I have heard about Master Sul's passing.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
What brings you to Yangzhou?
Why was the regent taken to the imperial city?
He is being accused of colluding with pirates
in connection with your releasing Master Yi.
Since he had helped you enter Shilla,
he also stands accused of colluding with pirates.
If you hadn't returned to Yangzhou,
you'd have been taken to the imperial city as well.
He had to release Master Yi in order to save Father.
How could they accuse him of colluding with pirates?
I believe this is all a ploy of Madam Jami's.
I'll return to Shilla and bring the truth to light.
No, you mustn't.
If you go back to Shilla, you will be arrested,
and your life will be in danger.
I can't ignore the regent when he's in danger because of me.
She had set the trap.
It is best for you to stay in Yangzhou for now.
We have barely reorganized the group after Father's death.
Should anything happen to you,
our group will be thrown into great confusion.
Please be prudent.
Please stay with us during your stay in Yangzhou.
No, I also need to conduct a few trades.
I will stay at an inn.
Then please let me help you with your trading.
You have come all the way to Yangzhou for the grand chief.
It's the least I can do.
I assume you're competing with Madam Jami.
You will gain the upper hand if you trade with us.
I'll gratefully accept your offer.
Then...
It seems I was foolish to expect time to help me win your heart.
No matter how much time passes,
it seems that Lady Jung-hwa's affection for you will not fade.
Will you really sell the business?
Yes, I will sell everything and go to Shilla.
I'm tired of running a business.
What will you do then?
I'll earn power instead of money.
I don't understand.
You will understand soon enough.
Have you looked into a buyer for the brewery?
I must sell the brewery first if I'm to return to Shilla.
It seems it'll be difficult to return to Shilla.
What do you mean?
Colluding with pirates? What a bunch of nonsense.
We risked our lives to suppress the pirates.
How could they accuse us of such a thing?
The nobles in the imperial city are as corrupt as they could be.
Madam Jami has them all eating out of her hand.
What will you do now?
The grand chief will be arrested if he returns to Shilla.
It's vexing, but we must stay away for now.
Captain Jung is right.
It is pointless to fight when they are out to frame us.
I will return to Shilla.
The regent's innocence can't be proven unless I return.
I can't chase the regent to death for my safety.
But your return can't prove his innocence.
Even if it can't, I can't just stay here.
I have mountains of work to do in Shilla.
If I can't return now, I will never be able to.
I know how you feel,
but you can only realize your grand scheme if you're alive.
All will be lost if you're dead.
It's pointless to return, now that the regent has been arrested.
You should reconsider.
I must return, if not just to avenge Master's death.
I believe Master will watch over us.
What more do you wish to take from me?
My lady.
I had felt pity for you once.
I pitied your fate...
...which didn't allow you to disobey Master Yi.
But now I can't understand you.
I never wish to see you again.
Head Chief.
The master is looking for you.
Sit.
I will help you realize your goal.
I mean to help you enter the imperial city.
You will join me in treason?
I am a noble and I have no reason to betray the imperial household.
Treason isn't the only way to enter the imperial city.
If you and I can put a new king on the throne,
the imperial city will belong to us.
I am not a noble. I am a criminal of Shilla.
Will the imperial household put their trust in me?
As you must know, Kim Woo-jing will be dismissed
from the line of succession for colluding with pirates.
Once Kim Woo-jing is out of the picture,
the fight for the throne will become even more fierce.
A bloody political struggle is unavoidable.
If your force and my wealth are united,
even the imperial household will covet our power.
In return, you must help me put down roots in Chunghae.
You wish to establish your business in Chunghae?
That's right.
Jang Bogo once said he'd make his base in Chunghae,
and open trade between Japan and China.
I had shrugged it off as a silly idea of his then,
but now I begin to see why he set up his base in Chunghae.
Chunghae is the perfect center of commerce
that will link Japan and China.
Jang Bogo will never be able to return to Chunghae.
I will establish my business in Chunghae and begin trading.
I need your help.
What do you think of her offer?
If you could put a new king on the throne,
we could enter the imperial city without bloodshed.
I will abide by your decision.
All right.
- Chief Jang. - Yes.
Do you know what thoughts occupy Yum Moon these days?
His eyes are full of nothing but sorrow.
I believe Lady Jung-hwa is the cause.
Do you know the one thing he lacks?
He has no ambition.
Neither money nor power can stimulate him.
Only that girl, Jung-hwa.
His hatred for Jang Bogo also stems from that.
