Finally.
Episode 50.
I can’t quite understand what made Ta-hwan stepped back and decided to check on Dangkise, because the latter seized the moment to break the news about Maha’s identity to him. Seung-nyang approached him, wondering why Ta-hwan was trying to shake off the almost lifeless Dangkise as Wang Yoo took off his mask. Dangkise saw Seung-nyang and told her that she would die in the Emperor’s hands but before he could finish his sentence, Ta-hwan took a sword and delivered the final blow to end the man’s life. They went back to the palace and Seung-nyang thought that Ta-hwan wanted to be alone becuase he was upset with Yoo’s appearance, but he put his ‘I’m fine’ face, saying that he was grateful that she was safe and he won’t forget Yoo’s deed.
Both Seung-nyang and Golta sensed that something was off with the Emperor but only Golta was willing to take the risk and approached Ta-hwan, asking if something was wrong. Ta-hwan initially refused to tell him anything but soon ordered Golta to find where Court Lady Seo was and he planned to meet her personally. He wanted to prevent the secret of Maha’s identity from leaking, no matter what it would cost him..
Seung-nyang later learned from Taltal that he was the one who spared Yoo’s life. He told her that Yoo saved Ta-hwan and her to regain his throne, but judging from Seung-nyang’s tears, I think she knew that it wasn’t the only reason for Yoo to do so.
Ta-hwan went out of the palace to meet Court Lady Seo in a remote village and told his bodyguards, including Golta, to leave them alone. He asked whether the thing he learned from Dangkise was true and she confirmed it: Maha was indeed Seung-nyang’s son with Yoo and Yoo only got to know about it recently. Ta-hwan realized that losing her son was one of the reasons for Seung-nyang to be focused on her revenge. After knowing that the other people who knew about the secret was Yoo and Co., he told Court Lady Seo that no one should know about it..and stabbed her to death. He vowed to kill everyone who knew about the secret, and that included Wang Yoo..
Empress Dowager received a hefty amount of gold (including gold turtles!) from Leader-nim and she agreed to meet him at the temple after reading his letter, in which he promised to let her know about a method to get rid of Consort Ki. She didn’t expect to see a perfectly intact and alive Byung-soo walking into the temple, but he was only sent by the Leader-nim to meet him. She’s more interested about learning how to eliminate her rival and Byung-soo told him the easiest route: Consort Ki would fall without the Emperor. He explained a little bit about their plan to put a new Emperor on the throne that was Bolud since Ta-hwan won’t last that long because of his illness. How does one know when another person will die? Ask Golta because he knew how to do it, which was by feeding Ta-hwan a kind of medicine or poison, killing the unsuspecting Emperor slowly.
Wang Yoo’s focus at the time was to find out who the Leader-nim was but he received a good news: he’s going to be reinstated as the King of Goryeo! He was summoned to the palace but Ta-hwan handed over the edict of his reinstatement to Taltal and told his Chancellor to meet Yoo in his place since he had to prepare for the coronation ceremony on the following day. Taltal directed his gaze at Seung-nyang and the next thing we know, it was Seung-nyang who went to see Yoo. Her face softened at the sight of Yoo and a flashback explained why: she learned that he kept Maha’s death a secret because he didn’t want to see her in pain and he was planning to bring Maha with him after knowing that he was the child’s father.
Seung-nyang handed over the edict to Yoo (and why does this scene feel so bittersweet??).
Seung-nyang: Once you return to Goryeo, please promise me one thing.
Yoo: Please say it.
Seung-nyang: There shouldn’t be any pitiful people like us anymore. After being dragged here, I realize it that a nation, which could neither protect its own people nor accept the tributes back, is powerless and negligent.
Yoo: It was all due to my lacking.
Seung-nyang: It’s not one person’s fault. The same thing goes for restoring a nation to its glory; it’s not something that can be done by one person. There will be people trying to make Goryeo a Yuan’s vassal state and there will be people who keep asking for tributes to be sent (from Goryeo). I’ll block them here, so I hope you can make Goryeo a stronger country. That is the reason for me to help you to regain your throne. If it’s you, I believe it’s something you can achieve.
A tear dropped on her cheek and she excused herself as more tears fell from her eyes. Yoo could only send her away with his gaze; his eyes teary as well.
Ta-hwan spent the night before the Empress’ coronation with archery while waiting for Golta. His eunuch informed him that the secret letter had been sent to someone and he’s planning to get rid of Yoo after the coronation ended. Ta-hwan told Golta to stay in the palace while he went out for the ‘mission’ with the soldiers.
We got the coronation ceremony in episode 1, with a few more people added into the scene (and some eliminated): Hong-dan, Eunuch Park, and Taltal. Seung-nyang bid Yoo a silent goodbye with her tears and he walked away from the coronation of Seung-nyang as the primary Empress of Yuan. Did anyone notice that the Dowager was missing? Yeah, because she was busy throwing tantrums (and precious ceramics onto the floor), furious that Consort Ki had finally became the Empress. She promised to make Ta-hwan pay for his crime and blamed Seung-nyang for bewitching the Emperor.
Wang Yoo was at the new Goryeo Village, bidding goodbye to the villagers before departing to Goryeo. He would return with Moo-song and Jeombakyi first since Eunuch Bang and Jeokho would stay behind to finish the remaining task regarding Eagle Group, including alerting Seung-nyang about the merchant group. The little team was happy with Jeombakyi and Moo-song would be promoted once they were back in Goryeo and Yoo urged the other two to finish their work. Yoo shook hands with both Jeokho and Eunuch Bang before taking his leave.
The coronation was concluded with the first night ritual for both Emperor and Empress.
Seung-nyang: I feel like I am dreaming.
Ta-hwan: It’s not a dream. You’re this country’s primary Empress. I, too, have waited for this day to come since a long time ago. It’s the happiest day for both of us.
Ta-hwan kissed Seung-nyang’s forehead and hugged her but he had something else on his mind. He woke up later in the middle of the night, caressing her cheek and hoped that she won’t resent him for what he would do as it’s for the sake of protecting her.
The soldiers were all prepared to march towards Liaoyang and the governor had been alerted regarding the matter. Taltal went to the throne hall, wondering why Ta-hwan was there with the troop. He couldn’t simply ignore it since the Emperor himself was dispatching the troop and guessed that Ta-hwan was going to kill Yoo. Taltal tried to stop him since Yoo was a king now but he couldn’t do anything when Ta-hwan said that it was for Seung-nyang’s sake. Golta assumed that Yoo was the fake leader who had snatched their asset and grains and now, the Emperor would kill Yoo. Suri was there when Golta told the group members about the matter and conveyed the news to Jeokho and Eunuch Bang.
Seung-nyang woke up from her sleep and wandered off to the throne hall, looking for Byul. She saw her son standing at the door, smiling at her; however, another person joined them: Wang Yoo. Seung-nyang was surprised to see him there,even addressing Yoo as ‘Your Majesty’.
Byul: Mother..(Seung-nyang smiled when she heard this ㅠㅠ) Father is teaching me martial arts and he will teach me horse riding.
Yoo: I didn’t get the chance to take care of my son when I am alive, but from now on, I’ll take care of him.
Seung-nyang: Your Majesty..
Yoo: Do you still resent me?
Seung-nyang: If it wasn’t for you, I won’t be here.
Yoo: From now on, even without me, you’ll be able to overcome everything. Although my fate with you ends here, I have no regret at all. It’s because of my true love for you. This is the last thing I’d like to tell you.
