"Will you really go with Yum Moon?" "Maybe you trust Yum Moon too much." "How could you take Yum Moon on such an important mission instead of us?" "Would you really go to Yangzhou with Jang Bogo?" "Yes." "Maybe you are getting too close to Jang Bogo." "I'm worried your sword will become dull." "Do not worry." "We can't hide out in Chunghae forever when the tides are changing fast in the imperial city." "While Jang Bogo is away in Yangzhou with you," "I will put our plan in motion." "What are you doing in the chancellor's residence when you should be in the palace?" "I came to deliver a royal command." "His Majesty has sent a letter to the Tang government requesting that trade with Jang Bogo be halted, just as you wished." "Chunghae Base will be completely isolated now." "That is not His Majesty's doing." "I owe it to you." "The king is not in the palace, but he is standing before me." "Jang Bogo will try to bring the matter under control." "He won't be able to do anything." "It will be more interesting to kill him slowly, rather than kill him in one swipe." "We must not let our guards down against Jang Bogo." "I heard you will be going to China as an envoy." "I will also go to China." "You need not endure such an arduous journey." "I am going there to make you king." "You can't stay in the background forever, when you risked your life to take the throne." "It is time to bring Kim Je-yung down, and to ascend the throne." "I'd like nothing more than to bring Kim Je-yung down, and ascend the throne, how can I dethrone him while he is alive?" "We can't serve a dead king." "Do you mean to kill the king?" "In order for you to ascend the throne, we need Tang support." "I will help you ascend the throne." "If the murder of the king becomes known, the people will be against us." "Kim Je-yung has always been a frail man." "No one would suspect anything even if he should die a sudden death." "Why do you think I made you captain of the imperial guards, the man closest to the king?" "Make sure it looks like the king killed himself." "We must not give Kim Woo-jing a chance to come back." "YANGZHOU, CHINA" "Consul." "I heard that the situation is serious, so I decided to come personally." "I heard that Lady Chae-ryung is with child." "The master will finally rest in peace." "Have you been well?" "No, I have not." "Not a day goes by peacefully at Chunghae Base." "You must have heard the news." "Head Chief Yum Moon is working with us now." "Merchant groups are halting trade with us one after the other." "Merchant groups who defy the Tang government and sail to Chunghae are heavily penalized." "Did you find out?" "Yes, Madam Jami is in Yangzhou with the inspector general." "Yangzhou?" "She is meeting with high officials of the Tang government in attempt to isolate Chunghae Base." "Kim Myung is throwing banquets every day, indulging himself in wine and women every day." "It is a great opportunity to march to the imperial city, and we are here wasting such an opportunity." "Do you know him?" "I have seen him in the palace." "He was an escort serving the king." "He must be a spy from Kim Myung." "Take him away." "Do you recognize me?" "I am Kim Yang, the former governor of Mujinju." "I once served Lord Kim Kyun-jung in the imperial city." "I have seen you before." "As I remember, you were an escort to the king." "Am I wrong?" "Did Kim Myung send you?" " Chief Jang!" " Yes." "If he doesn't answer me promptly, slit his throat." "Did Kim Myung send you?" "It is not Lord Kim Myung who sent me it is the king." "I have come to Chunghae on His Majesty's command, unbeknownst to Lord Kim Myung." "Why did you come to Chunghae?" "Let me meet with Consul Jang." "I will tell the consul why I came." "Why did you come to Chunghae?" "I can't tell you." "Stand back!" " Search him." " Yes, sir." " Slay him." " Yes, sir." "Go back to the base and tell them we have captured a spy from the imperial city." "Yes." "What happened?" "He was an escort serving the king." "I had seen him when I was serving Lord Kim Kyun-jung." "I assumed he was a spy sent by Kim Myung when I saw him on the streets of Chunghae." "But it seems he was sent by the king, not Kim Myung." "We found His Majesty's letter on him." "What does it say?" "His Majesty is seeking help from Consul Jang." "Seeking