Eps. 1
In 1371 King Gongmin is sitting in front of Princess Noguk’s portrait. He talks as if she were alive and sitting right in front of him.
Queen Mother Myeongdeok tells him that Shin Don’s plot of treason has been fully revealed. She suggests to him that he show his royal dignity by killing Shin Don. However, King Gongmin just sheds tears looking at Noguk’s picture.
Won Hyeon blames Shin Don for missing so many great chances to get rid of King Gongmin and become a king himself. He encourages Shin Don to take action before being killed by King Gongmin.
Shin Don remembers what Princess Noguk told him 15 years ago. She once told him that Goryeo should become an independent country before the dying Yuan Dynasty collapses.
King Gongmin and Shin Don continue to disagree about building a shrine for the late Princess Noguk. When asked why he’s against the idea, Shin Don answers that it’s because commoners are starving from a severe drought. Saying that too much is just as bad as too little, Shin Don turns around to leave the room. King Gongmin threatens him by saying that he’ll be sorry for what he’s done. Later he notices some people following him in the dark.
In 1347 Won Hyeon and Shin Don are at the market buying an ink container and some paper. On their way back, a group of men violently bumps into them in the crowd.
Won Hyeon and Shin Don drop their belongings to the ground. Shin Don has a hunch that these men have stolen something from him while he was busy gathering his stuff. Shin Don is about to confront them, but Won Hyeon stops Shin Don and lets the men go. Later Shin Don sees Bowoo in the corner of the market. Shin Don gets on his knees and asks Bowoo a question; What should a lowly priest like me do to save the world?
Eps. 2
Shin Don and Won Hyeon see the same group of men who stole their money at the market. Shin Don gets his money back and steals all their money, too. Won Hyeon criticizes Shin Don by saying that his behavior isn’t fitting for a Buddhist priest.
However, Shin Don doesn’t seem to care. He even buys liquor and meat with the money. Meanwhile, looking at King Chungmok who is seriously ill, Lady Yoon thinks that he isn’t going to live long. Believing that her son is going to become the next king, she has a meaningful smile on her face. Princess Dyeokryeong notices Yoon’s smile and claims that King Chungmok attended the morning meeting in person in order to show that the King is still able to rule the country.
Shin Don and Won Hyeon arrive at Beopwang Temple in Gaeseong. After dark, Shin Don suggests to Won Hyeon that they experience the real world. They head to the red light district.
Queen Mother Myeongdeok asks Bowoo about Prince Gangreung (later King Gongmin) who is held as a hostage in Yuan. Bowoo remembers meeting Prince Gangreung who was just lamenting over his misfortunes, idling his time away in Yuan. Leaving the Queen Mother’s residence, Bowoo says that the Prince will be back soon.
Shin Don and Won Hyeon are having a good time. Then the same group of men that Shin Don ran into earlier that day storms into the place looking for him. Those men later turn out to be Sir Deokseong’s followers. Shin Don and Won Hyeon manage to avoid them and come back to Beopwang Temple. Shin Don is very impressed when he sees a group of Lamaists chanting Buddhist scriptures at the temple.
Eps. 3
When King Chungmok’s condition gets worse, Ki Chul hurries to the palace and tries to gain control by preventing other officials from coming into the palace. Queen Mother Myeongdeok tells Lee Je-hyeon to talk to Empress Ki so that her son Prince Gangreung can become the next king of Goryeo. She also sends Empress Ki all her jewelry.
Shin Don and Won Hyeon happen to see soldiers taking young girls away to Yuan. When a girl’s parents strongly resist, the soldiers kill them. Witnessing their violence, Won Hyeon tries to save the girl’s life. While fighting against the soldiers, Shin Don accidentally kills a man.
Meanwhile in the capital of Yuan, Princess Noguk and King Gongmin meet each other for the first time. When the Princess shoots an arrow at a deer, King Gongmin saves the deer. Upset by his behavior, she warns him not to bother her anymore. Gongmin hears that King Chungmok is seriously ill and Ki Chul is supporting him to become the next king. However, he realizes that he’ll be nothing but Ki Chul’s puppet after coming to the throne.
Lee Je-hyeon meets Empress Ki and delivers the gift from the mother of King Gongmin.
Eps. 4
Shin Don goes to meet Bowoo. He tells Bowoo about his family background.