Lack of ambition can be strength at times,
but for the sake of his future... It is quite frustrating.
My lady.
What is it?
Grand Chief Jang will return to Shilla.
Is it true you will be returning to Shilla?
Yes.
Must you go?
I'm sorry to make your effort to alert me be in vain,
but I must go back to Shilla.
My life will be safe if I stay here,
but I will be admitting to colluding with pirates.
It is an insult to Master and the security officers
who lost their lives.
I will return to Shilla, and prove the innocence
of the regent and myself.
I understand your feelings,
but why would you put your life in danger?
Do not worry.
We will be ready to set sail in five days.
Join us for the journey back to Shilla.
What will you do?
You still don't know me after all these years?
You will not go back?
I don't engage in foolhardy acts.
It's better to stay out of the rain.
I believe Grand Chief Jang is being reckless,
but I can't let him go alone. I will go with him.
Please allow me to go with him.
Go.
Go and let me know when things are resolved.
Grand Chief.
We are ready.
When I die...
...scatter my ashes...
...along the sea route to Shilla... and Japan.
I wish to aid you...
in realizing your goal... ...even in my death...
Do you like your name?
Yes.
I will honor your words,
and amass great wealth to benefit the world.
In order to amass great wealth and benefit the world,
you will be forced to submit to losses,
and to risk your life at times.
If you abandon your values for immediate profit,
you'll have bodily comforts,
but you can't be a great merchant that everyone will remember.
But if you stay true to your values,
your body will suffer,
but you will be remembered for a long time.
Madam is expecting you. Please come inside.
Don't let anyone near the inner chambers.
Yes, sir.
This is Master Yi Do-hyung and Head Chief Yum Moon.
He is the inspector general's relative, Lord Kim Myung-chun.
It is an honor, my lord.
Madam Jami has told me a lot about you.
I understand you are a great merchant
who trades with Japan and China?
Yes.
Captain, it is I, Tae-bong.
What is it?
The Mujinju governor is here.
- You should go receive him. - Yes, madam.
Shouldn't you receive the governor personally?
It must be an urgent matter if he came at this late hour.
Please do not be concerned. I'll take care of it.
Madam is with important guests. May I help you?
What guest could be more important than the governor?
What is the meaning of this insolence?
Bring Madam Jami right now.
- It's all right. - Governor.
Be quiet.
I received a message that Jang Bogo has returned to Chunghae.
- Is that true? - Yes.
I will go to Chunghae now,
and take Jang Bogo to the imperial city.
- Give Madam the message. - Yes, sir.
Let's go.
Jang Bogo has really returned to Chunghae?
Yes.
The governor has left for Chunghae to arrest Jang Bogo.
He must be insane to have come back.
He has walked willingly into his own grave.
- Where is Jang Bogo? - What is the matter?
Jang Bogo has colluded with pirates.
He will be taken to the imperial city. Tell him to show himself.
- How could you do this? - Shut up!
- Search the place! - Yes, sir.
Stand back!
I have been waiting for you.
I will go with you to the imperial city.
Call off your men.
Stand back.
Please take care of things here.
Don't worry.
Take good care of Lady Chae-ryung.
Yes.
You will be disarmed and put under house arrest.
If anyone attempts to leave the house,
you will be punished on the spot.
What did you find out?
Jang Bogo was taken to the imperial city,
and about two hundred security officers remain in Chunghae.
If his troops remain in Chunghae,
they will pose a threat to us.
We must take this opportunity to attack Chunghae.
I will personally lead the attack.
What is it?
I am here to meet Lady Chae-ryung.
Jang Bogo Group is under house arrest for colluding with pirates.
The governor has ordered that no one be allowed access inside.
It will only be for a short while.
No. Leave!
What did you find out?
A dozen soldiers are guarding the east gate,
and the south gate is also guarded by soldiers.
Can you really penetrate the confinement?
The only way to prove the grand chief's innocence
is to slay Yi Do-hyung.
I will slay Yi Do-hyung.
But we have no weapons.
We have weapons aboard our ship in the harbor.
Master Yi has left Jinwol and moved to another base.
How will you find and kill him?
His base must be on one of these islands:
Sachun, Palmi, Dangjin, or Anwol.
When we locate his hideout,
we'll take our elite force to slay him.
We can't mobilize all our troops under house arrest,
but we could kill Yi Do-hyung with an elite force alone.
It is too dangerous.
There is no point in staying alive
if anything happens to the grand chief.
We will protect him. Don't worry.
- Be careful. - Yes.
Who's there?
