"My lady." "Are you the chief of Madam Jami's merchant group?" "Yes." "Arrest her!" "My lady..." "Back off." "What is it?" "What is the meaning of this insolence?" "I'm a chief with the Yi Do-hyung merchant group." "If there is any problem, I'll take care of it." "Release her at once." "We found a prohibited item in their possession." "That can't be." "There must be a mistake... I confirmed it with my own eyes." "Take her away." "My lady." "Two men ran away." "Search the harbor." " Father." " Be quiet." "I was looking for you everywhere when I heard you were taken as slaves." "Last I heard, you were taken to the borderland." "What happened?" "I was picked up as a warrior slave." "I work as a security officer for Master Sul." "What will happen to Lady Jung-hwa?" "Her merchants must've tried to smuggle in banned items." "It'd be difficult for her to escape punishment." "Any way to get her out?" "I thought Lady Jung-hwa returned to Shilla." "What is she doing here in Yangzhou?" "She remained in Yangzhou as Madam Jami's chief merchant." "Chief Yoo said the punishment for smuggling is severe." "is there any way to save her?" "What can I do in my situation?" "Please help her." "Everyone knows I'm working with Madam Jami." "If I try to save her now, our business could also be in harm's way." "I feel for the girl, butjust ignore her." "Pan-sool." "What happened?" "We barely escaped with our lives." "We've been through so much." "Let's talk inside." "The troops are watching us too." "I can't let you in." "Go away." "But where can we go?" "Where do you expect us to go?" "Well..." "That's none of my business." " Pan-sool..." " Go away." "If you don't go away, I'll alert the troops." "Pan-sool!" "Thatjerk." "Father, how are we going to survive now?" "How am I supposed to know?" " Boss." " Yes, Goong-bok." " Master Jo isn't in?" " You won't see him for a while." "Where did he go?" "It seems he's been frequenting gambling houses now that there are no contests." "He'll come back when he loses or wins everything." "What is it?" "I'll look into it, but I don't know if there is anything I can do." "You must." "You have to do it for me." " How did it go?" " l asked ajailer." "The incident hasn't been reported to the Jie Du Shi yet." " Now what do we do?" " We must contact an officer." "Since it concerns smuggling..." "It'll cost a lot of money." "Will you arrange it?" "This is Master Wang Ju-pyong." "An officer from Gangso Fortress." "This is my brother." "Sit." "What is your business with me?" "A chief of Madam Jami's merchant group from Shilla is in jail." "I know." "Would you arrange for her release?" "It will be difficult." " That fool." " Master." " What brings you here?" " l have a favor to ask of you." "I have no time to talk to you now." "We'll talk later." "Master." " Let me fight." " What?" " What are you saying?" " l need money." "I need 300 silver coins." "You're Master Sul's security officer." "Why do you need that kind of money?" "I'll tell you the details later." "Please let me fight." "No." "You're no longer a gladiator, and you're Master Sul's man." "Master." "And you're already known as the best fighter in Yangzhou." "It'll be difficult to arrange a fight for you here." "And no one would make any wagers." " Make it quick." " Yes." "My lady." "I'm doing all I can for your release." " Please hang in there." " l'm sorry to trouble you." "I have bribed the jailer." "He'll look after you." "Then... I have something to ask you." "Do you remember the man I asked you to look for?" "I saw him at Yangzhou Harbor." "What happened?" "When I looked into his whereabouts at your request, I learned he was taken to the borderlands." "He must have somehow survived." "It turns out he lived as a gladiator in Yangzhou." "He's now Master Sul's security officer." "You needn't worry about him now." "Goong-bok's been in love with her for years." "He has finally found her and she's in trouble now." "All right." "You may go now." "Goong-bok." "Where did you go?" "Lady Chae-ryung was looking for you." "She asked me about you and Lady Jung-hwa." "I told her the truth." "Where did you go?" " l went to see Master Jo." " What?" "You found a way to help Lady Jung-hwa?" "It's a surprise to see you here." "I have a favor to ask you." "What would you want from me when Master dotes on you, and your future is guaranteed?" "Let me borrow 300 silver coins." "If you'll lend me the money in three days, I'll pay you back in a month." "I guess it's not business related." "Does Master Yi know about this?" "Please keep it a secret from him." "Well, I've been having cash flow problems." "I know you're trading silk with foreign merchants." "I do not mean to bring your wrongdoings to light." "I'll supply you with the silk you need." "Father, I'm