Seung-nyang demanded to know what he meant by ‘last thing’ and tried to reach his hand, but he suddenly disappeared..and Seung-nyang woke up from her dream. She was alone on the bed and knowing that something was off, she left the Emperor’s quarters and ran into Taltal on her way out. The Chancellor informed her that Yoo’s life was in danger and Seung-nyang rode the horse while hoping that Ta-hwan won’t kill Yoo and Yoo would leave Yuan as soon as possible.
Yoo and his henchmen had reached the fort outside Liaoyang and they found it odd that no one was seen guarding the gate. Jeombakyi announced Yoo’s arrival and suddenly, Yuan soldiers were surrounding them. Ta-hwan appeared and told Yoo that he needed to die. Jeombakyi and Moo-song were ready to protect him and he told them not to die. Both of them tried to fight off the soldiers but it was no use as they were greatly outnumbered. Yoo grabbed his sword and ran towards Ta-hwan, but the soldiers shot the arrows at him…and Moo-song took the arrows, protecting his King until the end.
Enraged with the sudden attack and the death of his henchmen, Yoo took his sword and held it on Ta-hwan’s neck, but the Emperor wanted to deal with Yoo himself. He demanded to know why he was attacked and Ta-hwan told him that he knew about Maha’s identity. Only Yoo’s death could protect Seung-nyang. That alone was enough to make Yoo abandon his sword and urged Ta-hwan to kill him, although Ta-hwan wanted to have a fair fight.
Yoo: Seung-nyang had saved me for countless times; but you? What have you done for that woman?
Ta-hwan: Shut up.
Yoo: You said you loved her. Then, kill me as a proof!
Ta-hwan drew his sword and stabbed Yoo. Yoo hoped that Ta-hwan won’t cause any more pain for Seung-nyang and Ta-hwan questioned whether it was worth it to trade Seung-nyang’s safety with his own life.
Yoo: Even if I die, I will protect Seung-nyang until the end.
Ta-hwan pulled out his sword and Yoo fell onto the ground, calling Seung-nyang’s name until his last breath..
Seung-nyang reached the place when it was dark, with Eunuch Bang and Jeokho already there, weeping over the lifeless bodies of their comrades. She held the cold hand of Yoo and called him but there’s no answer. She recalled the conversation she had with Yoo when they first met after she became a concubine. Seung-nyang thought that it was her fault that things had turned out like that and held the dead Yoo in her arms.
Seung-nyang: Your Majesty..please don’t have any lingering feelings for me and leave in peace. In your next life, please don’t remember a person like me. But I will remember you..in the next life, and the next life, the deeds I’ve received from you..I’ll repay you.
She hugged him and cried her heart out, calling him like what she used to do before…
Seung-nyang rushed towards the Emperor’s quarters the first thing in the morning, but Taltal wanted to have a private talk with her. He knew that she was on her way to see Ta-hwan and he didn’t want to see their relationship fell out because of the matter regarding Yoo. Taltal told Seung-nyang that Ta-hwan said that it was to protect her and wondered if it was something that should be kept a secret forever. She recalled Dangkise’s words and realized that Ta-hwan might had found out about Maha and Taltal told her not to say anything if it was something that would make uncomfortable; but then, he pleaded for Seung-nyang not to make Ta-hwan her enemy.
She still went to Ta-hwan’s quarters and wondered to herself why Ta-hwan didn’t tell her anything about it and Ta-hwan might had thought that he could face it all by himself. The Emperor was calling out her name in his sleep and Seung-nyang held his hand, waking him up and asking what made him so distraught in his sleep, but he just said that it was only because of his sickness. He just said that he missed her and Seung-nyang hugged him. She wanted to stay like that for a moment and promised to tell him something when both of them grew old, but Ta-hwan only thought that she only wished for him to live a long life. However, Ta-hwan started to have a headache and called for Golta.
Golta Leader-nim explained to his minions (in the form of Byung-soo and Jo-cham) that the ‘medicine’ he gave to Ta-hwan would show the effect once the Emperor started to have continuous headaches and he won’t be able to live without the medicine. He would soon lose his senses and even his memories. Golta was planning to use the Emperor’s power since Ta-hwan had complete faith in him and soon, their world would come.
Empress Dowager went to meet her future puppet Bolud and the later had never thought that the Dowager would support him. She told him to gather Baek Ahn’s supporters on their side to send some petitions to the Emperor. Byung-soo assured hi that they would take care of the petitions once they reached the Emperor’s side.
Ta-hwan’s headache was getting worse but he still insisted on getting his work done. Dok-man went to the Emperor’s quarters to send the petitions to him and noted that something was fishy with the medicine brought by Golta. As soon as he drank the medicine, Ta-hwan started to lose consciousness and passed out. Golta was the only one left in the room and he took the chance to stamp the petitions with the Imperial seal. When Ta-hwan woke up and asked for the petitions, Golta only said that he had sent them away and even asked about the preparation for the hunting. Ta-hwan found it odd that his mind seemed off a bit nowadays but Golta told him that he was probably overworked.
Eunuch Bang and Jeokho went to meet Seung-nyang and brought with them the mask used by Yoo when he impersonated the Eagle Group’s Leader-nim. She was still thinking of confiscating the group’s assets since they were conducting illegal business and it would be a great help for the Imperial Treasury. Seung-nyang was surprised to learn that they knew about Ta-hwan’s plan to kill Yoo from the Leader-nim and suspected that the person was close to her all this while..
A meeting was conducted for the Eagle Group’s members and this time, it took place outside, different from their usual place. Although Yoo was already dead, Byung-soo was still suspicious of this Leader-nim. Just as they greeted him, Golta appeared, demanding to know who dared to impersonate him. The fake leader took off the mask…and it was Seung-nyang! Golta called out loud ‘Empress!’ and she realized that Leader-nim must be familiar with her.
“Who are you?”
*
Ah, the final episode…
*
Episode 51 (Final)
We backtrack a little before the end of episode 50, where Ta-hwan was thinking about the sudden memory loss he had been experiencing recently. He realized that his memory would be jagged each time he drank the medicine prepared by Golta. He suspected something and summoned Golta, but got to know from Guksu that his eunuch had to make a trip home since his mother was sick..again. Ta-hwan wanted to have the medicine prepared once Golta returned to the palace.
Meanwhile, Seung-nyang got to know that Eagle Group would be having an emergency meeting on that night and Eunuch Park suggested for them to order the soldiers to raid the meeting, but knowing that they would disappear way before the troop reached the place, Seung-nyang offered to infiltrate the meeting herself..and she smiled while holding the leader’s mask.
That brought us back to the meeting and Seung-nyang’s side engaged in a fight with Leader-nim’s side. She was so close to shoot him with her arrows, but he managed to flee from the scene. Seung-nyang’s men chased after the members of the group and brought the captured men into the palace for interrogation. Although she didn’t manage to catch Leader-nim, she thought that they would soon learn about his identity from the other members. Namu assured Golta that no one knew about his identity apart from a few people, but Golta had to issue the order for the rest of the group to go into hiding for the time being.
Seung-nyang changed into a Goryeo styled hanbok and the Imperial Concubines were also wearing the brand new Goryeo hanbok. Empress Dowager was not that happy to find out that Seung-nyang had been supporting the people from Goryeo outside the palace and it got worse when she saw the concubines, who were all of Yuan blood, wearing Goryeo hanbok proudly. Seung-nyang didn’t see it as a big problem since they were living there together, so people from Goryeo in the palace should be able to practice their culture in the forms of Goryeo styled dishes and clothing. She offered to send the clothes to the Dowager, only to get a cold response in return.