his help?" "Kim Myung is plotting to assassinate the king and ascend the throne." "He is seeking Consul Jang's help, since he feels his life is in danger." "But what will we do since the consul is away?" "Kim Myung has control over the imperial guards as well as the imperial army." "We must send troops to the imperial city and attack Kim Myung." "There is no time to delay." "You must make the decision soon." "What shall I do?" "If you mobilize troops in haste, you could bring great harm to Chunghae." "Kim Myung is even using the Tang government to isolate Chunghae Base." "Should anything go wrong, you will only give him an excuse to shut down Chunghae Base." "You must be prudent." "It is true we are facing difficulties, since big Chinese merchants are discontinuing business with Chunghae." "But we must come together at times like this, and overcome this difficulty together." "You can't do it with will alone." "Master Wang of Chang'an, who has been doing business with me for years, has refused to trade with Chunghae Base." "What merchant will trade with Chunghae Base when they'll be charged with a heavy tax?" "How could this be happening?" "How could the Tang government get involved in business?" "The Tang imperial family is behind the big Chang'an merchants." "You can say they are the real owners of the merchant groups." "They can never be free of the Tang imperial family's influence." "The big Chinese merchants we must maintain our ties with are those whose operations are based in rural Fanzhens, away from the government." "I formed close ties with Master Wang of Shandong when I was the commander of the Yi Sa-do Fanzhen." "I heard he is in Yangzhou now." "I will arrange a meeting with him." "What happened?" "I sent a message to Master Wang, but he hasn't yet replied." " Do you know where he is staying?" " Yes." "I will meet him personally." "I can't help you." "Leave." "Wouldn't you benefit from doing business with us?" "Why would you cease trading with us?" "I have nothing more to say." "I have an important guest coming." "Please leave." "Master." "The guest is on the way." "Excuse me." "You must be tired from your long journey." "It's a pleasure to meet you." "What are you two doing in Yangzhou?" "You must know very well why I came to Yangzhou." "Master Wang has been trading with me for years." "For you to have swayed him puts me in renewed awe of you." "It's only the beginning." "You will pay dearly for rejecting my offer." "I do not doubt you." "After all, you have influenced the Tang government." "But you won't get your way." "I thought you were a smart man, but you're just a dunce." "You decided to serve Consul Jang of all men?" "Madam Jami is here with the inspector general." "There is something odd about her agenda." "She is even meeting with the Jie Du Shi of Jiangsu." "What is her true agenda in coming to Yangzhou?" "We can't find that out." "Head Chief." "There is someplace we must go." " Get ready." " Yes." "Yum Moon is meeting with Madam Jami?" "I didn't see them meeting, but he went to the inn where she is staying." "He must be in cahoots with Madam Jami." "That can't be." "You can't afford to trust him so blindly." "Yum Moon has tried to kill you on many occasions." "Who knows what's going on in his head?" " It's been a long time, my lord." " Yes, it has." "This is the inspector general of Shilla." "Let's go inside." "Let's go." "Where have you been?" "Why can't you answer him?" "Where is the consul now?" "Why are you changing the subject?" "We know you were meeting with Madam Jami." "What were you plotting with her?" "I have something to tell you." "Consul, you have to get rid of him now." "Stand back." "Consul." "What is it?" "Madam Jami is meeting with Escort Chun Sang-gui from Chang'an." "Chun Sang-gui?" "He's the escort serving Consort Chabi." "Madam Jami had maintained ties with Escort Chun, who is a very powerful man in the palace." "Why did Chun Sang-gui personally come to Yangzhou?" "After the death of the crown prince, the Tang imperial court fell into deep dissension over who would succeed to the throne." "After much struggle, Emperor Xian Zong was poisoned by Eunuch Wang." "Eunuch Wang holds such great power that he put Emperor Mu Zong on the throne first," "and then notified the court." "Chun Sang-gui