Under the Queen's Umbrella (슈룹)

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EPISODE 2

I hope I did not make you uncomfortable

by visiting you at this ungodly hour.

There is nothing I enjoy more in this palace

than the conversations I have with you.

Please, feel free to visit me anytime.

You are indeed thoughtful,

but I have wronged you and your father.

During the Three-Step Selection,

you were the most favored candidate.

However, the late King, who wished to keep his maternal relatives in check,

insisted on selecting a candidate from a family with no roots.

As a result, you ended up being a concubine.

Had you become the Queen as you should have,

the status of Prince Uiseong would have been very different than now.

It is all in the past.

"All in the past"?

To the east of the palace,

there is a large tree that I have been especially fond of.

It used to look magnificent and provided a pleasant shade.

It could not have been more perfect.

But one day,

the roots of the tree began to rot and dry out.

It has become so fragile now

that even a gentle breeze could make it fall.

What do you suggest I do?

It should be pulled out

if that is indeed the state it is in…

because it takes hundreds of years for a new tree to take root.

By the way, you do not seem to be interested in the cohort selection.

I do not think the position suits Prince Uiseong.

Then…

what about the position of the Crown Prince?

Hyeolheogwol…

I heard the late Crown Prince Taein suffered from the same disease.

Was it the disease

that caused him to pass in the end?

That is what everyone says,

but I do not believe

that it was hyeolheogwol that caused his death.

The royal physician even told us

that Prince Taein had been cured of his disease.

Do you mean…

that there was something else that caused him to pass on?

Is that you, Ik-hyeon?

It was as though they had foreseen

the death of the Crown Prince.

The current King was proclaimed as the new Crown Prince,

my father was accused of treason,

and I was deposed.

It all happened rapidly in succession.

I would like to ask you this.

To my knowledge, you had four other children.

Should not one of your other sons have succeeded the Crown Prince?

Then let me ask you this in return.

Have you ever prepared the other Grand Princes for kingship

apart from providing them with the most basic education?

I have not.

Of course, you have not.

Such behavior may have made the other Grand Princes

a threat to the Crown Prince.

That is what sets your sons apart from those of the concubines.

And you must have done that to protect your other sons.

However, the concubines have been eagerly waiting and preparing

for the taekhyeon.

Do you mean the process by which the wisest and worthiest

of the remaining princes is chosen as the new Crown Prince?

Yes.

You are right.

Being polite, generous, loyal, agile,

and showing mercy willingly

are the five virtues that lead one to a state of grace.

When none of the sons of the Queen are worthy as the successor

or all of them do not qualify to rule…

One would be entrusted with more work

-…that system of taekhyeon -and thus, achieve great things.

may justify the inauguration of a son of a concubine as the new Crown Prince,

just as His Majesty came to inherit the throne.

A wise man rises skyward to reach truth and morality each day.

He is not concerned with being acknowledged undeservedly

but strives to improve himself in order to earn recognition.

OUTSTANDING

Congratulations, First Junior Consort Cho.

This is only the beginning.

Indeed. Now that we have someone to succeed the title of Crown Prince,

it is time to expel the Queen and the Grand Princes.

For it is you, Your Highness, who should be Queen.

Therefore, you must prepare yourself.

If you fail to do so,

you risk not only losing the Crown Prince

but also the lives of the other Grand Princes.

I, too…

did not understand this until it was too late.

No matter how quietly we lived,

the mere existence of my sons

was deemed a threat

by those in power.

And just like that…

I ended up losing the remaining Grand Princes

even though we had not been living

with any desire to reclaim the throne.

The only reason I am still living…

is because I still have

one son remaining

that I must protect.

You asked me

what I would have done if I were to turn back time.

Although…

people may point their fingers at me

and ridicule me for being crude, cunning, and shameless,

I would do anything necessary to protect my children

if I was still the Queen

and still had the opportunity to change the course of things.

Your Highness.

Why do you not inform His Majesty of the condition of the Crown Prince?

Would he not be upset if he were to find out later?

The more upset His Majesty becomes, the better.

Pardon?

Nothing is more enraging than something that happens unannounced.

So it has to be the Queen who kept the condition of the Crown Prince

a secret from His Majesty.

Things will become interesting starting tomorrow.

Wake up.

Wake up.

It is still the fourth hour.

"Between the third hour and the seventh,

the liver, bowels, and gallbladder become active and stimulate the brain."

That is what is written here.

What book is that?

A book that holds the secrets of the education of the royal family.

It was through these methods that His Majesty ascended the throne.

Why do you think the Queen Dowager gave this book to me?

It must be proof that she recognizes your brilliance.

I have also learned a way to wash our faces that makes us more intelligent.

We will begin washing our faces using jisikbeop starting today.

A BRAIN DEVELOPMENT BREATHING METHOD

IN WHICH ONE HOLDS THEIR BREATH IN SALT WATER FOR OVER 150 SECONDS

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…

Mastering jisikbeop enhances your concentration and patience.

Nine. Keep going. Ten.

Good job. You are doing well.

Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four…

You can stop if you have to breathe.

Well done. We will go and have some meat.

You are not done yet.

I cannot hold my breath any longer.

The water is too salty.

And what if it is?

This will help improve your inventiveness and creativity.

Even the Crown Prince practices this each morning.

That is because he is the Crown Prince.

Why must I--

This is the 65th time.

The King ends his meal

with water that has been boiled one hundred times.

It takes a lot of effort but is said to extend one's lifespan.

The water must cool completely before it is boiled again.

Only then will it be effective.

Partake in the cohort selection.

Do you not want to put your abilities to the test?

What do you mean by that?

It is a chance for you to prove yourself before His Majesty.

Just as you said,

the first son of His Majesty

is you.

Just enter the test

and leave the rest to me.

RESTORATION OF AN ITEM TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER

I will return to you

what is rightfully yours.

From now on,

you may do away with formalities in my presence.

Even when I enter the room or stand beside you,

do not mind me

and focus on treating the Crown Prince.

-Yes, Your Majesty. -Yes, Your Majesty.

You may leave for now.

Physician Kwon.

I want you to search the records of Naeuiwon, the Royal Clinic.

There should be records of the treatment of Crown Prince Taein.

And find any other records on the treatment of hyeolheogwol,

but do so discreetly.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Highness.

Crown Prince.

His pulse seems to have recovered.

Your Highness.

You have yet to fully recover

so you should not strain yourself.

Crown Prince.

You should lay in bed a little longer. It is still early.

Mother.

I am sorry to have worried you.

Why did you not tell me of your illness and make things worse?

Were you afraid that I would scold you for being ill?