Her next destination was the prison, where the captured men were being interrogated; however, Taltal informed her that they didn’t know anything about their leader. Seung-nyang thought that it was impossible not to know anything about Leader-nim, such as his name, age, or where he lived, and one of the men disclosed the fact that their leader had access into the palace. She told Ta-hwan about the information and the palace staff were being investigated for that matter. Golta stood there nervously but he had another thing to be happy about: both Seung-nyang and Ta-hwan were unsuspecting of the medicine he prepared. Well, it’s too soon to rejoice, because Ta-hwan was getting suspicious of him.
Golta was thinking of finishing his work faster before the Empress found out about it and sent the poisoned medicine to Ta-hwan, who had been attacked with intense headache. Unknown to him, Ta-hwan grabbed a piece of the broken bowl and held to it after drinking the medicine to ensure that he stayed awake instead of drifting into unconsciousness. He overheard Golta pleading for him to stay alive as long as he could before Golta finished his work and Namu informing Golta about the meeting between the Dowager and the officials who would support the new Emperor. That was enough for Ta-hwan to confirm that Golta was indeed the leader of Eagle Group and his own eunuch had betrayed him.
Empress Dowager went to meet Bolud, who had brought with him the officials who were originally on Baek Ahn’s side. She told them that they needed to deal with the Emperor and the Empress who had been destroying their country. They swore allegiance to the Dowager and Byung-soo told them that Leader-nim would make the Emperor issue an official decree. They were glad to hear that the Emperor was ailing and soon, they would be able to take over the throne.
Dok-man was at the Emperor’s quarters, sending the medicine and checking on the sleeping Emperor. He wished for Ta-hwan to have a fast recovery and Ta-hwan opened his eyes, calling Dok-man’s name. He whispered something to Dok-man and the latter was shocked to hear his words but obeyed his order. But then, Ta-hwan started to cough out blood..and according to Byung-soo, it meant that death would come for the Emperor. The Dowager was curious about Leader-nim’s identity but she would learn about it later; for now, Leader-nim’s focus was to disturb the relationship between Ta-hwan and Seung-nyang.
Ta-hwan soon found his food being poisoned and further investigation led by Namu revealed that Eunuch Park had something to do with the death of the servant who prepared the food, implying that the Empress might be the one who orchestrated it. He wondered what Golta was planning by trying to break Seung-nyang and him apart but kept it to himself, leading Golta into believing that he was indeed disappointed with his Empress. Seung-nyang went to visit him but received cold treatment and anger from Ta-hwan, but it was a show he staged to fool Golta; however, Seung-nyang was upset about Ta-hwan’s sudden change of behaviour.
Dok-man went to meet Ta-hwan and we got to know what Ta-hwan’s order was: he wanted Dok-man to find out the content of the medicine from Golta and it was a poison from a venomous bird which had no antidote. Ta-hwan listed out his symptoms, including restlessness, unable to sleep, constant headache and coughing out blood. Dok-man was worried when he heard about the coughing out blood since it meant that Ta-hwan had already reached the final stage of poisoning. Darn. It took a while for Ta-hwan to let the fact sank in and he wondered if there’s something that would delay the effect of the poison. He was thinking of consuming the poison to trick the people who was trying to get rid of him and he planned to root out the traitors to protect Seung-nyang and Ayu before he died. Ta-hwan was thinking of keeping it a secret from Seung-nyang since he knew that she won’t agree with the plan. It was the least thing he could do to protect his family. Stop messing with (me and) Dok-man’s heart, Ta-hwan!!
Ta-hwan consumed the medicine without fail and he acted like he grew suspicious of Seung-nyang after the poisoning incident. Golta said that it was easy to lead him into believing it thanks to the secret letter that was supposedly sent by Yoo to Seung-nyang and Ta-hwan, secretly eavesdropping on his conversation with Namu, realized that the love letter was fake. Golta finally introduced himself as Leader-nim to Empress Dowager and she totally didn’t mind of killing the Emperor and leaving the trading business to Eagle Group, as long as she got the power in her hands. Golta then grabbed the chance to suggest that Ta-hwan leave the court business to the Empress Dowager since the Empress had tried to kill him. This time, Ta-hwan assured him that he would get rid of the officials who supported the Empress.
The whole court was summoned for an official audience with Ta-hwan and the Emperor ordered for immediate dismissal of the officials, including Taltal and the Three Lords from their positions. Seung-nyang didn’t even get to interfere and Ta-hwan issued an edict, leaving the matters of the court to Empress Dowager for the time being. Seung-nyang left the court as a protest but Ta-hwan’s condition grew worse all of a sudden, in front of the court.
Ta-hwan called for the Dowager later and he was in his office since he was thinking of abdicating the throne. His health was getting worse and he thought that he should leave the matter of governing the country to someone else, at least for the sake of Yuan itself. He wanted to hear her suggestion and got to know that Bolud (or his official title King of Datong) was the person whom the Dowager was thinking of putting on the throne after him. He wrote the edict in front of both Empress Dowager and Golta, while at the same time, Seung-nyang learned about Ta-hwan’s condition from Dok-man. Dok-man explained that the Emperor kept this as secret from her for the sake of his plan. Taltal also received a secret order from Ta-hwan and he suggested that Seung-nyang didn’t do anything for the time being and prepare her heart.
Bolud was already addressed as ‘Your Imperial Majesty’ by Byung-soo, who was impatient to get the highest command in the military body (like a General). Bolud was more than willing to grant him his wish and said that they would meet in the palace after before leaving for the palace. Byung-soo thought that he finally got to choose his own master and his own minion Jo-cham promised to stick to him (like a gum) forever. Both of them laughed to their heart’s content without realizing that Eunuch Bang and Jeokho were spying on them. Eunuch Bang felt disgusted to see those two following after people who could give them the power but something would happen really soon in the palace and they would be killed soon.
Ta-hwan had to be supported as he walked to his throne and Seung-nyang couldn’t do anything at the moment. She heard about Ta-hwan’s plan from Dok-man and the Emperor’s health was not getting better. The people in the court were all on Empress Dowager’s side and Ta-hwan thanked the Dowager for acting as a regent. She urged him to read the abdication decree and he read it out loud…but it wasn’t for his abdication. Ta-hwan issued a decree to have all the traitors, who dared to commit a treason act of assassinating the Emperor and the Empress, to be killed. Taltal entered the hall together with the soldiers and killed everyone there except for a few.
Both Golta and Empress Dowager were spared for the time being since Ta-hwan wanted to know why they betrayed him. Empress Dowager thought that Ta-hwan was the first to abandon her by giving all the authority to Seung-nyang and her vying for the power was simply to protect herself. Ta-hwan’s confrontation with Golta was heart wrenching, because he thought that his eunuch was loyal to him.
Golta: I’ve never betrayed anyone. From the start, the Emperor wasn’t my owner. My owner is only money. I can betray the authority by not money.
Golta argued that what he did was only trying to switch the weaker person with a more powerful figure. Ta-hwan was clearly disappointed in both of them whose eyes were only on money and power, but he’s more disappointed with himself, who trusted such people more than the precious people around him. Golta said that Seung-nyang was no different than them since she won’t give Ta-hwan her heart for nothing in return.
What’s more heartbreaking to hear your most trusted person calling you a stupid Emperor in front of you? Golta didn’t get to finish his words when Ta-hwan stabbed him to death. Ta-hwan shed tears and cried out loud as Golta called him for the last time before he died. Ta-hwan challenged the Dowager to argue with him before coughing out blood again.