However, even before Shin Don asks him a question, Bowoo answers him by saying that he can’t help someone who doesn’t try to help himself. Shin Don is amazed by Bowoo’s insight.
Shin Don goes to meet Banya. He realizes that she’s pregnant. She begs him to let her keep the baby. Shin Don tells her to claim that he’s the father of the baby when someone asks. Shin Don’s chief priest finds out that Shin Don is hiding a pregnant woman. Believing that the baby is Shin Don’s, he tells Shin Don to leave the temple and live a common life.
Princess Deokryeong realizes that someone put poison in King Chungmok’s medicine. She blames Ki Chul and moves her son to the Queen Mother’s residence. Ki Chul tells Lady Yoon that her son is going to become the next king.
King Gongmin is called up by Empress Ki. Swallowing his pride, he tells her that he’ll do anything for her if she makes him the next king of Goryeo. However, she tells him that he’s too weak and inexperienced to become a king. Leaving Empress Ki’s residence, King Gongmin swears to himself that he will never forget this insult and will get even some day.
Eps. 5
Soldiers come to Gaetae Temple looking for Won Hyeon. They threaten to set fire to the Buddhist statue in the main building if Won Hyeon doesn’t come out. Won Hyeon is taken away by the soldiers, and Shin Don feels helpless. Before Shin Don leaves the temple, the chief priest gives him a monk’s robe and a begging bowl. These items symbolize Buddha’s way of life: wandering from place to place and living off what is put into the bowl by householders. He also tells him where and when to take a ship to Beijing. On his way, Shin Don saves Won Hyeon from the soldiers and manages to arrive at Beijing. Despite the efforts of Queen Mother Myeongdeok and other ministers, King Chungjeong comes to the throne at the age of 11, as Ki Chul has planned. King Chungjeong’s mother Lady Yoon and Ki Chul hold the real power. King Gongmin feels sorry for himself because he will grow old and eventually die in a foreign country as a hostage. He’s feeling homesick.
Eps. 6
Shin Don and Won Hyeon get separated because of a storm. Shin Don runs into Ahn Do-chi on the streets of Beijing and gets to meet King Gongmin. Shin Don reads King Gongmin’s fortune by looking at his face and tells him that he will be an Emperor one day. King Gongmin laughs and considers his remark as flattery. King Gongmin lets Shin Don stay at his place, but he also suspects Shin Don of being an assassin sent by his enemy in Goryeo. Meanwhile, Lady Yoon tries to gain control by sending gifts to Empress Ki. While Empress Ki frames a plot to make her son the Crown Prince, Prince Kunran proposes to Princess Noguk.
Eps. 7
King Gongmin realizes that Shin Don is a master of martial arts. He starts to like him and the two of them become good friends. Shin Don runs into Won Hyeon and Ji Hyo and is surprised because he thought they had died in the storm. He’s happy to see them again. However, Shin Don is disappointed with Won Hyeon who ignores reality and just emphasizes merit and virtue in Buddhism. He walks away telling Won Hyeon that he doesn’t rely on religion anymore to improve reality. Empress Ki realizes that she can’t be treated as the Emperor’s wife since she’s not Mongolian. She decides to prevent Princess Noguk from marrying Prince Kunran as a way of restraining Yuan’s influence. (Yuan is Princess Noguk’s father.) In order to make her son the next Emperor, she accuses Prince Kunran and Yuan of treason. As a result, Prince Kunran is sent into exile in a remote province. Realizing that she can’t get rid of the two men for good, Empress Ki plans to marry Princess Noguk to King Gongmin. Princess Noguk and King Gongmin aren’t happy about the marriage, but they know that they don’t have any choice.
Eps. 8
Shin Don makes a meaningful remark to King Gongmin by saying that Princess Noguk will become a very important person in King Gongmin’s life. He leaves for Daegwan Temple where Won Hyeon and Ji Hyo are staying. Shin Don, Won Hyeon and Ji Hyo start their ascetic journey across the desert to Tibet. However, they get lost in the middle of desert. Exhausted with thirst and hunger under a scorching sun, Ji Hyo collapses and Won Hyeon thinks about ending his own life.
Princess Noguk reluctantly decides to marry King Gongmin. In return, she asks Empress Ki to release her father and make Gongmin the King of Goryeo.
