Please save my father.
I can't do anything. I'm sorry.
So, did you solve this?
Can I solve it for you?
The sum of any row, column or even a diagonal, equals 1.
This is how a king solves a magic square.
I'm Hanjik Village's Ddol Bok.
Father! Who did it?
Save him! I said, save that child now!
Bring that child now, and execute him immediately.
It's a Royal command.
Do not assume the title of King! I am the king of Joseon.
This is my Joseon, that I built.
Lee Bang Won's great cause is the great cause of Joseon.
My Joseon is not the same as yours.
Then what is your Joseon like?
Answer me, and tell me the way to do it.
Great cause? What kind of a great cause can kill my father?
Tell him to stop that bullshit.
I'm going to end it.
I don't have an answer or a solution.
This is Banchon.
And if you stay, we'll protect you until the end.
You'd better kill me.
I may destroy this whole place.
Just send over an empty meal box.
You're ordering him to commit suicide?
The shape of this meal box. Isn't it similar to devil magic square game?
Bullshit.
Yes, this is it. This is it.
The meaning of the empty meal box, and my answer, I found it all.
Now, clean up this magic square game.
I'm done playing.
Ready!
What are you all doing?
Keep going!
But, but...
Ready!
Shoot!
All... all hit the target!
Abamama. (Abamama ? used by the king's son and daughter when speaking to their father)
I didn't bid you good morning.
Are you healthy and well?
Healthy and well...
How can I be?
Last night, I had a very bad experience.
I'm not healthy and well.
Abamama.
Please just spare my life.
-=Taejong: Lee Bang Won=- Spare your life?
I lost my mind last night.
Last night, my behavior was
inhuman, lacking filial piety, unrighteous, disrespectful, and ignorant. I know it myself.
I, also...
could not really believe what I had done.
How shocking it must have been for you, Abamama!
I shall cleanse my sin through death!
My entire body, even the roots of my hair,
there's nothing I haven't recieved from Abamama.
So I shouldn't regret it if you take away this body.
But...
Dying before your parents is also considered as lack of filial piety.
So, please just spare my life. I beg you.
Abamama.
Do you really mean it?
Of course. I, your son,
from now on, I will no longer go against you, Abamama...
I absolutely won't have those ideas.
In the future, every affair of the government
will be done in Abamama's way.
I'll devote myself to learning everything from Abamama.
Everything?
Yes, I will.
On matters regarding the military,
what are you going to do?
Commanding the army and soldiers...
as your subject, how can I even imitate it?
Please do everything as you wish, Abamama.
If there is anything that I lack of, please tell me.
I'll fulfill it, no matter what it is.
The King's words show everything including loyalty, filial duty and manners.
But...
there is one thing missing.
Yes, Abamama. Please give a command.
Please get up.
In your words,
the only thing missing is...
sincerity.
You don't have even the slightest sincerity.
Am I wrong?
Since you're still healthy, Abamama, you haven't lost your insight.
I am very happy.
How dare you...
you, this fellow, you ridicule me.
I'm the king of that Joseon you said you established.
The Joseon that you single-handedly established.
Please show some manners.
Haven't you received the empty meal box?
Don't you know the hidden meaning?
I haven't received an empty meal box.
What.
But I have received a container shaped like a magic square game.
The compartments were all empty.
You already told me, Abamama,
a method of solving the magic square game.
Gathering all powers to one...
That's me.
Lee Bang Won.
The number '1' in the magic square game represents you, Abamama.
But in the magic square game you sent me,
all the numbers were missing including the one in the middle.
So, I understood the hidden meaning.
Wouldn't it represent...
Joseon without you, Abamama?
Because, I will live longer than you, Abamama,
I will be prepared to welcome that world.
Isn't that what you meant?
The reason I sent you the empty meal box was...
In fact, the true reason is irrelevant.
Regardless of the reason you sent it,
my explanation is the same.
To interpret it that way,
is also good for you, Abamama.