Seung-nyang accompanied Ta-hwan and admitted that she heard everything from Dok-man, but Ta-hwan said that he won’t leave her alone and die. He wanted to live a long life with his family. She hugged him, promising that she would put her utmost effort to see him recover.
Empress Dowager was sitting alone in her quarters, looking at a suspicious bowl before drinking the content of the bowl. Seung-nyang paid her a visit since the Dowager was to be sent to the temple, although her crime was punishable by death. The Dowager refused to leave the palace since she couldn’t stand the fact that a lowly Goryeo woman was the one who chased her out. Seung-nyang hoped that she won’t die easily but the Dwager started to spit out blood, vowing to become a ghost in the palace once she died and she couldn’t leave, because she’s the ruler of the Inner Court. Seung-nyang witnessed her death and told Dok-man to burn Empress Dowager’s dead body before disposing it outside the palace.
The troop was sent to capture Byung-soo and Jo-cham and as usual, they were thinking of running away. Byung-soo thought that he could hide in the New Goryeo Village although he was the one who betrayed the villagers before but he ended up getting caught. Seung-nyang noted that for someone who sell his fellow countrymen, Byung-soo sure lived a long life.
Byung-soo: Living a country which killed its own citizens to die, I don’t really have any other choice other than that to continue living, right?
Seung-nyang: You too, won’t admit your mistakes until the end.
Byung-soo: You too! You too, for the sake of living, you stepped on other people to rise to your position today. You become the Empress and I only did what I could, so what’s the difference between you and me?
Seung-nyang: Are you really in the dark about your crime?
Byung-soo: My crime..that bad luck being born in a helpless country like Goryeo! If it’s indeed a crime, then that is my crime.
He challenged them to tell him the deathly crime he had committed and Goryeo people started to get out of control, shouting for Byung-soo to be killed. Byung-soo mocked the villagers, who had thrown stones to him, calling them as foolish and ignorant.
The guards couldn’t stop the villagers from beating both Byung-soo and Jo-cham to death, and Seung-nyang shed tears at the sight of her fellow countrymen dying in front of her. Eunuch Bang asked why she was crying for them and Seung-nyang thought that if their country was better, Byung-soo too would make a good husband and father in Goryeo. He represented the pitiful people of Goryeo who couldn’t be protected. She saw some tribute women from Goryeo being dragged into the palace and found out that it was sent by the officials as gifts. She knew it too well – the feelings of being dragged away from her country – and ordered for the women to be sent back to Goryeo.
*A few years later…*
Seung-nyang was acting as a Regent and she was angry that the Goryeo King (Gongmin, if we’re to follow the history) had killed her brothers. Eunuch Park, now a Commander, thought that the King had forgotten her help and pleaded for her to make the decision. Seung-nyang opted to launch an attack on Goryeo led by the new King of Shenyang, Prince Deokheung /Tas Temür (he was King Chungseon’s son, which made him Gongmin’s uncle since Chungseon was Gongmin’s grandfather. Wang Go’s grandson was the King of Shenyang/Shen in history at that particular time, so I thought they were the same person. Sorry for the mistake!).
*A few years later..*
A messenger from the battleground arrived at the capital and Seung-nyang got to know that Taltal had been killed in a battle. Commander Park urged her to leave the capital since the army was getting closer to the capital. She recalled the last meeting she had before Taltal left for the battle with the Red Turban Army. Taltal informed her that the army had marched past the remote land and they could endanger the capital if they were not stopped. Both of them seemed to realize that Yuan was on the verge of being defeated and Taltal advised her to retreat to the North should he failed to return after the battle. He knew that there were Mongols there and she should be able to set up a new future for the country.
Seung-nyang went to Ta-hwan’s chamber and the sickly Emperor was coughing like an old man. He asked about the Red Turban Army but Seung-nyang chose to lie to him that Taltal had ceased the rebellion so that he won’t be worried. She suddenly asked him to go with her to the North and it’s like he knew that they were losing the battle, but agreed with her wish otherwise. He told her that his ears were itchy and Seung-nyang offered to clean his ears. She remembered that he made her do the same thing when she was a servant and suddenly, he held her hand.
Ta-hwan: I love you. I love you, Yang-ie ya.
Seung-nyang: I love you too.
Ta-hwan nodded in her lap after hearing her reply but before she could finish her next sentence, his hand lost its grip…and he passed away. Seung-nyang hugged him, telling him that she truly loved him.
*Epilogue*
It was the same scene in Episode 4, where Seung-nyang brought Ta-hwan out for horse riding and Yoo went to find them, worried that they might be in danger. Seung-nyang was told to ride with Yoo and the scene ended before she could make her choice.
[THE END]
*
I would like to offer my interpretation of the epilogue first.
I didn’t find the epilogue that significant at first but after sitting down and giving a good thought about it, it was indeed a good one. It could be interpreted in different version, but it was definitely more than just ‘Seung-nyang choosing Ta-hwan over Wang Yoo’.
It was her destiny to become Yuan’s Empress but if I am to interpret the symbolism of that scene, she chose to ride with TH because she didn’t want to cause trouble for Wang Yoo. This was parallel to the moment she decided to become an Imperial Concubine: she partly did it for the sake of Goryeo, represented by Wang Yoo. She held tightly to her destiny to govern Yuan (=holding Ta-hwan tightly on the horse) but once in a while, she looked back behind her, looking at her Goryeo (aka Wang Yoo behind her). There’s no way for her to turn back the time, as she would forever stuck between Yuan and Goryeo, just like how she was always in the middle of the argument between Ta-hwan and Wang Yoo.
*
I’ll come back for the longer comments and thoughts later. I can’t stop crying and it’s sort of surreal that the drama has ended. Thank you for all your support! I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this recap without your encouraging words and insightful discussion. Thank you so much!
the talking cupboard 
thank you very much for the recaps….
crying buckets of tears!!! SN was left alone..first WY then the Emperor ;(
I am SMH at these writers. TH really? TH of all people is the one to kill WY. This is a WTH moment for me because TH is weak and can barely use a sword. I would have rather it been Tal Tal then TH because at least WY would have dead at the hands of someone who is equal to him. Yes TH killed WY out of jealousy but used SN as the excuse because he knew WY would do anything to protect her. TH has been itching to kill WY for long time. If TH was killing people to protect SN then he should also killed Eunuch Dokman & the Goryeon People who examined SN to check for her virginity because they all lied. I think it is bunch of crap that writers made it seem like TH did it to protect SN when it was done out of jealousy.
RIP to WY. Who did good for both Goryo & Yuan. This character had many haters but I still liked him. I never got why so many hated WY. He was mature and manly king.
ARRRRR…
What?
they r mie chaw saw? mie chaw ku na? Why why whyyyyyyyy 😥
@MeMe
I also don’t understand why some people hate WY character which portrayed a good and noble man, who is always willing to sacrifice for his love and his people. He even help the Yuan people in the process. WY always put SN’s happiness as his priority and never force SN to do something against her will. He never plan to take SN away from the useless emperor also, knowing that it’s the choice that SN has made to be with TH.
WY is a true hero. For those who overjoyed with the death of a good and innocent man like WY, surely there’s something wrong with their mind. Perhaps in this real world, they’re willing to suffer by having a handsome but useless man like TH, rather than a more dependable and reliable man like WY. RIP WY. Your character will always be respected.
That TH lover loved because of his cute appearance. DO lady ki forgive TH for killing WY? If so, i must to go n kill that ki too. :”( 😥
my broken heart.
@Kaw
Well for me it is not about looks. It is about talent. I am here for the acting not looks. Your looks will only get you so far. You will eventually have use your talent.
