You must be tired from the long trip.
I'm Wang Dae-pyung, a foreman at this work site.
You'll be put to work from sunrise tomorrow.
If by chance,
you're caught escaping, you'll be killed on sight.
Understood?
You were heinous criminals who should've been executed.
The emperor was kind enough to prolong your lives.
Be grateful and work hard.
Understood?
Take them to their cells.
They are your new cellmates.
They're from Shilla and don't speak any Chinese.
Try to get along with them.
Sit here!
FRONTIER FORTRESS IN CHINA
My lady.
What are your names?
Are you from Shilla?
Just answer my question.
I'm Goong-bok.
You?
I'm Jung Yon.
Listen very carefully to what I'm about to say.
That man there is the cell boss Ryu-sa.
Here, his words are the law.
Do whatever he tells you to.
If he tells you to die, play dead.
If you disobey, you'll be dead before you know it.
Now I get what Joong-dal was saying.
He said our lives would be more painful than death.
If I have to live the rest of my life here, I'd rather die.
No more food. No more.
Fiends.
You'd feed livestock if you made them work.
Don't.
We've been working since sunrise. You want to starve?
We'll only get a whipping if we complain.
It's our fault for not learning
the situation here any faster.
Let's go.
How will you survive here
if you can't even get yourselves food?
We wouldn't be starving if you had told us.
How could you do this to your fellow countrymen?
What good is that when we could be dead any minute?
What?
How long have you been here?
Seven years.
Do we really have to work here till we die?
There's no way to escape?
You must have noticed it on your way here.
There isn't any town for miles in all directions.
As you said, since we're fellow countrymen,
let me give you a piece of advice.
If you want to survive, empty your heads.
Don't even think about getting out.
Don't think about tomorrow.
Just think about surviving one day at a time.
If you get lucky and become a cell boss's right-hand man,
this isn't such a bad place to live.
MUJINJU, PRESENT-DAY GWANGJU
Welcome.
Let me present the new governor of Mujinju.
Welcome.
Please come inside.
It is Neung-chang.
Come in.
The new governor has arrived.
All right.
It's been over a hundred years
since Shilla unified Baekje and ruled Mujinju.
But the people of Mujinju are still antagonistic
toward Shilla nobles.
If we Shilla nobles are to rule Mujinju safely,
and live in peace, we must cooperate with each other.
I'll be counting on your support.
That goes without saying.
He is the son of Master Yi Do-hyung,
a merchant in China.
I'm Yum Moon.
I'm Jung-hwa.
Please let me know if any of them catches your eye.
Since I've taken you under my wing...
It's been seven years.
Other girls couldn't even look me in the eye,
but you were different from the beginning.
I hear the girls are scared of me.
I'm heartless and mean.
They're still immature.
Please don't mind them.
What is your opinion of me?
Tell me.
I felt pity for you.
You felt pity?
You felt pity for me?
Why?
Why did you feel pity for me?
You had power and wealth,
but you couldn't open your heart to anyone.
That seemed pitiful to me.
I'm sorry.
I wanted to be a mother to you,
but I don't think I'm qualified to be your mother.
If I had really thought of you as my own daughter,
I should've been concerned about your marriage.
Please don't say that.
My greed is holding you here.
I should have looked for a suitable match for you.
I plan to go to the imperial city,
and find a suitable match for you among the Jingol nobles.
I don't want that.
I don't mean to send you as a mistress.
I mean to have you married to a Jingol noble.
I couldn't live that way,
but you should live a happy life with a husband.
I do not wish to marry.
Then how will you live?
I want to do business.
Business is hard even for men.
It is not for you.
I'll look for a suitable match for you.
You brats!
Stop right there!
You little brats!
Brats.
You fool!
Your father is breaking his back,
and here you are getting drunk and sleeping.
How can I trust you with the shop?
You might as well just quit.
Fine, I will.
I don't want to run this place anyway!
What?
Hello, my lady.
