Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (신입사관 구해령)

A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

Excuse me.

Where are you coming from?

-Pardon me? -Your hair.

Thank you.

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING

An exam for a female historian?

I came by unannounced, even though I know

how discourteous it is to do so.

I apologize for surprising you.

No, it's okay.

I was worried about your family.

Sir.

Lady Hae-ryung, why...

Please don't...

Why are you being like this?

Please call off the wedding.

I cannot go ahead with this marriage.

I cannot break off the engagement

when you did nothing wrong.

You should be the one to reject me.

Lady Hae-ryung.

Did my family hurt your feelings in any way?

Or is it because I am not good enough for you?

My heart is to blame.

I tried to accept you into my heart.

I tried to think that it was simply my fate,

but...

I cannot control my heart.

I do not think I can spend the rest of my life as a naive noble lady,

nor do I wish to live such a life.

I...

I truly cannot...

Lady Hae-ryung, it's okay.

That is...

That is not your fault.

However,

our marriage was decided by our families.

It is not something we can call off

just because we don't want to do it. Besides...

Lady Hae-ryung.

If...

I reject you,

people will point their finger at you for the rest of your life.

You may not be able to get married.

Would you rather...

go through all that...

than marry me?

I'm sorry. I can't...

I cannot go ahead with this marriage!

Where are you going, all dressed up like that?

I want some fresh air, so I'm heading out for a walk.

Your Highness, do you take me for a fool?

You are going to the examination site to see all the ladies.

It's written all over your face.

I have no interest in...

Fine. I'm on my way to take a look at the exam.

If you think about it, I'm the one who came up with the question.

Don't I deserve to be there?

Hang on.

What happened when you went to check out the book rental store

the other day?

What happened that day again?

I nearly got abducted by some roughnecks.

And...

what happened when you snuck out and went to the book reading event

without telling me?

That was because of that weird woman--

What happened that day?

I was arrested and detained at the Royal Investigation Bureau.

All right. Then let's do some thinking here.

Should you go out and expose yourself

to all sorts of dangers and the crazy commoners?

Or should you stay at Nokseodang,

where safety and peace are guaranteed?

This time, I'll stay out of trouble and just quietly observe the examination.

Girls, are you there?

We prepared sturdy ropes, sir.

Shall we tie him up now?

Fine, I won't go anywhere!

We will now announce the topic!

Our ancestors believed that solar eclipses are heaven's way of chastising kings

for their shortcomings and wrongdoings.

So they tried to right their wrongs through the solar eclipse ritual,

but heaven's wrath continues to this day.

What must a king do

to prevent solar eclipses?

The topic is wrong.

Goodness, what should we do?

My gosh...

Did you know about this?

I'm asking if you knew!

Well, Lady Hae-ryung practically begged us.

Then you should have come to me. You should have told me!

Please forgive me, my lord. It is all my fault.

I thought it would be the best thing for Lady Hae-ryung.

You have 15 minutes to submit your sigwon!

ANSWER SHEET

Seol-geum.

My lady, is the exam over now?

Is Jae-gyeong very angry?

I told you. How could you abandon your own wedding

for this exam?

-I told you not to leave. -I'm sorry.

Have some.

Lord Goo sent these for you, saying you'll probably be hungry.

Even after what I did today?

-How knowledgeable. -Oh, my.

-Her writing is excellent. -My goodness.

How dare she!

Look, sir.

I've never seen such an arrogant answer before.

Who on earth submitted this?

This brazen wench.

I bet she has read those barbaric books from the West.

The Crown Prince wanted answers about virtuous governance

and the heavenly order.

How dare she try to lecture--

Who wishes to lecture me?

-Your Royal Highness. -Your Royal Highness.

I am getting restless just sitting around and waiting.

If there are any good answers, may I have a look at them?

We are still evaluating them, Your Royal Highness.

And we have not come across any answers that deserve your attention.

This analogy is wrong.

There was an earthquake after a solar eclipse

at the Weiyang Palace of Han, not the Xianyang Palace of Qin.

And here, the phrase "good governance" would work better

than "A king's good deeds are profound."

And for some of these answers, the handwriting looks identical.

It looks like they hired someone to solve the question for them.

We also thought it was odd.

Hence, we had already excluded them, Your Royal Highness.

Then please look into it and report all the details to me.

I will show everyone that it is a serious offense

to cheat on examinations.

Officer Min, I'd like you to recommend an answer for me to read.

Being a historian, I'm sure you can recognize the kind of talent we need.

Yes, Your Royal Highness.

Officer Min, how could you recommend such a brazen answer?

That answer is extremely insolent, Your Royal Highness.

Eclipses occur when the sun, the moon, and the earth line up perfectly.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon covers the sun.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth covers the moon.

ASTRONOMICAL CHART

It is not heaven's way of chastising us.

It is simply a phenomenon caused by the movements of heavenly bodies.

Nothing, not even Zhuge Liang's resurrection, can prevent its occurrence.

However, what we make of these occurrences

is completely up to us.

We fear it for we do not know why it happens.

And because we fear it, we think that it is an ominous sign.

Once you learn how the celestial bodies move,

you will realize that eclipses are merely fun spectacles, not calamitous signs.

"Jiyusuya Bulryujeukbu."

Knowledge is like water. If it doesn't flow, it becomes stale.

History books that are written in Chinese are too difficult to understand.

One reader-friendly history book written in Korean will open the floodgates

for the knowledge to reach all the people in this country.

"Knowing and seeing correctly

is the only way we can prevent the damage

caused by eclipses."

What a brazen answer.

My lady!

My lady.

-The results? -The results?

Let's go.

Please be careful.

Over there.

"Hae-ryung".

That's you, right? It means you passed the exam!

No, this isn't the list of candidates who passed.

COME TO DONGUNGJEON BY 3 P.M. TODAY

-Dongungjeon? -Yes!

The Dongungjeon that we know?

Where the Crown Prince lives?

Yes.

I clearly read, "Come to Dongungjeon by 3 p.m. today."

Why is he summoning the examinees to his residence?

What is the Crown Prince thinking?

Isn't it obvious?

"Choose the person who looks better."

He wants to see who's better-looking.

Is he choosing his concubine or what?

My deep insight is telling me

that this is a highly strategic and diplomatic way of saying, "Screw you."

"A strategic and diplomatic way"?

I mean, think about it.

It's not like he wanted to create this position.

He agreed because he was threatened by...

Anyway, he held the examination and acted like he was hiring for the role,

but he actually doesn't want to...

He doesn't want to hire anyone. Not even one bit.

So instead of announcing the passing candidates,

he's summoning them to Dongungjeon--

If he scolds them harshly one-on-one--

Then no one would want the position.

Bingo!

And thanks to him, we have nothing to worry about now.

How nice is this?