Love all you said here. WY was my heart throb along with Tal Ta. I sure hope now she ends up with him now that WY is gone.
I really hate it too meme, i was crying for wang yu, and Iam still, th used Seung nyan so he can kill wy without exerting any effort or sweat at all. Of course wang yu will protect Seung nyan… What i do not like the most is what Seung nyan said, can you feel love for wang yu?she still told him to forget her in the afterlife, is this out of gulit? And that scene at the hall, what sre the meaning of tears. I am confused, i see lack of emotion in Sn. Will she just forget that taehan killed wang yu?sorry i am too emotional cant organize my thoughts. Enlighten me more meme…
@Pesojiwon maybe she didn’t love him :-\ but he definitely was someone she deeply respected. I’m not sure if she loves anybody really. . . Well she seems like she loves the emperor though.
It’s all pretty uneven when you look at the whole story.
Maybe the last episode will shed some light on her feelings.
@pesojiwon
Probably so. You know everything TH does is excused. SMH
@pjiwon ,that is what i want to say . she pass that murderer.
It’s obvious who appreciates this ending the most…
@pesojiwon
Oh yeah. They are very happy and they got a commercial. LOL.
American TV shows advertisers would never do something like that. It would only add fuel to the fire in the shipping war. Shipping wars involving American TV shows are no joke. They are brutal and become personal. American TV shows go on for seasons.
Well. I’m someone who likes him. He may be ‘boring’, but he’s honourable, wise and brave, compared to that whiny, weak, fickle and foolish Ta Huan! Can I please add selfish and insecure too? Of all people, WY is one who will never reveal the truth of Maha’s birth – he loves SN too much and is not a blabber mouth or a vindictive person who will use it against SN! I’m sure TH knew this. He was just finding an excuse to get rid of him!
@ MeMe – The reason people “hated” WY is because they know is IS the better man for SN. He is virtually perfect in this story, so they pick at him for little things to try to crack that status.
@Valkyrie
The funny thing is they said they did not like WY because was perfect but put TH on a pedestal. Excused everything he did but then turn around and said they loved Tal Tal because he was perfect.
I totally agree. I was so pissed when they were like this is for SN and it is all alright. Like no it is not all alright. Spoiler alert below.
I haven’t watched the whole final episode and I haven’t watched it with subs. However, I did watch the ending and it sucked beyond any point. I am sooooooooo mad because I had such high hopes for this series. I was happy with the story line and the way things were going until a certain point. Then I just tolerated some points and enjoyed the posts here and the actors. However, I was hoping the final two episodes would give us that awesome feeling they gave with the first like 30 episodes. Forget that if they could just give us the feeling of the first two episodes I would have been fine. But from 50 to 51 it went from worst to worst to worst to I don’t even care anymore. Like first you make SN say oh TH did it because of that then it is okay. (Like HELLL NOOO its not okay that isn’t even a good reason) If he wanted to kill people off because of the secret you kill the enemy who knows and will use it against you. WY would never say a word of their child. And the child is dead the enemy would be the only necessary death in that case and like MEME said the people who checked her so it would not leaked if they checked her at all. Which if they didn’t then there could not be any speculation because the only person who would know was lady park and the crazy mirror lady who were killed. Oh and her most trusted maiden in waiting and she would die before telling. If they wanted to kill everyone she loved off they could have found a better reason at least. I thought they were going to have her finally leave love alone and fight for the countries. Make sure the countries were better. And in the ending it didn’t seem like the writers cared about that at all. At the start of this I thought this was going to be an awesome story of a kickass lady who conquers all and saves two countries even though she has a horrible past and an ill-fated love. And this is what I am handed at the end.
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I am so angry with the writers or whoever decided to go this route. I will say one thing all the actors and actresses were great in this series. Even if they were given horrible stuff I believed them for every second. I can’t look at a regular picture of the guy who plays TH without seeing his scary drunk crazed eyes and blood on his face.
I will say this though I didn’t hate WY or TH I just thought that neither love was going to work out from the start because the way they set it up. WY was always seperated from SN and could never really protect her or grow a stronger bond. TH always depended on her like a mother or Older Sister. There are some people like that who just need that attention and thats all he needed. So neither was going to work I was just hoping they would pull her exactly strategy skills and skills period over all the love stuff and make her more her own person in power. Which they did to some point. Also I was hoping that she would lean towards Taltal. I never thought they should have an outright romance but one of Taltal being all “I will be by your side forever we will save this country and help the people.” and SN being all ” It is our duty.” Thats all. So he would know her best and she would know he best. I think anything else was needed. Thanks for letting me rant. I just saw that earlier and got so mad but my family doesn’t understand. I was screaming WHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY????? For a long time and they just shook their heads.
I fell the same here…the ending id freaking mad!!!!!i keep screaming also whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy,i still cant get over with the fact that Th and Sn has vever had that happy ending that i been waiting for..why must the writer have to kill my dear th….the writer is freakin crazy!!!!arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I totally agree. TH was NOT worthy of killing a great soul like WY. I knew he’d die eventually but not in the arms of TH! So sad;(
@Meme i didnt want SY with WY even though they would have been a power house couple but i didn’t hate him. I don’t think i read any hate towards him on this blog at least.
The last five to ten episodes were good but bad. Before that though it was quite enjoyable.
@Ariel DuBenion
Oh no not on here. I was not even talking about this blog when I was talking about the hate WY receives. I’m sorry if I gave the impressions that this blog does it. I was talking about other forums.
TH is always a stupid ungrateful emperor.
WY has helped TH & SN many times, even getting hurt in the process, so is it logical that WY will harm SN regarding Maha’s identity?? This foolish emperor just using SN’s safety as the reason whereas it is his selfishness and worthless pride that want to kill innocent WY.
Many has suffered because of TH, including his own people, soldiers and SN. This worthless emperor should feel the pain that he had caused to other people and he also deserves to die painfully.
i just want to say f****** WRITER. MY ANGER AT THE TOP.
SORRY SORRY MY BUDDIES N MISS MUCHABOUTLOVE.
I CANT CONTROL MY FEELING. I WANT TO CRY OUT LOUD.:'(
EEHE HE HE
My sentiments exactly!
IKR!!! But I believe TH dies in the last ep ?
Regardless of who must die, it is still a great write up
As much as we hate how the story goes, i still believe that this is a good drama… The story became unpredictable and unfavorable, but that’s the beauty of watching drama… If it goes exactly like we predict, how boring the journey will be…..
Thx for the recap. Can’t wait for the finale….
exactly, agree with you, eventhought i’m sad WY, my most favorit charracter die, i still wanna see the ending, i see some people say that drama bad because of sad ending but that’s reality, reality is sometimes really harsh
I watch many drama with my favorit charracter die or didn’t get the girl but if the story good it doesn’t matter
I cry so much saw the video cut of ep 50, eventhought i didn’t understand what they say
Up to the last moment wang yu is calling Sn’s name, in Sn’s dream, he still told her his love for her. Sn even in the last, still told him not to have lingering feelings for her….i don,t like it…. I want to hear her say she loves him…
i still hope she said it because of regret n guilty. When i see her with TH i haven’t see it’s love it’s like just a woman thatt just accepting his destiny as a wife of emperor n she care for him like family but the confusing thing is her word seem like he love TH, When she’s with WY eventhought the just talk about bussines it seem like a person who hide her feeling so i’m not really understand her true heart,that’s it that i wanna see in the last episode. i don’t wanna open ending which the viewer really didn’t know where her love goes, even if she love both men (the worst thing) i want her to make it clear
@ pesojiwon – Ugh. That’s the thing. Never once did she say she loved WY, so it makes WY an even more pitiful character. I can’t…SMH
Same! I just wanted to hear WY say I love you one last time;(
bcz she never loved him . all of her fealling for wy was respect to her lord .