Since Goong-bok and Yon were taken to China,
Soon-jong has been listless.
He's been either getting drunk or sleeping all day.
He's driving me crazy.
But what is this about running a business?
As you must know, Madam Jami operates
the bulk of the shops in the marketplace.
A merchant group from China recently opened their shop.
It's the busiest shop in the marketplace.
Is there a particular reason?
There is no secret to good business.
You only need to offer good merchandise at a low price.
And that's what they're offering.
And the owner Yum Moon is a great businessman.
He's even eating into Madam Jami's market.
That's the place.
These are goods from China.
Hello.
She's the manager of the shop.
Is everything going well?
Yes.
May I have a word with you?
I've seen you for several years,
but you've never spoken to me.
What is it you want to say to me?
I'd like to learn business skills at your shop.
You can't learn business skills.
It's not the right trade for you.
I need your help.
Please help me.
You were looking for me.
Show the lady our account books,
and help her understand our operation.
Hiring falls under my authority.
You've given me the authority to manage this shop.
I can't hire someone who hasn't even passed the test.
She's not going to be working at the shop.
Just help her learn the operation side of things.
Follow the captain's orders.
Even if it's temporary,
she is an employee of our merchant group.
I'm only abiding by our policy.
I know that.
I'll take the test as you wish.
You don't have to.
I will.
I'd like to know if I have any talent in business.
You must sell five rolls of silk before the day is over.
If you fail, we can't hire you.
You're really going to sell this?
I have to.
You can't.
Even an expert merchant like Da-bok can't sell it.
Just tell them you can't do it.
The law governs even the underwear that people wear.
Commoners like us can only wear clothes made of cotton.
And nobles are allowed to wear finely woven hemp clothes.
Only Jingol nobles are allowed to wear silks.
And you can't find a single Jingol noble
in the marketplace, no matter where you look.
If I can't find them here,
I'll have to go looking for them.
And who'd allow you in their house?
I'd like to help you, but I don't know any nobles.
Come on.
I supply a few Jingol noble households.
Come with me.
You're worse than Da-bok.
You can't even get yourself a widower.
I come here all the time.
Please let me just speak to the lady of the house.
I told you no.
Leave.
Please let us in.
We only wish to show her our silk.
Do you not understand?
Leave!
What is going on?
These are finely woven silks from China.
You mean to sell me silk?
Yes.
I'm not interested. Take them back.
They're beautiful. Please take a look.
I don't know how you're acquainted with this girl,
but I can't buy this kind of silk.
I don't mean to sell this silk for clothes.
Then what would I do with it?
It seems you enjoy wash drawings of Wang Wei.
This style of painting looks
more elegant on silk, not paper.
You know of Wang Wei?
I believe he's famous for his landscape paintings.
If you'd allow me, I'd like to show you.
Give her a brush.
How did it go?
I sold it.
My lady.
These are our account books.
They're encrypted so only we can understand.
I'll help you understand.
You already finished all these books?
I was able to see who bought what in one glance.
I was also able to understand buyer history.
What is my lesson today?
China is a vast land, beyond your comprehension.
Merchants from as far as Arabia
come to Yangzhou to trade.
Do you know why commerce flourishes in China?
It's because their waterways and roads are well developed.
In Shilla, the imperial city is too far east of the center,
and roads can't be paved in rugged mountainous areas.
But by water, it takes only ten days to get to
the imperial city, whereas it takes a month by land.
If you mean to do business, you must look to the sea.
When do you return to China?
I'll return to China,
once I open shops in the imperial city.
You'll arrive in China when you cross this sea?
With the right wind and water conditions,
you could make it to Yangzhou in five days.
The slaves who left Mujinju...
...crossed this sea to China?
If you sail south,
you could make it to Chunghae in four days.
You have been to Chunghae?
I've been there with my
merchant group when I was young.
I saw you then.
You were too beautiful even to look at back then.
When I later saw you at Madam Jami's,
you had been trained to be a nobleman's mistress.