Shin Don, Won Hyeon and Ji Hyo survive with the help of an Arabian merchant who crosses the desert. They arrive at a temple in Tibet and witness a Tibetan funeral performed by monks and Buddhist nuns.
King Gongmin and Princess Noguk finally get married in Beijing.
Eps. 9
King Gongmin and Princess Noguk settle down in Mongolia. While leading a nomadic life, Princess Noguk gets to know King Gongmin better and accepts him as her respectable husband.
Empress Ki hears that the commoners in Mongol love Princess Noguk. She thinks Princess is gathering the small tribes to help Prince Kunran become the Emperor. Feeling threatened, she has Yuan arrested again and tries to kill Prince Kunran. Princess Noguk asks the Emperor to let her and her husband control Goryeo.
However, King Gongmin doesn’t want to become a king by pushing his nephew out of the throne. He says that he doesn’t want to go back to Goryeo.
Lady Yoon tries to get rid of an organization which exercises the right to implement personnel management. Ki Chul hurries to Beijing to ask for Empress Ki’s help.
However, when Ki Chul asks her to send King Gongmin to Goryeo, Empress Ki refuses.
Eps. 10
Shin Don comes back from Tibet. He tells King Gongmin that the people of Goryeo won’t accept him as their legitimate king if he comes to the throne by marrying Yuan’s princess. Princess Noguk overhears them and realizes that Shin Don isn’t an ordinary Buddhist priest. She asks Ahn Do-chi about Shin Don. Togon Temur of the Yuan dynasty orders his senior statesmen to pledge loyalty to Empress Ki’s son instead of Prince Kunran (who was sent into exile). However, after Empress Ki returns, Togon Temur is worried about his son Kunran’s safety, since his government is full of Empress Ki’s followers.
Meanwhile, the Emperor’s message is on the way to the capital of Goryeo. There’s a rumor in the Goryeo Palace that the Yuan Dynasty will dethrone the present king and make Prince Gangreung (later King Gongmin) a new king. The Emperor’s message criticizes the women in the Goryeo palace for being too involved in politics. Therefore, the present king will be dethroned and sent to Beijing for punishment. It also says that Prince Gangreung will become the next king of Goryeo.
Eps. 11
Shin Don warns Princess Noguk that the people of Goryeo won’t accept King Gongmin as their king. He tells her to learn their history, language and customs before she goes to Goryeo. Ki Chul comes to Beijing to accompany King Gongmin to Goryeo. However, he insists that they go into the palace at night for King Gongmin’s safety. King Gongmin berates himself for the fact that he has to sneak into the palace, avoiding his people.
Eps. 12
King Gongmin is speechless when he sees Princess Noguk threatening Ki Chul with her sword. King Gongmin comforts Ki Chul, who is humiliated by Princess Noguk. He tells Lee Je-hyeon to stay as his advisor. Lady Yoon asks King Gongmin to have mercy on her son (the former King Chungjeong) who was sent into exile on Ganghwa Island. King Gongmin wants to help her, but Ki Chul and Lee Je-hyeon advise him not to, since she and her son are being punished for their indiscretion. However, King Gongmin insists that he take care of the royal family himself. He promises Lady Yoon that he’ll protect her son, who is also his nephew. King Gongmin visits Princess Noguk at her residence when she’s studying Goryeo’s customs. He criticizes her for running wild with her sword, saying that her behavior isn’t considered ladylike in his country. King Gongmin wants to bring Queen Mother Myeongdeok back to his palace. However, Ki Chul and the soldiers stop him. After leaving Beopwang Temple, Shin Don tries to find a way to go into the palace. He believes that having political power will allow him to change the world.
Eps. 13
Princess Noguk goes without her husband to meet Queen Mother Myeongdeok. The Queen Mother welcomes her and treats her politely. However, after the princess leaves, she reveals her true feelings about Noguk. King Gongmin finds out that his wife met his mother without telling him. He thinks that Princess Noguk made him a laughing stock by ignoring him. On the way back to the palace, some people on the streets throw stones at Princess Noguk, saying that they don’t want a barbarian woman for their Queen. Her guards try to arrest the protestors, but Princess Noguk stops them by saying that she wants to become a queen loved by everyone. King Gongmin has his mother come back to the palace. The mother and the son finally meet each other after a decade. They can’t help but cry when they finally see each other face to face. On the way back from meeting Kim Yong, Shin Don and Won Hyeon are chased by a group of men. Injured while confronting them, Shin Don is forcibly taken away.