In this drama, we know WY truly, deeply love SN saying without i love you. I really did not want to see SN anymore. I think she will forgive her useless husband TH for killing WY.
rather then forgive, she needs to stay alive, kill the servant who is poisoning the Emperor and the dowager so her son can become the Emperor later. Missing Wang Yu but I knew the emperor would find a way to kill him.
They gave the dream part that sn-wy-byul was together.. It is just a consolation…..i think i will crying watching the last episode
I think besides from Lady Seo and WY, TH will kill more people who know the secret if he knows. I think this time TH has a good reason to kill, because this secret was leaked out due to WY and his guys to Lady Seo in the first place that caused this tragedy. This’s why WY accepted to die without fight; otherwise, TH’d be the person to die.
In the final episode tonight, I guessed GT and ED would die. Anyhow, I really wish TH will live long with Ki following the real history until he reached 50. They still have to live to protect Ayu to fight for the red troop and white lotus before Yuan was taken down.
TH showed his serious illness from several episodes ahead, then he regained his conscious and health after transferred to be under Ki’s care and changed the doctor. Will this happen tonight? I want TH to still live and regain his health, senses, and memories no matter what, he should not leave his poor wife to fight with several enemies by herself to protect their son.
Besides, I don’t want Ki to shave her head to be a nun. From the real history, Ki died first before TH, and her body was brought back to bury with her clan in Kroyeor.
WY receive his death because there’s no way out the army surrounded him with gate close it’s impossible to run, she love SN but if he still has a chance to live he will fight, i remember when he sell the weapon to yuan enemy, he put SN aside for Goryoe. When he save SN n TH in the forest fight with more people i see there’s chance n risk, he could buy time for Bayan army to come. What i see he’s always calculate before he take action
@eny
That made TH a coward to me. He brought an army to kill 3 people. That was cowards move.
@ek-addicted
So you are saying WY’s death is his own fault? I disagree. The person responsible for WY’s death is TH. I see TH is getting another pass by some fans. SMH. TH is 100% the blame for WY’s death.
yes mie. i already fight with those girl in fb , they r no way to blame TH for killing WY. I Hate those chicken, his muederer emperor fans.
Lol, no it’s not 100% the emperor’s fault because if he went alone then in a one on one battle he would have died.
So it’s 5% the fault of people who knew, told and helped him and maybe 20% or more WY fault because he told the emperor to kill him (and I’m mad at him for doing that but maybe he didn’t want to live after seeing his people die)
WY and co should have ran or tried to reason with or lie to the emperor.
Anything’s better than voluntarily getting stabbed by someone you don’t like for a stupid reason.
@Ariel DuBenion
I think when TH told WY he had to die in order to save SN which I think had to do with his jealousy. TH’s eyes spoke a lot. WY gave up because he wanted to protect SN. SN was WY’s Achilles heel and TH knew that.
I agree with you on that allowing someone to stab you. Lets be honest if TH & WY had fought TH would have been dead. I guess the writers wanted to show WY did love SN more than his throne. That he sacrifice his life in order to save her life.
ahhhh if ta hwan died i will kill those writres please dont do this we want him alive i hate that he is suffring since the beginning of the drama
Does Nyang find out who her brothers are? Or even meets them.
Since when did SN have brothers? Did I miss something?
Have you seen “Faith” – the show with Lee Min Ho? The main villain is Empress Ki’s brother, and whenever he wanted to threaten the king of Goryeo, he would mention his sister the empress. In “Empress Ki,” SN’s father did mention that she has brothers, I think in the episode where he realizes she’s his daughter.
@Crazyahjumma yes you did. When her dad found out who she was and asked her why she didn’t tell him, she said that it was better that way and started to walk away and he said wait you have brothers.
Her brothers only got a mere mention like twice in the entire drama -_-
If you read up on the history of the real life Empress Ki, her brother actually plays a significant role in her legacy and reputation, it was because of her brother that she gained the image of a traitor that still persists today in Korea.
@Ruby T, Ariel DuBenion, and Alex,
Thanks for the explanation.
@Ruby T – I did watch Faith, but only didn’t go beyond 2 eps. Hee.
And since you mentioned it, I now recall the horrible man who was her brother. Urgh!!! Can’t reconcile the two being siblings!
Come on, guys. We’re talking about the writers who have conveniently forgotten Wang Yu has a wife. ;P
The brothers were only mentioned in passing, so I doubt these writers will remember to put them into the story. Besides, they might extend the drama if they put in the brothers, and this drama is too long now as it is.
@Meann
To be honest, I have always wondered what was the purpose of having WY marry in the first place.
@MeMe: I think that was meant to sort of push Seung-nyang more decisively into volunteering to be a concubine candidate, knowing that she didn’t have a chance to be with Wang Yoo anymore. Although really, they should have made his wife more prominent; that would have made things more interesting. 😉
@Meann
I agree it would have been interesting. To be honest it was irrelevant. They could have had SN go back to the palace for revenge. When people would say where is WY ‘s wife I use to tell them she was irrelevant and was not a big deal. I say it was irrelevant because there was no announcement about the actress who would play WY’s wife or nothing.
@meme it was the sole reason SY went to the palace to become a concubine. She was going back to Goryeo even though she lost her child but when she
overheard that he was getting married she changed her mind.
Plot point.
@annie nope, Nyang didn’t find out who her brothers are, but she knows that she has brothers. She learned that info from her dad when he confronted her about the Ki rings.
SPOILERS: In the finale, she learned that the new Koryo king (after WY passed away) killed her older brother. I’m not sure why. I learned that info from those who understand Korean in Soompi EK thread.
@Lizzie
Well in history King Gongmin killed her brothers because they had a greed for power and wanted his throne. Yes EK was supporting her brothers in what they were doing.
Reblogged this on imalonebutnotlonely.
Thank you
Reblogged this on JUNO Junho ( Kim MooYoung) and commented:
THE FINAL ~ T__T
Sorry all TH supporters, but I’m really mad that he killed WY with that selfish excuse of protecting SN!!! WY, more than he himself, has been protecting SN all this while, even when she rejected him by being a consort. Why would WY blab out the secret?
I really wish that TH WILL die, but before he dies I want him to know that it was Golta who had poisoned him. Of course, I want Golta and ED to pay for their crimes. Then, SN can rule Yuan in peace, and with Taltal by her side as a worthy advisor, they’ll make an awesome team!
“Why would WY blab out the secret?” Whose fault it is that Evil maid got to know the secret behind Byul’s birth? Goryeo’s gang….if they haven’t discussed such important matter in such inapropriate place, they could have had their happily ever after in Goryeo. Their carelessness caused their demises.
They brought it upon themselves. Though there’s a major loophole here…Bang is such a blabbermouth and they didn’t get rid of him yet…Writers, are you serious? He should have been the first to kick the bucket…I feel sad for WY’s death but he willingly accepted his fate when he was told by TH that SN’s safety is at stake. TH did it out of protection of his family. SN wasn’t even resentful towards TH because she knows that he did it for her sake. This secret, if disclosed, could have jeopardized SN’s safety/position and Ayu’s legacy.
TH never did anything to protect his family, he only cares about his own feelings and interest. It’s SN who had always been struggling to protect herself and Ayu from the ungrateful Yuan people (BA & ED) who used to be her allies in defeating ET.