starving." "What do you want me to do about it?" "We have no money." "I told you we should stay in Mujinju." "We're not meant to live in this big land." "Why did we invite trouble by coming here?" "I'm so hungry." " What are you doing?" " Just be quiet." " Here it is." " What's that?" "It's grain residue from making wine." "Just eat." "Who's there?" " What's the ruckus?" " We caught some thieves." "Those rats." "Take them away." "Don't you recognize me?" "It's me." "Weren't you the blacksmith at the horse ranch in Mujinju?" "Who are you?" "Don't you recognize me?" "I'm Soon-jong, Goong-bok's and Yon's friend." "And I'm his father, Mak-bong." "I went to the ranch to pick up horses a few times." "Don't you remember me?" "What is this place?" "They're fighting." "You enter warrior slaves into fights and wager money." "But I thought we were meeting Goong-bok." "What are we doing here?" "Just wait." "Goong-bok..." "Good work." "Fifty silver coins." "If you continue to fight like you did today, I'll soon make you 300 silver coins." "Thank you." " Goong-bok!" " Goong-bok." "Goong-bok..." "Let me look at you." "What happened to you...?" "My heavens..." "What has happened to him...?" " What's wrong?" " Nothing." " lt's nothing." " lt's not nothing." "What have you been doing behind my back?" "Goong-bok." "Goong-bok!" "Who gave you permission to enter a fight?" "Goong-bok." "You're a security officer of the Sul Pyong merchant group." "Do you wish to live as a gladiator rather than a security officer?" "If that is your wish, I'll talk to my father and arrange it for you." "My lady, please forgive him." "There must be a reason why he did what he did." "Please forgive him this once." "There is someone I must protect with my life." "I greatly wronged the master, who's given me a new life, but I must do anything I can to help her." "Please forgive me." "Here is a note for 300 silver coins." "Please release her as promised." "She'll be released soon." "Master Jo Jang-gil personally requested the magistrate for her release." "Come out." "My lady..." "How you must've suffered." "Let's go." "You must've suffered so much." "You have gotten so thin." "Do you know what we went through while you were in jail?" "Master Yi kicked us out heartlessly when Soon-jong and I were on the run from the troops." "How could they do this to us?" "Then Master Yi didn't arrange for my release?" "Goong-bok helped with your release." "He risked his life in gladiator fights to come up with the money for your release." "Who stole your heart like this?" "My lady... I heard you risked your life in a fight to help me." "Why did you do such a reckless thing?" "That was the only thing I could do for you." "is it true you became Madam Jami's chief merchant?" "Madam Jami tried to marry me off to a nobleman." "It was the only way to escape marriage." "I came to China and looked for you..." "My heart was broken to pieces when I heard you had been sent to a place where you couldn't come back alive." "How you must've suffered..." "How many dangers you must've gone through..." "Those thoughts break my heart, but I'm glad you're alive." "Without the hope of seeing you again someday, I might as well have died." "My lady..." "Now that I have seen you alive, I have no regrets." "I bid you not to be taken by an evil fate again." "I wish you a peaceful life." "Therefore, you must forget me." "My lady." "I've endured all those years with only the hope of seeing you again." "I can't do that." "You must." "You mustn't suffer again because of me." "You must forget me." "I'll forget you as well." "My lady." "We'll have no reason to see each other again." "My lady." "is it because of Madam Jami?" "If anyone stands between us again, I won't forgive them no matter who they are." "My current situation doesn't allow me to do anything for you now, but I'll amass power so I can protect you." "Please don't say you'll forget me." "My lady." " There he comes." " Where?" "Yon!" "Soon-jong!" "You were alive." "Soon-jong." "You were alive." "Let me look at you." "Goong-bok told me all about you." "You've gone through so much." "You poor thing." "Eat up." "Eat and eat some more." "You were a gladiator just like Goong-bok?" "Of course." "Many men have been defeated by my spear." "What are you doing in Yangzhou?" "I came with Madam Jami's merchant group, and Father and I stayed behind with Lady Jung-hwa." "Goong-bok and I work for Master Sul Pyong, the biggest merchant in Yangzhou." "My title is lieutenant." "I'm second in command." "What are you doing at the marketplace when you should be training?" "We're going to the harbor on the captain's orders." "Don't waste your time here." "Go back as soon as you're done." " Father, he's really succeeded." " l wouldn't quite call it