is one of Eunuch Wang's closest insiders." "If Madam Jami has a close relationship with Chun Sang-gui, then she must be plotting something." "I have to meet with Chun Sang-gui." "I am sorry." "I should have gone to see you in Chang'an." "Too many eyes are watching me in Chang'an." "It is refreshing to be away from Chang'an." "Why did you wish to see me?" "I know why you, a Shilla man, came to China, and became a eunuch in the Tang imperial palace." "Eunuchs were also included in the tributes that Shilla paid to China." "You are right." "I was once a slave in Shilla." "Shilla sent me to the Tang imperial court as a eunuch." "I have a huge grudge against Shilla." "I can relieve you of your grudge completely." "It is a letter from Chancellor Kim Myung." "Lord Kim Myung has said he will honor you as a Shilla nobleman." "He will also give you the fertile land in Hanju." "The area of Hanju will belong to you now." "What do you want from me?" "Please enlist the support of Eunuch Wang so that Lord Kim Myung can be acknowledged as the king of Shilla and ascend the throne." "But Kim Je-yung is the king now." "Lord Kim Myung will dethrone the current king, and ascend the throne himself." "We need your help so that the Tang government will acknowledge" "Lord Kim Myung as the new king." "When Lord Kim Myung ascends the throne, he will isolate Chunghae and slay Jang Bogo." "We will also offer you all the profit resulting from the trading at Chunghae base." "You were working for Master Yi Do-hyung of the Yangzhou merchant group." "I did." "What are you doing here?" "Consul Jang Bogo of Chunghae Base wishes to see you." "It has been a long time." "I have heard much about you." "Since the merchants from Persia and Arabia who used to come to Yangzhou to trade are now going to Chunghae, the Tang government has incurred great losses." "Why did you wish to see me?" "We are having a very difficult time because the Tang government has banned Chinese merchants from trading with Chunghae." "Please lift the ban." "The ban harms not only Chunghae Base, but all of Shilla." "You are also a Shilla man." "Please lift the ban, for the sake of Shilla." "You are telling me, an escort of the Tang imperial court, to work for the good of Shilla?" "Shilla has forsaken me." "Why must I work for Shilla?" "Supposing I find it in my heart to lift the ban." "What will you offer me in return?" "Madam Jami has offered me fertile lands in Hanju, and the status of a Shilla nobleman." "Moreover, she promised me profits from Chunghae Base." "If you wish to trade with me, you must offer me something equivalent." "I thought you were a decent merchant, but you do not know the first thing about making a deal." "Talk about burning down a house to catch a flea..." "She means to sell out Shilla in order to isolate Chunghae Base." "And she now holds the power to rule Shilla..." "What a predicament." "Yong-soo." " Yong-soo!" " Yes." "Go bring me more wine." "But you've had enough..." "Just go and bring more wine." "Now!" "Head Chief." "My lady..." "I was so upset, I had to have a few drinks." "What is wrong?" "Look." "There are only a couple of merchants from Japan." "Since Chinese merchants have been sailing to Dukjin, our business has all but vanished." "Forgive me for my incompetence." "It is not your fault." "Please don't blame yourself." "Please come inside." "I have something important to tell you." "To the imperial city?" "I'd like to send Moo-jin, but his absence will be noticed right away." "I need you to go discreetly." "If you deliver this letter to vice-minister Kim Si-chun, he will give you a reply." "All right." "We can't mobilize the troops while the consul is away." "And the current king is only Kim Myung's puppet." "He is virtually our enemy." "Why must we help him?" "Do not speak hastily." "He is still a king." "I still can't believe the king has sought Consul Jang's aid." "What do you mean?" "Just as Captain Jung said, the current king is only Kim Myung's puppet." "How could he ask for Consul Jang's help, when he must know what happened between Kim Myung and Consul Jang?" "But he said in the letter that his life was in danger." "He would seek help anywhere if his life were in danger." "Then do you think we must deploy our troops?" "If Lord Kim Woo-jing decides we