Episode 11

Park Ki-woong

Lee Ji-hoon

Park Ji-hyun

Choi Deok-moon

Kim Min-sang

Gong Jung-hwan

Kim Yeo-jin

Sung Ji-ru

## Episode Synopsis

With instructions from Woo-won, Hae-ryung heads to the king's palace but is turned away. The historians grapple with a dubious royal order.

## Plot Summary

Officer Min Woo-won orders the apprentices to enter Daejojeon, no matter what, in order to determine what Second State Councillor Min Ik-pyeong is secretly discussing with the King.

Min Ik-pyeong informs the King that he believes the Queen Dowager is behind the gathering of the remnants of Seoraewon and asks if the King is hiding anything about Prince Dowon. Goo Hae-ryung arrives at Daejojeon but is barred from entering. She sneaks around the building to eavesdrop and gets caught by government officials.

Brought before the king, she refuses to reveal the contents of her *sachaek* – she is thrown into jail.

News reaches Prince Dowon, but Eunuch Heo Sam-bo stops him from interfering, knowing that the prince has no legitimate reason to be concerned about Goo Hae-ryung’s imprisonment. He imagines worst-case scenarios; her execution by poison and by beheading.

Goo Jae-gyeong asks Min Ik-pyeong about Goo Hae-ryung, concerned, trying to apologise in her stead.

In protest, the historians pretend to be unable to do their jobs for various reasons – running out of paper and tummy-aches. Without the *Hanrim*, political affairs come to a standstill, as meetings cannot be conducted and permissions are halted without the input of the Office of Royal Decrees. This angers the king, and he sends the Royal Secretariat to seize the contents of their daily records.

The confrontation escalates to a physical brawl between the Office of Royal Decrees and Royal Secretariat, with even the apprentices joining the fight. The historians barricade themselves within the office, desperate to win although they are hungry and afraid. The situation both concerns and amuses the Queen Dowager.

Prince Dowon bribes a palace guard to visit Goo Hae-ryung in her cell, leaving her plenty of food, blankets, and some money to bribe the guard for drinks.

> **Prince Dowon:** Then I will go with you. If you are dismissed, I’ll leave with you and become your next door neighbour. If you are sent into exile, I, too, will leave Hanyang and follow you. And if, this would be the worst-case scenario, the punishment is even worse than that…I will run away with you.
> **Goo Hae-ryung** **(light-heartedly):** I’m sorry, but I don’t want to. I mean, you can write, but there is nothing else you can do. I saw that you don’t know how to make a fire, and you can’t split firewood. I’ll probably end up doing everything.
>
>

The two almost kiss but are interrupted by Heo Sam-bo, who tries to rush the prince out. Goo Hae-ryung instead kisses Dowon on the cheek before he leaves.

The King continues to receive petitions asking him to withdraw his order about viewing the historians’ records. Outside, Officer Min wears all white, removes his shoes, and kneels before an axe. He demands that the king retract his order, or to behead him. He exclaims that the king has no right to view the administrative records, and the King is physical stopped for reaching for the axe.

The sound of outcries reaches the palace – dozens of scholars from Sungkyunkwan having arrived to protest the King’s order. They sit in the courtyard and continue to wail, joined by the historians and apprentices.

In private, Min Ik-pyeong reasons that the King’s stubbornness will eventually cause people to suspect his motives – particularly what secrets he has to hide. The King retracts his order and releases Goo Hae-ryung from imprisonment. She arrives home to Seol-geum’s and Goo Jae-gyeong’s relief (and Prince Dowon’s).

Goo Jae-gyeong implores Hae-ryung to leave her job, afraid for her welfare in the palace and distrusting of the government officials.

> **Goo Jae-gyeong:** People act polite on the outside, and they talk about being moral, but anyone in the palace can become as cruel as an animal if they need to be. I should never have let you enter such a dangerous place.
>
>

He promises not to let her get married, as long as she quits. He begins to mention the possibility of people finding out who she really is, but is interrupted. Hae-ryung is willing to accept the dangers and consequences of her job, as she has longed to have a duty for the longest time.

While still dark, Prince Dowon and Goo Hae-ryung are roused from sleep, by orders of the King.

## Starring

### Main cast:

* Shin Se-kyung as Goo Hae-ryung
* Cha Eun-woo as Prince Dowon
* Park Ki-woong as Crown Prince Yi Jin
* Lee Ji-hoon as Min Woo-won
* Gong Jung-hwan as Goo Jae-gyeong
* Kim Min-sang as King Hamyeong Yi Tae
* Choi Deok-moon as Min Ik-pyeong

### Recurring:

* Kim Yeo-jin as Queen Dowager Yim
* Heo Jeong-do as Officer Yang Si-haeng
* Kang Hoon as Officer Hyeon Kyeong-mook
* Nam Tae-woo as Officer Son Gil-seung
* Yoon Jung-sub as Officer Hwang Jang-goon
* Ji Gun-woo as Officer Seong Seo-kwon
* Oh Hee-joon as Officer Ahn Hong-ik
* Lee Jung-ha as Officer Kim Chi-gook
* Park Ji-hyun as Apprentice Song Sa-hee
* Lee Ye-rim as Apprentice Oh Eun-im
* Jang Yoo-bin as Apprentica Heo Ah-ran
* Jeon Ik-ryung as Mo-hwa
* Sung Ji-ru as Heo Sam-bo
* Yang Jo-a as Seol-geum
* Lee Kwan-hoon as Gak-soi
* Ryoo Tae-ho as Song Jae-cheon
* Kim Yong-woon as Gwi Jae