Because, apart from me,
you don't have any alternative.
You, this fellow. Looks like you have found the answer and way now.
Your Joseon...
Yes. In the future, I will begin...
using my method to solve all magic square games.
If all this is to follow my method,
what does Your Majesty plan to do?
My humble self, plans to gather virtuous, young scholars.
We will build a small library.
We will learn and get acquainted with Historical Biographies and assist you, Abamama.
Is it necessary to build a library to establish a government?
Yes.
As long as you allow me, Abamama.
Is that the only answer you've got?
You still have no idea what this could mean.
Good. Do that then, Your Majesty.
Build a library.
The name of the library, I will follow your instructions, Abamama.
If you give me a name, I will follow your cause.
Isn't it to gather virtuous scholars?
If so,
back in the Goryeo Dynasty,
I heard there was something similar, but it existed in name only.
What is the name going to be?
Just call it Jiphyeon.
Jiphyeon.
So be it. Jiphyeon.
Jiphyeonjeon. (Hall of Worthies)
Jiphyeonjeon.
What can you do with such a thing?
Is that your Joseon that will be unlike mine?
Does Jiphyeonjeon have a purpose?
Yes.
What kind of Joseon is it that...
Has hidden political weapons.
I will not use weapons, but rather words to persuade people,
to gain the people's sincerity, protecting everyone.
Just like this, it's not the only method left,
but there are also two, three, four, five, six.
Everyone finds his own place, and plays it well.
That kind of Joseon.
No matter how long,
I will be waiting. Persistently waiting...
Be waiting? Waiting?
I'm going to govern only with words.
All the force...
I'll use is to guard against external enemies and protect the territory.
With "force" as solid shell, and "words" as soft flesh...
It will be that kind of Joseon.
Governance and power was always the weakness of the good king.
- So.... - My governing will be different.
I'll convince the other side to discuss and debate.
I will not decide arbitrarily.
I will be patient, and patiently wait at the same time.
Are you talking about Gyeongyeon? (Gyeongyeon - education system to teach the king Confucianism)
That's right. (Gyeongyeon - education system to teach the king Confucianism)
Don't you know how, and why, Gyeongyeon was made?
Yes.
Gyeongyeon was set up by influential noblemen, to hold the king in check...
Yes, to make the king into a puppet.
Gyeongyeon was established with the excuse that they wanted to enlighten the king.
But you say to put down weapons, and only do that.
Yes.
That was the beginning of Joseon, which reformed from Goryeo,
Joseon's true identity,
and the ideal of Confucius.
Was Joseon founded 100 or 200 years ago?
Only 26 years ago.
Yes, it was only 26 years ago.
Can Joseon survive for 50 years or 500 years?
Nobody knows yet.
No one dies of hunger in the capital,
so you think now is the peaceful golden age.
But, patiently waiting...
patiently persisting.
You do things like Gyeongyeon, and waste time?
It's not a waste.
It is a waste!
Quickly seize the nation's foundation. Unite all efforts...
as one.
This is what 26 years of a nation's history should do.
Now, the Joseon king's position,
is no longer a simple position.
The Mil Bon.
Have you heard of the Mil Bon?
Yes, isn't this a myth spread in the city?
There is history of the Mil Bon.
It's not a myth.
Abamama, do you believe this?
Jeong Do Jeon, it was he who wrote the Mil Bon.
It's just an organisation. Abamama, how come...
The people who knew Jeong Do Jeon, all died or were exiled.
People who survived, all lost their power.
An organization like that, how could it continue?
Isn't Jeong Gi Jun still alive?
The year of the Ox, early winter, that devil hero...
Jeong Do Jeon's nephew, Jeong Gi Jun.
Aren't you also because... because of this Jeong Gi Jun,
because of the incident in the year of the Ox,
talking about Gyeongyeon or something...
and wanting to head in a literary direction.
Isn't it because of that?
Isn't it?
I don't remember who he is.
Is it the same clan of Jeong Do Jeon?