Eps. 14
King Gongmin makes Lee Je-hyeon the Prime Minister. Kim Yong and Jeong Se-woon are appointed as the chief commander and the royal chief guard, respectively. Having a grudge against King Gongmin for excluding him, Ki Chul focuses on training his private soldiers and plots with Beijing against King Gongmin. Shin Don and Won Hyeon are taken to the law enforcement authorities. They’re accused of killing the government soldiers, as well as hiding the women who are offered to the Yuan Dynasty as tribute. They’re tortured and put into jail. Shin Don’s chief priest hears the news and sends Cho Seon to Ki Chul. Cho Seon asks Ki Chul to release Shin Don and Won Hyeon in exchange for the ownership of some land that he badly wants. Ki Chul plans to kill Shin Don and Won Hyeon, but Cho Seon finds out his secret plan and saves them. Queen Mother Myeongdeok happens to hear Princess Noguk and King Gongmin talking about getting her a place to live outside the palace.
Eps. 15
Lady Yoon comes to Princess Noguk and begs for her son’s life. King Gongmin blames Noguk for being responsible for King Chungjeong’s dethronement and exile. Princess Noguk confronts King Gongmin by asking why he’s dependent on the Yuan Dynasty for running his own country. In return, King Gongmin asks her what his people would think if their King shunned his queen’s mother country. The same night, King Gongmin tells Jeong Se-woon and Kim Yong that he’ll abolish the private political organizations in order to strengthen his power. Both men pledge loyalty. However, Kim Yong immediately informs Ki Chul of King Gongmin’s plan. Kim Yong, Cho Il-shin and Jeong Se-yoon, who have been great friends both in joy and sorrow, are about to take very different journeys in life. King Gongmin announces to his state ministers that he’ll take charge of all the personnel management. In addition, he reprimands Gwon Gyeom and Noh Chaek for wearing pigtails according to the customs of the Yuan Dynasty. He bans people from wearing a pigtail. With the help of King Gongmin, Lady Yoon heads to Ganghwa Island to meet her son. However, when she arrives, her son has already been poisoned to death.
Eps. 16
King Gongmin finds out that the former King Chungjeong has been poisoned to death. He personally apologizes to Lady Yoon for not having been able to protect her son. However, believing that King Gongmin was involved in the murder of her son, Lady Yoon hails curses on King Gongmin. Cho Il-shin advises King Gongmin not to be apologetic since such behavior only shows his weakness to his political enemies. However, King Gongmin gets furious and swears that he’ll never forgive Cho for behaving in a disrespectable way. Concerned about the fact that King Gongmin might watch for a chance to get rid of him, Cho Il-shin asks Kim Yong to help him clear up the king’s misunderstanding. However, Cho Il-shin and Kim Yong, who believe that they have already lost favor in the king’s eyes, end up plotting a rebellion. Shin Don starts on a spiritual journey by leaving the mundane world behind. He stops by his father’s house and asks for food. Without realizing that Shin Don is his son, whom he believed to be dead as a child, he asks Shin Don to pray for the repose of his son that he lost years ago. Queen Mother Myeongdeok tells King Gongmin that he should cut off his relationship with Princess Noguk in order to gain support of the people. However, King Gongmin tells her that Goryeo can gain independence from the Yuan Dynasty by becoming more powerful, not by deserting his wife who came from Yuan.
Eps. 17
Cho Il-shin brings his soldiers into the palace. Believing that there is a riot, King Gongmin asks Princess Noguk to run away with him. However, she insists that the king stay in his palace to keep his dignity. Kim Yong asks Cho Il-shin to pull out remove his soldiers from the palace, saying that there is no justifiable cause for the coup and they’re not strong enough to fight against the Yuan army. However, Cho Il-shin tells his soldiers that the pro-Yuan group has attempted to assassinate King Gongmin. He leads his soldiers to Ki Chul’s house, but Ki Chul has already fled. The following day, King Gongmin asks Cho Il-shin why he brought his soldiers into the palace and killed one of the deputies.