He also didn’t care about SN’s feelings when he decided to declare war on Goryeo. He didn’t show respect to SN knowing that SN always want peace for both Yuan and Goryeo and that SN originated from Goryeo. He never taking care of SN, it’s SN who always had to take care of this foolish childish emperor.
If it’s true he tried to protect his family, TH should get rid of BA and ED first..instead he let BA free even after seeing BA tried to kill SN..and even dared to punish SN after BA’s death.. is it true he tried to protect SN? Nope, it’s just his lame excuse to justify his selfishness and worthless pride to kill innocent WY.
Whatever it is, TH is a very ungrateful person. He is also stupid, never know to differentiate between right and wrong, this is evident when he punished SN because of BA’s death. A true love will not want to see your beloved one getting hurt, but he’s the one who had made SN suffered.
Whatever it is, TH is a man of no value. His existence didn’t add value to people around him, he’s just a burden to other people because of his stupidity and selfishness.
@Lili yeah the goryeo gang sure didn’t know how to keep things on the down low. I would have liked it if bang died a long time ago for being such a loud mouth and not telling WY about his son a long time ago. Other than that i liked him but if i was WY i would have ended his life for keeping something like that from me. Of course it’d be an accident from pure rage in the heat of the moment.
@ lili – “Why would WY blab out the secret?” is exactly the argument. WY himself would not “blab” anything that would jeopardize SN’s life. Obviously, TH chose the extreme measures against WY and WY only when he had the chance. He did not attempt to understand the man that saved his life over and over again; but only focuses on how much said man loves his wife. He is a coward. That fact that WY loves SN is enough reason for him to kill his rival. He brought up SN knowing full and well that WY would do anything for her, even forfeiting his life. WY even dropped his sword and urged TH after mentioning SN’s safety – that already shows how far WY was willing to go protect SN. Chicken TH, who has an army that could overrun Goryeo could’ve walked away knowing this much, but still choose to stab WY. All TH cares about is his own feelings and his own pride.
@lili
I disagree. TH is 100% to blame for WY’s death. To blame WY for his own death is just wrong. LOL. There is a million and one excuses for TH. The vibe I am getting from some fans everything TH did was excused. Nothing is TH’s fault because others are to blame. Everything TH did was his own fault.
@lili
There’s a difference between ‘blabbing out a secret’ and being eavesdropped on while talking quietly about it with your most trusted aides. If there were no eavesdropping in k drama, half the plots would not be able to proceed! Frankly, I sometimes feel that it’s a convenient ploy used by the writers.
@Anonymous
“It seems to me that you have an issue with the writers.” “The thing different between us is that I know that it is a drama.”
Now, you start to wrongly judged me.. No, i have no issue with the writers, i have no issue with anyone..and of course i know it is a drama..a drama which every viewer has their own view and free to express their comments and feelings..
You are free to praise TH character, so does everyone else is free to dislike his character if they want to. When i said TH’s character is a man of no value, you suddenly brought up that SN end up an empress certainly not because of WY..did i ever mention that SN will become empress because of WY…nope, i’m not talking about the status, i’m talking about a man’s character…as a man, with such character, TH is a man of no value and just a burden to people around him. To me, just because in the end SN love him still doesn’t mean that it gives value to all the negative things TH had done before.
To me, EK is a great drama, with many different characters in it. There are good characters that we can look up to and there are characters which are bad. It’s up to everyone to give their opinions regarding this drama….the characters, the storyline…everything. I never bother about your comments to others. So please don’t simply judge others just because they have different view from yours.
I would REALLY like that ending, of TH dying, and Ki ruling as reigning empress, with the ever so handsome Tal Tal by her side ❤
@ amrhsn
“Whatever it is TH is a man of no value” . Whether you like it or not , he is the emperor of Yuan.Why do you think SN end up an empress.? Certainly not because of WY.It is certainly because of the good for nothing and of no value emperor. She knows who can help her to become a concubine and that is the emperor.She told the emperor that the only way she can forgive her is to help her to become a concubine.So this good for nothing emperor also have some value.Fighting Empress Ki
@ meme
Did you watch episode 50 with the English sub? Try to read the conversation between WY and TH. Maybe you can get an insight. Fighting Empress Ki.
@Anonymous
“Whether you like it or not , he is the emperor of Yuan.Why do you think SN end up an empress.? Certainly not because of WY.”
Of course TH is the emperor of Yuan..did i ever mention that SN will become empress because of WY…nope, i’m not talking about the status, i’m talking about a man’s character…as a man, with such character, TH is a man of no value and just a burden to people around him.
TH is a very stupid, childish, selfish and ungrateful person, he’s unable to defeat ET and become emperor without the help of SN, WY & Goryeo people. He had his position because of the help and suffering of other people, yet he agreed to BA’s suggestions to declare war on Goryeo. When his army lost in war, TH shamelessly put the blame on WY & Goryeo people, but actually the loss was because of his stupidity and arrogance, never want to listen to SN’s and the Three Lords’ advice.
TH is also a very bad husband and father. He claimed he love SN but he’s the one who makes SN suffered a lot most of the time in their marriage. He’s such a weak husband that SN has to refer to other reliable men when it comes to serious matter, that is TT (regarding the witchcraft matter) & WY (regarding ET’s secret treasure). If a man truly loves a woman, he will sacrifice for his love as long as his beloved one is happy and safe from any danger. But can TH claimed love if he dared to order punishment for SN? He only cares for his own interests and feelings and never want to understand SN. Even during the time SN was a palace maid, TH enjoyed bullying her, asking her to do silly things such as wash his feet..instead of trying to understand her sadness at that time that her freedom has gone because of TH’s betrayal.
TH also the worst emperor and ruler..he didn’t care at all about the well-being of the Yuan people, when SN and the Three Lords advised him to focus on the problems of their people, TH refused to listen..instead he declared war on Goryeo…Goryeo people only want peace and the cease of sending the tributes to Yuan. Many people had suffered under his rulings, including the Yuan people and soldiers. Because of his weakness as emperor also, even his most trusted man, Golta and his closest family, Empress Dowager chose to betray him.
TH is also a coward, not only using a lame excuse to justify his selfishness and worthless pride to kill innocent WY, he come with a group of army just to kill three innocent people. Even though SN just let him pass, this killing still made him a murderer.
We know someone is noble is when he died his people will cry and miss him for his good deeds and leadership. But for TH, nobody among his people will miss him, yet they will benefit more if this stupid selfish emperor died already. TH is far worst than ET too. The evil ET still acknowledged those who worked for him…but TH is very ungrateful to those who have helped him defeating ET.
As a normal woman would like to have a man that she can depends on, not the man that depends on her. A woman needs a wise and reliable man, not only with pretty face but totally useless.
Among the three men around SN, only TT & WY fulfill the criteria of a good and noble man. TH treats SN like his personal property, not like his love, and this way of treating a woman is really disgusting. It’s SN who always had to take care of this foolish childish emperor. To have a husband like TH will only make a woman suffered a lot, even though some women don’t really care because of love.
Yes, TH is the emperor…not a good one, but the worst..
@amhrsn
I feel the same way.Each is entitled to his own opinion .You are free dislike TH character as much as you want.
I knew TH will die in this episode because of his sickness and I was ready for that but I really didn’t expecting that they will make TT disapear too.The last person who could have a future with her.
I don’t have any word to explain my pain.After six months we got heartbroken with the last 5 episodes.
Killing everyone SN care about and we don’t have any clue about her future and Ayu?????.They could give us at least 10 more minutes and showing us that they are fine.