The elder Bon Won. The Mil Bon is finally in my hands.
Sister-in-law, I'm coming in.
Ah, fine, please come in.
Where is he?
It's the first time I've met this kind of person.
He shouts and yells continuously.
He looks like he's little more than 10 years old.
When he's angry, I really....
Starve him for three or four days.
Guard him well.
Yes.
Jeong Gi Jun, is it really because of him?
You can't do anything.
Jeong... Gi... Jun.
In general,
the Joseon's system is based on the Zhou Dynasty's system.
This is what all scholars know.
Also, the king's position is an assumed one.
The true ruler is the Prime Minister who has power. Everybody knows that very well.
Teacher Sam Bong, who established Joseon,
had this basic ideology about governing a country.
This place can't be entered by just anyone.
Only the followers of Confucius
and Mencius can enter this place.
You cannot enter.
What did you say!
Look at you. You must be a Royal Highness.
You must be the son of His Majesty.
You rascal...
Just like your writing, your behavior is really disrespectful.
Who are you?
What is this?
Jeong Gi Jun.
Who is this person?
He is Jeong Do Jeon's younger brother, Jeong Do Gwan's son.
Immediately arrest him.
That's rude.
Ju Yeok said: The greatest treasure of a wise man is "Position". The virtue of Heaven and Earth is "Giving Birth". (Ju Yeok - The Book of Changes - I Ching)
How to guard one's position: Mercy.
The elites contribute wisdom.
The warriors contribute strength.
Common people must know their place. What they can have. What they can do.
Follow the king's command.
What are you doing now?
You think... me being Joseon's Daegun, (Daegun - Royal Prince, son of the Queen)
I don't know Joseon's ideals and the country's laws?
Then. Say the next line.
- Next.... - Next. Although the common people appear weak.
we are unable to use power to move them.
Although they seem extremely stupid, we're unable to use wisdom to deceive them.
His Majesty, is he such a person?
I'm asking you. Is he the kind that doesn't use force?
Ah! Not giving fear but death.
His own younger brother, his own sibling, his own comrades.
Bastard, how dare you...
Ah! That's right. His Majesty is also human. That's why he's like this.
So Sam Bong, in order to educate the king with Confucius' teaching,
he developed Gyeongyeon.
And he also set up a system to divide the king's power.
He also set up 6 ministries and an administrative government leader,
in order to build a virtuous king.
But....
His Majesty does Gyeongyeon only once or twice a year.
He intimidated the ministers.
He treated the government leader as a puppet.
He personally took over the 6 ministries.
But...
The reason I took the examination this time is not just for this.
It's not because your father killed my uncle.
He shattered what my uncle established single handedly, into pieces.
Since it's shattered, he should have put the pieces together and rebuilt it.
But he just causes confusion among Confucius' followers and the elites who helped build Joseon.
If he's afraid they will leave,
then he shouldn't put on that facade outside to swindle others.
This is courtesy.
This, then is....
If you have a little of Confucius' thoughts, you should observe courtesy.
Your father stole Teacher Sam Bong's Joseon.
He's both a pirate and a killer.
Like father, like son.
Only knowing how to use violence.
Act quickly, quickly!
Mencius said 'The people are the most important. They represent the nation. The king is less important.'
Mencius said 'The people are the most important.'
-'They represent the nation.' - My Lord! Something big has happened.
What is it?
Please escape quickly!
You all also, quickly hide.
I asked you what's the matter.
Master Gi Jun went to take the examination.
What did you say!
In short... the soldiers are coming here.
Hurry up.
Is Jeong Do Gwan teaching children here?
That's right.
Yes, he is.
Where is he?
I'm not sure. I don't know.
Look.
Even the criticism of a young scholar,
can bring death to people.
That is this nation's king.
No.
This isn't possible.
It can't be this reason that kills innocent people.
It must be a misunderstanding.
A misunderstanding?
I won't ask a second time.