should, I believe we should." "Why would you pass up such a great opportunity?" "Since Jang Bogo is not here, we could march to the imperial city with 10,000 troops, if only you were willing." "Then we can drive out Kim Myung, and you will be chancellor and eventually ascend the throne." "My lord." "What happened?" "If Lord Kim Woo-jing will step up as the commander, and lead our troops, we will follow him." "It is Lord Kim Woo-jing's decision." "Then you have decided wrong." "What are you saying?" "Lord Kim Woo-jing has no desire to lead the troops." "Give me command of your troops." "I will march to the imperial city, protect the king, and seize the city." "I will not disappoint you." "Isn't that Sir Mak-bong?" "That's odd." "What is he doing in the imperial city?" "Sir." "Sir!" "Sir!" "Why is he running away?" "Sir!" "Why are you running away?" "Well..." "I'm not running away." "It has been a long time." "What brings you to the imperial city?" "Oh, this and that..." "Well, now that I know you are here, I can't just let you go." "Since I owed you so much in Chunghae, I will repay your kindness." "No, you don't have to." "The imperial city has the prettiest girls in the country." "There is a world of difference compared to Chunghae and Mujinju." "Their skin is so soft, you will slide right off of them." " Right, Chun-tae?" " Yes, slide right off." "I will take you to an inn full of such girls." "Let's go." "Drink up." "Thanks." "Even wine tastes better in the imperial city." " Chun-tae?" " Yes." "This is wine made with a thousand-year-old white snake." "Drink this and you will..." "Drink up." "You must take good care of him tonight." "He has traveled a very long way." "Take extra good care of him!" "Hey." "Hey!" "What happened to the men who came with me?" "They already left." "I need you to pay the bill." "That will be ten silver coins." "Ten?" "That son of a..." "My lord, you must decide on the date of attack." "There is no need to delay." "Have him killed right away." "But..." "What is the problem when we have command of the imperial guards?" "The best way is to kill him without getting blood on my sword." " Do you understand?" " Yes." "Lord Kim has sent you this letter." "You have done well." "Is everything all right in the imperial city?" "Pardon?" "I wouldn't know what is going on." "But the imperial city is no place for a decent man." "What's wrong?" "The king has passed away." "That can't be." "There was no such news during my stay there." "I pondered what Consul Jang would do if he were in Chunghae." "Consul Jang would have obeyed the king's wishes, and led the troops to the imperial city." "I am in command of the Chunghae army in Consul Jang's absence." "I will give you command of our army." "If that is your decision, I will march to the imperial city." "You have made the right decision." "What is it?" "The king has passed away." "Only the officials of the imperial court know." "The people of the imperial city are still in the dark." "How could the people not know when the king has died?" "It is said that the king has killed himself." "The king has killed himself..." "I can't believe it." "Kim Myung must have killed him." "We must take our troops, and march to the imperial city now." "It's useless." "I am ashamed of being a member of the imperial family." "I am afraid to face the heavens." "Sit down." "I have thought over and over about why Madam Jami and the inspector general would come" "all the way to Yangzhou to meet Chun Sang-gui." "What would they hope to gain by promising to honor him as a Shilla aristocrat, and giving him land" "and profits from Chunghae?" "They mean to put Kim Myung on the throne, and use Chun Sang-gui to win the support of the Tang government." "I agree with you." "I came to Yangzhou to save Chunghae from being isolated, but there is nothing I can do now." "There is nothing I can do now, for Chunghae Base... for Shilla." "I must return to Shilla now." "You will just return to Shilla?" "The solution to overcoming this obstacle is in Shilla, not in Yangzhou." "I will return to Shilla, and confront Kim Myung and Madam Jami." "If I overlook Kim Myung's and Madam Jami's tyranny," "Chunghae Base will collapse." "There is something we must do before we return to Shilla." "We must sever the tie between