And now you want to be a merchant.
To me, you look most beautiful now.
Jung-hwa, are you in?
Yes.
The son of the governor is interested in you.
It's wonderful news.
He is trusted by a high court official.
When he completes his term here,
he'll be assigned to a high post in the imperial city.
His son's future is also guaranteed.
I've learned he's a great scholar,
and a man of good character.
He'll make a good match for you.
I do not wish to marry.
You still haven't put aside
this silly idea of running a business?
What are they?
I've adjusted the account books of the marketplace.
I've reorganized the past several years' records of all trades.
You can see in a glance
when the prices of rice and silk increase and decrease.
And I've also made separate records of
the noble families' histories and events small and large.
You did this?
Yes.
I do not wish to marry.
Please allow me to run a business.
Chief Yoo.
What is the inventory of silk?
We have 100 rolls of woven silk, 54 rolls of
roughly woven silk, and 22 rolls of colored silk.
How do you plan to do business when you, the chief of
the silk shop, aren't even aware of his inventory?
These are the account books that Jung-hwa kept.
You can assess our current inventory
and purchase history in one glance.
I'm appointing Jung-hwa as supervisory secretary
of the marketplace as of today.
Jung-hwa, pay your respects to the chiefs.
We have opened a shop in the imperial city marketplace,
and secured tiger skin and fine wine.
Any difficulties in opening a shop in the marketplace?
As you ordered,
we hired a man from the imperial city as shop manager.
Good work.
We'll return to Yangzhou as soon as we load the ship.
Get ready.
I am now the supervisory secretary of the marketplace.
I owe it to you.
I'm glad you got your wish.
Congratulations.
I'm returning to Yangzhou now.
I must give you a final lesson before I return.
Have you ever heard the phrase "Ta Myun Ja Gun"?
If someone spits in your face, you must wait until it dries.
In doing business, you'll come across many incidents
where you must endure insults.
But if you endure and persevere,
you'll get what you wish.
I'm leaving for Yangzhou, but I'll return to Mujinju soon.
If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.
I'll never forget your help.
Take him away.
Throw the body away.
Eat.
You eat. Eat.
Thanks.
Goong-bok, come with me.
- What is it? - Quiet.
Eat.
Where did you get this?
The cell boss and Baek-an hoarded
all the meat given on the harvest moon day.
I took some from their stash.
Eat up.
I haven't had meat in ages.
I'll eat it, but I hope we don't get in trouble for this.
And what if we do? We'll just go at it with them.
You rats.
Enjoying your meal?
Get out of there!
It was their doing.
Take them away.
Yon!
Don't stop me.
I'm no better than a dog,
but I don't want to live this way.
Goong-bok!
Tell him to please forgive us.
Goong-bok!
I'm sorry. Please forgive us.
Back off.
Capture him!
There's trouble.
What is it?
Ryu-sa... Ryu-sa is dead.
What?
Find him. Find him in ten days.
You got that?
Can't you do your job right?
It happened so suddenly. There was nothing I could do.
Shut up!
How did a skilled man like Ryu-sa die?
That Shilla man cowardly stabbed him in the back.
Starve him to death. Don't give him a drop of water!
And if you can't find another man like Ryu-sa,
you'll lose your head!
YANGZHOU, CHINA
Unload the goods and transport them to the shop.
Yes, Captain.
You're late.
We were delayed securing the tiger skins you requested.
Good work.
Based in Yangzhou, our merchant group has expanded
to Chuzhou, Chang'an, Vietnam, and now Shilla.
We're making handsome profits from Shilla
with the slave trade.
As a reward for successfully leading trade with Madam Jami,
I appoint Yum Moon as chief of the Yangzhou Group.
Master, Yangzhou is the center of our merchant group
where we're competing with the Sul Pyong merchant group.
Yum Moon lacks the experience
to take on such an important post.
I have come to this decision after much thought.
Abide by my decision.
Drink.
Sul Pyong is already dominating
the marketplace in Yangzhou.