Head Chief!
What is it?
The shore patrols were found dead.
Who do you think did it?
They must have been Jang Bogo's security officers.
But they are disarmed and under house arrest.
They are martial arts experts.
They must have breached the confinement.
Their base is on Sachun Island.
There seemed to be a few hundred men guarding the base.
There are also pirates' bases with hundreds of men
on Palmi Island and Mongeum Island.
Their numbers are greater than I had expected.
We must observe the situation a little longer.
We have no time to wait. We must attack them now.
If anything goes wrong,
greater harm will befall the grand chief.
You must be prudent.
Get out.
I brought Jang Bogo.
Answer my questions truthfully.
Should you lie, you will not escape death.
Is it true you were a slave at the Chunghae Shipyard?
Yes.
You were left to die on a deserted island for colluding with pirates,
and then you were sent to a horse ranch in Mujinju?
I repaired a pirate ship when I was a slave at the shipyard,
but I never colluded with pirates.
Just answer my questions.
Is it true you were left to die,
and were sent to the horse ranch as a slave?
Yes.
And you ran away from the ranch
where you should have served as a slave for life?
Answer.
Yes.
You have brought a hundred armed men to Shilla
to plot treason with pirates?
That's not true.
I came to Shilla to suppress the pirates
who were interfering with trading.
Shut up!
You released the leader of the pirates
when you came to suppress the pirates?
You must have other intentions to have done so.
I released Yi Do-hyung, the leader of the pirates,
to save the grand chief of our group who was held hostage.
I will gladly accept punishment for releasing the pirate leader,
but you can't accuse me of colluding with pirates.
- Men. - Yes, sir.
He will not confess.
Torture the truth out of him!
Yes, sir.
What are you doing?
All right.
Captain.
What is it?
I wish to go to Chunghae with Soon-jong.
Why?
We need to find a house in Chunghae.
What do you mean?
Well... I feel terrible for Madam Jami, who has supported us,
but I wish to return to my hometown to live out the rest of my life.
Please allow us.
I will talk to Madam Jami.
Wait!
I am a merchant from Shandong.
I'm returning home after a trade trip to Japan.
Pass.
Who's there?
- Sir. - What?
Should we be walking around in broad daylight like this?
If we get caught, we're both dead.
What can you accomplish with such a faint heart?
Only Jang Bogo and his men know our true identities.
Jang Bogo has gone to the imperial city to die,
and the Mujinju troops are keeping his men away from us.
Who would know we were pirates?
- But... - But what?
You must be the stupidest pirate in the world.
Everyone would call you a lunatic if you told them you're a pirate.
What's wrong with me?
You have the face of a beggar, not a pirate.
A pirate must have a certain look about him.
Take Yum Moon for example. He has the statuesque frame,
and when he says, "Slay him," you can't help but obey him.
That's what you call a pirate.
But I have something he doesn't. My deadly gaze.
"Be ready." What do you think?
Please cool it.
You will be a pirate for the rest of your life!
Why you... You'd better stop right there!
Father... over there.
Joong-dal, that son of a... What is he doing in Chunghae?
My lady...
I've been expecting you.
- Who are you? - Follow me quietly.
Yes...
Why are you doing this?
We are Chinese merchants from Shandong.
Why are you doing this to us?
My lady!
My lady... how long has it been...?
My heart broke in pieces when I heard you had disappeared.
What nonsense are you babbling about?
Tell us what you are doing in Chunghae.
What are you doing in Chunghae?
I've been running a business in Shandong
since I parted ways with Master Yi.
You must have been spying.
I know you are working for Yi Do-hyung.
Do we need to beat some sense into you?
- That's not true. - Yes, it is.
You are a pirate too, aren't you? You must be.
If I were a pirate,
would I parade around the marketplace in broad daylight?
You know this is my hometown.
I came back here to start a business.
My lady, I'm telling the truth. Please believe me.
- I can't believe you. - Please believe me.
You son of a...
- I'll kill you! - Yon!
What happened?
They were spying around Chunghae.
I will take care of them. Please retire now.
My lady, let's go inside.
What are you up to now?
Is it a crime to come back to my hometown?
What?
I will ask you again.
Why were you spying around Chunghae?
You think I'd open my mouth if you abused me?
You, do you have a death wish?
Do whatever you want.
I will die one way or the other anyway.
That's enough.
What is the progress?
He is a strong one. He still won't talk.
- You may leave. - Yes, sir!
I have no ill feelings toward you.
What will I hope to gain from torturing a former slave?