Madam Jami and the Tang government." "We must kill Chun Sang-gui." "Killing Chun Sang-gui is not a simple matter." "He is guarded by dozens of guards." "Even if we somehow manage to kill him, it will have a catastrophic effect on the relationship with China." "It is a reckless attempt." "I will meet with Chun Sang-gui for the last time, and try to persuade him." "Don't harbor any reckless thoughts." " You asked for me?" " Yes." "Please visit Chun Sang-gui and tell him I wish to see him." "Do you have trade terms to offer him?" "I don't." "Then how will you make the trade with him?" "I will try to persuade him till the very end." "We will set sail as soon as I come back." "Go to Yangzhou Harbor and be prepared." "Yes, sir." "We may return without any result." "But once we return to Shilla," "I will drive out Madam Jami and Kim Myung, and release Chunghae Base from isolation." "Please ask the Yangzhou merchants to wait a little longer." "Yes, Consul." "Madam." "What is it?" "I am on my way back from the meeting with Escort Chun." "I hear that Jang Bogo is meeting with the escort." "Why would he meet with him?" "He probably means to lift the ban on trade." "Is the escort willing to meet with Jang Bogo?" "Yes." "I must go meet with the escort." "I have prepared as you instructed." "Jang Bogo has blocked my path every time." "If he should become an obstacle to me, you will also suffer." "I understand what you are saying." "What must I do?" "I heard he's coming to see you." "If you would get rid of him, you would relieve me of a huge burden." "I will pay you handsomely for your trouble." "All right." "If you are going to meet with Chun Sang-gui, I will escort you." "No, I will go alone." "Just be prepared for our trip to Shilla." "I will go with you." "What is it?" "We are here to see the escort." "Search them." "This way." "Sit." "Why did you wish to see me?" "You have brought me your terms of trade?" "I have nothing to offer you." "Then why did you request to see me?" "My lord, I once served as junior commander of the Wu Ning Jun army." "I was brought here from Shilla as a slave," "I overcame many life-threatening moments and rose to an important post in the Chinese army." "I was very proud of myself." "But I resigned without any regrets after I quelled Yi Sa-do's uprising." "Do you know why?" "Tell me." "Yi Sa-do roared a few words at me." ""Why do you, a man of Shilla, live as a dog of China?"" "My lord," "I believe you have become the most powerful Shilla man in China." "But why would you use your power to harm the people of Shilla instead of helping them?" "Silence!" "In essence, you are calling me a dog of China." " No, my lord..." " Yes, you are." "Do you take me for a fool?" "Men." "Why are you doing this?" "Why?" "Fine, I will tell you, since you will die anyway." "Madam Jami has asked me for your heads." "Take them outside and slit their throats." "What happened?" "Are they dead yet?" "You must wait." "They are still inside." "Look, please don't kill me." "Look..." "Stand back." "If you move, he will die." " Baek-kyung." " Yes, sir." " Kill anyone who moves." " Yes, sir." "There is trouble." "Jang Bogo is holding the escort hostage." "You can't let them escape alive." "Kill them." "Kill them." "Kill them." "Madam." "What happened?" "We lost them." "You fools!" "How could you lose them, when we almost had them in our hands?" "What happened?" "I'm sorry." "I have made an unreasonable request, and wronged you gravely." "Please forgive me." "If you want my forgiveness, return to Shilla right now and bring me their heads." "If you fail to bring me the heads of those who humiliated me, there will be no deal!" " Get ready to return to Shilla." " Yes, madam." "I want to ask you something." "Why did you decide to work for Kim Yang?" "I wanted power." "Just as great as yours." "I don't believe I have power." "That's what you think." "Looking at you from outside of Chunghae Base, you have power comparable to that of the king." "Power that will let you do anything you want..." "What will you do once you have power?" "I don't know." "The grudges I forced myself to forget might come back, and make me want to kill you." "If what I have is indeed power," "I will return to Chunghae and use that power." "I will punish Kim Myung and Madam Jami."