Eps. 18
Princess Noguk tells King Gongmin that he shouldn’t let his feelings cloud his judgments. She insists that he punish Cho Il-shin for attempting to murder the king. She also tells him that he should send her back to Yuan and become a powerful and respected ruler. In the meantime, Cho Il-shin tries to persuade senior statesmen to agree to dethrone Princess Noguk and to fight against her mother country, Yuan. Led by Yeom Jae-shim, some senior statesmen gather in front of the royal residence and demand the king to dethrone Princess Noguk. The princess tells them that she’s ready to give up the crown for Goryeo’s independence. Shin Don and Won Hyeon visit Choseon’s house. They happen to witness Choseon planning to get rid of the pro-Yuan group with some low-level officials and merchants. Believing that Choseon is conspiring against the government, Shin Don tells Choseon that he’s disappointed about the fact that she’s willing to sell out her own country. Park is afraid that their secret plan gets revealed. He sends his men out to threaten Shin Don. Ki Chul arrives at Beijing and tells Empress Ki about what happened to him in Goryeo. However, she blames Ki Chul for bringing misfortune on himself. Meanwhile, King Gongmin orders Lee In-bok to get rid of Cho Il-shin.
Eps. 19
Instead of dethroning Princess Noguk, King Gongmin appoints Cho Il-shin to Senior State Minister. Cho Il-shin shows off his influence, but soon gets killed by Choi Young and Kim Cheom-soo. King Gongmin feels terrible about the death of Cho Il-shin who was once a great friend and follower. He mourns over Cho’s death. Lee In-bok and Choi Young are concerned about their king’s weakness. While Shin Don is helping Choseon draw up the plan, he goes back to Gaetae Temple when the chief priest sends Deok Woon for him. Jeong Se-woon asks King Gongmin to have mercy on Kim Yong, but King Gongmin sends Kim into exile. Empress Ki decides to take advantage of the situation to get rid of King Gongmin. She sends Park Bul-hwa to Goryeo and lets him question the people involved in the Cho Il-shin’s rebellion in person. She also sends the letter from the Yuan Emperor to break Princess Noguk’s spirit. Park Bul-hwa coaxes the people involved in the rebellion to make a false confession that King Gongmin ordered them to kill Ki Won and pro-Yuan personnel.
Eps. 20
Park Bul-hwa demands King Gongmin to apologize in person to Ki Chul’s mother for humiliating Ki Chul. Furious, King Gongmin draws the sword, but he can’t kill him. Jeong Se-woon watches the king be insulted by a mere envoy and encourages him to kill Park Bul-hwa. Queen Mother Myeongdeok is scared when Park tells her that Empress Ki is able to replace King Gongmin at anytime she feels like to. Shin Don hears that King Gongmin is going to apologize to Ki Chul’s mother. Shin Don and other men stop the king on the way to Ki Chul’s house. They ask King Gongmin to maintain dignity of the country and to reinforce disciplines by punishing Ki Chul and other pro- Yuan officials. However, they are sent to jail by Prince Eungyang. In the meantime, Won Hyeon and angry commoners throw stones at Ki Chul’s house and set it on fire. During the protest, Won Hyeon gets seriously injured.
Eps. 21
Disguised as a commoner, King Gongmin comes to meet Shin Don. They witness some government officials threatening a small business owner to close his business, saying that he didn’t pay taxes. Shin Don and King Gongmin confront them and save the man. King Gongmin tells Shin Don that Yuan’s exploitation makes people suffer. However, Shin Don tells the king that people should be well-fed before anything else in order to fight against Yuan. Choseon has someone follow Shin Don and finds out that he is meeting with a mysterious man. She asks him who the man is. Shin Don tells her the truth, but she doesn’t believe him. Choseon feels worried since Shin Don knows too much about her plan. King Gongmin tells Princess Noguk that he met with Shin Don. He also tells her how reliable Shin Don is. Princess Noguk thinks that Shin Don is a very reasonable man. She advises the king to use Shin Don for his advisor. However, King Gongmin is worried that other officials will make an issue of Shin Don’s humble origin. Princess Noguk tells Jeong Se-woon to release the people who tried to stop the king from going to Ki Chul’s house. However, Jeong Se-woon refuses to do so. She goes to the jail where the people are locked up. She orders An Do-chi to feed them well and she takes care of the injured herself After meeting Park Bul-hwa coming back from Goryeo, Ki Chul becomes even more arrogant. Empress Ki warns him to stop causing trouble. However, Ki Chul tells her that all the problems will be solved if she makes him the king of Goryeo.