that." " You were looking for me?" " Yes." "Moo-chang tells me you needed money for a girl." "I never expected you to have a softer side when your eyes were so filled with fury." "I'd like to see who that girl is." " So did you meet the girl?" " Yes." "I regret sending you to Master Sul." "If I had kept you as my gladiator, I would have made lots of money by now." "But I can't bring you back now." "Since I did you a favor, you owe me a favor too." "What is it?" "A big merchant by the name of Wang Ho is coming to Yangzhou from Chang'an." "I have never seen any merchant make bigger wagers than he does." "And he has many martial arts masters." "Just fight one fight for me." "It's a chance for you to make big money." "I have already made a big mistake as Master Sul's security officer." "I can no longer fight as a gladiator." "I'll make sure Master Sul never hears of it." "You just have to make time for one fight." "I rescued a dying man from the borderland, and gave him a new life." "It's the least you can do for me." "How is she?" "Isn't she a beauty?" " Clean her up and bring her to me." " Yes, I'll send her to your room." " She's not for me." " Pardon?" "Then..." "Please hurry." "Chief." "What is it?" "She's a new slave from Shilla." "I have never seen a prettier slave." "Look at her complexion." "A fly would slide off her cheeks." "And?" "I didn't bring her here just to show her to you." "You can do anything you want with her." " Take her away." " Pardon?" " Take her away." " Yes." "Be careful with her." "She'll serve him tonight." "I'll send the first pick of slave girls to you." "I'm counting on you." "If you ever do something like this again, I'll have you banned from our group." "That little wretch..." "We'll see about this." "I heard you delayed a deal with Master Chun, and borrowed 300 silver coins from Chief Han." "is anything going on with you?" "There was something I needed to take care of." "All right." "Master." "Come in." "What is it?" "Madam Jami came back to Yangzhou." "What is going on?" "There was an uprising in Mujinju about the time we arrived." "We had to turn the ship around before we could land." "An uprising?" "A captain by the name of Kim Chun-pil of Baekju Province led the uprising." "Then what happened to the Mujinju marketplace?" "All goods were confiscated and the place was destroyed." "The rebels wiped out the Mujinju military." "They have even seized the southwestern coasts." "I must impose on you until the imperial army can subdue the rebels." "You're not imposing." "Surely I should come to your aid." "What do you mean by prohibited goods?" "The ship that arrived upon your departure was caught with banned items on board." "And what happened?" "Lady Jung-hwa suffered a great deal." "She was jailed and nearly killed." "I heard the punishment for smuggling is severe." "How is it that you were released?" "Well..." "Master Yi arranged for my release." "Good work." "Find out who did it, and punish them." " Master." " What is it?" "There was an uprising in Mujinju." "The rebels have even seized the southwestern coasts." "But ships from Japan must have arrived in Dukjin by now." "Yes." "I'm worried for their safety." "We'll cease trading with Japan and Shilla until the rebels are subdued." "Send a message to all merchants." "Yes." "What is it?" "Madam Jami returned to Yangzhou to escape the uprising." "She's staying at Master Yi's residence." "We must come up with a plan if her stay is prolonged." " Summon a meeting of chiefs." " Yes." "Please sit." "It's a trade textbook we put together." "This book covers geography and climates, and the principal products from each region of China." "It even has trade guidelines." "I heard that you wished to learn business." "A merchant must be able to read the trends, and move people's hearts." "But your eyes are filled with fury and begrudging." "If you're bearing a grudge, you can't see straight." "If you want to be a merchant, let go of your grudge first." "You asked for me?" "If you do not answer me truthfully, I'll have you killed." "Young master..." "Did Jung-hwa meet with Goong-bok?" "I asked you if she did." "It wasn't Master Yi who helped with her release... lt was Goong-bok." "Madam Jami must never find out about this." "Do you understand?" "Yes, I do." "I understand very well." "What is it?" "Did you want to stay in Yangzhou because of him?" " Tell me. ls that why?" " Brother." "Do you realize what will happen if Madam Jami finds out?" " We have just gained her trust..." " l know." "I'll never see him again." "No harm will come to you." "Don't worry." " l..." " What is it?" "Well..." " You can tell me." " lt's about Goong-bok." "He is a master of the martial arts." "You'll have to cheat to defeat him." "Make no mistake." "Wake up!"