Where is Jeong Do Gwan and his son, Jeong Gi Jun?
I really don't know.
I will resolve it.
You stop me,
because you also know of your father's doing.
Furthermore, you also know that you can save no one,
and you can't do anything.
It's me.
I am Jeong Gi Jun.
Get up!
Let go. I can walk myself.
Let go of me!
Chase after him!
Quickly chase after him!
You... can't do anything.
Yes. Jeong Gi Jun.
Jeong Gi Jun.
Jeong Do Gwan.
How was it?
Your humble servant is fearful.
He escaped.
Move the sauce jars away.
Pardon?
A home even has this kind of place.
Your Majesty, here it is.
Read it.
Yes.
If the king is a flower,
the root is the Prime Minister.
Even if the flower withers,
the tree will not die.
But if the root withers,
the tree will die.
The withered flower...
Don't doze off. Read quickly.
can be cut off.
Your Majesty, this person is crazy.
Please go back.
Continue reading.
Your Majesty, this isn't worth reading.
I told you to read!
Your Majesty!
Move away, you rascal!
The king will choose the Prime Minister,
and consult with the Prime Minister.
It is only labeled Joseon's tree as a magnificent symbol.
Joseon's root is the prime minister.
Your Majesty.
Joseon's intellectuals become the tree's roots.
Become Joseon's entrusted scholars.
Nurture magnificent bureaucrats, and let the elite prime minister remain in position.
So that the big tree of Joseon can remain for a million years.
Become roots within roots.
This is my, Jeong Do Jeon's...
This is my, Jeong Do Jeon's, roots within roots.
The hidden roots.
The Mil Bon...
The reason for establishing the Mil Bon...
The intellectuals...
Become this Joseon's roots.
Become the Mil Bon.
Protect Joseon.
The Mil Bon, first generation, foundation of life.
Jeong Do Jeon.
Your Majesty, this man is dead.
It's just someone with ambition...
who has hoped in vain.
Your Majesty.
This is it. This is it.
What do you mean, Your Majesty?
Before Jeong Do Jeon died...
the meaning of the words he said to me.
You are only a flower within a flower.
You cannot become the roots.
You also cannot destroy the roots.
It's the Mil Bon.
Jeong Do Jeon has established a secret organization.
Isn't that...
Isn't that the sound of the owl?
Is Jo Mal Saeng outside?
Why is it you who came in?
Your Majesty, Jo Mal Saeng seems to have found
traces of Jeong Do Gwan and his son.
What did you say?
Your Majesty, Jo Mal Saeng is behaving suspiciously.
Suspicious behaviour means....
Without royal command...
How can he use the royal guards, right?
Yes.
But Your Majesty,
how did Your Majesty know?
Jo Mal Saeng only acts on the former king's secret command.
Secret command....
He is secretly looking for Jeong Gi Jun and his father.
What?
So Deputy Dong, get on a horse immediately.
Find out the strength and movement of Jo Mal Saeng's soldiers,
and immediately report to me.
Your Majesty, how can...
What are you waiting for?
This is an extremely urgent matter. Extremely urgent.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, what are you trying to do?
It should be your turn now, Mu Hyul.
Is it certain this time?
Yes, Your Majesty.
This time the people we sent are all back. This should be true.
So, has Jo Mal Saeng made a move?
Yes, Your Majesty.
There are traitors over there. Arrest them!
We've gone to Bukchon, Namchon, Sangtae and Hatae. They weren't there.
Nothing?
If they escaped by horse, there should be some movement.
We should have found them.
In that case....
They must have gotten off the horses and hidden.
If there's no trace in Bukchon, Namchon, Sangtae or Hatae,
there's only one place left.
That's Banchon village.
If it's Banchon...
Banchon?
They've entered Banchon village?
Yes. We've surrounded Bancheon village,
but we don't have a Royal decree to enter. So I came back to receive your Royal decree.
But the Confucius and Mun Seong Gong Memorial Hall is over there.