Eps. 22
Ki Chul comes back to Goryeo escorted by Jeong Se-woon. He brags that he dissuaded Empress Ki from sending troops to Goryeo. Jeong Se-woon tells Ki Chul that a welcoming party is being held and King Gongmin is anxious to meet him. Feeling uneasy about Jeong’s unusually kind attitude, Ki Ryun suggests to Ki Chul that they meet Kwon Gyeom and No Chaek before going into the palace to clarify the real situation. However, Ki Chul insists on meeting King Gongmin first. Meantime, Choseon plans to kill Ki Chul on his way back to Goryeo, but she gives up when realizing that he’s escorted by Jeong Se-woon. Shin Don tells her that there is nothing to gain by killing Ki Chul at the moment. He tells her to trust their king and wait. When Ki Chul comes into the room, King Gongmin orders him to take poison. Shocked and confused, Ki Chul asks for explanation and threatens that Empress Ki will send troops to Goryeo if he gets killed. When King Gongmin doesn’t get intimidated, he tries to run away. Realizing that he can’t escape, he makes a plea for mercy. King Gongmin sends him into exile on Ganghwa Island. Lee In-bok goes to Empress Ki as King Gongmin’s envoy. Empress Ki asks him why Ki Chul was sent into exile. Prepared for death, he articles Ki Chul’s offenses in a very determined attitude.
Eps. 23
Queen Mother Myeongdeok tells King Gongmin and Princess Noguk that the Royal family is seriously concerned about the fact that they don’t have a child. On their way out, King Gongmin and Princess Noguk run into Lee Je-hyeon and his daughter. When King Gongmin asks Lee why he wants to see Queen Mother, Lee simply answers that he has something to discuss with her about their agreement. Later, King Gongmin finds out that Queen Mother promised Lee to marry his daughter to King Gongmin. King Gongmin tells Princess Noguk not to worry since he’s not interested in having a concubine. Princess Deoknyeong warns Princess Noguk that her father will be killed by Empress Ki if King Gongmin kills Ki Chul. However, Princess Noguk knows her father will never give up his belief to save her life. She also knows that her father doesn’t want her to give in to save his life. Park Bul-hwa comes up with an excellent idea to save Ki Chul’s life. He tells Empress Ki that King Gongmin can’t help but release Ki Chul if she holds a traditional banquet for all the members of the royal family. Lee In-bok informs King Gongmin that Empress Ki is planning a banquet. Jeong Se-woon asks King Gongmin to issue a royal ordinance to kill Ki Chul. Princess Noguk asks Lee In-bok why the king is hesitant to kill Ki Chul. He tells her that her father might get killed by Empress Ki. Holding back her tears, she insists that he petition the king to make a decision for the sake of the country’s future.
Eps. 24
Park Bul-hwa comes to Goryeo to prepare the banquet. He gives Lee In-bok the document about the traditional formalities of the banquet. Lee In-bok tells him that Goryeo can’t afford such a luxurious party. However, Park warns him that the future relationship between Yuan and Goryeo depends on the success of the event. Choi Yoo introduces Prince Deonkheung to Empress Ki. He also tells her that they’re willing to invade Goryeo if she provides them with 100 thousand soldiers. However, she refuses and decides to wait to hear from her son who leaves for Goryeo. Choi Young and other young generals tell Lee In-bok that King Gongmin can’t help but make up his mind if they kill Empress Ki’s son. However, Lee persuades them to trust their king and wait. Finally, the banquet starts in the palace. Swallowing his pride and anger, King Gongmin bows to Empress Ki’s son as an expression of gratitude.
Eps. 25
Ki Chul volunteers to pour out wine for King Gongmin. He purposely spills the drink on the king’s overcoat. Then, Princess Noguk volunteers to perform a sword dance in return. The princess’s sword seems very intimidating to Ki Chul. He manages to get out of the palace. Jeong Se-yoon demands for the king’s command to kill Ki Chul, but King Gongmin just has a bitter smile on his face. Princess Noguk is worried that Ki Chul will gather private soldiers and plot against the king. She regrets having missed the opportunity to kill him. King Gongmin confesses to Shin Don that he could have saved his nephew and Cho Il-shin if he had killed Ki Chul in the first place. He also tells him that he can’t kill Ki Chul now because it will endanger Noguk’s father. Ki Chul, Noh Chaek and Kwon Gyeom agree that they should get rid of King Gongmin to save their lives. They plan to secure commercial power in the city. They decide to lower taxes in order to gain support of the people and to cut off the king’s supply of funds. Ki Chul devises a scheme to set himself on the throne.