I will teach you a way to live.
Listen carefully.
You only need to testify
that Kim Woo-jing was colluding with pirates.
You only need to reveal that Kim Woo-jing left the imperial city
for Chunghae for that reason.
Then I will spare your life.
Neither the regent... nor I have colluded with pirates.
It is Madam Jami who is colluding with pirates.
You foolish man...
Do you not understand what I am saying?
I do.
You are telling me to frame the regent.
I can't do that.
All our efforts will have been in vain
if we don't get a confession out of him.
Use whatever means necessary to get a confession.
Yes, sir.
Joong-dal won't talk.
We have to turn him over to the authorities.
That won't prove the grand chief's innocence.
Joong-dal will never testify in his favor.
If they were spying around Chunghae,
it is possible that Master Yi and Head Chief Yum Moon will attack.
We must be released from house arrest,
and prepare for attack as quickly as possible.
About two hundred troops are stationed at Byungtan Base,
and about a hundred are stationed in Chunghae.
The Chunghae navy has recently reinforced their troops.
Chunghae defenses are tighter than we had expected.
Even if they are great in number,
they are a set of ruffians who haven't been properly trained.
Jang Bogo's men are disarmed and under house arrest.
It is our chance to wipe them out.
Get ready for battle.
Yes.
There may be a pirate attack.
Release us from house arrest, and permit us to arm ourselves.
What are you saying?
How would you know of a pirate attack when you are confined?
You must really be colluding with pirates.
The pirates are sending spies to Chunghae.
The Chunghae navy will stop the pirates.
I can't allow you to be armed. Leave at once!
Sir, what will happen to us now?
We will either live or die.
I... don't want to die.
Why don't we just talk?
- Chun-tae. - Yes?
Even if we talk, we will still end up in a ditch.
If we keep our mouths shut and wait,
the master will attack Chunghae soon.
Then we will be his loyal servants,
who risked our lives for him.
But what good is anything when we are dead?
You must've gotten used to getting beatings from me by now.
Can't you even endure this much?
Endure it.
Endure it, and we will get our revenge someday!
There is big trouble!
- What is it? - We're under pirate attack.
The Chunghae navy are falling helplessly under pirate attack.
What is going on?
Pirates are attacking Chunghae.
What did I tell you?
Release us now. We will protect Chunghae.
I can't...
Chunghae will be wiped out at this rate. Give us our weapons.
We can't be massacred like this. Give us our weapons!
Fine. I will allow you to be armed.
Summon the security officers.
My lady, there is big trouble.
Pirates are attacking.
You must escape now.
My lady!
Captain!
Yon!
My lady, you must flee this place.
My lady.
Captain Jang.
Do you recognize me?
Madam.
What happened?
About a hundred of Jang Bogo's men were killed.
Drink. You've done well.
I heard you didn't break under torture,
and you kept our attack a secret.
Yes...
Master, I protected you with my life.
Here.
How many casualties have you suffered?
We lost about a hundred men.
I'll take care of him. You should get some rest.
I will stay by his side.
Are you awake?
My lord.
Don't get up.
What happened? Were you safe?
Those who tried to entrap me failed
because you withstood their torture to the end,
and proved our innocence.
I'm sorry I have put you in danger.
No.
It is a trap set by those who are against me.
You have suffered greatly because of me.
You must get well soon.
His Majesty wishes to see you.
Your Majesty, this is Jang Bogo, the man I spoke of.
I am Jang Bogo, the grand chief of the Yangzhou merchant group.
I have heard a great deal about you from the regent.
I hear you went to China as a slave,
and became the biggest merchant in China.
I have a long way yet to go to become the biggest merchant.
He not only succeeded as a merchant,
he once served as the junior commander of the Wu Ning Jun
with his extraordinary martial arts skills.
I heard you have brought your security officers
to Shilla to suppress pirates.
Can you accomplish a task that even our troops couldn't?
The people of the southwestern shores are suffering
from endless pirate attacks.
Moreover, merchants who conduct trade by sea
are giving it up out of fear of pirates.
I will suppress the pirates and open the sea.
Once he suppresses the pirates,
Jang Bogo plans to connect China and Japan
in trade from a base in Chunghae.
If he realizes his goal,
the imperial finances will greatly benefit.
The pirates infesting the southwestern shores have
subjugated smaller bands of pirates in the area,
and are overpowering government troops.
Should they plot treason, Shilla will be in great danger.
I will give you full authority to suppress the pirates.
Go and wipe out the pirates.
I will obey your command.