We cannot let soldiers enter the village at will.
Isn't it just a hall established by the intellectuals?
To protect Jeong Gi Jun is to fight against the former king.
Fight? Fight?
Your Majesty.
Fine. Let's fight.
Abamama's Joseon cannot have him.
My Joseon, my Jiphyeonjeon,
must have that person, Jeong Gi Jun.
So you set off as soon as you get news.
Bring me Jeong Gi Jun.
Arrest him.
But, Your Majesty,
if soldiers can enter Banchon village at will,
the Confucian scholars and local scholars won't rest in peace.
We definitely have to arrest him.
If the reason is only because he is Jeong Do Jeon's younger brother,
Your Majesty also knows the way the scholars look up to Jeong Do Jeon and his family.
Yes, I know.
That's why I have to secretly get rid of Jeong Do Gwan and Jeong Gi Jun.
Not to mention Jeong Do Gwan.
But this Jeong Gi Jun will definitely cause some major incident.
No matter what method you use, this time you definitely
have to arrest the Jeongs.
But....
You, immediately tell Jo Mal Saeng,
but, I haven't allowed them to enter Banchon village.
Yes, I understand.
Minister, bring an army division to the Banchon area and wait for my command.
Yes, I will follow the order.
Orabeoni. (Orabeoni - older male)
You came.
You must be tired.
Then I'll just rest for a while.
Ah!.. really....
It's really....
I'm so tired...
You came already.
There's no unusual acitivity, is there?
No.
Why are things like this? What has happened?
Minister Saeng's men won't relax the search.
While I was trying to warn others, I almost got ambushed.
We seem to have gotten rid of them, but we're still worried.
But, this is Mun Seong Gong's Memorial Hall.
This is the safest place in Joseon.
Even so, will Bang Won care about this?
Anyway...
They may not give up searching, but they certainly won't invade this place.
You don't have to worry.
How long do we have to secretly worship?
I will certainly appeal on your behalf, hyeongnim. (Hyeongnim - respected older brother)
I think that day is not too far away.
Finally, I found it.
What did you find?
Could it be... could it be...
Yes.
Hyeongnim.
Finally....
We finally found the Mil Bon.
Finally we found the Mil Bon which hyeongnim personally wrote.
That will do.
These days, because we didn't have the Mil Bon,
rewriting the Mil Bon has been very difficult.
But now...
Hyeongnim is now behind me.
I can rewrite the Mil Bon now.
That's right.
Now finally you can write the second generation of the Foundation of Life.
All the scholars will follow both.
Teacher Sam Bong, and you.
The former king really said this?
Yes.
I understand.
How did it go?
Seems like they went into the Mun Seong Gong Memorial Hall.
Mun Seong Gong Memorial Hall?
Head for the Mun Seong Gong Memorial Hall.
From now on, we're no longer soldiers, understand?
Yes.
It's important you carry this out swiftly and secretly.
If anyone gets caught, the Special Investigation Bureau will not acknowledge you.
We will not do anything for you. You will become a traitor and die.
It's important you carry this out swiftly and secretly.
You cannot leave any trace, and you must certainly succeed.
Do you understand me?
Yes.
Now take off your officer's uniforms and put on dark clothes and masks.
Your Highness, Lee Sin Jeok is here to see you.
Where are they?
Banchon village.
Banchon village?
Yes.
Surely Abamama will not allow them to enter the village?
I daren't say whether he has personally promised,
but Jo Mal Saeng's men are surrounding Banchon village.
Lord Pak is also leading an army division to encircle Banchon.
I'm still... one step behind.
Now, I can only depend on you.
Quickly! Quickly go.
Your Majesty, you really want to....
You have to rescue Jeong Do Gwang and Jeong Gi Jun.
You have to bring them back alive, understand?
As you wish.
Why can't I reach it?
Where...
Where could it be?
A little bit more. A little bit more.
Oh! All right.
Ah, really...
Why did your mother say I wasn't good enough?