Eps. 26
King Gongmin hears Princess Noguk wailing bitterly and learns that her father has died. She tells him to kill Ki Chul since they don’t have to worry about her father’s safety anymore. King Gongmin promises her to avenge the death of her father. Empress Ki is worried about King Gongmin and Princess Noguk’s reaction about the death of the princess’s father. Park Bul-hwa advises her to ask King Gongmin to send support troops to help subdue the Red Turbans’ revolt in order to see his reaction. Meanwhile, Princess Noguk tells Queen Mother that she wants King Gongmin to have a concubine. Shin Don and King Gongmin talk about a plan to fight against Yuan and its collaborators. Lee In-bok is still suspicious of Shin Don. Shin Don asks Choseon to talk to the merchants and raise funds. However, the merchants refuse, saying that they can’t trust their king.
Eps. 27
King Gongmin and Choseon meet for the first time. When he hears that Choseon isn’t married, King Gongmin recommends Shin Don for her future husband. King Gongmin introduces Shin Don to Lee Je-hyeon. He asks Lee to help him fight against the people who will be jealous of Shin Don. Princess Noguk tells Choseon that she knows about Choseon’s plan to set up a new country. She asks her to trust King Gongmin and support him. Lee Ja-chun and his son Lee Seong-gye join Lee In-bok and decide to fight for Goryeo.
Eps. 28
Empress Ki keeps King Gongmin’s soldiers in Yuan, saying that she wants to reward them for their service. Meanwhile, Ki Chul plans to occupy the palace with the help of Cho So-sang. Since most of the soldiers were sent to Yuan, only a small number of the Royal guards remain in the palace. King Gongmin hears the rumor that Ki Chul’s private soldiers are secretly coming into the palace. However, Shin Don assures the king that he’ll defend the palace. Shin Don asks for the help of Bo Woo and other monk soldiers. However, they refuse to help the king, saying that he turns to the Buddhist community only in times of crisis. Princess Noguk finds out that she’s pregnant, but keeps it a secret since everyone in the palace is worried about Ki Chul’s attack. Shin Don brings his fellow monks and some commoners under arms into the palace. King Gongmin feels relieved and tells Lee Je-hyeon that Shin Don is a reliable person. Cho So-sang and his soldiers are marching into the Capital City. Lee Ja-chun and other generals wait for them on the way and successfully defeat them. Worried about King Gongmin’s safety, Jeong Se-woo secretly sends Choi Young and 100 soldiers back to Goryeo. Kim Yong doesn’t want Choi Young to take all the credit for saving the king. He and his soldiers follow Choi Young. Concerned about the young generals’ competition, Yeom Je-shin decides that all the troops leave Beijing and go back to Goryeo. Empress Ki sends Park Bul-hwa to Goryeo with them. Park Bul-hwa delivers to Princess Noguk the urn which contains her father’s ashes, and mentions that Empress Ki mourns over his death.
Eps. 29
Shin Don gives King Gongmin the list of the people to keep alive and to get rid of. He tells him that it’s the chance of a lifetime to carry out his decision. Park Bul-hwa tells Ki Chul to go into the palace and express his condolence, in order to make peace with King Gongmin and Princess Noguk. King Gongmin renews the name of an era and shows his strong will to regain the country’s independence. However, scared of Yuan’s retaliation, most senior statesmen are hesitant. King Gongmin distributes the land to people who suffered from the pro-Yuan group’s evil conduct. He also put Shin Don in charge of liberating people from illegal slavery. Shin Don is deeply moved by King Gongmin’s faith in him.
Eps. 30
Queen Mother is very excited about the news that Princess Noguk is pregnant. She feels sorry for not having been kind to her. She tells her to give birth to a prince for the Royal family’s future. King Gongmin orders to return the land that the pro-Yuan group has taken from people. However, some high officials aren’t happy about the fact that Shin Don is in charge. Lee In-bok advises King Gongmin to slow down his reforms since the country is in bad shape and it’s unnecessary to provoke Yuan. However, King Gongmin sends troops to reclaim the northern part of Goryeo territory occupied by Yuan. Meanwhile, Princess Noguk feels a severe pain in her stomach and collapses.