Because of that, we had to travel inland to trade.
But even that won't be easy now.
Sul Pyong is expanding beyond Chang'an to He'dong.
Then he means to expand to the silk road to Arabia...
He means to secure land as well as waterways.
If we yield to him now,
Chuzhou as well as Chang'an will be in danger.
Sul Pyong must not get a foothold in He'dong.
The chiefs are unhappy with your appointment.
Quiet their complaints on your own.
What are you doing?
Unhand me now!
It was you?
You ordered these men to drag me here?
Please forgive me.
Shut up!
How dare you insult me this way?
I'll speak to the master about this incident.
What are you doing?
Please calm down and stay still.
All right.
Withdraw your sword.
What is it you want to say to me?
You've known me for years.
I must still look like a child in your eyes.
But I'm old enough to know the ins and outs of our business.
I know you're secretly dealing with Master Jin in Chuzhou.
I also know you've been to Chang'an last month
with spices from Arabia.
You're allowed to exercise certain authority in business.
But do not worry. I'll keep my mouth shut.
Thank you.
And I'll give you first pick of
all goods coming to Yangzhou.
This is a very good offer
in return for your acknowledgement.
All right.
I'll do my best not to betray your expectations.
You may leave.
You called for me?
There were two men by the names Goong-bok and Yon
in the last shipment of slaves.
Do you know them?
Yes, I do.
Then you must know who bought them.
Who is it?
Well...
Who is it?
They were sent to the fortress building site in He'xi.
He'xi? That's thousands of miles from here.
Only serious Chinese criminals are taken to those places.
What happened?
I asked you a question.
The truth is... we have some bad blood between us.
So I used my authority to send them there.
But I made big profits from other slaves.
You won't take a loss.
You can trust my words.
Please don't kill me.
Why are you doing this?
Please don't kill me.
Why are you doing this?
Please don't kill me.
That's enough.
Chief, it's Pan-sool.
Come in.
You called for me?
We're going to He'xi at sunrise.
But that's a borderland thousands of miles away.
There's no telling how long...
Get ready.
I'm ready to obey your orders anytime,
but why would you bring this suffering on yourself?
I'm sorry to put you through this.
But what is the nature of your relationship with them?
We were friends for a while in Chunghae.
We attacked Chunghae once...
That's Joong-dal's hometown.
If they have bad blood with Joong-dal,
they can't be your good friends.
They don't know my identity yet.
You might create more trouble by rescuing them.
I think they're dead.
Throw them out.
Yon.
He's alive.
He regained consciousness.
He's really better at the martial arts than Ryu-sa?
I'm sure.
Then why did you tell me that he stabbed him in the back?
I was lied to.
But when I looked into it,
I heard that his skills exceed those of Ryu-sa.
Fine, give them food and rest for a speedy recovery.
Yes, sir.
Yon...
Goong-bok...
He's our new cell boss as of today.
If you don't obey him, you'll lose your life.
Are you all right?
What did you tell them?
I told them you're our new boss.
If it's okay with you, I'll rule them in your place.
You'll need me since you can't speak Chinese.
We're fellow countrymen.
Let's put our past behind us. Help me out here.
Just make me your right-hand man.
I'll take care of the rest.
I'll put all of them under your thumb.
It's from the foreman.
Why is he being so kind to us all of a sudden?
You two will be leaving here tomorrow.
Leaving? For where?
There is another building site about 250 miles north of here.
You'll be taken there.
The foreman is already there.
He spared our lives to send us to another site?
Foremen from nearby fortress sites gather there to gamble.
Foremen select men from their sites
to fight and make wagers.
It's become quite a high-stakes game
with big merchants too.
If you win a fight-to-the-death match,
our foreman will make lots of money.
Let's go.
Yes, sir.
I can't go any further.
Get up.
Let's rest... just for a minute.
Get up.
We'll die here.
We're just wasting our energy...
Shut up!
I have to live.
Get up!