I don't know.
Orabeoni, try to please my mother.
What is there to please?
Then let's have a child first.
Don't be like this.
Don't move.
Don't be like this.
Only for a little while.
That, what's that?
What's going on?
How can this happen?
Help me!
It's on fire.
Grab him. He escaped.
Catch him!
Stop!
Catch him!
Stop!
This way. This way.
Isn't that Jang Saeng forest?
That crazy kid, will he run over to the Hall?
Quickly, let's stop him. Quickly.
Grab him. Grab him.
How is Gi Jun?
Yes, he's fine. He resides in a place nobody knows.
It's just a child.
It's not just one person.
This brat, I'll kill you.
There's a pile of people behind.
What. Who are you all?
Quickly leave. There are assassins.
This way...
From here, you can get to Jang Saeng forest.
Sir...
I'm asking who are you?
Why are you so noisy?
Who are you people?
Don't you know what place this is?
This is the Zhu Xi Shrine,
the one who established Mun Seong Gong Memorial Hall.
Because of this, even soldiers dare not come here.
Yet you all dare to swing swords around in front of the Memorial Hall.
Exactly who are you all?
Attack them.
Stop!
Let's go.
Get down!
Sir.
Quickly, faster.
Over here...
Two horses are racing towards the north of Banchon village.
Let's go.
Yes.
Go. Let's go.
You stay here. I'll follow Jeong Do Gwan.
Set an ambush over there.
Yes.
Move quickly!
Quickly.
Stop, stop!
Why must we stop?
The Mil Bon.
The horse that kid rides carries the Mil Bon.
What?
My pouch?
Stop!
It's something we searched 20 years for. We can't simply abandon it.
I'll get it back.
Please quickly leave here.
My lord. My lord. My lord.
We must find the Mil Bon.
Let's leave here first.
Stop!
I have to find
my father's will.
I have to go back.
Stop! I told you to stop!
I beg you stop.
Turn around, come on turn around.
We have to go back.
Hey, turn around.
Please, just turn...
Ah! This is really...
To the South side of the forest, the men from the Special Investigation Bureau are waiting in ambush.
There are fewer soldiers to the East and North sides.
Over there.
What do you mean?
Jo Mal Saeng is chasing someone.
I know.
Let's go.
We have to find the Mil Bon.
We have to catch him, no matter what.
I have to find Father's will.
You have to save them, no matter what.
-=Sejong (Lee Do)=-
-=Mu Hyul=-
-=Taejong: Lee Bang Won=-
-=Do Dam Daek=-
-=Nine years ago.=-
-=Grand Prince Chung Nyeong, Lee Do. Future Sejeong=-
-=Jeong Gi Jun=-
-=Sam Bong (Jeong Do Jeon)=-
-=Uncle (Jeong Do Jeon)=-
-=Jeong Do Gwang: Jeong Do Jeon's younger brother=-
-=Lee Sin Jeok=-
-=Bukchon: Foot of Mt. Buk Ag. Namchon: Foot of Mt. Nam=-
-=Sangdae: Valley in Mt. Inwang. Hadae: Cheonggyecheon Area=-
-=Banchon: A village where the slaves of the Royal Academy live=-
Guarantee my life.
I will give everything to Gi Jun.
Definitely will come back.
You are so naive. You will gradually understand.
That kind of situation will never happen.
Whether he's king or not, I can't let him go.
He sent a letter saying the military officer, Go In Seol, is dead.
Have you seen the person who delivered the letter?
I heard you just joined royal guards, where there's bribes everywhere.
Please spare me!
Yesterday the scholar who was in Jiphyeonjeon was killed.
Someone knows my plan, and is currently harming my people.
That's really...
If he really died from overwork, why must they preserve the scene?
I have prohibited access to Jiphyeonjeon. Why did you still go inside?
I just wanted to poop. Is it a crime?
Tell me the truth!
I think the person who killed Heo Dam and military officer Go In Seol is the same person.