Anyway , it’s over and we have to deal with it.I’m so sad guys so sad…..
@Veronique Mendy
The way they did Tal Tal was wrong. I rather this than what happened in history. In history EK killed him. I am sad Tal Tal did not get a chance with SN because besides WY Tal Tal was the only other choice of better man for SN than TH.
Feel so sad and broken hearted too…. This is sadder than QSD….. I resent Seung Nyang, the writers pleased the majority by sn saying her love to taehan before he died. In thr novel they said taehan asked her if she ever loved h im and hef answer was i am always your woman … The ending leave us with sn undecided with whom to ride as if theyvare showing us that it was never really cleared who shee really was but th ey showed it before taehan died……
@pesojiwon
Hmm..I don’t know if it was sadder than QSD. QSD ending was so tragic. Misunderstanding and broken trust lead to what happened in QSD. In QSD the writers showed DeokMan loved both Yushin & Bidam.
In EK, the writers got messy with the love triangle.
@amrhsn
It seems to me that you have an issue with the writers.That is how TH character was written or the script that the actors has to play.You don’t have to explain to me about how bad you think he is.I’m also watching the drama.The thing different between us is that I know that it is a drama.There’s a contrast in their characters but unfortunately viewers have a different take on their characters depending on their circumstances or how it is presented in the drama.The actors cannot all be presented as all good or all evil.The writers decided to turn TH into a much flawed and very inconsistent character, that’s the writers prerogative. I would love TH to be as good and heroic as WY but the drama would not be interesting and unpredictable.
That is why it is a drama.Sometimes we get so engrossed with the characters that we like ,that we forget that the others watching the drama might have a different take on how they see the character develops.We love the character so much that we forget that a writer exist and it is not up to us how the drama will progress.At the end , TH or the emperor that does not have any value to humanity or has a very bad character, a murderer, a rapist you name it end up being sincerely love by SN.All those ravings didn’t do any good because the writers reign supreme. And that’s why they call it a drama
Fighting Empress Ki.
SN did not reject WY….he married someone else cause he thought she was dead in the first place. What was she suppose to do? When SN eavesdrop on the conversation after BA and TT bought her out of slavery she found out abt marriage. She had no other choice but to move on and look out for herself.
Wahh.. There are so many Heartbreaking scene -_-
Thanks for Recap !! Fighting !! ^^
I feel like i will turn into a ghost enter sunyangs body and finish dt ta hwan off i hate him for killin wy…..el temur’s puppet….mtswww
@meme
You certainly got your wish.TH died also but after SN told him on his deathbed that she truly love him.
i think Th will die at the end too
What has disappointed me the most about this show is the way SN’s character has devolved as a result of this forced :romance” with TH. The writers, to stay true to SN’s character, should have 1) clearly showed SN using TH as a tool for vengeance and 2) – this is the important part – written TH as a better man so that her softening toward him would be believable. The writers totally failed in this regard – they wrote TH as such a detestable, weak, stupid bully that it is impossible to buy that SN would love him, unless she had lost everything that made her cool in the first place. TH was written so badly that he was laughable as a “rival” for WY – there is simply no comparison. And WY on the other hand was so perfect that he became a martyr. In the middle of this bad writing, we have poor SN – formerly the cunning, kickass angel of vengeance – ending the show as the long-suffering wife of an alcoholic, abusive murderer. Wow, thanks for that awesome ending, “Empress Ki” writers.
A sincere thanks to the recapper – beautiful work, greatly appreciated.
LOL I knew the writers were going to poo poo on us some more. 😀
I think it’s funny because a lot of people hate the Emperor but it’s all about what’s written in the script.
I haven’t seen the episode yet but i wasn’t expecting this. Oh well, it was a captivating drama. Too bad some people died and stuff but I was watching for SY. . . I mean the Empress anyway. If the emperor was gonna end up with the Empress and WY dead they should have made him at least a little more respectable and what not. I liked WY but didn’t love the fact that he clung to SY emotionally without receiving much in return.
At the end of the day this all could have been plotted better when it came to the romance aspect of it.
Die Golta! And Yom too (i always blamed him for SY fathers death because he died from Yoms wounds before he could be sentenced to death from the emperor’s lies but truth be told everybody would have died if he didn’t)
@Ariel DuBenion
Yes I did not like how they made WY cling to SN. I guess they did that to show that WY truly loved her. After SN became a concubine she was cold to WY but he still helped her and TH for that matter because he loved her. They should have at least let WY loved Bi-Soo. I loved SN character but I don’t like the way the writers made her in her relationship with TH. I know women are more forgiving to their husbands but there is a time you have stand your ground. She forgave TH for everything including raping her.
I really wanted WY to have some happiness in his life because of all good he did for Yuan & Goryo. WY and SN took care of Goryo & Yuan not TH.
@Meme i wish that there was some true end to WY and SY relationship like some real dialog between them. WY probably understood SY the entire time and that’s probably why he was always there for her.
Messed up ending for Taltal. I wish SY would have said something like “your an idea guy, hope I’ll see you next lifetime, Taltal”
I hope he stars in a drama soon. I’d like to see all of them in different dramas soon.
Folks. Words cannot express how forlorn and utterly pissed I am for how WY died. To me, he was the only saving grace of this entire drama as it’s gone down to shit. I guess this is what the writers meant when they said he’d move our hearts in the future. How can you not love this man? He was the most consistent character in the entire drama next to Tal Tal. He truly loved SN to the end and his love for her was completely pure. He was willing to forfeit his life for her without question and thought only of her in his final moments. Sadly, I’ve even gone to the stage where I started to hate SN. I didn’t like her parting words to him, but that’s probably me overestimating her love for him. This was the perfect time for SN to say that she was sorry to him, and that she was grateful for his love, and that she has and WILL ALWAYS love him…WHILE he was still conscious. He deserves that much! I also didn’t like how she acted afterwards, babying her asshole of a husband like he had a little diaper rash. It made everything look as if it was okay, when it wasn’t. It’s come to the point where I looked at my friend who’s watching this drama with me and said, “Girl. She did not deserve his love.” But I think even SN knows this, hence why she asked for him to forget about her and that she’d repay him in the next life. Either she thought herself not good enough for him, or that she never really loved him. I realized that at some point, I was no longer a SN-WY shipper, but simply just a WY shipper. The writers have destroy my hopes for him in the most preposterous way imaginable. I wanted him to move on from SN, to be happy, to think of SN as a passing memory; to start fresh as the king of the country he tried so hard to protect. This is just…-sighs-
And TH disgusts me to no end. I like how people try to argue that he did it for SN and blah, blah, blah. No. Fact is, he did this out of spite, jealousy, and for assurance, so that SN would never even think about going back to Yoo. He knows they loved each other at some point so in his head there’s always that “torch” still burning. It’s not about what SN would and would not do; it’s about the level of trust and understanding he has of her. TH does not understand her at all. TH does not trust SN. Him killing Yoo was an excuse. TH knows how much WY loves SN, and that he never do anything to jeopardize her life. The ironic part is that WY STILL ended up doing more for SN than TH ever could, even in death. That tickles me a bit, but I am bitter to know that TH at least heard SN tell him that she loved him. I wish it could’ve gone down differently. It’s also sad that Ki is left alone after all this. I had hope for my crack ship TT x SN, but that’s gone down the drain too. Man…I feel like I wasted 50 hours of my life.
she said “forget her in next life” bcz if all of events happens 100000 time again she wont fall in love with wy and wy will die in the end . shes love to th is unconditional even it had many flaws bcz of that she forgave him easily every time .