.

You're back.

No one has seen Kim Byun tonight.

Not one?

He was off duty today, so he was not in the palace.

Then how did Kim Byun get...

He could've been killed outside and brought in?

That means someone broke into the palace!

Who goes there?

Let's go.

Explain.

It is with deepest regret that I report...

Skip the small talk.

On the crossbeam of the audience hall...

I know.

Who is the dead man?

Deputy Kim Byun is his name.

Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty...!

Your Majesty...!

Where is he? Lead on.

This man has defiled the sacred palace.

He does not deserve the King's personal attention.

Just lead the way.

Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

His hands.

I want to see his hands.

Your Majesty!

Kim Byun... It is him.

Who deployed the soldiers of the Three Armies Command?

For what purpose?

What's the problem? Have you all suddenly become mute?

Minister of Military must notify his whereabouts at all times.

If you had not been remiss, you would've already been alerted.

Your Majesty...

This is an extraordinary circumstance, but it is... unfitting for the King to come

to the Palace Dispensary and inspect the victim personally.

Is it fitting that you, the Prime Minister, have allowed a murder

to take place in the sacred palace?

It is a murder of one petty deputy that does not call for this ado, Your Majesty.

Your title and rank, who do you think gave them to you?

Me?

Or do you think you earned it all by yourself?

Your Majesty...

You would not be here today if it weren't for the men that died for you in silence.

Administrator of Memorials.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Send Kim Byun back to his home.

We worked him hard...

Instruct the Ministry of Rites to give him a decent funeral as well.

Your wish is my command.

You fool!

You no-good idiots!

Get your swords out! What are you waiting for?

Take them out and shove them down your necks! Do it!

- General... - You don't want to do it?

They do you want to be thrown into Han River instead?

How many soldiers do we have in the Palace Guard?

Four hundred!

You can't handle this little situation yourself

that you had to call in the Three Armies Command?

I don't know what to say, sir...

You better not! You better not have anything to say!

Withdraw the soldiers of the Three Armies Command?

I've already issued the order to Central Army Chief Yi Sookbun.

You can't.

The palace walls might have been breached.

Don't forget there is a diplomatic reception tomorrow.

We cannot withdraw the soldiers from the palace.

What's more, I'm going to recommend that martial law be declared in the city.

Martial law?

Yes.

Are you out of your mind?

Prime Minister.

You want to tell the whole world that there was a murder in

the palace where security is supposed to be ironclad?

The Ming envoy will pack his bags before we start the negotiations!

Lord Hwang, an urgent message from the Palace Dispensary.

What is it?

Touch his back right here.

It feels like beeswax.

If my guess is right...

This is incredible!

They made the inscription and covered it with beeswax.

This is a method used by Yuan spies to warn their enemies.

Yuan spies?

Then... could Ming be involved in this?

"Can you save the King in the making?"

Is His Highness inside?

I asked you a question.

Well, um...

His Highness is not in the East Villa?

Your Highness, it is dangerous for you to be out here.

There is such a commotion in the palace that I needed to get out.

There's nothing like target practice to forget your woes...

Please return to the East Palace now.

Heaven forbid if you should become a target to malefactors...

I wouldn't be a man if I couldn't protect myself.

Your Highness...

You don't need to worry.

Your Highness...

They snubbed the King and did not go after the Crown Prince?

Then who in heaven's name are they after?

I've sent guards to homes of each prince for now.

What brings you?

Prince Choongnyeong is missing?

Oh no!

What is this? Does this mean Prince Choongnyeong is the King in the making?

At least the culprit seems to think so.